NEWS ROUNDUP FOR AUGUST TWENTY-EIGHTH

Here’s a Friday current events roundup from Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog.

DEMOCRAT PARTY

NEW YORK TIMES CALLED OUT FOR BLOCKING A NEWS STORY ABOUT DEMOCRAT FUND-RAISERS FINANCIALLY SCAMMING THE ELDERLY. Bear this in mind the next time they try to pretend they’re not a Democrat Party Media Outlet.

DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO CAUGHT LYING ABOUT TWO DEATHS BY MEASLES IN HIS STATE.

IN DEMOCRAT “SANCTUARY” CITY PORTLAND, NEARLY EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE FENTANYL ARRESTS ARE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

MORE ABOUT BIDEN’S AFGHANISTAN DISASTERS.

PRESIDENT TRUMP “TRUMPS” OVER-REACHING JUDGE.

IN DEMOCRAT “SANCTUARY” STATE VIRGINIA, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED ON OVER TWENTY CHILD PORNOGRAPHY COUNTS. Why are Democrats so obsessed with protecting child predators?

CROWDER LOOKS AT MORE TRUMP WINS. Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under Anti-Donald Trump hysteria, LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, opinion

TYRONE POWER’S SWASHBUCKLER FILMS

Tyrone Power was one of Hollywood’s top level heart-throbs and came from an acting family which had performed onstage since the 1700s. Here are his swashbuckler movies.

THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) – Tyrone Power starred in this semi-remake of the 1920 Douglas Fairbanks classic. To me, nothing can top the Fairbanks version, but this Power effort comes a close second.

We all know the basics – Don Diego de Vega (Power) returns to 1820s California following his higher education in Spain. His father’s letters while he was away have made him pose as a meek and foppish aristocrat; the better to covertly fight California’s oppressors as the masked and costumed el Zorro – “the Fox.” 

Not even Diego’s father knows about his son’s dual identity, so he is just as contemptuous of the cowardly, buffoonish figure he pretends to be as everyone else. Eligible ladies of California look down on Diego, too, despite his family’s wealth. They all have the hots for the dashing Zorro who strikes the oppressors with his sword, pistols and whip, then vanishes into the night. 

Ultimately, Zorro gains enough popular support to topple the villains, led by Basil Rathbone. Linda Darnell plays Lolita, Gale Sondergaard is Inez and Eugene Pallette portrays Frey Felipe. 94 minutes. Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under opinion

FOOL KILLER PART SEVENTY-FOUR: OCTOBER 1914

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the many facets of Fool Killer lore. FOR PART ONE, INCLUDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN THE 1850s, CLICK HERE.

PART 74 – Some of the Fool Killer’s targets on both sides of the aisle in the October of 1914 edition of the folk figure. The World War is in full swing.

*** Dr. William F. Snow of the American Hygiene Association. The Fool Killer targeted Snow over his crusade against the unhygienic nature of kissing. Dr. Snow had just patented his weird Sanitary Kiss invention. That invention involved the pair of kissers using sanitized tissue paper over their mouths with a hole in the middle, looking for all the world like the kind of tissue paper we now place over toilets in public restrooms.

*** The editors of the Greensboro Daily News, who called for “less nonsensical” war songs compared to the past. The U.S. had not yet entered the war, so the country’s coverage of it was less than gripping at first.

*** President Woodrow Wilson, Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan and Senator John Sharp Williams of Mississippi for blaming the war for everything that the voters were holding them responsible for.

*** High Society Fashionistas for the way they seemed lost now that the war had prevented the release of the New Fall Line from Paris.

*** The “Redemocans”, one of the Fool Killer’s words for what we today call the Uniparty. He also called them Republicrats, a word we still use today. This month he depicted the Republicrat Devil driving honest outsiders out of politics by “setting all the political dogs on them and tearing them to pieces.” Continue reading

18 Comments

Filed under Neglected History, opinion

FORGOTTEN TELEVISION: U.S. STEEL HOUR – SEASON THREE (1955-1956)

Yes, “the Broadway of TV” is back for this look at the program’s third season.

STANDOUT EPISODES:

THE MEANEST MAN IN THE WORLD – Directed by the one and only Sidney Lumet, this episode dealt with a mean-spirited father trying to force his kind-hearted son to treat people as horribly as he himself does. It all culminates in mean ol’ dad wanting his son to join him in foreclosing on an elderly widow and a deserted orphan on Christmas Eve. Starring Betsy Palmer, Wally Cox, Richard Hilton and Josephine Hull.

THE SEVENTH VEIL – A psychiatrist (Ben Astar) tries to determine which of the men in the life of his patient Francesca (Diana Lynn) is so abusive that he has caused her nervous breakdown. Also starring Dan O’Herlihy, Conrad Janis, Richard Abbott and Cindy Cameron.

COUNTERFEIT – BORIS KARLOFF stars as George Redford, a seemingly mild-mannered British man who raises tomatoes. Actually, he is really a brilliant counterfeiter whose work is so terrific that it takes years for the authorities to catch on. Edna Best and John McGiver also star. Continue reading

12 Comments

Filed under Forgotten Television

BALLADEER’S BLOG’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS: THE 2026 SEASON IS UNDERWAY!

NJCAA

CHAR-BROILED – The number 2 team in the nation – the HUTCHINSON COLLEGE BLUE DRAGONS – welcomed the CISCO COLLEGE WRANGLERS. The Blue Dragons proceeded to fold, spindle and mutilate Cisco College, leading them 21-0 to end the 1st Quarter, 42-7 at Halftime, and 52-7 in the 3rd Quarter before logging a FIFTY-NINE to SEVEN triumph over the Wranglers in the 4th.

ANOTHER ROSWELL INCIDENT – In Roswell, NM the NEW MEXICO MILITARY INSTITUTE BRONCOS (should be Cavalry) took the field against the visiting DODGE CITY COLLEGE CONQUISTADORS. The Conquistadors led the Institute 7-3 in the opening Quarter, but the Broncos went up 23-20 by the Half. The 3rd Quarter ended with NMMI leading 30-20 before winning out 37-20 in the end. Continue reading

6 Comments

Filed under college football

AUGUST TWENTY-SIXTH NEWS ROUNDUP

Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog is here with another current events roundup.

TRUMP-ENDORSED DARLINE GRAHAM WINS SENATE PRIMARY RUNOFF ELECTION. More HERE.

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP’S PRESIDENTIAL MOVES TO FIGHT VOTE FRAUD VIA MAIL-IN (“CHEAT BY MAIL”) BALLOTS. The tainted and corrupt 2020 presidential election should never be allowed to happen again. Democrat strategy now will likely be to flagrantly violate election laws and when Trump enforces those laws to force violence and pretend Trump is being a “dictator” by stopping their violations of the laws.

MORE ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION HERE. And HERE. And HERE.

A LOOK AT SOME OF CNN’S MANY, MANY LIES ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP THAT THEY’VE BEEN EXPOSED FOR.

NORTH MACEDONIA’S PRIME MINISTER POINTS OUT THE MANY WAYS THAT HE AND HIS CITIZENS SUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE U.S. It’s the European country where Trump is most popular at present. 

DEMOCRAT CONGRESSMAN GOTTHEIMER COURAGEOUSLY CALLS OUT EL-SAYED FOR NOT DISAVOWING HATEMONGER HASAN PIKER FOR ENCOURAGING VIOLENCE AGAINST AMERICAN JEWS.

REPUBLICAN TIM SCOTT EXPERTLY DOWNS DEMOCRAT MEDIA OUTLET NBC’S WELKER FOR INSISTING THEY “PRETEND SENATE CANDIDATE EL-SAYED’S TERRORISM TIES DON’T COUNT”

RAHAL DEBUNKS ADAM SCHIFF’S LIES BY POINTING OUT THAT THE FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX WAS PRIVATELY FUNDED, NOT TAXPAYER FUNDED. And yet another anti-Trump lie goes down in flames. Continue reading

14 Comments

Filed under Anti-Donald Trump hysteria, LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, opinion

DOLLY PARTON R.I.P. – STRAIGHT TALK (1992)

Unfortunately, Dolly Parton, singer and movie starlet, has passed away. Here’s my review of her film with James Woods. 

STRAIGHT TALK (1992)

Dolly’s Role: Shirlee Kenyon

James’s Role: Jack Russell 

Comment: James Woods as the leading man in a romantic comedy? With Dolly Parton as his love interest? Believe it or not this Lady of Many Talents and the Man of a Thousand Personae even pull off THIS!  Continue reading

22 Comments

Filed under opinion

B-MOVIE HOSTS MOLDY, UNCLE GORY, KRANDAL THE MARTIAN AND DR. LAMAR DRAGO (EDDIE DRISCOLL)

EDDIE L. DRISCOLL played several different Movie Host characters during his THIRTY-THREE years working at the same television station – WLBZ Channel 2 in Bangor, Maine. That Maine location made Driscoll’s characters the Movie Hosts that a certain horror author had watched in his youth (see below). Eddie’s shows aired throughout Maine and into Canada’s Maritime Provinces.

I’ll dive into the hosts played by Driscoll in a moment, but first I want to emphasize how the man embodied the kind of local television station figures who just don’t exist anymore. Eddie started work for Channel 2 the day that the station began broadcasting in 1954.

Over the years, he worked there as a cameraman, weather man, kiddie show host and much more. He retired from WLBZ in 1987. His Movie Host characters:

MOLDY – This figure was a one-eyed hunchback who hosted Shock Theatre from a moldy old crypt on Saturday nights at Midnight. As Moldy, Driscoll presented the original Shock! package of horror movies from Fall 1962 until some point in 1963.

UNCLE GORY – From 1964 to 1967 Eddie hosted his new Saturday night at Midnight show titled Weird.  On this Bad Movie Show he played Uncle Gory, a Dungeon Master in a fur vest and a mop-top wig. Uncle Gory hosted from his dungeon with a human skull displayed on a slab near him. He presented each week’s movie like it was a story coming to life from a book he was reading aloud. 

Weird was firmly in the So Bad They’re Good school of Movie Hosting. Driscoll got to show off his sarcasm on Golden Turkeys from the 30s, 40s and 50s. Sci-Fi schlockers like Not of this Earth were also shown on Weird and on those nights Eddie’s versatility let him host those flicks as Krandal the Martian, a three-eyed alien from the Red Planet. Continue reading

12 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies, Movie Hosts

OZIDI EPIC OF NIGERIA: PART SEVEN

FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE. PART TWO HERE. PART THREE HERE. PART FOUR HERE. PART FIVE HERE. PART SIX HERE

PART SEVEN – Picking up where we left off, Ofe the chief conspirator in the murder of Ozidi the Elder had cowardly fled once again rather than face the avenging son Ozidi the Younger in combat. Ozidi’s grandmother Oreame cast spells to flush out Ofe no matter where he was hidden.

Ofe’s magic had let him hide underneath the ground itself and he now involuntarily sprang upward from that hiding spot and stood face to face with Ozidi the Younger. With the eyes of everyone living in Orua on the combatants, Ofe had no choice but to at long last stand his ground and face his fate.

Ozidi advanced, wielding his sword made of lightning while his musicians played and sang his glories. Though Ofe was a coward he possessed powerful magic and fought Ozidi to a draw.

As the hours passed, our hero at last got past the defenses of Ofe’s own mystical weaponry and prepared to deliver the death blow. Ozidi’s lightning sword sliced his foe’s body in half at the waist. Continue reading

6 Comments

Filed under Mythology

NEWS ROUNDUP FOR AUGUST TWENTY-FOURTH

Monday means a current events roundup from Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog.

ICE’S LATEST ACTIVITIES DEAL WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS – MANY OF THEM GANG MEMBERS – CONVICTED OF ATTEMPTED MURDER, BURGLARY AND MORE. And remember, the only reason they were still at large was because of Democrat “sanctuary” policies. 

ICE AGENTS ARREST PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO KILLED BUT WAS RELEASED THREE TIMES BY “SANCTUARY” POLICIES IN DEMOCRAT-HELD MASSACHUSETTS. As always, Democrats provide no sanctuary for the victims, only for the perpetrators. 

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH POURING HOT WAX ON HER CHILD AND WITH STARTING A FIRE. She did it in a TikTok video. Privileged white one-percenter Bruce Springsteen should be asked about this.

REPULSIVE DEMOCRAT SING-ALONG MOCKING FREE SPEECH MARTYR CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION AS THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY APPROACHES. More HERE.

CALIFORNIA’S DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM SIGNS LAW STOPPING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS FROM REPORTING ON CORRUPTION AND FRAUD IN THE STATE GOVERNMENT. Unreal. Can you IMAGINE the shrieking from Democrats if the opposing political party did this? Continue reading

10 Comments

Filed under Anti-Donald Trump hysteria, LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, opinion