I loved "Believe It or Not" as a youngster, I grew increasingly doubtful about claims that were "sort of true," but exaggerated. Then I was given a copy of the Guinness Book of Superlatives (forerunner of the Guinness Book of Records), which was much better researched and therefore more reliable.
Nonetheless, Ripley's illustrations remain exciting, and often even thrilling.
BTW, the $100,000 that Hearst paid Ripley in 1929 would be $1.8 million in today's money.
Ripley's "Believe it or Not" was a drug of choice during my childhood--I was agog with the stories, the images, even as I grew a bit more skeptical about some of his claims. Later I knew someone who'd financed some of his MA by writing for The National Enquirer--at conventions, he said, writers were introduced by the titles of their strangest story, as in "Mom Kills Self and Kids, meet Two-Headed Alien Swallows Car." I love believing them all--and greatly admire Ripley's drawings, but ow I see this about his stories: https://www.grunge.com/224692/the-untold-truth-behind-the-tales-of-ripleys-believe-it-or-not/
Thanks Melissa. Robert Ripley's 'Believe It or Not!' may well have been a precursor to today's National Enquirers, TMZs and other (dramatized) fake news.
Neal Thompson's biography of Ripley, "A Curious Mind", deals with all the aspects of his life thoroughly and objectively. (Some have thought, based on his film appearances, that his voice and mannerisms might have inspired those of the animated cartoon character Elmer Fudd, which I'm not entirely sure is correct...).
What an extraordinary talent and even more extraordinary life. All those travels. Love that he exposed the Fiji Mermaid hoax of PT Barnum. Someone needs to expose the hoax of the alien from Area 51 (is that the right number)? It's not only the sketches you share but also the history that is so enlightening and fun too.
I think there can be no greater compliment than when others carry on the work of the founder. "Ripleys Believe it or Not "continues in the internet age. I'm not surprised the daily strips are still popular. The Ripley drawings and crisp narrative style were kind of a precursor to Instagram and TikTok.
Hats off to an ingenious entrepreneur, one of the all-time great illustrative journalists. Thanks for sharing, Bill!
Great post, Bill. I’m thinking that Odditoriums will be flourishing as long as there are humans to be amazed.
...oddly, yes.
I loved "Believe It or Not" as a youngster, I grew increasingly doubtful about claims that were "sort of true," but exaggerated. Then I was given a copy of the Guinness Book of Superlatives (forerunner of the Guinness Book of Records), which was much better researched and therefore more reliable.
Nonetheless, Ripley's illustrations remain exciting, and often even thrilling.
BTW, the $100,000 that Hearst paid Ripley in 1929 would be $1.8 million in today's money.
CPI calculator: https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl
Thanks Randy. Always good to check authenticity. But I wanna believe.
Ripley's "Believe it or Not" was a drug of choice during my childhood--I was agog with the stories, the images, even as I grew a bit more skeptical about some of his claims. Later I knew someone who'd financed some of his MA by writing for The National Enquirer--at conventions, he said, writers were introduced by the titles of their strangest story, as in "Mom Kills Self and Kids, meet Two-Headed Alien Swallows Car." I love believing them all--and greatly admire Ripley's drawings, but ow I see this about his stories: https://www.grunge.com/224692/the-untold-truth-behind-the-tales-of-ripleys-believe-it-or-not/
Great post!
Thanks Melissa. Robert Ripley's 'Believe It or Not!' may well have been a precursor to today's National Enquirers, TMZs and other (dramatized) fake news.
Neal Thompson's biography of Ripley, "A Curious Mind", deals with all the aspects of his life thoroughly and objectively. (Some have thought, based on his film appearances, that his voice and mannerisms might have inspired those of the animated cartoon character Elmer Fudd, which I'm not entirely sure is correct...).
Ripley speaks on the doc about him on American Experience/PBS: https://www.tpt.org/ripley-believe-it-or-not-american-experience/video/american-experience-ripley-believe-it-or-not-chapter-1/
What an extraordinary talent and even more extraordinary life. All those travels. Love that he exposed the Fiji Mermaid hoax of PT Barnum. Someone needs to expose the hoax of the alien from Area 51 (is that the right number)? It's not only the sketches you share but also the history that is so enlightening and fun too.
Hope it's beautiful in San Rafael.🌺🌸🪻🍁
I think there can be no greater compliment than when others carry on the work of the founder. "Ripleys Believe it or Not "continues in the internet age. I'm not surprised the daily strips are still popular. The Ripley drawings and crisp narrative style were kind of a precursor to Instagram and TikTok.
Hats off to an ingenious entrepreneur, one of the all-time great illustrative journalists. Thanks for sharing, Bill!