Official
Edgar Rice Burroughs Tribute and Weekly Webzine Site
Since
1996 ~ Over 15,000 Webpages in Archive
Volume
6312
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
DAILY EVENTS
CONTENTS
CONTENTS
JANUARY WEEK II
January 8 :: January
9 :: January 10
January 11 :: January
12 :: January 13 :: January
14
JANUARY
8
Carson of Venus: Argosy cover, John Coleman
Burroughs art: Burroughs DJ and 5 interiors ~ Map of Amtor
Tarzan's Daring Rescue BLB ~ Tarzan: Across
the Everglades: Gray Morrow strip
*** 1935: Elvis Presley was born on this date. The
Elvis / Tarzan Connection: TARZAN
PRESLEY by award-winning New Zealand author Nigel Cox. Nigel
sent me a review copy before it came out - coincidentally it was published
on Sue-On's birthday - June 3, although quite a few years later in 2004
:) Tarzan Presley was the author's fourth novel
and was a runner-up at the Montana awards the next year.
The book was an imaginative and fascinating
read so I featured it in my ERBzine SWAG pages and and as a news item on
it in ERBzine NEWS. I later collected and displayed a number of reviews
on this award-winning book -- nearly all of them glowing in nature.
Unfortunately, ERB, Inc. eventually
ordered Nigel to cease publication since he was not authorized to use the
Tarzan name. Cox admitted that the episode had upset him. "I did feel bitter,
and then I got over it. There's just no point." The book was notable for
fusing the life story of Elvis Presley and the fictional character
Tarzan
into a single original narrative. It was nominated in the fiction category
of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 2005, where it was judged
runner-up, despite being embroiled in copyright controversy in the United
States. The book was republished in 2011 under a different title -- Jungle
Rock Blues -- and different character names.
Nigel Cox died of cancer not long
after in 2006. The publisher, however, changed the title and resumed publication.
A Collection of Tarzan Presley Reviews
http://www.erbzine.com/mag56/5647.html
Tarzan Presley review in ERBzine SWAG
http://www.erbzine.com/swag/books2.html
ERB News: Tarzan Presley Author Dies
http://www.erbzine.com/news/news16.html
The Hillman Elvis Tribute Site
http://www.hillmanweb.com/elvis
Tarzan Presley Book Covers
http://www.erbzine.com/mag56/tarzanelvis.jpg
*** 1938: The serial of “Carson
of Venus” began in
"Argosy" on Jan. 8, 1938, and ran for a total
of six installments.
The primary location of this story, the third book in
ERB's Venus series, is the kingdom of Korva in the country of Anlap, centered
around the cities of Sanara and Amlot. But there was a brief interlude
at the start of the book where Carson and Duare played capture and escape
with a tribe of people in which women dominated, and the weak men answered
to names such as Lula and Ellie.
The Nazi-like Zanis controlled the city of Amlot and
were besieging Sanara, but with Carson on the job the war was soon won
by the guys with whom Carson was friendly, and he not only won the right
for him and Duare to live in Sanara, but also became the adopted son of
Taman, the new jong of Sanara.
ERB began writing "Carson" in 1937
and the rise of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany influenced him to bring a Nazi-like
regime in as Carson’s new foe. The story is a smorgasbord of satire, with
ERB using his Zani characters to show that much of Nazi practice was ridiculous,
while – at the same time – illustrating the horror of it all.
The Del-Rey paperback of the story shows the copyright
date as 1930 – a neat trick for a book not written until 1937 and not published
for the first time until 1938! Someone with only the Del-Rey paperback
might incorrectly conclude that all of ERB’s Nazi-Zani references were
an amazing bit of prophetic writing!
Some of the things ERB parodies, such as the Nazi greeting,
salute and marching style, were well-known when he wrote the story. However
he is indeed prophetic, in Chapter
10, "The Prison of Death," in which he describes the horrors of
Zani imprisonment and torture, and even includes a furnace where the bodies
of the slain prisoners are cremated. Though the Nazi persecution of the
Jews and others was well under way, in ever-escalating phases in the 30s,
the death camps and furnaces were a thing yet in the future when ERB wrote
this novel.
Assigned to prison staff duty, Carson
was given a tour by a Zani guard who showed him an imprisoned doctor whose
crime was that he had alleviated the agony of an Atorian who was dying
of an incurable disease. “Can you imagine?” asked the guard. Carson’s reply
was far over the head of the guard’s discerning abilities: “I am afraid
that my imagination is permanently incapacitated. There are things that
transcend the limits of a normal imagination. Today you have shown me such
things.”
Carson of Venus: ERBzine Bibliography series
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0750.html
Carson of Venus: Pulp covers in the ERBzine
Pulp Biblio
http://www.erbzine.com/mag2/0229.html
Articles on Amtor
http://www.erbzine.com/mag45/4510.html
Carson of Venus: Read the e-Text edition in
ERBzine
http://www.erbzine.com/craft/v3cv.html
Off-Site Reference
ERB
Summary Project
*** 1942: As the years passed, and more
about the murderous Nazi regime became known, ERB took other shots at them,
and in particular at Hitler. On Jan. 8, 1942, in a “Laugh It Off”
column, ERB wrote:
"THE YANKS ARE COMING! That war cry brought hope to our
embattled allies 24 years ago. As it rings out again today, it brings hope
to the whole world of human beings -- which does not include Hitler and
his stooges.
"It has been
reported that when Adolf is thwarted he flies into a hysterical rage, throws
himself on the floor and chews the edge of the rug. After he heard the
President's promise of 60,000 planes, 45,000 tanks, and 8,000,000 tons
of shipping this year and about twice as many next year, the nazis had
to refurnish the room completely."
(Almost sounds like something he could have written about
Mephis!)
The Laugh It Off columns:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag17/1754.html
*** 1938: "Tarzan and a Daring Rescue,"
a Whitman Big Little Book, is one of those items that is so rare
you seldom see it, and when you do see it, it has a rather high price!
It was copyrighted Jan. 8, 1938, the same date as the first "Carson" installment
in "Argosy," and was a Pan-Am Motor Oil giveaway.
But if you don't have it, you can see the cover as well
as the covers of many other Tarzan BLBs in ERBzine:
Big Little Book Cover Gallery
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0044b.html
...and the inside is 31 illustrations and story adapted
from the Rex Maxon strip, "The Return of Tarzan," and you can see
ALL the Maxon panels in ERBzine:
The Return of Tarzan: The Rex Maxon adaptation in
daily strips
http://www.erbzine.com/mag20/2011.html
*** 1941: Boris Vallejo was
born on this date in Peru. His works SF/Fantasy art is well known
and loved around the world. Boris is famous for his illustrations of Tarzan,
Conan the Barbarian, Doc Savage and many other fantasy characters, as well
as movie poster illustration, advertisement illustration, and artwork for
collectibles, trading cards, and sculpture.
Vallejo works almost exclusively in
the fantasy and erotica genres. His hyper-representational paintings have
appeared on the covers of numerous science fiction and fantasy paperbacks
and are featured in a series of best-selling glossy calendars. Subjects
of his paintings are typically sword and sorcery gods, monsters, and well-muscled
male and female barbarians engaged in battle.
Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell
are married and the two often collaborate on projects. They have worked
on many paintings together for advertising campaigns such as Nike, Inc.,
Coca-Cola, and Toyota.
Boris Cover Art for Ballantine Books
http://www.erbzine.com/mag36/3610.html
Boris Tarzan Cover Art Collage
http://www.ERBzine.com/cards/art/boris3all.jpg
Boris and Julie at Louisville Dum-Dum 2003 Collage
http://www.ERBzine.com/cards/art/borisall.jpg
Off-Site Reference:
Boris Vallejo and
Julie Bell Official Site
*** 2021: Mike Henry, a former
NFL linebacker and actor known for playing Tarzan in the 1960s died on
this date. Henry died at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after many
years of dealing with chronic traumatic encephalopathy and Parkinson’s
disease brought on by the head injuries in the NFL and at the University
of Southern California.He traded football for acting and went on to star
in the Tarzan films of the 1960s and worked alongside Burt Reynolds in
the “Smokey and the Bandit” movies.
Henry grew up in East Los Angeles.
In high school, former city council member John Ferraro saw him play football
and facilitated his tryout for USC’s football team. After college, he was
drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, for which he played from 1958 to 1961.
Wanting to try his luck with acting, Henry requested a transfer to play
for the Los Angeles Rams. In one of his final games as a Ram linebacker,
a producer spotted Henry and asked him to test for the role of Tarzan.
Between 1966 and 1968, he starred in three films based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’
creation: “Tarzan and the Valley of Gold,” “Tarzan and the Great River”
and “Tarzan and the Jungle Boy.”
He is maybe best known for his role
in three “Smokey and the Bandit” action comedies from 1977, 1980 and 1983.
His other movie roles included 1974’s “The Longest Yard,” 1973’s “Soylent
Green,” 1970’s “Rio Lobo” and 1968’s “The Green Berets.” TV roles included
“General Hospital,” “Lou Grant,” “Rhoda,” “Fantasy Island,” “The Six Million
Dollar Man” and “77 Sunset Strip.”
Henry worked behind the scenes in
film and TV for the rest of his professional career until he retired in
1988 as a result of Parkinson’s disease. “You could not find anyone who
ever spoke ill of Mike. He was one of the loveliest men ever to grace this
earth,” said Cheryl Henry, his wife of 36 years. Mike Henry is also a survived
by a daughter, Shannon Noble.
ERBzine's 8-Page Mike Henry Tribute starts at:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1964.html
Tarzan and the Valley of Gold
http://www.erbzine.com/mag2/0210.html
Tarzan and the Great River
http://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1962.html
Tarzan and the Jungle Boy
http://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1963.html
Authorized ERB Universe Novels
http://www.ERBzine.com/erbalive
*** 1984: "Across the Everglades," by Gray
Morrow and Don Kraar, began in newspapers Jan. 8, 1984, and
ran for 12 weeks. I've included all the Morrow Sunday reprints in ERBzine,
including this one:
Across the Everglades: 12 Tarzan Sunday pages by Morrow
and Kraar
http://www.erbzine.com/mag35/3506.html
JANUARY
9
Boys Clubs: Boy Scouts and ERB's Tribe of Tarzan and
Tarzan Clan ~ Return of Tarzan: New Story and 1st. Edition
Back to the Stone Age: JCB DJ art and paperbacks
~ Roof of the World: Gray Morrow Tarzan Strip
*** 1928: In the world of ERB, there's the BSA of Van
and the BSA of Von.
The Van was the Van Nuys News in Southern California,
which carried ERB's byline for several days in late August and early September
of 1928, when it printed a series of articles he had written about the
history of the BSA -- the Boy Scouts of America.
The Von was Willhelm Von Horst,
hero of ERB's late 1930s BSA story -- "Back to the Stone Age."
When it first appeared in print on Jan. 9, 1937, the
latter story was unknowable by the BSA initials, however, since its first
title was "Seven Worlds to Conquer." That was the title used by
"Argosy Weekly"
when it serialized the account over six issues of the
pulp magazine. Emmett Watson did the colour cover for the first
issue and Samuel Cahan provided a black and white interior for each
installment.
Von Horst had been aboard the dirigible, the O-220,
in which Tarzan and others had flown through the polar opening to the Earth's
core, to rescue David Innes from a dungeon in Korsar. Much of the crew
had become temporarily lost in Pellucidar in that story, "Tarzan at
the Earth's Core," but all -- with the exception of Von Horst -- eventually
found their way back to the ship.
BSA detailed the stranded Von Horst's adventures in fighting
his way through peril after peril while winning the heart of the spunky
La-Ja.
ERB had actually taken the name of
the dirigible from his valley phone number.
The ERB / Boy Scouts Connection
http://www.erbzine.com/mag17/1795.html
Back to the Stone Age: ERBzine's C.H.A.S.E.R.
info page on the story
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0745.html
Back to the Stone Age: Read the entire text
in ERBzine
http://www.erbzine.com/craft/p5btsa.html
Off-Site Reference
A
quick summary of the book
*** 2020: Michael Diamond Resnick
(1942.03.05-2020.01.09) was an American science fiction writer born in
Chicago and died on this date of lymphoma. Mike Resnick won an impressive
five Hugos and was nominated for thirty-one more. The Burroughs Bibliophiles
presented him with the Golden Lion Award in 2916. The author of
the Starship series, the John Justin Mallory series, the Eli Paxton Mysteries,
and four Weird West Tales, he has sold sixty-nine science fiction novels
and more than two hundred fifty short stories and edited forty anthologies.
His Kirinyaga series, with sixty-seven major and minor awards and nominations
to date, is the most honored series of stories in the history of science
fiction.
Resnick's "Forgotten Sea of Mars"
was originally published in a fanzine-size magazine with color front and
back cover, as a supplement to Caz's fanzine ERBdom
12. It was authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., and is one
of the best ERB pastiches, reading almost as if ERB himself had written
it. It was meant as a sequel to Llana of Gathol. Mike later adapted
the story, sans ERB characters, for his Ganymede books: Goddess
of Ganymede and Pursuit on Ganymede. It was also included in the 2013 anthology,
"Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs," edited by Resnick and Robert T.
Garcia.
Mike was strongly influenced by the
writings of ERB: "Edgar Rice Burroughs...could pace, he was accessable,
he was a brilliant inventor of languages, and he told emotionally satisfying
morality plays in an action/adventure framework. He had the capacity to
imagine fully-fleshed worlds by the carload. ...no one since then ...has
created a greater number of wildly popular imaginative series. Yes, he
was followed by many better, more subtle, more erudite writers ...most
of whom built upon his foundation...but...he was the first, and he is still
very readable and very popular, and what more need you ask of a pioneer?"
-- Mike Resnick
*** I was thrilled when FORGOTTEN SEA OF MARS came with
my ERB-dom subscription so many years ago back in 1965 -- a great read.
I was a bit frustrated though, when I found that the centre pages were
mis-collated and duplicated. It wasn't for a few more years that a friend
sent me photocopies of the missing pages which I inserted into my original.
Of course, I purchased Mike's Worlds of ERB anthology when it came
out which Mike graciously signed at the 2016 Chicago Dum-Dum. Now both
versions have an honoured place on my ERB bookshelves.
Celebrate Mike's birthdate - March 5, 1942 - at:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag63/6319.html#MARCH5
Mike Resnick GoH at Dum-Dum 2016
http://www.erbzine.com/mag57/5752.html
The Forgotten Sea of Mars and The Burroughs Revival
http://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1931.html
http://www.erbzine.com/mag19/valdronforgottensea.jpg
Mike Resnick Receives the Golden Lion Award
http://www.erbzine.com/mag57/5761.html
Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs
http://www.erbzine.com/mag49/4996.html
*** 1913: Thomas Metcalf was a lot harder to please
than most ERB fans. When ERB submitted his manuscript for a story he titled
"The
Ape-Man" to Metcalf, the editor of "The All-Story" wrote back
with a load of criticism, starting with the fact that he didn't like the
way the story started! And it seems he didn't like much else either.
Fans, though, have always found much to like about the
story, which was retitled as "The Return of Tarzan" when it was
eventually published by Metcalf's rival, "New Story." One of the
things I personally liked was the part where Tarzan and the Waziri follow
the marauding Arabs and start picking the enemy off one by one. Metcalf,
however, found that to be "tedious."
After ERB wrote his Jan. 9, 1913,
cover letter to "My dear Mr. Metcalf," along with the manuscript, only
to receive a wad of Metcalf's picky comments in return, ERB dropped the
niceties and addressed his next letter, simply, "Dear Metcalf." And that
should have proven to Metcalf that ERB was, indeed, a great writer, with
the ability to get his point across even with the shortest of salutations!
The Return of Tarzan: History ~ Art ~ e-Text
http://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0484.html
The Burroughs / Metcalfe Letter Exchanges
www.erbzine.com/mag28/2836.html
*** 2000: "The Roof of the World,"
by Gray Morrow and Allan Gross, began in newspapers Jan. 9, 2000,
and ran for 16 Sundays.
The Roof of the World: 16 Tarzan Sunday pages by Morrow
and Gross:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag34/3485.html
JANUARY
10
Tarzan Escapes: 1935 Film, Adapted to BLBs,
Weissmuller and O'Sullivan Photos, Title Shot, Lost Vampire Scene
John Carter and the Giant of Mars BLB ~ Man
Mountain Dean: Wrestler, US Tank Corps
*** Bob
(Robert Bartow) Lubbers (1922.01.10-2017.07.08) was born in Brooklyn,
Long Island, NY, USA on this date. Bob did comics and comic strips,
best known for his work on Tarzan, Li’l Abner, Long Sam, Secret Agent X-9
and Robin Malone. Later he broke into the field of animatics for
television ad agencies, and even later than that he began creating crossword
puzzles for Newsday and the NY Times Sunday puzzle, where he won an award
for best Sunday crossword in 1995 – his first attempt at cross wording.
In 1950, he was offered the job of
drawing the Tarzan Sunday and daily strips and signed on for a three-year
contract. Of that experience Bob remembered:
"The dream of a lifetime come true -- the big time. But
to me Tarzan was only Foster and Weissmuller. I'd never read a Burroughs
book, had no real insight into Tarzan's character. I was not fully prepared
for this massive step, but did know I wanted to get the feel of Foster.
Plenty of action, interplay with jungle animals, colorful backgrounds and
as many exotic girls as the scripts would allow. So off went the roof of
my detached garage and up went a little studio with a potbelly coal stove
for heat. I dug in full bore, charged with inspiration. Seven-day weeks
were not uncommon in the beginning, but only nine to five. What fun it
was using the (George) Bridgeman tricks -- twisting the figures and animals
into dynamic action drawings. For the first time in my career it was serious
illustration. Some of the vignette panels, sans copy, seem to tell more
of the character of Tarzan I was after than the main frames.
"Dick Van Buren got the scripts to me on time and
we were rolling. When he wrote exotic females into the scripts, it was
fun to reprise some of the fun of those Fiction House cover girls. modified
slightly. The stories could never be truly topical, but played in an amorphous,
Burroughsian time period." "Plenty of action, interplay with jungle animals,
colorful backgrounds and as many exotic girls as Dick?s scripts would allow."
In 1998, Lubbers was honored with
the prestigious Yellow Kid prize at Rome's Expo Cartoon Festival. Sunday
strips by Lubbers were displayed in 2003 at the Tarzan! exhibition at the
Musée du quai Branly in Paris. Writing about his experiences in
the comics industry, his encounters with stars, presidents and models,
his passions for playing music and golf, and his success at devising
crossword puzzles, Lubbers comes across as a genial, big-hearted man, who
has always enjoyed his life and developing a variety of talents.
Bob Lubbers died on July 8, 2017 at
the age of 95.
Bob Lubbers Bio and Guide to all his daily Tarzan
strips reprinted in ERBzine
http://www.erbzine.com/mag48/4855.html
Bob Lubbers Tribute Collage
http://www.erbzine.com/mag48/lubbersall.jpg
Off-Site Reference
Lubbers
in Wikipedia
*** 1936: Back on Nov. 6, 1935, the
MGM film "Tarzan Escapes" was released. Two months later, on Jan.
10, 1936, The
Big Little
Book version of the story was copyrighted. Read the Big Little
Book version
Tarzan Escapes: ERBzine Silver Screen
http://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0618.html
Tarzan Escapes: Adapted to a Big Little Book
http://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0648.html
*** Some of the Big Little Books,
were abridged versions of ERB stories, and some, such as "Tarzan in
the Land of Giant Apes" and "Tarzan and the Journey of Terror,"
were based on Dell comic stories. Five were based directly on movies. In
addition to "Tarzan Escapes," there was "Tarzan
the Fearless," "Tarzan
of the Screen," "New Adventures of Tarzan" and "Tarzan's
Revenge."
My how things have changed! Back then,
after a film played for maybe three or four days at the local theater,
you never saw it again. And after you and your friends had read all of
your comics until the covers and middle pages were missing, it would have
been nice to find a BLB that reprinted the comic story. Today, with old
movies on TV and the internet and DVD copies we can watch just about any
movie any time we want -- including "Tarzan Escapes." It's nice to be so
spoiled!
Tarzan the Fearless: Big Little Book adaptation keyed
onto the web by Bill Hillman
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0596.html
Tarzan of the Screen: Big Little Book adaptation
keyed onto the web by Bill Hillman
http://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0612.html
All about Tarzan (and John Carter) Big Little Books
starting at:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0044b.html
*** For his Jan. 10, 1942, "Laugh
It Off" column, ERB made a note about Man Mountain Dean: "Appropriate:
Man Mountain Dean, the 280 pound wrestler, has enlisted in the tank corps.
I have met a lot of chaps on Oahu who could qualify for the tank corps,
though not necessarily on the strength of avoirdupois." Man Mountain
Dean served both in World Wars I and II.
ERB's "Laugh It Off" columns:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag17/1754.html#10
Off-Site Reference:
Man
Mountain Dean in Wikipedia
*** 1944: Jeffrey Catherine Jones
(1944.01.10-2011.05.19)
was born on this date in Atlanta, Georgia, US.Jones provided more than
150 covers for many different types of books through 1976, as well as venturing
into fine art during and after this time. Frank Frazetta called Jones "the
greatest living painter". The World Fantasy Artist Award of 1986 was among
the many awards received.
Although Jones first achieved fame as simply Jeff Jones
and lived for a time as male, she later changed her name and was legally
recognized as female.
Jones Art for the 1998 Tarzan Calendar
http://www.erbzine.com/mag3/0315.html
JANUARY
11
Sue-On (my Dejah) and I Celebrating my Birthday on
Barsoom: Thomas Yeates art ~ Return of Tarzan:
Monroe DJ art, Africa Map ~ Monster Men: St.
John Art ~ Tarzana Logo ~ Maxon and Celardo Tarzan Strips
*** 1943/1955: Not everyone keeps track of exactly what day
they acquired each ERB book, but Bill Hillman is one who did. "Until
the ACE, Ballantine, and Canaveral editions flooded the market in the '60s,
finding these titles was a major accomplishment for a kid," said
Bill. "With blissful ignorance, I lovingly entered
my name, address and date of purchase into each book as it fell into my
hands."
Two of those dates are Jan. 11, for "The Return of
Tarzan," the 1950s G&D edition, in 1955, and, for "The
Monster Men," the old G&D, in 1958.
The books received on this date were
very special -- they were both birthday presents. The '55 present was unforgetable
as described in ERBzine
6263 We were going through a bit of a stressful time in January
'55 since my grandfather, John Campbell, had just been hospitalized
in serious condition. I sought solace in reading my birthday gift -- a
really exciting Tarzan tale. Curled up on the chesterfield with our pet
cat on my lap, I had reached Chapter XXV: "Through the Forest Primeval,"
when my mom answered the phone. The news was not good -- Grampa had just
died. Mom screamed -- I leaped up and the cat fell from my lap. As the
cat fell, her claws ripped a gash across a page in my new ERB book. I still
have the book and every time I reach page 295 the memories of that day
come rushing back.
List of my ERB books in the order I found them (early
years)
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0006.html
The Return of Tarzan: ERB C.H.A.S.E.R. Biblio
http://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0484.html
The Monster Men: ERB C.H.A.S.E.R. Biblio info
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0756.html
William G. Hillman: A Burroughs Biblio-Pro-Phile
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0573.html
My Return to Tarzan 1955
http://www.erbzine.com/mag62/6263.html
*** 1943: ERBzine's Bill Hillman was
born in Strathclair, MB. Confession: I've been
a lifelong packrat. Through the past 70 years we've amassed two houses
full of family photos and antiques, Chinese art and furniture, stage clothes
and instruments, books, magazines, records, tapes, videos, comics, electronic
stuff . . . and junk.
Most of these treasures are housed in the main floor
and basement levels but there is a smaller trove of treasures that Sue-On,
my very patient and understanding mate of 50 years, has allowed me to move
into our main and guest bedrooms: Our Edgar Rice Burroughs Collectibles.
Since many of these items are
probably of some interest to readers of ERBzine, I'm sharing some photos
of this memorabilia over a few ERBzine pages.
Hillman ERB Library: 7 Web Pages Starting at:
http://www.erbzine.com/hillman
*** 1923: We all know that ERB tried
a variety of occupations before he finally succeeded as a writer, but he
also continued to explore and sometimes try various other occupations after
he became a professional writer, as well. Once, ERB announced that he was
ready to start his own transit system, to be known as The Tarzana Stage
Line. It was on Jan. 11, 1923, when the L.A. Times ran the story
about the "Laird of Tarzana" filing an application with the city.
"I have no desire to go into the
stage line business," he said, "but I am interested in obtaining stage
service across San Fernando Valley. The existing stage line buses go like
h--l, are always crowded, and give no local service, so I thought I'd start
a stage line myself."
Was ERB serious? He was no doubt serious about wanting
stage service, but perhaps, in filing his application, he was not that
serious about starting such a company himself, but more than likely was
lighting a fire under the existing company by raising the specter of competition.
The story states that he would withdraw his application if the existing
company worked out some way of providing the service he desired.
We can imagine that something was
worked out. And so, when ERB gatherings take place in the Tarzana neighborhood
-- alas -- there will be no opportunities for ERB fans to pose for photos
in front of a vintage motor coach with the name "Tarzana" on it.
LA Times Story on ERB
http://www.erbzine.com/mag14/1441.html
*** 1930: Rod
Taylor (1930.01.11-2015.01.07) became famous
across Australia for his performance as Tarzan. In the early '50s Australian
radio imported the Tarzan radio show from America. After they had aired
104 of these episodes they produced 1040 12-minute episodes of their own
serial -- Tarzan, King of the Apes. The series started about 1953 and many
of the storylines were based upon ERB's books. The most intriguing thing
about these shows is that they starred Rod Taylor.
The show aired at 6 p.m. Monday to
Friday in 1954. It was one of many action-adventure serials for young listeners
that were so popular in the 1950s. Other actors took over the Tarzan role
after Rod left the show to become a popular Hollywood film actor.
Rod Taylor as Tarzan on Australian Radio
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0011.html#australia
Tarzan On The Air
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0011.html
Listen to two of the Australian Tarzan Episodes:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/tarzanoz1.mp3
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/tarzanoz2.mp3
*** 1943: "The Revolt of the
Beasts," by Rex Maxon and Don Garden, began Jan. 11, 1943, in
daily newspapers and ran for 58 days. I was born in time to read this Tarzan
strip on that day -- alas, may eyes weren't open yet :)
The Revolt of the Beasts: 58 daily Tarzan strips by
Maxon and Garden
http://www.erbzine.com/mag54/5413.html
*** 1954: "Tarzan and the Ghost"
by John Celardo and Dick Van Buren, began Jan. 11, 1954, in daily newspapers
and ran for 34 days.
Tarzan and the Ghost: 34 daily strips by Celardo and
Van Buren:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag38/3802.html
JANUARY
12
Ron Ely TV Tarzan and Guests: The Supremes ~ Joan
Burroughs: Collage of Family Photos
Tarzan Battling Germans in WWI in Tarzan the Untamed:
Book and Comics ~ Korak Sunday Page: Russ Manning
*** 2002: Jane
Ralston Burroughs (1913.12.08-2002.01.12) died
on this date. Jane was the first wife of John Coleman Burroughs.
She was heavily involved in assisting Jack with his art, co-wrote short
stories with him, and posed for many of his photos and painting. She was
the mother of their three children: John, Danton and Dian.
My first assignment as a professor
at Brandon University before being assigned my own office and classrooms
was to fly into Manitoba's far north to teach Education courses to indiginous
adults. I had just started this four-month teaching stint on a remote Indian
Reservation: Pukatawagan - a university classroom in Manitoba's north.
Danton reached me via satellite phone
to inform me of his mother's death. My mother had also recently died and
we shared our grief in a long tearful conversation. I regretted that it
was impossible for me as the sole professor available in this remote northern
area, to fly to California to be with him at this difficult time. When
I returned to the southland I worked with Dan to create a large Web
tribute to his mom using his scans from her personal photo albums.
Jane Ralston Burroughs: A Multi-Page Tribute
http://www.ERBzine.com/jrb
Jane Burroughs: Model for Dejah Thoris
http://www.erbzine.com/cards/erb/jrball.jpg
Danton Burroughs Tribute
http://www.dantonburroughs.com
Pukatawagan Adventure by Prof. William Hillman
http://www.hillmanweb.com/puk
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/erb/jrball.jpg
*** 1876: Jack
London (1876.01.12-1916.11.22) was born on
this date. Edgar Rice Burroughs admired fellow-author Jack London enormously.
Following the amazing success of his own early writings, ERB's ambition
was to become a rancher-writer, modeling his life on the one that Jack
London had pursued and then abruptly lost due to his sudden death in 1916.
In fact, Burroughs and his family were wintering in California when they
learned of London's death. The two authors had never met or corresponded
but Ed was deeply moved by London's passing. Upon learning of London's
death ERB considered writing a biography of the author but couldn't interest
any magazines in the project.
Back in 2005, expanding upon ERB's
interest in London, I created a series of eight ERBzine Webpages comparing
their lives and careers.
ERB / Jack London Connection: 8 Pages:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag12/1271.html
ERB / Jack London Connection: Photo Collage
http://www.ERBzine.com/cards/erb2/erbjacklondon.jpg
*** 1968: SUPREMES VISIT TARZAN
IN THE TV JUNGLE
The Supremes didn't sing "Baby Love" and they
didn't do the "Baby Elephant Walk" when they played three nuns on episode
#47 of Ron Ely's TV "Tarzan" on Jan. 12 in 1968. As nuns, though,
they paddled their canoe while singing "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore."
That one didn't make it onto their album of "The Supremes Greatest Hits."
They played three nuns who had come to a native village to set up a hospital
and became unwitting pawns in a struggle between the village chief and
a scheming land developer.
Read the Reviews of ALL 57 Episodes of the Ron Ely
Series (1966-1968) plus screen captures
https://www.erbzine.com/mag74/7420.html
REVIEW: 47. The Convert (Malachi Throne ~ Larson,
James Earl Jones ~ Diana Ross & Supremes as Nuns)
https://www.erbzine.com/mag74/7434.html#47
ERB-TV Tarzan Summaries Guests and Dates
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0014.html
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/film4/ronelytvsupremes.jpg
*** 1908: On this date, the history
of Joan Burroughs
(pronounced Jo-Anne by the Burroughs family) began as she was born to Ed
and Emma at Chicago's Park Avenue Hospital. From the ERB
Bio Timeline: "Ed dotes on new baby: Joan is
a son-of-gun, she is THE BOSS of the ranch. She is spoiled, ruined curdled.
But what do we care. We are proud of it."
Just what Joan thought the first time she got a glimpse
of her father hasn't been recorded.
However, on another Jan. 12, in 1942,
ERB described himself in unflattering terms. Writing in his "Laugh It
Off" column, he said, "I had my picture taken
the other day for my press pass. If Chief Gabrielson or the FBI ever sees
it, I'll be wearing horizontal stripes. They are all that it lacks."
Sue-On and I
spent an unforgettable afternoon with Joan, Jim Pierce and Hully during
our 1971visit to Tarzana.
Sadly, we visited Joan and Jim's
gravesite a few years later at Forest Hills Cemetery ~ Shelbyville, Indiana.
Joan Burroughs Bio in ERBzine in 5 giant Webpages
http://www.erbzine.com/mag11/1102.html
Jim and Joan Burroughs Pierce Gravesite
https://www.erbzine.com/mag13/1385.html
1971 Tarzana Visit with Joan, Jim and Hully
https://www.erbzine.com/mag1/0192.html
https://www.erbzine.com/mag1/0193.html
ERB Bio Timeline
http://www.ERBzine.com/bio
ERB Celebrates Baby Joan's Birth with Cartoons and
Photos
https://www.erbzine.com/cards/erb5/joanburroughs1stborn1908all.jpg
Joan Burroughs Early Years Collage
http://www.erbzine.com/cards/joanall.jpg
*** 1934: In the same column, ERB
wrote:
"It is reported that Nazi morale is going
-- probably to join their morals, which have always been gone."
Yes, ERB had reason to be a bit miffed at some Germans,
and the onset of World War II didn't help matters. Many years earlier,
he had written a brief article about his book-writing career and several
newspapers had run it, including "The Tacoma News Tribune" on Jan.
12, 1934.
Among other things, ERB wrote in that
article: "In Germany he (Tarzan) aroused the jealousy
of a publisher because of his popularity, and this good sportsman dug up
a story that I had written during the heat of anti-German propaganda in
this country following the sinking of the Lusitania. He had a book written
and published, telling all about the two horrible creatures, Tarzan of
the apes and Edgar Rice Burroughs; and he distributed it so effectively
that the German press made Tarzan an issue, lambasting him editorially
and advising all good Germans to throw their Tarzan books into the garbage
cans -- which they did."
The German issue cropped up periodically
during ERB's career. On another Jan. 12, in 1928, he "...expresses
bewilderment to his publisher that his name is not in Publishers' Weekly
list of the ten most popular authors in America. By all reports, his book
sales are among the three highest in the country. He attributes this rejection
to the snobbishness of the literary intelligentsia and the German furor
against some of his books."
The ERB/German Incident
http://www.erbzine.com/mag32/3294.html
The News Tribune Article:
www.erbzine.com/mag17/1788.html
*** 1969: "Korak and the Elephant Girls,"
by Russ Manning, began Jan. 12, 1969, and ran
for 20 Sundays.
Korak and the Elephant Girls: 20 Weekly Sunday Pages
http://www.erbzine.com/mag17/1762.html
JANUARY
13
Edgar Rice Burroughs photos from WWII: Oldest WWII
Press Correspondent ~ Painting by son John Coleman
Tennis with Burnsides and Hully ~ Canteen ~ Press
Briefing ~ New Caledonia
*** 1921: ERB started writing
The Chessmen of
Mars . . . a project he wouldn't complete until November. Before
beginning this major project he said, "Played one
game of chess with Shea. Won. If scientific theories are correct it is
more of an honour to lose at chess than win. I do not recall ever having
lost a chess game — though I have played but few times. . . ." He
obviously put much thought and effort in the writing of this book -- even
inventing a game of Martian Chess: Jetan.
This was the first Mars book that
I found and read back in 1954, so it has a special place in my mind and
ERB collection. I had salvaged it from a school waste basket and became
enthralled by St. John's depiction of headless creatures and the idea of
chess battles to the death on a giant board in a huge arena. It so intrigued
me that I made my own board, complete with Jetan game pieces. It was pretty
crude as one might expect from an 11-year-old farm kid, but I pestered
everyone in our household and school to learn the rules and challenge me
to games.
Over six decades later, arriving just
two days after my January 11th birthday, a wonderful gift arrived from
sculptor/artist/writer James Spratt: a beautiful
set of Jetan pieces that he had sculpted along with a hand-crafted
board. This set is very similar to the one that used to be on display in
George
McWhorter's collection at the University of Louisville . . . the big
difference being that I haven't gotten around to painting my pieces yet.
This amazing set is a good incentive for pestering everyone again to be
my Jetan partner :)
Sadly, James passed away a few years
back, but my ERBzine tributes to his Jetan creations, as well as
the serialization of, his graphic interpretation of A
Princess of Mars are proudly displayed on my Website.
Chessmen of Mars: History, Art and Rules
http://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0426.html
Jetan Set: Hillman Collection ~ Splash Bar Collage
http://www.ERBzine.com/cards/art2/jetanspratt.jpg
James Spratt Jetan Features
http://www.erbzine.com/mag11/1148.html
http://www.erbzine.com/mag11/1149.html
http://www.erbzine.com/mag11/1147.html
Exploring Jetan By Fredrik Ekman
http://www.erbzine.com/mag70/7030.html
The Rules of Jetan by Fredrik Ekman
http://www.erbzine.com/mag70/7030a.html
Princess of Mars: Adapted by writer/artist James Spratt
http://www.erbzine.com/mag13/1301.html
*** 1942: ERB's "Laugh It Off"
column would continue to run in the "Honolulu Star Bulletin" through
Jan. 28, 1942. Here's some of what he wrote on Jan. 13:
"These," said a man finishing a
midnight snack during blackout, "must be a new brand of sardines. They
had a different flavor." His wife turned her flashlight on the empty can.
"That was canned dog food, you sap," she said. "You have eaten Fifi's breakfast."
A young seaman
was bending over his work below deck on the morning of December 7 when
something hit him in the seat of his pants. He wheeled around and swung
a haymaker for the chin of the fresh guy, only to find that there was no
one there. Then he felt around and pulled a shell fragment out of his trousers.
It had come in through an open porthole.
From a letter signed only "Sylvia":
"The
reason the war is 'running out' on you, is that you live at a hotel where
there are flunkies to do the blackout and air raid shelter work." Sister,
we ain't got any air raid shelters; and the flunkies are so busy laying
out our evening clothes and putting studs in our dress shirts that they
haven't had time to dig 'em.
Sylvia also says that some of us
guys who have been released from guard duty and have nothing to do should
volunteer to dig shelters for defense workers who are employed all day
long. That is a sound suggestion, and I am sure that the proper authorities
would receive generous response from men physically able to do this work.
Sylvia again: "I
don't suppose that you resemble Tarzan: but if you can play tennis, you
can dig." If you could see my tennis dear, you might change your mind.
Furthermore, I dug my quota of ditches in Arizona for the commanding officer
of the 7th cavalry, probably before Sylvia's father was born; and I ain’t
digging no more ditches. However, if anyone wants to dig a ditch, I'll
loan him a shovel and help him grunt.
The Laugh It Off Columns:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag17/1754.html
*** Speaking of ERB's tennis, in
a letter a few days before the Jan. 13 column, ERB had written to daughter
Joan and said, "Hulbert and I manage to get in from
three to five sets of tennis every day. It helps to keep us in condition.
"Our partners
are usually Cecil Burnside, whose husband is a submarine commander, and
'Duke' Wylie (sic), a Mainland business man stranded here like myself.”
The photo accompanying this post shows
the foursome of, from left, Hulbert, Willey (Wylie), Deedee "Cecil" Burnside,
and ERB. From the photos sent to me to share in ERBzine.
Rare Wartime Photos from the Deedee (Cecil) Burnside
Collection
http://www.erbzine.com/mag41/4139.html
*** The World War II history book, "Silent Victory,"
by Clay Blair Jr., mentions Cecil’s husband several times. Lt. Commander
John L. "Johnny" Burnside was skipper of the USS Saury, SS-189, a Sargo-class
submarine named for the long-beaked relative of the flying fish, found
in the temperate regions of the Atlantic.
The Saury was in Manila when Pearl
Harbor was attacked and immediately began the first of three patrols under
Burnside. A patrol could last from one to two months, on average.
The Saury seemed to be out of luck
in engaging the enemy, its orders taking it to areas where action may have
been anticipated but didn't materialize. On a couple of occasions, when
the Saury did have an opportunity to fire torpedoes at Japanese destroyers,
it missed. That may not have been the Saury's fault. The book notes: "The
war had shown some deficiencies in U.S. submarines. The most serious...were
torpedo problems. It was now clear that the Mark XIV was running deeper
than set and that the magnetic exploder was not always reliable. The H.O.B.
engines had not borne the test of combat well; those boats with H.O.B engines
would ultimately receive Wintons or Fairbanks-Morses as replacements."
[Burnside's Saury was one of those with the less than efficient engines.]
The Saury under Burnside did have
some close calls, when it had to dodge depth charges from Japanese destroyers.
Eventually Burnside was moved to surface
ships and the Saury assigned to someone else. With its upgraded power,
it went on to sink several ships and win seven battle stars.
Cecil was spared the loss of her husband in combat. Unfortunately,
however, he contracted Hodgkin's disease, spent most of the rest of the
war in hospitals, and passed away on Oct. 9, 1946, more than a year after
the war ended.
JANUARY
14
ERB Poem, Article and Colourized Photo featured in
ERBzine ~ Tarzan and the Golden Lion: James Pierce
Tarzan Radio Show: Starring Jim and Joan as Tarzan
and Jane ~ Tarzan the Fearless: Film, Strips, BLB
*** 1929: James Pierce said his one outing as the
ape-man in "Tarzan and the Golden Lion" helped to kill his film
career, since he had been typecast. He almost got a chance to be in another
Tarzan film, though. On Jan. 14, 1929, ERB inked a contract with two moviemakers
-- G. Walter Shumway and Jack C. Nelson, for a new film to be titled "Tarzan
the Fearless." ERB made sure that the contract specified that Pierce,
who had become his son-in-law, would get the title role.
However, along came Sol Lessor
in 1932. Lessor bought out the contract and gained the right to cast whomever
he wanted. Pierce had apparently put on a few pounds and had less-toned
muscles, so Lessor wasn't anxious to use him. He gave him a perfunctory
screen test, though, and then said to Pierce, "Don't call us. We'll call
you. And by the way, don't call yourself Tarzan." (or something like that...)
*** James Pierce was further typecast when he and his
wife Joan (ERB's daughter) were signed to star as Tarzan and Jane in a
series of 1932 radio shows. Through the years I've collected thousands
of radio shows from '20s-'60s. My first acquisition were 77 episodes of
their 1932 Tarzan series. In 1972, when Sue-On and I met
the Pierces in Tarzana they said that they hadn't heard these shows
for decades. When we returned home to Canada I sent them tape reel copies
of the shows. Some time later I was surprised to receive a huge box of
Burroughs edition books and dust jackets from Tarzana. They've become favourite
items in my ERB collection.
Listen to my 77 Tarzan Radio Shows starring Jim Pierce
and Joan Burroughs.
http://www.erbzine.com/mag27/2728.html
Tarzan and the Golden Lion: Silent film starring James
Pierce
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0591.html
Tarzan the Fearless: ERBzine Silver Screen entry
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0595.html
Hillmans Visit Jim and Joan Pierce in Tarzana
http://www.erbzine.com/mag1/0193.html
*** 1933: "Tarzan the Fearless"
isn't near the top of many fans' lists of favorite Tarzan stories, but
it has had a remarkable number of encores in various formats. It was originally
a 12-chapter serial,
released in 1933, but the first four episodes were edited into a movie
with the same title.
Read the serial's Chapter One script
that I've keyed into my ERBzine pages to share with readers. "Tarzan
the Fearless" has also been available as a Big Little Book by Whitman,
featuring stills from the film; a magazine-size paperback by L.W. Currey,
Inc., and VHS and DVDs by any number of companies with a variety of sleeve
and clamshell art.
The Maxon comic story in the Currey book includes
Dr. Brooks and his daughter Mary, characters from the movie-serial, but
also uses characters with other names and different settings.
Tarzan the Fearless: Serial
http://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0599.html
Tarzan the Fearless: Serial Script for Ch. One
http://www.erbzine.com/mag45/4581.html
Tarzan the Fearless: Big Little Book
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0044b.html
Tarzan the Fearless: 96 Daily comic strip adaptation
by Rex Maxon
http://www.erbzine.com/mag40/4064.html
*** 1939: At least one of Tarzan's
adventures was never printed in the official canon, but found its way into
print, instead, via "Rob
Wagner's Script," the magazine for which ERB is well-known for having
written several short detective mysteries.
But Tarzan himself made his appearance in "Script" on
Jan. 14, 1939, in a story titled "Even
Apes Fight For It." The story was not identified as a Tarzan story,
but began with a peaceful jungle scene featuring an ape tribe and such
other Tarzan novel characters as Tantor, Numa and Usha. The head ape, Um-Gah,
goes on a rampage and a "jungle lord" arrives to stop him. Near the end
of the story it is revealed that this jungle man is Tarzan himself. And
then there's another surprise revelation -- which explains why the story
was written in the first place!
"Even Apes Fight For It" in Script Magazine
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0080.html
*** 1914: With a few books already
under his belt, ERB broke into new territory on Jan. 14, 1914, when he
finally saw some of his poetry published. "The Chicago Tribune"
did the honors with "Nay, It Hath Not Gone" which carried the byline
of
Normal Bean.
Nay, It Hath Not Gone: Poem by ERB
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0003.html#10.
NAY, IT HATH NOT
Poems by ERB
http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0003.html
This and other poems from ERBzine's 1996 ERB Poetry collation
that Danton and I were collating for future publication. They were reprinted
in the book ERB Tells All (without Danton Burroughs' approval)
ERB Tells All
http://www.erbzine.com/mag51/5123.html
*** 1919: ERB was excited about
his move to California where he planned to become a rancher and to raise
swine. The permanence of this removal to Los Angeles was without question;
included in the travelling assemblage were two canary birds and the Airedale
terrier Tarzan, and on January 14, 1919, Ed informed Arch Burdick, his
insurance agent, that he was shipping the household furniture and the Packard
automobile. In trying to allay the concern of his mother about the
separation, Ed wrote, "You must not feel that you are not going to see
us again as we have been planning on having you and Mrs. Hulbert out as
soon as we are located in California."
*** 1913: In his workbook Ed prepared three
sheets for "At the
Earth's Core," the first a glossary of characters and locations,
the second a typed list of categories — characters, animals, tribes, and
geographical places with the chapters and page numbers where they are first
mentioned, and the third, dated January 14, 1913, containing data about
the Inner World.
On the sheet Ed listed what seemed
to be alternate titles for the story. He typed the words "interior," "buried,"
"abysmal," "subterranean," "entombed," "intombed," and "sepulchral" (i.e.
"Interior World," "Buried World," etc. were the possibilities). The dimensions
of the "Inner World" were shown — area, diameter, circumference, etc. as
compared to the earth. The measurements of "The Inner World" were smaller
than the earth, and the land and water areas were reversed. "The
Inner World" contained 3/4 land or 124,110,000 sq. mi., and water,
or 41,370,000 sq. mi. Ed showed the earth as 53,000,000 sq. mi. of land
and 144,000,000 sq. mi. of water.
On the same sheet the speed of the
prospector was listed as follows: 611 feet per minute; seven miles per
hour; 167 miles per day; 500 miles in three days. There is also a table
of "Order of Stratification" showing the various epochs and periods. Ed
had noted, "Igneous, or iruptive rocks running through all." A handwritten
note states, "The Mahars are Rhamphorynchi, a genus of pterosaurs."
At the Earth's Core: History ~ Art ~ Info
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0741.html
Pellucidar Map
http://www.erbzine.com/mag7/pelmap.jpg
ERB Bio Timeline and Porges
http://www.ERBzine.com/bio
VISIT THE PHOTO ALBUM FOR JANUARY WEEK TWO
http://www.ERBzine.com/mag63/6312pics.html
DAILY EVENTS
CONTENTS
www.ERBzine.com/events
BILL
HILLMAN
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