The Indiana-born illustrator A.R. Tilburne got a later start than some of his pulp contemporaries. He was already in his forties and settled down with a family before he sold his first illustrations in 1935. Before that, he had been an amateur actor, an honorably discharged member of the U.S. Navy, a real estate agent, and a building manager. But even though he started late, he quickly made his mark with the covers that he did for magazines like Weird Tales and Short Stories. In 1947, he did his best known pulp work when he painted the cover for H.P. Lovecraft’s The Lurking Fear. He devoted his later years to painting western scenes. He died at the age of 77 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Here is a small sampling of A.R. Tilburne’s work:
George O’Brien (Jim Metzler) is a former executive at a San Diego computer company who is driving across Nevada. He is heading to Reno, where he plans to set up a company with the embezzled millions that he has hidden in his trunk. When he spots former Vegas showgirl Patti (Jennifer Rubin) standing on the side of the road, he stops to pick her up. She explains that her car broke down and she needs a lift. George is happy to give her a ride. The only problem is that Patti is traveling with her boyfriend, Chevy (Kyle Secor). At first, Chevy just seems to be a goofy guy who talks too much. However, Chevy is actually a hitman, traveling to Vegas to kill a gangster (Jerry Orbach). After the hit, Chevy abandons George in the desert and steals his car. Determined to get his money, George pursues Chevy and Patty across the desert.
Through the Shattered Lens 