Brucker, who lives in Beavercreek, has been in the news lately for a couple of reasons. An updated version of his book, “Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins” has just been reissued. And the Broadway musical, “ Floyd Collins,” inspired by the book, was recently nominated for six Tony awards including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. (Jeremy Jordan as Floyd Collins.)
Three songs from the musical, which blends bluegrass, folk and classical style, were featured at the recent Tony Award ceremonies. The musical came to Broadway as part of Lincoln Center Theatre’s 2024-25 season and closed on June 22.
Brucker’s book, co-authored by Robert Murray, focuses on the attempt to rescue Floyd Collins and and the national media frenzy that resulted.
The real-life story
In 1925, a caver by the name of Floyd Collins found a beautiful cave about five miles from Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. He and his family were hoping to commercialize the cave but realized it was too far off the the main road to be profitable.
“He thought if he could find a cave closer to town on the main road he could make a good business out of it,” Brucker said. “He signed an agreement with three farmers that he would split the profits if he found a good cave on their land.”
For two weeks, Collins worked on a small cave he thought would lead to a bigger cave.
“He set off a dynamite blast to get through a small place; he went into the small place and it became bigger,” Brucker said. “But just then, he realized his lamp was running out of kerosene so he went back through the place he had blasted. A rock dropped and trapped his left ankle. He was caught in a body-sized tube about as big as a commercial wastebasket.”
Collins realized no one would come for him unless they began to miss him a day or two later.
“One of the farmers with whom he was boarding came looking for him,” Brucker said. “He told them to go to his home and bring back help and tools.”
Floyd’s brother came and started the rescue effort that went on for nearly three weeks and made headlines throughout the nation.
Brucker said Floyd Collins most likely died after the first week but no one knew because people could only reach him until the time that the roof caved in. After that, no communication was possible.
From book to musical
Tina Landau, book writer, director and additional lyricist of the Broadway musical, has written the introduction to the recently revised edition of Brucker’s book and calls it “the only comprehensive and vividly detailed account of the story she could find. ”
“The book was (and is) impeccably researched and beautifully written and it quickly became most valuable resource and inspiration in developing the musical,” Landau wrote.
The musical premiered off-Broadway in 1996 and went on to become a cult classic.
The cast of the most recent production performed two songs at the 78th Annual Tony Awards including “The Ballad of Floyd Collins” and “The Call.” Lead actor Jeremy Jordan also sang the signature song, “How Glory Goes.”
Shortly after his book was published 1979, Brucker got a call from Landau who told him she and Adam Guettel (the grandson of Richard Rodgers) were planning to make a musical out of the story. At first, Brucker couldn’t imagine how something so inherently sad could be turned into a Broadway musical.
But it was, with touching themes ranging from isolation to the power of community.
Over the years, the musical has been produced more than 100 times in the United States and several times in Europe. Brucker, who has seen 25 of the productions, has often been invited to give an historical talk after the show.
“Toward the end of the musical the tone changes to a lighter tone and Floyd and his brothers and the whole cast celebrate what it would be like to find a huge, very beautiful cave,” said Brucker.
Brucker’s story
Brucker, who grew up in Shelby, Ohio, near Mansfield, was always interested in the caves in the area.
“The first time I went in was at age five and I was wearing short pants and I remember it was very cold when we went in from the summer sun. I wanted to see more things but people told me to keep moving. I saw three small caves and thought they were wonderful.”
When he was 6, his mother offered to take him on a vacation trip to Mammoth Cave. He chose the all-day excursion and though his mother was terrified, young Roger had a terrific time.
Ater graduating from Oberlin College, Brucker met someone who belonged to the National Speleological Society and invited him to join. He’s been a member ever since and considers caving his lifelong hobby.
“I majored in Fine Arts at Oberlin and made movies for the Air Force and ended up at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. I also wrote a book about motion picture planning and production and later worked in industrial advertising.”
In 1954, he began writing about caves. He is the cofounder of the Cave Research Foundation and has written other books including “The Longerst Cave” with Richard Watson and “Grand, Gloomy, and Peculiar: Stephen Bishop at Mammoth Cave” and “Mama Says, Don’t Cave: Ergor’s Unbelievable Cabe Stories” (under the pseudonym Ergor Rubreck).
“I had heard about Floyd Collins but I couldn’t imagine what the cave he was trapped in was like so I began doing research and writing a book about him.” Before then, he said, he’d included chapters in other books about Collins but could find very little about his story. A history professor called him one day to say he was also writing a book about Floyd Collins so the two decided to collaborate.
“The story came during a slow news period and occurred just as the Associated Press wire service was established nationwide so Floyd’s story instantly went coast-to-coast.”
Loving caves
“I like the fact you can find new parts of a cave that no one has ever seen before,” Brucker said. “You can survey them, make a map and make that cave known.”
Daytonians are fortunate to be close to both Mammoth Cave and Ohio Caverns.
“Mammoth Cave is the longest in the world and is 426 miles long,” he said. “The public can see about three miles of it.”
Brucker, who will turn 96 on July 27, said he still goes into caves occasionally.
“My wife, Lynn, is also a cave explorer and she still goes into them as well.”
Whatever you do, don’t call Roger Brucker a spelunker.
“That’s a pejorative term,” he said, “that is only used by crossword puzzle people.”
The updated edition of “Trapped!” The Story of Floyd Collins," by Robert K. Murray and Roger W. Brucker is published by the University Press of Kentucky. Brucker is also the author of a number of other books about caving.
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