Tailspin Tommy

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Tailspin Tommy
Tailtom.jpg
Hal Forrest's Tailspin Tommy (June 26, 1938)
Author(s)Glenn Chaffin (1928–1933) Hal Forrest (1933–1942)
Illustrator(s) Hal Forrest (1928–1942)
(inks) Reynold Brown (1936–1942)
Current status/scheduleConcluded; reruns
Launch dateMay 21, 1928
End dateMarch 15, 1942
Syndicate(s) Bell Syndicate (1928–1940)
United Feature Syndicate (1940–1942)
Publisher(s) Stephen Slesinger Inc.
Eastern Color Printing
Dell Comics
Genre(s)Aviation-adventure

Tailspin Tommy was an aviation-adventure comic strip about a youthful pilot, "Tailspin" Tommy Tomkins (sometimes spelled Tompkins). Originally illustrated by Hal Forrest and initially distributed by John Neville Wheeler's Bell Syndicate and then by United Feature Syndicate, the strip had a 14-year run from May 21, 1928 to March 15, 1942. [1]

Contents

In the wake of Charles Lindbergh's 1927 flight across the Atlantic, the public's fascination with aviation escalated. Tailspin Tommy was the first aviation-based comic strip to appear as a result of this heightened interest. The strip's 1928 launch was followed by others, notably Skyroads (1929-1942), Scorchy Smith (1930-1961), The Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1933-1973) and Flyin' Jenny (1939-1946). [2]

Publication history

Scripted by Glenn Chaffin, a newspaper journalist and press agent, Tailspin Tommy began its run in four newspapers on May 21, 1928. [1] By 1931, it was published in more than 250 newspapers across the country. After buying out Chaffin's interest, Forrest took over the scripting; his first credited Sunday strip ran on January 7, 1934, and his first Sunday appeared on January 22. [1] Forrest wrote and drew the strip solo for the next three years.

In 1936, Forrest took on an assistant, Reynold Brown, who inked (uncredited) over Forrest's pencils. Tailspin Tommy is held by some to have improved with Brown's contribution. [2]

The Sunday page had several topper strips over the course of the run: Progress of Flight (1930-1933), Four Aces (1934-1941), How to Fly (1935), War Plane Insignia (1935) and Tailspin Tommy Flying Club (1935-1941). [1]

Characters and story

Living in Littleville, Colorado, young Tommy Tomkins had such an obsession with flying that he was given the nickname Tailspin Tommy before he ever actually went inside a plane. Although Tommy took an aero-engineering correspondence course, his real introduction to aviation happened when mail pilot Milt Howe made an emergency landing in a field near Tommy's neighborhood. Tommy watched the downward spiral of Milt's plane and ran to help. Howe rewarded Tommy with a greasemonkey job in Texas at the Three Point Airlines, where he soon became a pilot along with his girlfriend, Betty Lou Barnes, and his best buddy, Peter "Skeeter" Milligan. The trio eventually became part owners in Three Point and took off for many airborne adventures. [3]

By 1940, Tailspin Tommy began to lose papers. A change in syndicates from Bell to United Features did little to help, and the strip ended on March 15, 1942. [1]

Film

Tailspin Tommy flew into movie theaters throughout the 1930s. He was portrayed by Maurice Murphy in the 12-episode 1934 movie serial Tailspin Tommy . Another 12-chapter serial, Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery (1935), starred Clark Williams in the title role. John Trent portrayed Tommy in a series of hour-long features, including Mystery Plane , Stunt Pilot , Sky Patrol and Danger Flight . All were released in 1939.

Comic books and reprints

1933 Big Little Book Tailspin Tommy Pay Roll BLB.jpg
1933 Big Little Book

Stephen Slesinger Inc. published a series of 30 Tailspin Tommy Adventures in eight-page booklet form as a promotion with Big Thrill Chewing Gum. In 1936, C.J.H. Publications put out two issues of Tailspin Tommy Adventure Magazine. The magazines published adaptations of comic strip stories. Publication apparently ceased because the rights to the character had not been properly secured. After taking over the syndication, United Features published two Tailspin Tommy comic books, one in 1940 and one in 1946. Tailspin Tommy also saw reprints in Dell Comics' The Funnies and Popular Comics.

In 1934, Tailspin Tommy was among the strips reprinted in the first modern comic book, Famous Funnies , published by Max Gaines at Eastern Color Printing. That same year, Slesinger began publishing a series of Tailspin Tommy books in its Big Little Book line. Except where noted, beginning with Tailspin Tommy and the Island in the Sky these adaptations of the comic strip were ghostwritten by Gaylord Du Bois and illustrated by Hal Forrest:

Hal Forrest's Tailspin Tommy (October 27, 1929) Tailspintom291027.jpg
Hal Forrest's Tailspin Tommy (October 27, 1929)

Others:

A novel by Mark Stevens, Tailspin Tommy: The Mystery of the Midnight Patrol, was published by Grosset & Dunlap in 1936

Related Research Articles

See also: 1920s in comics, other events of the 1930s, 1940s in comics and the list of years in comics

Notable events of 1938 in comics.

<i>Scorchy Smith</i> American comic strip (1930–1961)

Scorchy Smith is an American adventure comic strip created by artist John Terry that ran from March 17, 1930 to December 30, 1961.

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The Funnies was the name of two American publications from Dell Publishing, the first of these a seminal 1920s precursor of comic books, and the second a standard 1930s comic book.

<i>Skyroads</i> (comics) American comic strip (1929–1942)

Skyroads, a serialized aviation-based comic strip, was published from May 20, 1929, to 1942.

Notable events of 1942 in comics.

Hal Forrest was an American comic strip artist best known for his work on Tailspin Tommy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Slesinger</span> American producer

Stephen Slesinger was an American radio, television and film producer, and creator of comic strip characters. From 1923 to 1953, he created, produced, published, developed, licensed or represented several popular literary characters of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.

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<i>Tailspin Tommy</i> (serial) 1934 American film

Tailspin Tommy is a 12-episode 1934 Universal film serial based on the Tailspin Tommy comic strip by Hal Forrest. Directed by Lew Landers and produced by Milton Gatzert, the serial was the 97th serial of the 137 released by that studio. The plot of Tailspin Tommy concerns a conflict over a government airmail contract.

<i>Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery</i> 1935 American film

Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery is a 12-episode 1935 Universal movie serial based on the Tailspin Tommy comic strip by Hal Forrest and starring Clark Williams, Jean Rogers and Noah Beery, Jr. The picture was the 96th of the 137 serials released by the studio.

<i>Connie</i> (comic strip) American comic strip by Frank Godwin

Connie is an American adventure comic strip created by the cartoonist Frank Godwin, who introduced a book illustration style to the comics page. The strip ran from 1927 to 1941 for the Ledger Syndicate. Connie debuted as a Sunday page on November 13, 1927. The strip was syndicated in France as Cora in the weekly paper Le Journal de Mickey.

<i>Don Winslow of the Navy</i> (comic strip) American comic strip by Frank Martinek

Don Winslow of the Navy was an American comic strip created by Frank Victor Martinek and distributed mostly by the Bell Syndicate from 1934 to 1955. The title character was a spy-chasing lieutenant commander in Naval intelligence. The comic strip led to a radio adventure serial that began in 1937, as well as film serials that began in 1942. Original comic book stories also appeared in Fawcett Comics titles starting in 1943.

<i>Danger Flight</i> 1939 film by Howard Bretherton

Danger Flight is a 1939 American film directed by Howard Bretherton and starring John Trent as Tailspin Tommy Tompkins, Marjorie Reynolds, Milburn Stone and Jason Robards Sr. The film featured young aviation enthusiasts in a model club.

<i>Sky Patrol</i> 1939 American film

Sky Patrol is a 1939 American film directed by Howard Bretherton and starring John Trent, along with Marjorie Reynolds, Milburn Stone and Jason Robards Sr. The film also featured actor and comedian Jackie Coogan, who began his film career as a child actor in silent films.

<i>Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine</i> US pulp science fiction magazine

Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine was a pulp magazine which was launched in December 1936. It was published by Harold Hersey, and was an attempt to cash in on the growing comics boom, and the popularity of the Flash Gordon comic strip in particular. The magazine contained a novel about Flash Gordon and three unrelated stories; there were also eight full-page color illustrations. The quality of both the artwork and the fiction was low, and the magazine saw only a single issue. It is now extremely rare.

<i>Mystery Plane</i> 1939 American film

Mystery Plane is a 1939 American action film directed by George Waggner and written by Paul Schofield and George Waggner. The film is based on the comic strip Tailspin Tommy by Hal Forrest and Glenn Chaffin. The film stars John Trent, Marjorie Reynolds, Milburn Stone, Jason Robards Sr., George Lynn and Lucien Littlefield. Mystery Plane, the first of four "Tailspin Tommy" films made by Monogram Pictures, was released on March 8, 1939.

<i>Stunt Pilot</i> 1939 American film

Stunt Pilot is a 1939 American adventure film directed by George Waggner and written by Scott Darling and George Waggner. The film is based on the comic strip Tailspin Tommy by Hal Forrest and Glenn Chaffin. Stunt Pilot stars John Trent, Marjorie Reynolds, Milburn Stone, Jason Robards Sr., Pat O'Malley and George Meeker. Following the success of Mystery Plane (1939), Stunt Pilot, the second in the "Tailspin Tommy" series, was released on July 2, 1939, by Monogram Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Trent (actor)</span> American aviator and actor

John Trent was an aviator-turned-actor-turned-aviator, best known as an actor for the "Tailspin Tommy" adventure film series in the 1930s. From 1931 to 1941, under the stage name John Trent, Browne appeared in 16 Hollywood films. While flying was a natural for him, acting was not, and he eventually turned his back on his Hollywood career, resuming his career in aviation, as a test pilot.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Holtz, Allan (2012). American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 374. ISBN   9780472117567.
  2. 1 2 CollectAir: "Hal Forrest and Tailspin Tommy"
  3. ↑ Tailspin Tommy at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015.
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