THE BIONIC BOY (1977) – This joint production of the Philippines and Hong Kong starred child martial arts champion Johnson Yap from Singapore. It was also released under alternate titles like Superboy, Trionic Warrior and others.
We viewers first meet 10-year-old Sonny Lee (Johnson Yap) on a televised game show hosted by a man who looks like Liberace. I didn’t say he DRESSES like Liberace, just that his face very closely resembles the Candelabra Man.
Sonny wins the Jackpot on the game show because he’s as intelligent as he is skilled at martial arts. When Not Liberace brings on Sonny’s parents, some gangsters watching the show see that his father is really a former Interpol agent who brought down several of their colleagues and has been living in a Witness Protection Program ever since. (Pretty stupid to let your face get televised to millions then.)
The gangsters add killing the ex-Interpol man to their To-Do List since they are in the middle of muscling in on all export businesses in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and ultimately Australia. Sonny Lee and his parents get even more publicity when Ramirez, a Manila auto magnate, announces he will give the family a new car fresh off his assembly line. Continue reading
THE CONQUEST OF THE MOON (1887) – Written by French author Paschal Grousset under the alias Andre Laurie. This work ranges from absurd to fascinating, with – for people looking for science fiction – WAY too much time devoted to the fighting in the Sudan during 1884 and 1885.
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TONY ORLANDO AND DAWN – This musical variety series filled a real need for CBS after Sonny and Cher’s show went off the air in May of 1974 due to their divorce. The network couldn’t believe their luck when Tony Orlando and Dawn, riding near the top of the charts and possessing a non-threatening charm, were then available.
Obviously, the trio’s singing act is still fairly well known, but I’m often surprised that many people have forgotten about their 56-episode television show. If you’ve never heard of this act, the name “Dawn” was originally the entire group name as a means for Tony Orlando to do a single outside of his current recording contract.
1. NORTHWESTERN (IA) COLLEGE RED RAIDERS ### 2. KEISER UNIVERSITY SEAHAWKS (Defending Champions) ### 3. MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS ### 4. GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS (should be Zebras) ###
5. MARIAN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS ### 6. DORDT UNIVERSITY DEFENDERS ### 7. DICKINSON STATE UNIVERSITY BLUE HAWKS ### 8. SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY COUGARS ###
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HOME STAND – The INDIANA FEVER (12-15) hosted the PHOENIX MERCURY (14-13) in this game.
SPANKING THE SPARKS – The league-leading NEW YORK LIBERTY (22-4) took it on the road against the LOS ANGELES SPARKS (6-19).
OMAC Vol 1 #1 (October 1974)
Because of the danger of this assignment, Buddy is first used as a test subject for Operation OMAC (One Man Army Corps). The test is a success and when needed, the everyday Buddy Blank can be infused with superpowers by the GPA’s orbiting satellite called Brother Eye.
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THE AIR BATTLE: A VISION OF THE FUTURE (1859) – Written by an unknown author using the name Herrmann Lang. (Ignore the misspelling on the cover to the left.) Speculation has it that the author was British despite the German pseudonym and despite the narrator’s claim that he is a black man.