Walter Michael Palais was born on August 19, 1922 in New York, New York according to his World War II draft card and census records. His immigrant parents were Rudolph Palatzky and Emma Culek who obtained, in Manhattan on October 29, 1910, marriage license number 28210. They married the next day. The marriage certificate said Palais’ father, a “painter architect”, lived at 925 Jackson Avenue which was in Queens.
Rudolph Palatzky was also known as Rudolph Palace according to his Petition for Naturalization. The 1920 United States Census counted the “Palace” family—Rudolph (line 66), his wife, son and daughter, Rudolph and Emma—in Manhattan at 441 East 81st Street.
On June 25, 1925, Rudolph Palatzky filed his naturalization petition application. He became a citizen on December 28, 1925.
The 1925 New York state census counted the “Palatsky” family (lines 44 to 49) at 441 East 81st Street in Manhattan.
In the 1930 census, the “Pulaski” family of seven (lines 51 to 57) were Brooklyn residents at 53 Stanwix Street. Palais’ father was a draftsman at an auto supply business. His brother, an artist, was employed in the moving pictures industry.
Apparently the first family member to use the Palais surname, which was French for palace, was Rudolph. The Standard Union (Brooklyn, New York), June 16, 1930, said
A pitcher who has heaved against the Brooklyn Robins in practice sessions would like to connect with a strong club. Write Rudolph Palais, 53 Stanwix street, Brooklyn.Seven months after the census enumeration, Palais’ father passed away on November 10, 1930.
According to the 1940 census (enumerated April 6), the Palatzky household included seventeen-year-old Palais (line 50), his widow mother, sisters Josephine, Rita, and Emma and her husband and child, Leon and Ronald Lianides. They resided in Brooklyn at 22 Stuyvesant Avenue.
In Alter Ego #62, October 2006, Jim Amash interviewed Rudy Palais who explained how he and his brother, Walter, got into comics.
... He started his career as a letterer at the Iger shop and was soon drawing features. Walter was the one who got me into comics. He was studying for the priesthood in Princeton, New Jersey, and used to visit me at Columbia Pictures where I was doing movie posters. He told me he wanted something to do for the summertime. I told him to take his artwork and show it around.A week later, he came back to me and said he couldn’t find a job. I thought about it for a minute and asked, “In your rounds, were there some people who showed more interest in your work than others?” He said there were and I said, “Go back to those people and see what takes place.” The next day, he got a job at Iger’s.Walter told them about me, and they asked him to tell me to drop in sometime. Which I did. I became so interested in the work these young men were doing that I decided to jump into the comics game. ...
An overview of Palais’ career is at Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999. A checklist of his credits is at the Grand Comics Database.
Rudy Palais married Ann DeBonis in Manhattan on May 5, 1935. When he signed his draft card on October 16, 1940, the couple lived with his mother and siblings in Brooklyn.
On June 30, 1942, Palais signed his draft card which had the same address in the 1940 census. He was described as six feet three inches, 170 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair. Palais was employed at the Simon and Kirby studio.
Palais enlisted in the Army on April 8, 1943. He served in the Army Air Corps.
After the war, Palais and Elizabeth I. Simchak obtained, in Queens on April 22, 1946, marriage license number 3696.
In the 1950 census, the couple and their son, Robert, were residents in Huntington, New York. Palais (line 30) was a commercial artist in the publishing industry.
Newsday (Hempstead, New York), June 25, 1952, reported the traffic accident involving Palais, a taxi driver, and a waitress.
Hold Waitress on Tipsy Driving, Hit-RunSouth Huntington—A 46-year-old waitress was arrested here early yesterday for drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident after her car was in collision with a taxi on Jericho Turnpike at West Hills Road. Agnes M. Jones, of 66 Jackson Huntington, who said she is employed by a Cold Spring Harbor restaurant, appeared in court yesterday morning after spending several hours in jail and was released in the custody of her attorney for three weeks pending trial.She was arrested by Ptl. Voyle Anderson and John Coppins after they were called to the scene of the accident about 1:30 AM. They found Mrs. Jones car on New York Ave. and took her to the offices of a doctor who pronounced her intoxicated, they said. The driver of the taxi, Walter Palais of Hillwood Drive, Huntington Station, pressed the complaint of leaving the scene of the accident.He said he was turning into Jericho Turnpike at West Hills Road when he saw Miss Jones car bearing down on him and swung to the right. He was hit anyway, Palais said, and the other car kept on going. But he got its description. The woman told the court she was on her way to report the crash at headquarters when the radio car stopped her.
Palais’ second marriage was to Lucy C. Fusaro on February 15, 1953.
In 1980 Palais was employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Photo & Graphic Arts Department.
Palais passed away on November 28, 2007 and was laid to rest at Calverton National Cemetery.
Further Reading
Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, Third Edition
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