Many people have forgotten that escape artist Harry Houdini parlayed his stage fame into a series of gimmick movies and a serial during the age of silent films. Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at those overlooked productions.
THE MASTER MYSTERY (1918-1919) – The first film footage of Harry Houdini performing his stage act dates to 1907, but it wasn’t until this 15-part serial that he hit the big screen in a series of adventures. Chapter One of The Master Mystery debuted on November 18th, 1918 and starred Houdini as a federal agent named Quentin Locke.
Quentin is assigned to infiltrate a sinister corporation that practices patent fraud, but as Locke’s investigation probes deeper, a far-reaching conspiracy against the entire United States is exposed.
Every cliffhanger ending for the chapters of the serials involves a deathtrap which Houdini escapes from at the start of the following installment.
No trick photography was used in filming Harry’s escapes, and another bit of history in The Master Mystery involves the villain’s robot, called the Automaton. One of the first powered exoskeletons in movie history was used to maneuver the android around. As the story goes on, the Automaton’s creator modifies it to spray his nerve gas called the Madagascan Madness. Continue reading
FOR PART ONE (2016) OF THIS RETROSPECTIVE FROM 
RESISTANCE, INC: FAUX REBELS OF THE ANTI-TRUMP HYSTERIA – One of my widest-reaching blog posts ever. The type of privileged white Democrats that I criticized in the piece were so outraged it gave away how the blog post touched a nerve with those pretentious poseurs. The link is below, but first some excerpts: 
“Resistance, Inc” or maybe “ResistCo” would be a better name for them. None of these allegedly “rebellious” groups lacks funding and the mask-wearing members gleefully launch physical attacks on anyone who disagrees with them.
SHARYL ATTKISSON: A LIST OF FALSE NEWS STORIES ABOUT TRUMP (As of January of 2019. The list would be much longer now.) Click 
Time for another roundup from 
OF ANTICHRIST AND HIS RUIN (1692) – Last week Balladeer’s Blog reviewed John Bunyan’s often neglected work 
AFRICAN AMERICAN EXECUTIVE BOB JOHNSON AGAIN PRAISES PRESIDENT TRUMP’S POLICIES AND THE WAY THEY BENEFIT THE POOR AND THE WORKING CLASS. It’s 
Here it is from 
THE HOLY WAR (1682) – The work that John Bunyan is most well-known for is The Pilgrim’s Progress, but given the theme of Balladeer’s Blog, rather than write the 2 billionth review of that book I decided to take a general look at one of Bunyan’s often overlooked writings on mythology/ allegory. 
(Hey, it’s John Bunyan. If you’re looking for subtlety, let me introduce you to Mr. You-Won’t-Find-It-Here. Still, his works can be entertaining and thought provoking in a quaint, fairy-tale way.)
Balladeer's Blog 