Baker Romance 43 43

[Darwination]

Going to be letting this one go. It's not gonna bust the census or anything but a nice Baker cover, at least a couple Baker stories (the third story is iffy), a couple Dana Dutch scripts...

.

 

[Ernie72]

I have noticed, or at least it's my sensation, that Matt Baker/Kamen Rulah has too much in common with the actress Jane Russel. Does anybody know if Baker took her in count at the time to create Rulah's aethetic?

Edited October 16, 2023 by Ernie72

[Iksar]

New addition 

[MBFan]

On 10/15/2023 at 8:26 PM, Ernie72 said:

I have noticed, or at least it's my sensation, that Matt Baker/Kamen Rulah has too much in common with the actress Jane Russel. Does anybody know if Baker took her in count at the time to create Rulah's aethetic?

 

That cover is all Jack Kamen, as noted by several sources, including Grand Comics Database. And any stories inside that are attributed to Baker are followed by a question mark, because if it is his art, it's some of the most awkward looking art he ever drew. 

[Ernie72]

On 10/16/2023 at 5:45 AM, MBFan said:

That cover is all Jack Kamen, as noted by several sources, including Grand Comics Database. And any stories inside that are attributed to Baker are followed by a question mark, because if it is his art, it's some of the most awkward looking art he ever drew. 

I know that, but my question was if anybody have any reference about Matt Baker taking in count a famous actress or model at the time to design Rulah's face...

For example, this is a draw of 1946 from the book "The art fo Glamour". I find it similar to the actress Jane Russell, despita somebody could find it similar to Rita Hayworth

Edited October 16, 2023 by Ernie72

[Darwination]

On 10/16/2023 at 9:25 AM, Ernie72 said:

I know that, but my question was if anybody have any reference about Matt Baker taking in count a famous actress or model at the time to design Rulah's face...

I think Jane Russell was so big in the culture at that point, particularly as a pin-up, that you can tie Russell to Rulah as dark haired, long legged and All-American cheesecake.  The face, as you point out, is tall and lean like Russell, too.  No doubt Baker liked working with that long curly and flowing hair with the flip in the front.

We were just talking about Russell in regards to glamour/pin-up artist Zoe Mozert on one of the pulp threads.  This one sold for 166,000 at Heritage and has some neat background

[Ernie72]

On 10/16/2023 at 12:12 PM, Darwination said:

I think Jane Russell was so big in the culture at that point, particularly as a pin-up, that you can tie Russell to Rulah as dark haired, long legged and All-American cheesecake.  The face, as you point out, is tall and lean like Russell, too.  No doubt Baker liked working with that long curly and flowing hair with the flip in the front.

We were just talking about Russell in regards to glamour/pin-up artist Zoe Mozert on one of the pulp threads.  This one sold for 166,000 at Heritage and has some neat background

In reality, the pick of Jane Russell that I posted was of her first movie in 1943 where she curiously, played the role of "Rio McDonald". It's obvious that "the comic "Señorita Rio" is a clear wink to that character of Russell. Just take a view.

The wonderful picture that you have posted here is an inspiration of that first movie of Russell too

In that movie Jane Russell was approximately 22 years old.

[LadyDeath]

I'm sure Baker took inspiration from several female celebrities at the time. It would be strange if he didn't. He also sought out rather obscure material like a Greek magazine responsible for Cinderella Love 25. Baker kept an extensive reference file and culled ideas from photographs/clippings he had saved and got right to work. Other times things just popped in his head. They covered this in The Art of Glamour.

[LadyDeath]

[PassDaMike]

The Greek version is almost impossible to find. Here is the American version I own. From what I found out the American version came out in 1947 predating the Greek version by 2 years. Someone can fact check me. 
 

I know one of y’all is hiding the Greek copy. 👀 

[Ernie72]

On 10/16/2023 at 12:54 PM, LadyDeath said:

I thought that the woman in the first paint was Dorothy Lamour but she had a different smile. That first woman is Beryl Wallace a singer and dancer from USA

Edited October 16, 2023 by Ernie72
A mystake

[Yorick]

On 10/16/2023 at 8:33 AM, LadyDeath said:

He also sought out rather obscure material like a Greek magazine responsible for Cinderella Love 25.

The Greek magazine was a reprint from Liberty Magazine (USA).  The original artist is Ernie Chiriaka (sp?).  I recently found a Ken Bald swipe from an original Chiriaka image.  I'm really liking a lot of the Chiriaka work I've been seeing.

[LadyDeath]

On 10/16/2023 at 2:09 PM, Yorick said:

The Greek magazine was a reprint from Liberty Magazine (USA).  The original artist is Ernie Chiriaka (sp?).  I recently found a Ken Bald swipe from an original Chiriaka image.  I'm really liking a lot of the Chiriaka work I've been seeing.

Oh ok, I was unaware of the reprint. Another theory is that Baker and the Greek artist used photos from the same source as inspirations for their artwork.

Possibly from The Loves of Carmen (1948) starring Rita Hayworth.

Edited October 16, 2023 by LadyDeath

[Funnybooks]

On 10/12/2023 at 2:11 PM, PassDaMike said:

These full art, no panel covers do look great and display very well! Look at how lovely she looks. 

love it!

[Darwination]

On 10/16/2023 at 2:03 PM, LadyDeath said:

Oh ok, I was unaware of the reprint. Another theory is that Baker and the Greek artist used photos from the same source as inspirations for their artwork.

Possibly from The Loves of Carmen (1948) starring Rita Hayworth.

A lot of times, I'm finding something like this to be true.  I'll identify "swipes" or "inspirations" from other print sources for covers or illustrations, but it turns out all the artists were inspired by the same publicity shoot or scene from the movies which were more universal than any possible print source.

[Ernie72]

On 10/16/2023 at 3:09 PM, Yorick said:

The Greek magazine was a reprint from Liberty Magazine (USA).  The original artist is Ernie Chiriaka (sp?).  I recently found a Ken Bald swipe from an original Chiriaka image.  I'm really liking a lot of the Chiriaka work I've been seeing.

A greek descendent artist who lived in NYC. He has a lot of interesting works of art.

[Yorick]

I don't think I wrote that clearly enough....

Liberty Magazine published the image in 1947 (you can clearly see the signature of the artist lower left):

 

The other uses came later:

 

That Greek magazine reused many terrific images, and likely more from that original artist.

[Darwination]

heh heh, Just came across Jane Russell in the comics (plus Robert Mitchum), from an upcoming Heritage auction:

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Darwination

[Ernie72]

On 10/17/2023 at 2:25 PM, Yorick said:

I don't think I wrote that clearly enough....

Liberty Magazine published the image in 1947 (you can clearly see the signature of the artist lower left):

 

The other uses came later:

 

That Greek magazine reused many terrific images, and likely more from that original artist.

Yes of course, you were clear in your post. The american version was first.

[Ernie72]

On 10/17/2023 at 11:49 PM, Darwination said:

heh heh, Just came across Jane Russell in the comics (plus Robert Mitchum), from an upcoming Heritage auction:

 

That's why I suspect that Matt Baker took in count her in some occasions at time to draw some characters. However other sources said that he was influenced by artist like Alex Raymond and Milton Caniff who were using models who looked like some of Matt Bakers female characters, in special the model who possed for the character of Miss Lace. Other sources just stablished that Baker came from the generation of those artists but he knew how to glow with his own style and I agree with this of course.

This is Milton Caniff drawing Miss Lace with his model