As 2024 nears its end here’s one last round of congratulations to the college football champions from all the divisions covered here at Balladeer’s Blog.
NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)
National Champions – GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS
Runners-Up – Keiser University Seahawks
2023 Champions – Keiser University Seahawks
NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association)
My National Champions – OTTAWA UNIVERSITY (AZ) SPIRIT
Runners-Up – Campbellsville University Tigers
2023 Champions – Concordia University (MI) Cardinals Continue reading
Balladeer’s Blog’s annual end-of-year retrospective concludes with this look at September’s best. 
RED SUN (1971) – My review of this action western which starred Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune, Alain Delon, Ursula Andress and Capucine. Outlaw Charles Bronson joins forces with samurai Mifune to recover a ceremonial sword (and a fortune in gold) stolen during a train robbery by Delon. Capucine and Ursula are a pair of dangerous ladies. Click 
ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: A VOYAGE INTO TARTARY (1689) – I reviewed this long-ago sci-fi novel about the discovery of a futuristic city whose inhabitants had flying machines, ray-guns, and telescopes which had let them see forests and unknown life-forms on the moon. The city’s science had also spawned genetically engineered hybrid creatures. Click 
HEADMASTER (1970) – This example of Forgotten Television starred Andy Griffith in his first post-Mayberry sitcom role. He played the new headmaster at a private academy in California. Jerry Van Dyke co-starred. Click 
MICRONAUTS: THE SWORD IN THE STAR – The Micronauts scour the Microverse/ Quantum Realm on a quest for a relic called the Sword in the Star. The fate of two universes rests on finding it. Click 
EIN WEIHNACHTSLIED IN PROSA ODER EINE GEISTERGESCHICHTE ZUM CHRISTFEST (1960) – Christmas Carol-A-Thon 2024 comes to a close with this review of a neglected version of A Christmas Carol that aired on German Television in 1960. 
Balladeer’s Blog’s Fifteenth Annual Christmas Carol-a-Thon speeds toward its conclusion! For today’s installment I’m grateful to my fellow blogger at 
WAITRESS AT THE INN/ TAVERN: KATH SOUCIE – The waitress who served Scrooge his dinner at the inn/ tavern he stopped at on his way home after parting company with Bob Cratchit on Christmas Eve. She is in the Dickens novel but has no dialogue and is omitted from most versions of A Christmas Carol. 
GHOSTLY HEARSE DRIVER: ROY EVANS – This phantasmal character from the Dickens novel was rarely featured in screen adaptations of the Carol. Shortly after Scrooge sees Jacob Marley’s face in his door knocker, he gets a brief glimpse of this coachman driving a horsedrawn hearse. 
THE BIONIC BOY (1977) – BAD MOVIE REVIEW – I reviewed this Asian film about a boy who survives a car accident thanks to bionic replacements for some of his body parts. He seeks revenge on the gangsters who killed his parents. Read it 
BUFFALO SOLDIERS – A Frontierado celebration of the famed African-American soldiers of the 1800s west. Click 
RUDOLPH VALENTINO’S SILENT FILMS – I reviewed the movies of the big screen’s 1920s heart-throb and the man Susanna Hoffs sang about “kissing by a crystal-blue Italian stream.” Click 
ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: IN THE DEEP OF TIME (1897) – A very imaginative look at life in 2190 A.D. There are “Sun Telephones”, tripod-like vehicles for personal travel, all manner of futuristic technology for everyday life and much, much more. This work deserves far more fame. Click 
THE MICRONAUTS – A look at several of their 1980s crossover stories with Marvel characters like Nick Fury & S.H.I.E.L.D., the Fantastic Four, Ant-Man and others. Plus Baron Karza returns. Click 
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1914) – This British production was directed by Harold M. Shaw and runs a bit over 22 minutes. Charles Rock starred as Ebenezer Scrooge and he delivered a very good performance, diminished only by the brief running time. 
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