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ERB 100-Word Drabbles & Events
MAY VII Edition :: Days 1-15
by Robert Allen Lupton
Next Go to Days 16-30 at ERBzine 8061a
With Collations, Web Page Layout and ERBzine Illustrations and References by Bill Hillman
May 1: On this day in 1919, Red Book published the third installment, “The Golden Locket,” of “Tarzan the Untamed.” As was Redbook’s policy at the time, the cover was a painting of a beautiful woman by Haskin Coffin. “The Golden Locket” had interior illustrations by Charles Livingston Bull, who did a total of 25 illustrations for the serialization of the novel.Albert Payson Terhune contributed a story to the issue. The short story, “It Happened in China” by William Ashley Anderson had an interior illustration by J. Allen St. John.Everything that you need to know about “Tarzan the Untamed,” its publishing history, an electronic version of the novel, and numerous illustrations abide at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0493.htmlThe thing that I most remember about “Tarzan the Untamed,” is the body count. Tarzan believes that Jane has been murdered and his home has been burned by the German army. He embarks on a quest of revenge and kills every German soldier he can find and he finds a lot of them. The Red Book serialization of “Tarzan the Untamed” was combined with “Tarzan and the Valley of Luna” to make up what was published as the novel, “Tarzan the Untamed.” The tenor of the two halves is very different. The vengeful Tarzan of Untamed becomes a more contemplative and withdrawn person in “The Valley of Luna.” He decides to stop seeking vengeance and to abandon mankind and live in the jungle.The drabble for today is “Vengeance is Mine,” and it was inspired by the novel, “Tarzan the Untamed.”
VENGEANCE IS MINE
Tarzan tracked down Major Schneider, a German officer who Tarzan believed burned his home and killed Jane.“My name is Tarzan, Lord Greystoke. You killed my wife. Prepare to die.”Schneider struggled. “I understand that you seek revenge, but remember what the Bible says, “ Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord.”
“Agreed. Am I not the Lord of the Jungle?"“Not the same. Are you going to kill me?”Tarzan said, “No, I won’t kill you, but like the Biblical Daniel, you’ll be thrown into the lion’s den.”“That’s cruel.”“I know. I hope you don’t make the lion sick.”
<>YOU CALL THIS A RESCUE<>May 2: On this day in 1964, “Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine” reprinted “The Battle for Teeka” from “Jungle Tales of Tarzan” as “Tarzan, Jungle Detective.” Proving the timelessness of Burroughs’s work, “The Battle for Teeka” was first published in Blue Book magazine as the tenth installment of the series of short stories that became “Jungle Tales of Tarzan."
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<>Publishing details, illustrations, and a complete Ebook are available at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag4/0492.htmlTarzan discovered live bullets in his deceased father's cabin, and took them with him. Teeka, a female ape (Mangani) who was Tarzan’s first love and still his friend, ends up with the bullets. Teeka was kidnapped by an ape from another tribe and Tarzan and Taug, Tarzan’s rival for Teeka, join forces to rescue her. When they find her, they are surrounded by the entire enemy tribe and nearly overwhelmed. Teeka flung the cartridges at her kidnappers in an apparently futile effort to help. When some of them hit the rocks, they explode, frighten her captors, and save her "rescuers." As they say, it’s better to be lucky than good.The drabble for today, “You Call This A Rescue,” was inspired by Tarzan, Jungle Detective, aka “The Battle for Teeka.” A tip of the hat to “Star Wars: A New Hope.”
YOU CALL THIS A RESCUE
Teeka was kidnapped by another tribe. Tarzan and Taug tracked them and tried to save her, but were surrounded by the angry tribe.
Teeka said, “You came for me. I hope you brought some help?”“No, just the two of us,” said Tarzan.“Aren’t you a little short for a great ape. What’s your plan?”“Kill everybody that isn’t you and leave.”“Stupid. You came here without a plan for getting out.”Taug shrugged, “Tarzan’s the brains.”Teeka threw live bullets at her captors. They exploded and frightened them away.She said, “Someone has to save our skins. Follow me.”
TARZAN, PUTS ONE IN READINESS FOR A LAUGH
May 3: Happy Birthday to my granddaughter, Felicity. and years ago On this day in 1920, Edgar Rice Burroughs sold the theatrical rights for Tarzan of the Apes and The Return of Tarzan to a British theatrical company. Ed was paid a $1000.00 advance and was to receive ten percent of the profits. Tarzan of the Apes was a moderate success and the play eventually made it to New York City where it was very unsuccessful. The Return of Tarzan was never produced.Little can be found about the British production, but details about the American production at the Broadhurst Theatre may be reviewed at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag15/1568.htmlThe Broadhurst “Tarzan” starred Ronald Adair as Tarzan, Ethel Dwyer as Jane, and Greta Kemble Cooper as Lady Alicia Clayton.Today’s 100-word drabble is excerpted from a review of the New York play published on September 8/ 1921 in the New York Tribune, titled “Tarzan , Puts One in Readiness for a Laugh.”
TARZAN, PUTS ONE IN READINESS FOR A LAUGH
“A great deal of the play is gibberish. Last night’s audience for a time made polite efforts to refrain from laughter at what was manifestly intended t be serious business, but it was not equal to the test. The role of Tarzan was too great a responsibility upon Ronald Adair. According to the book, Tarzan is as handsome as a god, tall as a giant, as lightfooted as a gazelle and agile as a monkey, while his favorite promenade was through the upper avenues of the treetops. Mr. Adair didn’t quality in any respect, except in a booming, hairy tone.”
LIVE LONG AND PUTREFY
May 4: Happy Star Wars Day, On this day in 1997, Episode #19, “Tarzan and the Beast of Dunali, Tarzan: the Epic Adventures,” was broadcast. Joe Lara starred as Tarzan and Willian Tannen directed.Details about this episode and all the episodes of the series are available at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0014a.htmlAn apelike creature is killing young women in Dunali. Tarzan comes to the town, which looks like the setting for a Sergio Leone western instead of a village in Africa. He insists that the killer is not a gorilla. The villagers attack Tarzan for his belief.Tarzan later discovers that the coroner, Dr. Wheeler, has been killing the women while testing his “immortality serum.” He’s injected himself and in the best tradition of Mr. Hyde or Batman’s “Two Face,” he’s become a monster. He offers to share the serum with Tarzan and change him into an immortal anthropoid hominid. Tarzan declined and the two fought. Fighting Tarzan never turns out well for the bad guys.The 100-word drabble for today is “Live Long and Putrefy,” inspired by the episode, “Tarzan and the Beast of Dunali.”
LIVE LONG AND PUTREFY
Tarzan said, “Your vile and dangerous experiments killed several women.”“A necessary sacrifice,” replied Dr. Wheeler. “Their deaths ensured my immortality.”“Have you looked in a mirror. You’re one butt-ugly man. Half your face looks like elephant poop.”“Appearance is a small price to pay to live forever. Join me. My serum will make us both immortal arthropod humanoids.”“If your serum makes me as ugly as you are, I’ll pass. If I had a face like yours, every day would seem like forever.”Wheeler snarled, “Better an ugly face than an ugly mind.”Tarzan growled, “Doctor, you’ve got both!”
TRAVEL TIME
May 5: On this day in 1966, “Tarzan and the Trappers” premiered on television in the United States.In the 1950s, Sol Lesser formed a Tarzan television production company. After a legal battle with Walter of Commodore Productions and Artists, Inc., who was the producer of the Tarzan radio show, the parties arrived at a mutually agreeable cash settlement that was finalized in 1958. Production on a Tarzan television starring Gordon Scott began. Only three episodes were filmed and they were edited together to create the feature “Tarzan and the Trappers”. One interesting note is that the since the show was intended for television, Tarzan and Jane had separate treehouses. Word was that Tarzan hated the commute.Details about Tarzan and the Trappers, along with several photographs: https://www.erbzine.com/mag19/1956.htmlThe cobbled together film featured Gordon Scott as Tarzan, Eve Brent as Jane, and Ricky Sorensen as “Boy.”he drabble for today, “Travel Time,” was inspired by the sleeping arrangements in the film, “Tarzan and the Trappers.”
TRAVEL TIME
Tarzan came home from the jungle and discovered that Jane had built a new treehouse. He asked, “Why do we need another treehouse.”
“It’s where I’m going to sleep. You’ll sleep in the old treehouse. We’re gonna be on television and you and I need t have separate treehouses. Even Ricky Ricardo and Lucy sleep in separate beds.”
Tarzan grumbled. “I really hate this plan."“It’s for the audience. It will be fine.”“It won’t be fine. I have a long commute to Opar every single day and I’ll be a monkey’s uncle if I’m going to commute every night!”
ONE MORE INTO THE BREECH
May 6: Star Wars Day part two, “May the Sith be With You. On this day in 1940, the Honolulu Advertiser published an interview with Edgar Rice Burroughs.I’ve been unable to find the entire interview, but www.erbzine has the following quotation from the article:“I work just the same as any manufacturer . Sometimes I get disgusted with myself. When you've written a book about a character and told all yo can about him and then have to write about twenty more it gets to be a chore. I'd rather write along different lines... historical novels, for instance, but I've been typed! ... I guess I've always wished I could do the things Tarzan does, but now it's too late in life..”ERB wasn’t the only writer to grow weary with writing adventures about the same character again and again. Arthur Conon Doyle tried to kill Sherlock Holmes. Agatha Christie came to hate Hercule Poirot and Louise May Alcott was more than a little worn out with writing about the Little Women. Lewis Carrol (Charles Dodson) said that he wished he’d never written about “Alice in Wonderland.”For the record, after the interview only three more Tarzan novels were published and two of those were previously written. “Tarzan and the Foreign Legion” was released in 1947, “Tarzan and the Madman” in 1964 (The book was written prior to the 1940 interview), and “Tarzan and the Castaways” in 1965. (The first 2/3rds of which were written in 1939).` The fictional one hundred-word drabble for today, “Once More Into the Breech,” was inspired by the Edgar Rice Burroughs interview in the Honolulu Advertiser and by authors who grew tired of their own creations.
ONE MORE INTO THE BREECH
The writer for the Honolulu Observer asked, “Mr. Burroughs, if I understand correctly, you’re saying that you don’t want to write any more Tarzan novels.”
“I didn’t say that wouldn’t be another. Of course there will. What I said was I wanted to write other things. I’ve written westerns, contemporary novels, and newspaper articles, but folks just want to read another Tarzan book.”
“So does that mean that we’ll never see another Tarzan novel.”“Of course there will be. He’s my jewel vault of Opar. Bills have to be paid and Tarzan is the hardest working man that I know.”
GET BACK UPMay 7: On this day in 1940, Edgar Rice Burroughs toured Pearl Harbor and the USS California, a ship which would be sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, refloated, and repaired to join the war effort.
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GET BACK UP
Edgar Rice Burroughs and his son, Hulbert, watched the Pearl Harbor attack. Ed said, “The California’s damaged, but afloat."
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET
May 8: On this day in 1964, Practical English Magazine published the article, “Meanwhile, Back in the Treetops,” by Margaret Ronan, possibly the most inaccurate and error-filed article written about Tarzan. One example is in the drabble below. Tarzan didn't teach himself to speak English. He taught himself to read English and his friend, D'Arnot taught Tarzan to speak French.The entire article has been faithfully reproduced for your reading pleasure at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag14/1433.htmlThe 100-word drabble for today, all drabbles are exactly 100 words by definition, is “Faster Than A Speeding Bullet,” and it is excerpted from the article by Margaret Ronan.
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET
What's that whooshing through the trees overhead? Is it a bird? Is it a monkey? Is it Superman? No, it's Lord Greystroke, better known to most people as Tarzan of the Apes.
There’ve been Tarzan sweaters, Tarzan bubble-gum cards, Tarzan ice cream, and Tarzan bread.
Tarzan is undeniably a "superman" character, but some of the feats Burroughs had him accomplish were super-superhuman. For example, Tarzan finds some discarded books at an abandoned camp site. He can speak only the language of apes up to this point, yet he uses the books to teach himself to read and speak perfect English!
WORTH A THOUSANDS WORDS
May 9: On this day in 1932, Edgar Rice Burroughs appeared on stage at a Los Angeles theatre with Maureen O’Sullivan and Tarzan, the Ape Man director, W. S. Van Dyke. The successful film had premiered in New York on March 22, 1932, about seven weeks earlier. The general release date was April 2, 1932.There is very little information about this publicity event. I couldn’t find any information other than the date. No photographs, no specific theatre, and no information about what was said and by whom.Countless details and photos about the 1932 film are chronicled at https://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0611.htmlThe 100-word drabble for today, “Worth a Thousand Words,” is excerpted from a post on the International Movie Data Base website by Australian David Atfield.
WORTH A THOUSANDS WORDSIt’s in the silent action sequences that the film really flies. Often, it gets bogged down in static sound sequences. There’s the usual problem with early talkies - too little music. It makes me think what a great silent film this would have been. Van Dyke was a first-rate visual director with many impressive silent films like "The Pagan." If we could now just sit back and watch this sexy action film without talking and sound effects, just a great music score, this film could be considered a masterpiece. But then I guess we wouldn’t have heard Tarzan's famous cry.
TO BID OR NOT TO BID
May 11: On this day in 1930, Edgar Rice Burroughs’s diary entry indicates that he has just originated a new card game that he called '83' (or "Tarzana')." He wrote a ten-page manuscript, "Tarzana Bridge," to describe the card game. ERB submitted the idea and booklet to Metropolitan as a potential promotion but nothing came of it. The ten-page manuscript remains unpublished. Burroughs loved playing bridge and he was playing bridge in Hawaii when the D-Day invasion began. Since the manuscript remains unpublished, we can only make guesses about the rules and scoring. We don’t know how Tarzan Bridge differs from standard Bridge or Whist or even Hearts or Spades for that matter.Some information about “Tarzana Bridge” is to be found at: https://www.erbzine.com/bio/years30.htmlThe drabble for today, “To Bid or Not to Bid,” was inspired by “Tarzana Bridge.” No details about the game are known and the details contained in the drabble are pure conjecture and are presented for the entertainment of the writer and the reader.
TO BID OR NOT TO BID
Hulbert Burroughs said, “Dad, I’ve questions about Tarzana Bridge."“Ask away.”“It says that before bidding, each player passes three cards to their right.”“Like in hearts. The suit order is different. Hearts for love, then diamonds. Spades is the lowest suit, signifying death.”
“Love’s good. Death seems morbid.”“If you bid all thirteen tricks, that’s a Grand Opar.”“Named for the city of gold and jewels.”“Another rule is that before playing the card taking the thirteenth trick or the one defeating the Grand Opar, the player must do the Tarzan yell.”
“I bet that’ll wake up the neighbors.”
NOT A COLD DEAD THING
May 12: On this day in 1923, “Argosy All-Story Weekly” published the second installment of The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs. “The Moon Maid” wasn’t featured on the cover, which was an illustration for the first installment of the novel, “Red Clay,” by Evelyn Campbell. The artist was Stockton Mulford. Max Brand was also a contributor to this issue.“The Moon Maid” is the second of three parts of the novel also titled, “The Moon Maid. While it is part one, it was written after the second part, “Under the Red Flag,” aka “The Moon Men.”In this rousing tale of lunar exploration, Edgar Rice Burroughs explores reincarnation and “ serial memory, where the current incarnation has the memories of all incarnations, past and present. We also get women who can fly, centaur wannabes who crave meat, including humans and flying women, and of course, love and treachery.If your reading of Edgar Rice Burroughs has been limited to Tarzan and the Barsoom books, this is one you really should read.Publishing details, countless illustrations and a complete electronic version of the complete novel: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0767.htmlThe 100 -word drabble for today. “Not a Cold Dead Thing,” is excerpted from a pre-publication advertisement for “The Moon Maid” published in “Argosy All-Story Weekly.”
NOT A COLD DEAD THING
Author of the Tarzan tales and Martian stories, whose remarkable imagination has enthralled millions, reaches into interplanetary space in his latest fascinating serial and tells a story of adventurous earth men who brought their loves and haves to the moon.
The earth’s satellite seems a cold dead thing spinning drearily in airless space. The mind of Mr. Burroughs, going forward into the future, takes this unpromising bit of stellar waste, uncovers its secret, peoples it with strange races, and relates a vivid, gripping story of when the men from another world entered its life. The tale’s called “The Moon Maid.”
OFFICER MATERIAL
May 13: On this day in 1896 , Edgar Rice Burroughs enlisted in the United States Army after resigning his post as assistant commandant from the Michigan Military Academy.After his graduation, from the Michigan Military Academy he was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point by a member of the United States House of Representatives, Edgar Wilson, but he failed his entrance examination and did not enter the Academy.He then went back to the Michigan Military Academy in 1895, and served as assistant commandant for less than a year. He abruptly resigned his position, and with his father’s permission, on May 13, 1896, he enlisted in the US Cavalry at the age of twenty.He signed up with the U.S. Army as a buck private in the hopes of eventually becoming an officer. Being a natural horseman Ed got his wish and was assigned to the Seventh United States Cavalry (General Custer's old regiment) stationed at Fort Grant, Arizona Territory.The fictional drabble for today is ‘Officer Material,” inspired by Burroughs enlistment in the Army.
OFFICER MATERIAL
The Sergeant said, “Private Burroughs, you had a cushy job at a military academy. In God’s name, why did you resign and enlist?”
“Those who can’t do, teach. I thought I could do. Besides, I’ll be promoted. I should be an officer.”“Right, and I should be the President.”“I expect a battlefield promotion.”“I expect you to peel these potatoes. Battlefield promotions to an officer require that an officer be killed in battle. That’s unlikely these days. After Custer’s Last Stand, officers tend ride their desk rather than their horse.
Never saw a captain die from a paper cut.”
THE GOOD FIGHT
May 14: On this day in 1925, Edgar Rice Burroughs submitted “The Red Hawk” to “Argosy All-Story Weekly.” The cover for the first installment was by Stockton Mulford and Roger B. Morrison did one interior illustration for each of the three installments.Publishing moved quickly in those days and “The Red Hawk” began serialization “Argosy All-Story Weekly” on September 5, 1925 and the entire trilogy was published as “The Moon Maid” in February of 1926.Publishing details, reviews and illustrations: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0767.htmlThe final third of The Moon Maid trilogy featured an American occupied by the invaders from the moon and their lackies. An American resistance exists, living like Native Americans, fighting to survive, and to drive out the turncoat earthlings and their masters. This dystopian tale seems similar to the plot of the film, Red Dawn, which was filmed around Las Vegas, New Mexico. It is similar, but ERB wrote his story sixty years earlier.The fictional 100 word drabble for today, "The Good Fight," was inspired by the American resistance in the story, “The Red Hawk.”
THE GOOD FIGHT
Julian, the leader of the American resistance to the occupying forces rescued Bethelda, a woman captured by them.
He said, “My men and I will drive them into the Pacific. I’ll never rest until the last one drowns in the ocean.”
She asked, “Why fight? You could hide safely in the mountains and deserts. Most people are content to live in servitude, trading freedom for their lives.”
“A famous man said, “Give me liberty or give me death.”“These people, no matter how oppressed, won’t take up arms. Why fight for people who won’t fight for themselves?”
“Because someone must!”
ON THE MENU
May 15: On this day in 1915, “All-Story Weekly” published the third installment of “Pellucidar,” the sequel to “At the Earth’s Core.” The cover of a beautiful young woman was by Hamilton King and it illustrated “The Man-Eater,” but not Edgar Rice Burroughs’s story, but a humorous romance tale written by Anne Warner(French). The issue included an installment of “Abu, the Dawn-Maker” by Perley Poore Sheehan.Publishing details about “Pellucidar,” the land inside the earth, several illustrations, and an electronic version of the book: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0742.htmlThe drabble for today, “On the Menu,” was inspired by “Pellucidar,” and by the title of stories by both Edgar Rice Burroughs and Anne Warner, “The Man-Eater,” and quick note, that pretty much every creature native to Australia wants to kill you. A tip of the hat to Jim Morrison and the Doors. People are strange.
ON THE MENU
David Innes, a man from the Earth’s surface, wandered lost in Pellucidar, the land at the Earth’s Core. He encountered a beautiful woman named Dian, who threatened him with a spear.
“Damn it, woman. Are you going to kill and eat me. Seems like this place is like Australia. Every living thing is either poisonous or carnivorous. I was hoping that you weren’t cannibalistic.”
Dian stepped closer. “Shut up. I’m not cannibalistic, but my mother taught me not to talk to strange men.”“Well, excuse me. Women seem wicked when you’re unwanted and people are strange when you’re a stranger.”
Next Go to Days 16-30 at ERBzine 8061a