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Florence Gilbert Smith Dearholt Burroughs Chase February 20, 1904 - February 27, 1991 Part II Continued from the Florence Gilbert Bio Part I at
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Upon reaching Hawaii, Ed and Florence immediately took up where they had left off after their last visits. They played tennis and cavorted on the beaches with the kids by day and attended bridge parties, luaus and social events by night. There was a major difference however, as there was now a tense atmosphere on the islands -- talk of war was everywhere. On May 7th Ed took the family on a tour of Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. California where he was made quite welcome by military brass. One evening, a few days later, he and Florence drove to the top of Mount Tantalus to observe a Honolulu blackout rehearsal. |
Beachside Gateway to Lanikai |
Kailua Bay, Lanikai, Hawaii |
Night view from Mount Tantalus |
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After a few months of beachcomber style existence at Kailua, Ed wrote friend Bert Weston that Florence was discouraged with the cost-saving measures, as well as the remoteness and condition of the house with its rats, bugs and scorpions. Ed maintained a daily writing schedule in his makeshift garage office but he and Florence still attended regular evening social affairs with friends - including many film people: John Halliday (The Philadelphia Story, Lydia, Intermezzo), Oscar winner Janet Gaynor (career launched in Florence's film, The Johnstown Flood), naval officer Hal Thompson and his wife, longtime family friend, Rochelle Hudson (The Bosko series, Mr. Moto, Curly Top, Boston Blackie, Rebel Without A Cause). Rochelle's film career was interrupted during the coming war years when she worked for the Naval Intelligence Service in Central and South American and Mexico. The social evenings usually involved drinks followed by bridge. Ed's inner agonies, guilt and fears, as well as his increasing reliance on alcohol, were creating marriage tensions. Florence sometimes had to do the driving after some of the party nights and found it extremely difficult maneuvering their heavy, cumbersome Pierce Arrow or Packard along the Pali Highway through the mountains to Kailua. Friends were starting to note that the two appeared ill-mated. Florence finally decided they would have to move from Kailua after being stung on the heel by a centipede at a fireworks celebration on the beach. |
1298 Kapiolani |
ERB at work in his Honolulu office |
Flo & Ed at Tennis Club |
The Burroughs family moved over the mountains to 2623 Halelena in the Manoa Valley, Honolulu on August 28, in time for the kids to enroll in Punahou School in the city. A week later, Ed moved into an office at 1298 Kapiolani Boulevard. He worked at the office from nine to four, preferring to keep his work separate from his homelife. The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County with illustrations by Jack, was published on September 15th. The dedication was "To Mary Lucas Pflueger," a close friend an member of a prominent Honolulu family. Because of wartime paper shortage, this was the last ERB book to appear until 1944. By the end of the year Ed and family had moved to a three-bedroom cottage - part of the Niumalu Hotel on Kapiolani Boulevard. Florence was becoming increasingly disenchanted with Ed's nightly partying with his military buddies and was not happy with his strict expectations of son Lee, who was non-athletic and a mediocre student. Ed, on the other hand, was frustrated with the increasing lack of recognition of his writing, both financially and artistically. He was losing patience with acquaintances and critics who so often belittled his work.
In February of '41 two of the world's best-known authors, Ed and fellow-Chicagoan Ernest Hemingway dined with their wives on opposite sides of the same Honolulu restaurant. Neither identified himself although they were two of the best-known authors of their day and they had much in common. Florence pretended to swoon at the sight of Hemingway and insisted that Ed go over to introduce himself, all of which did nothing to allay his feelings of artistic inferiority and deal with other personal demons he was fighting at that time. |
ERB's Step Children: Lee and Caryl Lee with ERB's brother-in-law, Edward Gilbert in 1999 |
Eddie Gilbert with Sue-On and Bill Hillman |
Eddie and Claire Gilbert with Danton Burroughs ~ April 1990 |
Eddie Gilbert - Bookseller |
1. Love
Makes 'Em Wild (1927 Comedy) Fox 6 Reels ~ Florence Gilbert played
Lulu
John Harron ~ Sally Phipps ~ Ben Bard ~ Arthur
Housman ~ J. Farrell MacDonald ~ Natalie Kingston
It's not for nothing that wimpish Willie Angle (Johnny
Harron) is known as "Willie the Worm." Victimized and dumped on by everyone
with whom he comes in contact, Willie is too shy and cowardly to
retaliate. But when his doctor informs him that he has only six months
to live, Willie's worm turns, and he gets even with all his tormentors.
By the time he learns that the diagnosis was incorrect, it hardly matters;
Willie has proven to himself that he always had the gumption to stand up
for his rights. This comes as no surprise to heroine Mary O'Shane (Sally
Phipps), who has loved Willie all along. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
"A Visit with Lee Chase" in Burroughs Bulletin New Series #48 & #52 |
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