Fifty-Fifty O'Brien

February 2, 2015
The title entry, along with “The Adventure of X” and “Red Sands,” are short tales of derring-do involving, in order, a fleet-footed U.S. Marine carrying messages past camps of insurgents in the jungles of Central America, a French Foreign Legionnaire who pretends to be an officer in order to lead a platoon in a seemingly hopeless battle after the real officers are killed, and another Legionnaire, a disgraced Chicago cop, who uses his detective skills to suss out a murderous traitor. These yarns of adventure, which originally appeared in pulp magazines of the 1930s, are given a properly melodramatic performance by lead actor Taron Lexton and his associates, aided by stirring music and the sound effects of battle. As their stories progress, the heroes take on an air of confidence and determination until, as the fighting begins, they’re shouting over the battles’ din, exhorting their comrades on to victory. As might be expected, the two Legionnaire stories feature an assortment of French accents, along with a couple of Russian growls. These enacted “stories from the golden age” harken back to a time when heroism was unfettered by self-doubt and action thrillers filled the airwaves. Pulp fiction fans will find much to enjoy. A Galaxy paperback.