More like The Boy With The Ham-Fisted Message if you’ve seen this flick.
Tag Archives: Balladeer’s Blog
THE PRISONER: HAMMER INTO ANVIL
Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the 1967 science fiction/ existential drama The Prisoner. For Part One, in which I examined the themes and concepts at play in the series click HERE
Episode Title: HAMMER INTO ANVIL … In the ongoing debate over the exact numbering of the 17 episodes of The Prisoner I place this one 4th from the last.
NOTE: The title of this episode does indeed come from the famous Goethe quote and refers to the intensely personal duel of wills between the Prisoner and this episode’s Number Two (Patrick Cargill).
Many readers have asked me to start SPOILING up-front if our hero or the Villagekeepers win the battle in the episode being reviewed. They said they’ve come to hate episodes where the malevolent Villagekeepers come out on top. That’s a great tribute to what effective villains they are and how the Prisoner has to overcome incredible odds for his scattered victories. Rest assured our protagonist unequivocally wins this round.
THE STORY: Amid a dramatically convenient thunderstorm this episode’s Number Two, the rotating series of executives who manage the prison-city called the Village, interrogates a female prisoner called Number Seventy-Three. Her wrists are still bandaged from her recent suicide attempt, an action she tried in order to escape captivity in the Village.
Number Two is sadistically enjoying his latest Head Game against the woman, who has been drugged to perceive him as a quasi-demonic figure. The villain seems close to breaking the woman to extract whatever information the Villagekeepers want from her. She begins screaming in terror. Continue reading
Filed under Forgotten Television, Prisoner (tv series)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCORES: GETTING A JUMP ON THE WEEKEND
A look at Thursday and Friday night’s action:
WE WENT TO A FOOTBALL GAME BUT A POLO MATCH BROKE OUT – A very Polo-like final score was the result in the clash between the MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY MARAUDERS and the visiting EAST STROUDSBURG WARRIORS. The Marauders trailed 10-2 in the 1st Quarter, a score which held up through Halftime. In the 3rd Millersville went on top 11-10, after which their defense stepped up big to preserve a one-point win by that same 11-10 tally.
NO GEORGE KENNEDY, NO PROBLEM – The URBANA UNIVERSITY BLUE KNIGHTS (no relation to the old tv show with George Kennedy) took it on the road against the UNIVERSITY OF CHARLESTON GOLDEN EAGLES. This game was a defensive epic with neither team scoring the entire 1st Half. In the 3rd Quarter the Blue Knights seized a 14-0 lead, then held on against a Golden Eagles rally in the 4th for a 20-14 victory.
FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT – Staying with the color blue but moving over to the NAIA, the LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE BLUE RAIDERS valiantly traveled to face NCAA Division ONE’s PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE BLUE HOSE. The Blue Raiders showed this team TWO DIVISIONS HIGHER than they are a real struggle. At the break the Blue Hose led Lindsey Wilson College by a mere 3-0 and only won it by a final score of 10-0. Kudos to the Blue Raiders! Continue reading
Filed under college football
COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES TONIGHT
The 2018 College Football season continues tonight here at Balladeer’s Blog.
The URBANA UNIVERSITY BLUE KNIGHTS travel to face the UNIVERSITY OF CHARLESTON GOLDEN EAGLES ### And in another 7pm ET kickoff the MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY MARAUDERS host the EAST STROUDSBURG WARRIORS.
Filed under college football
THE PRISONER: DO NOT FORSAKE ME …
Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the 1967 science fiction/ existential drama The Prisoner. For Part One, in which I examined the themes and concepts at play in the series click HERE
DO NOT FORSAKE ME, OH MY DARLING – This is the third and final of the 3 episodes I would drop from this 17 episode series because they either do not serve the premise or don’t serve it well. I will synopsize the storyline, point out why I would drop it and add how I would change it.
NOTE: This episode’s title is so associated with the song of the same name from the western film High Noon that many people confuse this installment with Living in Harmony. Because of the storyline it is also frequently confused with the episode titled A Change of Mind.
THE STORY:
At a meeting of co-conspirators of the Villagekeepers it is decided to have one of their agents out in the real world try to track down a missing scientist named Dr Seltzman. They reach this decision when they fail to crack a code which would lead them to their latest would-be captive.
The Villagekeepers demonstrate for this agent the Colonel (yes, a third “colonel” appears in the series) Dr Seltzman’s device for switching minds between two human subjects. They do not fully understand the process nor do they understand how to switch the minds back to their respective bodies afterward.
Our villains want to use the process to further their plans. It is decided that the Prisoner is the most qualified man to track down Seltzman due to his previous association with the man. But how to release him from the Village to undertake this mission without him contriving to give them the slip and go on the run again? Continue reading
Filed under Forgotten Television, Prisoner (tv series)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG
Based on the Glitternight Index:
NCCAA 1. CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY TIGERS ### 2. CONCORDIA (MI) CARDINALS ### 3. UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN (MN) EAGLES ### 4. SOUTHWESTERN ASSEMBLIES OF GOD UNIVERSITY LIONS ### 5. BLUEFIELD COLLEGE RAMBLING RAMS ### Continue reading
Filed under college football
VIETNAMESE MYTHS: A WAR BETWEEN GODS
A WAR BETWEEN GODS
CANTO ONE – The jungle and mountain god Tan Vien was accompanying the semi-divine Emperor Hung Vuong XVIII on a Royal Hunt. A turn of fate puts them in a position to save the imperiled son of Long Vuong, the chief sea god. CLICK HERE
CANTO TWO – Tan Vien and Thuy Tinh, the god of the monsoon rains, both fall in love with Mi Nuong, the daughter of Emperor Hung Vuong XVIII. Against the backdrop of their growing rivalry, Thuy Tinh’s father Long Vuong honors Tan Vien for saving his son. CLICK HERE
CANTO THREE – Tan Vien, Thuy Tinh and the patriarch of the Thuc family are among the suitors competing in various contests for the hand of Mi Nuong. CLICK HERE
CANTO FOUR – As the final two remaining suitors, Tan Vien and Thuy Tinh are pitted against each other in a contest of power and in a quest for obscure relics. CLICK HERE Continue reading
Filed under Mythology
COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM SEPTEMBER 22nd
HEADLINES
DIVISION TWO OVER DIVISION ONE – NCAA Division Two’s TRUMAN STATE BULLDOGS traveled to take on Division ONE’s VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS. Though the Bulldogs trailed the Crusaders 7-6 at Halftime by the end of the 3rd Quarter they were on top 17-10. From there Truman State consummated the Upset with a 34-20 triumph.
KNOCKING OFF NUMBER TWO – Also in D2, the UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BRONCHOS (sic) hosted the number 2 team in the nation – the NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS. A 7-0 1st Quarter lead for the Bronchos became 14-3 at the Half. The 4th Quarter opened with UCO holding a 28-3 advantage before winning the game 31-21.
NUMBER THREE FALLS ON THE SAME DAY – Staying in D2 for the moment, yesterday also saw the 23rd ranked COLORADO STATE AT PUEBLO THUNDER WOLVES visiting the number 3 TEXAS A&M AT COMMERCE LIONS. The defending National Champion Lions led 10-6 by the midpoint of the game but the Thunder Wolves went up 16-10 in the 3rd Quarter. In the 4th CSU-Pueblo outscored the champs 7-3 for a 23-13 victory.
DOWN GOES NUMBER EIGHT – Over in the NAIA the ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY (IL) EAGLES welcomed the number 8 team in the country – the CONCORDIA (MI) CARDINALS. This game was a defensive epic which went scoreless until the 3rd Quarter when the Eagles notched 7 points. That wound up being all the scoring for the entire game as RMU-Illinois toppled the Cardinals by a baseball score of 7-0. Continue reading
Filed under college football
THE PRISONER: A CHANGE OF MIND
Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the 1967 science fiction/ existential drama The Prisoner. For Part One, in which I examined the themes and concepts at play in the series click HERE
A CHANGE OF MIND
As I mentioned last time around there are three episodes of this show that I feel could be eliminated completely because they either don’t serve the overall premise or don’t serve it well. Here is the second of those three.
On the surface this episode has so much potential and could have been a genuine classic. A Change of Mind deals with political witch hunts, social ostracism and the way that totalitarian governments like the former Soviet Union diagnosed dissidents as insane for questioning the prevailing political dogma of the moment. To me it all falls apart with the clownish, cartoonish finale.
Like I did with the previous installment I will detail my reasons for dismissing this episode plus offer my take on how I think it could have been changed.
THE STORY:
The Prisoner is exercising on some makeshift gymnasium equipment that he has constructed for himself in the woods just outside the prison city called the Village. Some Villagers who may or may not be thugs of the Villagekeepers gather around and taunt our protagonist for his antisocial, non-conformist ways. They also threaten to report him to “the Committee” for his dissident behavior. Continue reading
Filed under Forgotten Television, Prisoner (tv series)
JACKIE CHAN: HIGH UPON HIGH
Balladeer’s Blog’s feature Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead sends some love in the direction of that old songbird and martial arts legend Jackie Chan. It’s High Upon High from Armour of God aka Operation Condor II: Armour of God.
Filed under opinion
