Gladys Whimple

Gladys Whimple is a major protagonist in the 1975 Lucky Luke comic book, The Dashing White Cowboy. She was a member of the Whittaker Theater Troupe until she decided to retire from it due to Whittaker Baltimore's crimes and became a performer, which was her real job before Whittaker hired her against her will in confidence as an actor for his plays.
During the Dashing White Cowboy play, she portrays the damsel-in-distress who is panicking at the sight of Mortimer trying to take her "baby" away for refusing to marry him. When the Dashing White Cowboy comes in to save her, she is amazed that the famous hero is here to defeat Mortimer. This play, however, would lead to multiple robberies across the Wild West, hiding the stolen money inside the fake baby prop. Unlike the other members of the troupe, she doesn't antagonize Lucky Luke in the entirety of the comic whatsoever and even exposes Baltimore's true intentions and location, leading to his capture.
== Appearance ==
Gladys Whimple is a young lady with blonde hair with a ribbon attached to it's back. During most of the comic, specifically during the play, she wears a tattered pink dress and is seen bare foot.
== Personality ==
Gladys Whimple's personality is similar to a damsel-in-distress in the plays, scared when anyone attempts to attack her and snatch her only "baby". While her personality looks simplistic during the plays, she is also shown to not support people being accused of whatever crime, even to the point of being reduced to tears. Out of all the members of the Whittaker Theater Troupe, she is the most good-hearted and fragile, but also has some knowledge, as she was capable of ratting out her former boss, which would indirectly lead to his arrest at the hands of Luke.
== Biography ==
Gladys Whimple is first seen during Whittaker's rehearsal of the Dashing White Cowboy play, where Luke unintentionally interrupts it as he thought that it was an actual attack, but was only done for the play itself. Whittaker introduces her as well as the other members to Luke and then offers him to share a tea with them, but Luke doesn't have the time to do so as he has to go to Nothing Gulch, which is ironically the same location the troupe is performing next.
During the play, however, the bank was robbed by an unidentified criminal (later revealed to be Whittaker Baltimore himself), causing silence in the audience. As Luke and the townsfolk were searching for the criminals, Gladys is seen with the rest of the troupe as all the props are put away. Afterwards, the same event would happen in the town of Miner's Pass, but this time, Lucky Luke is incriminated for the robberies and caught. Gladys begs to let him go as she knows that there must have been a mistake, but in vain, as Luke is still taken away to be hanged, which fortunately fails as Jolly Jumper rode him away before the rope was even wrapped around his neck.
Gladys is seen again in the town of Indian Flats, where the next performance is hosted. Inside the Tipi Hotel, Gladys offers to have Luke replace Baltimore as the Dashing White Cowboy, as he had received a black eye due to Luke punching him for nearly getting him hanged. Luke is reluctant, but Gladys tells him to do it just to please her, making him accept. Gladys eventually notices that Luke is protecting Mortimer instead of saying his lines, which would make the audience confused as he is supposed to defend her. At this point, another robbery happens and Luke is forced to escape, while Gladys and the rest of the troupe flee.
Later at night, Gladys is seen at a campfire with rest of the troupe, offering Luke to take a supper with them. However, Luke starts accusing Baltimore again, making her nervous as she can't endure the accusations any longer. She then goes on to say lines from Baltimore's other famous hits, much to Luke's displeasure as he asks them to stop so they can let him sleep. Arriving in Tumbleweed Springs, Gladys performs in the play once more. Another robbery happens, but it was revealed to be a trick as Baltimore's troupe took the opportunity to steal the saloon's gambling money, which would lead to Luke being sent to prison and nearly hanged again.
At the same time, Gladys Whimple decided to retire from the troupe and went on to become a performer for Fifi Le Bon Bon. She is eventually found by Luke while he was in the saloon with Hank Wallace, running inside her cabin in shock. There, she is glad that Lucky Luke had managed to find her, as she reveals to him that Baltimore was actually the responsible for the multiple robberies after distracting the audience by having them boo Barnaby Float. Reduced to tears, she had enough and managed to get away from them in Tumbleweed Springs, encountering Fifi and her girls on her trail, revealing that being a performer was her real job, Baltimore flimflamming her in order for his robbery plans to work. She then draws a map of the location where Baltimore and Barnaby Float were hiding, a small cabin in the woods. Afterwards, she returns to the stage, dancing as the two other performers are confused.
== Trivia ==
* At first, she was mistaken as one of the bandits that robbed the banks across every town they performed in, as she is revealed to have been confidently swindled in the troupe by Baltimore so he could have the opportunity to have her portray Linda, the damsel-in-distress, so Barnaby Float can be booed at, allowing him to commit his robberies without being caught.
Category:Female
Category:Damsels
Category:Comic Book Heroes
Category:Comedy Heroes
Category:False Antagonist
Category:Western Heroes
Category:TV Show Heroes
Category:Cartoon Heroes
Category:Protectors
Category:Victims
Category:Successful
Category:Scapegoat