| Jane Arden | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Jane Arden |
|
First Appearance |
Register and Tribune Syndicate Comic Strip (1927) |
|
Original Publisher |
Register and Tribune Syndicate |
|
Created by |
Monte Barrett and Frank Ellis |
Origin
Jane Arden was an internationally syndicated daily newspaper comic strip which ran from 1927 to 1968. The title character was the original "spunky girl reporter," actively seeking to infiltrate and expose criminal activity rather than just report on its consequences and served as a prototype for later characters such as Superman supporting character Lois Lane and fellow comic strip heroine, Brenda Starr.
Public Domain Appearances
- Crack Comics #1-21
- Famous Funnies #9-10, 12, 16-19, 21-26, 28-29, 31-33, 35-36
- Feature Funnies #1-7, 9-20
- Feature Comics #21-31
- Crime Reporter Jane Arden #1-2
- Jane Arden: World's Greatest Mystery Reporter #1-19
Notes
- The strip was not too popular in America, but was a hit in Canada and Australia. It was also the first comic strip to incorporate World War II into its storyline.
- Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Mary McGrory also credits Jane Arden with her interest in journalism, moving things full circle from Bly through Arden then back to a real journalist.
- A Jane Arden radio drama was broadcast from 1938 through 1939 with Ruth Yorke in the title role of the "fearless girl reporter, the most beautiful woman in the newspaper world." First heard in June 1938 on WJZ in New York, the program moved to the Blue Network on September 26, 1938. Sponsored by Ward Baking, the 15-minute serial aired weekdays at 10:15am. Others in the cast: Helene Dumas, Maurice Franklin, Frank Provo, Bill Baar, Henry Wadsworth and Howard Smith. Alan Kent was the announcer. Manny Siegel provided the sound effects for director Lawrence Holcomb. The series ended June 23, 1939.
- In 1939, Warner Bros. released a film adaptation, The Adventures of Jane Arden, with a storyline in which Jane Arden (Rosella Towne) goes undercover to expose a gang of jewel smugglers. However, her identity is discovered by one of the gang leaders. This film, directed by Terry O. Morse, was heralded as the first of a series, but no subsequent Jane Arden films were produced.