Showing posts with label Keith Cavell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Keith Cavell. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

1975 Comic Strips: A Summary

Source*: Curtis, Dal. Rex Morgan, MD. 13 Jan - 31 Dec 1975, Publishers-Hall Syndicate (Chicago, IL). 
*p. 517-574 on disk from King Features Syndicate.


All comic strips are posted online by special permission of King Features Syndicate, Inc.
  • January 1 - 13: MISSING
  • January 13 - 15: Ben Salvo
    • It appears the Salvo story still continues - Rex is talking to a young lady named Jenny, who's in a hospital bed. Ben has left her a small trust, even when he knew she was with a man named Al Davison (Ben must have been in love with Jenny?)
    • It's hard to say what happened in this story
  • January 16 - May 29: Carl Holden, mental illness
    • Brice Adams is called by a mysterious woman, and he leaves immediately - he meets with a young woman named Christine "Chris" Holden (who we learn is his girlfriend), who is upset that her ex-husband, Carl, has been paroled and wants to see her
      • Carl nearly killed a man "and practically made a vegetable out of another"
    • Carl takes the day off with Chris, but Carl follows them
    • February 2 - 9: MISSING
    • It appears Carl is being respectful about his apologies to Chris and her interest in Brice
    • Carl calls Rex out to his farmhouse when his worker, Eddie, has a coronary - Chris is worried that he's falling back into his old ways
Rex Morgan, MD - March 19, 1975    © King Features Syndicate
    • Carl has a breakdown and threatens Rex that Brice needs to stay away from his "wife"
Rex Morgan, MD - April 25, 1975    © King Features Syndicate
    • Carl gets in a fight with both Brice and the cops, who are now chasing him after he sped off when he could not produce a license when pulled over for speeding
    • We miss a critical week in the suspense of what will happen to Carl - Chris is on her way to the farmhouse against advice, and Carl is waiting with a shotgun
    • May 17 - May 25: MISSING
    • The situation seems to have been resolved, with Carl being hospitalized - given a good prognosis being put on lithium
Rex Morgan, MD - May 27, 1975    © King Features Syndicate
  • May 29 - xxx: Keith Cavell, back in town, and introducing Valerie Layne
    • As Keith leaves his hotel room, he overhears the owner being held up at gunpoint
    • "As Dr. Keith Cavell thwarts an early morning motel holdup, he is shot by one gunman!"
    • Keith was passing through town on his way to see a woman, Valerie Layne, whom he'd met in Africa with her husband
      • Mr. Layne died in a plane crash 10 days prior, and Keith was visiting her to make sure she was okay; Valerie comes to him since he's hospitalized
    • When suggesting Keith join Rex's practice he mentions that he may not like it because "medicine has changed in the last few years" - he goes on to mention malpractice
Rex Morgan, MD - July 7, 1975    © King Features Syndicate
    • While Keith is preparing to propose, Valerie learns her husband's plane crash was due to sabotage, and that she's falling in love with Rex - what a day!
    • Melissa has another "heart flutter"
    • Keith is upset with Rex, thinking that he's moving in on Valerie
    • Rex goes with Valerie to meet the investigator on Bill's death in the plane crash
      • I find myself feeling very protective over Rex - I get angry when he flirts with anyone but June!
    • For the first time, we learn that Rex Morgan is bad at something - mechanics! I guess he is human, after all.
Rex Morgan, MD - October 8, 1975    © King Features Syndicate
    • Luckily, Valerie seems to be quite the mechanic - for claiming she knows nothing about planes, I'd say she's incriminating herself in her husband's death
    • The story is cut short, but here's the last strip we have in the story:
Rex Morgan, MD - October 25, 1975    © King Features Syndicate
    • If I had to guess, they probably nail Valerie for sabotaging her husband's plane - I hope that Rex and Keith made up, and that stories were set straight (Rex was not trying to hit on Valerie, as Keith suspected...)
  • October 26 - December 28: MISSING
  • December 29 - 31: (see 1976)

Thursday, June 28, 2012

1968 Comic Strips: A Summary

Source*: Curtis, Dal. Rex Morgan, MD. 1 Jan - 31 Dec 1968, Publishers Syndicate (Chicago, IL). 
*p. 310-361 on disk from King Features Syndicate.

All comic strips are posted online by special permission of King Features Syndicate, Inc.
  • February 26 - July 5: Senator Wesley "Wes" Parker Thorne...on steroids
    • Betsy Thorne meets Rex secretly to voice her concerns about her husband's health; she's found a pill in his pocket, Rex suspects it's steroids
    • Wesley is a presidential candidate-to-be, but has been irritable uncooperative lately, which is unlike his normal personality
    • Wes is increasingly delusional about his presidential nomination, making plans for his new cabinet before he's even nominated; he continues to be rude to his wife when she voices her concern about his health, 6/28/68 (see image below)
Rex Morgan, MD - June 28, 1968     © King Features Syndicate
    •  In the very next strip, Wes admits something is wrong with him and agrees to begin admitted to the hospital, and declares he's going to withdraw from the presidential race (see image below)
Rex Morgan, MD - July 3, 1968     © King Features Syndicate
    • This story closes with Wes' father praising him for being courageous enough to make the announcement to the public; but we never learn what's actually wrong with Wes
  • July 5 - Nvember 15: Karl Lamon, serial killer
    • A long-distance phone call from Karl Lamon puts Ginny into a panic
    • Karl shows up after Keith Cavell (who's made yet another surprise visit - this time back from Vietnam) drops her off at the end of their date
    • He slaps her when she doesn't give up Keith's name, 8/5/68 (see image)
Rex Morgan, MD - August 5, 1968     © King Features Syndicate
    • It appears Karl is a hitman, and has killed two guys who tried to date Ginny, as well as several other prominent businessmen (later we learn he's killed over 20 people)
    • Karl leaves town to visit his next "customer" - he checks into a hospital (instead of a hotel); kills another businessman
    • Keith roughs up Karl for hitting Ginny; threatens him to never see her again; Karl hits Keith
    • Keith finds Ginny just in time before Karl nearly kills her
    • Lamon is turned over to the police and confesses all his crimes, 11/14/68 (see image below)
Rex Morgan, MD - November 14, 1968     © King Features Syndicate
  • November 15 - February 25, 1969: Julie Rockwell, marijuana hippie
    • Side story: Keith prepares to propose to Ginny, and shows his insecurity, given his reputation as a confirmed bachelor, 11/20/68 (see image)
Rex Morgan, MD - November 20, 1968     © King Features Syndicate
    • Julie's father is concerned that her behavior has changed in the last few months; high strung and irritable, withdrawn from her friends, etc.
    • Julie's blowing her mother's inheritance on drugs
    • Rex gives Mr. Rockwell and education on psychotomimetics (see image)
Rex Morgan, MD - December 23, 1968     © King Features Syndicate
    • Julie overdoses on marijuana and barbituates and is taken to the emergency room where Rex treats her
    • She calls her dealer, Vic, secretly, insisting that "the movement needs" her
    • When the hospital staff doesn't give her adequate pain medication for her headache, she escapes to Vic, who gives her more pills
    • Julie has a confirmed frontal lobe tumor, and has been taking morphine from Vic
    • This story ends with Julie's good prognosis, and that the she will be helping the police track down the other protesters that were giving her drugs