New Books Here at the Library

Off work today, so son David and I hit the Public Library Used book sale over in the next county. He got one and we picked up one for Rene (who wasn't feeling well and had to beg off). THESE were my choices. The entire haul cost us only $5.50! 

The Jon Gnagy art book seems to be the 1950s original (there's no date on it) as it references the artist's then-popular TV series.

BRAIN DROPPINGS is George Carlin's first book in a nice hardcover. 

HIPPIE is by Beatle biographer Barry Miles and is thick with lots of color pics I've never seen.

One of the Garland books covers her career and the other her life. Both are heavily illustrated so between the two, one is likely to get the full Judy story.

Top right is THE SEWING CIRCLE, a book I read when it was new. It's about the lesbian subculture in old Hollywood. Gossipy and a tad questionable as I recall but interesting reading.

The volume sans dust cover is Steve Allen's THE FUNNY MEN, the last book of his that I did not have, I believe, and one I've been hoping to encounter for about 3 decades now.

Taxi is one of two books on that TV series--the one I didn't already have.

The remaining books are autobiographies from Christopher Reeve,Don Rickles, Terri Garr, and Sally Kellerman, who by sheer coincidence, was answering a question from me last night on STU'S SHOW!

Dee

I haven't been doing much computer art lately but my friend and sometime protégée Dee posted a photo of herself this evening on Facebook that just screamed for me to mess with it. In doing so, I seem to have come up with the perfect album cover if she ever decides to do pursue a music career and record a collection of psychedelic cover tunes!

The Silent Treatment-1968

According to multiple reports in VARIETY and the Newspaper Archives, this late 1967-shot film was actually made. It starred the later controversial Marty Ingels and a cameo cast similar to that of later flops such as THE PHYNX and WON TON TON, THE DOG WHO SAVED HOLLYWOOD.

But was it actually finished? It was never released and not a trace of it has ever turned up in the public eye. I'm betting that shot of Marty below was just a general publicity pic even. 

Later in the next decade, it would be Mel Brooks who ended up releasing the first new silent film in decades--SILENT MOVIE. Ironically, it was also peppered with cameos but from much bigger stars of the day--Burt Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, James Caan, and Paul Newman. It didn't do very well either.

In Rare Spirits--Will Eisner at 100

One more Eisner post for now in honor of his centenary today. Actually these aren't all by the master himself but here are some rare Spirit covers from around the world.

More Spirit Section Ads

Mr. Mystic Ads

Here's some unusual and little-seen early newspaper ads for what we now refer to as Will Eisner's Spirit Sections. These surprisingly downplay the Spirit and choose rather to emphasize the MR/ MYSTIC backup strip.

  

Pat Boyette IS Anchorman!

As a comics artist, Pat Boyette was a unique stylist, perhaps best known today for his Peacemaker character during Dick Giordano's reign at Charlton. Years ago I had read that he also made a few low-budget films. Something I did NOT know until now was that WHILE he was making movies and WHILE he was drawing comic books, he was also, in the early 1960s, a popular TV anchorman in Texas!

Here are some of my favorite covers from Boyette comics.