Bill Hillman's

Volume 575
Presents
A reprint of an article that appeared in
ERB-apa No. 69 ~ Spring  2001

Bill Hillman's Volume 575 ERBapa Hardcopy Edition v01 n02 Our online expanded illustrated version  will be featured sometime in the future at: www.mts.net/~hillmans/erbzine.html

BILL HILLMAN Aka JoN: Jeddak of the North Aka WILLIAM G. HILLMAN B.Sc. (4 Yr. Honours), B.Ed. (5 Yr.), M.Ed. 41 Kensington Crescent, Brandon, MB  R7A 6M4  Canada 204.728.4673 ~ hillmans@westman.wave.ca BILL & SUE-ON HILLMAN ECLECTIC STUDIO http://home.westman.wave.ca/~hillmans

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Tarzana Quest
(The fully illustrated version of this narrative,
which features many more photos, first appeared in ERBzin-es 192 & 193)

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Summer 1971 -- Sue-On and I had spent all of June and July, and much of August, touring Western Canada performing at Concerts, Fairs and Exhibitions. When the tour wound down, we headed for the American South West, hitting all the Zane Grey western sites, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, the Roy Rogers Museum, Hollywood, Disney Land, Tijuana . . . and all the usual tourist stops in between. But the one place that held the most mystique for me was Tarzana -- a city a little north of Los Angeles which occupies the land that was once called Tarzana Ranch and was home to Edgar Rice Burroughs - Master of Adventure and the Grandfather of Science Fiction. I had been a devoted ERB reader and collector since reading a ragged cast-off copy of The Chessmen of Mars back in 1953. Soon after we were married, my new bride was joining me in my fantastic flights through the dreamworlds created by ERB -- worlds like nothing ever before imagined by a young girl growing up in southern China and later on the Canadian Prairies.

The ERB Inc. Tarzana office was not easy to find. We knew the general location but drove by it a few times before we decided to double check the address at a local phone booth and then to query the natives who were able to offer only minimal assistance. After a few more passes on the busy Ventura Boulevard we zeroed in on a Spanish-style, one storey bungalow which displayed a small sign hidden behind a redwood fence and various trees. This unimposing, stuccoed, ivy-covered building had probably seen few changes since it was built in 1927 by ERB. On one side was a storehouse-type building and I seem to remember a vacant, grassed lot beside that building. As we got up nerve and approached the bungalow, I looked back through the trees onto Ventura and the typical "modern" buildings on all sides, and I couldn't help thinking that I was about to enter an abode that was o-so-typical of ERB . . . sort of a Land That Time Forgot. At that time I didn't have access to much information about the ERB Inc. organization, and it was before any in-depth biographies had been written on Burroughs, but in our ignorance we stumbled to the front verandah entrance.

We were met by Hulbert Burroughs -- eldest son of Edgar Rice Burroughs! After introducing ourselves as a couple of devoted ERB fans from the "wilds" of Canada, we were invited in. I have travelled back repeatedly, in my mind's eye, to try to remember all the details of what followed -- sadly, some sort of a memory cloak seems to have settled over the event. However, a number of things stand out in my memory. Hulbert guided us through a few of the rooms, the most memorable one being the one featuring ERB's desk. The desk was large and ornately carved -- and standing before a backdrop of ERB-filled bookshelves. I remember being given permission to take down and handle a number of first editions. Hulbert pointed out many ERB-related books, mementos, paintings, photographs, and furniture items around the room and shared histories and stories of each. He was gracious enough to invite me to sit at ERB's desk where he said his father had written many of his novels.

Later, as the three of us were seated around the desk, Mr. Burroughs noticed my new Pentax camera. After commenting that he dabbled a bit in photography (later I learned that he had served as a military photographer in WWII), he asked if he could examine it. Feeling quite proud and honoured by his interest, I unhesitatingly passed the camera over to him. Smugly waiting for his approval I watched him flip open the case -- what followed will be forever etched in my mind: Hulbert, his chair, Sue-On, ERB's desk, and all the mementos and documents on the desk, were suddenly engulfed in a cloud of dust and a landslide of sand and gravel. All three of us stared in dumbfounded amazement at the carnage -- and I had no explanation. It was some time later, after much mental backtracking that I remembered lying on a mountain roadside gravel pile the night before, trying to take a picture of the sunset over Pasadena. Since we were in a hurry to get back on the road to find lodging for the night, I quickly snapped the picture and flipped the case back over the camera -- inadvertently scooping up large quantities of gravel as I did so. Hulbert wisely suggested that I might keep the camera a little cleaner to avoid future problems with the mechanism. Making a rapid recovery I awkwardly brushed the larger pebbles into my tennis hat -- stammering all the while in disbelief and embarrassment. Staying on the topic of photography Hulbert displayed a large number of his photos -- many of them enlarged and framed -- and the majority were of his favourite subject -- close-ups of cactus flowers in full bloom and displaying a myriad of colours. Satisfied that I wasn't hiding any more surprises in my camera, he let me take photos at will -- not surprisingly, few of the day's photos turned out . . . the shot of the sunset was great though.



Later, we eagerly accepted an invitation to tour the "warehouse." This building on the adjacent lot had been built as a store but was later converted to a garage, and then to a storehouse for ERB Inc. product and ERB archival material. Labeled storage boxes were stacked floor to ceiling, and since there had been a fire (spontaneous combustion from old Tarzan nitrate film stock), many of the boxes were charred and in disarray and cleanup was still in progress. Enough of the labels were discernible, however, to give some idea of the treasures which lay within: A. C. McClurg & Co., Fan and Personal Letters, Motion Pictures, Real Estate, Tarzana, etc. -- but what excited me most were wooden crates labeled Tarzan Radio Serials.



One of the radio shows that had triggered an all consuming passion for programs from the Golden Days of Radio was Tarzan back in the early ‘50s. I had purchased a reel-to-reel tape recorder in 1963 and it wasn’t long before my nostalgia packrat instincts had amassed a collection of old radio shows on tape. Coincidentally, my first purchase was 77 episodes of the Tarzan serial from 1932. After reminding Hulbert that the stars of this series were James and Joan Burroughs Pierce, ERB’s son-in-law and daughter, I asked if I could look through the Tarzan Radio Serial crates. He mentioned that they had no way of playing the shows since they were on 16” electrical transcription discs, and that Mr. and Mrs. Pierce hadn’t heard the shows since they had recorded them many years before. At this point I told him that I had many of the shows on tape in my ERB collection (I even had a 16” Gates broadcast turntable set up to play ETs) -- and I would send copies of my tapes to them when I returned home. To my surprise, he seriously suggested that if I could find a way of staying in Tarzana I would have a job cataloging the discs and helping with the other inventory. One of my lifetime regrets was having to decline as both Sue-On and I had to return to Canada to finish University and to carry on with our performing and teaching careers.

When it came time to leave, we were invited to return the next morning as James and Joan would be coming to the office for a meeting and he felt sure they would like to talk with us about ERB, movies, our collection, and the old Tarzan radio shows. As we were leaving, Hulbert autographed a Tarzana Chamber of Commerce/Bank booklet with a Crandall/Williamson cover and a short ERB bio & biblio inside.

Next morning, we returned with a carefully cleaned and polished Pentax, looking forward to meeting another of the Burroughs family and her “last-of-the-silent-movie Tarzans” husband. They proved to be just as gracious as brother Hulbert and we had a wonderful chat about the old days of Hollywood before we moved on to the work they did on the radio series. Both were extremely interested in my taped shows and I promised to send them copies as soon as I could. Our visit closed with Sue-On offering to take my picture with the Pierces -- under the large tree in the front yard, close to the spot where ERB’s ashes had been buried back in 1950.

We returned to home to Manitoba and Brandon University -- and I kept my promise. Some weeks later, a large box arrived from Tarzana, California. Carefully packed in the box were 13 ERB Inc. editions by Edgar Rice Burroughs . . . and a stack of unfolded dustjackets from different editions! Each book contained a sticker which read:


THIS BOOK is one of the few survivors of a near-disastrous fire that occurred in our store-room on  Saturday, May 3, 1958. The fire started as a result of the spontaneous combustion of old Tarzan motion pictures printed on nitrate film. Although this book shows some fire damage,
we are told it has considerable value among collectors.
We sincerely hope it will add to the worth of your own personal collection.
---Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. -- Tarzana, California

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England: Tarzan and the Treasure Vaults of Soho

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For the next few years I continued to buy Tarzan comics and paperbacks as they appeared on the newsstands but added few other major items to my collection. My collecting got a bit of a boost in 1976 during our first performing and recording tour of England. I found numerous Tarzan/Korak comics and other ERB material on the British newsstands but the biggest find came in London's Soho Market. While wandering through the market I came across a stall which featured stacks of the '50s Tarzan Adventures comics. One of the contributors in the regular short story section of this comic that otherwise featured reprints of American strips, was a young fledgling British author named Michael Moorcock. We ended up buying far too many books to bring back as carry-on luggage so I bought a used duffel bag and sent these treasures home to Canada via ship.

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ERB In The Wild Wild Web

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The pressures of career and family allowed my ERB collection to gather dust for about 20 more years. All of this changed with the coming of the Internet. In 1995 I discovered that, although there were very few websites devoted to ERB, there were many fans out there. By '96 we had joined Bruce Bozarth's ERBlist and Jim Thompson's ECOF-List which put us in daily contact with scores of other ERB fans . . .  names and faces that would soon feel as family. In an experiment unique to the Internet, Bruce "Tangor" Bozarth and I started to write a "round-robin" ERB parody that we continued for 122 chapters until we both got bogged down with work pressures and the creation of our own ERB "Empires" on the Web. This RATNAZ parody was tremendous fun to work on and it forced both of us into concentrated research on ERB and his works. We took turns writing chapters and putting our own and ERB's characters into unbelievable and zany predicaments. Each chapter would leave the other guy an impossible cliffhanger to write himself out of. This went on for many months before I was surprised to hear a voice with a slight Texas twang on the phone one night. This was the start of many hours-long phone conversations. I'm a bit of a shy conversationalist and normally shy away from telephones but my evil nemesis, Tangor, always helps me overcome this phobia as we share so many interests and hobbies. The Internet "chain of friendship" has led to many other long distance friendships worldwide -- including a renewed friendship with an ERB penfriend from the '60s -- Bruce Salen -- who keeps me informed on New York goings on with his welcome regular calls.

I remember writing in a guestbook on one of the ERB websites back in '96 that I would like to create my own site on the Net but I felt that everything had been done -- that there was nothing new to add to what already had made its way to the Web. Now, five years later, I look back on this thought as being just a little bit naive. To date Sue-On and I have created over 1000 webpages of ERB-related material through our Illustrated Bibliographies, ERB Online Bio, Collectibles and Comics Emporium, Motes & Quotes Newsletters and over 600 issues of ERBzin-e, the web's first and only weekly ERB fanzine.

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Odysseys: Dum-Dums ~ ECOFs ~ Jeddak's Castle

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Sue-On and I have travelled widely, but some of our fondest memories are associated with our two trips to ERB conventions. Upon our arrival at the '99 Tarzana Dum-Dum we were greeted by Mary Burroughs who took us to dinner. Following this we had the unusual experience of introducing her to a lobby full of ERB fans, familiar to us only through fanzines and Internet and by their name tags. The following days of the Dum-Dum were almost surreal as we tried to connect so many familiar names with strange faces -- and finally meeting the Jeddak of Jasoom, George McWhorter. Another highlight was an impromptu "guitar pull" with bibliographer extraordinaire: Bob Zeuschner. Lasting friendships were formed within minutes as we all had so much in common. And of course the whole event was made even more special by the Disney Tarzan premiere and visit to Ackermansion.  Our, then 13-year-old, daughter China-Li, who accompanied us on this adventure, now has a little better understanding of what this ERB craziness is all about.



We have been to Tennessee numerous times on music business but the ECOF 2000 trip to Clarksville was an entirely different experience in the Southland. I had promised to appear with Bob "Tarak" Woodley and Huck "AQ Porter" Huckenpohler on an ERB comics panel/presentation and to help Mary Burroughs in a John Coleman Burroughs tribute for which I prepared a handout booklet featuring a JCB bio and an interview with Mary. Jim Thompson was the perfect host and we renewed friendships and kindled new ones in the rustic atmosphere of Hachland Hall guest house. Before flying home we hitched a ride with Bob Woodley and spent most of a day visiting George McWhorter and taking digital photos in his amazing Memorial ERB Collection at the University of Louisville.

Realizing that a great many ERB fans never get the opportunity to attend some of these functions we've shared what we believe are the highlights of these trips in ERBzin-e issues on the Net. We used our Tarzana digital pics to create a photo journal, Sue-On wrote a series of illustrated ECOF diaries documenting the Clarksville visit and, working with George, we created a virtual tour / scrapbook of the Louisville collection.

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ERBapa INTERNET ARCHIVE
Check out our ERBapa ARCHIVE in ERBzin-e 328: angelfire.com/trek/erbzine7/erbz328.html

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A chance purchase of an ERBapa "Best of" compilation on e-Bay Internet auction piqued my interest in this fascinating association of dedicated ERB fans. By the time I was accepted into the group, I had done quite a bit of research into its history and was, and am, working with many of the members in adapting and showcasing their favourite APA submissions as Internet webpages. Thanks to the cooperation of these many APA members, the Association now has an Internet presence and worldwide exposure.

Some of the Website features include:
History ~ Guidelines ~ Membership Information ~ Photos ~ Hilites ~ Clever Bylines ~ Members: Past & Present ~ Links to ERBzin-e Sites featuring ERBapa Members and Article Reprints ~ Cover Gallery ~ Index of Past Issues.

Work on this project is ongoing and any help in providing information for indexing past issues would be most welcome.

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Lost in the ERB Cosmos

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Over the last five years I have spent much of my free time researching and creating webpages for our weekly online ERB fanzine. It's definitely a labour of love, as it is quite a drain on time, energy and financial resources, but it certainly provides a creative outlet, and has been very rewarding in many ways:
 

• the meeting of fellow-fans, each with unique skills and interests,
• a constant flow of submissions, encouragement and advice from ERB fans old & new,
• queries and greetings from web surfers, media reps, organizations, universities, magazine editors, documentary film makers, biographers, novelists, environmentalists, webdesigners and people, who knew him or have been touched by Burroughs' creations, from all over the world,
• friendships with Burroughs family members and acquaintances,
• finally being able to put a face and voice on names I have seen associated with ERB fandom and in fanzines for decades,
• constant surprises in my mailbox from friends who have sent gifts of ERB art, books, videos, tapes, toys, memorabilia, comics, collectibles, magazines, fanzines, clippings, stamps, pastiches, photos, rareties, etc.,
• acceptance into the ERB Amateur Press Association,
• and the highlight of my involvement in ERB fandom, so far: an
Honourary Lifetime Membership in the Burroughs Bibliophiles.

. . . Life is Sweet . . .

. WEBJED: BILL HILLMAN .
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