How could anyone  pass a book with that title ? With a cover illustration reminiscent of old time movie posters it was a must read for me.

The books begins where it ends in the “Larf in the Dark” amusement ride in Long Beach Los Angeles when one of the crew for the television. Series “The Six Million Dollar Man” snapped the arm off a strange looking mannequin in the ghost train ride while preparing the site for filming. Turns out it was the mummified remains of one Elmer McCurdy.

The book pieces together the life and times of this one time petty criminal and how he eventually ended up in a gallows noose in a carnival ride some 66 years after his death.
This isn’t any literary treasure but it is a really interesting yarn, well researched with actual photos of the man and mannequin itself. If you like quirky tales this one is for you.

Available in the Community Library of Samford and for those who want to own it, click here.

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