Christmas Library 2016 : A Bible For Christmas

I was probably about 12 when I received my first Bible storybook. It was one those 365 story a day readers that would wind familiar Bible stories down to a few paragraphs that fortunately included the actual verses to reference for each story. It was a small beginning for me in Bible studying, so I encourage parents to give their child a Bible for Christmas if they do not have one of their own.

From my personal collection I want to share some examples of Bible books given to young children from Christmases long ago.

Faris, Lillie A. 1936. New Testament stories for children. New York: Platt & Munk. Co.

Title Page with the inscription "William Edward Bile (or Bihe), From Grandpa & Grandma Silsby, Christmas 1943."

Holy Bible. World Publishing Company. Date not given. 

"To Laurel Ann, By Grandma Difford, Date: December 25, 1955".
From the Blogger's Collection.

I actually saved this Bible (above) from a thrift store outlet bin in Winston-Salem, NC. It was after seeing this gift from a grandmother to her granddaughter over 60 years ago that inspired me to influence others to give their child a Bible for Christmas. The images below are of a "Books of the Bible" card that came inside that Bible.

Happy Thanksgiving!! - Scriptures For Prayer & Reflection and The Mayflower Compact

"The First Thanksgiving" (1915), by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris (American painter, 1863-1930).
From Joyful Heart Ministries, Thanksgiving and Pilgrim Art and Artwork, by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson.

Psalm 26:7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.

Psalm 50:14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psalm 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

Psalm 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.

The Mayflower Compact - November 11, 1620 (From William Bradford's handwritten history, Of Plymouth Plantation, c. 1630) http://mayflowerhistory.com/mayflower-compact/

(It is olde English, so read it with a slight Irish-Scottish accent and the spellings will become more clear). One of may historical documents that I never actually read while attending school.

In ye name of God Amen· We whose names are vnderwriten, 
the loyall subjects of our dread soueraigne Lord King James 
by ye grace of God, of great Britaine, franc, & Ireland king, 
defender of ye faith, &c
Haueing vndertaken, for ye glorie of God, and aduancemente 
of ye christian ^faith and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to 
plant ye first colonie in ye Northerne parts of Virginia· doe 
by these presents solemnly & mutualy in ye presence of God, and 
one of another, couenant, & combine our selues togeather into a 
ciuill body politick; for ye our better ordering, & preseruation & fur=
therance of ye ends aforesaid; and by vertue hearof, to enacte, 
constitute, and frame shuch just & equall lawes, ordinances, 
Acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought 
most meete & conuenient for ye generall good of ye colonie:  vnto 
which we promise all due submission and obedience.  In witnes 
wherof we haue herevnder subscribed our names at Cap=
Codd ye ·11· of Nouember, in ye year of ye raigne of our soueraigne 
Lord king James of England, france, & Ireland ye eighteenth 
and of Scotland ye fiftie fourth. Ano: Dom ·1620·|

Signers
John Carver
William Bradford
Edward Winslow
William Brewster
Isaac Allerton
Myles Standish
John Alden
Samuel Fuller
Christopher Martin
William Mullins
William White
Richard Warren
John Howland
Stephen Hopkins
Edward Tilley
John Tilley
Francis Cooke
Thomas Rogers
Thomas Tinker
John Rigsdale
Edward Fuller
John Turner
Francis Eaton
James Chilton
John Crackstone
John Billington
Moses Fletcher
John Goodman
Degory Priest
Thomas Williams
Gilbert Winslow
Edmund Margesson
Peter Browne
Richard Britteridge
George Soule
Richard Clarke
Richard Gardiner
John Allerton
Thomas English
Edward Doty

Edward Leister

"Thanks Be Unto God" by Jack Hamm - From the Grace Bible Fellowship Collection
http://www.gbfc-tx.org/Pages/Jack%20Hamm.html

I have already posted this image, but it perfectly fits the day. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!!

- James R. Stewart Jr.

Cliff Barrows (April 23, 1923 - November 15, 2016)

Billy Graham Richmond (VA) Crusade Songbook, 1956. Scanned from the Author's Collection.

An autographed page of Billy Graham from the same songbook is part of my graduate school digital collection on Bible Storytelling media.

Updates to the Children's Television Page.

Added two series hosted by Kay Morrow from the early 1950s to the "Children's Television" page, Stories In The Sand  and Bible Stories. With Thanksgiving and the Christmas season approaching I hope to have much more coming to this site.

Jack Hamm Centennial (1916 - 2016) - "Thanks Be Unto God"

"Thanks Be Unto God" by Jack Hamm - From the Grace Bible Fellowship Collection
http://www.gbfc-tx.org/Pages/Jack%20Hamm.html

I am months behind in continuing my recognition of the centennial of the life of cartoonist Jack Hamm. There will more posts to come.

Classic Radio: "Biblical Dramas"

Rare book jacket to the first collection of scripts from the "Biblical Dramas" radio series.
The play enacted by the cast on the cover is unknown.

Biblical Dramas
(NBC Red network series of religious dramas)
Broadcast: 1927 - 1929, Sundays at various times.
Production: William Ford Manley (scripts, writer), Gerald Stopp (director).
Cast: John Knight, Emma Dunn, Charles Webster various

Possibly the first on-going series of dramatized Bible stories on a major broadcasting network. From the same network that would bring us "A.D. The Bible Continues" over 80 years later.

Possibly the first of its kind, the Biblical Dramas series was broadcast from NBC with scripts written by William Ford Manley (1896-1954) and directed by Gerald Stoop. The show's performers included some Broadway performers, usually credited as a group called the "National Players".

Manley was a successful scriptwriter best known for the Snow Villiage Sketches a.k.a. Soconyland Sketches, (1928-1946) a radio series about life in a small New England town. Many contemporary radio history resources have overlooked his achievements.

Episodes of Biblical Dramas are not known to exist but Manley authored three books with scripts for home and church use published by the Fleming H. Revell Company. Newspaper church bulletins reveal that Manley's scripts were popular and used for worship and drama services into the early 1940s. Manley allowed use of his scripts for church use provided the source of the drama was always acknowledged.

Right now I am examining newspaper radio schedules to determine exact titles and broadcast dates, but here are several episode titles and dates as given in news bulletins. The dramas were broadcast at various times (10:15pm, 2:00pm EST), always on Sundays.

19270123 - Samson and Delilah
19270227 - Saul and the Witch of En-dor
1927061? - Samson and Delilah
19280129 - King's Dream
19280129 - The King's Dream
19280226 - Abraham and Issac
19280323 - David and Johnathon
19280408 - The Unconquered
19280422 - Saul of Tarsus
19280513 - Ruth and Naomi
19280609 - The Come Back (Samson and Delilah)
19280624 - A Mess of Pottage
19280628 - A Mess of Pottage
19280701 - The Stolen Blessing (sequel to "The Mess of Pottage")
19280715 - Joab and Amassa
19281007 - Road to Ninevah
19281030 - Noah

Biblical Dramas collections by William Ford Manley:
Manley's books are rare and I was fortunate to find a copy with its original bookjacket for less than $20. Copies are available at some theological libraries. Check Your Church Basement!

Manley, William Ford. 1928. Bible dramas for church and home. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company.

Manley, William Ford. 1928. Bible dramas: radio plays adapted for church and social gatherings. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co.

Manley, William Ford. 1930. A second book of Bible dramas. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company.

Sources:

Manley, William Ford. 1928. Bible dramas for church and home. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company.

Swartz, Jon David, and Robert C. Reinehr. 1993. Handbook of old-time radio: a comprehensive guide to golden age radio listening and collecting. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.

Various newspaper articles pulled from Fulton History, particularly the following publications:
Rochester NY Times Union
Utica NY Observer
NY Evening Post

Updates: Radio and Television Pages

• In the Children's Television section I have added links for the series "Youth On The March", some of which go to sites about the life and ministry of Rev. Percy Crawford. 
• In the Radio section, I have added corrections to dates and summaries of "Chaplain Jim"
• Also in the Radio section, "Bible Dramas" has been corrected to its correct title "Biblical Dramas".

Origins of Family Bible Storytelling Media Part II

Now for the second reason that I created this blog.

Appreciating the history of Bible based media to demonstrate many creative talents from the past to inspire today's parents, teachers and ministers.

A few years ago, as I began to go further into my research, I read a critic's review of a popular Bible based drama on television (I won't say which one). The critic made an odd comment questioning why there were so many religious based films at the theaters and on TV all of the sudden. In my mind my response was, "There have been religious dramas on the major radio and television networks since 1928, and motion pictures since 1896"!

I do not claim to be a major authority of the history of Bible-based media in any medium. For this blog I want to steadily build a history of it in radio, television, educational media, some films and occasionally children's books. It is my hope that today's creative Christians with gifts of teaching in the form of storytelling could have a history resource to go to.

For decades there have been ministers, puppeteers, artists, cartoonists, authors, scriptwriters, cinematographers, and so much more, who desired to evangelize, teach families, and reach those who could not or had never attended a church. Their creativity was put to work with the latest in media technologies, whether it was the talking picture, the kine-scope or audio recordings for the blind. Their legacy is alive today in a era where testimonies, sermons and stories can be shared tens of thousands of time in a single week via YouTube, radio, television, and other streaming media.

Week by week I hope to uncover the lives and techniques of many individuals and share them in a way where their works and ministries can inspire creative fruit today.

Also I hope this site will be a great doorway to many fun and creative audio visual ministries of the present.

James R. Stewart Jr.

Origins of Family Bible Storytelling Media (Part 1)

After blogging for one year I realized that this blog is missing one thing that would add to it's credibility: an "About Us" or history of why this blog exists and what I as the author believe. There is an intended purpose in the title section, but here is the first of two primary reasons why I decided to blog about the history of dramatic or storytelling Christian Media.

The Impact of Dramatized Bible Stories on My Life
Videos, radio dramas, and even cartoons made to spread the Gospel can never be underestimated. As a child I did not understand who Jesus Christ was. One person who wanted me to know him was my Grandma. One day in Walmart (back when they had bins full of VHS tapes instead of DVDs) when I was a little boy I found a tape of superheros clips that I could not wait to go home and see. My Grandma looked in the same bin and found a video about Jesus. When we got home she made me watch the film about Jesus before I could watch anything else. At the time I was angry; it was like being told that I had to eat my broccoli before I could have my birthday cake. The film on the tape was a segment from the Living Bible series, with Nelson Leigh as Christ. It included the stories of the Last Supper and the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot. For many years this was the only Bible story that I knew well. I found myself watching this tape at least once a year up until college years.

By the the time I entered college I was attending church, had accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and was baptized, but I struggled with a pornography addiction that kept me chained with guilt and shame. For years I did not believe that even as a Christian there was hope for me. During this time I was also an old time radio fan and loved listening to programs like The Lone Ranger, Suspense and The Jack Benny Program. One random day I turned my radio's AM tuner, and could not believe that I was listening to a contemporary radio drama.... a Christian drama.. and one about an alcoholic who was completely sober through faith in Jesus Christ. This program was Unshackled, and I wanted to hear more, and I also knew that if God could free that man that he wanted the same for me.

As a young married man, I discovered more treasures on the air. I was elated to find out that there were also radio programs for children like Captain's Club, Adventures of Odyssey, and Patch The Pirate. Even as a 20-something, these programs ministered to my mind and heart. Many of these ministries had existed since before I was born, but in my entire childhood I had not known about them.

I am a researcher at heart so when something peaks my curiosity, and it touches my heart I have to know more. I began researching the history of Bible-based dramas on radio and television with the growing desire to inform parents, teachers, ministers and many others. I knew that if these programs could impact my walk so much then they could do the same for many others.

There is another reason I started this blog and I will share that next time.

Family Bible Storytelling Media Blog: One Year Later

Blogging is a like a second job and after researching some ministries and resources on using time wisely, I hope to upload more content on a regular basis for Year Two. I also hope to upload a new post to this blog every Wednesday for the rest of 2016.

In addition to these posts I also wish to expand the listings on historic radio and television ministerial drams from the past found at the top of this website.

There will be more to come with radio dramas, film clips and links to some of the best Christian programming from the past and present.

- James R. Stewart Jr.

For D-Day Anniversary - The Light of The World" - June 6th, 1944

The Light of The World - daytime/soap opera (March 18, 1940 - March 2, 1950, NBC, CBS). Sponsored by General Mills.

Yes, in a decade where over 40 soaps operas could air in a single week, there was one based on the Bible! It was a hit with audiences and clergy during its run and adapted mostly stories from the Old Testament. Sadly like most daytime dramas, surviving episodes are very scarce. My research suggests that at least 7 episodes exist in various archives and collections. LOTW was one of several shows from Frank and Anne Hummert, of the Hummert Factory of daytime dramas.

Other dramatizations of the Bible were attempted with some success before television. There were the programs Bible Dramas (NBC, 1928) Immortal Dramas (1935, sponsored by Montgomery Ward), and more famously The Greatest Story Ever Told (ABC radio, 1947 - 1956, ABC television 1951 - 1952).

This special V-E Day episode (6/6/1944) is enjoyable and hopefully will give you the modern lesson insight into that date. Please forgive the sound quality, the audio is from a very compressed MP3 file.

The Light Of The World. June 6, 1944. CBS net. Sponsored by: General Mills.
Ted Campbell (announcer), Robert Trout (news bulletin), Frank Hummert (creator), Anne Hummert (creator)
The commercials have been suspended because of D-Day. The story of the Bible continues. Genesis 22:1, 2, 3. Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, Moses and the Burning Bush, the 23rd Psalm.

(Above citation is from the RadioGOLDINdex)

For more about this series:
Don't Touch That Dial!: Radio Programming in American Life, 1920-1960: Soap Operas Go To War
http://jfredmacdonald.com/war.htm  - Page includes a link to an undated episode beginning the story of King David and Saul.

Dunning, John. 1998. On the air: the encyclopedia of old-time radio. New York: Oxford University Press.

Classic Television: Raymond Massey Reads The Bible

Opening title frame for "Raymond Massey Reads The Bible", 1951.

Opening title frame of "Raymond Massey Reads The Bible", 1951.

Raymond Massey Reads The Bible

Brief segments of Bible reading and teaching.

(produced 1951. syn. c. 1954 - ?)

Imagine this scene for a moment. Seated in an armchair in a cozy looking library is a distinguished older gentleman of about 60 years who is about to open the Holy Bible, read from it and teach you for a few minutes.

The distinguished gentleman of this scenario was Canadian/American actor Raymond Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983). The series Raymond Massey Reads The Bible was produced by Imperial World Films, Inc of Chicago, a distributor of wrestling films.

After decades of being off the air, 6 episodes have been digitized and presented online as part of the Russ and Sylvia Davis Film Collection at the Chicago Film Archives website.

Massey sat down to film at least 65 five minute episodes in 1951. The series was written by Morton Wishengrad (1913 - 1963), a future Tony and Emmy nominated scriptwriter who also worked on the religious anthology TV series Frontiers of Faith and the Jewish radio anthology program The Eternal Light.

Russ Davis (1909 - 1969), the president of IWF found that there was not large demand for a 5 minute series right away and the films went undistributed for over two years. By 1953 the demand for more Bible-based programs and five minute fillers had increased and the series availability was announced in Billboard and Variety. It is not clear to the author of this blog how widely syndicated this series was. This may be extra hard to determine as it is unlikely local newspaper TV listings would highlight a series with a running time of less than five minutes.

Following the second World War, there seemed to be a surge in Bible-based programming on radio and on television. There were also several recordings of Bible readings and dramatizations starring other big named actors like Herbert Marshall, Charlton Heston, Claude Rains, Robert Ryan and most notably Alexander Scourby. I will write more about these recordings and broadcasts another time.

To watch episodes of Raymond Massey Reads The Bible follow these links to the Chicago Film Archives pages. There are three episodes per online video and both files are downloadable:

Raymond Massey Reads the Bible: Man’s Choice, David & Bathsheba & Rules of Living

Raymond Massey Reads the Bible: The Greatness and Divinity of Man, The Returned of the Ransomed, On the Bible

Also dear readers, if anyone remembers this series I would love to hear from you in the comments section.

Activity Idea:
Try to use modern digital technology to film a minister or teacher briefly reading the Bible in a casual or formal surrounding. Maybe plan a series of videos for your ministry's webpage or channel.

Sources:
5-minute mart broadens, aids IWF bible films. (1953, Feb 14). Billboard

A guide to T.V. film series now doing job for their sponsors. (1955, May 28). Billboard. p. 27

Russ davis expands. (1954, Jun 16). Variety 195, 37.

TV film series in production since june I. (1954, Aug 14). Billboard

Phil 3:17 Portrait - Tessa Colina

Philipians 3:17 - Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

While attending a church book sale a few years ago, I came across the book pictured below. I bought it only for the curiosity of owning an older children's book about the Bible. Finally in preparation for some new articles this Easter, I picked this book up and took a closer look.  It is filled with great poems and stories about the life of Christ for the child's level.

Cover & dust jacket for "Bible Stories About Jesus" by Tessa Colina.
Standard Publishing. 1954

Then I took a closer look at the author's name. "Tessa Colina". It is a distinct name I thought, so I must do some research on her.

Tessa Mae Patterson Adams Colina 

November 16, 1915 - February 24, 2003

Tessa Colina was the author of at least 24 books for children and families about the Bible and biblical teaching. All of Colina's books were published by David C. Cook and/or  Standard Publishing where she was a writer and publisher for over 40 years. Her books touched on arts and crafts ("Fingerplay and How To Use Them", 1952), church youth education & program services ("A Year of Programs For Children's Church", 1962), and adaptations of Bible stories ("Bible Stories About Jesus", 1954).

A lot of information is not available online about Colina's life outside of what is printed in her brief obituary. Also look at her "Find A Grave" page.

The following is not a complete bibliography of Colina's books, but may be close based on what is available in libraries listed in World Cat: This listing is also available in World Cat

Colina, Tessa. 1949. Stories from Daniel. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing.

Colina, Tessa. 1952. Fingerplays and how to use them. Cincinnati: Standard Pub. Co.

Colina, Tessa. 1952. How to conduct the primary department. Cincinnati: Standard Pub. Co.

Colina, Tessa. 1954. How to conduct a vacation Bible school. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Pub.

Colina, Tessa. 1954. Bible stories about Jesus. Cincinnati: Standard.

Colina, Tessa. 1954. My Bible dictionary: with pictures. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Pub.

Colina, Tessa, and Vera Kennedy Gohman. 1955. Ark full of animals. Cincinnati, Ohio: The Standard Publishing Foundation.

Gohman, Vera Kennedy, and Tessa Colina. 1955. Ark full of animals. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Pub. Co.

Colina, Tessa, and Romilda Dilley. 1960. Children in Bible lands: stick-on art. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Pub.

Colina, Tessa, and Romilda Dilley. 1960. Noah and the animals: stick-on art. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Pub.

Colina, Tessa. 1962. A year of programs for children's church. Cincinnati: Standard.

Colina, Tessa. 1963. Pattern book: ideas & patterns for decorations, teaching aids, handcraft. Elgin, Ill: D.C. Cook.

Colina, Tessa. 1963. Missionary programs for the church. Cincinnati: Standard.

Colina, Tessa. 1963. Christmas programs for the church. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Pub.

Colina, Tessa. 1963. Easter programs for the church. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Pub.

Colina, Tessa. 1965. As we saw it. Chicago: D.C. Cook.

Colina, Tessa. 1965. Tested ideas for presession activities. Elgin, IL: David C. Cook.

Colina, Tessa. 1966. Easter program helper. Franklin, Ohio: Eldridge Pub. Co.

Colina, Tessa. 1968. Tested ideas for socials. Elgin, IL: David C. Cook.

Colina, Tessa. 1969. Christmas program helper number 15: program ideas for the Sunday School. Elgin, Ill: David C. Cook.

Colina, Tessa. 1971. Christmas program helper number 16. Elgin, Ill: David C. Cook.

Colina, Tessa. 1978. Jesus and me: 52 lessons on the life of Jesus with stories, illustrations, and activities. Cincinnati: Standard Pub.

Moncure, Jane Belk, Tessa Colina, and John Bolt. 1980. You and me: a handbook about needs. Elgin, Ill: Child's World.

Colina, Tessa, Jean Shannon, and Dan Loprieno. 1981. Tom's terrible secret. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Pub. Co.

Colina, Tessa, Hertha Depper, and Marianne Lindgren. 1986. Den första julen. Örebro: Evangeliipress.

Phil. 3:17 Portrait - Jack Hamm, Centennial of a Life and Art Dedicated to God

Philipians 3:17 - Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

"Who Wrote The Great Book?" From the Grace Bible Fellowship Collection.

Jack Beaumont Hamm (March 5, 1916 - December 22, 1996)

In my honest opinion, all how-to drawing and cartooning books pale in comparison to the finely detailed writings of Jack Hamm. The (still) best selling author, cartoonist, teacher and minister was born 100 years ago this week. In this blog post I would like to share a bibliography of links to biographies and collections of his amazing art so that more would be instructed and touched by how his work and his life were used for God.

"The Bible's Advice" from the Grace Bible Fellowship Collection.

ONLINE BIOGRAPHICAL RESOURCES

Jack Hamm Graphics - Grace Bible Fellowship
Hamm personally gave copies of his art to this ministry for use of spreading the Gospel.
http://www.gbfc-tx.org/Pages/Jack%20Hamm.html
Wayback Machine Link for titles and bio: https://web.archive.org/web/20161106043524/http://www.gbfc-tx.org/Pages/Jack%20Hamm.html 

Jack Hamm biography - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hamm

Jack Hamm profile - Christian Comics International
http://www.christiancomicsinternational.org/pioneers1.html#Anchor-JACK-48213

Dorisnel Hamm Sims - Obituary for Jack's wife of 52 years.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dallasmorningnews/obituary.aspx?n=dorisnel-hamm-sims&pid=138073673

Grave of Jack and Dorisnel Hamm, Gordo, Alabama. "Art and Life Dedicated To God"
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=128120570

Ryan, Terri Jo. "Baylor grad Jack Hamm combined faith with love of illustrating". Waco Tribune
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/waco_history/baylor-grad-jack-hamm-combined-faith-with-love-of-illustrating/article_b738c08a-e131-573c-a208-d714e58ab049.html

"Come Now, And Let Us Reason Together". From the Grace Bible Fellowship Collection.

PUBLISHED BOOKS
Note: Some of the dates listed are of reprints, currently available in libraries worldwide. To find out if your local library has any of these titles please look at my WorldCat listing for Jack Hamm.

Hamm, Jack. 1950. Christian democracy. Waco, Tex: Religious Drawings, Inc.

Hamm, Jack. 1954. Cartoons that live. Wheaton, Ill: Van Kampen Press.

Religious Drawings, Inc. (Waco, Tex.), and Jack Hamm. 1955. Race.

Hamm, Jack. 1958. The living Scriptures; religious drawings. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications.

Hamm, Jack. 1960. Jack Hamm's custom clip art for churches. Antioch, Tenn: Knight Media.

Hamm, Jack. 1961. He will answer; a book of cartoons. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.

Hamm, Jack. 1961. Saints alive; [the best in church humor]. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications.

Hamm, Jack. 1968. Drawing toward God; the art and inspiration of Jack Hamm. Anderson, S.C.: Droke House; distributed by Grosset & Dunlap, New York.

Hamm, Jack. 1974. Jack Hamm's custom clips for churches. Dallas, Tex: Cresendo Book.

Hamm, Jack. 1976. Still-life drawing and painting. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.

Hamm, Jack. 1978. How to draw scenery. Toronto: Coles.

Hamm, Jack. 1978. How to draw and paint still-life. Toronto: Coles.

Hamm, Jack. 1979. How to draw cartoons. Toronto: Coles.

Hamm, Jack. 1980. Drawing scenery: landscapes and seascapes. New York, NY: Grosset & Dunlap.

Hamm, Jack. 1982. How to draw animals. New York, N.Y.: Perigee Books.

Hamm, Jack. 1982. Cartooning the head & figure. New York: Perigee Books.

Hamm, Jack. 1982. Drawing the head and figure. New York: Perigee Books.

Hamm, Jack. 1982. Drawing scenery: landscapes and seascapes. New York, N.Y.: Perigee Books.

Hamm, Jack. 1985. Jack Hamm's custom clip art for churches, vol. 2. Antioch, Tenn: Knight Media.

Hamm, Jack. 1985. Jack Hamm's Handy clip art for church bulletin covers: 96 pieces of quality art work for 5 1/2 x 8 1/2" worship bulletins and newsletters on 27 different subjects. Antioch, TN (60 Benzing Road, Antioch 37013): Knight Media.

Hamm, Jack. 1985. Jack Hamm's illustrated clip art Bible verses. Antioch, Tenn: Knight Media.

Hamm, Jack. 1987. How to draw the figure. Toronto: Royce.

Hamm, Jack. 1988. First lessons in drawing and painting. New York, NY: Perigee Books.

Hamm, Jack. 1988. Jack Hamm's quality clip art for churches. Nashville, Tenn: Broadman Supplies.

Hamm, Jack. 1989. Jack Hamm's quality clip art for churches #2. Nashville, Tenn: Broadman Supplies.

Hamm, Jack. 1990. Drawing & cartooning for laughs. New York, NY: Perigee Books.

Hamm, Jack. 1991. Drawing and cartooning 1,001 faces, places, and things. New York, NY: Perigee Books.

Hamm, Jack. 1996. The stories and art of Jack B. Hamm. S.l: s.n.

MORE TO COME

I will post more about Hamm in the future and I especially hope to uncover more about his television program the "Jack Hamm Show" which he reportedly traveled over 100 miles weekly to shoot from KBTV and KRTC-TV out of Dallas, Texas.

Phil. 3:17 Portrait - Remembering Jimmie Dodd (1910-1964)

Philipians 3:17 - Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

My apologies for any confusion that may come from the first sentence; this blog article was originally supposed to be posted the first week of October in 2015.

Jimmie Dodd, c. 1955. Photo from non-commercial use source

Saturday, October 3rd was the 60th anniversary of the premiere of the original Mickey Mouse Club on ABC-TV back in 1955.  While the famous opening song declared the mouse as the leader of the club, there is almost no doubt the real leader was singer, songwriter Jimmie Dodd. Watching re-runs of the Mickey Mouse Club late at night on the Disney Channel, I was struck at episodes in which Dodd referenced scriptures from the Bible as he spoke directly to audiences while strumming his guitar.

After several decades it is still not generally known that Dodd and his wife Ruth were born-again Christians and that he served as president of the Hollywood Christian Group in 1958 and 1959.  The Hollywood Christian Group was a collection of movie stars who embraced the Gospel during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s which included celebrities like Roy Rogers, Dale Evans Rogers, and Jane Russell. The closest the Walt Disney Company probably ever came to releasing a Gospel album was the 1957 album "Mouskehymns"  and a 1966 gospel album with songs written or arranged by Dodd.

A few years before he passed, Dodd completed the album Children's Bible Story-Time : Jimmie Dodd for Word Records Incorporated of Waco, Texas.  This album is Jimmie at his best; his narrative voice and easy guitar playing.

A few years ago I included an excerpt of this album for my first digital project on Bible storytelling media.  Click HERE to here Dodd tell "The Parable of the Sower and the Seed"