SAMMY GLENN
Real Name: Sammy Glenn
Identity/Class: Human (1950s era)
Occupation: Service-station attendant
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Joe, Santa Claus, unidentified businessman, unidentified woman
Enemies: Ben Graham, Jim Leverett, Madge (Grammar) Reynolds, Wes Morrow
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Sylvester Van Dyne (as momentarily mistaken for by unidentified woman) (see comments)
Base of Operations: Smith City, somewhere in America;
originally from Fernville
First Appearance: Strange Tales I#34/2 (February, 1955)
Powers/Abilities: A kind and goodhearted man, Sammy was highly intelligent and skilled in the field of mechanical engineering. But because he lacked the hard-driving ambition to be a successful businessman, he was underemployed as a simple service-station attendant--unable to live up to his potential, Sammy regarded himself to be a "flop."
Feeling as though his life was a failure, Sammy secretly "borrowed" an expensive car and suit from a wealthy patron at the garage--he planned to to impress some former acquaintances by parading his false success; but Sammy eventually learned that they were no better off than he was.
However, Sammy's life would unexpectedly take a turn for the better, with the prospects of a romantic relationship and prestigious new job; unable to account for his sudden success, Sammy was unaware of the true identity of the car's owner (see comments), who had secretly helped him out.
Height: 6' (by approximation)
Weight: 170 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
History:
(Strange Tales I#34/2 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Sammy Glenn is
largely unrevealed, but he grew up in his hometown of Fernville. The
highly intelligent Sammy was regarded as a "boy wonder" by the
townspeople, so they thought that he would be a great success in life.
At some point, Sammy began his first business venture, but the town banker financially ruined him and bought out the business at a loss to Sammy.
Sammy eventually moved to nearby Smith City, where he took a job at Jones' Midtown Garage and worked as a service-station attendant.
(Strange Tales I#34/2) - One day (see comments), Sammy went to service a customer--he was surprised to see that it was Ben Graham, a past acquaintance of his from Fernville. But when Graham saw it was the "boy wonder" pumping the gas, he made disparaging remarks about Sammy.
As Sammy walked home afterward, he felt like a failure--he thought over how unjust it was that the arrogant money-grubbers should succeed in life, while he failed...and just once, he'd like to prove them wrong.
At Jones' Garage the following day (see comments), an expensive-looking car pulled into the station; the driver handed Sammy his keys and a twenty dollar bill, then asked Sammy to keep an eye on his car because he'd be gone for the next six hours--Sammy figured the driver to be a millionaire. When he found a fancy business suit in the car's backseat that would fit him perfectly, Sammy was struck by an idea: He could put on the suit and "borrow" the car for a while, then drive to Fernville and parade his "success" to his former associates!
But when he got to Fernville and tracked down his past acquaintances, Sammy learned that none of them was successful either; as he drove back home, he regretted attempting his crazy idea of trying to parade his false success in front of the others ("They're all flops, like me!").
When he got back to Smith City, Sammy saw that he still had a couple of hours before the car's owner would return, so he decided to stop at the town's exclusive executive club to have a drink--as he entered, he was surprised to be admitted, but figured the expensive suit made him look the part.
While Sammy was sitting at the bar, a beautiful woman approached him and initiated a conversation. Attracted to the lovely lady, Sammy told her that he was in the "automobile business," but he was searching for a position that offered more opportunity for engineering research. As the woman was leaving, Sammy asked if he could call her sometime and tell her more about himself--he was pleasantly surprised when she handed him a card with her phone number!
Meanwhile, a businessman sitting next to Sammy had overheard him mention he was in the "automobile business," and he offered Sammy a job as the top man in his firm's engineering office!
As he drove back to the garage to return the car to its owner, the dazed Sammy thought over his day's fortuitous events, and he could only wonder why it all happened...
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Pete Tumlinson.
Sammy couldn't understand his good fortune, but a glance at
the calendar hanging in the garage could have given him a clue...
...or even a glance at the jolly owner of the car, who had "accidentally"
provided Sammy with his moment of glory.
This 5-page story was done with a surprise ending, and it wasn't until the
final two panels that the readers could infer the events took place on
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
While reading his story, I was kind of reminded of the movie It's a Wonderful Life.
And I wonder if Sylvester Van Dyne was any
relation to Vernon
Van Dyne and Janet Van Dyne (aka Wasp).
Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Sammy Glenn has no known connections to:
Joe has no known connections to:
Ben Graham has no known connections to:
Jim Leverett has no known connections to:
Madge (Grammar) Reynolds has no known connections to:
Wes Morrow has no known connections to:
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An automobile mechanic at Jones' Midtown Garage in Smith City, Joe (last name unrevealed) was a coworker of Sammy Glenn. While working on a car, Joe lectured Sammy about his "faults"--though he thought that Sammy was intelligent, Joe considered him to be too goodhearted to make his way in a dog-eat-dog world. --Strange Tale I#34/2 |
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A resident of Fernville, he was a former acquaintance of Sammy Glenn. Although the townspeople believed Sammy had the intelligence and education to go far in life, Ben thought otherwise about the "boy wonder," because he considered Sammy to be too goodhearted to succeed in business. Years later, when Ben was driving through Smith City, he stopped at Jones' Midtown Garage to get some gas; when Ben saw the attendant pumping the gas was Sammy Glenn, he made some remarks that belittled Sammy. As he paid for the fill up, Ben further berated Sammy and told him that he was too good to others to take care of himself, then Ben drove off. (Comment: Although I have him listed as an enemy, there wasn't any real animosity between him and Sammy--it would probably be more fitting to call it a jealous rivalry on Ben's part.) --Strange Tale I#34/2 |
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In Smith City on Christmas Day (see comments), this unspecified model of red automobile was driven into the lot of Jones' Midtown Garage. The car's owner handed attendant Sammy Glenn the keys and a twenty dollar bill, then he asked Sammy to watch over it because he'd be gone for the next six hours. Sammy found an expensive suit in the backseat that would fit him perfectly, and he decided to secretly "borrow" the car; after putting on the suit, he drove the car to his hometown of Fernville, in an attempt to impress some former acquaintances with his false success. Sammy eventually returned the car, but he was unaware of the true identity of the owner (see comments). --Strange Tale I#34/2 |
 
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A past acquaintance of Sammy Glenn, Leverett had been a lawyer in Fernville. When Sammy went to visit his hometown, he first looked up Leverett. But Sammy discovered that Leverett had died at the age of forty-five. (Comment: The only "appearance" of Jim Leverett in the story is this gravestone, and it indicated that he was born on June 6, 1908, and that he died on May 3, 1953.)--Strange Tale I#34/2 |
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Madge Grammar was a resident of Fernville. Years earlier, Sammy Glenn had asked her to marry him, but she turned him down. Madge ended up marrying Carl Reynolds instead, because Carl--unlike Sammy--had a good job and big prospects; Madge and Carl eventually had four children. But the years had not been kind to Madge, and her marriage did not go well--when Sammy returned to Fernville, he found Madge and her children living in a ramshackle house, and Madge was washing other people's laundry to earn money. (Comment: I only have her
listed as an enemy because she rejected Sammy's proposal. Carl Reynolds
was never seen in the story, so it's uncertain if he and Madge were
still together.) |
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A past associate of Sammy Glenn, Morrow had been the town banker in Fernville. Years earlier, Sammy had tried to establish himself in an unspecified business venture; but Morrow somehow financially ruined the business, then bought it out at a loss to Sammy. For unspecified reasons, Morrow eventually lost his job. When Sammy went to visit his hometown, he located Morrow near a railroad--the former town banker was now a hobo, living off of scraps he collected. (Comment: I have him listed as an enemy because he ruined Sammy's business venture, but there was no evidence of any continuing animosity between the two.) --Strange Tale I#34/2 |
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On Christmas Day, she was having a drink at an executive club in Smith City. When she saw Sammy Glenn sitting at the bar, she momentarily mistook him for Sylvester Van Dyne (see comments). Although she didn't make a habit of speaking to strange men, she initiated a conversation with Sammy and asked him what he did for a living; Sammy mentioned he worked in the "automobile business" (Sammy actually worked in a gas station), but that he was in search of a position that would offer him more opportunity in engineering research. She and Sammy seemed to have a mutual attraction to each other, and when Sammy asked if he could call her sometime and tell her more about himself, the woman gave him a card with her phone number. --Strange Tale I#34/2 |
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The president of a large corporation, he was in Smith City because his firm was opening a new engineering office in the area, but they still needed a top man to head the operation. On Christmas Day, he was having a drink in Smith City's executive club, where he overheard Sammy Glenn talking with an attractive woman--Sammy mentioned that he worked in the "automobile business" (Sammy actually worked at a gas-station), but that he was in search of a position that would offer him more opportunity in engineering research. Thinking that Sammy would be the perfect candidate to fill the open position, the businessman offered the job to the stunned Sammy. --Strange Tale I#34/2 |
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images: (without ads)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p1, pan1 (Main Image - Sammy Glenn in garage)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p2, pan7 (Headshot - Sammy Glenn)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p4, pan6 (wearing expensive suit, Sammy Glenn enters exclusive executive club)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p5, pan6 (stunned by his good fortune, Sammy Glenn drives car back to garage; Joe (background))
Strange Tales I#34/2, p5, pan7 (calendar hanging in garage)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p5, pan8 (owner of the car (guess who))
Strange Tales I#34/2, p1, pan2 (Joe)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p2, pan1 (Ben Graham; Sammy Glenn (background))
Strange Tales I#34/2, p2, pan3 (Ben Graham; Sammy Glenn (foreground))
Strange Tales I#34/2, p3, pan2 (car drives to garage; Sammy Glenn and Joe (background))
Strange Tales I#34/2, p3, pan5 (Sammy Glenn finds suit in backseat of car)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p3, pan6 (Sammy Glenn drives car to Fernville)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p3, pan7 (Sammy Glenn standing by Jim Leverett's grave)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p4, pan2 (Madge Reynolds speaks with Sammy Glenn)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p4, pan3 (Madge Reynolds speaks with Sammy Glenn)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p4, pan4 (Wes Morrow; unidentified man speaking to Sammy Glenn in car (background))
Strange Tales I#34/2, p4, pan7 (unidentified woman speaks to Sammy Glenn)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p5, pan2 (unidentified woman)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p5, pan4 (unidentified businessman (left) speaks with Sammy Glenn)
Strange Tales I#34/2, p5, pan5 (unidentified businessman; Sammy Glenn (background))
Appearances:
Strange Tales I#34/2 (February, 1955) - unidentified writer, Pete Tumlinson (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)
First Posted: 12/24/2021
Last updated: 12/24/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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