Saturday, October 24, 2015

First It was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

and now. . . Man's 'explosive' bowel issues lead to machete melee 

Maureen O'Hara, R. I. P.

abc7ny.com: Maureen O'Hara, the flame-haired Irish movie star who appeared in classics ranging from the grim "How Green Was My Valley" to the uplifting "Miracle on 34th Street" and bantered unforgettably with John Wayne in several films has died. She was 95.  

She was one of my all-time favorites.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

You're a Vampire: That Sucks! -- "Count" Domenick Dicce

Okay, so you've become a vampire.  Now what?  To whom can you turn for advice?  To "Count" Domenick Dicce, that's who.  Well, not to the count personally but to his book.  He has it all laid out for you: how to handle your finances (you can get rich), how to choose a familiar, how to chose a home.  He tells you what your strengths and weaknesses are, and he gives you a list of vampire rules.  

There's a good bit more, but those topics will give you an idea.  You'll find some humor here (the whole book has a light touch), but it's not over the top.  If you're looking for guidance in your new life or just for something different in the vampire line, you can't go wrong with Dicce's advice.

Wyatt Earp in Hollywood

Wyatt Earp in Hollywood

Uh-Oh

‘All of Me’ TV Series Remake In Works At NBC

Song of the Day

Shelter from the Storm - YouTube:

Prairie Rose Publications Halloween Sale

Prairie Rose Publications: PRP PRESENTS A FANTASTIC FALL/HALLOWEEN SALE JUST FOR YOU! by Cheryl Pierson

Today's Vintage Ad


Corsicana Makes the National News

Torrential rain pummels much of Texas

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

The 50 Most Powerful Pictures In American History

PaperBack



Hart Stilwell, Border City, Bantam, 1950

I'm Back

Last night I decided that instead of going to the scheduled luncheon at the reunion today, I'd come back home.  The rain was supposed to hit Houston today, and I didn't want to be heading home in a flood.  I'd had enough of that.  Besides, someone could use my hotel room.  There were 40-50 people in the lobby and the lounge area who didn't have rooms.  So I checked out and left.  The rain was light, the highway was open, and here I am.

I saw the longest traffic jam I'd ever seen.  The northbound traffic on Interstate 45 was backed up for at least twelve miles.  Maybe fifteen.  I don't know if the highway was opened last night, but if it wasn't, there were a lot of travelers and truckers sleeping in their cars and truck cabs.  

The reunion was fun.  I hadn't seen most of those people since they graduated from high school fifty years ago.  They were all having a fine time visiting with each other, and I felt lucky to have played a small part in their lives. 

I Want to Believe!

The Hollow Earth Is Filled With Giants, Germans, and A Little Sun

I Found a Penny in the Walmart Parking Lot Last Week

Hiker finds 1,200-year-old Viking sword under rocks  

Link via Boing Boing.

Not Me

A Texas-sized mystery: who will own the enormous $725m Waggoner ranch? 

There Is Nothing Lower

Florida man steals another's 'Crocodile Dundee' hat

Friday, October 23, 2015

A Brief Update

I've arrived in Corsicana,  Texas, and the dinner for the Class of '65 starts in about an hour.  Here's a little story of my journey.  For almost all the distance it was just fine.  Then, about 20 miles from town, the skies opened up.  Hardest rain I've ever driven in.  But everyone was being sensible, so it was no big deal.  Drive slowly, lights on, etc.  I was within .8 of a mile from my exit when the traffic stopped.  Completely.  Both lanes.  

I sat there for about 15 minutes, maybe 20.  No movement.  None.  I took a peek at the shoulder.  It looked clear, so I decided to go for it.  I pulled onto the shoulder and got to the exit with no problem.

The problem arose after I took the exit.  It was about 200 yards to the light where I needed to turn.  There had been an accident there.  Luckily I was able to get into the lane I needed to be in before traffic piled up and blocked me.  I sat there for about 10 minutes, but I finally got to the light and then to the hotel.  

I just took a look out the window.  The traffic on the Interstate is still at a dead stop.  The rain is light now, so that's not a problem.  I have a feeling there won't be more than a handful of people at the dinner.   I may have made a big mistake by coming.  I'm trying not to think about what the trip home tomorrow might be like.  Yikes.

The Internet connection here seems to be going in and out.  I'll try to post this before I go silent.

Twelve Haunting American Short Stories to Read This Halloween

Twelve Haunting American Short Stories to Read This Halloween  

Link via SF Signal.

Song of the Day

The Outsiders - Time Won't Let Me (HQ Stereo, 1966) - YouTube:

8 Struggles That Only Book Lovers Will Understand

8 Struggles That Only Book Lovers Will Understand

Today's Vintage Ad


First It was the Thin Mints Melee

Parking dispute leads driver to threaten another with hatchet 

On the Road Again

This weekend the Corsicana High School Class of 1965 is having its 50-year reunion.  When I graduated from college in 1963, my first teaching job was in Corsicana, and I taught junior English.  A good many members of the class of '65 were in those English classes.  I'm sure it must have been an interesting experience for them, since I didn't know what I was doing.  They taught me at least as much as I taught them that year.  One of them got in touch with me and asked if I could come to the reunion.  I don't like leaving home, but I thought it would be good for me to get out of the house.  And of course I was curious to see what had happened to that group.  I remember them much better than any other students I taught.  Something about them being the first ones, I guess.

The bad news is the weather.  There's a 100% chance of rain in Corsicana this weekend, and I don't like driving in the rain.  There's a stretch of I-45 that used to flood when there were heavy rains.  I hope that's been improved since the last time I was up that way.

If you're reading this, that means I'm on the way.  Otherwise, I'll just take it down.  If I go, I should be back here on Saturday night.  I'll post some stuff for today and Saturday to keep you occupied.

PaperBack



E. J. Kahn Jr., The Stragglers, Ace, 1952



13 Celebrity #TBT Photos You May Have Missed This Week

13 Celebrity #TBT Photos You May Have Missed This Week

#1 Was Worth Every Penny. So Was #10.

13 Movies That Went Disastrously Over Budget

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Kevin's Corner: FFB Review: "Murder Takes A Break: A Truman Smith Mystery" by Bill Crider

The World's Most Expensive Book

AbeBooks: The World's Most Expensive Book: This is the world's most expensive book. You are looking at the Bay Psalm Book printed in 1640, which sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $14.2 million on November 26, 2013.

And Keep Off Her Lawn!

Neighbor Upset With Noisy Kids Allegedly Sent Family Note to Say "The Children Look Delicious"

FFB: Detective Fiction: A Collection of Critical Essays, Robin Winks, editor

Here's another example of the kind of book that was available to us mystery and crime fiction fans back in the olden days (1980) before the Internet made all kinds of articles available at the click of a mouse.  I could summarize the contents for you, but being lazy today, I'll just scan the back cover.  The info there is probably all you need.  








Oh, I will mention one thing. There's an appendix that includes a section on "Where to Obtain Current and Out-of-Print Detective Stories."  Guess how many sources it lists.  Okay, you probably got it right.  The answer is four.  That's right.  Four.  It was a long time ago.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Harriet Klausner, R.I.P.

Mystery Fanfare: Harriet Klausner: R.I.P.

The Machineries of Mars -- Charles Gramlich

Another book (novella, actually) that I read on my Bouchercon flight was The Machineries of Mars.  It's a sure-footed homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs that works well both as homage and as a humdinger of a story, which begins in medias res when the narrator wakes up on a flyer that's about to crash.  He doesn't know who he is, but he knows how to fix the flyer, and he knows how to use the sword he's wearing.  He looks at the sword, worn from use, and sees letters that seem to be IOHN.  So maybe his name is Iohn.

Almost immediately, Iohn sees a battle and has little hesitation in choosing sides, as on one side a woman and child are involved.  After the fighting, in which Iohn acquits himself quite well, Iohn learns that a society of clones is fighting the inhabitants of Mars, on whose side Iohn now finds himself.  There are move battles, chases, and pursuits before the final twist, which is a good one.

Whether you're a fan of Burroughs or whether you just like fast-moving pulp-style adventure, this one deserves a look.  Check it out.

I'm Sorry Dave, but I Can't Let You Cheat on the Exam

Bloomberg Business: An experiment conducted by John Beck, Ph.D., at Hult International Business School found that a business strategy video game proved just as effective in teaching students as a professor.

Song of the Day

Do You Know What I Mean ? - Lee Michaels- 1971 - YouTube:

Depression-era Photos of People Reading

Depression-era Photos of People Reading

Today's Vintage Ad


Another Cursive Update

Should We Learn To Write Cursive? An Education Expert Weighs In

PaperBack



Edna Ferber, American Beauty, Penguin, 1947

I Miss the Old Days

Vintage Scan #41: Parade (February 20, 1972) - Retrospace

This Is What Bad Grammar Does to You're Brain

This Is What Bad Grammar Does to You're Brain  

You and I know that "you're" isn't bad grammar.  It's bad spelling.  But just go with it.

Marty Ingels, R. I. P.

Actor and comedian Marty Ingels dies at 79: Marty Ingels, the actor, comedian, and talent agent who was married to Shirley Jones for almost 40 years, died Wednesday following a massive stroke. He was 79.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

The Surprising History Of The 'Back To The Future' Clock Tower

The Surprising History Of The 'Back To The Future' Clock Tower: Here's a look at one of the most famous backgrounds in Hollywood history, one that has been featured with everyone from Gregory Peck to Buffy Summers, and is still an iconic setting 65 years after it was built (and 58 years after it was struck by lightning).

Vintage Treasures: The Iron Dragon’s Daughter by Michael Swanwick

Vintage Treasures: The Iron Dragon’s Daughter by Michael Swanwick

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Criminal Geniuses of the Day

Sun Sentinel: man and woman stole jewelry from an art gallery, and then left the woman's name and number in the guestbook, police said.

Now Available: Weird Menace Volume 2

Rough Edges: Now Available: Weird Menace Volume 2: The Shudder Pulps are back! In fact, it's like they never left in this second great collection of new stories inspired by the classic...

Cory Wells, R. I. P.

Fox News: Three Dog Night co-founder and vocalist Cory Wells died Tuesday, according to the band's website. He was 74.

A Little Song, a Little Dance, . . .

. . . a little butcher knife down your pants.

Man dances, smiles on roof of estranged girlfriend's burning home: Police say Matthew Russ, 25, stole her car and drove it through a utility pole, before setting fire to her home and climbing onto the roof armed with a butcher knife.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Bryan Wilson Wants You to Know He's The Texas Law Hawk  

You really need to watch the entire video.

In That Case, Sirs, You Are Free to Go

Kentucky cop accused of helping brother get rid of murdered girlfriend’s body: Also, both Nick and his brother Brooks claim that they have temporary amnesia and can’t remember anything that happened during the time of the murder.

Song of the Day

Chuck Berry - You Can't Catch Me (with lyrics) - YouTube:

I Miss the Old Days

15 jobs quickly disappearing 

Today's Vintage Ad


Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Texas is so crazy Norwegians are literally using ‘Texas’ as slang for ‘crazy’

A New History of the Horror Story: From Homer to Lovecraft

Flavorwire: The below essay, by attorney and writer Leslie S. Klinger, is taken from the introduction to In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe: Classic Tales of Horror, 1816–1914, a new anthology devoted to recovering those horror writers who are obscured by the looming shadow of Edgar Allan Poe. In his introduction, Klinger locates the origin of the “tale of terror” not in Poe — as is often claimed — but in Homer. Next, Klinger threads his history of horror through its “flowering” in the late 18th century, in effect providing a sensible context for what would become the modern horror story. In Klinger’s narrative, Poe’s work, as well of that of his disciples, is made all the more fascinating because it is placed in a new context — a new history of horror.

Bouchercon Report from Janet Hutchings, EQMM Editor

BOUCHERCON 2015 | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN  

Includes a safe-for-work photo of me.

PaperBack



James T. Farrell, Gas-House McGinty, Avon, 1950


Or Maybe You Have

20 Scariest Horror Movies You've Never Seen

Link via Neatorama.

I Miss the Old Days

Vintage Scares #33: Shock! A 1958 Universal Pressbook - Retrospace

Schlock Jocks: 12 of TV’s Coolest Horror Hosts

Schlock Jocks: 12 of TV’s Coolest Horror Hosts

'Back to the Future' Day is here

'Back to the Future' Day is here 

Vera B. Williams, R. I. P.

The New York Times: Vera B. Williams, a writer and illustrator for young people whose picture books centered on the lives of working-class families, a highly unusual subject when she began her work in the 1970s, died on Friday at her home in Narrowsburg, N.Y. She was 88.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

My Comic Books Inexplicably Not Included

10 Valuable Items You Won't Believe People Threw Away

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Joyce Lavene: R.I.P.

Mystery Fanfare: Joyce Lavene: R.I.P.

Paris Hilton Update

Daily Mail Online: PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Paris Hilton shares never-seen-before photos with beau Thomas Gross as she reveals they already have Christmas plans  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Spyfall -- John Hegenberger

I read Spyfall on the plane on my return from Bouchercon, and I couldn't have picked a better book for the trip.  It was the right length, for one thing, and it was also a fast, action-packed adventure that took my mind off the cramped seat I was packed into.

The setting is 1959. Stan Wade is a Hollywood detective, and he's done a bit of work for Walt Disney in the past.  Now Walt wants him again, but this time the job is a bit different.  That's because Walt, besides making a lot of movies, is pretty high up in the FBI.  You probably didn't know that, but that's because it's been kept secret from the public.  So have a lot of other things, and when a CIA agent dies from a trap planned for Wade, Wade is off on a vengeance trip involving the deaths of his parents, nuclear secrets, and the Fate of the Western World.

Before you say "James Bond," Wade is in Jamaica at the estate of Ian Fleming, who's also a big-time spy.  That one, you probably did know.  Anyway, Wade and Norman, Wade's apprentice and a pretty good substitute for Q, are bouncing all over Europe, with Wade dodging Russian assassins whose persistence and resilience are astounding.

There's a lot going on in Spyfall, and Hegenberger name-checks just about every pop-culture figure you can think of from the late '50s.  Some of the story might even be based on fact, not that you'll think about that as you read it.  If you're looking for some nonstop action, along with some humor and surprising twists, give this one a try.

9 Phrases the Cubs Gave Baseball

9 Phrases the Cubs Gave Baseball

Song of the Day

Bad Motorcycle - The Storey Sisters - YouTube:

If It's in the Sun, You Know It's True

The Sun: MORE than a third of escorts who advertise their services are now men offering sex to WOMEN, a study has revealed.

Today's Vintage Ad


In the House of the Seven Librarians - A Short Story

In the House of the Seven Librarians - Uncanny Magazine  

Link via Boing Boing.

I really liked the story.

PaperBack



Groff Conklin, Invaders of Earth, Pocket Books, 1955

First It was the Thin Mints Melee

Man Killed Kin For Blowing Nose At Dinner

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

13 Most Iconic Playboy Covers Of All Time  

Probably NSFW.

I Miss the Old Days

Foxy Ladies #26: Pumpkin Cheesecake  (Safe for Work)

Matthew V. Clemens Interview

Matthew V. Clemens Interview

Paul Bishop Interview

An Interesting Publishing Case Study and Marketing to Your Various Tribes, with Paul Bishop

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Words & Music: Bill Crider, Between the Living and the Dead: A Dan Rhodes Mystery

The Trap of Solid Gold: "School for the Stars"

The Trap of Solid Gold: "School for the Stars"

Pat Woodell, R. I. P.

The New York Times: Pat Woodell, a former actress and singer who played the middle sister Bobbie Jo Bradley for two seasons in the 1960s sitcom “Petticoat Junction,” died on Sept. 29 at her home in Fallbrook, Calif. She was 71.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Overlooked Movies -- The Frogmen

In the summer of 1951 I was 10 years old, and my aunt and grandmother took me and my sister and brother to Corpus Christi, Texas, on vacation.  We always stayed in the cheapest place available, and that meant no maid service.  Did anywhere have maid service in those days?  I don't remember, but I do remember that we didn't provide much in the way of our own maid service, either.  When we left, the floor was as sandy as the nearby beach.  Also, I left behind one of the shirts I took.  It had pictures of pistols and holsters on it, so naturally it was my favorite shirt.  I still miss that shirt.

Having digressed before I even got started, I should mention that there really is a connection to The Frogmen here.  One of the big treats for me on any vacation was going to see a movie or two.  I loved going to movies in theaters away from home, and my aunt was always ready to accommodate me.  The movie we went to see on this trip was The Frogmen.  I thought it was the greatest movie ever made, and after we left the theater, there was nothing for it but to go somewhere and find me a diving mask and some swim fins.  I was going to be a frogman for the rest of the vacation.  This was a problem because while those items weren't exactly expensive, they were expensive for us.  Especially me, as I had no money at all.  However, my aunt came through once again, and soon I was flippering through the foot-deep surf, looking at the brown, sandy bottom.  For the rest of that summer and all of the next, I was the terror of the public pool in Mexia, Texas, as I'd glide along below the surface on the lookout for enemy submarines.

Now about the movie.  Richard Widmark takes over as the commander of an Underwater Demolition Team after the death of the previous chief, who was beloved by all the men.  You can write the plot yourself from that point.  The men don't like Widmark.  Situations arise in which he acts in the correct ways but which the men, not knowing the whole story, consider cowardly.  Things continue to get worse, but then he performs heroically when a torpedo hits the ship but doesn't explode.  He performs even more heroically on a dangerous underwater mission, and the men are won over at last (I hope this doesn't spoil it for you).  

There's some solidly professional acting here from Widmark, Dana Andrews, and Gary Merrill.  Also featured in a couple of their very early movie appearances are Robert Wagner and Jeffrey Hunter.  The underwater scenes are great, by far the best part of the movie (or they were to me in 1951) even if they weren't done by the actors.

As far as I'm concerned, this one is right up there with the best war movies ever.

The Frogmen

THE FROGMEN(1951) Original Theatrical Trailer - YouTube:

Monday, October 19, 2015

Good to Know

Big Ben: 'No risk of hands falling off', Parliament officials insist   

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.

This Service Might Not Be Offered in Your Town


The Day Before We Moved to Austin

Judy and I borrowed her parents' car (a 1957 Plymouth Fury similar to the one in the picture but light green instead of blue) to take some of our worldly possessions to Austin in.  We didn't have a lot of worldly possessions, so the Fury plus our Ford would do the job.  

When we arrived in Denton with the car early in the evening, we stopped to get gas, and there was Ray Peterson of "Tell Laura I Love Her" fame filling his car.  I recognized him immediately, having seen him on TV a few times.  It was easy to see that he wasn't like the rest of us.  Nobody else I knew had hair like him.  What surprised me what that he had a serious limp.  I didn't know until years later that he'd had polio as a child.  I also didn't know that Denton was his hometown.  I wish I'd gotten his autograph, but I was much too shy to say anything.

The next day Judy went to work as usual, leaving me at the apartment to pack the cars.  The day was August 1, 1966.  Here's why I know the date.  I turned on the radio to listen to music while I worked, but there wasn't any music.  There was just talk because somebody was on the Tower at The University of Texas at Austin, shooting at people.  His name, as we found out later, was Charles Whitman.  He killed 14 people and wounded a lot of others before he was killed himself.  I found out when I read accounts of the event in the paper that one of the wounded was the brother of one of my high school classmates, and of course I heard a number of first-person accounts after I got to town.  It was a terrible thing, and it made me a little apprehensive about our move, but we were committed to leaving.

The Tower had always been one of my favorite places on the UT campus.  I'd gone there on my first visit to the campus, and my college roommate, Walter Funk, and I made it a point to go up and check out the view at least once every semester.  The photo of us was taken in November, 1960, our sophomore year.  I'm the one on the left.  You can sort of see the Capitol Building between us.  The skyline is a lot different now.  After the Whitman incident, the Tower was closed for a while, and it's been closed and reopened a number of times over the years.  I don't know if it's open now.

But I've digressed again.  On August 2, Judy and I got into the Ford and they Plymouth and left Denton for the last time. 

Vintage Hollywood-Inspired Makeup Ads

Vintage Hollywood-Inspired Makeup Ads 

Song of the Day

Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town - YouTube:

Forgotten Hits: 50 Year Flashback - October 19, 1965

Forgotten Hits: 50 Year Flashback - October 19, 1965

Today's Vintage Ad


The pointlessness of the long distance runner

The pointlessness of the long distance runner

PaperBack



Ange Gabrielli, Hot Hands, Berkley, 1967

First It was the Thin Mints Melee

Daily Mail Online: Southwest Airlines flight returns to gate 'after passenger CHOKES another for reclining her seat in front of him'

I would vote for acquittal.

I Want to Believe!

Buddha Statue Spotted On Mars ... Or Is It Just A Rock Formation?

I Miss the Old Days

The death of the family meal and other things that we just don't do anymore 

Brooklyn Leads the Way

There’s an Incredible Collection of Classic Cars Hiding Away in a Brooklyn Garage

Chicken Yodeling

Chicken Yodeling  

New Poem at the Five-Two

The Five-Two: Clarinda Harriss: DAUGHTER OF THE CONFEDERACY

10 Nifty Tips For Becoming a Successful Criminal, According to Harry Houdini

10 Nifty Tips For Becoming a Successful Criminal, According to Harry Houdini

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Boris Karloff - A1 Steak Sauce - TV Commercial

Boris Karloff - A1 Steak Sauce - TV Commercial - YouTube:

Song of the Day

Aretha Franklin & Ray Charles - Ain't But The One - YouTube:

Archaeology Update

Archaeologists Find Ancient Greek Zombie Graves

Today's Vintage Ad


11 Cultural Breakthroughs Genghis Khan Achieved During His Reign

11 Cultural Breakthroughs Genghis Khan Achieved During His Reign

PaperBack



Philip Harkins, Argentine Road Race, Berkley Highland, 1967

First It was the Thin Mints Melee

Man Knocked Out by Hot Sauce in Fight Over Graham Crackers

As Jeff Meyerson Would Say, Guess the State

Frozen gators, meth, infants taken from home  

Hat tip to Art Scott.

Bookplates

When Book Lovers Guarded Their Prized Possessions With Tiny Artworks  

Link via The Presurfer.

It's Science!

5 Scientific Reasons Why You Should Embrace Being Lazy

First It was the Thin Mints Melee

Mich. woman gets hit in face with Slurpee, shoots at driver  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Annie Oakley Took Hearst Papers to Court

Annie Oakley Once Took Hearst Newspapers to Court for Reporting a False Cocaine Addiction

Gator Update (Hold My Beer and Watch This Edition)

This Is Why You Should Never Try to Run Over an Alligator [VIDEO]