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MSA Bulletin, v. 2, issue 4, May 1940

Page 3

THIS 'n' THAT
by
Leslie A. Croutch

Meader's a pal of mine. So what? He's editor of this Bulletin. Again, so what? Merely that he's been after me to do something for him. "Poems, stories, articles. See?" Sez he with a gruesome leer on his ugly countenance. So what, thinks I. I've seen Karloff, Lugosi, and Basil Rathbone on the silver sheet and wasn't scared, so why should I be of this Rumford guy? But...in the "Hunchback of Notre Dame" someone says (don't ask me who) that extreme ugliness is fascinating. First you are horrified, then you are astonished, and then you are amused. Maybe that's why I'm in this jovial mood--but enough of this slightly insane patter. I'm going to try to help the poor fellow out by giving him this Chatter Column every month. I'll tell you what I've heard, read and been told. I won't commit myself by saying it'll all be the gospel truth, because in this racket of science-fiction you say something today and tomorrow you find you're a liar. So--merely that I'll do my best to pass on things I've gleaned from here and there and which I hope might amuse you. But now the introduction's over; shall we open the door and see what juicy tid-bits are strewn over the floor this month?

Do you know that WAR OF THE SCIENTISTS which ran in AMAZING originally was 18,000 words in length? RAP blue-pencilled it to the extent of 5,000 words. Now we know why it was a bit jerky in spots, don't we? . . . You all know Fearn and Ayre, or don't you? What, you don't? Ayre wrote "Man From Hell" you know, while Fearn has given us such swell tid-bits as "Mathematica" and "Mathematica Plus". Many fans have thought Ayre is a pen-name for Fearn. It is not so, though they are as thick as beans in a can. They actually live together, believe it or not. . . SUPER-SCIENCE bought Neil R. Jones' "The Invisible One" and PLANET STORIES has purchased his "The Stolen Brain". Looks like we'll see more of his fine yarns. . . . I got word yesterday that starting April 20, Munsey Magazines will attempt to set up a censorship bureau, similar to the Will Hays office over films, to control all pulp magazines. This will enable them to fine or stop entirely all horror and sex magazines. Munsey wants to establish this censorship just like the Will Hays office: complete power over all pulp magazines before they are put on sale to the public. . . . Rumor has it that Farnsworth Wright is starting a magazine to run in competition to WEIRD TALES. "Tis said that all the old authors like Kuttner, Kelley, etc., have agreed to aid him in every way possible... a nice little fantasy that was apparently overlooked in reviews is the Shirley Temple film, "The Blue-Bird". The technicolor adds to the atmosphere tremendously; the fantasy is well done and not at all cheap. I rank it on an order with "Wizard of Oz" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". . . . of interest to music lovers and particularly those fans who have electric record players is the fact that Decca records has an album, No. 74, containing the full musical score of the "Wizard of Oz" with sound effects and dialogue just as they were in the film. The price is very reasonable, too. In Canada the Album is $1.96. In the United States, as far as I can tell, ---(continued on Page Nine.)-----

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THIS 'n' THAT by Leslie A. Croutch Meader's a pal of mine. So what? He's editor of this Bulletin. Again, so what? Merely that he's been after me to do something for him. "Poems, stories, articles. See?" Sez he with a gruesome leer on his ugly countenance. So what, thinks I. I've seen Karloff, Lugosi, and Basil Rathbone on the silver sheet and wasn't scared, so why should I be of this Rumford guy? But...in the "Hunchback of Notre Dame" someone says (don't ask me who) that extreme ugliness is fascinating. First you are horrified, then you are astonished, and then you are amused. Maybe that's why I'm in this jovial mood--but enough of this slightly insane patter. I'm going to try to help the poor fellow out by giving him this Chatter Column every month. I'll tell you what I've heard, read and been told. I won't commit myself by saying it'll all be the gospel truth, because in this racket of science-fiction you say something today and tomorrow you find you're a liar. So--merely that I'll do my best to pass on things I've gleaned from here and there and which I hope might amuse you. But now the introduction's over; shall we open the door and see what juicy tid-bits are strewn over the floor this month? Do you know that WAR OF THE SCIENTISTS which ran in AMAZING originally was 18,000 words in length? RAP blue-pencilled it to the extent of 5,000 words. Now we know why it was a bit jerky in spots, don't we? . . . You all know Fearn and Ayre, or don't you? What, you don't? Ayre wrote "Man From Hell" you know, while Fearn has given us such swell tid-bits as "Mathematica" and "Mathematica Plus". Many fans have thought Ayre is a pen-name for Fearn. It is not so, though they are as thick as beans in a can. They actually live together, believe it or not. . . SUPER-SCIENCE bought Neil R. Jones' "The Invisible One" and PLANET STORIES has purchased his "The Stolen Brain". Looks like we'll see more of his fine yarns. . . . I got word yesterday that starting April 20, Munsey Magazines will attempt to set up a censorship bureau, similar to the Will Hays office over films, to control all pulp magazines. This will enable them to fine or stop entirely all horror and sex magazines. Munsey wants to establish this censorship just like the Will Hays office: complete power over all pulp magazines before they are put on sale to the public. . . . Rumor has it that Farnsworth Wright is starting a magazine to run in competition to WEIRD TALES. "Tis said that all the old authors like Kuttner, Kelley, etc., have agreed to aid him in every way possible... a nice little fantasy that was apparently overlooked in reviews is the Shirley Temple film, "The Blue-Bird". The technicolor adds to the atmosphere tremendously; the fantasy is well done and not at all cheap. I rank it on an order with "Wizard of Oz" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". . . . of interest to music lovers and particularly those fans who have electric record players is the fact that Decca records has an album, No. 74, containing the full musical score of the "Wizard of Oz" with sound effects and dialogue just as they were in the film. The price is very reasonable, too. In Canada the Album is $1.96. In the United States, as far as I can tell, ---(continued on Page Nine.)-----