Balladeer’s Blog is back with another college sports team that goes outside the overused names like Eagles, Tigers, Bulldogs and Wildcats.
SNEAD STATE Continue reading
Tag Archives: Balladeer’s Blog
LEMMINGS (1973) NATIONAL LAMPOON’S PARODY OF WOODSTOCK AND MORE
LEMMINGS: DEAD IN CONCERT (1973) – This is not a review of the original, legendary National Lampoon stage version of Lemmings from January of 1973. Instead, it’s a review of the filmed special of a live performance of the slightly reworked stage show.
Lemmings: Dead in Concert was originally intended to air on HBO in 1973, and yes, HBO really IS that old but was only available in New York and Pennsylvania at the time. This special wound up not being shown on HBO but instead was released on the college campus film circuit in ’73.
I long assumed that virtually EVERYBODY was familiar with this milestone work from National Lampoon but when I noticed there were only 7 user reviews of the special at the IMDb I decided it must have become so obscure over the decades that it qualified for a Balladeer’s Blog review.
I’ll start with the basics for those who aren’t familiar with Lemmings in any form. It was a parody of the iconic 1969 Woodstock concert in the state of New York, a major event for the 1960s generation as many musical acts appeared, including several who were not originally scheduled to perform but got caught up in the phenomenon.
The accompanying documentary about the multi-day event, filmed while it was happening, captured the experience for subsequent generations whether we wanted to see it or not. I’m KIDDING! If you had or have siblings, parents, grandparents, etc. from the 60s generation it’s possible that – like happened to me – they shared the documentary with you so many times you felt like you’d seen Woodstock more often than Charlton Heston’s character in Omega Man.
At any rate, this Lemmings special’s run on college campuses provided the first nationwide exposure for National Lampoon performers like JOHN BELUSHI, CHEVY CHASE, CHRISTOPHER GUEST, RHONDA COULLET and others. Yes, even before Saturday Night Live launched in 1975. Continue reading
Filed under humor
FORGOTTEN TELEVISION: TARGET (1958)
TARGET (1958) – This syndicated 30-minute suspense anthology series was hosted by the one and only Adolphe Menjou. It was a Ziv production and ran for 38-41 episodes, depending on which online source you go by.
STANDOUT EPISODES:
BREAKING POINT – A woman finds that violence is her only recourse against a sinister stalker and her distrustful husband who suspects she is having an affair with the stalker. Features Howard Duff and Maria Riva.
POLICE DOCTOR – Accident victim Joe Burns (Leo Gordon) freaks out and thinks he’s being held by hostile forces at the hospital. He grabs a cop’s gun and a standoff results. An MD (Gene Barry) tries to talk the man back to reason. Also with Brett Halsey.
EDGE OF TERROR – Handicapped female author Alice Ward (Bonita Granville) slowly realizes the “friendly stranger” she is alone with matches the description of a homicidal maniac at large. Continue reading
Filed under Forgotten Television
THE ORPHIC ARGONAUTICA: PART SIX – CONCLUSION
Balladeer’s Blog concludes examining this Orphic variation of the Quest for the Golden Fleece. PART ONE HERE. PART TWO HERE. PART THREE HERE. PART FOUR HERE. PART FIVE HERE.
When we left off last time, Medea’s Aunt Circe had informed her that in order to stop the vendetta the Furies were waging against her, Jason, Orpheus and the rest of the Argonauts Medea must be purified from the taint of betraying her father and killing her brother through rites performed by Orpheus and the Meliae – the ash-tree nymphs who nursed the infant Zagreus (in this Orphic version).
The involvement of the Meliae is necessary to assuage the Furies because both the Meliae and the Furies were peers, having been born from the blood of Uranus.
The ship the Argo sailed past Sardinia and Sicily successfully, but then Charybdis caused the Argonauts to become trapped in its powerful whirlpool in the Strait of Messina. The only thing that saved our heroes was the fact that Thetis, a Nereid nymph, was in love with the future King Peleus of the Argonauts, so she freed the Argo from the whirlpool and the ship went on its way.
Later, Peleus and Thetis would become the parents of Achilles. Continue reading
Filed under Mythology
BAD MOVIE: ATTACK OF THE BEAST CREATURES (1983)
For more bad movie reviews click here: https://glitternight.com/bad-movies/
ATTACK OF THE BEAST CREATURES (1983)- Category: A neglected bad movie classic that deserves a Plan 9-sized cult following.
Some passengers from a Transatlantic liner get shipwrecked and marooned on an uncharted island filled with acidic ponds and streams plus a whole tribe of the titular creatures who all look even sillier than the doll that attacked Karen Black in Trilogy of Terror.
And it’s the 1920s for no reason whatsoever! Nothing in the story has Continue reading
Filed under Bad and weird movies
DR. DEATH: TED KNIGHT PLAYED A MOVIE HOST IN THE 1950s
DR. DEATH (195?-195?) – Ted Knight, famous for his roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Too Close for Comfort is among the surprising names who worked in the American folk art of Movie Hosting. Yes, just as Tim Conway played Ghoulardi’s sidekick and Gary Busey was Mazeppa’s sidekick; just as Pat Sajak wrote for Nashville’s Phantom of the Opry, Bill O’Reilly for Uncle Ted and Tom Snyder for Bob Hersh’s Movie Host the Advisor, Ted Knight is in the mix as well.
Though the other figures mentioned above were in the supporting staff, Knight was the host himself as Dr. Death, a Mad Scientist who was also some form of revenant back from the dead. Most sources describe Ted’s Dr. Death character as a combination of Dr. Phibes and the 1930s Mummy.
I often wonder if it was more a case of Knight basing the concept partially on Humphrey Bogart’s “back from the dead Mad Scientist” in The Return of Dr. X from 1939 rather than on Boris Karloff’s Mummy. Whatever the thought process was, as Dr. Death the future Ted Baxter hosted Milkman Movies (one source says Milkman’s Movies), which aired so late at night/ early in the morning that it ended before the crack of dawn, when milkmen of the past did their rounds. Continue reading
Filed under Bad and weird movies, Forgotten Television, Movie Hosts
ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION – THE SOVEREIGN GUIDE: A TALE OF EDEN (1898)
THE SOVEREIGN GUIDE: A TALE OF EDEN (1898) – Written by American William Amos Miller and published under the title My Sovereign Guide: A Tale of Eden, so I have no idea why everyone now starts the title with The instead of My. Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog know that many works of “ancient” science fiction mixed in religious elements with the sci-fi. The Sovereign Guide is one of the most inventive and features angels using advanced technology. Taking the novel section by section:
PART I: JOURNEY TO ROME – Miller himself serves as our narrator. He has received word that Manethoe, a former household aide who had embezzled money from him long ago, is on his deathbed in Rome.
Miller is filled with such a strong desire to see the man one last time and openly forgive him that an actual angel appears to him and offers to take him to Rome to see Manethoe. The angel – who has neither eyes nor ears but functions perfectly without them – has our narrator fly off with him in his chariot.
High above the Earth they pass by a multitude of angels singing a song which William’s guide joins in. At length the chariot descends toward Rome.
PART II: A SCENE IN THE CHAMBER OF DEATH – At Menethoe’s bedside, our narrator and the angel behold the Angel of Death waiting to claim the dying man’s soul. Miller sees the Angel of Death studying a high-tech instrument which it has implanted in Menethoe’s heart.
William forgives his former aide and when the device in the dying man’s heart indicates that he has died, Mary, Mother of God appears at the bedside, a vision so dazzling that our narrator faints. He comes to later on his angelic companion’s chariot. The angel informs him that he is taking him to see Eden and what is left of its Garden.
A weakness of the book is that we never get any indication why William Amos Miller is being granted this privileged tour.
PART III: SUBTERRANEAN VOYAGE TO EDEN – The chariot lands at the seashore, where our narrator is accompanied aboard a futuristic submarine crewed by angels. The vessel is egg-shaped but with spires at both ends. Continue reading
Filed under Ancient Science Fiction
THE BLACK SPIDER (1940-1942): NEGLECTED GOLDEN AGE SUPERHERO
This weekend’s superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at the Black Spider, a neglected Ace Periodicals character from the 40s. FOR MANY MORE ACE CHARACTERS CLICK HERE.
THE BLACK SPIDER
Secret Identity: Ralph Nelson
First Appearance: Super Mystery Comics Vol 1 #3 (Oct 1940)
Origin: District Attorney Ralph Nelson grew disgusted with seeing criminals escape justice through loopholes, so he donned a costume, called himself the Black Spider and set out to take down those malefactors who seemed untouchable by the law.
Powers: The Black Spider was in peak physical condition and exceled at unarmed combat. He was also a skilled investigator and handy with a gun. Luckily, Ralph’s lifelong hobby was the study of spiders, so he used trained tarantulas and black widows from a package on his belt against his foes.
Comment: Nelson’s secretary Peggy Dodge was aware of his dual identity and often aided him on his adventures while wearing a mask herself. I feel she should have gotten her own alias, like Arachne or something. “The Black Spider and Arachne” has a Green Hornet and Kato feel to it.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 1 #3 (Oct 1940)
Title: The Black Spider
Villains: Gangster Sol Risko and his men
Synopsis: We learn that the Black Spider has been active for some time already and is hated by the city’s organized crime chiefs. Peggy Dodge, the D.A.’s secretary, has a crush on him, not yet realizing he is her boss Ralph Nelson.
Peggy is disgusted at Ralph’s seeming lack of gumption when Sol Risko’s men manage a spectacular theft of evidence in the court case against him, jeopardizing any conviction. She dons a mask and trails Harrigan, a politician in Risko’s pocket.
Meanwhile, D.A. Nelson goes to his secret lair – a cave in the woods called the Web, where he keeps his spiders and other items. He becomes the Black Spider and trails Harrigan like Peggy is doing. Our hero arrives in time to save her from Harrigan and a Risko gunman, but she tears off his mask and learns the Black Spider is really Ralph.
She vows to keep his secret and slips away. The Black Spider takes Harrigan to the Web and gets information out of him by threatening to have his spiders bite him. Then, he recovers the stolen evidence from thugs at the Green Moon Cafe and Risko is found guilty. Continue reading
Filed under Superheroes
SON OF THE SHEIK (1926) RUDOLPH VALENTINO’S LAST FILM
THE SON OF THE SHEIK (1926) – Having had more flops than hits in recent years, Valentino jumped at the chance to try reviving his box office mojo by playing both father and son in this sequel to his mammoth hit The Sheik.
Agnes Ayres returned as the Sheik’s wife Diane, and in old age makeup she and Rudy reprised their roles from the 1921 film. Via split-screen technology, Valentino’s aged Sheik interacted with his son, also named Ahmed.
The younger Ahmed falls in love with a dancing girl named Yasmin (Vilma Banky), who acts as the honeypot to lure wealthy suckers into her father’s web of con artist scams. The attraction is mutual, and Ahmed and Yasmin begin regular rendezvous at desert ruins near the city of Touggort, where she dances and her father’s gang pulls off their cons. Continue reading
Filed under opinion
ALL COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS FOR 2026
One last acknowledgement of the champions in all 14 divisions of college basketball covered here at Balladeer’s Blog.
NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)
National Champions – FREED-HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY LIONS
Runners-Up – Langston University Lions
2025 Champions – College of Idaho Coyotes
NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) DIVISION ONE
National Champions – LANCASTER BIBLE COLLEGE CHARGERS
Runners-Up – Columbia International University Rams
2025 Champions – Nelson American Indian University Warriors Continue reading
Filed under College Basketball
Balladeer's Blog 