MAZEPPA – No relation to Tchaikovsky’s opera Mazeppa, this blog post refers to comedian, artist and actor Gailard Sartain, who got his start playing the wizard Mazeppa (center left) while hosting Tulsa’s late Saturday night Bad Movie show called The Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting.
Triple features and anarchic comedy sketches were the name of the game as Mazeppa and his figurative sorcerer’s apprentices Jim Millaway and THE Gary Busey presented So-Bad-They’re-Good movies, old Universal classics, and musicals from Busby Berkeley to 1950s rock and roll flicks. (Though Tulsa viewers rebelled against Busby Berkeley musicals.)
In between films came old educational shorts, Republic Serials, black & white sci-fi shows, weird cartoons, you name it. It was like a countrified forerunner of Night Flight from later decades.
Long time readers of Balladeer’s Blog may remember that when I reviewed the bad horror film Hex in 2011 I mentioned how co-star Gary Busey had moved on to movies after his stint as the wizard Mazeppa/ Gailard Sartain’s sidekick. I also resolved to review Mazeppa’s show. Good thing nobody held their breath.
And let’s quickly address the nice coincidence of Mazeppa and Busey’s character Teddy Jack Eddy hosting campy rock and roll movies like Don’t Knock the Rock, High School Confidential or Shake, Rattle and Rock only for Busey to play Buddy Holly and Sartain to play the Big Bopper in The Buddy Holly Story. Continue reading
BORDER PATROL (1959) – Based on actual case files of the United States Border Patrol, this half-hour series ran for 39 episodes and starred Richard Webb of Captain Midnight fame. Webb played Don Jagger, Deputy Chief of the Border Patrol, yet oddly he took part in individual cases. Why not just make him an agent or officer? I guess the creative team felt Deputy Chief sounded cooler. 
As the Argo pulled into Colchis, King Aeetes and his family – including his daughter Medea – observed their arrival. The Royal Family was on hand because of a dream that the goddess Hera had sent to Aeetes regarding foreign forces that would take Medea across the seas. 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The NORTHERN ESSEX COLLEGE KNIGHTS did battle with the RICHLAND COLLEGE THUNDERDUCKS for the NJCAA3 crown. At Halftime the underdog Thunderducks clung to a 30-28 edge. The Knights came out of the locker room ready for a comeback and ultimately won the game 68-62. Alejandro Delgado led Northern Essex with 16 points. 
FIRST SEMIFINAL – This game pitted the PARKLAND COLLEGE COBRAS against the DANVILLE AREA COLLEGE JAGUARS. The Cobras put Danville Area College on Upset alert at the Half with their authoritative 39-25 lead. From there, Parkland College carried through by toppling the Jaguars 77-66. Twenty-two points from Jaiden Martin led the Cobras. 
THE BAKARIDJAN KONE EPIC – Djeli, the poet-historians of the Bambara people for over 300 years, would often recite, chant and sing this epic myth while playing their stringed instruments called ngoni. 
JUNGLE ACTION Vol 2 #19 (Jan 1976) 
FIRST SEMIFINAL – The RICHLAND COLLEGE THUNDERDUCKS took the court against the NORTH LAKE COLLEGE BLAZERS. The teams went almost basket for basket and by Halftime the Blazers held a mere 31-30 edge. After the break the Thunderducks made their move, storming back to upset North Lake College 67-59. Sixteen points from Dre Rutledge led Richland College and his teammate Andrew Huntley got a Double Double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. 
MOLLY O (1921) – This film was produced by Mabel’s longtime romantic partner Mack Sennett (the musical Mack & Mabel is about them) and co-written by Mary Hunt. Originally 80 minutes long, this comedy was once considered completely lost like so many other silent movies. 
That footage from the fallen U.S.S.R.’s film archives helped UCLA film historians flesh out what surviving footage they held with the chopped-up Russian version to make the 57-minute cut. Luckily the ending is intact and reviews from 1921 help fill in any missing story beats. 
Edwin L. Raub (1921-1998) served as a paratrooper in World War Two and fought on D-Day & during Operation Market Garden. He was written about by name in Cornelius Ryan’s non-fiction book (later a movie) A Bridge Too Far about the latter action. 
Graduating to the hour-long Uncle Ted’s Children’s Party, Edwin Raub cemented his position as a local television icon. In 1974, Scranton’s WNEP-TV hired him to use his Uncle Ted persona to host their Friday nights at midnight Bad Movie show Uncle Ted’s Ghoul School, elevating his kiddy-show schtick to the more wry and sarcastic approach of hosting old and bad movies. 
THE INHABITANTS OF MARS: THEIR MANNERS AND ADVANCEMENT IN CIVILIZATION AND THEIR OPINION OF US (1895) – I shortened the title for this blog post heading. This novel was written by Willis Mitchell, who called himself a professor but never elaborated.
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