Saturday, January 07, 2017

Francine York, R. I. P.

Hollywood Reporter: Francine York, the statuesque actress who showed off her sexuality as The Bookworm's moll on Batman and in such films as It's Only Money, Cannon for Cordoba and The Doll Squad, has died. She was 80.

Nat Hentoff, R. I. P.

SFGate: NEW YORK (AP) — Nat Hentoff, an eclectic columnist, critic, novelist and agitator dedicated to music, free expression and defying the party line, died Saturday at age 91.

Bookselling in the 21st Century

Bookselling in the 21st Century: Notable Customers, Illustrated 

Song of the Day

Bob Seger - Katmandu - YouTube:

Makes Sense to Me

Visiting Disney World is the Modern Version of Making a Medieval Pilgrimage: According to anthropologists, religious studies experts, and art historians.

Today's Vintage Ad


The Digest Enthusiast #5 -- You Know You Want It!

The Digest Enthusiast #5 | Digest Magazines: The Digest Enthusiast #5 Jan. 2017 cover by Joe Wehrle, Jr. TDE5 is now available in print and Kindle editions. 

Here’s the lineup: • Interview with Bill Crider: The inside story on Dan Rhodes, EQMM’s Blog Bytes and Bill’s storied career with digests—with special coverage of the beloved DAPA-EM. 

• Digest News: the latest from Dell, Fate, F&SF, Nostalgia Digest, Video WatcHDog and our contributors; readers’ response to TDE4; plus Tom Brinkmann’s portraits of synchronicity. 

• Peter Enfantino’s overview and synopses of Martin Goodman’s Justice Amazing Detective Mysteries. • Steve Carper cracks the riddle of the remarkable Ellery Queen Selects series. 

• Peter Enfantino reports on the editorial insights of Robert A.W. Lowndes on his ultimate manifestation: the Magazine of Horror

• RAWL on Writing for Publication, a summary by Richard Krauss. 

• Reviews of the UK’s Worlds of Fantasy #4, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction edited by Peter Nicholls, Charles Beckman, Jr.’s Honky Tonk Girl by Gary Lovisi, and Marvel Science Stories May 1951. 

• Genre fiction by Lesann Berry, Richard L. Kellogg, and Joe Wehrle, Jr.; with illustrations by Brian Buniak, Michael Neno, and Joe Wehrle, Jr. 

• Plus contents lists and sources; digest magazine checklists; Haiku by Clark Dissmeyer; cartoons by Brad Foster and Bob Vojtko; and more.  

Print version, $8.99, includes nearly 100 B&W cover images, 152 pages, 5.5″ x 8.5″ digest.
 Kindle version, $2.99, includes over 50 color cover images.

Your Essential Literary Guide to the 2017 Golden Globes

Your Essential Literary Guide to the 2017 Golden Globes 

PaperBack



Mason Gregory, If Two of Them Are Dead, Phantom Books (Australia), 1954

Forgotten Hits: January 7th

Forgotten Hits: January 7th

Texas Led the Way

Peer Into The Past: Dr. Charles Campbell and a “municipal bat-roost”...  

Link via Messy Nessy.

Friday, January 06, 2017

Forgotten Hits: January 6th

Forgotten Hits: January 6th

Song of the Day

Dick Curless - Tombstone Every mile - YouTube:

The Eddie Haskell Story

The Eddie Haskell Story 

Today's Vintage Ad


The Most Popular Netflix Show in Each State

The Most Popular Netflix Show in Each State 

PaperBack



Ellery Queen (Daniel Nathan [Frederic Dannay] and Emanuel Benjamin Lepofsky [Manfred Bennington Lee]), The Four of Hearts, Pocket Books, 1943

Get Our Your Checkbooks!

Utah Cliff House — Welcome  

Auction begins Jan. 21.
Link via Messy Nessy.

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Kevin's Corner: FFB Review: Of All Sad Words: A Sheriff Dan Rhodes Mystery by Bill Crider

5 Great Women Ignored By History For Absurdly Sexist Reasons

5 Great Women Ignored By History For Absurdly Sexist Reasons

FFB: My Turn -- John O'Hara

When I was in high school and college, I read quite a few novels by John O'Hara.  Lately I've been enjoying his short stories.  My Turn is nonfiction, a collection of syndicated columns that O'Hara wrote from October 1964 to October 1965.  Each column is about two pages long, and O'Hara got $1000 for each one.  Not bad in 1965 dollars, and of course the column was just a sideline for him.  He was a former straight-ticket Democrat who'd become a straight-ticket Republican by the time the columns were written, and apparently a good many newspapers dropped the column over the course of the year.  The syndicate could no longer afford them, and O'Hara refused to take a pay cut.  Thus ended the column.

O'Hara was free to write about whatever he wanted to, and mostly he wrote about his personal views.  You might not think the columns would be relevant now, but you know the old expression about how the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Lots of this stuff could be redone today if the names were changed.  Black men being shot by cops?  That's covered.  Gun control?  Yep.  Liberal bashing?  Plenty of that.  The thing about O'Hara's writing and opinions is that they're always urbane, civilized.  He doesn't go for ranting, but you never have any doubt about where he stands.  The fifty years that have gone by since the writing of the columns give them plenty of distance.  It's easy to read them as entertainment and to enjoy O'Hara's opinions of some of his fellow writers (he didn't care for most of them) and politicians (he liked Barry Goldwater but didn't like Lyndon Johnson).  People under fifty, or maybe under sixty, reading this book might feel as if they're reading about events as ancient as the Punic Wars.  To me at least 95% of the names were as familiar as if I'd seen them yesterday.  It's a short book, and I found it a lot of fun.

Thursday, January 05, 2017

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Cursed to Death: Bill Crider

King Kong vs. Tarzan -- Will Murray

Here's the part of the story of King Kong that you know:  Kong is captured on Skull Island and taken away by Carl Denam and his crew.  Kong arrives in New York and havoc ensues.  What you don't know, since it's in neither the movie or the book about Kong, is anything about the journey from one place to the other.  Now you can find out, since that's what Will Murray's new novel is all about.  

Consider the problems.  How are you going to feed Kong?  How are you going to keep him from tearing your ship apart?  What about body waste?  Murray has thought about all these things and more.  For example, the shortest way to New York would be through the Suez Canal, but what are you going to tell the customs inspectors if they ask if you have anything to declare?  "Oh, nothing at all.  Just the giant ape down there in the cargo hold."  So the canal is out, and the ship winds up docking for supplies in Kenya.  Which is where Kong escapes.  Into Tarzan territory.

We all know there can be only one Lord of the Jungle, so who's it gonna be, Kong or Tarzan?  Have a look at the cover up there on the left for one of the great confrontations from the book.  We all know that Kong winds up in New York, but how does the confrontation end?  I'm not telling.

There's lots more in the novel than a short review can reveal, and Murray's ideas about how Kong would adapt to Africa, a very different environment from that of Skull Island, are among them.  You'll just have to read the book for yourself to find out what they are.

Carl Denham's a great character, determined to get his way come hell or high water or Lords of the Jungle.  This is another thrilling adventure in the grand pulp style from Murray, great reading for a cold winter's day or for any other day of the year.

I Was a Ghostwriter for a Ghostwriter

I Was a Ghostwriter for a Ghostwriter: ON TIME SPENT IN A MEMOIR FACTORY

Song of the Day

Rod Stewart - "Sailing" (Official Music Video) - YouTube:

Film Directors Pick Their Favorite Movies Of 2016

Film Directors Pick Their Favorite Movies Of 2016 

Today's Vintage Ad


33 Things That Were Originally Called Something Completely Different

33 Things That Were Originally Called Something Completely Different

PaperBack



Wade Miller (Bob Wade & Bill Miller), Shoot to Kill, Phantom Books (Australia), 1954

Letters from an Invented Writer

Letters from an Invented Writer: A selection of correspondence between 'James Tiptree, Jr.' and Joanna Russ 

The mausoleums of Mexico's drug lords

The mausoleums of Mexico's drug lords.  

Link via Messy Nessy.

Wednesday, January 04, 2017

The Biggest Literary Stories of the Year

The Biggest Literary Stories of the Year (2016)

Song of the Day

The Four Preps - Big Surprise (1959) - YouTube:

Forgotten Hits: January 4th

Forgotten Hits: January 4th

Today's Vintage Ad


Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Texas Facebook feud spills out into the real world — and 4 people end up shot

Or Maybe They Aren't

10 Dark Hollywood Scandals That Are Long Forgotten 

PaperBack



Francis Hilton, Skyline Riders, Dell, 1948

I Miss the Old Days

Celebrating 30 Years Of Chuck Norris In ‘The Delta Force’!

These amazing albums turn 30 years old in 2017

These amazing albums turn 30 years old in 2017

Inside Jonathan Lethem’s Oddball Trove

Inside Jonathan Lethem’s Oddball Trove

Tuesday, January 03, 2017

Health Update

For those interested in the state of my health, here's the latest.  After a long day of testing yesterday, I met with the doctor today.  The test results were "mixed" and a little puzzling.  The good news is that both the CT scan and the bone scan showed nice improvement, and most of my blood work was excellent.  The bad news is that the one problem with the blood work was the PSA count, which has risen again.  This is puzzling because in light of the test results, that shouldn't be the case. 

Rather than start chemo immediately, the doctor wants to wait one week and do another blood test.  If the PSA remains high, then I'll be boarding the chemo train.  I can't see any reason why it won't remain high, and the doctor wasn't sanguine, either.  At least I'm getting a week's reprieve, so I'm glad about that.

Ex-drug users share photos after their recovery

Ex-drug users share transformation photos after their recovery from drugs   

Annoying slideshow, but interesting.

Lynn Munroe Books: Morgan Kane

My friend Art Scott reminded me that I've been remiss in not posting links to Lynn Munroe's latest research.  This time Munroe discusses Morgan Kane, who did hundreds of great paperback covers, among other works.  The bio is great, and the checklist is a visual feast.  Mostly.  As Art points out, Kane, while a great illustrator, was also responsible for some not-so-wonderful photo covers, including the early '70s Shell Scott novels by Richard S. Prather. 

Lynn Munroe Books:  Morgan Kane bio

Morgan Kane Checklist.

Song of the Day

Chicago Baby What A Big Surprise - YouTube:

Forgotten Hits: January 3rd

Forgotten Hits: January 3rd

Today's Vintage Ad


The Murder of Rasputin

The Murder of Rasputin: The 100th Anniversary of a Mystery That Won't Die 

PaperBack



Jack Waer, Murder in Las Vegas, Phantom Books (Australia), 1957

A Recommended Website . . .

for SF readers who miss the old days:  Galactic Journey:  

Imagine living in the post-Golden Age of science fiction and fantasy. What would it be like to actually be there, experiencing life, the movies, the books, the music, day per day?

The Traveler lives in 1961, but he regularly commutes 55 years into the future to write about then-contemporary science fiction and fantasy, particularly fiction found in magazines.  But that’s not all there is to life 55 years ago!  So expect to read about the movies, the space shots, the politics, the music, and much more!

There is nothing like the Journey anywhere else in the universe.  Come jump through the portal and see a world you may but dimly remember, or which you may never have seen before, but without which your time could never have been…

Galaxy Science Fiction, August 1953: A Retro-Review

Galaxy Science Fiction, August 1953: A Retro-Review

Overlooked Movies -- The Terror of the Tongs

Christopher Lee, plays the head of the Red Dragon tong in a somewhat lackadaisical performance.  The MacGuffin is a list of the members of the tong, which a group opposed to the tong could use to destroy it if they can only get their hands on the list.  The man with the list hides it in a book before he's killed.  The book is a gift for a ship's captain (Geoffrey Toone), and his daughter is killed when the tong members are searching for the list.  And it's a good thing.  The daughter is so irritating that I was glad that she was in the movie for only a few minutes.  I couldn't have taken much more of her.

Naturally the captain wants revenge.  The police are no help, so he sets out to destroy the tong on his own.  You could probably write the rest of it yourself since it plays out just as you'd expect.  The surprise villain isn't at all surprising.

My guess is that 90% of the actors aren't Asian.  This might occasion a bit of comment today, but I don't remember that it occasioned any on its original release.  What got the comment was the torture and violence, which would now be rated PG at worst.  It's all quite mild and nothing graphic is shown.  It's an okay movie but nothing you need to go out of your way to see.

The Terror of the Tongs

Trailer: The Terror of the Tongs (1961) - YouTube:

Monday, January 02, 2017

The Real Story Behind the Myth of Area 51

The Real Story Behind the Myth of Area 51

Song of the Day

The Human League - (Keep Feeling) Fascination - YouTube:

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

The 30 Best Self Help Books: This list reflects books that have saved lives, sold millions of copies, spawned publishing empires, influenced work habits, inspired presidents and prime ministers, and we approached the subject from a variety of angles ranging from allegories to straight fiction to ensure diversity in our recommendations. Mind, body and health, family and relationships, work, money and finance, and lifestyle are all covered.

Today's Vintage Ad


The Strange World of Fake Academia

A Peek Inside the Strange World of Fake Academia 

PaperBack



Paul Whelton, Women Are Skin Deep, Phantom Books (Australia), 1957

Forgotten Hits: January 2

Forgotten Hits: January 2

New Poem at The Five-Two

The Five-Two: C.J. Edwards -- Sweet Sixteen

100 things we didn't know last year

100 things we didn't know last year

Notable Literary Deaths in 2016

Notable Literary Deaths in 2016

Sunday, January 01, 2017

New York opens subway line dreamed up in 1920s

New York opens subway line dreamed up in 1920s

Song of the Day

Joshua Fit The Battle by Jimmy Rodgers & Lampliters on 1960 Guest Star LP. - YouTube:

Forgotten Hits: January 1st, 1967

Forgotten Hits: January 1st, 1967

Today's Vintage Ad


The Weird Week in Review

The Weird Week in Review

PaperBack



William MacLeod Raine, Rutledge Trails the Ace of Spades, Dell, 1950

Librarians use fake reader to check out and save books

The Sacramento Bee: A library in Florida created a fake reader, named it for a former major-league baseball player, and allowed it to check out books to make sure certain titles remained on the shelves. Books that aren’t used for a long period can be discarded and removed from the library system.

The Surprising Origins of the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Tradition

The Surprising Origins of the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Tradition 

I Miss the Old Days

Happy New Year everybody!

Vintage Pop Culture New Year’s Eve Memories