ZBS and the adventures of Jack Flanders!

The Fourth Tower of Inverness is a wonderful adventure story starring Jack Flanders and was aired originally as a multi-episodic radio show in the 1970's. The story is filled with colorful characters such as Lady Jowls, Dr. Mazoolah, Chief Wampum, Old Far Seeing Art, and Little Freida who likes to smoke Cuban cigars. Jack travels to other lands found within the fourth tower and meets up with mythological characters and creatures found in Hindu tales and a Wurlitzer of Wisdom that plays selections from Ram Dass and the Venerable Van Vleet. The background music for FTH is chock full of rock n' roll ditties from the 1950's to big band swing music. I first heard the story in 1978 and loved it! Many years later I found the story on audio tape and listen to it still. So far I have obtained a few other Jack Flanders adventures on compact disc from ZBS foundation where it all began. ZBS has created oodles of stories starring Jack Flanders since the release of FTI in 1972. The latest adventure-and I think the last ever we'll hear starring Jack- is 2008. Take a look at the ZBS website for they have a wide range of audio stories to choose from. Three cheers to Meatball Fulton and ZBS! If you are a fan of audio stories and love imaginative, original stories that feed your mind, you will not be disappointed.

Karloff: Today's Hip Celebrity

Why do these photos of the Monster kind of remind me of photo shoots of curent day pop celebrities posing in a dark suit with thick soled shoes? Yes, Mr. Karloff, your photo shoots are meant to promote the movie but to me the photos predict the "celebrity" status he acquires as a horror film great. Little did he know.
Little did they know. It must have really been exciting to be there and be a part of the early days of the horror film genre starting with Universal studios followed by MGM and other studios wanting a piece of the pie. My film geekness and love of old flicks is showing right now, can you tell? I always feel sorry for the Monster because he is so misunderstood. Whenever I watch the films"Frankenstein" (1931) and "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) I feel a mix of sadness and awe. Sadness because how sad the Monster's life is once created and awe because of the cinematic beauty of both films.
The first glimpses we see of the Monster in "Frankenstein" are memorable. Super! The richness of black and white movies. Gorgeous. Why the need for colorization decades down the road....I just don't get it. Anyhoo...on with the show.

Boris Karloff's birthday 11/23

Happy Birthday Boris Karloff~November 23~

My birthday today...

I am 50 years old today and boy is it a scream.

40th Anniversary of Strange Paradise Oct.20

It has been many years since I watched "Strange Paradise" when it first aired. I don't remember much of the plot...but I do remember the exotic location, the laboratory...kinda spooky storylines, odd characters, the scientist and of course, the cliffhanger at the end of each 30 minute episode. Weekday afternoons were spent with several of us kids gathering at a friend's house after school hunkered around the television in rapt attention and anticipation spending an hour of delightful escapism away from the rigors of daily life (and homework) to eagerly watch back-to-back Strange Paradise" followed by "Dark Shadows" ". Why "Strange Paradise" lasted less than a year is a mystery to me. My juvenile mind loved the suspense and quirky storylines and it made a strong impression on my fifth-grader mind. Can't say that about many programs on television nowadays.

Happy Howl-oween!

This Halloween Hounds photo was sent to me in an email a few years back and I have kept it ever since because it is so cute! Dogs will do the darndest things for their pets. The origin of the photo is lost to me but I have seen it listed as a reference point on Google Images quite a few times so apparently it is very popular and has been used in many blogs.

woof!

Who'd a thunk! Yesterday while watching the CBS News Sunday Morning a segment about The Twilight Zone was aired in celebration of it's 5oth anniversary. Yep, the first episode aired on October 2, 1959. I still remember watching the show in reruns when I was five or six and feeling creeped out by the episode that dealt with the dolls in the donation bin. My favorite was "The Bewitchin' Pool". Over the years I have enjoyed watching them again during marathon runs on Sci Fi channel (now SyFy...what gives with that?). Twilight Zone truly made a lasting impression on my young, impressionable little brain. Happy Anniversary Twilight Zone. Thank you Rod Serling.


I highly recommend a biography on Rod Serling written by Joel Engel, "Rod Serling: the dreams and nightmares of life in the twilight zone: a biography", published in 1989.