The Rome News-Tribune spotlighted Debby Cooke, a West Rome student who earned straight As even though she was unable to attend any classes due to a severe respiratory ailment. Instead, Robert Honaker of the West Rome High faculty went to Debby's home twice a week for an hour and a half of instruction and work assignments. "Debby does all the work that regular students do, and takes all the required classes," Honaker said. Not only did she keep up with other students, but she often stayed ahead of them.
West Rome's track team once again took first place in a three-way meet, defeating Cedartown and Berry on Monday, April 26th. West Rome scored 106 points, 40 more points than the other two schools combined. West Rome had nine first-place wins, while Arbie Lovell broke the school high hurdles mark and Greg Gray broke the school discus record (a record that was set just a week earlier by Rusty Oxford).
Unfortunately, West Rome only managed to take second place in the Fifth Annual Rome News-Tribune Relays, held on April 30th and May 1st at the West Rome track. Crosstown rival East Rome took first place.
West Rome defeated Chattooga 4-3 in a ten-inning game on April 30th. Stan Dawson scored the winning run on a two-out double by Ken Payne.
The Chiefs defeated Calhoun 8-4 on May 1st, avenging their defeat by Calhoun earlier in the season. Ironically, the victory knocked Calhoun out of the number one place in Region 3-AA, advancing West Rome's arch-rivals East Rome into a tie for first place. Undoubtedly the Gladiators appreciated the favor...
The West Roma Dance Band performed a special jazz festival Friday night, April 30th, at the City Auditorium. Ironically, dancing was not allowed.
Dempsey-Anderson Motor Company ran ads touting the fact that the Rambler American 440 won the Mobil Economy Run with 25.7 miles per gallon from its 125-hp overhead V6 engine. Yes, you read that right--125 horsepower! (Of course, that beat the 50 horsepower that my family's 1964 Volkswagen offered...)
Construction began on Georgia' first tri-level interchange this week in 1965. The interchange connected US 411, US 27, State Roue 101, and Turner McCall Boulevard. The project came in at a total of $2 million (which would be the equivalent of $15 million in today's dollars). It's hard to believe that Rome actually claimed this major feat of traffic engineering before Atlanta, but it's true!
Krystal advertised their spring special: 5 Krystal hamburgers for 25¢. No wonder Krystal had a reputation as the go-to place for food on a student's budget! Meanwhile, Redford's bargain dinner o the week was country-fried steak with blackeyed peas, candied yams, tossed salad, and rolls for 50¢.
Piggly Wiggly had 24 ounce cans of Swift's spaghetti and meat sauce for 33¢, a 16-ounce package of Nabisco cookies for 39¢, and a 1i6-ounce can of Libby's fruit cocktail for 20¢. Kroger had t-bone steak for 99¢ a pound, 16 ounce cans of Van Camp's pork & beans for 9¢, and whole watermelons for 79¢. Big Apple had Swift's bacon for 49¢, Bailey's Supreme coffee for 59¢ a pound, and vienna sausages for 19¢ a can. A&P had ground beef for 33¢ a pound, strawberries for 29¢ a pint, and Marvel ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon. Couch's had chicken breasts for 49¢ a pound, Bumblebee tuna for 19¢ a can, and a case of Double-Cola for 69¢ plus deposit.
The cinematic week began with Walt Disney's Those Calloways at the DeSoto and Becket (with Richard Burton & Peter O'Toole) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Truth About Spring (with Hayley Mills & James MacArthur) to the DeSoto and 36 Hours (with James Garner & Eva Marie Saint) to the First Avenue. The West Rome Drive-In offered a weekend double feature that included Strange Bedfellows (with Rock Hudson & Gina Lollobrigida) and 40 Pounds of Trouble (with Tony Curtis & Suzanne Pleshette).
Oooey gooey! Officer Don brought his Popeye Club live program to the First Avenue Theater on Saturday morning, May 1st--and it included the ever-popular Ooey Gooey game, wherein blindfolded participants stuck their hands in one of three paper bags on a turntable; two of the bags contained candy and prizes, while one of the bagas contained chocolate syrup, eggs, and other substances that comprised the special Ooey Gooey bag. Problem was, Officer Don was just mischievous enough that he would often ensure that the turntable stopped on the Ooey Gooey bag...
Once again, Herman's Hermits had two spots in the top ten: "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" held on to the number one position, while "Silhouettes" climbed one place to #7. Other top ten hits included "Count Me In" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#2); "Ticket to Ride" by the Beatles (#3); "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders (#4); "I'll Never Find Another You" by the Seekers (#5); "I Know a Place" by Petula Clark (#6); "I'm Telling You Now" by Freddie & the Dreamers (#8); "The Last Time" by the Rolling Stones (#9); and "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" by Sounds Orchestral (#10). Obviously the British Invasion was in full swing, with British groups taking eight of the top ten slots, an Australian group taking one spot, and one lone US act (headed by Jerry Lewis's little boy Gary) in the top ten.
CBS revealed that the hit Andy Griffith Show was losing a major cast member: Don Knotts was not renewing his contract after five years, abandoning his role as Barney Fife; he filmed his last episode this week in 1964. Knotts' loss was so significant that Andy Griffith briefly considered leaving the series as well, although he ultimately decided to stay for a few more seasons. The networks briefly considered replacing Don Knotts with either Don Rickles or Bernard Fox, but ultimately decided to bring in Jack Burns to play Deputy Warren Ferguson. (Can you imagine an Andy Griffith Show with Don Rickles as a deputy?)
Television stations also began to take notice of the small but growing cable television market in the spring of 1965. Rather than viewing it as a way to make more money, the stations saw it as a threat, and tried to shut it down with threats of copyright infringement for retransmitting programs without permission. In 1965, only 10% of all homes in the US had access to cable television--and Rome wasn't one of them, with cable TV in Rome still three more years away.
The Teen Titans' late 1964 comics premiere proved so popular that DC brought them back at the end of April in Brave & Bold #60, produced by Bob Haney & Bruno Premiani. The characters were still relatively unfamiliar to many fans and some professionals, apparently, since Kid Flash's uniform is mis-colored throughout the story.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Buddy Saunders' Martian Iliad: Chatting About The Martian Legion
I got to know Buddy Saunders long before he knew me. Soon after I discovered the world of fanzines through Rocket's Blast-Comicollector in the mid-1960s, I ran across Buddy through his fanzine work. A few years later, when Susan and I were writing and publishing the SF review fanzine Future Retrospective, I got to know Buddy as a science-fiction writer the co-author (with Howard Waldrop) of The Texas/Israeli War: 1999 (I no longer have ready access to a copy of the fanzine, but I remember that liked the book). Then, almost a decade later, I bought Dr. No's and got into comics retailing--and soon after I got to know Buddy Saunders yet again, this time as the owner of Lone Star Comics... and this time, he actually got to know me, too (it's about time!).
I didn't know if our paths would cross again once Buddy sold his stores a few years ago--and then I discovered his novel The Martian Legion, published by Russ Cochran (another person I got to know through his books, then later in person when our paths crossed at various conventions and gatherings--it's a small world, isn't it?)
The Martian Legion is a massive, lavishly produced novel--not only an adventure-fantasy fan's dream crossover event (starring such heroes as Tarzan, John Carter, Carson Napier, Alley Oop, Doc Savage, the Shadow, and--I suspect--a few additional characters drafted to fill in for Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless), but it's also a stunning presentation highlighting the artistry of book-making. As such, it's also an extremely large and extremely heavy book--don't plan on lying on the sofa and balancing this one on your chest while you read it unless you want to suffer the fate of Giles Corey. This is a book that pretty much requires a table-reading--but it's worth the extra effort!
After reading the book, I wanted to find out more about how, when, and why Buddy created a work of this scope and size. Thankfully, he was willing to chat about his new literary endeavor.
Most people immediately associate you with comics, not with ERB, sword and planet, or pulp hero adventure. These are obviously long-time interests of yours as well. How far back does your interest in and involvement with these authors, characters, and concepts go as a fan and reader?
I first discovered Tarzan while in junior high school. Arlington was still a small town in the early 1960s (about 20,000 people, now 380,000), but it had one small bookstore. My mother would take me there every week and I'd spend some of my paper route money. One Saturday I came upon a set of the nine Grosset and Dunlap Tarzan hardback editions. My eyes zeroed in on the dust jacket for Tarzan the Terrible. Gee, I thought, I never saw a Tarzan like this at the movies! That cover still gives me chills of pleasure--Tarzan grappling with a black-furred was-don upon a cliff side. I bought the book, read it, and the next week I was back at the little bookstore. I marched right in, picked up the other eight Tarzan novels and took them to the checkout counter. The lady remembered me from the week before and said--and these are her exact words-- "You must have really enjoyed the first one." At that point I didn't know there were more Tarzan novels than those nine or that there were also Mars novels and a whole lot more, but a few years later I was disabused of my ignorance when Ace Books began reprinting just about every book ERB ever wrote, all in affordable paperback! The Frazetta and Krenkel covers were icing on the cake. By the time I graduated from high school in 1965 (my high school 50th reunion is this summer) I had read them all, and was an ERB fan for life. And somewhere in there I also discovered Doc Savage and The Shadow, again through reprint paperbacks.
I also don't think most readers knew you were a writer--it's that tendency everyone has to categorize people in specific niches. When did you begin writing? You did fanzine work in the 1960s, correct? And you've written SF as well--including a story that earned a Nebula nomination. Why didn't you write more?
Yes, I did a lot of fanzines and some writing there, but in that period my ambition was to be a comic artist. My interest in writing developed out of that. I never did any professional comic art, but I did write 20 or so stories for Warren's Creepy and Eerie magazines, the best story of the lot being to my mind The Comet's Curse, which was a reworking of a Demon super hero story I'd done earlier for one of BilJo White's fanzines. A good friend of mine beginning in high school, Howard Waldrop, who remains my best friend to this day, and I both decided we wanted to be writers. By the time we hit college we were hard at it, and both members of the writing group, Turkey City Rodeo. Howard and I co-wrote The Texas-Israeli War: 1999 which was published by Ballantine Books. It went through two further paperback editions, and saw several foreign editions. Howard went on to a very successful career as a writer, producing mainly SF stories. I got sidetracked by Lone Star Comics. It wasn't until the early 1990s that I resumed some writing. But before I put aside writing altogether for close to a couple of decades, I also had written a few short stories, and one, "Back to the Stone Age," was as you noted nominated for an SF Nebula, an honor even if I didn't take first place.
This is an incredibly ambitious work. Would you mind describing the premise of the book, and what characters are involved in the story, both in primary and in supporting roles?
The Martian Legion: In Quest of Xonthron, is something like the Iliad on Mars. In The Martian Legion, the reader will meet familiar faces, some of them developed well beyond what ERB did, plus new faces from the mind of Jake Saunders.
Tarzan, John Carter, Doc Savage, the Shadow, Alley Oop, Carson Napier... there are a lot of classic heroes in this story! What brings together such a diverse group of characters?
John Carter needs help in dealing with the therns who are again up to no good, in this case threatening to destroy Barsoom. The Warlord calls upon the heroes of Earth--Tarzan, other ERB stalwarts, plus The Shadow, Doc Savage, and another tough guy that will likely surprise many readers. Tarzan's younger son, Conan (one of my creations), plays an indispensable role, being the human thread that ties all the parts together.
Any time you mix a group of characters like this, it's a fan's dream come true--but it also has to be a challenge to get all the rights and permissions. How did you get everyone to sign off on this?
I can thank my editor, Russ Cochran, for securing the necessary rights. Russ' reputation as a quality book publisher is well established. He published the three-volume Edgar Rice Burroughs Library of Illustration, a truly beautiful set of three books in a slipcase. More recently he did the Hopalong Cassidy book, another stunning production. Russ knew the folks at ERB, Inc. He secured the ERB rights and likewise the rights to the other characters, pretty much on the basis of his reputation. None knew me from Adam, but I think the various parties said to themselves, "We'll trust our characters with Russ because he wouldn't be in this deal unless he had confidence in the writer and the quality of his work." I'm sure the process wasn't as easy as I now make it sound, but from my perspective it seemed so.
Was there anything specific that inspired you to write The Martian Legion?
It all began as a short story I promised my son. Even before he could read, my wife and I would read to him every evening. As soon as Conan was old enough for Oz, The Hobbit, and Tarzan and John Carter, we were reading those things along with the Carl Barks’ duck stories and John Stanley's Little Lulu. It didn't take Conan long to ask the question every new ERB fan asks, "Did Tarzan ever go to Barsoom and meet John Carter?" No, I said, he hadn't, but I'd write that story, just a little short story. Well, that "little short story" just grew and grew like Topsy until it hit half-a-million words. And I had a blast writing every bit of it, getting to live every scene. I had the story outline in my head, but I didn't know what all went on between every point A and B. So it was like I was reading my own book for the first time as I wrote it. That, my friend, is one fun experience!
When did you begin writing The Martian Legion?
I began writing it in 1992 when my son Conan was twelve, the same age as Tarzan's son Conan (what a coincidence!) when The Martian Legion begins. Within the year I finished it. Then it sat on a shelf until about three years ago when I dusted it off and showed it to an initially skeptical but kind-hearted Russ Cochran. I knew Russ loved ERB as much as I did. He knew the material, respected the material as I did. He read the manuscript and told me, "Let's do this!"
How long did it take you to get the manuscript into the format that you wanted?
Having "finished” the first draft, it took about two years of part-time editing to get a tight manuscript. Keep in mind, all during the writing and designing of this book, I was also running Lone Star Comics full time and involved locally with a citizen's group trying to improve governance in our city. But I'm a really quick writer, and computers make me a lot faster than when I wrote on an old Underwood manual or later IBM Selectric. I did a lot of rewriting, and the book passed through innumerable rewrites. In one pass alone I cut 30,000 words, then ended up adding back 30,000 different words. Chapter 12, The Mystery of the Toonolian Marshes, was added to tie up loose ends that resulted from our failure to secure the right to a non-ERB character. After some brainstorming, Russ and I came up with a replacement from within the ERB pantheon. I wrote the new chapter in a single week.
This is not only a wonderful sword and planet adventure, it's also a stunning example of book design. How did you and Russ Cochran end up working on this project? Did you initially envision something this elaborate and impressive, or were you seeing a more traditional book when you envisioned the print edition? Did you and Russ make plans for the format before the book was completed, or did that come about after the manuscript was done?
From the beginning, I had a deluxe format in mind, and Russ was quick to sign on. Russ brought in Zavier Cabarga, whose book design skills are just incredible. We three conferenced as things went along, coming up with ideas, designs, formats, etc., all of which finally resulted in the book you now see. Some ideas had to be abandoned. At one point we hoped to produce a metal presentation book (not a tin box but something substantial like case aluminum) with a hidden catch, but we couldn't find anyone who could produce what we wanted--at any price. Two of the type fonts used in the book--Sword and Jake--by the way--were created by Zavier, and the Jake font (used for the spot illustration titles and elsewhere in the book) was designed exclusively for The Martian Legion and any further ERB novels I will be writing.
The plan to create multiple formats and editions at various price points is likewise unique. Whose idea was that?
That was my idea--that and the book registry. After fifty years as a retailer, as well as a reader and collector, I’ve learned a few things, and like my dad before me, I have a good promotional sense.
You and Russ have issued a rather impressive guarantee to readers and buyers: this book will never be sold more cheaply or via wholesale rates, ensuring that readers don't have to worry about buying it at full price now only to see it discounted in the next few months. As someone who has supported small press publishers only to be "bitten" by deep-discount offers a few months later, I appreciate this. Whose came up with guarantee, and what inspired it?
The guarantee was also my idea. The integrity of the book matters a lot more to me than the money. As a longtime collector myself, nothing annoys me more than to pay full list for a nice item, telling the wife it's also a good investment (sometime we collectors have to say these things), only to see the item discounted or remaindered. That will never happen with The Martian Legion. The book is likely the most costly per copy to produce SF/fantasy/adventure book ever published. And with current publishing trends, it may forever hold that title. But that said, it is totally paid for. Russ and I don't owe anyone a dime. Even though Russ warned me that we might be producing filet mignon for a hot dog market, we were determined to produce a book Edgar Rice Burroughs would be proud of. At every step, Russ and I put quality over bean counting, and I think it shows in the final product.
Will there be further books in this format, or was this a standalone concept for you?
My Martian Iliad is done. There'll not be another. But I will be writing other ERB novels, the first being a new Tarzan.
You've made it clear the current edition won't be discounted under any circumstance. For those who can't quite afford the current edition, is there a less expensive edition planned?
I saw on one of the blogs that someone described the current edition as "pricy." Russ and I won't argue that. It is an expensive book, but while "pricy," it is not overpriced. Those who can afford a copy are getting fully their money's worth. We are sorry not everyone can afford the current format and with that in mind, it is our hope that a mass market publisher will come along and do a much more affordable paperback version. Such an edition wouldn't have the over 125 pieces of art, but all the story would be there. Russ and I think a mass market edition would bring the deluxe edition to the attention of thousands of potential new buyers, so such an edition isn’t something we oppose.
Any characters you wanted to include but were unable to?
Yes, the other half of the characters not already in the book! Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I did use a lot of ERB's characters even as I leavened the story with some of my own. For example, I wish I could have done more with Ras Thavas. But the writing had to stop somewhere, and at a quarter-of-a-million words was a good point. There will be future books--Tarzan, Mars, ERB's other worlds--so as I continue to write, additional characters will get their turn upon the stage.
Lastly, the story is very cinematic--lots of scenes that would work in a movie. Would you want to see The Martian Legion go there?
Only if it were done right. When Hollywood respects the source material, a movie version tends to be much better, even outstanding, the recent Marvel movies and the Lord of the Rings trilogy being prime examples. The special effects artists can now do anything and make it real, including anything that happens in my book. But will it happen? Only time will tell.
It's not too late to add The Martian Legion to your library; if you'd like a copy, you can learn more about it and place your order here at themartianlegion.com. (And if you get a chance, let 'em know that I sent you!)
I didn't know if our paths would cross again once Buddy sold his stores a few years ago--and then I discovered his novel The Martian Legion, published by Russ Cochran (another person I got to know through his books, then later in person when our paths crossed at various conventions and gatherings--it's a small world, isn't it?)The Martian Legion is a massive, lavishly produced novel--not only an adventure-fantasy fan's dream crossover event (starring such heroes as Tarzan, John Carter, Carson Napier, Alley Oop, Doc Savage, the Shadow, and--I suspect--a few additional characters drafted to fill in for Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless), but it's also a stunning presentation highlighting the artistry of book-making. As such, it's also an extremely large and extremely heavy book--don't plan on lying on the sofa and balancing this one on your chest while you read it unless you want to suffer the fate of Giles Corey. This is a book that pretty much requires a table-reading--but it's worth the extra effort!
After reading the book, I wanted to find out more about how, when, and why Buddy created a work of this scope and size. Thankfully, he was willing to chat about his new literary endeavor.
Most people immediately associate you with comics, not with ERB, sword and planet, or pulp hero adventure. These are obviously long-time interests of yours as well. How far back does your interest in and involvement with these authors, characters, and concepts go as a fan and reader?
I first discovered Tarzan while in junior high school. Arlington was still a small town in the early 1960s (about 20,000 people, now 380,000), but it had one small bookstore. My mother would take me there every week and I'd spend some of my paper route money. One Saturday I came upon a set of the nine Grosset and Dunlap Tarzan hardback editions. My eyes zeroed in on the dust jacket for Tarzan the Terrible. Gee, I thought, I never saw a Tarzan like this at the movies! That cover still gives me chills of pleasure--Tarzan grappling with a black-furred was-don upon a cliff side. I bought the book, read it, and the next week I was back at the little bookstore. I marched right in, picked up the other eight Tarzan novels and took them to the checkout counter. The lady remembered me from the week before and said--and these are her exact words-- "You must have really enjoyed the first one." At that point I didn't know there were more Tarzan novels than those nine or that there were also Mars novels and a whole lot more, but a few years later I was disabused of my ignorance when Ace Books began reprinting just about every book ERB ever wrote, all in affordable paperback! The Frazetta and Krenkel covers were icing on the cake. By the time I graduated from high school in 1965 (my high school 50th reunion is this summer) I had read them all, and was an ERB fan for life. And somewhere in there I also discovered Doc Savage and The Shadow, again through reprint paperbacks.
I also don't think most readers knew you were a writer--it's that tendency everyone has to categorize people in specific niches. When did you begin writing? You did fanzine work in the 1960s, correct? And you've written SF as well--including a story that earned a Nebula nomination. Why didn't you write more?
Yes, I did a lot of fanzines and some writing there, but in that period my ambition was to be a comic artist. My interest in writing developed out of that. I never did any professional comic art, but I did write 20 or so stories for Warren's Creepy and Eerie magazines, the best story of the lot being to my mind The Comet's Curse, which was a reworking of a Demon super hero story I'd done earlier for one of BilJo White's fanzines. A good friend of mine beginning in high school, Howard Waldrop, who remains my best friend to this day, and I both decided we wanted to be writers. By the time we hit college we were hard at it, and both members of the writing group, Turkey City Rodeo. Howard and I co-wrote The Texas-Israeli War: 1999 which was published by Ballantine Books. It went through two further paperback editions, and saw several foreign editions. Howard went on to a very successful career as a writer, producing mainly SF stories. I got sidetracked by Lone Star Comics. It wasn't until the early 1990s that I resumed some writing. But before I put aside writing altogether for close to a couple of decades, I also had written a few short stories, and one, "Back to the Stone Age," was as you noted nominated for an SF Nebula, an honor even if I didn't take first place.
This is an incredibly ambitious work. Would you mind describing the premise of the book, and what characters are involved in the story, both in primary and in supporting roles?
The Martian Legion: In Quest of Xonthron, is something like the Iliad on Mars. In The Martian Legion, the reader will meet familiar faces, some of them developed well beyond what ERB did, plus new faces from the mind of Jake Saunders.
Tarzan, John Carter, Doc Savage, the Shadow, Alley Oop, Carson Napier... there are a lot of classic heroes in this story! What brings together such a diverse group of characters?
John Carter needs help in dealing with the therns who are again up to no good, in this case threatening to destroy Barsoom. The Warlord calls upon the heroes of Earth--Tarzan, other ERB stalwarts, plus The Shadow, Doc Savage, and another tough guy that will likely surprise many readers. Tarzan's younger son, Conan (one of my creations), plays an indispensable role, being the human thread that ties all the parts together.Any time you mix a group of characters like this, it's a fan's dream come true--but it also has to be a challenge to get all the rights and permissions. How did you get everyone to sign off on this?
I can thank my editor, Russ Cochran, for securing the necessary rights. Russ' reputation as a quality book publisher is well established. He published the three-volume Edgar Rice Burroughs Library of Illustration, a truly beautiful set of three books in a slipcase. More recently he did the Hopalong Cassidy book, another stunning production. Russ knew the folks at ERB, Inc. He secured the ERB rights and likewise the rights to the other characters, pretty much on the basis of his reputation. None knew me from Adam, but I think the various parties said to themselves, "We'll trust our characters with Russ because he wouldn't be in this deal unless he had confidence in the writer and the quality of his work." I'm sure the process wasn't as easy as I now make it sound, but from my perspective it seemed so.
Was there anything specific that inspired you to write The Martian Legion?
It all began as a short story I promised my son. Even before he could read, my wife and I would read to him every evening. As soon as Conan was old enough for Oz, The Hobbit, and Tarzan and John Carter, we were reading those things along with the Carl Barks’ duck stories and John Stanley's Little Lulu. It didn't take Conan long to ask the question every new ERB fan asks, "Did Tarzan ever go to Barsoom and meet John Carter?" No, I said, he hadn't, but I'd write that story, just a little short story. Well, that "little short story" just grew and grew like Topsy until it hit half-a-million words. And I had a blast writing every bit of it, getting to live every scene. I had the story outline in my head, but I didn't know what all went on between every point A and B. So it was like I was reading my own book for the first time as I wrote it. That, my friend, is one fun experience!
When did you begin writing The Martian Legion?
I began writing it in 1992 when my son Conan was twelve, the same age as Tarzan's son Conan (what a coincidence!) when The Martian Legion begins. Within the year I finished it. Then it sat on a shelf until about three years ago when I dusted it off and showed it to an initially skeptical but kind-hearted Russ Cochran. I knew Russ loved ERB as much as I did. He knew the material, respected the material as I did. He read the manuscript and told me, "Let's do this!"How long did it take you to get the manuscript into the format that you wanted?
Having "finished” the first draft, it took about two years of part-time editing to get a tight manuscript. Keep in mind, all during the writing and designing of this book, I was also running Lone Star Comics full time and involved locally with a citizen's group trying to improve governance in our city. But I'm a really quick writer, and computers make me a lot faster than when I wrote on an old Underwood manual or later IBM Selectric. I did a lot of rewriting, and the book passed through innumerable rewrites. In one pass alone I cut 30,000 words, then ended up adding back 30,000 different words. Chapter 12, The Mystery of the Toonolian Marshes, was added to tie up loose ends that resulted from our failure to secure the right to a non-ERB character. After some brainstorming, Russ and I came up with a replacement from within the ERB pantheon. I wrote the new chapter in a single week.
This is not only a wonderful sword and planet adventure, it's also a stunning example of book design. How did you and Russ Cochran end up working on this project? Did you initially envision something this elaborate and impressive, or were you seeing a more traditional book when you envisioned the print edition? Did you and Russ make plans for the format before the book was completed, or did that come about after the manuscript was done?
From the beginning, I had a deluxe format in mind, and Russ was quick to sign on. Russ brought in Zavier Cabarga, whose book design skills are just incredible. We three conferenced as things went along, coming up with ideas, designs, formats, etc., all of which finally resulted in the book you now see. Some ideas had to be abandoned. At one point we hoped to produce a metal presentation book (not a tin box but something substantial like case aluminum) with a hidden catch, but we couldn't find anyone who could produce what we wanted--at any price. Two of the type fonts used in the book--Sword and Jake--by the way--were created by Zavier, and the Jake font (used for the spot illustration titles and elsewhere in the book) was designed exclusively for The Martian Legion and any further ERB novels I will be writing.The plan to create multiple formats and editions at various price points is likewise unique. Whose idea was that?
That was my idea--that and the book registry. After fifty years as a retailer, as well as a reader and collector, I’ve learned a few things, and like my dad before me, I have a good promotional sense.
You and Russ have issued a rather impressive guarantee to readers and buyers: this book will never be sold more cheaply or via wholesale rates, ensuring that readers don't have to worry about buying it at full price now only to see it discounted in the next few months. As someone who has supported small press publishers only to be "bitten" by deep-discount offers a few months later, I appreciate this. Whose came up with guarantee, and what inspired it?
The guarantee was also my idea. The integrity of the book matters a lot more to me than the money. As a longtime collector myself, nothing annoys me more than to pay full list for a nice item, telling the wife it's also a good investment (sometime we collectors have to say these things), only to see the item discounted or remaindered. That will never happen with The Martian Legion. The book is likely the most costly per copy to produce SF/fantasy/adventure book ever published. And with current publishing trends, it may forever hold that title. But that said, it is totally paid for. Russ and I don't owe anyone a dime. Even though Russ warned me that we might be producing filet mignon for a hot dog market, we were determined to produce a book Edgar Rice Burroughs would be proud of. At every step, Russ and I put quality over bean counting, and I think it shows in the final product.
Will there be further books in this format, or was this a standalone concept for you?
My Martian Iliad is done. There'll not be another. But I will be writing other ERB novels, the first being a new Tarzan.
You've made it clear the current edition won't be discounted under any circumstance. For those who can't quite afford the current edition, is there a less expensive edition planned?
I saw on one of the blogs that someone described the current edition as "pricy." Russ and I won't argue that. It is an expensive book, but while "pricy," it is not overpriced. Those who can afford a copy are getting fully their money's worth. We are sorry not everyone can afford the current format and with that in mind, it is our hope that a mass market publisher will come along and do a much more affordable paperback version. Such an edition wouldn't have the over 125 pieces of art, but all the story would be there. Russ and I think a mass market edition would bring the deluxe edition to the attention of thousands of potential new buyers, so such an edition isn’t something we oppose.
Any characters you wanted to include but were unable to?
Yes, the other half of the characters not already in the book! Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I did use a lot of ERB's characters even as I leavened the story with some of my own. For example, I wish I could have done more with Ras Thavas. But the writing had to stop somewhere, and at a quarter-of-a-million words was a good point. There will be future books--Tarzan, Mars, ERB's other worlds--so as I continue to write, additional characters will get their turn upon the stage.
Lastly, the story is very cinematic--lots of scenes that would work in a movie. Would you want to see The Martian Legion go there?
Only if it were done right. When Hollywood respects the source material, a movie version tends to be much better, even outstanding, the recent Marvel movies and the Lord of the Rings trilogy being prime examples. The special effects artists can now do anything and make it real, including anything that happens in my book. But will it happen? Only time will tell.
***
It's not too late to add The Martian Legion to your library; if you'd like a copy, you can learn more about it and place your order here at themartianlegion.com. (And if you get a chance, let 'em know that I sent you!)
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 4/19/1965 to 4/25/1965
Romans had to wait a little bit longer for construction of the new library to began, as federal funds were put on hold until the government was satisfied that Rome and Floyd County were complying with the civil rights law. Mrs. Emily Payne, library director, pointed out that the Tri-County Regional Library Board had already signed a certificate of compliance indicating that there would be no segregation at the library, but the federal government wasn't offering any estimate when they might actually lift the fiscal hold.
Academic letters (or bars for those who had received academic letters in prior years) were presented to West Rome High School seniors Ginny Burnett, Jan Ross, Barbara Beiswenger, Barbara Helie, Jimmy Cowart, Dan Sweltzer, and John Ross during an assembly program held on April 19th. Forty-eight other students in grades seven through eleven were also cited for scholarship.
West Rome's track team won 11 of 15 events on Wednesday afternoon, April 21st, to capture a three-way victory over Carrollton and Rockmart; the Chiefs had 88.5 points, more than 30 points more than the second-place team. Jerry Coalson and Rusty Oxford set school records in the 880-yard run and the discus respectively.
West Rome's baseball team also racked up a win on April 21st, defeating Cassville 4-2 in a region game.
East Rome and West Rome baseball teams faced off on Friday, April 23rd, but the game didn't go West Rome's way, with the Gladiators winning 6-5 on a seventh-inning two-out single.
The Chieftains came back on Saturday, April 24th, posting a 15-8 win over the Cedartown bulldogs--a fitting bit of revenge against the team that defeated West Rome earlier in the season.
West Rome students celebrated Western Pioneer Day on Friday, April 23rd. Students dressed in Western-themed clothes; many of those who did not dress in keeping with the spirit of the day were put in "jail" and had to pay a ten cent fine to buy their way out.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken livers for 79¢ a pound (I had no idea that chicken livers cost as much as steak!), Blackhawk bacon for 59¢ a pound, and strawberries for 29¢ a pint. Kroger had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound. Big apple had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, corn for 7¢ an ear, and a four-pound canned ham for $2.99. A&P had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, a quart of Bama pickles for 33¢, and Sultana apple jelly for 33¢ a jar. Couch's had fresh whole fryers for 23¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and a 24-bottle car of Coca-Cola or Tab for 99¢ plus deposit.
The cinematic week began with Girl Happy (with Elvis Presley) at the DeSoto and How to Murder Your Wife (with Jack Lemmon & Virna Lissi) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Walt Disney's Those Calloways to the DeSoto, Circus World (with John Wayne) to the First Avenue, and a weekend triple feature of Thunder Road, The Young Racers, and The Devil's Hairpin to the West Rome Drive-In.
Herman's Hermits took number one this week in 1965 with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," one of two Herman's Hermits songs on the charts this week (they also had "Silhouettes" at #8). Other top ten hits included "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders (#2); "I Know a Place" by Petula Clark (#3); "I'm Telling You Now" by Freddie & the Dreamers (#4); "I'll Never Find Another You" by the Seekers (#5); "Tired of Waiting for You" by the Kinks (#6); "Count Me In" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#7); "Last Time" by the Rolling Stones (#9); and "Stop! In the Name of Love" by the Supremes (#10).
Noteworthy album releases for the week included I Go To Pieces by Peter & Gordon, Introducing the Beau Brummels by the Beau Brummels, and the album with one of the sexiest and most notorious covers of the decade: Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.
David McCallum, who played Illya Kuryakin on The Man from UNCLE, made his TV Guide cover premiere this week in 1965; he was also the subject of a feature article about his role on the series and his popularity with younger viewers, both male and female.
The Flash faced off against Reverse-Flash in Flash #153, on sale this week in 1965. Wonder if John Broome & Carmine Infantino, the writer and artist of the story, ever imagined that millions of viewers would watch the Flash and the Reverse-Flash face off on a major network TV series fifty years later?
Academic letters (or bars for those who had received academic letters in prior years) were presented to West Rome High School seniors Ginny Burnett, Jan Ross, Barbara Beiswenger, Barbara Helie, Jimmy Cowart, Dan Sweltzer, and John Ross during an assembly program held on April 19th. Forty-eight other students in grades seven through eleven were also cited for scholarship.
West Rome's track team won 11 of 15 events on Wednesday afternoon, April 21st, to capture a three-way victory over Carrollton and Rockmart; the Chiefs had 88.5 points, more than 30 points more than the second-place team. Jerry Coalson and Rusty Oxford set school records in the 880-yard run and the discus respectively.
West Rome's baseball team also racked up a win on April 21st, defeating Cassville 4-2 in a region game.
East Rome and West Rome baseball teams faced off on Friday, April 23rd, but the game didn't go West Rome's way, with the Gladiators winning 6-5 on a seventh-inning two-out single.
The Chieftains came back on Saturday, April 24th, posting a 15-8 win over the Cedartown bulldogs--a fitting bit of revenge against the team that defeated West Rome earlier in the season.
West Rome students celebrated Western Pioneer Day on Friday, April 23rd. Students dressed in Western-themed clothes; many of those who did not dress in keeping with the spirit of the day were put in "jail" and had to pay a ten cent fine to buy their way out.
Piggly Wiggly had chicken livers for 79¢ a pound (I had no idea that chicken livers cost as much as steak!), Blackhawk bacon for 59¢ a pound, and strawberries for 29¢ a pint. Kroger had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and Maxwell House coffee for 69¢ a pound. Big apple had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, corn for 7¢ an ear, and a four-pound canned ham for $2.99. A&P had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, a quart of Bama pickles for 33¢, and Sultana apple jelly for 33¢ a jar. Couch's had fresh whole fryers for 23¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and a 24-bottle car of Coca-Cola or Tab for 99¢ plus deposit.
The cinematic week began with Girl Happy (with Elvis Presley) at the DeSoto and How to Murder Your Wife (with Jack Lemmon & Virna Lissi) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Walt Disney's Those Calloways to the DeSoto, Circus World (with John Wayne) to the First Avenue, and a weekend triple feature of Thunder Road, The Young Racers, and The Devil's Hairpin to the West Rome Drive-In.
Herman's Hermits took number one this week in 1965 with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," one of two Herman's Hermits songs on the charts this week (they also had "Silhouettes" at #8). Other top ten hits included "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders (#2); "I Know a Place" by Petula Clark (#3); "I'm Telling You Now" by Freddie & the Dreamers (#4); "I'll Never Find Another You" by the Seekers (#5); "Tired of Waiting for You" by the Kinks (#6); "Count Me In" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys (#7); "Last Time" by the Rolling Stones (#9); and "Stop! In the Name of Love" by the Supremes (#10).
Noteworthy album releases for the week included I Go To Pieces by Peter & Gordon, Introducing the Beau Brummels by the Beau Brummels, and the album with one of the sexiest and most notorious covers of the decade: Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.
David McCallum, who played Illya Kuryakin on The Man from UNCLE, made his TV Guide cover premiere this week in 1965; he was also the subject of a feature article about his role on the series and his popularity with younger viewers, both male and female.
The Flash faced off against Reverse-Flash in Flash #153, on sale this week in 1965. Wonder if John Broome & Carmine Infantino, the writer and artist of the story, ever imagined that millions of viewers would watch the Flash and the Reverse-Flash face off on a major network TV series fifty years later?
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 4/12/1965 to 4/18/1965
The predawn hours of April 12th saw a heavy thunderstorm move through Rome and Floyd County, but there was no damage and only a few brief power outages. The storm spawned a tornado in Bartow County, though, with some damage reported near White, Georgia.
Bids for the new Carnegie Tri-County Regional Library came in this week in 1965, and the lowest bid was $17,000+ (almost 13%) above the original estimates. Mrs. Emily Payne, Tri-County Regional Library director, said that she would meet with the state to determine if any additional state and/or federal funds might be available to meet the budget shortfall. She assured Romans that the new, expanded library would be built, however.
West Rome's baseball team fell to Model in a 5-2 game on April 12th. However, the Chiefs turned things around when they beat Carrollton 13-1 on April 13th, but any dreams they had of a renewed winning streak came to an end a day later when they fell to Chattooga County in a 3-0 game.
West Rome's track team won the LaFayette Invitational Relays track meet on April 16th, scoring 66 points to second-place Dalton's 48.5.
The Chieftains' cheerleaders for the 1965-1966 season were announced this week in 1965. Basketball cheerleaders included Brenda Burrell (captain), Pam Calloway, Beth Doyal, Parthenia Chastain, Mary Ann Witte, Celeste White, and Belinda Ritter. Football cheerleaders included Charlene Lamb, Janet Amspoker, Cheryl Lanier, Sylvia Brumbelow, Susan Sprayberry, Susan Wade, Debbie Shannon, Dixie Moore, and Elaine Freeman.
West Rome's Jeanne Maxwell was chosen convention chairman at the Georgia Association of Student Councils 24th annual State Convention at Rock Eagle, while fellow Chieftain Tommy Fricks was tapped to serve as corresponding secretary. Other West Rome delegates included Mike Murphy, Tommy Sapp, Marianne Witte, Roger Wade, Judy Burnes, Penny Andrews, Anne Peery, and Pam Williams; faculty advisors were Susie Underwood and Kitty Alford.
West Rome history classes devoted a day to President Abraham Lincoln on April 14th, 1965--the hundredth anniversary of Lincoln's assassination.
Burglars broke into the Dinner Bell at 612 Shorter Avenue on April 12th, stealing the coins from five vending machines as well as a large quantity of groceries.
Now here's a promotion you don't see every day: if you bought four tires for $48.48 from the Firestone store on Broad Street, you got a free seven-pound ham!
And if you got that free ham, you could serve if as the main course of your Easter dinner on Sunday, April 18th. As was the norm back in the 1960s, almost every business in Rome (including all grocery stores and most drugstores) was closed in recognition of the holidays.
Piggly Wiggly had turkeys for 39¢ a pound, squash for 19¢ a pound, and cantaloupes for 29¢ each. Kroger had Plumrose sliced bacon for 49¢ pound, red delicious apples for 6¢ each, and Country Club ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had ground beef for 37¢ a pound, Duke's mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Cudahy Bar-S bacon for 59¢ a pound. A&P had baking hens for 39¢ a pound, Banquet cream pies for 39¢ each, and strawberries for 39¢ a pint. Couch's had shank portion hams for 29¢ a pound, a 24-ounce can of Poss Brunswick Stew for 49¢, and a case of Coca-Cola or Tab for 99¢ plus deposit. (That Brunswick stew was one of my favorites: I recall many a time when I cajoled Mom into letting me have a can of that stew--served with lots of black pepper, some tabasco sauce, and Saltines--for lunch, or for dinner on a night when Mom and Dad were going out.)
Rome's cinematic week began with Marriage Italian Style (with Sophia Loren) at the DeSoto and Dear Heart (with Glenn Ford and Geraldine Page) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Girl Happy (with Elvis Presley) to the DeSoto and How to Murder Your Wife (with Jack Lemmon & Virna Lisi) at the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend schedule brought A Summer Place, Palm Springs Weekend, and Operation Bikini to the big screen.
Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders took the number one spot this week in 1965 with "Game of Love." Other top ten hits included "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits (#2); "I'm Telling You Now" by Freddie & the Dreamers (#3); "I Know a Place" by Petula Clark (#4); "Stop! In the Name of Love" by the Supremes (#5); "Tired of Waiting for You" by the Kinks (#6); "I'll Never Find Another You" by the Seekers (#7); "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis (#8); "Shotgun" by Jr. Walker & the All-Stars (#9); and "Silhouettes" by Herman's Hermits, their second song on the top ten this week.
Memorable album releases this week included Dance Party by Martha & the Vandellas, We Remember Sam Cooke by the Supremes (featuring cover versions of Sam Cooke songs), Come My Way by Marianne Faithfull, and Bert Jansch's eponymous premiere album (if you weren't a folk music fan, you may not have heard of him, but this Scottish musician and founding member of the band Pentangle was a major influence on Donovan, Al Stewart, Paul Simon, Elton John, Nick Drake, and Neil Young).
Bids for the new Carnegie Tri-County Regional Library came in this week in 1965, and the lowest bid was $17,000+ (almost 13%) above the original estimates. Mrs. Emily Payne, Tri-County Regional Library director, said that she would meet with the state to determine if any additional state and/or federal funds might be available to meet the budget shortfall. She assured Romans that the new, expanded library would be built, however.
West Rome's baseball team fell to Model in a 5-2 game on April 12th. However, the Chiefs turned things around when they beat Carrollton 13-1 on April 13th, but any dreams they had of a renewed winning streak came to an end a day later when they fell to Chattooga County in a 3-0 game.
West Rome's track team won the LaFayette Invitational Relays track meet on April 16th, scoring 66 points to second-place Dalton's 48.5.
The Chieftains' cheerleaders for the 1965-1966 season were announced this week in 1965. Basketball cheerleaders included Brenda Burrell (captain), Pam Calloway, Beth Doyal, Parthenia Chastain, Mary Ann Witte, Celeste White, and Belinda Ritter. Football cheerleaders included Charlene Lamb, Janet Amspoker, Cheryl Lanier, Sylvia Brumbelow, Susan Sprayberry, Susan Wade, Debbie Shannon, Dixie Moore, and Elaine Freeman.
West Rome's Jeanne Maxwell was chosen convention chairman at the Georgia Association of Student Councils 24th annual State Convention at Rock Eagle, while fellow Chieftain Tommy Fricks was tapped to serve as corresponding secretary. Other West Rome delegates included Mike Murphy, Tommy Sapp, Marianne Witte, Roger Wade, Judy Burnes, Penny Andrews, Anne Peery, and Pam Williams; faculty advisors were Susie Underwood and Kitty Alford.
West Rome history classes devoted a day to President Abraham Lincoln on April 14th, 1965--the hundredth anniversary of Lincoln's assassination.
Burglars broke into the Dinner Bell at 612 Shorter Avenue on April 12th, stealing the coins from five vending machines as well as a large quantity of groceries.
Now here's a promotion you don't see every day: if you bought four tires for $48.48 from the Firestone store on Broad Street, you got a free seven-pound ham!
And if you got that free ham, you could serve if as the main course of your Easter dinner on Sunday, April 18th. As was the norm back in the 1960s, almost every business in Rome (including all grocery stores and most drugstores) was closed in recognition of the holidays.
Piggly Wiggly had turkeys for 39¢ a pound, squash for 19¢ a pound, and cantaloupes for 29¢ each. Kroger had Plumrose sliced bacon for 49¢ pound, red delicious apples for 6¢ each, and Country Club ice cream for 49¢ a half-gallon. Big Apple had ground beef for 37¢ a pound, Duke's mayonnaise for 49¢ a quart, and Cudahy Bar-S bacon for 59¢ a pound. A&P had baking hens for 39¢ a pound, Banquet cream pies for 39¢ each, and strawberries for 39¢ a pint. Couch's had shank portion hams for 29¢ a pound, a 24-ounce can of Poss Brunswick Stew for 49¢, and a case of Coca-Cola or Tab for 99¢ plus deposit. (That Brunswick stew was one of my favorites: I recall many a time when I cajoled Mom into letting me have a can of that stew--served with lots of black pepper, some tabasco sauce, and Saltines--for lunch, or for dinner on a night when Mom and Dad were going out.)
Rome's cinematic week began with Marriage Italian Style (with Sophia Loren) at the DeSoto and Dear Heart (with Glenn Ford and Geraldine Page) at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought Girl Happy (with Elvis Presley) to the DeSoto and How to Murder Your Wife (with Jack Lemmon & Virna Lisi) at the First Avenue, while the West Rome Drive-In's weekend schedule brought A Summer Place, Palm Springs Weekend, and Operation Bikini to the big screen.
Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders took the number one spot this week in 1965 with "Game of Love." Other top ten hits included "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits (#2); "I'm Telling You Now" by Freddie & the Dreamers (#3); "I Know a Place" by Petula Clark (#4); "Stop! In the Name of Love" by the Supremes (#5); "Tired of Waiting for You" by the Kinks (#6); "I'll Never Find Another You" by the Seekers (#7); "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis (#8); "Shotgun" by Jr. Walker & the All-Stars (#9); and "Silhouettes" by Herman's Hermits, their second song on the top ten this week.
Memorable album releases this week included Dance Party by Martha & the Vandellas, We Remember Sam Cooke by the Supremes (featuring cover versions of Sam Cooke songs), Come My Way by Marianne Faithfull, and Bert Jansch's eponymous premiere album (if you weren't a folk music fan, you may not have heard of him, but this Scottish musician and founding member of the band Pentangle was a major influence on Donovan, Al Stewart, Paul Simon, Elton John, Nick Drake, and Neil Young).
Saturday, April 04, 2015
Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 4/5/1965 to 4/11/1965
Continued growth in the Rome City School System's student population led to an additional allotment of 27 teachers for the 1965-1966 school year, with at least four of those teachers designated for West Rome High School. Final teacher selection was scheduled to take place over the summer.
Three Chieftains were chosen to take part in the Governor's Honors program in the summer of 1965. Sophomore Mary Ann Witte represented West Rome in English; junior Tom McMahon, math; and junior Phil Jenkins, music. The students would be spending the summer at Wesleyan College, where the courses were offered.
The 1965-1966 Student Council officers were announced. The new officer slate included Jeanne Maxwell, president; Tommy Fricks, vice-president; Tommy Sapp, secretary; and Pam Williams, treasurer.
Robert Redden received a standing ovation during an assembly program held by the West Rome Key Club. Mr. Redden received a special plaque honoring his work on the wonderful mural that decorated the main hall of West Rome. Painting of the mural began in the spring of 1964, with the bulk of the work completed in the summer of 1964. Mr. Redden continued to work on the mural through the fall and winter, adding finishing touches to the massive piece of art. If only there had been some way to save that stunning piece of art when West Rome was turned into a Walmart parking lot in the early 1990s...
Benny Padgett was elected by the 1965-1966 Chieftains football team to receive the Chieftain Spring Training Award for outstanding performance during spring training and in the Green & White game.
West Rome's thinclads won a four-way track meet on April 7th, defeating Lakeshore of Atlanta, Armuchee, and Cedartown. West Rome was behind at the end of the track events, but strong performances in the field events propelled them to a strong fish and a 15-point margin between them and second-place Lakeshore.
The first county-wide track meet was held on April 10th at West Rome High School. Coach Paul Kennedy was in charge of the event, which kicked off with field events at 9am and running events beginning a week later. Once again, the Chieftains took first place with a total of 187 points, 79 points ahead of second-place Armuchee. Arbie Lovell was the only Chieftain to win in two categories (low and high hurdles).
Even in the boom times of the mid-1960s, there were still many needy families in Rome, which is why Rome and Floyd County announced plans to offer surplus food assistance to qualified families beginning in April and continuing on a monthly basis for the foreseeable future.
McDonald's celebrated the arrival of warmer weather with a special 7¢ shake sale on Friday and Saturday. (And even as far back as 1965, McDonald's had to advertise its product as a "shake" and not a "milkshake" because there wasn't enough real milk in there to qualify as the latter... which helps to explain why those things took so long to melt!)
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Colonial Sugar for 35¢, a 14-ounce bag of Brach's individually wrapped Easter Eggs for 49¢, and a 4-pound canned ham for $2.99. Kroger had fresh fryers for a quarter a pound, yellow squash for 15¢ a pound, and a tall can of pink salmon for 49¢. Big Apple had Armour bacon for 59¢ a pound, sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, and various flavors of Campbell's condensed soup for a dime a can. A&P had pork chops for 39¢ a pound, corn for 8¢ an ear, and Banquet cream pies for 27¢ each. Couch's had stew beef for 29¢ a pound, a 28-ounce jar of Blue Plate peanut butter for 59¢, and fresh bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (with Shirley MacLaine & Peter Ustinov) at the DeSoto and Psycho (with Tony Perkins) back for a return engagement at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Satan Bug (with George Maharis, Richard Basehart, & Anne Francis) to the First Avenue, Marriage Italian Style (with Sophia Loren & Marcello Mastroianni) to the DeSoto, and a double feature of Bus Riley's Back in Town (with Ann-Margret & Michael Parks) and Taggart (with Dan Duryea) at the West Rome Drive-In.
Freddie & the Dreamers held on to the number one spot this week in 1965 with "I'm Telling You Now." Likewise, the Supremes held number two for the second week in a row with "Stop! In the Name of Love." Other top ten hits included "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders (#3); "I Know a Place" by Petula Clark (#4); "Shotgun" by Jr. Walker & the All-Stars (#5); "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" by Herman's Hermits (#6); "Tired of Waiting for You" by the Kinks (#7); "Nowhere to Run" by Martha & the Vandellas (#8); "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis (#9); and "Go Now" by the Moody Blues (#10).
Gold Key enlisted star illustrator Wally Wood to develop and illustrate its new comic book series Total War, which launched this week in 1965. The series pitted the MARS Patrol (Marine Attack Rescue Service) against an army of murderous humanoid invaders from who-knows-where. Wood stayed with the book for three issues before leaving; soon afterwards, he would work with Tower Comics to launch THUNDER Agents, using similar concepts and themes, but with a more super heroic approach. In 1965, Total War was almost uncategorizeable--not a war comic, not a science fiction series, and not a superhero adventure. Today, it would likely be immediately licensed for film, television, video games, or all three!
Three Chieftains were chosen to take part in the Governor's Honors program in the summer of 1965. Sophomore Mary Ann Witte represented West Rome in English; junior Tom McMahon, math; and junior Phil Jenkins, music. The students would be spending the summer at Wesleyan College, where the courses were offered.
The 1965-1966 Student Council officers were announced. The new officer slate included Jeanne Maxwell, president; Tommy Fricks, vice-president; Tommy Sapp, secretary; and Pam Williams, treasurer.
Robert Redden received a standing ovation during an assembly program held by the West Rome Key Club. Mr. Redden received a special plaque honoring his work on the wonderful mural that decorated the main hall of West Rome. Painting of the mural began in the spring of 1964, with the bulk of the work completed in the summer of 1964. Mr. Redden continued to work on the mural through the fall and winter, adding finishing touches to the massive piece of art. If only there had been some way to save that stunning piece of art when West Rome was turned into a Walmart parking lot in the early 1990s...
Benny Padgett was elected by the 1965-1966 Chieftains football team to receive the Chieftain Spring Training Award for outstanding performance during spring training and in the Green & White game.
West Rome's thinclads won a four-way track meet on April 7th, defeating Lakeshore of Atlanta, Armuchee, and Cedartown. West Rome was behind at the end of the track events, but strong performances in the field events propelled them to a strong fish and a 15-point margin between them and second-place Lakeshore.
The first county-wide track meet was held on April 10th at West Rome High School. Coach Paul Kennedy was in charge of the event, which kicked off with field events at 9am and running events beginning a week later. Once again, the Chieftains took first place with a total of 187 points, 79 points ahead of second-place Armuchee. Arbie Lovell was the only Chieftain to win in two categories (low and high hurdles).
Even in the boom times of the mid-1960s, there were still many needy families in Rome, which is why Rome and Floyd County announced plans to offer surplus food assistance to qualified families beginning in April and continuing on a monthly basis for the foreseeable future.
McDonald's celebrated the arrival of warmer weather with a special 7¢ shake sale on Friday and Saturday. (And even as far back as 1965, McDonald's had to advertise its product as a "shake" and not a "milkshake" because there wasn't enough real milk in there to qualify as the latter... which helps to explain why those things took so long to melt!)
Piggly Wiggly had five pounds of Colonial Sugar for 35¢, a 14-ounce bag of Brach's individually wrapped Easter Eggs for 49¢, and a 4-pound canned ham for $2.99. Kroger had fresh fryers for a quarter a pound, yellow squash for 15¢ a pound, and a tall can of pink salmon for 49¢. Big Apple had Armour bacon for 59¢ a pound, sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, and various flavors of Campbell's condensed soup for a dime a can. A&P had pork chops for 39¢ a pound, corn for 8¢ an ear, and Banquet cream pies for 27¢ each. Couch's had stew beef for 29¢ a pound, a 28-ounce jar of Blue Plate peanut butter for 59¢, and fresh bananas for a dime a pound.
The cinematic week began with John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (with Shirley MacLaine & Peter Ustinov) at the DeSoto and Psycho (with Tony Perkins) back for a return engagement at the First Avenue. The midweek switch out brought The Satan Bug (with George Maharis, Richard Basehart, & Anne Francis) to the First Avenue, Marriage Italian Style (with Sophia Loren & Marcello Mastroianni) to the DeSoto, and a double feature of Bus Riley's Back in Town (with Ann-Margret & Michael Parks) and Taggart (with Dan Duryea) at the West Rome Drive-In.
Freddie & the Dreamers held on to the number one spot this week in 1965 with "I'm Telling You Now." Likewise, the Supremes held number two for the second week in a row with "Stop! In the Name of Love." Other top ten hits included "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders (#3); "I Know a Place" by Petula Clark (#4); "Shotgun" by Jr. Walker & the All-Stars (#5); "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" by Herman's Hermits (#6); "Tired of Waiting for You" by the Kinks (#7); "Nowhere to Run" by Martha & the Vandellas (#8); "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis (#9); and "Go Now" by the Moody Blues (#10).
Gold Key enlisted star illustrator Wally Wood to develop and illustrate its new comic book series Total War, which launched this week in 1965. The series pitted the MARS Patrol (Marine Attack Rescue Service) against an army of murderous humanoid invaders from who-knows-where. Wood stayed with the book for three issues before leaving; soon afterwards, he would work with Tower Comics to launch THUNDER Agents, using similar concepts and themes, but with a more super heroic approach. In 1965, Total War was almost uncategorizeable--not a war comic, not a science fiction series, and not a superhero adventure. Today, it would likely be immediately licensed for film, television, video games, or all three!
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