Here we are again with a new edition of Pulp Adventures, my occasional look at topics for pulp stories, games and history pieces. This edition focuses on a person, but look out for further entries on places, things and events that capture that “pulp vibe.”
MILDRED BRUCE
(a.k.a. Mary Victor Bruce, Mary Victor Petre)
An American-British woman who defied her time, Mildred Bruce was a race car driver, speed-boat pilot and aviatrix with several records to her name.
Beyond her racing trophies and aviation accomplishments, Bruce also had plenty of mishaps, including multiple crash landings and nearly being kidnapped. She even worked for a flying circus.
Her daring nature also helped her in the business world, where she developed a freight and passenger airline. Those endeavors helped her become a millionaire.
WIKIPEDIA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_Bruce
MORE SITES: Davis Monthan Avation Field Register
AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Nine Lives Plus
PLOT HOOKS:
Here are few ideas (based on some real-life facts) you can use to bring Mildred Bruce into your stories or campaigns.
- Have Mildred adopt a secret identity: The masked Aviatrix, Mary Victory.
- Bruce’s mother was a Hollywood actress. Your adventurers are hired by “mom” to track down and rescue Mildred, who’s gone missing in the Philipines.
- Bruce’s grandmother was a gold miner in California. Bruce, who’s laid up after a crash, hires the adventurers to relocate her mine and retrieve a lost artifact.
- Bruce was arrested in NYC for flying tight circles around the Empire State Building. Rather than call a lawyer, she needs help from the adventurers to finish her mission — wrapping the building in a thin wire that will prevent it from being sucked into another dimension.
- Bruce also loved to race. She could be one of the competitors in a road race to the North Pole. Of course, such a race would also have to include a family of sasquatch, angry Eskimo gods, mystic arctic hermits and secret Russian bases.
Read more Pulp Adventure ideas here!
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