The Radio Adventures of Sam Spade

When you consider the amount of money I spent on the Radio Con this past weekend it's sobering to realize that I still only ended up with one book. Most of the money went toward gas, food, admission, soft drinks, snacks and amusements for young bookdave. Still, the book was one I'd been waiting for ever since I first heard of it from the author a couple years back. Martin Grams, Jr is the astonishingly prolific (and astonishingly young!) author of THE RADIO ADVENTURES OF SAM SPADE.

If you only know Spade as the hero/anti-hero of Dashiell Hammett's THE MALTESE FALCON, then you've actually missed his most popular incarnation! From 1946 through 1951, radio offered weekly whodunits with the sarcastic private eye and his ever-faithful secretary, Effie. Epitomized for most of its run by actor Howard Duff (who I first noticed as ludicrous BATMAN villain Lord Phogg opposite his then-wife Ida Lupino's Lady Peasoup!), the series was clever, witty and even a tad romantic! Martin's book is, as one might expect, largely an episodic rundown but Martin has amassed a surprising amount of trivia regarding many of the episodes, too. The book also offers both a literary and cinematic history of the character as well as sections on the Communist witch hunt issues of Hammett and, by association, Duff (which perhaps led to the "Charlie Wild, Detective" series introduced by sponser Wildroot). THE RADIO ADVENTURES OF SAM SPADE is a welcome addition to the annals of radio series research and an overdue tribute to a show and a man who were amazingly popular until the moment was cut short by the Communist witch hunts!

The 2008 Cincinnati Old-Time Radio and Nostalgia Con

How was it? Well, frankly, the Dealers' Room was disappointing...unless you wanted gray market DVD's mind you! Every table had hundreds of rare movies, shows, serials (and even comics!) on disc!
On the other hand my fifteen minutes of fame have gone into overtime apparently. Every year I think that this is the year I just won't get cast at the auditions for the re-creations. This was NOT that year. I was given not one but 4 scene-stealing parts in three plays! I was the Chinese Houseboy and an egotistical gunfighter in HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, a Southern police inspector in YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR and--in a role originally played by Jack Benny--a Martian in an atypical episode of SUSPENSE! In fact, I had above the title billing in the SUSPENSE! (My lovely bride played both my mother AND my love interest in that episode! She asked if they would pay for my therapy!) By the end of the weekend, I was signing autographs with the celebrity guests and I couldn't walk from the stage to the back of the room without people stopping me to congratulate me, thank me, pat me on the back, etc. One lady even said she looked forward to seeing me every year just to see what new voices I'll come up with! Thanks to all of YOU who said nice things about my acting! Considering how depressed everything else has been making me lately, I REALLY needed that!

Booksteve's Library--the Shirt!!!

Sorry I haven't posted for a couple days but this year the Cincinnati Old-Time Radio and Nostalgia Convention kept me busier than usual. After returning last night, I collapsed quickly as I had to go to work at 5 AM this morning. Now I'm home and desperately needing a nap to catch up! Full report on the Con will follow but I wanted to show the debut of the Official Booksteve's Library shirt! Originally planned for our aborted trip to last Fall's Mid-Ohio Con, the shirt premieredat the radio Con on Friday to widespread indifference. But hey, I like it!

Pictures From 1989 Radio Con

This will be the 20th year I've attended the Cincinnati Old-Time Radio and Nostalgia Convention. Seen here is an OTR "fanzine" from 1989 that featured some shots of random performers in the re-creations from my second year including special guest Willard Waterman (THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE!). Note the pic in the lower right hand corner and you'll see a much skinnier me along with the young lady who would three years later become my lovely bride. In this shot, I'm holding my nose in order to achieve the nasal inflections of Fred Allen while the future Mrs. booksteve, herself Jewish, affects the stereotypical delivery of Allen's Alley resident, Pansy Nussbaum!

Note also the late Dave Warren. A couple years back, my wife and I won the Dave Warren Award for our contributions to keeping OTR alive. Prof. Gary Yoggy--here voicing a fairy tale giant by speaking loudly into a bucket--is the author of several wonderful books on old-tme Westerns.

I'll be debuting the Official BOOKSTEVE'S LIBRARY

t-shirt at the Con later today so if you attend, please say hi!

Secrets Behind the Comics Ad

Here we have, from the pages of late-forties Timely Comics, a mail-order ad for one of the first books on comics! SECRETS BEHIND THE COMICS was written by the one and only Stan (the Man) Lee! I've seen a few copies but have never been priviliged to have a copy here at the Library. Seems like it may have been reprinted at one point but I'm too lazy to check right now.

Foul Play

Hoo Hah! Just returned from a trip to my local Borders Superstore and thought I'd give my readers a heads up that I found Grant Geissman's marvelous book on EC Comics artists, FOUL PLAY, on their Bargain table for only $4.99! This 2nd EC coffee table history from Geissman, originally published a couple years back at 29.99, offers individual biographies and career retrospectives of Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman, Johnny Craig, Al Williamson, Jack Davis and all the rest of the legendary horror, sci-fi and MAD artists. Each artist also gets a full reprint, photographed in the fading colors (probably by Marie Severin) of the original comics! $4.99 people! Stop reading this and go buy it now!

Superman Model Ad

Now here's a rarely seen but extremely cool 1962 comic strip ad for the classic SUPERMAN punching through a wall model kit that lasted throughout the sixties. The Curt Swan (with George Klein?) art makes it particularly special don't you think?