The above is not a complete list of Judy stories. Rather, it consists of my picks of the best tales in the magazines, the ones I enjoyed reading, and recommend to others.
Judy Foster was a teenager. Her comic adventures with her girlfriends, her parents, and her teenage boyfriend Oogie Pringle, appeared on radio in the 1940's and 1950's, and on television. A Date with Judy ran as a radio show (1941-1950) and as a TV series (1951-1953). There was also a 1948 musical film version, directed by Richard Thorpe, with Jane Powell and Elizabeth Taylor.
They also were featured in a long running comic book spin-off (1947-1960). By 1960, these radio and TV versions were history, but the comic book persisted.
Another comic book of the era with a radio-television-movie background, is the excellent detective comic book Big Town.
Serena (1960). (Title supplied by me to this untitled story.) The new girl, Serena, sets her cap at Oogie.
The stories in A Date With Judy often seem like comic versions of the stories that appeared in romance comic books. They take the romantic feelings of their characters seriously, and explore them in detail. But they also maintain a cheerful comic tone.
This story is most memorable for two occasions when Oogie speaks up. He expresses ideas that come from within his feelings. They express his world view about himself. Both are comic moments. But both also contain a grain of truth. Neither is at all mean. Both have a refreshing quality.
Homework and the Science Teacher (1960). (Title supplied by me to this untitled story.) Nervous scatters the science homework Judy and Oogie worked so hard on into the wind.
Nervous is the beat-talking friend of Oogie. Nervous has a crew cut, glasses, and some of the mannerisms of the beatniks of the late 1950's. He also seems like an ordinary American teenager.
Eloped (1960). (Title supplied by me to this untitled story.) When Judy goes out to buy a bottle of perfume called Eloped, her family and friends all think she has actually eloped.
Ooogie's white shirt and black sleeveless sweater vest anticipate the look of Pete Ross, whose first story appeared two months later in Superboy. See "The Boy Who Betrayed Clark Kent" (Superboy #86, January 1961).
A Rented Car (1960). (Title supplied by me to this untitled story.) Through a mix-up, Oogie Pringle takes Judy and her scheming cousin Susan to a dance in what he thinks is a rented Le Mans sports car.
Much of the good vibes here comes from that fact that Oogie is such a good guy. He is always in there, trying to be nice. Because of this, the world of the characters tends to be sunny. He treats Judy well, her friends well, and the other characters well.
Nervous shows his loyalty and decency in this tale.
Oogie starts out in black swim trunks, and winds up in a really spiffy black tuxedo. This was during an era when American men wanted to wear tuxes, especially to parties and dances.
Tall Tales and Short Stories in Fashion (1960). Two page comics non-fiction "essay" about a tall girl and a short girl, and how they dress to maximize their appearance. Very interesting combination of visuals and text, explaining fashion ideas in vivid detail.
I think I understood woman's clothes better here than I have ever done in my life. Woman's fashions have always been a complete mystery to me. But this article, which combines text and illustration in creative ways, really makes clear how women's clothes are designed. The text and pictures build on each other, each making the other clearer, and explaining the other's ideas in more depth. This essay is an example of what comics can do as a non-fiction medium. It shows how comics can convey ideas.