Monday, February 25, 2008

Comic Ads: Sam Spade Loves His Hair Tonic!

Sam Spade Hair Tonic Comic Book Advertisement Wildroot Cream Oil
Things can get pretty weird when fictional characters are endorsing commercial products. Turns out that decades before Spider-Man and Batman were fighting evildoers over Hostess fruit pies and Twinkies,Sam Spade was getting some payola action for endorsing his favorite hair tonic: Wildroot Cream-Oil.

Even though the stories are beyond ridiculous,
these pages are pretty well drawn.
The art has been attributed to the great Lou Fine!



In the first of three full-page ads, Sam Spade shows that a guy can fight crime and look good at the same time...thanks to Wildroot Cream-Oil!


Check out the full page below:
(Click on the image below for a BIG-sized comic scan!)

Sam Spade Hair Tonic Comic Book Advertisement Wildroot Cream Oil


The second adventure in grooming follows the same ridiculous pattern...





Check out the full page below:
(Click on the image below for a BIG-sized comic scan!)

Fire Sam Spade Hair Tonic Comic Book Advertisement Wildroot Cream Oil

...but by the third page, Sam Spade is actually fighting crime with his trusty bottle of Wildroot Hair Cream! And he's got pretty good aim, too! Tommy guns don't stand a chance against a guy who knows how to handle a bottle of hair tonic!


Sam Spade Hair Tonic Comic Book Advertisement Wildroot Cream Oil
Check out the full page below:
(Click on the image below for a BIG-sized comic scan!)

Sam Spade Hair Tonic Comic Book Advertisement Wildroot Cream Oil Cleopatra Tommy Gun

I just can't help but wonder what Dashiell Hammett thought of these tales. By the way -- Wildroot Hair Groom is still available at your local drugstore! ...although now it kinda looks more like a bottle of ArmorAll or transmission fluid than anything else!

Wildroot Hair Groom
These scans are from DC Comics'
A Date With Judy
issues 4, 6 and 10 1948-49

DC Comics A Date with Judy cover

UPDATE: Ger Appledorn has just posted
a whole bunch more of these
Sam Spade Wildroot ads at -


http://allthingsger.blogspot.com/2009/02/if-i-had-hammett-wednesday-advertising.html

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