Robert Bloch Unpublished Typescript We Made A Mayor Zeidler Milwaukee 1940

Description: We Made A Mayor, A Political History: The Story of the Zeidler for Mayor Campaign - 1939-40 Author: Bloch, Robert; Gauer, Harold Title: We Made A Mayor, A Political History: The Story of the Zeidler for Mayor Campaign - 1939-40 Publication: Milwaukee: 1940 Edition: Manuscript Description: 29x22cm, 203 typed pages, recto only, numbered in manuscript in upper right, with manuscript title and chapter sheets. Corrections throughout in Bloch's and perhaps another (Gauer's?) hand. Brad bound in black card covers, manuscript title in yellow and with photograph of Bloch, Gauer, and Zeidler attached to front. Covers worn, chipped, and with tears up from bottom edge. Pages toned and a few with edge tears. Laid in is a newspaper article, "The Upstart and the Upset" from the Milwaukee Journal, 1992, recounting the campaign, and 2 press photos of the newly elected mayor. Robert Bloch, author of Psycho and other horror classics, once worked in politics and helped revolutionize campaigning, winning the Milwaukee mayoral election of 1940 for Carl Zeidler in one of the bigger political upsets of the era. He did this with his early writing partner and lifelong friend, Harold Gauer. Gauer would go on to become successful in campaign managing, though he, like Bloch at the time, had next to no political experience, the two being 23 and 25 years old respectively. This typescript from Bloch's estate tells the story of that unprecedented campaign which elected 32 year old Carl Zeidler in his first try for elective office. Bloch notes in his autobiography how he came to be involved in the campaign:"If Carl Zeidler had not asked Jim Doolittle to manage his campaign, Doolittle would never have contacted me about it. And the only reason Doolittle knew me to begin with was because he read my yarn ("The Cloak") in Unknown.... If I had not written [that] little vampire story... Carl Zeidler might never have become mayor of Milwaukee."The laid in newspaper article gives a great description of the efforts of young Bloch and Gauer, who wrote every word and orchestrated every rally for Zeidler. His opening event included a five piece swing band, two girl accordionists playing requests, attractive women in formal wear passing out campaign literature, a giant American flag dropped behind Zeidler before his speech, and thousands of balloons released from the ceiling when he stepped down to shake hands. The Milwaukee Journal stated:"For sheer political showmanship, Milwaukee perhaps has never seen anything quite like the formal opening of the Zeidler campaign... Scouts from the rival camps had plenty to report back to their headquarters."Other antics at later events included offstage locomotive whistle-tooting; the dusting off of a cardboard model of city hall; a smashing of cardboard boxes labeled "TAXES"; a speech in an eerily darkened room, where Zeidler called City Hall a "house of mystery with secrets behind locked doors"; and others. The election was won by a whopping 12,000 votes, but Bloch also notes in his autobiography how he and Gauer were dropped immediately following the victory and not even paid their promised salaries. Zeidler only served as mayor for 2 years before enlisting in the Naval Reserves. He was on active duty on November 7th, 1942 when his armed merchant ship, the SS LaSalle was torpedoed off the coast of South Africa. Zeidler and all hands were reported lost, and he was presumed dead two years later. Carl's subsequent status as a local hero helped pave the way for another improbable political victory in the family. In 1948, his brother Frank became Milwaukee's third Socialist mayor, winning in a field of 14 candidates. He served three terms until 1960, and now holds the status as the most recent Socialist Party candidate to be elected mayor of a large American city. A likely unique typescript, and certainly unique in terms of subject matter for Bloch, one of the more important horror writers of the latter half of the 20th century.. Seller ID: 7025 Subject: Horror and Supernatural, Manuscript Peruse the Stacks, ABAA Based in Gig Harbor, WA, we offer all manner of rare books, ephemera, and more. Our specialties range from young adult literature to horror to the state histories of Wyoming, Texas, and Washington. Terms All orders ship within two business days. Standard mail is USPS Media Mail. Expedited and international shipping are also available. We offer combined shipping on multiple orders. All items are guaranteed to be as described or they may be returned within 30 days of receipt for a full refund.This listing was created by Bibliopolis.

Price: 1373 USD

Location: Gig Harbor, Washington

End Time: 2024-11-30T03:49:17.000Z

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