THE KNIGHTS OF THE SKY aka The Knights of Heaven aka The Aeronauts. This 1967-1970 French series is the Forgotten Television subject this time around. The series ran for 39 episodes – 3 seasons of 13 episodes each. Episodes filled a half-hour timeslot with commercials.
Les Chevaliers du Ciel, to use the program’s French title, starred Jacques Santi and Christian Marin as Michel Tanguy and Ernest Laverdure, respectively. The pair were fighter pilots who flew mostly in Mirage aircraft and had a series of espionage and military escapades in addition to lots of encounters with attractive ladies.
The dynamic of their relationship is that Tanguy is the serious man of action and a Casanova with women, while Laverdure, though capable in a fight and as a pilot, is the comical partner whose antics are often undignified. I like to think of Christian Marin as the French Peter Davison, so think of his character Ernest Laverdure as Davison’s hapless Tristan on All Creatures Great and Small. Continue reading
NUMBER ONE ROLLS – The nation’s top-ranked NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS (Shipbuilders) took on the CENTRAL INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE CARDINALS. By Halftime the Builders were on top 55-30 and lost no momentum after the break. 
DOWN GOES NUMBER TWO – The BERKELEY (NY) COLLEGE KNIGHTS played host to the number 2 team in the nation – the BRYANT & STRATTON COLLEGE AT BUFFALO BOBCATS. The storied Knights held a 33-26 advantage at the Half. 
TALES OF SUSPENSE Vol 1 #97 (January 1968) 
Jasper Sitwell, S.H.I.E.L.D. liaison to Stark Industries, tries to revive the fallen hero while a crowd gathers. Iron Man (believed back then to simply be “Tony Stark’s high-tech bodyguard”) has a sleazy cousin named Morgan Stark. Morgan ran up a huge gambling debt with the Maggia (Marvel Comics’ version of the Mafia) and, to save himself from harm at the hands of their thugs, betrays Iron Man into their clutches by transporting the nearly motionless hero to where he told Sitwell that Tony Stark was waiting to repair the armor. 
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THE ELUSIVE AVENGERS (1967) – This movie is often classified as part of the subgenre called “Easterns/ Osterns” – counterparts of Westerns. As an example of global cinema, The Elusive Avengers is worth a watch maybe once in a lifetime, but the cringe factor is heavy as it romanticizes four young guerilla fighters during the Russian Civil War. 
Judged purely on its production values and competent direction, The Elusive Avengers fascinates as much as it repels. In a world where a piece of garbage like deranged war criminal Vlad Putin runs Russia it can make a film like this a challenge to sit through without the real world intruding on one’s thoughts, but again, for anyone interested in world cinema history the movie is a revelation. 
For several years now I’ve meant to make a blog post recommending the YT Channel of Decker Shado, the often-hilarious figure who calls himself “The internet personality with the best hair.” He focuses mostly on genre films – new and old – and offers a lot of fresh insights on anything from schlock to blockbusters. 
January 8th is the combined marking of Elvis Presley’s birthday and the Battle of New Orleans, in which General Andrew Jackson and French Pirate Jean Lafitte defeated the British in the final battle of the War of 1812. 
LOVE ME TENDER (1956) – Elvis was the latest reason that the saga of the Reno Gang/ Reno Brothers got distorted on the big screen. The need to turn the Reno story into a vehicle for Elvis Presley made this attempt the most unintentionally funny of them all. 
ONE AND TWO ROLL – The number 1 team in the nation – the GRACE COLLEGE LANCERS – downed their hosts the GOSHEN COLLEGE MAPLE LEAFS by a Century Club score of 108-78. ### While elsewhere, the 2nd ranked LANGSTON UNIVERSITY LIONS (should be the Hugheses) obliterated the visiting SOUTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY EAGLES by another Century Club score of 100-59. 
OVERTIME THRILLS – The (14) LOURDES UNIVERSITY GRAY WOLVES used OT to defeat the MADONNA UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS 81-68 ### Meanwhile, the UNIVERSITY OF JAMESTOWN JIMMIES survived a 109-108 visit to the MIDLAND U. WARRIORS ### And the (7) MONTANA TECH OREDIGGERS won 85-80 over the (15) ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE BATTLIN’ BEARS. 
JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS Vol 1 #1 (June 1977) 
January 4th of 1967 saw the release of the first album from the Doors. Obviously, Jim Morrison and company achieved fame long before my time, but their work has endured for several decades. My personal affinity for the Doors over other 1960s musical acts comes partly from their precious few years together before Morrison’s death. 
BREAK ON THROUGH – Not only is the song powerful, but it is rightly hailed as one of the most – if not THE most – appropriate opening songs on a first album ever. The Doors’ signature style burst on the scene with a figurative “I’m here, you gotta DEAL with it” boast. 
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