December brings Balladeer’s Blog’s annual retrospective of my most popular blog posts. Here are January’s best.
WILDSIDE (1985) – This Forgotten Television item was a short-lived series that had the elite Old West secret agents appeal that The Wild, Wild West, The Barbary Coast, Bearcats and Brisco County, Jr. had.
Howard Rollins, William Smith and Meg Ryan were among the cast. Click HERE.
MABEL NORMAND: HER SILENT FILM COMEDIES FROM 1910-1915 – The pioneering comedienne who blazed cinematic trails and had a long collaboration with the iconic Fatty Arbuckle and Mack Sennett.
For my review of her movies like The Water Nymph, Bangville Police (Keystone Kops), Mabel Lost and Won, The Inventor’s Secret and – with Charlie Chaplin – Mabel’s Strange Predicament click HERE.
SUPERHEROES FROM INDIA – Reading superhero stories as a kid served as a gateway to some of my adult passions like mythology and opera, so I will always have a soft spot for them. This blog post looked at some Indian superheroes from the 1960s onward.
For my look at Ironclad, Kanga (left), Tiranga, Dragoness, Commando Dhruva, Spitfire and many more click HERE.
THE SILENT TWENTY-THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1916) – Submarine technology as well as filmmaking were still very young when this silent movie adapting the Jules Verne novel was made by Universal Studios.
Spectacular underwater footage and special effects in this effort which fused elements of the later Mysterious Island with 20,000 Leagues. Click HERE.
BRUCE CAMPBELL AND SAM RAIMI SHORT FILMS: 1974-1982 – Bruce, Sam and the rest of their Michigan Mafia when they were making youthful short films. My reviews of Cleveland Smith: Bounty Hunter, The Blind Waiter, Holding It, Attack of the Helping Hand and more HERE.
MARVEL SUPERHEROINES OF THE 1970s – My look at the likes of Dazzler, Ms. Marvel, Thundra, She-Hulk, Tigra and Shanna the She-Devil HERE.
A LOOK AT 1925 – A month-by-month examination of historical events, plus movies, gangsters on the loose and much, much more. Click HERE. Continue reading
A CHRISTIAN CAROL (2016) – Balladeer’s Blog’s 16th 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.
The HILLSDALE COLLEGE CHARGERS will play the UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY PEACOCKS. 
The WEST TEXAS A&M BUFFALOES will play the ARKANSAS TECH WONDERBOYS. 
NERO WOLFE (1959) – This was a failed pilot for a potential series about Rex Stout’s iconic detective – the rotund, snobbish but brilliant Nero Wolfe, portrayed by Kurt Kasznar. William Shatner played Archie Goodwin, the affable leg man for his reclusive boss. 
The chemistry between Kasznar and Shatner was remarkable, and at just 26 minutes without commercials, this would have been just the right length for each episode without Wolfe’s egotism and impatience with lesser minds wearing out their welcome with viewers. 
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2019) – Directed and co-written by Steven Salgado, this adaptation of the 1843 novel sets the story in present-day Miami. Though some may try to pigeon-hole this indy film as “a Hispanic-American Christmas Carol” that would not be quite accurate. 
ROUND TWO: GAME ONE – The BENEDICTINE COLLEGE RAVENS played host to the CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY TIGERS. The Ravens led 7-0 in the 1st Quarter but Campbellsville U. was on top 17-7 by Halftime. From there, Benedictine College shut out the Tigers while adding a Touchdown in the 3rd and 4th Quarters each. The Ravens won 21-17.
ROUND TWO: GAME TWO – In this game the MARIAN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS entertained the DORDT UNIVERSITY DEFENDERS. A 6-0 opening Quarter edge for the Knights became 14-0 at the Half. After the break, the Defenders outscored Marian University 18-12 but that still left them short as the Knights logged a 26-18 triumph. 
ROUND TWO: GAME THREE – The MONTANA TECH OREDIGGERS took the field against the visiting CARROLL (MT) COLLEGE FIGHTING SAINTS. The Orediggers had it all their own way at first and took a 17-0 advantage into the locker room. The Fighting Saints rallied in the 3rd Quarter, pulling to within 24-21 of Montana Tech, but the Orediggers won out 31-21 in the 4th. 
FROM NOVEMBER 9th, 2013. Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama are the two presidents I despise the most, but nobody is surprised at what garbage Bush was. Obama loons like to ignore the criticism he received in office. Even when language like “war criminal” and “dictator’s dream” were used to describe Obama, it never approached the hysteria seen in the Trump years. 
SPIDER-WOMAN Vol 1 #17 (Aug 1979) 
Our heroine slips away from Eric to try getting back her costume without exposing her secret identity. At one point, the drunken woman dressed as Spider-Woman falls off the deck of the mountaintop disco. Jessica uses her powers to save the woman and recover her costume before the drunk knows what’s what. 
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