Issue 1058

Bill Hillman Visits The Danton Burroughs Archives  and JCB Treasure Vaults TARZANA SAFARI ~ June 2003

Tarzana Trek ~ June 17-22, 2003 ~ Preamble
Click for Illustrated Version

A narrow window opened for my long-planned visit to Tarzana. The tumblers all fell into place for the week of June 17-22, 2003. Previous to this was the windup of a Spring Session course I was teaching was followed by the Brandon University 95th Convocation at which our son Robin was being presented with a 4-Year Honours degree in Computer Science Degree. This I could not miss, especially since one of the perks of being a prof on the Brandon campus is the privilege of presenting offspring with their degrees at Convocation. After this I applied for and received a week's release time in order to go on a research assignment to California. This time could not be extended as I had to be back in time for our daughter, China-Li's high school grad on June 23.

Some of the projects that Danton and I had brainstormed during phone conversations included:

• The role of Edgar Rice Burroughs in 20 century media
• The Burroughs family Civil War involvement.
• A search and collation of the thousands of Burroughs family letters, photos and memorabilia to compile info for Burroughs family genealogy & bios and a possible book on ERB's WWII experiences.
• Oldest war correspondent in the Pacific Theatre in WWII.
• The link between the many generations of "George Burroughs"
• Explore and salvage art and memorabilia from the John Coleman Burroughs storage vaults that had been sealed since 1978
• Explore the Danton Burroughs residence and grounds which are an incredible story in themselves
• Visit with old friends, Mary and Stacy Burroughs, Danton's stepmom and stepsister.
• Meet with documentary producers Bruce Scivally and John Cork who are compiling a documentary on Johnny Weissmuller Sr. as seen through the eyes of his son, Johnny Jr.
• Contact Penny Singleton's niece to plan expansion of her official Blondie Web site.
• Contact Nanette Mark, longtime JCB caregiver who is working on a JCB CD-ROM project
• Help Danton shop for a new digital camera suitable for macro shots and use daughter Dejah Burroughs' state of the art Mac PowerBook for downloads and processing.

Tuesday morning flight to Denver and on to LAX
(Click for illustrated version) The flight from Winnipeg to LA, via Denver, was a smooth one. As always seems to happen, I met an acquaintance at one of the US airports -- this time a former student of mine who was headed to Texas to buy barbed wire for the hardware chain he works for.  Learning from previous lost luggage episodes and long queues at the baggage carousels I travelled light with two carryon bags and a photographer's vest that weighed as much as any suitcase. The only bit of excitement came at American Customs. It turned out that I was "Number 60" through the gates and every 60 was chosen for a random search. The agent was suspicious of a number of CDs I hadn't declared. My response was that they were CDs of music by Sue-On and myself, and I considered them akin to calling cards. He then asked what was on the tape in my video camera. I replied I didn't know I had left a tape in the camera. Suspicious he checked it out. I turned out to be of a harp performance by our daughter China -- pretty subversive stuff. The only other suspicious item in my gear was a CD-ROM made by Danton's secretary, Cathy. It contained scans of old JCB photos, art and documents. Aha! This surely must be secret terrorist stuff... or even... (tongue moistening dry lips in anticipation)... porno! This stalwart guardian of American morals disappeared into a locked sideroom, leaving me with open baggage and standing like a criminal for 25 minutes, while he tried to deciper the material on the disk. I was released from custody in time to catch my flight.

After arriving in LA, I picked up a new Toyota Corolla compact at the car rental at 1:30 and plunged into 405 freeway traffic to 101 and into Tarzana. It was shortly after two when I checked in with Danton at ERB, Inc. The rest of the afternoon was spent chatting while going through warehouse treasures and photocopying.

Anyone who arrives at Danton's house for the first or tenth time is bowled over by the sheer wonder, magnitude and sometimes zanyness of the grounds, house and contents -- a collector's Nirvana. We spent much of the evening going through Weissmuller photos and clippings that Danton had dug out to share with guests Bruce Scivally and John Cork who are compiling a documentary on Johnny Weissmuller Sr. as seen through the eyes of his son, Johnny Jr. (who recently wrote a book about his dad, "Tarzan, My Father")  I had been in touch with Bruce via e-mail and it was a treat to meet someone with so much drive and professionalism. Bruce and John have produced over 40 documentaries for Special Edition DVD releases for MGM Home Entertainment (including the Special Edition DVDs of the James Bond films). They also co-authored the highly successful book "James Bond: The Legacy." In response to their request for information on Weissmuller, Danton brought out an amazing collection of never-before-seen stills and memorabilia from the private the Burroughs collection.

All of this played out against a video backdrop of uncle Hulbert's WWII footage. In his role as an official air force photographer, Hully had compiled incredible scenes of everyday life in Hawaii, aerial combat footage, scenes from US-occupied atolls, and battle scarred aircraft, as well as shots of his famous father, Edgar Rice Burroughs. These images touched the viewers on many different levels. To Danton the footage represented a proud glimpse into his family's history -- Bruce and John appreciated the artistic skill of the documentary maker... and the creative restraints imposed by '40s technology under combat conditions -- To Danton's friend, John Westervelt it brought back memories of his own WWII experiences in North Africa and Europe -- and I, since I have been working on documenting Ed and Hully's wartime experiences in the Pacific, saw suddenly come to life before my eyes, the many faces, places and events that had been so well described in the Burroughs letters and journals.

When hunger pangs struck, we bundled up boxes of Weissmuller publicity stills and albums of on-the-set candid photos and trekked over to one of Danton's favourite hangouts, Charlie G's on Ventura. Patrons were soon startled by the chorus of oohs and aahs and muffled Tarzan yells that wafted from our booth during our long combined dinner and perusal session. The Weissmuller project promises to be a real treat for Tarzan and film fans as the dedicated producers are returning in a few weeks with laptops and scanners to capture the best of these rare images from the Danton's collection.

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Visit the Day One Photo Gallery

ERBzine 1060

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Wednesday: Photocopying & Burroughs Family Reunion
(Click for illustrated version)

Wednesday involved a non-stop photocopying session from 10-4 in the ERB, Inc. offices. While Danton organized treasures in the fabled ERB Ventura warehouse and mined the best of his dad's collection, I manned the copier and opened countless envelopes containing correspondence between the Burroughs family going all the way back to the 1870s. I got the impression that many of these letters had not been reopened and reread by anyone for well over a century. Mixed in with this trove were other pieces of family memorabilia -- mostly from the John Coleman Burroughs collection: wedding invitations, photos, rare stamps and postmarks, business documents, hospital bills, brochures, Tarzan promotional booklets and postcards, work and journal notes for the various fictional worlds in Ed's novels, and even descriptions of everyday life on Tarzana ranch. What was, perhaps, the saddest letter was the one written by Ed's mother, Mary Evaline Burroughs during her month-long visit to Tarzana Ranch. She gave glowing descriptions of majestic Tarzana and the busy and happy lifestyle of the family. Most of the other letters, however, were sent home to Chicago from Yale, Idaho, Minidoka, Michigan Military Academy, and the various other locales in which the Burroughs brothers and other relatives resided in the last two decades of the 19th century. I took little more than passing note of the letter contents, as it was a full-time job to organize the material, carefully open each folded epistle, adjust each copy run for maximum contrast, and then to replace the documents in their original state. Deciphering much of the handwriting and making sense of obscure references will be a time-consuming process but the information promises to unravel many of the mysteries from this period of ERB's life.

I had previously arranged to have a Wednesday evening dinner with Mary and Stacy Burroughs, Danton's stepmother and stepsister. Danton had lost touch with them since the death of Danton's father back in the late seventies but when he learned of my plans for dinner he suggested that we all meet at his house, which Mary and Stacy had not seen, and then go over to Charlie G's for a late supper. Mary drove over from Pasadena, met up with daughter Stacy, and then joined me at ERB, Inc. From there we drove past the old Tarzana ranch and then took the winding trail up to Danton's "Hodgepodge Hall" residence with its sprawling wooded hillside tiers and mind-boggling collection of memorabilia and artifacts.

Description of the Danton Burroughs Victorian-style mansion is best done through the many photos that accompany this piece but a short Cook's tour is in order. A new wing is under construction so much of the contents that this new wing is to house are scattered and piled throughout the grounds and interior in a filing system privy only to Danton. A narrow trail past antique decorative lampposts and through piled-high collectibles leads to the large oaken front doors. Upon reaching the doors, the visitor has the option announcing his arrival by means of either rapping with the huge doorknocker or pulling a chain that rings a giant doorbell mounted on one of the twin oaken doors. Many of the large artifacts scattered about the property once graced the grounds and interior of the Burroughs Tarzana Ranch mansion. The doorbell had once played a prominent role in Burroughs family life. When rung, combinations of chain pulls would signify different signals that could be heard all through the house or for a good distance across the ranch. Each family member had his own identifying ring and other combinations would indicate messages such as "come for lunch," "emergency," "telephone," etc.

The host who answers the door has a startling resemblance to both his famous father and grandfather -- not only in physical appearance but also in the traditional Burroughs predilection for pack ratting and the filing of family treasures.  Danton has amassed one of the world's largest private collections of vintage juke boxes and it is the neon light from these entertainment shrines from past eras that illuminates the four walls of the main room. This multi-hued rainbow effect is further enhanced by the sunlight entering through the splendidly ornate stained glass windows. Indeed these marvels of light enhancement along with the eclectic mix of amassed Burroughs collectibles give the entire house an almost shrine-like aura.

After a quick tour of the house -- any tour lasting less than a day has to be considered a quick tour -- we settled in to watch John Coleman home movies from the '50s. Most of the footage was taken at Catalina Island where the Burroughs family still maintain a vacation home. The featured performers were Jack and Jane Burroughs accompanied by the family clown, uncle Hully, and a very young Danton and his siblings and cousins. Danton had chosen this film for this evening's showing because many of the shots featured one of John Coleman's striking young art students, Mary.

Danton had reserved a table for our late-night dinner at Charlie G's so we piled into my rental Toyota and followed him down to Ventura. True to the Burroughs tradition, Stacy is also an avid collector of antiques. She and Danton spent most of the evening discussing this common obsession as well as reminiscing the good ole days and the times they had growing up together at the Burroughs Malibu beach house. Although Mary and I keep in touch via e-mail and phone it is always a treat to chat in person. Unfortunately, Sue-On, who so enjoys these visits, had to experience this meeting vicariously via my nightly reports through phone calls and e-mails. Also adding to the multi-thread table chatter were Danton's friends John & Donna Herman and John Westervelt. John Herman has had a long career in sports, having played pro football with the NY Giants and rounding off a lifelong career in athletics by teaching and coaching in California. As a curious aside, one of the teams John had considered joining before going to New York back in the '50s was our own Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Of the seven of us at the table, three of us are or have been university professors. Donna has taught art to student teachers. John Westervelt is a retired science prof from Harvard and UCLA. And I teach at Brandon University in Canada. John W. regaled Mary and myself with many stories from his teaching days as well as with his overseas experiences in WWII. John is known all over southern California for driving up to swap meets in one of his many antique cars and he always has photos of these beauties on hand to share.

Too soon the evening came to a close. We took some parting photos outside of Charlie G's. Mary and Stacy presented me with a huge goodies bag to take back to Sue-On -- munchies available only in Southern C. With hugs and goodbyes we promised to meet again in Louisville for Dum-Dum 2003. Day two had been a delight... the highlight of which had been Mary, Danton and Stacy getting together to reminisce after so many years.

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Thursday: Raid on the JCB Treasure Vaults
(Click for illustrated version)

 
An event that Danton and I had planned for many months was a visit to a storage vault that was filled to the max with paintings, documents, and other items that had belonged to John Coleman Burroughs. This storage area had been sealed since his father's death back in the late '70s and we were very excited about recovering the treasures it held. Knowing that this vault housed a Burroughs collection we knew we would not be disappointed.

Danton and I drove partway down his long winding lane to the corral area where he stores his trailer. The "corral" is a flat area downslope from the main house and is surrounded by lush California vegetation, storage sheds and fencing. The horse stables still remain on one side of the area, but they and the corral are now used to house large collectibles that Dan has amassed over the years, as well as items rescued from the Tarzana Ranch property. The other function of this property is to provide overflow parking for family and guests. Imposing lion statures guard a winding stone staircase that leads up through the Tarzana jungle to the side entrance of the house.

Our stop along the way was at John's where he and his vintage Rolls Royce joined the safari in our quest for Tarzana treasures. John is faced with two major decisions each day: What car from my fleet shall I fire up today . . . and . . . Should I take my canine companion Daisy along with me? Sadly, today's second decision was not to his companion's liking. John's behemoth rumbled out onto the street, and as the gates to his property swung shut, we all felt pangs of guilt while looking into Daisy's pleading eyes as she stood alone in the driveway : )

After rolling back the main barricade, the welcoming smile of the keeper of the vaults turned to a look of surprise and suspicion when Danton approached the JCB vault brandishing a huge bolt cutter. The key to the crypt had been long lost and the only way to gain entry was by forceful means!  The heavy metal door finally yielded and the treasures within were revealed albeit through a heavy coat of dust. The first thing we saw was Ed's favourite chair, followed by a large projector that probably had been used in the regular showing of the current Hollywood releases in the Tarzana Ranch ballroom. We were all startled when we saw Ed's countenance peering down on us from atop a storage locker -- it was the original bust of ERB from which numerous molds had been made.

After this first series of shocks we were ready to get down to work. Danton donned a dust mask, John and I readied our cameras, and we all started what would be an afternoon-long task of dragging items out to the light, identifying, and then transferring them to the tailgate of the trailer where I snapped close-up shots with my digital camera before packing them for transport back to a secure storage area at Tarzana Ranch. We soon realized just how prolific and diverse were the talents of this man: framed oil paintings, carvings, photos and negatives of models used in his art works, the original Danton Doring collection, original art for the John Carter Sunday pages, scores of storyboards and set design charcoals for Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures, manuscripts, articles and clippings, original sketches and art for the Douglas Aircraft WWII propaganda / training booklets . . . thousands of pieces of original art... unbounded imagination.... and all collated, referenced, and in near-mint condition. JCB's longtime caregiver and admirer, Nanette Mark, had encouraged us for years to try to discover what remained of his work -- especially the boxfulls of colour transparencies on which he had so meticulously organized and preserved his work.  We were all thrilled at the extent of this mother lode.

Finally, threat of rain sped up our work. We finished loading, covered the booty with tarps and sped through Tarzana to a secure, climatically controlled area where the goods could be catalogued at leisure.

We were slated to meet Helen Baker and the Tarzana Community and Cultural Center volunteers, Peter and Steve, at Charlie G's for dinner at seven. By the time we had unloaded and returned the trailer to the corral we were hopelessly late. Eventually we all gathered at the bar, the treasure hunters still heady from the euphoria of the day's events. Thanks to the unflagging energies of Helen and her volunteers the Tarzana Centre is starting to take shape. They have obtained a major piece of property and building at the corner of VanAlden and Ventura and are in the process of researching Tarzana history, planning workshops, assembling ERB memorabilia, designing a Web site and newsletters, landscaping the area, and brainstorming a million and one things that would benefit the Tarzana community. And as our late night dinner turned into such a brainstorming session. I was delighted to discover that they already know as much about my Tarzana Web page features as do I.

We dined, drank, chatted, planned and took group photos long past Charlie G's closing time. We even went out front to Ventura Boulevard where we took photos of the bronze ERB plaque that is imbedded in the sidewalk. One old Tarzana photo that Peter had framed and presented to Danton was particularly interesting. Back in 1971 during our first "pilgrimage" to Tarzana, Sue-On and I had stayed at a motel just down the street from ERB, Inc. During our visit to ERB, Inc. Hulbert Burroughs had given us a tour of the offices and warehouse. Then, when I mentioned I had a rare run of 77 1932 Tarzan radio shows starring Jim and Joan Burroughs Pierce, he invited us to come back the next day to meet the Pierces as they had not heard the shows since the '30s (read the whole story with photos in ERBzines No. 192 and No. 193 ). Not wanting to miss this opportunity we changed our travel plans and checked into the nearby Avalon Motel. The facility was pretty much on its last legs but it was close... and the room rates were in line with the budgets of broke university students. On future visits we couldn't locate the motel and had often wondered if there really had been such a place or if it had been a figment of our imaginations. Seeing the framed Avalon photo brought back many memories.

 
Friday: Lost in the Jungles of Tarzana
(Click for illustrated version)

Friday was a business day for Danton. He had scheduled interviews related to the new Warner TV young Tarzan series and then had to travel to Santa Barbara. I did more photocopying during the morning: WWII Sydney, Australia newspaper stories on a visiting ERB, a Tarzana Story booklet, ERB writing notes and book reference titles, photos, etc. A few free hours gave me time to sightsee around Tarzana, go to a few yard sales, check out book stores, and finally visit Norman's Rare Guitars at Ventura and Topeka. Quite a shock to see so much of my guitar collection displayed on their walls... at outrageous collectors' prices. I left the premises with an item I hadn't expected to see in their shop: a black leather sport coat with a Fender logo tastefully embossed on the lower left pocket flap -- a one-of-a-kind clearance. The next logical stop was Tower Records where I found some good boxed sets on some early blues-related musical influences: Lonnie Donegan, Lightnin' Hopkins and Elvis.

John Westervelt had invited me over to see his car collection so this was my next stop. Inside the huge entrance gates was an amazing assortment of delux vintage autos -- all in running condition. Inside the living quarters were huge piles of rare photographs and books. I was starting to think that everyone in Tarzana shared my own obsessive collector syndrome -- a lifelong malady that has filled two houses. Following a guided tour of the premises and a short jam session on guitar and 5-string banjo, we shunted cars to clear an exit path for the huge deluxe '30s Packard. This time Daisy was allowed to come along and she jumped into the passenger cockpit in the rear where she had her own windscreen and leather seats. This is not an easy car to drive: great bulk, overlong, limited visibility, few mirrors, no power steering or brakes, difficult gear shifting... but John expertly chauffeured Daisy and the crazy Canuck through the busy streets of Tarzana and Ventura. ERB at one time had a fleet of similar Packards and during his regular jaunts around Tarzana he must have attracted fascinated stares of many a passer-by -- as did we.

After a stop at a camera shop to pick up the scads of photos that John had taken at the JCB vault, I returned to my lowly Toyota and sped over to an Internet Cafe on Topanga. I had missed a prearranged phone call from Sue-On so decided to make contact via e-mail through my Brandon University Webmail service. Back home they were experiencing a heat wave in the 80s and 90s, quite a contrast to the cool 70s of Tarzana. Touching home brought on a mild bout of homesickness which could only be assuaged by a late night feast of Cantonese cuisine -- first meal of the day.

 
The longest day of the year is sure short in California. Back home we're used to about four more hours of daylight on this day. Curiously, John Coleman and Jane Ralston seemed to have a predilection for introducing their offspring to the world on the Summer Solstice: John Ralston ~ June 22, Danton ~ June 21, Dian ~ June 17.

As Danton was tied up for the early part of the day I went on a photo expedition: the old Topeka address where John and Mary had once lived, the treed grounds of what remains of Tarzana Ranch (actually the renovated detached building by the pool that served as a garage, ballroom projection room, film processing area and classroom), the modern reincarnation of the old Burroughs golf course, and a hike along some of the old ERB riding trails up to Mulholland Drive. Last summer during the ECOF convention we had gone on the full version of this hike in an expedition led by Tracy Griffin and Bruce Boxleitner. The temperatures during that hike were about 30 degrees higher and made for some tough going.

Danton's beautiful daughter Dejah was waiting to demonstrate her new Mac PowerBook when I returned to the house. Then, while Danton brought out and organized trunkfulls of Burroughs family memorabilia -- mainly from his dad's collection, I explored the amazing grounds around the house. The heavily wooded hillside property was comprised of stacked flagstone-covered tiers connected by winding paved walkways and stone steps. Most landings featured elaborate garden houses and remarkable statues, pillars, and unusual artifacts were scattered about in every available space. What started out as a simple stroll through the grounds took a full hour to complete.

The next six hours convinced me that the Burroughs legacy is in good hands. Ed Burroughs was an inveterate collector and compiler of everyday documents -- whether connected with his writing, art, letters, or family and social activities. The task of preserving the bulk of this wealth of material has fallen to the only descendant who appears to have the ability and interest to carry on the Burroughs family tradition.

We started with the stacks of collectibles scattered throughout the house. Even the items not related to ERB were of great interest to me as I came to realize just how much ERB's grandson and I have in common. We both have collections of vintage pinball machines, cash registers, barber chairs, juke boxes, gaming machines, rare books & comics, videos, old toys, pulps, photos, art, rare wood furnishings, unusual antiques & collectibles, stained glass, and 78 rpm records with blues, black gospel, classic rock 'n' roll, early jazz, etc. -- the difference being that his collection is 1000 times more massive. His latest pride and joy is a gigantic, colourful, wall-sized poster for The Adventures of Tarzan -- on heavy linen stock and in near mint condition despite its 80 some years of age. After another tour of the books, photos and memorabilia along the walls we settled in for what was probably Danton's most unusual birthday celebration ever.

Trunk after trunk yielded an endless cornucopia of surprises and curiosities. Occasionally we would find a rarity that previously had been overlooked or had been forgotten. Eventually digital images of each item should be stored and classified but for now we were content to share the excitement of discovery and to record some of the more unusual items with my camera. Many of the photos will be released on our Web pages but many more will be kept on file for reference or for future projects. To give some idea of the scope of these Burroughs archives I'll list a few of the things that stick in my memory after this session of information overload: Letters between all family members dating back well into the 1800s ~ Major George Tyler Burroughs' Civil War artifacts and photos ~ photos from every decade of the first half of the 20th century ~ ERB sketches and cartoons ~ MMA yearbooks and publications with text and art by Burroughs ~ ERB journals (daily, writing notes, camping tours, etc.) ~ awards & certificates ~ guest books from Tarzana, Bel Air, Hawaii ~ stacks of autograph books filled in by WWII acquaintances ~ photograph albums (family, Tarzana, Hawaii, Pacific atolls) ~ membership cards to secret societies and clubs ~ collections of cards, pipes, liquor labels, etc. ~ wartime articles, letters, and journals ~ business correspondence ~ Hollywood memorabilia ~ and much much more. (A representative sampling of this archive will be displayed in the accompanying photo galleries.)

A major discovery in this mass of material was previously unnoted booklets of pre-Minidoka writing and poems profusely illustrated by the author. This material will most certainly see publication in some form in the near future as it will be highly sought after by ERB historians and fans.

Our exhausting and exhilarating roller coaster ride of discovery and rediscovery slowed down only when we realized that neither of us had eaten anything all day. This birth day had been so jam packed that empty stomachs were ignored... till now... 10 pm.  John, who had patiently sat off to the side listening to our exclamations and shared enthusiasms, was more than ready to join us in our trek for sustenance to California Pizza. Despite their hunger I couldn't interest them in sharing the rather unusual pizza I just had to try out: Peking Duck Pizza :- ( . . . but the pasta and beer were good : - )

Fly Home Day My Air Canada flight was to leave LAX at 2:30 so I had time for some final morning camera work and goodbye chats. There was time for a few more shots of unpublished JCB art and of a totally unrelated 150 year-old set of Medieval art books -- perhaps the inspiration for Ed's second novel, The Outlaw of Torn? I had mentioned that I had to be back in Brandon by the next day as our daughter China-Li was graduating from high school. I also mentioned her almost serious desire to be a knight. She is an accomplished harpist, bagpiper, pianist, and highland dancer. She has studied fencing, knife-making, welding, Celtic lore, martial arts, historical novels, science fantasy fiction... all in case she can't get a real job in the real world and will be forced to seek employment in the Las Vegas Excalibur and international medieval fairs. It turned out then that the last photos I took in Tarzana were of colour plates of knights from one of Danton's favourite rare volumes. Images that he insisted I share with our knight wannabe.

I paused in my trek down the lane to the parking corral for one last look back at the imposing ERB-like figure framed in the doorway to an incredible time capsule. The Master of Fantasy Adventure still lives . . . .