Hall of Fame: Whitney Ellsworth

When we think back to the super heroes, and Superman in particular, the influence of comic books cannot be denied as contributing to their popularity. It is no surprise therefore, to learn that one of the most significant people involved in The Adventures of Superman began his own adventure here. Frederick Whitney Ellsworth, born on November 27, 1908 in Brooklyn, probably never realized just how important he would become in the Superman tradition.

Mr. Ellsworth had a great love of historical events, especially the Civil War. He had hoped to do a television documentary on the subject but the timing for such a venture was not right. Another of his loves was an interest in painting. Taking a correspondence course in graphic art, he worked as ink and pen assistant for King Features Syndicate on Ad Carter’s comic strip entitled “Just Kids”. He also penned for Tillie The Toiler, Billy The Kid, and Mr. Meek, among others. He created the Little Linda series and Congo Bill for DC Comics. In the early 1930s he did cartoons and feature articles for the Newark Star-Eagle/Ledger newspaper. During this time he also penned short stories for pulp magazines such as “G-Man”, “Murder at the World’s Fair”, and “The Forty Thieves”.

While he seemed captivated by the film noir characters, it would be the world of the superhero that would bring him more notoriety. Ironically, one of his creations was “The Black Bat” which he wrote under the pen name of G. Waymon Jones. At DC during the 1940s Whit was given the mission of taking comic book heroes and putting them up on the movie screen in serials. Batman, Superman and Congo Bill successfully made the transition, but Superman surpassed the others.

Whit met and married actress Jane Dewey in the 1930s. In May 1951, Ellsworth was asked to write a script that would make the Superman character a feature film for television. They lived in New York but Whit, Jane, and daughter Pat made the trek out to the west coast. According to Pat Ellsworth Wilson, that trip provided the framework for the film. The oil fields in Texas became the backdrop for the town of Silbey. Whit and Bob Maxwell came up with the final script of the film. Maxwell used the name Richard Fielding for this venture. “Superman and the Mole Men” was born with veteran actors being used, which is how George Reeves and Phyllis Coates were given the parts. The film was so successful that scripts were written for the first season of the TV series.

Changes were in store for the series as parents objected to the violence and darker tone of the show. Production for The Adventures of Superman now lay on Ellsworth’s shoulders. Under his reign, Superman was gentler, more compassionate, and villains were less diabolical. With George’s tragic death in 1959, Whit was in charge for production of the Superboy series, which never really flew off the ground. In 1964 Whit was asked to create the Batman series that was more successful than the old Columbia serial he worked on previously. Ellsworth was also a co-writer for the film The Godfather. He retired in 1970 to pursue his love of painting and occasional interviews. He died on September 8, 1980.

One of the greatest contributions Whitney Ellsworth made to The Adventures of Superman was to enhance and broaden the roles of Jimmy Olsen and Inspector Henderson. Through his efforts at the helm, we had been privileged to see many wonderful scenes with Jack Larson and Robert Shayne. And with Phyllis Coates no longer available, our original Lois Lane, Noel Neill reprised her role from the Kirk Alyn serials. It is also during his watch that the episodes for 1954-1957 were filmed in color.

It is our honor and privilege to induct Whitney Ellsworth into the George Reeves Hall of Fame.

Sources:

Ellsworth, Whitney, IMDB done by Lambiek.net

http://www.supermanartists.comics.org/superart/WarYears.htm

http://www.mevproductions.co.uk/TV/superman1.html

http://www.lib.msu.edu/comics/rri/erri/ellis.htm

Exerpts from “Great People You’ll Also Find Interviewed In Superman: Serial to Cereal”, Gary Grossman on www.supermanbook.com/interviews/php3?gg_id=1121402059

The Adventures Continue, TAC #5

http://www.comicbookradioshow.com/schiff.html

http://chasingrainbows.typepad.com/chasing_rainbows/television/

http://www.toonopedia.com/congobil.htm

Who’s Who Bio on www.bailsprojects.com

January 2009

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