Author Archives: balladeer

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About balladeer

I am passionately interested in college sports, ancient Greek comedies, bad/weird movies, mythology, the American Revolution, Puck Magazine, World War I, U.S. Presidential history, silent movies, the English Civil War, epic, lyric and comic poetry, U.S. Supreme Court history, the Revolutions of 1848, the Philippine War and old pulp heroes like The Moon Man, Pilot G8, Silver John and The Rio Kid.

MR NO LEGS (1978)

mr no legsMR NO LEGS (1978) – Ted Vollrath, a Korean War veteran who lost his legs due to injuries he suffered during the conflict, became a multiple black belt in martial arts disciplines and established Martial Arts for the Handicapable Incorporated in 1971. In addition to appearing in a documentary titled Let Me Live In Your World he starred as a scene-stealing badass in Mr No Legs, which was also released under titles like Killers Die Hard, Pushers Die Hard, Dope Runners Die Hard and the much less descriptive Gun Fighter.   

Mr No Legs is nowhere near as outrageous as the Hong Kong kung fu movies Crippled Masters, Crippled Heroes and Crippled Avengers, nor is it as exploitative as those flicks. Vollrath plays Lou, the title character, whose wheelchair is equipped with built-in shotguns in the arm rests and Ninja stars connected to the wheels.

mr no legs titleLou himself is deadly in or out of his chair, as he is highly skilled with knives and handguns, but his most dangerous trait is the way he can use his muscular, toned body to kick the butts of all comers in unarmed combat. Lou’s status as the enforcer and hit man for a Tampa drug lord has earned him big money and a buxom blonde lady who sees to his various needs.

A real-life multiple amputee with a James Bond-gimmicked wheelchair and mastery of karate would be enough to ensure Mr No Legs a spot in Psychotronic movie Valhalla, but the film offers so much more.

Consider the following: Continue reading →

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Filed under Bad and weird movies

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZ

martin-luther-kingA multiple choice quiz for the holiday.

WHY WAS MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY ESTABLISHED?

A. So that it could be politically exploited by out of touch White Democrats of Privilege who think that making a hobby out of the real-life suffering that African-Americans went through means they are qualified to speak on their behalf

B. To commemorate the life of a man who expressed a message of unity and non-violence Continue reading →

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

THE ARCTIC DEATH (1927) AND ON A FAR WORLD (1928)

frozen bodiesTHE ARCTIC DEATH (1927) – Written by Wilford Allen, On A Far World, covered below, was a prequel to this same tale. The Arctic Death is set in the 1930s, which was “the near future” when the story was first published.

A mysterious epidemic called the Arctic Death is spreading southward from the North Pole, leaving countless frozen bodies in its wake. Professor Charles Breinbar, the greatest scientific mind of the decade, uses high-tech “Q-Rays” to determine that the victims did not just die of cold but were snuffed out by malign disembodied entities of some sort.

Breinbar devises special insulation which allows him and his assistant to enter the region currently being affected by the spreading wave of fatalities. Investigating the area our heroes witness people dropping dead in the streets after being affected by energy emanating from floating balls of light.    Continue reading →

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Filed under Ancient Science Fiction

NINETEEN MARTIN LUTHER KING PEOPLE OF COURAGE

For this weekend here are nineteen Martin Luther King People of Courage in this seasonal favorite. Their bravery and fortitude in the face of all the racist hostility and threats they get from Democrats is very inspiring. 

lloyd-marcus-2LLOYD MARCUS – Balladeer’s Blog has previously showcased items by the courageous Lloyd Marcus. Here he is absolutely nailing it when it comes to the rot and sickness which have driven so many of us away from the Democrats. The link is below, but first some excerpts: Continue reading →

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON: 1970s CLASSICS 3 – SOLARR AND DOCTOR FAUSTUS

For Part One of this series click HERE.

ca f 160CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON Vol 1 #160 (April 1973)

Title: Enter: Solarr (The internal titles often differed from Marvel Comics’ titles on the cover.)

Villain: Solarr

Synopsis: We pick up an unknown number of nights after our previous installment. Captain America and the Falcon are still mopping up the scattered leftover criminals from the Cowled Commander’s organization called Crime Wave.

This is the final group of several masked men armed with machine guns and bazookas who were trying to pull off a robbery. The crooks remark out loud about how much stronger Cap is now, giving him and the Falcon the opportunity to explain to them (and to readers who missed the past few issues) how he now has Spider-Man level strength. It’s thanks to the way the Viper’s custom venom interacted with the super-soldier serum in his metabolism.

NOTE: This much higher level of super strength for Cap will last until Captain America & The Falcon #218 (February 1978).

After Cap and Falc defeat all but two of the masked men, that final duo try to escape by driving off in their gang’s armored vehicle. Our hero’s new strength makes him able to stop the vehicle, tear off the thick steel door and then easily knock out the final two Crime Wave operatives. Continue reading →

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Filed under Superheroes

HUNTERWALI (1935, 1988) AND A REQUEST FOR HELP

Hunterwali in action

hunterwaliFor several years here at Balladeer’s Blog I have been trying to track down, watch and review all of the film versions of Hunterwali (Whip-wielding Woman), Bollywood Cinema’s butt-kicking masked female heroine. Often glibly dismissed as a female Zorro, there is much more cultural context to the Hunterwali figure – contextual significance that goes beyond the particular time period of each film version.

hunterwali picThus far I have been able to watch the 1935 original, which starred the actress billed as “Fearless Nadia” in India, and the 1988 Hunterwali. I have had no luck tracking down the 1959, 1972, 1977 and 2017 movie versions. Nor have I been able to buy the 1943 film, Hunterwali Ki Beti (Hunterwali’s Daughter), the very first sequel movie in Indian entertainment history.

Hunterwali upper handThe basics of the Hunterwali story involve Princess Madhuri adopting a masked, whip-wielding and stunt-riding identity to combat the many injustices inflicted on the kingdom by her father’s evil Vazier Ranamal. That villain even imprisons the king and lusts after Madhuri, little realizing she is really the swashbuckling “protector of the poor and punisher of evildoers” called Hunterwali. Continue reading →

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Filed under Pulp Heroes, Superheroes

DEMOCRATS WANT A COUNTRY IN WHICH ONLY THEIR POLITICAL PARTY IS CONSIDERED LEGITIMATE

mascot donkey and republican headsAs we have all seen over the last several years many of America’s career criminals who hold office as Democrats have worked hard at making this a country in which more and more occupations and professional positions are realistically cut off for anyone who is not a Democrat or does not enthusiastically endorse AND work for Democrat-affiliated organizations. (Joe Biden is even overseeing a political purge of the military by declaring that insufficient zeal for Biden is “extremism.”)

One of the ways that Democrats have done this is by pretending that ONLY women, gay or trans people and people of color who adhere to Democrat talking points are the “authentic voices” of their “communities.”

Power-holding Democrats don’t really mean it when they say they want “diversity.” They really just want a country run by male, female, gay, trans and colored Democrats. No independent thinkers are welcome from among the marginalized groups that Democrats feel they “own.” (As they literally once did own the slaves on their plantations.)

While pretending to push for diversity Democrats have imposed de facto political litmus tests to enter and remain in certain professions via “sensitivity” classes which are more like struggle sessions. Democrat Party advocates pretending to be Diversity Officers don’t push for more people of color, etc to be hired – instead, through their “allies” in Human Resources they push for ONLY Democrats of color, etc to be hired. Continue reading →

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

DEATH MACHINES (1976) BAD MOVIE REVIEW

death machines

This poster bears absolutely NO resemblance to anything that’s actually in the movie.

DEATH MACHINES (1976) – Balladeer’s Blog’s old friend Ron Marchini is back! Just two years after sharing the screen with the Wizard of Odd Leo Fong in Murder in the Orient, Marchini produced this film in which he, Michael Chong and Joshua Johnson portrayed lobotomized living thralls who kill on command.

Paul Kyriazi directed and co-wrote Death Machines, a movie which has decent production values and always looks as if it’s a professional project, but is hilariously let down by the acting, writing, fight choreography and special effects.

Madame LeeOur story begins with the villainous Madame Lee (Mari Honjo), the Asian field boss of a criminal empire, observing a demonstration of her outfit’s new martial arts assassins in action. Ron Marchini IS White Death Machine, Michael Chong brings to life Asian Death Machine and Joshua Johnson wows as Black Death Machine. That’s exactly how our title trio are listed in the credits, by the way. Continue reading →

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Filed under Bad and weird movies

CHARLEMAGNE CHAPTERS

Thank you to reader David Bovey for pointing out that I had not yet provided a list of links to every installment thus far in my look at the tales of Charlemagne and his Paladins.

charlemagne mapPALADINS OF CHARLEMAGNE – The fictional setting of the legends surrounding the real-life Charlemagne, plus the introduction of several of his Paladins (knights). Click HERE.

MORE PALADINS OF CHARLEMAGNE – Introducing a few more prominent characters from the Tales of Charlemagne. Click HERE. 

HOW ROLAND AND OGIER BECAME PALADINS – Answering a cry for help from the Pope, the Emperor Charlemagne leads his Frankish armies against the Muslim forces threatening Rome. During that military campaign Charlemagne’s nephew Roland and Ogier the Dane distinguish themselves and are invested as Paladins. Click HERE. 

CHARLOT’S VILLAINY – Charlemagne’s evil son Charlot plots to kill the Paladin named Ogier the Dane during the Emperor’s ongoing campaign against the Muslim armies that threaten the Pope and Rome. Click HERE. 

TWO ADVENTURES OF ROLAND – In the first adventure, the Paladin Roland faces a 14 feet tall giant. In the second adventure, during a war led by his uncle Charlemagne, Roland is reunited with his childhood friend Oliver. Click HERE.   Continue reading →

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Filed under Mythology

BIDEN DOWN TO 35% APPROVAL RATING, PLUS MORE

biden x oIndependent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog takes another look at the ongoing disasters of Joe Biden and his regime.

JOE BIDEN’S APPROVAL RATING DROPS EVEN LOWER TO JUST 35%.

FASCIST BIDEN REGIME HAS ITS BIG TECH CRONIES CENSOR SONG AND VIDEO CRITICIZING SENILE JOE’S AFGHANISTAN DEBACLE. More HERE. Biden as “Big Brother” must be protected at all costs they feel.

BIDEN POLICY WILL MAKE MONTHLY HEALTH CARE COSTS SKYROCKET. 

SHAREHOLDERS IN BIG TECH DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THEIR COLLUSION WITH THE BIDEN REGIME. Signs of pushback against the corporate fascist state.

biden x o 10 daysBIDEN’S POLITICAL PURGE OF THE MILITARY CONTINUES. Call it a “loyalty oath” to Democrat talking points.

JOE BIDEN’S INFLATION CAUSES WORKER WAGES TO FALL EVEN FURTHER BEHIND THE COST OF LIVING. The Biden Regime’s war on the working class and the poor continues.

BLACK-WHITE UNEMPLOYMENT GAP SOARS UNDER BIDEN’S POLICIES. Biden’s predecessor had policies which brought record high black employment, but Biden has destroyed all that.

THE DEMOCRATS AT THE WASHINGTON POST DELETE A TWEET CRITICAL OF BIDEN AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE COMPLAINS. Even more reason not to trust the biased Post. 

BIDEN REGIME STILL HAS NO OUTPATIENT COVID PLAN. Political messaging is more important to them than the public’s health.

#BARESHELVESBIDEN TRENDS AS STORE SHELVES ARE EMPTY AGAIN UNDER THE BIDEN REGIME. More HERE.

UNFIT BIDEN DOES FAR FEWER PRESS CONFERENCES, ETC THAN THE PAST FIVE OTHER PRESIDENTS. Joe’s need to hide away to cover his mental inadequacies was previewed during his non-campaign in 2020. Continue reading →

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion