[from the National Archives and Records Administration collection
(Image 39-0166:  NRDC-114-ASCHT-NURSERYDIVAMES-3-9(2)TRACTORS-GOF1)
{Thumbnail image - click on the picture for an even larger 500Kb image.}]

INDEX:

On this TRACTORS Continuation Page 1:
  Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor Company - moved here 07 Mar 2006.

Earthworm was located in Earthworm City (based on Peoria), Illinois and the series, started in 1927, was written by Willam Hazlett Upson, who had been a Holt parts and service person for over 5 years.  The series topped 100 stories, all in the SEP (I well remember waiting eagerly for the next episode).  The movie premièred (not bombed) in Peoria and was commemorated in a Cat magazine recently{?}.

Hey, wait a minute!  Who were the competitor and its salesman?  Well, I got the video tape from Nostalgia Family Video and it's a real hum-dinger, a doozy, a laugh riot, and other old trite phrases.  In other words, it's dated and corny and I loved every minute of it, especially the inept Alexander's Earthworm escapades!  Diligent use of the PAUSE button elicited these credits:

Now, it was George Healey who turned coat on Earthworm (after Botts got both of them fired) and joined the Elephant Tractor Company and tried every trick in the books to sell the exceedingly-obstinate Mr. Johnson and undermine Botts.

Funny thing, though.  I could NOT find a scene with Botts and Mabel sitting on the tractor; it must have been a publicity shot rather than a still.  I took a photo of the video tape case's lobby poster cover and have posted it here [what else should one do with a poster?]:

Wait!  We're not done with this!  A lady in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, asked me 21 Jan 01 if I knew where to find a hard-cover Saturday Evening Post compilation of the Botts/Earthworm stories!  I either did not even know it existed or forgot, but turned it up instantly on amazon.com, "Alexander Botts : Great Stories from the Saturday Evening Post", by William Hazlett Upson {naturally}, January 1978, ISBN: 0893870110, $24.95 (as of 21 Jan 01).

Yet more (29 Mar 01) - eBay auction ended for Presentation Edition of "No Rest for Botts, Earthworms Make the World Go Round" by William Hazlett Upson, Rinehart & Co, 1951.  "William Hazlett Upson was born in 1891, he worked for Caterpillar Tractor Company as a service mechanic and trouble-shooter.  He began writing short stories in 1923, and in 1927 created the character of Alexander Botts, caterpillar tractor salesman".  Highest bid of $62 did not make reserve.

One Clem Dickey notes (25 Nov 01) that bibliofind.com usually has several Alexander Botts books available, suggesting that it's best to search by author, and that bibliofind.com is now owned by amazon.com.  Clem looked up the competitor in the book; it was Behemoth, not Elephant.  He also very kindly sent along this list of the books (and dates) of which he is aware:

Botts Bibliography {Amazing Alliteration}

On 10 Jan 03, I heard from Evan Jones, who only remembers "two of the competitors of Earthworm Tractor, but I remember them well (from 30 years ago):"

"Rough Rider (Center of gravity too high, underpowered, no winch)
Cheat: They had to get over a mountain.  There was a RR tractor hidden on the other side that the driver switched to after secretly dismounting, climbing on foot, and switching to the other vehicle."

"Goliath (Awful, incredibly noisy smoke-belching monstrosity, inferior in every way)
Cheat: They had stolen an Earthworm Tractor an hidden it inside the building they were supposed to push around.  When the Goliath pushed up against the building, the EW tractor was started and it 'carried the building around on its back" making it look as if the Goliath was doing the work'."

Evan's "very favorite concerned the Normandy invasion and the Liberation of a 100 year-old barrel of Calvados . . . (Oh, yes, he also leveled an airstrip for the use of Allied planes.)"

Thanks for sharing, Evan!

Now (19 Jul 03) comes one Robert Bonomi, who confirms that there "were a lot of companies sales representatives that Mr Botts tangled with", including, at least: Goliath, Superba, and Rough Rider, most of which "were 'weak puns' of real equipment manufacturers", Caterpillar --> Earthworm, Massey --> Goliath, and thinks "Elephant" was used, a take-off from 'Deere'", and has "a vague recollection of a story involving 'World WideTractor Company', which would be an obvious 'derivative' of International".

Our Oregonian friend asks if anyone remembers the phrase:

He used to get a "Post Yarns" on the ship.  "Grandpa Hopewell and His Flying Tractor" was in one of the stories.  Anyone?

There is an incredible simulation program by Charlie Dockstadter on steam valve gear available on the Alaska Live Steamers VALVE GEAR ON THE COMPUTER page.

© Copyright S. Berliner, III - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 - All rights reserved.