Gather round me buckaroos, and a story I will tell… of the good old days when men read gritty, muscular, pulpy paperbacks for leisure. We’re talkin’ way back in the 1970s here, when you could hit the local book store and find a spinner loaded with thin but satisfying paperbacks churned out by a feller named John Benteen.
Wasn’t his real name, of course. “John Benteen” was really Ben Haas. No matter. He was one prolific teller of tales. He wrote a number of Western series, but the legendary ones were his stories of Jim Sundance, half-breed gun for hire in the post-Civil War West and those of Neal Fargo, turn-of-the-century soldier-of-fortune.
Damn, but those were fun books. The Sundance books in particular I ate up when I was in junior high school. Sundance was the son of an English trader and a Cheyenne woman. Blond haired, bronze-skinned, he was a deadly combination of the best martial qualities of both races, equally proficient with the weapons of both sides of his heritage. He hired out his guns to pay a Washington lobbyist to advance the cause of the native peoples besieged by the advance of an avaricious American civilization.
Yeah, the stories were formulaic, like all pulp inevitably must be, but Benteen (Haas) was a damn-good action writer, he knew his history, and he wrote like he meant it. Howard Andrew Jones, an excellent writer and critic, notes that Benteen (Haas) often rose far above the conventions of the field he was operating in.:
Sure, you know there’s going to be a big gunfight at the end, and you know Sundance will probably end up in a knife or fist fight somewhere near the start, but Haas plays with the rest of the setup every time so you can’t ever be sure how it will all come out. And because he was brilliant, Haas frequently exceeded the genre’s limitations. Mind, this was considered hackwork even when Haas was writing it. These were cheap, tawdry paperbacks, and the authors weren’t that well compensated. So there was no real reason for Haas to go above and beyond so often, delivering moving and haunting prose. Some of the Sundance novels are poignant and powerful even as they deliver the requisite action and violence.
X-ring, Mr. Jones!
My sensibilities have always been pretty pulpy, a taste for which I am not in the least ashamed. Jones notes that Benteen’s Westerns were escapist fare for the working stiff with a couple of hours to kill on the porch with a drink and a smoke or relaxing on a motel room bed after a long day on the road, and I think that’s right on the money.
Haas himself recognized that “All westerns are fairy stories and outlets for impotent people.” Oh, boy, the Cultural Bolsheviks would have a field day with that, wouldn’t they? However, as his son, the sculptor Joel Haas, clarifies, Ben wasn’t referring to men with limp dicks — he was talking about the powerless. Working stiffs didn’t have much control over their lives back in that paperback-pulp heyday, and you could make a pretty good case that we’ve got even less control now. So what’s wrong with a little escape into a fantasy where a badass can take care of business and give some asshole what he’s got coming to him with both barrels? Nothing at all. Not one damn thing.
About 18 books into the series, Sundance was taken over by a different writer — Peter McCurtin. McCurtin came out of the hardboiled crime and military-adventure genres, and his Sundance feels a little different from Benteen’s. Stick with Benteen, is my advice.
The Sundance and Fargo adventures have been re-published under the Picadilly Publishing imprint in cheap e-book editions. Unfortunately, the covers don’t match the cool paperback versions from back in the day. In fact, they’re cheesy as hell. But they’re e-books, so once you download, you never have to look at the cover. They’re still a fun way to while away a couple of hours when you want a fast-paced, action-laden tale of badassery that somehow rises above its own limitations. Light up a smoke and enjoy….
Keith West says
MOAR PULP!
Gonna have to check these out. Thanks for the tip.
JimC says
You’ll dig ’em. They share some DNA with REH.
Breaker Morant says
I never read them, but my memory of seeing pulp at the bookstore in the 1970’s was the series about the guy who was at war with the mafia or something. If I remember correctly, there were a lot of books in that series.
I wonder how much of the market for 1970’s pulp was WW2 guys. It is hard for us to picture this now-but they were basically turning 50 in the 1970’s. Prime pulp reading age, perhaps? Plus they may have picked up a reading habit for pulp in their younger years and, maybe, during the war, when reading material would have been prized at remote bases and so forth.
Bill Bryson, the humorous author who grew up in the 50’s, remembers that all the dads had a stash of girlie magazines and thought that might have had something to do with the war. Bryson, being Bryson, says the kids all knew where Dad’s stash was (what kid doesn’t?) and that they even switched magazines from one stash to another which may have confused Dad, but he wouldn’t bring it up.
The baby boomers (and younger) probably never picked up the pulp habit-thus the death of the genre.
The 2 youngest kids (16 and 14) and I are watching the 1970’s-era WW2 general movies that I grew up watching on TV-“Patton”, “MacArthur”-“Midway”-“The Longest Day”.
Like I told the kids during Patton-“When they made this, the guys who rode with Patton were basically in their mid-40’s.”
JimC says
Yeah, I think all of those paperback writers cut their reading teeth on the pulps.
Matthew says
I believe that was the Executioner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Executioner_(book_series)
The character inspired the Punisher and almost hundreds of similar novel characters.
john roberts says
I always preferred the Fargo books to Sundance. Haas clearly modeled Fargo on Lee Marvin’s character, Fardan, in “The Professionals.” Even his physical description is identical, down to the prematurely-white hair. Note that Fargo is not a dashing young hero. He’s a middle-aged man who has seen everything and believes in very little, except that he’ll do anything for The Colonel ( Teddy Roosevelt). His armory of sawed-off shotgun, 30-30 Winchester, Officer’s Model Colt and Batangas knife is iconic. His adventures take him from Northwestern forests to Mexico and its pulp at its finest.
JimC says
I came to the Fargo books later. They are, as you say, pulp at its finest. Speaking of which, any word on Falcon?
john roberts says
Not yet. I’m still contemplating e-books. A few days ago a guy contacted me about franchising the character, but I have my reservations.
JimC says
Would love to have those on Kindle. The originals, that is…
Paul McNamee says
John, have you tried contacting Open Road Media? They are all about getting authors’ backlists into e-books. I don’t know if they’re a good deal or not but it seems a lot of writers are signing on with them.
http://www.openroadmedia.com/
john roberts says
Thanks, I’ll have a look at them.
Jack Badelaire says
Open Road Media are fantastic. I know several authors who’ve had their material picked up by them, all with good results.
JimC says
Hey jack — great to hear from you!
thedarkman says
You wrote a damn good pulp adventure series of your own; The Falcon. All four books kicked ass. Wish there were more…
Matthew says
Given that blond hair is a recessive gene it’s highly unlikely that Sundance would have light colored hair. Unless, Sundance’s mother had an ancestor who was wondering Viking who took up with the Cheyenne or something.
deuce says
Robert Plant’s wife was pure North Indian, the daughter of first-generation immigrants. VERY dark. Both of their kids were blonde and blue-eyed. Check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKnaFV6EV0s
Click in at 2:00. I stayed in Machynlleth, about 10mi from that farm. The locals all thought Robert was a great guy.
Matthew says
When you said North Indian I was thinking of course American Indian. Silly me, she’s from India. It’s interesting that the kids are blond and blue eye, though. At some time, the gene for blond’s had to be introduce to her line.
Breaker Morant says
Per recessive blond genes and Vikings.
I live in central Minnesota which is ground zero of “The Vikings got here in the 1300’s” school of thought.
Google “Kensington Runestone” for some neat stuff.
One tag end of this school is that the 1300’s era Vikings intermarried with the Mandan.
Matthew says
That is some interesting stuff. From what I read the Kensington Runestone was probably a hoax, though I think the Vikings probably did make it to the coast of North America.
Matthew says
I forgot to mention I’ve only read the first Sundance book but I really enjoyed it!
deuce says
John C. Hocking has good things to say about Haas, especially the Fargo series.
You’d think “Ben Hoss” would be a perfectly good pseudonym for a writer of his particular genre.
JimC says
Hocking is someone worth listening to, too.
Paul McNamee says
1.) Watch THE PROFESSIONALS (been meaning to, anyway)
2.) Read FARGO
3.) Read SUNDANCE
I never learn my lesson… 😉
JimC says
This is an excellent work plan.
john roberts says
“The Professionals” has one of the best lines in the history of film: “Amigo, we’ve been had!” You have to see the film to understand why it’s so great.
john roberts says
I should have pointed out: The source for “The Professionals” was Frank O’Rourke’s novel “A Mule for the Marquesa.” A really fine Western. Originally published in hardcover, it was a bit above pulp quality, but still had every quality of good pulp novel with a bit more human motivation and feeling. One of the best, if you can find it.
JimC says
Yes! Been WAY too long.
thedarkman says
Hey, I have that one, but re-titled The Professionals to tie in to the movie. My second favorite western movie, just behind The Wild Bunch. Gotta read O’Rourke’s book soon…
JimC says
That and Fardan’s response to being called a bastard. Some great writing in that movie…
thedarkman says
Just watched The Professionals last night for the first time in 30 years, at least. So good. Back then I used to think Lee Marvin’s character was exactly like Fargo; of course I have since read many years later that was just the case. Great shoot-outs and action, and the killing heat of the desert captured perfectly. Again, one of my favorites.
Tonight; Extreme Prejudice with Nick Nolte. A sort of modern western, with plenty of Walter Hill machismo!
JimC says
Walter Hill — our kind o’ people!
thedarkman says
Watching Extreme Prejudice, and I just realized Nick Nolte’s character is named “Jack Benteen”. Milius was one of the writers involved, and I’ll bet dollars to donuts he read a few Fargo books back in the day…
JimC says
Good bet.
thedarkman says
I don’t read much for westerns, but I love Fargo and Sundance. Entertaining, well written stories with no padding; pure, undiluted adventure. Masculine in the extreme with no apologies. Ben even wrote a couple of S&S adventures that were pretty good. I like when western writers branch out a bit into sword swinging territory; like T V Olsen’s Brothers of the Sword and Gordon Shirreffs’ Calgaich the Swordsman.
JimC says
LOVED Calgaich. Thinking about doing a post on Shirreffs soon.
thedarkman says
I have a few of Shirreffs’ westerns in my collection. I have not read any yet, but I hear good things about his work. I enjoyed Calgaich immensely. I look forward to learning more about his work in your upcoming post
thedarkman says
Oops, messed up my post…
JimC says
?
Think it came across OK…
Black Tyrone says
I miss the Paperback revolving book rack in the local dime store or drug store before the big chains when a man could go into a hard ware store for one screw complete with wooden floorboards etc. My uncle Jack had a cuboard full of Bantam {Remember the Rooster?} westerns all at 35 cents apiece. I would borrow one or two ha ha and hardly ever bring them back. I was 12 or 11 and he was my uncle so who cared. Titles like Fight at Black Rock or The Lonely Trumpet or Halfbreed’s Revenge .Sorry no PC then. My son also read comic books and would always tell his friends not to bend the pages. A chip off the old block. Reading The Phantom. Turock Son of Stone or the Justice League and Sgt Rock was great on any afternoon.. Reading is never the same after the age of 16. No never.
JimC says
Good times.
Matthew says
This reminds me. Ever read the Edge series by George Gilman? It’s an interesting pulp western series featuring what has to be the coldest protagonist in Western Fiction History.
JimC says
Read a few. Quit on one that featured a Rollo Stone entertainment troupe and Edge saying he couldn’t get no satisfaction.” Just couldn’t go there.
john roberts says
My old friend Vic Milan writes mainly Western, but also S&S and SF.
Jack Badelaire says
An excellent adventure writer, so he is.
Matthew says
The Art of Manliness published a list of great Adventure Fiction. Unfortunately, they don’t include Howard, but it is otherwise pretty good.
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/06/02/the-essential-man%e2%80%99s-library-adventure-edition-part-one-fiction/
JimC says
I’ll check it out.
Isaac says
Just wanted to thank you (all) for writing about this and commenting. I wasn’t even born when these were in publication, but I ordered the first three on my Kindle. Seriously gentlmen, thanks for brining these gems back into the light for the rest of us uninitiated!
JimC says
Speaking for all — most welcome!
Geoff Miller says
A lot of the John Benteen e-books are available through scribd.com (also a whole lot of Edgar Wallace, another great storyteller from an earlier era). And yes, Fargo must have been modelled on Lee Marvin’s Rico Fardan — maybe Marvin should have asked for royalties?