Ballard Chronicles

Lee Jacobs wrote these pulp-style parodies for the Spectator Amateur Press Society (SAPS) during the late-50s/early 60s, featuring Wrai Ballard as the Resourceful Hero and various SAPS members in supporting roles. The first chronicle was a Mickey Spillane takeoff, "Wrai Ballard, Private Eye," while the second featured "Six-Gun Ballard, the Mesquite Kid." A group of LASFS members organized by Bjo Wells (later Trimble) formed Unicorn Productions, a limited film company which made two films for showing at conventions, a fantasy/joke entitled The Genii (with Fritz Leiber, Forry Ackerman and Bjo) and The Musquite Kid, an adaptation of LeeJ's second chronicle, which had (among others) Terry Carr, Miri Carr and Charles Burbee in featured roles. It was during the filming of the latter that Terry reportedly said to Burbee, "I understand you have a big part," and Burbee famously replied, "Yes, I do, but I'm not going to whip it out and show it to you."

The Musquite Kid Rides Again was filmed by Unicorn Productions.

Issue	Date	Pages	Notes
1
2
3	April 1960		SAPS #51. Includes The Musquite Kid Rides Again

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

(Lee Jacobs) Tales of SAPS in parody-pulpstyle, featuring Wrai Ballard as the Resourceful Hero and other SAPS in characteristic supporting roles. First chronicle was a Spillaneish "Wrai Ballard, Private Eye", while the second featured "Six-Gun Ballard, the Musquite Kid". SAPS got a kick out of them while they lasted, and adopted nicknames from them with glee ("sweet unspoiled Miss Nanshare", "Dude Jawn Davis", etc). It's all a part of SAPS' private joke-world.