The First and Only Online Fanzine Devoted to the Life and Works of Edgar Rice Burroughs Since 1996 ~ Over 15,000 Webpages in Archive |
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The First and Only Online Fanzine Devoted to the Life and Works of Edgar Rice Burroughs Since 1996 ~ Over 15,000 Webpages in Archive |
|
1. Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting...
Arthur C. Clarke, 1963As the end of the year approaches here are some appropriate lines from a book written almost 40 years ago.
They describe an event nine days in our future:"Before we start, I'd like to point out something that a good many people seem to have overlooked. The twenty-first century does not begin tomorrow; it begins a year later, on January 1, 2001. Even though the calender reads 2000 from midnight, the old century still has twelve months to run. Every hundered years we astronomers have to explain this all over again, but it makes no difference. The celebrations start just as soon as the two zeros go up. . . ."
2. The London Times
December 26, 1799"We have uniformly rejected all letters and declined all discussion upon the question of when the present century ends, as it is one of the most absurd that can engage the public attention, and we are astonished to find it has been the subject of so much dispute, since it appears plain. The present century will not terminate till January 1, 1801, unless it can be made out that 99 are 100... It is a silly, childish discussion, and only exposes the want of brains of those who maintain a contrary opinion to that we have stated"
~ OB'S SCRAPBOOK ~ Nicholas Anez wrote a three-part examination of "Tarzan's Greatest Adventure" (actually a survey of the entire series) that appeared in 1989 in Films in Review (Part I: 40 (1): 2-11; Part II: 40 (2): 76-86; Part III: 40 (3):146-154). Issue 40 (8/9) contained a letter to the editor on pages 444-445 by Tom Tolley of Fair Oaks, CA, from which I excerpt the following:3. Films in Review: An excerpted letter to the editor
An Interesting Bit of Burroughsiana submitted by Allen Ellis~~ Allen"As a life-long Edgar Rice Burroughs fan I know that enthusiasts and collectors have always considered the last two Gordon Scott films the best realized of all efforts to bring Tarzan to the screen although the Weissmuller/O'Sullivan nostalgia is tough to ignore. As a boy in the early '60s I had the privilege to befriend the Burroughs family and I spent a great deal of time at Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. as a 'fan in residence' under the gentle and supportive protection of Hulbert Burroughs, oldest son of the master story teller and General Manager at the time. The family had a tremendous collection of ERB memorabilia of all descriptions with the exception of most of the silent films which had been improperly stored in their original nitrate form and caused a major fire in the ERB Inc. warehouse in the late 1950s, but I'll give you one guess which film always ended up on the 16mm projector on a Friday night after office hours (and a Mexican dinner).Although Hulbert and his brother John always admired the look and demeanor of Bruce Bennett (Herman Brix), star of the ill-fated ERB Inc. produced serial New Adventures of Tarzan (as had their father before them) they realized that the creaky black and white chapter-play was lacking and had fond hopes that some day a real [italics] Tarzan film would be made, one as modern and gritty as Tarzan's Greatest Adventure and Tarzan the Magnificent but based on the original novels, lavishly produced and shot as a period piece (just as George Pal always wished he had made The War of the Worlds set in period).
When the last reel was finished and the lights in the Burroughs office were turned back on, Hully Burroughs would shake his head and mutter, 'Why can't they do that with Dad's stuff?' In fact, he had a whole scenario worked out that we'd go over time and time again. He'd sit behind that big desk of his father's and describe scene for scene how Tarzan of the Apes would unfold, totally lacking in dialogue but as eloquent as the Hal Foster daily and Sunday comic strips that brought the true story to the masses. Although he admired the fine job that Gordon Scott had done with the character he was not he was not really impressed with him as a Tarzan -- too short, bulky, and defined. And his hair was too short. We both thought that Jock Mahoney was an improvement but were disappointed in his two films. Hully's ideal Tarzan (and mine as well, I guess) was Clint Walker. His height, bearing, voice, carriage and presence seemed the embodiment of those great J. Allen St. John illustrations that graced the early Burroughs books. It's a damn shame Walker never got a chance to don the loin cloth for real (although he did appear in a 'cameo' as an ape-man in Jungle Gents) and it's too bad that the movie going public still hasn't had a 'real' Tarzan film. Just think what Ray Harryhausen, a good cast and a big budget could have done with Tarzan the Terrible.
Before closing I must agree with Mr. Anez on the quality of casting in Tarzan's Greatest Adventure -- Gordon Scott certainly rose to the occasion in both this film and the subsequent Tarzan the Magnificent but the real stars of both films were the supporting casts. Anthony Quayle's driven, psychopathetic Slade is one of the finest personifications of a sexual sadist ever etched on the big screen and the great John Carradine brought his own brand of unique depravity to the role of Abel Banton, a merciless killer and head of a clan of bestial murderers. The ape man has never had a more formidable and colorful group of antagonists since Johnny Weissmuller summoned the elephants against the Gibbonies and Joconnies."
4.NASA RECEIVES RADIO SIGNALS
FROM THE CENTER OF THE EARTH
Weekly World News
December 28, 1999NASA has received radio signals from the center of the earth. These signals are being picked up by tracking satellites. NASA has decoded them but won't reveal the contents. The source of this information leak states that, "They obviously know more about us than we do about them. For one thing, they have found a way to communicate with us on a regular basis, but we have little or no inkling on how to communicate with them in return."
5. OBITS '99
January
- Iron Eyes Cody, 90. Actor and "Crying Indian" in 1970s TV commercial whose tear-stained face became symbol of anti-litter campaign.
- Lili St. Cyr, 80. Premier stripteaser in later years of burlesque.
- Huntz Hall, 78. Star of more than 100 Bowery Boys and Dead End Kids films in the 1930s-'50s.
February
- John L. Goldwater, 83. Creator of the comic book characters Archie, and his friends Jughead, Betty and Veronica.
March
- Ernest Gold, 77. Oscar-winning composer for Exodus who also wrote scores for Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958), Unknown World (1951) ... aka To the Center of the Earth (1951).
- Stanley Kubrick, 70. Visionary cinema craftsman whose films Dr. Strangelove and A Clockwork Orange reflected life's despairs.
- Leon "Lee" Falk, 87. Creator of comic strips Mandrake The Magician and The Phantom.
- Kirk Alyn, 88. Film's first Superman, in 1948.
- Eric Stanton, 72. Drew pinup icon Bettie Page and lived to see his once-taboo erotica as a coffee-table book.
April
- Charles "Buddy" Rogers, 94. Star of 1927 movie Wings, the first to win an Oscar for best picture.
- Ellen Corby, 87. Tart-tongued grandmother on TV's The Waltons and a role in Mighty Joe Young (1949)
May
- Oliver Reed, 61. British actor who played Sarm in Gor 1988 and fearsome Bill Sikes in the 1968 musical Oliver! Apparent heart attack.
June
- DeForest Kelley, 79. Crusty Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy on Star Trek and numerous "pulp hero" films and TV shows. Died 11 June 1999, Woodland Hills, California, USA. (stomach cancer)
- Clifton Fadiman, 95. Radio host of Information Please. He shaped America's reading habits as judge for the Book-of-the-Month Club.
- Sir John Woolf, 86. British producer who brought The African Queen and Oliver! to the screen.
July
- Stan Durwood, 78. Credited with creating the multiplex theater.
September
- Ruth Roman, 75. Actress who starred opposite Kirk Douglas, Gary Cooper and Errol Flynn in screen dramas and survived a real-life drama: the 1956 sinking of the Andrea Doria. Featured in: Jungle Queen (1945), Tanganyika (1954), Jungle Safari (1956)
- Charles Crichton, 89. Film editor of Things to Come (H.G. Wells) 1936 Director of The Lavender Hill Mob and other British comedies in the 1940s and 1950s - and A Fish Called Wanda.
October
- Jean Shepherd, 78. Raconteur often compared with Mark Twain for his style on radio and in the film A Christmas Story.
- Martin S. Davis, 72. Reshaped Gulf & Western conglomerate into Paramount Communications, a publishing and entertainment powerhouse.
November
- Ashley Montagu, 94. Anthropologist known for rigorous research and witty, accessible writing in books such as The Natural Superiority of Women.
The Frank Frazetta Burroughs Artist Portfolio is one of the rarest of all the Frazetta portfolios. It contains 22 plates of Frazetta Edgar Rice Burroughs artwork and includes Frazetta pen and ink Canaveral Press plates. Twenty-one plates are reproduced in black and white, with the early version of Carson of Venus in full colour. The size of the portfolio is 10.5" by 15.5". There were only about 500-750 of these portfolios published - making it one of the rarest... and probably one of the best Frazetta portfolios.Visit all our Frank Frazetta Tribute Webpages
Featuring ERB Art and Much More
www.erbzine.com/ff
7. Tarzan on Sony PlayStation:Hints from
http://www.gamewinners.com/playstation/Extra lives:
When low on lives, replay the earlier levels over and over. Note: Do not save the game after completing each level that is replayed. After accumulating enough lives, return to the last level that was unlocked and continue the game.Unlimited lives:
Press L1, R1, L2, R2, L1, R1, L2, R2 at the title screen.Level skip:
Press R1, R2, L1, L2, R2, L1, L2(2) during game play.
8. Disney Tarzan screensavers:
ScreensaverShot.com
http://www.screensavershot.com/tvmovie6.htm#76
OR
JoBlo's Movie Screensavers
http://www.angelfire.com/sc/savers8/images/tarzan.zip
http://www.keyscreen.com/newscreensavers/tarzan2.exe
http://idirect.freethemes.com/savers/zips/movies/tarzan2.zip
9. Believe it or Not!
Here is a rather odd esoteric ERB item submitted by Dave Puckett: a Ripley's Believe It or Not "Invisible Ink Quiz Book" #4 (1999?) which has an Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan cover and interior drawing (same, but reversed and in blue ink).
10. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
~ A Dark Horse Comics Series
This unusual series is set in 1898, with the premise that all the characters of Victorian fiction are real and decide to band together in a group to fight evil. Making appearances are Dr. Jekyll, Moriarty, Mina Harker, etc. ... and even John Carter (Allan Quatermain meets him during one of his drug-induced flights to a former incarnation.)
11. ERB Fan Louis Nunez (Jason Gridley)
...has had an H.P. Lovecraft horror story published in the fanzine
Cthulhu Cultus #16.
It may be ordered from
P. Marsh,
P.O. Box 85,
Lehigh Acres, FL 33970-0085
for US$10.00 postpaid
WEB WANDERINGS 12. Layered images and colonial fantasy:
Possession, Penetration and the Tarzan Comics
by Graham J. Murphy"For decades, Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels have been pivotal in perpetuating images of Africa as a mysterious continent filled with forgotten civilizations, exotic women, and cannibalistic savages. As a cultural icon that has been immortalized in film and novels, Tarzan has come under scrutiny and analysis by academic and cultural critics alike; however, comic book renditions of this fantasy figure have eluded critical analysis. The recent rebirth of Tarzan by Dark Horse Comics offers a timely opportunity to correct this oversight and finally include this popular medium in the wider corpus of Tarzan studies...."
Read the rest of this controversial essay at:
http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue07/features/tarzan/
13. Of Interest to All ERB and Fantasy Art Fans:
Check Jeff's site to see how his ECOF 2000 Moon Maid project is progressing
Jeff Doten's Illustration Studio
http://www.cadvision.com/dotenj/studio.htm
The incredible paintings of Frank Frazetta have brought him worldwide fame, legions of loyal fans, and scores of imitators. His darkly dramatic Conan oils and the equally powerful and erotic compositions for the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs have become the ultimate standards of excellence in the fantasy and adventure field. His unique vision and original style have expanded the audience for the fantasy genre and heavily influenced generations of later artists and movie directors. Frazetta is also a remarkably versatile artist who is equally at home with pen and ink, pencil, sculpture, photography and watercolor.
~~Dr. David Winiewicz
And don't forget to visit our own PJF Links To ERB site at ERBzine 0065
Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. is proud to publish two long awaited and anticipated books from the files of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Both books are illustrated by award winning artist Ned Dameron who has been illustrating books for Grant for over twenty years. Both books are issued in a Trade and a Signed and Numbered Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Editions will be signed by E.R.B.'s grandson, Danton, and will be stamped with a facsimile of Edgar Rice Burrough's signature.Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1924 and published now for the first time, MARCIA OF THE DOORSTEP is a romantic novel written in the 'realistic' vein of THE GIRL FROM HOLLYWOOD and THE GIRL FROM FARRIS'S. It is Burroughs' longest novel.
Written three years later, You Lucky Girl!, a romantic comedy play, continues in the same vein. It is speculated that the play was written as an acting vehicle for Burroughs' daughter, but it's first performance was in California in 1997. Much shorter in length than Marcia of the Doorstep, You Lucky Girl! will be of interest to true Burroughs fans.
Read the Rev. Henry H. Heins Review of Marcia of the
Doorstep at:
ERBzine
0049
www.erbzine.com/mag0/0049.html
Read the Robert Zeuschner Review of the
Palmdale Playhouse Performance of You Lucky Girl!
at:
ERBzine
0084
www.erbzine.com/mag0/0084.html
See Palmdale Players Photos at:
The Dum-Dum
Dossier Site:
www.erbzine.com/dumdum
FULL COVERAGE OF MARCIA OF THE DOORSTEP
ERBzine's ERB C.H.A.S.E.R Bibliography
https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0772.html
Gasoline Alley is a gentle, good-natured continuing story of four generations of Wallets. Readers return daily for this positive slice of life, with universal themes and commonplace situations. Left on Walt Wallet's doorstep in 1921, baby Skeezix, celebrated his 75th birthday on February 14, 1996. It marked the first time in comics history that an infant had grown in chronological time to adulthood. Because creator Frank King refused to play tricks with the calendar, incorporating real time into his storylines, America grew up with the legendary Gasoline Alley. The strip actually began its run in syndication in 1918, as a feature about a car-tinkering group of friends. Urged by his publisher to appeal to a broader audience, King placed a baby at grease monkey Walt's door, and the rest is history. Fans of Gasoline Alley are fiercely loyal and have enjoyed watching Skeezix go from diapers to knickers, to high school, to his first job, to the army, to wedlock, to fatherhood. Today, Jim Scancarelli continues the tradition set forth by Frank King. In 1995, the comic strip was commemorated by the U.S. Postal Service in a postage stamp series celebrating American comics.
~ WE GET LETTERS ~ 19. Japanese TV Project Featuring ERB and TarzanLETTER ONE
Dear Mr. Bill Hillman:
Thank you very much for sending me an e-mail considering ERB links to Chicago. Ms. Joan Bledig referred us to you regarding our Japanese TV project featuring ERB and Tarzan.
I checked your website and was amazed how informative the website was. It is perfect! I might contact you if I have any questions.
I truly appreciate your help on our project.LETTER TWO
Dear Mr. Bill Hillman:
I looked at the web site of Family Tree of ERB. I have some questions considering ERB's Tarzana' houses that he lived which are as follows;
1) In 1919 he purchased Tarzana Ranch in San Fernando Valley, CA. According to other article, he purchased it in 1917. Actually when did he purchased it? The photo on the web site is the ranch which was completed in 1919?
2) Tarzana Ranch became the El Caballero County Club in July 1925. What happned to it after that?
3) He moved to 5245 (5046) Mecca Ave., Tarzana in July 1926. Is this house still there? Who owns this house at present?
4) In November 1930, he returned to the Tarzana main house. Which address is the main house? 5245 Mecca Ave house?
Thank you very much for your time and help. I am looking forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.LETTER THREE
Dear Mr. Hillman:
Thank you very much for the information regarding ERB's homes. Great!Masae Nakagaki
Cosmo Space of America Co., Ltd.
8800 Venice Blvd., Ph 401, Los Angeles, CA 90034
Tel 310-287-2645 Fax 310-815-1880
e-mail: cosmoame@aol.com
20. DUM-DUM 2000
~ The Annual Convention of the Burroughs Bibliophiles ~
July 13-16, 2000
Lands Inn at Grandville, MI.
Special guest: Johnny Sheffield
Room Rates and Registration Fees: TBA
The ERBzine Dum-Dum/ECOF Dossier
www.ERBzine.com/dumdum
Click for full-size promo splash barOur ERBzine Eclectica Navigation Guide is at:
www.erbzine.com/eclectica/
. WEBJED: BILL HILLMAN .
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