Comics: Stephen Palmisano, Unknown Letterer

Stephen Palmisano was born on July 4, 1922, in the Bronx, New York, according to his World War II draft card and the Social Security Death Index. 

In the 1925 New York state census, he was the only child of Gaitano and Raffaela, both Italian immigrants. They were Bronx residents at 2363 Arthur Avenue.

The 1930 United States Census recorded the family in the Bronx at 633 East 186th Street. Palmisano’s father was a street cleaner.

According to the 1940 census, Palmisano, his parents and seven-year-old brother, George, were at the same address. Palmisano had completed three years of high school. 

On June 30, 1942, Palmisano signed his World War II draft card. His address was later updated to 2232 Adams Place in the Bronx. Palmisano’s employer was Brewster Aeronautic, an aircraft company. The description of Palmisano was five feet nine inches, 160 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair. He enlisted in the Army on September 24, 1943. 

After the war, Palmisano continued to live his parents in the Bronx at 2232 Adams Place. The 1950 census said his occupation was letterer for a cartoon book publishing company. He earned $1,840 in 1949. Palmisano is not listed in the Grand Comics Database and Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999. It’s not known how long he worked in comics and what he did afterwards. 

Palmisano’s parents were recorded on the previous sheet.

Palmisano passed away on May 15, 2008, in the Bronx, according to the Social Security Death Index. 

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Comics: Zena Brody, Assistant Editor and Editor

1948

 

Zena Brody was born Zina Carol Friedland on March 10, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York. The birth information is from the New York, New York Birth Index at Ancestry.com. Her middle name was printed in university publications. In this profile she will be referred to as Brody.

The 1930 United States Census counted Brody (line 67) as the only child of Sam Friedland, a fur salesman, and Betty Rosen who married on April 2, 1927 in Manhattan, New York City. Both were Russian immigrants. The family lived in Brooklyn at 3094 Darby Street.

In the 1940 census, Brody (line 56), her parents and sister, Gloria, were Brooklyn residents at 219 Brightwater Court. Brody was a student at David A Boody Junior High School in Brooklyn. The school’s yearbook, The Beacon, June 1940, said “Zina Friedland” was an honor roll student with perfect attendance. The name of Brody’s high school is not known.

Brody attended the University of Michigan starting in 1945. Her first name changed from Zina to Zena. The 1947 Ensian yearbook published a photograph of her in the Dance Club. Brody graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Brody returned to New York City and enrolled at Columbia University where, in 1949, she wrote her masters’ essay, “Social Protest in the Poetry of Archibald MacLeish”.

According to the 1950 census, Brody (line 8) lived with her parents at the same place in Brooklyn. Her occupation was assistant magazine editor. In 1949 she earned $1,650 working 26 weeks. Evidently Brody started, in mid-1949, at DC Comics and assisted Whitney Ellsworth who was editor of the romance titles.

In Alter Ego #26, July 2003, Irwin Donenfeld and Julius Schwartz were interviewed by Mark Evanier and Robert Beerbohm. On the subject of romance comics, Schwartz recalled DC’s first romance title, Romance Trail, whose first issue was cover dated July-August 1949. It sold well. Donenfeld said he hired Brody to develop more romance titles. The next three were Girls’ Love Stories #1, August-September 1949; Secret Hearts #1, September-October 1949; and Girls’ Romances #1, February-March 1950. These titles listed Whitney Ellsworth as the editor in the indicia. Brody eventually became editor.

Brody’s engagement was announced in The Michigan Alumnus, May 12, 1951.

Zena Friedland, ’48, an editor for National Publications in New York, is engaged to Eugene Brody, ’47, A.M. ’48, who is studying at Long Island University Medical School. They plan to be married in June.

Eugene Albert Brody was born on April 19, 1927 in Brooklyn. The couple obtained a marriage license in Manhattan on June 19, 1951. The wedding was on June 24, 1951.

The 1956 Manhattan voter register listed Brody, a housewife, as a Democrat at 19 East 98th Street. In the previous year, according to the register, she was a housewife in Brooklyn at 100 Lefferts Avenue. On his blog, Todd Klein said Brody gave birth to her first child in 1955. Her children were Robert, Ellen and Paul. In 2013 The New York Times, published a story about Robert by his wife Karen.

 

Brody may have resigned from DC in 1954 or 1955. Before leaving she may have started Falling in Love (first issue dated September-October 1955) which would have been her fourth title. Her position was filled by other women.

In 1964 Brody and Ruth Lembeck wrote and copyrighted their musical comedy, Call Me Mother. Four years later Lembeck thanked Brody in 380 Part-Time Jobs for Women. In her 1973 book, Job Ideas for Today’s Woman, Lembeck wrote

To the Memory of Zena Brody who was with me this time around, too.

Brody passed away on July 12, 1971 according to the New York State Death Index at Ancestry.com. The same date was published in The Michigan Alumnus, April 1973. I believe Find a Grave had the wrong month, June 12, 1971. Brody was laid to rest at Mount Lebanon Cemetery. 

 

Brody’s father passed away on September 28, 1983; her mother on November 19, 1996; and her husband on June 27, 2012.

 

 

Further Reading
TwoMorrows, in Alter Ego, John Romita mentioned working with Zena Brody

 

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(Next post on Monday: Stephen Palmisano, Unknown Letterer)

Comics: A Few Details About Phyllis Muchow, Writer and Artist

March is Women’s History Month.

Phyllis Lillian Muchow was born on September 22, 1918 in Evanston, Illinois according to a family tree at Ancestry.com.

The 1920 United States Census counted Muchow, her parents, William and Lillian, and older brother, William, in Evanston at 1011 Grove Street. Her father was a dentist.

In the 1930 census the Muchows resided in Evanston at 1316 Davis Street. Muchow had two younger brothers, Gordon and John. Her father was a president in the mining industry. Muchow was mentioned in Uncle Mame: The Life of Patrick Dennis (2000). Patrick Dennis, a friend of Gordon, nicknamed her Cindy for Cinderella.

On June 17, 1932 Muchow graduated Nichols Intermediate School (reported in the Evanston Review, June 2, 1932). Four years later she was an Evanston Township High School graduate (below).

Senior yearbook

 

Muchow was a freshman at Northwestern University. The Daily Northwestern, May 4, 1937, published her answer to the question, What is, in your opinion, the greatest need of the University?

Phyllis Muchow, Freshman, LA—“I think Northwestern needs a campus eating-place. Three blocks is too far to go for a coke or a sandwich between classes, and it is usually then that we feel the need for new energy.”

At some point Muchow transferred to the National College of Education where she graduated in 1940. The class prophecy said “Muchow will be a veterinary.”

According to the 1940 census Muchow lived with her parents and siblings at the same address in Evanston.

In the early 1940s Muchow moved to New York City. Trina Robbins’ Pretty in Ink (2013) published a photograph of her, holding the September 1942 Esquire, at Coney Island.

Muchow was an editorial associate at Coronet magazine. Her name appeared in the staff box from December 1943 to August 1945. One of the editors was Bernard Geis. The managing editor was Arnold Gingrich who was a co-founder of Esquire magazine.

From June to December 1946 Muchow produced Taffy for Timely’s Miss America magazine. Her artwork can be viewed in the following issues: June, August (below), September, November and December. A checklist of Muchow’s Taffy is at the Grand Comics Database. Muchow’s Taffy was mentioned in Trina Robbins’ A Century of Women Cartoonists (1993).

 

Muchow returned to Evanston and was listed in the 1948 city directory. Her occupation was editor in Chicago.

Muchow was counted in her father’s household in the 1950 census. The Muchows lived at the same Evanston address. Muchow was a journalist at a publishing company.

At some point Muchow returned to New York. Her contributions to Esquire have not been cataloged.

On February 2, 1957 Muchow and Bruce Williamson married in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The following year they sailed to England and arrived on August 2, 1958. They planned to visit for twelve days.

Around 1960 Muchow’s daughter, Stephanie, was born. Stephanie wrote about her mother in the 2018 post, Supplies at Hand.

Muchow’s former husband passed away on October 6, 1998.

On June 17, 2013 Muchow passed away in Alameda, California. Her obituary appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Phyllis Williamson passed away peacefully in Alameda on June 17, 2013. She was born Phyllis Muchow in Evanston, Illinois. After graduating from Northwestern University, she worked as a writer and editor for many publications including Esquire, Time, and Forbes until her retirement at age 81. Phyllis lived in Greenwich Village from the late 1940’s until 2009. She had many fascinating stories to tell. She is survived by her daughter Stephanie (Joseph McGuire), grandsons Henry and Ethan, brothers Gordon and Johnny, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her former husband, film critic Bruce Williamson, parents William and Lillian Muchow, and brother Ralph Muchow.

Phyllis was a passionate devotee of art, history and culture, who loved collecting rocks and shells on the beaches of Montauk and Nantucket Island. A private family memorial will be held at a future date in Nantucket, MA.

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(Next post on Monday: Zena Brody, Editor)

Comics: A Few Details About Ada Levy, Unknown Editorial Assistant and Writer at Timely Comics

March is Women’s History Month.

Ada Levy was born on March 19, 1930, in Brooklyn, New York, according to the New York, New York Birth Index at Ancestry.com. She was almost one-month-old in the 1930 United States Census (line 16). Her parents were Phillip and Matilda, both Russian immigrants. Also living with them were Levy’s maternal grandfather and uncle. They resided in Brooklyn at 784 Troy Avenue. 

The 1940 census counted Levy (line 8), her parents, brother Kenneth and grandfather in Brooklyn at 302 East 46 Street. Her father was a salesman of beauty supplies. 

Levy’s engagement was reported in the Brooklyn Eagle, January 9, 1949. 

Ada G. Levy Engaged to Student

Mr. and Mrs. Philip Francis Levy of 2515 Glenwood Road announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Ada G. Levy, to Marvin Ira Glauberman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Glauberman of 861 E. 24th St.

Miss Levy is a sophomore at New York University. She is a member of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. Mr. Glauberman is a senior at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. He is a member of Pi Lambdi Phi fraternity.

According to the 1950 census, the Levy family (lines 14–18) lived in Brooklyn at 2515 Glenwood Road. 

On January 19, 1951 Levy and her fiancé obtained Brooklyn marriage license number 1230. On February 4, 1951, the newlyweds returned from Bermuda according to a passenger list (lines 11 and 12) at Ancestry.com. 

The Bayside Times, September 20, 1951, published a short story by Levy, now Mrs. Glauberman, and said

Mrs. Ada Glauberman of 188-02 64th avenue moved here from Brooklyn eight months ago. She took her Bachelor of Arts degree in English at New York University and taught at Madison High School, Manhattan. She was an editorial assistant for the magazine Management and for Timely Comics. She has traveled in the United States and has written short stories and comic books, as well as other fiction. She has been married one year.

Levy is not listed at Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999 or the Grand Comics Database. Additional information about her has not been found. 

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(Next post on Monday: A Few Details About Phyllis Muchow, Writer and Artist)