"Hap" Hadley, born Alvan Cordell Hadley in 1895, was an American artist who gained world-wide acclaim specializing in pen and ink representations of popular subjects – he was especially adept at movie poster art in the 1930's. But if you asked him what was more memorable to him than a career in the movie industry he would modestly say it was his service in the United States Marine Corps during WWI that meant the most. He enlisted in the same place I did, St. Louis, MO, 51 years ealier in 1917. He was just 22 years old.
I have spoken in this blog many times about my uncle, SSgt Jack Rice, USMC, deceased. It was while arciving some of his Marine memorabilia that I discovered a rare gem, hidden away in Jack's personal papers a cartoon drawn by Hapley while enlisting in the USMC at age 22. Although Jack didn't get to know "Hap" Hapley until the late 60's, he followed his career as a movie poster artist and often spoke with him on the phone from his home in Los Angeles.
Jack and "Hap" finally met just before his death in 1976 and it wasn't until Jack's death in 1982 that I was made responsible (Jack's sister was my Mother) for putting his affairs in order. Among his most valued possessions I was amazed to find this cartoon rendering of the Marine Corps Recruiting Station in St. Louis reproduced in the August 5th, 1917 St. Louis Post Dispatch, Sunday Magazine Section, the place where Hap enlisted as a private in the Marine Corps during WWI. I was even more amazed to discover the artist of this little bit of cartoon mischief was none other than Alvan "Hap" Hapley himself!
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