Crump of Boys’ Life
James Irving Crump (1887-1979) was the long-standing editor of Boys’ Life, the magazine for the Boy Scouts of America. The magazine offered adventure fiction for decades, being a stepping stone to Pulps like Adventure. Not surprising, some of the authors of Boys’ Life were also Pulpsters.
Crump, as editor, also supplied the magazine with material that was both for kids but also adventurous. The best of these pieces were the stories of Og, Son of Fire, a prehistoric adventurer who struggled against ancient animals (including the occasional dinosaur!) and helped his tribe to survive.
Fans of Crump
Manly Wade Wellman, when he wrote The Last Mammoth (1953), dedicated the book to Crump:
FOR IRVING CRUMP
“His was the universal cordiality, which made his society more agreeable than any flattery, while never for a moment failing to command respect. In his commendation there was no loudness, and about his learning no parade.” —Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
From this quote, we can assume he was a good editor to work for. Wellman sold him a number of stories including his Sleuth Scouts. Jim Kjelgaard, author of Big Red, also wrote for Boys’ Life. In 1951 he wrote a prehistoric novel called Fire Hunter, that uses the Crump formula.
Og on the Radio
Og, Son of Fire, the Radio show ran from October 1, 1934 – December 27, 1935 part of the Libby Packing Adventure Hour. Alfred Brown played Og.
Og of the Premiums
The show was popular enough to receive a number of toy premiums including a board game by Whitman.
Big Little Books
Big Little Books published a version of the first Og book in 1936.
Og of the Funnies
Og came to the comics in Dell’s The Funnies #4-14 (January-November 1937) With art by Kevin Hoyt, the panels were taken from the Big Little Book.
Og, Son of Fire
Og first appeared in December 1921. The segments published over the next half year were collected into a book called Og – Son of Fire.
Chapter 1-3 (December 1921) Art by Charles Livingston Bull
Chapter 4-5 (January 1922)
Chapter 6-7 (February 1922)
Chapter 8-9 (March 1922)
Chapter 10-12 (April 1922)
Chapter 13-14 (May 1922)
Og, Boy of Battle
“In the Valley of Fear” Part 1 (October 1924) Art by Charles Livingston Bull
“In the Valley of Fear” Part 2 (November 1924)
“Captured by the Gorillas” Part 1 (December 1924)
“Captured by the Gorillas” Part 2 (January 1924)
“The Mysterious Valley” Part 1 (February 1924)
“The Mysterious Valley” Part 2 (March 1924)
“Og and the Winged Death” (August 1924)
“Og and the Fish People” (September 1924)
“Og Traps the Wind” (October 1924)
Og of the Cave People
Part 1 “Medicine Sand” (September 1933) Art by Charles Livingston Bull
Part 2 “Monsters of the Mist” (October 1934) Art by Paul Dudley
Part 3 “The Mountain-That-Walked” (November 1934)
Part 4 “Wrath of the River God” (December 1934) Art by Jack Murray
Part 5 “The Red Beards From the North” (January 1935)
Part 6 “The Sabertooth Slayer” (February 1935)
Part 6 “The Charm That Worked” (March 1935)
“Death to the Red Beards” (April 1935)
“The Terrors of the Tundra” (May 1935)
“Cubs of a Wolf” (June 1935)
“The Place of Missing Men” (July 1935)
“Canyon of the Moon Cats” (October 1935)
“Arrows From the Sky” (November 1935)
“The Howl of a Hyena” (December 1935)
“The Ice Monster” (January 1936)
“Son of Og” (April 1954) Art by Albert D. Joussey
“Thundermakers” (October 1955) Art by Mort Kunstler
“Og’s Dogs” (April 1956) Art by Bernard Safran
“Sabertooth Savage” (May 1959) For the last Og story, Boys’ Life had an art contest. Here are the winners…
Og, Son of Og (1965)
Tales of prehistoric life, while not exactly Science Fiction (there were those dinosaurs!) have always interested certain kinds of readers. H. G. Wells had a hit with “A Story of the Stone Age” in 1897. And it wasn’t even new then. Many Fantasy & SF writers have used the setting to do different things. Edgar Rive Burroughs turned it into a cottage industry with Pellucidar and other novels. Robert E. Howard’s first sale was “Spear and Fang” (Weird Tales, July 1925) . Manly Wade Wellman wrote a whole series about Hok the Mighty for Amazing Stories. Lester Del Rey wrote “The Day Is Done” (Astounding Science-Fiction, May 1939), a sad tale about the Neanderthals decline and eventual extinction.
Irving Crump was in the middle of pack. He didn’t invent the caveman story. He didn’t change it with lots of SF. What he did was focus in on a single cave person and allowed us to see his world through his eyes. Og is an innovator (even if his creator isn’t much of one), discovering new technology and knowledge for his tribe. He was the kind of leader that the Boy Scouts certainly valued. The stories weren’t blemish-less. Racism creeps in when Og faces off against a tribe of lower hominids. Despite the flaws of an earlier time, the Og stories remain simple fun for the fan of prehistoric life. Written for kids, they can be read by anyone.