Weasels Ripped My Flesh was the cover story and art for the September 1956 issue of Man's Life magazine.
As crazy as this magazine cover may sound today, this kind of heavily illustrated pulp tale was the staple of Outdoor Life and Field and Stream in my youth, and was pretty common in Reader's Digest as well .
I suppose in the minds of New York City magazine editors, contract writers, and professional illustrators, a hunter was supposed to be equal parts Daniel Boone, Frank Buck, and William Tell.
All you had to do was cobble up a story, add a jaw-dropping illustration, and presto-change-o, you had an epic tale of Dominion Over Nature.
The secret to sales, of course, was that a lot of Men's Magazine readers had actually spent very little time in field or forest. In central Ohio, no one was getting eaten by Grizzlies, but maybe in Idaho or Alaska that was occurring on a daily basis. In the era before the Internet, who knew?
For the record (pun intended) the magazine illustration at top was riffed into an album title by Frank Zappa and the The Mothers Of Invention.
And speaking of homages, Tim Cahill's books Jaguars Ripped My Flesh and A Wolverine is Eating My Leg also leap to mind. Cahill wrote and was editor for Outside magazine. He definitely brought his sense of humor to the outdoors.
ReplyDeleteWell, those stories sure sound fanciful! However, weasel attack aside, the one I'm just itching to read is in Man's Life, entitled "Can Women Justify their need for Extra-Marital Relations"! (Implying that men CAN?) Thanks for the chuckle.
ReplyDeleteI've got a whole series of these coming out, one a month. Some of them are laugh riots ;)
ReplyDeleteP
Frank Zappa's album from 1970 comes to mind, it has the same title.
ReplyDeleteGotta get to the Cape!
ReplyDeleteHi Terrierman -
ReplyDeleteI like your blog! When I saw this post about men's adventure magazines, I realize we have two interests in common. My wife and I are terrier fans (we have a Wheaten right now) and I write a blog about the men's adventure magazines you mention in this post(online at www.MensPulpMags.com). Keep up the good blogging! Best regards. - Bob
I haven't read it, of course, but I suspect that the cover story on the last Field & Stream--"The Truth About Safari" by Robert Ruark--is the truth, give or take a little artistic license. A friend recently introduced me to Ruark's writing (mostly before my time) and so far I've enjoyed it tremendously.
ReplyDelete"Weasels Ripped My Flesh", probably not so much. ; )
Some Great Stuff there Subtropic Bob -- I could spent the day and may!
ReplyDeleteAlso check out Bob's nice little store at http://astore.amazon.com/menspcom-20
P
Is that David Bowie on the first cover??
ReplyDeleteI was a big Robert Ruark fan when I was a young teenager and devoured both his safari books. I loved animals, so I wanted to go on a shooting safari to Africa and bring some home. Didn't see the contradiction (for me, ultimately) at the time.
ReplyDeleteThe cover with the zebra and lion is by Bob Kuhn, a great illustrator who became one of the greatest wildlife painters ever. He passed away a couple of years ago, painting till the end. I have this magazine and a few others. They remind me that no one started out doing world-class work, although his was always competent. And no one has ever painted animals in action better. He is a major inspiration for me.
Thanks for those kind words, PBurns. I see there's a lot of great stuff to read on your main site, too. I am awed by your knowledge!
ReplyDelete"For the record (pun intended) the magazine illustration at top was riffed into an album title by Frank Zappa and the The Mothers Of Invention." - featuring Lowell George as one of the Mothers!
ReplyDeleteI added a teckel to the pack a couple weeks ago...