Corliss Archer was first introduced in a series of short stories by F. Hugh Herbert (published in book form in 1944): a bright, sassy teenager who kept trying to involve her unwilling best buddy Dexter in her wild schemes. Dexter was not interested in girls, but he liked hanging out with Corliss because, in spite of his grumbling, he enjoyed the excitement and adventure.
As Ralph on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1956-58), he buddy-bonded with Ronnie Burns and tried his best not to get "snared" by a girl, in spite of his scripted girl-craziness.
In Gidget (1959), he played Hot Shot, a gay-vague surfer boy whom Gidget hires to make the Big Kahuna jealous. He didn't go through with it, but he did manage to display some impressive muscles and a spectacular bulge.
Robert's last screen appearance was in The Jackie Gleason Special (1973). He died in 1973, at the age of 40.
I just heard a story about Drake dating Robert Ellis in 1956, until Ricky Nelson stole him. See Tales of West Hollywood.
Robert Ellis, or "Bobby" as he was then billed, played radio's quintessential teen boy, Henry Aldrich on the radio for several years, and later played Henry on a TV version. Henry Aldrich managed to be girl crazy and gay-vague at the same time. He had a very intense romance with his best friend Homer. I've never seen the TV series, but I've heard many of the radio shows. Archie comics started as a direct rip-off of Henry Aldrich.
ReplyDeletePep Comics #22 was published in December 1941, making Archie and the gang some of the oldest characters in comics that anyone remembers, and probably the oldest outside of superheroes. At least the core characters. (Archie, Reggie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead)
DeleteFor his part, John Goldwater imagined them as typical 1930s teens like he was.
Nope, the popular Blondie comics predates Archie by at least a decade with a film series at Columbia that churned out 28-films over a 12-year period, a daily newspaper strip, and a radio show that aired for most of the 1940s (with the announcer stating, "Uh, Uh, Uh, don't touch that dial . . .) Watch the films and see the gay-vague characters of Baby Dumpling, later Alexander, played by Larry Simms, and his nasty neighbor, Alvin Fuddle, played by Danny Mummert. Amazing from where one can extrapolate queer theory if they are willing to look.
DeleteThere's a chapter in my book "We Boys Together" about the movie Henry Aldrich. He was one of the transitional characters from "women-hating" to "girl-crazy."
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