For Balladeer’s Blog’s review of the very first episode of this 1971-1973 series about London by Gaslight detectives from both the Victorian and Edwardian Ages you can simply click HERE
Episode: THE MYSTERY OF THE AMBER BEADS (April 23rd, 1973)
Detective: Miss Hagar Stanley, created by Fergus Hume. The first Hagar Stanley mystery was published in 1898.
Comment: She’s a Gypsy pawn shop manager who solves mysteries! Yes, despite her unlikely name, Miss Hagar Stanley was a Romany Gypsy. Fleeing a forced marriage to a male Gypsy whom she loathed and feared, Hagar sought shelter with her uncle, Jacob Dix, a shrewd pawn shop owner.
The enterprising young Gypsy woman picked up the pawn business quickly, combining her already wily anti-establishment Romany ways with her uncle’s eye for value and hard-nosed negotiating skills. Naturally, at a pawnshop, Hagar often dealt with criminals, gamblers and wastrels. While managing the shop for her uncle, Miss Stanley also found herself solving assorted murders, thefts and other crimes.
Synopsis: Technically, the title of the short story adapted for this episode was The Second Customer and the Amber Beads. That reflected the titling format of the Hagar Stanley mysteries, with others being The Third Customer and the Jade Idol, The Sixth Customer and the Silver Teapot, and so on for all ten Hagar stories. Continue reading
MARS MEN (1976) MOVIE REVIEW – My review of the Thailand/ Japan/ Taiwan monster movie mashup. Click 
GEORGES (1843): Alexandre Dumas’ novel about a swashbuckling swordsman fighting slavery. Click 
TOOMORROW (1970) – My movie review of Olivia Newton John’s deep dark secret. Click 
I MET FATHER CHRISTMAS aka J’AI RENCONTRE LE PERE NOEL (1984) – Not to be confused with I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen, I Met Father Christmas is a 1984 children’s holiday film from France. This little honey is directed by Christian Gion, known mostly for his sub-Police Academy level comedies. I Met Father Christmas is partially enjoyable as a Yuletide kiddy flick but most of its entertainment value comes from the filmmaker’s ineptitude and their inclusion of some very questionable story elements. 
Simon (Emeric Chapuis), who lives with his grandmother, is a withdrawn little boy often bullied by his peers, like the protagonists of so many other children’s tales. What makes him UNLIKE the protagonists of so many other children’s tales is the reason for his melancholy nature – his parents were seized by African terrorists and the French government has refused to meet the conditions set by the warlord for releasing them alive. 
With the career criminals who run America willing to let the mask drop and reveal that they will even rig elections to get rid of outsiders who rock their crooked boat, marches for election integrity are taking place in Washington DC and elsewhere today. For updates on the heroic efforts to restore the real outcome of the forever-tainted 2020 presidential election click below: 
ALEXANDER WOLCOTT 
JOHN C SPENCER
MANDY (2018): NICOLAS CAGE IN THE ROLE HE WAS BORN TO PLAY – Cage always brings the crazy and this wild, hyper-stylized and ultra-violent horror film showcases him at his psychotic best. Click 
ROBERT LUDLUM EXPANDED UNIVERSE – Television series like Beowulf Agate, Operation: Medusa and one set in the dystopian future from the end of The Holcroft Covenant. Click 
TWENTY JAMES GARNER MOVIES: Some of the underrated actor’s best work: movies 
With Big Tech Fascists or Techno Fascists now forbidding discussion of the mountainous evidence of vote fraud in the 2020 election let’s recall that right before the election they banned as “misinformation” all the accounts of Hunter Biden/ Biden Crime Family corruption. With the election over, even CNN and other Democrat media outlets are now reporting on the Biden scandals since they obviously feel it is safe to do so at this late date. 
First off, Democrats continue to be incapable of understanding Supreme Court actions – the SCOTUS denied the INJUNCTION in the Pennsylvania case BUT THE CASE ITSELF IS PROCEEDING, SO IGNORE DEMOCRAT CLAIMS THAT IT’S OVER. 
REPORTS THAT ARIZONA LEGISLATORS HAVE OFFICIALLY INVOKED ARTICLE 2 SECTION 1 OVER THE FRAUDULENT ELECTION RESULTS
