The Adventures of the Saint: “Fighter’s Contract” 7/23/50
Yet another episode in which Vincent Price handles with perfect aplomb the often hilarious verbal by-play with various suspects and witnesses. This time around, the case involves an up-and-coming boxer, his manager and the manager’s wife. The wife, we are assured, is a “real tomato” and may be, um, in training (so to speak) with the young boxer.
A mystery writer used these three as characters in his latest novel. Now one of them may be planning to murder him, or perhaps murder one another. Simon looks into it, but soon one of the characters is indeed killed. But Simon doesn’t miss a beat in his barrage of witty barbs before finally nailing the killer.
Click HERE to listen or download.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tarzan vs. T Rex. Does it get any better than this?
I know the T-Rex looks formidable, but my money is always on Tarzan.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
History of the Marvel Universe: October 1965, part 2
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #121
Thor and the Absorbing Man fight a running battle through the streets of New York. Both are invulnerable and both are evenly matched in power (since Crusher can absorb Thor’s power every time the Thunder God clocks him one). But when Thor has to turn his back to protect an innocent bystander, the villain clocks HIM a good one and apparently knocks him out.
The fight is yet another example of Jack Kirby’ superb ability to choreograph an exciting action sequence. A full-page panel in which we see Absorbing Man grow to gigantic size while Thor flies in to attack is by itself worth the price of admission.
Sandwiched into the fight scene is a reminder that Jane is being held prisoner by a guy in a mask (though the guy claims he’s just protecting her). Also, we get a couple of glimpses at Loki back in Asgard, who is making sure no one realizes he’s up to mischief again while he watches the Thor/Absorbing Man battle via a crystal ball.
The Tales of Asgard feature has Thor’s giant ship sailing into a maelstrom, while some of the crew grow panicky and Loki plots to foment mutiny. It ends with Balder climbing to the top of the huge ship’s figurehead to carry out some sort of plan to save them all. This back-up feature continues to be a real showcase for Kirby’ powerful and imaginative art.
TALES OF SUSPENSE #70
More cool fight scenes as Iron Man and Titanium Man continue to duke it out. And there’s a nice bit of characterization mixed in as well, when Happy risks his life (and seems to get killed) getting a piece of equipment to Iron Man in the nick of time. What makes it an even better moment is that Happy has realized Iron Man and Tony are the same guy—the guy he sees has coming between him and Pepper—but he sacrifices himself to save Tony just the same. As annoying as the whole Tony—Happy—Pepper thing has been most of the time, Stan Lee manages to pull a really cool moment out of it.
Anyway, the issue ends with the battle between the two armored man still unresolved while Happy lays unconscious and possibly dead nearby.
Back in World War II, Cap flies the captured Nazi bomber to the castle where Bucky is held prisoner. He’s warned by the mad scientist’s innocent sister that it’s a trap. This allows him to put up a good fight against Nazis wearing medieval armor and a bunch of stormtroopers laying a barrage of submachine gun fire down on him. But he’s finally taken down with some knockout gas.
The mad scientist then finds out that working for Nazis is never a good idea. As punishment for her helping Cap, the sister will be shoved inside a V-2 rocket before its fired at 10 Downing Street to blow up Churchill.
We also get a reminder that Steve Rogers’ Ranger platoon, still on its raid into France, is surrounded by a German armored column. It’s all done very well, with the exposition never getting in the way of the action (or visa versa). Stan Lee continues to demonstrate his skill at pacing a multi-chapter serial.
We’ll leave Thor, Cap and Iron Man all in big trouble for the moment. Next week, we’ll visit with Hulk, Namor, the Avengers and Daredevil.
Thor and the Absorbing Man fight a running battle through the streets of New York. Both are invulnerable and both are evenly matched in power (since Crusher can absorb Thor’s power every time the Thunder God clocks him one). But when Thor has to turn his back to protect an innocent bystander, the villain clocks HIM a good one and apparently knocks him out.
The fight is yet another example of Jack Kirby’ superb ability to choreograph an exciting action sequence. A full-page panel in which we see Absorbing Man grow to gigantic size while Thor flies in to attack is by itself worth the price of admission.
Sandwiched into the fight scene is a reminder that Jane is being held prisoner by a guy in a mask (though the guy claims he’s just protecting her). Also, we get a couple of glimpses at Loki back in Asgard, who is making sure no one realizes he’s up to mischief again while he watches the Thor/Absorbing Man battle via a crystal ball.
The Tales of Asgard feature has Thor’s giant ship sailing into a maelstrom, while some of the crew grow panicky and Loki plots to foment mutiny. It ends with Balder climbing to the top of the huge ship’s figurehead to carry out some sort of plan to save them all. This back-up feature continues to be a real showcase for Kirby’ powerful and imaginative art.
TALES OF SUSPENSE #70
More cool fight scenes as Iron Man and Titanium Man continue to duke it out. And there’s a nice bit of characterization mixed in as well, when Happy risks his life (and seems to get killed) getting a piece of equipment to Iron Man in the nick of time. What makes it an even better moment is that Happy has realized Iron Man and Tony are the same guy—the guy he sees has coming between him and Pepper—but he sacrifices himself to save Tony just the same. As annoying as the whole Tony—Happy—Pepper thing has been most of the time, Stan Lee manages to pull a really cool moment out of it.
Anyway, the issue ends with the battle between the two armored man still unresolved while Happy lays unconscious and possibly dead nearby.
Back in World War II, Cap flies the captured Nazi bomber to the castle where Bucky is held prisoner. He’s warned by the mad scientist’s innocent sister that it’s a trap. This allows him to put up a good fight against Nazis wearing medieval armor and a bunch of stormtroopers laying a barrage of submachine gun fire down on him. But he’s finally taken down with some knockout gas.
The mad scientist then finds out that working for Nazis is never a good idea. As punishment for her helping Cap, the sister will be shoved inside a V-2 rocket before its fired at 10 Downing Street to blow up Churchill.
We also get a reminder that Steve Rogers’ Ranger platoon, still on its raid into France, is surrounded by a German armored column. It’s all done very well, with the exposition never getting in the way of the action (or visa versa). Stan Lee continues to demonstrate his skill at pacing a multi-chapter serial.
We’ll leave Thor, Cap and Iron Man all in big trouble for the moment. Next week, we’ll visit with Hulk, Namor, the Avengers and Daredevil.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday's Favorite OTR
Philip Marlowe: “The Fatted Calf” 9/24/49
I love meaningless coincidences. Less than a week ago, I re-read a Nero Wolfe novella titled “The Squirt and the Monkey.” In it, the corpulent detective must solve the murder of a popular comic strip artist. One of the actual comic strips ends up being a vital clue to the mystery.
It wasn’t one of the best Wolfe stories, but pretty much any story with Wolfe and Archie Goodwin in it is still worth reading.
Then, a scant few days later, I listened to this episode of Philip Marlowe, in which a popular comic strip artist is murdered and one of his strips turns out to be a vital clue to fingering his killer.
During the 1940s, it was apparently very dangerous to be a comic strip artist. But it was equally dangerous to murder one, since a clue to your guilt will apparently be found on the comic page of your local newspaper.
Click HERE to listen or download.
I love meaningless coincidences. Less than a week ago, I re-read a Nero Wolfe novella titled “The Squirt and the Monkey.” In it, the corpulent detective must solve the murder of a popular comic strip artist. One of the actual comic strips ends up being a vital clue to the mystery.
It wasn’t one of the best Wolfe stories, but pretty much any story with Wolfe and Archie Goodwin in it is still worth reading.
Then, a scant few days later, I listened to this episode of Philip Marlowe, in which a popular comic strip artist is murdered and one of his strips turns out to be a vital clue to fingering his killer.
During the 1940s, it was apparently very dangerous to be a comic strip artist. But it was equally dangerous to murder one, since a clue to your guilt will apparently be found on the comic page of your local newspaper.
Click HERE to listen or download.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Roger de Tourneville is the COOLEST KNIGHT EVER!!!
Sir Roger is my hero. I want to be just like him when I grow up.
In 1960, the brilliant science-fiction/fantasy writer Poul Anderson obviously had a ball writing The High Crusade, serialized that year in Analog magazine and soon after published as a novel. It was just reprinting in a 50th anniversary addition (along with a short story set in the same continuity), so snatch up a copy and read it. You'll want to be just like Sir Roger when you grow up as well.
Heck, when an alien spaceship lands in medieval England, expecting the primitive savages who live there to panic at the first laser blast, Sir Roger rallies his men and charges the space ship. Longbow shafts pincushion the guy with the laser pistol and the armored knights turn the battle into a hand-to-hand affair. Advanced aliens with lasers and atomic weapons haven't the faintest idea how to do hand-to-hand combat. All but one of them die and Sir Roger has himself a space ship.
He doesn't know how to fly the darn thing, but his prisoner does. Sir Roger's plan? Use the huge ship to transport not just his military force, but his entire town (men, women, children and livestock) to the Continent to kick some French butt, then maybe liberate the Holy Land afterwards. When the alien tricks him by locking in the auto-pilot to take them all to another planet, Sir Roger still doesn't lose his cool. Instead, he rams the ship into an alien base and turns yet another battle into a hand-to-hand affair. But the displaced humans are now stuck on another world, with the navigational records that would allow them to find Earth again destroyed.
From there, the doughty knight improvises wildly, convincing several sets of aliens that his small army is stronger and better equipped than it really is. Through guile, diplomacy, outright lies and force of will, he wins another battle, gains some allies and begins to overthrow a huge empire, setting up an intergalactic feudal system in its place.
Sir Roger's story is fun from start to finish. Anderson's science fiction is usually realistic, but here he eschews pure realism to have fun with the concept of medieval knights in space. All the same, he presents a rationale for Sir Roger's success logically enough to make the reader more than willing to suspend disbelief. Anderson's sense of humor is in high gear throughout most of the tale. I especially like Sir Roger's reply to the question of whether he would force the aliens to swear fealty to Edward III: "The Irish are bad enough." There's also some great moments when these medieval Catholics try to wrestle with the theological implications of their situation--poking fun at religious superstitions without ever poking fun at the legitimacy of spiritual beliefs.
And Roger's innate coolness isn't just from his quick thinking and physical courage. He gets a true Crowning Moment of Awesome in the moral courage he shows when one of his men betrays him--and his wife seems to be in on the plot. But his love for his wife never falters and, well, if anyone can save his family, his honor and his people all at the same time, Sir Roger de Tourneville can.
I really do want to be just like Sir Roger when I grow up.
In 1960, the brilliant science-fiction/fantasy writer Poul Anderson obviously had a ball writing The High Crusade, serialized that year in Analog magazine and soon after published as a novel. It was just reprinting in a 50th anniversary addition (along with a short story set in the same continuity), so snatch up a copy and read it. You'll want to be just like Sir Roger when you grow up as well.
Heck, when an alien spaceship lands in medieval England, expecting the primitive savages who live there to panic at the first laser blast, Sir Roger rallies his men and charges the space ship. Longbow shafts pincushion the guy with the laser pistol and the armored knights turn the battle into a hand-to-hand affair. Advanced aliens with lasers and atomic weapons haven't the faintest idea how to do hand-to-hand combat. All but one of them die and Sir Roger has himself a space ship.
He doesn't know how to fly the darn thing, but his prisoner does. Sir Roger's plan? Use the huge ship to transport not just his military force, but his entire town (men, women, children and livestock) to the Continent to kick some French butt, then maybe liberate the Holy Land afterwards. When the alien tricks him by locking in the auto-pilot to take them all to another planet, Sir Roger still doesn't lose his cool. Instead, he rams the ship into an alien base and turns yet another battle into a hand-to-hand affair. But the displaced humans are now stuck on another world, with the navigational records that would allow them to find Earth again destroyed.
From there, the doughty knight improvises wildly, convincing several sets of aliens that his small army is stronger and better equipped than it really is. Through guile, diplomacy, outright lies and force of will, he wins another battle, gains some allies and begins to overthrow a huge empire, setting up an intergalactic feudal system in its place.
Sir Roger's story is fun from start to finish. Anderson's science fiction is usually realistic, but here he eschews pure realism to have fun with the concept of medieval knights in space. All the same, he presents a rationale for Sir Roger's success logically enough to make the reader more than willing to suspend disbelief. Anderson's sense of humor is in high gear throughout most of the tale. I especially like Sir Roger's reply to the question of whether he would force the aliens to swear fealty to Edward III: "The Irish are bad enough." There's also some great moments when these medieval Catholics try to wrestle with the theological implications of their situation--poking fun at religious superstitions without ever poking fun at the legitimacy of spiritual beliefs.
And Roger's innate coolness isn't just from his quick thinking and physical courage. He gets a true Crowning Moment of Awesome in the moral courage he shows when one of his men betrays him--and his wife seems to be in on the plot. But his love for his wife never falters and, well, if anyone can save his family, his honor and his people all at the same time, Sir Roger de Tourneville can.
I really do want to be just like Sir Roger when I grow up.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
History of the Marvel Universe: October 1965, part 1
FANTASTIC FOUR #43
This story comes to an end with another issue stuffed full of slam-bang action. Reed and Sue manage to get a still mind-controlled Ben back to the Baxter Building, but Reed must then risk his best friend’s life in order to snap him free from that control. When the Frightful Four (with Johnny as a hostage) show up, Ben snaps out of a coma long enough to save the day. Medusa gets away, but the rest of the evil FF are captured.
All four members of the FF get their individual awesome moments and we get yet another moment that shows Reed will willingly give his life for Ben.
There’s a fun gag at the end—Reed calls the cops to have them pick up the captured bad guys, but the cops just dismiss him as a crank caller.
I love this issue—the whole Frightful Four trilogy, in fact, is a wonderful and perfectly balanced combination of action and characterization.
But I naturally can’t help point out one silly moment. Reed is using an experimental machine to snap Ben’s mind free from control. Ben trashes the machine, which begins to shoot too much energy through him. Reed rushes forward to help. By itself this is a great moment—the point at which we learn how much Reed cares for his best friend.
But when Sue says “Of course! The main power switch!” and saves everyone by just hitting the OFF button—well, I wanted to dope-slap Reed. You’re supposed to be a genius, Reed! Why didn’t YOU think of the darn OFF SWITCH????
Oh, well. The rest of the story is so darn cool it really doesn’t matter. In fact, the last three issues have rated a collective 9.8 on the Bogart/Karloff Coolness Scale. Only the upcoming Galactus story rates higher.
SPIDER MAN #29
Did I just say that Lee and Kirby produced a perfectly balanced combination of action and characterization in the FF? Well, by golly, Lee and Ditko do the same thing here on Spider Man. Scorpion escapes from jail and vows revenge on both Jameson and Spider Man. This leads to a Spidey vs. Scorpion matchup in the Daily Planet newsroom, eventually spilling outside to the rooftops and then the East River. Spidey eventually manages to outthink as well as outfight the villain.
The issue has some great humor, a lot of it centered around Jameson (who is petrified with terror while simultaneously worried about how much all the broken office furniture will cost him).
There’s also a laugh-out-loud moment involving Ned Leeds, who is back from Europe and making time with Betty again. He’s protected Betty as best he can while shouting out advice for Spidey. Spidey more or less thinks “He steals my girl and gives me advice? I’ll show him!” He charges Scorpion. The next panel shows Spidey being slammed into the wall.
Ned: “I told you to watch out for his tail!”
Spidey: “Oh, Shaddup!”
Anyway, I think by this point Stan and Steve must have been planning to have Betty fade out of the picture as they introduce Gwen Stacy. Once again, it’s curious to note how well Stan Lee is handling the romantic sub plots here (and in FF) while they are still so awkward and annoying in Iron Man and Daredevil.
STRANGE TALES #137
The action begins moving along fast and furious. Several SHIELD agents give their lives trying to get a microfilm to SHIELD headquarters, which provides the exact location of the launching site of Hydra’s “Betatron bomb” (powerful enough to allow them to blackmail the world into submission one it’s in orbit).
But Hydra gets the microfilm back and this chapter ends with the bomb being launched.
The whole microfilm sequence, in which SHIELD agents get killed one by one while passing the film off to each other, is very well done. We also learn that two former Howling Commandos—Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones—are working for SHIELD now also. Dum Dum is an especially welcome addition to the cast; he’s always been a particularly likeable big lug.
We also find that there some dysfunctional family relationships involving the masked, as-yet-unidentified leader of Hydra. He wants to conquer the world to give his beautiful daughter “everything,” but all she wants is to be a normal girl. It’s perhaps a bit too corny, but Stan and Jack will do a pretty good job playing it out.
Dr. Strange, meanwhile, attempts to mind probe the Ancient One (who is still in a coma) to find out what the deal is with Eternity. It’s a nifty sequence, with Strange having to penetrate a succession of mind traps the Ancient One has set up to protect himself while not actually fighting back and hurting his mentor. Ditko’s visuals here are particularly effective.
Finally, Strange gets into the A.O.’s head and convinces him of his identity. The old guy tells him where to find Eternity (we poor readers are not yet told why this is important) and Strange ends the issue by traveling through a gateway to yet another strange dimension.
That’s it for this time. Next week, we’ll take a look at the Thunder God, the Armored Avenger and the Shield Slinger.
This story comes to an end with another issue stuffed full of slam-bang action. Reed and Sue manage to get a still mind-controlled Ben back to the Baxter Building, but Reed must then risk his best friend’s life in order to snap him free from that control. When the Frightful Four (with Johnny as a hostage) show up, Ben snaps out of a coma long enough to save the day. Medusa gets away, but the rest of the evil FF are captured.
All four members of the FF get their individual awesome moments and we get yet another moment that shows Reed will willingly give his life for Ben.
There’s a fun gag at the end—Reed calls the cops to have them pick up the captured bad guys, but the cops just dismiss him as a crank caller.
I love this issue—the whole Frightful Four trilogy, in fact, is a wonderful and perfectly balanced combination of action and characterization.
But I naturally can’t help point out one silly moment. Reed is using an experimental machine to snap Ben’s mind free from control. Ben trashes the machine, which begins to shoot too much energy through him. Reed rushes forward to help. By itself this is a great moment—the point at which we learn how much Reed cares for his best friend.
But when Sue says “Of course! The main power switch!” and saves everyone by just hitting the OFF button—well, I wanted to dope-slap Reed. You’re supposed to be a genius, Reed! Why didn’t YOU think of the darn OFF SWITCH????
Oh, well. The rest of the story is so darn cool it really doesn’t matter. In fact, the last three issues have rated a collective 9.8 on the Bogart/Karloff Coolness Scale. Only the upcoming Galactus story rates higher.
SPIDER MAN #29
Did I just say that Lee and Kirby produced a perfectly balanced combination of action and characterization in the FF? Well, by golly, Lee and Ditko do the same thing here on Spider Man. Scorpion escapes from jail and vows revenge on both Jameson and Spider Man. This leads to a Spidey vs. Scorpion matchup in the Daily Planet newsroom, eventually spilling outside to the rooftops and then the East River. Spidey eventually manages to outthink as well as outfight the villain.
The issue has some great humor, a lot of it centered around Jameson (who is petrified with terror while simultaneously worried about how much all the broken office furniture will cost him).
There’s also a laugh-out-loud moment involving Ned Leeds, who is back from Europe and making time with Betty again. He’s protected Betty as best he can while shouting out advice for Spidey. Spidey more or less thinks “He steals my girl and gives me advice? I’ll show him!” He charges Scorpion. The next panel shows Spidey being slammed into the wall.
Ned: “I told you to watch out for his tail!”
Spidey: “Oh, Shaddup!”
Anyway, I think by this point Stan and Steve must have been planning to have Betty fade out of the picture as they introduce Gwen Stacy. Once again, it’s curious to note how well Stan Lee is handling the romantic sub plots here (and in FF) while they are still so awkward and annoying in Iron Man and Daredevil.
STRANGE TALES #137
The action begins moving along fast and furious. Several SHIELD agents give their lives trying to get a microfilm to SHIELD headquarters, which provides the exact location of the launching site of Hydra’s “Betatron bomb” (powerful enough to allow them to blackmail the world into submission one it’s in orbit).
But Hydra gets the microfilm back and this chapter ends with the bomb being launched.
The whole microfilm sequence, in which SHIELD agents get killed one by one while passing the film off to each other, is very well done. We also learn that two former Howling Commandos—Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones—are working for SHIELD now also. Dum Dum is an especially welcome addition to the cast; he’s always been a particularly likeable big lug.
We also find that there some dysfunctional family relationships involving the masked, as-yet-unidentified leader of Hydra. He wants to conquer the world to give his beautiful daughter “everything,” but all she wants is to be a normal girl. It’s perhaps a bit too corny, but Stan and Jack will do a pretty good job playing it out.
Dr. Strange, meanwhile, attempts to mind probe the Ancient One (who is still in a coma) to find out what the deal is with Eternity. It’s a nifty sequence, with Strange having to penetrate a succession of mind traps the Ancient One has set up to protect himself while not actually fighting back and hurting his mentor. Ditko’s visuals here are particularly effective.
Finally, Strange gets into the A.O.’s head and convinces him of his identity. The old guy tells him where to find Eternity (we poor readers are not yet told why this is important) and Strange ends the issue by traveling through a gateway to yet another strange dimension.
That’s it for this time. Next week, we’ll take a look at the Thunder God, the Armored Avenger and the Shield Slinger.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
SPECIAL TUESDAY POST ABOUT WEDNESDAY POSTS
I’m debating with myself how much longer to continue the History of the Marvel Universe series. It’s really not that long before I reach a point where I don’t have access to reprints of every single Marvel super hero book. (Heck, I already feel badly that I haven’t been able to review Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandoes, since those characters show up in modern-day continuity.) Once I start leaving gaps, it just doesn’t seem as much fun.
I’ll continue at least through the Galactus saga in Fantastic Four. After that, I’m considering several options. Option #1: I may continue this series, but limit it to what I think are the four best books of the 1960s (Fantastic Four, Spider Man, Thor and Dr. Strange.)
Another option is to stop being chronological and start cherry picking specific storylines to review. This has the advantage of letting me look at later stories (from the 1970s and early 1980s) that I might never get to otherwise. It also lets me jump back to look at stuff from the 1940s and 1950s. And it will let me look at DC as well as Marvel comics. (With perhaps an occasional EC, Dell, or Gold Key comic thrown in.) I’d also be able to cover some non-superhero storylines. I occasionally cover other comic books in my Thursday post, but I’m reluctant to do that too often, since I don’t want this to be a comic book dominated blog. I want plenty of room to cover pulps, B-movies and old-time radio as well.
Then again, maybe I’ll keep up these more comprehensive reviews of the Marvel Universe as long as I can. I really enjoy doing them. The only reason I’m thinking of changing the format is because I don’t want it to reach a point where it’s not complete. We’re about to hit the four-year mark (Nov. 1961 through Oct. 1965). Maybe I should set my ending point on the five year mark? I dunno yet.
Anyway, I appreciate the fact that there are a few people who follow my blog and I’m open to suggestions. If you have any comments about what I should do, please post them. (Which reminds me—my thanks to whoever gave this blog a nice review over on Amazon.com).
Just remember—the fate of the entire universe may rest on what I decide to do about this. I mean, it probably doesn’t. But it might. You never know about these sorts of things.
I’ll continue at least through the Galactus saga in Fantastic Four. After that, I’m considering several options. Option #1: I may continue this series, but limit it to what I think are the four best books of the 1960s (Fantastic Four, Spider Man, Thor and Dr. Strange.)
Another option is to stop being chronological and start cherry picking specific storylines to review. This has the advantage of letting me look at later stories (from the 1970s and early 1980s) that I might never get to otherwise. It also lets me jump back to look at stuff from the 1940s and 1950s. And it will let me look at DC as well as Marvel comics. (With perhaps an occasional EC, Dell, or Gold Key comic thrown in.) I’d also be able to cover some non-superhero storylines. I occasionally cover other comic books in my Thursday post, but I’m reluctant to do that too often, since I don’t want this to be a comic book dominated blog. I want plenty of room to cover pulps, B-movies and old-time radio as well.
Then again, maybe I’ll keep up these more comprehensive reviews of the Marvel Universe as long as I can. I really enjoy doing them. The only reason I’m thinking of changing the format is because I don’t want it to reach a point where it’s not complete. We’re about to hit the four-year mark (Nov. 1961 through Oct. 1965). Maybe I should set my ending point on the five year mark? I dunno yet.
Anyway, I appreciate the fact that there are a few people who follow my blog and I’m open to suggestions. If you have any comments about what I should do, please post them. (Which reminds me—my thanks to whoever gave this blog a nice review over on Amazon.com).
Just remember—the fate of the entire universe may rest on what I decide to do about this. I mean, it probably doesn’t. But it might. You never know about these sorts of things.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Friday's Favorite OTR
This is another rerun of an older post--but this time with a link to the actual episode.
Gunsmoke: "Ball Nine--Take Your Base" 8/2/59
We don't normally connect baseball with the Old West, but it was during the post Civil War years that baseball really boomed in popularity and became our national pass-time. So, though we might not hear anyone shout "Play Ball!" very often in Westerns, it did happen fairly frequently in real life.
So it's always fun to run across a Western that acknowledges this. And this really fun episode of Gunsmoke does a nice job of capturing the flavor of the game in the 1870s--a time during which the rules were evolving and the game was becoming more popular every year.
A touring pro team arrives in Dodge City. Doc Adams agrees to be umpire in a game between the pros and a team of locals. But Doc's memories of the game go back to his Antebellum living in the East, when he watched gentleman clubs like the Knickerbockers and the Mutuals play friendly games.
Marshal Dillon tries to set Doc straight--explaining that the modern day professional players played hard and often brawled hard. And the fanatics--those watching the game who were sometimes called "fans"--were often just as bad.
Doc soon finds out Dillon is right, but plans for the game continue regardless. There's a wonderful scene in which Doc facilitates a meeting between the managers to agree on the rules. (Can you catch a fly on one bounce and still get an out? Can the pitcher chew liquorice and smear it on the ball before he pitches?) Doc and the local manager learn of a new rule involving the concept of the walk, which happened if a total nine balls are thrown outside the area to which the batter had asked it to be thrown (high, middle, or low). "That makes it hard on the pitcher," complains the local team leader.
Of course, there's something for Dillon to do as well as he looks into a scheme a couple of gamblers dream up to rig the game. And that part is cool as well. But it is the accurate and entertaining look back at the early years of baseball that make this episode stand out.
Click HERE to listen or download
Gunsmoke: "Ball Nine--Take Your Base" 8/2/59
We don't normally connect baseball with the Old West, but it was during the post Civil War years that baseball really boomed in popularity and became our national pass-time. So, though we might not hear anyone shout "Play Ball!" very often in Westerns, it did happen fairly frequently in real life.
So it's always fun to run across a Western that acknowledges this. And this really fun episode of Gunsmoke does a nice job of capturing the flavor of the game in the 1870s--a time during which the rules were evolving and the game was becoming more popular every year.
A touring pro team arrives in Dodge City. Doc Adams agrees to be umpire in a game between the pros and a team of locals. But Doc's memories of the game go back to his Antebellum living in the East, when he watched gentleman clubs like the Knickerbockers and the Mutuals play friendly games.
Marshal Dillon tries to set Doc straight--explaining that the modern day professional players played hard and often brawled hard. And the fanatics--those watching the game who were sometimes called "fans"--were often just as bad.
Doc soon finds out Dillon is right, but plans for the game continue regardless. There's a wonderful scene in which Doc facilitates a meeting between the managers to agree on the rules. (Can you catch a fly on one bounce and still get an out? Can the pitcher chew liquorice and smear it on the ball before he pitches?) Doc and the local manager learn of a new rule involving the concept of the walk, which happened if a total nine balls are thrown outside the area to which the batter had asked it to be thrown (high, middle, or low). "That makes it hard on the pitcher," complains the local team leader.
Of course, there's something for Dillon to do as well as he looks into a scheme a couple of gamblers dream up to rig the game. And that part is cool as well. But it is the accurate and entertaining look back at the early years of baseball that make this episode stand out.
Click HERE to listen or download
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