Tag Archives: Balladeer’s Blog

LEFTOVERS: NEGLECTED BAD MOVIES

The day after Thanksgiving means two things: college football and leftovers.

WavelengthWAVELENGTH (1983) – Robert Carradine, Cherrie Currie and Keenan Wynn play a reclusive rock singer, his new girlfriend and his eccentric neighbor who get caught up in a government coverup about extraterrestrial life.

Captured aliens telepathically contact Cherrie Currie’s character and plead to be rescued from the government facility where they are being held. Our heroic trio attempt to save them only to discover the aliens may have brought a world-destroying disease with them. CLICK HERE 

Scorpion Thunderbolt 2SCORPION THUNDERBOLT (1983) – From Balladeer’s Blog’s old friend Godfrey Ho comes this horror film that has absolutely NOTHING to do with either scorpions OR thunderbolts.

As always Godfrey Ho edits some of his newly-shot footage of fading action star Richard Harrison into an odd and bloody Asian movie. Get ready for snake-monsters who walk on two legs, a High Priestess with claws like Freddy Krueger’s razored glove, a blind night watchman (seriously) and kung-fu fights for no good reason. CLICK HERE
Continue reading →

12 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies

JOSIAH BREEZE: THANKSGIVING TALE FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

truro-massTwo thousand fishermen from Cape Cod had gone off to enlist in the Continental Army, and in their absence the British had repeatedly landed raiding parties to harass the citizens.

Every man, woman and child on the Cape hated the soldiers and sailors of King George and would do anything to work them harm. When the Somerset was wrecked off Truro in 1778 the crew were helped ashore, but they were immediately marched to prison.

It was November – the night before Thanksgiving Day in fact – and ugly weather caused a British three-decker warship to yaw wildly and drift toward land with a broken tiller. No warning signal was raised on the bluffs; not a hand was stirred to rescue. The New Englanders who saw the accident watched with sullen satisfaction.

Ezekiel and Josiah Breeze – father and son – stood at the door of their cottage and watched the warship’s peril until three lights twinkling faintly through the gray of driving snow were all that showed where the enemy lay, straining at her cables and tossing on a wrathful sea. They stood long in silence, but at last the boy Josiah said “I’m going to help the ship.” Continue reading →

6 Comments

Filed under Revolutionary War

SEVEN MOST INFLUENTIAL MOVIE HOSTS LEADING TO MST3K

Mad Marvin

Mad Marvin

Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog are familiar with my fondness for bad movies and for movie host shows. 

Here is a salute to some of the most influential figures who made hosting bad and/or weird movies the time-honored American folk art it is today. This list features hosts who had crossover appeal into the culture at large or broke ground in the “so bad it’s good” element.

7. MAD MARVIN (Real name: Terry Bennett)

Program: Shock Theatre

Run: 1957 – 1959

Home Base: Chicago

Comment: Long before Jerry Bishop’s more well-known host Svengoolie and his even more famous “son” played by Rich Koz, Mad Marvin brought late-night b-movie fun to the Windy City. Marvin was a mad beatnik and was described in contemporary accounts as ” a combination of Charles Addams, Ernie Kovacs and Jack Paar.”

Bennett’s program was so popular in Chicago that celebrities like Sammy Davis, Jr, Jerry Lewis and Burt Lancaster made guest appearances. Terry’s wife Joy appeared on the show as “Dear”, and also joined him in co-hosting the Mad Marvin spin-off show The Shocktail Party.
Continue reading →

16 Comments

Filed under Movie Hosts

DEAN COLLEGE BULLDOGS NAMED USCAA FOOTBALL CHAMPS

Balladeer’s Blog has named the Dean College Bulldogs the USCAA football champions for 2016 based on the Glitternight.com index.

dean-college-bulldogs-helmet-newUSCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association)

National Champions -DEAN COLLEGE BULLDOGS

Runners-Up – Newport News Apprentice School Builders (2nd year in a row)

2015 Champions – Williamson College of the Trades Mechanics  

For the NCCAA Champions: Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under college football

OLIVER! FOR THANKSGIVING EVE

"Please, sir, may I have some more?"

“Please, sir, may I have some more?”

It’s that time of year again! Just a note in the spirit of the holiday season to mention my favorite Thanksgiving Eve movie.

Every Wednesday before Thanksgiving I make a point out of watching the musical Oliver!

I know the musical sentimentalizes  several characters that Dickens portrayed in a sinister way in the book (especially Fagan and The Artful Dodger) but the finished product has always seemed very holidayish to me. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under opinion

TALES OF THE THIRD DIMENSION (1984)

tales-of-the-3rd-dimensionTALES OF THE THIRD DIMENSION (1984) was yet another of the six 3D movies released in the 1980s by Balladeer’s Blog’s old friend Earl Owensby. Earl was known as “The Dixie DeMille” since he and his film company operated almost exclusively out of North Carolina. To me he’s always seemed more like Roger Corman, however, since Owensby’s flicks were mostly just unpretentious B Movies made with so little money they were guaranteed to turn a profit. 

Many of Earl’s film ventures are okay time-wasters but horror was definitely not his forte. Previously I reviewed three of Owensby’s other gems of Bad Movie Goodness: Wolfman, A Day of Judgment and Dogs of Hell. Recently I finally got a chance to watch his horror anthology Tales of the Third Dimension.  

Let’s start with the title. Since we live in a 3-dimensional universe there is nothing eerie or macabre about anything from “the third dimension.” Usually movies reference the fourth or fifth dimension. And that brings us to the film’s biggest problem: it seems to be an attempt at horror-comedy, like some of the elements in the Creepshow movies. That being said I guess it’s possible that the title was supposed to be a joke … kind of.  Continue reading →

14 Comments

Filed under Bad and weird movies

NON-PLAYOFF BOWL RESULTS FROM CCCAA FOOTBALL

Antelope Valley CollegeHIGH DESERT BOWL – In this game the ANTELOPE VALLEY COLLEGE MARAUDERS took on the VICTOR VALLEY COLLEGE RAMS. The teams went blow for blow, with a 7-7 1st Quarter tie and a 14-14 Halftime draw. After the break the Marauders got some separation from the Rams, ultimately winning the game 35-21.  

Mount San Antonio College MountiesGOLDEN STATE BOWL – The MOUNT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE MOUNTIES clashed with the COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS COUGARS in this year’s Golden State Bowl. The Mounties actually fell behind 3-0 in the 1st Quarter but never let the Cougars score again. By the midpoint Mount SAC led 17-3  and in the 2nd Half coasted to a 27-3 victory. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under college football

BLACKOUT: HOLYOKE SUPERHERO

Balladeer’s Blog continues to feed the beast that IS our superhero-obsessed world with a look at another forgotten Holyoke Superhero.

blackout-holyokeBLACKOUT

Secret Identity: Jack Wayne, Berlin Correspondent for the New York Globe.

Origin: When America entered World War 2 on the Allied side Jack Wayne and his editor “Pop” Simms were seized by the Gestapo. Since Jack had been a Flying Ace for the Americans during World War One the Gestapo assumed he and Pop were spies and tortured them for information.

Pop was killed by the torture and Jack, though blinded by his interrogator’s whip, managed to escape. He was rescued by the Underground Society, a secret resistance group led by Dr Dismal who – despite his name – was not a supervillain. Dr Dismal ran his resistance group from a secret base far beneath Gestapo Headquarters and, noting that Jack Wayne’s optic nerves were not entirely dead, devised special glasses and a visor he could wear that allowed him to see in daylight OR at night.

Jack donned a costume and under the nom de guerre Blackout joined Dr Dismal’s band of rebels, terrorizing the Nazis by night.  

First Appearance: Cat-Man Comics #10 (May 1942). His final Golden Age appearance came in 1944.

Powers: Continue reading →

12 Comments

Filed under Superheroes

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NON-PLAYOFF BOWLS IN D3 FROM THE 19th

*** NCAA DIVISION THREE ***

Washington and Jefferson PresidentsPRESIDENTS BOWL – The two teams competing in this Bowl Game were the WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE PRESIDENTS and the COLLEGE AT BROCKPORT GOLDEN EAGLES. The Presidents trailed the Golden Eagles 17-7 in the 1st Quarter and 24-13 by Halftime. The 3rd Quarter ended with Washington & Jefferson College facing a 31-16 deficit. The Presidents exploded for 22 unanswered points in the 4th Quarter for a 38-31 comeback win.  

Salisbury Seagulls helmetLEGACY BOWL – This game pitted the SALISBURY UNIVERSITY SEA GULLS against the CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY TARTANS. After a 7-7 1st Quarter tie the Sea Gulls seized control in the 2nd Quarter and took a 24-7 lead into the locker room. In the 2nd Half Salisbury University outscored the Tartans 28-13 for a blowout win by a count of 52-20. Continue reading →

12 Comments

Filed under college football

EKEITEHUA: A GOD OF BELLONA AND RENNELL ISLANDS

bellona-and-rennellEKEITEHUA – (Also called Singano) This major deity was the god of the northwest wind and was also the main district deity of the Iho (Taupongi) Clan, the archrivals of the Kaitu’u Clan since those two clans are the last survivors of the original eight traditional clans.

Ekeitehua’s celestial home was the far-off land called Mungingangi. This home lay on the horizon to the northwest of Bel-Ren and was the source of the Nohotonu Wind, which Ekeitehua controlled. The Bel-Ren people were undecided on whether or not Mungingangi was above the horizon, below it or on some plane equivalent to it.

Ekeitehua was the son of the god Sikingingangi, having been born from Sikingingangi’s feces, which were yams. Ekeitehua’s sister Teu’uhi the goddess of insanity was also born from their father’s feces/yams and their adopted mother was the goddess ‘Iti’iti. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under Mythology