THE NEXT NEW THING
February 3: On
this day in 1934, the Los Angeles Times published the article, “Tarzan’s
Dad Takes To the Air.” https://www.erbzine.com/mag14/1442.html
Edgar Rice Burroughs, who hadn’t yet soloed, was successful and earned
his pilot’s license. That’s impressive for anyone, but even more so for
a man who rode a horse in the US Cavalry. In 1916, Burroughs and his family
took a long road trip across America at a time when highways were mostly
a thing of the future, roads were mostly an illusion, and service stations
were few and far between. They camped out. There weren’t motels at the
next highway intersection. ERB was a true renaissance man.
The entire article and more details about Burroughs,
the pilot, are located on www.erbzine.com,
along with several photos.
The drabble for today, The Next
New Thing,” is an excerpt from that newspaper article. For the record,
Ed got his license. Hulbert crashed during his solo attempt. He had only
minor injuries.
THE NEXT NEW THING
Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of "Tarzan" and other stories
is learning to fly.
The novelist began flying for an odd reason. His son,
Hulbert, had been permitted to take to the air. Mrs. Burroughs was opposed,
but he continued to press for their permission.
"I decided that Hulbert wouldn’t be happy until we
consented, and so to convince his mother and myself that flying is safe,
I made up my mind I’d try it myself.”
Burroughs has ten hours in the air and will solo in
three hours more. He’s purchased a Security Airster, manufactured by the
Security Aircraft Corporation.
BUDGETED OUT OF BUSINESS
February 4: On
this day in 1939, Argosy Weekly published the five installment of
“Synthetic Men of
Mars,” the ninth book in the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Neither the story itself, nor Burroughs name made the
cover. The illustration by Rudolph Belarski was for “Help! Murder!
Police! By Cleve F. Adams. The other writers mentioned on the cover were
Donald Barr Chidsey, Robert Carse, and Cornell Woolrich. Ben David Allen
contributed an article under his unfortunately chosen pseudonym, Sookie
Allen, a name he used for over an hundred articles and stories.
Publishing details for Synthetic Men
of Mars: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0737.html
The scientist, Ras Thavas, “The
Mastermind of Mars,” created an army of artificial warriors grown
in gigantic vats. He planned to use his army of unkillable hormads to conquer
the planet. His constructions aren’t too bright and they’re often misshapen.
Sometimes the ingredients just don’t work out.
The 100 word drabble for today is
“Budgeted Out of Business,” and it was inspired by the novel, ”The
Synthetic Men of Mars,” and by accountants everyone, the ones that
just can’t leave production alone.
BUDGETED OUT OF BUSINESS
Ras Thavas inspected the freshly decanted hormads. He
screamed at his production manager, Gan-tun. “They’ve got little arms.
They can’t hold a sword. Half of them are missing legs. You followed the
recipe?”
“Perfectly, Sir, but the clay looked differently and
so did the oil?
“Differently?”
“Yes, Har-din, in accounting, substituted goose oil
for banth oil. Cheaper, and he ordered the clay from a different pit. Saved
thousands in freight.”
“Destroy this whole batch. Cheaper isn’t better.”
“You want me to start another batch.”
“No, I’ve got to cook up a new accountant before this
one finishes cooking our goose.”
LOSING THE LIGHT
February 5: On
this day in 1943, director Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II, better
known as W. S. Van Dyke, died at age fifty-three in Los Angeles,
California. He was known as “One Take Woody,” and was highly respected
for his on-time and on-budget approach to film making.
Van Dyke was a devout Christian Scientist
and refused medical treatments for cancer. He committed suicide after saying
goodbye to his family. Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald officiated his
funeral.
His films included Tarzan
the Ape Man with Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan, Trader
Horn, Eskimo, Manhattan Melodrama, The Thin Man and other Thin
Man films, Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever, and Dr. Kildare’s Victory.
Trader Horn Film, Booklet and Text
https://www.erbzine.com/mag16/1693.html
https://www.erbzine.com/mag64/6416.html
https://www.erbzine.com/mag64/6416a.html
The drabble for today is “Losing the
Light,” inspired by Van Dyke’s reputation and the film, “Tarzan of
the Apes.”
LOSING THE LIGHT
Van Dyke said, “Okay, Weissmuller, in this scene, you’re
losing a fight with a lion and the elephant will enter stage right and
pull the lion off you. You recover, jump on the lion, and kill it. Do the
yell thing and ride off on the elephant.”
“That’s pretty complicated. I hope I get it right.”
“You better, you’re a human and the other folks in
the scene are animals. Try to look good at all times. Head up and chin
out. If the lion and the elephant nail their parts, I’ll scream print,
and there won’t be another take.
WASTED ON THE YOUNG
February 6: On
this date in 1889, actor Elmo
Lincoln was born in Rochester, Indiana as Otto Elmo Linkenhelt.
Elmo was active in film from 1913 through 1952, and appeared in five Tarzan
films, Tarzan of the
Apes, Adventures
of Tarzan, Romance
of Tarzan, Tarzan’s
New York Adventure, and Tarzan’s
Magic Fountain. Elmo played Tarzan in the first three films listed.
With silent pictures ending, Lincoln left the industry
and tried mining. He then operated a salvage business in Salt Lake City
for about ten years before returning to the film industry. He had eighty
one film credits including two versions of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,”
“Elmo, the Fearless,” and “Elmo, the Mighty.” His final film role was in
the 1952 film, “Carrie,” no not the one by Stephen King. This one starred
Laurence Olivier.
There’s an excellent book by Marci’a Lincoln Rudolph
, “My Father, Elmo
Lincoln, The Original Tarzan”. You can find copies on various websites
including Amazon and EBay. To learn more about Elmo, go to https://www.erbzine.com/mag2/0283.html.
The drabble for today is “Wasted
on the Young,” and it was inspired by the career of Elmo Lincoln, both
on and off stage.
WASTED ON THE YOUNG
“Welcome back to Hollywood, Mr. Lincoln,” said the young
agent. “Remind of your previous work.”
“I played Tarzan and Elmo, the Mighty, but I was typecast
as a strongman. I picked things up. I put things down.”
“Did you have any speaking parts?”
“No, are you twelve? Silent pictures! I picked things
up. I put things down.”
“You worked on the sets?”
“I was a star. I battled lions, saved endangered damsels,
and fought for truth and justice.”
“Were you in the war?”
“Never mind. I’d best leave before I pick you up and
put you down outside the window.”
FOWL ADVANTAGE
February 7: On
this day in 1943, the “John
Carter of Mars” Sunday page episode # 62, written by John
Coleman Burroughs and illustrated by John Coleman Burroughs and
his wife, Jane Ralston Burroughs, Toward
Doom was published. In the episode, John Carter battles a creature
called a Gizank, which for all intents and purposes is a gigantic rooster.
While John battles the big chicken, Dejah Thoris disappeared.
The John Carter of Mars Sunday Comic
was ready for syndication about the same time as WW2 started and it never
really had a chance. It was only in four newspapers. The Burroughs Bibliophiles
reprinted the entire run and copies of that printing are occasionally available
on EBay and other sites. The entire run is on erbzine, start at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag22/2281.html
The drabble for today, “Fowl Advantage,”
was inspired by the battle with the Gizank, not to be confused with a gizzard.
FOWL ADVANTAGE
John Carter dodged the gizank, but the creature snatched
the warlord’s cloak in its beak. He dodged left and it countered. He shifted
and the feathered beast matched him.
“Dejah, it’s reading my mind.”
“John, it’s a chicken.”
‘It has sharp talons, and a huge beak.”
“Chicken, John. A chicken.”
“It’s laughing at me, Dejah. See the smile.”
“Birds don’t smile. It’s a chicken.”
Carter decided that fought by instinct, the beast
wouldn’t know his moves. It worked and he killed the beast. He crowed with
his success.
“For Issus’s sake, John. It’s a chicken.”
“No, now it’s a casserole.”
VALUE IS RELATIVE
February 8: On
this day in 1913. New Story Magazine offered Edgar Rice Burroughs
$1000.00 for “The Return
of Tarzan.” All-Story Magazine had rejected the story and
Burroughs accepted New Story’s offer. New Story serialized the novel from
June 1913 through December 1913. Burroughs tried to purchase the art for
the June issue from Wyeth, but they two were unable to agree on the price.
There is only one known copy of the
first edition in dust jacket, making it the rarest book by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
If someone offers you one for sale, it’s probably fake or stolen.
My first edition does have a badly
torn dust jacket with all the key information missing, it’s no doubt the
tattered remains of a reprint.
Details about The Return of Tarzan,
the editions, and several illustrations: https://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0484.html
The drabble for today, “Value is Relative,” is
a fictional conversation between Ed and his wife, Emma about The Return
of Tarzan
VALUE IS RELATIVE
“Ed,” said Emma. “I saw New Story Magazine with your new
Tarzan story on the stands today. Aren’t they supposed to send you a copy?”
“Sadly no, I left it out of the contract.”
“You want me to buy you one.”
“No, I wrote it. I don’t need to read it. They paid
me, I don’t want to pay them anything. I’ll make sure I get a copy of the
book if there’s a first edition.”
“You think it will be worth anything?”
“Not a penny. But it will look good next to my Jules
Verne collection on the shelf.
WHERE IT'S NEEDED
February 9: On
this day in 1933, Edgar Rice Burroughs began writing the 17th Tarzan
novel, Tarzan and
the Lion Man, a book influenced by his experiences with Hollywood.
The story begins with Tarzan and Jad-bal-ja wandering into a city of talking
gorillas. To keep things interesting, a Hollywood film crew is filming
a Tarzan film and the actor who is playing Tarzan is a perfect physical
double for the real Lord of the Jungle.
The story
was serialized in “Liberty Magazine,” Neither ‘Lion Man’
nor Edger Rice Burroughs ever received even a single cover mention, but
the article, “The Lives and Loves of Jean Harlow,” did.
The first edition of the book had
an unusual dust jacket, instead of a scene from the book, the cover had
a stylized cover with two faces of Tarzan positioned back to back.
Publishing details and illustrations: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0726.html
The drabble for today is, Where
it’s Needed,” is a fictional conversation between Edgar Rice Burroughs
and Adela Rogers St. John, whose articles, including the Jean Harlow article,
made the cover twice during the run of “Tarzan and the Lion Man.” You may
have to think about this one, but don’t give up on it.
WHERE IT'S NEEDED
Edgar Rice Burroughs met Adela Rogers St. John and tipped
his hat. “A pleasure to meet another writer, especially one who kept me
off the cover of Liberty Magazine.”
“You’re too kind. Your works speak for themselves,
but a struggling writer such as myself, needs all the help she can get.”
A quick breeze blew off her hat and Ed caught and returned
it. She said, “Thank you for catching my Beret.”
“You’re quite welcome. I always wondered what happened
to the silent ‘T’ in beret. Now I know. They put at the end of Harlow where
it was needed.”
