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.

NEWS ROUNDUP: AUGUST FOURTEENTH

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

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S POLICIES ARE STILL CAUSING PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES TO FALL AT A RECORD PACE. The greatest president for the working class and the poor during my lifetime. 

KURT SCHLICHTER LISTS ALL OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

ROBERT F. KENNEDY DISCUSSES HOW THE BIDEN REGIME LEFT THE HHS WIDE OPEN FOR FRAUD.

PRESIDENT TRUMP GETS BIG WIN IN TARIFF CASE

ICE’S RECENT ACTIONS DEAL WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF RAPE, ATTEMPTED MURDER, DRUG TRAFFICKING AND MANSLAUGHTER. And the only reason they were still at large was because of Democrat policies that protect illegals but not victims.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASED FROM JAIL UNDER CALIFORNIA’S DEMOCRAT “SANCTUARY” POLICIES STABS A SIXTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD MAN TO DEATH THE VERY NEXT DAY. Never any sanctuary for the victims under Democrat rule.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IN KENTUCKY CHARGED WITH RAPING FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL AND TRAFFICKING. But to some lunatics the people who arrested him are the bad guys.

ARIZONA SCHOOL TEACHER FIRED AFTER ARREST FOR SEX CRIMES AGAINST UNDERAGE STUDENT. Democrats, can you please leave children alone?  

DEMOCRAT SENATORIAL CANDIDATE IN MAINE MIRED IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SCANDAL. All this on top of the scandal over his marriage to his cousin.

CHINESE INTELLIGENCE PRESENCE JUST SIX HUNDRED FIFTY FEET FROM THE WHITE HOUSE DRAWS CONCERNS.

MASKED DEMOCRAT BROWNSHIRTS IN SEATTLE INFLICT INTIMIDATION TACTICS ON CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO QUESTION “TRANS” RELIGION. Democrats are still the REAL fascists. 

TRUMP EFFECT: NEW FACTORY IN HOUSTON AND ITS IMPACT ON AMERICAN JOBS. Remember when Obama claimed “Them jobs ain’t comin’ back.”

MINNESOTA DEMOCRATS OUTRAGED OVER ELECTION INTEGRITY REQUIREMENTS. Why are Democrats the only ones who oppose attempts to fight vote fraud?

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BORDER ENFORCEMENT POLICIES SERIOUSLY DAMAGING HUMAN TRAFFICKERS.

FLASHBACK: NEVER FORGET JOE BIDEN’S AFGHANISTAN DEBACLE IN AUGUST OF 2021. Fifth anniversary year. Continue reading

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

ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: SIX THOUSAND YEARS HENCE (1891)

SIX THOUSAND YEARS HENCE (1891) – Written by Milton W. Ramsey. Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog may remember that I’m usually enthusiastic about these works of “ancient” science fiction and look for any bright spots. In this novel’s case that is very, very difficult. For a book written in 1891 it seems more like an 1820s piece.

The central character is General Morton, a former military man who has become incredibly wealthy through a land deal. One night he starts tracking an odd dot in space with his telescope. The object turns out to be a wandering planet that is headed for the Earth.

In the event, the planet throws Earth’s moon out of orbit and into the sun. It does not collide with our planet but it comes close enough to capture General Morton’s city in its gravity and drags the metropolis out into space with it. And you ain’t seen nothin’ yet in terms of this book’s WTF attempts at “science.”

As the rogue planet drags the city behind it, the individual buildings in it form a long “tail”. The people inside those buildings stay alive by keeping the doors and windows shut so that they have air to breathe inside. Continue reading

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THREE NEW COLLEGES LAUNCH SPORTS TEAMS IN THE NJCAA

The NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) accepted three new sports teams which will begin competing this fall. Here are the three:

Institution: VALLEY FORGE MILITARY COLLEGE

Team Name: TROJANS

Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania

*** Continue reading

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Filed under college sports, Cool names and cool logos

B-MOVIE HOSTS OF “SCREAM-IN” (1969-1971)

SCREAM-IN (June 20th, 1969 to August ?, 1971) – Love-Ins begat Laugh-In which begat Scream-In, a Bad Movie Show that went off the air when the station broadcasting it went bankrupt. Scream-In was previously titled Shock it to Me, a clever combination of the old Shock syndicated horror film package and the Laugh-In catch-phrase “Sock it to me!”

This Movie Host Show aired on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s WPGH Saturday nights at 7:00pm and sometimes 6:30pm to avoid having to go head-to-head with Pittsburgh’s iconic Movie Host Chilly Billy Cardilly (Bill Cardille) on Chiller Theater. Here are Scream-In‘s three hosts – Coagulus, Count Von Thirstenburg and Tarantula, who had a ghoulish sidekick called Hugo. 

COAGULUS – The name of the actor playing this vampire character has not come down to us. Some sources state that Coagulus hosted WPGH’s original version of Scream-In titled just Supernatural Movie (later Shock It to Me) beginning in February 1969 – the same month the station started broadcasting.

This figure has been described by those who remember him as very much in the sarcastic style of Ghoulardi (Cleveland) and Sinister Seymour (Los Angeles). Coagulus leaned heavily into the So Bad They’re Good spirit that so many of us love about these old shows.

In late July, 1969 this host was fired, supposedly for wanting a raise. He was immediately replaced by another Movie Host character. See below. Continue reading

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Filed under Bad and weird movies, Movie Hosts

AUGUST TWELFTH NEWS ROUNDUP

Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog presents a Wednesday current events roundup.

EVEN MORE OF CORRUPT ANTHONY FAUCI’S LIES CONTINUE TO BE REVEALED.

ANOTHER FAUCI BOMBSHELL: HE LIED TO PREGNANT WOMEN ABOUT THE RISK FOR MISCARRIAGES IF GETTING VACCINATED BY HIS BIG PHARMA ACCOMPLICES.

MARGOLIS: “THESE NEWLY RELEASED TEXTS PROVE WHAT A MONSTER FAUCI REALLY IS.” Never let him forget.

ANTI-TRUMP DEMOCRATS: A HATE GROUP WARRING ON A CREATION OF THEIR OWN PSYCHOSES.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S POLICIES CREDITED WITH RECORD LOW CRIME RATES IN AMERICAN CITIES. The working class and the poor support Trump, but privileged one-percenter entertainers and privileged one-percenter Democrat media outlet employees hate him.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR PRODUCING CHILD PORN, FOR KILLING A FOURTEEN-MONTH OLD, AND FOR TRAFFICKING WEAPONS. ICE and DHS arrest them, Democrats adore them.

FLASHBACK FROM AUGUST EIGHTEENTH, 2014: NEW YORK TIMES WRITER CALLS OBAMA THE GREATEST THREAT TO PRESS FREEDOM IN A GENERATION. Continue reading

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

SWASHBUCKLER MOVIES OF CORNEL WILDE

Cornel Wilde was born in 1912 and during his lengthy career he appeared in several swashbuckler films.

TREASURE OF THE GOLDEN CONDOR (1953) – Cornel Wilde stars as the swordsman Jean-Paul, a Frenchman whose evil uncle the Marquis de St. Malo (George Macready) robs of his royal title and his inherited lands. He flees France and sails for Guatemala.

Once there he falls in with fellow adventurers MacDougal (Finlay Currie) and his daughter Clara (Constance Smith), who are on a quest to find the lost Mayan Treasure of the Golden Condor somewhere in the jungle. After surviving jungle beasts, hostile Guatemalans and rival treasure hunters, our heroes obtain the fabulous treasure.

Using this fortune to finance his revenge quest, Jean-Paul returns to France with Clara . Once there, he engages in much derring-do and legal warfare masterminded by lawyer Raoul Dondel (Leo G. Caroll) to defeat his evil uncle and regain his title and estates. Nice blend of traditional swashbuckling with a quasi-Indiana Jones quest and a little Count of Monte Cristo at the end.

The guest cast included Anne Bancroft, Fay Wray and a young Robert Blake as a stable boy. 93 minutes. Continue reading

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FOOL KILLER PART SEVENTY-TWO: JUNE 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 72 – Some of the Fool Killer’s targets on both sides of the aisle in the June of 1914 edition of James Larkin Pearson’s version of the folk figure.

*** Tycoon John D. Rockefeller, Jr. for his role in the Ludlow Miner Massacre back in April. A few lines from that condemnation – “Who trains the guns on helpless ones, til precious blood in rivers runs? John D. Jr.” (also as Johndee Junior).

*** The Dick Act, which was named after Charles Dick when it passed back in 1903. It granted presidents certain powers when it came to activating militias. Some feared that President Woodrow Wilson would use the Dick Act to start drafting American men to serve in the military.

*** Tycoons (he often called them Plutocrats) who spent more money on paintings of the Madonna and Child than they ever spent feeding and clothing real, live mothers and their children. Continue reading

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Filed under Mythology, opinion

FORGOTTEN TELEVISION: THE ANDY CAPP LIVE-ACTION SITCOM FROM 1988

ANDY CAPP (1988) – Okay. I’ve put this off long enough. Time to just review Andy Capp and be done with it.

Am I referring to the original Andy Capp comic strip, which premiered in the 1950s? No.

Am I referring to the line of Andy Capp snacks, like Hot Fries, Cheddar Fries, etc.? No.

Am I referring to the 1982 stage comedy starring Tom Courtenay as Andy Capp? No. 

I’m referring to the 6-episode British Television live-action sitcom Andy Capp. Each episode filled a half-hour timeslot and featured all the layabout, boozing, betting, philandering fun (?) that the comic strip did. For newbies, the comic strip character Andy Capp wallowed in never looking for a job, in sleeping all day, boozing and babe-chasing all night and losing any money he had to his bookie.

Meanwhile, his wife Flo put the bread on the table and clashed with Andy on a regular basis. 

I was actually kind of chuffed (as our British cousins say) about watching this obscure television series. The Brits are usually geniuses when it comes to making what sound like thoroughly disgusting characters into oddly charming figures who endear themselves to audiences despite themselves. Think of the brilliant Absolutely Fabulous for just one example.  Continue reading

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NEWS ROUNDUP: AUGUST TENTH

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

CORRUPT ANTHONY FAUCI’S SUBPOENAED PHONE CONTAINS EVEN MORE EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM.

CNN PANEL SEEMS TO FORGET THAT FAUCI’S OWN DIARY CONFIRMS THAT HE WAS A LYING NARCISSIST AND SOCIOPATH.

ONE YEAR LATER, AZERBAIJAN’S PRESIDENT PRAISES PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR THE PEACE HE FORGED.

UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S POLICIES, PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH RISES TWICE AS FAST AS EXPECTED.

GREECE’S MIGRATION MINISTER PRAISES TRUMP FOR INSPIRING SEVERAL NATIONS TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. Continue reading

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

THE OZIDI EPIC OF NIGERIA PART FIVE

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

PART FIVE: At the conclusion of Part Four, the hero Ozidi, who possessed the strength of ten men, a lightning sword and the ability to pull other weapons out of his mouth/ innards, had killed yet another of his father’s murderers. That latest fallen foe was Akpobrisi, Wielder of Net Weapons as well as his troops.

Ofe, the main villain behind the slaying of our hero’s father, had hoped Akpobrisi and his soldiers would be capable of eliminating Ozidi. Ofe was expected to be the next man to face the avenging Ozidi but he was far too craven to do so. He blamed the citizens of Orua for the murder of Ozidi the Elder, lying that they pressured him to betray the dead victim even though the ambition of him and his co-conspirators was truly to blame.

Still, cowardly Ofe sought to throw another against Ozidi the Younger. He forced his right-hand man Badoba to face Ozidi in battle. Badoba tried to convince the despicable Ofe that they should both attack the hero together. Ofe refused, still hoping to avoid facing Ozidi in combat. Continue reading

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Filed under Mythology