FenrisUlf Posted August 27, 2005 Report Share Posted August 27, 2005 I trust most of us here have read in Champs Universe way back when about the Empire Club, the Victorian/Pulp-era 'gentleman's club' who's members stopped criminal masterminds, explored the world, and fought the early version of such groups as VIPER and DEMON. My question is, do any of you have any ideas on just who (using both the real world and fictional people) might belong to the Club? (note: I'd like to avoid characters who've been beaten to death, like Doc Savage or ol' Sherlock. They're good characters, yes, but I'm looking for some of the lesser-known heroes.) In the CU, Professor Challenger, Ned Land, and Axel Lindenbrock are listed -- myself, I can't help but to wonder how they could have missed Hunter Quatermain or Roy Chapman Andrews. And Mister Moto or Charlie Chan would have also done credit by the membership. Richard Wentworth (aka the Spider) probably wouldn't be in very often, what with just how routinely NYC gets trashed by his villains, but I can see him dropping by once a month or so. As someone else has noted here, Houdini would almost certainly belong, though some of the things he'd heard about in the Club's confines might rattle his otherwise invincible rationality. Any other ideas for members, especially female? They had at least two, as I recall... Just who were the famous pulp female heroines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted August 28, 2005 Report Share Posted August 28, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! I think that the O'Connells (Jack and his wife Evie) from "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns" would make worthy members. If you have got Doc Savage in the club, what about his cousin Patricia ? Another character worth considering might be F A Mitchell-Hedges (The man who found the most famous crystal skull in 1927) and his daughter, Anna (who is actually supposed to have made the discovery) As a slightly odd member what about Charles Fort, that collector of weird and anomolous facts on all sorts of strange subjects ? I admit that the first four a fictitious and the last three "real" but why not mix and match ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Posted August 28, 2005 Report Share Posted August 28, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Indy is a shoo in for the club I'd say as is his father. After all when you need an archeological mission to be done there's none better then the inestimable Mr. Jones. Though I do second the nomination of the O'Connels as they're pretty good in the archeological area themselves and somebody who can beat an immortal evil like Imhotep is somebody to have around! I could see Hercule Poirot being a member, though I'm not sure if those stories are set in the right time period. Private detective Sam Spade also seems like a natural to be a member. Lionel Conacher, Canada's greatest athlete, I think would be an excellent member of the Empire Club. Possibly not to helpful in the mental arena but when it comes to fisticuffs Lionel, an undefeated boxer and wrestler among other things, would come in mighty handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted August 28, 2005 Report Share Posted August 28, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Don't forget Richard Henry Benson, aka the Avenger, who might stick his dead white face in there from time to time, trailed by his associates: Fergus MacMurdie, the dour Scot; Algernon Heathcote Smith, the huge bruiser called Smitty; Nellie Gray, pretty as a Dresden doll but an expert in jujitsu; Joshua Elijah H. Newton and his wife Rosabel, the Negro couple who usually assume the roles of house servants, but are honor graduates of college and, when they drop their pose of languid Negro servants, lend their keen minds and strong hearts to The Avenger's cause. You might also add Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, Ph.D., LL.D., F.R.S., M.D. and M.D.S. (otherwise known as the Thinking Machine), Doctor John Thorndyke (one of the foremost forensic scientists and lawyers of his day), Thomas Carnacki (an occult detective of no mean skill), a hundreds of others. For inspiration, I direct you to the Pulp and Adventure Heroes of the Pre-War Years page of Jess Nevins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted August 28, 2005 Report Share Posted August 28, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! I trust most of us here have read in Champs Universe way back when about the Empire Club, the Victorian/Pulp-era 'gentleman's club' who's members stopped criminal masterminds, explored the world, and fought the early version of such groups as VIPER and DEMON. My question is, do any of you have any ideas on just who (using both the real world and fictional people) might belong to the Club? (note: I'd like to avoid characters who've been beaten to death, like Doc Savage or ol' Sherlock. They're good characters, yes, but I'm looking for some of the lesser-known heroes.) In the CU, Professor Challenger, Ned Land, and Axel Lindenbrock are listed -- myself, I can't help but to wonder how they could have missed Hunter Quatermain or Roy Chapman Andrews. And Mister Moto or Charlie Chan would have also done credit by the membership. Richard Wentworth (aka the Spider) probably wouldn't be in very often, what with just how routinely NYC gets trashed by his villains, but I can see him dropping by once a month or so. As someone else has noted here, Houdini would almost certainly belong, though some of the things he'd heard about in the Club's confines might rattle his otherwise invincible rationality. Any other ideas for members, especially female? They had at least two, as I recall... Just who were the famous pulp female heroines? Females? Irene Adler, of course! Along with Nellie Bly, surely. Annie Oakley as well, in the early days, with Babe Didrickson (spelling) in the later days. Inspector John Raymond Legrasse, inspector of police in New Orleans might be a member, though he's more likely merely a visitor from time to time. Mycroft Holmes will, of course, not ever visit the Empire Club's building (assuming there is even a branch in London), but may be a member none-the-less. However, Captain Nemo would never imperil his alias to even that extent. Jim Thorpe would a natural; not only is he an excellent athlete, but he had quite a few adventures in the wilds of deepest (bigoted) America in his day. Ditto Jack Robertson, Satchel Paige, and a number of others. In a similar vein, "The Babe"---Babe Ruth---would be a welcome addition. A selection of boxers might be a good idea; I leave to those more knowledgable and/or interested the task of choosing a few. John Thunstone and Judge Pursuivant are naturals. So is Garrett (first name unknown)(of The Garrett Files), if interplanar travel is permissible, and certain explanations re. magic vs. technology are made to him. The same can be said for Lord Darcy. Douglas Gorce "Wrong-Way" Corrigan, Charles Lindberg, and Amilia Earhart are practically required, as they represent the grand new world of aeronautics. If Victorians and Edwardians are permitted (as I believe they are) Scott, Amundsen, and Perry definintely belong. And do tell me that, if Sherlock is a member, so is Dr. Watson; he might not be among the brightest, but is is a courageous as anyone could ask for, and a boon companion in any adventure. That's all I can think of now; if any more come to mind I'll let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted August 28, 2005 Report Share Posted August 28, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! A couple more women who may make good members. Lady Grace Drummond-Hay Journalist for the Hearst newspapers, world traveller who reported from the Hindenburg on one of her early trips . Gertrude Bell. Expert on the Middle East and advisor to both T E Lawrence and King Faisal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koshka Posted August 28, 2005 Report Share Posted August 28, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Indy is a shoo in for the club I'd say as is his father. Dr. Jones Jr would be a wonderful fit, but Dr. Jones Sr might be a bit too bookworm to belong until after the events of The Last Crusade. The Great Merlini should be a member. I don't know how much travelling he did (he refers in one novel to being injured in a Zeppelin raid on London during the Great War, but he was performing at the time, not in the military), but a stage magician/detective would get along well with the other members. I don't know if any of his books are still in print, if you're running a search the author is Clayton Rawson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted August 28, 2005 Report Share Posted August 28, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Ah, if we're going with real people, that's a whole 'nother ball of wax! Aside from such obvious men as Sir Richard Burton, there are many undeservedly-obscure female luminaries who might be in the Club. Lady Hester Stanhope would be one of the inspirations of the Club, perhaps even a founding member (depending on how far back you want it to go). She lived from 1776 to 1839, travelling thoughout the Holy Land and Arabia. She was revered among the Arabs for her horsemanship, and visited the city of Palmyra, one of the few Europeans of the age to do so. Mary Kingsley made two forays into Africa. She wrote two best-sellers of her journeys, Travels in West Africa and West African Studies, and made a number of appearances to sway public opinion regarding the colonies. Entirely self-educated, it is apparent that she was a keen anthropologist and biologist. She remained home looking after her invalid mother until the elder Kingsley died when Mary was 30. All of her adventures took place between 1893 and 1900, when she died of enteric fever she contracted from one her patients, as she was tending to the wounded of the Boer War at the time. Dame Freya Stark, who's adventures are too numerous to list, was the first woman to win the Founder's Medal of the Royal Geographic Society, in 1942. I've seen her described as a kind of "Victorian Empire in miniature" and the comparison is apt: she never made her own coffee or her own camp bed, believing that appearances are important. She spent years travelling Arabia and into Asia, and writing books documenting her travels. Minor lights and honorary memberships of the Club could include Anna Edison Taylor, who in 1901 was the first person to survive going over the Niagara Falls in a barrel (she died in 1921); Grace Darling, whose rescue of nine sailors in 1838 catapulted her into temporary, unwanted fame; and, Gladys Aylward, who was a Christian missionary in China during the 30s - she led 100 orphans on a twenty day ordeal, fleeing the Japanese advance into mainland China in 1940. I would also note that Thor Heyerdahl started his sea-voyage expeditions in 1937. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowcat1313 Posted August 28, 2005 Report Share Posted August 28, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! for real people: another aviatrix, Kitty Mannock, whos disapearance is chronicled in Sahara what about Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill? for that matter Hemingway and Kipling TH Lawrence Errol Flynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Ah' date=' if we're going with real people, that's a whole 'nother ball of wax![/quote'] Well, FenrisUlf in the first post did say, "My question is, do any of you have any ideas on just who (using both the real world and fictional people) might belong to the Club?" So, RL people are fine. Gilbert Grosvenor, long-time president of the National Geographic Society Wiliam Beebe, oceanographer "Diamond Jim" Brady Hoagy Carmichael and Duke Ellington, assuming musicians might be members Charlie Chaplin; not only an actor, but (due to doing stunts) something of an athlete. Clarence Darrow; after the Scopes trial he was a bit of a celebrity Mary Harris Jones (aka Mother Jones), major labor leader and organizer. Margaret Mead, anthropologist and explorer. Alexander Fleming, biologist, discoverer of penicillin. Knute Rockne somehow I don't think Mahatma Gandhi would accept membership. Robert LeRoy "Believe It Or Not!" Ripley would have a fund of stories to tell. Pierre de Frédy, baron de Coubertin, leader in creating the modern Olympics. Let's not add Aimee Semple McPherson. :sick: : More later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! See, there's literally loads of interesting people who could be a member. You have to sit down and decide on what the requirements are to join. Every exclusive club has some criterion it uses to judge potential members - otherwise it wouldn't be exclusive. Usually, for a pulp explorer's society, it's something like "to become a member, one had to do something truly extraordinary, be it single-handedly solving an impossible mystery, discovering a lost civilization, or pulling off a daring stunt," or it only admits "exceptional people... up-and-coming adventurers." I would say something like, "the club admits people who have performed one extraordinary act" and make it up to a vote for what acts one considers extraordinary; that way, you could justify the membership changing focus over time, based on the contemporary prejudices of the members. Most likely, it would include explorers and adventurers, pilots and sailors, with athletes and actors needing to go beyond the norm (perform some amazing humanitarian act) to satisfy the requirements. You could have Amelia Earhart rubbing elbows with Basil Rathbone (a decorated veteran of the Great War). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! what about Amelia Earhart?(curses, beaten by Alhazred...) Or that Lindburg fellow. Jim Thorpe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psm Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! I agree with others that said Hemingway, the Avenger, and Houdini How about Buster Keaton, Nikola Tesla, the Whitechapel detectives, Dr. Moriutary(sp?), Jack London, Aleister Crowley or Lazarus Jack I assume the Shadow, Phantom, Zorro, and Tarzan (or his children) are too popular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead guy on tab Posted August 29, 2005 Report Share Posted August 29, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Flambeau and Valentin (from Father Brown) Bertie Wooster (with help from Jeeves) could be colorful Dr. Ransom (Space Trilogy) Van Helsing and Blade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! I agree with others that said Hemingway, the Avenger, and Houdini How about Buster Keaton, Nikola Tesla, the Whitechapel detectives, Dr. Moriutary(sp?), Jack London, Aleister Crowley or Lazarus Jack I assume the Shadow, Phantom, Zorro, and Tarzan (or his children) are too popular. While I think that Keaton , Tesla and London would be fine (What about Harold Lloyd if we are including Buster Keaton ?) I am not so sure about Crowley or Dr (Professor) Moriarty (They would make great Nemeses however, especially if they were working together !) I can't place Lazarus Jack of the top of my head; care to enlighten me ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psm Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! While I think that Keaton ' date=' Tesla and London would be fine (What about Harold Lloyd if we are including Buster Keaton ?) I am not so sure about Crowley or Dr (Professor) Moriarty (They would make great Nemeses however, especially if they were working together !) I can't place Lazarus Jack of the top of my head; care to enlighten me ?[/quote'] Nuts, Harold Lloyd is a better choice. Anyway, Lazarus Jack is a fictional character from Mark Ricketts. He's an escape artist who is a friendly rival/contemporary of Harry Houdini. The difference between the two (besides one not being real ) is that Jack starts to look to the occult to gain an edge. Of course things go bad from there or it wouldn't be a very exciting story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Thanks for that "psm". Either Keaton or Lloyd would be worthy members; both were renowned (as were many other silent film actors) for doing their own stunts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldorn Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Lowell Thomas (Journalist/Explorer) Frank Buck (Explorer/Hunter) Clyde Beatty (Explorer/Hunter) On a more western note: Roy Rogers Tom Mix Gene Autrey William Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy) an elderly Wyatt Earp (just remind them that their horse have to stay outside) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted September 4, 2005 Report Share Posted September 4, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! I'm not so sure about Rogers, Mix and Autrey but William S Hart and even Gary Cooper might make good members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted September 4, 2005 Report Share Posted September 4, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Babe Ruth was certainly prominent enough that any organization would want him as a member, whether he was an adventurer or not. Bobby Jones was the Tiger Woods of his day. A prize fighter like Jack Dempsy would be even more welcome, because of the visceral thrill involved in boxing. Hemmingway is a great suggestion. I might also propose F. Scott Fitzgerald; especially if "The Great Gatsby" was based on someone whom he knew from the club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Babe Ruth was certainly prominent enough that any organization would want him as a member' date=' whether he was an adventurer or not. [b']Bobby Jones[/b] was the Tiger Woods of his day. A prize fighter like Jack Dempsy would be even more welcome, because of the visceral thrill involved in boxing. Hemmingway is a great suggestion. I might also propose F. Scott Fitzgerald; especially if "The Great Gatsby" was based on someone whom he knew from the club. Jack Dempsey would make a great member ! Have you ever seen any film of the fight between him and Jess Willard in which Dempsey won the title ? One of the most brutal prizefights since boxers started wearing gloves ! While we are on the "athlete" thing what about Georges Hackenschmidt, multi-lingual World Heavyweight wrestling champion ( although I think he was more WW1 era than 1930's , still "pulp" !) or Sven Thofeldt winner of the gold in the Modern Pentathalon in 1928 and medals in fencing in 1936 and 1948 , founder of the Modern Pentathalon Union in 1948 ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Oops Sorry . I misspelt Sven's name. Its THOFELT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwolf Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Jake Speed, and his sidekick/writer Remo.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThothAmon Posted September 6, 2005 Report Share Posted September 6, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Winston Churchill Charlie Chaplain John Huston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted September 7, 2005 Report Share Posted September 7, 2005 Re: The Empire Club: recruiting drive! Except for a few activities with which we probably don't want the club associated Chaplin doesn't really provide anything that isn't already covered by Keaton and Lloyd. Churchill would be much too busy with his politics but Huston might be handy ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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