Official Edgar Rice Burroughs Tribute and Weekly Webzine Site Since 1996 ~ Over 15,000 Webpages in Archive Volume 7996a  |
ERB 100-Word Drabbles & Events
August VI Edition :: Days 16-31
by Robert Allen Lupton
Back to Days 1-15 at ERBzine 7996
With Collations, Web Page Layout and ERBzine Illustrations and References by Bill Hillman
ROLE OF A LIFETIME
August 16: On this day in 1944, Gabe Essoe, author of “Tarzan of the Movies,” was born in Budapest, Hungary.
Gabe’s screenwriting credits include “The Devil’s Rain,” “The Adventure of Black Feather,” and an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also authored the books, “The Films of Clark Gable,” “DeMille: The Man and His Pictures,” and “The Official Book of TV Lists.” His “Tarzan of the Movies” was the first comprehensive resource about the Tarzan films. It was subtitled, “A Pictorial History of More Than Fifty Years of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Legendary Hero.”
The International Science Fiction Data Base, www.isfdb.org, reports that he was born as Gabor Atilla Esso in Budapest, Hungary. Gabe is the son-in-law of Tarzan actress, Vera Miles. Gabe graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA and went to work at MGM Studios, Three years later, he joined Disney Studios as a Senior Publicist for television. He wrote 3 WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY TV episodes. He scripted 3 episodes of POLICEWOMAN with Angie Dickenson, and one episode of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. He co-wrote and co-directed the independent HBO film BLACKFEATHER: OUT OF THE WILDERNESS starring David Carradine and Gabe’s wife, actress Kelley Miles. Gabe Essoe on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theJCguy
The drabble for today, “Role of a Lifetime,” is a 100 word excerpt from the introduction to “Tarzan of the Movies,” written by Gabe Essoe. Thanks for the book, Gabe – and happy birthday.Not often does a literary work inspire a series of films. And it’s rare indeed that one becomes a continuing screen effort to the point that it establishes careers for a large number of actors. But that is exactly what Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Tarzan of the Apes” has achieved. ROLE OF A LIFETIME
ERB created an environment, the movie role of Tarzan, into which actors are placed to suffer its consequences. There has been no other screen role that has involved so many faces. No has any other screen role been as physically demanding on its players or so crucial to so many careers.
DON'T BUG ME
August 17: On this day in 1975, the Russ Manning Tarzan Sunday story arc, Tarzan in the Valley of Giant Insects, began. The story has also been called “Return to Opar.” It ran for 54 weeks and ended on August 22, 1976. Beautiful artwork throughout, but the first giant insect doesn’t appear until November 9th and it isn’t an insect it’s a spider. The first actual insect, a big beetle. appears on February 15, 1976. It turns out the native humans have trained the beetles and use them like horses and airborne transportation. Another tribe rides dragonflies. Jane and La get captured, of course, and have to be saved.
Again, great story and magnificent artwork.
Read the entire story at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag21/2133.html
The drabble for today is, “Don’t Bug Me,” inspired by the story arc, “Tarzan in the Valley of Giant Insects,” a few songs, and a cultural phenomena from the 1960s. Get a haircut and get a real job.Tarzan mounted a gigantic beetle and sat behind its rider. They flew away and Tarzan said, “Thanks for saving me from that big spider. Why do you have such big beetles.” DON'T BUG ME
“Big beetles to fight big spiders. And then there are dragonflies.”
“I’ve seen a horse fly, a house fly, and a blue bottle fly, but I’ve never seen a dragon fly.”
“You will. Big and dangerous. We worship beetles; we’re obsessed with them.”
“So, you're saying that your tribe is subject to beetlemania? Are we safe.”
“Sure, all you need is love and a little help from my friends.”
HAVING FUN YET
August 18: On this day in 1915, Edgar Rice Burroughs submitted film synopses for The Lion Hunter (5-page comedy) and The Mucker. The Mucker had been published the previous year in All-Story Cavalier Magazine. The Lion Hunter synopsis appears to have been lost to time. There’s not much that’s funny about hunting lions, especially not to the lions.
Neither submission was successful. The Mucker has never been made into a film and the nearest thing to a comedy about hunting lions that I’ve seen was “Secondhand Lions,” a magnificent film. Details about The Mucker at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0757.html
The drabble for today is “Having Fun Yet,” inspired by the thought of a comedy about hunting lions.Cedric, a spoiled rich boy on safari, said, “Beastly heat. I should be having more fun hunting the lions." HAVING FUN YET
The cook brought Cedric a drink. Cedric grumbled, “Cook doesn’t seem to be having any fun.”
The guide said, “Cook’s been carrying supplies for three weeks. "
“I was promised fun.”
“Not by me, Cedric. Who’s it fun for? The lions aren’t having fun. The bearers are afraid.”
“Why isn’t anyone enjoying themselves?”
“It’s our job. Jobs aren’t fun by definition. Jobs for us and survival for the lions. You want to see us all have fun, go sit on an anthill.”
TARZAN, JR
August 19: On this day in 1899, Actress Colleen Moore, for whose Fairy Tale Dollhouse, the book, Tarzan, Jr was produced by Ed and his son, John Coleman, was born in Port Huron, Michigan. Moore was a huge star, but approximately half her films are lost, including her first talking picture. After she retired from acting, she became a partner at Merrill Lynch and the book, “ How Women Can Make Money in the Stock Market.”
She loved dollhouses and helped design The Coleen Moore Dollhouse, which is on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The doll house measures nine square feet was valued at seven million dollars in 1985.
Among its treasures is the small book, Tarzan Junior, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs and illustrated and lettered by John Coleman Burroughs. The book is approximately one inch square.
Read the entire book at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag8/0865.htmlEdgar Rice Burroughs presented the miniature book for Colleen’s dollhouse to her. “I wrote it and my son illustrated it. Hope you like it.” TARZAN, JR
“Beautiful. Thank you.”
“You were a successful actress. Any advice for my daughter?”
“Only accept roles in successful movies.”
“I’ll tell her. You’re a partner at Merrill Lynch. I could use some investment advice."
“Sure. Will Rogers had it right. Buy a stock when it doesn’t cost very much. Wait until it goes up and then sell it.”
“Miss Moore, that seems very simplistic.”
“True, but it’s free, and better than most advice you’d pay for.”
A KISS IS JUST A KISS
August 20: On this day in 1995, the Gray Morrow / Jack C. Harris Sunday comic story arc, “The Mangani Beyond the Veil,” began. The story ran for 14 Sundays and ended in November. Jack Harris scripted one other Tarzan Sunday story arc, “The Children of the Wing., which ran in 1996.
Tarzan somehow passes through a portal to a world were mangani (apes) are in charge. Think of the story as “Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes.” Humans are servants, who speak only their own guttural language, but Tarzan and the civilized mangani speak the same language. Tarzan leads the humans in a successful revolt before returning to our world.
Read all of the story arc, except for a single missing page, at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag48/4807.html
The drabble for today, “A Kiss is Just a Kiss,” was inspired by the story arc and by “The Planet of the Apes.”Tarzan passed through a dimensional portal into a world of civilized apes, who kept humans as slaves. He was captured and since he could speak to the apes and refused to be a slave, he was rightly perceived to be a theat. A KISS IS JUST A KISS
Sentenced to the pits, he defeated the ape’s champion and led the humans in a revolt.
He placed the king’s human servant in charge to rule alongside the kindly mangani, Gor-Luk. He said, “Rule wisely. May I kiss you both, goodbye.They looked at Tarzan and Gor-Luk replied, “I you must insist. but you’re just so damn ugly!”
LONG LIVE THE KING
August 21: On this day in 1915, All-Story Weekly published the third and final installment of “Barney Custer of Beatrice,” which became the second half of the book, “The Mad King,” published by A. C. McClurg on September 18, 1926. The cover of this issue is the profile of a beautiful woman and appears to be unrelated to any story contained therein, however, “Ebb-Tide, a story of human flotsam, by J. U. Giesy is mentioned on the cover. More about THE MAD KING including full text of the book at:
The issue contains an episode of the story, Tidewater Trader, by John Buchan (The 39 Steps), an author whose works I’ve come to appreciate.
The drabble for today, “Long Live the King, is a complete spoiler, it’s excerpted from the last paragraph of the story, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs.Barney Custer, of Beatrice, was crowned King of Lutha, and Emma became his queen. Maenck died of his wound on the floor in the east transept of the cathedral of Lustadt beside the body of the king he’d slain. Prince Peter of Blentz was tried by the highest court of Lutha on the charge of treason; found guilty and hanged. Von Coblich committed suicide. Lieutenant Otto Butzow was ennobled and given the confiscated estates of the Blentz prince. He became a general in the army of Lutha, and the command of the army corps that guarded the northern frontier of the little kingdom. LONG LIVE THE KING
ANGER CUTS BOTH WAYS
August 22: On this day in 2011, actress Joan Gerber, who provided voices for the animated television series, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, died at age 76 in Los Angeles. She provided countless voices for dozens of television cartoons over a lengthy career from 1959 until 2003, including “The Bugs Bunny Show,” “The Pink Panther Show,” “Sesame Street,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Scooby- do,” “Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz,” “Fantastic Four,” “DuckTales,” and “Tailspin.”
Joan provided voices on thirty-five episodes of the Tarzan series, include Queen Nemone.
Details about “Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle” are located at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag27/2799.html
The drabble for today is, “Anger Cuts Both Ways,” inspired by Joan Gerber, a voice of our childhood.The interviewer said, “Joan, you’ve done as many voices as Mel Blanc.” ANGER CUTS BOTH WAYS
“Very kind. I’ve done a lot, but not that many. I worked a lot of years in the business.”
‘To what to you attribute your longevity?
“You mean beside my talent? Just kidding. Most of my roles were for children’s shows and most of my characters were nice, friendly, sweetly spoken people. I avoided villainous roles and hoped to never speak in anger.”“Why?”
“Screaming in anger and rage, even in pretense, takes a lot of effort. It hurts the speaker as much as it hurts the listener.’
THE FOOL'S MOTHER
August 23: On this day in 1915, Edgar Rice Burroughs revised his short story, “For The Fool’s Mother,” as a film synopsis, retitled “The Prospector.” It was never made into a film. “For the Fool’s Mother” was include in the short story collection, “Forgotten Tales of Love and Murder,” published by Guidry and Adkins in 2001. 1000 copies printed.
A few copies, still in shrink wrap from the printer, have been recently discovered and are available at dixieleeadkins@gmail.com.
You can also read “For the Fool’s Mother” at https://www.erbzine.com/mag53/5359.html and the illustrations accompanying this article are courtesy of www.erbzine.com. It’s a story or hope, hard work, evil, and redemption – a lot to cram into such a short piece.
The 100 word drabble for today was inspired by the short story.Texas Pete took a drink and said, “Whatcha doin’ here, son?” THE FOOL'S MOTHER
“Cashed my check. I been saving for years to buy the house my mom’s renting.”
Evil men overheard and robbed the boy. Texas Pete pulled his gun on them. One said, “Pete, any man fool enough to talk about having that much money don’t deserve to keep it.”Pete shot them and returned the boy’s money. “Leave while you can.”
“Why’d you help me?”
Hard to say who’s the biggest fool, the man with a big mouth or the man who helps him. Besides, every fool has a mother.”
CASH IN HAND
August 24: On this day in 1911. All-Story Magazine accepted Dejah Thoris, Martian Princess, published as Under the Moons of Mars and A Princess of Mars: The story would be serialized in six monthly installments from February through July in 2012. Without any cover illustrations or even a mention on a single cover. A Princess of Mars has been reprinted numerous times in several languages.
The first check to Edgar Rice Burroughs for the story was $400.00. It changed his life and the life of so many other people. In 1910, the average salary for a man in America was between $200.00 and $400.00 per years. A dentist made abut $2500.00 and a loaf of bread cost a nickel. Not a bad payday for a man writing on the back of old letterheads.
Publishing details, full e-text and pictures galore - https://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0421.html
Burroughs would later sell the book rights and foreign rights. The novel was serialized in newspapers across the United States. Eventually it would be made into a film, for which the film rights are estimated to be over a thousand times as much as that first check.
The drabble for today, “Cash in Hand,” is a fictional conversation that took place when that first check arrived.Ed said, “Emma, look at this check. $400.00. Let’s cash it and go shopping.” CASH IN HAND
“Is Frank Munsey one of those New York gangsters I’ve read about? What on Earth have you done?”
“It’s a publishing company. I wrote a story and this is the first check. There should be more.”
“Nobody pays anyone this much money for a silly story. Tell me the truth.”
“This is the truth. It’s my story about Mars.”
“Dear, I’ll back your cover story, but I won’t help you bury any bodies, I won’t visit you in jail, but I will help spend the money.”
PERSISTENCE OF VISION
August 25: On this day in 1936, director Hugh Hudson, Greystoke, The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes was born in London. He began his career making documentaries and commercials. His two best known films are the Academy Award winning Chariots of Fire, and Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.
Details about the film, Greystoke: https://www.erbzine.com/mag21/2152.html
The drabble for today, ‘Persistence of Vision,” is a series of quotations attributed to Hugh Hudson. Thanks to author John Varley for the title.I made my first film at 8 years of age. It was an 8mm on Oliver Cromwell, the only real revolutionary we've had in England. PERSISTENCE OF VISION
I couldn't get into the movies when I was 17. I wanted to work my way up through the whole system, but they wouldn't let me in.
Something is taken away from a project if you talk about it too much before it's done. The more you talk about it, the more other people give their ideas, the more it gets dissipated, the more your doubt and rethink. There's a danger of ruining your film.
DEADLY GAMES
August 26: On this date in 2001, the Eric Battle / Alex Simmons Sunday Tarzan story arc, Deadly Games, began. It ran for nineteen weeks and was the next to the last new Tarzan Sunday story arc. The Tarzan Sunday comic would cease running new pages the next May after a run of over seventy years. It’s a shame that Siimmons only did two story arcs. His art is fantastic.
The Deadly Games are a version of Survivor, the television semi-reality show and yes, it’s been on television that long. In the Sunday story arc, things go incredibly bad for the contestants, as you might imagine, and Tarzan has to step in.
You can read the entire story arc at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag34/3491.html
The drabble for today is. “Jungle Rules,” and it was inspired by the story arc, Deadly Games.Tarzan killed an attacking lion to the displeasure of six survival show contestants. “Dude, the lion was worth three hundred points and the immunity idol. I had him.” DEADLY GAMES
Tarzan said, “Idol, points, you have to explain.”
“This is a game. Points mean food. The Idol means you can’t be voted out of the jungle.”
“Who votes you out of the jungle.”
He pointed to the other contestants. “They do.”
“New game with new rules. I have the only vote and I vote all of you out of the jungle.”
“What if we won’t go.”
“I won’t kill the next lion.”
HOME INVASION
August 27: Happy Tarzan Day. On this day in 1911, Actor Johnny Eck, Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), Tarzan Escapes, and Tarzan’s Secret Treasure was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
John Eckhardt Jr, professionally billed as Johnny Eck, was an American freak show performer in sideshows and a film actor. Born with sacral agenesis, Eck is best known today for his role in Tod Browning's 1932 cult classic film Freaks and his appearances as a bird creature in several Tarzan films He was often billed as "The Amazing Half-Boy", "King of the Freaks" and "The Most Remarkable Man Alive."
Besides being a sideshow performer and actor, the multi-talented Eck was also a folk artist (specifically a screen painter), musician, photographer, illusionist, penny arcade owner, Punch and Judy operator, and expert model-maker.For more info and photos for JOHNNY ECK see The drabble for today, “Home Invasion," is taken from Eck’s circumstances and comments he made later in his life. He barely had the finances to survive.
https://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0618.html#JOHNNY%20ECK
Part of ERBzine's coverage of TARZAN ESCAPES
https://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0618.htmlThe 1980s brought visitors. "You'd be surprised to see these 'avid' fans. I say they are crazy." Describing the situation of fans dropping by his rowhouse, Eck wrote in 1985, "I am so embarrassed – I wish I had funds to entertain these wonderful people – a tiny sandwich, cold Cola or something..." HOME INVASION
In January 1987, the then Eckhardt brothers were robbed in a terrifying ordeal. One thief mocked and sat on Eck while another took his belongings. Thereafter, Eck went into seclusion. Eck later observed, "If I want to see freaks, all I have to do is look out the window.”
YOUTH TO THE RESCUE
August 28: On this day in 1923, The first installment of a three-part series, written by ERB, “The Origin and History of the Boy Scouts of America,” was published in the Van Nuys News.
You can read the entire series at https://www.erbzine.com/mag17/1795.html, where they have been meticulously transcribed by the marvelous Mr. Bill Hillman.
The 100 word drabble for today, “Youth to the Rescue,” is an excerpt from the Edgar Rice Burroughs article. It refers to the inspiration that led Sir Baden-Powell to create the Boy Scouts. Be Prepared.Winter of 1899-1900 and Sir Robert Baden-Powell’s Thirteenth Hussars, were surrounded in a small South African town. YOUTH TO THE RESCUE
The future looked dark for every man in town was called into the service, but of no avail.
They were greatly outnumbered, Sir Baden-Powell conceived the idea of mustering the boys of the town into service, not as soldiers, but to work behind the firing line, enabling all available men to take active part in the defense.The day was saved and Sir Baden-Powell realized the average boy was capable of greater responsibilities than he’d believed, if only he were trusted and trained.
ELEPHANT WALK
August 29: Happy Anniversary to Bill and Sue-On Hillman who were married in 1966. On this day in 1976, the Russ Manning Tarzan Sunday story arc, Tarzan and the Farmers, began. The story ran for eighteen weeks and ended on December 26, 1976, Boxing Day. Russ wrote and illustrated the Sunday Tarzan comic strip for eleven years, with a help from Mike Royer in 1979.
Read the entire story at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag21/2134.html
A group of farmers built a stockade across a gorge and it prevented animals from migrating. The farmers claimed that the animals were destroying their crops, and violently resisted Tarzan’s interference. In the spirit of every Tarzan film ever made, Tarzan called the elephants, who destroyed the stockade, just in time for the floods to pour down the gorge and threaten everyone’s lives. Floods make for exciting moments.
The 100 word drabble for today is, “Elephant Walk,” and it was inspired by the story arc, “Tarzan and the Farmers.”The farmers guarded the stockade they’d built across a deep gorge to keep the migrating animals from trampling their crops. ELEPHANT WALK
Tarzan arrived with a head of elephants. The leader of the farmer yelled. “Stop right there. Keep those elephants away from our stockade.
Tarzan replied, “Easier said than done. The elephants go wherever they choose. I’m just along for the ride.”
“What gives the animals the right to trample our fields.”
“The animals were here first. You have no right to block their path? They want their ancestral path open,” shouted Tarzan.The elephants trumpeted and pushed down the stockade.
READ THE BOOK
August 30: On this day in 1929, “Illustrated Tarzan Book No. 1” was published by Grosset & Dunlap. The book contained three hundred illustrations that Hal Foster did for the Tarzan daily comic strip, which had appeared in a sixty day run earlier that year. Foster drew one new illustration, which appeared on the cover and the dust jacket.
G and D copied the size and format that Cupples and Leon (The Bomba Books) used for the Little Orphan Annie reprints of the daily pages of that comic strip. There were no sequels, Grosset and Dunlap claiming that sales didn’t justify any. The book was reprinted in 1934 by Grosset and Dunlap and by the House of Greystoke in 1967. Additionally, other daily strips were reprinted by Whitman and others as Big Little Books for several years.
The entire book is available for your viewing pleasure at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag23/2390.html
The drabble for today, “Read the Book,” was inspired by the Illustrated Tarzan Book No. I.The little boy put down the “illustrated Tarzan Book No. I and said, “I don’t understand why Jane believed Tarzan when he claimed his mother was an ape.” READ THE BOOK
His mother asked, “Why wouldn’t she believe him?”
“Her father had discovered that the house built by the Mr. Greystoke in the jungle held three bodies, two were humans and one was a baby ape. Besides, Tarzan received a telegram that proved he was the real Lord Greystoke. It’s all right there in the book.”“Well, sweetheart, perhaps unlike you, Jane didn’t read the entire book. It’s time to go to bed.”
FROM RUSSIA WITH MOM
August 31: On this day 1977, in Actor Rick Vallin, who appeared in the Tarzan film, Tarzan’s Magic Fountain, died in Los Angeles. He was born in Feodosia, Russia and came to the United States in 1922 at age three after his father, an Imperial Army Officer, was murdered by the Bolsheviks. His mother, as Russian ballerina, billed herself as a Gypsy dancer in the United States.
Born as Eric Efron, his film career consisted of more that 176 films over a twenty-eight year career. In addition to Tarzan films, he appeared in the 1948 movie, “Jungle Jim.” He had the physique, cheekbones, and swarthy good looks to play rugged characters, both good and bad.
Details about his Tarzan film is available at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0629.html
In Tarzan’s Magic Fountain, Vallin was an uncredited ‘Flaming Arrow Shooter,' and in “Jungle Jim,” he played Kolu, Chief of the Masai.
The 100 word drabble for today, “From Russia With Mom,” was inspired by the life of Rick Vallin.The casting director said, “Rick, I see you were born in Russia. You aren’t a Bolshevik are you?” FROM RUSSIA WITH MOM
“No, I was three when mom and I left Russia. The Bolsheviks killed my dad. He was an Imperial officer.”
“So you left?”
“Just as fast as we could. Mom was a ballerina. She said it was a bad place and dangerous time to be a beautiful woman and the widow of an Imperialist. She had to flee and she loved me and brought me with her.”“So you came from Russia with love.”
“No, I came from Russia with my mom.”
