Friday's Favorite OTR

 The Adventures of the Saint: "Nursemaid" 7/15/51

Simon is hired to convince a young lady not to date a gangster. Unsurprisingly, he ends up having to solve a murder.

Click HERE to listen or download. 

When a Cop has to Multi-Task

 

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Mr. J.G. Reeder was created by Edgar Wallace in a series of short stories beginning in 1924. Reeder is a fun character--a former cop now working directly for the "Director of Public Prosecution," Reeder is middle-aged, wears out-of-date clothes and gives the impression of being ordinary and unimpressive. But he actually has a keen mind and an ability to anticipate how a criminal thinks.

The first eight Reeder stories were collected in The Mind of J.G. Reeder in 1925, published in England. In the U.S., the book was retitled The Murder Book of J.G. Reeder, with the individual stories sometimes retitled and arranged in a different order. Title changes, of course, are done by editors who think a new title is catchier for their specific audience. I have no idea why the stories were re-ordered, though the tales are self-contained enough not to matter.

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A good example of how much fun these stories are is "Treasure Hunt," first published in the November 22, 1924 issue of Flynn's Weekly. 

Reeder is looking into the death of Lady Tithermite, who apparently fell off the ferry during a channel crossing. At the same time, an ex-con out on parole, Lew Kohl, is planning on killing Reeder--the man who sent him to prison. Kohl also hopes to find Reeder's secret stash of money, since he's a proponent of the theory that all cops on the take and stash ill-gotten gains away for their retirement.

Reeder decides that Lady Tithermite was murdered by her husband and was never on the ferry, but he doesn't have enough evidence to get a search warrent and find her body. But... well, perhaps a certain hint dropped to Lew Kohl will convince the ex-con that Reeder does have a secret treasure and use Kohl to solve the Tithermite case. 

It really is a fun story, as all of Wallace's yarns usually are. You can read it yourself online HERE. 

Dog Owners: Beware!!!!

 

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The first story in Richie Rich and Dollar the Dog (September 1977), by an unidentified creative team, includes an important PSA for all dog owners. If you are ever rehearsing a play in which you play a bad guy who dislikes dogs, MAKE SURE your dog doesn't hear you and take the dialogue out of context. This won't end well. It's what happens when Richie's dog Dollar (a dollarmation, of course) overhears Richie and his friend Freckles doing just this.

I don't care how silly the above images are--if you own a dog, this is a heartbreaking scene.

Dollar runs away and begins hitchhiking. He's picked up by a pair of gangster, who by now has heard the news that Dollar is missing and that there's a huge reward. But bad guys are bad guys. Rather than settle for just the reward the Rich family is offering, they come up with a complex plan to smuggle Dollar out of the country the statue of a horse, sell him to a rare animal dealer, THEN tell the Rich family where he is to collect THAT reward.

The horse with Dollar inside is loaded on a plane, but the pilots hear Dollar barking and immediately land again. Dollar makes a break for it.

The gangsters spot him and give chase. Fortunately, Dollar runs into the local school in his attempt to get away, where that play is currently being performed. Richie and Freckles take care of the gangsters (and, wow, does Richie pack a powerful gut punch!), Dollar finally understands that Richie doesn't hate him and everyone is happy. Well, everyone except the gangsters. They get arrested.

It is a silly story, but it's fun. And, by golly, if you own a dog, the story will become an emotional roller-coaster. It can't be helped.

Next week, we return to The Mighty Hercules. 

Cover Cavalcade

  MARCH IS SCIENCE GONE MAD MONTH!!!!

From May 1927, with art by Frank R. Paul.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Fibber McGee and Molly: "Fibber Buys a New Suit and Steals a Hat" 2/4/41

McGee needs a new suit, so he and Molly head to the store. What could possibly go wrong?

Click HERE to listen or download. 

The Coming of the Ice

 

cover art by Frank R. Paul

It continues to be a universal truth: No matter how familiar one is with pulp magazine authors, you will regularly stumble over one you hadn't heard of before and discover he or she was quite a good storyteller.

For instance, I just read "The Coming of the Ice," by G. Peyton Wortenbaker, published in the June 1926 issue of Amazing Stories. It was the magazine's third issue and was still relying on reprinting classics and stories first published in other pulps to fill the pages. Aside from Wells and Verne, Otis Adlebert Kline and Murray Leinster each had a story included that were reprinted from Weird Tales and Argosy respectively.

But editor Hugo Gernsback was beginning to see original science fiction showing up in his mail box. "The Coming of the Ice" is, in fact, the first original SF story that appears in the magazine. And Wortenbacker, darn him, was only 19 years old when he wrote it. 

The first person narrator is friends with a scientist who has accidentally stumbled over the secret of immortality. It involves an operation that will ensure you never physically die, but will have your emotions deadened. Despite this flaw, the narrator and his girlfriend both choose to give it a go.

The narrator goes first and the operation is a success. Then the scientist and the girl are killed in a car accident before she has the procedure.

The narrator, by the way, is telling us this in the far future--hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of years from now. He's lost count. His story of living on through the centuries as mankind evolves around him--becoming physically weaker but mentally stronger--is filled with melancholy. Those around him gradually forget about the past, concentrating only on the future.

So when a second Ice Age gradually engulfs the Earth, it catches humanity by surprise and the narrator is the only person fit enough to survive. 

This is a great story--hitting just the right note of melancholy to make it work and even injecting a small measure of hope in at the end. It's worth reading and can be found online HERE. 

The Mighty Hercules, Part 3

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The last story (not counting a 1-page text about olive oil) in The Mighty Hercules #1 (July 1963), also written by Paul S. Newman and drawn by an uncredited artist, shows us that Hercules is a bit of a scaredy-cat.

The nation of Calydon is being invaded. The gates of the city are closed and Helena calls out for Hercules. But Herk's arch-enemy, the wizard Daedalus, offers his services to the invaders in exchange for a share of the loot.

When Hercules arrives, it at first seems that the demi-god will have little trouble dispatching the invaders. But Daedalus casts a spell on him to make him thirsty. Hercules then unwisely takes a drink from the Waters of Illusion. Now everything he seees will appear to be a monster!

The plan works at first and poor Newton the centaur nearly gets strangled by his best friend. Hercules sees Helena and thinks she's a monster as well. And, well, he runs away.

One would think that Hercules would try to fight any monster he finds. I conceed that its a good thing he didn't inadvertently beat up poor Helena, but Hercules should be the last person in mythology to see a monster and say "Gee whiz, I'd better run for it."

Well, he does run. This allows Newton to trip him and dunk him into the Waters of Truth, which cures him of seeing illusions.

He attacks the invaders. Daedalus tries to stop him with a magically-summoned wall of flame, but Hercules uses Super-Breath (did he learn that from Superman, or visa versa, I wonder) to blow the flames back at the bad guys. A few more feats of super-strength and the invaders retreat, taking a stunned Daedalus with them to "fix him later" for failing to stop a demi-god.

It's another short, fun story. Like the cartoon, it sets up the premise quickly and tosses Hercules into action. The artist continues to make it all look great while effectively emulating the look of the cartoon.

But, gee whiz, Herk. You see a monster and run away? That's very un-Hercules like.

Next week, we'll take a break before diving into the second and final issue of this series. Instead, we'll visit with Richie Rich. 

Cover Cavalcade

 MARCH IS SCIENCE GONE MAD MONTH!!!!

This cover is from August 1926, with art by Frank R. Paul

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Friday's Favorite OTR

 Suspense: "Blue Eyes" 8/29/46

A man plans to murder his wife, changes his mind, then gets accused of murdering her.

Click HERE to listen or download.