NJCAA DIVISION ONE
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The TRINITY VALLEY COLLEGE CARDINALS and the CONNORS STATE COWBOYS squared off against each other for this division’s crown. The teams went basket for basket in the opening Half, which ended in a 32-32 tie. After the break the Cardinals pulled away from the Cowboys for a 69-61 triumph. Zati Loubaki and Garrett Nuckolls led TVC with 17 points each.
NJCAA DIVISION TWO
FIRST SEMIFINAL – In this game the PARKLAND COLLEGE COBRAS faced the PIMA COLLEGE AZTECS. Come Halftime the Cobras were on top of Pima College 44-38. From there Parkland College left the Aztecs further and further behind to win the game 95-74. Adam Squire led the Cobras with 23 points while teammate Jaden Martin logged a Double Double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Continue reading
SERIAL: The Phantom Empire (1935), in which Gene Autry played a singing cowboy who saves the world from an advanced underground civilization complete with killer robots who wear cowboy hats. 
FDR’s Works Progress Administration engineered the first Film Vaults beneath America’s major cities. Each subterranean vault was as large as an aircraft carrier and they were originally used to store the monumental film collection of FDR friend Larry Alexander Finley of Frankfort, KY. 
THE MOVIE: Horror of Party Beach is one of those flicks that is on EVERYBODY’S Worst Films of All Time list and has been for several decades. In the 1980s the Medved Brothers’ books on Golden Turkeys helped secure its reputation. Just about every Movie Host show presented this film at some point.
CRACK COMICS #1 (May 1940) 
CONSOLATIONS IN TRAVEL or THE LAST DAYS OF A PHILOSOPHER (1830) – Written by THE Sir Humphrey Davy, this is largely a work of philosophical discourse but with one section devoted to a science fiction tale: The Vision. 
The first planet they travel to is Saturn, where Davy is awestruck by the alien landscape. Strange clouds fill the skies and among the oddest planetary features are large columns of liquid which flow from the ground upward. Saturn is inhabited by intelligent beings with three pairs of wings and organs like elephant trunks dangling from their bodies. 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – It all came down to the TRINITY (CT) BANTAMS fighting it out with the NEW YORK UNIVERSITY VIOLETS. The Violets were threatening an Upset with their 30-27 Halftime edge but Trinity College came out of the locker room ready for a comeback. The Bantams went on to win the game 64-60 led by 20 points from Jarrel Okorougo. Teammate Drew (not Rem) Lazarre logged a Double Double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. 
FIRST SEMIFINAL – The CONNORS STATE COWBOYS played the SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE TEXANS. The Cowboys put SPC on Upset Alert at the Half as they led 40-28. From there Connors State carried through, holding on against a Texans rally for an 80-74 triumph. Twenty-eight points from D.J. Dormu led the Cowboys to victory. 
TOP SECRET (1984)
For April Fool’s Day here’s a look at one of the original Fool Killer Letters from Charles Napoleon Bonaparte Evans’ newspaper the Milton Chronicle. This one expresses his disgust with the Civil War tearing the nation apart and his intention to hibernate until it’s over. 
PART THREE: The third surviving Fool Killer Letter. (See Part One for an explanation) 
JUNE 28th, 1861 – From “Down about Norfolk, VA.” (The Fool Killer wandered North Carolina and Virginia – which back then still included what is now West Virginia – and the dark-humored Fool Killer Letters were syndicated in several newspapers in addition to his North Carolina “birth place” the Milton Chronicle.) 
In this letter the Fool Killer adds a collection of Bowie knives to his arsenal alongside his ever-present club/ walking stick/ cudgel. Future incarnations of the Fool Killer in folk tales, short stories, novels and plays will assign him various axes, guns and even a scythe. 
Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at the film appearances of Errol Flynn’s son Sean. The two did not get along, unfortunately, largely because of Errol only caring about Sean when the mood struck him according to Sean. 
THE SON OF CAPTAIN BLOOD (1962) – Since the 1935 swashbuckler Captain Blood propelled Errol Flynn to stardom, the studio was hoping a Son of Captain Blood flick would do the same for Sean. Jock Mahoney, a former Tarzan and stunt man for Errol trained Sean in fencing and acrobatics to prepare for the role. 
The ship Robert commands has among its passengers a handful of giggling young ladies being transported to England along with their stern lady chaperone. This new Captain Blood turns their heads and ultimately Abigail McBride (Alessandra Panaro) beats out the others for his heart. 
IN THE MIDDLE 1980s/ WAY DOWN ON LEVEL 31 …
SERIAL: ATOM MAN VS SUPERMAN (1950) – Kirk Alyn starred as Superman with Lyle Talbot as his archenemy Lex Luthor. Especially laughable are the bits when Superman “flies” – an effect achieved by switching from live footage of Kirk Alyn to INSERTED CARTOON FOOTAGE of Superman flying. Think of the ‘Toons in Roger Rabbit interacting with the live characters & backgrounds and you have the idea. 
THE MOVIE: It! The Terror from Beyond Space is one of the consummate low budget schlockers of the 1950s. It embodies the “so bad it’s good” aesthetic that so many Movie Host shows have always reveled in. 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The teams in this title tussle were the NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY SHARKS and the CAL STATE AT DOMINGUEZ HILLS TOROS. Come Halftime the Toros had their opponents worried, leading them 42-38, but from there the Sharks came back to win the game 74-73. M.J. Iraldi’s 27 points led NSU in this Instant Classic. 
Balladeer's Blog 