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Notes taken from the following text, a compilation of 15 contributors (Richard Marshall authored the selections from which notes have been taken):
Horn, M. (Ed.). (1976). The World Encyclopedia of Comics. New York: Chelsea House Publishers.
- Dallis background: born in New York City, attended public schools, Washington and Jefferson College (Washington, PA) and Temple School of Medicine (graduated 1938). Residency was at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, then private practice in Toledo, OH (p. 193)
- Dallis drew cartoons for his college newspaper (p. 193)
- Rex Morgan, MD was an idea created under the support/direction of Allen Saunders - the extent of his assistance is not covered in the text (p. 193)
- Dallis stopped work as a psychiatrist in 1959 in order to continue writing the strip (p. 193)
- Marshall gives credit to Dallis, Saunders and Elliot Caplin, accounting for "the major portion of contemporary story strip production"; Dallis converts adventure to domestic/soap-opera (p. 193)
- "Dallis' characterizations can be interesting (especially in 3-G) but seldom as mature and never as versatile as Elliot Caplin's." (p. 193)
- While other story strips are dwindling during this time period, Dallis' three strips still run strong (p. 193)
- Dallis sold the Rex Morgan, MD strip initially to Publishers Syndicate (Chicago), and it launched on May 10, 1948 (p. 580)
- Creators of Rex Morgan, MD included Dallis, background artist Frank Edington, and other artist Marvin Bradley (p. 580)
- There are 3 characters who are the core "family" of the strip: Morgan, a 40-something bachelor, his nurse assistance, June Gale, and an elderly friend/heart-patient, Melissa, the matriarch (p. 580)
- Morgan defines the soap-opera genre, with its "dramatic and tangled plots, and strong characterization" (p. 580)
- Marshall declares the art work to be "merely competent and never exciting", explaining that they're often entangled in stereotypes (p. 580-1)
- I assume this to mean that the men are always dashing/handsome, the women young and beautiful, and the villains always have an evil appearance (usually a creepy mustache)
