Jesus, I agree completely that often a title or concept works far better on its own terms, rather than having to compromise and incorporate the ground rules of a hundred other, dis-similar concepts as well. I enjoyed team-up books tremendously as a kid, but even with those, I took those titles on their own merits and preferred not to play the "Implication Game" and insist that because Batman met Supergirl in this book, and Supergirl met Prez in another, that somehow Prez was in office in Batman's world. 

I believe that Michael Fleischer's intent was to effectively "reboot" the Spectre with a brand-new, Earth-1 version unrelated to his earlier stories. Since such things were frowned upon back in the day, a lot of effort was made on the fan level, and eventually the editorial one, to explain how there might be two Jim Corrigans, one the Earth-1 counterpart of the original, there was still only one Spectre, travelling between the Earths to inhabit the new guy. I think that's how that one shook out. I should pull out my Showcase Presents and look into it, however...

Brave and Bold wasn't the only place that the Earth-1 Wildcat appeared, by the way. He also teamed up with the Creeper in an issue of Super-Team Family, making it even more likely that there was such a guy, despite his not having been mentioned "officially" in any JLA/JSA crossover. Of course, the answer DC more or less went with was to consign that story as well to the letter column invented world of "Earth-B," where everything they can't fit takes place. 

"Earth-B," by the way, didn't work either since Bob Haney's Super Sons weren't mentioned in any of the Brave and Bold stories said to take place there. Eventually a different explanation was invented for that series; they were simply a computer-generated fantasy Superman & Batman sometimes ran in the Fortress on days when they hoped they actually could settle down, marry, and have families. Again, the insistence that everything MUST match never played well with me. You don't like the Super-Sons? Don't mention them. Somehow the world will get along.

That being said, the issue that debunked them (World's Finest #263) is among my favorites from that era. The possibility of being a father meant a lot to Batman.

Darren, you bring up a good point citing Zatanna as an even earlier example of Golden Age characters on Earth-1. She debuted, however, Hawkman #4 in 1964. "Flash of Two Worlds" was published in late 1961.

Had Fox & Schwartz wanted to consign every possible mention of the Golden Age to Earth-2, they certainly already had the tools at hand to do so.

And as you say, comics were seen as a five-year fling to be enjoyed by children. The idea that all of this would be scrutinized to the extent that it has been and continues to be would not have brought a smile to anyone's face in those days, I think. Things overall were kept reasonably consistent. Forcing "retroactive continuity" into everything to jam it all into one, supposedly seamless flowing narrative would have been thought of as ludicrous. And they'd have been right.

Incidentally, RT mentioned in an ALL-STAR SQUDRON lettercol that he had an 'explanation' for how Air Wave 'switched' to Earth-1, after appearing in the title, but by that time, it was post-CRISIS, so whatever he planned no longer 'mattered'. He'd already established that a number of the Qualiity Comics heroes in the Freedom Fighters had come from Earth-2, and moved to Earth-X(along with the Blackhawks and Plastic Man, both contradicting and affirming what Len Wein had said when intoduced the Freedom Fighters in JUSTICE LEAGUE in 1973), and had already retconned Commander Steel as an Earth-2 native, writing him out by sending him to Earth-1 in time to star in his short-lived 1978 series.

The drawbacks of the series were Thomas' M*A*S*H-like shoehorning of 5 years' worth of 'real time' action into about 6 months of 'comic time'(the series started in December of '41, and, with all the CRISIS tie-ins, it only got as far as the summer of 1942 by the end of the run); and the inclusion of a small 'core' of heroes (many of the same ones who were in the book from the start) while excluding so many others who might have been given an issue or two in the spotlight. He seemed to want everyone to 'be there', but he really played favorites, and reduced most of those 'forgotten heroes' to cameos when they did appear. Sort of like a history teacher who'd rather focus on one or two 'huge' topics, while glossing over everything between wars.

 RT did include the 'original' Air Wave, and Sargon the Sorcerer, in one of the last issues, but by 1986, Thomas was also doing the SECRET ORIGINS title, and he decided to recount some of the group's origins in the last few issues of their own title. 

Then, Thomas decided to try and emulate the Teen Titans by creating YOUNG ALL-STARS...and the post-CRISIS 'Golden Age' went to hell.

The Black Canary "origin" practically justified CRISIS all by itself. If there was ever a story that needed retconning away...!!

(I'm convinced that the real reason that CRISIS was written was because DC's writers couldn't keep track of who lived on which Earth, not the readers!)

Earlier in this thread, Eric pointed out that the contributions of Kirby and Ditko make the DCU a richer place. That much is true, but did becoming threads in the larger DC tapestry do those Kirby & Ditko characters & stories any favors? Does it help our appreciation of Ditko's Stalker or Kirby's Atlas to know that bored, desperately non-creative Superman writers would turn them into psycho mass-murderers? Is Ditko's Shade any better for having been turned inside out for Peter Milligan's psychedelia? Is Darkseid himself improved by Grant Morrison's dragging him through the sewer or Keith Giffen putting him in a McDonald's hat to hand Ambush Bug a Happy Meal?

The exchange seems entirely one way to my eyes.