As anyone who regularly reads this blog knows, I despise the new Facebook. One of the many downsides of the new version (which are too many to list here) is that it features more ads than the old one. Worse yet, it features a ton of ads for dating sites. They were somewhat prevalent on the old version, but now they just seem so much more plentiful.
Now I realise that most social networking sites (Care2.Com and YouPet seem to be the exceptions) feature tons of ads for online dating sites. I can't log into MySpace without seeing a gazillion of them. Unfortunately, one can do nothing about them on MySpace. Facebook is a different matter. On Facebook one can rate various ads as far as their appeal to him or her. That is, each ad has a "thumbs up" and a "thumbs down" symbol beneath it. If one clicks the "thumbs up" a little pop up, well, pops up listing the reasons one liked the ad: "Interesting;" "Relevant to Me;" "Good Offer;" and "Other (in which case one can write why one liked the ad)." If one clicks the "thumbs down" a little pop up pops up listing the reasons one disliked the ad: "Misleading;" "Offensive," "Irrelevant," and "Other (in which case one can write why one disliked the ad)." To this end, I have declared war on the ads for online dating sites.
The fact is that I am not in the market for a lady friend right now. And even if I was, I would not go to an online dating service for one. I do shop for a lot of stuff online (books, CDS, DVDs, clothing), but women are not one of them! Aside from this, so many of the dating services advertised on Facebook I would never use even if I was so inclined to subscribe to an online dating site. To wit, even though I am only 45, Facebook seemed convinced I was interested in dating senior citizens. There were all these ads for "mature dating (I have always taken "mature" as a code word for "old")," Boomers (I am not a Baby Boomer--I am a Gen Xer), and, worst of all, "single women 40 to 60 (did it occur to them someone who is 60 is almost old enough to be my mother....)." I marked all of them "Irrelevant" until I finally gave up and shaved ten years off my age (now with regards to age, I just gets ads for "women over 30"). I hate lying about my age. I have no problem with being 45. But I am not a senior citizen yet (for that matter, I will get old, but I'll never be a senior citizen, but that's a topic for another time).
Beyond ads for dating sites for old folks, there are ads for other dating sites that would not interest me even if I was interested in dating sites. An example are the couple of ads for "single men" or "gay men" that have appeared. Now I have gay friends. Some of my favourite writers, musicians, and actors are gay. But I am not wired that way. I happen to be very attracted to women and never, ever entertained the idea of sex with another man. It makes me wonder if gay men get the occasional ad for "single women" when they're using Facebook....
While I am on the subject of online dating services I would not use even if I was so inclined to, there are also ads for "Catholic dating" and "Christian singles." Now I will admit that I have had a weakness for Catholic girls in the past, but the fact is that I am not even Christian! I guess Facebook got tired of throwing ads for Christian dating sites at me, so I saw an ad for "Jewish Singles" this morning. Note, I am not Jewish either (I have friends who are though...maybe Facebook thinks they need to be fixed up with someone...).
Some of the ads can even be insulting. "Thirty five and still single?" Give me a break. I thought we were over the whole, "you must be married to be happy" thing. "Tired of being lonely?" Who says that if one is single he or she is going to be lonely? I know plenty of people who are not in relationships who are very happy. They may not have a man or woman in their lives, but they have plenty of friends. In fact, they're sometimes happier than people in relationships....
Of course, the ads for online dating sites are not the only ones that do not interest me. There is an ad that constantly appears for renting apartments in Medellin. Now I have no objections to living outside the United States. I have no objections to living in South America. Someone very dear to me does. But if I was going to live in South America, it would be in Rio de Janeiro or Santiago, Chile. Medellin (wasn't that a Vincent Chase movie?) isn't even on my short list of places I'd want to live in South America. I mean, it's in Colombia, not the safest place around (I could see getting gunned down by one of Pablo Escobar's heirs apparent). Another wholly irrelevant ad is for "Oprah's Acai Berry Diet." I hardly need to lose weight. Now I am only five foot five inches and weigh 9 stone, 4 pounds (that's about 130 pounds or so). If anything, I need to gain weight. Even if I weighed fifty pounds more than I do and wanted to lose weight, I do not think I would use any diet favoured by Oprah (I am not her biggest fan). Two other wholly irrelevant ads I saw on Facebook were ones for Grey's Anatomy (not a show I have lost any love for) and Lifetime Movie Network (my definition of torture...lock me in a room and force me to watch an hour of Lifetime movies....).
Fortunately, it seems my war on the online dating site ads has been slowly having an impact. I have been seeing fewer of them, and there are more ads for things that actually interest me. Yesterday I saw one for downloading an audio version of Ray Bradbury's classic Something Wicked This Way Comes in MP3 format. Another I've seen quite frequently of late is for Star Trek t-shirts. Today I saw an ad for A Tailored Suit, an online store that lets one custom his own custom suit--including the shirt and tie (I generally dress in button up shirts and jeans, but I have always loved suits, especially the ones from Swinging London). Another ad that I have seen the past few months is for a "Netflix free trial (I already subscribe to Netflix, but Facebook doesn't know that)."
If it was up to me, there would be no such thing as advertising on the internet. Sadly, the reality is that nearly every site needs advertising to stay open. Given that, all I ask is that ads be relevant to me and that they actually advertise a product I might conceivably buy or a service I might conceivably use. I am not interested in online dating one bit. I am not interested in getting a Ukrainian or Chinese bride (with my luck, she'd get her American citizenship and divorce me anyway....). I am not interested in 60 year old cougars or 19 year old college girls. Quite simply, I shop for a lot of things online, but women are not one of them.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Answers to the Thanksgiving Quiz
Here are answers to the Thanksgiving quiz from November 24.
1. When and where was the first Thanksgiving held in the Thirteen Colonies?
The Berkeley Hundred in Virginia on December 4, 1619.
2. In what year did Thanksgiving become a Federal holiday?
1863
3. What famous song identified as a Christmas carol was originally written for Thanksgiving?
"Jingle Bells" or "One Horse Open Sleigh," as it was original called.
4. In What year was the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade held (originally called the Macy's Christmas Day Parade, even though it was held on Thanksgiving?
1924
5. What was one of the first four balloons in the parade and the first based on an animated character?
Felix the Cat
6. What happened to many of the pre-World War II balloons at the start of World War II?
They were donated to the government to help in the war effort (rubber was in high demand).
7. On what network was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade originally aired?
CBS
8. In what year did the Underdog balloon debut?
1965
9. In what decade was the phrase "Black Friday" applied to the day after Thanksgiving?
The Seventies.
10. What movie star celebrated his 120th birthday on Black Friday last year (clue: he starred in a movie called, well, Black Friday)?
Boris Karloff
1. When and where was the first Thanksgiving held in the Thirteen Colonies?
The Berkeley Hundred in Virginia on December 4, 1619.
2. In what year did Thanksgiving become a Federal holiday?
1863
3. What famous song identified as a Christmas carol was originally written for Thanksgiving?
"Jingle Bells" or "One Horse Open Sleigh," as it was original called.
4. In What year was the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade held (originally called the Macy's Christmas Day Parade, even though it was held on Thanksgiving?
1924
5. What was one of the first four balloons in the parade and the first based on an animated character?
Felix the Cat
6. What happened to many of the pre-World War II balloons at the start of World War II?
They were donated to the government to help in the war effort (rubber was in high demand).
7. On what network was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade originally aired?
CBS
8. In what year did the Underdog balloon debut?
1965
9. In what decade was the phrase "Black Friday" applied to the day after Thanksgiving?
The Seventies.
10. What movie star celebrated his 120th birthday on Black Friday last year (clue: he starred in a movie called, well, Black Friday)?
Boris Karloff
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The Flying Aces of the Pulp Magazines
Almost from the moment the Wright Brothers made their famous flight, the English speaking world has had a love affair with flying aces. And after Charles Lindbergh flew from New York to Paris in 1927, that love affair grew more intense. In the wake of Lindburgh's flight there was no shortage of comic strips, books, and movies about pilots. Wings, Tailspin Tommy, Scorchy Smith, and Smilin' Jack all appeared not long after the Lone Eagle flew across the Atlantic. Men like Charles Bernard and Howard Hughes would become celebrities.
With the English speaking world absolutely crazy over flyboys, it was natural that the American pulp industry would jump on the bandwagon and debut magazines dedicated to aviators and flying. In fact, an entire genre dedicated to pilots and aviation arose, that of the air war pulp magazines. Many of the earliest air war pulps were anthology titles, not unlike Street and Smith's Detective Story or J.C. Henneberger's Weird Tales. Starting in the early Twenties, it was not long before pulp magazines with titles like Air Adventures, Airplane Stories, and Air War filled the racks of newsstands and drug stores. With the debut of The Shadow in March 1931 came the advent of the hero pulp. Naturally, it was not long before magazines dedicated to heroic aviators started appearing. There were such flying aces as The Three Mosquitoes, The Red Falcon (created and written by Robert J. Hogan before he created a character known as G-8...), and Sky Devil all appeared in the early Thirties. The best remembered and among the longest lasting aviator heroes, however, would appear in a two year period, from 1934 to 1935.
The first of these came from Street and Smith, publisher of both The Shadow and Doc Savage. Bill Barnes, Air Adventurer was created by Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, pulp writer, former cavalry officer, and the man who would found what would become DC Comics, Henry W. Ralston, Street and Smith's general manager and among the men who came up with the initial concepts for The Shadow and Doc Savage, and editor F. Orlin Tremaine, best known as an editor on Astounding Science-Fiction. Using the house name "George L. Easton," Wheeler-Nicholson wrote the first six Bill Barnes adventures. Bill Barnes had been an Air Mail pilot and made a solo flight around the world. Building Barnes Field in Long Island, Barnes then started his own air service.
Despite being fairly well respected as a pulp writer, Major Wheeler-Nicholson was dismissed from Bil Barnes, Air Adventurer after six novels. The reason for the Major's dismissal quite simply had to do with the quality of the magazine at the time. Wheeler-Nicholson's Bill Barnes... was openly derivative of Doc Savage, albeit with stilted dialogue and ridiculously futuristic devices. Street and Smith brought in Charles Spain Verral to take over the magazine. Charles Spain Verral, who go onto become a successful children's author after the pulp era, totally revamped Bill Barnes, Air Adventurer. Ordered by Street and Smith to write as if the first six issues never happened, Verral did away with the futuristic technology, gave the characters more realistic dialogue, and turned Barnes' sidekick, Sandy" Sanders, into a realistic character. Verral provided Barnes with more realistic, yet still very advanced aircraft. He also introduced the first of Barnes' interesting villains, the Eurasian Otto Yahr.
Verral was a very good writer, but he also worked slowly, almost too slow for the pulps. Former British fighter pilot and aviation writer Arch Whitehouse was brought onto the magazine to fill in for Verral from time to time. Still later, former World War I balloon observer Harold "Monty" Montayne was brought onto the magazine. In the beginning Montayne and Verral rotated issues. The magazine would change in other ways as well. After twenty issues it was renamed Bill Barnes, Air Trails, borrowing its name from Street and Smith's defunct Air Trails magazine. With the new name it also grew to bedsheet size (roughly the size of Life magazine). The magazine would also change over time, as the Bill Barnes novels shrank in size and eventually the magazine simply became Air Trails in 1937. It was also that year that Charles Spain Verral quit the magazine over a dispute over the novel The Moon God, which contained elements of science fiction. Monty Montayne then took over the magazine.
Montayne tended to be more realistic than Verral and a good deal more bloodthirsty. He killed off Barnes' pilots Mort Henderson and Cy Hawkins (one of the best loved characters). He also created Barnes' archnemesis, Mordecai Murphy. Alongside The Shadow's Shiwan Khan and Doc Savage's John Sunlight, Mordecai Murphy was one of the great pulp villains. Called the Saver of Souls, he got criminals released from prison for his own nefarious purposes. Montayne also plotted to kill off Barnes' sidekick, Sandy Sanders, whom he had always hated. In fact, in the initial version of the novel The Great Impersonation, it was revealed that he had been murdered. Fortunately, the editors then stepped in and had Montayne revise the novel's ending so Sanders was found alive.
It was with March 1939 that Bill Barnes was kicked out of his own magazine. Although no longer featured in Air Trails, Barnes found a new home as Charles Spain Verral suggested Barnes could be used as a back up feature in Doc Savage. And before the end of that year Bill Barnes was appearing in the back pages of Doc Savage. He continued to appear in Doc Savage until that magazine switched to digest size, lasting appearing in its December 1943 issue.
The next major aviator to appear in the pulps was Dusty Ayres. Dusty Ayres was created by Robert Sidney Bowen, former World War I pilot and a successful writer who would later write the Red Randall series of novels. Ayres first appeared in Dusty Ayres and His Battle Birds, July 1934, published by Popular Publications. It differed from most air war pulp magazines in that it was set in a future in which Fire-Eyes and his Black Invaders, coming from an "obscure part of Central Asia," attacked the United States. Dusty Ayres and his Battle Birds (Jack Horner, Curley Brooks, and Biff Bolton), assisted by Agent 10 of United States intelligence, fought to save the free world from the Black Invaders. The pulp was filled with futuristic devices, from midget flame tanks to an explosive capable of destroying entire cities (this was many years before the invention of the atom bomb). Unfortunately, Dusty Ayres and His Battle Birds was not a success. It only lasted until July-August 1935.
Popular Publications next fighting ace would be a good deal more successful. In fact, he was not only the most successful pilot in the history of the pulps, but one of the most successful pulp characters of all time. G-8 debuted in September 1934, the same day as Popular's other star character, The Spider. G-8 and His Battle Aces was the creation of the prolific Robert J. Hogan, who wrote all 110 G-8 novels. Although fighting during World War I, G-8 differed from any fictional pilot before or since. Hogan based G-8 on his friend Harold "Bull" Nevin, who had worked in intelligence in France during the First World War. Quite simply, G-8 was not only a pilot, he was also a spy. His "Battle Aces" were Nippy Weston and Bull Martin. Nippy was a small man with fingers so agile that he was a virtuoso at prestidigitation. Bull was a large man, but friendly and none too bright. Battle was G-8's English butler, who had his own talents, even if he was not a pilot. He was a master of disguise. Together the Battle Aces worked from a hanger at Le Bourget Field during World War I.
What further separated G-8 from other pilot heroes is that he not only faced the Germany Luftwaffe, but some of the most bizarre villains in pulp magazines, matched only by those fought by The Spider. Throughout its run, G-8 and His Battle Aces featured beast-men, a large array of monsters (including a giant tarantula), a Martian aiding the Germans, and undead German pilots. In many ways G-8 and His Battle Aces had as much in common with the weird menace or "shudder pulps" as it did the other hero pulps. Unlike other pulp heroes, G-8 had a few recurring opponents. His archenemy may have been Doktor Kruger, a mad scientist who invented many of the menaces G-8 faced. Herr Stahlmaske was a German pilot whom G-8 had mutilated and now covered his face with an iron mask (possibly an inspiration for Marvel Comics' Doctor Doom?). Herr Grun was an American aiding the Germans who resembled a caveman but possessed a genius IQ.
G-8 and His Battle Aces proved to be an incredible success. It ended its run with the June 1944 issue. Afterwards the G-8 novels would be reprinted, by Berkley in the Seventies and later by Adventure House and Vintage Books, among others.
Dell Magazines jumped on the aviator band wagon with Terence X. O'Leary's War Birds, the first issue cover dated March 1935. The character had actually made his first appearance in the story "Under Three Flags" all the way back in 1926 in the pages of War Stories. Over the years he appeared in such pulp magazines as Battle Stories and War Birds. In 1935, O'Leary took over War Birds and it became Terence X. O'Leary's War Birds. The creation of Arthur Empey, O'Leary began life an Irish stereotype of an Irishman serving during World War I. He evolved into an action hero who was eventually a military policeman, having served in the cavalry, the French Foreign Legion, and finally a pilot. As a pilot he was in command of the the "Black Wings Pursuit" Squadron or 411th Squadron (sometimes the 417th Squadron). With Terence O'Leary's War Birds, the series changed once more. This time around finds O'Leary finding himself facing the Ageless Men, immortals from Atlantis who survived the sinking of that island. Terence X. O'Leary's War Birds only lasted three issues. And the work of Arthur Empey is not very highly regarded today. In fact, he regarded as a bit of a hack. Regardless, the novels have been reprinted, by Odyssey Publications in the Seventies, which explains why he is remembered today.
Growing up in the Sixties and Seventies, when astronauts were the heroes du jour, I was fascinated by flying. Naturally, after Doc Savage, The Shadow, and The Spider sparked an interest in pulp magazines in me, I developed an interest in air war pulps. As might be expected, I would first discover G-8 and later Bill Barnes. Today these characters continue to possess a legion of fans. Given mankind's fascination with flight, it is safe to say they will continue to do so for a long time.
With the English speaking world absolutely crazy over flyboys, it was natural that the American pulp industry would jump on the bandwagon and debut magazines dedicated to aviators and flying. In fact, an entire genre dedicated to pilots and aviation arose, that of the air war pulp magazines. Many of the earliest air war pulps were anthology titles, not unlike Street and Smith's Detective Story or J.C. Henneberger's Weird Tales. Starting in the early Twenties, it was not long before pulp magazines with titles like Air Adventures, Airplane Stories, and Air War filled the racks of newsstands and drug stores. With the debut of The Shadow in March 1931 came the advent of the hero pulp. Naturally, it was not long before magazines dedicated to heroic aviators started appearing. There were such flying aces as The Three Mosquitoes, The Red Falcon (created and written by Robert J. Hogan before he created a character known as G-8...), and Sky Devil all appeared in the early Thirties. The best remembered and among the longest lasting aviator heroes, however, would appear in a two year period, from 1934 to 1935.
The first of these came from Street and Smith, publisher of both The Shadow and Doc Savage. Bill Barnes, Air Adventurer was created by Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, pulp writer, former cavalry officer, and the man who would found what would become DC Comics, Henry W. Ralston, Street and Smith's general manager and among the men who came up with the initial concepts for The Shadow and Doc Savage, and editor F. Orlin Tremaine, best known as an editor on Astounding Science-Fiction. Using the house name "George L. Easton," Wheeler-Nicholson wrote the first six Bill Barnes adventures. Bill Barnes had been an Air Mail pilot and made a solo flight around the world. Building Barnes Field in Long Island, Barnes then started his own air service.
Despite being fairly well respected as a pulp writer, Major Wheeler-Nicholson was dismissed from Bil Barnes, Air Adventurer after six novels. The reason for the Major's dismissal quite simply had to do with the quality of the magazine at the time. Wheeler-Nicholson's Bill Barnes... was openly derivative of Doc Savage, albeit with stilted dialogue and ridiculously futuristic devices. Street and Smith brought in Charles Spain Verral to take over the magazine. Charles Spain Verral, who go onto become a successful children's author after the pulp era, totally revamped Bill Barnes, Air Adventurer. Ordered by Street and Smith to write as if the first six issues never happened, Verral did away with the futuristic technology, gave the characters more realistic dialogue, and turned Barnes' sidekick, Sandy" Sanders, into a realistic character. Verral provided Barnes with more realistic, yet still very advanced aircraft. He also introduced the first of Barnes' interesting villains, the Eurasian Otto Yahr.
Verral was a very good writer, but he also worked slowly, almost too slow for the pulps. Former British fighter pilot and aviation writer Arch Whitehouse was brought onto the magazine to fill in for Verral from time to time. Still later, former World War I balloon observer Harold "Monty" Montayne was brought onto the magazine. In the beginning Montayne and Verral rotated issues. The magazine would change in other ways as well. After twenty issues it was renamed Bill Barnes, Air Trails, borrowing its name from Street and Smith's defunct Air Trails magazine. With the new name it also grew to bedsheet size (roughly the size of Life magazine). The magazine would also change over time, as the Bill Barnes novels shrank in size and eventually the magazine simply became Air Trails in 1937. It was also that year that Charles Spain Verral quit the magazine over a dispute over the novel The Moon God, which contained elements of science fiction. Monty Montayne then took over the magazine.
Montayne tended to be more realistic than Verral and a good deal more bloodthirsty. He killed off Barnes' pilots Mort Henderson and Cy Hawkins (one of the best loved characters). He also created Barnes' archnemesis, Mordecai Murphy. Alongside The Shadow's Shiwan Khan and Doc Savage's John Sunlight, Mordecai Murphy was one of the great pulp villains. Called the Saver of Souls, he got criminals released from prison for his own nefarious purposes. Montayne also plotted to kill off Barnes' sidekick, Sandy Sanders, whom he had always hated. In fact, in the initial version of the novel The Great Impersonation, it was revealed that he had been murdered. Fortunately, the editors then stepped in and had Montayne revise the novel's ending so Sanders was found alive.
It was with March 1939 that Bill Barnes was kicked out of his own magazine. Although no longer featured in Air Trails, Barnes found a new home as Charles Spain Verral suggested Barnes could be used as a back up feature in Doc Savage. And before the end of that year Bill Barnes was appearing in the back pages of Doc Savage. He continued to appear in Doc Savage until that magazine switched to digest size, lasting appearing in its December 1943 issue.
The next major aviator to appear in the pulps was Dusty Ayres. Dusty Ayres was created by Robert Sidney Bowen, former World War I pilot and a successful writer who would later write the Red Randall series of novels. Ayres first appeared in Dusty Ayres and His Battle Birds, July 1934, published by Popular Publications. It differed from most air war pulp magazines in that it was set in a future in which Fire-Eyes and his Black Invaders, coming from an "obscure part of Central Asia," attacked the United States. Dusty Ayres and his Battle Birds (Jack Horner, Curley Brooks, and Biff Bolton), assisted by Agent 10 of United States intelligence, fought to save the free world from the Black Invaders. The pulp was filled with futuristic devices, from midget flame tanks to an explosive capable of destroying entire cities (this was many years before the invention of the atom bomb). Unfortunately, Dusty Ayres and His Battle Birds was not a success. It only lasted until July-August 1935.
Popular Publications next fighting ace would be a good deal more successful. In fact, he was not only the most successful pilot in the history of the pulps, but one of the most successful pulp characters of all time. G-8 debuted in September 1934, the same day as Popular's other star character, The Spider. G-8 and His Battle Aces was the creation of the prolific Robert J. Hogan, who wrote all 110 G-8 novels. Although fighting during World War I, G-8 differed from any fictional pilot before or since. Hogan based G-8 on his friend Harold "Bull" Nevin, who had worked in intelligence in France during the First World War. Quite simply, G-8 was not only a pilot, he was also a spy. His "Battle Aces" were Nippy Weston and Bull Martin. Nippy was a small man with fingers so agile that he was a virtuoso at prestidigitation. Bull was a large man, but friendly and none too bright. Battle was G-8's English butler, who had his own talents, even if he was not a pilot. He was a master of disguise. Together the Battle Aces worked from a hanger at Le Bourget Field during World War I.
What further separated G-8 from other pilot heroes is that he not only faced the Germany Luftwaffe, but some of the most bizarre villains in pulp magazines, matched only by those fought by The Spider. Throughout its run, G-8 and His Battle Aces featured beast-men, a large array of monsters (including a giant tarantula), a Martian aiding the Germans, and undead German pilots. In many ways G-8 and His Battle Aces had as much in common with the weird menace or "shudder pulps" as it did the other hero pulps. Unlike other pulp heroes, G-8 had a few recurring opponents. His archenemy may have been Doktor Kruger, a mad scientist who invented many of the menaces G-8 faced. Herr Stahlmaske was a German pilot whom G-8 had mutilated and now covered his face with an iron mask (possibly an inspiration for Marvel Comics' Doctor Doom?). Herr Grun was an American aiding the Germans who resembled a caveman but possessed a genius IQ.
G-8 and His Battle Aces proved to be an incredible success. It ended its run with the June 1944 issue. Afterwards the G-8 novels would be reprinted, by Berkley in the Seventies and later by Adventure House and Vintage Books, among others.
Dell Magazines jumped on the aviator band wagon with Terence X. O'Leary's War Birds, the first issue cover dated March 1935. The character had actually made his first appearance in the story "Under Three Flags" all the way back in 1926 in the pages of War Stories. Over the years he appeared in such pulp magazines as Battle Stories and War Birds. In 1935, O'Leary took over War Birds and it became Terence X. O'Leary's War Birds. The creation of Arthur Empey, O'Leary began life an Irish stereotype of an Irishman serving during World War I. He evolved into an action hero who was eventually a military policeman, having served in the cavalry, the French Foreign Legion, and finally a pilot. As a pilot he was in command of the the "Black Wings Pursuit" Squadron or 411th Squadron (sometimes the 417th Squadron). With Terence O'Leary's War Birds, the series changed once more. This time around finds O'Leary finding himself facing the Ageless Men, immortals from Atlantis who survived the sinking of that island. Terence X. O'Leary's War Birds only lasted three issues. And the work of Arthur Empey is not very highly regarded today. In fact, he regarded as a bit of a hack. Regardless, the novels have been reprinted, by Odyssey Publications in the Seventies, which explains why he is remembered today.
Growing up in the Sixties and Seventies, when astronauts were the heroes du jour, I was fascinated by flying. Naturally, after Doc Savage, The Shadow, and The Spider sparked an interest in pulp magazines in me, I developed an interest in air war pulps. As might be expected, I would first discover G-8 and later Bill Barnes. Today these characters continue to possess a legion of fans. Given mankind's fascination with flight, it is safe to say they will continue to do so for a long time.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Screenwrier John Michael Hayes Passes On
Screenwriter John Michael Hayes, who worked with Hitchcock on Rear Window and The Trouble With Harry, passed on November 19 at the age of 89.
John Michael Hayes was born on May 11, 1919 in Worcester, Massachusetts. As a boy he contributed news articles on the local Boy Scouts to The Worcester Telegram and later Worcester's Evening Gazette. As still very young he work write articles for the Associated Press. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a degree in business in 1941. He also for wrote for radio for the Crosley Corporation in Cincinnati, Ohio. During World War II he served in the United States Army.
After World War II Hayes took up residence in California. Initially he worked once more in radio, writing for such shows as Inner Sanctum Mysteries, My Favourite Husband, The Adventures of Sam Spade, Alias Jane Doe, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.
With a successful career in radio, Hayes was signed to a contract by Universal-International Pictures. He received his first screen credit on Budd Boetticher's Red Ball Express. He would go on to write three more movies before his first collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, on Rear Window, released in 1954. Considered one of Hitchcock's greatest films, Rear Window featured Jimmy Stewart as a photographer with a broken leg who comes to believe that a neighbour across the street has committed murder. The screenplay won an Edgar Award in 1955. Hayes was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay for the film. Hayes would go onto work with Hitchcock on three more films, including To Catch a Thief, the 1956 version of To Catch a Thief, and the comedy classic The Trouble with Harry. Hayes and Hitchcock parted ways after the director hired Angus MacPhail to help write the screenplay and insisted MacPhail also get screen credit. Hayes rejected this and even took the argument to Writer's Guild arbitration (who decided in his favour). Afterwards, he never worked with Hitchcock again.
Hayes would go onto write several notable films, including Peyton Place, The Children's Hour, The Carpetbaggers, and Nevada Smith. He also produced and wrote for the 1975 TV series Nevada Smith. In the Nineties, after many years away from screenwriting, he wrote his last film, Iron Will, released in 1994. Besides Rear Window, he was also nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay for Peyton Place, and nominated for WGA awards for Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, and Peyton Place.
Hayes was not particularly prolific, but he was one of the best screenwriters of his era. It was not simply Hitchcock's direction that made Rear Window and The Trouble with Harry such great movies. Hayes had a gift for slightly offbeat characters (such as Stewart's L. B. Jefferies from Rear Window and the entire population of the small town in Vermont in The Trouble with Harry) and extremely witty dialogue. And he was very versatile, ranging from thrillers such as Rear Window to soap operas such as Peyton Place to Westerns such as Nevada Smith. Other screenwriters may have surpassed Hayes in the number of the screenplays they wrote, but not many matched him when it came to the quality of his work.
John Michael Hayes was born on May 11, 1919 in Worcester, Massachusetts. As a boy he contributed news articles on the local Boy Scouts to The Worcester Telegram and later Worcester's Evening Gazette. As still very young he work write articles for the Associated Press. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a degree in business in 1941. He also for wrote for radio for the Crosley Corporation in Cincinnati, Ohio. During World War II he served in the United States Army.
After World War II Hayes took up residence in California. Initially he worked once more in radio, writing for such shows as Inner Sanctum Mysteries, My Favourite Husband, The Adventures of Sam Spade, Alias Jane Doe, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.
With a successful career in radio, Hayes was signed to a contract by Universal-International Pictures. He received his first screen credit on Budd Boetticher's Red Ball Express. He would go on to write three more movies before his first collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, on Rear Window, released in 1954. Considered one of Hitchcock's greatest films, Rear Window featured Jimmy Stewart as a photographer with a broken leg who comes to believe that a neighbour across the street has committed murder. The screenplay won an Edgar Award in 1955. Hayes was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay for the film. Hayes would go onto work with Hitchcock on three more films, including To Catch a Thief, the 1956 version of To Catch a Thief, and the comedy classic The Trouble with Harry. Hayes and Hitchcock parted ways after the director hired Angus MacPhail to help write the screenplay and insisted MacPhail also get screen credit. Hayes rejected this and even took the argument to Writer's Guild arbitration (who decided in his favour). Afterwards, he never worked with Hitchcock again.
Hayes would go onto write several notable films, including Peyton Place, The Children's Hour, The Carpetbaggers, and Nevada Smith. He also produced and wrote for the 1975 TV series Nevada Smith. In the Nineties, after many years away from screenwriting, he wrote his last film, Iron Will, released in 1994. Besides Rear Window, he was also nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay for Peyton Place, and nominated for WGA awards for Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, and Peyton Place.
Hayes was not particularly prolific, but he was one of the best screenwriters of his era. It was not simply Hitchcock's direction that made Rear Window and The Trouble with Harry such great movies. Hayes had a gift for slightly offbeat characters (such as Stewart's L. B. Jefferies from Rear Window and the entire population of the small town in Vermont in The Trouble with Harry) and extremely witty dialogue. And he was very versatile, ranging from thrillers such as Rear Window to soap operas such as Peyton Place to Westerns such as Nevada Smith. Other screenwriters may have surpassed Hayes in the number of the screenplays they wrote, but not many matched him when it came to the quality of his work.
Monday, November 24, 2008
A Thanksgiving Quiz
As regular readers of this blog probably already know, Beth of the lovely voice laid down a challenge for me at the first of the year. The challenge was simply this: I must create and post one pop culture quiz a month in A Shroud of Thoughts. The quizzes can have a single theme or simply be a collection of random things. At the end of 2008, the reader who has accumulated the most points throughout the year will win a pop culture related prize. For those of you curious about the prize, I decided that it will be a pop culture related key chain of the winner's choice, to cost no more than $5.00 (minus sales tax). The price limit is for the simple fact that I can't afford platinum plated key chains... I'll provide the answers on December 1.
Since Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the United States, I thought this quiz should be dedicated to this holiday. The questions are a little harder this time, but all the answers can be found in this blog except one (and it is a pretty easy one).
1. When and where was the first Thanksgiving held in the Thirteen Colonies?
2. In what year did Thanksgiving become a Federal holiday?
3. What famous song identified as a Christmas carol was originally written for Thanksgiving?
4. In What year was the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade held (originally called the Macy's Christmas Day Parade, even though it was held on Thanksgiving?
5. What was one of the first four balloons in the parade and the first based on an animated character?
6. What happened to many of the pre-World War II balloons at the start of World War II?
7. On what network was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade originally aired?
8. In what year did the Underdog balloon debut?
9. In what decade was the phrase "Black Friday" applied to the day after Thanksgiving?
10. What movie star celebrated his 120th birthday on Black Friday last year (clue: he starred in a movie called, well, Black Friday)?
Since Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the United States, I thought this quiz should be dedicated to this holiday. The questions are a little harder this time, but all the answers can be found in this blog except one (and it is a pretty easy one).
1. When and where was the first Thanksgiving held in the Thirteen Colonies?
2. In what year did Thanksgiving become a Federal holiday?
3. What famous song identified as a Christmas carol was originally written for Thanksgiving?
4. In What year was the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade held (originally called the Macy's Christmas Day Parade, even though it was held on Thanksgiving?
5. What was one of the first four balloons in the parade and the first based on an animated character?
6. What happened to many of the pre-World War II balloons at the start of World War II?
7. On what network was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade originally aired?
8. In what year did the Underdog balloon debut?
9. In what decade was the phrase "Black Friday" applied to the day after Thanksgiving?
10. What movie star celebrated his 120th birthday on Black Friday last year (clue: he starred in a movie called, well, Black Friday)?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
"Imagine" by John Lennon
Tonight I am a bit tired and under the weather, so I thought I would simply leave you with a video courtesy of IFilm. The video in this case is the classic "Imagine" by John Lennon. It appeared on his 1971 album of the same name. The song reached number three on the Billboard singles chart. It reached number six in the United Kingdom. It has gone onto become one of the 100 most performed songs of the 20th century according to BMI. It has also consistently ranked in the top ten of various lists of the greatest rock songs of all time, including the 2004 list compiled by Rolling Stone of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (there it ranked number three).
While "Imagine" remains one of John Lennon's most popular songs (certainly his most popular solo effort), its origins are unknown. Most believe it is rooted in John Lennon's desire for a more peaceful world. Ultimately, it could go all the way back to 1963. Lennon's lyrics for "I'll Get to You" begin with "Imagine I'm in love with you, it's easy 'cause I know," a line remarkably similar to those in "Imagine."
Regardless, without further ado, here is "Imagine."
While "Imagine" remains one of John Lennon's most popular songs (certainly his most popular solo effort), its origins are unknown. Most believe it is rooted in John Lennon's desire for a more peaceful world. Ultimately, it could go all the way back to 1963. Lennon's lyrics for "I'll Get to You" begin with "Imagine I'm in love with you, it's easy 'cause I know," a line remarkably similar to those in "Imagine."
Regardless, without further ado, here is "Imagine."
Friday, November 21, 2008
Irving Gertz R.I.P.
Irving Gertz, the composer who worked on such films as The Incredible Shrinking Man and It Came From Outer Space passed on November 14 at the age of 93.
Irving Gertz was born in Providence, Rhode Island on May 19, 1915. He started playing various musical instruments while very young. He attended the Providence College of Music, and was taught privately by composer and music theorist Walter Piston. He was still a young composer when the Providence Symphony Orchestra was performing his music, but a fascination with film scores led him to take a job with Columbia Pictures in 1938.
Gertz's film career was interrupted by World War II, during which he served in both the artillery and the Army Signal Corps. Gertz returned to Columbia after the war. He composed music for such films as Over the Santa Fe Trail and The Counterfeiters. He then went to work for NBC Radio, composing music for radio shows. In the early Fifties, he returned to film and joined Universal-International. Arguably, the Fifties was the height of Gertz's career. He composed memorable scores for such films as It Came From Outer Space, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Creature Walks Among Us, and To Hell and Back.
Gertz also worked in television, his first music for a TV show being for M Squad in 1957. He also worked on Daniel Boone, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Invaders, and Land of the Giants. Gertz also composed concert music, including such compositions as Leaves of Grass and Salute to All Nations.
Irving Gertz worked in Hollywood at a time when the studios employed multiple composers on films and those composers were rarely credited. Even so, There can be no doubt that Gertz was a talented composer. His music always fit the atmosphere of the movie he was a scoring. And he had a great sense of drama when it came to scoring films. If films such as The Incredible Shrinking Man and It Came From Outer Space are still loved today, it is largely because of Gertz's music.
Irving Gertz was born in Providence, Rhode Island on May 19, 1915. He started playing various musical instruments while very young. He attended the Providence College of Music, and was taught privately by composer and music theorist Walter Piston. He was still a young composer when the Providence Symphony Orchestra was performing his music, but a fascination with film scores led him to take a job with Columbia Pictures in 1938.
Gertz's film career was interrupted by World War II, during which he served in both the artillery and the Army Signal Corps. Gertz returned to Columbia after the war. He composed music for such films as Over the Santa Fe Trail and The Counterfeiters. He then went to work for NBC Radio, composing music for radio shows. In the early Fifties, he returned to film and joined Universal-International. Arguably, the Fifties was the height of Gertz's career. He composed memorable scores for such films as It Came From Outer Space, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Creature Walks Among Us, and To Hell and Back.
Gertz also worked in television, his first music for a TV show being for M Squad in 1957. He also worked on Daniel Boone, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Invaders, and Land of the Giants. Gertz also composed concert music, including such compositions as Leaves of Grass and Salute to All Nations.
Irving Gertz worked in Hollywood at a time when the studios employed multiple composers on films and those composers were rarely credited. Even so, There can be no doubt that Gertz was a talented composer. His music always fit the atmosphere of the movie he was a scoring. And he had a great sense of drama when it came to scoring films. If films such as The Incredible Shrinking Man and It Came From Outer Space are still loved today, it is largely because of Gertz's music.
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