Jim Tully

 

Today I want to talk a little about a book written by someone other than me. And frankly it's a better book then I've ever written. Jim Tully: American Writer, Irish Rover, Hollywood Brawler, was admittedly co-written by someone I've considered a friend for 25+ years, but that isn't why I'd recommend it.

Paul Bauer owned and operated Archer's Used and Rare Books in Kent, Ohio from the mid 1980s til 2001 when he moved online, where you can still find Archers. His co-writer Mark Dawidziak also wrote another fine book I own, The Columbo Phile: A Casebook. What can I say, I really love Columbo.

Anyway, Jim Tully published more than a dozen books between 1922-1943. What makes fair game as a topic here is he was first published, as a poet, while living in Kent, Ohio. In fact he spent several years living there during the first and second decades of the 20^th Century. And while its stretching the idea of local he was also born, and somewhat raised, in St. Marys, Ohio which is about 3 hours southwest of Cleveland. So in that sense he is local history of a sort,

Paul mentioned working on Tully's biography to me over dinner at Rays in Kent five or six years back, I told him I looked forward to reading it when it was published. Which it was in the spring of 2011, and foolishly  I waited about three years before finally reading it. Too bad for me, as it's really, really good.

I've always wondered why someone who is so well know for their work during their own time can be so completely forgotten in really just a handful of decades. And Jim Tully is pretty much forgotten. I only knew the name because the 1928 film Beggar's For Life is based on one of his earlier novels. It's Paramount first feature film with dialogue and stars Wallace Beery and Louise Brooks. Brooks is up there with Columbo among things I love, and I've always considered it by far her best American film.

It's the best biography your ever going to read about someone you've probably never heard of, and when you're done I'm certain you'll want to read a couple of his books. It's an amazing story. He led the life of an orphan, a road kid, professional boxer and tree surgeon until finally becoming a celebrated writer.

Hemingway wrote tough guys in sort of a overwrought idealistic sort of way, Tully wrote tough guys as they really were. Because Tully really was a tough guy. It's a great book and one I suggest you pick up.

A little aside though. Its March 1^st, 1993. I had planned the night before taking a number of books over to Paul's bookstore and see what I could get in trade. Books I've read out, books I hadn't read in.

One of the books I threw in a box was a Lillian Gish signed autobiography. It seemed I had two at the time. Sadly Lillian Gish died February 27^th, which had crossed my mind as I drove to Paul's store the next morning. I still remember standing there as Paul, head down, sifted through what I had brought in for trade. He reached the Gish book, looked up at me and said “You Ghouuul”.

That still makes me laugh.