With the latest attempt at a Red Sonja movie having been released, here’s another Balladeer’s Blog look at Robert E. Howard’s actual Red Sonya PLUS his other fiery, sword-wielding woman warrior Dark Agnes.
ROBERT E. HOWARD’S REAL RED SONYA
THE SHADOW OF THE VULTURE – This story by Robert E. Howard, the ONLY Howard story to actually feature Red Sonya, was first published in the January 1934 issue of Magic Carpet Magazine. As I’ve mentioned in many other reviews of old pulp characters, Howard’s REAL Red Sonya was indeed a warrior woman, but not one from his fictional Hyborian Age.
It was Marvel Comics who distorted Red Sonya into “Red Sonja” and placed her as a guest star in assorted Conan stories as well as her own series. That Red Sonja has more in common with female author C.L. Moore’s warrior woman Jirel of Joiry than she does with Robert E. Howard’s Red Sonya.
The Shadow of the Vulture is one of Howard’s historical adventures and it’s set during the 1520s, largely at the Siege of Vienna from September 27th to October 15th in 1529. Red Sonya of Rogatino is a Polish-Ukrainian woman who is more skilled than most men with swords and guns.
The storied red-haired woman has a personal grudge against Muslim Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who was besieging Vienna with over 100,000 soldiers against Vienna’s 21,000. Red Sonya was glad to serve against Suleiman’s armies whenever she could. Continue reading
Before MST3K there was … The Texas 27 Film Vault! (I often point that out to cut down on hearing from people who don’t notice the broadcast dates and angrily claim this show imitated MST3K, which is impossible since this Texas show came first.)
EPISODE ORIGINALLY BROADCAST: Saturday May ??, 1987 from 10:30pm to 1:00 am. Exact date is still being debated. Any Vaulties with further information please feel free to contact me. 
THE MOVIE: KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK (1978) – Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley stumble their way through this notoriously awful and unceasingly hilarious excuse for a movie. It’s like a feature-length Josie and the Pussycats cartoon but with KISS of all bands in the lead roles. The only thing missing from this movie is El Santo as the four members of KISS are depicted possessing super-powers … yes, SUPER-POWERS!
DEADBEAT AT DAWN (1988) – Four years in the making, Deadbeat at Dawn is rightfully called America’s Street Fighter – as in 
Audiences not only wince at the violence in Deadbeat at Dawn, they thrill to the stunts that Van Bebber and his collaborators were able to pull off without the benefit of professional stuntmen or fight choreographers. 
CITY OF ANGELS (1976) – Wayne Rogers starred as 1930s private investigator Jake Axminster, a hardboiled detective plying his trade in corruption-filled Los Angeles, hence the ironic title. Sadly, this series was no more successful than the decade’s earlier attempts at launching a 1930s crime show – Banyon and Manhunter. 
Jake and Marsha shared all 13 episodes with crooked L.A. police detective Lt. Murray Quint (Clifton James), while Axminster’s lawyer, Michael Brimm (Philip Sterling) appeared in 10 episodes. Mystery novelist Max Allan Collins (The Road to Perdition) called City of Angels “the best private eye series ever.”
Labor Day weekend is the appropriate time to post this look at neglected working class folk hero Joe Magarac. This figure was the Steel Mill equivalent of Paul Bunyan and John Henry. 
As a lame play on words since this is Labor Day season I’ll present Joe Magarac’s origin and then depict his tales as “Labors” like in The Labors of Hercules. 
NAIA TOPPLES NCAA DIVISION ONE – The WEBBER INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY WARRIORS from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics played giant-killer at the higher division NCAA DIV. ONE STETSON UNIVERSITY HATTERS. At the Half the Warriors led 17-7, then went on to consummate the Upset by a final score of 31-21. 
KNOCKING OFF NUMBER THREE – In the NAIA the 4th ranked BENEDICTINE COLLEGE RAVENS welcomed the number 3 team in the nation – the MORNINGSIDE UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS. The 1st Quarter ended with the Mustangs on top 14-7 but by Halftime the Ravens held a 17-14 edge. The 4th Quarter started with a 31-27 lead for Benedictine College and ended in a 38-34 Ravens win. 
ANOTHER NUMBER THREE TAKES A FALL – Over in NCAA Division Two, the UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT THE PERMIAN BASIN FALCONS played host to the number 3 UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BRONCHOS (their spelling). The Falcons put UCO on Upset Alert with their 13-7 edge at the midpoint, then coasted to a 34-14 victory from there. 
VENUS
DOWN GOES NUMBER FIVE – The NAIA’s 11th ranked MONTANA TECH OREDIGGERS welcomed the NAIA’s number 5 team in the nation – the UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA-WESTERN BULLDOGS. The Orediggers piled up a 31-7 lead in the opening Quarter, a score that was unchanged come Halftime. UMW made it a 31-21 game to end the 3rd Quarter, but Montana Tech won out 38-27. 
NUMBER TEN TAKES A FALL – Also in the NAIA, the LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE BLUE RAIDERS took the field against the visiting number 10 TEXAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY RAMS. The Blue Raiders parlayed their 14-3 1st Quarter advantage into a 28-10 lead at the Half. From there, Lindsey Wilson College went on to clobber the Rams by a final score of 45-10. 
