The Weird Case of William Dudley Pelley

I wish to God this were not a timely story, but we are never masters of our own chronologies. In the interest of dramatic reveal, I will make you wait a bit for the astounding parts.

William Dudley Pelley (1890-1965) first made his name in the world as a writer. He won two O. Henry Awards for his short stories in 1920 and 1930, and he was frequently published in magazines during that period. Some of his fiction was adapted for silent films. “Pit of the Golden Dragon” became the 1923 Lon Chaney vehicle The Shock. The Fog was filmed in 1923, starring Mildred Harris, Louise Fazenda, and Louise Dresser. Courtin’ Calamity became two Hoot Gibson vehicles, The Sawdust Trail (1924) and Courtin’ Wildcats (1929). The Stolen Lady became Coming Across (1929) with Lina Basquette. Drag was filmed in 1929 starring Richard Barthelmess. And he also wrote or co-wrote several scenarios directly for the screen: A Case at Law (1917), One Thing at a Time O’Day (1919, starring Bert Lytell), What Women Love (1920) with Annette Kellerman, The Light in the Dark (1922) with Hope Hampton and Chaney, Back Fire (1922) with Jack Hoxie, As a Man Lives (1923) with Robert Frazer, Her Fatal Millions (1923) with Viola Dana, Ladies to Board (1924) with Tom Mix, Torment (1924) with Owen Moore and Bessie Love,The Lady Bird (1927) with Betty Compson, and The Sunset Derby (1927) with Mary Astor. He pretty much wrote stories of every drama, comedies, melodramas, mysteries, westerns. His pals during his Hollywood included Chaney, a pre-Hopalong William Boyd, and Neil Hamilton (later known as Commissioner Gordon on Batman).

You’d think that would be enough to keep a man out of trouble. But Pelley had other dreams, dreams that encompassed all of human history past, present, and future, and other dimensions besides. Now we can reveal the stuff that William Dudley Pelley is better known for. He evolved into both an influential Occultist, and one of America’s premiere Fascists. The two things, in his case, are somewhat intertwined, and you can actually watch it evolve by studying his movements and his background.

Pelley was raised in Lynn, Massachusetts. His mother’s name was Grace Goodale. It seems probable she was a descendent of Richard Goodale (1594-1666), who lived in nearby Salisbury. If so, she was a distant relative of mine. His father William George Apsey Pelley, was a Methodist minister for a time, which seems relevant in light of what transpired. William (the son) had traveled a bit to study Methodist missions on behalf of the church. He worked with the White Russians during the Russian Civil War as a member of the Red Cross, where he (quite understandably) developed fierce anti-Communist conviction. At some point however he also became an Anti-Semite, one of those who ascribed the ascendancy of Communist to an international Jewish conspiracy. His pseudo-scientific leanings also encompassed British Israelism, a peculiar though once surprisingly popular belief that Anglo-Saxons were descended from the Lost Tribes of Israel, a creed that influenced early Mormonism as well as the contemporary Christian Identity movement. The belief is a fairy tale, of course, more provably false with every passing day thanks to multiple advances in genetics, archaeology, and linguistics. A century ago, things were less clear to some.

Hollywood had changed dramatically since Pelley first arrived there, and this too seems to have fed his anti-Semitism. The early silent period had been dominated by WASPs like Thomas Edison and D.W. Griffith. Over the course of the teens and twenties, it was gradually transformed by the creation of the major studios by Jewish entrepreneurs, mostly from New York. A quick glance at Pelley’s IMDB page tells the tale. His first film was made for Triangle; his last was made for Universal. Sound also came in at around that time. Pelley’s leaving Hollywood at just that time seems significant. The industry was changing/

In any case in 1929 he published an article which he later expanded to book length called Seven Minutes in Eternity, in which he describes his supposed out-of-body experiences. He claimed to have had three of these experiences, two of them occurring while reading Ralph Waldo Emerson. Hell, that’s understandable, Emerson’s writing is mighty cosmic. I feel like I came close to leaving my own body when I’ve hit certain passages myself! Pelley went much further though, claiming he levitated, saw through walls, and literally floated out of his body. He went on to develop an entire metaphysical system, mixing elements of Theosophy,Spiritualism, Rosicrucianism, and pyramidism. And it demonized Jews, Catholics, and Communists.

In 1932, he moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where he established the shortlived Galahad College and Galahad Press, teaching such topics as “Social Metaphysics” and “Christian Economics.” By the time his enterprises failed a few months later, his interests acquired a new focus. Adolph Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany. Inspired by Hitler, Pelley founded his own American Fascist organization called the Silver Legion, which reached a peak membership of 15,000 in 1935. Sinclair Lewis mentioned him in It Can’t Happen Here, released that same year. His sentiments were in tune with those of Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and the revived Klan we wrote about here.

As with most American and British Fascist organizations, the Silver Legion’s popularity began to wane in the late ’30s as events played out and war with the Germans began to seem inevitable. Pelley disbanded his organization in 1940, but he continued to attack Roosevelt and his policies in print. He was arrested for sedition in 1942, and served time in prison through 1950. He’d actually been sentenced to 15 years, but was released early on parole on the condition that he cease all political activity. Most of his writings following his release concerned UFOs and Extraterrestrials. And the American Nazi baton was passed on to George Lincoln Rockwell.

And now here we are again.

For more on silent film history please check out my book: Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube.