Hop Harrigan
Encyclopedia
Hop Harrigan first appeared in All American Comics #1 created by Jon Blummer (Fighting Yank
, Little Boy Blue
) as one of the first successful aviation
heroes in comic history (Hop appeared after Tailspin Tommy
, Barney Baxter
, Connie Kurridge and others). Hop Harrigan was technically not a true superhero (as he had no costume or special powers) though he did meet the Justice Society of America
in All American Comics #8, and he did eventually become a superhero from All American Comics #25 (April 1941) to #28 (July) as the costumed Guardian Angel.
Hop Harrigan's story begins with him being raised by his neighbor, who tried to gain legal guardianship of him in order to try to obtain Hop's inheritance (of which he was successful). Hop Harrigan had been orphaned by his father, a legendary pilot, who disappeared on a flight to South America to see his wife. By the time Hop Harrigan had almost grown, his neighbor tried to destroy a biplane that once had been in the possession of Hop's father. Seeing this, Hop angrily knocked the old man to the ground and escaped in the biplane, not planning to return. He arrived at an airport where he saved the life of mechanic Tank Tinker, who became his friend and companion. Tank gave Harrigan his nickname when he said, "Some hop, Harrigan." Later, Hop, Tank and Prop Wash (the pilot who accidentally endangered Tank), along with help from an heiress (who later became Hop's girlfriend), set up the All-American Aviation Company, a company that dealt with a variety of exciting adventures. By the time World War II
came, as with most other comics of the time, the Hop Harrigan comic started to have World War II
themed adventures as Hop, Tank and Prop joined the US Army Air Corps in service of the war effort.
Shortly after the war the character appeared for a while under the alias The Black Lamp.
. Charles Stratton appeared in the title role with Ken Lynch
as Tank. Lynch was later replaced by Jackson Beck
, voice actor for Bluto
(Popeye
), King Leonardo and Perry White
(Superman
). Mitzi Gould played Hop's girlfriend, Gail Nolan. One of the writers for this series was noir novelist David Goodis
.
The Hop Harrigan (serial)
15-chapter movie serial (March 28, 1946) was produced by Columbia Pictures
with William Bakewell
as Hop and Sumner Getchell
as Tank.
Soon after the movie serial, Hop Harrigan as well as other comic series from All-American Comics
were purchased by DC Comics
, a publisher that had close relations to All-American Publications
ever since it first debuted. DC Comics
continued to publish the Hop comics in All-American Comics
until the 99th issue in July, 1948, when the aviation
adventure genre was abandoned in favor of a Western
theme and Harrigan was replaced with Johnny Thunder. In the end, Hop Harrigan became mostly forgotten by the majority of comic book fans, though other All-American characters including The Flash, Green Lantern
and Wonder Woman
would remain popular for years to come.
The opening to the radio serial was as follows :
"CX4 to Control.....CX4 to Control......This is Hop Harrigan....coming in" to the roar of a prop fighter plane. From the control tower: "Control Tower to CX4: Wind southeast. Ceiling 1200. All clear."
The fictional CX4 aircraft was the inspiration for a experimental aircraft design built in 2004, the Thatcher CX4.
Fighting Yank
-Publication history:The initial comic-book character called Fighting Yank first appeared in Nedor Comics' Startling Comics #10 , during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. He was created by writer Richard E. Hughes and artist Jon L. Blummer...
, Little Boy Blue
Little Boy Blue
"Little Boy Blue" is a popular English language nursery rhyme, often used in popular culture. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 11318.-Lyrics:The most common version of the rhyme is:...
) as one of the first successful aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
heroes in comic history (Hop appeared after Tailspin Tommy
Tailspin Tommy
Tailspin Tommy was an air adventure comic strip about a youthful pilot, "Tailspin" Tommy Tompkins. Originally illustrated by Hal Forrest and initially distributed by John Wheeler's Bell Syndicate and then by United Feature Syndicate, the strip had a 14-year run from 1928 to 1942.In the wake of...
, Barney Baxter
Barney Baxter
Barney Baxter in the Air was a comic strip by Frank Miller. It started its run in 1935 for the Denver's Rocky Mountain News and later was syndicated by King Features....
, Connie Kurridge and others). Hop Harrigan was technically not a true superhero (as he had no costume or special powers) though he did meet the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
in All American Comics #8, and he did eventually become a superhero from All American Comics #25 (April 1941) to #28 (July) as the costumed Guardian Angel.
Hop Harrigan's story begins with him being raised by his neighbor, who tried to gain legal guardianship of him in order to try to obtain Hop's inheritance (of which he was successful). Hop Harrigan had been orphaned by his father, a legendary pilot, who disappeared on a flight to South America to see his wife. By the time Hop Harrigan had almost grown, his neighbor tried to destroy a biplane that once had been in the possession of Hop's father. Seeing this, Hop angrily knocked the old man to the ground and escaped in the biplane, not planning to return. He arrived at an airport where he saved the life of mechanic Tank Tinker, who became his friend and companion. Tank gave Harrigan his nickname when he said, "Some hop, Harrigan." Later, Hop, Tank and Prop Wash (the pilot who accidentally endangered Tank), along with help from an heiress (who later became Hop's girlfriend), set up the All-American Aviation Company, a company that dealt with a variety of exciting adventures. By the time World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
came, as with most other comics of the time, the Hop Harrigan comic started to have World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
themed adventures as Hop, Tank and Prop joined the US Army Air Corps in service of the war effort.
Shortly after the war the character appeared for a while under the alias The Black Lamp.
Radio and film
On radio, Hop Harrigan aired from August 31, 1942 to February 6, 1948. The series began on the ABC Blue network and moved October 2, 1946, to the Mutual Broadcasting SystemMutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
. Charles Stratton appeared in the title role with Ken Lynch
Ken Lynch
Ken Lynch was an American film and TV actor best known for his starring role as 'the Lieutenant' on the 1949-1954 Dumont detective series The Plainclothesman, on which his face was never seen, and for his co-starring role as Sergeant Grover on McCloud.-Career:Lynch appeared in numerous TV series...
as Tank. Lynch was later replaced by Jackson Beck
Jackson Beck
Jackson Beck was an American actor best known as the announcer on radio's The Adventures of Superman and the voice of Bluto in the Famous era Popeye theatrical shorts.-Career:...
, voice actor for Bluto
Bluto
Bluto is a cartoon and comics character created in 1932 by Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character, named "Bluto the Terrible", in his Thimble Theatre comic strip . Bluto made his first appearance September 12 of that year...
(Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
), King Leonardo and Perry White
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...
(Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
). Mitzi Gould played Hop's girlfriend, Gail Nolan. One of the writers for this series was noir novelist David Goodis
David Goodis
David Loeb Goodis was an American noir fiction writer.Born to a respectable Jewish family in Philadelphia, Goodis had two younger brothers, but one died of meningitis at the age of three...
.
The Hop Harrigan (serial)
Hop Harrigan (serial)
Hop Harrigan is a Columbia film serial, based on the Hop Harrigan comic books.-Plot:Ex-serviceman and pilot Hop Harrigan, with his sidekicks Gail Nolan and Tank Tinker, attempt to rescue Dr. Tobor & thwart the mysterious villain The Chief Pilot....
15-chapter movie serial (March 28, 1946) was produced by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
with William Bakewell
William Bakewell
William Bakewell , also known as Billy Bakewell, was an American actor, who achieved his greatest fame as one of the premiere juvenile performers of the late 1920s and early 1930s.-Life and career:...
as Hop and Sumner Getchell
Sumner Getchell
Sumner Getchell was an American film actor. He appeared in 65 films between 1926 and 1953.He was born in Oakland, California and died in Sebastopol, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Tank.
Soon after the movie serial, Hop Harrigan as well as other comic series from All-American Comics
All-American Comics
All-American Comics was the flagship title of comic book publisher All-American Publications, one of the forerunners of DC Comics. It ran for 102 issues from April 1939 to October 1948, at which time it was renamed All-American Western. In 1952, the title was changed again to All-American Men of...
were purchased by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, a publisher that had close relations to All-American Publications
All-American Publications
All-American Publications is one of three American comic book companies that combined to form the modern-day DC Comics, one of the world's two largest comics publishers...
ever since it first debuted. DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
continued to publish the Hop comics in All-American Comics
All-American Comics
All-American Comics was the flagship title of comic book publisher All-American Publications, one of the forerunners of DC Comics. It ran for 102 issues from April 1939 to October 1948, at which time it was renamed All-American Western. In 1952, the title was changed again to All-American Men of...
until the 99th issue in July, 1948, when the aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
adventure genre was abandoned in favor of a Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
theme and Harrigan was replaced with Johnny Thunder. In the end, Hop Harrigan became mostly forgotten by the majority of comic book fans, though other All-American characters including The Flash, Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
and Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
would remain popular for years to come.
The opening to the radio serial was as follows :
"CX4 to Control.....CX4 to Control......This is Hop Harrigan....coming in" to the roar of a prop fighter plane. From the control tower: "Control Tower to CX4: Wind southeast. Ceiling 1200. All clear."
The fictional CX4 aircraft was the inspiration for a experimental aircraft design built in 2004, the Thatcher CX4.