William Castle - Introduction to "The Tingler"

           

The Lone Ranger TV show

 

Got this fun set recently.  The Lone Ranger was probably my second live action masked hero I ever saw, after Batman.  I knew who he was, but it wasn't until many years later I learned about his origin.  I never knew how many episodes of that 50s television show there were, though I did notice his face changed for a while.  That was weird for a kid to see.  The show aired early in the morning, so I would watch it while getting ready for school, or having my breakfast (Quisp!).  I don't recall seeing color episodes, but my memory of those days of yore is quite hazy nowadays.  I did wonder why some old coot prospector showed up all the time when the Ranger should have been in all the action.  The Ranger didn't have a secret identity, so he could be the Ranger all the time!

HOTW- Aquaman

 

From Wiki- Aquaman's first origin story was presented in flashback from his debut in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941), narrated by the character himself:  The story must start with my father, a famous undersea explorer—if I spoke his name, you would recognize it. My mother died when I was a baby, and he turned to his work of solving the ocean's secrets. His greatest discovery was an ancient city, in the depths where no other diver had ever penetrated. My father believed it was the lost kingdom of Atlantis. He made himself a water-tight home in one of the palaces and lived there, studying the records and devices of the race's marvelous wisdom. From the books and records, he learned ways of teaching me to live under the ocean, drawing oxygen from the water and using all the power of the sea to make me wonderfully strong and swift. By training and a hundred scientific secrets, I became what you see—a human being who lives and thrives under the water.

The Runaways - Mama Weer All Crazee Now

          

Calvin Monday 3-17-1989

Calvin finally has his fully assembled and functional propeller beanie.  And it is not quite what he expected.  I wonder if he even read what the beanie would do before he decided he had to have it.  How many of actually did when we were kids?  All those X-rays specs and miniature submarines in the ad pages of comic books were not quite what they were advertised to be, either.

Destroy All Monsters story

Last night Sven aired Destroy All Monsters again.  Since I have talked about this movie a lot on this blog, I thought I would try something a little different.  I have a long history with this movie, and I today I am going to regale my wonderful readers with a story about watching the movie in a Kmart.  The movie aired many times in my area, and this would have been 1981 or 1982 or so.  I don't quite remember, though I am sure I wrote about it in one of my many journals at the time.  It was probably right at the start of summer vacation, at least that is my recollection now.

The Flight of Dragons 1982

At the end of the magic age and the beginning of the logic age, a choice must be made.  However, the forces of evil are determined not to let mankind make the boring choice.  Harry Morgan as Carolinus, the Green Wizard, brings a man from the future to the Magic Age for his help.  This is John Ritter as Peter Dickinson, who put himself in his own book and game.  He agrees to help out, and falls in love with Nellie Bellflower as Danielle.  In the middle of this, Peter gets his mind put into Bob McFadden as Gorbash's body.  The quest is successful, and magic is going away.

Destroy All Monsters 1969 TV trailer

       

Spider Men attack the Herculoids

In the first segment of the fifth episode of The Herculoids, titled "The Spider Man" the group is attacked by a horde of spider creatures.  They really don't look like men, do they?  There is no reason given for the attack, though.  One can only assume they were looking for food.  They look more like ants, since they only have six limbs, and their rides only have four.  They are from the Lost Caves, and put up a titanic struggle against the Herculoids, but are no match for them.  The team seals up the opening, and the spider things are never seen again.

HOTW- Daredevil

 

From Wiki- As a child, Bart Hill had been rendered mute by the shock of seeing his father murdered and himself being branded with a hot iron. Orphaned, he grew up to become a boomerang marksman, in homage to the boomerang-shaped scar left on his chest. Like Batman, introduced a year earlier, he took up a costume to wage vigilante vengeance.  Biro rewrote Daredevil's origin in issue #18 (August 1943), now depicting Daredevil's real identity, Bart Hill, as having been raised by aborigines in the Australian Outback.

Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul - Forever

           

Calvin Monday 3-16-1989

It seems like Dad is getting an unfair shake here- we see him working on his bike all the time.  That keeps it in proper condition.  In fact, I don't ever recall seeing him breaking things while trying to fix them.  We know he is not the best cook in the world, though.  Chicken soup and frozen waffles were a staple in college.

Sven- Scream Blacula Scream

From Wiki- Dying Voodoo queen Mama Loa chooses adopted apprentice Lisa Fortier as her successor, leaving her arrogant biological son Willis outraged.  Seeking revenge, he buys the bones of Prince Mamuwalde, otherwise known as the vampire Blacula, from the former shaman of the voodoo cult and uses voodoo to resurrect the vampire to do his bidding. However, while it brings Blacula back to life, he bites Willis upon awakening. Willis now finds himself in a curse of his own doing: made into a vampire hungering for blood and a slave to the creature he sought to control.(me now) After many vampire, reincarnation, and voodoo shenanigans, the good woman stabs Blacula's voodoo doll.  The end.

Peter Criss '78

 

Way back in 1978 the four original members of KISS did something unprecedented- they released four solo LPs at once.  There were a lot of behind the scenes issues going on in the band that caused this, and it might have been a mistake to ship a million copies of each LP out at once.  I got all of them, eventually, though not all at once.  This was the first one I bought.  Peter was my favorite back then, and this is the most non-KISS LP of the bunch.  I am not the biggest hard rock fan.  KISS was never completely hard rock or metal, but they have their moments.  So Peter's songs appealed to me. I liked Gene's LP quite a bit as well, since it was so odd overall.  Ace's was cool, and Paul's was the most KISS out of the batch.

Scream Blacula Scream Official Trailer #1 (1973) HD

Happy Birthday, Yvonne Craig

 From Wiki- Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015) was an American actress who was renowned for her role as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in the 1960s television series Batman. Other notable roles in her career include Dorothy Johnson in the 1963 movie It Happened at the World's Fair, Azalea Tatum in the 1964 movie Kissin' Cousins, and as the green-skinned Orion Marta in the Star Trek episode "Whom Gods Destroy" (1969).

HOTW- The Web

 

From Wiki- The Web debuted in issue #27 of Zip Comics in July 1942, having originally been intended for Top-Notch Comics, the change occurring due to a decision to emphasize the humour of Top-Notch. In that first issue, he rescues a woman named Rose Wayne from a Japanese terrorist, the Black Dragon of Death. Rose discovers his secret identity.^[1] His origin was recounted in the second story, in issue #28.^[2]

The Web's secret identity was John Raymond, a college professor of criminology, and mystery writer.^[3] Raymond's interest in studying the motives and behavior of criminals harked back to his youth, and the criminal leanings of his brother Tom.  The Web's enemies include Captain Berlin, and other Nazis.^[2]

Cry of Midnight- Rockin' Ryan and the Real Goners

   

Calvin Monday 3-15-89

That's always the problem, isn't it?  Finding someone else to take the blame when you break your own toy (or whatever you broke).  No one is willing to accept the blame for something that wasn't their fault. Heck, a lot of people won't accept the blame for things everyone knows is their fault, either.  However, once you calm down and realize your life isn't in shambles, things have a way of working out.

RIP Roger Corman

 

From Wiki- Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor.^[2][3] Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he was known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film.^[4] Many of Corman's films are low-budget cult films including some which are adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. Me again:  I have enjoyed many of the movies Roger directed and produced.  He brought us Godzilla 1985, dontcha know.

Red Baron 1973

I got this DVD set as soon as it was released in April of 2008.  I did watch the entire series, though spread over a month or so.  I really enjoyed the show, even if it was very similar to Mazinga Z.  However, I don't think I have watched it since then.  The streaming revolution and the 2008 recession happened all at the same time.  Still, I was happy to get this set, since it was nearly unknown show and now it was available with English subtitles.  This was a pipe dream even five years before.

Hilarious House of Frightenstein Opening

            

Kaida's fourth year with us

 

Sleepy girl Kaida Trillian was brought home three years ago.  Well, on the 7th of May, that is.  She was such a tiny girl then, and wasn't sure about the new house.  That has changed quite a bit in the last three years.  She believes she runs the house, though Emerald doesn't seem to agree with her.  I sure love her, though.  I have never had a cat quite like her, I'll tell you what.  She loves to be held and carried about.  Emi does not like being held.

HOTW- Dr. Fate

From Wiki- Kent Nelson, the first and original incarnation of Doctor Fate, was created by Gardener Fox and Howard Sherman during the Golden Age of Comic Books. Making his debut in More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940), Kent Nelson is widely recognized as the primary and most iconic version of the character. He has played significant roles as both the main character and a major supporting character in various Doctor Fate titles throughout the years. Kent Nelson was also a founding member of the Justice Society of America, All-Star Squadron, and different Justice League teams.

Guided By Voices - Teenage FBI

        

Calvin Monday

It really is the worst when you break your own toy.  You want to blame someone, anyone else for what just happened.  Then when you can't, the frustration and sadness hits.  It takes a while to wear off as well.  But it does, and life also goes on, well, for most people.  Odds are that this beanie will be available on eBay in a few years, if the older Calvin wants one, right?

Sven- The Land That Time Forgot (1974)

 

A German U-boat torpedoes a freighter, and picks up the survivors.  Bowen Tyler leads them to take over the boat, but the Germans smash the radio.  The crew gets lost, the Germans take over again, then the Allies take back over.  Eventually the sub ends up lost in the Arctic Ocean, and they find Caprona, or Caspak, if you will.  This unknown island is surrounded by high mountains and no beaches.  Good thing there is an underwater way in.  Once inside, the crew joins forces to get out.  They find dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, along with cavemen on various evolutionary scale.  Things go awry, and only Lys and Tyler live.  Tyler throws a thermos with his story into the ocean.

May the 4th--The Big bang theory

Land that Time Forgot (1975) Trailer

           

Blastarr by Toth

Here is a fun series of sketches the late, great Alex Toth did for the Hanna-Barbera's Fantastic Four from 1967.  Who knew it would still be the best adaptation of the fabulous foursome (as of this writing)?  Toth was a definite asset to HB, as he could draw great heroes and villains in a manner that was easy to animate.  John Romita also did some designs for this show.  Animation at the time would not allow for the ornate designs that Jack Kirby was drawing for the series at the time.

HOTW- Prince Planet

 

Prince Planet (Popi) is a member of the Universal Peace Corps, originally from the planet Radion (Clifton), coming to Earth on a mission to determine if this world meets standards for membership in the Galactic Union of Worlds and assist its inhabitants during his stay. While on his mission, Prince Planet adopts the identity of an Earth boy named Bobby.  He is befriended by the Worthys, Diana and her father Pop.  He later makes makes friends with Aji Baba the wizard, and Dan Dynamo, the top wrestler in the world.  They battle evil in the form of the Martian wizard Warlock, and then Krag of Kragmire.  There are many other villains to fight as well.