harrygbutler keeps reading in 2018 — 10

Welcome to thread 10! I’m Harry, and this is my third year in the 75 Books Challenge. By training I'm a medievalist, by occupation an editor; my taste in reading runs to Golden Age and earlier mysteries, pulp detective and adventure fiction, Late Antique and medieval literature, westerns, and late nineteenth and early twentieth century popular fiction, among others. I also have a fondness for collections of cartoons and comic strips. I usually have a few books going at once.

My wife Erika and I live in eastern Pennsylvania with three cats — Elli, Otto, and Pixie — and a dog, Hildy. Our pets occasionally make an appearance in my thread. My other interests include model railroading, gardening, and birding, so you'll sometimes see something related to them as well.

I’ll be spending time this year building model railroad kits. The boxes for these kits often are good examples of mid-century commercial art design, and I’ll be using scans of some of these as thread toppers.

Two new projects will be features of my threads in 2018 as well: pulp magazine reads and some sort of account of the movies I’ll be watching (I’m expecting to finish with somewhere between 250 and 300). These will likely have an impact on my book totals for the year.

I try to provide some sort of comment on the books and magazines I read, but they aren't really reviews.

Books completed in the first quarter of 2018

1. Gold Brick Island, by J. J. Connington
2. Tales of Our Coast, by S. R. Crockett, Gilbert Parker, Harold Frederic, Q, and W. Clark Russell
3. Circus, by Alistair MacLean
4. Poisoned Arrow, by Ibne Safi
5. Katzenjammer: A Selection of Comics, by Rudolph Dirks and Harold H. Knerr
6. Vintage Murder, by Ngaio Marsh
7. Cows of Our Planet, by Gary Larson
8. Feeling No Pain, by Syd Hoff
9. The Key, by Patricia Wentworth
10. The Far Side Gallery, by Gary Larson
11. The Groaning Board, by Charles Addams
12. The Old English History of the World: An Anglo-Saxon Retelling of Orosius, ed. and trans. by Malcolm E. Godden
13. The Complete Adventures of Feluda I, by Satyajit Ray
14. Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley, by Lord Dunsany
15. The Rumble Murders, by Henry Ware Eliot Jr.
16. Aunts Aren't Gentlemen, by P. G. Wodehouse
17. The Pocket Book of Cartoons, ed. by Bennet A. Cerf
18. The Years Between, by Rudyard Kipling
19. My Best Girls, by Helen E. Hokinson
20. Mystery in the Channel, by Freeman Wills Crofts
21. Ben Sees It Through, by J. Jefferson Farjeon
22. History of the Bishops of Salona and Split, by Archdeacon Thomas of Split
23. The Far Side Gallery 2, by Gary Larson
24. Walt Disney's Donald Duck: "Terror of the Beagle Boys", by Carl Barks
25. Alexander and Dindimus: or, The Letters of Alexander to Dindimus, King of the Brahmans, with the Replies of Dindimus; Being a Second Fragment of the Alliterative Romance of Alisaunder; Translated from the Latin, about A.D. 1340-50, ed. by Walter W. Skeat
26. Cap'n Warren's Wards, by Joseph C. Lincoln
27. The Horror on the Links, by Seabury Quinn
28. Headlong Hall, by Thomas Love Peacock
29. Look on the Light Side, ed. by Gurney Williams
30. Midnight Murder, by Gerald Verner
31. The Owner Lies Dead, by Tyline Perry
32. The Crimson Query, by Arlton Eadie
33. Smokewater, by Ibn-e Safi
34. Young Men in Spats, by P. G. Wodehouse
35. Sainted Women of the Dark Ages, ed. and trans. by Jo Ann McNamara and John E. Halborg, with E. Gordon Whatley
36. Sailors' Knots, by W. W. Jacobs
37. The Tale of the Good Cat Jupie by Neely McCoy
38. Mr. Pinkerton Goes to Scotland Yard, by David Frome
39. Modern Times: Cartoons from The Wall Street Journal, by Charles Preston
40. The Black Dream, by Constance Little and Gwenyth Little
41. "Honey, I'm Home!": A Collection of Cartoons from The Saturday Evening Post, ed. by Marione R. Nickles
42. The Mystery at Stowe, by Vernon Loder
43. Tales from the White Hart, by Arthur C. Clarke
44. The Broken Fang and Other Experiences of a Specialist in Spooks, by Uel Key

Books completed in the second quarter of 2018

45. Devil's Planet, by Manly Wade Wellman
46. Through More History with J. Wesley Smith, by Burr Shafer
47. Drawn and Quartered, by Charles Addams
48. History and Hagiography from the Late Antique Sinai: Including Translations of Pseudo-Nilus' Narrations, Ammonius' Report on the Slaughter of the Monks of Sinai and Rhaithous, and Anastasius of Sinai's Tales of the Sinai Fathers, by Daniel F. Caner
49. Blood on His Hands, by Max Afford
50. I Meet Such People, by Gurney Williams
51. After Hours: Cartoons from The Saturday Evening Post, ed. by Marione R. Nickles
52. What Am I Laughing At?, by Sgt. Ralph Stein
53. The History of the Norman People: Wace's Roman de Rou, trans. by Glyn S. Burgess
54. "One Moment, Sir!" Cartoons from The Saturday Evening Post, ed. by Marione R. Nickles
55. The Annals of Fulda, trans. by Timothy Reuter
56. At Ease, Beetle Bailey, by Mort Walker
57. Life of Columbanus, Life of John of Réomé, and Life of Vedast, by Jonas of Bobbio
58. The Girl on the Boat, by P. G. Wodehouse
59. She Came Back, by Patricia Wentworth
60. Little God Ben, by J. Jefferson Farjeon
61. More Brother Juniper, by Father Justin McCarthy
62. The Gods of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Books completed in the third quarter of 2018

63. The Rogues' Syndicate, by Frank Froest
64. The Paddington Mystery, by John Rhode
65. The Lyttleton Case, by R.A.V. Morris
66. The Cat Saw Murder, by D. B. Olsen
67. Up Three Points, Please! Cartoons from The Wall Street Journal, ed. by Charles Preston
68. Yondering, by Louis L'Amour
69. Meet Mr. Mulliner, by P. G. Wodehouse
70. Back to B.C., by Johnny Hart
71. The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett
72. The Ponson Case, by Freeman Wills Crofts
73. Punch in the Air: A Cartoon History of Flying, ed. by David Langdon
74. Summer Lightning, by P. G. Wodehouse
75. The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle
76. Bats in the Belfry, by E.C.R. Lorac
77. The Black Iris, by Constance Little and Gwenyth Little
78. The Grell Mystery, by Frank Froest
79. Blood on the Tracks: Railway Mysteries, ed. by Martin G. Edwards
80. Showdown at Yellow Butte, by Louis L'Amour
81. Down the Long Hills, by Louis L'Amour
82. Mr. Mulliner Speaking, by P. G. Wodehouse
83. Death over Newark, by Alexander Williams
84. Renard the Fox, trans. by Patricia Terry
85. The Grouse Moor Murder, by John Ferguson
86. The Crime Club, by Frank Froest and George Dilnot
87. Grin and Bear It, by George Lichty
88. The Body in the Silo, by Ronald A. Knox
89. When Were You Built?, by Helen E. Hokinson
90. A Dreamer's Tales and Other Stories, by Lord Dunsany
91. The Pit-Prop Syndicate, by Freeman Wills Crofts
92. The Plumley Inheritance, by Christopher Bush
93. To the Far Blue Mountains, by Louis L'Amour
94. Detective Ben, by J. Jefferson Farjeon
95. Darkness at Dawn: Early Suspense Classics by Cornell Woolrich, by Cornell Woolrich
96. Belvedere: Hot Dog!, by George Crenshaw
97. Still Dead, by Ronald A. Knox

Books completed in the fourth quarter of 2018

98. Dead Hands Reaching, by Marian Gallagher Scott (Marion Scott)
99. Hello, Grandma?, by Bil Keane
100. Georgie and the Magician, by Robert Bright
101. Dennis the Menace, A.M., by Hal Ketcham
102. Georgie's Halloween, by Robert Bright
103. The Warrior's Path, by Louis L'Amour
104. The Merovingian North Sea, by Ian N. Wood
105. Blonde on a Broomstick, by Carter Brown
106. The Layton Court Mystery, by Anthony Berkeley
107. Knock, Murderer, Knock!, by Harriet Rutland
108. Fire in the Thatch, by E.C.R. Lorac
109. Death on the Riviera, by John Bude
110. Popeye the Sailor on Spook Island, by Bud Sagendorf
111. The Cheltenham Square Murder, by John Bude
112. "Honesty is one of the better policies": Saxon's world of business, by Charles Saxon
113. The Laughing Corpse, by Ibne Safi
114. Best Cartoons of the Year 1952, ed. by Lawrence Lariar
115. The Day of Uniting, by Edgar Wallace
116. The Devil's Rosary, by Seabury Quinn
117. Walt Disney's Donald Duck: "The Black Pearls of Tabu Yama", by Carl Barks
118. Doctor Dread, by Ibne Safi
119. Jubal Sackett, by Louis L'Amour
120. The Hex Murder, by Alexander Williams
121. The Yellow Mistletoe, by Walter S. Masterman
122. Moralia, Volume VI, by Plutarch
123. Give Up?, by Whitney Darrow, Jr.
124. Ride the River, by Louis L'Amour
125. Here's Looking at You, ed. by Charles Preston
126. Deeds of the Saxons, by Widukind of Corvey
127. The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
128. The Tick of the Clock, by Herbert Asbury
129. Jaufre: An Occitan Arthurian Romance, trans. by Ross G. Arthur
130. You've Got Me From 9 to 5, ed. by Lawrence Lariar
131. Murder for Christmas, by Francis Duncan
132. Laugh It Off: Cartoons from The Saturday Evening Post, ed. by Marione R. Derrickson
133. The Deductions of Colonel Gore, by Lynn Brock
134. Cobean's Naked Eye, by Sam Cobean
135. Murder in the Bookshop, by Carolyn Wells
136. You've Got Me in the Suburbs, ed. by Lawrence Lariar
137. The Warrielaw Jewel, by Winifred Peck

Argosy kicked off the pulp magazine era with its April 1894 issue, and it remained a major pulp until it became a slick-paper magazine in the 1940s.

After years of reading reprinted stories and novels from the pulp magazines, last November I picked up a number of the original magazines, and I’ve decided to try reading approximately one a week. I don’t intend to include them in my book count, so I’ll be tracking them separately here.

Magazines completed in 2018

1. Short Stories, September 10, 1947
2. Railroad Stories, July 1933
3. Argosy All-Story Weekly, September 7, 1929
4. The Phantom Detective, September 1934 (facsimile)
5. Railroad Stories, January 1933
6. Argosy, August 31, 1940
7. Tales from the Magician's Skull, No. 1 (pulp-inspired or neo-pulp)
8. Wings, December 1928
9. Argosy All-Story Weekly, September 8, 1928
10. Short Stories, May 1952
11. Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 27, 1923
12. Railroad Stories, May 1934
13. Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 15, 1923
14. Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 8, 1925
15. Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 13, 1923
16. Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 23, 1924
17. Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 16, 1924
18. Cirsova, Spring 2018 (pulp-inspired or neo-pulp)
19. Tales from the Magician's Skull, No. 2 (pulp-inspired or neo-pulp)
20. Storyhack Action & Adventure, Issue 1 (pulp-inspired or neo-pulp)
21. Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 4, 1925
22. Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 3, 1928
23. Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 26, 1925
24. Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 31, 1923
25. Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 25, 1922
26. Range Riders Western, Summer 1945

Several years ago I challenged myself to view 500 movies in a year. I was successful, but I did find it fairly difficult to manage. I haven’t been watching many movies recently, and I’d like to change that. For 2018, I am hoping to average a movie a day over the whole year, for a total of 365 or thereabouts.

Movies watched in the first quarter of 2018

1. After the Thin Man (MGM, 1936) — viewed Jan. 1
2. Doctor in the House (GFD, 1954) — viewed Jan. 2
3. Lawless Valley (RKO, 1938) — viewed Jan. 3
4. Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939) — viewed Jan. 4
5. Unknown Island (Film Classics, 1948) — viewed Jan. 5
6. All Over Town (Republic, 1937) — viewed Jan. 6
7. The Case of the Howling Dog (WB, 1934) — viewed Jan. 7
8. Seven Keys to Baldpate (RKO, 1947) — viewed Jan. 8
9. A-Haunting We Will Go (Twentieth Century Fox, 1942) — viewed Jan. 9
10. Oklahoma Blues (Monogram, 1948) — viewed Jan. 10
11. The Falcon's Brother (RKO, 1942) — viewed Jan. 11
12. The Man They Could Not Hang (Columbia, 1939) — viewed Jan. 12
13. Bringing Up Baby (RKO, 1938) — viewed Jan. 13
14. Air Hawks (Columbia, 1935) — viewed Jan. 14
15. Blackbeard the Pirate (RKO, 1952) — viewed Jan. 14
16. Charlie Chan at the Race Track (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936) — viewed Jan. 15
17. Live Wires (Monogram, 1946) — viewed Jan. 16
18. Hidden Valley (Monogram, 1932) — viewed Jan. 17
19. Conspiracy (RKO, 1930) — viewed Jan. 18
20. Chandu the Magician (Fox, 1932) — viewed Jan. 19
21. Three Smart Girls (Universal, 1936) — viewed Jan. 20
22. The Monster of Piedras Blancas (Filmservice Distributors, 1959) — viewed Jan. 21
23. Tarzan Triumphs (RKO, 1943) — viewed Jan. 22
24. Fog Island (PRC, 1945) — viewed Jan. 22
25. The Old Fashioned Way (Paramount, 1934) — viewed Jan. 23
26. The Garden Murder Case (MGM, 1936) — viewed Jan. 25
27. Doctor X (WB, 1932) — viewed Jan. 26
28. Destination Tokyo (WB, 1943) — viewed Jan. 27
29. Guns in the Dark (Republic, 1937) — viewed Jan. 28
30. Mysterious Mr. Moto (Twentieth Century Fox, 1938) — viewed Jan. 28
31. Nick Carter, Master Detective (MGM, 1938) — viewed Jan. 29
32. Call of the Prairie (Paramount, 1936) — viewed Jan. 31
33. English Without Tears (GFD, 1944) — viewed Jan. 31
34. The Ace of Spades (Radio Pictures, 1935) — viewed Feb. 1
35. The Earth Dies Screaming (Lippert, 1964) — viewed Feb. 2
36. Go West (MGM, 1940) — viewed Feb. 3
37. Charlie Chan at the Opera (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936) — viewed Feb. 5
38. Tarzan's Desert Mystery (RKO, 1943) — viewed Feb. 6
39. The Cat and the Canary (Paramount, 1939) — viewed Feb. 7
40. Bonanza Town (Columbia, 1951) — viewed Feb. 8
41. The Night Cry (WB, 1926) — viewed Feb. 10
42. Frankenstein (Universal, 1931) — viewed Feb. 10
43. Ghost of Hidden Valley (PRC, 1946) — viewed Feb. 11
44. The Deathless Devil (Atadeniz Film, 1973) — viewed Feb. 11
45. The Falcon Strikes Back (RKO, 1943) — viewed Feb. 11
46. Raffles (Goldwyn/UA, 1939) — viewed Feb. 12
47. Before Dawn (RKO, 1933) — viewed Feb. 14
48. Theodora Goes Wild (Columbia, 1936) — viewed Feb. 14
49. Secrets of the Night (Universal, 1924) — viewed Feb. 15
50. Yukon Manhunt (Monogram, 1951) — viewed Feb. 17
51. Desperate Cargo (PRC, 1941) — viewed Feb. 18
52. Old Mother Riley in Paris (Butcher's Film Service, 1938) — viewed Feb. 18
53. The Man from Planet X (UA, 1951) — viewed Feb. 20
54. Charlie Chan's Secret (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936) — viewed Feb. 21
55. Outlaws of Sonora (Republic, 1938) — viewed Feb. 22
56. The Black Cat (Universal, 1941) — viewed Feb. 23
57. The Private Eyes (New World, 1980) — viewed Feb. 24
58. A Song Is Born (Goldwyn/RKO, 1948) — viewed Feb. 25
59. The Case of the Curious Bride (WB, 1935) — viewed Feb. 26
60. Arizona Legion (RKO, 1939) — viewed Feb. 28
61. In Fast Company (Monogram, 1946) — viewed March 1
62. Isle of the Dead (RKO, 1945) — viewed March 3
63. They Live (Universal, 1988) — viewed March 3
64. I Sell Anything (WB, 1934) — viewed March 4
65. Jim Hanvey, Detective (Republic, 1937) — viewed March 5
66. Curtain at Eight (Majestic, 1933) — viewed March 7
67. Passage to Marseille (WB, 1944) — viewed March 7
68. King of the Zombies (Monogram, 1941) — viewed March 9
69. The Fighting Frontiersman (Columbia, 1946) — viewed March 10
70. Charlie Chan on Broadway (Twentieth Century Fox, 1937) — viewed March 10
71. Meet Boston Blackie (Columbia, 1941) — viewed March 11
72. Murder at Midnight (Tiffany, 1931) — viewed March 11
73. Sins of Jezebel (RKO, 1953) — viewed March 14
74. The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (ARC, 1955) — viewed March 16
75. The Wayne Murder Case (Monogram, 1932) — viewed March 15-16
76. Whistling in Brooklyn (MGM, 1943) — viewed March 17
77. Minesweeper (Paramount, 1943) — viewed March 17-18
78. The Girl from Mexico (RKO, 1939) — viewed March 18
79. Bowery Bombshell (Monogram, 1946) — viewed March 20
80. The King Murder (Chesterfield, 1932) — viewed March 20-21
81. Hands Across the Table (Paramount, 1935) — viewed March 21
82. The Canary Murder Case (Paramount, 1929) — viewed March 22
83. Strangler of the Swamp (PRC, 1946) — viewed March 22-23
84. The Gay Divorcee (RKO, 1934) — viewed March 23
85. Seven Men from Now (WB, 1956) — viewed March 24
86. Mystery House (WB, 1938) — viewed March 25
87. Mystery of the Wax Museum (WB, 1933) — viewed March 26
88. Fugitive of the Plains (PRC, 1943) — viewed March 27
89. Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (Universal, 1949) — viewed March 27
90. The Ghost and the Guest (PRC, 1943) — viewed March 28
91. Tarantula (Universal International, 1955) — viewed March 28
92. Charlie Chan in Honolulu (Twentieth Century Fox, 1938) — viewed March 28
93. Murder at Glen Athol (Chesterfield, 1936) — viewed March 28-29
94. The Devil Commands (Columbia, 1941) — viewed March 29
95. Jungle Bride (Monogram, 1933) — viewed March 29-30
96. The Thing from Another World (RKO, 1951) — viewed March 30
97. House of Danger (Peerless, 1934) — viewed March 30-31
98. Cavalier of the West (Artclass, 1931) — viewed March 31
99. Sword of Venus (RKO, 1953) — viewed March 31
100. Murder She Said (MGM, 1961) — viewed March 31

By Source, Fair use, Link

Movies watched in the second quarter of 2018

101. The Case of the Lucky Legs (WB, 1935) — viewed April 1
102. Sinister Hands (William Steiner, 1932) — viewed April 1-2
103. The Narrow Margin (RKO, 1952) — viewed April 2
104. Murder by Television (Cameo, 1935) — viewed April 2-3
105. Death from a Distance (Invincible/Chesterfield, 1935) — viewed April 4-5
106. Below the Border (Monogram, 1942) — viewed April 5-6
107. Face in the Fog (Victory, 1936)
108. A Shot in the Dark (Chesterfield, 1935)
109. Jaws of Justice (Principal, 1933)
110. The Dark Hour (Chesterfield, 1936) — viewed April 10-11
111. The Prisoner of Zenda (UA, 1937)
112. The Giant of Marathon (Italian/MGM, 1959)
113. The Crooked Circle (Sono Art-World Wide Pictures, 1932)
114. Wild Horse Mesa (Paramount, 1925)
115. The Devil Plays (Chesterfield, 1931)
116. Devil Woman from Mars (Danziger/British Lion, 1954)
117. A Shriek in the Night (Allied, 1933)
118. West of Cimarron (Republic, 1941) — viewed April 17-18
119. The Case of the Velvet Claws (WB, 1936) — viewed April 18
120. Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens (1964) — viewed April 20-21
121. The Falcon in Danger (RKO, 1943) — viewed April 21
122. Strangers of the Evening (Tiffany, 1932)
123. The Moonstone (Monogram, 1934)
124. Army of Darkness (Universal, 1992) — viewed May 1
125. The Tall T (Columbia, 1957) — viewed May 6
126. The Lady in Scarlet (Chesterfield, 1935) — viewed May 5-6
127. Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939) — viewed May 8
128. The Black Raven (PRC, 1943) — viewed May 8-9
129. The Wolf Hunters (Monogram, 1949) — viewed May 11
130. The Case of the Black Cat (WB, 1936), with the cartoon Mexicali Schmoes (WB, 1959) and short subject The Trouble with Husbands (Paramount, 1940) — viewed May 12
131. The Phantom of 42nd Street (PRC, 1945) — viewed over a few days, ending May 12
132. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (Columbia, 1956) — viewed May 13
133. Captain January (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936) — viewed May 13
134. A Canterbury Tale (Eagle-Lion, 1944), with the cartoon Here Today, Gone Tamale (WB, 1959) and Chapter 1 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939) — viewed May 13
135. The Monster Walks (1932)
136. Crime Doctor (Columbia, 1943), with the cartoon The Sleepwalker (Disney/RKO, 1942) and short subject The Wide Open Spaces or The Cowboy's Lament (RKO Pathé, 1931) — viewed May 15
137. Without Reservations (RKO, 1946), with the cartoon T-Bone for Two (Disney/RKO, 1942) and short subject Thru Thin and Thicket or Who's Zoo in Africa (RKO, 1933) — viewed May 16
138. The Devil Bat (PRC, 1940) — viewed May 17-18
139. Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940), with the cartoon Pluto at the Zoo (Disney/RKO, 1942) and Chapter 2 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939) — viewed May 20
140. Bloodhounds of Broadway (Twentieth Century Fox, 1952), with the cartoon The Beach Nut (Lantz/Universal, 1944) and short subject Unaccustomed As We Are (Roach/MGM, 1929) — viewed May 22
141. Mr. Wong, Detective (Monogram, 1938)
142. Zombies of Mora Tau (Columbia, 1957), with the cartoon Ski for Two (Lantz/Universal, 1944) and short subject Berth Marks (Roach/MGM, 1929) — viewed May 25
143. Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (Universal, 1950), with the cartoon Chew-Chew Baby (Lantz/Universal, 1945) and short subject Men o' War (Roach/MGM, 1929) — viewed May 26
144. Blazing Across the Pecos (Columbia, 1948), with the cartoon Woody Dines Out (Lantz/Universal, 1945) and Chapter 3 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939) — viewed May 27
145. Tonight We Raid Calais (Twentieth Century Fox, 1943) — viewed May 27
146. The Mystery of Mr. Wong (Monogram, 1939)
147. Mr. Wong in Chinatown (Monogram, 1939)
148. Blacula (American International, 1972), with the cartoon Wild Elephinks (Fleischer/Paramount, 1933) and short subject Hoi Polloi (Columbia, 1935) — viewed May 30
149. The Falcon and the Co-Eds (RKO, 1943), with the cartoon Sock-a-Bye Baby (Fleischer/Paramount, 1934) and short subject Three Little Beers (Columbia, 1935) — viewed May 31
150. We're Not Dressing (Paramount, 1934), with the cartoon Let's You and Him Fight (Fleischer/Paramount, 1934) and short subject Lost in Limehouse, or Lady Esmerelda's Predicament (RKO, 1933) — viewed June 1
151. The Glass-Bottom Boat (MGM, 1966), with the cartoon The Man on the Flying Trapeze (Fleischer/Paramount, 1934) and Chapter 4 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939) — viewed June 2
152. Trailing Double Trouble (Monogram, 1940) — viewed June 3
153. El ataúd del Vampiro (The Vampire's Coffin) (Cinematográfica ABSA, 1958 / K. Gordon Murray Productions, 1965) — viewed June 3
154. Charlie Chan in Panama (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940), with the cartoon The Case of the Stuttering Pig (WB, 1937) and short subject The Revelers (WB, 1927) — viewed June 4
155. The Penguin Pool Murder (RKO, 1932), with the cartoon Little Pancho Vanilla (WB, 1938) and short subject The Morrissey & Miller Night Club Revue (WB, 1928) — viewed June 6
156. Trouble in Texas (Grand National, 1937)
157. The Fatal Hour (Monogram, 1940)
158. Operation Amsterdam (Rank, 1959), with the cartoon Little Beau Porky (WB, 1936) and short subject Sharps and Flats (WB, 1928)
159. Scream Blacula Scream (American International, 1973)
160. Twentieth Century (Columbia, 1934), with the cartoon Now That Summer Is Gone (WB, 1938) and Chapter 5 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939) — viewed June 10
161. Doomed to Die (Monogram, 1940)
162. Northwest Territory (Monogram, 1951), with the cartoon Porky in the North Woods (WB, 1936) and Chapter 6 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939) — viewed June 15
163. The Corpse Vanishes (Monogram, 1942)
164. News Hounds (Monogram, 1947)
165. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (RKO, 1949), with the Oswald the Rabbit cartoon Hells Heels (Lantz/Universal, 1930) and short subject The Forgotten Man (Paramount, 1941)
166. Affairs of Cappy Ricks (Republic, 1937)
167. Footsteps in the Dark (WB, 1941), with the Oswald the Rabbit cartoon Spooks (Lantz/Universal, 1930) and short subject The Moonshiner's Daughter, or Abroad in Old Kentucky (RKO, 1933)
168. Partners of the Sunset (Monogram, 1948)
169. The Giant Claw (Columbia, 1957) — viewed June 24
170. Creature with the Atom Brain (Columbia, 1955) — viewed June 24
171. Bluebeard (PRC, 1944)
172. Phantom of Chinatown (Monogram, 1940)

Source: "The Story Behind... The Universal Pictures Logo," MyFilmViews.com

Movies watched in the third quarter of 2018
173. Murder over New York (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940), with the Oswald the Rabbit cartoon Grandma's Pet (Lantz/Universal, 1932) and Chapter 7 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939) — viewed July 8
174. Tarzan and the Amazons (RKO, 1945), with the Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey's Steam Roller (Disney, 1934) and the Laurel & Hardy short subject Perfect Day (MGM, 1929/1937) — viewed July 9
175. Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)
176. The Mummy's Hand (Universal, 1940)
177. The Ninth Guest (Columbia, 1934)
178. Charlie Chan in Rio (Twentieth Century Fox, 1941)
179. Invisible Ghost (Monogram, 1941)
180. Yukon Gold (Monogram, 1952)
181. Saludos Amigos (Disney/RKO, 1942)
182. International House (Paramount, 1933)
183. Castle in the Desert (Twentieth Century Fox, 1942)
184. Fighting Fools (Monogram, 1949)
185. The Swordswoman in White (1992)
186. The Mummy's Tomb (Universal, 1942)
187. The Mandarin Mystery (Republic, 1936)
188. Tremors (Universal, 1990)
189. Officer Thirteen (Allied, 1932)
190. House of Mystery (Monogram, 1934)
191. The House of Secrets (Chesterfield, 1936)
192. Laramie (Columbia, 1949)
193. The Rogues' Tavern (Puritan, 1936)
194. Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (RKO, 1946)
195. The Ghoul (Gaumont-British, 1933)
196. The Panther's Claw (PRC, 1942)
197. Cowboy Cavalier (Monogram, 1948)
198. Doctor at Sea (Rank, 1955)
199. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (Universal, 1943)
200. Snow Dog (Monogram, 1950)

As I somewhat expected, things slowed up during the summer.

By Warriorboy85 (talk) - extracted from http://us.alliedartists.com/images/aalogos.png, Public Domain, Link

Movies watched in the fourth quarter of 2018
201. Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (Monogram, 1944)
202. Murder by Invitation (Monogram, 1941)
203. Son of Dracula (Universal, 1943)
204. House of Frankenstein (Universal, 1944)
205. House of Dracula (Universal, 1945)
206. The Chinese Cat (Monogram, 1944)
207. The Mystery Man (Monogram, 1935)
208. Sinbad the Sailor (RKO, 1947)
209. House of Wax (WB, 1953)
210. The Italian Job (Paramount, 1969)
211. The Raven (American-International, 1963)
212. The Mummy's Ghost (Universal, 1944)
213. Night of the Living Deb (Cocksure Entertainment, 2015)
214. The Mummy's Curse (Universal, 1944)
215. Murder on the Blackboard (RKO, 1934)
216. Roberta (RKO, 1935)
217. The Patient in Room 18 (WB, 1938)
218. Sh! The Octopus (WB, 1937)
219. Call of the Klondike (Monogram, 1950)
220. The Rescuers (Disney, 1977)
221. El barón del terror (The Brainiac) (Cinematográfica ABSA, 1962)
222. The Jade Mask (Monogram, 1944)
223. Cult of the Cobra (Universal, 1955)
224. The Public Menace (Columbia, 1935)
225. Where There's a Will (Eros, 1955)
226. Taste the Blood of Dracula (Hammer, 1969)
227. Murder at the Gallop (MGM, 1963)
228. Top Hat (RKO, 1935)
229. Trouble in Sundown (RKO, 1939)
230. Dracula A.D. 1972 (Hammer, 1972)
231. Port of Missing Girls (Monogram, 1938)
232. Mr. Moto in Danger Island (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)
233. Lucky Ghost (Dixie National, 1942)
234. Meeting at Midnight (Monogram, 1944)
235. Trail of the Yukon (Monogram, 1949)
236. Fangs of the Arctic (Allied Artists, 1953)
237. Northern Patrol (Allied Artists, 1953)
238. Murder Ahoy (MGM, 1964)
239. Murder Most Foul (MGM, 1964)
240. The Scarlet Clue (Monogram, 1945)
241. Forbidden Trails (Monogram, 1941)
242. Follow the Fleet (RKO, 1936)
243. Murder on a Honeymoon (RKO, 1935)
244. All Through the Night (WB, 1942)
245. Gun Law Justice (Monogram, 1949)
246. Before I Hang (Columbia, 1940)
247. Crime Doctor's Strangest Case (Columbia, 1943)
248. Great Guns (Twentieth Century Fox, 1941)
249. Hold That Baby! (Monogram, 1949)
250. The Shanghai Cobra (Monogram, 1945), with Chapter 8 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939)
251. Trail Dust (Paramount, 1936)
252. Another Thin Man (MGM, 1939), with the Speedy Gonzalez cartoon "West of the Pesos" (WB, 1960) and Chapter 9 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939)
253. A Slight Case of Murder (WB, 1938), with the cartoon "Pizzicato Pussycat" (WB, 1955) and Chapter 10 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939)
254. The Ghost Train (Gainsborough / Gaumont-British, 1941), with Chapter 11 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939)
255. Son of Samson (Unidis, 1960)
256. Outlaw Gold (Monogram, 1950), with Chapter 12 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939)
257. Armour of God (Golden Harvest, 1986)
258. Dark Alibi (Monogram, 1946)
259. The Falcon Out West (RKO, 1944), with Chapter 1 of the serial Blackhawk (Columbia, 1952)
260. Tarzan and the Huntress (RKO, 1947)
261. Alice in Wonderland (Paramount, 1933), with the Popeye cartoon Can You Take It (Fleischer/Paramount, 1934) and Chapter 2 of the serial Blackhawk (Columbia, 1952)

Next one's yours!

Happy new thread!

'Morning, Harry. Happy new thread and happy Saturday to you.

Happy new thread, Harry.

It has been great to see you so active in the group this year and long may it continue.

Have a lovely weekend.

Happy new thread, Harry!
Look at all those movies! I wonder if I've seen that many in the last 20 years.

Happy new thread, Harry! Looking forward to more movie and book goodness.

Good afternoon, kind sir. I await amusement and edification in roughly equal measures from your bounteously overflowing cornucopia of cinematic and lit'ry abundance.

Happy new thread, Harry!
Nic train at the top, was it just a model, or did it ride in real?

Happy new thread, Harry!

Hey Harry!

>13 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita! You're first again!

>14 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen! We hit a couple library sales and a couple multi-dealer antique stores today, and I had a few finds, but I may not get them cataloged until tomorrow.

>15 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! I'm glad that people are enjoying my thread, and I've enjoyed the conversations both here and around the group.

>16 mstrust: Thanks, Jennifer! We watched lots of movies when I was a kid, and I never got out of the habit, though my viewing certainly ebbs and flows.

>17 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie! I've got plenty more to discuss!

>18 richardderus: Hi, Richard! I hope the offerings continue to please.

>19 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita! The Aerotrain was a real, but unsuccessful, train. General Motors made two of the trains, which were tried out on several railroads but didn't prove popular with passengers, nor did they generate additional orders.

By L.L. Cook Company, Milwaukee - eBay item
card front
card back, Public Domain, Link

>20 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori!

>21 fuzzi: Hey right back at ya! I picked up a Herriot book today: Every Living Thing. I happened to see a copy while waiting to check out at a library book sale.

Our day of visits to library sales and antique shops was fairly productive. I ended up with the following acquisitions:

Pulp Magazines
Adventure, October 30, 1925
Short Stories, June 10, 1945
Short Stories, June 25, 1948
Short Stories, February 1950

Western
West of Apache Pass, by Charles Alden Seltzer (1934)
The Lost Cabin Mine, by Frederick Niven (1908)

Mystery & Crime
Miami Murder-Go-Round, by Marston LaFrance (1951)
Death Pays a Dividend, by John Rhode (1939)
The Daughter of Fantômas, by Marcel Allain & Pierre Souvestre; Mark Steele, trans. (1911; translation 2006)

Children’s Books
Rootabaga Stories, by Carl Sandburg (1923)
The Black Stallion’s Courage, by Walter Farley (1956)
Other
Every Living Thing by James Herriot (1992)

DVDs
Battle of Britain (UA, 1969)
A Bridge Too Far (UA, 1977)
Exodus (UA, 1960)

* * *

I also received a couple mysteries just reprinted by the Collins Crime Club in the Detective Story Club series:

• Murder in the Bookshop by Carolyn Wells (2018; originally 1936)


• The Shop Window Murders, by Vernon Loder (2018; originally 1930)

Unfortunately, there was a shipping error, and I did not receive the third such book I should have gotten, The Deductions of Colonel Gore, but a very different book, so I’m in the midst of exchanging messages with Book Depository to get that straightened out.

>31 harrygbutler: ...wow...my cupidity is aroused...I want to go to sales like this, not the 21st-century blandness of my local sales.

>30 harrygbutler: good! I can't think of a single book of his that wasn't at least mildly amusing.

>31 harrygbutler: I have a copy of The Coming of the Law by Seltzer, but have not yet read it.

The Black Stallion's Courage is a keeper imho. Glad we did that series this year, and am looking forward to the Sackett series in 2019.

Let me know if you feel like reading any more Alistair MacLean. I have a bunch, unread, and enjoy our shared reads.

>32 richardderus: There was certainly plenty of recent product on display at both library sales. Fortunately, the sales around here now generally sort the "vintage" books into a separate category, so I don't have to look through hundreds of volumes of contemporary mysteries and thrillers to find a single mystery from the Golden Age. Instead, I can walk right by many of the tables or bookcases with just a passing glance, which has certainly reduced the time I have to devote to shopping such sales.

>33 fuzzi: I enjoyed The Coming of the Law well enough when I read it a couple years ago, so since then I've picked up other books by Seltzer as I find them.

I'll be up for another MacLean in January, if that works; I've got enough other reading already planned for this month that I'm not sure whether I could squeeze one into December.

Happy new thread! Maclean is a lot of fun. If it’s one I can get my hands on, I may join in!

>36 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! It would be great if you could join in the MacLean read as well.

120. The Hex Murder, by Alexander Williams



The brutal slaying of a young woman in New York City results in the swift arrest of her boyfriend, Bob Crocker, but reporter Peter Adams believes him innocent. His investigation, aided by Houston King, a woman who is a longtime friend of Crocker and who also wishes him cleared, takes Adams out of the city to the countryside of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This mystery from 1935 isn't all that good, but the local interest kept me going. If the novel is accurate, Bucks County, where I live, was much more rural and Pennsylvania Dutch in the mid-1930s; though there is still some farming in the county, it is much more suburban in character now. Mildly recommended.

Movie 227. Murder at the Gallop (MGM, 1963)



The second Miss Marple movie starring Margaret Rutherford finds the sleuth investigating among the horsey set. Robert Morley, a relative of the man apparently frightened to death, is in amusing form as the operator of a boarding house and riding school where Miss Marple takes up residence amid the family to conduct her inquiries. Fun stuff! Recommended.

>36 drneutron: >37 harrygbutler: yes! If y'all want a relaxed "challenge" thread for MacLean, I can do it!

>39 harrygbutler: Last saw that as a Saturday movie on KENS TV eons ago. I remember laughing until my belly hurt. I wonder if I still would.

>40 fuzzi: Sounds good. I'll try to come up with a few suggested titles.

>41 richardderus: I found it quite funny in parts, though I don't know whether I laughed out loud as much as I did with last night's Laurel & Hardy movie.

'Morning, Harry, and happy Monday to you.

>44 karenmarie: Good morning, Karen! Thanks for stopping by.

121. The Yellow Mistletoe, by Walter S. Masterman



This mystery-adventure novel opens with a death, apparently accidental, that attracts the interest of retired Scotland Yard chief Sir Arthur Sinclair, despite the pooh-poohing of his protegé on active duty, and despite a lack of evidence for foul play. We are soon introduced to the victim's family and assorted other characters, and it becomes clear that much more is going on, especially when death strikes again. The story develops into a H. Rider Haggard-style lost city adventure clearly heavily influenced by Frazer's The Golden Bough. Some odd narrative choices weaken the tale, and parts of the action seem a bit incoherent. The lost city and its inhabitants reminded me of the 1956 movie The Mole People — not a flattering connection. Not recommended in general, though it may have some appeal for people who like the genre.

Movie 228. Top Hat (RKO, 1935)

Source: IMDB

A frothy delight, with some excellent dancing. Despite the fame of the title song and dance and of "Cheek to Cheek," my favorite may be "Isn't This a Lovely Day?", with the pair in a gazebo in a park. The plot is a lightweight confection of mistaken identity that gives room for amusing byplay among supporting players Edward Everett Horton, Helen Broderick, Erik Rhodes, and Eric Blore. Probably not my favorite Astaire-Rogers film, but well worth seeking out; even the overlong production number at the end, "The Piccolino," at least has amusing lyrics. Recommended.

>46 harrygbutler: It's a bad thing that the title took time to sink in...my first impression was "The Yellow Snow" and that doesn't make me feel the need to rush out to procure it.

>48 richardderus: It took me some time to figure out that the titular "yellow mistletoe" was Frazer's "golden bough"; I've never read that monumental work, though I've encountered bits of it. I gave it a try because of the "hidden city" in the wilderness of Bulgaria (!) but can't say it was really worth the time.

The Balkans have a lot of wilderness indeed. It's just not the first thing we think of...Romania has a gigantic cave system with lots of anaerobic archaea in it, Bulgaria has some animals of cryptozoological interest. But really, it's the turgid and ill-thought-out "plot" that makes me wince the hardest.

Buenos Dias, Harry. Happy New Thread. Not much to report on the bird front. Most are to far out to ID, but it sure is gorgeous here.

>38 harrygbutler: Wouldn't call that a Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign. Ai yai yai. Bucks County was gentrified decades ago, with folks with the wherewithal escaping NYC for the country.

>50 richardderus: I know it doesn't take much actual space to create a tract that sees little traffic from outsiders — witness New Jersey's Pine Barrens, so it wasn't all that surprising to have a hidden settlement, and separately a different hidden location, particularly in the days before much aerial surveying, so it wasn't really that surprising. But the plot was even worse than I described, I think, with Sinclair off doing exciting things, returning full of mystery that he won't explain, while our focus characters sort of meander along.

>51 msf59: I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your vacation, Mark. Do you have any guided birding field trips planned as part of it?

>52 weird_O: It's odd that the publisher of the reprint, who used to live in Lancaster County, didn't opt for a better sign.

Bucks County is rather too suburban for me; that is, I have to travel too far before I can feel I'm in the countryside and can really relax. It's nice to have the farms and woodlands that are here, but they are too broken up, and the roads too busy, for me to feel that I've left the crowds behind when we're out on a drive.

Available Books Alert

It's time to winnow some books from our library. The following are available free to good homes; just send me a PM telling me which you want and where to send them. (Note: I'm quite willing to ship outside the U.S.) Some are duplicates, some are books we just didn't enjoy enough to keep. Condition varies, and the two pulp magazine issues in particularly are fairly beat-up, but complete except for back cover.

More deaccessioning is likely in the future, but here's a start.

History
The Sicilian Vespers, by Steven Runciman
England in the Late Middle Ages (1307-1536), by A. R. Myers
Eminent Americans: Namesakes of the Polaris Submarine Fleet
The Wandering Scholars, by Helen Waddell
Russian Icons from the Twelfth to the Fifteenth Century

Mystery/Crime/Thriller
Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination, by Edogawa Rampo
Huckleberry Fiend, by Julie Smith
The Black Cap, by Cynthia Asquith (editor)
The Adventures of Jimmie Dale, by Frank L. Packard
Unnatural Death, by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Case of the Angry Actress, by E. V. Cunningham
A Bullet in the Ballet, by Caryl Brahms and S. J. Simon
The Riddle of the Yellow Zuri, by Harry Stephen Keeler
The Merrivale Mystery, by James Corbett
She Shall Have Murder, by Delano Ames
The Problem of the Wire Cage, by John Dickson Carr

Western
Milo Talon, by Louis L’Amour
North to the Rails, by Louis L’Amour
The Winning of Barbara Worth, by Harold Bell Wright

Science Fiction & Fantasy
Bill, the Galactic Hero, by Harry Harrison
The Batman Murders, by Craig Shaw Gardner
Street Magic, by Michael Reeves
The Double Shadow, by Clark Ashton Smith
Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley, by Lord Dunsany

TBSL
The Incandescent Lily, by Gouverneur Morris
Side-Stepping with Shorty, by Sewell Ford

Pulp Magazines
Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 3, 1929
Argosy, February 7, 1931

Other
French Leave, by P. G. Wodehouse
Ukridge, by P. G. Wodehouse
The “Snoopy, Come Home” Movie Book, by Charles M. Schulz
He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown, by Charles M. Schulz
Weird Ohio: your travel guide to Ohio's local legends and best kept secrets, by James A. Willis
Weird Pennsylvania: your travel guide to Pennsylvania's local legends and best kept secrets, by Matthew Lake
Weird N.J.: your travel guide to New Jersey's local legends and best kept secrets, by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman
Weird N.J., Vol. 2: Your Travel Guide to New Jersey's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets, by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman
Three Treatises, by Martin Luther

Hello Harry!

>47 harrygbutler: I have enjoyed Astaire-Rogers films over the years this is a good example. "Cheek to Cheek" is great. Top Hat is a great example of the 'silver screen'; especially with remasterd DVD. Nice shout out to Edward Everett Horton. He was good in a similar roll in Holiday Inn.

>57 brodiew2: We're gradually rewatching most of the Astaire-Rogers movies. We skipped Flying Down to Rio, but we'll view it again eventually, I'm sure. Next up will be Swing Time, which may be my favorite.

Edward Everett Horton is great fun.

Movie 229. Trouble in Sundown (RKO, 1939)

Source: IMDB

When suspicion falls on banker John Cameron (Howard C. Hickman) in the robbery of the bank and murder of the night watchman, cowman Clint Bradford (George O'Brien) undertakes to clear the man's name, aided by Whopper (Chill Wills). Musical interludes are provided by Ray Whitley and the Phelps Brothers. Clint's suspicions soon rest on a pair of part-time surveyors, though it seems likely they did not act alone. An entertaining, efficient little B western. Recommended.

Hi Harry!

Top Hat is one of my favorites.

>60 harrygbutler: Oh, how true! Books and clothes are usually not appreciated by kids, but I am getting my 3 1/2-year-old great nephew books for Christmas.

>60 harrygbutler: I'd've spread the welcome mat for a book-laden Santa. I usually got a book and a LOAD of clothes.

>61 karenmarie: I would think that 3½ is before the disaffection sets in (somehow I picture that coming with reading on one's own), but I could be wrong. I know we usually gave our nieces and nephews books in the mix so long as they retained an interest.

>62 richardderus: I liked getting books, but also toys, when I was young enough. I probably wasn't a big fan of getting clothes, but I don't really recall. Nowadays books tend to dominate.

I insist on giving books, even though I was cleaning out a cupboard last week at daughter's house and discovered last year's selection jammed in there willy-nilly. I should have just re-wrapped them for this year's tree.

>65 2wonderY: We generally include books in the mix, especially when children are younger or when we know an adult would like them, but we aren't particularly rigorous about it.

>65 2wonderY: ack.

I loved getting books, some of my favorites originally came as gifts.

>60 harrygbutler: Books and clothes just don't rate with kids anymore. :-P

>67 fuzzi: I can still recall — and in some cases still have — some of the books I received as gifts.

>68 brodiew2: We definitely got clothes, but I think it is quite common these days to supply gift cards to be used to buy clothing instead.

Movie 230. Dracula A.D. 1972 (Hammer, 1972)

Source: IMDB

When a group of thrill-seeking youths, led by Johnny Alucard (Christopher Neame) and including Jessica Van Helsing (Stephanie Beacham), brings the caped count back to life, Dracula seeks to wreak his vengeance on the descendants of his old nemesis. Luckily, Jessica's grandfather, Professor Lorrimer Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) recognizes the threat. Caroline Munro has a good role as the woman used in the rite to revive the vampire. Not perhaps as good a modern vampire story as Blacula, but entertaining nonetheless. Recommended.

'Morning, Harry!

I still have the Nancy Drews I got for Christmas when I was 10. I also have a few Scholastic books I bought with my own allowance money from ages 8-11.

Now when people ask what to get me for birthday or Christmas I have such a large wish list that I can tell them specific books I want.

>72 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! I got plenty of Hardy Boys and similar books — Tom Swift, Jr. (science fiction); Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (science fiction); Bret King (western mystery) — as gifts, and I still have them.

Here in my home office I have a short stack of books I got for my 7th birthday. Fittingly, since we were living in Alaska at the time, two of them are set in the North: Silver Chief, Dog of the North and The Call of the Wild. The other two that are ready to hand are Saddle Patrol and a Lassie book, The Mystery of Bristlecone Pine.

Very nice to have those saved, together, and out. I have my Call of the Wild from Scholastic Books.

>74 karenmarie: My copy was put out by Whitman. It's rather beat-up these days, but I'm not tempted to replace it.

I reread Silver Chief, Dog of the North a couple years ago. It may be time to reread another of these.

>71 harrygbutler: I wonder if they'd all be appalled or delighted that this mod hip now film is still watched 50-ish years later...as an historical curiosity.

>76 richardderus: Caroline Munro apparently is a regular on the con circuit, so I'd hazard the guess that she is pleased with any attention the film gets.

Hello Harry! I hope all is well with you.

>71 harrygbutler: I never engaged the Hammer films, probably because the horror genre really isn't my thing. I can do suspense and even supernatural suspense, but gore is a major turn off.

On a different note, you mentions The Narrow Margin in your last thread. It got me thinking about Marie Windsor. Do you have any favorites of hers?

>75 harrygbutler: the Silver Chief books were some of my favorites, but I had to borrow them from the library in order to read them. I own them now (the first three), and they hold up well as adult reads.

Don't, don't, DON'T reread Silver Chief's Revenge. Apparently it was completed after O'Brien's death, and it's a mess. I disliked it even as a child.

I loved that Lassie book, too, not sure where I got it from!

>79 fuzzi: I only had the first two Silver Chief books as a kid. Since then, I've picked up The Return of Silver Chief, but I've not read it. I'll take your advice to heart and avoid the final book.

Checking my copy of The Mystery of Bristlecone Pine, I see that it was a gift from my grandparents. Of the four books I had listed in >73 harrygbutler:, two were gifts from my parents and two were gifts from my grandparents.

122. Moralia, Volume VI, by Plutarch



I've slowly been making my way through these works by Plutarch on various subjects, but I mislaid this volume for quite some time and only just finished it recently. Passions and human relations are the focus of much of the material collected here, with pieces "On the Control of Anger," "On Tranquillity of Mind," and "On Brotherly Love." Particularly pleasant are "Concerning Talkativeness" and "On Being a Busybody." Recommended.

Movie 231. Port of Missing Girls (Monogram, 1938)

Source

A witness to a murder (Judith Allen) takes refuge aboard a freighter, where she is discovered by first mate Jim Benton (Milburn Stone). Despite initial misgivings, the gruff captain (Harry Carey) warms to the fugitive, and the two ship's officers look for ways to help the woman out of her predicament. Mildly recommended.

MILBURN STONE!! DOC?!? From Gunsmoke? I thought he was born 225 years old. He has dark hair under that snazzy white hat!

'Morning, Harry! Happy Thursday to you.

>83 richardderus: Yep. He's the romantic lead in this one.

>84 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! Thanks!

Hi harry. Did you miss me in >78 brodiew2:?

>87 brodiew2: Oops! Sorry about that, Brodie!

Though there's a certain amount of gore relative to earlier films in the Hammer pictures, it is sufficiently fake, and mild compared with more recent effects, that it has never really bothered me.

As to Marie Windsor, I'd be hard-pressed to say. I've seen her in some movies (e.g., Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy and Swamp Women), and almost certainly on TV as well, but none of the performances particularly stand out. Do you have a favorite?

>85 harrygbutler: ::gobsmacked::

Proof positive that people change, but that much? Wow. I wonder what else of his I've never imagined.

Wow...Milburn Stone's filmography only goes back to 1935 (when he was 31) and a lot of early stuff is uncredited. But he was in China Clipper, a pretty good film as I recall.

>88 harrygbutler: I'm pretty sure the Hammer films would not have harmed my gore sensitivity. I just never engaged the genre as a whole.

As for Marie Windsor, I'd have to stick with The Narrow Margin. I remember seeing her in a couple of other Noirs when I went through a pretty intensive phase back in my 20s. I'd have to review her filmography. Is Swamp women worth a look?

>89 richardderus: >90 richardderus: He had a fairly undistinguished career in the movies. I expect he was very happy to land that gig as Doc.

>91 brodiew2: Swamp Women is rather slow. It got the MST3K treatment from Joel and the 'bots, which is where I first encountered it, I think.

>92 harrygbutler: Guar-an-tee it. His filmography has nothing except Gunsmoke from 1958-1975!

>94 richardderus: Ah, I hadn't looked that far. Not particularly surprising, as I think there was a surfeit of aging character actors available as the industry changed.

The shocker for me was that Neil Hamilton had once been a promising young lead in the movies, long before his stint as Commissioner Gordon on Batman.

Movie 232. Mr. Moto in Danger Island (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)

Source: IMDB

Fun doings as Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) investigates diamond smuggling on Puerto Rico, where murder strikes and suspicion falls on the aging chief of the police. An ample array of suspects and amusing support for the investigator by Warren Hymer as fighter Twister McGurk make this a good entry in the series. Recommended.

123. Give Up?, by Whitney Darrow, Jr.



A moderately amusing collection of cartoons, with a birding-related cover. Recommended.

'Morning, Harry!

This week I had to make room for books 'tbr' in my Library, so pulled some to take upstairs. One of them was Life with Hazel, and the cover of Give Up? has the flavor of the cover of LwH. I was going to get rid of it but it's in perfect condition, a 1965 first edition, with a perfect dust jacket. So I think I'll read it and then upstairs it goes!

>98 karenmarie: Good decision, Karen! I have a copy of that book kicking around somewhere. I watched the show with Shirley Booth from time to time when I was a kid, and I only discovered the Ted Key cartoons later.

Hazel! I'd forgotten about the cartoons. Poor Shirley Booth was famous for playing a crafty servant, not the good, challenging stuff she played in films.

>100 richardderus: Fame is where you find it, I guess.

>101 harrygbutler: Generally, though not always, the money tree will shade you in the glare of it.

Movie 233. Lucky Ghost (Dixie National, 1942)

Source: IMDB
Mantan Moreland and F. E. Miller are two tramps who win a rich man's clothes and car in a game of chance. They proceed to a sanitarium that is actually a casino, and there they are taken for wealthy patrons themselves. Ghosts from the nearby cemetery, relatives of the casino's owner, intervene to teach their descendant a lesson, and things look rosy for our protagonists — at least for awhile. Fun, if minor, fantasy. Recommended.

124. Ride the River, by Louis L'Amour



In 1840, Echo Sackett travels from the hill country of Tennessee to Philadelphia to collect an inheritance left to her as the youngest descendant of Kin-Ring Sackett, son of Barnabas. She faces a variety of perils, both in the city and on her homeward journey, but finds friends, and perhaps more, as well. An interesting story in the Sackett family saga, and one could wish L'Amour had lived long enough to add more to the series. There are some odd notes, as the narration shifts from first-person to third-person and back from time to time, and occasionally those changes are a bit awkward. Recommended.

Movie 234. Meeting at Midnight (aka Black Magic (Monogram, 1944)

Source: IMDB

When a psychic is murdered during a seance his daughter Frances (Frances Chan) is attending, Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) investigates. Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland), who has taken a job with the psychics because Chan is planning to return to Hawaii, is also on hand for the investigation. A fun little investigation, even if nothing we've not seen before. Mildly recommended.

>104 harrygbutler: I've just started my reread of Ride the River. I'd not noticed the switch of narration person before, but I'm enjoying it all the same. Hope it jumpstarts a reading "stall" of the last few days.

Morning, Harry. I am back to the grind. Stop by my thread for any Mexico bird sightings. I will be sharing more. I did not do a full tally yet, but I should have added at least 10 lifers. Yah!!

>106 fuzzi: I'll be interested to read your thoughts. I liked it, but I had a bit of a sense that it might have been rushed.

>107 msf59: Good morning, Mark. Welcome back from your vacation. I'll definitely head over to read up on the sightings.

125. Here's Looking At You: Cartoons from The Wall Street Journal, ed. by Charles Preston

A fairly amusing collection of cartoons from The Wall Street Journal. Mildly recommended.

235. Trail of the Yukon (Monogram, 1949)
236. Fangs of the Arctic (Allied Artists, 1953)
237. Northern Patrol (Allied Artists, 1953)



We recently watched a triple-feature of Kirby Grant and Chinook, from early in the series and the end, as contained in the third DVD set from Warner Archive. More solid entries, with the Mountie and his dog investigating an array of nefarious doings. Recommended.

Harry, are you now or do you plan to be a member of the Criterion Collection streaming film site? I am almost beside myself with pleasure at the mere idea of it. I have noplace to put a DVD player and little desire to watch films on TV when I can have them on my 14" Chromebook balanced on my belly. It is among my very favorite perks of the modern era.

>108 harrygbutler: I found myself drawn into my current read of Ride the River even though I've read it before.

I did not feel it was rushed, and enjoyed how it flowed "right along". Sometimes L'Amour drags a little with his protagonists pondering their self-worth, but Echo didn't have time for much of that. I liked her independence, which I found plausible, and her doubts, which were understandable for a girl of 16.

>111 harrygbutler: a Curwood? Based upon a book he'd written, or just a generic plot? The title doesn't appear in his works.

>112 richardderus: I doubt I'll sign up for the Criterion streaming site, at least at any point in the near term, though it does seem to be one worth considering. In general, I'm not all that interested in streaming content; we have Amazon Prime, and have watched some movies that way, but not too many. We have a sizeable collection of movies on DVD already, and at least for now I expect to continue to prefer purchase to rental, at least for any movie I anticipate wanting to watch more than once, especially as I now can often find even Criterion (and Kino) DVDs used for just a dollar or two.

>112 richardderus: >114 harrygbutler: That's sounds cool, Richard, but if I won't do CBS All Access for Star trek, I don't think I could being myself to this either. My two favorite Criteron films so far are My Man Godfrey and Seven Samurai. I know there others to access through the library on DVD.

>113 fuzzi: Oh, I liked Ride the River, and I agree that the introspection on the part of some of L'Amour's protagonists was not a real issue here.

I checked, and it seems that the movie may have been based on The Gold Hunters, but I don't know that it took anything more than its inspiration, and perhaps character names, from that book.

>115 brodiew2: We definitely make use of our library system's DVD holdings. There's also a streaming service, but I've not tried that out yet.

>114 harrygbutler:, >115 brodiew2: The catalog is so enormous that I can't imagine ever exhausting it. That has appeal to me...which CBS All Access lacked!

>117 harrygbutler: I use Kanopy to stream the library's DVDs, and am right fond of it.

>117 harrygbutler: >118 richardderus: For us, the library streaming service is called Hoopla. But the material available on Hoopla for movies and tv is ht and miss. It's no Netflix, which lacks in the classics arena as well.

I can't remember if I asked, Harry, have you seen, and if so what is your impression of, Brother Orchid?

>119 brodiew2: Oh dear...not fun, is that. I'd be sorely disappointed by lack of classics, as much or more than first-runners.

>118 richardderus: Since deciding to add movies to LibraryThing, I've cataloged about 1,800 movies that we have on DVD (including some serials), and I haven't gone through all that we have yet. If I never watched the same movie again (which will never happen), never bought another, and watched the same each year as I'm likely to end up with this year, that's six years of viewing — so I'm in no particular hurry to further explore streaming services. That could change at some point, I suppose.

Oh, and I did check out either the now-defunct FilmStruck or some other streaming channel that was offering movies from the TCM library, only to discover that the actual number of movies available for streaming at any particular time was rather low. That is, even though the service might have had, say, all 10 Astaire-Rogers pictures in their holdings, they were not all available to watch back-to-back, round-the-clock, throughout the year. At this point, I want more ability to simply watch a movie that I want to watch — now if I could only get them all into albums with location tags for easier retrieval.

>119 brodiew2: >120 richardderus: Our library system also has Hoopla, but I've not dug into what's available. I guess I'm not too surprised that it would have gaps; I recall that being the case with Netflix, and it is certainly the case with Amazon Prime, too.

>119 brodiew2: Brodie, I have seen Brother Orchid, and I recall quite enjoying it. Bogart makes a good crook, and Edward G. Robinson is always particularly appealing in these sympathetic roles. Maybe it's time I took another look.

>122 harrygbutler: I guess that's why we have TCM. Oh, wait, I don't. not on my current package.

>123 harrygbutler: I was pleasantly surprised by the film. It remains a personal favorite. It was also nice to see Ralph Bellamy as the hayseed cattleman (if I recall correctly). Bogart was fun in his early rolls if a little over the top.

'Morning, Harry! 1800. My, my. That's fantastic.

>124 brodiew2: I think the last time we had cable, we had to upgrade to get TCM.

Have you seen Larceny, Inc.? That Edward G. Robinson movie is a favorite around here.

>125 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! It went fairly quickly, as I'm really only interested in putting in title, studio, and year, with perhaps some tags, to keep track of which we own and which we can purchase when we encounter them. It did take a fair amount of back-and-forth with IMDB to pin down exact dates and/or studios, though.

I called a (temporary) halt when I reached the many movies we have in various 50-movie sets put out by Mill Creek Entertainment and its predecessors. There are quite a few enjoyable movies in those sets, albeit often not with the best prints, so we've bought several. I don't mind replacing those with better DVDs down the road, so there's less urgency to catalog them.

>126 harrygbutler: I have not seen Larceny, inc., but it is now on the list.

I just picked up Charlie Chan in Honolulu from the library. I'm looking forward to my first CC film!

I also picked a an entirely different film from earlier this year, Operation: Finale.

>128 brodiew2: I hope you enjoy Charlie Chan in Honolulu; I recall that it's a fun one.

I'll be interested in hearing what you think of Operation Finale. Have you ever read Eichmann in Jerusalem? It has been many years since I read any Hannah Arendt, though I have several of her works still on the shelves.

I have not read Hannah Arendt, but this film looks good. I know there have been other films and, of course, books about Nazi hunting and Eichmann specifically. My minor fear is that it will go the way of Spielberg's Munich, which I had problems with. I'll keep you posted.

>130 brodiew2: Ah, I've never seen Munich. I did see Raid on Entebbe way back in the 1970s, if I recall correctly, and possibly once or twice thereafter, though at a guess I've not seen it since the 1980s.

126. Deeds of the Saxons, by Widukind of Corvey



In the late tenth century, Widukind, a monk of the abbey of Corvey, in what is now the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, composed a three-book work recounting the reigns and deeds of Henry I (the Fowler), first non-Carolingian king of East Francia, and his son, Otto I (the Great), with whose coronation as emperor in 962 the Holy Roman Empire is usually seen as beginning. The work, dedicated to Otto's daughter Matilda, abbess of Quedlinburg, is an important source of information about the two reigns, written by a contemporary with some access to the court. Recommended.

Movie 238. Murder Ahoy (MGM, 1964)



Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford) is named a trustee of a sailing ship school for juvenile delinquents. When a fellow trustee who had recently visited the vessel is slain just before he can report to the board, the doughty spinster heads shipboard to investigate. Another fun outing. Recommended.

>132 harrygbutler: It's always mildly amused me that Otto (eight) is "the First." "Eight the First"?

>133 harrygbutler: A weird datum: Dame Agatha *ab*hor*red* the Rutherfurd Miss Marple. Her publisher made her dedicate The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side to the lady. Can't put my digital extremity on which bio of Christie I learned that in.

>134 richardderus: Something amusing for the Italian subjects of the empire, no doubt.

I had heard of Christie's disdain for these movies. I think it unfortunate, but I don't necessarily trust authors to be the best judges of their own work or characters, and especially of interpretations and modifications in another medium.

And speaking of Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple:

Movie 239. Murder Most Foul (MGM, 1964)



Murder in a theatrical setting in this one, which gives Margaret Rutherford an opportunity to recite some of "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" as well. More fun stuff. Recommended.

Morning, Harry. Hope the work week is speeding along for you. I finally picked up a birdbath heater, de-icer. Looking forward to seeing how it works. It is too dark out there at the moment.

>137 msf59: Hi, Mark! I'm sure the birds will appreciate the year-round birdbath access.

>135 harrygbutler:, >136 harrygbutler: Dame Ags wasn't wildly funny, I suppose, and La Rutherford's Marple would've seemed lèse-majesté to the character's creatrix. I certainly think it would be shocking to have one idea in one's mind and then get smacked with another person's take on it; I expect the money creators receive is really meant to soothe their outraged feelings.

Magazine 25. Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 25, 1922



The Nov. 25, 1922, issue of Argosy All-Story Weekly features a fairly engaging mystery novelette, "The Eyewitness," by Curtiss Benton, in which a scout for a gang of housebreakers witnesses hands committing a murder and then, trapped in the house, must strive to identify the culprit before the police arrive. However, the story "The Adventures of Peabody Smith V: The Robinson Rubies," co-written by former Secret Service chief William J. Flynn, who later edited and gave his name to one of the longest-running of detective pulps, isn't particularly compelling. Drama is the keynote of "As Old as the Sea," which wasn't really to my taste. Better was the amusing "Asphalt," by Collins D. Bradley, with workers getting a mild vengeance on a disliked boss. In "He Craved Excitement," a traveling salesman finds rather too much while visiting a seemingly sleepy small town, and in "With the Aid of the Law," detectives thwart a smuggling scheme. Several poems, a humor column that was running in the magazine at the time, and serials, which as usual I skipped pending getting all the parts, round out the issue.

Do you have a database of all your interrupted serials? Or permaybehaps use an existing public database of Argosy's various issues? Something like Internet Science Fiction Database or the Luminist League site does for SF pulps.

>139 richardderus: Probably much the same feeling as I found here attributed to Howard (Dutch) Darrin:

"At Kaiser-Frazer, he took umbrage at something they'd done to alter his design for the 1951 Kaiser -- so in 1952, off came the little chrome "Darrin Styled" nameplate, which Dutch had insisted they put on in the first place!"
(https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1937-1942-packard-darrin.htm)

I was actually thinking of how Carroll Shelby might have felt to see his Cobra being used as a daily driver by some middle-aged commuter.

>142 harrygbutler: Heh. I am one of the few who actually *likes* the Darrin-styled Kaisers. They were OTT but they were different in a good way, what with all the bright color and cool fabrics.

>141 richardderus: There's a terrific online resource for those interested in magazines, and pulp magazines in particular: philsp.com. It has the contents for many, many issues of various magazines, as well as author and title indices.

Here, for example, is what is there for the Nov. 25, 1922, issue of Argosy All-Story Weekly:
http://www.philsp.com/homeville/GFI/t206.htm#A2909

And here is a list of the works by one of the authors in that issue:
http://www.philsp.com/homeville/GFI/s148.htm#A3501

For the serial Voices, I can see at a glance here that it ran in the Nov. 25, Dec. 2, Dec. 9, Dec. 16, and Dec. 23, 1922, issues.

I used this resource to come up with checklists for the pulps I'm actively collecting, and to build the lists I've imported into LibraryThing (as wishlist items until I own the issues) so that I didn't have to catalog each one individually.

>143 richardderus: In the sports-car field, I probably lean more toward the Nash-Healey, but my fun summer preference would be a 1953 Packard Caribbean convertible in Neapolitan colors.

>144 harrygbutler: What a great database! I can see I could get totally lost there...have to avoid until I have a few spare hours.

>145 harrygbutler: Caribbeans are beautiful indeed. My favorite year (1956) and color-way:

>146 richardderus: That is one sharp-looking automobile!

ETA I got my model years mixed up. I prefer the body style of the 1953, but I like the white-pink-black or white-red-black on a 1955 for summery weather.

I get ya...that 1953 was a beautiful automobile indeed. The tri-tone color schemes were the best, though. Like Kaiser's two-toned widow's-peak models. Nothing that creative nowadays. The most popular color for cars in the entire 21st century has been...silver.

Grey, in other words, like the mood of this dystopia we're living in. The color of possum fur. Booooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggg.

>148 richardderus: I think I now have an idea for next year's thread-toppers.

Movie 240. The Scarlet Clue (Monogram, 1945)

Source: IMDB

Espionage and murder in and around an experimental laboratory and an experimental TV-radio station. A few neat gimmicks, and a couple amusing, but brief, interactions between Mantan Moreland and Ben Carter help make this an entertaining 65 minutes. Mildly recommended.

127. The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle



The famed sleuth comes back from the dead in these stories, published first in magazine form and collected in a book in 1905. Memorable stories include "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," "The Adventure of the Empty House," and "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons." Recommended.

Good morning, Harry! Happy Friday to you.

Packard Caribbeans are lovely. I'd love to cruise the byways of NC with one.

>148 richardderus: I actively dislike silver and white cars. Of course, I'm currently driving a black SUV with black interior, so I guess I'm part of the problem.

>149 harrygbutler: I'll look forward to your 2019 threads for a lot of reasons, Harry, but toppers will be ... ah... er... top among them.

>152 karenmarie: Good morning, Karen! I hope you'll enjoy the photos when the threads are posted. Now to come up with a list that ensures I hit what I think of as high spots.

Contemporary cars mostly bore me, and the occasional spots of bright color are usually on cars otherwise so ugly that it doesn't relieve the situation.

Movie 241. Forbidden Trails (Monogram, 1941)



When recently released convicts attempt to kill the marshal (Buck Jones) who sent them to prison, his pals, fellow marshals Tim McCall (Tim McCoy) and Sandy Hopkins (Raymond Hatton) go undercover to thwart the shady goings-on. As usual, the Rough Riders make an entertaining trio. Recommended.

>153 harrygbutler: You mean like this Nissan Juke?

>155 richardderus: Are you sure the first letter in the model name isn't "P"? That's almost painful to see.

>156 harrygbutler: *snerk* I suspect the corporation is sorry they chose that name for that vehicle for that very reason. Hideous, isn't it?

>153 harrygbutler: a PT Cruiser was my first thought, followed by a car I've seen around town but don't know the name. It's smaller and uglier than a Yugo or LeCar, and looks as if the driver's back is up against the rear window...

...aha, found it: a Smart Fortwo.

Also ugly: Kia Soul. Ick.

>157 richardderus: Yes, indeed. Practically gives one the shudders.

>158 fuzzi: I was thinking it might be a Smart, which I've seen around here as well. Ugly indeed.

If I had to drive a little car, I'd want a Metropolitan.

By Lglswe - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Or maybe an American Bantam.

By DougW - photographed by DougW of RemarkableCars.com at the Frick Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.
Previously uploaded to en:Wikipedia 01:28, 4 August 2006 by DougW, Public Domain, Link

Movie 242. Follow the Fleet (RKO, 1936)



A weaker entry among the Astaire-Rogers pictures, despite Irving Berlin music. Too much time is given over to the romance between Harriet Hilliard (better known as Harriet Nelson) and Randolph Scott, and with Scott's character a little too unlikable. Still, Astaire's solo numbers, "We Saw the Sea" and "I'd Rather Lead a Band" are enjoyable enough, and I've always been a fan of the final number, "Let's Face the Music and Dance." Recommended.

>160 harrygbutler: the Metropolitan made me think of Columbo's convertible.

That Bantam is cute, too.

*sigh*

I know I'm going to lose all credibility when I say this. My very first bought-brand-new car was

Don't ban me.

>163 richardderus: we had a Duster...

>162 fuzzi: The Metropolitan and Columbo's Peugeot do look somewhat similar. I poked around a bit, and I found out that Pininfarina designed the Peugeot, and the Metropolitan started out as a Nash model, and Pininfarina had a hand in early-'50s Nash designs as well.

>163 richardderus: >164 fuzzi: My first car was a Nova I got from my aunt, and I only owned used sedans for many years — solid vehicles, but nothing particularly distinguished stylistically.

And although we never owned a Gremlin, my family was solidly AMC for many years: a Rambler American, followed by a Rebel station wagon, then a Hornet, then a Matador, and finally a Hornet Sportabout.

>166 harrygbutler: we never owned an AMC car, for years we had whatever we could find in our price range (cheap). We were thrilled the first time we bought a car that was less than 10 years old.

I inherited my first car, a 1968 Pontiac Bonneville convertible; the Gremlin was my 2nd. Mama was *out*raged* that I would buy a Rambler. "People who drive Ramblers shouldn't be allowed to vote!" She got new Cadillacs in odd years. ::eyeroll::

>167 fuzzi: My parents owned a variety of cars after the AMC's, often GMC products.

>170 harrygbutler: When they were buying the AMC's new, my parents bought every few years, though some of that was likely driven by circumstance: when we were transferred to Fairbanks, they considered a station wagon impractical for Alaskan winters, so that was the end of the Rebel.

Well my first *two* cars were Pintos. So Gremlins are ok in my book. 😀

‘Morning, Harry, and happy Monday to you!

>153 harrygbutler: I agree with you. And the grillwork on some of the newer cars is hideous beyond belief to me.

>155 richardderus: and >156 harrygbutler: Yup.

>161 harrygbutler: I totally agree with your assessment, and I do love that last number too.

My first two cars were Datsun 1600 Roadsters. I absolutely adored them. The first one and I were in a bad accident, and I sold the second one to buy a more practical car for my move to CT. Wonderful cars.

>163 richardderus: I had one that looked a lot like that. I always felt like I was riding in a running shoe.

Hey Harry and others who love a "good adventure tale", The Last of the Breed is on sale today on Amazon for $1.99.

It's one of my favorite Louis L'Amour books, and is NOT a western, but more of a modern adventure set in 1980ish USSR.

I was thinking of a reread, so the timing is great!

>173 2wonderY: Heh. I found the ride...choppy. But I wanted a smaller, easier-on-gas car than Pygge (the Bonneville) and still one that allowed all of me behind the wheel (I'm tall). Since the Gremlin was the front half of a Hornet, the legroom was great! Of course it was really a 2-passenger car, and that wasn't practical for long. A 1983 Caprice wagon replaced him.

>171 drneutron: My wife at one time owned a Pinto.

>172 karenmarie: Cute little car, the Roadster, but it did look impractical.

>173 2wonderY: >175 richardderus: I think I have a couple toy Gremlins kicking around the house somewhere, and just possibly a Pacer as well.

>174 fuzzi: I enjoyed The Last of the Breed when I read it, and have read it at least a couple times, but I haven't revisited it in years. Thanks for sharing the tip over here!

Hi Harry. Weird, but I've seen only half of Charlie Chan in Honolulu. Though Toler and Yung are fun, but my eye is drawn to Eddie Collins who plays the animal keeper, Al Hogan. My attention being drawn to him is strange because there is something now quite right about him. He may yet be the killer, but I haven't gotten there yet. His acting style is reminiscent of Lou Costello, even down the whistle he uses. I'll try to wrap it up tonight.

>178 brodiew2: Hi, Brodie! I looked up Eddie Collins on IMDB, and his bio there states that he was a vaudevillian, so it may be that Lou's mannerisms were not uncommon among comic performers, or that one influenced the other. Collins was in movies only briefly starting in the late 1930s, as he passed away in 1940. According to IMDB, he was the uncredited model for and voice of Dopey in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Movie 243. Murder on a Honeymoon (RKO, 1935)



When death claims a fellow passenger on a flight to Santa Catalina, Hildegarde Withers (Edna May Oliver) suspects foul play, and circumstances soon suggest she is right. The dead man's relationship to a gang in New York results in Inspector Piper (James Gleason) heading out to see what is going on. One of the killings doesn't make much sense, but on the whole this is an enjoyable mystery with suitably numerous red herrings, and Oliver and Gleason make a great pair. Recommended.

>79 fuzzi: I saw that on IMDB, Harry. pretty cool.

>181 brodiew2: Yep. I had never really thought about them using human models for the dwarfs, though I knew they were used for Snow White and Prince Charming at least.

128. The Tick of the Clock, by Herbert Asbury



A readable, if in some ways dated, mystery by the author now best-known, I suspect, for The Gangs of New York. There's a potential gang element in this 1928 story, but it's a fairly conventional murder investigation, including a gathering of all the suspects in the killing of wealthy James B. Walton by the detective on the case in order to trap the murderer. Mildly recommended.

Movie 244. All Through the Night (WB, 1942)



Runyonesque crooks led by Humphrey Bogart foil Nazi Fifth Columnists headed by Conrad Veidt. Loads of fun. Highly recommended.

'Morning, Harry, and happy Tuesday to you!

>180 harrygbutler: Miss Withers! I'd completely forgotten Miss Withers. I've got some of Palmer's tales on Kindle, I'm sure of it. Thanks for the nudge.

>184 harrygbutler: Ooo aaahhh

>185 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! Good morning to you as well.

>186 richardderus: I've only read one or two of the books. I've read, but cannot vouch for the truth of the tidbit, that Palmer actually had Edna May Oliver in mind when creating the character.

Movie 245. Gun Law Justice (Monogram, 1949)



Jimmy Wakely helps an ex-convict (Lee Phelps) who is desirous of going straight, but the situation is complicated by the man's former gang, which now includes his son. Solid, if nothing special, with a bit less music than I had anticipated. Mildly recommended.

Morning, Harry. Happy Wednesday. I hope your work week is going smoothly. I am enjoying the day off, and plan on going for a bird stroll, to take advantage of these milder temps.

>188 harrygbutler: That's one of those tidbits that simply emerges into the conversation and really takes energetic, persistent scholarly digging to find even the rootball it sprang from, still less the taproot. Energy I will spend in other ways.

>190 msf59: Hi, Mark. Thanks for stopping by.

>191 richardderus: Yeah, not really quite interesting enough to warrant pursuing it any further.

Movie 246. Before I Hang (Columbia, 1940)



Boris Karloff again as a scientist who goes too far. Condemned to death, he is nevertheless allowed to continue his anti-aging experiments while in prison, with the help of the prison doctor. Sadly, however, use of the blood of a murderer leads to unforeseen complications. Recommended.

Hi Harry! Happy Thursday to you.

Since my daughter came home last Friday for winter break we've watched Mowgli, which we both thought was very well done, and Disney's Hercules, which is a blast from her childhood. We might actually watch a seasonal movie tomorrow, It's a Wonderful Life.

Hey Harry! I just thought I'd let you know in case you want to do a shared read...last night I picked up Last of the Breed and started reading it. It's been a LONG time since I read it last (20 years?) so there's much I don't remember.

>194 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! I did see Hercules once, but I doubt I'll revisit it — no nostalgia factor for me. I used to watch It's a Wonderful Life regularly and have friends over to watch it, too, but it has now been some years since I saw it.

Yesterday I picked up a four-movie DVD pack that included the 1938 A Christmas Carol as well as Christmas in Connecticut, so we may watch one or both of those over the weekend. I know we also have Miracle on 34th Street, but I'm unsure which others we might have. I know we'll also take a look at How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Year Without a Santa Claus, and Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, among others, as we have them on DVD. There's a good chance we'll pull up an old holiday special or two on YouTube as well (Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Andy Williams, or Bob Hope, and I'm leaning toward this one, too: https://youtu.be/-LHl0zf09pE).

>195 fuzzi: Hmm. I think it has been that long since I read Last of the Breed, too. About all I remember is the setting. I'm pushing to finish a Christmastime mystery, and I don't know what's next. I'll let you know if I do start on Last of the Breed.

>196 harrygbutler: Yes, Dean Martin!
"I watched him (Santa) throwing my 12 year old up in the air. Lucky he didn't spill any of it."

I'm a little over halfway through The Man Who Invented Christmas, the story of Dickens conceiving A Christmas Carol. Very entertaining.

>196 harrygbutler: my mother's favorite version of A Christmas Carol is that one from 1938. I'm partial to the 1951 version with Alistair Sim, mainly because it sticks closer to the original story.

I love the Chuck Jones version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas as well as A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Muppet Christmas Carol!

I recall seeing Emmet Otter when it was first broadcast on television.

Way back when I was very small I recall seeing a movie The Christmas That Almost Wasn't. I'm sort of afraid to rewatch it in case it was only good from a young child's perspective.

>198 mstrust: Dean has always been a favorite. Though I'm not much of a collector of TV shows on DVD, if his variety show were available as a set with full episodes (instead of "best of" clip compilations) I'd certainly be tempted.

Somewhere around I have a two-volume paperback set from Penguin of Christmas stories by Dickens, but I don't think I've ever gotten around to reading them all.

>199 fuzzi: I seem to recall we saw the 1938 version more often, but that may just mean that I've seen that one more often more recently.

I definitely only mean the real Grinch, voiced by Boris Karloff!

A Muppet Christmas Carol is quite good, and I like both Mickey's Christmas Carol and Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol; though the latter was apparently first broadcast in 1962, I only ever saw it, so far as I can remember, as an adult.

My mom really likes the Emmet Otter show, so we tracked down a copy on DVD for her, and then we ended up picking up one for ourselves, and now we tend to watch it every year, too.

I've mostly been able to enjoy Christmas specials that I first saw when young, but I can understand the concern. It is certainly true that not everything stands up to revisiting.

129. Jaufre: An Occitan Arthurian Romance, trans. by Ross G. Arthur



This 13th-century Arthurian romance, composed in Occitan probably for the court of James I the Conqueror, King of Aragon, tells of the adventures of the title character, a young man, son of the famed knight Dozon, who comes to Arthur's court to be knighted and sets out immediately in a quest to avenge the insult and murder visited on the court by a dastardly interloper. Along the way, he rights various wrongs and encounters a city where the inhabitants behave strangely — and however kindly otherwise, react with furious anger and attempted violence if asked about their behavior. An ordinary-enough Arthurian tale, I thought, but entertaining nonetheless. The translation I read was in prose, with no facing-page edition of the Occitan poetic text, but was serviceable enough. If it shows up in Boydell and Brewer's Arthurian Archives series with the original text as well, I'd certainly consider picking it up. Recommended.

Movie 247. Crime Doctor's Strangest Case (Columbia, 1943)



Jimmy Trotter (Lloyd Bridges), a former client who had been falsely accused of poisoning his employer, visits Dr. Ordway (Warner Baxter) in company with his fiancée, Ellen (Lynn Merrick), seeking the psychiatrist's advice. When Jimmy reveals that he is once again employed as a wealthy man's private secretary, Dr. Ordway urges him to move away and seek another sort of job, with a company instead, and for the two young people to defer their marriage until that happens. It is no surprise that Jimmy's current employer is soon poisoned, and that Jimmy is the principal suspect, despite the fact that he had been proved innocent before. When Dr. Ordway investigates on Jimmy's behalf, he soon discovers an assortment of other suspects, including a woman masquerading as the household's cook, and a suggestion that the roots of the crime reach back three decades. Recommended.

Find the Light—Reflect the Light—Be the Light

Happy Yule 2018!

>203 harrygbutler: interesting that Lloyd Bridges isn't even mentioned on that poster...

>204 richardderus: Thank you, Richard. I hope you have a splendid holiday!

>205 fuzzi: Yep, he's pretty far down the cast list. Bridges didn't have a particularly distinguished film career, finding more success on TV, though he was the lead in the 1945 serial version of Secret Agent X-9.

>206 mstrust: Thanks, Jennifer! Enjoy your Christmas trip!

130. You've Got Me From 9 to 5, ed. by Lawrence Lariar

Business-themed cartoons — some now outdated, some still quite funny. Mildly recommended.

Movie 248. Great Guns (Twentieth Century Fox, 1941)

Source: IMDB

Stan and Ollie are servants who enlist in the Army to keep an eye on their supposedly-sickly young master. A fun little service comedy. Recommended.

Hi Harry! Happy Saturday to you.

We like the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol. We also usually watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.

>200 harrygbutler: For some reason I remember Dean Martin singing “June is busting out all over – June better get a brand new dress” on his variety show.

Morning, Harry. Happy Saturday. It will be seasonably chilly out here, but my work load is light, so it should go well.

Enjoy your weekend.

>212 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! I think I saw the George C. Scott version once, but I don't really recall whether I watched it or just saw many advertisements for it. We watched A Charlie Brown Christmas last night.

>213 msf59: Hi, Mark. The weather was much cooler today than yesterday, when it was up in the 60s. It is expected to stay above freezing all week, so we are unlikely to have a white Christmas this year.

Magazine 26. Range Riders Western, Summer 1945



This western pulp was a bit of a disappointment. The lead novel, "Rustlers of the Rio," just wasn't very good, and though the supporting stories were OK, nothing particularly stood out. I don't think I'll be collecting issues of this magazine.

Movie 249. Hold That Baby! (Monogram, 1949)



When a woman leaves her baby in the laundry Slip and the boys have set up in the back of Louie's Sweet Shop, they soon learn that the child is the missing heir to a fortune and must protect the infant from both gangsters and conniving relatives. A good entry in the series. Recommended.

Happy Sunday, Harry! Have a great holiday. I want to start keeping an annual bird list, on Jan 1st. I forgot to do it this year.

Hi Harry! Happy Christmas Eve and I hope your Christmas Day is wonderful.

>218 msf59: why not do a bird thread for 2019?

Best wishes for the season, Harry! (A tree with a bird on top seems appropriate!)

>218 msf59: Thank you, Mark! That sounds like a good idea, given how much you're seeing. fuzzi has a good suggestion in >220 fuzzi:.

>219 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen!

>221 lyzard: Thanks, Liz! Quite the Australian tree! :-)

Rin Tin Tin and I wish you all a merry Christmas!

Happy holidays, Harry

the light is born (a nativity scene from Riehen)
Wish you a happy Christmas time

>226 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

>227 paulstalder: Thanks, Paul! I like the effect in that photo.

>225 harrygbutler: love it!

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

>230 fuzzi: Thank you!

131. Murder for Christmas, by Francis Duncan



When Mordecai Tremaine is invited to a Christmas house party by a recent acquaintance, whose secretary adds a postscript to the invitation imploring the amateur sleuth to attend, he finds the atmosphere fraught with ill-feeling and soon is caught up in a murder investigation. The identity of the murderer was fairly obvious, but the author's style was readable enough, despite some repetitiveness. Mildly recommended.

Movie 250. The Shanghai Cobra (Monogram, 1945), with Chapter 8 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939)

Source: IMDB

When bank employees are murdered by cobra venom, Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) suspects a connection to a pre-war case. A particularly interesting trapping of the case is the "jukebox" that involves placing a request to a live disc jockey. Benson Fong is back as Chan son Tommy, and Mantan Moreland again provides amusing support. Mildly recommended.

Movie 251. Trail Dust (Paramount, 1936)



In this early William Boyd "Hopalong Cassidy" movie, based on the novel of the same name by Clarence E. Mulford, the boys from the Bar-20 drive a mixed herd of cattle north to serve a market stricken by famine. They face both attacks from without and treachery from within the group of trail drivers. Recommended.

>233 harrygbutler: Forty-five sound films in English before the series shut up shop. That's impressive. I remember them as Saturday-afternoon films. Mama loathed them so I got the TV to myself if I managed to get to one first.

>220 fuzzi: I thought my thread was the bird thread? Grins...

Morning, Harry. Happy Wednesday. I work today but off tomorrow, so at least it will be a shortened week. And speaking of birds, the feeders were very quiet yesterday. It is very mild here, so maybe they are finding food elsewhere.

>235 richardderus: It's easily my favorite mystery movie series — probably not the best — though I'm not sure which that would be — but I'm pretty consistently entertained. (The final movies in the series, however, starring Roland Winters, are rather dreadful.) Since snapping up the DVD sets, I revisit at least some of the movies every year.

>236 msf59: Good morning, Mark. A shorter work week for me, too: just today and tomorrow. Our feeders seem rather quiet, too.

132. Laugh It Off: Cartoons from The Saturday Evening Post, ed. by Marione R. Derrickson



Mid-century cartoons from The Saturday Evening Post: moderately entertaining, mildly recommended.

Movie 252. Another Thin Man (MGM, 1939), with the Speedy Gonzalez cartoon "West of the Pesos" (WB, 1960) and Chapter 9 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939)



Colonel MacFay (C. Aubrey Smith), former business partner of Nora's father and current administrator of her business interests, invites Nick and Nora (William Powell and Myrna Loy) to his estate, largely because he is being threatened by Phil Church (Sheldon Leonard) over a grievance. But when Col. MacFay is murdered, Nick finds a more complicated situation, with plenty of other suspects. Well-done mystery. Recommended.

Hi Harry, and happy Wednesday to you. You posted on Mark's thread that you should take a picture of the books you received for Christmas before they get dispersed and post it.... hint hint!

>241 karenmarie: ^^^What she said.

I do love the Thin Man movies! Powell and Loy were perfect together, the chemistry just sizzles.

>241 karenmarie: >242 richardderus:

And here they are:



Books:

• Prince Valiant, Vol. 18: 1971-1972, by Hal Foster and John Cullen Murphy (adventure comic)


• Definitive Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim Volume 2: 1936-1939, by Alex Raymond (adventure comic)


• Coptic in 20 Lessons, by Bentley Layton (textbook)


• Phaenomena, by Aratus (trans. by Aaron Poochigian) (ancient poem on constellations and more)


• The Gold Point and Other Strange Stories, by Charles Loring Jackson (1920s science fiction/fantasy)


• The Warrielaw Jewel, by Winifred Peck (1933 mystery)


• Richardson's First Case, by Basil Thomson (1933 mystery)

Movies:

• Les Vampires (French serial from 1915-1916)


• Blackhawk (Columbia serial based on the comic book, from 1952)


• DVD set of six Randolph Scott movies: The Stranger Wore a Gun (Columbia, 1953); Hangman's Knot (Columbia, 1952); Man in the Saddle (Columbia, 1951); Santa Fe (Columbia, 1951); The Nevadan (Columbia, 1950); The Desperadoes (Columbia, 1943)

>243 harrygbutler: Tasty haul indeed, Harry, many good hours ahead of you.

>244 richardderus: Yes, indeed. There are also a half-dozen issues of Argosy from the early 1930s on their way that didn't make it in time to be placed beneath the tree.

OOooooooOOOOOoOOOoooo

It's a wonder you ever make it out of the house what with all the goodies you've got stockpiled.

133. The Deductions of Colonel Gore, by Lynn Brock



When Colonel Gore, newly returned to England, attends a party thrown by an old friend who was married during his absence, he stumbles into an uncomfortable situation. Could his old friend Pickles be having an affair? And when the man with whom she had arranged an appointment is found dead the next day, was it merely heart failure, as a doctor — husband of the cryptic Pickles — asserts, or is more going on? This reprint from the Collins Crime Club was an enjoyable introduction to the detective, and I was pleased to discover that I already own the next book in the series. Now to find it! :-) I'll be interested in seeing whether some aspects of the character that informed Col. Gore's behavior in this book are retained or dropped in subsequent outings. Recommended.

>246 richardderus: Well, I do work from home. :-)

After multiple rounds of divesting myself of some books over the years and then finding I wanted to revisit them, only to be disappointed in my attempts to use libraries to meet those needs, I now tend to get, and hang on to, any that seem of interest. Likewise, after the shock of American Movie Classics becoming AMC and radically changing its offerings, with due concern that the same thing could happen to other channels as well, and with the convenience and relatively small space requirements of DVDs, I decided to pick those up, too.

>236 msf59: grinning back atcha...

>243 harrygbutler: #18 Prince Valiant, nice. You going to pre-order #19 that’s due to be available in 2019? I got #16 for Christmas, but didn’t have #14 or #15, so I HAD to order them...

>247 harrygbutler:

You remind me I should try to get back to the Colonel Gore series. I've enjoyed it as far as gone, and The Kink is one of the most startling things of its era I've ever read.

Good morning, Harry!

>243 harrygbutler: Very nice haul, artistically arranged.

>248 harrygbutler: There are several books I regret getting rid of. I have repurchased a few over the years. I still cull regularly, but so far in the last few years don't have any regrets. More shelves! Double stacking!

>243 harrygbutler: Congrats on the book haul! It looks like someone knows you well. Grins...

Morning, Harry. Sweet Thursday. I actually heard birdsong yesterday, which was a pleasant surprise, especially in late December.

>249 fuzzi: Of course you had to get the intervening volumes!

I haven't decided yet about pre-ordering Volume 19, as the Prince Valiant books are easy things to put on my wishlist as gift-giving suggestions.

>250 lyzard: I've quite a backlog of sleuths to revisit, so I don't know when I'll move on to the second in the Colonel Gore series.

>251 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen! I've got some double-stacked shelves, and the number does keep creeping up. :-)

>252 msf59: Good morning, Mark. Wishlists are certainly a help! :-) Cool to hear birdsong this time of year.

134. Cobean's Naked Eye, by Sam Cobean



Mildly amusing cartoons from The New Yorker. Not recommended.

Movie 253. A Slight Case of Murder (WB, 1938), with the cartoon "Pizzicato Pussycat" (WB, 1955) and Chapter 10 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939)



Ex-bootlegger Remy Marco tries to go legit, but his brewery business is a bust — not least because his beer is no good, and no one is willing to tell him (he doesn't drink himself). Facing bankruptcy, he heads for a country house, where he gets mixed up with corpses, creditors, would-be assassins, and his daughter's fiancé. Loads of fun. Highly recommended!

>255 harrygbutler: >251 karenmarie: I started putting labels on my bookshelves so I can recall what’s in the back...labeled by author, to simplify it.

>258 harrygbutler: Edward G. Robinson in a comedy. I never knew this existed. He's a fine dramatic actor but I had no smallest notion of him as a comedian. I shall search this one up.

>259 fuzzi: Interesting idea. I'd need to get better at keeping authors together, I think. If I were more disciplined, I'd add a shelf location tag to LT, but I don't think that is ever likely to happen. :-)

>260 richardderus: He made a few comedies; Larceny, Inc. is another good one.

>261 harrygbutler: it kind of works for me...it certainly works fairly well at the public library... ;)

>263 fuzzi: Oh, sure! I start out with good intentions to bring all of every author together, or all of every subject, but it always breaks down in practice fairly quickly.

Movie 254. The Ghost Train (Gainsborough / Gaumont-British, 1941), with Chapter 11 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939)

Source: IMDB

Travelers on a late-running train end up stranded at a junction station, where they insist on staying because of foul weather despite warnings of eerie goings-on and the titular spook. Arthur Askey heads the cast in this wartime comedy, with broad humor and a not-unexpected twist. Recommended.

135. Murder in the Bookshop, by Carolyn Wells



When collector Philip Balfour is murdered after breaking into a bookshop, the police immediately suspect Balfour's secretary and librarian, Keith Ramsay, who had accompanied him on the nocturnal expedition and gave an implausible explanation of the attack — a suspicion made stronger when it is learned that Ramsay and Balfour's wife Alli were in love. Fortunately for Ramsay, the owner of the bookshop advises calling in famed detective Fleming Stone, though he is motivated more perhaps by a desire to regain a stolen book than by a desire to discover the truth of the murder. People talk and behave in peculiar ways in this, the 45th (!) in Carolyn Wells' long-running detective series, and there are some outlandish elements to the resolution, too. The murderer is fairly obvious, but I'm still a little unclear on how it was managed. I can't really recommend it; Wells writes well enough that one is carried along, but it just is too odd to be good.

Movie 255. Son of Samson (Unidis, 1960)



The Egyptians suffer under the oppressive Persians, despite a figurehead pharaoh, but fortunately strongman Maciste (Mark Forest) is on hand to try to thwart the plotting of the evil queen (Chelo Alonso) and bring freedom. If you like sword and sandals movies, this is a fairly good entry. Mildly recommended.

Movie 256. Outlaw Gold (Monogram, 1950), with Chapter 12 of the serial Daredevils of the Red Circle (Republic, 1939)

Source: IMDB

Two U.S. marshals (Johnny Mack Brown and Milburn Morante) go undercover to investigate a theft of gold from Mexico. One is soon forced to reveal his true identity, making him a target for the outlaws who fear he will discover how they are disposing of the stolen gold. A personable lead and an efficient little story make this a pleasant way to spend a little time. Recommended.

Good morning, Harry, and happy Friday to you. I'm glad you've got a short week - same for next week too?

>269 karenmarie: Good morning, Karen! Yep, two short weeks in a row. With luck I'll get a fair amount of reading done.

It looks like you had a good Christmas haul! Have a Happy New Year, Harry!

>271 mstrust: Yep! Thanks, Jennifer. I see you have your 2019 thread started; I'll head over and drop a star. I'll probably not make my 2019 thread until the 31st or even the 1st, as I still have some movies and books to squeeze in here.

Movie 257. Armour of God (Golden Harvest, 1986)



Jackie Chan plays a relic hunter who has recently obtained, then sold, two pieces of the legendary "Armour of God." When evil cultists kidnap former bandmate Lorelei (Rosamund Kwan), Jackie is persuaded to help out, despite the fact that he left the band because he was in love with Lorelei but she preferred the third member of the band, Alan (Alan Tam). Jackie and Alan are soon working with May (Lola Forner), daughter of the man who purchased the armor pieces, to thwart the cult. Fun stuff, if frivolous, with some acrobatic fights and stunts. Recommended.

Movie 258. Dark Alibi (Monogram, 1946)

Source: IMDB

Charlie Chan volunteers to help prove the innocence of an ex-con now convicted of murder and bank robbery who has just nine days left before his execution. The most damning piece of evidence is the fact that the ex-con's fingerprints were found at the scene, though he swears he wasn't involved. Could fingerprints be faked? Charlie's investigation takes him to the boarding house where the ex-con had lived, along with many other suspicious characters, and to the prison where he had served his time. The latter location gives scope for more fun involving the interplay between Mantan Moreland and Ben Carter (as previously seen in The Scarlet Clue), with Sidney Toler joining in at the end. Recommended.

>273 harrygbutler: I so enjoy many of Jackie Chan’s movies! The Police Story and Drunken Master movies are good, though City Hunter wins hands down for sheer entertainment, silliness. It’s the only one of Chan’s movies that I own.

>275 fuzzi: They are great fun. I picked up an 8-movie DVD set at a thrift store a couple weeks ago, with Armour of God, Armour of God 2: Operation Condor, Dragon Strike, Twin Dragons, Project A, Project A 2, Supercop, and The Accidental Spy. Those are the first we've owned, though we've watched plenty of others, including I think the Police Story and Drunken Master movies, but I don't recall City Hunter. I'll have to watch for that one!

136. You've Got Me in the Suburbs, ed. by Lawrence Lariar



One of several cartoon collections edited by Lawrence Lariar with a title beginning "You've Got Me...," this volume takes a look at suburban life. The mix of cartoons includes some that remain funny, others that are out-of-date, and some that probably weren't all that good to begin with. Mildly recommended.

Movie 259. The Falcon Out West (RKO, 1944), with Chapter 1 of the serial Blackhawk (Columbia, 1952)

Source: IMDB

When wealthy Tex Irwin (Lyle Talbot) drops dead in a New York nightclub, poisoned by snake venom, the Falcon (Tom Conway) heads to Irwin's home ranch together with his fiancée (Carole Gallagher). She seems certain that the truth behind the killing can be uncovered back in Texas, and soon other suspects — Irwin's ex-wife (Joan Barclay) and his business partner (Minor Watson), among them — who had been East at the time of the killing make the mystery more complicated. Barbara Hale has a pleasant supporting role as the business partner's daughter. The story makes good use of a western setting, even including a stereotypical runaway stagecoach in one amusing sequence. Recommended.

>275 fuzzi:, >276 harrygbutler:

Police Story and Project A for me!

Hey, Harry, I forget: is Detective Story Magazine one of the ones you collect?

>279 lyzard: No Detective Story Magazine at the moment, Liz. I'm focusing most on Argosy, especially as Argosy All-Story Weekly in the 1920s and then once again as Argosy in the 1930s. I'm enjoying the mix of genres, including mystery, to be found in it. I've read some reprints from DSM, however, including some series by Johnston McCulley, such as stories about Thubway Tham, the Man in Purple, and the Crimson Clown.

I may eventually get around to collecting one or more of the mystery / detective pulps, and if so, I'm not sure which I would try to collect. Black Mask is of course the most famous, but Flynn's (later Detective Fiction Weekly) and Detective Story Magazine would be two likely possibilities.

Morning, Harry. Happy Sunday. I watched a fascinating documentary last night, called Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story. I did not know much about her, but they mentioned several classic films she was involved in, that might be of interest to you.

>281 msf59: Good morning, Mark. I've seen a few of Hedy Lamarr's movies, but not too many. (Of course, she didn't make all that many, either.)

>281 msf59:

No worries: as you may have seen, I was sorting out Herman Landon's Gray Phantom series, and I wondered if you'd come across any of the uncollected short stories and novellas.

The other magazine brought to my attention was Detective Book Magazine, which was the one which used to print an entire novel. Almost broke my heart when I saw what you used to be able to get for 20c...!

>283 lyzard: I've not seen anything by Landon yet, though I see he placed some stories in general fiction pulps as well, so I may run across his work at some point.

Yes, a good deal at 20 cents, as even with inflation such an issue would be under $3 today.

Movie 260. Tarzan and the Huntress (RKO, 1947)



An expedition looking to gather animals for zoos provides an opportunity for a treacherous noble to displace the king, but the new ruler's decision to allow unlimited captures puts him, as well as the trappers, on a collision course with Tarzan. Recommended.

137. The Warrielaw Jewel, by Winifred Peck



Family jealousies and greed lead to murder in Edwardian era Scotland, as related a quarter-century later by a narrator who was an important witness to the events involved. Late in the book the reader is challenged to solve the mystery: I figured out most of the solution, though I didn't fit all the details into place. Mildly recommended.

Movie 261. Alice in Wonderland (Paramount, 1933), with the Popeye cartoon Can You Take It (Fleischer/Paramount, 1934) and Chapter 2 of the serial Blackhawk (Columbia, 1952)



An exercise in weirdness, this film version of Alice's adventures features players both famous and obscure bringing John Tenniel's character illustrations to life. Charlotte Henry is a pleasing Alice. Recognizable participants include Ned Sparks as the Caterpillar, Edward Everett Horton as the Mad Hatter, and Edna May Oliver as the Red Queen. W. C. Fields is hidden by the costume but good as Humpty-Dumpty, and Gary Cooper does a fun turn as the White Knight. And one wouldn't want to miss Cary Grant as the Mock Turtle. Not exactly recommended, as its strangeness keeps it ultimately from being successful, but worth a look.

>288 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori!

Have a Happy New Year, Harry!

>290 mstrust: Thanks, Jennifer!

Hi Harry!



Wishing you a new year filled with joy, happiness, laughter, and all the wonderful books you could wish for.

>292 karenmarie: >293 brodiew2: Thank you, Karen and Brodie! Happy new year to you as well!

OK, that's a wrap. Come visit me on my new thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/301414

And if you want a hint of the theme of my threads this coming year: https://youtu.be/rYgZEk2xtBM