Do you believe in “Ripley’s Believe it Or Not!”
Since 1918 Ripley’s have been challenging the human condition by testing belief, trying honor and tempting our darker side with unknown and wanton wishings.


The larger question is why have Ripley’s wacky truths and fictions entertained us for so long?

Do we feel superior in finding entertainment in the troubles of others?

When we see madness in action — do we become more grounded in our own realities?

Why do we tempt the circus freak show, the wax museum, and the evergreen day of the April Fool?

8 Comments

  1. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    Gordon Davidescu says:

    I guess it’s just my nature — I always preferred the sort of Ripley entry that was about interesting natural facts, like the discovery of meteorites or the introduction of modern constellations rather than hiding murderers. I think that people look at their own lives as being rather mundane and seek any escape — even in the form of pretending to be someone else who hides in caves!

  2. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    I always enjoyed Ripley’s, too, Gordon. As a youngster it was always fun to read the cartoon in the newspaper and try to figure out if it was real or if they were making it up — and you had to wait until the next day to find out!
    Then the Ripley’s idea changed with the TV show hosted by Dean Cain —
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0218787/
    — sort of cheapened the whole experience for me. It became more about the grotesque than learning something new.

  3. Kathakali Chatterjee – Hyderabad, India – Professionally, I have an interesting concoction of experience -- from entertainment industry to retailing to executive education -- the journey is still on. When I don't work, I love to travel, read, listen to music and watch movies.
    kathakali.chatterjee says:

    I recently visited Innovative Filmcity in Bangalore and they had a small Ripley’s museum – that’s the first time I came to know about it. Interesting stuff!
    http://www.innovativefilmcity.in/attractions/Ripleys_Belive_it_or_not_Museum.html

  4. Definitely count me in as a fan, David. I liked the print version better than the TV version because you had to wait a day to find out if you were right or not. The suspense was simply wonderful.

  5. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    Right-o, Anne! Ripley’s is a terrific childhood memory that became cursed by the “tell me now” generation.

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    1. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
      David W. Boles says:

      I don’t think I’ve ever been to one of the Ripley museums. I bet they’re fun!

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