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By John M. Whalen

“Death Valley Days” was a half-hour western anthology series that ran for 20 years on radio starting in 1930, continued on TV for 18 seasons (1952-1970), and is still being shown on cable TV today. The series, noted for its authentic detail and historical accuracy, was created by British writer Ruth Woodman at the request of Pacific Coast Borax, the company that made 20 Mule Team Borax. The company wanted a series that tied in with their detergent product, and since Borax is principally mined in Death Valley, Woodman suggested the series be focused on stories based on the history and geography of that area. She made frequent trips to the borax mines and the surrounding vicinity digging up historical tidbits that could be used as the basis for stories. She eventually became one of the foremost experts on that period and place in history.

For the first 11 years of its run,...

In the late 1960s and early 70s, few actors stood as tall in their heroic roles as Ron Ely.

From television’s Tarzan to the big screen’s Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, Ely’s 6-foot-4-inch muscular frame made the scenery cower when he stepped before a camera.

The 74-year-old actor stands just as tall today, commanding audiences with his tales of those golden days of pulp fiction on film. Warner Archive Collection has brought Ely’s best-loved roles back into the

spotlight, making the classic titles available on DVD and through its new live-streaming service, Warner Archive Instant.

Premiering on NBC in 1966, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ immortal creation, Tarzan, took to the nation’s TV screens for the first time. Still in the capable hands of producer Sy Weintraub, the TV Tarzan (the

aforementioned Mr. Ely) continued the more recent (and more authentic) interpretation of Lord Greystoke as a sophisticated,...