Plot:
If the past hundred years have been called the American Century, the last five decades must be considered the great era of the American Dream. Nowhere has that feeling of optimism that hope of getting ahead instead of merely getting along shone more brightly than in those distinctly American inventions, the comic strip and comic book. Dan DeCarlo: an American Dreamer is a documentary film about a comics artist whose career has spanned the flowering of the American Dream and whose work has contributed some of the most enduring icons of that upwardly mobile spirit. Mr. DeCarlo's drawing board has mirrored the dream life of America whether in World War II caricatures, the comic-strip mis-adventures of Willie Lumpkin, the rag-trade riches of Millie the Model, the creation of Josie and the Pussycats and Sabrina the Teenage Witch or, of course, the eternal teen-aged optimism of Archie. Light entertainment? Perhaps. But Dan DeCarlo's creations have had a definite influence on popular culture, quietly but effectively shaping the public's view of three installments of the young generation. Every American obsession: fads and foibles, toys, music, television, films, and lifestyles, is presented and often skewered. More serious subjects appear as well: race relations, the position of women, concern for the environment, and the idealism of youth, showing that funny business isn't all that's going on. More interesting has been his effect on his youthful audience. Whether they bought the clean-cut mythology he created, enjoyed a hip laugh at the fictitious world of Riverdale, or actively rebelled against it, fifty years of readers have been defined by Dan DeCarlo's work. Dan's story illustrates the influence of two major conflics that came to bear upon the industry during his lifetime--the effects of censorship and the struggle for creator's rights. Part art, part commerce, the boom-and-bust business of comics has formed a fascinating backdrop to DeCarlo's life. Dan DeCarlo: an American Dreamer is the story of his dreams of making a mark in his chosen field, of creating a family business in the comics industry, of leaving an enduring legacy.