A member of Pelley's immediate family told me that WDP was a very powerful trance medium. He held seances in the family's Noblesville garage. This relative did not believe in spirits but said that there was definitely something happening when WDP contacted the beyond. Do you have any info about this aspect of Pelley's life?
You should track down a copy of his book Why I Believe The Dead Are Alive. The 1950s edition has entire chapters on spirit communication and particularly his spirit medium friend Bertie Lily Candler.
Back in the 1980s, I managed to find copies of several of Pelley's movies. They were on film reels. I had to rent them and then and a screening room to see them. Most of them were very second rate in every way. Lamp In The Dark was the best of the bunch. If memory serves, it had some beautiful cinematography having to do with the appearance of The Holy Grail.
Personally, I think the whole Murphy Ranch story is an urban legend. I've yet to see one piece of evidence tying Pelley or any Silvershirt post to the property. I even have a colleague who is an expert on the German-American Bund in L.A. with lots of personal correspondence, etc. and he has nothing on Murphy Ranch or the people who lived there. I have seen comments from grandchildren of the people who owned the property at the time and they've said there's nothing to it. Now, on the L.A. Silvershirts, that's a tough chapter for me but it will certainly include a few very interesting characters. I'll see what I can do. Thanks for reading.
>Personally, I think the whole Murphy Ranch story is an urban legend.
Interesting.
I always felt the connection was tenuous, which is actually why I asked. I keep reading that a "Herr Schmidt" was a known Silvershirt, but I can find nothing, really, besides that claim. Outside of that, I see no other National Socialist connections. I wonder if he was simply inspired by Richard Walther Darré's "A New Nobility of Blood and Soil." But, I'm not actually a researcher, just an interested observer.
There were plenty of very wealthy people in America who were reclusive and/or interested in fringe politics. The expression "parlor pinks" refers to a social group of red-tinged, thus communist, armchair politicians. The modern narrative tries to push the idea of secret plots by influential people aligned with the far-right and Nazi Germany, but I'd like to see more exposure of the communist supporters in this country, then and now. For some reason that's not nearly as sinister or sensational... at least according to Hollywood and New York treatments. Hmm, wonder why that is? You'd think the influencers didn't own mirrors. Maybe they're all vampires and can't see themselves in them.
Hello Vance! I'm not sure if you remember but we've spoken about Pelley on Reddit before, and I recently had some free time on my hands again and I got back to diving down the Pelley rabbit hole and discovered this place and to say it's outstanding is a true understatement. I only found it yesterday, so I haven't yet had much time to read many posts yet but the ones I have read so far (particularly Something About Soucraft) have been outstanding reads and I think this place is going to be one I visit almost daily. Pelley has been an interest of mine for many years now and will likely continue to be so for a long time and I truly appreciate how much work you've done at documenting details about the man and his works, it makes things easier for those few of us who are also interested in the man.
I don't know if you're still sending out WDP souvenirs but either way I am eternally thankful for both this place and the Pelley Club on Facebook.
Would be more than happy to drop something in the mail for you. Glad you found the place. I haven't posted new content for a couple of weeks but will get back to a regular routine soon.
Mar 7, 2022·edited Mar 7, 2022Liked by Vance Pollock
Wow! This an amazing blog you have going on here. I have always had a fascination with William Dudley Pelley and the Silver Shirts for a while now. I bought his book "No More Hunger" a long time ago and I thought it was interesting historical read. I was motivated to buy and read more of it after listening to an audio recording of Pelley reading the first chapter. The article that I really liked and surprised me the most was Ezra Pound, Silvershirt. Ezra Pound is a very well known figure in Fascist circles and not once have I ever heard anyone mention that he was a member of the Silver Legion. Very interesting!
Every article on here are fantastic! None of them disappointed me. Please continue to push forward and write more articles on this subject. This blog needs to be seen by so many people and it would be a shame if it just ended. If anything I think some articles on the man Pelley himself like interviews and speeches would be amazing!
Vital blog right here. For whatever reason, even within circles a modern Pelley would frequent today, he has been sent to the memory hole for eternity. Pure esoteric catnip.
Great blog. Interesting that the Pelley newspapers have not physically aged well. I have a complete set of Father Coughlin's Social Justice from 1936-1942 and, for the most part, the paper has aged well. A few are in rough shape, but that is likely due to storage conditions prior to my getting them. Anyway, paper quality (acid level) was quite variable back then.
And, just like with old cars, it matter where they were. In my parents house in Florida they had no central air and with the heat and humidity my old comic books are pretty much shot.
I stumbled upon this last week and have been soaking it up during my breaks at work and before bed. It has really exposed me to much I couldn’t find elsewhere. You do an amazing job with this and I hope I can make some ground and read faster than you publish, but it is a welcome challenge. Your style is great and enjoyable. I appreciate this work. You’re doing something really helpful here for the internet and the future. Godspeed There’s much in here I’ve never known.
If you are still mailing stuff, please let me know.
A member of Pelley's immediate family told me that WDP was a very powerful trance medium. He held seances in the family's Noblesville garage. This relative did not believe in spirits but said that there was definitely something happening when WDP contacted the beyond. Do you have any info about this aspect of Pelley's life?
You should track down a copy of his book Why I Believe The Dead Are Alive. The 1950s edition has entire chapters on spirit communication and particularly his spirit medium friend Bertie Lily Candler.
Back in the 1980s, I managed to find copies of several of Pelley's movies. They were on film reels. I had to rent them and then and a screening room to see them. Most of them were very second rate in every way. Lamp In The Dark was the best of the bunch. If memory serves, it had some beautiful cinematography having to do with the appearance of The Holy Grail.
Hey Vance,
I'd like to see something about Murphy Ranch, and am also curious about Silver Shirt history in the Los Angeles area.
Personally, I think the whole Murphy Ranch story is an urban legend. I've yet to see one piece of evidence tying Pelley or any Silvershirt post to the property. I even have a colleague who is an expert on the German-American Bund in L.A. with lots of personal correspondence, etc. and he has nothing on Murphy Ranch or the people who lived there. I have seen comments from grandchildren of the people who owned the property at the time and they've said there's nothing to it. Now, on the L.A. Silvershirts, that's a tough chapter for me but it will certainly include a few very interesting characters. I'll see what I can do. Thanks for reading.
>Personally, I think the whole Murphy Ranch story is an urban legend.
Interesting.
I always felt the connection was tenuous, which is actually why I asked. I keep reading that a "Herr Schmidt" was a known Silvershirt, but I can find nothing, really, besides that claim. Outside of that, I see no other National Socialist connections. I wonder if he was simply inspired by Richard Walther Darré's "A New Nobility of Blood and Soil." But, I'm not actually a researcher, just an interested observer.
There were plenty of very wealthy people in America who were reclusive and/or interested in fringe politics. The expression "parlor pinks" refers to a social group of red-tinged, thus communist, armchair politicians. The modern narrative tries to push the idea of secret plots by influential people aligned with the far-right and Nazi Germany, but I'd like to see more exposure of the communist supporters in this country, then and now. For some reason that's not nearly as sinister or sensational... at least according to Hollywood and New York treatments. Hmm, wonder why that is? You'd think the influencers didn't own mirrors. Maybe they're all vampires and can't see themselves in them.
Hello Vance! I'm not sure if you remember but we've spoken about Pelley on Reddit before, and I recently had some free time on my hands again and I got back to diving down the Pelley rabbit hole and discovered this place and to say it's outstanding is a true understatement. I only found it yesterday, so I haven't yet had much time to read many posts yet but the ones I have read so far (particularly Something About Soucraft) have been outstanding reads and I think this place is going to be one I visit almost daily. Pelley has been an interest of mine for many years now and will likely continue to be so for a long time and I truly appreciate how much work you've done at documenting details about the man and his works, it makes things easier for those few of us who are also interested in the man.
I don't know if you're still sending out WDP souvenirs but either way I am eternally thankful for both this place and the Pelley Club on Facebook.
Would be more than happy to drop something in the mail for you. Glad you found the place. I haven't posted new content for a couple of weeks but will get back to a regular routine soon.
Wow! This an amazing blog you have going on here. I have always had a fascination with William Dudley Pelley and the Silver Shirts for a while now. I bought his book "No More Hunger" a long time ago and I thought it was interesting historical read. I was motivated to buy and read more of it after listening to an audio recording of Pelley reading the first chapter. The article that I really liked and surprised me the most was Ezra Pound, Silvershirt. Ezra Pound is a very well known figure in Fascist circles and not once have I ever heard anyone mention that he was a member of the Silver Legion. Very interesting!
Every article on here are fantastic! None of them disappointed me. Please continue to push forward and write more articles on this subject. This blog needs to be seen by so many people and it would be a shame if it just ended. If anything I think some articles on the man Pelley himself like interviews and speeches would be amazing!
Thank you for the kind words. Keep watching. We've got a lot of ground to cover.
Vital blog right here. For whatever reason, even within circles a modern Pelley would frequent today, he has been sent to the memory hole for eternity. Pure esoteric catnip.
Great blog. Interesting that the Pelley newspapers have not physically aged well. I have a complete set of Father Coughlin's Social Justice from 1936-1942 and, for the most part, the paper has aged well. A few are in rough shape, but that is likely due to storage conditions prior to my getting them. Anyway, paper quality (acid level) was quite variable back then.
And, just like with old cars, it matter where they were. In my parents house in Florida they had no central air and with the heat and humidity my old comic books are pretty much shot.
No central air in Florida..... the horror, the horror! I'll be down there myself in several years to complete my aging process.
Love your Blog - Your writing flows beautifully and accurately.
I stumbled upon this last week and have been soaking it up during my breaks at work and before bed. It has really exposed me to much I couldn’t find elsewhere. You do an amazing job with this and I hope I can make some ground and read faster than you publish, but it is a welcome challenge. Your style is great and enjoyable. I appreciate this work. You’re doing something really helpful here for the internet and the future. Godspeed There’s much in here I’ve never known.
If you are still mailing stuff, please let me know.
More than happy to drop a small token of my appreciation in the mail for you. Email me your mailing address.