MovieChat Forums > The Good Humor Man (1950) Discussion > Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel

posted 15 years ago by styner-2
2 replies | jump to latest

As a kid, I always preferred Captain Marvel to that "other" guy in a cape, but DC Comics' legal staff apparently thought that a crime fighter in red longjohns with a blue cape was a rip-off of their humorless creation in blue longjohns with a red cape, and ultimately prevailed, driving the Captain, Billy Batson, Talky Tawney, and the rest from the printed page. I remember that in 1950, the back cover of several Captain Marvel comic books featured an ad for "The Good Humor Man," featuring Jack Carson in his vendor's uniform standing next to what was probably a life-size cardboard cut-out of Captain Marvel, beneath the legend, "See Captain Marvel Take Over in [name of studio]'s 'The Good Humor Man!'" Obviously, an early case of tie-in promotion, ancestral to today's fast-food/movie action-figure premiums. I still miss Jack Carson, and I still miss Captain Marvel, too.

[–] jdsuggs 13 years ago

Good stuff, styner- although the Big Red Cheese wore a white cape.

[–] makers6947-465-331326 10 years ago

It is interesting that the villain here is George Reeves, who was Superman back then (and forever as far as my generation is concerned). You have to wonder if all that is an accident or is an inside joke. Although the Superman series started in 1952, there was a Superman movie released in 1951 (probably filmed in 1950). So George Reeves's association with Captain Marvel's rival would seem to be well under way. This is one of my favorite movies, as is The Male Animal, also with Jack Carson. Jack Carson was great and we missed out on a lot of good stuff with his early passing.