Believe It Or Not: Robert Ripley

[happyfilmluvguy]

A newsman, a baseball player, a collector, a traveller, and a visionary, Robert LeRoy Ripley was many things. What he was known for was infamous, dazzling audiences from all over the world. From the strange to the extravagant, the intoxicating to the unnatural, Robert Ripley brought America things of the unknown. In 1933, The first Odditorium was erected, in May 1949, he passed away.

While many criticized the stories that Robert Ripley told as untrue, no one will really know whether they were or not. We tend to tell far fetched stories ourselves, and while they may be true and untrue, only we know. That's how Robert Ripley may have felt. You can't visit 198 countries and come home to say you didn't see or witness anything. Robert Ripley was many things, as many said he told many lies. But like his famous oddity show title, you can BELIEVE IT OR NOT.

What kind of information do you have on Mr. Ripley?

 

[Fletch]

Lemme see here

He was born LeRoy and added Robert later.
His country estate was named "Bion" - for Believe It Or Not.
He was a bachelor and reportedly kept an entourage of young Asian women.
He had a network radio show with (of all people) Ozzie Nelson and his orchestra.

About 15 years ago a book came out featuring not Ripley's cartoon feature, but actual photos of the people who appeared in it - captured doing their thing on old-style large format view cameras at the Ripley's offices.
It was so unsettlingly grotesque I read it thru once and threw it out.

 

[Feraud]

What kind of information do you have on Mr. Ripley?

The only info I have is there will be a movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Jim Carrey. In fact, I should post something about it in the movie section...

 

[Mr. Sable]

He was a bachelor and reportedly kept an entourage of young Asian women.

Much like Gwen Stefani, eh?

I often watch the "Believe It or Not" one reelers on TCM. It seems that everyone in these short films wants to be anywhere else but listening to ol' Ripley. Watch closely.

 

[CharlieH.]

Here's what I can say about ole man Ripley:

- He was romantically involved with a russian girl during the 30's. She died of cancer in 1940
- Legend has it that Ripley had a stroke during his final TV broadcast while explaining the origin of "Taps".
- In 1943 he attempted to buy a volcano in central Mexico.
- The first Odditurium opened at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. Reportedly, there was a nurse on duty all the time.
- He was banned from Russia
- He was the first (and probably the last) person to broadcast a live interview with a parachute jumper during the jump.
- There were national "Believe It Or Not!" contests where people would send their stories and recieve some pretty amazing prizes (A personal airplane with flying lessons included, for one).
- Charles Schulz's first first published cartoon appeared in a BION panel. It was about his nail eating dog.
- He would get so much mail, that he would get rid of trunks full of it during his trips. There's an account of a group of nomads that found one of those trunks and then sent it back to Ripley.

Not sure how much of that is actually true.

And here are couple links of interest:

Postcards from the Odditorium at the 1935 California-Pacific Exposition

The radio shows. Ignore the hokey surroundings and go straight to the On Demand section. Be warned-sound upon entering.