#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - July 21, 2025

 July 21, 2025 and the 2600th post in the Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs series. On this day 22 years ago in 2003, Fortune Magazine published an article on finance that included references to Tarzan, orangutans, and the Tarzan yell. The lead article in the issue was “The 10 Greatest CEO’s of All Time,” but I don’t know which article contains the reference and I haven’t read it. I know that the table on contents page includes a bunch of bananas. Not having read the article, I’m free to make up whatever I want.

The drabble for today is, “Kreegah!,” inspired my vision of how Tarzan and Orangutan references would apply in a story about management style.

Fortune’s editor said, “I like your piece on the top ten CEO’s ever, but I don’t quite get the Tarzan and monkey references.”

“First, an orangutan is not a monkey, it’s an ape. In the real world, management follows jungle rules. Tarzan was the hands-on CEO of his jungle. His style was ruthless protection of his assets, undying loyalty to his employees, and courage to seek funding from dangerous sources.”

“And the monkey? Sorry, the ape?”

“Orangutans choose Laissez-faire leadership, with more group participation. Live and let live sort of thing."

“And which is best.”

“Sadly, orangutans are almost extinct.”

#scarletpimpernel- Lord Tony's Wife

 Here's the book of the day, "Lord Tony's Wife, an Adventure of the Scarlet Pimpernel. a character that Stan Lee called 'the world's first superhero."

Available in paperback at the following link:

https://www.lulu.com/shop/baroness-orczy/lord-tonys-wife/paperback/product-m2ypv2w.html?q=Lord+Tony%27s+wife&page=1&pageSize=4

Ninety-six classic published, 904 to go.

#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - July 20, 2025

 July 20, 2025 and eighty-five years ago on this day in 1940, Edgar Rice Burroughs finished writing “Captured on Venus,” the first installment of “Escape on Venus:” That makes perfect sense – you can’t escape if you haven't been captured. The installment was published as “Slaves of the Fish Men” in Fantastic Adventures in March 1941. The magazine cover was by J. Allen St. John, who also did two full page interior illustrations.

The publishing details, several pictures, and an Ebook of the novel: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0751.html

The one hundred word drabble for today, "Fishing Hole," was inspired by the beautiful Duare being captured by the Fish Men, and Carson, who was captured soon after.

The two Amtorians watched in horror as Duare disappeared into the sea and Carson did the same. “What just happened?”

“The Fish Men captured Duare, the most beautiful woman on the planet,” said the first.

“That’s hardly fair,” said the second. “I’ve wanted a woman like that my whole life.”

“Wanting and getting aren’t the same thing.”

“Still, it’s just not right. I’ve used my charm, my good looks, and my best opening line to no avail.”

“Opening line?”

“Sure, Hello, I couldn’t help noticing that you look like my next girlfriend?’

“Mate, that’s not a lure, that’s bad bait.”

#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - July 19, 2025

 July 19, 2025 and eighty-years ago on this day in 1942, The John Coleman Burroughs written and illustrated, “John Carter of Mars” Sunday comic installment #33, Bold Attempt, was published. The comic is wonderfully illustrated, but it never really had a chance, the first installment appeared the weekend of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The episode was included, Green Martians, thoats, John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Woola, and surprise, evil robots. Isaac Asimov used the word "robot" for the first time in "Runaround" published in March 1942. While the word "robot" itself was coined by Karel Čapek in his 1920 play "R.U.R. That’s a pretty quick turnaround to see the word, robot, in the funny pages, unless JCB was familiar with Czech plays.

The drabble for today is, “Original Thought,”, and it was inspired by the appearance of robots in installment #33 of the Sunday comic, “John Carter of Mars.”

After the battle, Dejah Thoris and John Carter rode across the dead sea bottom. He said, “Those robots weren’t so tough. They couldn’t fight well Their moves were predictable. Real men are better”

Dejah replied. “Not so fast. Robots don’t snore, they don’t throw their clothes on the floor, and they don’t leave the toilet seat up. They have advantages.”

“Huh!” exclaimed Carter. “Unlike real men, they can’t think for themselves.”

“Are you agreeing with me or arguing with me. Most men don’t have a clue what to think until a woman tells him.”

“What?”

“Say, yes, Dear."

‘Yes, Dear.”

#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - July 18, 2025

 July 18, 2025 and it was a slow day in the historical world of Edgar Rice Burroughs. I’ve posted about most of the events that happened on this day, so the new post is relatively obscure. On this day ninety-one years ago in 1934, Episode # 29, “Another Try For the Diamond,” of the radio serial, “Tarzan and the Diamond of Asher,” was broadcast. The episode lasts 13 minutes and nine seconds and like all 39 episodes may be heard for free at: www.erbzine.com/mag31/3140.html

Carlton KaDell voiced Tarzan, Karena Shields voiced Helen, Jeanette Nolan was Magra, and Ralph Scott was D’Arnot.

A lot can happen in 13 minutes, here’s an episode summary, courtesy ERBzine: Helen, believing her brother dead, breaks up and lashes out at her captors before fainting. The king explains that the reason for their capture and for Brian’s punishment is that he believes they have come to steal the Father of Diamonds. Gregory had gone alone to the diamond room and had shot a guardian ape. He then had removed the diamond and was apprehended while trying to escape with the sacred gem. As punishment he had been forced to look into the glare of the diamond until he fell into his present comatose state of suspended animation. When Magra warns him to beware of Tarzan’s wrath, the king warns them that no help will come from their imprisoned friends since they have been sentenced to a fate worse than death. With a sinister laugh he informs Helen that plans are being made for her royal wedding – she will become his queen. Helen threatens to kill herself rather than to go through with such a ceremony.

The drabble for today, "I Heard It In A Book,: from comments that ERB made about radio in 1934. Fourteen words have been added to bring the word count to exactly 100 words.

"You ask me how book sales are holding up during hard times like these. There is one factor that may have more effect on reducing book sales than any number of depressions, and that is radio, to which we are looking for far greater returns than our book royalties ever brought us. Already, with two programs, we are netting more than we do from the sale of all our books, which, taken in connection with the fact that there are hundreds of similar programs on the air, suggests that people are taking their fiction this way instead of through books."

#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - July 17, 2025

 July 17, 2025 and eighty-nine years ago on this day in 1936, author Erling B. Holtsmark, Tarzan and Tradition, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Twayne’s US Author Series, was born.

Jack received a B.A. in Greek from the University of California at Berkeley in 1959 and a Ph.D. in Classics from there in 1963. He came to teach in Classics at the University of Iowa in Fall 1963. He was department chair from 1982 through to 1993. Jack published numerous articles over the years on various topics including on Homer, Aeschylus, Theocritus, Lucretius, and Quintilian. Later in his career he became interested in contemporary literature and the Classics, publishing Tarzan and Tradition: Classical Myth in Popular Literature in 1981, Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1986, and articles on classics and contemporary cinema and on detective fiction. He was the guest of honor at the 1991 Dum-Dum.

The drabble for today is an excerpt, edited for length, from the article, “Classical Images of Edgar Rice Burroughs,” by Alan Hanson. The entire article is located at https://www.erbzine.com/mag66/6617.html

“Tarzan and John Carter are the literary blood brothers of Odysseus, and Edgar Rice Burroughs is the incarnation of Homer. That’s what Erling B. Holtsmark would have us believe in his books, “Tarzan and Tradition” and “Edgar Rice Burroughs.” Professor Holtsmark contends Burroughs patterned, plotted, and packaged his stories in the format of classical mythology. To the average Burroughs fan, the good professor’s arguments range from convincing to far-fetched to unfathomable.

“Holtsmark’s discussion may be beyond the comprehension (not to mention the interest) of the blue-collar Burroughs reader, but even those must realize Burroughs had extensive knowledge of Greek mythology.”

#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - July 16, 2025

 July 16, 2025 and ninety-eight years ago on this day in 1927, “Amazing Stories Annual Volume One” containing the complete novel, “The Mastermind of Mars,” was published. The iconic cover art by Frank R. Paul has been copied numerous times for several different editions of the novel. For publication history, numerous illustrations, a complete Ebook edition, and a PDF of Amazing Stories Annual Volume One, visit: www.erbzine.com/mag4/0427.html

In addition to the cover, Paul drew ten black and white interior illustrations for the issue.

The working titles for “The Mastermind of Mars” were "A Weird Adventure on Mars” and "Vad Varo of Barsoom.” Burroughs frequently explored immortality in his novels and he revisited the theme once more in this novel. Herein, immortality, or at least a very long life, could be achieved by the transference of one’s brain into a younger body. Sounds like a good idea unless you happen to be the person living in the younger body.

The 100-word drabble for today, “Everybody Needs A Body," was inspired by the novel, “The Mastermind of Mars,” and by the brain transference process. We can’t do that today, but we can do hearts, kidneys, lungs, livers, and corneas. The time will come. Credit and thanks to Dean Martin, who recorded “Everybody Needs Somebody” and to Irving Taylor and Ken Lane, who wrote it.

Everybody needs a body sometimes

Everybody just grows old somehow

Something in my heartbeat told me

My sometime is now.

If I had freedom of choice

I’d pick a girl’s body with lovely charms,

Then I know that I’d rejoice

Men would lose their minds held in my arms.

Today I want a body, lovely

Blonde, and young, and cute

Beguiling and ever so alluring

When I wear my birthday suit.

So sad for the owner, previous

But I need it much more than she

And yes, my methods are devious

If only one can be happy, I pick me.