Monthly Archives: April 2013

April 12, 2013 · 8:28 pm

BAD MOVIE – QUEEN OF BLOOD (1966) SHOWN ON THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT MAY 3RD, 1986

Queen of BloodBefore MST3K there was The Texas 27 Film Vault! This time around in Balladeer’s Blog’s ongoing examination of that neglected 1980’s cult show I’ll pepper in the results of my exhaustive research into the show with my review of another one of the bad movies presented and mocked by Randy and Richard. Previously I reviewed the first and last episodes of the program and am still covering the movies shown where exact broadcast dates can be unearthed. 

QUEEN OF BLOOD (1966)  

Originally aired on T27FV: Saturday May 3rd, 1986 from 10:30pm to 1am.

Radar Men from the MoonExtras: The Texas 27 Film Vault ran 2 1/2 hours, so Randy and Richard had more time to work with than many other Movie Host shows. In addition to showing the movie, mocking the movie and featuring Film Vault Corps comedy sketches this episode presented the 12th and final chapter of the 1952 serial Radar Men from the Moon plus an interview with Forry Ackerman. (I think there’s more footage of Ackerman than there is of some U.S. presidents.)

If the only bad movie show you know is MST3K think of: Women of the Prehistoric Planet, First Spaceship on Venus and Humanoid Woman.  

The Movie: Queen of Blood is one of the Continue reading →

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April 11, 2013 · 9:10 pm

ISLAM AND MISOGYNY: A SHOUTOUT FOR LAST WEEK’S FEMEN PROTEST AGAINST ISLAM’S TREATMENT OF WOMEN

As usual women have much more courage than men.

As usual women have much more courage than men.

Hello from your old anarchist buddy Balladeer, but you can just call me “the puppet of Jews” like the Muslim fanatics who threaten me do. It’s no secret that Islam treats women like slaves and worse. It’s also no secret that American Liberals are far too cowardly to criticize Islam the same way they criticize Christianity for its own outdated views.

Last week FEMEN, a feminist group in Europe, staged a topless protest against Islam’s violent, savage and subhuman treatment of women. There was a lot of action outside the Grand Mosque in Paris, where FEMEN members showed they have more backbone than all of the American Left put together by burning a Continue reading →

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April 10, 2013 · 9:09 pm

COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS FOR 2013

The postseason is over! Here’s one last round of congratulations for the national champions in all the divisions of college basketball covered here at Balladeer’s Blog.

Georgetown College TigersNAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) DIVISION ONE

National Champions – GEORGETOWN COLLEGE (KY) TIGERS

Runners-up – Southwestern Assemblies of God University Lions

2012 Champions – Concordia (CA) Eagles 

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Cardinal Stritch Wolves logoNAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) DIVISION TWO

National Champions – CARDINAL STRITCH UNIVERSITY WOLVES

Runners-up – Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers

2012 Champions – Oregon Institute of Technology Hustlin’ O Continue reading →

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April 9, 2013 · 10:22 pm

BAD MOVIE: GHOULIES (1984) – THE LAST MOVIE SHOWN ON THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT

Ghoulies

Ghoulies

Before MST3K there was THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT! Before Joel and Mike lovers of bad movies had Randy and Richard! Before Devil Dogs, Observers and Deep 13 there came Cellumites, giant rats and Level 31. I make a point of opening my T27FV posts now with this reminder because I had been getting some emails from people claiming Randy and Richard imitated MST3K which is impossible since their show came first!

My research and my correspondence with Randy Clower, co-creator and co-star of T27FV have been helping me fill in some info on this neglected cult show which ran from February 1985 to August 1987. With all the renewed interest in Movie Host shows of the 1980’s and earlier Balladeer’s Blog likes to spread some love to this program.

Last time I reviewed the very first film ever shown on The Texas 27 Film Vault so this time I’ll examine the final movie presented and mocked by the machine-gun toting Randy and Richard and their colleagues in the Film Vault Corps – “the few, the proud, the sarcastic”.

GHOULIES (1984) Some sources list 1985 as the year for this flick but I’m going by the copyright date at the end of the film, which says 1984.

FILM VAULT LORE – A T27FV fan calling herself Georgia remarked at Egor’s site: “I still lived (in Dallas) when they did their last show. They knew they were going off the air because they talked about it and seemed pretty sad about it. I was sad, too. It was the best thing on tv.” The original broadcast date for this final episode was Saturday August 29th, 1987 at 8PM.

The show was still hot in the ratings but Randy, Richard, Ken “Tex” Miller and Joe “The Hypnotic Eye” Riley got hot job offers they couldn’t turn down. Combine that with the collapse of the Film Vault Guys’ most recent attempt to get a syndication deal (what might have been) and the gang disbanded after 2 and 1/2 years of bad movie fun. Plus one of them was dating Yoko Ono and that NEVER helps!  

The Movie – This was a product from Charles Band, so lovers of bad 1980’s horror films know what they’re in for. Jack Nance from Eraserhead and Mariska Hargitay from Law and Order: SVU can both point to this flick as their most embarrassing moment on Continue reading →

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April 8, 2013 · 8:16 pm

ANNETTE FUNICELLO, FORMER PM OF GREAT BRITAIN PASSES AWAY, AS DOES FORMER BEACH MOVIE STARLET MARGARET THATCHER

Annette FunicelloWhat an odd pair of ladies to die within hours of each other! Balladeer’s Blog marks the passing of Annette Funicello and Margaret Thatcher.

ANNETTE FUNICELLO – Known as the Iron Mouseketeer, Lady Annette Funicello passed away today at the age of 87. The oft-controversial figure was known for her hell-for-leather approach to politics and for her fiery childhood resignation from the Mouseketeers, whom she memorably labeled “a bunch of Trade Unionists in mouse ears”.

Annette’s most significant years came when she was voted Prime Minister of Great Britain and allied herself with Continue reading →

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April 8, 2013 · 12:44 am

COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES IN D2 AND D3

Drury Panthers logoNCAA DIVISION TWO CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – Two 1 seeds, the DRURY UNIVERSITY PANTHERS and the METRO STATE UNIVERSITY ROADRUNNERS clashed yesterday for the D2 national title. The Roadrunners had the Panthers off their game in the 1st half and were slowly but surely pulling further and further away. By the break Metro State led by a score of Continue reading →

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April 7, 2013 · 11:51 pm

THE TOP FIFTEEN DEITIES FROM PEGANA MYTHOLOGY

Gods of Pegana

Gods of Pegana

Lord Dunsany’s 1905 book The Gods of Pegana and its 1906 followup, Time and the Gods, are forgotten masterpieces of comparative mythology which introduced the author’s pantheon of fictional deities. Though neglected today Dunsany’s work inspired authors from H.P. Lovecraft to J.R.R. Tolkein to C.S. Lewis. (But oddly, NOT e.e. cummings, A.A. Milne  or H.R. Puff’n’Stuff.)

Like many of my fellow mythology geeks I spent a lot of time during childhood inventing my own pantheons of gods and breaking down their powers, cultural relevance and relations to their fellow divinities. We can all appreciate the fun Lord Dunsany had with the concept and the ingenious way in which he fused elements of Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Chinese mythology with his own ideas.  

Dunsany didn’t just dwell on surface details of the gods he created, he used their tales to reflect the philosophy, customs and taboos of the fictional land of Pegana, just like real-world belief sytems represent those aspects of the cultures that spawn them.

An additional benefit of Dunsany’s work is that it provides us with a consistent vision since it was all composed in the same time period. Real-world ancient myths often evolved or were “retconned” over the ages due to political or social reasons we have no Continue reading →

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April 6, 2013 · 2:07 pm

COOL-NAMED TEAM: COLBY COLLEGE

Colby White MulesCOLBY COLLEGE WHITE MULES

Location: Waterville, ME

Conference Affiliation: NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference)

Comment: Now that’s a cool nickname that really packs a kick! Colby College is known as one of the Continue reading →

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April 5, 2013 · 10:35 pm

STILL MORE BLACK CONDOR CAPTIONING FUN

Awhile back I named the silly Golden Age superhero the Black Condor as the Official Superhero of Balladeer’s Blog because of his joyous weirdness. Here’s another cover from the Continue reading →

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April 4, 2013 · 12:02 am

THE FIRST BAD MOVIE SHOWN ON THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT

Randy (right) and Richard way down on Level 31 as they host their 1985-1987 show The Texas 27 Film Vault.

Randy (right) and Richard way down on Level 31 as they host their 1985-1987 show The Texas 27 Film Vault.

Before MST3K there was THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT! Before Joel and Mike lovers of bad movies had Randy and Richard! Before Devil Dogs, Observers and Deep 13 there came Cellumites, giant rats and Level 31! Thanks to my endless research through VERY old newspapers here’s another milestone! Balladeer’s Blog’s latest examination of the sadly neglected cult classic The Texas 27 Film Vault takes a look at the very first bad movie offered up and mocked by Randy Clower and Richard Malmos, on the night of February 9th, 1985! Yes, 1985.

Title: TRUNK TO CAIRO (1966)

If the only bad movie show you know is MST3K think of Continue reading →

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