YOU'VE GOT MAIL...

Don't you just love going through other people's mail if you get the chance?  I rediscovered this assortment of letters and postcards earlier this evening, and decided to put them up for you to have a rummage through.  I'm not claiming that any of them are especially fascinating, but they each have their own small story to tell - and look at the events to which I was invited but never actually found time to attend.

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) TRAILER...

Four years after FRANKENSTEIN, came The

BRIDE Of FRANKENSTEIN, a sequel that was

regarded in some quarters as being superior to its

predecessor.  Me?  I like 'em both equally.

PART TWO Of CAPTAIN PUGWASH...

Copyright relevant owner

After his 19 strip stint in The EAGLE, CAPTAIN HORATIO PUGWASH appeared in the RADIO TIMES in 1957.  At around the same time, the BBC started broadcasting the first series of black and white (live) episodes (numbering 86 or 87 in total - accounts differ), which ran until 1966.  The first Pugwash book appeared in 1957 and there were 21 of them right up until 1991.

There was also a 30 episode colour series broadcast between 1974 and '75, and a new series of 26 episodes first shown in 1997, although the latter was digital and part computer animated, unlike the 1970s classic series, which used cardboard cutouts laid over a backdrop scene and hand-moved with levers.

Contrary to popular myth, none of the Pugwash characters ever had 'sexually suggestive' names, and creator JOHN RYAN successfully sued The SUNDAY CORRESPONDENT and The GUARDIAN newspapers in 1991, when they printed this tale as fact.  The book The GOLDEN AGE Of TELEVISION was also published with this misinformation, but had a 'correction' label and apology stuck over the offending paragraph on page 155.

So, here's ol' Captain Pugwash in 9 episodes of comic strip glory, as printed in The Eagle in 1950 - a good few years before he became a TV legend and a British cultural icon.  Enjoy.

  

BABE Of The DAY - STEPHANIE BEACHAM...

Oh, what a mighty lust I used to

have for STEPHANIE BEACHAM

back in 1973 when she appeared in an

afternoon ITV drama called MARKED

PERSONAL.  I think it was shown right

after CROWN COURT, though my ol'

memory could be condensing things.

 Anyway, wotta Babe, eh?

THE WOLFMAN (1941) TRAILER...

"Even a man who is pure of heart and says his

prayers at night, may become a wolf when the wolf-

bane blooms, and the moon is full and bright."

At first it was "when the Autumn moon is bright",

but that was rather limiting, season-wise.  There were

other variations - sometimes it was "pure at heart", or

"says his prayers by night", but the meaning was the

same.  LON CHANEY Junior made a career out of

playing LARRY TALBOT it seems, but he did it

so well.  Enjoy the trailer.

The MUMMY (1931) TRAILER...

Here he is - KARLOFF The UNCANNY in the trailer for the 1932

film The MUMMY.  Sadly, they don't make 'em like this any more.

DRACULA (1930) TRAILER...

Here's the trailer for the re-release of BELA

LUGOSI's DRACULA film, which, I believe, was

essentially the same trailer as used in 1930 (could be

wrong 'though), with a mention of its re-issue added to

the end.  Incidentally, while Lugosi had a full head of

hair, his hint of a widow's peak was a 'piece' added

by UNIVERSAL's make-up department.

FRANKENSTEIN (1931) TRAILER...

Relive the chills, spills and thrills of a distant age in

another century, as Big BORIS dons his oversized

boots for the very first time.  KARLOFF is king!

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - CATERINA MURINO...

Here's lovely CATERINA MURINO, just

before getting out of bed to make my breakfast.

(I was banging on the door of the cafe she lives

 over and works in at weekends.)

CAPTAIN PUGWASH - PART ONE...

Copyright relevant owner

As most of you will know, JOHN RYAN's CAPTAIN PUGWASH character first appeared in the EAGLE comic, lasting for 19 issues before having a rest until his days as a TV star.

So here are the first 10 strips - the remaining 9 will appear in an upcoming post.  Incidentally, do you know why pirates are mean?  Because they just Aaaarrr!

The RETURN Of RON TURNER'S DALEKS...

DALEKS copyright BBC TV and the Estate of TERRY NATION

All TV CENTURY 21 and DALEK fans, get yourself over to this great site, where brand-new comic strips featuring the SCIONS Of SKARO can be seen in full-colour glory.  Here are a couple of images to whet your appetite.  Well, what are you waiting for?  Your would-be conquerors await your presence.

Remember to bookmark the site - DALEKOMIX.

STAR WARS - The PAPERBACK...

Copyright relevant owner

I thought STAR WARS fans out there might be interested in this '70s paperback, which is currently on eBay.  And guess what - it's personally autographed by DARTH VADER (and also the GREEN CROSS CODE MAN) himself, DAVE PROWSE.  It's a nice little collectors' item if you loved the movie, to be sure.

May the Force be with you!

   

JIM REEVES - A FALLEN STAR...

Here's the late, great JIM REEVES looking as if he's appearing in The MAN From U.N.C.L.E.  Listen to the following ballad to see why Jim was dubbed 'Mr. VELVET'.  I may have linked to it before, but, if so, it's still worth another outing.

(Just checked - don't think I have.)

MAKE 'EM LAUGH...

Copyright relevant owner

Here's a page from the 1976 PINK PANTHER Holiday Special.  Clever, witty, and funny - which anyone of any age can appreciate.  Is it just me, or are most of today's comics for kids falling short of this standard of humour?  In fact, are they even funny anymore?  Feel free to question my parentage in the comments section.

STRANGE & KARLOFF...

Here's a photo of GLENN STRANGE as the FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER and BORIS KARLOFF as Dr. GUSTAV NIEMANN from the 1944 UNIVERSAL movie, The HOUSE Of FRANKENSTEIN.  Strange was the tallest Frankie monster ever (certainly at that time), as (sans built-up boots) he towered over Karloff in real life.  Often you'll see articles about Karloff's portrayal of the monster illustrated by photos of Strange (as well as photos of Strange as the monster attributed to Karloff), so it makes a nice change to see the two of them together.

BABE Of The DAY - SUSAN STORM...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

A cracking pic by BRUCE TIMM of

SUSAN STORM - aka The INVISIBLE

GIRL.  She makes out she's a goody-goody,

but I can see right through her!  (So why's

 everyone groaning?  Write your own!)

PART SIX Of PLAYMATES From FAR-AWAY PLACES...

Image copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd

Here's the latest instalment of the 1970s weekly nursery comic LITTLE STAR's back page feature, PLAYMATES From FAR-AWAY PLACES.  We're now halfway through this 12 part series, so I'll have to see what else the comic contains that I can inflict on you present for your reading pleasure.

KLASSIC KOMIC KOVERS - The FIRST THREE ISSUES Of BIMBO...

Images copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd

Three for the price of one this time around, folks.  BIMBO ran from 1961 until 1972 and was a nursery comic for the very young.  It contained strips drawn by DUDLEY D. WATKINS (TOM THUMB), BILL RITCHIE (BABY CROCKETT) and BOB DEWAR (BIMBO).  Given that The BEANO's DENNIS The MENACE was named after a song, it's natural to wonder whether Bimbo was likewise christened, perhaps based on JIM REEVES' C&W track of the same name.

Back in the '60s, one of my neighbours, a fellow by the name of ROBERT BAIRD, was nicknamed Binbo (Bimbo Baird - now that's got a ring to it), but I don't know if he was named directly after the Jim Reeves song or the comic.  One of the strips in the comic was OLD McDONALD's FARM, and I recall thumbing through an issue in an old wooden news- agent's kiosk back in '66 while holidaying in KINGHORN, and seeing this strip.  I always remembered the line "Old McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O - and on that farm he had some ducks - read about them below!"  What a memory, eh?   

Anyway, that's of no interest to you, I'm sure, so enjoy the covers of the first three issues of Bimbo.

******

And here's a pic of Bimbo Baird from a 1970-'71 School Friends photo album.

And here's a Bimbo badge...

BABE Of The DAY - TYRA BANKS...

TYRA BANKS is your 'Babe

of the Day', Crivs.  Hasn't she got

beautiful eyes?  (When you finally

 get around to them, that is.)

FANDERSON'S TV21 - ADVENTURE In The 21st CENTURY...

Copyright relevant owner

Recently, NETWORK released a SUPERMARIONATION Blu-ray boxed set, which included a special one-off new edition of TV21 - issue #243 to be precise, following the numbering of the last edition of the original series of the famed '60s comic.

However, it had already been done!  In 2010, FANDERSON produced a 20-page special issue for their convention that year.  I recently got my hands on one (above) and it's a very nice package indeed.  It includes an in-depth interview with artist MIKE NOBLE, as well as two pages of FIREBALL XL5 (printed from the original art), plus a variety of other interesting contents.

Here, cop a gander...

And don't forget the Network edition of TV Century 21 #1, a booklet that was included with the Fireball XL5 DVD boxed set, released in 2009.  Here are the front and back covers to remind you of just what it looked like.