Tag Archives: blogging

BALLADEER’S BLOG: USCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS

As the 2026 college basketball postseason continues, here’s a look at the national tournaments in Divisions One and Two of the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association).

DIVISION ONE

FIRST QUARTERFINAL – The 4 seeds – the NORTH AMERICAN UNIVERSITY STALLIONS – took the court against the 5th seeded BRYANT & STRATTON COLLEGE (Buffalo) BOBCATS. Come Halftime the Stallions held a comfortable 38-21 lead over Bryant & Stratton. After the break, however, North American U. had to hold on by its fingertips to defeat the Bobcats just 65-64. Sixteen points from Jamarric Hammond led the Stallions. Continue reading

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ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: THE MAN AND THE MONSTER (1826)

THE MAN AND THE MONSTER – Written by Henry M. Milner, this stage adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein differs significantly from her novel and was first performed on July 3rd, 1826 at the Royal Cobourg Theatre.

The full title of this play is Frankenstein; or The Man and the Monster, a Melodrama in Two Acts. At least one other stage adaptation in 1823 preceded Milner’s version of the story. Milner’s play can be read in its entirety online.

In honor of Rome: Italian Style on SCTV I like to think of this work as Frankenstein: Italian Style since it is set in Sicily, apparently only so that Mt. Aetna can figure in the play’s finale. Rather than laboring in his own castle, Dr. Frankenstein lives and works in Sicily under the auspices of the Prince del Piombino.

The prince is a great patron of arts and sciences, and he finances Frankenstein’s work. In turn, the doctor tutors the prince’s son Julio (Julio?). Continue reading

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THE FIRST TARZAN MOVIE AND MORE: ELMO LINCOLN’S SILENT FILMS

For Balladeer’s Blog’s latest look at a silent movie star I will cover Elmo Lincoln, who is best known as the big screen’s very first Tarzan but also starred in other films outside the Tarzan series.

TARZAN OF THE APES (1918) – Though Elmo had been appearing as an extra or in small supporting roles since 1913, his portrayal of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan in this movie put him on the map. For nitpickers, Gordon Griffith of silent Tom Sawyer fame played the very young Tarzan when his parents died early in this film, but Elmo Lincoln was the first adult Tarzan performer in movie history.

Surviving prints of Tarzan of the Apes run 61 minutes and cover the basics of the original novel’s opening half in workmanlike if not spectacular fashion. Lord Greystoke and his wife perish after becoming shipwrecked in Africa and their surviving heir is raised by apes.

The boy’s discovery of his late father’s knife among the shipwreck ruins enables him to rise to dominance among the apes by killing off rivals. As he matures, Tarzan becomes a legend in the jungle as he wars on tribes which kill apes plus frees slaves captured by Muslim slavers.

Binns the sailor realizes Tarzan is the long-lost Greystoke heir and an expedition heads to Africa, headed by Professor Porter. The professor’s daughter Jane Porter (Enid Markey) accompanies her father’s expedition and winds up abducted by a villain only to be saved by our King of the Jungle.

Jane uses gentleness to calm down the horny Tarzan when he gets too pushy. Her line “Tarzan is a man, and men do not force the love of women” conveys what we need to know without getting graphic. Charmed by the Ape Man, she eventually canoodles with him willingly.    Continue reading

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FORGOTTEN TELEVISION: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS (1958-1959)

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS (1958-1959) – This Cold War spy series starred and was narrated by Bruce Gordon, who portrayed U.S. Navy Commander Matson (no first name given). Matson would take an active role in some episodes and would narrate from a supporting role in others.

The half-hour series ran for 26 episodes and was based on the espionage files of Rear Admiral Ellis M. Zacharias, who had served in World War One and World War Two. Zacharias offered closing commentary in 17 of the episodes.

Behind Closed Doors was a docu-drama and is generally pretty entertaining. The half-hour running time and the inventive plots prevent any potential boredom from setting in.

THE EPISODES:

THE CAPE CANAVERAL STORY – Commander Matson and U.S. Naval Intelligence deal with a Soviet submarine sent to monitor American rocket tests at Cape Canaveral as well as with a Russian spy who tries forcing a charter boat captain in the area to take him to a spot where he can observe launches. Virginia “Mrs. Olson” Christine also stars.

FLIGHT TO FREEDOM – Dr. Brauer (Francis Lederer), a German rocket scientist now working for the Soviet guided missile program, is motivated to try defecting to the U.S. when his longtime colleague Dr. Von Elm is lobotomized by the communists for dissent. Television debut of Arlene Martel.  Continue reading

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NEIL SEDAKA R.I.P. – PLAYGIRL KILLER (1967)

PLAYGIRL KILLER (1967) – Oh, Canada! With the passing of Neil Sedaka I no longer had an excuse to put off reviewing this Canadian-made “horror” film which was Sedaka’s first, last and only thespian effort.

Though Playgirl Killer, also released as Decoy for Terror with unrelated footage edited in, is close to So-Bad-It’s-Good territory Neil Sedaka doesn’t have a very big role in the film. If he’s your only reason for checking out this movie you can quit right after Neil’s character rides off in a limo. He does get to sing, though!

Taking things from the top, William Kerwin from blood-soaked Herschell Gordon Lewis flicks like Two Thousand Maniacs is our star. He plays serial killer Bill wearing facial hair that makes him resemble William Campbell as a Klingon on the original Star Trek series.

We see Bill in the Canadian wilderness rowing a beautiful young lady in a boat while the French song Montage is heard, performed by female singer Andree Champagne. Playgirl Killer was filmed in and around Quebec, hence the French language song and some French signs here and there.   

Bill and his lovely lady pull up at a rock overlooking the lake and he starts trying to sketch her since he’s an artist. She’s not in the mood to sit still, though, and starts laughing at how bizarrely angry Bill gets about it.

Pssst! Bill! There are people called artist’s models who can be paid to sit still and let you paint them, buddy. Rather than pursue that common-sense solution, Bill grabs a handy harpoon gun (What the hell kind of fishing gets DONE at this lake?) and shoots her to death with it. Continue reading

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL POSTSEASON CONTINUES AT BALLADEER’S BLOG

NAIA

APPALACHIAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The last two teams standing in this conference tournament were the 3 seeds – the JOHNSON UNIVERSITY ROYAL CRUSADERS – and the top seeded UNIVERSITY OF PIKEVILLE BEARS. By Halftime the Royal Crusaders had UPike worried with their 38-30 advantage. From there the Bears rallied but fell just short as Johnson University triumphed 76-75 led by Mason Lockhart and his Double Double of THIRTY-SEVEN POINTS and 12 rebounds.

CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE: ROUND ONE, GAME ONE – The 3rd seeded CAL MARITIME ACADEMY KEELHAULERS took the court against the 6th seeded PACIFIC UNION COLLEGE PIONEERS. This was a tale of two Halves as the Pioneers dominated at first, leading 51-41 at the midpoint. After the break, the Keelhaulers owned the 2nd Half, winning out 87-78. Lawrence Long led Cal Maritime with a Double Double of 25 points and 11 rebounds.  Continue reading

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LLAMA WESTERNS: SPAGHETTI WESTERNS ABOUT INCAN TREASURE

Lost Treasure of the IncasBalladeer’s Blog takes a look at some neglected westerns. And when it comes to neglected it’s tough to top the tiny sub-genre of what is already a sub-genre: Spaghetti Westerns. I’m talking about Llama Westerns, the microscopic fraction of Italo-Westerns that deals with gunslingers in Peru shooting it out over Inca treasure instead of the usual gold or revenge.  

If Indiana Jones used a gun exclusively and thrived on riddling his adversaries with bullets in slow motion while blood squibs burst open THAT would resemble these Llama Westerns.

LOST TREASURE OF THE INCAS (1964) – Alan Steel, best known for Peplums like the Hercules or Maciste movies, plays an often-shirtless gambler/ gunfighter called Samson in this film.

He and his gunslinging pal Alan Fox (Toni Sailer) nip a frame-up job in the bud, then get caught up in a violence-filled race for the untouched treasure of a lost Incan city in the Palladi Mountains of Peru.   Continue reading

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STEVE DITKO’S MR. A: COMIC BOOK FANS SHRUGGED

This weekend’s escapist and light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko’s iconic Mr. A, warts and all.

MR. A

Secret Identity: Rex Graine, reporter for the Daily Crusader newspaper.

First Appearance: Witzend #3 (1967)

Origin: Rex Graine wanted to fight crime without endangering his friends and loved ones. He assumed the white-costumed identity Mr. A and took on the forces of evil.

Powers: Mr. A was in peak human condition and excelled at unarmed combat. He wore a white metal facial mask/ helmet for protection and anonymity. He also wore metal gloves and boots to make his punches and kicks more potent. I assumed he wore articulated body armor on his torso too, for some protection against bullets.

        This character was an expert investigator and used calling cards with no writing – just black on one half and white on the other to represent his black & white moral attitudes. I’d have had those calling cards be made of metal, too, with sharp edges so they could be thrown like Moon Knight’s crescent moon blades.

Comment: Mr. A was a more “pure” version of the Question, Steve Ditko’s similar character also created in 1967 when he worked for Charlton Comics. Ditko owned Mr. A, whose nom de guerre came from the Objectivist principle “A is A”. He was an uncompromising vigilante the like of which superhero comic books had rarely seen in 1967. In the decades to come such figures became very numerous in comics. Continue reading

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ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: THE HISTORY OF AN EXTINCT PLANET (1884)

Utopia or The History of an Extinct PlanetUTOPIA or THE HISTORY OF AN EXTINCT PLANET, PSYCHOMETRICALLY OBTAINED (1884) – Written by Alfred Denton Cridge. An unnamed narrator comes across the remains of a meteor that entered Earth’s atmosphere. This narrator has the gift of psychometry (the author’s uncle was THE William Denton) and after he picks up the tangerine-sized chunk of black rock from another planet he begins getting impressions from it.

At first it seems a separate entity calling itself Psycho appears to the narrator but it gradually becomes clear that his psychometric abilities have actually plugged him into a figurative Worldmind from which he learns the history of the destroyed planet of which the meteor is a fragment.

Our narrator places the meteor against his forehead to facilitate his “readings” from it. He and we readers learn that the fragment’s planet of origin, Utopia, was roughly the same distance from Earth as Saturn, but in an oblong orbital plane.

Utopia 2The planet was just 2,500 miles across and was home to a race of roughly 5 1/2 feet tall humanoids, some with yellow skin, some with brown skin and others with gray skin. All the races had long, black hair. Utopia sported Earthlike plains, mountains, lakes and rivers with just one huge ocean.

A day on the planet lasted approximately 30 Earth hours, and it took the world nearly 31 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun. The lifespan of the Utopians was similar to that of Earthlings but obviously was measured differently. For instance a Utopian who was 62 of our years old would have lived through just two revolutions around the Sun. Continue reading

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BEN VEREEN … COMIN’ AT YA (1975) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

BEN VEREEN … COMIN’ AT YA (1975) – As famous and celebrated as the multitalented Ben Vereen is, he’s STILL underrated! At least here in 2026 he is, but in 1975 the stage and television performer was enchanting the U.S. like no other black performer since Sammy Davis Jr.

A virtual human whirlwind, Vereen had made a name for himself on the stage in productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin and others. He appeared in the films Sweet Charity (as he had on stage) and Funny Lady (ditto).

In 1975 Ben’s performance in the miniseries Roots was still in the future, but most of America was introduced to the incredible entertainer that year during his 4-episode summer replacement series – a variety hour titled Ben Vereen … Comin’ at Ya

Vereen hosted the program plus sang, danced and starred in comedy sketches with celebrity guest stars. One of the show’s regulars was the one and only Lola Falana, who always got a show-stopping introduction from Ben. (“Lola Fuh-LAW-Naaa, Lola Fuh-LAW-Naaa.”)

The other regulars were Liz Torres and Arte Johnson, and the opening theme was Magic to Do from Pippin.

THE PROGRAM: Continue reading

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