In Tarzan of the Apes, Edgar Rice Burroughs first described the Dum-Dum . . .
“Many travelers have seen the drums of the great apes, and some have heard the sounds of their beating and the noise of the wild, weird revelry of these first lords of the jungle, but Tarzan, Lord Greystoke, is, doubtless, the only human being who ever joined in the fierce, mad, intoxicating revel of the Dum-Dum. . . . The rites of the Dum-Dum marked important events in the life of the tribe . . . and were conducted with set ceremonialism.”
Since 1960, The Burroughs Bibliophiles — a nonprofit literary society devoted to the life and works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. — has sponsored an almost annual gathering called “The Dum-Dum.” This year’s Dum-Dum will be hosted by Henry G. Franke III — the editor of The Burroughs Bibliophiles, which publishes The Burroughs Bulletin journal and The Gridley Wave monthly newsletter — and Jason Scott Aiken, a member of The Burroughs Bibliophiles who first discovered pulp fiction through Del Rey’s publication of the preferred texts of Robert E. Howard’s stories before reading Burroughs’ Barsoom tales.
In the early days of The Burroughs Bibliophiles, the Dum-Dum was strictly a dinner or luncheon; conventions began later. In 2006, when there was no volunteer to host the Dum-Dum, it was held as a banquet during that year’s Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship Gathering. This will be the template for the 2024 Dum-Dum — a banquet that will take place during PulpFest 2024.
The 2024 Dum-Dum Banquet will be held on Saturday, August 3, between 5:30 and 8:30 pm Eastern Time, at the Bravo! Italian Kitchen, 20001 Route 19, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. An upscale-casual Italian restaurant serving authentic pasta dishes, signature entrées, piping hot pizza, and delicious wine and cocktails amid Roman-ruin décor, the Bravo Cranberry offers a family-friendly atmosphere and a welcoming staff.
Located one-half-mile from the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry is a quick car ride from PulpFest‘s host hotel. Served family style, each table at the 2024 Dum-Dum Banquet will have two choices of salad (Caesar Salad and Insalata Della Casa, served with freshly baked focaccia bread); two choices of pasta (Spaghetti Pomodoro and Pasta Woozie); two entrée choices (Chicken Parmesan and Lasagna); green beans as the side; and unlimited soft drinks, coffee, and tea. A vegetarian option will also be available at no additional cost.
The 2024 Dum-Dum Banquet will feature at least one guest speaker and the presentation of the 2024 Golden Lion Award to author and illustrator Mark Schultz, best known for his award-winning comic book series Xenozoic Tales. The Golden Lion Award is given in appreciation for contributions keeping alive the works, characters, and the spirit of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The 2024 Outstanding Achievement Award will also be presented.
The banquet will also feature a number of door prizes, a free program book with an autographs page, and a driving-tour map of Mars, Pennsylvania, and its vicinity. You do not have to be a member of The Burroughs Bibliophiles to attend the Dum-Dum Banquet.
If you register for the Dum-Dum Banquet before July 1, a ticket will cost $40. Afterward, a banquet ticket will cost $45. The price includes sales tax and service charge. Expect a celebratory Dum-Dum cake at no added charge. Click here for a registration form.
To register for the 2024 Dum-Dum Banquet, please send a check made out to “Henry G. Franke III” and your registration form to 318 Patriot Way, Yorktown, VA 23693-4639. You can also send payment via PayPal to henryfranke3@gmail.com.
You can mail your registration form or e-mail a scan to henryfranke3@gmail.com. For further information about the banquet, please write to co-host Henry G. Franke III at henryfranke3@gmail.com or co-host Jason Aiken at pulpcrazy@gmail.com.
You can also find more details in The Gridley Wave #497. Click here for a digital edition of the February 2024 issue.
Although the 2024 Dum-Dum Banquet is not affiliated with PulpFest 2024 nor ERBFest 2024, the Burroughs Bibliophiles will have a dealer table at the conventions. Additionally, the Bibliophiles’ Board of Directors meeting will be held in a meeting room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry during PulpFest 2024. The meeting is open to the membership of The Burroughs Bibliophiles and accessible via Zoom. Details will be announced.
The October 1912 issue of The All-Story featured Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel “Tarzan of the Apes,” published in its entirety. Clinton Pettee — who illustrated many of the Munsey magazines as well as many issues of Short Stories — painted the front cover art for the magazine.
Our featured image is one of two illustrations by Frank Frazetta that Russ Cochran commissioned for a special combined edition of “Tarzan of the Apes” and “The Return of Tarzan” that he hoped to publish. “Tarzan at the Dum Dum” — created in 1991 — is one of the largest finished pencil drawings ever done by Frazetta.
Our second image is Mark Schultz’s cover for the Dark Horse Comics’ trade paperback titled Tarzan the Untamed. Published in 1999, it reprints the stories “Tarzan the Untamed” and “Tarzan the Terrible,” originally published by Western Publishing’s Gold Key Comics. Adapted by Gaylord Du Bois from Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novels for Gold Key’s Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes #163 – 164 and #166 – 167, the stories were drawn by Russ Manning.
In addition to “Spice, Spies, Shaw, and More,” PulpFest and ERBFest 2024 will celebrate the centennial of the first-edition book publication of The Land That Time Forgot and the fiftieth anniversary of the movie of the same title. Produced by Amicus Productions, The Land That Time Forgot was directed by Kevin Connor and starred Doug McClure. The screenplay was by James Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock.
Please note that you don’t have to be a member of PulpFest to attend the 2024 Dum-Dum Banquet. However, Dum-Dum members will have to join the convention to be admitted to the PulpFest dealers’ room. To watch The Burroughs Bibliophiles’ Artist Session with Mark Schultz conducted on October 21, 2023, go to the Bibliophiles YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/
Trademarks Tarzan®, Tarzan of the Apes®, Jane Porter®, La of Opar™, Opar™, John Carter®, Dejah Thoris®, Tara of Helium™, Barsoom®, Chessmen of Mars™, Pellucidar®, At the Earth’s Core™, David Innes™, Dian the Beautiful™, The Land That Time Forgot®, Edgar Rice Burroughs®, Master of Adventure™, and others owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Associated logos, characters, names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Used by Permission.
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