Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the many facets of Fool Killer lore. FOR PART ONE, INCLUDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN THE 1850s, CLICK HERE.
PART 67 – Some of the Fool Killer’s targets on both sides of the aisle in the January 1914 edition of James Larkin Pearson’s version of the folk figure:
*** Child Labor: The Fool Killer unconditionally condemned child labor, fueled by a report in the Christian Herald exposing the plight of a 3-year-old child being exploited.
NOTE: Since it has been quite a while since I’ve covered Pearson’s particular iteration of the Fool Killer I want to point out that it cannot be pigeon-holed into 21st Century ideas about political left and political right. Neither side should read too much into him citing the Christian Herald. James Larkin Pearson openly endorsed an unusual Socialist interpretation of Christianity.
He bashed clergymen from all faiths and unleashed his Fool Killer on preachers who conducted themselves like what we would call “televangelists” who pushed for money above all else. He also bashed capitalism and plutocrats, whom he called Plutes. Unrelated, but he opposed abortion yet was an early proponent of women’s right to vote. Pearson had views which would offend both sides of the 2026 political spectrum.
Back to his January 1914 targets:
*** What was already being called the House of Morgan, as in J.P. Morgan, one of the Fool Killer’s frequent rich pig targets. Continue reading
THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR (1953-1963) – Some of the finest hour-long dramas aired on American television during the 1950s and 1960s were produced for The U.S. Steel Hour. Over time the anthology program added a few comedies and children’s projects, but it made its reputation on the strength of its dramas. 
P.O.W. (Oct 27th, 1953) – David Davidson wrote and Alex Segal directed this tale of the tortuous brainwashing techniques that the Communist Chinese and their North Korean allies inflicted on Prisoners of War during the Korean War. In a way the 1950s Manchurian Candidate film trivialized the ordeals that service members were subjected to so that the reality seems to have faded into the background, replaced by pop culture melodrama. 
THE ABLEST MAN IN THE WORLD (1879) – This short story was written by American author Edward Page Mitchell. The central figure – but not the title figure – is a wealthy bespectacled man named Fisher. Because of his scholarly appearance Fisher is mistakenly addressed as “doctor” and “professor” while staying at a spa in Baden, Germany. 
If it’s Monday, it’s time for another current events roundup from 
COLLISION COURSE (1989) – Yes, it’s Pat Morita and Jay Leno as reluctant investigative partners. For starters, I owe an apology to 
Despite this Pat Morita-Jay Leno joint having a bigger budget and a supporting cast made up of real actors (Chris Sarandon, Al Waxman, Soon-Tek Oh and others), this production sucks like a Hoover vacuum. Not even some 80s street cred in the form of Randall “Tex” Cobb could save Collision Course, which was recognized as such a bomb that it didn’t get released – on video, at that – until 1992. And even then it was done solely to exploit Leno taking over The Tonight Show from Johnny Carson.
1. TIMOTHY PICKERING (1795-1800)
While Joe Biden hides in his bunker from the Biden Family Corruption Scandal, Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog notes that yet ANOTHER Native American Tribe has endorsed de facto Third Party President Donald Trump. In the endorsement, Alvin Not Afraid, Jr (the best name imaginable) called attention to President Trump’s policy of letting the tribe assign and grant permits on THEIR OWN mineral rights, unlike so many previous administrations. (link below) 
Meanwhile, Martin Luther King Person of Courage Maurice Davis, the Democrat VP of the Flint City Council announced he is crossing party lines to support President Trump:
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER REV WILLIAM OWENS also mentioned his support for Trump, praising the president’s policies which have helped communities of color.
ASTONISHING TALES Vol 1 #9 (Dec 1971) 
ROB ROY: THE HIGHLAND ROGUE (1953) – Accurate history has no place in this Disney film in which Richard Todd stars as Scottish Clan leader and legendary outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor. The film begins in 1715 as Clan MacGregor is among the Scottish forces fighting against King George the First of England in the Jacobite Uprising. 
Montrose pardons all the Jacobite Clans except the MacGregors, who are forbidden to even use their surname, hence their leader being renowned as simply Rob Roy. Our hero is imprisoned by Montrose but escapes and leads his kinsmen and loyalists in rustling Montrose’s cattle and looting his estates. 
SATEENA, THE DEVIL’S DAUGHTER hosted horror and sci-fi movies on Shock Show, which aired on Atlanta’s WSB-TV from January 2nd to December 18th, 1958. This devilishly mischievous hostess was played by Joanne Good aka Joanne Goode aka Joanne Gould. Unlike the usual Movie Hostesses whose characters were vampires or witches, Sateena was the impish daughter of Satan himself. 
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