Movie Review: Chained for Life (1952)

Vivian/Violet and Dorothy/Daisy sing a duet.

Movie Review: Chained for Life (1952) directed by Harry L. Fraser Vivian and Dorothy Hamilton (Violet and Daisy Hilton) are conjoined twins (called “Siamese twins” in the movie as that was the slang of the time) who work as a singing duet in vaudeville. Variety show attendance is down overall so the Bijou’s owner Mr. MacKenzie… Continue reading Movie Review: Chained for Life (1952)

Movie Review: The Broadway Melody (1929)

Hank, Eddie and Queenie huddle to discuss their plans for Broadway success.

Movie Review: The Broadway Melody (1929) directed by Harry Beaumont Things are looking up for Eddie Kearns (Charles King). The singer/composer/dancer has managed to sell his latest song, “The Broadway Melody” to producer Francis Zanfield (Eddie Kane) to use in his new musical revue, sung by himself! Plus his fiancée Henrietta “Hank” Mahoney (Bessie Love) has… Continue reading Movie Review: The Broadway Melody (1929)

Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942

Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942 The Black Hood was one of the superheroes created for the MLJ (later Archie) Comics line, first appearing in Top-Notch Comics #9 in 1940. Matthew Kipling “Kip” Burland was originally a rookie cop who was framed for grand larceny and injured to near death by a criminal known as… Continue reading Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942

Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II

Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II edited by Ross E. Lockhart It’s spooky stuff month again, so I sat down with this thick volume (24 stories) of tales inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft for a couple of weeks. This is a sequel to The Book of Cthulhu that I reviewed earlier on… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II

Book Review: Ginny Gordon and the Broadcast Mystery

Book Review: Ginny Gordon and the Broadcast Mystery by Julie Campbell Virginia “Ginny” Gordon is a 14-year-old high schooler in Harristown, a suburb in Westchester County, New York. She belongs to a club called the Hustlers, who start various business ventures and pass them on when they become successes. The other members are 15-year-old John… Continue reading Book Review: Ginny Gordon and the Broadcast Mystery

Manga Review: Asadora! Volume 5

Manga Review: Asadora! Volume 5 by Naoki Urasawa Note: This review contains SPOILERS for earlier volumes of Asadora! It is 1964, and the Tokyo Olympics are about to begin. But there has been a sighting of “that thing”, a gigantic creature of unknown origins, in the vicinity. If it can’t be driven off, the Olympics… Continue reading Manga Review: Asadora! Volume 5

Movie Review: The Comancheros

Jake and Paul have a contentious relationship at first.

Movie Review: The Comancheros (1961) directed by Michael Curtiz In 1843, gambler and womanizer Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) kills a man in an illegal duel in Louisiana. This ordinarily wouldn’t be a problem, except that the dead man (who’d falsely accused him of cheating at cards to eliminate him as a romantic rival) had a politically… Continue reading Movie Review: The Comancheros

Magazine Review: Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine May/June 2021

Magazine Review: Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine May/June 2021 edited by Linda Landrigan In 1956, HSD Publications wanted to create a new mystery story magazine. To boost sales, they licensed the name of Alfred Hitchcock, a famous director who was then the host of a popular television show. While Mr. Hitchcock otherwise had nothing to do… Continue reading Magazine Review: Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine May/June 2021

Movie Review: An Affair to Remember

Nickie and Terry flirt aboard the ship.

Movie Review: An Affair to Remember (1957) directed by Leo McCarey International playboy Niccolo Ferrante (Cary Grant) is traveling back from Italy to marry his heiress fiancée Lois Clark (Neva Patterson). On the ship, Nickie discovers that his lost cigarette case is in the hands of nightclub singer Terry McKay (Deborah McKerr, singing voice by Marnie… Continue reading Movie Review: An Affair to Remember

Magazine Review: The Shadow #60: Prince of Evil | Messenger of Death | Room 1313

Magazine Review: The Shadow #60: Prince of Evil | Messenger of Death | Room 1313 edited by Anthony Tollin There were multiple authors who operated under the house name Maxwell Grant to write the pulp magazine Shadow stories. This volume of Shadow reprints features three of them and is an interesting study in compare and… Continue reading Magazine Review: The Shadow #60: Prince of Evil | Messenger of Death | Room 1313