A Curious Man

by Neal Thompson

  Deaths: “Seven Story Fall Kills Linda Lee, Radio Singer,” New York Evening Journal, August 25, 1942; DHS (letters and Hazel Storer notes); You’re Right Mr. Ripley, by Almuth Seabeck (unpublished manuscript); “Where a Globetrotter Hangs His Hat,” Liberty Magazine, 1946.

  Radio, parties, and troubles: “Ripley Finds Aviation Way to Brotherhood,” St. Louis Post Dispatch, February 11, 1943; SCRAP (NYT, May 25, 1943); “Big Town Heartbeat,” Atlanta Journal, January 30, 1944; “Father Carves Name in Engine,” Herald Advance, Milbank, SD, February 17, 1944; “The Voice of Broadway,” Dorothy Kilgallen column, February 28, 1944; “In Hollywood,” by Louella Parsons, Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, February 10, 1944; “Does His Own,” Radio Life, February 20, 1944; “Believe It or Not,” Time, January 29, 1945; “Believe It or Not Here’s Ripley,” by Lee Bevins, Pageant, October 1948; “On the Side,” by E. V. Durling, Boston Evening American, March 3, 1942; “Ripley to Sail Chinese Junk,” by Priscilla Endicott, Westchester Times, July 31, 1947; RE (assorted letters and memos, 1942–44); TBS interview with Li Ling-Ai; NYT (“JV Connolly Dies,” April 18, 1945); DHS; MMP, p. 101.

  CHAPTER 21

  The Mon Lei: DHS (letters, Hazel Storer notes); You’re Right Mr. Ripley, by Almuth Seabeck (unpublished manuscript); RE (Bill McDonald letter to Doug Storer, 1962; Cygna Conly letter to Joe Willicombe, March 18, 1966; Willicombe itinerary, 1947); SCRAP (“Ripley Arrived Today,” by Sidney Epstein, December 1, 1947, publication unknown; “Ripley to Spend Vacation Here,” by SW Matthews, Miami Daily News, date unknown; “I Found the Lost Weekend,” by Louise Baer, DAC News, date unknown; Key West Citizen article, February 14, 1947; “Ripley to Sail Chinese Junk,” by Priscilla Endicott, Westchester Times; “Planes and Yachts Greet Ripley Today,” by Jack Leary, Albany Times-Union, August 8, 1947); MMP, pp. 176–77.

  CHAPTER 22

  Most of the details of Ripley’s final trip to China come from a detailed journal written by George McMillin, found at the Ripley archives. Other sources include: RE (letters, 1947–1949, including Ripley to Storer, February 27, 1948, Ripley to Ward Greene, October 11, 1948, and Storer to Ripley, July 25, 1948; also 1949 BION show scripts); MMP, pp. 193, 197; DHS (“Partnership Leads to Believe It or Not,” by Hazel Geissler, St. Petersburg Evening Independent, March 29, 1979; Hazel Storer notes and letters); “Ina E. Ohnick, Magnate’s Widow Who Survived a Wartime Prison,” by Peyton Whitely, Seattle Times, September 18, 1992); The Man Who Loved China, by Simon Winchester, Harper, 2008, pp. 46–7, 50–1; SCRAP (“Ripley Aboard President Cleveland,” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, date unknown); TBS interviews with Hazel Storer and Li Ling-Ai.

  CHAPTER 23

  Ripley’s volatility, declining health, disputes with brother: RE (numerous letters to and from Ripley, 1947–1949; Cygna Conly memo, January 20, 1947; KFS inneroffice memos); interviews with Robert and Rebecca Ripley; MMP, pp. 193, 206; Just a Minute, Mrs. Gulliver, Millie Considine, Prentice-Hall, 1967, reprint edition; SRD (“Robert Ripley Will Be Buried in City of Roses,” May 28, 1949); DHS (Hazel Storer notes and letters; Doug Storer business letters and memos); “Believe It or Not Ripley,” by Jack Stone, The American Weekly, June 22, 1947; SFC (“When Fights Were Fights,” by Harry B. Smith, February 13, 1935); TBS interviews with Hazel Storer and Li Ling-Ai; SID (notes on Ming Jung).

  CHAPTER 24

  Ripley’s final days and death: RE (Doug Storer letters; BION show scripts; BION film footage); NYT (“The Battle for Shanghai Ended Today,” May 27, 1949; Ripley funeral, June 1, 1949); DHS (Hazel Storer notes); TBS interviews with Hazel Storer and Li Ling-Ai; MMP, pp. 210–211; author interviews with Robert and Rebecca Ripley; “One Man’s Junk Is Another Base’s Treasure,” by Andy Stephens, Air Force Print News Today, December 7, 2006; “The Most Unforgettable Character I’ve Met—Robert Ripley,” by Douglas F. Storer, Reader’s Digest, June 1959; SRD (“Robert Ripley Will Be Buried in City of Roses,” May 28, 1949).

  Note: According to an essay written by Ripley employee Kay Lawrence (which I found in the Ripley archives), Ripley was dictating something to Liese Wisse when he started to convulse. Lawrence arrived at the hospital soon after he was pronounced dead, and found Wisse hysterical and sobbing. A doctor told them it was a heart attack. They were soon joined by Cygna Conly, Robert Hyland, and Doug Ripley. Lawrence writes that all of them except Doug Storer were grief stricken. Storer, she said, was “nonchalantly twirling his watch chain … talking about what he planned to do in the future regarding the business.”

  EPILOGUE

  The aftermath and the legacy: SCRAP (“Ripley to Sail Chinese Junk,” by Priscilla Endicott, The Westchester Times, July 31, 1947); author interview with Allan Holtz; RE (undated essay by Kay Lawrence); author interviews with Robert and Rebecca Ripley; “Ripley Auction,” LIFE, September 12, 1949; “With or Without Dragons,” The New Yorker, September 1949; author interviews with Edward Meyer; “Believe It or Not,” by Kenneth Turan, Washington Post, April 1, 1973; “Believe It or Not Going Strong at 33,” Editor & Publisher, December 15, 1951; SRD (“A Big Tree, A Little Church, A Restoration,” by Gaye LeBaron, December 25, 2010); “Would You Believe Louis XIV Never Took a Bath?” by Jill Millikin, Wall Street Journal, February 1, 1972; “In Search of the (Nearly) Miraculous,” by Susan Lydon, Village Voice, October 22, 1979; TBS interviews with Hazel Storer and Li Ling-Ai; “Li Ling Ai,” Village Care News, Spring 2003.

  Note: Other Believe It or Not writers and artists included Lester Byck; Paul and Walter Frehm (Paul would win a National Cartoonist Society award in 1976); Don Wimmer; Joe Campbell; Art Sloggatt; Clemens Gretter; Carl Dorese; Bob Clarke; Clarence Thorpe; and Stan Randall.

  Supreme gratitude to Norm Deska and Edward Meyer at the Ripley Entertainment company for opening your doors to me, allowing me inside the archives, entrusting me with your treasures, and for giving me a chance to tell the full story of LeRoy Robert Ripley. Without your help, this book could not have been written.

  Also at Ripley Entertainment, I’m thankful for the support of Jim Pattison Jr., Amanda Dula, and Anne Marshall, as well as Anthony, Viviana, Amy, Natasha, Angela, and Todd, and everyone who made me feel so welcome during my many visits to your Orlando HQ.

  I’m deeply indebted to Sidney Kirkpatrick, who mined portions of Ripley’s story before me and, in an act of humbling graciousness, agreed to share with me his research. Thank you, Sidney (and Nancy).

  To the Ripley family—Ripley’s grandniece, Rebecca; her father, Robert; and her uncle, Doug (Ripley’s nephews)—thanks for putting up with my phone calls and letters, and for speaking with me so graciously and openly about your memories of the Ripley brothers.

  Many thanks to Greg Daugherty, for the Mamaroneck tour; Tom Van Pelt, for sharing his Ripley collection; and to both men, for welcoming me into their homes. In Santa Rosa, I’m grateful for the assistance of the wonderfully gracious and funny Lee Torliatt and the rest of the crew at the Sonoma Historical Society, and Santa Rosa’s longtime columnist and semi-official historian, Gaye LeBaron. Thanks to John Hacku, who oversaw Santa Rosa’s sadly short-lived Ripley museum.

  At the New York Public Library, I count myself once again among the fortunate writer-researchers to have benefited from the skills and generosity of Dave Smith—thanks! And though I may not remember all the names (nor you mine), my humble thanks go out to the sixth-floor microfilm crew and others at the Seattle Public Library. I’m also thankful for the time I was able to spend at the library’s Scandiuzzi Writers’ Room—thank you, Chris Higashi.

  Robin Lung, I appreciate the help you offered with the story of Li Ling-Ai and her relationship with Ripley. (Best of luck with your film, Finding Kukan—nestedeggproductions.com.) For assistance with the history of comics, my thanks to Allan Holtz, Cole Johnson, and the excellent website Stripper’s Guide (www.strippersguide.com). To the Pearlroth family, Jeff and Jonathan, thanks for speaking with me. And to Tom Quinn, thanks for sharing bits of the history of the NYAC.

  With each of my books, I’ve been fortunate to hav
e friends and family willingly read and critique sloppy drafts; thanks to Katherine Reed, Pauline Trimarco, and Brian Klam. I’m grateful to New Jersey records sleuth John Mooney for tracking down Ripley’s marriage license. And, since writing is often such a solitary pursuit, I’m thankful to those who made the job less solitary or offered advice or support, a well-timed cocktail, or a bed: Jack and Deirdre Timmons, for the loan of the Vashon Island retreat; Lisa Loop, for coaching and editorial input; Andrew Chapman, for moral support and lunches; Reid and Lucas Adams, for bourbon and a bed while researching at UNC; Joe D’Agnese, Denise Kiernan, and Tom and Rebecca Gholson, for being there from the start; Spencer and Man Cohen, for Chinese translations; and Phil Thompson, for loaning me the Mini during my Florida visits, and for much more.

  To William Langewiesche, thank you for taking a look at an early draft and offering advice. And my gratitude to Richard Florest, for providing outstanding editorial input at a crucial stage.

  Heartfelt thanks to Michael Carlisle for getting this project rolling and, especially, to my agent, Rob Weisbach, thank you for believing in and championing the project. I look forward to many more.

  At Crown, I’m incredibly grateful to my editor, Rick Horgan, and his assistant, Nathan Roberson, for their diligent, smart, and relentless efforts in shaping and elevating this story, as well as to copy editor Rachelle Mandik for regularly saving me from myself. And my sincere thanks to everyone at Crown—designers Jaclyn Reyes and Nupoor Gordon, production editor Robert Siek, and especially Tina Constable, Christina Foxley, Ellen Folan, and Kristen Fleming—for believing in Ripley’s story.

  Finally, to Mary, Sean, and Leo, my unbelievable believe-it-or-not family.

  Action Comics

  Africa

  Alcock, John

  Allen, Ross

  Alligators

  Allison, May

  Amazing But True brand

  American President Lines

  Arizona (USS), 22.1, 23.1

  Arthur, John

  Associated Newspapers, 5.1, 5.2, 8.1, 9.1, 10.1, 11.1, 11.2, 12.1

  aviation

  Baer, Bugs, 19.1, 23.1, epi.1

  advice to Ripley on Hearst

  athletics, 7.1, 7.2

  at BION Island, 19.1, 19.2

  column on Ripley’s death

  and Curley

  as master of one-liner

  on Mon Lei

  at New York American

  on Odditorium

  penchant for nightspots

  and Ripley’s health, 19.1, 24.1

  as Ripley sidekick, 6.1, 7.1, 11.1, 11.2, 17.1, 19.1

  on Terraplane Program

  trip to N. Africa and Mideast

  wife, 7.1, 12.1, 24.1

  Baer, Marjorie

  Baggerly, Hy, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 17.1, nts.1

  Baghdad (Iraq)

  Bahamas

  Baker’s Broadcast, 16.1, 17.1

  Bali

  Barnum, P. T., 11.1, 15.1, 16.1

  baseball, 2.1, 3.1, 5.1, 15.1, nts.1

  Bates, Ana

  beggars

  Believe It or Not books, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 13.1, 13.2, epi.1

  Believe It or Not cartoons, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 9.1, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 12.1, 15.1, epi.1, epi.2

  Believe It or Not, Inc., 13.1, 17.1, 17.2, epi.1

  Believe It or Not Radio Odditorium

  Benares (India), 8.1, 8.2

  Bible

  BION Island, 17.1, 17.2, 20.1

  choice of location

  closing of

  decorations and collections at, 17.1, 19.1

  Doug Ripley at, 17.1, 23.1, epi.1

  drinking at

  natural beauty of

  Oakie’s imprint on

  origin of name

  parties at

  reopening

  routine at

  sale of

  sale of contents

  staff

  visitors to, 17.1, 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, 20.1, 20.2, 23.1

  women at, 19.1, 19.2

  Blom, Ed

  boats

  Bodie, Frank Stephen (Ping), 7.1, nts.1

  Bolitho, William

  Boots, Ralph

  Boyar Wedding Feast, The

  (Makovsky)

  Boyes, John

  Boys Club of New York

  Boy Scouts of Greater New York

  Brainerd, Betty

  Brisbane, Arthur

  Britt, George

  Brokenshire, Norman

  Brown, A. Whitton

  Brown, Ned, 4.1, 5.1

  Brown, Walter

  Bruce, Mitzi

  Brundage, Avery

  Buck, Pearl S., 14.1, 14.2

  Burbank, Luther, 1.1, 2.1, 3.1

  Bux, Kuda, 17.1, 17.2

  Cadan, George

  California

  Cannon, Nellie Jane, 23.1, 23.2

  Carlsbad Caverns (N.M.)

  CBS. See Columbia Broadcasting System

  Central America

  Chiang Kai-shek

  Chiari, Rodolfo

  Chicago (Ill.)

  Chichen Itza

  China, 8.1, 8.2, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 16.1, 19.1, 22.1, 22.2, 23.1, 24.1, 24.2

  Chinatown (San Francisco), 3.1, 3.2

  Chinatown (Santa Rosa, Calif.)

  Choosing of the Bride, The

  Church Built of One Tree (Santa Rosa, Calif.), 1.1, 9.1, 23.1, 24.1, 24.2

  CIAA. See Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs Office

  Coffee Dan’s (San Francisco)

  Colonial Beacon Oil Company

  Colorado River

  Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), 18.1, 18.2, 18.3

  comics, 2.1, 3.1, 12.1, 17.1, epi.1

  communism, 16.1, 20.1, 23.1

  Conger, Charles T.

  Conly, Cygna, 13.1, 13.2, 17.1, 20.1, 23.1, 23.2, 24.1, epi.1

  Connolly, Joseph, 12.1, 14.1, 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 17.1, 19.1, 19.2, 20.1, 20.2, 23.1

  Conquest of Peru (Prescott)

  Considine, Bob, 20.1, 23.1, ata1.1

  Considine, Millie

  contests, 12.1, 14.1, 15.1

  Coolidge, Calvin

  Cooper, Gary

  Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs

  Office (CIAA), 20.1, 20.2

  Corday, Peggy, 23.1, 24.1, 24.2

  Corregidor Island, 22.1, 23.1

  Corrigan, Douglas, 17.1, 20.1

  Crane, Stephen

  Creel, George

  crossword puzzles

  Cuba

  Curley, Jack

  Curtis, Cyrus

  Daily News, The

  Daily Worker

  Dangar, Arjan Desur

  Darling, “Ding”

  Dartmouth College

  Davidson, Jack, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3

  Davies, Marion

  Davis, Ethel Ripley, 1.1, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2, 9.1, 9.2, 14.1, 23.1, 24.1, 24.2, epi.1

  Davis, Fred

  Dempsey, Jack, 7.1, 16.1, 16.2, 18.1, 24.1

  Deska, Norman

  DeWilde, Fritz

  disfiguration, 14.1, 15.1

  Disney, Walt, 6.1, 20.1

  Dollison, Katherine

  Donner, Vyvyan, 6.1, 19.1, 23.1, epi.1

  Doolittle, James

  Dorgan, Tad, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 6.1, 6.2, 12.1

  Doug and Hazel Storer Collection

  Doyle, Jack, 6.1, 7.1

  Dufour, Lou, 15.1, 15.2, 16.1, 18.1

  Dunham, Ed, 22.1, 22.2

  earthquakes, 2.1, 9.1

  Eberson, John

  Edwards, Ralph

  Ehman, Hobart

  elephantiasis, 14.1, 17.1, 19.1

  Ellis, Robert, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3

  Ennis, Carol Read, 3.1, 3.2, 19.1, epi.1

  Europe, 5.1, 14.1

  Evening Graphic

  Evening Mail (N.Y.)

  Evening Telegram (N.Y.), 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 11.1

  Ewing, Curtis

  Ewing, Ray

  family reunions

  Famous Speakers Inc.

  fasci
sm

  Fiji

  Films, 13.1, 18.1, 20.1

  Finnish Relief Fund, 18.1, 18.2

  Fisher, Bud, 3.1, 6.1

  Fitzgerald, F. Scott

  Flagg, James Montgomery

  Florida, 18.1, 21.1

  Formosa

  freaks. See sideshow freaks

  Freaks (film)

  Frehm, Paul

  Friml, Rudolf, 14.1, 22.1

  Fung, Paul

  Gallagher, Ed

  Garden of Eden, prf.1, 15.1, 15.2

  Gehrig, Lou

  General Motors

  General Foods, 17.1, 17.2

  Gleeson, E. T.

  Globe and Commercial Advertiser, 5.1, 6.1, 8.1, 9.1, 9.2, 11.1

  gold

  Goldberg, Rube, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 6.1, 11.1, 12.1, 12.2, 16.1, 17.1, 18.1

  Golden Gate International Exposition (San Francisco), 18.1, 18.2, 18.3

  Goldwater, Barry

  Grand Canyon

  Greene, Ward

  Griffith, Nell, 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 7.1, 17.1, 24.1, 24.2

  Guatemala

  Guinan, Mary Louise (Texas), 11.1, 15.1, 15.2

  Hajak, Bill

  Hamilton, Alexander

  handball, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 9.1, 11.1, 19.1

  Harris, Thomas Lake

  Hawaii, 8.1, 22.1

  Hearst, William, Jr.

  Hearst, William Randolph, 22.1, 23.1

  contests, 12.1, 12.2

  fear of communism

  hiring of Baer

  mistress

  newspapers, 3.1, 9.1, 11.1, 12.1, 12.2, 13.1, 15.1

  publicity for Ripley

  on radio publicity

  salary offer to Ripley, prf.1, prf.2, 12.1