 VAUGHN MONROEFrom 1949 to early 1953 Fawcett Publications (publisher of CAPTAIN MARVEL and many Western comics such as TOM MIX, ROCKY LANE, BOB STEELE, KEN MAYNARD, LASH LARUE, MONTE HALE and others) tried something new, adapting B-Western movies (and a few non-Westerns) to comic book form. MOTION PICTURE COMICS ran from #101 in early 1950 to #114 in January 1953. FAWCETT MOVIE COMIC started in late 1949 with an adaptation of “Dakota Lil” w/George Montgomery. The first six issues bore no numbering, however the sixth issue adapted Vaughn Monroe’s “Singing Guns” (‘50 Republic) to comic book form. The issue had a full color front and back cover plus four b/w movie stills on the inside front and back covers.
Republic signed the popular Monroe to a two-picture contract, hoping to establish him as a Western movie star. Although he looked the part and the two films—“Singing Guns” (‘50) and “Toughest Man in Arizona” (‘52)—displayed the usual excellent Republic production values, Monroe tended to come across a bit stiff on film and he made no further Westerns; although he did appear in an episode of “Bonanza” in ‘62, “The Wooing of Abigail Jones.”
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Born October 7, 1911, in Akron, OH, Monroe's family soon relocated in Wisconsin where Vaughn displayed an early talent for the trumpet. He aspired to opera but the Depression made that impractical for him and instead he became a big band vocalist. Monroe started his own orchestra in 1940. RCA Victor signed him as a singer and from 1940 to 1954 he had 70 chart hits including “Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”, “Mule Team” and “Racing With the Moon”. His band was heard every Sunday on radio for Camel Cigarettes and his orchestra played to full ballrooms. He gave up his band in 1953 and worked as a single on the nightclub circuit for the next 20 years. He died May 21, 1973, shortly after undergoing stomach surgery.