The Kefauver Committee CSS 22 Copy?

[bronze johnny]

Out of curiosity, did Kefauver's Committee have the actual comic books in its possession or were there slides/photographs of the books used during the hearings? If the committee did have the comic books at some time or other, does anyone know whatever happened to them? Were they destroyed or placed on file in a Senate depository somewhere? The "Kefauver Committee CSS 22 Copy" would be priceless...

 

Thanks for any insight,

 

John

[Scrooge]

I am sure these folks had access to the comics when creating the report. Not sure what they used for the hearings themselves but they did have this display available in the room. No CSS 22 on display though -

 

[Johnny545]

 

Off topic - Here is the MT they used (not actual copy):

 

[jpepx78]

Sen Kefauver holding CSS 22 at the 1954 senate hearings (still from tv broadcast). I don't know if the comics were saved.

 

[bronze johnny]

Thx for the insight everybody. If actual copies of the comics were exhibits used by the committee, perhaps there's a chance some or all of them still exist somewhere filed away?

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

Believe it is filed away here:

 

[bronze johnny]

Next to the Ark of the Covenant!

[markseifert]

Out of curiosity, did Kefauver's Committee have the actual comic books in its possession or were there slides/photographs of the books used during the hearings?

 

A few photos of the committee looking at comics surfaced when google put the Life magazine archives online a few years back.

 

edit -- , not embedable, but you can see a bunch here:

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=comics&q=source%3Alife&tbm=isch#q=comic+source:life&safe=off&tbm=isch

 

 

[Johnny545]

Awesome thanks Mark!

[bronze johnny]

Thanks Mark- if there's no evidence indicating that the books were destroyed, perhaps they still exist somewhere? The Kefauver Committee books would be quite a historical find. And the CSS 22 copy (providing it too exists) might very well be one of the most valuable comics ever.

 

 

[bluechip]

I would love to have the copy they were looking at when Gaines said it wasn't in bad taste, though it would be if you they had drawn the severered ends of the arteries and spinal cord sticking out of the bottom of her neck.

[TheSurgeon]

I would love to have the copy they were looking at when Gaines said it wasn't in bad taste, though it would be if you they had drawn the severered ends of the arteries and spinal cord sticking out of the bottom of her neck.

 

From http://www.thecomicbooks.com/gaines.html:

 

Senator KEFAUVER. Here is your May 22 issue. This seems to be a man with a bloody ax holding a woman's head up which has been severed from her body. Do you think that is in good taste?

 

[shows copy of Crime Suspenstories #22]

 

Mr. GAINES. Yes, sir; I do, for the cover of a horror comic. A cover in bad taste, for example, might be defined as holding the head a little higher so that the neck could be seen dripping blood from it and moving the body over a little further so that the neck of the body could be seen to be bloody.

 

Senator KEFAUVER. You have blood coming out of her mouth.

 

Mr. GAINES. A little.

 

Senator KEFAUVER. Here is blood on the ax. I think most adults are shocked by that.

[bluechip]

I would love to have the copy they were looking at when Gaines said it wasn't in bad taste, though it would be if you they had drawn the severered ends of the arteries and spinal cord sticking out of the bottom of her neck.

 

From http://www.thecomicbooks.com/gaines.html:

 

Senator KEFAUVER. Here is your May 22 issue. This seems to be a man with a bloody ax holding a woman's head up which has been severed from her body. Do you think that is in good taste?

 

[shows copy of Crime Suspenstories #22]

 

Mr. GAINES. Yes, sir; I do, for the cover of a horror comic. A cover in bad taste, for example, might be defined as holding the head a little higher so that the neck could be seen dripping blood from it and moving the body over a little further so that the neck of the body could be seen to be bloody.

 

Senator KEFAUVER. You have blood coming out of her mouth.

 

Mr. GAINES. A little.

 

Senator KEFAUVER. Here is blood on the ax. I think most adults are shocked by that.

 

 

"A little."

 

I would love to have been there.

 

[TheSurgeon]

I would love to have the copy they were looking at when Gaines said it wasn't in bad taste, though it would be if you they had drawn the severered ends of the arteries and spinal cord sticking out of the bottom of her neck.

 

From http://www.thecomicbooks.com/gaines.html:

 

Senator KEFAUVER. Here is your May 22 issue. This seems to be a man with a bloody ax holding a woman's head up which has been severed from her body. Do you think that is in good taste?

 

[shows copy of Crime Suspenstories #22]

 

Mr. GAINES. Yes, sir; I do, for the cover of a horror comic. A cover in bad taste, for example, might be defined as holding the head a little higher so that the neck could be seen dripping blood from it and moving the body over a little further so that the neck of the body could be seen to be bloody.

 

Senator KEFAUVER. You have blood coming out of her mouth.

 

Mr. GAINES. A little.

 

Senator KEFAUVER. Here is blood on the ax. I think most adults are shocked by that.

 

 

"A little."

 

I would love to have been there.

 

Thought bubble from Gaines' head: "This isn't going well..."