Mad Article-1972

My First VCR Movies-1980

Today, I ran across a forgotten 1980 journal I kept. So far, I'm resisting the temptation to do it as a blog (see 1974 and 1976) but I am finding some interesting forgotten memories, too.

For example, on Tuesday, May 27th, a Primary Election Day here in Kentucky, I purchased my very first VCR (or VTR as they were briefly known). The ad from Cooper's Furniture said "$999.00! Prices will never be lower!" There went my life savings up to that point.

Took me the rest of the day to get it hooked up. A friend called and I told him what i was doing and he brought over a bootleg copy of STAR WARS on Beta that we watched right there in my living room! Amazing!

Just two days later, he was back, this time with a tape I could only watch when my parents weren't around--DEBBIE DOES DALLAS!

So my first pre-recorded movie ever was STAR WARS and my first porn was DEBBIE!

Snuffy Smith and Barney Google at 100

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the BARNEY GOOGLE comic strip. Now, granted for more than half that time the star has been one Snuffy Smith and all his relatives and friends, with Barney himself making only irregular appearances. But this month finds Barney returning to the hills. After all, it isn't often that a comic strip lasts this long! This may, in fact, be only the fourth one other than GASOLINE ALLEY, THIMBLE THEATRE, and THE KATZENJAMMER KIDS.

One of my favorite books I ever worked on was this great collection from Yoe Books a few years back, highlighting long consecutive runs of the strip by its original creator, Billy DeBeck, recognized as arguably THE greatest storyteller in the history of comics! My wife and I both did some important research for this one.

You can order a copy here.

https://www.amazon.com/Barney-Google-Gambling-Horse-High-Toned/dp/1600106706

You can also order a collection of the 1930s BARNEY GOOGLE cartoons from my DVD site here:

http://oldtimemoviesdvd.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=34&product_id=2821



These aren't restored or anything but they're ultra-rare. In fact, a number of sites on the Internet tell you that color versions no longer exist, that sound versions no longer exist. Let's just say you can't believe everything you read on the Internet.

HaPpY AnNiVeRsArY, BaRnEy aNd SnUfFy!

Jim Shooter in 1966

 In 1966 I was 7 and 14 year old Jm Shooter was my idol because he was writing comic books! His Legion of Superheroes comics became early favorites as did his other Superman Family stories. Then, as he always said, he left comics to finish school and get a "real job." But then someone lured him back for just one more Legion story...or two. From there, Shooter controversially took over Marvel Comics and, depending on your perspective, either saved the company or drove it into bankruptcy. I met him once--extremely tall!--and he was very nice. But then I get along splendidly with my ex-boss when I'm not working for her. Shooter continued to create and innovate with Valiant and Defiant and beyond and his blogging has highlighted some fascinating bits of comics history from his perspective but he remains a divisive figure to this day. I prefer to remember him like this--a cocky kid who said he could do it...and did!

Denny Miller as Superman and Captain Marvel (!!??)

Actor Denny Miller was often typecast as dumb, musclebound jocks, but he played a number of iconic characters in his long career including Tarzan (and Tongo, his GILLIGAN'S ISLAND doppelgänger) and, in a sries of short US Air Force commercials, Superman! 

Perhaps most intriguing though is the mention below, in a plug for a sadly long-lost TV special on comic books, that Denny was set to play Captain Marvel! Presumably that deal was quashed because of the DC/Fawcett arrangement and possibly even because of the Marvel/Myron Fass dispute over the "Captain Marvel" name two years later.