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Short Stories

A Bibliography of Eustace Cockrell’s
Published and Unpublished Stories

Eustace Cockrell published 84 short stories between 1932 and 1957. His early writings, mostly sports tales with boxing and college football settings, appeared in major pulp fiction adventure magazines including AdventureAll-American FictionArgosyBlue BookDetective Tales and Fifteen Sports Stories. His later stories, while often retaining sports themes, were more likely to be published in general interest magazines such as The American MagazineCollege HumorCollier’sCoronetCosmopolitanEsquireHolland’sLibertyRedbook and Saturday Evening Post. Other stories can be found in literary journals like The Antioch Review and in syndicated Sunday newspaper magazines including The Toronto Star and This Week.

Following is a listing of Cockrell’s known published works, most of which were written prior to his more publicized career as a pioneer television writer.

Adventure Magazine

Adventure Magazine was a pulp magazine first published in 1910 by the Ridgeway Company, a subsidiary of the Butterick Publishing Company. It was one of the most successful and influential of the pulp publications because of its many talented writers (Rider Haggard, Damon Runyon, Earle Stanley Gardner, Normal Mailer) and the creative involvement of its readership (personal “Adventure Cards” and the establishment of local Adventure Clubs). In 1934 the magazine was purchased by Popular Publications. Adventure Magazine published 881 issues until its demise in 1971.

  • Adventure Magazine(September 1947) “1:54 and A Fraction.” **** Illustrated by John Meola. (Reprinted in Short Stories Magazine, March 1949.)

All-American Fiction

All-American Fiction, a publication of the Frank Munsey Company, was a pulp magazine that ran for only eight issues from 1937 to 1938 before being absorbed into Munsey’s flagship publication, Argosy. This brief appearance featured, in addition to Cockrell, many significant writers including Max Brand, H. Bedford-Jones and C. S. Forester.

  • All American Fiction (November 1937) “Delayed Pass.” (Novelette) ****
  • All-American Fiction (May/June 1938) “Recruit.” *

The American Magazine

The American Magazine grew out of a series of magazines that began publication in 1876 as Frank Leslie’s Popular Monthly. In 1906, the name was changed to The American Magazine. The magazine’s success was due to the high quality of its content and its appeal also to women. Contributors included Sherwood Anderson, Kathleen Norris, F. Scott Fitzgerald and H. G. Wells. Initially published by the Phillips Publishing Company, it was taken over by Crowell Publishing in 1911, and later merged with Collier’s. The American Magazine was published by Crowell-Collier until it folded in 1956.

  • The American Magazine (January 1936) “The Kid Throws a Party.” * Illustrated by William Meade Prince.
  • The American Magazine (March 1947) “Nightmare.” ** Illustrated by Amos Sewell.
  • The American Magazine (December 1947) “Bingo.” (Storiette) ***** Co-Authored with Herb Dalmas using pseudonym Jeff Conover. Illustrated by Ernest Hamlin Baker.
  • The American Magazine (April 1949) “No One But You.” ** Illustrated by Austin Briggs.
  • The American Magazine (October 1949) “Rocky’s Rose.” ** & **** Illustrated by Mac Conner.
  • The American Magazine (December 1949) “The Power Devil.” (Novelette) ** Co-authored with Herbert Dalmas. (Later developed into a television script, “The Constant Rogue,” by Cockrell and Dalmas using pseudonym Jeff Conover) Illustrated by Walter Baumhofer.
  • The American Magazine (May 1950) “Count of Ten.” *** Illustrated by J. Frederick Smiith.

Antioch Review

Antioch Review, one of America’s oldest continuously published literary magazines, was established in 1941 at Antioch College. This well-respected journal featured essays, poetry and fiction. It was published quarterly until 2020 when it was placed “on pause” by the college. No formal announcement of its future has been issued.

  • Antioch Review (Autumn 1956) “The Cat and the Constitution.” **

Argosy

Argosy was a pulp fiction magazine published from 1882 through 1978 initially by the Frank Munsey Company until its sale to Popular Publications in 1942. It was the first of the pulp magazines and in the era prior to WW II was considered one of the most prestigious along with Adventure, Blue Book and Short Stories. Argosy merged with another of Munsey’s pulp publications in 1920, All-Star Weekly, resulting in the inclusion of additional science fiction and western stories as well as some of the Tarzan episodes of Edgar Rice Burroughs. In 1942 the magazine became a monthly publication. The following year Argosy changed from pulp to slick paper and shifted away from its all-fiction content to compete with publications such as Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post.

  • Argosy (March 19, 1938) “A Match for Oskie.” *
  • Argosy (July 2, 1938) “Round Trip.” *
  • Argosy (July 9, 1938) “Have A Cup of Mocha.” *****
  • Argosy (September 24, 1938) “Horses in Midstream.” **
  • Argosy (January 14, 1939) “Gloves for the Governor.” (Novelette) * & ***
  • Argosy (March 4, 1939) “Once A Hero.” *
  • Argosy (July 15, 1939) “Sweet-Talkin’ Man.” ***
  • Argosy (January 6, 1940) “Second Sight.” *
  • Argosy (February 10, 1940) “Reservation on Queer Street.” ***
  • Argosy (October 5, 1940) “Marching As to War.” ***
  • Argosy (October 12, 1940) “No Minutes to Go.” ****
  • Argosy (October 26, 1940) “The Divine Right.” ***
  • Argosy (October 4, 1941) “Coach and Four.” ****
  • Argosy (April 12, 1941) “A Fighter Has to Figure.” ***
  • Argosy (June 1946) “The Reconstruction of Refugee Smith.” *** Illustrated by von Riegen.
  • Argosy (September 1946) “Too Hot to Handle.” ** Illustrated by Malvin Singer.
  • Argosy (January 1957) “The Eaglebird.” ** & *** Illustrated by John McDermott.

Blue Book Magazine

Blue Book Magazine was a major pulp fiction magazine published under various titles from 1905 to 1975. The magazine was nicknamed “King of the Pulps” in the 1930s and achieve a level of excellence reached by few other magazines. Early publishers were Story-Press Corporation and Consolidated Magazines, followed in 1929 by McCall Corporation. H.S. Publications took over the magazine in 1960 and Hanro (Sterling) from 1964 until 1966. The QMG Magazine Corporation acquired ownership in 1967. The quality of writing for Blue Book was considered higher than most other magazines. Major contributors, in addition to Cockrell, included Edgar Rice Burroughs, Zane Gray, Sax Rohmer and Max Brand.

  • Blue Book Magazine (September 1932) “A White Man’s Burden.” Co-authored with Frank Cockrell. Illustrated by George Avison.
  • Blue Book Magazine (December 1934) “You’re Young but Once.” **** Illustrated by L. R. Gustavson.
  • Blue Book Magazine (November 1935) “A Man Named Smith.” **** Illustrated by E. H. Kuhlhoff.
  • Blue Book Magazine (December 1935) “The Man Who Squared Up.” **** Illustrated by Grattan Condon.
  • Blue Book Magazine (June 1936) “The Masked Marvel.” **** Illustrated by Harry Thiede.
  • Blue Book Magazine (July 1936) “Right-Hand Man.” *** Illustrated by L. R. Gustavson.
  • Blue Book Magazine (September 1936) “Seller, Beware!” **** Illustrated by J. Clinton Shepherd.
  • Blue Book Magazine (October 1936) “Trigger Men.” * Illustrated by E. H. Kuhlhoff. (Included in The Detective Megapack: 28 Tales by Modern and Classic Authors, Dashiell Hammett, et. al. Cabin John, MD: Wildside Press, 2016)
  • Blue Book Magazine (November 1936) “A Hurry Call.” **** Illustrated by E. H. Kuhlhoff.
  • Blue Book Magazine (December 1936) “Game as They Make ‘Em.” **** Illustrated by Grattan Condon.
  • Blue Book Magazine (November 1938) “Stadium Struck.” **** Illustrated by Grattan Condon.
  • Blue Book Magazine (April 1939) “The Last Fight.” *** Illustrated by Lyle Justis.
  • Blue Book Magazine (November 1939) “The Hands of John Leland.” * & **** Illustrated by L. R. Gustavson. (Reprinted as “The Mystery of John Leland,” The Boston Post, Sunday Magazine, October 27, 1940)
  • Blue Book Magazine (April 1941) “The Old Arm.” **** Illustrated by George Avison.
  • Blue Book Magazine (June 1945) “Fourth Man in the Ring.” *** Illustrated by Cleveland Woodward.
  • Blue Book Magazine (July 1945) “The Trumpet of Tradition.” * Illustrated by Manning Lee.
  • Blue Book Magazine (June 1949) “His Brother’s Keeper.” ** Co-Authored with Daniel Gordon. Illustrated by Raymond Sisley.
  • Blue Book Magazine (October 1949) “It’s Always the Way.” **
  • Blue Book Magazine (March 1950) “Professional Gentleman.” **** Illustrated by Paul Brown.

College Humor

College Humor was a monthly magazine published by Collegiate World Publishing beginning in 1920. Initially the magazine included reprints from other college publications but soon introduced new material, including fiction and humorous illustrations. Major contributors included Groucho Marx, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald. In the early 1940s the magazine was acquired by Collegian Press, Inc. It ceased publication in 1943.

  • College Humor (November 1937) “Double or Nothing.” **** Illustrated by Edward Couse.

Collier’s

Collier’s was a general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Collier. The magazine continued under various related names until 1957. It was sold in 1919 to the Crowell Publishing company, which in 1939 became the Crowell-Collier Publishing Company. Knox Berger, a close friend of Eustace Cockrell, was fiction editor from 1948 to 1951. Berger published Kurt Vonnegut’s first short story, “Mnemonics.” Other Collier’s writers included Ray Bradbury, Willa Cather, Sinclair Lewis and J.D. Salinger.

  • Collier’s (December 18, 1937) “Pep Talk.” **** Illustrated by John Floherty.
  • Collier’s (December 2, 1939) “The Chinese Influence.” * Illustrated by Gilbert Darling.
  • Collier’s (April13, 1940) “The Lord in His Corner.” * & *** Illustrated by Martha Sawyers.
  • Collier’s (December 28, 1940) “Compliments of R. Smith.” * & *** Illustrated by Martha Sawyers.
  • Collier’s (March 8, 1941) “Putting Is Easy.” **** Illustrated by Gilbert Darling.
  • Collier’s (March 28, 1942) “Honor Bound.” * Illustrated by Harry L. Timmons.
  • Collier’s (April 19, 1941) “Willie Wurtzel’s Way.” *** Illustrated by Martha Sawyers.
  • Collier’s (September 6, 1941) “The Empire City Angel.” * & *** Illustrated by Martha Sawyers. (Reprinted in The Armchair Companion, Edited by A.L. Furman, New York: Gold Label Books, 1944.) Reprinted as “The Empire City” in The Boston Sunday Globe Fiction Magazine, September 22, 1946)
  • Collier’s (September 27, 1941) “It Ain’t No Sin.” *** Illustrated by Martha Sawyers.
  • Collier’s (December 20, 1941) “Shoeshine Boy.” *** Illustrated by Martha Sawyers.
  • Collier’s (June 20, 1942) “Love Came Borrowing.” *** Illustrated by Martha Sawyers.
  • Collier’s (August 15, 1942) “Refugee Returns Home.” *** Illustrated by Martha Sawyers. (Reprinted in The Bedside Bonanza, edited by Frank Owen, New York: Frederick Fell, 1944)
  • Collier’s (February 6, 1943) “The Patriot.” ***** (Storiette) Illustrated by John Hollmgren.
  • Collier’s (May 29, 1943) “My Brother Jake.” * Illustrated by John Pike.
  • Collier’s (December 25, 1943) “The Preacher.” * Illustrated by James Kelly.
  • Collier’s (April 29, 1944) “One by Land.” *** Illustrated by Wm. Meade Prince.
  • Collier’s (September 7, 1946) “You Amaze Me.” **** Illustrated by Jay Hyde Barnum.
  • Collier’s (May 8, 1948) “Code of the West.” ** Illustrated by Robert Bugg.
  • Collier’s (July 31, 1948) “For Divers Reason.” ** Co-Authored with Daniel Gordon. Illustrated by Herman Giesen.
  • Collier’s (October 30, 1948) “Beauty and the Drop Kick.” ** Illustrated by Meric Zamparelli.
  • Collier’s (January 20, 1951) “Just an Ignorant Foreigner.” ***** Illustrated by David Berger.
  • Collier’s (January 4, 1957) “The Long Way Home.” ** Illustrated by Albert John Pucci.

Coronet

Coronet was a general interest magazine published from 1936 to 1971. Owned by Esquire, the magazine published a wide variety of articles including sections for condensed books, poetry, short stories, gift ideas and astrology/horoscopes.

  • Coronet (April 1942) “Putt and Take.” * & **** Illustrated by Karl McKenzie.

Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan was initially published in 1886 as a family magazine and later transitioned into a literary publication. In 1965, under the leadership of Helen Gurley Brown, “Cosmo” established itself as a best-selling monthly fashion and entertainment magazine for women. It has been owned by Hearst Communications since 1905. Major Cosmopolitan authors include Ambrose Bierce, Theodore Dreiser, Rudyard Kipling, Jack London, Edith Wharton and H.G. Wells.

  • Cosmopolitan (November 1951) “Taffy’s Two Loves.” ** Illustrated by Jon Whitcomb.

Detective Tales

Detective Tales, published by Popular Publications, was a successful pulp fiction magazine that ran for 18 years beginning in 1935. The format usually included 12 stories per issue. It is considered one of the premier detective magazines providing murder mysteries at their best. In 1953, the magazine merged with New Detective to form 15 Detective Stories.

  • Detective Tales (September 1948) “Hot Pilot.” ** Co-Authored with Daniel Gordon using pseudonym Nick Spain.

Esquire Magazine

Esquire Magazine is a men’s magazine published in the United States by Hearst Communications. It was first issued in 1933 as an offshoot of Apparel Arts (which later became Gentleman’s Quarterly). Esquire soon became one of the leading men’s fashion publications drawing contributions from such authors as Ernest Hemingway and Andre Gide. In the 1940’s, because of its famous centerfolds (Petty Girls and Varga Girls), the magazine was charged with using the US Postal Service to promote “lewd images.” The Supreme Court ruled in Esquire’s favor, however, saying the magazine’s rights were protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

  • Esquire Magazine (April 1948) “No Rest for the Medium.” **
  • Esquire Magazine (March 1949) “Timid Angel.” ** Co-Authored with Herbert Dalmas using pseudonym Jeff Conover. Illustrated by Geoffrey Biggs.

Fifteen Sports Stories

Fifteen Sports Stories was one of the numerous pulp fiction magazines providing sports-related stories and information to meet the public’s growing interest in sports, particularly professional sports. Fifteen Sports Stories was issued by Fictioneers, Inc. (Popular Publications) beginning in 1948 and continuing through 1952.

  • Fifteen Sports Stories (March 1949) “The Right Guy.” ***

Holland’s Magazine

Holland’s Magazine was originally known as Street’s Weekly and later as Holland’s: The Magazine of the South. It was published from 1876 to 1953 as a magazine for women and included recipes, fashion tips, gardening tips, sewing patterns, non-fiction, and short fiction.

  • Holland’s (February 2, 1936) “Bill of Engagement.” ***** Illustrated by George Avison.
  • Holland’s (November 1940) “The Doctor’s Answer.” * (Reprinted in Grit, December 7, 1941)

Liberty

Liberty was a weekly, general-interest magazine subtitled, “A Weekly for Everybody.” It was first issued in 1924 by McCormick-Patterson Publishing Company. In 1931 ownership was assumed by Beman Macfadden until 1941. The magazine was second to The Saturday Evening Post in circulation and featured contributions from some of the most distinguished politicians, celebrities, authors and artists of the 20th century. Among these were A. Conan Doyle and James Cain. It ceased publication in 1950 though revived from 1971 to 1976 by the Liberty Library Corporation.

  • Liberty (December 31, 1938) “One Night Stand.” * Illustrated by Harold Denison.

Redbook

Redbook was an American women’s magazine first published in 1903. A publication of the Hearst Corporation, it is one of the “Seven Sisters”, a group of women’s service magazines. In its early years, the magazine published short fiction by well-known authors like Jack London, Edith Wharton and Sinclair Lewis along with the Tarzan stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs and a condensed version of the The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett. The magazine ceased publication in 2019.

  • Redbook (August 8, 1950) “This Is the Life.” Co-Authored with Betty Cockrell.

The Saturday Evening Post

The Saturday Evening Post was first established in 1821. In 1897 the Curtis Publishing Company purchased the magazine and published it until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, the Post was one of America’s most widely circulated and influential magazines with fiction, non-fiction, cartoons and features that reached two million homes every week. Literary contributors included Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allen Poe, John Steinbeck and Edith Wharton, and poets Carl Sandburg and Dorothy Parker. Jack London’s novel, The Call of the Wild, was first published in serialized form in The Saturday Evening Post. The magazine reappeared in 1971 after a two-year hiatus and has continued to operate under various owners. Today it is published six times a year by the Saturday Evening Post Society.

  • The Saturday Evening Post (May 24, 1941) “Love and Love.” * & **** Illustrated by Wendell Kling.

The Star Weekly

The Star Weekly, first published in 1910, was the weekend supplement to Canada’s largest newspaper, The Toronto Star. The supplement was also sold as a stand-alone publication in other parts of Canada. Its weekly contents included articles on important issues of the day and a focus on sports heroes in hockey, baseball and boxing. A key feature was it extensive section of color comics. In 1968, the magazine was purchased by Southam Publishers and renamed The Canadian/Star Weekly until publication ceased in 1973.

  • The Star Weekly (Toronto, July 27, 1946) “The Shame of the Cecilia.” ** Co-Authored with Daniel Gordon. Illustrated by John Severance.

This Week Magazine

This Week Magazine was a nationally syndicated magazine supplement included in American newspapers between 1935 and 1969. At its peak in 1963, This Week was distributed with the Sunday Editions of 42 newspapers that included a circulation of 14.6 million. During its early years the magazine featured mainly fiction by major writers including Agatha Christie, Pearl Buck and P.G. Wodehouse. It also published articles on national affairs by leaders such as Herbert Hoover, Adlai Stevenson II and Richard Nixon. This Week was owned by Publication Corporation until 1968 when it was taken over by Crowell, Collier & McMillan.

  • This Week (September 8, 1946) “Operation Clipper.” ****** Illustrated by Cy Betts. (Source and date not verified.)
  • This Week (December 15, 1946) “The Wynn Girl.” ** Illustrated by Henry Luhra. (Reprinted in Uge-Revyen, Sweden, April 12, 1949) Illustrated by Henry Thelander. (May have also appeared using title, “Silent Knight.”)
  • This Week (August 8, 1948) “The Keyhole Artist.” ** Illustrated by Michael. (Reprinted in This Week’s Short-Short Stories, edited by Stewart Beach, New York: Random House, 1947)

*The Masterpieces of Eustace Cockrell, Vol. I, edited by Roger Coleman (Traverse City, MI: Mission Point Press, 2021)

**The Masterpieces of Eustace Cockrell, Vol. II, edited by Roger Coleman (Traverse City, MI: Mission Point Press, 2021)

***Refugee Smith and Other Stories of the Ring, edited by Roger Coleman (Traverse City, MI: Mission Point Press, 2022)

****Game As They Make ‘Em: The Sports Stories of Eustace Cockrell, edited by Roger Coleman (Traverse City, MI: Mission Point Press, 2022)

*****The Lost Stories of Eustace Cockrell, edited by Roger Coleman (Traverse City, MI: Mission Point Press, 2023)

******The Lost Stories of Eustace Cockrell, edited by Roger Coleman (Traverse City, MI: Mission Point Press, 2023)

Eustace Cockrell’s Unpublished Stories

The following unpublished stories and articles have been provided by the Cockrell family. Few items in this collection are dated although most bear the stamp of Cockrell’s New York literary agent, Paul R. Reynolds, indicating they were prepared for potential publication. Some can be dated by subject matter such as “The Obituary of Torridtail,” Cockrell’s account of the firing of the Viking rocket on board the USS Norton Sound in 1950. In the future it may be discovered that several of these manuscripts have been published, perhaps under pseudonyms, in minor magazines or in syndicated publications yet to be catalogued. Others may have found their way revised as television screenplays.

Many of Cockrell’s unpublished manuscripts can be found in The Lost Stories of Eustice Cockrell (Collected Works, Vol. V) edited by Roger Coleman (Traverse City, MI: Mission Point Press, 2021). These stories are more autobiographical and more emotional than his better-known published tales. However, the reader will find here the same quality of storytelling for which Cockrell was famous.

  • A Pretty Girl Is Like a Malady **
  • “All the World . . .” **
  • B Is for Blood **
  • Birthday Party
  • Boys’ Day **
  • By Act of Congress
  • The Coup
  • The Dog Spoke French **
  • The Early Fall of Finnegan **
  • Easter Note **
  • Figures Don’t Lie **
  • First Class Male (Refugee Smith Story) *
  • For Those Who Came in Late **
  • Forget If You Can (Alternate Title: Autumnal Equinox) **
  • Forty Two Long Gone **
  • The Good Joes **
  • Good Old Golden Rule Days**
  • Hero In the Dark **
  • Late Spring **
  • Like Father . . . Like Son
  • Love Laughs at the Learned (Co-Authored with Daniel Gordon) **
  • The Majesty of the Law (Co-Authored with Daniel Gordon) **
  • Muggsy Toots a Trombone **
  • Officer of the Day **
  • One Game Guy
  • Prelude to Lawrence Part I**
  • Prelude to Lawrence Part II
  • The Princeton Pose
  • Red, White and Black
  • Refugee and Mr. Willie (Refugee Smith Story) *
  • Return of the Naïve (Refugee Smith Story) *
  • The Same Boat (Co-Authored with Daniel Gordon) **
  • Santa Claus Stops Over **
  • Sign On the Potted Line **
  • Simple Honor
  • Slow Train Through Sassoon **
  • Spelling Bee (Refugee Smith Story) *
  • Strip for Action (Co-Authored with Richard Wormser) **
  • Summer Storm (Alternate Title: Legacy for a Lover) **
  • The Two-Cornered Triangle (Co-Authored with George Hogan) **
  • The World Goes On (Partial – Co-Authored with Anne Wormser)
  • Untitled – Advertising Agency Romance (The Low Spot)
  • Untitled – Striking Husbands (Never a Word) **

Articles

A Child Is a Person Too

Obituary of Torridtail **

Tell Em’ Stuart Hamblen Sent You Down (Partial – Co-Authored with Daniel Gordon) **

*Refugee Smith and Other Stories of the Ring, edited by Roger Coleman (Traverse City, MI: Mission Point Press, 2022)

**The Lost Stories of Eustace Cockrell, edited by Roger Coleman (Traverse City, MI: Mission Point Press, 2023)