Seduction Productions
Hopalong Cassidy & the Mad Barber nn

COMIC DETAILS

Comic Description: Hopalong Cassidy and the Mad Barber #nn Universal
Grade: 9.6
Page Quality: OFF-WHITE
Certification #: 2055064001
Owner: GAM

SET DETAILS

Winning Set: Seduction Productions
Date Added: 8/30/2020
Research: See CGC's Census Report for this Comic

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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