The Mad, Mad Money Man of Action promotional poster
Stuart Wales was the writer of “Probationer“, but in all probability was much better known as “The Mad, Mad Money Man of Action – He Hates Money So Much, He’s Giving It Away!”
So, every Saturday between 10 and 11.00am, vigilant Action readers were told to keep their eyes peeled, because ‘Money Man could be coming to your town!
To qualify for Money Man’s mad giveaways, you needed to be holding a copy of the current issue of Action and approach him saying “You are the Money Man of Action and I claim my prize!”. £5 went to the first lucky reader to correctly identify their quarry, with the next five readers receiving £1 each.
Posters would be sent out in advance to newsagents and news stands, giving readers a tip-off. The one shown above was a promotion for the first issue, and shows its true on-sale date as February 9th, not the 14th as is often suggested.
(The dates on British comics showed – and in many cases, still do – when they should be pulled from the stands by the newsagents, rather than when they should be put out).
So, did Money Man come to your town? Check out the list below to find out, and if you were one of the lucky winners, contact us here at the downthetubes with your story.
| 14th February | Croydon | 3rd April | Reading | 26th June | Blackpool |
| 21st February | Derby | 10th April | Southend-on-Sea | 3rd July | Bournemouth |
| 28th February | Manchester | 17th April | Mertsham | 10th July | Hastings |
| 6th March | Brighton | 24th April | Cardiff | 17th July | Clacton |
| 13th March | Bath | 5th June | Hayling Island | 24th July | Skegness |
| 20th March | Colchester | 12th June | Weston-Super-Mare | 31st July | Cromer |
| 27th March | Edinburgh | 19th June | Margate | 25th September | Torquay |
Text © Moose Harris
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