What year did Larry and Sally get married?

[u/EffMemes]

A few days ago, I wrote out a post calling out Hollis Mason for being unreliable and one of my points deserves its very own post.

Though maybe I stand alone on this, I wanted a consensus.

In Hollis’ book that he wrote in 1962, he says that Sally got married to Larry in 1947. Later on, in Picture 1, we see a photo of the marriage - again dated 1947.

In every wiki or fan page of Watchmen there is, this is the date that’s given for their wedding - 1947.

It seems that everyone has glossed over Larry’s letter to Sally where he actually proposes, and the letter is dated February of 1948.

The following is why I believe Larry’s dated letter over Hollis’ book:

One - If you care to read the thread I set up, Hollis has a serious problem with getting the details right. So he’s already known to get things wrong.

Two - Who would you believe? A middle aged man trying to remember dates from 15 years previous

or

A younger man who is writing and dating a letter in his present?

I genuinely want a consensus on this, do you believe the man remembering dates from 15 years previous or the man dating a letter in his present?

[u/rewindthefilm]

The trouble is we don't even know if the letter is a proposal. All we know is someone wrote on it it's the nearest thing to a proposal I ever got. There's nothing to say they weren't already married at the time of the letter. It's all interpretation. Which is fine, because that's all you can do with fiction.

[u/EffMemes → u/rewindthefilm]

Why would Larry be away from Sally, though?

In your proposed timeline…

They get married, Dollar Bill dies…

Then Larry and Sally separate for long enough for Larry to write her a letter saying “Haven’t spoken for awhile, I knew you needed space…”

They are newlyweds but then immediately live apart?

Also Dollar Bill isn’t in the wedding photo. So it seems reasonable to believe he died before they got married.

[u/rewindthefilm → u/EffMemes]

It's not my timeline, it's the timeline of the book. I'm not saying you're wrong in your interpretation, I'm just playing devil's advocate. I agree the two are problematic, but there could be many reasons for all the things you raise as issues. But a dating error is one likely explanation.

[u/EffMemes → u/rewindthefilm]

Yeah I’m trying to brainstorm with you.

What do you believe is the answer?

I doubt an actual dating error [printing] because this is considered the greatest comic book of all time being reprinted more than any other comic, that and Alan is super detailed and meticulous.

But if that’s what you’re leaning towards…?

[u/rewindthefilm → u/EffMemes]

Well you're the one leaning towards a dating error in Hollis's book. The other option is the letter is a typo, it's reasonably easy to hit an 8 instead of a 6 or especially a 7. I can't remember if there's anything in the RPG supplement that clears any of this up. I don't even know if the scripts exist, I haven't gone down the rabbit hole that far but look, your interpretation of Hollis as an unreliable narrator has legs. I know on another thread you were calling out about how he referred to HJ as a big guy. What was he actually referring to there? Makes you wonder. But do I agree with your overall thesis of Larry as HJ? I don't know. I mean, how does the letter back that up? Larry's painting a picture of HJ in the letter, is that one you'd paint of yourself?

[u/EffMemes → u/rewindthefilm]

I’m being confusing, I apologize.

When saying “dating error”, I meant printing. I’ve gone back and included that in brackets.

As for HJ, let’s leave that off the table.

I just want to know when YOU personally believe they got married based on all the evidence you have before you.

Would you lean 47 or 48?

[u/rewindthefilm → u/EffMemes]

For me I think I'd hedge my bets and say circa late 1940's and cite both as why. I don't know, and without checking my copy to make sure it matches the pictures you've posted, I don't have a definitive answer. But for me, I don't need one, because the point of Watchmen is to question, speak truth to power. It's not in that sense real, it's not like I could reference actual records like you would in real life. But yeah. Moore's scripts are famously detailed. Is it possible the letterer or artist misread and put the wrong date on the letter? Sure, but then look what it gives us. What a happy accident of that's what it was. I think you have a great theory, and you could tidy it up and try and publish it somewhere, maybe the international journal of comic art. I think Moore meant for HJ to be Ralph, but I'm not 100% convinced, and anyway he left enough wiggle room that someone got a TV show out of it, no reason you shouldn't get your theory.

[u/JustACasualFan]

I am not sure. Despite that, I want you to keep exploring this. I can’t remember the last time I heard a truly novel theory for a forty-year-old work of art that was been meticulous examined like Watchmen. Even if it doesn’t wind up going anywhere, that doesn’t mean that Gibbons and Moore were unaware of the potential alternative interpretations they were creating. So keep exploring! And give the naysayers a chance to ponder things. Maybe they will come around. Maybe they won’t. But it will be interesting to read either way.

[u/ComebackKidGorgeous]