John Spicer Leaves His Mark

[Sweetspot]

A few days ago I was perusing about CSR when I came upon the post for Frontier Romance #1.
http://www.chicagospankingreview.org/co ... nking.html
This is an overall excellent article that in addition to the usual load-down concerning a comic book spanking features Web-Ed's research about how this particular image [the comic book image] contributed to the eventual self-censuring of the comic book industry. It's not my purpose now to repeat any of Web-Ed's thorough findings. If you have any interest in the history of sequential art spankings be sure to read his post. The photo, immediately below, that was used by artist Walter Johnson as a model for Frontier Romance #1 caught my attention because the name John Spicer was familiar to me. Spicer spanking his wife not only led to an excuse for the publication of this particular photo - which would end up in the hands of Walter Johnson whose art would help fuel a call for comic book censorship - but had other, more pleasant ramifications, as well.

Frontier Romances #1 1948 Model for artist Walter Johnson Likely source Beauty Parade 1948. By the way and off-topic, 'Mrs. Spicer's' outfit plays nicely into an early spanking fantasy of mine but then I suppose it was posed this way because it appealed to more than a few gentlemen who shared those same feelings.

frontier_romances_model 1948.jpg (382.65 KiB) Viewed 4928 times

John Spicer Nanaimo Daily News British Colombia Canada March 26, 1948. This clipping is a bit difficult to read because the newspaper was preserved and then duplicated in such a way that the first word of almost every line is missing. It is the story of John Spicer's court case and how it came to pass that he spanked his wife with a frying pan. [Perhaps a pan that was found among the dirty items Mrs. Spicer had left in the sink .] This account in a Canadian newspaper is the first reference to John Spicer and spanking I have found and is the most complete description of what actual took place between John and the Mrs. The item of most interest from the beginning and in the stories that follow is that the magistrate condones Mr. Spicer's remedy for his wife's behavior.

John Spicer Nanaimo Daily News B.C. Canada March 26, 1948.jpg (84.3 KiB) Viewed 4928 times

John Spicer New York Daily News May 16, 1948. Six or seven weeks later and the story gains circulation in the states. Instead of being universally condemned as an abuser John Spicer has gained a somewhat positive notoriety across North America. We'll continue with the legend of John Spicer in my next post.

John Spicer New York Daily News May 16, 1948.jpg (50.63 KiB) Viewed 4928 times

[Sweetspot]

Spicer spanking Atlanta Constitution June 13, 1948 This feature story about wife spanking is posted in full elsewhere on CSR. I'm including it here because it's the best depiction of John Spicer spanking his wife that is available [as far as I know ]. A very nice drawing. I wonder what was the actual model for this one? Perhaps the illustrator had a couple of Atlanta Constitution staffers pose. The Spicer family spanking is used here as a starting point to discuss the history and legality of wife spanking in general.

John Spicer Atlanta Constitution June 13, 1948.jpg (101.31 KiB) Viewed 4924 times

John Spicer story Atlanta Constitution December 11, 1949. The following year and also in the Atlanta Constitution the Spicer family spanking and the resultant court decision is a part of another story about the legality of wife spanking. An interesting story with nice art work.

John Spicer Atlanta Constitution December 11, 1949.jpg (112.75 KiB) Viewed 4924 times

John Spicer story Atlanta Constitution December 11, 1949. Thanks to the Spicer spanking, I believe, an earlier domestic situation in Canada returns to public attention. This is the spanking that did or didn't take place [but probably did in one way or another] in the Cederberg marriage. This paddling caused even more of an uproar particularly in Canada because the spanking was the actual sentence handed down by the magistrate. More on the Cederberg spanking in the next post.

John Spicer Atlanta Constitution December 11, 1949 DETAIL.jpg (106.91 KiB) Viewed 4924 times

[Sweetspot]

On The Side 1945 a scan by ANDRE I had seen this somewhere before. I don't remember where or when but I do recall it being a direct result of the Cederberg situation and the debate on wife spanking that ensued in North America as a result of the magistrate's unusual sentence.

On The Side 1945 ANDRE.jpg (67.65 KiB) Viewed 4924 times

Cederberg spanking San Antonio Light July 8, 1945 The Cederberg story reached Texas in July 1945.

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette September 17, 1948. Returning to the Spicer case. The question of wife spanking is debated in a Pittsburgh, PA newspaper.

PittsburghPost-GazetteSeptember17,1948.jpg (73.7 KiB) Viewed 4924 times

[Sweetspot]

Handy Husbands September 25, 1949 This is another image that I've already posted elsewhere on CSR. But it's worth seeing here as another story from the late 1940s, with an excellent illustration, that uses the Spicer family spanking in a prominent manner.
[/b]

HandyHusbandsSeptember25,1949.jpg (161.08 KiB) Viewed 4921 times

Clipped Angel July 5, 1949. It's not surprising that stories about the Spicer spanking would sometimes be published with interesting to us illustrations. The editors of newspapers in the late 1940s were not reluctant to give their readers nice spanking art work. They knew what would sell papers!

Clipped Angel July 5, 1949.jpg (81.07 KiB) Viewed 4921 times

A Spouse Could Spank Shreveport, Louisiana July 11, 1965.Stories (and advice columns) in newspapers centering on the activity of wife spanking would continue throughout the 20th century. We owe that bold Canadian John Spicer [and that magistrate in Windsor, Ontario] a word of thanks for leaving the modern aficionado of wife spanking a satisfying legacy.

Shreveport,LAJuly11,1965.jpg (86.15 KiB) Viewed 4921 times

[hugob00m]

Hi, Sweetspot. I'm enjoying these clips.

Judges in the late '40s seemed divided on the issue of whether a man should or shouldn't be allowed to spank his wife. Unfortunately, I believe that now, there would be one unanimous "NO!" from the courts about wife-spanking. The biggest problem is that in some peoples' minds, spanking and beating are inseparable. A few swats on the derriere with a hand, a hairbrush, or a paddle would do a lot of women a lot of good. I have to admit, though, that I'm a bit uncomfortable with Mr. Spicer using a frying pan on his wife.

I love the illustrations you found! I like the fact that the artists chose to depict an O.T.K. position with the husbands using the palms of their hands.

[butch46163@yahoo.com]

Yes the frying pan is a bit too harsh A hard palm on the seat of a naughty wife`s bottom will do just find! many do believe spanking and beating is the same only a man who truly loves his wife and will never do her no harm would take her across his lap and spank her bottom if needed to show how much he care for her!! too bad the woman movement brainwashed modern women into thinking a spanked wife is an abuse wife many tv movies and comic used spanking as a tool to deal with head strong wicket women and lots of people women and men agreed that it what she needed too bad today movies tv shows or comic doesn`t let men be gentlemen when call for spank bad women on the topic why isn`t there no spanking in daytime soap operas the women on these shows next to reality shows really do need a good bottom warming

[web-ed]

Very interesting stuff, Phil, and some good spanking drawings to boot! I'm not sure whether they need bot be added to the Newspaper Gallery or not since everyone has already seen them, but they'll have to wait until I have more time anyway.