This month we’re celebrating the talents of that pulp stalwart—Joe Archibald. Archibald wrote hundreds of stories for the pulps, both dramatic and humorous. His bread and butter it would seem was the humorous tale. He had long running series in several pulp titles. In the detective titles there was Alvin Hinkey, the harness bull Hawkshaw, in 10 Story Detective; Scoops & Snooty, the Evening Star’s dizzy duo, in Ten Detective Aces; and the President of the Hawkeye Detective Agency himself—Willie Klump in Popular Detective. While in the aviation titles he had Elmer Hubbard and Pokey Cook in Sky Birds; the pride of Booneville—Phineas Pinkham in Flying Aces; and the one-two punch of Ambrose Hooley & Muley Spinks in The Lone Eagle, The American Eagle, Sky Fighters and War Birds!

Here the incomparable Dunc Coburn handles the illustration duties for
“They Had To Flee Paris” (April 1942, The American Eagle)

The Ambrose Hooley stories are written as if Muley Spinks were telling us the tale, describing Hooley as a sawed off little tomato who is a demon in a Spad and dynamite with his fists on the ground. Hooley is frequently working some angle at the 93 Pursuit Squadron and getting their C.O. Major Bertram Bagby’s Hackels up.

A listing of all Joe Archibald’s Ambrose Hooley & Muley Spinks tales.

title	magazine	date	vol	no
1936
A Fuel There Was	War Birds	aug	32	1
Hun and Dearie	War Birds	oct	32	2
1937
Doubling in Brass Hats	Sky Fighters	Jan	16	1
A Flyer in Cauliflowers	Sky Fighters	Jul	17	2
Jennies From Heaven	The Lone Eagle	oct	15	2
1938
Pfalz Teeth	The Lone Eagle	feb	16	1
Flying Fishy	The Lone Eagle	apr	16	2
Rumpler Stakes	The Lone Eagle	jun	16	3
Just Plane Nuts	The Lone Eagle	aug	17	1
Spandau Re Mi	The Lone Eagle	oct	17	2
1939
Goose Stepbrothers	The Lone Eagle	jun	18	3
Cockpit Cuckoos	The Lone Eagle	aug	19	1
Observation Bus Boys	The Lone Eagle	oct	19	2
1940
Filet of Solos	The Lone Eagle	jun	20	3
From Spad to Worse	The Lone Eagle	aug	21	1
Plane Jane	The Lone Eagle	oct	21	2
Chocks and Blondes	The Lone Eagle	dec	21	3
1941
Spook Spad	The Lone Eagle	feb	22	1
Reel Heroes	The Lone Eagle	apr	22	2
Flight Manager	The Lone Eagle	jun	22	3
Pastry Doughboys	The American Eagle	aug	23	1
1942
Dawn Patrol Wagon	The American Eagle	feb	24	1
They Had to Flee Paris	The American Eagle	apr	24	2
Prussian Patsies	The American Eagle	sum	24	3
A Bargain For Blois	The American Eagle	fal	25	1
1943
Sea Slick	The American Eagle	win	25	2
Francs and Sauerkraut	American Eagles	spr	25	3
Messup––1918	Sky Fighters	Sep	29	3
1944
Cualiflower Alley	Sky Fighters	jan	30	2
Dough Dough Birds	Sky Fighters	sum	31	1
Uneasy Aces	Sky Fighters	fal	31	2
1945
Ambrose Hooley, C.O.	Sky Fighters	spr	32	1
Forever Ambrose	Sky Fighters	sum	32	2
1946
At ‘Em, Bums	Sky Fighters	sum	33	3
Errornautics	Sky Fighters	fal	34	1
Spy Crust	Sky Fighters	win	34	2
1948
Operation Hooley	Sky Fighters	win	35	3

We present as a bonus, Joe Archibald’s first tale of Ambrose Hooley. No Muley Spinks as yet, but all the other elements are there—the 93 Pursuit Squadron, Major Bagby and Ambrose shooting krauts out of the sky like ducks in a barrel while simultaneously working all the angles. The tale of assumed identity is illustrated by our old friend Frederick Blakeslee using a more cartoonish style! So, without further Adoo, “A Fuel There Was”—

He was washing out ships at fifteen thousand dollars a washout—but Ambrose was determined to win the war along with the heart of a girl in Kansas.

• Download “A Fuel There Was” (August 1936, War Birds)

For Ambrose and Muley in action together, check out “Rumpler Stakes” previously posted on AgeofAces.net.

When this pair of wild aces get started, they ruin anybody’s old war!

• Download “Rumpler Stakes” (June 1938, Lone Eagle)