June 12, 2025 · 6:41 pm

CAPTAIN MORS THE AIR PIRATE (1908-1911) STORIES FORTY-SIX TO FIFTY

For Balladeer’s Blog’s overview of the entire Kapitan Mors der Luftpirat series click HERE.

SECRETS OF THE METEORITE – Once again Kapitan Mors and his crew take off from their secret island base on a space exploration mission. Among the crew of Mors’ spaceship the Meteor are the regulars – Executive Officer Lindo of India, Engineers Stern and Schrecken, Ship’s Astronomer Van Halen, plus Science Officers Anita and Lucy Long.

Van Halen has discovered a previously unknown meteor but when our heroes approach it they become snared by a tractor beam. They soon realize the seeming meteor is the camouflaged spaceship of a “race” of crystalline robots – and not all of them are friendly. Continue reading →

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June 11, 2025 · 6:45 pm

PARIS (1979-1980) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION STARRING JAMES EARL JONES

PARIS (1979-1980) – This 13-episode cop show was created by the one and only Steven Bochco. James Earl Jones took his first starring role in a television series as Woody Paris of the Los Angeles Police.

Paris commanded a unit of detectives, one of whom was played by Michael Warren, future Hill Street Blues star for Bochco. More importantly, Jones met and later married his white Paris costar Cecilia Hart. They remained together until her death in 2016.

Woody Paris also taught a criminology course at a city college. His wife was portrayed by Lee Chamberlain.

If you get the chance to watch James Earl Jones’ performance in this hour-long series, please do so. He masterfully plays a sharp detective, skilled leader and devoted husband helped immensely by his unforgettable voice and his gravitas.

THE EPISODES:

PARIS – Woody Paris risks career suicide as he and his unit investigate the murder of the wife of a Los Angeles City Councilman. The late woman’s lover is the chief suspect but Paris comes to believe that the councilman himself may be the killer when he learns of the man’s covered-up incidents of domestic violence. Directed by Jackie Cooper and cowritten by Steven Bochco, whose future Hill Street Blues collaborators Barbara Babcock and Kiel Martin guest star. Continue reading →

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June 11, 2025 · 10:38 am

NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: JUNE ELEVENTH

Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog offers up another current events roundup. For fun, today I’ll use the word “Democrat” as often as Democrats use the word “Nazi.”

FEDERAL JUDGE DENIES DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR NEWSOM’S ABSURD LAWSUIT TO MAKE PRESIDENT TRUMP WITHDRAW THE NATIONAL GUARD. Wow. When even a venue-shopped judge won’t play ball with The Party you know it’s bad for them.

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR NEWSOM GETS FACT-CHECKED ON HIS LIES CLAIMING THE RIOTS DIDN’T START UNTIL AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP FEDERALIZED THE NATIONAL GUARD. If it’s any consolation for Newsom, Democrats are still mindlessly repeating the claim like they do with every other anti-Trump lie.

SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY OF THE FASCIST DEMOCRAT PARTY GOT HIS WISH FOR THE PARTY’S MOBS TO “BE ON THE STREETS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.” 

DEMOCRATS CONTINUE RIOTING IN SUPPORT OF THE CHILD MOLESTERS, MURDERERS AND DOMESTIC ABUSERS ARRESTED BY ICE. More of their crimes HERE. A true cross-section of Democrat voters. 

WOODS: WHEN YOU VOTE DEMOCRAT, YOU’RE VOTING FOR THIS. This many riots later, that statement is incontestable.

TEN CONCEPTS TO UNDERSTAND THE LATEST DEMOCRAT RIOTS. 

MEXICAN GOVERNMENT PROVIDING LEGAL AID TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED IN THE LATEST DEMOCRAT RIOTS. Hey, one person’s Act of War is another’s collusion with a foreign government to commit acts of violence in Democrat controlled cities.

CNN POLL SHOWS LEGAL IMMIGRANTS SUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ACTIONS AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. Many people trying to migrate LEGALLY to the U.S. patiently wait in line while the Democrat Party’s illegal immigrants jump the line and commit additional crimes. Continue reading →

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June 10, 2025 · 10:01 pm

MOSES CLEAVELAND: REVOLUTIONARY WAR VETERAN

MOSES CLEAVELAND (1754-1806) – With the 4th of July fast approaching, here’s a seasonal post about this Revolutionary War veteran and founder of Cleveland, OH despite the difference in spelling.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Moses went to Yale and was a lawyer when the Revolutionary War broke out. By around April 3rd, 1777 Cleaveland was commissioned as a subaltern in the 2nd Connecticut Regiment of the Continental Army. Continue reading →

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June 10, 2025 · 4:49 am

HAPPY BELATED NATIONAL VCR DAY!

Oops! For some reason I had mistakenly felt that National VCR Day was today, June 10th. Instead it was June 7th. Balladeer’s Blog marks the occasion with some very brief takes on eight old VHS movies that I’ll probably never find the time to write full-length reviews about.

THE DEADLY SPAWN (1983) – This film is also known as The Alien’s Deadly Spawn. If you’re into less appreciated splatter flicks this is the movie for you! Diminutive creatures (ignore the poster) from outer space terrorize a neighborhood while literally chewing their way through anything in their way, including human bodies. The gore effects are graphic but not extreme, the acting ranges from awful to average and the creature designs may be cheap but the overall package makes this a cult classic. And watch out for that final stinger!

CAR CRASH (1981) – Travolta … Joey Travolta. Yes, it’s Barbarino’s older brother in this Italian-Spanish coproduction. Ever wonder what the Fast and Furious franchise would be like if Frank Stallone was the overall star? This movie provides the answer – sped up footage to (unsuccessfully) lend the illusion of speed, and model cars just one step above Hot Wheels toys passing for the race cars much of the time! Travolta stars as the fast and fatuous driver Paul Little. He wins a race, infuriating the crime boss who rigged the event to let his own driver win. Paul then faces the gangster, his men and several other competitors in a race called the Imperial Crash. With Johnny Carson’s frequent 1980s joke Ana Obregon. Continue reading →

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June 9, 2025 · 5:48 pm

CALLIPIDES (C 400 B.C.) ANCIENT GREEK COMEDY

Not pictured: Callipides

Balladeer’s Blog examines another ancient Greek comedy. Callippides was written by the comedian Strattis and falls into that comic poet’s specialized area: Parathespian Comedies.

Another fun element of our shared humanity with the ancient Athenians who flocked to attend these plays is the fact that even 2,400 years ago audiences were fascinated and entertained by the trappings of “showbiz”. “Parathespian Comedies” were just one of the many sub-genres of ancient Greek comedy but Strattis is the writer most associated with them … by me and the .000001 percent of the population who are into such things.

Yes, a few thousand years before I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Seinfeld and other such sitcoms the spectators at the Theatre of Dionysus were laughing at comedies depicting what it was like to be one of the performing, writing and singing stars of the Athenian stage. 

The Parathespian Comedies sometimes featured fictional stars as the characters but would also depict real-life figures of the stage in stories that were either wholly fictional or based on backstage gossip of the time.

Callippides was based on the real-life actor and megastar of ancient Greek tragedies. In this particular case Strattis presented a very unflattering comedic poke at Callippides, making jokes that depicted him as a William Shatner-esque ham instead of the accomplished thespian he was often hailed as. Continue reading →

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June 9, 2025 · 8:59 am

JUNE NINTH ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

Another current events roundup from Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog.

LOS ANGELES POLICE CHIEF STATES THE DEMOCRAT VIOLENCE IS ESCALATING, DESPITE DEMOCRATS  SCHIFF, BASS AND GOVERNOR NEWSOM’S CLAIMS OTHERWISE. But hey, Schiff, Bass and Newsom don’t care about the safety of the people, they care only about “owning” Trump by demanding he call off the National Guard to handle the riots. Can Democrats make ANY decisions not based on their monomaniacal hatred of one man?

DEMOCRAT CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IN LOS ANGELES ENCOURAGES RIOTERS TO ESCALATE THEIR ATTACKS. No surprise. The office-holders who still call themselves Democrats in 2025 are not rational.

SBA ADMINISTRATOR SAYS THEY ARE MOVING THEIR REGIONAL OFFICE OUT OF LOS ANGELES SINCE THE CITY “WON’T PROTECT ITS PEOPLE” BY COOPERATING WITH ICE. Democrats in office are indefensible at this point. 

KARINA LIPSMAN: CANDIDATE IN THE SPECIAL ELECTION IN VIRGINIA’S ELEVENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 

PAKISTANI DELEGATION SAYS “TRUMP IS NOT BEING CELEBRATED ENOUGH” FOR THE CEASEFIRE WITH INDIA.

POLL: SEVENTY-FOUR PERCENT OF CALIFORNIANS WANT TO END SANCTUARY CITIES. But Democrats never care what the voters want despite their endless bluster about “defending democracy.”

ANCHORMAN AT DEMOCRAT MEDIA OUTLET IN LOS ANGELES ACTUALLY REFERS TO THE RIOTERS AS “HAVING FUN” AND WARNS ABOUT AUTHORITIES COMING IN “THE WRONG WAY.” And an idiotic British news outlet claims Trump is “bullying” the violent rioters.  

NEW GAZA AID HEAD PRAISES TRUMP’S HUMANITARIAN BREAKTHROUGH THERE. Yes, making sure the people receive the aid and not letting it be hijacked by Hamas is an improvement. Continue reading →

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June 8, 2025 · 11:21 pm

THE DOLLY MADISON MURDERS (2023) TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY

THE DOLLY MADISON MURDERS (2023) – In September of 2002 24-year-old Mandi Alexander and 79-year-old Mary Drake were found murdered in the Dolly Madison Bakery in Great Bend, KS. Compared to many other unsolved crimes around the world this case has gotten comparatively little attention.

Director Aaron Mull’s 2023 documentary, which runs roughly 53 minutes, delves into the case. The slayings were extremely violent and left blood from the floor to the ceiling. An unknown man was seen pretending to lock up and even advised an approaching customer that “they’re closed” before walking off. 

A police sketch of the man was circulated but ultimately resulted in nearly unbelievable complications and puzzles regarding the case. Continue reading →

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June 8, 2025 · 1:00 pm

STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM (1942) ON THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT

Balladeer’s Blog resumes its shoutout to the FORTIETH anniversary year of The Texas 27 Film Vault, one of the many Bad Movie Shows since the 1950s. The program debuted on Saturday February 9th, 1985. 

From cast interviews to research through very old newspapers to recollections from fans of the show, I’ve put together whatever information became available to me over the years.

Starring All Kinds of People Who Died Before Your Grandparents Were Born

MOVIE: Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)

ORIGINAL BROADCAST DATE: Saturday July 6th, 1985 from 10:30pm to 1:00am. Broadcast throughout Texas and Oklahoma. Special thanks to my fellow T27FV fan Roberta for the date.

FILM VAULT LORE: With 2 1/2 hours to work with each week Randy and Richard, as machine-gun toting “Film Vault Technicians First Class (EO6)”, would usually present and mock episodes of old Republic serials, then still had time to follow that up with a bad or campy movie AND their comedy sketches.

Those sketches centered on their fictional Film Vault Corps, “the few, the proud, the sarcastic”, the men and women who “protected America’s schlock-culture heritage” in the form of the Golden Turkeys beloved by bad movie buffs. Such flicks were staples of late-night movie shows all over the country, hosted or not hosted.   

Star Spangled Rhythm was so long that, with commercials plus Randy and Richard’s comedy sketches, there was no time for a serial before the film for this episode of The Texas 27 Film Vault.

STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM was a quaint, schmaltzy, light-hearted morale booster for the United States, which at the time of its release had been involved in World War Two for less than a full year. Continue reading →

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June 7, 2025 · 9:49 pm

NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: JUNE SEVENTH

Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog offers up another current events roundup.

DEMOCRATS RIOT IN LOS ANGELES IN VIOLENT ATTEMPTS TO INTERFERE WITH ICE ENFORCING IMMIGRATION LAWS. Democrat mob even besieges federal center HERE. More HERE. And HERE.   I WILL ASK DEMOCRATS ONCE AGAIN – GIVEN HOW YOU CLAIM WE LIVE IN A DYSTOPIAN HELLSCAPE UNDER TRUMP, ARE THERE ANY SUFFERING U.S. CITIZENS YOU WOULD CHAMPION INSTEAD OF ONLY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO HAVE COMMITTED ADDITIONAL CRIMES?

DEMOCRATS CALLED OUT AGAIN AS “THE PARTY THAT EMBRACES VIOLENCE.”

AS USUAL, THE DEMOCRATS GET VIOLENT IN LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK, WHERE THEY KNOW THEY’LL GET SOFT TREATMENT FROM THE DEMOCRAT AUTHORITIES. The usual gutlessness from the Party. San Francisco, Boston, San Antonio, Seattle and Portland are probably up next.

DEMOCRAT PARTY

DEMOCRATS UNWILLING TO SIDE WITH THE U.S. EVEN IN THE CHINESE NATIONALS SMUGGLING IN BIOWARFARE AGENTS CASE. But if their actions had endangered Hamas you’d certainly hear Democrats speak out.

ARIZONA’S DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR KATIE HOBBS VETOES A BILL BLOCKING ENTITIES CONNECTED WITH CHINA’S COMMUNIST PARTY FROM BUYING FARMLAND, LAND NEAR AMERICAN FARMS, MILITARY BASES, ETC. The bill was introduced long ago to deal with growing concerns about such purchases, even before the recent biowarfare incident.

OBAMA’S OWN DOCTOR CALLS OUT JOE BIDEN’S WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN FOR HIS ROLE IN THE COVERUP OF BIDEN’S UNFITNESS.

PRESIDENT TRUMP VOWS YET AGAIN TO PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID. He’s the greatest president for the working class and the poor during my lifetime. He’s been the new FDR going back to his first term. 

UNSTABLE ELON MUSK ALREADY BACKING OFF HIS WILD ATTACKS ON PRESIDENT TRUMP. The bizarre incidents seem to have been triggered by Musk not getting his way on policies that would have favored his personal business interests. Elon has blown his credibility with his unhinged threats and tantrums. More HERE. And HERE. And HERE. Continue reading →

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