Tag Archives: Balladeer’s Blog

BALLADEER’S BLOG’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM AUGUST 24th

The 2023 college football season kicked off last night in some of the divisions covered here at Balladeer’s Blog.

Valley City State Vikings helmetJIMMIES AT VIKINGS – The VALLEY CITY STATE VIKINGS hosted the UNIVERSITY OF JAMESTOWN JIMMIES in NAIA action last night. The Jimmies were on top 8-0 to end the 1st Quarter and 8-7 come Halftime. In the 3rd Quarter the Vikings went up 20-8 before winning the game by a final score of 23-15.

garden-city-broncbusters-helmet-newINSTANT CLASSIC IN KANSAS – In Jayhawk Conference action in the NJCAA the (9) GARDEN CITY COLLEGE BRONCBUSTERS took the field against the visiting (12) BUTLER (KS) GRIZZLIES. A scoreless opening Quarter was followed by a 7-7 tie at the Half. The 3rd Quarter ended with the Broncbusters clinging to a 13-9 edge. From there Garden City College defeated the Grizzlies 27-22. Continue reading

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LIFE IN A THOUSAND WORLDS (1905) – ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

life in a thousand worldsLIFE IN A THOUSAND WORLDS (1905) – Written by William Shuler Harris. This is yet another work of “ancient” science fiction that deals with life on other planets. Each celestial body that is visited gets its own chapter.

THE MOON – The inhabitants of the moon are roughly one-fourth the size of Earthlings. Long ago the moon was a much more hospitable place to live, but volcanoes and moonquakes devastated the satellite. The remaining atmosphere is very thin, and those who are still alive must live by eating solid air. 

       Lunar technology is behind that of Earth but the moon people are gifted at the creative arts.

MARS – Called Marsites and Marsmen in this book, the people of the Red Planet are roughly twelve feet tall and their long humanoid bodies have four arms. The ruling class on Mars treats the lower classes horribly, using them as slave labor to produce food for them. Continue reading

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THE FOURTH REICH (1990) – NEGLECTED FILM ABOUT THWARTING NAZI AGENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

the fourth reichTHE FOURTH REICH (1990) – This film’s greatest obstacle to greater renown is its own title. Anyone coming across the title The Fourth Reich will quite reasonably assume it’s a B-movie about Nazi war criminals in hiding trying to resurrect their rightfully defeated cause.

If someone rents or buys it expecting an espionage thriller like The ODESSA File, The Holcroft Covenant or even The Boys from Brazil, they’ll be disappointed that it is instead a quality dramatic account of a NON-FICTIONAL, real-life attempt by Nazi agents to assassinate South African leader Jan Smuts in 1942.   

This movie – produced in South Africa – was partially based on the non-fiction book For Volk and Fuhrer, so even THAT title wouldn’t truly convey the subject matter to anyone outside of people who are so into South African history that they would recognize those words in the context of a thwarted Nazi assassin.

Enough preamble. I started my review this way to hopefully catch the eyes of readers who WERE assuming this is just more warmed-over, regenerate Nazi fiction. Please don’t dismiss this powerful movie due to false assumptions.

the fourth reich another posterTHE FOURTH REICH deals with South African boxer Robey Leibbrandt, who participated in the 1936 Olympics where he met and shook the hand of Adolf Hitler. Leibbrandt was strangely impressed with Hitler and his philosophy of hatred, and after becoming South Africa’s Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 1937 he returned to Germany in 1938.

Robey was studying at the Reich Academy of Gymnastics when World War Two broke out in September 1939, and volunteered to serve the Nazis militarily. After he completed his military training, his commanders felt Leibbrandt would be more effective as a Nazi agent in South Africa, promoting their cause and recruiting saboteurs.

Under the alias Walter Kempf, Robey was sent back to his native land as part of Operation Weissdorn, a plan to assassinate South African leader Jan Smuts for leading South Africa into World War Two as a British ally rather than remaining neutral like his opponents wanted.    Continue reading

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PLEASE DON’T TOUCH ME (1959, 1963) – BAD MOVIE REVIEW

please dont touch mePLEASE DON’T TOUCH ME (Filmed in 1959, released in 1963) – Buy this for the Lash La Rue fan in your life, but mostly for the Ron and June Ormond fan in your life. For people outside of us lovers of Bad Movies I’ll point out that Ron and June Ormond were the famous husband and wife team of low-low-low budget filmmakers.

The Ormonds dabbled in virtually all genres from mainstream movies to exploitation and roadshow flicks. More than a decade ago, Balladeer’s Blog reviewed the infamous Ron Ormond/ Estus Pirkle film If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? (HERE), a full-color Cold War potboiler about a Communist invasion of the U.S. depicted with graphic violence, inane dialogue and hilariously bad acting. 

This earlier effort from their mind-bending body of work found them collaborating with former cowboy star Lash La Rue, with whom they had made several cheap, short and boring westerns. Lash portrays Dr. Williams, a psychiatrist who is treating a newlywed bride for frigidity.

Mom and VickyThough Please Don’t Touch Me sounds like it would be a sexploitation flick, lurid assault film or Nudie Cutie, rest assured there’s nothing in this 67-minute oddity that your grandmother couldn’t handle. Well, maybe your mother, instead of grandma.

The film plays almost like a parody of Public Service Message shorts, educational videos, army training films about v.d., and tabloid psychiatry movies like Tomorrow’s Children, Glen or Glenda & Maniac. Paying customers who went in hoping for something sexy, explicit and tawdry would have learned that the joke was on them.  Continue reading

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BALLADEER’S BLOG’S PRESEASON RANKINGS FOR D2 AND D3 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

This Thursday, August 24th, the 2023 college football season kicks off in the divisions covered here at Balladeer’s Blog. Here are my rankings for NCAA D2 and D3.

Pittsburg State Gorillas*** NCAA DIVISION TWO – 1. PITTSBURG (KS) STATE GORILLAS   ###   2. FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS (defending national champions)   ###   3. GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS   ###   4. UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA ARGONAUTS   ###   5. COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES OREDIGGERS   ###   

delta state6. DELTA STATE STATESMEN   ###   7. MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS   ###   8. NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS   ###   9. INDIANA UNIVERSITY IN PENNSYLVANIA CRIMSON HAWKS   ###   10. ARKANSAS TECH WONDERBOYS   ###    Continue reading

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JUSTICE SOCIETY: 1949 STORIES

For this weekend’s light-hearted, escapist blog post about superheroes, Balladeer’s Blog looks at the 1949 issues of America’s very first superteam in comic books – the Justice Society. 

asc 45ALL STAR COMICS Vol 1 #45 (February 1949)

Title: The Case of the Cosmic Criminals

Justice Society Roster: Dr. Mid-Nite, the 1st Wonder Woman, 1st Flash, 1st Atom, 1st Black Canary, 1st Hawkman and 1st Green Lantern

Villains: The Cosmic Criminals

Synopsis: Professor Felix Egri uses star alignments, stellar energy and a distant nova to provide a charge of cosmic energy to 6 ordinary objects. The Rocky Castle Gang of criminals raid his lab and steal the half-dozen items and begin a crime wave with the powers granted to them by the cosmic energy of those objects. Continue reading

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WESTERN TEXAS COLLEGE: COOL NAMED SPORTS TEAM

wtc campusThe latest look at a college whose sports teams have a nickname that is out of the ordinary.

WESTERN TEXAS COLLEGE Continue reading

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PETER PAN (1976): FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

peter pan 1976PETER PAN (1976) – This Hallmark/ ITV joint venture is not as good as the Mary Martin or Sandy Duncan versions or the original Disney animated movie, but its obscurity made it a “must review” item for Balladeer’s Blog. Dwight Hemion directed this telefilm with Andrew Birkin and American comedian Jack Burns (of Burns and Schreiber fame) adapting the screenplay.

The fourteen new songs for this Peter Pan were written and composed by Leslie Bricusse of Scrooge, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and so many other musicals. Anthony Newley, Bricusse’s long time musical partner, worked with him on this project as well.

danny kaye as captain hookMIA FARROW, in her Rosemary’s Baby hairdo, portrays the title character with an accent on the little boy aspect of “the boy who wouldn’t grow up”. It’s interesting to watch her depict Peter’s cockiness as more like bravado to cover up how frightened he is. Not brilliant, but interesting. Her singing is okay.

DANNY KAYE gets to play Captain Hook and Mr. Darling after a previous film project with him in those roles fell through years earlier. The veteran Kaye steals the show in his usual comedic and boisterous fashion, making his Captain Hook my personal favorite from all of the versions of Peter Pan. Continue reading

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FOOL KILLER: THE KLARENC WADE MAK VERSION FROM 1917-1918

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

klarenc wade mak fkTHE FOOL KILLER (1918) – The 1918 one-shot publication called The Fool Killer collected written works by Dr Klarenc Wade Mak, poet, author and socialist political candidate for mayoral office in Kansas City, MO around 1918. Mak had also written Ekkoes (sic) from the Hart (sic) and Mental Dinamite (sic).

Mak’s Fool Killer was yet another of the many incarnations of this fictional, quasi-supernatural vigilante featured in folk tales and political satires from the 19th Century through today. The Fool Killer possibly originated among the “Hill Portugee” (Hill Portuguese) of the American south.

Those oral traditions of this deadly character may date back to the 1830s as Melungeons melded the Portuguese folk hero Longstaff with Tennessee traditions about a supernatural figure who killed any non-Melungeon “fools” who tried stealing their legendary gold.

Fool Killer illustrationDuring the 1850s Fool Killer tales were fused with political satire and commentary as Charles Napoleon Bonaparte Evans launched his series of Fool Killer Letters. Those fictional epistles, penned by Evans himself, were presented as tongue-in-cheek confessions from the Fool Killer about the political and social menaces he murdered to make the world a better place.

Evans added another element to Fool Killer lore at the start of the U.S. Civil War, as the vigilante grew disgusted with both the North and the South and hibernated in a cave for years. By 1870 Evans revived the character and his “letters” by saying the Fool Killer had emerged from hibernation dressed in the latest men’s fashions and ready to start killing fools once more. Continue reading

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BALLADEER’S BLOG’S NJCAA FOOTBALL RANKINGS FOR THE PRESEASON

The 2023 college football season will kick off on Thursday, August 24th in the divisions covered here at Balladeer’s Blog. Here is my preseason Top 12 for the NJCAA.

Iowa Western College*** 1. IOWA WESTERN COLLEGE REIVERS (defending national champions)    ###    2. HUTCHINSON COLLEGE BLUE DRAGONS    ###    3. COFFEYVILLE COLLEGE RED RAVENS    ###    4. NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE RANGERS    ###    Continue reading

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