EMPIRE (1962-1963) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

EMPIRE (1962-1963) – Ryan O’Neal, Charles Bronson, Richard Egan and Terry Moore starred in this modern-day (1960s) drama about a family ranch in New Mexico.

Kathleen Hite created the hour-long series which was not a soap opera but was instead a straightforward tale about the travails of ranching deep into the 20th Century.

RICHARD EGAN starred as Jim Redigo, the brawny ranch manager with an MBA. That was an intriguing idea, and this character helped capture the new complexities of operating a ranch in the modern era while retaining the raw machismo that 1960s viewers would have expected from a ranch manager. 

ANNE SEYMOUR portrayed Lucia Garret, the widowed owner of the Garret Ranch. The ranch had been built up over the years by Lucia, her late husband and Jim Redigo. She and Redigo sometimes clashed over what was best and most profitable for the Garret Ranch while weathering the challenges they faced.

RYAN O’NEAL played Tal Garret, Lucia’s son who was being groomed to take over the family ranch one day. His relationship with Redigo went from being like an uncle and nephew to more like a father and son but Tal struggled for the respect that he felt the older man was not giving him. Neither as a young man nor a rancher. Continue reading

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: APRIL TWENTY-THIRD

Independent Voter Site Balladeer’s Blog serves up another current events roundup from a world where the brand of Yellow “Journalism” being used against President Donald Trump would make William Randolph Hearst green with envy.

DNI TULSI GABBARD EXPOSES EVEN MORE BIDEN-HARRIS REGIME USE OF INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES AGAINST AMERICAN CITIZENS VIA ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE AND MORE. These revelations go beyond even the 1970s Congressional hearings about the rampant abuses by the CIA, FBI, NSA, etc. which is presumably why Anti-Trump media outlets are so desperate to distract from them with shrill propaganda pieces. 

        More effort needs put forth to make these revelations heard through the droning of “illegal immigrants uber alles” from Democrats and their media outlets. The 1970s Colby revelations were amateur hour compared to what the Biden-Harris Regime was guilty of. Even people who called in to suicide hotlines were put on government lists for increased surveillance.

        We’re back to my old observation that the Democrats use the media much, much more effectively than their opposing political party. If these intel scandals implicated Trump they would be as widely discussed as the mania surrounding the Democrats’ pet issues of the moment.

MARLOW CUTS TO THE HEART OF DEMOCRAT WORSHIP OF WIFE-BEATING, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, MS-13 MEMBER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

MORE FOOTAGE OF DEMOCRAT MEDIA OUTLET INSISTING JOE BIDEN WAS PERFECTLY FIT FOR OFFICE. Speaking of scandals that would be dominating the news cycle if the opposing party had kept up with Democrats in the Media Arms Race. 

THE LATEST DEMOCRAT LIE ABOUT KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA IS THAT HE IS A “TEEN”. Unreal.

THERE ARE STILL IMBECILES WHO THINK TRUMP TOLD PEOPLE TO INJECT THEMSELVES WITH BLEACH

TRUMP’S POLICIES CONTINUE TO ATTRACT INVESTMENTS IN THE U.S. – ROCHE TO INVEST FIFTY BILLION DOLLARS AND ADD OVER TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND NEW JOBS IN THE U.S.

INDIA JOINS THE LIST OF NATIONS FOLLOWING TRUMP’S LEAD ON PLACING STEEL TARIFFS ON CHINA. Continue reading

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CAPTAIN MORS THE AIR PIRATE (1908-1911) STORIES ELEVEN TO FIFTEEN

For Balladeer’s Blog’s overview of the entire Kapitan Mors der Luftpirat series click HERE. For my look at the first five stories in the weekly text series click HERE.

THE AIRSHIP IN A WHIRLWIND – As the early pulp adventures of Kapitan Mors continue, his Luftschiff (Air Ship) is still incredibly damaged in the aftermath of his first clash with Ned Gully, his archenemy. That battle happened in the previous installment.

Gully himself turns out to have survived, after all, and he finds allies to help him try to stop Mors from repairing the Luftschiff piecemeal in a running battle from France to Italy across the Mediterranean and culminating over the Red Sea. A “high tech” (for 1908) inflatable raft is used at one point. Continue reading

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AIHEC: COOL TEAM NAMES AND COOL LOGOS

For years now, Balladeer’s Blog has included the American Indian Higher Education Consortium college basketball teams in my sports coverage. New readers expressed interest, having never been exposed to them before. Here’s a look at some of their coolest team names and/or coolest logos.

Institution: FORT PECK COLLEGE

Team Name: BUFFALO CHASERS

Location: Poplar, MT

Year Established: 1969

Institution: TURTLE MOUNTAIN COLLEGE

Team Name: MIGHTY MIKINOCKS

Location: Belcourt, ND

Year Established: 1972 Continue reading

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THE SUCCESSOR (1965) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION DRAMA ABOUT THE CARDINALS ELECTING A NEW POPE

THE SUCCESSOR (1965) – This made for British television drama was as deep as a 1965 production was going to go in depicting the deliberations and the behind the scenes maneuvering as the College of Cardinals chooses the next Pope. All the characters are fictional, but it’s acknowledged that the events are slightly based on the election of Pope John XXIII in October of 1958. 

The 90-minute play was filmed by Anglia Television and was written by Troy Kennedy Martin, Reinhard Raffalt and Steven Vas. John Jacobs directed. Continue reading

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APRIL TWENTY-FIRST ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

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

DEMOCRAT JUDGE RESIGNS AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT – AND TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBER – ARRESTED BY ICE IN THE JUDGE’S HOME. Yes, a Democrat judge’s home. Corruption among judges becomes worse all the time.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED IN TENNESSEE ADMITS TO RAPING AND IMPREGNATING AN ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL. Democrats like Senator Chris Van Hollen have a new hero. Tell Chris his next photo op is ready.

EMMER REMINDS THE PUBLIC THAT ELECTED DEMOCRATS DO FAR MORE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THAN FOR THEIR OWN CONSTITUENTS. Chris Van Hollen, the Senator from MS-13, comes to mind.

PRESIDENT TRUMP REINFORCES HIS LEGACY OF LOWERING HEALTHCARE COSTS (LIKE HE DID IN HIS FIRST TERM, TOO) WITH HEALTHCARE PRICE TRANSPARENCY RULE. Trump is the greatest president for the working class and the poor during my lifetime. 

APPEALS COURT RULES AGAINST ANTI-TRUMP “JUDGE” BOASBERG OVER HIS CONTEMPT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.

STANLEY PARRISH OF “NO FILTER” AND HIS EXCELLENT WALKAWAY VIDEO AS HE JOINS SO MANY OF US IN WALKING AWAY FROM THE INTOLERANT AND HATEMONGERING DEMOCRAT PARTY.

DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR OF ARIZONA VETOES BILL TO HAVE POLICE COOPERATE WITH ICE. Even now the Democrat motto is “Illegal immigrants uber alles.” More HERE.

Continue reading

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INVASION USA (1952) ON THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT

Balladeer’s Blog continues its marking of the FORTIETH anniversary year of the neglected cult show The Texas 27 Film Vault, which debuted on February 9th, 1985.

In the middle 1980s, way down on Level 31 Randy Clower and Richard Malmos, machine-gun toting Film Vault Technicians First Class, hosted the program. 

ORIGINAL BROADCAST DATE: Saturday September 28th, 1985 from 10:30pm to 1:00 am. Broadcast throughout Texas and Oklahoma. 

SERIAL:  Before showing and mocking the movie our members of the Film Vault Corps showed and mocked a chapter of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940).

In that serial Ming the Merciless unleashes a disease called the Purple Death on Earth, prompting Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr Zarkov to fly to the planet Mongo to find a cure and defeat Ming for good. 

FILM VAULT LORE: Fellow Film Vault fan Doctor X-Rae (a lady, hence the spelling) informed me that this 1952 film was shown by our boys as part of a promotional give-away of tickets to the Chuck Norris movie Invasion USA which was hitting theaters back then. This would have been similar to the ticket give-away a few months earlier to the 1985 Godzilla remake, for which Randy and Richard showed King Kong vs Godzilla (1962). 

HOST SEGMENTS: Some potential dispute here. Dr X-Rae thinks that this was the episode that showed Randy and Richard seeming to quit the Film Vault Corps (“the few, the proud, the sarcastic”) and through an oddball series of events, winding up in front of a firing squad … and getting shot! 

It all turns out to be a dream – see my interview with Randy Clower for details. This would all tie in with the “it’s only a dream” style ending of Invasion USA (1952 version) but there’s no hard and fast rule that the Host Segments HAD to parallel the night’s movie. Randy himself is unable to help as he doesn’t recall either way. 

THE MOVIE: Invasion USA presented a hypothetical invasion of the United States by the Soviet Union. Well, technically the invading nation goes unnamed but with their soldiers’ Boris Badunov accents it’s no real secret who it’s supposed to be. Continue reading

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EASTER SUNDAY: SILENT FILMS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST

HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY! jesus speakingYes, Happy Easter, ladies and gentlemen! Balladeer’s Blog helps celebrate by combining the holiday with my passion for silent films. I’m providing the following list of silent movies – both shorts and feature films – about Jesus Christ.

Here they are in no particular order:   

ChristusCHRISTUS (1916) – Directed by Giulio Cesare Antamoro, this is a fascinating look at Jesus, from the Angel visiting Mary through his Resurrection and subsequent visit with his Apostles. Christus runs 88 minutes and features some inventive variations on Biblical tableaux. The Star of Bethlehem is depicted as a comet; when Mary finds young Jesus preaching to his teachers His shadow appears as a cross; and Judas gets three visions of the Devil – first urging him on to betray Jesus, then taunting him when he regrets that betrayal, and finally welcoming him into Hell, which opens up under Judas’ swinging corpse.  Continue reading

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ARGENTINA’S SUPERHEROES

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog looks at several home-grown characters from Argentina. 

CABALLERO ROJO (Red Cavalier)

Secret Identity: Rafael Reinoso

Debuted: 1996

Origin: Rafael Reinoso is the 34th member of his family line to become the costumed Caballero Rojo. Like the Walker family in the Phantom series or the Black Panther and Red Wolf characters in Marvel Comics, the role has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. 

Powers: This hero is in peak physical condition, excels at unarmed combat and is more agile than an acrobat. Caballero Rojo also uses a high-tech grappling line to swing around the city like Spider-Man. He also wields throwing blades and red smoke bombs. His headquarters is in an abandoned church in Buenos Aires. 

CYBERSIX

Secret Identity: Adrian Seidelman 

Debuted: 1991

Origin: Dr. Joseph Von Reichter, one of the many Nazis to flee to Argentina after the end of World War 2, has used his genius at bioengineering and cybernetics to keep himself reasonably young for decades.

He also created several humanoid & animal figures who were part biochemical and part cybernetic.

Von Reichter’s creations developed free will, including Cybersix and the pantheroid Data 7, and they rebelled. Von Reichter exterminated all of them except our heroine Cybersix and Data 7, who escaped and have opposed their insane creator, his new creations and other forces of evil ever since.

Cybersix disguises herself as the male teacher Adrian Seidelman at Meridiana High School, with Meridiana being the city in which she resides. Dr. Von Reichter frequently targets that city. 

Powers: This heroine possesses super-strength, greater than human speed & agility, and can see in the dark. Like her panther Data 7, Cybersix can make spectacular leaps due to her incredible strength. Continue reading

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP: APRIL EIGHTEENTH

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

NOTE: Anti-Donald Trump fascists are so dishonest and propagandistic they’ve been lying about illegal immigrant and MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Democrats and their media outlets have been pretending he was just a “Maryland father” who was scooped up by ICE for no reason. Taking their lies to the next level, anti-Trump loons have even been hysterically pretending that Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s situation meant Trump might “disappear” people at will. More HERE.

These grotesque lies have been proven to be as wrong as the previous claims that Trump put a bounty on the heads of U.S. soldiers in the field or was preparing a nuclear program at Mar-a-Lago or plotted to kidnap Michigan’s Governor Whitmer or any of the other deranged bits of propaganda that anti-Trump people here and abroad are foolish enough to fall for EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.   2025 Democrats are garbage who are trying their hardest to provoke violence and more just because of their hatred for one man.   

EVERYTHING THAT DEMOCRAT FASCISTS DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE CRIMINAL KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA. Democrats and other anti-Trumpers are such lying filth. More HERE. And HERE. Is there ANY point at which anti-Trump imbeciles will learn to question the bizarre propaganda that gets spread against him?   

MORE LIES EXPOSED ABOUT DEMOCRATS’ FAVORITE GANG MEMBER. More HERE. And HERE.  

MOTHERS OF SLAIN VICTIMS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BLAST DEMOCRAT CHRIS VAN HOLLEN FOR HIS CRUSADE FOR KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA. But they’re wasting their time if they think any Democrat will give a damn about dead victims of illegal immigrants – who are STILL the only people Democrats work for. Illegals are Democrats’ sole reason for being at this point. Insane.

By the way, I know Democrats are talking about impeaching Trump over this illegal immigrant situation for “ignoring a court’s orders.” Yet Joe Biden repeatedly ignored multiple SUPREME COURT rulings that presidents do not have the authority to make the taxpayers pay off other people’s student loans. The Republicans weren’t capable of the insane behavior that Democrats are, so they didn’t raise that to the level of impeachment proceedings.

DEMOCRAT MEDIA OUTLETS IGNORE MOTHER SPEAKING ABOUT HER CHILD’S HORRIFIC DEATH AT THE HANDS OF AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT.  (Or “Democrat in training” I guess we should call them.) She begged them to start covering illegal immigrant crimes

DNI TULSI GABBARD DECLASSIFIES AND EXPOSES JOE BIDEN’S UNCONSTITUTIONAL PROGRAM FOR AUTHORITARIAN TREATMENT OF AMERICAN CITIZENS. Hey anti-Trump lunatics in other countries, how about covering this with the same breathless anxiety you bring to every disproven rumor about Trump’s conduct?  Continue reading

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