A BUDDHIST
BY ANY OTHER NAME
Behind the scenes at
Frank A. Munsey’s DOUBLE-DETECTIVE, the
powers that be wanted a super hero that could compete with The Shadow over at STREET
& SMITH. They asked author Ken Crossen to come up with such a
character, and he responded with, “I’ll try.” The character he came up with was
the Green Lama.
Like a journeyman
preacher, the Green Lama stories followed a proven path for crime –
from New York City to Cleveland, Ohio, to Hollywood, California, a trip by boat
or two, and back to New York City.
Though each story is a short novel, the whole series is one
long continuing novel, and it’s best to read the stories in order of
publication. The 14 stories run in sequence, with good continuity, and the same
characters appear in the towns where they were originally placed. Almost like a
real world.
The Green Lama decided
to fight crime when he accidentally witnessed a gangdom murder on the docks in
which two innocent children had been killed. Jethro Dumont was returning to
America from Tibet, where he had spent the last ten years studying to become a
Buddhist priest. At the murder scene he had met Lieutenant John Caraway of the
New York City Police Department who was investigating the killings. Seeing how
the police were handicapped, and how crooks appeared to have the upper hand,
Jethro Demont decided to become the Green
Lama.
To throw suspicion off
himself, Dumont created the alias of the Reverand Dr. Charles Pali, another
Buddhist priest, who could easily be accepted as the mysterious Green Lama. At the time, it must have
been strange for two American white men residing in New York City who both
claimed to be Buddhist priest, in a big world where white men being Buddhist
priests were rare! But Jethro Dumont seems to have pulled it off, even if a few
did suspect a dual (triple?) role.
The Green Lama series
began in the April 1940 issue of DOUBLE-DETECTIVE
(V5 N5), running for two years in each successive issue, and finally ending
after 14 stories, with the March 1943 issue (V8 N2). The author was listed as
Richard Foster – real name Kendall Foster Crossen, who wrote all the stories.
The stories were easy reading, with some nice action scenes, and some fairly
good mysteries. Although the Green Lama only
took the cases that were giving the police a difficult time, and were involved
in organized crime – supposedly on a big scale. However, in several cases the organized crime consisted of four
people: the mastermind, his lieutenant, and two hired thugs. Well, so much for
the big crime. One case even lacked much action, and the murderer is known, the
real mystery concerns how he escaped from the scene of the murder.
Actually, the Green
Lama was a fairly good clone of The
Shadow. He wore all green, or dark clothing, and could blend into the
shadows or his surroundings. Instead of The
Shadow’s weird laugh, the Green Lama
merely utters a Tibetan prayer, Om!
Ma-Ni Pad-Me Hum, sending chills down the spines of evil doers – well, I
guess you had to be there. Unlike The
Shadow, he did not carry big automatics to do battle with the underworld.
Indeed, his only weapon was a scarf – called a Kata – which he used like a whip. This and ju-jitsu. He also
ingested radioactive salt which gave his touch an electrical shock. He merely
had to touch a person’s nerve centers in such a way that he could make them
blind, deaf, or lose their speech or mobility.
One particular fight scene of good quality came from the
novel, Death’s Head Face, September
1940:
As though operated by
a single string, the three gunmen whirled around at the sound of the voice. But
the Green Lama was already on top of them. His right hand flashed out and
chopped down on the side of Butcher Mulraney’s head. The gunman dropped to the
floor, his gun falling from his hand, and flopped there like a decapitated
chicken.
With almost
the same movement, the Green Lama’s left arm had encircled the neck of the next
gangster and jerked him forward, swinging him half around. The Lama’s right
hand flashed downward and struck, edgewise, at the base of the skull. The
gunman sagged to the floor, unconscious.
As the Green
Lama twisted toward the third man, there was the sharp crack of a small caliber
gun. (Jean Farrell had shot a gun out of the gangster’s hand.)
The gangster’s
gun spun out of his hand, a bright smear of lead along its side, while he
cursed and grabbed his numbed fingers with the other hand. But his curses were
cut off in the middle as the Green Lama struck again at the base of his skull.
The Lama
turned and stepped over to where Butcher Mulraney was still writhing on the
floor. A quick blow at the base of his skull, and he relaxed into
unconsciousness.
The man in the
bed was still propped up on one elbow, his mouth open in astonishment. But the
fear was still in his face.
“Who are you?
He asked.
“Sorry,” the
Green Lama said, approaching the bed. “but I’m afraid we’d better have you join
the party.” For the fifth time he struck a quick blow and Goo Goo Leads joined
his former friends in unconsciousness.
With the scarf, the Green Lama could flick it out, the end
would wrap around a neck, and the gangster would quickly go into a state of
unconsciousness. The scarf was not used often, but it made a good weapon in the
hands of the Green Lama. The Lama did not take lives, merely leaving
the criminals for the police. In one novel, the Green Lama did almost take a life, this was when he thought the
gangster had killed Magga, his
mysterious ally.
Now, let’s take just a quick look at the main characters
within the series. We will stick with only those who were the closest to the Green Lama;
a number of others had recurring roles, for instance, like city
officials in other towns, plus a Hollywood movie company, Magna Pictures, where many of the characters made numerous
appearances.
Jethro Dumont: He is a handsome, ascetic-looking man in his
middle thirties; worth ten million dollars, which he had inherited from his
family at age of twenty-one. He had spent ten years in Tibet studying the
mystical philosophies of the Lamaists. He was one of the few white men to ever
become a Lama. He had a hobby of collecting news, which he clipped from
newspapers. Jethro had accidentally witnessed a gang killing on the dock upon
his return to America. Two small children had been killed during the gang
killing. He resides with his manservant, Tsarong.
Reverend Dr. Charles Pali: He wears a dark green
business suit with a light green ecclesiastical shirt and collar. On the collar
the symbol Om was embroidered in
black. His face is full, ruddy colored, with a touch of gray at the temples.
His eyebrows reach up sharply. He has dark brown hair. The suit becomes too
well known, and was dropped in the August 1941 story. Now, he still wears
green, but his suit was cut along more liberal lines and the shirt and tie were
those of a young businessman. His facial appearance was often changed by
makeup, and now his face becomes less full, younger, and more powerful in appearance.
The Green Lama: The monk’s robe reached almost to the floor,
with a hood that circled his face, and a green border around the sleeves and
hood. The inner lining of the robe was
of golden yellow material. He wears dark felt-soled shoes, and around his neck
was a dark scarf, called a Kata, five feet long.
Evangl Stewart: She is often described as the most beautiful
woman in America; she was a tall, slender, exotic-looking young woman with
naturally wavy, ashen blond tresses that fell from her creamy shoulders. She
was from a wealthy family, and rich in her own right. She fell in love with
Gary Brown, and they were eventually married and had one child, a boy they
named Jethro Pali Brown. She was in the first segment of novels, beginning with
the first story. Her last involvement was in the August 1940 story, although
she would be mentioned on and off throughout the series.
Gary Brown: A college graduate in his middle twenties, he
had been a hired gunman for Harlem Joe, policy king of New York City. When he
had refused some gang order, he was eliminated – dumped in the East River. The Green Lama saved him, and Gary came
over to his side in the fight against crime. He is tall, well built, with black
hair and a handsome face, marred only by a broken nose. He falls in love with
Evangl and they marry in September 1940, leaving active service with the Green Lama. His last active part was in
the August 1940 story, though he would be mentioned off and on throughout the
series.
Jean Farrell: She is a very talkative redhead, but a woman
with little fear, and quick to act. She was introduced in the August 1940
story, and became the Lama’s assistant
in the following story, September 1940. She is tall, slender, and exotic
looking. The Green Lama calls her, Little Netsohblum, which in Tibetan
means, Thousand Parrots, because she
talks too much. She was probably better suited for the part than was Evangl.
Ken Clayton: He is tall, slender, good looking, about
twenty-six years old, with close cropped brown hair and Robert Taylor looks. He
took over Gary Brown’s role after Gary left the series. However, even while on
active service with the Green Lama,
Ken still acted on Broadway and pursued his career as an actor. He was drafted
during the August 1941 story, and was stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey. His
first story was the August 1940 issue, but his active role began with the
September 1940 story.
Theodore Herrin: With Ken Clayton now in the Army, a new
character is brought into the series. He was actually introduced in the
February 1941 story, as a minor character. But with the August 1941 story he
becomes an active member of the crew. He is a small, slender man with broad
shoulders and dark hair. He is a stage magician and recognized as one of the
greatest magicians since the death of Thurston.
He was simply a replacement for Ken Clayton. Of the three characters who
filled this position, Gary Brown was probably the best in the part.
Dr. Harrison Valco, M.D.: The physician was tall, slender, well
built, and in his early forties; he has a ruddy face, black hair cut short,
fringed with gray. He was actually an expert in radiology, but became something
of an assistant to the Green Lama in
his capacity as a medical doctor. Evangl had been one of his patients in the
first couple of adventures. His part was very minimal, however, and he was not
always in the stories.
Geshe Tsarong: He is Jethro Dumont’s servant. He is a short,
squat young man of dark features and high cheekbones. Of Tibetan or Mongol
caste, he is probably a Lama himself, though of lesser rank than Jethro.
Lieutenant John Caraway: The police official of the series, he is
assigned to the New York City Special Crime Squad, investigating organized
crime. He welcomes the help of the Green
Lama in solving cases for him. He is a large, rugged man, with sandy hair
and a homely face, blue eyes and his hair looked like it had never been combed.
He was introduced in the first story, but is not always in the rest since they
take place elsewhere than New York City.
Magga: Who she is, or where she came from is a complete mystery to
all concerned, Wherever the Green Lama went
to wage his war on crime, there he always found Magga. Either she would save the Green Lama’s life, or he would rescue her from some trap in each
story. Her name in the Pali language meant, the
way; the path. She was young and beautiful, and she and the Green Lama were in love with each
other. Where the Lama was in the
Buddhist faith, Magga was considered
a Jetsuruna. A Buddhist nun of high
rank.
Basically, these were the main characters that assisted the Green Lama in his cases. They were well
thought out, and the stories were better for their involvement in them.
Again, if the reader has the opportunity, the series should
be read in order of publication, as the complete series is like one long novel.
But if the reader must read them out of order, the stories are each individual
adventures, and fun reading one story at a time.
The Green Lama was a fascinating pulp hero,
but I think the mysterious Magga was
even more so. There was little mystery about the Green Lama, while Magga
was as much a mystery to him as she was to the reader. She has a strong
personality in her own right. With the many mystic attributions to the
character of the Green Lama – he
could make the dead speak, create his own double out of thin air, see people he
is familiar with no matter where they are (thus is able to locate his captured
aides when they are held prisoner). I asked the expert on the Green Lama, Nick Carr about Magga, and he said that Ken Crossman
had told him personally that Magga
was a character he never planned to
reveal much about. She was to remain mysterious.
So whatever her true story is, Magga is never revealed in the series. She was a master of
disguise, and usually appeared as a young woman, or an extremely old woman (and
here I’m reminded of the Tocsin from
Jimmie Dale), never the same in any
two novels.
In one story, The Case
of the Crooked Cane, Magga
disguises herself as Betty Dale, a reporter for the Globe. What a wonderful disguise! Betty Dale, of course, was the
love interest of Secret Agent X, and
she was a reporter for the Herald. Coincidence?
I don’t think so. Ken Crossen was merely paying homage to both Jimmy Dale and Secret Agent X.
A special thanks go to
Nick Carr who made this article possible. For the readers, this is only an
overview of the series; to learn more about the series, the characters, and the
author of the Green Lama, I highly
suggest they search out back issues of ECHOES
(#19 & 20), for an in-depth article titled, Om! Ma-NiPad-Me Hum by Nick Carr. This article will give you much
more information.
In the meantime, if you are looking for a quick read with
action and mystery, check out a Green
Lama story. You’ll be glad you did.
