The Ballad of the Lovecraft: A Collaborative Pop Culture TL

Mr. Groovypants

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IDEA: Two acclaimed authors whose work everyone copies but has failed on television and the movies is Edgar Rice Burroughs (Jon Carter of Mars) and H.P. Lovecraft. Starting in the 1920s/1930s till now, make the franchises of John Carter of Mars and Lovecraftian media as popular as Star Trek or Star Wars franchises...

POD: November 13, 1918: Virgo Publishing is founded by Edmund Tatee and Edvin Reevese shortly following the end of World War I, in New York City, New York, publishing a magazine focusing on the new genre of science fiction, Strange Tales,...

The rest is up to you. (And me but mostly you)
 

Mr. Groovypants

Also:

1928: H.P Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu novel is released, a book that lit the horror and sci-fi world on fire and put Virgo Publishing on the map,...

1929: Warner Bros. releases the movie adaptation of the first novel in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series, A Princess of Mars, starring Errol Flynn as John Carter,...

1932: MGM releases the movie adaptation of The Call of Cthulhu, directed by F.W. Murnau; while the film only got middling reviews, it did well enough at the box office to get MGM to continue the partnership with Virgo Publishing,...
 
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Mr_ Bondoc

Mr_ Bondoc

I would probably add Errol Flynn as John Carter to insure that the film gains notoriety.

As for Call of Cthulhu, I would suggest German director F.W. Murnau who filmed "Nosferatu ". Apparently he died that year in Santa Barbara, so the film will be seen as his "swan song"...
 

Mr. Groovypants

Mr_ Bondoc said:
I would probably add Errol Flynn as John Carter to insure that the film gains notoriety.

As for Call of Cthulhu, I would suggest German director F.W. Murnau who filmed "Nosferatu ". Apparently he died that year in Santa Barbara, so the film will be seen as his "swan song"...
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Done. So, what else?
 

Mako-Chan

(insert date) 1929: Inspired by a fever dream, (insert name) writes the weird fiction piece "Tuzur."

(insert date) 1933: (insert name) writes the story "Valley of Gapon," seen as rivaling Lovecraft in the emerging genre of weird fiction.
 

Mr. Groovypants

Here you go:

Mako-Chan said:
July 20, 1929: Inspired by a fever dream, Frederick Graves writes the weird fiction piece "Tuzur."

May 8, 1933: Aubrey Terry Meskill writes the story "Valley of Gapon," seen as rivaling Lovecraft in the emerging genre of weird fiction.
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August 15, 1945: H.P. Lovecraft passed away in his house with Virgo Publishing and his family honoring the deceased author with his funeral at Swan Point Cemetery of Providence, Rhode Island

September 30, 1946: Virgo Publishing acquires a small but quickly-growing company by the name of DC Comics; In addition to their standard superhero comics, DC began to fill their line-up with horror and sci-fi comics,...
 
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Mr_ Bondoc

Mr_ Bondoc

Here are some decidedly cheesy interpretations of the films which achieve fame for all the weirdest reasons:

February 10, 1957: John Carter Saves The Universe (Allied Artists) written and directed by Roger Corman, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, stars teen sensation Fabian as the titular character, starring Beverly Garland as Dejah Thoris, makes its hit debut, despite low budget for B-grade special effects,....

December 8, 1960: The Color From Outer Space (20th Century Fox) based on the H.P. Lovecraft story, written, directed and produced by Ed Wood, narrated by Criswell, starring Lyle Talbot, Steve Reeves, and Tor Johnson, makes its hit debut, popularizing the genre, but savaged by film critics for cheesy acting, and over the top dialogue,....

August 7, 1984: The Princess of Mars (MGM Studios) starring Bo Derek and Miles O'Keefe, directed by John Derek, softcore version of the Edgar Rice Burroughs classic, stars Bo Derek as the titular character, billed as the "the princess who likes to grok", sparking international attention,....
 

Mr. Groovypants

Well, here's the first draft of the TL:

POD: November 13, 1918: Virgo Publishing is founded by Edmund Tatee and Edvin Reevese shortly following the end of World War I, in New York City, New York, publishing a magazine focusing on the new genre of science fiction, Strange Tales,...

February 17, 1928: H.P Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu novel is released, a book that lit the horror and sci-fi world on fire and put Virgo Publishing on the map,...

December 5, 1929: Warner Bros. releases the movie adaptation of the first novel in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series, A Princess of Mars, starring Errol Flynn as John Carter,...

July 20, 1929: Inspired by a fever dream, Frederick Graves writes the weird fiction piece Tuzur,...

May 8, 1933: Aubrey Terry Meskill writes the story Valley of Gapon, seen as rivaling Lovecraft in the emerging genre of weird fiction,...

October 13, 1932: MGM releases the movie adaptation of The Call of Cthulhu, directed by F.W. Murnau; while the film only got middling reviews, it did well enough at the box office to get MGM to continue the partnership with Virgo Publishing,...

February 10, 1957: John Carter Saves The Universe (Allied Artists) written and directed by Roger Corman, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, stars teen sensation Fabian as the titular character, starring Beverly Garland as Dejah Thoris, makes its hit debut, despite low budget for B-grade special effects,....

December 8, 1960: The Color From Outer Space (20th Century Fox) based on the H.P. Lovecraft story, written, directed and produced by Ed Wood, narrated by Criswell, starring Lyle Talbot, Steve Reeves, and Tor Johnson, makes its hit debut, popularizing the genre, but savaged by film critics for cheesy acting, and over the top dialogue,....

August 7, 1984: The Princess of Mars (MGM Studios) starring Bo Derek and Miles O'Keefe, directed by John Derek, softcore version of the Edgar Rice Burroughs classic, stars Bo Derek as the titular character, billed as the "the princess who likes to grok", sparking international attention,....
 

Mr. Groovypants

Think of this as "Turing-Nash Power Hour: Redux"

June 7, 1954: Alan Turing refuses to commit suicide in Cambridge, England, but tenders his resignation from the university,...

May 23, 1955: Alan Turing meets John Nash at Princeton University, developing "game theory", the theoretical basis for the "game console device (GCD)",...

June 7, 1957: Alan Turing develops the first game console, unveiling the "gaming console device (GCD)" in Boston, Massachusetts,...

July 16, 1958: Amidst advertising hoopla, RCA unveils the "Atomovision 1960" (a.k.a. "AV60") in New York City, New York, sparking a massive consumer rush,...
 
Mr_ Bondoc

Mr_ Bondoc

To flag that the Anglo-French Union is a formidable threat, here are some quick PODs:

October 3, 1952: Great Britain detonates its first nuclear weapon at Monte Bello, Western Australia, sparking international attention and concern,...

October 29, 1956: Anglo-French Union is established in London and Paris, by Guy Mollet (Fr.) and Anthony Eden, proclaiming the need for political, economic and military alliances,...

May 13, 1958: Anglo-French Union announces its detonation of a nuclear weapon in Reggane, Algeria, sparking international attention,...

March 12, 1966: Anglo-French Union withdraws from NATO in Brussels, Belgium, fueled by anti-American sentiment, triggering civil unrest across the region,...

July 15, 1971: President Robert F. Kennedy announces his efforts to meet with the leaders including President Georges Pompidou of the Anglo-French Union in Paris, citing the tensions over Northern Ireland,....

July 16, 2001: U.S. President (insert name here) and Anglo-French Union President (insert name here) establish a Treaty of Friendship in Rome, sparking international attention,...

October 29 2006: Anglo-French Commonwealth conducts celebrations across the globe, celebrating 50 years in existence, sparking international attention,...

March 13, 2011: People's Pledge is formed by David Cameron, Boris Johnson, and Mark Seddon, to split the Anglo-French Union, sparking international attention,...
 

Mr. Groovypants

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE:

August 7, 1958: William Higinbotham showcases the Tennis For Two computer at the Brookhaven National Laboratory; after the critical acclaim, William Higinbotham opened up American Computer Entertainment (ACE Games) to produce more software; The following year, Tennis For Two is released as a arcade game and is installed in bars, restaurants, and other places, quickly gaining popularity,...
 
Amag

Amag

The issue with making these franchises as popular as Star Wars/Trek is the tone of the books. Lovecraft was very xenophobic in life and this transferred to his books which along with the downer themes of "We can't do anything about these horrible, unknowable things" added the theme of "We shouldn't explore new things, there could be horrible consequences". This is the direct opposite of Star Wars which emphasizes hope and a bright future (in the originals, a least) and Star Trek, which is literally a show about exploring the unknown. So keep that in mind when doing this timeline.
 

Mort the Reaper

Amag said:
The issue with making these franchises as popular as Star Wars/Trek is the tone of the books. Lovecraft was very xenophobic in life and this transferred to his books which along with the downer themes of "We can't do anything about these horrible, unknowable things" added the theme of "We shouldn't explore new things, there could be horrible consequences". This is the direct opposite of Star Wars which emphasizes hope and a bright future (in the originals, a least) and Star Trek, which is literally a show about exploring the unknown. So keep that in mind when doing this timeline.
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Of course, it's always possible that Lovecraft might've grown as a person if he lived longer, resulting in his works' themes being somewhat different from IOTL.
 

Mr. Groovypants

Amag said:
The issue with making these franchises as popular as Star Wars/Trek is the tone of the books. Lovecraft was very xenophobic in life and this transferred to his books which along with the downer themes of "We can't do anything about these horrible, unknowable things" added the theme of "We shouldn't explore new things, there could be horrible consequences". This is the direct opposite of Star Wars which emphasizes hope and a bright future (in the originals, a least) and Star Trek, which is literally a show about exploring the unknown. So keep that in mind when doing this timeline.
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Well the plan is that people will improve his work overtime (i.e. remove the xenophobia and close-mindedness)
 
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