Potrzebie
Saturday, June 08, 2013
 

Last installment of my EC Archives notes.

Vault Lines

Vault 23

The Vault of Horror 23 (February-March 1952) is unique because it features two stories by the same artist (Jack Davis), a scheduling rarity for EC. (Craig also had two stories in Tales from the Crypt 19.)




One might assume that Johnny Craig had the 1911 Triangle Factory fire in mind when he drew “A Stitch in Time!”, especially since it was the subject of an Oscar-nominated film, With These Hands (1950), directed by Jack Arnold with Sam Levene, Arlene Francis, Alexander Scourby and Rolly Bester (wife of science fiction, radio and comics writer Alfred Bester). The fire resulted in the deaths of 146 garment workers who were trapped in the building or jumped to their deaths during the deadliest New York City disaster until 9/11. However, Craig stated that he only learned about the Triangle fire years later when he saw a different film, probably The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal (1979) with Tom Bosley and Stephanie Zimbalist. To see the American Experience documentary on the Triangle fire, go to PBS.


Craig was unfamiliar with the Triangle fire, but even so,
“A Stitch in Time!” displays several conspicuous parallels with the 1911 tragedy, suggesting that it was scripted by someone who knew New York history. The Triangle fire reportedly began in a scrap bin, the focus of the final pages in the story. The sweatshop owner is named Lasch, and the Triangle fire took place in the ten-story Asch Building place at the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place. In the last panel, the Vault-Keeper’s concluding pun is a direct reference: “…don’t asch Lasch.” Although polished in both script and art, the story has an obvious flaw, since the fire begins for no apparent reason other than to heighten the finale with flames. What started this fire? We are never told.

“Dead Wait” and “Staired in Horror” and “99 44/100% Pure Horror!” were all adapted for HBO’s Tales from the Crypt series. During the third season, “Dead Wait” was telecast 3 July 1991 with a cast of James Remar, Whoopi Goldberg, and John Rhys-Davies. In the sixth season of the HBO series, “Staired in Horror” was telecast 14 December 1994 with a cast of Rachel Ticotin, D.B. Sweeney and R. Lee Ermey. Also in the sixth season, “99 44/100% Pure Horror!” was telecast 18 January 1995 with a cast of Bruce Davison, Cristi Conaway and Darin Heames.                                                                    

Labels: ,

 
Comments: Post a Comment



<< Home
Masquerade of the albino axolotls

My Photo
Name:

is the editor of Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood (2003), reviewed by Paul Gravett.

ARCHIVES
October 2005 / November 2005 / December 2005 / January 2006 / February 2006 / March 2006 / April 2006 / May 2006 / June 2006 / July 2006 / August 2006 / September 2006 / October 2006 / November 2006 / December 2006 / January 2007 / February 2007 / March 2007 / April 2007 / May 2007 / June 2007 / July 2007 / August 2007 / September 2007 / October 2007 / November 2007 / December 2007 / January 2008 / February 2008 / March 2008 / April 2008 / May 2008 / June 2008 / July 2008 / August 2008 / September 2008 / October 2008 / November 2008 / December 2008 / January 2009 / February 2009 / March 2009 / April 2009 / May 2009 / June 2009 / July 2009 / August 2009 / September 2009 / October 2009 / November 2009 / December 2009 / January 2010 / February 2010 / March 2010 / April 2010 / May 2010 / June 2010 / July 2010 / August 2010 / September 2010 / October 2010 / November 2010 / December 2010 / January 2011 / February 2011 / March 2011 / April 2011 / May 2011 / June 2011 / July 2011 / August 2011 / September 2011 / October 2011 / November 2011 / December 2011 / January 2012 / February 2012 / March 2012 / April 2012 / May 2012 / June 2012 / July 2012 / September 2012 / October 2012 / November 2012 / December 2012 / January 2013 / February 2013 / March 2013 / April 2013 / May 2013 / June 2013 / July 2013 / August 2013 / September 2013 / October 2013 / December 2013 /


Powered by Blogger