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

 October 20, 2025 and thirty-four years ago on this day in 1991, the Gray Morrow illustrated and Don Kraar scripted Sunday Tarzan story arc, The Kalahari, began. The story arc ran for fourteen weeks.

In the story, Jane and Meriam, are on a hijacked airplane. The hijackers, led by the mercenary Van Zandt, land the plane in the Kalahari desert. The leader of the hijackers seeks revenge on Tarzan. Tarzan, D’Arnot and a troop of baboons come to the rescue.

The entire story may be read at https://www.erbzine.com/mag35/3539.html Thousands of Sunday pages are available at www.erbzine.com

The 100-word fictional drabble for today, “Take The Win,” was inspired by the story arc. I’ve always said that it doesn’t matter who gets the credit as long as you get what you wanted. That’s a lesson Van Zandt never learned.

Jane said, “You never should have hijacked this airplane, Van Zandt. My husband, Tarzan, knows I was on this flight. He’ll come for me.”

“I'm counting on it. I hated my brother. Tarzan killed him before I could. Now, I’ll kill Tarzan.”

“That’s possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You should thank my husband, not kill him.”

“No, I have to kill someone.”

“You don’t. Take the win. Let your hatred die with him.”

“Lady Greystoke, I can’t do that.”

“How sad for your mother to lose both sons. It’s silly to die because you got what you wanted.”

#edgarriceburroughs - Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - 10/19/2025

 October 19, 2025 and nineteen years ago on this day in The Russian film, “Tarzan des Mers,” the name was changed to “The Amphibian Man” at the request of the ERB Inc., released in the US: The film had little to do with Tarzan, other than the appropriation of his name. The original film, based on the 1928 novel, “The Amphibian Man” by Alexander Beliaev. There’s no reason to explain the plot because the film, THE SHAPE OF WATER,” is virtually the same story, start to finish. The Shape of Water was even placed in the 1960s. “The Shape of Water” received 13 nominations at the 90th Academy Awards, the most of any film in the 2018 race. It won in four categories: Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Director, and Best Picture.

The drabble for today is “Under Water, No One Can Hear You Yell.” Like the film, The Shape of Water, plagiarized the Russian film, Tarzan de Mers, I plagiarized my own drabble about this film. It features my old friends from New Orleans, Pat and John.

Pat said, “John, Let’s go see that new Moscow made Tarzan Movie.”

“Pat, you know that I don’t speak Russian.”

“That’s not a problem, John. I checked with the Audubon Zoo. Amphibians don’t speak Russian either.”

“That’s not all, Pat. The Russians originally titled the film, “Tarzan de Mers.” That’s just wrong. Buying a ticket encourages bad behavior.”

“Excuse me?”

“Tarzan of the Apes. Not Tarzan of the Sea. Sounds like a tuna fish ad or a pasta order. Apes, not eels, not sharks, and not octopi. Underwater no-one can hear the Tarzan yell. It’d just be blub, blub, blub.”

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

 October 18, 2025 and fourteen years ago on this day in 2011, a review of the unauthorized “Jungle Rock Blues”, aka “Tarzan Presley,” by Nigel Cox, in the New Zealand Herald. The book was originally published as “Tarzan Presley,” but Edgar Rice Burroughs Incorporated objected to the title. Consequently, it was rewritten, retitled, and published as “Jungle Rock Blues.”

While I found the concept interesting, I thought the book was virtually unreadable. A series of reviews are available at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag56/5647.html

The 100-word drabble for today, It’s Your Money,” is an excerpt from a review written by ERBAPA contributor and Edgar Rice Burroughs historian, John Martin, in a review available at the aforementioned address. Like John, I bought the book when it was more expensive that it is now. John, if my edits for length changed any of your intentions, my apologies.

I decided not to read the story word-for-word. We’ve a limited lifespan. I’ve other things to do with my time. I scanned pages and got the sense of what was said and slowed down to read whole paragraphs here and there. Sometimes I would be intrigued enough to read a page or two in a row.

If you’re a completist, you may want this book. If you are a glutton for punishment, you may actually want to read it. On the other hand, you could take the money you’d spend on this book and buy something actually written by ERB.

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

 October 17,2025 and thirty-one years ago on this day in 1994, character actor, Actor George Barrows, who appeared in three Tarzan films, “Tarzan and His Mate,” “Tarzan and the She Devil,” Tarzan,” and “Tarzan and the Slave Girl,” died in Oxnard, California. George D. Barrows was an American actor known for playing Ro-Man in the film Robot Monster.[1] He was the son of actor Henry A. Barrows. He often wore a gorilla suit for his film roles. Excluding his gorilla roles, Barrows usually played bit parts in films and was rarely credited for his work.

George played a gorilla in “Tarzan and his Mate,’ a Lionian in “Tarzan and the Slave Girl,” and a guard in “Tarzan and the She-Devil.”

Details about all three of the films that George appeared in ma be reviewed at www.erbzine.com

The drabble for today, “Anywhere He Wants, was inspired by George’s many movie roles while wearing his gorilla suit.

Johnny Weissmuller said, “George, why are you wearing a gorilla suit?”

“If you saw me in a loincloth like you’re wearing, you wouldn’t have to ask.”

“George, doesn’t that outfit put the girls off?”

“Some. Not everyone likes everything. Not everyone likes the same thing, but everyone likes something.”

“That’s little deep for me, George.”

“Some girls like guys like you. Some me like guys like me. Variety is the spice of life.”

“Does that monkey suit help you get dates?”

“It does and it’s very effective when applying for a bank loan. It’s hard to tell a gorilla no.”

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

 October 16, 2025 and forty-nine years ago on this day in 1976, episode # 6, “Tarzan’s Return to the City of Gold,” of the animated Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle television series, was broadcast. The series featured Robert Ridgely as the voice of Tarzan when Tarzan was speaking. Danton Burroughs provided the Tarzan yell.

In many ways, the series is the most faithful of all screen-based adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan and featured a number of "lost cities" from the original novels. The rotoscoped animation is based upon the work of Burrough's favorite Tarzan artist, Burne Hogarth.

All the episodes and even more information are listed at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0014.html#filmation

Tarzan goes back to the City of Gold to rescue Orando, the younger brother of a traveler from the first episode, who is held captive by the evil Queen Nemone. The episode centers on Tarzan's effort to free the boy, while the queen uses Orando as bait to recapture Tarzan with the help of her soldier, Tomos. Joan Gerber was the voice of Queen Nemone. Ted Cassidy and Linda Gary also voiced characters in the episode.

The drabble for today, “I’ve Come for the Child,” was inspired by the episode.

Queen Nemone snarled, “Tarzan, you promised you’d never return.”

“I did. The last ti

me I was here, you’d kidnapped Thia, a boy from Athne, the city you war against. Now you’ve taken his brother, Orando.”

“If I hold one of their children as a hostage for their good behavior, they’ll hesitate to attack.”

“No, Queen,” replied Tarzan. “People react badly when you threaten children.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“People may walk away their possessions and their homes, but they’ll almost always fight for their children.”

“I’m not convinced.”

“Queen, I came back, didn’t I? What more proof do you need?”

#edgarriceburroughs = Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs - October 15, 2025

 October 15, 2025 and on this day 110 years ago in 1915, Edgar Rice Burroughs began writing H. R. H. THE RIDER, a novel of romance, mistaken identity, and European intrigue. In some ways the story is a western set in the small fictional European kingdom of Karlova. The western novel, The Outlaw Sheriff by Hal Dunning published in 1928 followed a very similar story line.

World War One had begun a little over a year before Burroughs started the book and while HRH THE RIDER doesn’t mention the war, the events of the time no doubt focused Ed’s attention on Europe.

The 38,000-word story was serialized in All-Story Magazine in three instalments in December of 1918 and was combined with THE OAKDALE AFFAIR for its book publication on February 15, 1937.

Details about the publication history, several covers, illustrations, reviews, and a complete electronic version of the story are available at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0764.html

The 100-word fictional drabble for today, “Who Was That Masked Man,” was inspired by “H. R. H. The Rider.” H. R. H. stands for His Royal Highness.”

Princess Mary asked the King of Karlova, “Why stop the execution? Didn’t the Rider kill Prince Boris?”

“No, the Prince and the Rider are the same man. I only pretended his execution to teach him a lesson.”

“He didn’t kill the Prince? The same man? That’s disappointing.”

The King grumbled, “What, you wish the Prince had been killed?”

“No, but it was exciting to be courted by two men at the same time, a crown prince and a notorious outlaw.”

The Prince overheard and asked, “And which version of me did you prefer?”

Princess Mary blushed. “That would be telling.”

Online Book store opened today

 Opened our online bookstore today with the help of Robin Allison Lupton.. We only have a dozen books on it so far, but we'll upload about ten a day. Three sections. Campbell Classics are reprints of Classic books like Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice. Someone has to keep them in print. West Mesa Press published books and collections by Robert Allen Lupton. The final section will be first editions and rare and collectable books for sale.

This is its first day. It's not bad, but the more we learn about it, the better it will be.

westmesapublishing.myshopify.com

www.westmesapublishing.myshopify.com