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SHIRLEY TEMPLE’S STORYBOOK (1958-1961)

st storybookSHIRLEY TEMPLE’S STORYBOOK (1958-1961) – This time around, Balladeer’s Blog’s recurring feature Forgotten Television takes a look at this overlooked children’s series hosted by an adult Shirley Temple. Like Shelley Duvall’s 1980s series Faerytale Theatre this earlier program managed to attract some big names and soon-to-be-big names for its cast.

With Shirley hosting, this series ran 41 episodes, some fitting a half-hour slot with commercials and some fitting an hour-long slot with commercials. Similarly, some were black & white, others in color. Temple owned the series and released a few episodes here and there on video over the decades.

shirleyShirley Temple’s Storybook was one of Shirley’s A.J.A. (After John Agar) ventures, in fact it debuted 8 years after their divorce. The program aired from January 12th, 1958 to July 16th, 1961.

SEASON ONE HIGHLIGHTS  

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – We all know this story, so I’ll jump to the cast – Charlton Heston as the Beast, Claire Bloom as Beauty, June Lockhart and Barbara Baxley as her sisters, and E.G. Marshall as a merchant.  Continue reading

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BALLADEER’S BLOG’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL RESULTS: JANUARY 27th

NCAA DIVISON TWO

Alaska-Anchorage SeawolvesKNOCKING OFF NUMBER TWO – The UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA AT ANCHORAGE SEAWOLVES welcomed the number 2 team in the nation – the ST. MARTIN’S UNIVERSITY SAINTS. The Seawolves put the Saints on Upset Alert by Halftime with their 33-25 lead. After the break SMU rallied, but Alaska-Anchorage held on for a 71-68 victory. Tyson Gilbert logged 28 points to lead the Seawolves.

fsc mocsMARATHON GAME OF THE DAY – The FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE MOCS (Moccasins) visited the PALM BEACH ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY SAILFISH yesterday. At the Half the Mocs were up 42-34 but the Sailfish forced OT with a 74-74 tie to end Regulation. The 1st Overtime ended at 80-80, the 2nd at 89-89, the 3rd at 102-102 and the FOURTH OVERTIME saw FSC win out 117-110. Luke Anderson’s Double Double of 31 points and 12 rebounds led the Mocs. Continue reading

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MARVEL’S JANUARY 1967 ISSUES

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog looks at Marvel’s January 1967 publications, excluding reprints.

ff 58FANTASTIC FOUR Vol 1 #58 (January 1967)

Title: The Dismal Dregs of Defeat

Villain: Dr. Doom

Synopsis: Picking up from the previous issue’s cliffhanger ending, the Fantastic Four’s archenemy Dr. Doom, monarch of Latveria, has succeeded in stealing the Power Cosmic from the Silver Surfer. With the drained and helpless former Herald of Galactus lying on the floor, Dr. Doom summons his “surfboard” and flies off on it. 

Doom reaches New York, where he publicly defeats the Fantastic Four with ease. He taunts them about having stolen the Silver Surfer’s incredible power and – in Supervillain Cliche Number 18 – refrains from killing them right now because he wants them to witness his conquest of the Earth and know he’s now too powerful to stop. Continue reading

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FIVE MYTHICAL CREATURES FROM AMERICAN FOLKLORE

A few years back Balladeer’s Blog examined some of the folklore surrounding some very menacing cryptids from tall tales around the nation. This time around, the creatures being covered are much milder. 

billdadTHE BILLDAD

Habitat: Boundary Lake in Maine

Lore: The Billdad is said to be roughly the size of a badger, beaver or wolverine. It has hind legs and a torso like a kangaroo, a flat, wide tail like a beaver, a head like a bird of prey, and webbed paws. Their tail slapping the water is often compared to the sound of canoe paddles striking the water.

Billdads feed on fish who venture too near the surface of Boundary Lake. Their powerful hind legs propel them from the shore to the spot of their prey, which they strike dead with their flat tail. They devour the fish then use their webbed paws to swim back to shore. Reproducing asexually, these creatures replenish their numbers from humans or animals foolish enough to kill and eat a Billdad, causing them to morph into another Billdad.  Continue reading

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DESERT CRUSADER (1968-1969) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

thibaud on horsebackDESERT CRUSADER (1968-1969) – This French television series is also known as Thibaud, ou les Croisades, Thibaud, il Cavaliere Bianco, Thibaud, der Weisse Ritter and other variations of those titles. The color series ran two seasons of 13 episodes each, with those episodes lasting around 26 minutes apiece.

The setting for the storylines is the Holy Land and the trails leading pilgrims to and from that Middle East location during the fragile peace in between the First and Second Crusades. Our hero is played by Andre Lawrence and is named Thibaud (pronounced tee-bow, like Tim Tebow’s last name).

thibaud ou les croisadesThibaud and his sidekick Blanchot (Raymond Meunier) are part of the knightly efforts to safeguard people making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He often works alongside the Knights Templar but doesn’t seem to be an official member of their Order. 

Our hero Thibaud is a fascinating departure from the standard full-bore Crusader ready to go to war. He is the son of a French Baron and an Arab Christian woman, so he grew up exposed to elements of both East and West. Most of his and Blanchot’s efforts center around keeping the uneasy peace by gallantly outfighting roving gangs of violent, conniving people with hidden agendas, be they Christian OR Muslim.    Continue reading

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FRIGHTMARE THEATER (2015-2022)

frightmare theaterFRIGHTMARE THEATER (2015-2022) – Over the years, Balladeer’s Blog has examined plenty of Movie Host Shows, old and new. Frightmare Theater is another hostess-themed film show created, written and directed by Joel Stephens, just like Dark Jungle Theater, previously reviewed here.

This effort from Stephens and his team is another of the countless programs saluting the tradition of late-night bad movie shows that presented – and often mocked – some of the worst or campiest horror films ever made. Remember ladies like Vampira, Moona Lisa, Crematia Mortem, Macabra, Elvira, and of course Stella! from Saturday Night Dead?

frightmare theater ladiesFrightmare Theater delivers an entire coven of hostesses, led by Mistress Scarlet (Scarlet Ryan), the red head who rises from her coffin to host the bad movie proceedings. Some of her assistants are Original Cyn (Cyn Renteria), Sister Jane (Jane Victoria Colley) and Sister Monalisa (Monalisa Davinci). Stephens himself appeared as Boris the Butler for a while.

As regular readers know, I’m a sucker for just about any Movie Host Show dedicated to laughing at Psychotronic classics from any decade, but for viewers who may not give all such programs a free pass, I feel obligated to point out a few downsides to Frightmare Theater: Continue reading

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CHUCK NORRIS IN A FORCE OF ONE (1979)

a force of oneA FORCE OF ONE (1979) – Fresh off the success of Good Guys Wear Black, Chuck Norris starred in this action film directed by Paul Aaron in only his second directing effort. The prolific Ernest Tidyman wrote the screenplay.

The Story: In a fictional mid-sized California city, a drug operation is thriving, helped along by bad cops who funnel confiscated drugs right back to the head of the narcotics pushers after pretending to have destroyed the seized goodies per department policy. The drug ring uses a sporting goods store as their front and use an aspiring karate champ as their chief enforcer.

             That enforcer is a deadly human weapon and when cops keep turning up dead at his hands the department hires a local karate dojo master to teach the police better techniques of self-defense. That dojo master falls in love with a lady cop and winds up helping the police to battle the drug ring.   

The Characters:

CHUCK NORRIS is in the role of Matt Logan, a former special forces man from the United States Army. He’s the defending Middleweight Karate Champion and also runs a karate dojo on the side. One of his students is his black adopted son Charlie (Eric Laneuville), whose late mother he had platonically befriended when … oh, don’t worry about it. They might as well have saved time by just having him be one of Matt’s students, PERIOD, since his only purpose is to get killed by the drug dealers, thus giving Logan a personal stake in the crusade to bring them down. Continue reading

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BALLADEER’S BLOG’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL RESULTS FROM JANUARY 20th

NCAA DIVISION THREE

trinity bantamsCLOSE CALL FOR NUMBER FIVE – The number 5 team in the nation – the TRINITY (CT) BANTAMS – took it on the road against the WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY CARDINALS. At Halftime the Cardinals were on top 36-29, but after the break the Bantams forced Overtime by tying things up 70-70 to end Regulation. In the extra session Trinity College prevailed 79-77. Ben Callahan-Gold notched 25 points to lead the Bantams.

christopher newport captains logoCENTURY CLUB – The (25) CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY CAPTAINS welcomed the WARREN WILSON COLLEGE OWLS and proceeded to fold, spindle and mutilate them 111-48   ###   Meanwhile, the THOMAS COLLEGE TERRIERS won 101-67 at the LESLEY UNIVERSITY LYNX   ###   And the MORRISVILLE STATE MUSTANGS routed the CANTON (NY) KANGAROOS 105-71. Continue reading

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BRITISH SUPERHEROES FROM THE 1940s

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog will take a look at British-made comic books from the 1940s in the same spirit as my examination of Canadian-made superheroes from the 1940s

wonderman from englandWONDERMAN

Secret Identity: John Justice

Debut Year: 1948

Origin: A lifelong wealthy playboy, John Justice enlisted in the army during World War Two and rose to the rank of captain. A few years after the war ended, his scientist father’s atomic experiments granted him superpowers with which John fought the forces of evil as Wonderman.

Powers: Wonderman possessed massive super-strength and invulnerability, could fly, had x-ray vision and super-hearing as well as limited telepathy.

Comment: During his superhero career, which lasted into 1951, Wonderman continued to pretend to be merely a good-timing playboy in his John Justice identity. Nobody recognized him as Wonderman despite his lack of a mask and not even his girlfriend Jan Barrie knew about his double-life.

acromaidACROMAID

Secret Identity: Christine McCall, Surgical Nurse

Debut Year: 1947

Origin: After fighting off a criminal who invaded the operating room to try killing the patient, Christine McCall wanted more action. She adopted the costumed identity of Acromaid and fought crime.

acromaid 2Powers: Acromaid was in peak physical condition and excelled at unarmed combat. She was as agile as an acrobat and was also very skilled at knife-throwing. In addition, Acromaid carried vials of truth serum with her so she could inject it into criminals she was interrogating.

Comment: This superheroine was another crimefighter who wore no mask yet maintained a secret identity with no problem. Her roommate and fellow nurse was named Penny.    Continue reading

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GOVERNOR BENT SLAIN: JANUARY 19th, 1847

charles bentJANUARY 19th, 1847 – With the Mexican War (April 1846 – February 1848) still raging, New Mexico Territorial Governor Charles Bent was killed, scalped, and stripped naked at his home in Taos, NM on this date. Five others were murdered along with him, including a female Native American.

Bent had foolishly eschewed military protection and had just arrived in Taos from his office and business headquarters in Santa Fe. In December of 1846 wealthy and influential New Mexico families had been exposed for acting as agents of Mexico and plotting violence to bring down the American authorities. Continue reading

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