THE GUARDIAN OF MYSTERY ISLAND (1896) – Written by Dr Edmond Molcini. Mystery Island lies off the coast of Maine and everyone near the coast considers the place haunted by a true monstrosity – a large ghost-dog.
Sam Lenartson, the hero of the story, is new to the region and is bemused by the superstitious whispers about Mystery Island. He decides to investigate by sailing over to the place but can’t find anyone willing to brave the isle with him.
Sam arrives alone and, though he hears distant barking of an apparently large canine when he follows the sounds he finds a small dog and its owner. That owner is a very, very, VERY old French woman who is either senile or insane. She says she has been around since the 1790s, kept alive by chewing what she calls “Devil Weed.” Continue reading
SERIAL: Before showing and mocking the movie machine-gun toting Randy and Richard, as members of the fictional Film Vault Corps (“the few, the proud, the sarcastic”) showed and mocked another chapter of the Republic Serial Radar Men from the Moon (1952).
THE MOVIE: Blood Beach (1980) was one of the least effective horror films of the 1980s. It had a half-decent premise – a monster beneath the sand at a California beach sucking victims down into its hellish maw – but squandered that premise with incredibly slow pacing. 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The last two teams standing were the MOHAWK VALLEY COLLEGE HAWKS (should be Mohawks) and the HERKIMER COLLEGE GENERALS. Defense was the name of the game as Halftime found the Hawks on top of Herkimer College by a mere 27-16. After the break the Generals outscored MVC 35-31 but still lost the game 58-51. Isaiah Earl led the Hawks with a Double Double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. 
This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog will conclude my look at Marvel’s 1943-1948 heroine from when the company was known as Timely Comics. For Part One and her origin click 
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS Vol 1 #64 (Jun 1945) 
HOLLYWOOD DETECTIVE (1991) – I want to be very clear – this review covers the six-episode Arts & Entertainment Network original program Hollywood Detective, NOT the 1989 Telly Savalas made for TV movie The Hollywood Detective.
The stories are played straight but there’s always a tongue-in-cheek air about the proceedings because the nostalgia and quasi-historical events are more than half the appeal. Some critics complained about the less than trail-blazing mystery writing in the series but that’s like complaining about how the shows Columbo or Monk didn’t reflect authentic police work. Or how the Moses Wine novels had the detective interacting with pastiches of recognizable 1960s and 1970s public figures. 
Last month Balladeer’s Blog gave an overview of the German sci-fi hero Captain Mors the Air Pirate 
MASTER OF THE SKIES – The first short story featuring Kapitan Mors der Luftpirat is set in 1905. This origin tale saw him visit the mountain graves of his wife and children before leading his European and Indian crew against the villains responsible for their deaths and for his fugitive status. 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The KIRKWOOD COLLEGE EAGLES and the PARKLAND COLLEGE COBRAS clashed for this title. The entire game was a defensive epic, with the Eagles on top 29-24 at Halftime before holding on tight against a Cobras rally from there. The final score was Kirkwood 55 Parkland 54. Germaine Benson led the victors with 12 points. 
FIRST SEMIFINAL – In this game the HERKIMER COLLEGE GENERALS took on the RICHLAND COLLEGE THUNDERDUCKS. The defenses dominated the opening Half as the Thunderducks led Herkimer College by a mere 22-19 at the break. The Generals came alive in the 2nd Half, winning the game 72-59. Jayson McGhee tossed in 25 points to lead HC and his teammate Oladele Oladitan logged a Double Double of 20 points and 15 rebounds. 
WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS (1971) – You just knew this was the movie I would start with. A biker gang hassles a group of Satanists in the usual biker way in films. The Satanists get revenge by cursing some of the bikers to start turning into werewolves and preying on the others. 
A change of pace blog post for Tuesday. 
THE ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK SHOW (1969-1970) – No, it wasn’t a Meeting of Minds type of educational program depicting the long-ago German composer Engelbert Humperdinck interacting with other historical figures. Although I would have watched a show like that! (But I’m kind of weird.)
PILOT (Dec 2nd, 1969) – The Dinckster shared the stage with Barbara Eden, Jose Feliciano, Dionne Warwick and his entertainment doppelganger Tom Jones. The Mike Sammes Singers, the Jack Parnell Orchestra and the Paddy Stone Dancers were on hand as well. This episode was rebroadcast on December 26th. 
EPISODE ONE (Jan 21st, 1970) – E-Bert’s guests this time were Tony Bennett, Leslie Uggams, Donald O’Connor and Ed Bishop from UFO. The Irving Davies Dancers joined the Mike Sammes Singers and the Jack Parnell Orchestra as the figurative house entertainers. 
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