Balladeer’s Blog’s annual end-of-year retrospective continues with this look at May’s best.
R.I.P. ROGER CORMAN: FILM LEGEND – I noted the passing of the King of B-Movies and the man who nurtured more up and coming talent than most other figures in Hollywood history. Click HERE.
THE 1926 AERIAL BOMBING OF ILLINOIS BY GANGSTERS – The unlikely account of how feuding gangsters unleashed the only aerial bombing of Illinois ever. Click HERE.
BRAZIL’S SUPERHEROES – From the 1950s into the 21st Century, I looked at Brazil’s home-grown heroes like Captain Seven, the Black Ray, Mylar and the Black Lizard.
Plus home-grown heroines like Stupendous Woman, the Bee, Velta and the Gymnoid. Click HERE.
ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: GUESSES AT FUTURITY (1894-1895) – Frederick Thomas Jane’s work of speculative science fiction about what life might be like in the year 2000. He predicted scientific achievements far beyond what 2000 really had to offer, but his take is still fascinating. Click HERE.
TRADER HORN (1927) – Alfred Aloysius Horn’s book about his experiences as a Trade Agent in Africa during the late 1800s. Various film versions were made over the decades. Part One HERE. Part Two HERE. Part Three HERE.
BLAME CANADA: FORGOTTEN MOVIES AND TELEVISION SHOWS FROM ABOVE THE BORDER – I reviewed the 14-year-old Mike Myers’ tv show, plus five other Canadian dramas and adventure tales. Click HERE.
BLACK LIGHTNING: HIS 1970s STORIES – The early adventures of DC’s African American superhero from the 1970s. Click HERE.
MEDAL OF HONOR WINNERS FROM AMERICA’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE SECOND SAMOAN CIVIL WAR (1898-1899) – Read about them HERE. This forgotten conflict featured American and British forces fighting alongside each other AND Samoan forces against German troops and their Samoan allies on the other side of the civil war. Continue reading
FIRST SEMIFINAL – This game pitted the defending national champs – the KEISER UNIVERSITY SEAHAWKS – against the visiting BENEDICTINE COLLEGE RAVENS. A 6-0 Ravens lead in the 1st Quarter became a 14-14 tie by Halftime. The 3rd Quarter ended with Benedictine College up 28-14 but the Seahawks exploded in the 4th, coming from behind for a 42-38 triumph. 
GARDIEN DE LA REPUBLIQUE (Guardian of the Republic) 
In a nice touch the Marquis de Lafayette was secretly the very first Gardien de la Republique (seen in costume at right) when he returned to France after America’s Revolutionary War. Since then, as mentioned above, the title and costumed identity have been passed down to other figures for nearly 250 years. 
L’INFERNO (1911) – My review of the epic silent film adaptation of Dante’s Inferno. This production blew me away given its time period. And it was filmed in Italy just a few years before the horrors of World War One. Click 
INDEPENDENT ACTION AND HORROR FILMMAKER LEN KABASINSKI REMEMBERS THE LATE LEO FONG – The one and only Kabasinski was gracious enough to leave a few memories about international action star Leo Fong here at Balladeer’s Blog. Click 
TRANSGRESS WITH ME: APRIL EIGHTEENTH EDITION – Are you daring enough for this? It’s an ongoing series going back several years. Click 
Balladeer’s Blog’s Forgotten Television feature wraps up its look at 
Covering the myths and deities of the various peoples of Madagascar is a pretty sizeable job to undertake. I decided to use the same approach I’m using with the Americas and take things on a tribe-by-tribe basis. 
SILENT MOVIES ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS – On Easter Sunday I reviewed silent films that were relevant to the holiday. The movies dated from 1898, 1899, 1903, 1906, 1912, 1916, 1917, 1923, 1927 and 1928. Click 
THE LEGEND OF FRANCOIS VILLON – The life and legend of this 1400s poet and outlaw from France. Follow his saga as a lauded poet who was often on the run in between crimes. Click 
SPACE MONSTER WANGMAGWI (1967) – A South Korean attempt to jump on the Godzilla and Gamera bandwagon as invading aliens unleash their enormous monster called Wangmagwi on the world. Hilariously bad. Click 
MOONSHINE MOUNTAIN (1964) – An example of Hicksploitation. H.G. Lewis of all people wrote and SANG for this movie. A country western singer, tired of the artificial feel of mainstream Nashville music, spends some time with his North Carolina relatives to soak up some authentic atmosphere. 
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