Cat Assignment 2

Kozirovskiy,DavidA12250278Tuesday6pm

AccessibilityofHardDrugs,withFocusattheHomeLevel,andtheImpactoftheMobCulture

The1950swasaroaringtimefortheUnitedStates,havingjustcomeoutofWWIIwitha

boomingeconomybasedonwarfareandanewsocialstructureasanincreasingnumberof

womenenteredtheworkplace.Asmanyscientistsprovidedmedicalbreakthroughsintosomeof

themostseriouscrisesofthetime,othersmadebreakthroughsinthepsychedelicanddrug

cultures.Followingtheboomofthedruggateinthelate1940s,harddrugsbecamerampant

throughoutthestreets.Asmoreandmorenarcoticsfoundtheirwayintothehome,multiple

aspectsofthemediabegantodepicttheatrocitiescommittedbythecasualtiesofthedrugtrade

andthemobsystemwhichcontrolleditsflow.

TheCocaColabottle(fig.1)isjustoneexampleofthevastavailabilityofdrugsin

Americansocietyduringthisera.ThisproductwasmanufacturedbytheCocaColacompany

duringtheperiodwhenthesodapopincludedtracesofthecocaleaf,thesamematerialusedin

theproductionofcocaine.[1]Althoughtheamountinthedrinkwasnowherenearthelethal

dosage,itwasstillenoughtoinducenumbingandaddictiveeffects.[2]Theadventofthe

televisionandcommercialsshotupsalesofthedrink,leadingtothegoldenageforthe

CocaColacompany.[3]ThisperiodsawtheproductionofnewsizesoftheCocaColabottle,

ranginginsizefroma6.5ouncebottletothekingsizedbottle.CocaColabottlessuchasthis

couldbefoundallovertheplace,rangingfromtheclubtothekitchenrefrigerator.Therefore,it

hasbeennotedthatthegrowthofthedrinkissynonymouswiththegrowingdrugcultureofthe

period.Althoughsimpleindesign,theCocaColabottleisanexampleofhowdrugswere

becomingmoreandmoreprevalentinaplethoraofquotidianaspectsofAmericanculture,most

prominentlyinthoseaffectinglifeinsidethehome.

Asthedrugsdispersedthemselvesthroughoutthestreets,thewrittenworldofthe1950s

begantobefloodedbythetroublesofsubstanceabusealongwithgangviolence.Comicbooks

quicklycametotheforegroundforitsmassdepictionsofthesetwofeatures.Themainconcern

wasbasedaroundthefactthatminorswerethemainaudienceforthismedia:asmanyas80%

ofkidsand90%ofteenagerswerereadingthem[comics](Dooley,CoverYourEyes).Comic

bookswereeasytohanddownfromonepersontothenext,makingthedisseminationofthe

novelsimagesveryrapid.Thiscomposedtheclassicimageofthegroupofschoolgroundkids

capturedbythemystiqueofcomicbookculture.[4]However,insteadofbeinghorrifiedbythe

images,thechildrenwereinterestedmanyofthemexploredthedrugcultureforthemselvesand

gotaddictedtotheverysubstancestheywerewarnedabout(Wertham).

ThismagazinecoverforMurder,Morphine,andMe(TrueCrimeComics#2,May

1947)(fig.2),aclassicexampleofthehorrorgenreofthe1950s,depictsthesetwostaplesofthe

McCarthyera.Theblondewoman,whoisfeaturedprominentlyonthepage,smokesacigarette

withbloodshoteyesandhollowedcheekbones,lendingcredencetothebeliefthatshehas

problemswithmorphine.Thestereotypicalbigmobbossremainshiddenbehindthecommon

talk,whileorderingshootingsthatcanbeseenonthelowerrightcornerofthepage.Hesits

uponastackofcash,whichhereceivesfromhisdrugsalesandwholesalemurders.Onthe

lowerleftisapileofstarvedbodiesbeingburned,alltryingtogetabitofthemorphinewhich

oneoftheleadingmenisstickingintohimself.Thepictureisgrotesque,yetcaptivating.Jack

Cole,whowrotethecomic,wasoriginallyacartoonistforPlayboyMagazine,soheismorethan

familiarwithcontentthatcanbeseenasinappropriateforthemassaudience(Dooley,The

ComicsthatCorruptedOurKids!).Thevividcolorsusedintheprintingofthepage,as

McCloudargues,bringsdramaintothescenealongwithasenseofurgency.[6]Thiscomic,due

toitsprintingbeforethecomiccodeanditsvastavailabilityincomicbookstores,wasalone

responsiblefortheintroductionofchildrentothedrugworldenmasse.

Continuingontheexamplesetbythepreviousimage,thispage(fig.3)ispage6fromthe

samemagazine.Thepageisarrangedincompletefilmnoirstyle(Lupesco),withdramaand

tragedyapparentineachpanel.[7]Onthispage,weseehowTony,theaforementionedmobster

leader,casuallyabusestheblondewoman.Tonysservants,whostandoutsidethedoorlistening

totheirconversation,statehowtheironlyopportunitytomakemoneyistoworkinthemob,

demonstratinghowmostoftheviolenceinthemobwassparkedbymonetarywantsinsteadof

sadisticneeds.Thewoman,whowasfirstdisillusionedbythesuccessandbeautyoftheriches

thatsheexperienceswithherboyfriend,realizesthetroublesthatgoalongwiththistypeof

lifestyle.Coleusesathreebythreeformula.Thepanelsaredense.Everysingleelementthe

drawings,thelettering,thewordandthoughtballoonscontributestothenarrative,creating

intensity,dynamism,anddramaofthescene,makingyoufeelwhatthewomanfeels(Lupescu).

Thepageisasynecdocheofthegreatermagazine,andthereforeofthegreaterdrugcultureofthe

1950singeneral.Likethecoverofthemagazine,thebrightcolorsareusedtocaptivatethe

readerandenticetheindividualintoreadingmore.Anunfortunatesideeffectofthiswasthatan

amplepercentageofthechildrenwhoreadthemagazinewereenticedbyTonyswealth,and

thereforeattemptedtojointhemobcultureforthemselves(Wertham).However,unlikethe

magazinescover,whichcouldbeseenbyanyonethatenteredacomicstore,theimagesfound

onthispagecouldonlybeseenbythechildrenthatboughtthemagazineorreceiveditfroma

friend.Thismeantthatthisimagewasmuchlesswidespreadthanthepreviousone(Fig.2).

Nonetheless,asdescribedbyDooley,mostchildrenwerestillabletogettheirhandsonthis

comic.Althoughitwasmeanttodeterchildrenawayfromthedrugworld,comicssuchasthis

oneironicallyenticedthemtoexperienceitfirsthandandledtothecreationofthecomiccode.

Eventhoughitappearedthatthedrugcultureaffectedmostlyadolescents,childrenunder

fiveyearsofagewerealsohit.Inthis1950scartoonpanelfromMickeyMouseandthe

MedicineMan(fig.4),Mickeyisshownhavingagreatenergyrushafterconsuminganew

drinkknownaspeppo.Althoughcocaineisneverreferenceddirectlyinthecomic,peppohastoo

manysimilareffectscomparedtococaineforittobejustacoincidence.Duetotheirexcitement

fromthedrink,MickeyandGoofygetstuckinAfricawhichresultsinseveralcomedicevents.

Thiscomic,alongwithmanyothercomicsofthetime,werewrittentotryandinformthe

youngergenerationabouttheabusesondrugsandpotentialeffectsnobodyinreallifewouldbe

stuckescortingcamelsinthemiddleoftheSahara,buttheconsequenceswouldbejustas

detrimentaltoboththephysiqueandpsyche(silverstreak).Ascomparedtotheothercomics,this

depictionisfarmorecartoonishandcomedicinnature,lendingreasonforitbeingachildrens

comic.Propitiously,childrenwerenotabletounderstandthefullextentsofthedrugundertones

ofthepiece.Nonetheless,thechildrenweredesensitizedtoextrememoodswingsandtheuseof

medicationforemotionalrushessuchasthoseassociatedwithdruguse.[8]Theuseofthe

cartoonmediumwasimportanttoreachlargeportionsofthechildaudienceandtocontinuethe

rotationofcomicsalongtheneighborhoodculdesac,alongwiththemoregrotesquecomicsof

theera.

Inanotherexampleofa1950scomiccover,ayoungmannamedBrucepleadshisdrug

dealerforashotofadrug,probablycocaine,eventhoughhehasnocash(fig.5).Bruces

mother,meanwhile,triestoholdhimback,begginghimtoquittheaddiction.Thedrugdealer,

dressedintypicalgangstergarb,looksundisturbedatthescene,unwillingtosellthedrugifthe

boydoesnothaveanycash.Thejuxtapositionofthestateflaginthebackgroundandthedrug

dealintheforegroundisarepresentationoftheabandonmentoftypicalallAmericangoals,such

asattendingaprestigiousuniversity,whicharereplacedbythefixationontheepinephrinerush.

Themob,asshowninthiscomic,wasthemainsourceofdrugsinsociety.[9]Also,asshownin

(fig.3),themonetaryreturnofsellingdrugsismoreimportantthantheactualactofgettinga

bunchofyoungpeopleaddictedtococaine.Thiscomic,havingbeenproducedafterthecreation

ofthecomiccodeandthepublicationofWerthamsinfluentialnovel,depictsalotofsocietys

fearsregardingteenagersuseofdrugsinsociety(Dooley,CoverYourEyes).Bythispoint,

drugshadsuccessfullyinfiltratedthehomeandaffectedintrafamilialrelations,tothepointwhere

childrenwerewillingtogiveuptheirfamilytoexperienceonemorehigh.Althoughthefull

extentoftheproblemwasmuchmorelimitedcomparedtotheairtimeitreceivedonthemedia,

thedestructionofthehomesteadwasaseriousissueofthe1950s.[10]Alongwiththepreceding

comics,theuseofthewrittenmediumfacilitatedthespreadofthemediumandcontributedtothe

masseducationofbothparentsandteenagersregardingthethreatofthedrugculturetothe

traditionalAmericanDream.

Lastly,thehighlyadvertiseddrugculturemadeitswayontothesilverscreen.Thisimage

isastillfromthemovie,SomeLikeitHot(1959)(fig.6).Inthisscene,themobsterboss(left)is

seencountingmoneywhilehismobshoots,presumablyatadrugaddict(right).Thefiringisa

resultofapoordrugtrade,inwhichthemobbossbelievesthatthebuyerhastoldthepolice

aboutthetrade.Scenessuchasthisoneemphasizethemobspoweroveranyandeverything

relatedtothedrugmarketofthe1950sandtheircompletemonopolizationofthedrugtrade.The

film,however,wasfeaturedasacomedyandreceivedlargeportionsofitsaudiencefromthe

teenagepopulation.ThecomedicnatureofthefilmcanbecomparedtotheMickeyMousecomic

inthatbothofthemediumsdesensitizetheyoungaudiencetotheworldofthedrugculture.The

film,dueitsmasspopularity,taughtlargeportionsofthepopulation,amuchlargersharethan

comicbooks,abouttherealityofmobruleandthewholesalemurders,suchasthatofJoseph

Ardizzone,thatwerepartofthegangsquotidianactivities.Otherperniciousaspectsofthemob

rulethatwereheavilypresentduringthiseraweretheheavyconcentrationsofdope,themultiple

bookkeepinginterstatetransactioninstancessuchasthoseintheKefauverhearings,etc.[11]Some

LikeitHotwasahitproductionthatparodiedthemobofthe1950sandactivelyportrayedthe

cultureinamorerealisticfashionthananyofthecomics.

Asaprecursortothehippierevolutionofthe1960s,the1950swasfilledwithmob

violenceandheavydrugabuse.Thesetwoaspectswereseeninmultipleviewpointsofsociety,

especiallythroughthecomicandmoviecultures.Meanwhile,theCocaColabottlestandsasa

relicdedicatedtotheabundanceofillicitnarcoticsfoundinsociety.Likewise,thehorrorcomics

andmoviessuchastheonesfeaturedhere,contributedheavilytothecontinuouslygrowingfear

regardingadolescentdrugabuse,whichultimatelyledtothecreationofthecomiccodeandother

constrictionsofthefreedomofpublicationduringtheMcCarthyEra.Nevertheless,the1950sare

rememberedasaperiodofgrowth,recovery,andtransformationfortheUnitedStates,leaving

thedarkeraspectstoberememberedonlythroughthesurvivingartifacts.

References:Images

1. Digitalimage.RadiolaGuy.com:CokeBottleRadio:TubeTypeCocaColaBottleRadio.N.p.,n.d.Web.12Dec.2014..

2. Dooley,Michael.CoverYourEyes:theGraphicHorrorsof1950sComics.Print.25Sept.2013.Web.1Dec.2014.

3. silverstreak.MickeyMousewasaCocaineDon.2OceansVibeNews.23June2010.Web.2Dec.2014..

4. SomelikeItHot.Dir.BillyWilder.Perf.MarilynMonroe,TonyCurtis,andJackLemmon.MGM/UAEntertainmentCo.,1959.

Sources

1. May,CliffordD.HowCocaColaObtainsItsCoca.TheNewYorkTimes.30June1988.Web.11Dec.2014.

2. CocaColaAdvertisement.Digitalimage.CompleteHealthClinic.N.p.,n.d.Web.3Dec.2014..

3. Cantwell,VanessaN."1950's:TheGoldenAgeofCocaCola."TheHistoryofCocaCola.N.p.,Spring2008.Web.11Dec.2014..

4. Dooley,Michael.TheComicsthatCorruptedOurKids!Print.23Sept.2013.Web.12Dec.2014.

5. Wertham,Fredric.SeductionoftheInnocent.N.p.:Rinehart,1954.Print.6. McCloud,Scott.UnderstandingComics:TheInvisibleArt.NewYork:HarperPerennial,

1994.Print.7. Lupescu,Lucian."Synecdoche,PageSix.ACondensationofJackCole's"Murder,

Morphine,andMe"(1947)."Academia.edu.N.p.,n.d.Web.11Dec.2014..

8. "TheMethodsinThisMadness:Desensitization."EncyclopediaofViolence,Peace,andConflict.Vol.3.N.p.:Academic,1999.159.Print.

9. "ItalianOrganizedCrime."FBI.FBI,27Aug.2010.Web.11Dec.2014..

10. Admin."HistoryofDrugAbuse:The50's."PalmPartnersRecoveryCenter.5Aug.2013.Web.10Dec.2014..

11. "LosAngelesCrimeFamily."Wikipedia.WikimediaFoundation,n.d.Web.12Dec.2014..

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