The basic idea of the story deals with Spiritualism. Readers encounter a "spirit radio" that opens a line of communication with the dead.
Meander Surett's name is mentioned in the same breath as Thomas Edison. We can only conclude that he is deserving of the same respect given to the world renowned Edison. And that respect extends to Surett's ideas. Static is the culprit as it turns out. No one can adequately explain it. Surett's device becomes known as a "static translator".
Public opinion goes over big for the idea. One newspaper in particular endorses the idea to such an extent that they equate it with the Rapture in its newsworthiness. That is to say they use news type that was reserved for that particular event. That soothsayer word appears again as Doc explains he is not "clairvoyant" and hence incapable of knowing the gang's plans. The entire thing turns out to be part of an elaborate "carney” hoax. In this way Dent is condemning the shysters and crooks that make false claims about supernatural abilities. But the fundamental concept is somewhat exonerated in the final analysis.
Concluding the story we learn that Doc still thinks there is some validity in Meander Surett's work. He tells the genuine Sally Surett that this scientific field is virtually uncharted territory. Doc further affirms it is entirely possible that her father could have been successful in his work under different circumstances. It is something he intends to tell the newspapers.
Thomas Edison, who is also mentioned as a prominent candidate for revival in Resurrection Day, died in 1931.
Dent spent some time in Death Valley prospecting. He even met the legendary Death Valley Scotty.
Publisher Street & Smith was generally careful to avoid using the actual names of belligerent nations in its fictional publications. But that was not a steadfast rule as we can see in The Pirate's Ghost. Here Ham disguises himself as an Italian reporter newspaper so that he might be on hand for Everett Everett Barr's press conferences. Ham cuts a ridiculous figure carrying an umbrella and wearing galoshes even though the likelihood of rain is nonexistent. Part of this novel attire can be attributed to the sartorial perfection enjoyed by Ham in his normal life. Dressing him up like this adds a comedic element to the story. Added to that is a striking stereotypic Italian vocabulary.
His colleagues do not hold this reporter in high esteem. Then we learn that Ham's character has a connection to someone in the news. He possessed credentials saying he represented a paper owned by Premier Mussolini of Italy, and no one suspected otherwise. So in a way, El Duce is getting a big raspberry. Why shovel this disrespect at a foreign leader? The fact was that Italy was then in the process of a big land grab and conquering Ethiopia. Poison gas was being used against the Ethiopian people. It was airplanes and machine guns against essentially defenseless people.
Religion: Doc Savage delivers the most religiously oriented speech in the entire series.
There is still one more item that should be examined. The story explains that Meander Surett pioneered wireless and ranked almost with Marconi. Meander Surett formulated the most acceptable theory of cosmic rays. Meander Surett pioneered ultra-short-wave radio.
They could just as well be talking about Nikola Tesla. Perhaps the Kansas
City Journal-Post explains it best:
Mr. Tesla is the father of the
alternating system of power transmission and radio, the induction motor and
Tesla coil.
Nikola Tesla was a brilliant creator of many inventions that are still currently used today, some sixty years after his death. But he was also a lively individual with a strikingly eccentric style. Many of his interviews read just as if they were taken from the pages of a Doc Savage adventure. To a certain degree it appears that they were incorporated into the series.
The famous author of Sherlock Holmes, A. Conan Doyle, was a spiritualist. Doyle embodied his beliefs in one of the Professor Challenger stories, The Land of Mist (1926).
Also in the news was the annual séance held on the anniversary of the death of magician Harry Houdini. The New York Times reported on July 21, 1936 that the séance for October 31, 1936 at the Knickerbocker Hotel would be the last one Mrs. Houdini would attend.
Actress Carol Lombard starred in a 1933 movie dealing with spiritualism titled Supernatural.
April 19, 1938 - Regularly scheduled television broadcasting begins for a few hours each day.
