Larger Than Life! Real people who could be pulp heroes.

[GCMorris]

This old man who was our neighbor when I was a kid. His name was Marc Moles and he was a World War One veteran. He was ver grouchy, mostly blind and deaf but he still drove a car and was still a great shot with a rifle. He gets my vote.

[freakboy6117]

so this is interesting

 

Detective X

 

Dr Wilmer Souder a physicist at the National Bureau of Standards which is now the National institute of Standards and technology.

 

he  was an expert in making very precise measurements and worked on the standards for dental materials.

 

but he had a second less well publicized career as a forensic scientist he worked on the Lindbergh baby case his handwriting analysis convicted one of the kidnappers. he was a sought-after expert in handwriting analysis, typewriting analysis, and ballistics. consulted by a variety of federal agencies including the Post Office and Department of Treasury

 

involved in over 800 cases he advised the FBI on setting up their crime lab and was described by the NYPD as  “the most outstanding expert on the continent in the last one hundred years.”

 

he could easily have become a masked mystery man "concerned about the repercussions for his wife and daughter if his involvement in solving crimes became obvious. Souder got a gun permit at about the same time that a pair of men he'd helped put behind bars escaped from prison"

 

maybe he donned a mask as well and hunted them down with his forensic skills

 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/detective-x-mystery-forensics-nist-science/

[Nothere]

First to back up to the discussion of the History Channel.  When they made the History of Sex they said a large part of the reason was they were sick of being called the WWII channel.

 

Now back to the thread.

 

Who knows what larger than life people could be pulp heroes? The Shadow knows, and he told the man who didn't exist Maxwell Grant. And why did Maxwell Grant not exist? Because he was a house name used by people who wrote the Shadow.

 

Mostly Walter B Gibson one of the most prolific writers of the pulp era, and former Philadelphia newspaperman. He was also an expert magician and confidant of Houdini, Thurston, and Blackstone. He also had a life long interest in the occult and psychic phenomena and was often called upon to lecture about them.

 

Only once Lester Dent. Most often Lester Dent had to console himself as being the writer of Doc Savage. He also had an aerial photography business, was a world traveler, and member of the explorers club. He even had a real life pulp plot. Though sadly for the purposes of this thread he didn't confront the crooks until after it was over. He hired an ex rum runner to sail his schooner for him . from New York to Miami. Unfortunatly the Captain tried stealing the boat, and after hiding out in the waterways of Chesapeake until  caught by the authorities.

[Nothere]

We have all made a horrible mistake. I was rereading the chapter about African nations at the time in the Pulp Hero 5th book when I realized we could fill this thread with people mentioned in the book

 

Just three I got from a quick perusal

 

Badia Masabni - Taking a trip to Egypt but don't want to do the old loot a tomb or cursed artifact bit? Then meet up with actress, belly dancer, and queen of Cario's nightlife  at her famous or infamous Casino Opera club.

 

Baron Blixen- If your headed for Kenya and want to try your hand at safari talk to Baron Bor von Blixen-fineke Swiss writer and African big game hunter he organized safaris for many people including Edward Prince of Wales. If you've seen the movie Out Of Africa that was based on his wife's memoires

 

Beryl Markham- You might bump into her anywhere but mainly in Kenya a writer and horse trainer whos main claim to fame was as an aviatrix. British born she was not only one of the first Kenyan Bush Pilots, but the first woman to solo the Atlantic east to west.

[GhostDancer]

Perhaps more Victorian than Pulp Age, as Michael Surbrook put it, Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (March 19, 1821 - October 20, 1890) was a British explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, ethnologist, linguist, poet, hypnotist, fencer, and diplomat. He was known for his travels and explorations within Asia and Africa as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. According to one count, he spoke twenty-nine European, Asian, and African languages.  One account lists him as being one of the ten best swordsmen of all times.  Here is his character sheet and more http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationsassorted/richard_francis_burton.html

[st barbara]

How about Paul Von Lettow-Vorbeck. German commander in southern africa (I think it was) in World War 1. Led much larger British and South African forces a merry dance throughout the war with only a small contingent of native troops. There was even an attempt tp resupply him late in the war (1918 ) by zepplin , which unfortunately didn't reach him before the end of the war.

[st barbara]

Perhaps more Victorian than Pulp Age, as Michael Surbrook put it, Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (March 19, 1821 - October 20, 1890) was a British explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, ethnologist, linguist, poet, hypnotist, fencer, and diplomat. He was known for his travels and explorations within Asia and Africa as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. According to one count, he spoke twenty-nine European, Asian, and African languages.  One account lists him as being one of the ten best swordsmen of all times.  Here is his character sheet and more http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationsassorted/richard_francis_burton.html

Also famous for translating "The Karma Sutra" into english.

[Nothere]

Frank Cannonball Richards a strong man who made a career of being shot by a cannon twice a day.

[Lucius]

 

No one's mentioned Dan Daly yet?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says someone has now

[FenrisUlf]

On 11/18/2015 at 11:23 PM, Sundog said:

Joseph Greenstein, The Mighty Atom

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Greenstein

http://www.badassoftheweek.com/index.cgi?id=651068116795

 

'Nuff said.

I agree. It's surprising so few works of fiction have used Mister Greenstein given his wildly adventuresome life.

 

And am I wrong or was he part of the inspiration for the Golden Age Atom at DC Comics?

 

*Looks at Link*: Yep, he was.

[FenrisUlf]

On 12/1/2015 at 1:00 PM, Lord Liaden said:

Can't overlook Harry Houdini. A master escape artist and illusionist is bound to come in handy. Not to mention that his penchant for debunking fraudulent occultists could draw him into various mysteries.

 

Technically Houdini was a pulp hero. At the very least he was the narrator of the HP Lovecraft story "Beneath the Pyramids".

 

And talking pulp characters, another one might be pulp author Harold Lamb. He traveled extensively through Russia, the Far East, and Central Asia; spoke with Cossacks and Turkish nomads in their own languages; and apparently had so many connections in the area and knew the land and lingo so well that OSS had him working for them for a while.

[clnicholsusa]

Robert Baden-Powell would fit.

[st barbara]

On 6/10/2018 at 11:02 AM, FenrisUlf said:

 

Technically Houdini was a pulp hero. At the very least he was the narrator of the HP Lovecraft story "Beneath the Pyramids".

 

And talking pulp characters, another one might be pulp author Harold Lamb. He traveled extensively through Russia, the Far East, and Central Asia; spoke with Cossacks and Turkish nomads in their own languages; and apparently had so many connections in the area and knew the land and lingo so well that OSS had him working for them for a while.

Houdini also appeared in a movie serial in which he featured many of his escapes.

[Barwickian]

On 4/29/2017 at 8:01 AM, Nothere said:

Baron Blixen- If your headed for Kenya and want to try your hand at safari talk to Baron Bor von Blixen-fineke Swiss writer and African big game hunter he organized safaris for many people including Edward Prince of Wales. If you've seen the movie Out Of Africa that was based on his wife's memoires

 

Precious few heroes from colonial Africa. That Blixen farm in Africa? That used to be my wife's family's land, before colonisation.

[Ninja-Bear]

7 hours ago, Barwickian said:

 

Precious few heroes from colonial Africa. That Blixen farm in Africa? That used to be my wife's family's land, before colonisation.

And whom were your wife’s people?