Seduction Productions
Hopalong Cassidy & the Mad Barber nn
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COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Hopalong Cassidy and the Mad Barber nn Universal
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Grade:
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9.6
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Page Quality:
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OFF-WHITE
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Certification #:
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2055064001
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Owner:
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GAM
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
Hopalong Cassidy and the Mad Barber, a promotional giveaway from Bond Bread, is referenced in Fredric Wertham’s The“Seduction of the Innocent” (SOTI) on pages 308-309.
Wertham uses the “Mad Barber” story to illustrate why even “good” comics negatively influence children. He describes the story as follows “Children have shown me a comic book which mothers must think is ‘good’. It is produced by one of the biggest comic book publishers, is given away free by a famous brand food manufacturer and has the name of Hopalong Cassidy on it. It shows an ‘insane’ barber running loose with a sharp razor. He ties an old man to the barber’s chair, brandishing a razor. The old man: ‘He’s stropping the razor! And he’s got that mad look on his face! He’ll cut my throat! Gulp!’ A close-up follows with the face of the old man bound to the chair, the face of the barber, the knife and the neck. The same scene is shown a second time, and a third time. Then comes Hoppy, twists the barber’s arm backward and knocks him out so he sees stars: ‘WHAM!’ I have talked to children about this book. They do not say this book is about the West, or about Hopalong Cassidy, or about a barber. They say it is about killing and socking people and twisting their arms and cutting their throats.”
The Mad Barber story originally appeared in Hopalong Cassidy #5. However, Wertham’s reference to this comic being “given away by a famous brand food manufacturer” points to the fact that he read this story in the 1951 Bond Bread promotional giveaway. I have included a scan of the page that contains the barber stropping his razor.
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