Mickey Finn, created by Lank Leonard, was a newspaper comic strip that ran for over four decades, from April 6, 1936 to September 10, 1977. The title character is Michael "Mickey" Aloysius Finn, an Irish-American police officer in Port Chester, New York. Leonard based the character on real-life Port Chester policeman Mickey Brennan after he watched Brennan help some children cross a street. Mickey is a big, kind lunk of a guy, also willing to help out. He was later promoted to detective, although crime in Port Chester might involve a penny-ante burglar, usually. (Exception: as this issue opens, Mickey and his partner Tom have captured a kidnapper.)
Mickey has a girlfriend, Kitty Kelley, and lives with his widowed mother and her "cigar smoking, derby-wearing, blarney-sprouting brother," Uncle Phil Finn. (Why Mickey's maternal uncle has the same last name as him is beyond my pay grade.) Uncle Phil, a proud member of the Goat Hill Lodge of the Ancient Order of American Grenadiers, was the strip's break-out character, especially in the Sunday strips; when I was reading the strip in the Fifties I often wondered why it wasn't titled Uncle Phil. Phil eventually became a local alderman and sheriff. The strip often focused on humor, with occasional drama.
Mickey Finn was popular from the get-go, eventually appearing in over 300 newspapers. The comic books contained reprints of the newspaper strip with all dates, signatures, and copyright information removed. The issue before us reprints strips from October-November 1938 and January-February 1939.After capturing Dixie Dixon, the kidnapper of "Sunny" Bright, Mickey takes the boy home with him, hoping to adopt the young boy. But it turns out that millionaire Mortimer Mintmore is a relative and is claiming Sunny, much to the dismay of the Finn household. Will Mickey be forced to give up Sunny? SPOILER: Of course not.
Flossie, the girlfriend of Mickey's partner, Tom, loses her job and decided to apply to be a policewoman. Flossie can pass the physical part of the test, but can she pass the mental? uncle Phil decides to try to help her.
Uncle Phil decides to enroll Sunny in fancy private school, Sunny's teacher is the pretty Miss3 Forward (apt name!); she decided to set her sights on Mickey despite Mickey being in love with Kitty. Mickey si too naive to see what is going on, so it's up to Flossie to set things straight: "Lissen Goldilocks! you can't kid me!! -- just remember that he's engaged and lay off him! Or I'll pit a dent in your pan that only a plumber could fix!" Flossie is very diplomatic. In the meantime Flossie is concerned that she and Tom will not be able to afford a house after they get married, so Uncle Phil cons her into one of his get-rich-quick schemes... Then, a department store offers to foot the bill for a wedding for Tom and Flossie, as well as new furniture for their home if thy agree to get married at the store as a publicity stunt. tom is reluctant but Flossie is a force of nature, and the issue closes out with their wedding...and with Uncle Phil being clocked on the head with a shoe.
Enjoy.
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=85287
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