THE STRANGE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE GOLDEN AGE HAWKMAN AND AN OLD HAROLD LLOYD FILM

Many Golden Age comic-book creators have often admitted that they've sometimes drawn inspiration from the silver screen. In fact, it has been suggested that the origins of a certain winged hero can be traced back to an old black-and-white comedy starring a bespectacled daredevil. Want to know more? Then please check this out 👇.

Title of the film: Professor Beware / Release date: June 1938 / Directed by: Elliott Nugent / Starring: Harold Lloyd, Phyllis Welch, Raymond Walburn, and Lionel Stander / Genre: Comedy / Running time: 93 minutes / Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Synopsis: Three thousand years ago, an Egyptian man named Neferus was executed by the Pharaoh for daring to love the Pharaoh's daughter. This heinous act was soon carved into a set of stone tablets that, apart from possibly one, survived the rigors of time and eventually fell into the hands of Professor Dean Lambert, who manages to translate them. Before long, the professor notices his uncanny resemblance to the slain Egyptian and convinces himself that he should avoid falling in love. But then, one fateful day, he meets Jane Van Buren, an aspiring actress and heiress, who quickly gets him into serious trouble.

Name of the hero: Hawkman / Alter ego: Carter Hall / Occupation: Research scientist / First appearance: Flash Comics #1 / Cover date: January 1940 / Written by: Gardner Fox / Illustrated by: Dennis Neville / Published by: DC Comics

Origin story: One day, Carter Hall receives a parcel in the post containing an ancient Egyptian knife. Upon inspecting it, he's suddenly struck by a vivid vision of his past life. Long ago, he was an Egyptian prince named Khufu, who was killed by the evil priest, Hath-Set, while trying to protect his consort, Shiera. But now, all these many years later, he isn't a slain prince. He's Carter, an American research scientist who has magically regained the memories of his former life, including the present‑day identities of his killer, Anton Hastor, and his consort, Shiera Sanders.

The theory: When he was alive, Gardner Fox often mentioned that he was inspired to create Hawkman/Carter Hall due to his love of ancient civilizations, such as ancient Egypt, and his fascination with reincarnation. He never claimed that his winged creation was based on a specific Egyptian mythological figure, nor did he tie the character to Horus, Ra, or any particular deity. To him, Hawkman was a fusion of concepts that blended archaeology, mysticism, reincarnation, and pulp adventures, which is why I wouldn't be surprised if he drew some inspiration from 'Professor Beware'.

After all, Gardner was a huge film fan, and this one was released roughly nineteen months before Hawkman made his comic-book debut, bearing in mind that the film follows a professor haunted by an ancient Egyptian myth that warns him against falling in love. Admittedly, Carter doesn't look or behave anything like the main character starring in 'Professor Beware', magnificently played by Harold Lloyd. But then again, Gardner didn't design Hawkman's costume. That job fell to the artist, Dennis Neville, who admitted that his design was inspired by the Alex Raymond comic strip, 'Flash Gordon', specifically, the Hawkmen of Mongo. They're depicted as an alien group of bare‑chested, muscular warriors, wearing winged harnesses and avian helmets. Not the type of thing Harold Lloyd would be seen dead wearing.

So, what do you think of all that, dear reader? What do you think about the strange connections between the Golden Age Hawkman and an old Harold Lloyd film? Are you convinced by this theory? Or do you think it's a load of old nonsense? Either way, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.