THANK YOU once again to all of you readers for making Balladeer’s Blog so enjoyable to write. As I always say, the unusual and controversial items I sometimes churn out here mean that readers have to be open-minded and very secure in their own beliefs not to just take offense and leave. You folks are the greatest!
Here are some of my most popular blog posts from the past 12 months.
BAD MOVIES – “Teenage” Monsters from the 1950s HERE, The Bionic Boy (1977) HERE, Fist of Fear, Touch of Death (1980) HERE, Television Spy HERE, Ron Ely’s Spaghetti Westerns HERE, Keith Richards movies HERE.
ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION – The Air Battle (1859) HERE, Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds (1686) HERE, In the Deep of Time (1897) HERE. Conquest of the Moon (1887) HERE. The Aleriel Novels (1874-1893) HERE. A Voyage into Tartary (1689) HERE. Elektropolis (1928) HERE.
FORGOTTEN TELEVISION – The Swamp Fox with Leslie Nielsen as Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion HERE, Wildside (1985) HERE, Reel Wild Cinema episodes HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. The Best of Broadway HERE. Big Hawaii (1977) HERE. The Blue Palace (1974-1976) HERE.
SILENT FILMS – Rin Tin Tin’s silent movies HERE. Seven silent films about the American Revolution HERE. Samson in silent films HERE. Rudolph Valentino’s silent movies HERE. Mabel Normand’s silent films HERE. 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1916) HERE. Astrea the Strongwoman HERE.
FRONTIERADO – The original Deadwood Dick Dime Novel (1877) HERE, O. Henry’s original Cisco Kid story HERE. Shotgun John, neglected gunslinger HERE. The real Judge Roy Bean HERE. The Buffalo Soldiers HERE. Red Sun (1971) with Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Alain Delon HERE.
FOURTH OF JULY SEASON – Neglected battles: February 1777 HERE, Anna Maria Lane and Sally St. Claire HERE, the Black Soldiers of the Chasseurs-Voluntaires de St. Domingue HERE. The Black Coat, forgotten Revolutionary War superhero HERE. Blackheart Rum for the 4th of July HERE. Continue reading
SILVER SCORPION 
Powers: The Silver Scorpion was in peak physical condition and excelled at jiu-jitsu and other martial arts. In addition, she was as agile as an acrobat. 
I’m still laughing over the way that anti-Trump fascists are so ignorant, uninformed and emotionally unstable that they idiotically believed that the parade last weekend was for Trump himself. 
Last weekend was NOT a case of military strength shown off for a national leader but to mark the TWO HUNDRED FIFTIETH birthday of America’s army. Birthdays/ anniversaries being celebrated for the 25th, 50th, 100th, 200th, and 250th time ALWAYS get special celebrations. 
PAGANINI HORROR (1989) – Directed by Luigi Cozzi, better known to us fans of psychotronic movies as the Italian Ed Wood. Three women and one man constitute a heavy metal band desperate for a hit song. They strike a Faustian bargain with the mysterious Mr. Pickett, played by Donald Pleasence. 
Playing the piece while filming at the mansion causes Paganini to rise from the dead and lets loose other forces of Hell. Those characters not butchered by the masked, undead maestro via a knife that pops out of his violin are slaughtered by the supernatural forces now at large in the house. 
THE YOUNG REBELS (1970-1971) – With the 4th of July approaching, here’s another seasonal post. Harve Bennett himself was involved with this series that ran for 15 hour-long episodes. A group of young men and one young woman help fight for American Independence in 1777 Pennsylvania. 
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