Saturday, September 20, 2014
Polly Bergen, R. I. P.
LA Times: Emmy-winning actress and singer Polly Bergen, who in a long career played the terrorized wife in the original “Cape Fear” and the first woman president in “Kisses for My President,” died Saturday, according to her publicist. She was 84.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
News-JournalOnline.com: A Flagler County woman is accused of drinking for nine hours and threatening her stepson with his pellet gun when he tried to prevent her from polishing off his liquor.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Angus Lennie, R. I. P.
Telegraph: Angus Lennie, who has died aged 84, was a comedian turned actor best known for his portrayal of a British airman in the classic wartime action film The Great Escape (1963); he became a household name playing Shughie McFee, the Scottish motel chef in the television soap Crossroads.
As the Hollywood star Steve McQueen’s “cooler” companion in The Great Escape, Lennie’s character, Flying Officer Archibald (“the Mole”) Ives, met a shocking end when he was machine-gunned after walking despondently to the perimeter wire of Stalag Luft III in broad daylight as if in a daze and clambering up it.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
As the Hollywood star Steve McQueen’s “cooler” companion in The Great Escape, Lennie’s character, Flying Officer Archibald (“the Mole”) Ives, met a shocking end when he was machine-gunned after walking despondently to the perimeter wire of Stalag Luft III in broad daylight as if in a daze and clambering up it.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Pirate speech origins
As already mentioned by Art Scott: Pirate speech origins in West Country English via Robert Newton, aka Long John Silver
This Year's Ig Nobel Prizes Have Been Awarded
Ig Nobel Winner: Using Pork to Stop Nosebleeds: This year's winners honored Thursday at Harvard University by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine included a team of researchers who wondered if owning a cat was bad for your mental health; Japanese scientists who tested whether banana peels are really as slippery as cartoons would have us believe; and Norwegian biologists who tested whether reindeer on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard were frightened by humans dressed to resemble polar bears.
Forgotten Books: Nightmares and Geezenstacks --Fredric Brown
Fredric Brown wrote SF and crime fiction. He wrote long and he wrote short and he wrote very short. This collection has 48 stories in it, so some of them are of the very short variety. As you can see from the ToC below, some of them are from SF magazines, some are from crime-fiction magazines, and some are from "men's magazines." The most famous story in the group is probably "The Geezenstacks," a horror story from Weird Tales with a strange and ambiguous ending. This one was adapted for an episode of Tales from the Darkside in the 1980s.
Some of the stories are very slight, not much more than jokes, some of which ("Cat Burglar") are vulgar jokes. Many of them have the snappy surprise endings that Brown could do as well as anyone and better than most. Some, like "The End," are just clever showing off. But they're all fun. It's an entertaining collection that shows off all sides of Fredric Brown, and it's too bad that he's a mostly forgotten writer.
Contents (lifted from Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections)
· Nasty · vi Playboy Apr ’59
· Abominable · vi Dude Mar ’60; Portfolio, gp
· Rebound [“The Power”] · vi Galaxy Apr ’60
· Nightmare in Gray · vi Dude May ’61; Five Nightmares, gp
· Nightmare in Green · vi *
· Nightmare in White · vi *
· Nightmare in Blue · vi Dude May ’61; Five Nightmares, gp
· Nightmare in Yellow · vi Dude May ’61; Five Nightmares, gp
· Nightmare in Red · vi Dude May ’61; Five Nightmares, gp
· Unfortunately · vi F&SF Oct ’58
· Granny’s Birthday · vi AHMM Jun ’60
· Cat Burglar · vi *
· The House · vi Fantastic Aug ’60
· Second Chance · vi *
· Great Lost Discoveries I - Invisibility · vi Gent Feb ’61
· Great Lost Discoveries II - Invulnerability · vi Gent Feb ’61
· Great Lost Discoveries III - Immortality · vi Gent Feb ’61
· Dead Letter [“The Letter”] · vi EQMM Jul ’55; Killers Three, gp
· Recessional · vi Dude Mar ’60; Portfolio, gp
· Hobbyist · vi Playboy May ’61
· The Ring of Hans Carvel · vi *; retold and somewhat modernized from the works of Rabelais.
· Vengeance Fleet [“Vengeance, Unlimited”] · vi Super Science Stories Jul ’50
· Rope Trick · vi Adam May ’59
· Fatal Error [“The Perfect Crime”] · vi EQMM Jun ’55; Killers Three, gp
· The Short Happy Lives of Eustace Weaver I, II, & III [“Of Time and Eustace Weaver”] · ss EQMM Jun ’61
· Expedition · vi F&SF Feb ’57
· Bright Beard · vi *
· Jaycee · vi *; this story is given as being from F&SF 1955 in The Best of Fredric Brown and from F&SF Oct ’58 in bibliographies, but has not been found in F&SF.
· Contact [“Earthmen Bearing Gifts”] · vi Galaxy Jun ’60
· Horse Race · vi *
· Death on the Mountain · vi *
· Bear Possibility · vi Dude Mar ’60; Portfolio, gp
· Not Yet the End · vi Captain Future Win ’41
· Fish Story · vi *
· Three Little Owls (A Fable) · vi *
· Runaround [“Starvation”] · ss Astounding Sep ’42
· Murder in Ten Easy Lessons [“Ten Tickets to Hades”] · ss Ten Detective Aces May ’45
· Dark Interlude · Fredric Brown & Mack Reynolds · ss Galaxy Jan ’51
· Entity Trap [“From These Ashes”] · ss Amazing Aug ’50
· The Little Lamb · ss Manhunt Aug ’53
· Me and Flapjack and the Martians · Fredric Brown & Mack Reynolds · ss Astounding Dec ’52
· The Joke [“If Looks Could Kill”] · ss Detective Tales Oct ’48
· Cartoonist [“Garrigan’s Bems”] · Fredric Brown & Mack Reynolds · ss Planet Stories May ’51
· The Geezenstacks · ss Weird Tales Sep ’43
· The End [“Nightmare in Time”] · vi Dude May ’61; Five Nightmares, gp
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Supernatural Suspense Storybundle
Supernatural Suspense Storybundle – Clive Barker & 9 More! | Crossroad Press Publishing: It's a geat deal... Readers pay what they want (At least $3) and get five books. If they pay $12 they get TEN books - the five bonus books on this one include works like Clive Barker's Weaveworld and Brian Hodge's Nightlife... there will be another bonus book announced...
Men determined to kill Bigfoot
Men determined to kill Bigfoot: The TV show Killing Bigfoot from Gryphon Productions premieres Friday, October 17th on Destination America.
Video preview at the link.
Video preview at the link.
A Gentleman and a Scholar by Linda Landrigan, editor, AHMM
A Gentleman and a Scholar | Trace Evidence: I was delighted to learn recently of the publication of Mysteries Unlocked: Essays in Honor of Douglas G. Greene, edited by Curtis Evans. It collects 24 original essays (and reprints two classics) in honor of the 70th birthday of mystery scholar and publisher Doug Greene.
Seepy Benton Take Note
New York Post: A dog-eating anaconda in French Guiana was relocated by a snake-wrangling math teacher who went toe to toe with the massive, 17-foot beast after it feasted on his friend’s pooch.
Hat tip to Art Scott, who mentions that Snake-Wrangling Math Teachers WBAGNFARB.
Hat tip to Art Scott, who mentions that Snake-Wrangling Math Teachers WBAGNFARB.
I Want to Believe!
But could it be a Jurassic croc?
Siberia: 150-Million-Year-Old 'Jurassic Crocodile' Discovered - But is it Fake?
Siberia: 150-Million-Year-Old 'Jurassic Crocodile' Discovered - But is it Fake?
George Hamilton IV, R. I. P.
George Hamilton IV, 50-year Opry star, dies at age 77: NASHVILLE — George Hamilton IV, the 50-year Grand Ole Opry star known as the International Ambassador of Country Music, died Wednesday at a Nashville hospital. Hamilton was 77 and had suffered a heart attack Saturday.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
So It's Come to This
And once again Texas leads the way.
Neighbor calls cops, child services on Texas mom for letting son play outside
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Neighbor calls cops, child services on Texas mom for letting son play outside
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Emily Warren Roebling and the Brooklyn Bridge
Emily Warren Roebling and the Brooklyn Bridge: . . . few know the real story and history behind this American marvel. Even fewer know who truly was in charge of overseeing its construction and completion – Emily Warren Roebling, the world’s first female field engineer.
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First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
Seattle police respond to report of cake assault : "The cake was described as a lemon cake, yellow in color and circular and costs exactly $5.19."
They Want to Believe!
Our Lady of the Little Green Men: If mainstream religions leave you cold, why not spice things up by throwing a few UFOs in the mix? Here’s a look at some “religions” that draw inspiration from extraterrestrials.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
Is that really Billy the Kid? HPD sketch artist IDs gunslinger: Famed HPD sketch artist Lois Gibson has been asked to solve a new mystery. Could this really be a picture of Billy The Kid?
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Oops
Chainsaw accidentally ignites gigantic modern art bunny
Hat tip to Art Scott, who points out that Gigantic Modern Art Bunny WBAGNFARB.
Hat tip to Art Scott, who points out that Gigantic Modern Art Bunny WBAGNFARB.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
The Daymakers: Damien Broderick and John Boston got together and picked the 11 short stories of SF that they wanted to see brought back for modern readers to enjoy. The list of authors is impressive: A. Bertram Chandler, Brian Aldiss, Peter Hawkins, Edward Mackin, John Kippax, E.C. Tubb, John Brunner, Wallace West, Michael Moorcock, Mervyn Peake and Thomas Burnett Swann. The stories are, too.
My Home Not Included
Sleep in the Homes of These 8 Literary Legends: And now you can book a room to find your own inspiration in one of several literary listings available on Airbnb. The rentals were once the apartments, writing studios and educational institutions of icons, including Charles Dickens, James Joyce and John Steinbeck.
Overlooked TV: Tales of the Gold Monkey
Tales of the Gold Monkey was on for only one season, but it was a good one. Maybe. The thing is, you give me a show set in the South Seas in the late '30s, a seedy bar, some slow-turning ceiling fans, spies, plenty of action, a one-eyed Jack Russell terrier wearing an eye patch, a hero who flies a Graumman Goose, a Dragon Lady clone, and several other choice ingredients -- well, I'm pretty much guaranteed to like it.The episode I remember best is the pilot, which is sort of the origin story sinced it explains where the title of the show came from. Jake Cutter (Stephen Collins) and others are looking for the mythical gold monkey. Jake's helped out by his pal Corky, an alcoholic mechanic, and Jack, the aforementioned one-eyed dog. Jack once had a false eye, a valuable opal that Jake lost in a poker game. (Jack is still resentful.) Roddy McDowell seems to be having a great time playing "Bon Chance" Louie, the owner of the Gold Monkey bar, and there really is a monkey sitting in the place. It's found at the end of the pilot episode, but as with the Maltese Falcon, it's not what it was thought to be.
The series wasn't shot on location, and some of the sets are a little cheesy, but it was a lot of fun. Most people must not have gotten the same kick from it that I did, since it lasted only one season.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Fight Card Update
BISH'S BEAT: FIGHT CARD UPDATE ~ SEPTEMBER 2014: We have a special treat for this month’s Fight Card release. Fight Card: Bareknuckle Barbarian features a one-two punch of stories featuring Robert ‘Bob” E. Howard himself as the two-fisted hero of his own pulp tales.
A Podcast of Interest (To Me, Anyway)
Two stories, one of them the notorious "Raining Willie" by Bill Crider | Crime City Central
Noircon Update
SOCIETY HILL PLAYHOUSE - 507 SOUTH 8TH STREET - PHILADELPHIA PA. 19147
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOIRCON PROGRAM SET
NOIRCON 2014 , a biennial tribute to all things noir from literature to film to art and poetry, will take place from October 30 thru November 2, 2014. This conference is produced and headquartered at Society Hill Playhouse.
Program includes panels on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, parties, movie showings, an awards banquet on the banks of the Delaware, Thursday evening at MOCA, the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art, and a Sunday visit to Philadelphia’s Port Richmond Books. Farley Books of New Hope will be on site at the Playhouse throughout the weekend , the official book seller for NOIRCON.
Among the featured guests are Fuminori Nakamura of Tokyo, Japan, who will receive the David Goodis Award for excellence in writing. Nakamura has won many prizes for his novels including Japan’s most prestigious literary award, the Akutagawa Prize . Two of his books have been translated into English, The Thief and Evil and the Mask, both published by Soho Press. Tom Nolan, of the Wall Street Journal will do a one on one interview with this outstanding young writer on Saturday.
Bronwen Hruska, Soho Publishing, is being recognized as an outstanding publisher in the crime fiction with the Jay and Deen Kogan award, last given to Otto Penzler of Mysterious Books. She has led the way in translation publishing and opened many doors for women in the field.
Eddie Muller, called the CZAR of Noir, will accept the Anne Friedberg Award for contribution to Noir Education and Preservation, as well as introduce a special showing of the film, THE PROWLER, (written by
NOIRCON 2014 – Page 2
Dalton Trumbo and first released in 1951) at 1PM Thursday, October 30 at The International House A novelist from San Francisco, many of his books relate to and examine Film Noir.
Scheduled panels include: The Black Dahlia, Jewish Noir, Existential Noir, The Politics of Noir, A Ross MacDonald Examination, Veering Off the Highway: How Springsteen’s Music Shapes Crime Fiction and Three Minutes of Terror, when every attending writer gets three minutes to share his work or ideas. Among the program participants are: Joseph Samuel Starnes, William Lashner, Joan Schenker, Stuart Neville, Jean Cash, Jonathan Woods, Robert Polito, Vicki Hendricks, Steve Hodel, Carole Mallory, Sigrid Sarda, Buffy Hastings, Jeff Wong, Duane Swierczynski, Tom Nolan, Alan Gordon, Megan Abbott and keynote speaker, Eric Miles Williamson.
Dr. Louis Boxer and Deen Kogan, director of Society Hill Playhouse, co-chair NOIRCON 2014. For further information call 215-923-0210 or check the website: www.noircon.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOIRCON PROGRAM SET
NOIRCON 2014 , a biennial tribute to all things noir from literature to film to art and poetry, will take place from October 30 thru November 2, 2014. This conference is produced and headquartered at Society Hill Playhouse.
Program includes panels on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, parties, movie showings, an awards banquet on the banks of the Delaware, Thursday evening at MOCA, the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art, and a Sunday visit to Philadelphia’s Port Richmond Books. Farley Books of New Hope will be on site at the Playhouse throughout the weekend , the official book seller for NOIRCON.
Among the featured guests are Fuminori Nakamura of Tokyo, Japan, who will receive the David Goodis Award for excellence in writing. Nakamura has won many prizes for his novels including Japan’s most prestigious literary award, the Akutagawa Prize . Two of his books have been translated into English, The Thief and Evil and the Mask, both published by Soho Press. Tom Nolan, of the Wall Street Journal will do a one on one interview with this outstanding young writer on Saturday.
Bronwen Hruska, Soho Publishing, is being recognized as an outstanding publisher in the crime fiction with the Jay and Deen Kogan award, last given to Otto Penzler of Mysterious Books. She has led the way in translation publishing and opened many doors for women in the field.
Eddie Muller, called the CZAR of Noir, will accept the Anne Friedberg Award for contribution to Noir Education and Preservation, as well as introduce a special showing of the film, THE PROWLER, (written by
NOIRCON 2014 – Page 2
Dalton Trumbo and first released in 1951) at 1PM Thursday, October 30 at The International House A novelist from San Francisco, many of his books relate to and examine Film Noir.
Scheduled panels include: The Black Dahlia, Jewish Noir, Existential Noir, The Politics of Noir, A Ross MacDonald Examination, Veering Off the Highway: How Springsteen’s Music Shapes Crime Fiction and Three Minutes of Terror, when every attending writer gets three minutes to share his work or ideas. Among the program participants are: Joseph Samuel Starnes, William Lashner, Joan Schenker, Stuart Neville, Jean Cash, Jonathan Woods, Robert Polito, Vicki Hendricks, Steve Hodel, Carole Mallory, Sigrid Sarda, Buffy Hastings, Jeff Wong, Duane Swierczynski, Tom Nolan, Alan Gordon, Megan Abbott and keynote speaker, Eric Miles Williamson.
Dr. Louis Boxer and Deen Kogan, director of Society Hill Playhouse, co-chair NOIRCON 2014. For further information call 215-923-0210 or check the website: www.noircon.com
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Maritime Archaeology Update
Arctic Shipwreck Found After 170 Years, Solving "Great Mystery": One of the most famous ships lost in the 19th century has been located in the Arctic, the Canadian government announced Tuesday, prompting Prime Minister Stephen Harper to declare that "one of Canada's greatest mysteries" has been solved.
Denny Miller, R. I. P.
LA Times: Denny Miller, a noted UCLA basketball player in the 1950s who dropped the sport to play the title role in the 1959 movie "Tarzan the Ape Man" and went on to appear in "Wagon Train" and numerous other TV shows, died Tuesday at home in Las Vegas. He was 80.
Theodore J. Flicker, R. I. P.
Theodore J. Flicker, Creator of TV's 'Barney Miller,' Dies at 84: Theodore J. Flicker, a veteran TV writer and director who co-created the ABC sitcom Barney Miller, died Friday in his Santa Fe home. He was 84.
Barbara Flicker, Theodore's wife of 48 years, told The Hollywood Reporter that her husband had suffered from hypersensitivity pneumonitis, known colloquially as "hot tub lung," and she believes that his years of working with clay as a sculptor led to the infliction. He had been treating the condition with steroids.
Barbara Flicker, Theodore's wife of 48 years, told The Hollywood Reporter that her husband had suffered from hypersensitivity pneumonitis, known colloquially as "hot tub lung," and she believes that his years of working with clay as a sculptor led to the infliction. He had been treating the condition with steroids.
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