The Poisoned Chalice

This is a clipping from a book that had already been trashed, heading for the recycle bin. Fritz Lang is always an interesting subject, but this anecdote especially caught my fancy. 

A few hours to consider, uh huh.

Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse

Grim and Determined

N.C. Wyeth — war bond poster — 1942

The persona of Uncle Sam seems to be at its best when he's grim and determined, rolling up his sleeves or stepping out smartly in times of war. I haven't seen him showing up for the recent wars. Maybe a little bit in editorial cartoons. I don't know if he's retired because we're too sophisticated to need an icon to follow where few of us want to go, or if he would be up for ridicule from the rest of the world, or maybe I just haven't been near a recruiting station lately and he's still hard at work. 

Now believe me I'm not being unpatriotic when I say this, but regardless, I'm not sure if I've ever seen an Uncle Sam image in a benevolent situation, say helping to rebuild villages or some such. Images of him handing out candy to street kids in other countries or playing soccer with them would be pretty patronizing. I wonder if there's a government agency that controls the use of Sam, like there is for the use of Smokey the Bear, and they're saving him for some grim time . . .

Blushing Vegetables

Another reason for the boys to come home in WWII—

the beaches were lonely.

Blushing Vegetables — crate label — 1943

Grim Determination

When this ad came out in 1943, it was still a hard fight to the end of the war, but grim determination won out. The same sentiment could be used now for the service men and women still in harm's way — "Let's Get It Over With Quick!"

Nash-Kelvinator ad — December 1943