Number 781


Backwoods gal makes good!


This story, from St. John's Cinderella Love #13, 1953, feeds into a stereotype of country folks, if you see it as something of Li'l Abner, only done more seriously. Betty Lou lives with her lazy pappy and hard-working mammy in Arkansas, where she has to walk 30 miles to a hog-callin' contest. Betty Lou is accosted by Hurd Maxwell, a hillbilly her pappy is having a feud with. Hurd has rape on his mind, but he's interrupted by the movie feller from Hollywood. That's where this unlikely story veers from stereotype into outright fantasy, and the story ends with Betty Lou a movie star. (I don't write these things...I just post them.)

Maybe Hurd Maxwell had been reading some of these paperback books of the era, where backwoods girls are mighty sexy, and mighty easy.



John Benson's excellent book on St. John's love comics, Romance Without Tears, is still available from Amazon.com. "My Prince Charming" is not included in Benson's book.

Starting this Sunday, August 1, a special theme month for Pappy's. Each week will feature a genre of comics. First up, "Science Fiction Week," followed by "Crime Does Pay" week, "Un-super Superheroes" week, and finally, "Comical Comics" week. I had a great time finding stories to fit into the themes and I believe you'll enjoy them.