Frank R. Paul's Vintage Illustrations Reveal What Life On Other Planets Might Have Looked Like (PHOTOS)
Warning: Annoying slideshow.
Hat tip to George Kelley.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Fay Kanin, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Fay Kanin, half of the husband-and-wife team that wrote the Clark Gable-Doris Day comedy “Teacher’s Pet” and the writer of television movies including Emmy-winning vehicles for Maureen Stapleton and Carol Burnett, died on Wednesday at her home in Santa Monica, Calif. She was 95.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Micro Weird: Tiny Tales of the Strange eBook: Charles Gramlich: Kindle Store: Micro Weird is an anthology of fifteen flash fiction stories from the author of Cold in the Light and the Talera Trilogy. The collection contains horror stories, science fiction tales, humor, and even some mainstream pieces. The common denominator that ties the stories together is the “twist ending.”
Phil Ramone, R. I. P.
MiamiHerald.com: Phil Ramone, the Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer whose platinum touch included recordings with Ray Charles, Billy Joel and Paul Simon, has died at 72
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: Yellow Medicine (Billy Lafitte #1) eBook: Anthony Neil Smith, Craig Johnson: Kindle Store: Deputy Billy Lafitte is not unfamiliar with the law—he just prefers to enforce it, rather than abide by it. But his rule-bending and bribe-taking have gotten him kicked off the force in Gulfport, Mississippi, and he’s been given a second chance—in the desolate, Siberian wastelands of rural Minnesota. Now Billy’s only got the local girls and local booze to keep him company. Until one of the local girls—cute little Drew, bassist for a psychobilly band—asks Billy for help with her boyfriend. Something about the drugs Ian’s been selling, some product he may have lost, and the men who are threatening him because of it. Billy agrees to look into it, and before long he’s speeding down a snowy road, tracking a cell of terrorists, with a severed head in his truck’s cab. And that’s only the start.
If He Wins, Will We Be Able to Understand His Acceptance Speech?
Fox News: Forty-five years ago, Yank Barry was belting out “Louie, Louie” with iconic band The Kingsmen. Cut to 2013, and he’s a third-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee with very real prospects of joining the ranks of past winners including The Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa.
Trees that Have Been to the Moon
In Search of Moon Trees - NASA Science: Hundreds of trees have been to the Moon. How they got there and back again is a curious tale.
Hissing Horror!
You can read the whole story (written by Otto Binder) here: Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine: Number 1232: The Marvel Family gets hissed offHat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Peeps show: 20 clever and comical marshallow scenes
Peeps show: 20 clever and comical marshallow scenes
Warning: Annoying slide show.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Warning: Annoying slide show.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Coelacanth Update
New quest to study 'living fossil' coelacanth: French and South African biologists will dive to deep-sea caves in the Indian Ocean next month in a bid to locate the coelacanth, the "living fossil" fish whose history predates the dinosaurs, France's National Museum of Natural History said on Friday.
Friday, March 29, 2013
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
FOX16.com Little Rock, AR: North Little Rock Police say a man drove his girlfriend's truck into their house after a break-up fight.
Hat tip to John Duke.
Hat tip to John Duke.
Richard Griffiths, R. I. P.
ABC News: Richard Griffiths, the versatile British actor who played the boy wizard's unsympathetic Uncle Vernon in the "Harry Potter" movies, has died. He was 65.
Agent Simon Beresford announced Friday that Griffiths died a day earlier of complications following heart surgery at University Hospital in Coventry, central England.
Agent Simon Beresford announced Friday that Griffiths died a day earlier of complications following heart surgery at University Hospital in Coventry, central England.
Forgotten Books: Overkill -- Norman Daniels
Overkill is the first adventure of Super-secret-agent John Keith. I'm sure the super means that the agency he works for (the American Policy Executive, or A.P.E.) is super secret and that John Keith is a super agent. In fact, A.P.E. is so secret that Keith doesn't even have anyone to report to. Agents can pretty much do as they please, though apparently some of them are assigned to be sleepers.
In this adventure, Keith is trying to prevent the Chinese from arming an Albanian missile with an atomic warhead and shooting it at . . . well, who knows? It doesn't matter. What matters is that they must be stopped. Keith is working with the KGB, though he hates them, and of course he falls in love with a beautiful Chinese woman, who might as well have "I Am Going to Die" tattooed on her forehead. The ending, with its attitude toward the dangers of an atomic explosion in the atmosphere is ludicrous by today's standards. Daniels moves things right along, though, and the local color is well done in both Russia (where the story opens) and Albania.
Daniels was a prolific writer, beginning in the pulp era. He could, and did, write just about anything. His wife was Dorothy, and Norman is suspected of having written many gothics as Dorothy Daniels. There's not much information on Daniels on the 'Net, so it's hard to sort out just what he did and didn't write. At any rate, his work is usually solidly professional and often even better than that.
John Keith went on to star in five or six more novels, all of them after the second having the word Operation in the title. I read some of them long ago, so I must have liked them at least a little.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The Doctor's Bag -- Then and Now
Western Fictioneers: THE DOCTOR'S BAG by Keith Souter aka Clay More –INSIDE THE BAG - THEN AND NOW
Gordon Stoker, R. I. P.
Gordon Stoker, member of Jordanaires, dies at 88: Gordon Stoker, a member of The Jordanaires vocal group that backed Elvis Presley, died Wednesday. He was 88.
His son, Alan, told The Associated Press that Stoker died at his home in Brentwood, Tenn., after a lengthy illness. Stoker, who was born in Gleason, Tenn., got his start playing the piano on WSM radio and its signature show, the Grand Ole Opry.
His son, Alan, told The Associated Press that Stoker died at his home in Brentwood, Tenn., after a lengthy illness. Stoker, who was born in Gleason, Tenn., got his start playing the piano on WSM radio and its signature show, the Grand Ole Opry.
Gator Update (Neighbor from Hell Edition)
Valrico couple says they live next to 'neighbor from hell' | wtsp.com: A dispute over an alligator has ignited a feud between two neighbors that appears to be spiraling out of control.
Film Noir FAQ -- David J. Hogan
This isn't the kind of book I can read straight through. Too much to process. It's great for dipping into, though, and with the index, it's bound to be good for research as well. If you're into noir films or would like to know more about them, you gotta have a copy.
Oddest Book Title of the Year
The Bookseller: Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop has been named as the winner of Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year.
Other titles at the link, which comes via Neatorama.
Other titles at the link, which comes via Neatorama.
Don Payne, R. I. P.
latimes.com: Don Payne, an award-winning writer and producer of "The Simpsons" and screenwriter of the 2011 blockbuster "Thor" as well as "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, said his friend and former writing partner John Frink. He was 48 and had bone cancer.
Forgotten Music: Robin Luke
Robin Luke was a Hawaiian rockabilly. He scored one huge hit, "Susie Darlin'," but was never in the Top 10 again. He did some other fine recordings, though, and then went on to get his Ph.D. in Business Administration. Until his retirement, he was chair of Marketing at Missouri State University. He still performs occasionally.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Feeling Safer Now?
NYPOST.com: A bumbling TSA agent “playing around” with a pepper-spray container at Kennedy Airport fired the caustic liquid at five fellow screeners yesterday, sending all six to the hospital, a source told The Post.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature In Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Lee: Heath Lowrance, Scott Phillips, Johnny Shaw, Roger Smith, Adrian McKinty, Jenna Bass, Ray Banks, Jake Hinkson, Ryan K. Lindsay, Crime Factory: Amazon.com: Kindle Store: Lee Marvin: one of the most coolly charismatic and extraordinary screen tough guys ever. Armed with a magnetic personality, a wild temper and major acting talent, he went from playing bit parts to starring in classics such as Cat Ballou, The Dirty Dozen and Point Blank, and winning an Academy Award.
Crime Factory celebrates Marvin’s life by making him the star of his own fictional adventures. From WWII hospital ships, mishaps in Mexico, the open seas and Oscar night, to on-set stoushes and much more, LEE ranges from the gleefully gonzo to the painfully personal. With an intro by Mike White, and fiction by Scott Phillips, Heath Lowrance, Roger Smith, Johnny Shaw, Jenna Bass, Adrian McKinty, Jake Hinkson, Ray Banks, James Hopwood, Erik Lundy, Eric Beetner, Luke Preston, Nigel Bird, Ryan K. Lindsay, Andrew Nette, Cameron Ashley and Jimmy Callaway.
Doc Savage: Skull Island -- Will Murray
The story opens with Doc returning to New York just after the fall of Kong, whose enormous carcass is lying in front of the Empire State Building. Doc tells Johnny, Monk, and Renny that he knows the beast. He tells them nothing more for the moment but instead arranges for the removal of the body and its transport back to Skull Island. Then we get the rest of the story in flashback.
When Doc returns home from WWI, he finds a message from his father waiting for him. Clark Savage tells Doc to join him in California. From there they'll begin a search for Doc's grandfather, Stormalong Savage, a search that leads them to the Indian Ocean and to Skull Island. Along the way, Murray spends a good bit of time on the relationship between Doc and his father, who, as fans of the series know, turned Doc's upbringing over to others in order to produce a man of many and varied accomplishments and skills. Most of Doc's questions about his father and his upbringing go unanswered, though we do get a hint at the end of the story about where the idea for this unusual child-rearing method might have originated. We learn nothing much about Doc's mother (though we do learn her name, which I won't reveal). Doc and his father do grow a bit closer on their voyage, and even moreso later, but it's still not a comfortable relationship.
They eventually arrive at Skull Island, which is much as it's depicted in the King Kong movie, but with even more dangerous creatures. And there are headhunters galore, Dyaks who have some to Skull Island to take the biggest head of all. It becomes clear now, as had been indicated earlier, that WWI provided Doc with an education in violence and killing. There's quite a lot of that in the novel, and it leads Doc to certain conclusions in the end. Stormalong turns up, and he's quite a character. Some of his adventures would no doubt make an entertaining novel of their own.
And then there's Kong. He's the mighty force of nature that you'd expect, and some readers might wish there'd been even more of him in the novel. There are some hints about his connection to the Savages that we'd like to learn more of, too.
Will Murray has been writing about Doc Savage for a long time. He knows the series (and other pulp series) as well as anybody could, and until now he's been sticking with more or less conventional adventures for Doc and his crew. Now he's breaking new ground. Will he continue to do so? An intriguing question, and one that we can look forward to having answered later, I'm sure. For now, we have this rousing adventure in the great pulp tradition but with a modern sensibility, too. And some great Joe DeVito art. Doc Savage fans will have to have it. If you're not a fan yet, this would be a great place to begin your own adventure.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . . .
NBC Connecticut: Fairfield police have arrested a 55-year-old local man accused of throwing a sandwich at a McDonald’s employee because he did not like how it was made.
Lori March Scourby, R. I. P.
The Hollywood Reporter: Lori March Scourby, an actress known as the “First Lady of Daytime Television” for her decades of work in serials who also starred in a memorable episode of The Twilight Zone, has died. She was 90.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Harry Houdini Speaks
Harry Houdini: Audio of the escape artist introducing his famous "water torture" escape: This recording captures Harry Houdini delivering an introduction to his Chinese Water Torture Cell escape. The performer spoke into Thomas Edison’s phonograph in 1914, creating one of the only known records of his voice. The audio allows us to hear Houdini’s measured cadence and careful enunciation.
Virgil Trucks, R. I. P.
Virgil Trucks, who threw 2 no-hitters in 1952, dies at 95: Virgil "Fire" Trucks, who threw two no-hitters for the Detroit Tigers in an otherwise dreadful 1952 season and was the last pitcher to toss a complete-game no-hitter at Yankee Stadium, has died. He was 95
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Evil to Burn (Dead Man #17) eBook: Lisa Klink, Lee Goldberg, William Rabkin: Kindle Store: Matt Cahill is travelling by bus through the blasted wilderness of the Southwest to prevent a massacre from happening in Nevada, but Mr. Dark is intent on preventing him from making it there. A terrible crash leaves the bus totaled, and now Matt is injured, stranded, and fighting for his life against the elements…and an insidious evil that has spread through the surviving passengers. It’s a race against time, with Matt struggling to overcome his injuries even as he tries to save the survivors from the horror that they’ve become…because, while the evil surrounding him is bad, it’s nothing compared to the desert hell he needs to cross in order to keep a greater nightmare from unfolding—one that could give Mr. Dark terrifying new powers.
Here's the Outline for Your Next Forensic Thriller
Forensic scientist uses secret technique to rehydrate mummified corpses from old homicides: Mexican forensic expert Alejandro Hernandez dips dry, yellowish cadavers in a see-through bath, hoping his technique to rehydrate mummified bodies will solve murders in crime-infested Ciudad Juarez.
Fantastic Art from Frank Frazetta
AbeBooks: Fantastic Art from Frank Frazetta: Men are manly beyond belief and women are impossibly sexy in Frank Frazetta’s genre-defining artwork for fantasy and science fiction books. You know the covers we’re talking about - heroes with rippling muscles and massive swords, and scantily-clad heroines with bodies that supermodels would envy. Frazetta’s career spanned more than 50 years and his work went way beyond Conan the Barbarian, but he will always be remembered for those startling book covers. His influence can be measured by the huge number of parodies that exist.
Overlooked Movies: Blackbead the Pirate
Monday, March 25, 2013
Feeling Old Yet?
Michael Jackson's Moonwalk Is 30 Years Old: On March 25, 1983, Michael Jackson debuted his moonwalk at the Motown 25 taping.
Complex 90 -- Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
Complex 90 follows right along after The Girl Hunters. The Cold War is plenty hot when Hammer takes a bodyguarding job as a favor to an old friend. It's just for a senator's party, one evening only, and seems like an easy way to make money. Sure enough, someone shows up and tries to kill the senator, but it's Hammer's buddy who takes the bullet. Hammer kills the assassin, and later accepts a job of being the senator's bodyguard on a trip to Russia. The Reds grab Hammer and take him to be "questioned." That's their mistake. Hammer escapes and fights his way across Russia before stowing away on a plane back to the U. S. Along the way he kills 45 of the commie horde, so naturally they're a little unhappy with him. They demand that the U. S. return him, and it's being considered. That's when the story really gets going. Hammer's going to find out why he was kidnapped. He's going to find out why the commies are so hellbent on getting him back. And what about that assassin? And how does Velda figure into all this, and what really happened to her in Russia? And what the hell is Complex 90?
This might just be my favorite of Max Allan Collins' posthumous collaborations with Mickey Spillane. It's thoroughly true to the spirit of Hammer's '50s and early '60s novels, with lots of action, lots of great Hammer put-downs of the government agencies who think they can control him, a great evocation of the times, and a socko ending. Top-notch entertainment.
Six Adult Movies Found in Toobworld.
INNER TOOB:: SUPER IX LIST:
SIX ADULT MOVIES FOUND IN TOOBWORLD (Safe for Work)
Sunday, March 24, 2013
DH Lawrence's poetry saved from censor's pen
The Observer: DH Lawrence's poetry saved from censor's pen
New edition of author's work reveals him as a talented war poet who attacked British imperialism
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)