LOST BURROUGHS PLAY DEBUTS IN DESERT : THE FACTS.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Daily News Staff Writer

After 70 years locked in a safe, a play by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs makes its world premiere today in Palmdale.

Written in 1927 for Burroughs' actress daughter, ``You Lucky Girl!'' was never performed, but it was carefully copyrighted and its manuscript was locked away with copies of everything else Burroughs wrote in his prolific career.

``It went in with all the unpublished manuscripts,'' said grandson Danton Burroughs, who is a director and secretary-treasurer of Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc., the Tarzana-based corporation the author created for himself in 1923. ``There's still a few unpublished things - stories, murder mysteries.''

Forgotten for decades, the play was rediscovered during a search of copyright records by a writer doing research for a Burroughs bibliography in 1962 - 50 years after the first Tarzan story and 12 years after the author's death.

Burroughs' family had forgotten about the play - even the actress daughter, Joan, said she had no recollection of it, although the assumption was that it had been written to be performed by the theater company to which she belonged, researcher Henry Hines wrote.

The reason ``You Lucky Girl!'' was never staged is lost to history.

``I wouldn't know,'' said Danton Burroughs, who is Joan's nephew. ``That's one of the mystery ones.''

The play's resurrection at the Palmdale Playhouse is the work of Leona Valley documentary filmmaker Hugh Munro Neely, a Burroughs fan since reading ``At the Earth's Core'' at age 8 at a friend's house.

As a college student in 1974 or 1975, he saw a reference to the play in Hines' bibliography, then one of the few reference books on the author.

``It's like a time capsule, waiting to be opened. Since that time in the '70s I've always wanted to open that time capsule,'' Neely said.

Neely has produced or directed a dozen community stage productions from Santa Monica to the Antelope Valley, but he said he hesitated to approach the Burroughs company about putting on the play.

Then Palmdale last year started its cultural arts-historical program, and he thought ``You Lucky Girl!'' would be a window into American family life in the 1920s - a lighthearted look at the Jazz Age, changing societal mores, and two young Midwestern women forced to choose between career and family.

Neely wrote to the Burroughs company in Tarzana - where the author settled on a ranch in 1910 and which is named for his most famous character - and got permission to stage the play.

``I didn't give it too much concern, and Hugh was diligent: `All right, if you want to do it, go ahead and do it,' '' said Danton Burroughs said. ``We're pleased.''

WHAT: Premier of ``You Lucky Girl!'' written by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1927.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, through May 4.

WHERE: Palmdale Playhouse, 38334 10th St. E.

COST: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, military and youths.

INFORMATION: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo: (1--Color -- AV only) L. Michael Wells, left, Steve Willis and Tiffany Krusey rehearse a scene from Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1927 play ``You Lucky Girl!

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News

(2 -- AV only) BURROUGHS

(3) Tiffany Krusey and William L. Smith rehearse a scene from Edgar Rice Burroughs' ``You Lucky Girl!'' to be shown at the Palmdale Playhouse.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News