Monthly Archives: December 2020

2020’s DISPUTED ELECTION: SOME OF THE LATEST

2020 election itemsIndependent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at the latest on de facto Third Party President Trump’s 4th Quarter drive down the field with time running out. The cesspool of corruption which masquerades as America’s government has already been planning to get back to crooked business as usual but Trump continues to fight for the working class and the poor, demanding $2,000 apiece instead of the token $600 that Pelosi and her fellow Democrats wanted. But they gave plenty of money to their corporate “donors” though. Even heroic Democrat Tulsi Gabbard blasted her fellow Democrats about it.

*** UPDATE *** – SHARYL ATTKISSON: BY THE NUMBERS, PRESIDENT TRUMP MAKES THE CASE FOR WIDESPREAD ELECTION FRAUD.

ANOTHER MOVE TO DECERTIFY GEORGIA’S FRAUDULENT RESULTS

TRUMP’S LATEST WHITE HOUSE VIDEO ABOUT ELECTORAL FRAUD AND THE ONGOING CASES.

“YES IT WAS A STOLEN ELECTION.” Continue reading

22 Comments

Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

RICH LITTLE’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1979)

Rich Little's Christmas CarolRICH LITTLE’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1979) – Balladeer’s Blog’s ELEVENTH annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues! If you’re into celebrity trivia from the 1970’s and earlier Rich Little’s Christmas Carol will have you laughing from start to finish over all the sly jokes and riffs that abound in this Canadian- made special. For those unfamiliar with Little he was the Frank Caliendo of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, a first- class celebrity impressionist. The Canadian comic’s first venture into using the voices and personas of iconic celebrities as characters in the Charles Dickens classic began in the 1960’s. Part of Rich’s stand-up act was a several minute sendup of A Christmas Carol with John Wayne, Jack Benny and other figures playing roles in the famous story.

In 1979 Little expanded the story into an hour-long television special in which, through the aid of trick photography, costumes and makeup, he impersonated all of the entertainment legends that he worked into the Yuletide epic. Here is a rundown of the celebrities that Rich Little appeared as in this enjoyable Christmas special:

For the central role of Ebenezer Scrooge Little impersonated W.C. Fields, the whiskey- soaked and curmudgeonly comedian whose misanthropic humor made his persona perfect for the role. Little impersonated Hollywood Squares mainstay Paul “The JM J Bullock of his time” Lynde in the role of Bob Cratchit and long-time Tonight Show host Johnny Carson as the cheerful and charming Nephew Fred. Rich did a turn as Laurel and Hardy as the Charity Solicitors to round out the “cast” for the opening scene at Scrooge and Marley’s. Continue reading

20 Comments

Filed under A CHRISTMAS CAROL

BEST OF 2020: JULY

Balladeer’s Blog’s end of year retrospective continues with July’s best:

Not Dangerous Dan TuckerDANGEROUS DAN: NEGLECTED GUNSLINGER – Another look at a forgotten gunslinger whose life was at least as exciting as any of the big names from the old west. Click HERE.

DEFY DEMOCRAT TYRANTS THIS FOURTH OF JULY – A look at the Democrats’ many offenses against the rest of us, while they consider themselves fit to dictate the conditions under which we live. Click HERE.

SUPERHERO PANTHEON OF HARVEY COMICS – Decades ago Harvey focused on superheroes like the Human Meteor, Black Cat, Spirit of 76 and Doctor Miracle plus so many others. Click HERE.

RipleyAMERICA: PART OF THE ALIEN FRANCHISE – With Democrats as the Xenomorphs, Republicans as Weyland-Yutani Corporation and the rest of us as the humans trying to survive. Click HERE.

JOHN BULL – The neglected British gunslinger whose real name is still unknown. Click HERE.

SUPERHERO PANTHEON OF FOUR STAR PUBLICATIONS – Forgotten 1940s and 1950s superheroes like the Grenade, Torpedoman, Yankee Girl and Red Rocket. Click HERE.  

Maverick movieMAVERICK (1994): MOVIE REVIEW – A detailed look at the movie and the James Garner television series which preceded it. Click HERE.

MARTIN LUTHER KING PERSON OF COURAGE LEO TERRELL ENDORSES TRUMP – Trump doubled his share of the African-American vote from 2016, getting the largest share of that vote of any nominal Republican in several decades. Click HERE.

MORE COOL BUT NEGLECTED FOOTBALL HELMETS – From teams like the Railsplitters, the Electrons and more! Click HERE. Continue reading

9 Comments

Filed under FRONTIERADO, Neglected History, opinion

SUPERHEROES FROM PELICAN PUBLISHING

Green GiantSuperheroes dominate pop culture these days and Balladeer’s Blog’s readers always let me know about it when they feel I’ve gone too long without an article about them.

In honor of the shortest day of the year today here is a look at the shortest run of superheroes ever. Remember how Atlas/ Seaboard was publishing for less than a full year? Well Pelican Publishing’s superheroes came and went in ONE MONTH.

Green Giant coverTHE GREEN GIANT

Secret Identity: Mr Brentwood, a stock broker. No first name was given.

First and Last Appearance: Green Giant Comics #1 (1940 – the month is not known)

Origin: Unknown.

Powers: The Green Giant wore a high-tech “gravity-defying” device in his belt, a device which enabled him to grow to hundreds of feet in size and to fly. He was also bullet-proof and possessed massive super-strength.

Green Giant first page

“WHEN I THINK ABOUT FIGHTING CRIME I TOUCH MYSELF.”

Comment: In his only adventure, Mr Brentwood was advised by his firm’s partner named John Preston (how did HE rate a first name) that criminals were dealing in counterfeit stocks.

Our hero donned his costume and corralled all the members of the crime ring, even swimming after a departing ship to capture the ringleader Sam “Smiley” Gleason. (Okay, Gleason was just rubbing it in to our poor hero by having a first name, last name AND a nickname.) Continue reading

22 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

MARTIN PREST PERFORMS A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2017)

martin prest christmas carolA CHRISTMAS CAROL ADAPTED BY MARTIN PREST (2017) – Balladeer’s Blog’s ELEVENTH Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues with this look at British actor and producer Martin Prest’s one-man performance of the tale. As the poster says, it’s “spellingbinding” … (?)

This video presentation runs just 57 minutes so obviously it is a heavily truncated version of A Christmas Carol.

Prest, like Patrick Stewart and others before him, acts out all the characters himself on stage. A succession of backdrops and some lighting adjustments are the only help his one-man show receives. Prest’s voicework isn’t as varied as some other performers but he makes up for a lot of that with his facial expressions. Continue reading

11 Comments

Filed under A CHRISTMAS CAROL

BEST OF 2020: JUNE

Balladeer’s Blog’s end of year retrospective continues with this look at June’s best:

Five Hundred CaratsINSPECTOR LIPINZKI: RIVALS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1973) – The best episode of Season Two involved this detective investigating the spectacular theft of a huge diamond. Click HERE.

DEMOCRATS HAVE A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE … WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT – It often seems like in America you’re only as free as the most intolerant Democrat allows you to be. Click HERE

THE ARTIFICIAL MAN (1884): ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION – The tale of an artificially designed human being. Click HERE.

Captain America OneTHE FIRST TWENTY CAPTAIN AMERICA STORIES OF THE 1940s – The Golden Age adventures of the red white and blue superhero. Click HERE.

JOURNALISTS AGREE THAT DEMOCRAT BIAS HAS KILLED THEIR PROFESSION’S CREDIBILITY – The title says it all. Click HERE.

PRIZE COMICS SUPERHERO PANTHEON – Another 1940s group of superheroes who are all but forgotten. Click HERE.

riots cartoonVICTIMS OF THE DEMOCRAT RIOTERS SPEAK OUT – The victims of color who suffered through the Democrat riots this year were ignored by the Democrats’ media outlets. Click HERE.

FOOL KILLER: MAY 1911 – James Larkin Pearson’s version of the Fool Killer continues his career. Click HERE.

DEMOCRAT VOTE FRAUD SCANDALS IN NEW JERSEY AND WISCONSIN – Yes, even in June more and more Democrat vote fraud scandals were making the news. Click HERE.

DEFECTIVE DETECTIVES (1971) – A BBC show with Max Carrados the blind detective and others. Click HERE. Continue reading

14 Comments

Filed under Ancient Science Fiction, Forgotten Television, Neglected History, opinion

TWENTY MORE ITEMS ABOUT THE FOREVER-TAINTED 2020 ELECTION

Trump is like jfk

One by assassination, the other by vote fraud?

Balladeer’s Blog presents another Top 20 list for 2020. This one about the hilariously blatant election fraud from America’s cesspool of political corruption. It is for our generation onward what the Kennedy assassination was to previous generations. And it’s no secret what really happened nor is it a secret that Deep State coverups followed both events. If you believe there was no coverup after the JFK assassination you probably also believe Joe Biden won in 2020. You probably believe George W Bush actually won in the year 2000, too.

EXCELLENT LAYOUT OF DETAILS ABOUT THE ELECTION FRAUD.

DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE CONFIRMS ELECTION FRAUD HAPPENED.

NEVADA’S JESSE BINNALL’S OPENING STATEMENT TO THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON ELECTION FRAUD IN THAT STATE.

ELECTION THEFT TO A DEGREE NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN AMERICA.

ELECTION IRREGULARITIES IN SIX STATES. Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

CHRISTMAS TURKEYS: BAD MOVIES FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

ELVESRegular readers of Balladeer’s Blog are very familiar with my Bad Movie page. Laughing at bad and weird movies is one of the great joys of life so I often post holiday-themed looks at cinematic turkeys around Halloween and Thanksgiving.

The Yuletide season has its fair share of turkeys as well, so enjoy this examination of more Christmas season bombs than even Henry Kissinger ever dreamed of. I will exclude overexposed movies like Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and the Mexican film Santa Claus. Visit my Bad Movie page if you want full-length reviews of the following 14 flicks.  

Christmas MartianTHE CHRISTMAS MARTIAN (1971) – This Canadian flick is dubbed into English from its orginal French so viewers get treated to the Old School bad movie fun of the actor’s lip movements rarely matching the words being said. An annoyingly whimsical and whacky Martian gets stuck in Canada at Christmas time. A young brother and sister help the alien visitor repair his Ed Wood- level spaceship and save him from suspicious Canadian authorities. Yes, it all seems … reminiscent … of the much-later movie E.T. but I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that E.T. is so similar. (?)

The Martian overdoes the zaniness factor to such a degree that even Charles Nelson Reilly would have told him to tone it down a little. He also wallows in a Canadian candy treat that looks a lot like Reese’s Pieces. Just sayin’.

SANTA AND THE ICE CREAM BUNNY (1972) – Ever want to see Santa Claus sweating so much that his red pants cling to his butt tightly enough for his crack and each buttock to stand out wide and proud? THIS is the movie for you! (And please stay away from children.) Santa’s sleigh crash-lands in Continue reading

18 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies

A CHRISTIAN CAROL (2016)

A Christian CarolA CHRISTIAN CAROL (2016) – Balladeer’s Blog’s 11th Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues with this look at a religious-themed variation of A Christmas Carol. Directed by Stan Severance and written by Wesley T Highlander, A Christian Carol follows in the footsteps of the 1983 production The Gospel According to Scrooge.

That 1983 project has been reviewed previously by Balladeer’s Blog and I will say again that it is so well done that it can appeal to true-believers AND to people like me, who laugh and roll their eyes at it. By comparison, this 2016 production is pretty weak and may barely even appeal to active, devout Christians. Acting, writing, special effects and singing are strictly low-level with only a few bright spots along the way.

Let’s take A Christian Carol beat by beat:

mascot sword and gun pic

BALLADEER’S BLOG

SCROOGE: The stand-in for Ebenezer Scrooge in this modern adaptation of A Christmas Carol is a woman known to us only as Carol. She’s the usual “tight-fisted hand at the grindstone” and runs a company called Rev13. GET IT? The British narrator – who sounds a bit like Robin Leach at times – tells us Carol was as dead inside as a doornail in a cute little twist on the Carol‘s opening line. Our title character has lost her Christian faith and cares only about money now. 

Carol is portrayed by Brenda Roesel but comes across more like a potential mass shooter than a Scrooge-like figure. Her pathological hatred of any and every display of Christmas spirit by her employees was so heavily on the unhinged side that I actually paused to check if she was the same woman who played the end-of-her-rope madwoman in the mock Claridryl ad from years ago. (She’s not, but could have been, she’s THAT creepy.)   Continue reading

18 Comments

Filed under A CHRISTMAS CAROL

BEST OF 2020: MAY

Balladeer’s Blog’s year-end retrospective continues with this look at May’s best:

Lady MollyLADY MOLLY: DETECTIVE – Baroness Orczy’s female detective from 1910, solving a murder mystery involving a woman in a “big hat.” Click HERE.

TWENTY MORE “ANCIENT” SCIENCE FICTION STORIES – From hundreds of years ago onward, here are tales about genetically modified humanoid giants stalking the land, machines in the 1800s rebelling against humanity and so much more! Click HERE.

TRANSGRESS WITH ME: MAY FOURTH – Another daring and iconoclastic look at ideas which threaten the powers that be. Click HERE.

SUPERHERO PANTHEON OF FOX FEATURES – A look at forgotten superheroes of long ago. Click HERE.

Magical world of AniaTWIN PEAKS IN POLAND: THE MAGICAL WORLD OF ANIA – The disappearance of a troubled young woman leads to a series of nightmarish goings-on. Click HERE.

JAWBREAKERS: GRAND BIZARRE – The latest volume of the mercenary superhero team created by independent comics legend Richard C Meyer. Click HERE.

TWENTY COLD WAR ATTACKS ON U.S. AIRCRAFT – Plenty of violent encounters during the Cold War. Click HERE.

Consolations in TravelCONSOLATIONS IN TRAVEL (1830) ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION – A trip to assorted planets in our solar system. Click HERE.

SATANIC PANIC 2: ANTI-TRUMP HYSTERIA – The absurd overreactions to everything Trump ever did and said will likely be remembered in the same spirit as the bogus Satanic Panic of the 1980s or the periodic Red Scares. Click HERE.

THE DEATH TRAP (1908): ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION – A creature feature type of battle with a monster in the Chicago sewer system. Click HERE. Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under Ancient Science Fiction, Mythology, Neglected History, Superheroes