Lester Dent, the co-creator and major author of Doc Savage, is too often overlooked in regards to his non-Doc work he did before, during, and after he wrote the character. I’ve done previous posts on several of his “gadget heroes” and other works, and am sure I’ll do further posts on his other non-Doc works.
One particular episode of his career is when, during a too brief lull in writing Docs, he was able to try breaking into other markets. This allowed him to try to get stories in Argosy, the long-running and well respected Munsey pulp. Out of this was two novelettes: “Hades” and “Hocus Pocus,” and the long novel “Genius Jones,” serialized over six issues. All three stories have some similar elements. All have several interesting characters, many who seem influenced by Doc and his associates. And all have a higher level of humor than his regular output, with “Genius Jones” the most explicit version of this.
“Hades” appeared in Argosy on Dec. 5, 12 and 19, 1936. Pals Alexander Titus and Haw Gooch get dragged into a mystery when a Hollywood film producer Roger Quinlan hires them to protect him from a demon Quinlan released in a cave (in Death Valley) that he had visited and filmed. Soon someone is taking pot shots at them, others are being burned up (Quinlan almost got it one time), and someone is trying to frame Titus for some of what is happening. So they need to figure out what is really going.
A group of other characters soon come onto the scene, who are associates of Quinlan, but don’t trust Titus and Haw. There are two girls (whom Titus and Haw are interested in), as well as a dwarf cowboy and a voice actor who peppers his speak with foreign words and phrases. Titus is a combination of Renny and Doc, and is looking for funds to complete is schooling to become a doctor. Haw is physically like Monk, and likes to crack his own jokes.
The idea that someone has opened a portal to Hell and brought something back is similar to the last Doc novel, but the outcome here is different.
In Argosy on May 22 and 25, and June 5, 1937, we get “Hocus Pocus.” Here the main character is Cal Merton, a traveling stage magician from the midwest. Down on his luck, he and his assistant take on the job calling for a mind reader. Getting to the hotel of their new boss, Cal had a strange encounter with a girl! That taken care of, he soon learns what the job is about. There is a strange religious group that has formed in the area of the Lake of the Ozarks. Cal is to infiltrating it and see what’s going on, as there is concern that someone within the group is using it for sinister purposes.
Soon, Cal and his assistant, along with the girl Neeta, are in it up to their necks. Can they get out of it without loosing their lives and figure out what is really going on?
If after reading this story is seems really similar to one of the recent new Doc Savage novel (say, Miracle Menace), there is a reason. It is based on an earlier version of the story called “Spook”!
At the end of 1937 for six issues, we got “Genius Jones,” Dent’s longest work. An action/adventure story with a strong screwball comedy element, it centers around the title character. Genius Jones was raised in the Arctic on seal meat and encyclopedias, so he has a physical marvel with a wealth of knowledge, but no practical understanding. So the bulk of the comedy comes from Jones not understanding the modern world and how to interact with the people in it. Rescued from an iceberg, we soon met the other major characters in the story: Polyphemus Ward, Funny Peggers, and later Vix. Ward is a very rich man, looking for an honest man to give his fortune to charity, and for his missing daughter. Funny Peggers is his press agent and would-be gag man who becomes Jones’ best friend. There is also a gold-digger who is looking for a rich husband, and latches on to Jones when she think he’s an avenue to Ward’s wealth, and well-dressed lawyer (a Ham stand-in) who views Jones the same way. Vix is a friend of Peggers that gets involved with the whole mess, and you’ll learn there is more to her by the end.
Ward decides that Jones may be his man, so to test him Ward gives Jones 100,000 1-dollar bills to distribute to those in need, no more than a thousand each, before the end of the month. If he does, he’ll get $1-million and will be given the job of distributing Ward’s fortune. Jones eventually decides that giving $1,000 loans to those wishing to start a business, with no interest, is the way to do this.
But as noted others are wanting to get control of Ward’s fortune, and see Jones as a barrier to be eliminated. So things get very complicated very quickly. And Jones’ “fish out of water” personality ramps up the humor and allows the story to not get too serious. I could easily see this as a 1930s comedy starring Cary Grant, Jimmie Steward, Katherine Hepburn or the like.
What is the availability of these works? In 1979, Pulp Press reprinted “Hades” and “Hocus Pocus” in a single hardback volume with a Will Murray intro and a new Frank Hamilton cover: Hades & Hocus Pocus. If one looks around, you can still find it. “Genius Jones” has just been reprinted by Altus Press in their new Argosy Library series. In addition to a great intro by Murray, we get restored text and the outline for the planned sequel that never happened. I wonder if Altus Press might reprint “Hades” and “Hocus Pocus” in a future volume of the Library? That would be nice and be a great companion volume to “Genius Jones.”
