Romer Zane Grey

Romer Zane Grey (October 1, 1909 – March 8, 1976) was the eldest son of novelist Zane Grey. Romer was born October 1, 1909 at Lackawaxen, Penn. Zane and Dolly Grey had three children: Romer, Betty, and Loren. Romer was named after an uncle Romer Carl Grey, known as Reddy Grey. In his youth Romer was very much "a chip off the old block." He went on a number of his father's expeditions in to the wild areas and also on many of his fishing trips. Romer was very much into hunting, shooting, and fishing. See for example, Zane Grey's "Book of Camps and Trails" and Romer's own two fishing books listed below.

It was Romer who suggested to his father the idea for the novel Western Union, and it was Romer who did much of the research that went into the book. In addition, it was Romer who wrote the so-called "Big Little Books," although they bore his father's name. He also wrote stories for comic strip King of the Royal Mounted[1] and the film serial King of the Mounties.[2] He also developed the comic strip "Tex Thorne".[3]

The WWA dedicated the January, 1972 issue of The Roundup as a "Zane Grey Centennial Issue" and printed an article by Romer Grey about his dad's methods of research and writing.

Animation

Romer Zane Grey spent the year of 1930-31 pursuing the career of an animator. His would-be star character, Binko the Bear Cub, never came to fruition. Four films are generally reported as having been in production:

  • Arabian Nightmare
  • Hot-Toe Mollie
  • Sand Witches
  • Binko the Toreador

Many years later, a discovery in a basement yielded the remnants of the Grey animation studio; one that hired many "A-list" animators at the time from the studios of Disney and Looney Tunes. Despite many sketches, cels, and drawings in the basement find, there was not a foot of film that was intact. Records indicated that Arabian Nightmare and Hot-Toe Mollie were, however, ready to be filmed before the studio shut down.

In 2013, a 35mm print of Hot-Toe Mollie surfaced elsewhere, showing that at least one short made it to film.

Later life

Romer married his first wife Dorothy Olson of Glendale, CA, when she was aged nineteen years, in 1930. They had one child but divorced a few years later. He had three subsequent marriages. Romer Zane Grey was a pilot in the Pacific during World War II, and was president of Zane Grey, Inc., a business which he operated out of his home on El Nido St. in Pasadena, Calif. He was the author of two books on fishing (his father's favourite sport), and he wrote numerous short stories and articles. His article, "From Purple Ink to Purple Sage," was a highlight of a special "Zane Grey Centennial Issue" of The Roundup in January, 1972. An article in the September, 1976 issue of The Roundup relates the findings of a story in the Pasadena News that Romer Grey was a virtual recluse and that he always found it hard to live in the shadow of his famous father. Despite his father’s life-long aversion to alcohol, Romer became an alcoholic as was a brother of Zane’s; (Ellsworth Grey.) Even after Romer's death, the family declined to release pictures of him. Romer Zane Grey suffered a stroke on February 23 and was admitted to the Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., where he died on March 8, 1976, at the age of 65 leaving behind his third and last Wife Octave B. Grey, his son Romer Grey Jr and five grandchildren. Also survived by a younger brother, Loren Grey, a professor of psychology at Valley State College in California; and by a sister, Betty Zane Grosso.

Novels

Romer wrote a number of western novels and in some cases re-used the characters created by his father.

  • Last Stand at Indigo Flats
  • The Rider of Distant Trails
  • Gun Trouble in Tonto Basin
  • High Valley River
  • King of the Range
  • Siege at Forlorn River
  • Three Deaths for Buck Duane
  • King of the Outlaw Horde
  • The Lawless Land
  • Buck Duane: King of the Range
  • The Other Side of the Canyon
  • Beyond the Mogollon Rim
  • Buck Duane: Rider of Distant Trails
  • Nevada Jim Lacy: Beyond the Mongolian Rim
  • Yacqui: Siege at Forlorn River

Fishing Books

Fishing Books written by Romer Grey.

"The Cruise of 'The Fisherman'." “The Fisherman” was a large boat owed by Zane Grey in which he cruised to many parts of the world for fishing.

“ 'The Fisherman' Under the Southern Cross." The trip to New Zealand

References

Notes
  1. Hutchison, Don (1998). The Scarlet Riders: Action-Packed Mountie Stories from the Fabulous Pulps. Mosaic Press. p. xiii. ISBN 9780889626478.
  2. Hayes, R.M. (2000). The Republic Chapterplays: A Complete Filmography of the Serials Released by Republic Pictures Corporation, 1934-1955. McFarland. p. 66. ISBN 9780786409341.
  3. F. Lowery, Lawrence (2007). The Golden Age of Big Little Books. Educational Research and Applications LLC. pp. 130–131, 234. ISBN 9780976272489.

Bibliography
Lina Elise, Roth; Grey, Zane (2011). Dolly and Zane Grey: Letters from a Marriage. University of Nevada Press. ISBN 978-0874178623.
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