Chicago Spanking Review

Apple Mary

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apple mary spanking

© Publishers Syndicate. Posted by the Web-Ed on 05/28/2010.

A common sight in the Great Depression was desperately poor people trying to survive by selling apples from pushcarts. Star Trek fans may be interested to know that in the original script of The City on the Edge of Forever, which of course was set in 1930, there was a character named Trooper who, having lost his legs in World War I, did just that (the character did not appear in the aired version, much to writer Harlan Ellison's dismay). Apple Mary was another such apple-seller, and her eponymous strip ran from 1934 - 1939. We don't know too much about it, but there was at least this one spanking, thought to be from 1936 and signed by the strip's creator, Martha Orr.

We can't identify either the spanker or spankee here. It's not likely that Mary is the spankee since she was an old woman, although the spankee doesn't seem all that young either. The scene seems to be taking place in a backstage dressing room, and we don't have any of the surrounding panels, so we can't imagine how it would have fit into the overall context of the strip.

Apple Mary was too much of a depression-era phenomenon to survive that era's passing, although there was a rumor that it metamorphosized into Mary Worth (which had two spankings of its own that we'll be presenting later). We couldn't confirm this rumor, and King Features Syndicate has denied it. [Note: later research by Sweetspot and others has confirmed the identity of the two characters - Apple Mary did indeed become Mary Worth.] We have not heard of any other spankings coming from Apple Mary.


06/08/2018 Update: Thanks once more to the tireless efforts of CSR Chief Strip Researcher Sweetspot, we can fill in quite few more details:

"April 24, 1936 is the date of publication. The participants are Bessie Buxom and Mrs. Worth's good friend Bill. Bessie is a not very talented singer at a local night club. Bill is smitten with the woman but she is one big nagging pain in the neck! This confrontation takes place, as guessed at, in Bessie's dressing room at the club. Bill has been bragging over the fact that he is due a handsome reward [Mary and Dennie get half the reward money and invest in a local mom and pop store] for capturing some swindlers. But they have, in turn, been swindled out of the reward money at this point. Eventual he does get the money and proceeds to buy the night club."

bill spanks bessie in the comic strip apple mary april 4, 1936

Bessie is asking for it in Apple Mary April 4, 1936. © Publishers Syndicate.

bill spanks bessie in the comic strip apple mary april 4, 1936

And she gets it! © Publishers Syndicate.

© Publishers Syndicate. Posted by the Web-Ed on 06/08/2018.

So we now know the argument was over the reward money and the spanking was triggered by physical violence on Bessie's part. The resulting hard hairbrush on ample bottom was fully justified. Once again, we see the headstrong woman tamed by spanking and attracted to the spanker, and not for the first time in the imagination of a female creator. Women love masterful men! laughing face

Bill and Bessie's storyline continued for several more months. For details and further strip examples, see Additional Information on Apple Mary over on the CSR Forum.


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