Saturday, July 13, 2013

JK Rowling Update

JK Rowling unmasked as author of acclamed detective novel 

Just Shut Up and Take My Money!

Cagenado!

Hat tip to Randy Johnson.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Edmonton man wakes up with lipstick on, goes beserk

The Fame Thief -- Timothy Hallinan

The Fame Thief is the third book in Timothy Hallinan's series about professional thief Junior Bender. Bender isn't just a thief, however.  He has a sideline.  Sometimes he solves problems for people who can't go to the law because they happen to be criminals, too. 

In this case, Irwin Dressler a Hollywood mobster from way back (he's 93) wants Bender to look into something that happened in the 1950's.  The career of an up-and-coming actress was destroyed, and Dressler wants to know why.  As you might expect, Bender learns quickly the past is never really past, and people start to get killed.  

It's a tangled case, and Bender, with the help of his computer-talented teenage daughter, even has to delve into the proceedings of the Kefauver hearings for clues.

Hallinan knows Hollywood and Los Angeles.  There's a fine feel for both the old days and the present in this book, along with some great characters and plenty of snappy patter.  There's violence and action and sentiment and good writing.  There's also a pretty big woo-woo factor.  Don't let that put you off.  It works just fine in the context of the old-time Hollywood story.

If you haven't read the previous Junior Bender books, that's okay.  You don't have to have read them to catch on to what's happening here.  But after you read this one, you'll probably want to go back for the other two.  It's just that good.

Song of the Day

Taco - Puttin' on the Ritz (Original Uncensored Version) - YouTube:

Top 10 Most Dangerous Vocations

Top 10 Most Dangerous Vocations

Or Maybe You Did

24 Interesting Tidbits You May Not Have Known About "I Love Lucy"

Today's Vintage Ad


Uh-Oh

Syfy Considers Unleashing Another ‘Sharknado’ 

Charles Pope, R. I. P.

VVN Music: Charles Pope, co-founder of The Tams, died on Friday morning at his home in Atlanta at the age of 76. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's, a battle that had been documented on the reality series Tiny and Toya and T.I. and Toya: The Family Hustle on BET.

I Want to Believe!

NBA's Baron Davis: I was 'abducted by aliens' in desert two weeks ago

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

PaperBack



George F. Worts, The Blue Lacquer Box, Popular Library, 1946

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

seattlepi.com: Seattle police say they arrested a man who crashed an 8-year-old child's party, ate several pieces of pizza and took two balloon animals.

7-Word Autobiographies

The 7-Word Autobiographies of Famous Writers, Artists, Musicians, and Philosophers 

Who edited Shakespeare?

he Guardian: Much nonsense is talked about Shakespeare not writing his plays, but more interesting questions remain: who edited the First Folio? And were substantial changes made?

40 Signs You Are a BuzzFeed Writer Running Out of List Ideas

40 Signs You Are a BuzzFeed Writer Running Out of List Ideas

I Agree

Why the ‘Sharknado’ People Are Doing Bad Movies Wrong

The Rowdy Girls

The Rowdy Girls trailer 2001 Shannon Tweed - YouTube:

Friday, July 12, 2013

Criminal Geniuses of the Day

Fetish model indicted in Pasco sex party slaying: Court documents describe text messages sent that evening between Logue and her boyfriend, 27-year-old Jason Richard Andrews, plotting an attack on Abrahamsen.

Hat tip to Lawrence Person.

Song of the Day

Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy - YouTube:

Robert J. Randisi Interview


Robert J. Randisi has been writing and publishing ever since I've known him, and that's been quite a while.  He's published so many books that I've lost count.  (I'll bet he hasn't, though.)  John Wisniewski conducted this interview with him, and I'm pleased to be able to present it on my blog.  So let's get right to the questions.


1) Why did you choose The Rat Pack to develop this series of books called "The Rat Pack Mysteries"?

          I have long been an admirer of the Rat Pack's talents, most notably Dino and Sammy. And I love Las Vegas. I was watching Ocean's 11 for the umpteenth time one day and it just came to me. A lot of things could have been going on in Vegas in between the times the Rat Pack members were on stage at the Sands, and filming the movie.  Why not a mystery?  And using song titles as titles--with a word or two changed--was a natural.  With Dean my favorite it just seemed right to start with EVERYBODY KILLS SOMEBODY SOME TIME. 

2) Can we look back at your beginnings-when did you begin writing, and of what genre were your stories?

       I started writing when I was 15. I chose mystery as my genre because that was what I was reading and watching on TV at the time.  But it was when I went to the movies and saw HARPER, starring Paul Newman (based on a Ross Macdonald novel) that I decided I wanted to write Private Eye fiction, and wanted to do it for a living by the time I turned 30.  And that's what I did.  While Westerns became a large part of my output later, my heart has always been with the mystery--specifically, with the private eye.  

3) What genre is your favorite?

        Oops, I think I answered that above. My favorite genre, to write, read, and watch on TV and in the movies, is the private eye genre.  Unlike other genres--such as the police procedural, as depicted these days by Law & Order,  CSI and NCIS clones--the private eye genre depends heavily on the main character. While a lot of other genres are about the procedure, or the milieu, the P.I. genre is about people.  My Rat Pack books are written in the style of P.I. novels, but I am getting back into the private eye genre whole hog with my new book THE HONKY TONK BIG HOSS BOOGIE (August 2013).

4) You have written many novels. How do you manage to be so prolific?

        Your question of how I have been so prolific requires a two part answer. In the beginning it was not a matter of choice. I discovered early on that I had an ability to write--and type--very quickly. I believe this was a result of NOT ever outlining. I sit and write everything down as it comes to me, not according to any preset outline.  I move through my stories WITH my characters, discovering what will happen next with them. I don't outline, and rarely rewrite. Often, I don't even go back and reread what In wrote the day before. This has been how I have always worked. (It's a little different with mysteries than westerns when you have to go back and sometimes plant clues).

        For the second part, it eventually became a necessity for me to write quickly. In the 80's, when I started out, I was able to sell multiple series, including The Gunsmith western series, which I had to produce at the rate of a book a month. Add in the other western series, and the mysteries, and I had to write anywhere from 16 to 24 books a year. In 1984 I wrote 27 books in 12 months.  You see? I HAD to be prolific in order to meet deadlines. But it wasn't as much of a choice as it sounds because I was normally a fast writer.

5) How do you create characters like detective Nick Delvecchio?

       How I created characters like Nick Delvecchio is not an easy question to answer. Often the type of books I write--usually a series--depend on the reader either identifying with or simply liking the main character. That means he has to BE likable, or BE interesting. The process is different for every character.  "Miles Jacoby" is not like me; the character developed over the course of the 6 books.  "Nick Delvecchio," however, is a lot like me--drawing heavily on my Italian family background--and sprang to life almost wholly formed in the first book.  Other characters, like Eddie G. from the Rat Pack books, appears in modern times as well as the 60's.  In each era he has to be subtly different.  Western characters--like the Gunsmith, or Lancaster--are a product of their historic surroundings. Others--like Bat Masterson in Westerns, or the Rat Pack in the Rat Pack mysteries--are real, and so I must adhere to their personalities as closely as I can, while putting them through some fictional paces.  My new character, Auggie Velez, is a combination of being like me, and NOTHING like me. It's a juggling act. Writers are often not the most interesting people in the world, so our characters cannot be WHOLLY like us. Even I don't want to read about ME. 

 6) Why do you choose to use pseudonyms?

     The question of pseudonyms is very easy to answer. In the 80's, when I started, publishers liked to think that you were only writing for THEM.  But if I wanted to make a living as a writer, I needed more work than one publisher could give me.  So when I created a new series, I also had to create new pseudonym.  At one time I was writing four different western series under four different names, while writing mysteries under my real name.  It was necessary in order to make enough money to make a living, because I was NOT making Stephen King type advances.

7) You founded Private Eyes of America and Mystery Scene magazine.

     I founded PWA in 1981 to try to see that the private eye story was recognized as a genre all its own, and not as a sub-genre of the mystery. Also because, at the time, P.I. books were not being recognized by MWA when it came to the Edgar Award. I was corresponding with many of my fellow P.I. writers, and decided to ask them to send me a quarter each for postage so I could do a newsletter. That eventually worked its way into being an organization, with many of the top P.I. writers as charter members, i.e., Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Max Allan Collins, Stuart Kaminsky, Lawrence Block, Michael Collins, John Lutz, Linda Barnes, Marcia Muller and many more. Bill Pronzini  served as our first President, and I was V.P.  I also created the Shamus Award, so that P.I. books and stories would have an award of their own.  That was over 30 years ago, and the Shamus is a much respected award.

   I co-founded Mystery Scene Magazine with my good friend and colleague Ed Gorman. Back in '84 we were talking on the phone and one of us said somebody should create a magazine for the mystery genre. The other one said, "Why don't we do it?" And we did.  I gave up my interest after 7 years, Ed stayed at the helm much longer than that. It is now in the competent hands of others, and continues to grow.

8) You also co-founded The American Crime Writers League. Could you tell us about this? Are you looked upon as an elder-statesman for young and up and coming crime and mystery writers?

        Yes, I also co-founded with Ed Gorman the American Crime Writers League.  I think we both felt the need for another organization, one that was about the members, and not about awards.  We asked Charlotte McLeod to be out first President. Ed and I eventually bowed out, but I believe we are both back in as members, these days. The ACWL still has no award, but does what it can to help its members.  I think the Mystery Writers of America, The Private Eye Writers of America and The American Crime Writers League all have their place in the genre. Many authors belong to all three.

       It's very difficult for someone to say how others look upon them. An elder-statesman? Maybe.  I try to do what I can to assist other writers, especially the up and comers.  We at PWA joined with St. Martin's Press back in 1986 to run a First Private Eye Novel Contest, where the winner receive a $10,000 advance and is published in America and the U.K. Other contests have since copied our formula.  And I believe St. Martins now calls them "competitions" rather than "contests." That contest continue to this day, and has launched the career of writers like Les Roberts, Gar Anthony Haywood, Karen Kijewski, Steve Hamilton and Michael Koryta. Also, over the years, we've had many anthologies published, creating a market for our authors to write short fiction.  I hope I'm looked upon as someone who does what he can for the genre, and for writers, in general. But I really think you'd have to ask others that question.  I believe my contribution to the genre has been equal parts organizer and author.

9) Could you tell us about your written screenplays?

        I've written one screenplay. Sandy Hackett, the son of legendary comic Buddy Hackett, optioned my first Rat Pack book a few years back--EVERYBODY KILLS SOMEBODY SOME TIME--and hired me to write the screenplay. It was a great experience. I wrote it in three weeks. I was satisfied with it when I finished, and Sandy liked it. It's still in his possession.

       I do plan to write others based upon my own books, like THE HAM REPORTER, which is about Bat Masterson when he was a sports writer in NY in 1911. He and a young Damon Runyon solve a mystery.  There are other of my mysteries, and my westerns, I'd like to do.  For instance, the "Gil & Claire Hunt" series, which I wrote with my partner and fiancé, Christine Matthews, is a perfect vehicle for a husband and wife Hollywood team.  But I believe my Rat Packs books probably offer the best opportunity for Hollywood to come knocking. I believe they could succeed where shows like VEGAS, THE PLAYBOY CLUB and PAN AM have failed to capitalize on the 60's.  The music of the Rat Pack would have to play a big part. 

10 Movies to Watch if You Loved Sharknado

10 Movies to Watch if You Loved Sharknado

Today's Vintage Ad


Top 10 Sexy Movie Giantesses

Top 10 Sexy Movie Giantesses

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.

The Multiplex

The '60s at 50: Friday, July 12, 1963: Movie multiplex

Will the Persecution Never End?

Hit the breaks! Heiress Paris Hilton pulled over by cops for speeding through Beverly Hills in convertible baby blue Bentley

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Short Interview with Livia Washburn Reasoner

Plus a great photo!

Western Fictioneers: Friday Five with Livia J. Washburn Reasoner

Who Said It?

Nostalgia Is Not What It Used To Be:  Who said it? Yogi Berra? Simone Signoret? Peter De Vries? Tommy Handley & Ronald Frankau? Anonymous?

Or Maybe Not

10 SyFy Channel movies that are just as ridiculous as Sharknado

9 Non-Literary Reasons to Love Ernest Hemingway

9 Non-Literary Reasons to Love Ernest Hemingway
Can a "Sharknado" Really Happen?

Peru Update

A 5,000 year-old pyramid has been completely levelled in Peru

The 7 Best/Worst Lines Of Sharknado

The 7 Best/Worst Lines Of Sharknado

Hat tip to Deb.

I Grow Old, I Grow Old

1993 Movies: These Movies Are 20 Years Old

Forgotten Books: A Cupful of Space -- Mildred Clingerman

The SF magazines I read back in the '50s were mostly filled with stories by men, but a few women were there, too, most often in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.  One of them was Mildred Clingerman.  Some of her best stories are collected in this little volume published by Ballantine in 1961.  All but three of them first appeared in F&SF.  Two appeared in Collier's and one in Woman's Home Companion

Notice the line under the book's title.  It's quite misleading, since few of the stories are actually science-fiction.  They're horror and fantasy, mainly, though a couple of them do have science-fictional elements.  This isn't the place to get into a discussion of what SF is, but I'll just mention that in the '50s when I was reading this stuff by the boatload, I made no distinction.  It was all science-fiction to me, no matter what it really might have been.

"First Lesson" is from Collier's, and it's one of those "did it happen or didn't it?" Stories that kind of wants to have it both ways. Not bad, but not the best in the collection.  That honor might go to "The Wild Wood," which is definitely creepy and not as dated as "First Lesson."  It's more horror than anything.  "Letters from Laura," told in epistolary form, is about a trip to Crete.  Not a trip you'd want to take. "The Word" is a short-short that you'll catch onto immediately, but it's kind of cute.  "The Gay Deceiver" is pure horror.  "Stair Trick" is about doorways to another dimension, so that would be science-fiction, I suppose.  Not that it matters.  No matter what you call them, all the stories are well written worth looking at even after all these years.

Red Scorpion

Red Scorpion Trailer - YouTube:

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Charles Foley, R. I. P.

NY Daily News: The Minnesota man whose Twister game launched decades of awkward social interactions at parties has died. He was 82. 

Charles “Chuck” Foley died July 1 at a care facility in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park. His son, Mark Foley, said Thursday that his father had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Interview with the Writer of Sharknado

We asked the writer of Sharknado some very serious questions

Vampire Update

Polish archaeologists unearth 'vampire grave' 

Short Interview with Aldo Calcagno

Criminal Masterminds : Aldo Calcagno

Hey, Why Not?

Charlie Sheen hunts Loch Ness Monster in Scotland

Lewis Lymon, R. I. P.

Lewis Lymon of the Teenchords: Lewis Lymon, the brother of Frankie Lymon of the Teenagers, died on Tuesday at his Las Vegas home. He was 69. 

Lewis and Frankie were part of a musical family from Harlem that grew up in the world of gospel. Their father, Howard, was part of the Harlemaires and both boys, along with brother Howard, Jr., were part of Harlamaires Juniors.

Strand Magazine Critics Awards

Mystery Fanfare: STRAND MAGAZINE CRITICS AWARD

Boston Strangler Update

TBO.com: Investigators helped by advances in DNA technology finally have forensic evidence linking longtime suspect Albert DeSalvo to the last of the 1960s slayings attributed to the Boston Strangler, leading many of the case's players to hope that it can finally be put to rest.

The 5 Most Hilarious Actor Meltdowns Behind Famous Movies

The 5 Most Hilarious Actor Meltdowns Behind Famous Movies

Song of the Day

Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who - Single Edit Video Clips - YouTube:

11 Facts About 7-Eleven on 7/11

11 Facts About 7-Eleven on 7/11

The World's Most Beautiful Trees

The World's Most Beautiful Trees

Today's Vintage Ad


Back to the Future

Kremlin turns back to typewriters to avoid leaks

A Brief History of Sliced Bread

A Brief History of Sliced Bread 

I Miss the Old Days

Retrospace: Vinyl Dynamite #48: Forever Vinyl

PaperBack



H. W. Roden, Too Busy to Die, Dell, 1947

Paris Hilton Update

Paris Hilton has a Marilyn moment when her very short dress reveals a flash of buttock as she unloads luggage from her car

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

The Greatest American Novel? 9 Experts Share Their Opinions

The Greatest American Novel? 9 Experts Share Their Opinions

What's in a name?

What's in a name? More than you think, experts say: As Prince William and wife Catherine mull over names for their royal offspring, they would do well to heed mounting evidence that a name can influence everything from your school grades and career choice to who you marry and where you live.

Silverberg Reflects on Simak

Reflections: Silverberg reflects on Simak.

25 ‘Die Hard’ Knockoffs for ‘Die Hard’s’ 25th Anniversary

25 ‘Die Hard’ Knockoffs for ‘Die Hard’s’ 25th Anniversary 

How Is "I before E except after C" a Rule?

How Is "I before E except after C" a Rule?

Body Heat

Body Heat (1981) - Theatrical Trailer - YouTube:

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Held Over at BEAT to a PULP

BEAT to a PULP :: The Follow-Through :: Chris F. Holm

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Thief Mugs Brooklyn Man for Toilet Paper 8-Pack at Fairway Market, Cops Say

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Cops: Man Arrested After Throwing Bodily Fluid Onto Female At Del. Walmart

Before Rancho Diablo There Was . . .

Amazon.com: Shooter York eBook: Colby Jackson, Mel Odom, Bill Crider, James Reasoner: Books: Young mountain man Shooter York had been trapping with his cousin George Monk and returned to find his beloved Tennessee home in turmoil as the US Army enforced the Indian Removal Act in 1833. 

Shooter hadn't agreed with the proposed action, but it hit even closer to home than he realized when a friend of his got caught up in the middle of it. Moon Bear was accused of killing an Army transport crew and of taking rifles. 

After helping the Army find Moon Bear, Shooter learned that his friend was looking for his son, who was following Calling Owl, a renegade leader conducting raids on helpless settlers. Shooter and George had no choice but to free Moon Bear and take up the hunt. But with the US Army on their heels and riding into the teeth of dangerous renegades, Tennessee seemed more crowded than ever.

10 American Brands With The Best Reputations

10 American Brands With The Best Reputations

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson

Song of the Day

The Treniers - Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song) - YouTube:

Or Maybe You Have

10 Terrifying Historical Figures You've Never Heard Of 

Here Are The Hugely Popular Eccentric Baby Names Of 2013

Here Are The Hugely Popular Eccentric Baby Names Of 2013

Today's Vintage Ad


I'm Not Taking It

Stairway to nothingness! Austrian resort builds 14 steps out over a cliff that only visitors with nerves of steel dare walk down

5 Mind-Blowing Ways People Solved Unsolvable Cold Cases

5 Mind-Blowing Ways People Solved Unsolvable Cold Cases

PaperBack



Jack Dolph, Murder is Mutuel, Dell, 1949

Brazil’s Bonanza of Crime Fiction

“Why I Love the Policial: Brazil’s Bonanza of Crime Fiction” (by Clifford E. Landers) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

29 HBO opening sequences, from worst to best 

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Man Arrested for Throwing Molotov Cocktail at Neighbor's Home

Madness Made Them Great

 Slate Magazine: Thomas Jefferson, Steve Jobs, Estee Lauder, and Charles Lindbergh suffered from the same mental illness.

Gator Update (I'm Gonna Kick that Log Edition)

Alligator bites teen on the head at Florida park: Andrew Hudson of Winter Springs was swimming Monday with friends in the Little Big Econ State Forest when he kicked what he thought was a log in the water.

5 Famous Books That Were Originally Self-Published

5 Famous Books That Were Originally Self-Published 

Which Books Do Readers Find Hard To Finish

Goodreads Infographic: Which Books Do Readers Find Hard To Finish (INFOGRAPHIC)

Johnny Allegro

1949 JOHNNY ALLEGRO TRAILER GEORGE RAFT - YouTube:

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

'Baseball Wives' Anna Benson arrested for breaking into estranged husband Kris Benson's house

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Man pleads not guilty to brandishing gun over hydrant color

Last Day Free for Kindle!

Amazon.com: Fight Card: AGAINST THE ROPES eBook: Jack Tunney, Terrence McCauley, Paul Bishop, Mel Odom: Kindle Store: The boxing ring was the only world Terry Quinn had ever known. He'd entered the hallowed halls of St. Vincent’s Home for Boys in New York City as a fighter and left as a boxer. Years of training and honing his skills finally paid off as he fought his way to the top. Only one more fight stood between Quinn and shot at the heavyweight championship against Jack Dempsey. It was the glory he'd been waiting for all his life. 

But things have never gone easy for Terry Quinn. As he starts training for the biggest fight of his career, a crew of Tammany thugs and fix-it men tell him to throw the fight or face dire consequences. Even before he has a chance to consider their offer, those dire consequences come home to roost when one of his long time corner men turns up dead. 

The identity of the killer isn't in question. The only question is what is Terry Quinn going to do about it.

10 Urban Legends About Flying That Aren't True

10 Urban Legends About Flying That Aren't True

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson

Archaeology Update

New sphinx of Egyptian king Mycerinus unearthed in Israel puzzles archaeologists: "It is also the only sphinx of this particular king known, not even in Egypt was a sphinx of that particular king found."

Joe Conley, R. I. P.

The Hollywood Reporter: Joe Conley, who played general store proprietor Ike Godsey on the beloved CBS family drama The Waltons, has died, his co-star Mary Beth McDonough reported Monday on her Facebook page. He was 85.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Dad uses $104,000 Mercedes to ram son's BMW on busy road after family argument

Hat Tip to Jeff Meyerson

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest

Amazon.com: Bad Religion (Nick Kepler) (Volume 4) (9781490478623): Jim Winter: Books: Nick Kepler returns as he and his partner Elaine investigate a local pastor who might be skimming the collection plate. When one of Kepler's ops is killed after learning all is not what it seems, he and Elaine find themselves plunged into a whirlwind of shady real estate deals, religious politics, and kidnapping.

Shocking News

CSMonitor.com: One of nature's greatest marvels has been found to have another advantage: a negative electrical charge, which can snap up positively charged insects.

Song of the Day

Robert Palmer - "Bad Case Of Lovin' You ( Doctor, Doctor )" - YouTube:
Link.

Ten Astonishing Shipwreck Treasures

Ten Astonishing Shipwreck Treasures 

What Is Nostalgia Good For?

What Is Nostalgia Good For? Quite a Bit, Research Shows: Nostalgia has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety. It makes people more generous to strangers and more tolerant of outsiders. Couples feel closer and look happier when they’re sharing nostalgic memories. On cold days, or in cold rooms, people use nostalgia to literally feel warmer.

Today's Vintage Ad


Rocky & Bullwinkle Update

Low-rated and barely animated, Rocky & Bullwinkle became a TV touchstone

"One man" Is the Star of Every Movie

"One man" movie trailers: Watch the supercut. (VIDEO)

What If The Transformers Were Dapper Steampunk Robots

What If The Transformers Were Dapper Steampunk Robots

PaperBack



Wade Miller (Bob Wade & Bill Miller), Stolen Woman, Gold Medal, 1950

Someone Should Do a Post on Overlong Novels

10 Inexplicably Overlong Movies 

Or Maybe You Did

9 Bizarre Facts You Didn't Know About King Tut's Mummy

16 Fancy Literary Techniques Explained By Disney

16 Fancy Literary Techniques Explained By Disney

The Amazon Review as a Comedic Art Form

Modern Masterpieces of Humor: The Amazon Review as a Comedic Art Form

13 good performances in terrible movies

13 good performances in terrible movies

Overlooked Movies -- Seven Days in May

The recent events in Egypt reminded me of this movie, which is about a plot to stage a military coup in the U. S.  The book the movie is based on was kind of a big deal when I was in college, so I read it and then a few years later saw the movie, which was also kind of a big deal.

Probably very few people reading this remember General Edwin Walker, that is unless you've been reading some of the JFK assassination novels that have come out recently.  Walker was an ultra-conservative general who ran for governor of Texas at about the time this book came out and who was later arrested for his involvement in rioting at the University of Mississippi when a black student tried to enroll.  Someone tried to assassinate Walker after that, and that's where he comes into the Kennedy novels, as some believe Lee Harvey Oswald was involved.

So here's the "what if":  What if a general like Walker decided that it was time to get rid of the president?  This is an SF novel in a way, since the setting was in the 1970s, about ten years after the publication of the novel and the appearance of the movie.  The general (Burt Lancaster) is opposed to the president's signing a nuclear disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union, and in seven days the general's troops will stage the coup.  A Marine colonel (Kirk Douglas) finds out about this and tells the president.  The rest of the movie is a race against time to get the evidence needed to stop the plot.

Lots of good performances here, especially Douglas and Lancaster.  Edmond O'Brien as a heavy-drinking senator get the Oscar nomination, though.  

Seven Days in May

MOVIE TRAILER -- "SEVEN DAYS IN MAY" (1964) - YouTube:

Monday, July 08, 2013

Something SCHLOCKING Is Coming!

Something SCHLOCKING Is Coming!

Bid Early and Often

Batman Comics Auction Expected To Yield $500,000 (PHOTOS)

Hat tip to George Kelley.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Woman stabbed on Midtown subway platform: A staring match turned into a violent cat fight between three women during rush hour on a Midtown No. 6 train this morning, cops said.

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

Rolling Stone: The 21 Greatest Sidekicks in Movie History

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Police: 18 departments needed to break up massive house party... |

10 Body Parts You Could Do Without

10 Body Parts You Could Do Without 

Paris Hilton Update

Paris Hilton Sunbathing With Her Dogs

Song of the Day (In Honor of Johnny Depp's Tonto)

David Seville - Bird on My Head - YouTube:

Or Maybe You Will

12 Movies You Won’t Believe Are Oscar Winners 

Today's Vintage Ad


The Science Thriller

Top Suspense Group: The Science Thriller

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Houston - News: The study found that more guns were reported lost or stolen in Texas than in any other state in the country, to the tune of 18,874, or about 10 percent of the guns reported lost or stolen for the entire country.

Daddy Longlegs Update

chicagotribune.com: Scientists have discovered that what they thought was a single species of daddy longlegs is actually three, according to a new study.

PaperBack



Wade Miller (Bob Wade & Bill Miller), The Tiger's Wife, Gold Medal, 1951

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

World's largest pet rodent

Hat tip to Art Scott.

Disneyland Voce 1955

Disneyland Voce 1955 - YouTube:

As if I didn't know it already, I really did grow up in a different world.  These scenes from Disneyland will give you an idea of what it was like in the old days.  No crowds.  And notice how the people are dressed for their day in an amusement park.  Men in suits.  Women in dresses and hats.  It's world that's a long time gone.

Link via Boing Boing.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

. . . and now it's the baptism party fight.

Man arrested after baptism party fight that left one dead of a gunshot wound, three injured

Or Was She Just Glad to See You?

American Airlines flight attendant accused of hiding rats in her underwear: lawsuit 

New Poem at The 5-2

The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly, Gerald So, Editor: Alison Morse ON THE FIRST HOT NIGHT IN MAY

Keeping Cool

America's oldest fridge

Annie Oakley

1952 ANNIE OAKLEY RE-ISSUE TRAILER BARBARA STANWYCK - YouTube:

Sunday, July 07, 2013

Exploding rhubarb chutney WBAGNFARN

Exploding rhubarb chutney wrecks retirement flat

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Latest "Getting Away with Murder" now Online

GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER #80 JULY 2013

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . . .

 StamfordAdvocate: WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) -- A Waterbury man has been arrested after he was accused of pointing a gun at neighbors who turned down his request for food at a July 4 barbecue.

Song of the Day

The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon - YouTube:

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Machete-wielding thief steals junk food

Top 10 Most Dangerous Highways in America

Top 10 Most Dangerous Highways in America

Today's Vintage Ad


Top Suspense Summer Sale -- Final Day!

Great books, low price!

12 More Weird Books That Really Exist

12 More Weird Books That Really Exist

PaperBack



Eric Hatch, The Golden Woman, Gold Medal, 1952

Where Exactly Is the Middle of Nowhere?

Where Exactly Is the Middle of Nowhere?

Click on #3 and you'll find one of my old haunts, where I lived and taught for 12 years.

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

A first for Galveston Beach Patrol: Water rescue of cow

15 Richest Fictional Characters

Yes, it's a slideshow.

How Soon We Forget

Giant croc Lolong now frozen and forgotten

On Dangerous Ground

1952 ON DANGEROUS GROUND TRAILER IDA LUPINO - YouTube: