ROOSTER: SPURS OF DEATH – This cosmically bad and tasteless movie was completed in 1977 but not released until 1983, presumably because there’s never been much demand for films from the ugly subgenre of cockfighting flicks. (Cocksploitation?)
Previously, Balladeer’s Blog reviewed the horrific movie Cockfighter, in which star Warren Oates portrayed a man who trains roosters for cockfights and at one point takes a vow of silence until one of his roosters wins a fight. (Hey, it’s not exactly the Dothraki custom of cutting a man’s hair if he loses a fight, but what can you do?)
Some of my remarks regarding Cockfighter can also be applied to Rooster: Spurs of Death, a Quinn Martin Production. Okay, I’m kidding about the Quinn Martin part, but anyway, R:SOD makes you understand exactly why the cruel activity of cockfighting became so despised. Continue reading
THE EMPEROR OF THE AIR (1910) – Written by George Glendon, this is a story about two visionaries – the German-American tycoon Hans Kreutzer and the Italian inventor Anatole Lonari. 
ACU CONQUERS DIVISION TWO – The annual tradition of NAIA college football teams upsetting teams from higher divisions has continued every week so far in 2022. Yesterday the ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY FIRESTORM visited NCAA Division Two’s FORT LEWIS COLLEGE SKYHAWKS. The Firestorm stunned the Skyhawks, leading them 28-9 at Halftime before winning the game 52-12. 
MINERS TOPPLE DIVISION ONE – In a similar vein, NCAA Division Two’s MISSOURI S&T MINERS traveled to face Division One’s DRAKE UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS. This much tighter game saw a scoreless 1st Quarter followed by a 7-0 Miners edge at the Half. The Bulldogs came back to tie things up 14-14 in the 4th Quarter. In Overtime, Missouri S&T won out 17-14. 
NUMBER ONE TAKES A FALL – Down in NCAA Division Three, the 6th ranked UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT WHITEWATER WARHAWKS welcomed the number 1 team in the nation – the UNIVERSITY OF MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR CRUSADERS. A 7-7 opening Quarter tie became a 14-10 midpoint lead for the Warhawks. The Crusaders went up 24-21 in the 3rd, but with 13 seconds left in the 4th, UW-Whitewater won the game 28-24. 
SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL Vol 1 #1 (December 1972) 
She disarms and subdues the poachers, then she and her two leopards – Ina the Spotted and Biri the Dark – escort the hunting party to the border of the reserve. She orders them to leave the area, then resumes her professional care for the animals of the jungle. 
TAKING DOWN NUMBER TWELVE – The PITTSBURG (KS) STATE GORILLAS traveled to face the 12th ranked UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-KEARNEY LOPERS. A 7-0 Lopers lead in the 1st Quarter became a 21-14 advantage for them by Halftime. The Gorillas went on top 28-14 going into the 4th Quarter, then won the game by a final score of 35-28. 
MARATHON MEN – In this game the UNIVERSITY OF CHARLESTON GOLDEN EAGLES visited the FAIRMONT STATE FALCONS. The Golden Eagles led the Falcons 21-7 at the Half but Fairmont State came back to knot things up 28-28 to end Regulation. The 1st Overtime ended in a 35-35 deadlock and the 2nd with the score 38-38. Neither team mustered points in the 3rd OT, and the University of Charleston won with a Safety, 40-38, in the FOURTH OVERTIME. 
CHASE (1973) – This cop show from the 70s had an odd history and ultimately wasted an initially promising premise. 
Officer Steve Baker (Michael Richardson) was a former race car driver who handled the car chases. Officer Norm Hamilton (Reid Smith) was a Vietnam War veteran and helicopter pilot who handled aerial activities. And Officer Fred Sing (Brian Fong) was a hotshot motorcycle cop long before CHiPS hit the airwaves. 
Recently Balladeer’s Blog covered Robert E. Howard’s stories about his overlooked characters James Allison and Turlogh Dubh. This time around I’m taking a look at another neglected creation of Howard, best known for his Conan, Kull and Solomon Kane stories. 
EL BORAK – This character’s real name was Francis Xavier Gordon, an old west gunfighter from El Paso, Texas, who wound up traveling much of the world outside of the United States. Gordon settled in Afghanistan where his prowess with swords and pistols made him a tolerated outsider and earned him the nickname El Borak. 
THE DAUGHTER OF ERLIK KHAN – First published in the pulp magazine Top-Notch in December, 1934. El Borak was hired by a pair of scurvy Britishers to guide them to a nonexistent captive friend of theirs. They secretly plan to loot the treasure of Mount Erlik Khan in the city of Yolgan. 
SOUTHEASTERN U CONQUERS DIVISION TWO – Every year multiple NAIA teams upset higher division teams and yesterday saw the SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY FIRE bring down NCAA Division Two’s SAVANNAH STATE TIGERS. Neither team scored in the 1st Quarter, but the Fire went up 27-0 by Halftime. After a scoreless 3rd Quarter, Southeastern University consummated the Upset in the 4th with a 34-14 triumph. 
DOWN GOES NUMBER FOUR – Down in NCAA Division Three, the number 5 team in the nation – the SAINT JOHN’S UNIVERSITY JOHNNIES – hosted the 4th ranked UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT WHITEWATER WARHAWKS. The Johnnies put the Warhawks on Upset Alert at the Half with their 9-3 lead, then carried through with a 24-10 victory. 
CHARGERS ON THE ROAD – In NCAA Division Two, the storied HILLSDALE COLLEGE CHARGERS took it on the road against the LAKE ERIE COLLEGE STORM. The Chargers were chasing the Storm 14-0 in the opening Quarter and 21-14 at the break. The 3rd Quarter ended with Lake Erie College on top 28-21, but in the 4th Hillsdale College stormed from behind to win the game 35-31. 
SHOWCASE Vol 1 #73 (April 1968) 
Jack gets tipped off about the abduction of Vincent Yatz, a scientific genius who recently defected from the Soviet Union to the United States. 
Our hero learns that Devlin will be covertly turning the captured Yatz over to Major Smej that night using a costume party attended by the rich and powerful as cover. Jack Ryder throws together a costume from leftovers he buys at a costume shop – the yellow, green and red sheepskin cape/stole ensemble that will become his Creeper outfit going forward. 
DOWN GOES NUMBER THREE – The number 5 team in the nation – the GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS – welcomed the 3rd ranked COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES OREDIGGERS. After a scoreless 1st Quarter the Lakers led 7-0 at Halftime. The 3rd Quarter ended with Grand Valley State out in front 17-6, but the Lakers had to hold on against a furious 4th Quarter rally by the Orediggers. The final score was Grand Valley State 25 Colorado School of Mines 22.
WORKING OVERTIME – The SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE SAVAGE STORM won a 41-34 Overtime affair against the visiting ARKANSAS TECH WONDERBOYS ### Meanwhile, the BLUEFIELD STATE BIG BLUES survived a 35-34 OT visit from the JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY GOLDEN BULLS ### And the MCKENDREE UNIVERSITY BEARCATS defeated their hosts the NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY WILDCATS 31-24 in the extra session. 
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