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Master of Imaginative Fantasy Adventure 
Creator of Tarzan and  "Grandfather of American Science Fiction" 
Issue 0169a

THE TARZAN RADIO SHOW
and
TARZAN CLUB
Sponsored by Signal Oil
PART II
Continued from PART I at ERBzine 0169

 


SIGNAL DEALER NEWS
Vol. 2 No. 4 Published by the Signal Oil and Gas Co. in the Interest of its Dealers   ~ May, 1933
TARZAN CLUB REACHES INTO THE HOMES
OF 60,000 PACIFIC COAST FAMILIES

Mothers Approve Program
The Signal Tarzan Club, organized only a few months ago by the Signal Oil and Gas Company to stimulate interest in it s radio program, "Tarzan of the Apes" now goes into the homes and influences the buying habits of over 60,000 Pacific Coast families.

One of the most powerful sales factors ever offered to gasoline dealers in the history of oil company advertising, the Signal Tarzan Club has, even with the tremendous success already attained, scarcely scratched the surface of the potential sales volume it can be made to produce for Signal dealers.

Warmly acclaimed by thousands of parents for its constructive program of healthful activity for boys and girls and for the ideals of respect and obedience, helpfulness and loyalty, the Tarzan Club has, perhaps, done more to build up goodwill for the Company and its products than any other one factor.

An example of this was seen at the recent annual Convention of the California Parent-Teachers' Association held in Long Beach, attended by 1500 delegates from all parts of California.

The Signal booth at the Convention, dedicated to the Tarzan Club, was the center of interest among the mothers attending throughout the entire week of the Convention.

Hundreds of mothers whose children were members or who had listened with their families to the Tarzan program over radio dropped in the booth to learn more about the Tarzan Club. Many, too, were interested in learning more about Signal Gasoline and other Signal Products. Several hundred signed membership applications for their children and took home the Tarzan Pledge, promising to help their boy or girl live up to its fine principles.

It was a genuine opportunity to get at firsthand a cross-section of what the parents themselves think of the Tarzan Club for their boys and girls and the results were extremely gratifying.

New Prize Contest Breaks All Records for Courtesy Cards
Members Choose Favorite Prizes
From the returns received so far this month, the new Tarzan Prize Contest, which started May 1st, is scheduled to break all records for the number of signed courtesy cards received by Signal Stations.

Attracted by the variety of prizes offered and the new method of awarding prizes which makes it possible for every boy or girl to win the prize they want most, members are enthusiastically out working to get their relatives, friends, neighbors and even teachers to try Signal products.

And once they get them to try Signal gasoline or Signal Motor Oil, these young Junior Salesmen see to it that most of them keep on using Signal Products so they can get credit on "repeat cards" as well as the first cards turned in by their new customers.

Most popular among the prizes which Club Members have selected to work for are the Official Tarzan Leopard Skin Bathing Suit, Pencil-and-Pencil sets, Flashlight, Tarzan Knife, Air Rifle, Tarzan Felt Cap, Tarzan Bow and Arrows and Tarzan Club Emblem.

Over four thousand requests have already been received from Tarzan Club members, indicating the prizes for which they are working.

The special Clan Prizes have also met with a great deal of enthusiasm from Clan members who are working hard to help win a prize for their Clan.

Most popular among Clan Prizes are the Clan flag, Baseball Uniforms, a complete set of Tarzan Books and a Clan Pool Table.

The inclusion of special Clan prizes in the new Contest has done much to stimulate interest in the organization of new Clans, as well as encourage the formation of baseball teams, swimming teams, boxing teams and other athletic groups to engage in summer sports.

 


SIGNAL DEALER NEWS
Vol. 2 No. 6 ~ Published by the Signal Oil & Gas Co. in the interest of its Dealers ~ August, 1933
85,000 CLUB MEMBERS TO GREET TARZAN
IN NEW PICTURE, 'TARZAN THE FEARLESS'
Parades in Each City to Welcome Opening of New Tarzan Serial
The new Tarzan serial picture, "Tarzan the Fearless," will shortly be released 
to theaters all over the Pacific Coast.

The Signal Oil and Gas Company with its Tarzan radio program has just completed arrangements with Mr. Sol Lesser, producer of the new serial, to co-operate on a publicity program to introduce the Tarzan picture in each city where the picture is to be shown.

Briefly, the plan is as follows:
The Signal Oil Company, on its Tarzan radio program, will announce the name of the theatre and the opening date of the new Tarzan picture, "Tarzan the Fearless."

In each city where "Tarzan the Fearless" is to be shown, the theater will run a trailer on the screen, calling attention to the Tarzan radio program and the Signal Tarzan Club.

The Signal Oil Company will then arrange a street parade, of their Tarzan Club members, through the main streets of the city to the local theater featuring the Tarzan picture.

The theater furnishes lobby space for Signal Oil banners, "A" ABoard posters, display of Tarzan Club prizes, membership cards, buttons, etc.

In Los Angeles, where the new picture was first released, a crowd of over 3,000 boys and girls accompanied by three Signal Trucks, a 52-piece Tarzan Club band and Buster Crabbe, who takes the part of Tarzan in the picture, marched from City Hall down Broadway to the Paramount Theater where they jammed the house for the opening episode of "Tarzan the Fearless."

And besides the publicity resulting form the parade itself, street banners, featuring Signal gasoline and the Signal Tarzan Club, hung in the center of the streets in front of the theater, where seen by thousands of motorists and pedestrians passing the Paramount Theater.

Two regulation traffic signals placed directly in front of the theatre, operated on and off with alternating red and green lights, attracted attention to the Company's familiar Signal trademark.

"A" Board poster, placed inside the theater lobby, again reminded the audience that Signal was the gasoline with the "Power of Tarzan" while on the screen a trailer following the Tarzan picture invited the audience to listen in to Signal's "Tarzan" over the radio.

In Ventura, a week later, the same plan was put into effect, resulting in a gain of 1,000 new Tarzan Club members and the addition of several new Signal dealers in this territory.

The plan has proven so successful in these two cities that every effort is being made to extend it into as many other cities as possible throughout the entire Pacific Coast.

As soon as release dates can be obtained each branch office will be notified and the plan of co-operation explained in detail. 

 


SIGNAL DEALER NEWS
Vol. 2. No. 7 ~ Published by the Signal Oil & Gas Co. in the Interest of its Dealers ~ September, 1933
THEATRES PACKED FOR "TARZAN THE FEARLESS,"
GIVE SIGNAL PRODUCTS COAST WIDE ADVERTISING
Great Ovation Given New Picture by Thousands of Tarzan Club Members

Tremendous interest is show as the new picture, "Tarzan the Fearless" is released to theaters all over the Pacific Coast in the new publicity program sponsored by the Signal Oil and Gas Company.

News of "packed houses" and "thousands of new Tarzan Club members" pour in to acclaim the popularity of the new picture.

As a result of the close co-operation between the Signal Oil and Gas Company and the theaters showing "TArzan the Fearless', the publicity has been enormous and in all cases the picture is being shown to capacity houses.

The Hippodrome Theatre, Bakers field, report that they were forced to run three shows on the opening date, SEptember 9, to accommodate the 5,000 children who stormed the doors to see the first showing of the new picture.  Beverly Theatre, Beverly Hills, sends word of a "capacity house and many new members".

In Inglewood, teh United Artists Theatre had a "sell-out" opening day. "The Tarzan Clan members staged a big parade down the main streets of the city and succeeded in adding approximately 3,000 new members to their roster."

The Bards-Colorado Theatre in Pasadena gave a free matinee for Tarzan Club members and their friends a few days before showing "Tarzan the Fearless". On the opening day the doors were jammed as the children tried to make their way into the show. The management reported that they had difficulty in getting the boys and girls out after seeing the show once. They wanted to stay for two or three shows.

The State Theatre at Long Beach and the Ritz in Los Angeles were both filled to the doors and state that "More interest was shown in the picture, the lobby displays, the band and prizes than we have seen displayed in many years."

This gratifying news continues to pour in as the great new picture "Tarzan the Fearless" wins the approval of thousands of kiddies and grown-ups.

In general the procedure of co-operation between the Signal Oil and Gas Co. and the theatre that is to show the picture is as follows:

The theatre runs a trailer on the screen calling attention to the Signal Tarzan radio program and the Signal Tarzan Club. A place is then furnished in the theatre lobby where the Signal Tarzan prizes, posters, membership cards, membership blanks, buttons, etc. are displayed.

Enthusiasm is worked up through the local newspapers and sometimes the theatre gives a free matinee for the youngsters. The Signal Oil Company, on its radio program announces the name of the theatre and the opening date of the Tarzan picture.

On the opening day the Signal Tarzan Band and the Tarzan Club members parade through the main streets of the town, ending up at the theatre featuring the Tarzan picture.

It is expected that one or tow more trailers will be made as the program progresses, directing the attention of the parents to the excellent work the Signal Oil Company is doing through the Signal Tarzan Club.

The program is proving a huge success and bids fair to become one of the most successful publicity programs ever attempted by and oil company.

Release dates of the picture will be found on page 6.


From the Rob Donkers Collection
.


Tarzan Signal Oil Co. Picture Puzzle Premium, depicting a swinging Tarzan and a jungle full of fantastic animals.
This item from the '30s recently sold for  $10,573.00 - a record price for a character puzzle.


Signal Tarzan Club Celluloid Button


Click for larger image
This is a RARE photo showing how big this Radio Club was for kids back in 1932. You can spot Edgar Rice Burroughs standing near the gas pumps.
Also on display are two of the great TARZAN posters for Signal Oil.
In fact, the Radio Show and the SIGNAL OIL TARZAN CLUB was so popular,
SIGNAL had to bow out because they could not keep up with the demands.
Many other products came out of the TARZAN Radio Shows, such as:
TARZAN Flour; TARZAN Ice Cream Cups; TARZAN Bread; TARZAN PEANUT BUTTER --You Name it.
ERB enjoyed the popularity of the Radio Shows (there were 4 series).
He even wrote one which eventually ended up as a book of his in 1964,
THE RED STAR OF TARZAN (TARZAN AND THE FORBIDDEN CITY)and was a Comic Strip Story.
The Strip and Radio Show were under a different name: TARZAN AND THE FIRE OF ASHER.


TARZAN CLUB MEMORABILIA
From the Rob Donkers Collection
Click each image for full size

From the Rob Donkers Collection
The lucky winner of the Signal Oil Tarzan competition 1933 was presented with a wristwatch.
 

.

 In the 1930s, the Signal Oil company sponsored the popular “Tarzan of the Apes” radio show in California.
To promote the series, it commissioned this shot of a young model posing as Tarzan with a real African lion. (1933)

ERB ON THE AIR
A Radio Guide

See more Signal Oil / Tarzan Promotions in
 www.erbzine.com/mag1/0141.html
and
Danton Burroughs' Scrapbook Series
ERBzine No. 1945

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