RANDOM THOUGHTS ( DEC. 2015 ) & INTERMISSION TIME.....

I'm taking a break until early next year.

I will still check in from time to time ( when possible ). But for now, I've got my hands full... I'll be very happy to see 2015 become history.


Screengrab above is from Lawrence Block's email newsletter.

HELP, IF YOU CAN.....

There are a lot of folks on the internet that ask for your money.

Sometimes those requests are for GENUINELY IMPORTANT REASONS... So, if you can, please help a woman get a NEW HEART... Please click the link below, and tell others.

ERIN MITCHELL'S CARDIAC CREW

Just for the record, I don't know her, and I've never met her, but why should that matter? I found out about Ms. Mitchell, via Lawrence Block's email newsletter.



WORLD'S FAIR.....

If you attended the 1964 New York world's fair, consider yourself lucky.

I've always been fascinated by these events, especially the 1962 Seattle, 1964 New York, 1967 Montreal, 1968 San Antonio, and 1970 Osaka fairs.

Below is a short list of books and a link to a promotional film about the 1964 New York World's Fair....

EXIT TO TOMORROW ( ISBN - 9780789315311 ). This is the only world's fair book I own. It was a gift, and I love this book tremendously.

1964-1965 NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR ( ISBN - 9781467121057 )

SEATTLE'S 1962 WORLD'S FAIR ( ISBN - 9781467115124 )

TO THE FAIR! (1964 NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR ) - This is a fun little promotional film. Watch it before the video disappears.



AMUSEMENT PARKS.....

I was lucky enough to visit many amusement parks when I was young, and I still have fond memories of SOME of those places.

As you know, countless amusement parks have been demolished. Many times, the only way to see them is via old movies. Here's an example, the PIKE in INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED-UP ZOMBIES.

Below is a short list of books.....

THE AMERICAN AMUSEMENT PARK ( ISBN - 9780760309810 )

KNOTT'S BERRY FARM: THE EARLY YEARS ( ISBN - 9780738569215 )

AMUSEMENT PARKS ( ISBN - 9780747812098 )

PACIFIC OCEAN PARK: THE RISE AND FALL OF LOS ANGELES' SPACE AGE NAUTICAL PLEASURE PIER ( ISBN - 9781934170526 )

RANDOM THOUGHTS - OCTOBER 2015

Above are three books I've purchased this year from a place called HAMILTON BOOK...

50 YEARS OF THE PLAYBOY BUNNY ( $3.95 - published by CHRONICLE - HARDcover - ISBN 9780811872263 )

MANHATTAN UNFURLED ( $4.95 - published by RANDOM HOUSE - HARDcover - ISBN 9780375504914 )

PROVING GROUND: A HISTORY OF DODGE, CHRYSLER, AND PLYMOUTH RACING ( $3.95 - published by MOTORBOOKS INTERNATIONAL - HARDcover - ISBN 9780760334584 )

BOOK BARGAINS..... If you live by a DOLLAR TREE store, and love books, then I highly recommend you visit them often. Where else are you going to find NEW books for ONE DOLLAR?! You'll pay more than that for USED books!

Just for the record, different locations, usually have different titles on their shelves.

Another great place for bargains, is called HAMILTON BOOK. I do NOT know if they ship outside of the continuous 48 states. I usually find a lot of out-of-print titles for under FIVE DOLLARS.


Above are just five of the books I've purchased this year, from the DOLLAR TREE...

BENEATH STILL WATERS ( $1.00 - published by BERKLEY - mass market paperback - ISBN 9780425201084 )

TRANSGRESSIONS John Farris & Stephen King ( $1.00 - published by FORGE BOOKS - mass market paperback - ISBN 9780765347510 )

DYING HOUR ( $1.00 - published by PINNACLE - mass market paperback - ISBN 9780786016976 )

THE BOOK OF THE MOON ( $1.00 - published by WALKER BOOKS - HARDcover - ISBN 9780802717344 )

ROVING MARS: SPIRIT, OPPORTUNITY, AND THE EXPLORATION OF THE RED PLANET ( $1.00 - published by HYPERION - HARDcover - ISBN 9781401301491 )

THIS BLOG'S FUTURE..... I'm not sure if I will still go forward with my plans to turn off the "adult warning". I have A LOT of mixed feelings.

My original intent for this blog, was to focus on writers, artists, photographers and just a little bit of shobiz. However, a lot of shobiz related material ended-up being featured on this blog.

Then GOOGLE wanted to censor - get rid of ALL nudity - from their BLOGGER pages, remember that? In some ways they've succeeded, because most blogs with the "adult warning" seem to get included in a subtle type of "blacklist".

If you searched for this blog before the censorship fiasco, you would get a fair amount of text and photo results. Now, you only seem to get one or two text listings, and only a few photo results for this blog ( via something called "RSS" ).

The visits went down when the censorship saga started. Now the visits have gone up again.

I still want to go back to my original vision of this blog. But, I think it's going to take far longer than I thought.

I created two new blogs, so I could transfer my R-rated content to my ACTRESS ALCOVE blog, and non book / art related posts to my POP CULTURE blog. I still plan on doing that.

I may - or may not - leave many shobiz posts on this blog.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2015

Newspaper ad for a triple feature and live mummy act .... From Sept. 7, 1972 ( Milwaukee U.S.A. ).

BOO!...

When was the last time you had fun at a movie theater?... It's become an EXPENSIVE pain-in-the-ass. Plus, most of us, have had to deal with INCONSIDERATE ASSHOLES.

Anyway, I miss watching two, three, and sometimes four movies for one low price. I also miss receiving free movie related items like posters and other promotional swag.



In ORGY OF THE DEAD, you'll see Criswell, Pat Barrington, Fawn Silver, and some other familiar faces. Is it frightening?... No, only the acting is scary. But that's ok, because I LOVE IT!

Ed Wood deserves a SERIOUS look at his life. A documentary that deals with FACTS. Not opinions, gossip, and speculation.


Screengrabs from ORGY OF THE DEAD


More screengrabs from ORGY OF THE DEAD

Have a SAFE and happy HALLOWEEN!

THE BUNNY HAS DIED.....

WARNING... THIS IS A RANT.

PLAYBOY 1953 - 2015.... R.I.P.....

NO more nudity in PLAYBOY magazine.

This magazine is DEAD to me.... Actually, PLAYBOY started dying a slow death during the nineties.



The magazine's sensationalism - and tackiness - kept rising after that. Plus, far too many alleged "celebrities" were being featured.

PLAYBOY just kept going DOWNHILL. I have the same feelings about Hugh Hefner, with the passing years, he just seemed to get creepier, and creepier - know what I mean?



In recent years, they STOPPED publishing 12 issues per year ( apparently, they make far more money from licensing / merchandising ).



When I was young, the MAN-HATERS always called PLAYBOY a PORN rag. PLAYBOY was a TAME nudie mag with actual articles and fiction in it... It was NEVER a PORN rag!

There were NEVER any sex acts in the original PLAYBOY ( real or simulated ).



There's a HUGE difference between the original PLAYBOY of the fifties through the eighties, and what came after.

The original had beautiful photography and incredibly clever and wonderful covers ( suitable for framing ).

Plus, the PLAYMATES of the past were the real deal, NO artificial flavors or fillers - if you know what I mean.

SKANKS started to infect the magazine sometime during the nineties, and it was never the same after that.


Above are the front and back covers for 50 YEARS OF THE PLAYBOY BUNNY ( HARDcover - ISBN 9780811872263 ). It's published by CHRONICLE. I paid $3.95 for this beautiful HARDcover book!... FYI - It was brand new!

PLAYBOY CLUBS are another fond memory, too bad they all vanished.

Just for the record, BUNNYs were NOT the same as PLAYMATES. And yes, SOME bunnys did become PLAYMATES.


Above are pages 45 and 56 from 50 YEARS OF THE PLAYBOY BUNNY... Joey Thorpe is the woman on both pages.

I liked the clubs more than the magazine. I would love to get my hands on some genuine club memorabilia.



Another icon bites-the-dust... rest-in-peace PLAYBOY.....

ROAD MOVIE

Newspaper ad for ROAD MOVIE.... from February 7, 1974 ( New York )

This is a RARE film, and I've only seen it a few times. In my opinion, it still packs a powerful punch.

The main characters are two long haul truckers, Hank ( Barry Bostwick ), and Gil ( Robert Drivas ). Plus, a smart and resourceful - but destructive - prostitute, named Janice ( Regina Baff ).

Almost every person in this movie is lost and damaged in some way.

Times are bad, and just when things seem to be getting better, they only get worse.


Screengrabs showing Regina Baff, Barry Bostwick, and Robert Drivas in ROAD MOVIE

These are three-dimensional characters. One minute I like them, the next I don't, and those feelings continue throughout the entire film.

There are times, when this movie feels like a play ( I mean that in a GOOD way ).


Screengrabs from ROAD MOVIE

I love the camera work in ROAD MOVIE. Even the ugly things look good ( know what I mean? ).

This movie reminds me, that most of us are screwed in a bad way, and there isn't much we can do about it.... Except, sometimes we can hurt the bastards and bitches that are hurting us....


Screengrab showing Beti Seay in ROAD MOVIE

ROAD MOVIE was written by Judith Rascoe and Joseph Strick. It was also directed by Joseph Strick.

It stars..... Barry Bostwick, Robert Drivas, and Regina Baff.

You'll also see Beti Seay - she starred in a rare exploitation flick called THE LOVE STATUE.

Eileen Dietz, Martin Kove, and Joe Pantoliano also appear.

I'm almost positive it was released on VHS, but I can't remember which company sold it.

I think IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT released it on region one DVD.

You may also find it ONLINE.

NEW BLOGS.....

I've made TWO NEW blogs.

Links are below.....


POP CULTURE MEMORIES


ACTRESS ALCOVE



This blog will continue to be updated.

I want to eventually remove the adult warning from this blog.

I am going to reorganize things ( it may take me a while ).

CONFESSIONS OF A BAD GIRL!

Newspaper ad for CONFESSIONS OF A BAD GIRL! ( from Youngstown OH U.S.A. - 1966 )

Here's the story, Judith Adams goes to New York city to seek her fame and fortune as a model and actress. Unfortunately for her, life slaps her in the face, repeatedly ( I think most of us are familiar with that feeling ). Things go from bad to worse. That's all there is to the story.

The nudity is tame and violence is lame. These days, you can see more explicit nudity and blood and guts on the "free" tv channels.


Screengrabs of Judy Adler in CONFESSIONS OF A BAD GIRL!

Anyway, super-cute Judy Adler plays the main character. You also have appearances by June Roberts, Dawn Bennett, and other familiar faces.


Screengrabs from CONFESSIONS OF A BAD GIRL!

This is a Barry Mahon film, and that's a plus in my book.

The movie contains some nice shots of New York during the sixties.

In my opinion, Judy Adler alone is worth the price of admission. What happened to her?.....


Screengrabs of June Roberts in CONFESSIONS OF A BAD GIRL!


Screengrabs of Dawn Bennett - on the right side ( top ), and on the the left side ( bottom )... from CONFESSIONS OF A BAD GIRL!

I don't know if this movie was ever released on VHS.

There's NO pressed DVD that I know of. As I write this, it's only available via DVD-R, and that's a shame.

You may be able to find it ONLINE.

GRACE LEE WHITNEY.....

Screengrab of Grace Lee Whitney in STAR TREK ( episode CHARLIE X )

I'm NOT a STAR TREK fan... Yes, I watched many episodes when I was young, and I even liked some of them. But, I was never obsessed by the program.

Anyway, I was really saddened to learn of Grace Whitney's passing ( 1930 - 2015 ).


Screengrabs of Grace Lee Whitney in BEWITCHED ( episode IT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN TO A DOG )

Ms. Whitney was one of the main reasons I watched STAR TREK. She could act, AND she was attractive too! She played a character called Janice Rand.

Her STAR TREK episode called CHARLIE X, was the first time I saw her.


Screengrab of Grace Lee Whitney in THE OUTER LIMITS ( episode CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT )

She played a lot of different types of characters during her acting career, and also sang.

Some of her television credits include...

MIKE HAMMER ( A Detective Tail - 1958 )

MICHAEL SHAYNE ( various episodes - 1961 )

MANNIX ( Another Final Exit - 1968 )

DEATH VALLEY DAYS ( various episodes )

GUNSMOKE ( Reprisal 1962 )

THE UNTOUCHABLES ( various episodes )

77 SUNSET STRIP ( various episodes )

BEWITCHED ( It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog - 1964 )

THE OUTER LIMITS ( Controlled Experiment - 1964 )

BATMAN ( various episodes )


Above is a lobby card from IRMA LA DOUCE showing Grace Lee Whitney with her boot on Jack lemmon ( top )... And a screengrab from IRMA LA DOUCE showing Ms. Whitney chatting with Jack Lemmon ( bottom )

Some of her theatrical film credits include...

SOME LIKE IT HOT

POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES

IRMA LA DOUCE



She wrote a book. See details below...

TITLE - The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy
WRITTEN BY - Grace Lee Whitney
COMPANY - Quill Driver Books / Word Dancer Press
ISBN-13: 9781884956034
SOFT and HARDcover editions were published.

I've been told, she also performed on Broadway. She was a multitalented person, and I would have liked to have met her.

MOVIE ADS: THE UNEARTHLY

Newspaper ad for THE UNEARTHLY ( from July 18, 1957 - Spartanburg SC U.S.A. )

THE UNEARTHLY is one of my many childhood favorites. Some parts are unintentionally funny, but that just makes me like it even more.

This movie was written by Jane Mann and John D.F. Black.

FYI - Mr Black has a long list of credits.

The director was Boris Petroff ( 1894 – 1972 ). He was also involved with SHOTGUN WEDDING. A film allegedly co-written by Ed Wood.


Screengrabs from THE UNEARTHLY

Some of the actors and actresses are.....

John Carradine, Tor Johnson, and Myron Healey.

Arthur Batanides, delivers some truly memorable performances.

Allison Hayes also has a sizeable part in this film.


Screengrabs of Sally Todd in THE UNEARTHLY

Sally Todd, va-va-va-voom!... There's not enough of her! She looks great!


Newspaper clipping for THE UNEARTHLY ( from July 14, 1957 )

This movie was released on VHS a few times. Once by RHINO, if I remember correctly. There was also a MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER version... AVOID!

As for DVD, it was released on region one DVD by IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT. It's currently out-of-print. Another DVD was released by SHOUT FACTORY... It's a MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER disc, so don't waste your money on it!

You can find grey-market discs, but they're a WASTE OF MONEY.

I recently watched it on YOUTUBE, but that video was taken down. Just search for it, you'll probably find another source.

IF MARRYING TWINS IS WRONG, THEN I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT - PART 2

Screengrabs from the television show DOUBLE TROUBLE

PART 2 OF 2

Oh the eighties, what a decade, and what a wasted opportunity!

I truly believe, there were more drugs and debauchery during the eighties, than in all the twenties, thirties, sixties, and seventies combined!


Newspaper ad for DOUBLE TROUBLE from 1984

Anyway, I was older, and so were the twins.

This time the ladies were real life twins Jean and Liz Sagal.

I remember watching them on a crappy television show called DOUBLE TROUBLE.

I was nuts about them!

And yes, I know they're Katey Sagal's sisters.


Screengrab above of Jean and Liz in a SPRITE commercial

I also remember seeing them in a few tv commercials, and other tv shows.



Apparently, they're both still working in the biz.

Jean has appeared in many tv shows. She's also directed a lot of episodes for shows like, JUST SHOOT ME!, TWO AND A HALF MEN, and 2 BROKE GIRLS.

Meanwhile, Liz was a writer and producer on SONS OF ANARCHY. She's also written for many other tv shows. Plus, she's also appeared in theatrical films and a bunch of tv shows.



I've never been able to find entire episodes of DOUBLE TROUBLE online, just clips.

I had every episode of DOUBLE TROUBLE on several VHS tapes. But, they've long disappeared.

The show has never been released on region one DVD, or in any other region ( as far as I know ).

IF MARRYING TWINS IS WRONG, THEN I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT - PART 1

Screengrabs above are from the movie WHISKY & VODKA

PART 1 OF 2

Once upon a time, I was a mere tater-tot with big potato dreams.... One of those dreams was to marry twins.

"Hey, that's NOT legal!".... Thanks for reminding me! What are you going to do next?... Tell me the Easter bunny, and leprechauns, aren't real?! Gee-whiz!... Thanks a lot, ya fuckin' party-pooper!



It was the late sixties and early seventies, and anything was possible. So, when I saw some twins in a movie called WHISKY & VODKA, I flipped-out.


Above is a newspaper clipping about WHISKY & VODKA... from San Jose Costa Rica ( Feb. 8 1967 ).

WHISKY & VODKA starred real life twins Aurora and Pilar Bayona ( Mili and Pili ).

The story involves a mix-up of two unrelated young ladies that look identical.

They're both daughters of diplomats ( one American and one Soviet ). This results in confusion, and wackiness.


Above is a newspaper ad for WHISKY & VODKA... from Victoria Texas U.S.A. ( March 15, 1968 ).

As I watched them, I knew, I wanted to do more than just play MONOPOLY with them... ha-ha-ha.


Above is a newspaper tv listing from Miami Florida U.S.A. ( Feb. 3, 1973 ).

I've been told the twins are both alive and well ( I can NOT confirm this information ).


The mysterious and cute ice-skater... During one scene a cute lady skates and falls. I didn't know who she was, and after all this time, I still don't know. Her character is NOT listed on the IMDB.

Recently, I found WHISKY & VODKA on VHS, but the tape was shredded. Plus, I think it may have been a bootleg.

I haven't been able to find a region one DVD for this movie, and I don't know which company distributed it in theaters, or for television.



The entire movie was online, but was taken down for "Copyright infringement". Hopefully, it will be uploaded again by someone else.....

MOVIE ADS: LAS VEGAS GIRLS

Above is a print ad for LAS VEGAS GIRLS ( Spokane Washington U.S.A. - July 2, 1983 )

According to the IMDB this movie was directed by Carlos Tobalina ( 1925 - 1989 ). I don't know if he also wrote it.

It stars, Karen Hall, Dan Boulder, Jesse Ronald, and Liz Renay ( 1926 - 2007 ).

Liz Renay is the only cast member I'm familiar with.

I saw this movie on VHS back in the eighties, but I don't remember anything about it.

I also don't remember if the tape was legit.



LAS VEGAS GIRLS has been released at least two times on DVD. Once by ALPHA BLUE ARCHIVES ( as part of a triple feature ), and another time by VINEGAR SYNDROME ( as part of a double feature ).