Saturday, October 08, 2016

Bobby Breen, R. I. P.

Bobby Breen, child star: Bobby Breen , who has died aged 87, was a tousle-haired Canadian boy tenor sensation and one of a stable of child stars who began his career during the Great Depression.

What Is the Oxford Comma and Why Do People Care So Much About It?

What Is the Oxford Comma and Why Do People Care So Much About It? 

Song of the Day

Procol Harum - Homburg (1967) - YouTube:

Croc Update ('Cage of Death' Edition)

Being in a 'Cage of Death' within a crocodile enclosure sure looks fun

Today's Vintage Ad


8 World Famous Historical Hats

8 World Famous Historical Hats 

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David Greenhood, Love in Dishevelment, Signet, 1949

Memory capacity of brain is 10 times more than previously thought

Memory capacity of brain is 10 times more than previously thought

Galaxy Science Fiction, July 1953: A Retro-Review

Galaxy Science Fiction, July 1953: A Retro-Review

H. W. Brands: By the Book

H. W. Brands: By the Book 

Friday, October 07, 2016

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . . .

New Hampshire brothers tangle on front-end loader, crane

Not that I have them

The Science Behind Senior Moments

Song of the Day

Billy Joe Royal- Burn Like A Rocket - YouTube:

Peter Gunn (1958-1961)

Peter Gunn (1958-1961)

A good overview of the series' first season.

Today's Vintage Ad


Elvira Interview

Elvira on her date with Elvis and the fish recipe she got from Vincent Price 

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John Klempner, Letter to Five Wives, Dell, 1956

I Was Going To Post This Yesterday

Why Writers Are the Worst Procrastinators

Link via boingboing.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . . .

'Hurricane Matthew panic' sparks supermarket brawl as two women scrap over last case of water 

26 Incredible Pictures Of Famous People Throughout History

26 Incredible Pictures Of Famous People Throughout History

Once Again Texas Leads the Way


abc13.com: When students at Alvin Junior High School heard their beloved choir teacher was in hospice, they wanted to do more than just send her their thoughts and prayers. They decided they wanted to let Mrs. Mariana Walker know in person how much she meant to them using a tool she always loved - their voices. More than a dozen students went Walker's home after school on Wednesday and sang Hillsong's "Oceans."

FFB: A digest magazine -- Fantastic Science Fiction, February, 1958


When I was a teen, I never missed an issue of Fantastic, so I'm sure I read this one.  Reading it again, I came to the bleak realization that I had terrible taste.  This is really bad stuff.

Henry Sleasar's story "Jewel of Ecstasy" gets the cover, and what a mess it is.  The story, not the cover.  The setting is pure '50s except for the interplanetery travel.  There's this jewel, see, and anybody who looks at it becomes amoral and immortal.  And it just gets goofier as it goes along.  Yikes.

Sex sold in the '50s, and "Mr. Fenbley's Nudes" is about a female mannikin that comes alive when touched by a man with the right body chemistry.  Hahahaha!  What a great concept.  The farce doesn't work in the least.

"I Married a Martian" has a guy getting a woman's bedtime and bathtime routines on his TV set.  Saucer clubs!  A real Martian wife!  She sure can cook!  Yuks galore!

"Code for Unbelievers" tells us that there's a Universal Unconscious Mind that we all share and that, well, we can become millionaires.  Or something.  

I can't go on, but the other stories are equally dire.  Yet I ate this stuff up as a youngster.  It's no wonder I'm a dunderhead.  It's embarrassing.  I should've been reading Jane Austen.  Too late for me now, though.

ToC from the invaluable Galactic Central:
6 · Jewel of Ecstasy · Henry Slesar · nv
45 · Mr. Fenbley’s Nudes · Wilson Kane · ss
52 · I Married a Martian · E. K. Jarvis · ss
66 · A Code for Unbelievers · G. L. Vandenburg · ss
84 · Earth Specimen · Gerald Vance · ss
102 · Danger, Red! · O. H. Leslie · ss
116 · Appointment with Mr. Armstrong · Doris E. Kaye · ss

Thursday, October 06, 2016

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . . .

Reclining chair leads to in-flight brawl, police escort pair from plane

On This Day, Peak Florida Has Been Reached

On This Day, Peak Florida Has Been Reached

New Issue of Plots with Guns

Click here:  PWG

Cursive Update

Learning to Write in Cursive Might Not Be as Important as Your Teachers Told You

Song of the Day

The Dixie Cups - Chapel Of Love - YouTube:

Forgotten Hits: Channeling The Fat One

Forgotten Hits: Channeling The Fat One

Joan Marie Johnson Faust, R. I. P.

wwltv.com: Joan Marie Johnson Faust, one of the founding members of The Dixie Cups, the New Orleans singing group who reached the top of the national charts in the 1960s with “Chapel of Love” and “Iko Iko,” has died. She was 72.

Today's Vintage Ad


National Book Award Finalists

National Book Award Finalists

I Want to Believe!

6 Places Where the Yeti Has Been Spotted 

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David Dodge, The Long Escape, Dell, 1950

Argosy, Black Mask, and Famous Fantastic Mysteries Return

Argosy, Black Mask, and Famous Fantastic Mysteries Return

How Pulp Science Fiction Cover Art Got Its Sense of Wonder

How Pulp Science Fiction Cover Art Got Its Sense of Wonder  

Hat tip to Kim Antell.

Paging Seepy Benton

Ancient Cannabis 'Burial Shroud' Discovered

Fantastic, November and December 1963: A Retro-Review

Fantastic, November and December 1963: A Retro-Review

Wednesday, October 05, 2016

Nic Cage Inexplicably Not Included

9 Actors Who Did It For The Money

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . . .

Father And Son Brawl Over Trashed Legos

Rod Temperton, R. I. P.

Rod Temperton, 'Thriller' songwriter, dead at 66: LONDON (AP) — Rod Temperton, a British-born musician and songwriter with a singular knack for pop-funk who wrote the Michael Jackson classics "Thriller," ''Rock With You" and many other hits, has died of cancer in London at 66.

The First Female Action Star

The First Female Action Star:  Helen Holmes jumped from trains into open-air cars, almost burned alive, and was no damsel in distress needing a man to save her.

Song of the Day

Jefferson Starship Count On Me - YouTube:

10 Good Luck Charms And Their Origins

10 Good Luck Charms And Their Origins

Today's Vintage Ad


You've Never Seen 1930s & 40s America Like This

You've Never Seen 1930s & 40s America Like This

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Edward D. Radin, Headline Crimes of the Year, Popular Library, 1952

I Miss the Old Days

For Sale! Kitschy Time Capsule Pad, Perfect for Drinking Martinis All Day Long

Yes. Yes, I can.

Can You Guess Which Classic Books These Opening Lines Are From

Lovely Hidden Paintings Adorned the Edges of Historic Books

Atlas Obscura: Fore-edge paintings. Just look at them!

Tuesday, October 04, 2016

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . . .

Man says neighbor attacked him with weed eater

Fields Where They Lay -- Timothy Hallinan

Fields Where They Lay is a Christmas mystery featuring Junior Bender, a professional thief of whom I'm a big fan.  Junior has issues with Christmas, which is a problem, but so does his girlfriend, Ronnie, which is an even bigger problem.  But that's not the main plot of the book.  The main plot has to do with the fact that Junior is now not so much a thief as a guy who does favors for other thieves or lawbreakers.  One to whom he owes a favor calls it in, and Junior finds himself working for a Russian thug who, with several other Russian thugs, owns a failing shopping mall.  It seems that there's an unusual amount of shoplifting going on, and the thug, who calls himself Tip Poindexter (Junior calls him Vlad), wants to know who's doing it and why.  Junior has to find out in two days.  Or else.  

There are two Christmas stories here, the one I just outlined in brief and one that a mall Santa (there are two of them) tells Junior.  It's about the Santa's father in WWII, and it's about a real Christmas miracle.  And it has a fine tie-in to the title of the book, as well.  The title, of course, comes from a carol called "The First Noel," and there's a lot about Christmas music in the book.  You may or may not find yourself agreeing with Junior about it.

The main plot works out just as well (or even better) than you hope it would, and the ending has Junior making a promise that's probably going to change the course of the series when he follows through, as he surely will.  

Hallinan gives us plenty of great dialogue and great characters, terrific pacing, and a couple of highly satisfying Christmas stories.  If you're looking for the perfect book to give someone for Christmas (and they already have all of my books), then this is the one to give.  You can't go wrong.

Flying Saucers are Real!

Flying Saucers are Real! Anthology of the lost saucer-craze  

Some great covers here.

Song of the Day

CRAWLING FROM THE WRECKAGE - DAVE EDMUNDS - YouTube:

In Case You Were Wondering

What's the Difference Between the Yeti, the Abominable Snowman, and Bigfoot?

Today's Vintage Ad


Ancient treasure there for the taking

Where to find gold in the UK, US Rocky Mountains and more: Ancient treasure there for the taking

PaperBack



Paul Conant, Dr. Gatskill's Blue Shoes, Dell, 1952

National Collegiate Book-Collecting Contest Winners Announced

National Collegiate Book-Collecting Contest Winners Announced

I Miss the Old Days

Retrospace: Awesome Classy 50s Family Circle Covers

Croc Update (Flip-Flop Edition)

Woman scared off dangerous giant crocodile with her slippers in terrifying encounter  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Warning: Auto-start video.

Gloria Naylor, R. I. P.

The New York Times: Gloria Naylor, whose debut novel, “The Women of Brewster Place,” won a National Book Award and was adapted into an acclaimed mini-series that starred and was produced by Oprah Winfrey, died on Wednesday near her home in Christiansted, V.I. She was 66.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Overlooked Movies: Riders in the Sky

I saw this movie when I was eight or nine years old, and when I watched it again not long ago, I was surprised by how much of it I remembered.  I was highly impressed as a kid because I already loved "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and thought it was about the greatest song ever.  And I thought the scene in the movie when Gene sang the song to a dying man was about the coolest thing ever.  That's why I included the song and the scene below instead of the trailer that I usually post.

The movie's not bad either.  It's told in flashback, and it involves a romance between Gene and a real estate agent whose father's been framed for murder, along with that great old standard, the water rights to a ranch.  There is, of course, a crooked salon owner, and a lot of shootin', hard ridin', and fightin'.  In fact one of the fights is a comedy scene that works well, coming as it does right after Gene has cheated a cheater in a card game.  It was fun to see this one again, and the very last scene got to me just as much as it did when I was but a lad.  I'm really glad I took the time to watch this one for old times' sake.

Gene Autry - Ghost Riders in the Sky

Gene Autry - Ghost Riders in the Sky (from Riders in the Sky 1949) - YouTube:

Monday, October 03, 2016

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Book 'em Benj-O: Survivors Will Be Shot Again by Bill Crider

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Book 'em Benj-O: Between the Living and the Dead by Bill Crider

Quarry in the Black -- Max Allan Collins

The latest Quarry novel from Max Allan Collins is set in 1972 at election time. It's McGovern vs. Nixon, and there's some wonderful stuff about the time period in general and that election in particular here, with Collins drawing on his personal memories at some points.  Not that it matters to the story he's telling.

This time the Broker sends Quarry to Missouri to kill a local politician, a black man who's risen to a position of some power, the reverend Raymond Wesley Lloyd, who's campaigning for McGovern.  Quarry doesn't do political assassinations, but the Broker convinces him that Lloyd isn't being killed for political reasons.   He's dirty in other ways.  The pay and the Broker's assurances persuade Quarry to take on the job.

Things go wrong almost from the start, and Quarry becomes more and more certain that there is indeed a political aspect to what he's been sent to do.  Not only that, but someone's hired another hit man to do the same job.  (Trust Collins to make a relevant tie-in to the present day with this.)  Soon Quarry finds himself tangling with the Klan, not to mention redneck tough guys.  And beautiful women.  Things are not, of course, as they seem, but Quarry's tough, resourceful, and smart.  Anybody who tangles with him is in big trouble. 

Like his protagonist, Collins is tough, resourceful, and smart, and he knows how to tell a cracking story with heart and humor even in the midst of the violence and treachery.  And even a killer like Quarry can do something good if he gets the chance.  This one's another winner in this great series.  Check it out.

18 True Crime Podcasts

18 True Crime Podcasts That'll Seriously Creep You The Hell Out

Song of the Day

Nick Lowe - "I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock And Roll" - YouTube:

America's Original Cowgirl

The Ballad of Lucille Mulhall, America's Original Cowgirl 

Today's Vintage Ad


And You Thought TV Was Out of Ideas

ABC Orders ‘The Gong Show’ Revival Series Produced By Will Arnett

The Sweet History of PEZ

Do You Remember?: PEZ, even though they’re still around today there’s something about these chalky Austrian candies and their adorable/mechanical pocket dispensers that bring you back to your earliest days of childhood. Whether it was the an addiction to a certain flavor (my favorite was grape!) or simple NEED to complete your favorite set of PEZ characters most people can remember the sweet memories these little candy bricks bring.

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Carter Brown, The Corpse, Signet, 1965

The world’s largest truck stop

Iowa 80 Truck Stop – Walcott, Iowa: The world’s largest truck stop includes a barber shop, chiropractor, and a huge museum with antique trucks.

Adult Bookstore

Adult Bookstore 

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

12 Insane New Foods At The Texas State Fair That'll Make You Drool

Sunday, October 02, 2016

11 Sweet Facts About Rosh Hashanah

11 Sweet Facts About Rosh Hashanah

The past and future of language on the internet.

The past and future of language on the internet.

Song of the Day

The Seekers Just A Closer Walk With Thee (Stereo) 1966\2000 - YouTube:

10 Words with Hidden 'Shoe' Etymologies

10 Words with Hidden 'Shoe' Etymologies

Today's Vintage Ad


Colma, The Town of The Dead

Colma, The Town of The Dead: South of San Francisco, near Daly City, lies the small town of Colma where the dead outnumbers the living by a thousand to one. It’s less than 2 square miles in size, but crammed within it are as many as 17 centuries where rest the bodies of more than 1.5 million souls.

PaperBack



Carter Brown, The Hammer of Thor, Signet, 1965

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Kicked by a zombie alligator 

9 Novels with Great Long Sentences

9 Novels with Great Long Sentences

Everything a gentile needs to know about Rosh Hashanah

Everything a gentile needs to know about Rosh Hashanah