The subject of the Green Lama came up in the comments of last weekend’s post about a science fiction pulp containing a story by Kendall Foster Crossen, who wrote the Green Lama series under the pseudonym Richard Foster. That reminded me that several years ago, I started reading the first Green Lama story but set it aside pretty quickly since it just wasn’t connecting with me. I’ve been meaning to give it another try because I know that often in those cases, the fault lies more with the mood I’m in, rather than the story itself. Since the subject came up, and since I own all three Altus Press volumes reprinting the entire series, I figured now was as good a time as any.
The first volume kicks off with the usual informative and entertaining
introduction by Will Murray, which in this case explains how Crossen, who was editing
DETECTIVE FICTION WEEKLY at the time, was asked by his bosses at Munsey to create a new series character for DOUBLE DETECTIVE, a pulp that wasn’t
doing particularly well. Crossen came up with the Green Lama, inspired
partially by The Shadow and partially by a couple of recent books about Eastern
mysticism.
The Green Lama is actually wealthy Jethro Dumont, who isn’t the usual bored
socialite or playboy who turns to fighting crime. He’s kind of an egghead,
actually, who has made extensive studies of medicine, science, and Eastern
philosophies and religions. On a trip to Tibet, he converts to Buddhism and
becomes a monk, but no sooner has he returned to the United States than he
witnesses a gangland killing in which several innocents are slain. Realizing
that the police aren’t going to do anything about this, he decides to fight
crime himself, using his own natural skills and the tricks he’s learned in the
Far East. He doesn’t kill, but he electrifies himself by drinking radioactive
salts dissolved in water, so that he can shock crooks with a mere touch,
paralyzing them or knocking them out, making them blind or mute, all depending
on where he presses his finger.
Yep, you read that right, he turns himself temporarily radioactive, lurks
around in the shadows, and chants his catchphrase, “Om! Ma-ni pad-me hum!”
Crossen, who footnotes the stories extensively, translates that at one point,
but I don’t remember what it really means and I’m too lazy to look it up. It
sounds cool and probably strikes fear into the hearts of criminals, that’s all
I know.
The first Green Lama novella (pretty close to actual novel length, in fact)
appears in the April 1940 issue of DOUBLE DETECTIVE. Crossen entitled it ”The
Case of the Crimson Hand”, but it was retitled “The Green Lama” when it appeared
in the pulp. The Altus Press reprint restores the original title. The Crimson
Hand is a gang leader who wears a mask and a crimson glove on one hand. He
steals a new weapon from the doctor who invented it, a radioactive gas that
produces a knock-out ray powerful enough to put an entire city to sleep when
enough of the gas capsules are spread around. The Crimson Hand and his gang set
off on a crime spree, looting Cleveland and announcing that they’re going to
take over the entire country, or maybe even . . . the whole world!
Not if the Green Lama has anything to say about it, bub. Aided by reformed
gangster Gary Brown, the Lama gets on the trail of the gang, fails to prevent
them from looting Cleveland and kidnapping the inventor of the gas/ray, along
with a beautiful blonde, but eventually tracks them to their hideout. The Green
Lama may not kill anybody, but that doesn’t mean this story is lacking in
action. In fact, it’s a veritable slaughter as the bad guys wipe out everybody
who gets in their way. A couple of times, it looks like the Green Lama himself
has met his doom, but we know better, don’t we?
Eventually, the Green Lama breaks up the gang and captures the Crimson Hand,
who turns out to be exactly who you figured he was all along. He has one other
helper along the way, a mysterious woman known only as Magga, who feeds him
information and turns up in disguise to take an active hand in the adventure
when needed.
This first story and the character of the Green Lama himself are so goofy, so
over the top, even by pulp standards, that I have to believe Crossen had his
tongue firmly in his cheek when he wrote it. I wonder if he expected the series
to become as popular as it did, continuing for three years and fourteen
novellas that spawned a comic book version, a radio show, and even talk about a
TV series in the early days of television that never came about. I had no
trouble reading “The Case of the Crimson Hand” this time and enjoyed it quite a
bit. The action scenes are good, the pace really rockets along, and the Green
Lama may be a little silly, but he’s an interesting character. I intend to read
more about him. Whether I’ll ever get all the way through the series, who
knows, but if you’re a pulp fan, the Green Lama is worth checking out. The
first collection is available in paperback and e-book editions on Amazon.
3 comments:
"“Om! Ma-ni pad-me hum!” Crossen, who footnotes the stories extensively, translates that at one point, but I don’t remember what it really means and I’m too lazy to look it up."
The modern-day version of the mantra is usually anglicized as "Om mani padme hum" and the closest literal translation is "praise to the jewel in the lotus" or "I (am/shall be) in the jewel-lotus" but neither really means much without all the context behind it. It's a very important Buddhist mantra with a lot of complex, metaphorical meaning that just doesn't come over to English well, at least not without a fair bit of knowledge about religion it comes from.
The way it's used in the Green Lama stories is about on par with shouting "abra kadabra" so the lack of meaning isn't very important, just the perceived exoticism.
Thanks!
I really enjoyed The Green Lama: Unbound by Adam Lance Garcia.
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