When it comes to adventure fiction, Talbot Mundy was one of its greatest practitioners. Born William Lancaster Gribbon in 1879, Mundy began writing in his early thirties, following years of adventuring in India, Africa, and other parts of the world. Or so the story goes; much of his early life was romanticized over the years, largely by the author himself.
Talbot Mundy began writing professionally in 1911 with his first published piece, “A Transaction in Diamonds,” appearing in the February issue of Scrap Book, part of the Munsey line of magazines. Two months later, he made his first appearance in Adventure magazine. He soon became a fairly regular contributor to the magazine that Time Magazine called “The No. 1 Pulp” until his death in 1940.
Most of Mundy’s best fiction appeared in Adventure, including all the Jimgrim stories and important novels such as “Om,” “The Devil’s Guard,” and “The Ivory Trail.” However, it was in Adventure’s “classier” cousin, Everybody’s, that Talbot Mundy’s best-known work, “King of the Khyber Rifles,” was serialized, beginning with the May 1916 issue. The Bobbs-Merrill book edition appeared that November and proved an instant classic.
This summer, PulpFest will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Talbot Mundy’s first appearance in print with a showing of The Black Watch, a film adaptation of Mundy’s “King of the Khyber Rifles,” and the first sound picture by famed movie director John Ford. Released by Fox Movietone News in 1929, the film stars Victor McLaglen as Captain Donald Gordon King and Myrna Loy as Yasmani, a descendant of Alexander the Great whom her people prophesied would be a great conqueror. It also features both John Wayne and Randolph Scott in minor roles.
The Black Watch will be exhibited on Thursday, July 28, beginning at 10:30 PM.
Our lead image is the Fox Movietone News film poster for The Black Watch, starring Victor McLaglen and Myrna Loy, released in 1929. The artist is not known.
Our featured image is adapted from the film poster for the 1953 version of King of the Khyber Rifles, starring Tyrone Power and Terry Moore, released by 20th Century Fox. The artist is not known.
