Confidential File: Horror Comic Books!

A report by Paul Coates. Produced by Jim Peck. Directed by Irvin Kershner. Aired October 9, 1955. A KTTV Production, Los Angeles, for Times-Mirror.

In 1954 the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency conducted an investigation into how the comic book industry was supposedly contributing to the moral decay of a nation's youth. The investigations were spurred on by a number of articles that blamed comics for the rise in juvenile delinquency in post-war America. Chief among the critics was Doctor Frederic Wertham, whose book, "Seduction of The Innocent" has been blamed for nearly single-handedly crippling the entire comics industry.

In 1955, the comic book publishers formed the self-regulating organization, The Comics Code Authority, which great impacted on how comic books were perceived by the public and what kind of stories were told in the comics for decades. The effects of the virtual witch-hunt from this period in American history still has effect on the comic book industry to this day.

"Confidential File" was aired in 1955, after the senate hearings and the formation of the Comics Code, but it serves as a perfect example of how the media reacted to the comic book industry, and sought a scape goat by blaming the comic book publications for society's own lack of responsibility in raising its children. A blame game that would later manifest itself when later TV cartoons, rock and roll music, Dungeons & Dragons, videogames, and so on would become the new whipping boy for those that didn't want to look to themselves for the state of their own children and society's sad state.

It is my understanding that the television program uploaded here is in the public domain, and is being shown here for educational purposes.

• Category

  Education

[Peter Oxenhandler]

MattHawes, I think this was great, the style is terrific! The whole series should be available on its own website. Can you get other episodes of Paul Coates, Confidential File? There are two in particular I want to see on homosexuals. Can you help?

[MattHawes]

Sorry, I don't have any other episodes.

[snakes3425]

What ticks me is thar, many of the teachers, parents, PTA, Chruch Groups, etc tricked the kids into collecting those comics by disguising it as a contest and many of the kids only collected those comics in the hopes of winning the prizes, it wasn't until the prizes were given out that they told the kids what they were going to do, namely burn the comics in a manner reminicant of book burnings in Nazi Germany and in China during the Cultural Revolution, it's all in the book Ten Cent Plague

[MattHawes]

I didn't know that kids were tricked that way by those organizations. Thanks for sharing.

[pinchiguero1]

Didn't they think having the children make this film would also put the idea of torturing someone in their minds? Especially since they had them actually act it out.

[MattHawes]

@pinchiguero1, I'm sure that they still would have found a way to blame even that on comics.

[felixjazzage]

Bernie sounds a lot like the Milton character from "Office Space."

I wish I had a time machine so I could go back to 1955 and punch the pompous host of this program in the face repeatedly and make him sit down and read some EC comics for a few hours in order to get me to stop. Sorry, I guess the horror comics drove me to that.

[rrrrw999]

It is an absolutely fascinating look at how information can be twisted and exaggerated to create a problem where none existed.

[cha5]

If you've got an extensive comicbook shop in your neighborhood you can find them. Alot of the 1950's horror comics are being reprinted in hardback and trade paperbacks by different companies, Fantagraphics & Gemstone are reprinting the best of the EC comics, Companies like Hermes are reprinting some of the really off the wall and gory Harvey 1950's comics (the same company that put out Casper the Friendly Ghost & Richie Rich) and other companies. They're alot of fun to read.

[blackterror89]

Totally. The 'Comics Code Authority' is a complete sham. It's sad that thousands of comics were burned around that time.

[blackterror89]

Punch Fredric Wertham repeatedly while your at it...maybe if you get to him first you wouldn't have to punch this godawful host here...If you ever do create a time machine, let me know; I'm in. :)

[snakes3425]

I have to ask "reding the classics." I don't think books like War and Peace, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, Great Expections, Wethering Heights, Jane Austin are exactally on a kid's reading level, their kids not graduate students writing a thesis on the Economics of Charles Dickens

[snakes3425]

Comic Books, Violent Video Games, Violent Movies,Pro/Anti-Gun it's all the same: Blaming something other then the criminal for his/her actions and a failed mental health system that allows people like James Holmes and the Sandy Hook Shooter to roam free and get the equipment they need to carry out their mad plans. We live in a world where mental health is something that you have to keep hidden in order to protect your public image. It only becomes an issue when it leads to disaster

[King Darthrog]

I wish I could get my hands on some of those old horror comics.

[frank castle]

i read that book Ten Cent Plague, it was fantastic.

[nightmuffin937]

8:30 That comic reminds me of John Carpenters "The Thing"