Foto File

Here's another photo that I found and didn't recall I'd taken. This is at the 1977 San Diego Comic Convention — or whatever they were calling it that year. It changed names but it was the annual event we now know as Comic-Con International. This was taken by the pool at the El Cortez Hotel, back when congoers had the opposite problem: You could get a hotel room. If you ever stayed at the El Cortez, you know why that was not a good thing.

The gentleman at the left is Don Rico, a Golden Age comic book writer-editor who went on to quite a career as a novelist and screenwriter. Don was a good friend of mine and he's a person I still miss a lot. The gent at right is Harvey Kurtzman who was, as any fool can tell you, the founding editor/creator of MAD and of many fine comics that didn't use the word, "Potrzebie."

As you can see, this was taken by the pool. Shortly after I snapped it, a young lady in brief swimwear ran up to Kurtzman, thrust her chest in his face and asked if he didn't think she'd be perfect to play his character Little Annie Fanny in a movie. If you went solely by the chest, she was probably qualified. As much as I loved Don Rico, I wish I had a photo of Harvey with the woman instead of with him. Maybe there's one in the slide boxes I haven't opened yet.