Official Edgar Rice Burroughs Tribute and Weekly Webzine Site Since 1996 ~ Over 15,000 Webpages in Archive Volume 7466  |
ERB 100-Word Drabbles
JANUARY IV Edition :: Days 1 - 15
See Days 16 - 31 at ERBzine 7466a
by Robert Allen Lupton
With Collations, Web Page Layout and ERBzine Illustrations and References by Bill Hillman
DEATH BY STUPID
January 1: On this day in 1958, the film, “Tarzan and the Trappers” was released. The film, starring Gordon Scott, was shot as three episodes of a proposed television series. The film finally appeared on television in 1966. Eve Brent played Jane and Ricky Sorensen played Tartu. Wikipedia lists Sorensen’s role as “Boy.” Like Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore sleeping in separate beds, Tarzan and Jane have separate tree houses.
Scott became a sensation in spaghetti ‘sword and sandal’ epics, starring as Hercules, Sampson, Remus, Julius Caesar, Zorro, Goliath, and even a spaghetti western, “Buffalo Bill, Hero of the Far West.”
Sorenson died of cancer at age 46 in 1994. He was a child actor who never made the transition to adult roles in films, His last appearance was in “The Cat From Outer Space. He did voices in 101 Dalmatians and The Sword and the Stone.
Read everything you wanted to know about the film at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1956.html
Today’s drabble, “Death by Stupid,” was inspired by Tarzan and the Trappers.
DEATH BY STUPID
“I know, there are always poachers in the jungle. These
don’t appear to be very good at it.”
“Will you stop them?”
“Not yet. For now, let them entertain me. I’ll follow
and watch them wander into quicksand or get eaten by lions or crocodiles.
Angry natives will capture some of them. Some will get lost.”
“Tarzan, I think you should warn them.”
“Absolutely not. Napoleon Bonaparte said to never
interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
100 COPIES
January 2: On this day in 2021, Waziri Publications released super ERB researcher and author, Alan Hanson's book, "Exploring Tarzan's Africa." There are only 100 copies.
Alan, a tireless researcher and historian, has over 74 articles located at: https://www.erbzine.com/hanson/
and specifically for “Exploring Tarzan’s Africa,” at https://www.erbzine.com/mag73/7356.html
His first article, “The Allegory of the Ape-Man,” appeared in ERBANIA in 1977. His articles include “Heaving Bosom Syndrome,” “Waldo Goes to Tarzan Camp,” “Smoking in ERB Fiction,” “The Friendly Ape Man,” and “Pondering the Pleasure of the Hunt.” Not making light of his work, just admiring his subject matter and sense of humor. Every article is factual, sometimes light hearted, and always entertaining and educational. Give his work a read.
The cost of Exploring Tarzan’s Africa is $29.95 + $5.00 for media rate shipping anywhere in the United States. (He can ship to Canada, but the U.S. Postal Service shipping rate for Canada is $32.) Payment can be made on PayPal to my email address — alanh111@comcast.net.
The drabble for today, “100 Copies,” is excerpted from Alan’s comments about his book taken from the website listed above.
100 COPIES
"Making money was never my motivation in publishing Exploring Tarzan’s Africa. I’m almost guaranteed not to make money on it, since I’ve priced the 100 copies at my cost of printing and shipping. If I don’t sell them all, I’ll lose money. If I sell them all, I’ll break even. The bottom line is that, finally, Exploring Tarzan’s Africa has been published. When I’m not around anymore, these 15 essays in Exploring Tarzan’s Africa will still exist. That means something to me.
HEIGH HO, TOKYO
January 3: On this day in 1942, during the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the world’s oldest war correspondent, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ ‘Laugh It Off’ column was published in the Honolulu Star Bulletin. He wrote of pet care, the threat of Hitler and Japan, supply shortages, and school reopenings. His language reflected the sentiments against the Axis powers, Japan and Germany.
The entire article and several more “Laugh It Off” columns have been reproduced and are available to read at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag17/1754.html#3
The 100 word drabble for today is an excerpt from ERB’s column, published 80 years ago. Here’s “Heigh ho, Tokyo,” Karl Ernst Krafft, an astrologer, predicted that the stars ensured German victory. What he didn’t predict was that he would fall out of favor, be arrested and spend most of the war in prison. He died en route to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
HEIGH HO, TOKYO
“Things are beginning to look pretty black now that Hitler and his pet astrologer have assumed full command of the German armies -- pretty black for the axis.
“Roger MacGuigan tells me that back east on the mainland,
children on their way to school sing:
Heigh ho! Heigh ho!
We're off to Tokyo
To kick the Japs
Right off the maps,
Heigh ho! Heigh ho.
PRETTY AND WITTY
January 4: On this day in 1938 Italian actress Scilla Gabel, was born in Rimini, Italy. Her birth name was Gainfranca Gabellini. Her first experiences in the film industry were as Sophia Loren’s body double. She played Toni in “Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure,” starring Gordon Scott. Sean Connery made an appearance in the film. Details about “Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure” may be found at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1957.html
Scilla appeared in fifty films, playing mostly stereotyped ‘bombshell’ roles, but moved to television and stage where she was well received and appreciated. Her film roles included “Queen of the Pirates,” “Mill of the Stone Women,” “Romulus and the Sabines,” “Colossus of the Arena,” “Seven Slaves Against the World,”, and “The Revenge of Spartacus.” You get the idea.
As of today, she is living in Italy.
The drabble for today, “Pretty and Witty,” was inspired by her career and her appearance in “Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure.”
PRETTY AND WITTY
“You look great, you’ll do well in Italian cinema.”
“How would that work? I don’t speak a word of Italian.”
“My friend, I speak Italian, English, and a little
French, but that’s not why I get the roles. I’m beautiful and audiences
come to see how beautiful, not to hear me talk.”
“That doesn’t help me.”
“Don’t be silly. Look in a mirror. You and I speak
the same language. We both speak “Pretty.”
PREDATOR
January 5: On this day in 1970, Russ Manning celebrated his 41st birthday with the beginning of the daily newspaper Tarzan story arc, “The Magii of Pal-Ul-Don.” The story ran 120 daily episodes, ending on May 23, 1970.
A list of the Manning daily and Sunday pages -- ALL of them reprinted in ERBzine -- and a tribute to the artist are at:
https://www.erbzine.com/manning/
The drabble for today, “Predator,” was inspired by the colorful dinosaurs of Pal-Ul-Don and by the lyrics written and recorded by Sheb Wooley in 1958.
PREDATOR
Korak nodded. “The monster is missing an eye.”
“We put it out with a spear the last time it attacked.”
Korak said, “There’s a creature like this known on
another continent. Folks call it a one-eyed, one-horned flying purple people
eater.”
“Well. It sure looks strange to me.”
WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY
January 6: On this day in 2017, Netflix released the computer animated series, “Tarzan and Jane.” There were thirteen episodes over two seasons. The premise of the show, the advertising hook, was “Saved from a plane crash and given supernatural powers, a teenaged Tarzan joins forces with a brave city girl called Jane Porter to protect his jungle from threats.” The only thing missing is a radioactive spider.
The series featured Giles Panton as the voice of Tarzan and Rebecca Shoichet as Jane. Kaaren Lee Brown and Sean Catherine Derek wrote the first season’s episodes and Jesse Lickman directed season one. Season two lasted five episodes, and was directed by Steve Ball. Robert N. Skir wrote two of them and Danielle Wolff wrote two.
The 100 word drabble for today, ‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility,” is a combination of the descriptions of the individual episodes taken from the website. Virtually, word for word. The last episode ended with an encounter with King Kong and Tarzan and Jane’s departure for Pellucidar.
WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY
THE BLOB
January 7: On this day in 1939, Argosy Weekly published the first of six installments of “Synthetic Men of Mars.” The cover of the first installment was by Rudolph Belarski and Samuel Cahan drew one interior illustration. Belarski’s image of John Carter astride a malagor has been recreated by several artists including John Coleman Burroughs for the first edition of the book.
In the novel, John Carter seeks the help of the mad scientist, Ras Thavas, who first appeared in “The Mastermind of Mars.” Thavas has continued to create his artificial men, the hormads, but has lost control and has created a huge blob like being of countless hormads bound together as a nightmare of a jelly-like creature. Think, “The Blob,” starring Steve McQueen.
The Argosy issue contained a story by Theodore Roscoe (Snake-Head) and part six of “Flying Colors” by C. S. Forester. John Cater and Horatio Hornblower in one issue – not bad!
Details about "The Synthetic Men of Mars" are at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0737.html
The drabble for today, “The Blob,” was inspired by The Synthetic Men of Mars and by the 1958 film, “The Blob.”
THE BLOB
John Carter and Ras Thavas lured the creature onto a large Martian aircraft, which was flown past the Martian gravitational field and exploded.
Thavas said, “Well, that’s that. Not a single surviving
piece will land on Barsoom.”
Carter said. “Hope the Earth is safe.”
Twenty years later, Steve McQueen found a globule
of flesh which devoured all living creatures. He told the police, “I know
about this creature. Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote about it in 1939.”
BEAUTY WITHIN
January 8: On this day in 1941, artist Boris Vallejo was born in Lima Peru. He attended the national School of Fine Arts in his native Peru before immigrating to the United States in 1964. Boris is well known for his paintings of Tarzan, Conan the Barbarian, and Doc Savage. He has illustrated countless other fantasy characters as well as album covers, and motion picture posters, collector’s cards, calendars, and much, much more.
Boris is married to Julie Bell, an outstanding illustrator in her own right. Julie created advertising art and was the first woman to ever paint Conan for Marvel Comics. She drew the covers for Meatloaf’s albums “Hang Cool, Teddy Bear” and “Bat out of Hell III.” Her first cover for Heavy Metal created the genre Metal Flesh.
Boris illustrated an even dozen Tarzan novels for Ballantine Del Rey. Visit https://www.erbzine.com/mag36/3610.html for more information about his ERB illustrations.
The illustration with this article is a collaboration between Boris and his wife, Julie. Pretty darn good!
Boris and Julie have a website where prints, shirts, collectables are available. Even commissions may be purchased. https://www.borisjulie.com/
The drabble for today, “Beauty Within,” was inspired by the amazing work of Boris Vallejo. The conversation in today’s drabble is a fictional encounter.
BEAUTY WITHIN
“Thank you. I read the books and I draw Tarzan as I see him, the best of humanity. He embodies nobility and strength.”
“Your women are amazingly beautiful, especially the
ones that have wings.”
“You’ll see that all women are beautiful if you look
carefully enough. I prefer drawing them with wings because I see women
as angelic.”
“I don’t see all women as angels.”
“Perhaps you’re not treating them right."
POINT OF VIEW
January 9: On this day in 2020, Edgar Rice Burroughs fan and award winning writer Mike Resnick passed away in Cincinnati, Ohio. Resnick’s “The Forgotten Sea of Mars,” was first published in ERBDOM. ERBzine has a nice article about the novella at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1931.html
If you'd like to know more about ERBdom and the other fanzine by the same publisher, visit the website, https://www.pulpdom.com/
Resnick wrote more than 70 novels and published over 25 collections. He edited more than 40 anthologies. Resnick was nominated for 37 Hugo awards and won five, He was nominated for eleven Nebula awards and won once. Nominated for 24 HOMer Awards, he won ten times. He won numerous international awards including a Tour Eiffel award, the Seiun-sho Award, The Ignotus Award, Prix Ozone Award, and Futura Award.
ERBzine has several articles about Mike, a good place to start is: http://www.erbzine.com/mag57/5761.html
I met Mike at the 1978 Phoenix Worldcon. He spent hours sitting with me and my friends Pat and Mike behind our dealer tables in the huckster room. He signed a copy of his reworking of Forgotten Sea of Mars for me. Retitled “Goddess of Ganymede” it was published in paperback. We corresponded occasionally over the years and he kindly declined to publish one of my stories in Galaxy’s Edge Magazine. What was unusual is that he took the time to make suggestions. I rewrote the story and sold it promptly to another magazine.
If you haven’t read his work, you’re missing a lot. He was a giant in the industry.
The 100 word drabble for today, “Point of View,” is a compilation of three quotations selected from Resnick’s writings.
POINT OF VIEW
“I believe in thirty-seven separate and distinct gods,” answered Argyle. “That puts me thirty-six ahead of you.”
“That makes you a pagan.”
“It makes you a man of limited vision. Small minds
don’t grow no matter how long you water them.”
Viewpoints change with time. It's just the nature of things. Every lawyer starts out seeking justice and winds up seeking victories. Every doctor want to save his patients and ends up wanting to save his investments. And every journalist starts out caring about the truth and ends up caring about circulation.”
WILD JUNGLE MAN
January 10: On this day in 2006, actress Mae Giraci, who appeared in the 1921 fifteen chapter serial, “The Son of Tarzan,” Mae passed away in Los Angeles, the city of her birth. The serial was edited to a six-reel film, mostly by ERB himself and released on October 20, 1923 as “Jungle Trail of the Son of Tarzan,” a film that is lost.
During the film, two actresses played Meriem, the love of Korak, Tarzan’s son. Manilla Marten played her as a young woman and Mae Giraci played her as a child. Mae Georgina Giraci worked as a child star in silent films also under the name Tiny Rossi. After graduation from Hollywood High School she changed her name to May Giraci. Her first film was “Casey At the Bat” in 1916 and her last was “The Godless Girl” in 1929. She did not make the transition to talking pictures. “The Son of Tarzan” was her 9th film credit.
Little is known about her life after her film career ended, except that she married Herman C. Platz in 1931 and raised three children.
For details concerning “The Son of Tarzan” and the song referenced below, go to https://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0589.html
The drabble for today, “Wild Jungle Man, is the first verse and the chorus from of the song, “Tarzan, My Jungle King,” written specifically for the “The Son of Tarzan” – lyrics by Osborn Tedman and Music by Norman Stuckey. The song, a bit risqué for the time, isn’t accurate about the Tarzan/Jane legend, nor does it appear to really have anything to do with film’s storyline.
WILD JUNGLE MAN
Down in Africa’s Jungle Land
There lived a caveman wild and grand
He with valor strong and brave
From dire peril saved a maid—
Daughter of Sheik Ben Ami
Thru the tree tops to his lair,
Tarzan bore his maid so fair
And in truly cave man way
Wooed her till he made her stay.
Tarzan, my jungle wild man
Tarzan, my cave-man mate
Here in the tree-tops swaying
I’ll keep my jungle date
Tarzan my virile lover
Tarzan, my king of men
Fierce burns my heart’s desire
Come love, my heart’s on fire
Kiss me, oh, kiss me again.
SO MANY PAGES
January 11: On this day in 1943, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ fan, collector, researcher, and ERBzine publisher, Bill Hillman was born in Strathclair, Manitoba. We wish him a happy birthday and many more to come.
Several articles about Bill’s library, his musical career with his amazing wife, Sue-On, and an interview with Bill conducted by Jimmie Goodwin, are available at https://www.erbzine.com/hillman/
Bill is directly responsible for bringing Edgar Rice Burroughs information into the electronic age and tirelessly continues to keep it current. I shamelessly use Bill’s research daily. Join me in wishing him a happy birthday. All the best. Bill is truly deserving of the title, “Jeddak of the North.” (Thanks for the kind words, Robert ~ BH)
Bill wrote, or maybe he said, today’s drabble, “So Many Pages,” for an interview published on April 3, 2012 and available to read in its entirety at https://www.erbzine.com/mag51/5173.htmland http://thejohncarterfiles.com/
While the article references 10,000 pages about Edgar Rice Burroughs at www.erbzine.com, the total page count today exceeds 15,000.
Here’s 100 of Bill’s words from the interview:
SO MANY PAGES
I took over the Tarzan.com website that had been run by Disney in 2000. Until Danton’s untimely death in 2008, we engaged in countless hours of telephone conversations and together we explored and photographed the jungle of memorabilia in the Burroughs Tarzana archive.
QUIET TIME
January 12: On this day in 1908, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ daughter Joan Burroughs Pierce, was born. At that time ERB was the head of the stenographic department at Sears, the department had 150 employees.
Joan grew up to be an aspiring actress. She married James Pierce, Tarzan in the film, “Tarzan and the Golden Lion,” and the two of them starred in the 286 episode Tarzan of the Apes radio serial.
Burroughs wrote the play, “You Lucky Girl!” as a stage vehicle for Joan, but the play never reached the stage until 1997.
A detailed biography of Joan is available at. https://www.erbzine.com/mag11/1102.html
It makes excellent reading and provides several insights on the life of her father, Edgar Rice Burroughs.
The drabble for today, “Quiet Time,” is taken from that biography. It should be noted that Helen was Joan’s doll.
QUIET TIME
MIND AND BODY
January 13: On this day in 1921, Edgar Rice Burroughs began writing the fifth John Carter novel, “The Chessman of Mars.” He didn’t finish until eleven months later in November 1921. During this time he invented Martian Chess, “Jetan,” which played a major part in the story.
Kaldanes and Rykors appeared therein for the first time, headless humanoids and there spider-like masters. Hell of a story. I always figured that the separation of Luud, the Kaldane, from his Rykor body over his obsession with Tara of Helium was a long allegory about men losing their heads over women.
Publishing details are available at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0426.html
The drabble for today is "Mind and Body," and it was inspired by “The Chessmen of Mars,’ and the infatuation that “Luud” the Kaldane ruler had for the beautiful Tara of Helium.
MIND AND BODY
Gahan said, “Didn’t know I was that strong.”
Tara replied, “He’s a Kaldane. His kind control these
headless creatures.”
“I’ve known lots of men without a brain, but never
a living one with no head!”
“Don’t be silly. Many men have lost their heads over
women. Physically and otherwise.”
I DRINKS WHISKEY
January 14: On this day in 1961, character actor Barry Fitzgerald died in the town of his birth, Dublin, Ireland. Fitzgerald played the cameraman, O’Doul, who came to Tarzan’s aid in the film, “Tarzan’s Secret Treasure.” https://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0621.html
Born as William Joseph Shields, Fitzgerald has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for his film work and one for television.
He was Father Fitzgibbon in “Going My Way,” for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.
He made notable appearances in “How Green Was My Valley,” “The Quiet Man,” and “The Story of Seabiscuit,” with Shirley Temple.
The drabble for today, “I Drinks Whiskey,” was inspired by the plot of Tarzan’s Secret Treasure,” and it includes quotations from the characters played by Fitzgerald in “The Quiet Man” and “Going My Way.”
I DRINKS WHISKEY
“Big words from a little man. Tarzan go. Must find
Jane and Boy.”
O’Doul helped Tarzan rescue his family. Jane asked,
“How did you find us?”
O’Doul responded, “I could tell you blood-curdling
stories about it, but me throat’s gone dry.”
“Help yourself to the buttermilk.”
“I don’t even know how to respond to such a disappointing
offer. I’m sure that the way to say what I’d like to say will occur to
me after you’ve gone.”
ANYWHERE BUT HERE
January 15: On this day in 1938, Argosy Weekly published the second installment of the six part serialization of “Carson of Venus,” Carson wasn’t honored with the cover illustration or even a mention of the cover. The painting by Emmett Watson illustrated the novel, “London Skies Are Falling Down,” by Garnett Redcliffe, a prolific contributor to the pulps.
Other stories in this issue were “Men of Daring” by Sookie Allen,” The World’s Fair Mystery” by Karl Detzer, and the almost obligatory pirate tale, “Privateer” by Philip Ketchum. There was pulp writer whose real name was Philip Ketchum, but Richard Ferber also used the name as a pseudonym. It’s unclear who wrote what.
In the Venus series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, one should remember that the protagonist, Carson Napier constructed a space ship to reach Mars, but accidentally ended up on the planet Venus. A little problem with navigation.
Publishing details and many illustrations for Carson of Venus are located at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0750.html
The drabble for today, “Anywhere But Here,” was inspired by “Carson of Venus” and the formidable navigation skills of Carson Napier.
ANYWHERE BUT HERE
“You flew to the wrong world. I can’t trust a man to find something as small as my home, when he couldn’t find something as large as a planet?”
“The warriors are coming. We have to leave.”
“You don’t know where I live. Which way will you go?”
“Duare, please get in. Sometimes all directions are
the same. If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which
roads you travel!”
