Recap

Ripley's Believe it or Not

Ripley Entertainment Communications VP Tim O'Brien spoke about the life of Robert L. Ripley, the originator of Ripley's Believe it or Not, during the middle two hours of the show. In 1918, while doing sports illustrations for the New York Globe, Ripley came up with the idea for his Believe it or Not cartoon, which by 1929 was seen by millions as a syndicated daily cartoon. Ripley also branched out into radio and public exhibitions such as the "Odditorium" at the Chicago World's Fair. In 1936, Ripley was voted the most popular man in America, said O'Brien.

Currently Ripley Entertainment has 54 attractions in 10 countries and its daily comic strip is still seen in 200 newspapers. Their website is hosting a "Dear Mr. Ripley" contest in search of fantastic feats and finds. One of the contestants, David Gonzales, aka, 'The Mighty Gonzales,' joined the show to share accounts of his exhibitions of strength and endurance. For the contest, he said he'll attempt to lift two million pounds in weights during a marathon 12-hour workout session.

Also appearing during the discussion, were two people featured in Ripley's latest book: escape artist Dean Gunnarson and comedic entertainer Jim Mouth. Gunnarson told of one of his escapes that went awry when he was chained to a coffin that had been lowered into an icy river (see listener photo of the event). Mouth's specialty is fitting large amounts of 'stuff' into his mouth-- such as 150 straws! For more on Ripley's life and related works, see this additional page.

The last hour of the show was devoted to Open Lines.

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