It's time to return to the wonderful world of Mary Perkins, that young actress who is slowly making a name for herself in the New York theater world. As we enter volume five of this collection, Mary Perkins is married to journalist Pete Fletcher, and her acting career has really taken off. She and Pete have certainly had their fair share of adventures, dangers, and exciting dramas (definitely more off-stage than on!), but they have always managed to not only survive, but come out stronger on the other side. And along the way, they usually manage to help the unfortunate, revive failed careers, and restore lost loved ones. It is in this volume that Mary also gets her due, as the title to the newspaper strip changes from simply On Stage to Mary Perkins On Stage (after all, she is the star, so why shouldn't she be the headliner?).
Mary Perkins On Stage Volume Five reprints the newspaper strips that ran from September 18, 1961 to March 9, 1963. Leonard Starr, writer and artist of the strip, continues to provide the most magnificent tales, both in story and art. The stories are somewhat standard soap opera fare, but Starr manages to give them creative twist that keeps them fresh and engaging. And his art - really, all I can say is WOW! The strip provides some panels of the most intricate detail, whether it be background city scenes or interior theater shots or even the magnificent mansions of the wealthy backers; at the same time, the characters all remain unique, each having his or her own distinctive, individual appearance so that no two look alike, and it's easy to know who is who simply by looking at them on the page. Starr is a master of expressions - from jealousy to fear to surprise to anger to joy to love - name an emotion, and Starr manages to express it with what appears to be ease on the face of his characters.
One thing I did notice in this volume, which I hadn't picked up on in prior volumes, is that the final panel of every Sunday strip was re-used nearly every week as the first (or in a few odd instances, the second) panel of the Monday strip each week. And I don't mean it appears the panel was re-drawn to mirror the Sunday panel; no, it is clear that it is the exact same panel (down to the shadowing, creases, lines, etc.) with the only differences sometimes being that a background is shaded differently or a portion of the edges is cropped out. The dialogue is not identical, but the panel itself - exactly the same! I went back and looked at volume four, and it appears this was just beginning to come into play towards the end of that volume, so this may have been a technique that Starr began to use in 1961 - whether to save some time by giving him one less panel to draw each week, or perhaps to provide a visual link between the Sunday strip and the Monday strip, or better yet, maybe for the people who did not get the Sunday paper, this gave a bit of a "catch up" for those readers, so they did not feel like they missed anything important in the story. Whatever the reason, it is very noticeable in this volume, and I have to wonder if it continued for the remainder of the strip.
As far as the stories in this volume, the opening tale is rather a fun one. Mike O'Hare gets a new backer, but there is a catch - Walter T. Boniface is a man who enjoys a rather odd game called "Rhymie-Stymie." "It's a lovely game! I supply a definition and you must answer in two rhyming words that fit it." A demented flower is a Crazy Daisy. A pleased father is a Glad Dad. And so on. Mary finds it amusing, but Mike simply wants a backer for the next play. Mike plays along, though, in order to get the money, but the tensions grow as he gets weary of the continued word games, until Mike discovers Boniface's secret and turns the tables on him (with Mary's help, of course). Interestingly, this story is more about Mike O'Hare than Mary. As the story concludes, however, readers get re-introduced to Maximuus, who makes an appearance at the theater and gets the ball rolling on the next story...
Ivor Brand, "the Master of Horror," is in town at the same time as Maximus - and he's burning over the fact that Maximus was cast in a new horror film due to his unique ability to create pretty much any face he wants (but, of course, only Mary knows his real secret). Brand discovers Maximus' secret make-up case and steals it, hoping it will give him the ability to get the part he wants. With Mary's aid, Maximus tracks down the missing make-up case and Brand, learning that the other actor has some secrets of his own he doesn't want revealed! But this adventure could lead to trouble in paradise as Pete arrives home for the holidays to discover Mary has taken off with Maximus! (But all gets straightened out, and just in time for the third story...)
Director Crispin Fray is in town, ready to direct a play written by John Parrish - and they are determined to have Mary Perkins as the star of their production! At the same time, Pete gets a new assignment - Morgana D'Alexius - an enigmatic woman who has never allowed herself to be photographed has agreed to do a photo-essay, but only with Pete Fletcher! This one builds quickly, as it becomes clear that Crispin has his sights set on Mary and Morgana has her sights set on Pete - and it doesn't matter that Pete and Mary are happily married to each other! There are plenty of lies, tricks, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings as Crispin and Morgana use every trick under the sun to lure Pete and Mary away from each other - but, of course, their plans backfire, and when Morgana keeps Pete from Mary's award ceremony and Crispin lures Mary up to his apartment under the belief there is a party to be held there, it's John Parrish who steps in the save the day and reunite the couple by foiling the untoward plans of the director and recluse! What I like about this story is that all during the course of the tale, Parrish disappears without any explanation - and it turns out this is all a set-up for the fourth big story (which, in my opinion, is probably the most interesting of them all in this volume!).
As Crispin's play sets to open in Chicago, he and Mary have a difficult time keeping Parrish focused, because it seems the critic, Gerald Philip Jason, is also in town, and he seems to know all about Parrish's play - even before he has seen it! Parrish is in a tizzy, and Crispin is worried that these disappearances are going to hurt the play, because every time he re-appears, he has made changes to the script, all based on critiques by Jason! There's a reason why Jason may be coming down so harsh on the play, and that is because there is a personal connection between Jason and Crispin - a woman, who just happens to make her appearance at the theater and demand that Crispin give her a part in the play! There's a mystery that builds here, and Starr does it perfectly - who is Cassandra? What is her connection with the theater critic and the director? How does she have such sway over Crispin? Where is Parrish disappearing to when he goes missing? Is he just blacking out, or is there something else at work? The clues are there, and astute readers might actually figure it out before the big reveal in the final panel of the June 17, 1962 strip - but it is a good one, and it only escalates the drama that ensures thereafter.
The fifth tale brings Mike O'Hare to Chicago, where he introduces Mary to an agent, Nat Blessing. Nat is currently representing a rising new star, Tony Abbot, who is shy and reluctant to step into the spotlight. Tony and Mary are set to star in a new film, and Mary is determined to bring Tony out of his shell, after meeting comedian Charlie Manna, it appears he might be opening up. The film company heads down to the Caribbean to begin filming, and Pete joins Mary there. Mrs. Ainsley, a big stockholder in the film company, is also on site, and she is frustrated that Tony will not respond to any of her messages. The revelation that she is his mother does not come as much of a surprise, and the story centers around their relationship - her self-absorbed nature and his desire to simply have some of her attention. When Tony discovers his mother has a serious health condition, it serves as the catalyst to unite the two, who begin a new road in their familial relationship.
The sixth and final story is rather an odd one, involving a jet case hero from the war named "Nine-Lives" MacNab. It seems he has a connection to both Pete and Mary - he saved Pete's life in the war, and Mary was his last date in school before he entered the armed services years ago. He makes a sudden appearance in New York, but it's not just to reunite with his old friends - he intends to take what he feels is due him for saving Pete's life all those years ago, and that prize is Mary herself! He takes her away for an unexpected plane ride, which finds them being forced to land in a blizzard, where they have to be rescued from the freezing temperatures. While he seems to have realized his wrong-doings after recuperating in the hospital, he makes one last-ditch effort to win Mary before taking off into the wild blue yonder, leaving a jealous Pete behind with Mary reminding him that he is the only man for her...
There is a one-panel hint of what is to come, with a dark haired stranger talking with a mechanic about a car (conveniently hidden under draping) that he is planning to take, which car will "take delicate handling," even with the bugs ironed out. Guess we will have to wait to volume six to find out what lies ahead for Mary and her growing cast of supporting characters.
Overall, these stories were pretty good. Because of the nature of this being a newspaper strip, the stories have to move at a pretty quick pace and they keep your attention fairly easily. I do prefer it when Starr provides more than just a one panel set up for the next story - such as the Parrish storyline, where Parrish repeatedly disappears during the third tale, which does not see fruition until the fourth story. Those kind of subplots in one story leading up to the next make for excellent reading and give readers some great payoff. But, I suppose Starr had to keep things fresh and moving, so he couldn't be expected to do that kind of build-up with every tale. Regardless, these strips are definitely worth the read.
RATING: 10 pairs of extra glasses out of 10 for engaging stories and absolutely gorgeous art!
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