THE GALLERY OF MADAME LIU-TSONG aka MADAME LIU-TSONG (1951) – The great Anna May Wong starred in this Dumont Network program, which was THE FIRST U.S. TELEVISION SERIES WITH AN ASIAN-AMERICAN STAR. Wong had worked in Silent Films like Peter Pan and The Thief of Bagdad, then as Fu Manchu’s daughter in a few talkies.
After decades of dramatic roles on the big screen, Anna May Wong was offered this vehicle in which even her character’s name was rooted in her real past – Wong Liu-Tsong was Anna May’s birth name.
Madame Liu-Tsong ran her title gallery as well as a string of others. She also did her own detective work regarding thefts, fakes, murders and other crimes involving the world of international art and relics. Think of the female pawn shop detective Miss Hagar Stanley from 1898.
If this show had been done in the 1970s it likely would have been produced in the format of programs like Murder, She Wrote, Banacek, The Snoop Sisters and others. In 1951 it was a half-hour detective series which lasted just 13 episodes. (Some sources mistakenly claim 10 or fewer.) Continue reading
CANON ALBERIC’S SCRAPBOOK – Written by Montague Rhodes James, and I’m shocked that I still encounter people today who are not familiar with him and his works. Anyway, that made me decide to examine his first supernatural horror story. 
The story features Dennistoun, a Cambridge Scholar who takes a vacation on the Continent so he can tour, photograph and sketch old cathedrals in France. Dennistoun bicycles to the town of St.-Bertrand-de-Comminges near Toulouse to cover its cathedral. 
KNOCKING OFF NUMBER SIX – In NCAA Division 3 the MARYVILLE COLLEGE SCOTS paid a visit to the number 6 team in the nation – the TRINITY (TX) TIGERS. The Tigers were on top 9-6 at Halftime, but Maryville College went up 13-9 by the end of the 3rd Quarter. In the 4th, the Scots held on for a 16-12 Upset. 
WELCOME TO THE OAK BOWL – Up in the NAIA, the PERU STATE BOBCATS defended their Oak Bowl home field against the MOUNT MERCY UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS. The Bobcats parlayed their 10-3 1st Quarter edge into a 38-3 advantage by the Half. After the break, Peru State coasted to a 59-10 triumph. 
RABID GRANNIES (1988) – This review of Rabid Grannies applies ONLY to the original uncut edition, NOT the edited version distributed by the Troma Team. The uncut version is well worth watching but the cut version is awful.
AVENGERS Vol 1 #57 (Oct 1968) 
The Vision initially helps Ultron, but his logical android mind lets him reject his creator’s commands. He turns against Ultron, saves the Avengers and seemingly destroys Ultron, but obviously he’ll return as Ultron-6. 
RIPLEY and the other humans in the Alien films are American VOTERS. As we struggle to survive in this dangerous setting we need to stand together against the common threats. And that applies whether a voter considers themselves Independent or Democrat or Republican. Political labels have become meaningless for US as the Neo-Feudalists view all of us as peasants and cannon fodder, anyway. 
ABSOLUTE EVIL (1918) – This longish short story was written by Julian Hawthorne, son of Nathaniel. The tale features Julian’s tragically overlooked supernatural adventuress Martha Klemm. 
THE BLACK PIRATE (1926) – Fairbanks starred as the Duke of Arnoldo aka the Black Pirate in this high seas adventure that captured the feel of 
