Say Hello to Lou Costello

From June '41, an introduction to a man who would become one of America's favorite funnymen. From RADIO MIRROR.

Ray Middleton?

Longtime readers will recall that I was convinced a while back that--in spite of the conventional wisdom--actor Ray Middleton did NOT portray Superman at the 1940 Superman Day at the World's Fair. Now the estimable investigator Ken Quatro has found this snippet from a 1946 article on Bud Collyer that seems to finally offer some confirmation to that effect. 

Boing, Boing!

What goes "Boing, Boiiiiing. Boingboingboing. Boink, boink?" For the last few weeks, we'd been hearing that occasionally in the Library. Thought it was something in one of several boxes in a corner but we moved those and took everything out. The noise left for a while but then started again. Traced it the other night to behind the music books shelves...only I climbed up on a ladder and looked behind and there's nothing back there but cobwebs. Taped together a long stick out of construction paper and climbed up again as the noise continued. Tried to push whatever it might be to the side. Nothing. Next step was to remove all the books and pull out the bookcase.

Found it! In retrospect, I guess since it was going "Boing, Boiiiiing. Boingboingboing. Boink, boink?" it should have been obvious!

Detective Comics Wall Hanging-1970s

I had forgotten that I had this pasteboard backed wall-hanging. There's no date but I recall getting it at Kidd's Bookstore in Cincinnati and they went out of business around the mid-seventies.

R.I.P. Chris Squire

I've never been able to afford to attend a lot of concerts but I was lucky enough to see YES in concert in the mid-1980s after having been a fan since the very early '70s. Master bassist Chris Squire basically WAS the group. Through the years, every single member has come and gone and returned and left abut Squire was always the rock. Without him, the name YES simply wasn't used. 

Rest In Peace

Booksteve Reviews: The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery

It’s entirely possible that anyone who ever watched an episode of BEWITCHED fell in love with Elizabeth Montgomery. I know I did. So did my friend Kathy Coleman from TV’s LAND OF THE LOST. And so did Herbie J. Pilato, who has long since become the go-to person for information on Lizzie’s life and career.

There was just something about her. It wasn’t just her beauty or sexiness. Many of us were only kids, after all. We didn’t know or care about stuff like that. It was, I guess, her way with a line, a look, a smile or a twitch. It was...well...There’s no other way to say it: It was her own personal magic.

After detailed books on Elizabeth Montgomery’s life and her enduring classic sitcom, now comes Herbie with a book that is, in a way, the most intriguing yet. THE ESSENTIAL ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY-A GUIDE TO HER MAGICAL PERFORMANCES, takes a close look at the actress’s performances one project at a time, in essence retelling her life story from the perspective of her career!

As the obvious career highlight, BEWITCHED tends to overshadow everything else she appeared in before or since. Having already covered BEWITCHED in depth elsewhere, here the author revisits its seasons at the proper place in her timeline but rightly chooses to concentrate more on her film appearances such as JOHNNY COOL, her TV guest appearances such as on TWILIGHT ZONE and BURKE’S LAW, game shows, talk shows and her mid-‘70s run of important TV movies such as A CASE OF RAPE and THE LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDEN.

Montgomery’s magic was never tied to BEWITCHED. One can see it in everything from her earliest TV appearances to her final ones. As always with this type of book, there are a couple of sections of photos, both color and black and white, all chosen apparently for being scarcely seen before now. Some wonderful stills and photos that help round out the story of Elizabeth Montgomery when she wasn’t being America’s favorite witch.

If you’re the type of person who prefers old TV to what passes for entertainment today, THE ESSENTIAL ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY is a handy reference to keep near your television when watching retro stations, DVDs or even YouTube online or through your TV. A lot of the shows discussed herein are fairly easily accessible and if you, too, love Liz, it’ll increase your enjoyment even more to read about and eventually see ALL of her impressive and enjoyable performances.

Thanks to Herbie for filling in the gaps and adding yet again to a fuller picture of this magical woman who left us far too soon.

Booksteve Recommends!    

http://www.amazon.com/The-Essential-Elizabeth-Montgomery-Performances/dp/1589798244

R.I.P. Patrick Macnee

Enjoyed THE AVENGERS in the sixties and THE NEW AVENGERS in the seventies and enjoyed Mr. Macnee in a hundred other things. 

http://www.patrickmacnee.com