Official
Edgar Rice Burroughs Tribute and Weekly Webzine Site
Since
1996 ~ Over 15,000 Webpages in Archive
Volume
6342
ERB'S LIFE and LEGACY :: DAILY
EVENTS
A COLLATION OF THE DAILY
EVENTS IN ERB-WORLD
FROM THE PAGES OF ERBzine
CREATED BY BILL HILLMAN
Collated by John Martin and
Bill Hillman
With Web Design, Added Events,
Links,
Illustrations and Photo Collages
by Bill Hillman
FULL
YEAR'S CONTENTS
AUGUST CONTENTS: WEEK FOUR
AUG 22 ~ AUG
23 ~ AUG 24 ~ AUG 25
~ AUG 26
AUG 27 ~ AUG
28 ~ AUG 29 ~ AUG 30
~ AUG 31
VISIT THE AUGUST WEEK III PHOTO ALBUM
www.ERBzine.com/mag63/6342pics.html
BACK TO AUGUST WEEK 2
www.ERBzine.com/mag63/6341.html
Click for full-size images
AUGUST
22
John Coleman Burroughs: Artist, Writer and Youngest
child of ERB: JCB's Cover and Interior Art
for Tarzan and "The Foreign Legion" ~ Ray Bradbury:
His Life In Pictures and his Debt to ERB
*** 1947: "Tarzan and 'The Foreign Legion'"
was the last Tarzan book to be published in ERB's lifetime rolled off the
presses this date, Aug. 22, in 1947.
Unlike other Tarzan stories, had not first seen
print in a magazine version. If you didn't have the hardbound, first edition,
then you didn't have the story at all!
That was the way it was until the 1960s, during the ERB
paperback boom, when Ballantine published the then full set of 22 Tarzan
novels. But, before long, two other books were added. in hardback form
by Canaveral Press and in paperback by Ballantine. One, "Tarzan and
the Castaways," reprinted three shorter Tarzan stories that previously
had appeared only in magazines: "Tarzan and the Champion," "Tarzan and
the Jungle Murders" and "The Quest of Tarzan" were combined into the book,
"Tarzan and the Castaways," and "Tarzan and the Madman" was a complete
novel that ERB had left behind when he died in 1950. Although the title
might lead one to believe that the story is about Tarzan in the Sahara
Desert, joining up with French Legionnaires, it actually takes place on
the island of Sumatra during World War II, with Tarzan teaming up with
a group of diverse people (the "foreign legion") to battle Japanese troops.
Still unpublished in all its purity
is an 83-page Tarzan manuscript, the start to another novel, written by
ERB. That manuscript was revised somewhat by Joe Lansdale and expanded
into the novel, "Tarzan: The Lost Adventure." ERB's true version
has yet to be made available to fans. I have a copy of ERB's original typed
manuscript in my Brandon library and comparing the changes that Lansdale
made to ERB's story makes for a fascinating exercise.
ERB Bio Notes: The dedication is: "To
Brigadier General Turman H. Landon". Landon is the Commanding
General of the Bomber Command of the 7th Air Force stationed at Hickam
Field near Honolulu, Oahu. In the book ERB pokes fun at another wartime
friend, Colonel Kendall J. Fielder, picturing him dressed up as
a witch doctor.
*** 2019: In preparation for our 2019 month-long
adventure in Indonesia, starting with a trek through the jungles and volcanoes
of Sumatra, we re-read Tarzan and "The Foreign Legion. ERB's words
were ever on our minds as we explored the jungles in search of orangutans,
tigers, snakes and one-horned rhinos. The experiences of Tarzan and the
book's characters were with us as we climbed volcanoes and sailed across
a huge crater lake to visit native villages on the crater's island. The
atrocities of the Jap invaders were related to us by the older people.
The Dutch influence was still very much in evidence -- especially in Jakarta
where we explored their large buildings that surround a massive city square,
as well as seeing much of the surviving infrastructure of canals and ports.
We took thousands of photos which are shared on our main Hillman
Travel Adventures pages.
Tarzan and "The Foreign Legion": Art, Reviews, History
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0732.html
"Foreign Legion": Read our e-Text Edition
http://www.erbzine.com/craft/tzfl.html
ERB: The War Years Series
http://www.erbzine.com/mag10/1019.html
Tarzan and the Castaways
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0730.html
Tarzan and the Madman
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0731.html
Tarzan: The Lost Adventure
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0733.html
Hillmans' Indonesia Adventure
https://www.hillmanweb.com/indonesia/
https://www.hillmanweb.com/indonesia/sumatra/sumatraintroall.jpg
https://www.hillmanweb.com/indonesia/sumatra/
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/art/jcblegionall.jpg
*** 1920: Ray Bradbury (1920.08.22-2012.06.05),
Tarzan fan and superb fictioneer in his own write, was born on this date
in Waukegan, Illinois. He passed away in Los Angeles, in between the ECOF
and the Dum Dum, both of which were held that year in the L.A. suburb of
Woodland Hills. Bradbury's personal book collection was willed to the library
in the town of his birth.
I've been a longtime fan of Ray Bradbury.
I had featured his books and stories in the Science Fiction section of
the literature courses I taught in high school and university. His themes
in Fahrenheit 451 and Martian Chronicles were great to explore
in these classes.
Bradbury never missed an opportunity
to express his respect for Burroughs: "Burroughs is probably the
most influential writer in the entire history of the world. By giving romance
and adventure to a whole generation of boys, Burroughs caused them to go
out and decide to become special. . . . I've talked to more biochemists
and more astronomers and technologists in various fields, who, when they
were ten years old, fell in love with John Carter and Tarzan and decided
to become something romantic. Burroughs put us on the moon."
"My next madness
happened in 1931, when Harold Foster’s first series of Sunday color panels
based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’s “Tarzan” appeared, and I simultaneously
discovered, next door at my uncle Bion’s house, the “John Carter of Mars”
books. I know that “The Martian Chronicles” would never have happened if
Burroughs hadn’t had an impact on my life at that time. I memorized all
of “John Carter” and “Tarzan,” and sat on my grandparents’ front lawn repeating
the stories to anyone who would sit and listen. I would go out to that
lawn on summer nights and reach up to the red light of Mars and say, “Take
me home!” I yearned to fly away and land there in the strange dusts that
blew over dead-sea bottoms toward the ancient cities."
"Throughout
his many novels, Burroughs carries on a timeless tradition of weaving the
fabric of fantasy and the morals and ideals of society into one whole that
became a commentary on the culture in which he lived. Burroughs stands
separate from Verne and Kipling because of his romantic "unreason." ...
Burroughs "unreason" is rooted in his portrayal of scenes. He shows his
characters as lifelike and believable, but puts them in an environment
that is scientifically or realistically unlikely. Burroughs' difference
and popularity stems from his readers' belief that Burroughs' worlds and
characters could possibly exist, however highly unlikely that might seem."
"There is no
doubt in my mind that without the early influence of ERB I would never
have “arrived” on the planet Mars, myself. . . . My first great love in
book-reading, was Burroughs. I lived on Mars a good many fine years with
John Carter. I shall not forget those years."
*** I regret never having the chance to meet Mr. Bradbury,
but I did speak with him on the phone. While staying at Danton Burroughs'
house after having flown down from Canada to give the eulogy at the Memorial
and Celebration of Dan's Life, I took a phone call from Ray. He was phoning
from a convention in San Diego and had called to give his regrets that
he couldn't make it to Tarzana to pay his respects to Dan.
Ray Bradbury: A Life in Pictures
http://www.erbzine.com/mag37/3734.html
Tarzan, John Carter, Mr. Burroughs, and the Long Mad
Summer of 1930
http://www.erbzine.com/mag35/3571.html
The Wizard from Waukegan
http://www.erbzine.com/mag37/3743.html
Ray Remembers ERB
http://www.erbzine.com/mag37/3734.html#erb
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/writers2/bradburyerbporges.jpg
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/writers4/bradburyerbconnectionall.jpg
Off-Site Reference
Nowak
Meeting
More Notes From my ERB Bio Timeline:
*** 1921: Great Western Producing Co. produced the complete
Adventures
of Tarzan with Elmo Lincoln. Advertised as "picturized" from
the concluding chapters of Return of Tarzan
Adventures of Tarzan
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0590.html
*** 1924: Ed made notes on the trip
to Mono Creek and Porpoise Lake: 10-page description written on
a fishing excursion with sons into the Sierras. Doodad was created
on this trip. Early symptons of heart trouble
ERB's DOO-DAD
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/smdoo.jpg
*** 1937: "Man-Eaters" an
article on the behaviour of lions, appears in Sunday Magazine of the Los
Angeles Times.
Man-Eaters!
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0071.html
*** 1939: Harry Monty, a dwarf who doubled as
Boy in
Tarzan Finds a Son, wrote to request a meeting with ERB.
*** 1945: ERB at first considered the parking lot incident
a joke but became embarrassed by it and avoided reporters.
ERB Bio Timeline
http://www.ERBzine.com/bio
AUGUST
23
Tom Grindberg ERB Artist: Martian Legion, Tarzan
~ Vera Miles with Scott: Tarzan's Hidden Jungle
Quest of Tarzan in Argosy ~ Tarzan German-Devourer
~ Burroughs Dredge on Snake River
*** 1930: Vera Miles was born on this date in Boise
City, Oklahoma, as Vera Ralston, which was also the maiden name of John
Coleman Burroughs' wife, Jane. It is also the middle name of Danton's daughter,
Dejah.
Vera has been in just about every kind of movie there
is, as well as in a whole lot of television shows. She was in several big-time
John Wayne films, such as "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," "The Searchers,"
and "The Hellfighters"...and her scenes as John Wayne's wife were cut from
"The Green Berets." She was in episodes of "The Twilight Zone," "Wagon
Train," and "The Man from UNCLE," to name a few TV outings, and was arrested
by Columbo for the murder of Martin Sheen in the 1973 episode, "Lovely
but Lethal." In 1960's "Psycho," she was the older, longer-lived sister
of Janet Leigh, another Columbo murderer. Her co-star in "Psycho," John
Gavin, along with Linda Christian, from "Tarzan and the Mermaids," were
the only Hollywood stars to attend Johnny Weissmuller's funeral in Acapulco
in 1984.
But our interest today is that she played a gal named
Jill Hardy opposite Gordon Scott in his first role as the apeman in "Tarzan's
Hidden Jungle" (1955). She was married to Gordon for awhile. The marriage
certificate said they were the Werkshuls but they went to court to have
the family named changed to Scott, to match Gordon's screen name.. She
was also mother-in-law of Gabe Essoe, author of "Tarzan of the
Movies."
(Note: It's a tough life to be an actor or actress and
have your scenes cut from movies. Another scene that was cut was in "Tarzan's
Hidden Jungle." Tarzan was trying to get some sleep but she kept pestering
him, so he ordered her to get away from him, saying: "Miles to go before
I sleep.")
Tarzan's Hidden Jungle with Vera Miles and Gordon
Scott
http://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1953.html
Tarzan's Hidden Jungle Promo Splash Bar
http://www.erbzine.com/cards/film/scotthiddenall.jpg
Off-Site References
Miles/Scott
timeline
Miles
IMDB Filmography
*** 1941: "The Quest of Tarzan"
began on this date in Argosy Weekly and was serialized for a total
of three weeks. It was later one of three shorter ERB stories to be published
in the trilogy, "Tarzan and the Castaways," by Canaveral and Ballantine
in the 1960s. Virgil Finlay executed four illustrations for this pulp serial
in Argosy including one cover and one interior drawing for each of the
three parts, and published in Argosy Weekly, August 23 through September
6, 1941.Virgil Finlay interior art for The Quest of Tarzan in Argosy
was inspired by Frederic Leighton’s bronze sculpture: An Athlete Wrestling
with a Python (1877)
In 1964, Canaveral Press published
an edition from Burroughs' original manuscript, now titled TARZAN AND THE
CASTAWAYS, in which form it is most easily found. (Included are two short
stories from that period, "Tarzan and the Champion" and "Tarzan and the
Jungle Murders".)
Quest in the Trilogy Book: Tarzan and the Castaways
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0730.html
Argosy Finlay Art for The Quest of Tarzan
http://www.ERBzine.com/cards/pulps/questpulps.jpg
http://www.erbzine.com/cards/art3/virgilfinlayquestoftarzan.jpg
*** 2012: Tom Grindberg,
ERB comic artist, was interviewed by All-Pulpon
Aug. 23, 2012. 70 large image examples of his Tarzan art plus photos and
bio information are featured across three my ERBzine Webpages.
Tom Grindberg Tarzan Art I
http://www.erbzine.com/mag62/6275.html
Tom Grindberg Tarzan Art II plus All-Pulp Interview
http://www.erbzine.com/mag62/6276.html
Tom Grindberg Tarzan Art III and Bio
http://www.erbzine.com/mag62/6277.html
Sign up for and read sample comics at:
https://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics/
*** 1902: (News Item: Idaho
Daily Statesman ~ Boise, Idaho): Placer Mining in Cassia County:
T.
Coleman Burroughs of the Yale Dredging company, which is operating
on the Snake river in Cassia county, was a Boise visitor Wednesday. He
reported business good with its company, which had been securing very satisfactory
returns.
The Burroughs / Idaho Connection
http://www.erbzine.com/idaho/
*** 1921: German publisher
requested permission to publish Jungle Tales of Tarzan instead of
Tarzan
the Terrible which had strong anti-German content
The ERB / Germany Incident
http://www.erbzine.com/mag32/3294.html
Tarzan the German-Devourer
http://www.erbzine.com/mag32/3296.html
AUGUST
24
Gaylord DuBois Comics Author of Tarzan, Brothers
of the Spear and many more ~ ERB and Wife 2:
Hawaiian Honeymoon ~ Tarzan and Mate Jane married
by her father ~ Tarzan Handwritten Script
Edgar Rice Burroughs' First Book: A Princess of Mars first
submitted as "Dejah Thoris, Martian Princess" ~
First Published as: "Under the Moons of Mars" in All-Story:
February 1912
*** 1899: Gaylord DuBois (1899.08.24-1993.10.20)
was born on this date in Winthrop, Massachusetts, and died in Orange City,
Florida. Before some of us discovered ERB's books, and in a much more detailed
way than we saw in the movies, Gaylord DuBois was bringing Tarzan
to life for us in those old Dell Comic books.
Most of us never even knew the name of the man who wrote
those comics, and very likely -- back then, at least -- we didn't know
the name of Jesse Marsh, the man who drew them, either.
Besides writing Tarzan, Gaylord DuBois
was also busy writing over 3,000 stories total, stories that would appear
in the comics of some of our other favorite characters: Brothers of
the Spear, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and a bunch of other TV cowboys,
plus "funny" comics like Raggedy Ann, Tom and Jerry, Santa Claus and Frosty
the Snowman. He wrote Big Little Books and a few full-length novels, including
"The Lone Ranger," which was credited to him in the first GandD editions
but in later editions the book's author was listed as Fran Striker, the
man who actually created the Lone Ranger character, so readers of the rest
of Striker's books about the Masked Man "wouldn't be confused." A series
of his comic stories, "Space Family Robinson," was the forerunner of the
TV series, "Lost in Space."
Seeing my interest in her Grandpa
Gay. his granddaughter Wendy Hoffman shared some wonderful memories, bio
info and photos of Mr. DuBois. These memories are featured in my ERBzine
tribute series.
Gaylord DuBois and Family Speak ~ Bio
http://www.erbzine.com/mag21/2115.html
Gaylord DuBois: King of the Comics Writers
http://www.erbzine.com/mag21/2116.html
DuBois Dell Comics
http://www.erbzine.com/mag23/2395.html
DuBois Gold Key Comics
http://www.erbzine.com/mag25/2596.html
DuBois Brothers of the Spear
http://www.erbzine.com/mag23/2350.html
Off-Site References:
DuBois-Striker
confusion:
DuBois
in Wikipedia
DuBois in
Blogspot
*** Tarzan actors could get divorced
from their wives and even Tarzan's creator could get a divorce, but Tarzan
himself? Never! The only way a Tarzan-Jane marriage could ever end would
be "till death do ye part," and ERB flirted with that concept without much
success.
An Aug. 24, 1938 Honolulu Star-Bulletin article
noted that ERB had just arrived in Hawaii with his wife but didn't mention
that it was his second wife after he had divorced Emma. However, the article
did broach the subject of "one wife too many." It quotes ERB as saying,
"I
married Tarzan off in my second book. I know now that the wedding was a
mistake... He's just not domestic." The item goes on to explain
how ERB attributed the popularity of Tarzan to the suppressed desire in
every man to be a "Tarzan," and battle lions and bellow like an ape. It
also mentions ERB's refusal of $10,000 for the original manuscript of
the first Tarzan story written in long hand.
Tarzan and His Mate
http://www.erbzine.com/mag11/1127.html
Tarzan of the Apes
http://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0483.html
MORE ERB BIO TIMELINE NOTES
*** 1911: Ed received a letter of tentative acceptance
of his "Dejah Thoris, Martian Princess" manuscript from the
managing editor of All-Story Magazine, Thomas Newell Metcalf of
the Frank A. Munsey Company in New York.
LETTERS:
www.ERBzine.com/mag28/2832.html
ALL-STORY PULP:
www.ERBzine.com/mag2/0221.html
BOOK: A Princess of Mars
www.ERBzine.com/mag4/0421.html
*** 1915: Prospector
synopsis, an expansion of For the Fool's Mother was written for
film.
*** 1922: ERB applied for a loan
to cover ranch losses. Considered subdividing 50 acres of
ranch land into business and residential lots.
ERBzine ERB Bio Timeline
http://www.ERBzine.com/bio
*** 1911:All-Story Acceptance of Dejah
Thoris, Martian Princess 1911
http://www.erbzine.com/mag28/b110824.jpg
ERB's Response to Metcalf
http://www.erbzine.com/mag28/b110826.jpg
Metcalf Correspondence with ERB
http://www.erbzine.com/mag28/2832.html
AUGUST
25
Forry Ackerman at Ackermansion ~ Dejah Burroughs
(L) with mom Linda & sister Llana Jane at ComicCon
Cave Girl Dell PB ~ Michael Kaluta: Sample of his
ERB art ~ Alexander "Tarzan" Skarsgard
*** 1947: Fantasy artist Michael Kaluta was born in
Guatemala to U.S. citizens on this date. He studied at the Richmond Professional
Institute. Kaluta's early work included a three-page adventure story, "The
Battle of Shiraz", in Charlton Comics Flash Gordon #18 (Jan. 1970) and
an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Venus novels from 1972 to 1974
for DC Comics. Kaluta's influences and style are drawn from pulp illustrations
of the 1930s and the turn of the century poster work of Alphonse Mucha
– his signature motif is elaborate decorative panel designs – rather than
the comic books of the Silver Age.
His much-admired work includes illustration of comics
and books as well as a talent in writing. He is well-known for his work
on the DC version of "Carson of Venus" from 1972 to 1974. Among
other projects, he has also lavishly illustrated a large-size edition of
"A Princess of Mars," published in 2014 by IDW and many more featured
in ERBzine.
Michael Kaluta was one of the four
comic book artists/fine illustrator/painters (the others being Jeffrey
Jones, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Bernie Wrightson) who formed the artists'
commune The Studio in a loft in Manhattan's Chelsea district from 1975
to 1979. In addition to many comic book stories and covers, Kaluta has
done a wide variety of book illustrations.
Michael Kaluta "A Princess of Mars" Illustrations
https://www.erbzine.com/mag62/6218.html
Michael Kaluta's Carson of Venus:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag41/4151.html
Kaluta's Pellucidar in Weird Worlds
http://www.ERBzine.com/mag41/4163.html
Kaluta art in the Outlaw of Torn Adaptation
http://www.erbzine.com/mag36/3601.html
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/art3/kalutaprincessofmarsall.jpg
Kaluta:
American Mythology
Kaluta's
Princess
Kaluta:
Bio & art
Michael
Kaluta in Wikipedia
*** 2010: Dejah is not only a
creation of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but she's among his biggest fans. Dejah
Burroughs, that is.
On Aug. 25, 2010, an article appeared in the Oak Park,
Illinois, Patch, quoting Dejah, great-granddaughter of ERB, who -- with
her sister Llana Jane and mother Linda -- were in the Chicago area for
a convention of ERB fans. The convention, the Dum-Dum, had taken place
in Hillsdale, a suburb of Chicago, Aug. 19-22. The interview with Dejah
was at the ERB museum in nearby Oak Park.
"Before my dad (Danton
Burroughs) passed away he made sure I would take this legacy on,"
Dejah said. "This is part of my life and my heritage and I should be thankful
for what I have and what he gave me. It's a very important thing that we
need to keep going for our young kids."
*** 2001: Sue-On and I received
a card from proud parents, Danton and Linda Burroughs, announcing daughter
Dejah
Ralston Burroughs' graduation from William Howard Taft High School,
Class of 2001 at 8:00 p.m., June 21, 2001. Dejah is grand daughter of Jane
Ralston and John Coleman Burroughs and great grand daughter of Emma Centennia
and Edgar Rice Burroughs -- She celebrated a birthday yesterday.
. . Congratulations Dejah!
Dejah Burroughs in Oak Park Patch
http://www.erbzine.com/mag31/3158.html
Dejah, Llana, Linda, Denny Miller and ERB Inc. staff:
Vegas Expo
http://www.erbzine.com/mag33/3301.html
Burroughs Girls Open House in Tarzana
http://www.erbzine.com/mag35/3573.html
http://www.erbzine.com/mag35/3574.html
Danton Burroughs Tribute Site
http://www.dantonburroughs.com
Invitation to Dejah's Graduation
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0509.html
*** 1931: "Magnasplendent"
was a word coined by 14-year-old Forrest J. Ackerman to describe
"The Master Mind of Mars," the first ERB story he had ever read.
When he discovered that the public library had other ERB books, he was
delirious with joy. On Aug. 25, 1931, the teen-age Forry wrote
to ERB to tell him how his teacher had categorically dismissed and disparaged
the stories of ERB, while Forry spoke up in favor of the stories at every
opportunity. It's normal to keep putting things off, and Forry waited almost
too long before visiting Edgar Rice Burroughs in person. But visit him
he did, when ERB was 73 years old. ERB died a few months before his 75th
birthday. Read Forry's memories of that visit in ERBzine
0211.
Forrest J. Ackerman letter to ERB
http://www.erbzine.com/mag28/2857.html
Ackerman's Visit with ERB
http://www.erbzine.com/mag2/0211.html
Hillmans Visit Forry in Ackermansion I
http://www.erbzine.com/mag1/0185.html
Hillmans Visit Forry in Ackermansion II
http://www.erbzine.com/mag1/0186.html
*** 1976: Alexander Skarsgard, who
played Tarzan in the 2016 film: The Legend of Tarzan, was born on
this date date in 1976 in Vallingby, Stockholm, Sweden. Skarsgard is a
whippersnapper compared to many ERB fans, who were already born and old
enough to read during the Burroughs publishing boom a decade before Skarsgard's
nativity!
Alexander, whose father Stellan Skarsgård
is an acclaimed European actor, began his acting career at the age of eight
and continued working in films and on Swedish television until he turned
sixteen and decided acting was not the career for him. At the encouragement
of his physician mother, My Skarsgård, he stopped working as an actor,
to continue his education. Instead of continuing college, at the age of
nineteen, he entered compulsory military service (military conscription).
He used the time to contemplate his future. He appeared in a number of
Swedish productions and became a star in his native country -- he was five
times voted the sexiest man in Sweden -- but was interested in broadening
his horizons and working outside of Sweden. A visit to Los Angeles landed
him both an agent and a part in the Ben Stiller movie, Zoolander (2001)
This led to a long series of very successful films and mini-series -- one
of which was The Legend of Tarzan in 2016. Interestingly, he had
co-starred with John Carter of Mars Actor, Canadian Taylor Kitsch,
in the 2012 film Battleship.
SKARSGARD QUOTES:
* "I see Tarzan as the original superhero. But he doesn't
need a cape, or gadgets, or a mutation to be badass. His superpower lies
in his fists. It's about what's a human being capable of physically. It's
someone who learns to work with the jungle and not against it."
* "It was important to me that before he met other people,
the character never used to wear clothes. It would look absurd if a man
raised by apes would suddenly start blushing and covering up. Tarzan would
go naked and so I had to as well. The jungle's very humid. I'm quite pleased
I didn't have to wear any clothes." He is the first Tarzan actor to not
wear a loincloth.
* "It was crucial that I had the right muscles. I did
not want to look like someone who was sculpted in a gym, like a bodybuilder.
My Tarzan had to be a result of evolution, his muscles had to be functional,
not decorative. Every muscle, every fiber should fulfill a function in
order to survive in the jungle. He is the epitome of survival of the fittest.
Tarzan is an animal, and his physique is built for efficiency and not for
flaunting pecs and abs at the beach. If you have big muscles that you don't
need, it costs energy."
* "In the scene where I first take my shirt off and show
my torso, the director and I wanted the audience to gasp on seeing Tarzan's
scars and wounds from his years in the jungle. We wanted the audience to
think, 'Fuuuck. He has lived a really hard life and has fought many deadly
battles' rather than count the number of bulges in my eight-pack."
* "I grew up in a very secular society. I have atheist
parents. My morality never came from religion or from scripture, but that
doesn't mean I can't have the same values or ethics."
Legend of Tarzan Photo Gallery by DJ Howell
https://www.erbzine.com/mag60/6025.html
https://www.erbzine.com/mag60/6026.html
"The Legendary Tarzan" movie plot in poetry:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag58/5862.html
"The Legendary Tarzan" Review and Photos
http://www.erbzine.com/mag58/5813.html
Legend of the Beasts of Tarzan by John Martin
http://www.erbzine.com/mag58/5861.html
Skarsgård and Robbie Press Conference Interview
in China
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjAKK6MmKek
https://www.ERBzine.com/cards/film9/legendoftarzanskarsgard.jpg
Off-Site Reference:
Skarsgard
in Wikipedia
*** 1930: Sean Connery was born
on this date in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, Scotland to a truck driver
and cleaning lady. After completing school, he worked a variety of odd
jobs -- milkman, lorry driver, labourer, brick layer, artist's model for
the Edinburgh College of Art, coffin polisher and bodybuilder -- even joining
the Royal Navy at age 16. He chose an acting career over professional football.
During his long acting career he starred in a multitude of popular and
award-winning films which are listed in the IMDB
site. In 1999, he was voted 'Sexiest Man of the Century' by People Magazine.
One of Connery’s early roles was that
of the greedy outlaw O’Bannion in "Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure"
(1959), starring Gordon Scott as the ape man. Connery was the first man
to portray James Bond on the big screen, he starred in seven films.
Despite being strongly identified with the iconic role, he defied typecasting
and continued a highly successful, even more decorated career afterward,
winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for “The Untouchables”
(1987), three Golden Globes (including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the
Henrietta Award), two BAFTAs, and a host of additional awards. He was knighted
by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000.
Sir Sean Connery was paid five thousand
six hundred dollars for his role in this movie. When asked to play in the
next Tarzan movie, he said he couldn't because "two fellows took an option
on me for some spy picture and are exercising it. But I'll be in your next."
The "spy picture" was Dr. No (1962), the first of his numerous appearances
as James Bond 007. Producer Sy Weintraub also wanted Sir Anthony Quayle
to come back for another Tarzan movie, but Quayle had been offered a part
in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) after having been seen in this movie,
and couldn't accept.
Connery passed away in his sleep on
October 31, 2020, at his home in Nassau, The Bahamas, after a long illness,
survived by his second wife, Micheline Roquebrune, and his son Jason Connery,
by his first wife, the late Australian actress Diane Cilento
TARZAN'S GREATEST ADVENTURE
https://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1957.html
GREATEST ADVENTURE LOBBY DISPLAY
https://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1957a.html
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/film4/seanconnerytarzanadventureall.jpg
Off-Site Reference:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053334/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000125/
*** 1937: In his letter to Joan Ed relayed Florence's
invitation for Joan to come for dinner and a swim next Tuesday. "The telephone
number is CRestview 1-9145." (Through the years Joan had refused to speak
to Florence).
ERB Letter to Daughter Joan
http://www.erbzine.com/mag10/1049.html
*** 1949: Cave
Girl was released in Dell Paperback
Cave Girl: Art ~ History ~ Editions, etc.
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0755.html
AUGUST
26
John Carter Battles a Thark: Larry Ivie art ~ Some
of the hundreds of Thark interpretations
ERB and his library of over 1,000 books: Tarzana
& Malibu ~ Soldier of Fortune Gen. Lee Christmas
*** 1922: With a lot of fiction already under his belt, ERB
in the year 1922 began to toy with the idea of writing about a real-life
adventurer,
General Lee Christmas. Christmas had been a train engineer
in Louisiana. He missed a signal, causing a train wreck, and lost his job.
So, he began his second career as a soldier of fortune in Central America,
leading troops in campaigns in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras.
One of the books on ERB's shelf, "Soldiers of Fortune" by Richard
Harding Davis, was a fictionalized account of Christmas's adventures,
and it was likely this account that gave ERB the idea for writing a series
of real-life adventures of the man by traveling to Guatemala to meet him.
ERB tried to get a guarantee from a publisher that they would buy the articles,
in order to make it worth his while to finance the trip. But on this date,
Aug. 26, 1922, he received a letter from his literary agent saying, "We
have interested the Saturday Evening Post in your work, but they are not
willing to make any definite promises until the manuscript is completed."
(Porges, Chapter 17) Ed abandoned the necessary research trip to Guatemala
when he could not obtain a guaranteed sale. He decided to stick with what
worked before, and went back to writing fiction.
ERB Perpetual Calendar for August
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0568.html
*** 1923: Bill Hillman: My ERBzine series
on ERB's Personal Library of 1,100 books contains
a web page showing some of the books on ERB's D1 shelf which includes books
by Davis plus commentary. I've included a newspaper clipping (no date)
wit headlines: "Gen. Lee Christmas Loses Last Battle. Was Hero of Davis's
"Soldiers of Fortune". It also states that Christmas was the original of
the character, Clay, hero of Richard Harding Davis's novel, Soldiers of
Fortune", and he and the novelist were fast friends. His health broke down
early in 1923 as a result of the years spent in the tropical jungles.
This ongoing ERB Personal Library
Project has taken countless hours to research and compile. Most of the
titles were supplied by Danton Burroughs from his personal family archive
with added titles from George McWhorter - the founder and longtime curator
of the McWhorter Memorial ERB Library at the University of Louisville.
For of the titles they provided I research and displayed cover and interior
art, personal inscriptions, publishing date and information, author biographies
and photos, links to e-Texts on the Web or in ERBzine, trivia, etc. The
project is constantly updated and is spread across over 100 interlinked
ERBzine Webpages.
Richard Harding Davis in ERB's Library
http://www.erbzine.com/dan/d1.html
ERB Personal Library Project
http://www.ERBzine.com/dan
ERB's Library Collage
http://www.erbzine.com/dan/danall.jpg
Off-Site References
Lee
Christmas Career
General
Lee Christmas
*** 2012: How should a Thark look? There's only
one answer, and Michael Sellers rounded up the most relevant data
from ERB himself and presented it in a post to The John Carter Files
on Aug. 26, 2012. Sellers was referring to a Tars Tarkas sculpture by MonsterCaesar
(Andrew Martin).
ERBzine: Since ERB's first
novel -- A Princess of Mars -- appeared there have been countless
artistic interpretations of Barsoomian Tharks and Tars Tarkas. Although
most are amusing, it is obvious that some of these images are not based
upon the Green Men that ERB described in his Mars novels. The best description
appeared in the first book of the Mars series. The
first tharks that John Carter saw and described were recently hatched young
ones:
"They
seemed mostly head, with little scrawny bodies, long necks and six legs,
or, as I afterward learned, two legs and two arms, with an intermediary
pair of limbs which could be used at will either as arms or legs. Their
eyes were set at the extreme sides of their heads a trifle above the center
and protruded in such a manner that they could be directed either forward
or back and also independently of each other, thus permitting this queer
animal to look in any direction, or in two directions at once, without
the necessity of turning the head.
The ears, which
were slightly above the eyes and closer together, were small, cup-shaped
antennae, protruding not more than an inch on these young specimens. Their
noses were but longitudinal slits in the center of their faces, midway
between their mouths and ears.
There was no
hair on their bodies, which were of a very light yellowish-green color.
In the adults, as I was to learn quite soon, this color deepens to an olive
green and is darker in the male than in the female. Further, the heads
of the adults are not so out of proportion to their bodies as in the case
of the young.
The iris of
the eyes is blood red, as in Albinos, while the pupil is dark. The eyeball
itself is very white, as are the teeth. These latter add a most ferocious
appearance to an otherwise fearsome and terrible countenance, as the lower
tusks curve upward to sharp points which end about where the eyes of earthly
human beings are located. The whiteness of the teeth is not that of ivory,
but of the snowiest and most gleaming of china. Against the dark background
of their olive skins their tusks stand out in a most striking manner, making
these weapons present a singularly formidable appearance."
As he eventually met with more
full-grown tharks Carter gradually added more details on their appearance
and their life style.
" The
man himself (Tars Tarkas), for such I may call him, was fully fifteen feet
in height and, on Earth, would have weighed some four hundred pounds. He
sat his mount as we sit a horse, grasping the animal’s barrel with his
lower limbs, while
the hands of his two right arms
held his immense spear low at the side of his mount; his two left arms
were outstretched laterally to help preserve his balance, the thing he
rode having neither bridle or reins of any description for guidance."
"While the Martians
are immense, their bones are very large and they are muscled only in proportion
to the gravitation which they must overcome. The result is that they are
infinitely less agile and less powerful, in proportion to their weight,
than an Earth man, and I doubt that were one of them suddenly to be transported
to Earth he could lift his own weight from the ground; in fact, I am convinced
that he could not do so."
"He was the
one whose spear had so nearly transfixed me, and was evidently the leader
of the band, as I had noted that they seemed to have moved to their present
position at his direction. When his force had come to a halt he dismounted,
threw down his spear and small arms, and came around the end of the incubator
toward me, entirely unarmed and as naked as I, except for the ornaments
strapped upon his head, limbs, and breast."
Keeping this description in mind
you will find it interesting to peruse the hundreds of artistic renderings
of Tharks that I have compiled in the following galleries starting at:
ERBzine
1390
8 Galleries of Thark Images in ERBzine
100s of Tharks compiled back in 2010 starting at:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag13/1390.html
Tharks in Space by Den Valdron
http://www.erbzine.com/mag15/1510.html
Thark Collage I
http://www.erbzine.com/cards/art/tharksall.jpg
Thark Collage II
http://www.ERBzine.com/cards/art/tharks2all.jpg
Off-Site References
MonsterCaesarThark
in johncarterfiles
http://monstercaesar.com/tars-tarkas.html
*** 1941: In Ed's letter home to Joan he was thrilled
that
Hulbert was coming to visit. "I don't think the doctor has
been graduated yet who can kill me. Many of them have tried.
Somewere experts. Anyway, I haven't been in a hospital since
August 10th. You should have seen my Korean nurse!" . . . "So
Mike went to Mexico! Do you remember your first trip there? You were
xxx five, Hulbert was four, and Jack wasn't one."
ERB Letters from Hawaii
http://www.erbzine.com/mag10/1022.html
AUGUST
27
Masters of Imagination - ERB, Erskine & Siegel
~ meet in Hawaii ~ Tarzan Day Declared in Louisiana Capitol
Hillmans chat with Eve Brent ~ JCB's John Carter
Strip ~ ERB predicts that his creations will live forever
Debut John Carter of Mars Sunday page by John Coleman Burroughs
*** 1944: It didn't make the newspaper until Sept. 1, but
Aug. 27, 1944, was the day that ERB, Laurie York Erskine
and Jerry Siegel got together for a brainstorming session. Erskine
created the character of Renfrew of the Mounties, who was featured
in several novels, and Siegel, along with Joe Schuster, brought
Superman
from Krypton to Planet Earth.
The article noted, "It is sad to
have to disillusion those Jap spies, but the meeting of these three masters
of stupendously powerful characters didn't signify anything at all....Their
creators just wanted to meet each other." See the story in its original
newspaper format in ERBzine.
Tarzan (ERB) Meets Refrew (Erskine) and Superman (Siegel)
http://www.erbzine.com/mag31/3199.html
ERB's WWII Autographs from Erskine and Siegel
http://www.erbzine.com/mag27/2794.html
*** 1949: ERB fans sometimes ponder
the future of ERB's books. Will they continue to be published (and
sell)? Will young people discover ERB and become a new generation of fans?
Will movies, such as Disney's "Tarzan," Constantin's "Tarzan," Disney's
"John Carter" and WB's "Legend of Tarzan" result ultimately in a new wave
of ERBmania? Some fans are optimistic while others don't offer much hope.
But what did ERB himself think?
Just over a year before his death, in an Aug. 27, 1949,
newspaper interview, Edgar Rice Burroughs predicted a great future
for his No. 1 creation, Tarzan. "A new group of fans comes of age every
year," he said. "The kind of adventures Tarzan has
are timeless." Nearly 70 years after his death, ERB is right that
Tarzan has remained a well-known and popular character throughout the years.
Will ERB continue to be right for another 70 years? That interview, headlined
"Tarzan
to live on years after Burroughs," along with other stories, can be
found in ERBzine 1757.
Tarzan to live on years after Burroughs
http://www.erbzine.com/mag17/1757.html#tarzantoliveon
*** 2011: Eve Brent (Born
Jean Ann Ewers in Huston, TX in 1929.09.11 - Died on 2011.08.27 Sun Valley,
CA), one of the guests at the Tarzana ECOF 2002, and Gordon Scott's
Jane in two movies, passed away on this date. She became the twelfth actress
to play Jane when she appeared opposite Gordon Scott's Tarzan in the film
Tarzan's
Fight for Life, (1958). She also played the role in Tarzan and the
Trappers 1958, three episodes filmed as a pilot for a proposed Tarzan
television series.
Sue-On and I enjoyed our visit and
chat with Ms Brent at the Tarzana 2002 ECOF where she was a guest. She
was a very charming lady who shared many behind the scenes memories of
her Tarzan film experiences.
Eve Brent, Prolific Character Actress, Dies at 82
http://www.erbzine.com/mag36/3609.html
Tarzan's Fight For Life: Starring Gordon Scott and
Eve Brent
http://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1955.html
Tarzan and the Trappers
http://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1956.html
Tarzana ECOF 2002: Eve Brent Guest
http://www.erbzine.com/mag9/0965.html
Off-Site Reference:
Eve
Brent in Wikpedia
*** 1912: Celebrating TARZAN DAY!
According to most sources August 27 is the day the October 1912 "All-Story"
magazine, with the first appearance of Tarzan, hit newsstands. For
this reason many fans and ERB, Inc. in Tarzana celebrate August 27th as
Tarzan
Day.
An early Official Tarzan Day
was actually declared by the State of Louisiana in conjunction with
the 2012 Tarzan Centennial Celebrations in Morgan City, Louisiana.
This was the location of the filming of much of the first Tarzan film of
1918. This gala event was hosted by filmmaker Al Bohl who had previously
done a documentary on this Tarzan filming.
The highlight of this major event
was a special session of the House of Representatives in the Louisiana
State Capitol. Governor Bobby Jindal proclaimed April 13th as
Tarzan Day in Louisiana. Governor Jindal presented Official Proclamation
Documents to Al Bohl, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and the
Burroughs
Family represented by ERB's granddaughters, Llana Jane and Dejah Burroughs.
Sue-On and I were invited to this
event and it was a fascinating session to be a part of. We've witnessed
a number of government events back in Canada, but this was the first one
we've attended in the US. It was a very special day in the legacy of Edgar
Rice Burroughs.
Tarzan Day Declared at the Louisiana State Capitol
https://www.erbzine.com/mag35/3590.html
Tarzan: Lord of the Louisiana Jungle 2012 Festival
~ Morgan City, LA
https://www.erbzine.com/mag35/3588.html
Collage of the Louisiana Tarzan Day Events
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/erb3/tarzandaydeclaredall.jpg
Off-Site Reference
World
National Holidays
*** 1898: Pocatella newspaper
reported that stationer ERB spent a few days in Salt Lake on
business and "You can rent a camera the by the day or week at E.R. Burroughs"
and ERB is "...circulating some elegant advertisements
for the Junius Brutus cigars...."
The Burroughs / Idaho Connection
http://www.ERBzine.com/idaho
*** 1928: Ed bought
a glass bead movie screen from the Arrow company to replace the
wrinkled bedsheet he had been using and they view two films that Hully
has sent from Chicago. Emma and Hully have been visiting friends and family.
Ed is excited about the new Eastman color film that has come on
the market.
ERB Bio Timeline: The '20s Decade
http://www.erbzine.com/bio/years20.html
*** 1941: On this date,
Ed wrote to son Jack that he was delighted to hear of Carlin's
reaction to his John Carter Sunday page. He felt that Jack would
at last come into better money and recognition and be freed from the menial
work he'd been saddled with.
John Coleman Burroughs created
73 Tarzan Sunday pages (1941-1943). The series had the misfortune to
debut on Pearl Harbor Sunday Dec. 7, 1941. Paper shortages and the war
effort hampered the strips distribution, readership and success but it
ran for 73 weeks.
All of these strips are reprinted
in ERBzine in both thumbnail and full size along with plot summary texts
and an expanded 86,500-word novel adaptation by Dale R. Broadhurst.
JCB's 73 John Carter Sunday Pages
http://www.erbzine.com/mag22/2288.html
AUGUST
28
Tarzans and Janes Reunions: Mahoney, Weissmuller,
Crabbe, Pierce, Ely, Miller ~ Brent, MacKenzie, Lorraine
All-Story's suggested changes to ERB ~ ERB/Boy
Scout Connection ~ Jack Kirby
*** 1923: Edgar Rice Burroughs spent a lot of time
in his office over the years, but he could never be labeled a mere "desk
jockey." ERB was active in many ways and passed on his enthusiasm to his
growing family. Extended camping trips and horseback riding, as well as
other outdoor activities, were a staple of the Burroughs family life.
So, long before there was such a thing as the Boy
Scouts of America in Southern California, ERB was teaching his own
children a scouting lifestyle, and the heroes of his books would all have
made excellent Boy and Girl Scouts.
On this date, Aug. 28, in 1923, the first of a three-part
series, written by ERB, was published in the Van Nuys News, under the title
of "The Origin and History of the Boy Scouts of America," and tracing
the movement's spread to America. It had reached the San Fernando Valley
several months early, thanks largely to the efforts of the Kiwanis Club,
and ERB wrote the articles to promote further funding through contributions
from the public. The article can be read at in ERBzine 1795 with added
illustrations by Bill Hillman. The text was published later in pulpvillepress.com.
ERB / Boy Scouts Connection
http://www.erbzine.com/mag17/1795.html
Off-Site References
PulpvillePress
*** 1911: An exchange of letters between
budding author Edgar Rice Burroughs and Thomas Metcalf, editor
of
The All-Story, included on dated Aug. 28, 1911, in which Metcalf
made suggestions for ERB's inaugural story on Mars, including Metcalf's
idea to have Dejah Thoris contract a fatal disease near the end of the
book and then John Carter, grief-stricken, return to Earth to die. All
of which goes to show that editors do not know everything!
ERB / All-Story Letters Re: A Princess of Mars
http://www.erbzine.com/mag28/2832.html
Read the letter in full size
http://www.erbzine.com/mag28/b110828.jpg
*** 1975: On this date, four former
Tarzans
gathered for the opening of the North American Science Fiction Convention
to honor the 100th anniversary of the birthdate of creator Edgar Rice
Burroughs. Standing in the back row from left to right are Jock
Mahoney, the new Jane is "Sasha,"(Anyone know anything about
"Sasha"?) Johnny Weissmuller, Buster Crabbe, and Jim Pierce.
The Janes in the front row are, from left, Eve Brent, Joyce Mackenzie,
and Louise Lorraine.
ERBzine Eclectica with Old Tarzans Collage
http://www.erbzine.com/mag62/6262.html
http://www.erbzine.com/mag62/tarzanreunion.jpg
James Pierce Career Photos
http://www.erbzine.com/mag27/2743.html
*** 1917: On this date Jack Kirby(born
Jacob Kurtzberg 1917.08.28-1994.02.06) was born in born in New York
City. Kirby was an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, widely
regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific
and influential creators.
Kirby's Sky Masters work with Wallace Wood
http://www.erbzine.com/mag50/5001.html
*** 1928: ERB sent an autographed
letter to Thomas Price, Chicago.
ERB Letter
http://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0441.html
*** 1928: Emma and Hulbert end their Chicago visit
and leave for home with Jim and Joan
*** 1940: The family moved to 2623 Halelena in Honolulu
and a week later, Ed moved into an office at 1298 Kapiolani Boulevard.
He was at the office from nine to four, preferring to keep his work separate
from his homelife.
1298 Kapiolani Boulevard Today
http://www.erbzine.com/mag15/wj0543h4.jpg
AUGUST
29
Kamuela C. Searle as Korak in Son of Tarzan
~ Searle's "near death" elephant accident
Hillmans Celebrate Wedding Anniversary 1966 ~ ERB
and Bill at Coldwater ~ ERB's Auto Adventure
*** 1966: The Hillman Adventure started on this day
in 1966 when Sue-On and I were married. This was the start of our
long journey together in which we went on to create this ERBzine site along
with over a dozen ERB-related Websites and many thousands of Webpages.
Ever since that special day we have celebrated the event by pursuing "bucket-list"
types of adventures -- a great many of them inspired by the imagination
of Edgar Rice Burroughs. This thirst for adventure has led to an amazing
number of unexpected interests, the meeting of so many fascinating people,
and has taken us to countless far-off locales around North America, Europe
and Asia. Although we have yet to visit African jungles we have hiked through
similar jungles in many other places: South East Asia, Sumatra, Java, Malaysia,
India, China, etc. and thoughts of ERB's wild jungle tales were never far
from our mind. We've explored a great many of the places that ERB visited
and wrote about and many of these exploits we've shared on the Web in our
Travel pages. One example is the
HILLMANS IN SEARCH OF THE JUNGLE GIRL AND ANGKOR WAT
Inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs' Jungle Girl
27 Unique Modes of Travel across 2700 Kilometres for
over 27 days
https://www.erbzine.com/mag56/5699.html
http://www.ERBzine.com
http://www.hillmanweb.com
http://www.hillmanweb.com/book/travel
*** 1890: Kamuela C. "Sammy" Searle
(1890.08.29-1924.02.14)
was
born this date in
Kauai, Hawaii. There is no debate about his birth
-- only about his death. Searle played the grown Korak in the only movie,
so far, (actually, a 15-chapter serial) about "The Son of Tarzan."
Former daring stuntman Kamuela Searle carried the bulk of the picture as
Tarzan's son, Jack Clayton, aka Korak the Killer.
A scene that is a favorite of illustrators
of the ERB book is when Korak is rescued by Tantor, who wraps his trunk
around a pole, on which the young man is tied, and carries both off into
the jungle.
When that scene was filmed for the movie, things went
wrong. The elephant panicked and carried the actor further than it was
supposed to, eventually slamming its burden down so hard that it caused
grave injuries to Searle, who died shortly thereafter. That's one version,
and it is reported as such by both Gabe Essoe, in "Tarzan of the
Movies," and David Fury, in "Kings of the Jungle."
However, some sources have a different
version. For years this false rumor persisted that he died shortly
after the film was completed from injuries received during the filming.
In 1921 Searle gave up acting to become a sculptor and painter. His career
as an artist was cut short by disease.
A letter from Searle's brother appeared
in "The Burroughs Bulletin," stating that though badly injured, Kamuela
recovered, but died in 1924 of cancer. Scott Tracy Griffin
goes with the more accurate version in his 2016 book, "Tarzan on Film."
Writes Tracy on page 020, "Kamuela
Searle was injured by an elephant when it dropped a tree trunk to which
he was tied; according to Burroughs, the tree trunk broke and Searle was
hospitalized, but he did not die from his injuries as was later reported."
One
thing is for certain, the serial had a large box office, particularly leading
up to the " death scene." but no one would accuse Hollywood of making up
the story just to pull in a few extra bucks
Burroughs was so pleased with Searle's
work in the film that he presented him with a personally autographed copy
of the book, "The Son of Tarzan."
Searle was reported to have engaged in deadly combat
with practically every animal in National's "Tarzan Zoo."
ERB's November 28, 1921 response to
a report that box office receipts had dropped off in Britain: "I am sorry
to hear that the Son of Tarzan has not proven successful in England. I
fully agree with you that there have been too many Tarzan pictures on the
market, and especially have the serials been harmful. If I had had the
experience that I have now, I should never have permitted one of my stories
to be put in serial form; but what is done is done."
Searle died of cancer at the age of
33 in Los Angeles. In addition to the serial, Son of Tarzan (1920),
his movie credits include The Island of Desire (1917), Male and
Female (1919),
The Sea Wolf (1920), and Fools Paradise
(1921).
The Son of Tarzan: ERBzine Info on the Searle Accident
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0589.html
Scott Tracy Griffin's Version of Searle's Injury
http://www.erbzine.com/mag63/6309.html#searle
Off-Site References
Sale
of Searle photo and the controversy
Searle
Death Theory and Update
Searle
in IMDB
TARZAN STRIPS IN ERBzine
*** 1976: "Tarzan and the White Farmers," written
and illustrated by Russ Manning, began in Sunday newspapers on Aug.
29, 1976 and ran to Dec. 6, 1976.
Tarzan and the White Farmers: Read all 18 Russ Manning
Episodes:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag21/2134.html
*** 1982: "Space War," written
and illustrated by Mike Grell, began in Sunday newspapers Aug. 29,
1982.
Space War: Read all 12 of Mike Grell's Sunday Pages
http://www.erbzine.com/mag29/2973.html
*** 1896: After being hospitalized
for two weeks and still suffering from dysentery and having been diagnosed
with a "tobacco heart" condition (heart murmur or arrythymia), Ed Burroughs
rode out with Troop B in pursuit of the Apache Kid and other renegade
Apaches. Ed, disillusioned with the life of an enlisted man at Fort
Grant, started sending letters imploring his father to help him buy
his way out of the service. Worried about the hardship she is going through,
his mother secretly sends him food and money
ERB's US Cavalry Adventures in Arizona - Starting
at:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag34/3469.html
ERB Arizona Days
http://www.ERBzine.com/arizona
*** 1916: Camp #24 on the Burroughs
Cross-Country Adventure: Camp Coyote
Burroughs' Auto Caravan Trip Across America
http://www.erbzine.com/mag60/6020.html
Diary of an Automobile Camping Tour
http://www.erbzine.com/mag60/6021.html
*** 1927 Aug. 28: In commemoration
of their 1916 cross-country trip, the family travelled to the Grand
Canyon North Rim. His 52nd birthday was spent in Arizona, as were his
21st and his 50th: The article Eleven Year Itch was written
to describe the event.
An Auto-Biography
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0030.html
Lost Words of ERB
http://www.erbzine.com/mag2/0219.html
*** 1939: ERB, who was highly critical
of the plans to eliminate Jane in Tarzan Finds a Son, wrote producer
Zimbalist voicing approval for the job he had done
Tarzan Finds A Son
http://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0620.html
AUGUST
30
Convention shot of ERB, Inc. Staff: Tyler Wilbanks, Cathy Mann Wilbanks,
Jim Sullos (Pres.), Scott Tracy Griffin
MISSING: Back at the Tarzana Office: Willie Jones and Janet Mann
~ Dum-Dum and ECOF Logos through the years
Frazetta Dum-Dum art ~ Convention Pinbacks ~ Sellers' Carter &
Gods of Hollywood book
Compilations of Foster's B/W Tarzan strips ~ Jacqueline Wells and
Buster Crabbe
*** DUM-DUM and ECOF Conventions: The history of
Edgar Rice Burroughs and ERB fandom has gone through various stages
since ERB wrote his first published story in 1912.
There was the era in which ERB himself was alive and
still writing and being published, and that time itself could be divided
into a few phases. But instead we move next into the biggest lull, the
12 years that elapsed form the time ERB died (1950) to the time when the
Burroughs boom struck in the early 60s.
*** 2013: Michael Sellers, on his website, The
John Carter files, announced on Aug. 30, 2013, that he was going to
revisit that era as part of his research for his book, "John Carter
and the Gods of Hollywood." In making that announcement, Sellers linked
to an erblist.com article, written by Michael Resnick, which had
also revisited that era. Resnick tells part of the history of the Dum
Dum gatherings of ERB fans, particularly how the Dum Dums broke away
from being one of many meetings during the WorldCon to being an entity
all of its own. And at the time that Resnick wrote the article, the Dum
Dums were going strong, and there was no such things as an ECOF (Edgar
Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship) gathering.
In 1990, the Dum Dums finally got
going again, thanks to George T. McWhorter, lifelong ERB fan and
curator of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Collection at the Ekstrom Library
at the University of Louisville. Dum-Dums and ECOFs teem with fans
today, unlike the Dum-Dum that wasn't back in 1989, when only four people
showed up. Bill Ross recalls: "There were
no official Dum-Dums from 1984 through 1989. The supposed Atlanta Dum-Dum
in 1986 was actually something 4E (Forrest J. Ackerman) threw together
to raise money for Vern. There was no banquet or meeting. 1983 was the
last Vern-organized Dum-Dum."
There were a couple of other "Dum
Dums" in the non-Dum Dum era but they were usually nothing more than a
panel discussion and meetup of a few fans. It wasn't until 1990 when, thanks
to George McWhorter, that the Dum-Dum returned to its former glory.
Sue-On and I have attended most of
the annual Dum-Dums since 1999 as well as many of the ECOFs. The events
have taken place at interesting choices of locations across the 48 States
south of our Canadian home. The drives to these places provide us with
a great opportunity to revisit places that we've explored during our +50
years of travel adventures. We've tried to document most of these ERB get-togethers
with text and photo memories. We've also put together reports on events
previous to 1999 from information shared by many of our readers. We've
always looked forward to reuniting with long-time fellow ERB fans and meeting
many others for the first time.
History of the Dum-Dums:
http://www.burroughsbibliophiles.com/dumdum.html
Details, photos of past Dum-Dums and ECOFs:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag8/0839.html
ERBzine's Dum-Dum Dossier
http://www.erbzine.com/dumdum
McWhorter's History of the Burroughs Bibliophiles
http://www.erbzine.com/mag1/0148.html
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/cons/dumdumsall.jpg
*** 2012: THE BURROUGHS
BOOM IS BACK: The ERB and ERB fan eras continue. Mike Resnick noted
that with the fading of the excitement of the Burroughs boom, and indeed
-- other than the annual ECOFs and Dum Dums -- there was an era in the
last couple of decades of the 20th Century when publishing was pretty much
limited to new paperbacks; Tarzan movies were few. “Greystoke” and "Lost
City" were about it. And Disney's Tarzan reached out to a younger audience.
But we're in the era now of bigger and brighter things. ERB's Mars got
onto the big screen in 2012 with "John Carter (of Mars)" and it was a major
event. We flew down from Canada to attend a special pre-release showing
on the Disney lot -- a real thrill since I've waiting almost a lifetime
for such a release. "The Legend of Tarzan," another big screen event, followed
just four years later.
Jim Sullos, president of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.,
along with members of the ERB Inc. staff, regularly show up at the ERB
gatherings with tables full of ERB goodies for sale and Jim gives reports
on the spread of ERB mania in multiple venues.
The ERB Inc. website features brand
new comic versions of traditional ERB stories, as well as new stories involving
ERB characters, and the company has launched a line of "Wild Adventures
of Edgar Rice Burroughs" featuring works by various authors, as well as
giving its blessing to some other ERB stories not in the "Wild Adventures"
series per se.
Perhaps the most stunning news of
all is, ERB Inc.'s announcement that it planned to reprint about 80 ERB
stories in colorful new volumes with amazing Joe Jusko covers. Previous
to this, ERB, Inc. had authorized South Africa to reprint the full line
of Tarzan novels as a matched set in Afrikaans using previous Joe Jusko
art.
The train is on the tracks and under
full steam. Thanks to all who have made it possible: ERB Inc. itself and
the loyal fans. A history of Burroughs Bibliophiles publications, followed
by histories of the ECOF and Dum-Dum is featured at:
Dum-Dum and ECOF Highlights
https://www.erbzine.com/mag1/0196.html
The Authorized ERB Collection from ERB, Inc.
A matched set with magnificent cover art by Joe Jusko
https://edgarriceburroughs.com/store/product-category/print-books/authorized-library/
ERB, Inc. Authorized Tarzan Editions with Joe Jusko
Covers
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/biblio2/tarzans1-4erbeditions.jpg
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/biblio2/tarzans5-8erbeditions.jpg
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/biblio2/tarzans9-12erbeditions.jpg
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/biblio5/tarzan17-20erbeditions.jpg
ERB Still Lives!: Books authorized by ERB, Inc.
https://www.erbzine.com/mag62/6264.html
Fabulous Covers by Joe Jusko for 24 South African
Editions
https://www.erbzine.com/mag64/6475.html
https://www.erbzine.com/mag64/juskoTzSA.jpg
Off-Site References
Sellers'
JohnCarterFiles: Dum-Dum Origin
Resnick
article in erblist
DRUMS IN THE JUNGLE
By John Martin
One can allow that it'd be somewhat humdrum
If ever a year passed without a new Dum-Dum,
But such was the case as the 80s wore on;
ECOFs ascended, but Dum-Dums were gone.
The first full-bore ECOF was in 84,
And in that same year, Dum-Dums were no more;
Thus it continued for several more summers,
The ECOF was thriving, but where were Dum-Dummers?
A cold winter day back in ol' '87
Saw Vern Coriell at the Dum-Dum in Heaven;
Without that true stalwart of Bibliophile fame,
Could Dum-Dums return? Or was that hope lame?
|
But out of the South riding tall in the saddle
Came a man who was ready to take on the battle;
He said, "What? No Dum-Dums? Wal, listen ol' Pard,
"I'm going to have one here in my backyard."
This gent bore the handle of George T. McWhorter,
Who put on a Dum-Dum that was a rip-snorter.
And since then the Dum-Dums take place every year,
Along with those ECOFs, which many hold dear.
So take a red marker that sparkles real pretty
And circle the calendar on August 30.
'Twas in 1990 George T., on that date,
Rescued the Dum-Dum from worse-than-death fate.
Now once every annum an ECOF holds sway,
And elsewhere a Dum-Dum is having its day.
Some fans go to one, and some to the other;
But some go to both, 'cause that's what they'd druther.
|
*** 1933: Jacqueline Wells
(1914.08.30-2001.08.30), American film and television actress born
in Denver, CO, died on this date in Mendocino, CA. She appeared in more
than 80 films between 1923 and 1957 included her role of Mary Brooks in
1933's "Tarzan the Fearless" with Buster Crabbe. She often mentioned
that ERB was a friend.
After working in over 60 B movies
Warner Brothers requested that she change her name to something shorter
and to disassociate her from the over 60 B movies she had made up to that
date. She chose the name Julie Bishop, and is probably better known
by film fans by that name. Bishop had a son, Steve, a physician and
pilot, and a daughter, actress Pamela Susan Shoop, both by her second marriage,
Gen. Clarence A. Shoop, a test pilot who flew for Howard Hughes and later
became vice president of Hughes Aircraft; they were married from 1944 until
his death in 1968.
Jacqueline Wells and Tarzan the Fearless
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0595b.html
Tarzan the Fearless Coverage in 8 Webpages
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0595.html
http://www.ERBzine.com/cards/film3/jacquelinewellsall.jpg
*** 1916: Camp #25
Hutchinson during the Burroughs Family Automobile Adventure.
*** 1929: Illustrated Tarzan Book No. 1 was published
by Grosset & Dunlap. Ed was very happy with Harold Foster's
work
Illustrated Tarzan Book No. 1
http://www.erbzine.com/mag16/1602.html
*** 1937: Ed writes in his
letter to Joan. "I am so sorry that you can't come Wednesday, and
I know that Florence will be when I tell her. I can understand, though,
how difficult it is for you to get away and leave the children."
ERB's Letter to Joan
http://www.erbzine.com/mag10/1049.html
AUGUST
31
Captain Ed Burroughs Commanding A Co. Reserves ~ ERB
& Caligula on Burroughs 1967 Edition DJ of
ERB's 1941-written book ~ Jeff Jones Art ~ Japanese
Art ~ WWI fund raising posters
*** 12 AD: From Germanicus to Geronimo, ERB sometimes exercised
his writing muscles by turning out a piece of historical fiction. Back
in 12 A.D., Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was born on this date,
Aug. 31. When he got old enough to toddle around in footwear, he showed
a preference for Army gear, which earned him the nickname of "Little Boots,"
rendered in Latin as "Caligula."
Brittanicus, ERB's character, was a boy when he became
slave and companion to Caligula, and he is the narrator of ERB's "I
Am A Barbarian," a novel which did not see print until 17 years after
ERB's death.
Fans and admirers of Edgar Rice Burroughs
who have yet to experience I Am a Barbarian should seek it out.
Despite the novel’s flaws it will remind readers that the man from Tarzana
was a far more talented and varied writer than his critics—and some of
his fans—ever imagined. The action passages, which include a deadly
chariot race, a battle in the Coliseum with a tiger, and a tense near-crucifixion,
are very exciting. But the book’s effectiveness stems from Burroughs’s
readable style and the fun he has with the sarcastic commentary on Roman
decadence.
I Am A Barbarian
is one of the over 20 online comics from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. They
offer splendid serial adaptations of ERB novels adapted by top writers
and artists. Read them all every week for only $1.99 per month from:www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics
I Am A Barbarian: Art ~ History ~ Summary ~ Reviews
~ Comics
http://www.erbzine.com/mag8/0863.html
Barbarian Summary and Review by David Adams
http://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0428.html
Collage of Barbarian Art
http://www.erbzine.com/cards/biblio/barbarianall.jpg
Off-Site Reference
Barbarian
Summary
Martin
Review
*** 1918: The Army-Navy Journal
of Aug. 31, 1918, carried an article by Edgar Rice Burroughs who
many, by that time, may have known was the author of a book about a new
character, “Tarzan of the Apes.” The article was titled “A Victory
Loan: An Appeal to Our Business Sense.” ERB, ever the patriot, gave
some patriotic reasons why people ought to help the government, as it needed
the cash “or it would not ask us for it.” But beyond that, ERB also thought
it was a sensible thing to do, business-wise: “On
the other hand, there is in the Victory loan an appeal to our business
sense as well as to our patriotism. There is the appeal to self-interest,
for the loan is not to be without profit to us. We are given an opportunity
to invest in an absolutely safe security, and we will receive a good rate
of interest. As a business proposition no man can afford not to subscribe
to the full limit of his ability.” The Victory Loan program
was around only briefly and was a fund-raiser to pay for funding of World
War I, which was nearing an end. It was similar to programs in the U.S.
and other countries that were called Victory Bonds or Liberty Bonds. In
World War II the U.S. used the term “War Bonds.” while Canada still
used the "Victory Bonds" term.
"A Victory Loan" in Army-Navy Journal by ERB
http://www.erbzine.com/mag16/1683.html#victoryloan
Wartime Victory Bonds
http://www.hillmanweb.com/war/2017/1707.html
Victory Bonds Collage
http://www.hillmanweb.com/war/2017/victorybondsall.jpg
The ERB / German Incident
http://www.erbzine.com/mag32/3294.html
German Controversy Collage
http://www.erbzine.com/cards/erb/erbww1all.jpg
Off-Site Reference
Victory
Loans in US
*** 1931: A Place To Play In:
"That's
what a garden is for," says Edgar Rice Burroughs, famous author ~ Better
Homes & Gardens - Margaret McOmie ~ August 1931
A Place To Play In article with ERB
http://www.erbzine.com/mag16/1683.html#garden
*** 1918: "A National Reserve
Army Proposal" in ERB's letter to the Army-Navy Journal.
ERB Proposal for a National
Reserve Army 1918
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0031.html#proposal
*** ERB BIO TIMELINE NOTES:
1866: George Tyler, Jr. was born in Portland,
Maine to George and Mary Burroughs.
1916: Camp #26 Mouse on the Cross-Country
Auto Adventure
1928: Ed and Jack spend labor day weekend at Catalina.
1932: Editor of Modern Screen requested a story along
the theme of If Tarzan Came to Hollywood which may have been the
inspiration for Tarzan and the Lion Man
1939: The family moves to luxurious 716 North Rexford
Drive (rent $300 per month) to make Florence's recuperation more pleasant.
After eight months, however, the cost of maintaining two establishments
(Emma's home in Bel-Air), high spending, and the loss of income resulting
from the war in Europe will force a move to Hawaii.
ERB Bio Timeline of Events
http://www.ERBzine.com/bio
VISIT AUGUST WEEK 4 PHOTO ALBUM
www.ERBzine.com/mag63/6342pics.html
BACK TO AUGUST WEEK 3
www.ERBzine.com/mag63/6341.html
BACK TO DAILY
EVENTS INTRO and CONTENTS
www.ERBzine.com/events
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