Buster Crabbe

Buster Crabbe Comic Books

Lansing Sexton did some investigatin' on the comic book run of Buster Crabbe, and provides the following report:

Buster Crabbe comics, published by Famous Funnies Publications, appeared in late 1951 (#1 is dated November) and ran until the September, 1953 issue, #12. All 12 issues have a black and white photo of Buster in a cowboy hat in the upper left-hand corner. The first 4 issues have taglines such as "Your Television All-American Cowboy" and the first 3 have drawn covers of Buster dressed as a cowboy, although #3 has green aliens as well! After that, the covers vary from space to jungle, #6 features a shark attack, with only issues 11 and 12 returning to Western themes.

Almost immediately following the demise of his Famous Funnies series, Lev Gleason Publications began a new series, The Amazing Adventures of Buster Crabbe The All-American Hero. Issue #1 is dated December 1953 and has a (partial) autographed photo cover of Buster in modern dress. Issues #1 and #2 as reproduced in Ernst and Mary Gerber's Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books offer free autographed pictures and also bear the legend "Space * Jungle * Western* His 3 Greatest Adventures".

Robert Overstreet's Comic Book Price Guide says that issue #4 (dated January 1954), the final issue of the short series, has a Flash Gordon cover.

Finally, in 1955, Charlton Comics published issue #1 of Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion which had a 4 issue run ending with the September, 1956 issue. #1 has small black and white headshots of Buster and his son Cuffy in the upper corners; these became drawings on issues #2 and #4, and a full-page photo of Buster on the inside front cover. There may be other photos inside as well. #1 was also issued as a Heinz Foods giveaway, which Overstreet says has ads in place of some of the photos.

The Grand Comic Book database website has images of the covers of Buster's comics:
     The Amazing Adventures of Buster Crabbe: http://www.comics.org/series/971/covers/
     Buster Crabbe Comics: http://www.comics.org/series/12168/covers/
     Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion: http://www.comics.org/series/11370/covers/

(Courtesy of Minard Coons)

From left to right are a quartet of swimming legends - Johnny Weissmuller of Tarzan and Jungle Jim fame, Eleanor Holm, MGM star Esther Williams, and Buster Crabbe ... at the Swimming Hall of Fame, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, circa 1972.

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Above, Crabbe and Flash Gordon co-star Jean Rogers at a 1970s film convention.

(Courtesy of Minard Coons)

Buster, with a big smile for the camera, while doing autographs at another of the 1970s film conventions.

(Courtesy of Donn & Nancy Moyer)

Crabbe, circa late 1970s.

Karl Whitezel authored a book on Crabbe which was published in 1997. The softcover, titled Buster Crabbe, A Self Portrait measures about 8 1/2 x 5 1/2, has 339 pages, a bunch of photos, and a Crabbe filmography. The ISBN number is 0-9662313-3-3.

There's lots of details on Crabbe's life, including the Olympics, Flash Gordon, PRC westerns, Fuzzy St. John, Captain Gallant TV show, etc. ... as well as coverage of difficult family matters such as the death of Crabbe's daughter Sande from anorexia.

Go to the Books-Print Media-Newsletters link on the Old Corral homepage and check various new and used book stores.

Crabbe Links - general

Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Buster Crabbe, Al 'Fuzzy' St. John, as well as "Sig and Sam", PRC's producer and director brothers:
     Buster Crabbe: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0185568/
     Al 'Fuzzy' St. John: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0820607/
     Producer Sigmund Neufeld: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0626892/
     Director Sam Newfield (Sam Neufeld): http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0627864/

The New Zealand website for Cascade Pools has a history of the pool manufacturing company, endorsements by Crabbe and Esther Williams, the Crabbe swimming pool company, etc. The website notes that Crabbe was associated with Cascade Pools for about 30 years, beginning in 1949: http://www.cascade.co.nz/history%28USA%292009.htm
The Cascade Pools website has a November, 1969 Cascade Industries Inc. dealer convention photo of Vice President of Sales (USA) Clarence Linden (Buster) Crabbe and others: http://www.cascade.co.nz/graphics/puerto_vallarta_1969.jpg

Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website has info on the interment location for Crabbe at Green Acres Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Scottsdale, Arizona: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21280

It appears the Crabbe family has ties to Rhode Island and the "Colt State Park". This link will take you to the State of Rhode Island, Parks and Recreation website: http://www.riparks.com/colthistory.htm

Brian Walker's Drive-In Theater website has a page with lots of photos on Crabbe: http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/bustercrabbe.html

There's an article on the April 10, 1957 passing of Buster and Virginia's daughter Caren Lynn Crabbe (nicknamed "Sande") from anorexia: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/anorexia/

As mentioned earlier, Crabbe never received a Golden Boot award nor has he been recognized at the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 - but that was for his television work. Go to: http://www.walkoffame.com/buster-crabbe

At the Senses of Cinema website, there's a lengthy article titled "Fast Worker: The Films of Sam Newfield" by author and film historian Wheeler Winston Dixon which covers the life and career of director Sam Newfield: http://sensesofcinema.com/2007/feature-articles/sam-newfield/

Crabbe Links - on Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers

Tom Aldridge has a lengthy essay and critique of the Flash Gordon serials at: http://members.iquest.net/~taldr/

Judy Harris has the cast and plot synopsis on the FLASH GORDON serials:
http://www.bestweb.net/~foosie/universe.htm
http://www.bestweb.net/~foosie/flash1.htm
http://www.bestweb.net/~foosie/flash2.htm

Images Journal has info on Buster Crabbe and the FLASH GORDON serial. Go to: http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue04/infocus/flashgordon.htm

Tony LoBue has a super website on Crabbe and the Flash Gordon serials (with lots of graphics and online video): http://flashgordon.ws/
Make sure to take a gander at his webpage with a bunch of articles and photos, including some great shots of Buster with Erin Grey and Gil Girard from the Buck Rogers TV show: http://flashgordon.ws/articles.htm

You can find out about Crabbe and the Buck Rogers serial at: http://www.buck-rogers.com/

There's a profile on Flash Gordon creator Alex Raymond at: http://www.comic-art.com/biographies/raymond1.htm

Crabbe Links - on the Olympics and swimming

YouTube has a four minute, 16mm color film showing swimmers Eleanor Holm, Esther Williams, Buster Crabbe and Johnny Weismuller during their work on the Billy Rose Aquacade Swim Show at the 1939 - 1940 New York World's Fair. Weissmuller appeared in the 1939 show and was replaced by Crabbe in 1940. Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na3z6K1j83w

The Hennepin County Library in Minnesota has a photo of Crabbe swimming in the Billy Rose Aquacade during a November, 1940 performance at the Minneapolis Auditorium: http://image.hclib.org/mplsphotos/Jpegs/M4212.jpg

The New York Public Library Digital Library has two photos of Crabbe in their Billy Rose Theater collection:
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?TH-05587
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?TH-05588

Hickok Sports site has a page on Crabbe: http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/crabbebu.shtml

The Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame has a page on Crabbe: http://www.hawaiisportshalloffame.com/cms/index.php?page=crabbe-clarence

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has a page on Crabbe: http://www.ishof.org/Honorees/65/65ccrabbe.html

The Sports Illustrated website has a lengthy article from 1984 titled "A Star Was Born" which is about Crabbe and the 1932 Olympics: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122298/index.htm

Crabbe was inducted into the University of Southern California (USC) Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994:
http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/archives/2007/05/the-litany-of-u.html
http://www.usctrojans.com/genrel/101406aaa.html

Crabbe's Camp Meenagha for Boys was located in Onchiota, New York and existed from about 1952 - 1975: http://www.campmeenahga.com/waterfront.htm#photos