Movie Review: Boys of the City (1940) directed by Joseph H. Lewis Summer, 1940. New York City is in the middle of a scorching heatwave. “Knuckles” Dolan (Dave O’Brien) is worried about his kid brother Danny Dolan (Bobby Jordan) and his gang of underprivileged youths. It’s been too hot for them to exercise and blow off… Continue reading Movie Review: Boys of the City
Tag: ethnic stereotypes
Book Review: Frank Merriwell’s School Days
Book Review: Frank Merriwell’s School Days by Burt L. Standish This is the first of the long-running and once-famous Frank Merriwell series of exciting books for teenaged boys. These were written by Gilbert Patten under the pen name of Standish, and the first few volumes are actually compilations of stories originally published in Tip-Top Weekly,… Continue reading Book Review: Frank Merriwell’s School Days
Book Review: Tom Swift and His Ocean Airport
Book Review: Tom Swift and His Ocean Airport by Victor Appleton The Tom Swift series of books are about a young inventor who gets into various adventures involving the technology he works with. They started out relatively realistic, with him as a teenager who tinkers with motorcycles and motorboats that he comes into possession of,… Continue reading Book Review: Tom Swift and His Ocean Airport
Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959)
Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959) directed by Howard Hawks Rio Bravo is a small town in the West Texas county of Presidio, not too far from the Mexican border. The rancher with the biggest spread nearby is Nathan Burdette (John Russell). He also has something of a monopoly on guns for hire in the area, being… Continue reading Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959)
Book Review: Star Bridge
Book Review: Star Bridge by Jack Williamson and James E. Gunn It is considerable time into the future, and humanity has gone to the stars. At first they crawled out and scattered, because the lightspeed limit meant it took forever to get anywhere interesting and there was no way to establish meaningful ties between worlds.… Continue reading Book Review: Star Bridge
Movie Review: The Castle of Fu Manchu
Movie Review: The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969) directed by Jesus Franco Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) has once again resurfaced. This time he has a plan to extort the nations of the world by freezing the oceans. He demonstrates proof of concept by creating an iceberg in the Caribbean and sinking a ship. Which works, but… Continue reading Movie Review: The Castle of Fu Manchu
Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House
Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House by Julianne DeVries Summer vacation has just started, and the high-spirited Camp Fire Girls of Wa-Wan-Da Council of Oakdale have already assaulted a federal agent. Fortunately, George Thompson, personal representative of the President of the United States, is in a forgiving mood. You see, that… Continue reading Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House
Book Review: The Spider #08: The Mad Horde
Book Review: The Spider #08: The Mad Horde edited by Rich Harvey Quick recap: The Spider is a violent vigilante who battles master criminals in 1930s America. He is secretly wealthy amateur criminologist Richard Wentworth, who believes there are some criminals the police simply aren’t equipped to deal with. The Spider brands his kills with… Continue reading Book Review: The Spider #08: The Mad Horde
Movie Review: The Chinese Cat (1944)
Movie Review: The Chinese Cat (1944) directed by Phil Rosen Six months ago, Thomas P. Manning, businessman and chess expert, was shot to death in his study, the door locked from the inside. The police have been unable to solve the case. Daughter Leah Manning (Joan Woodbury) is dismayed to discover that a new book… Continue reading Movie Review: The Chinese Cat (1944)
Comic Book Review: Batman Archives Volume 1
Comic Book Review: Batman Archives Volume 1 written by Bill Finger & Gardner Fox, art by Bob Kane & Sheldon Moldoff Batman was the second full-fledged superhero published by National Periodicals, soon to be better known as DC. The kernel of the idea was proposed by artist Bob Kane, and fleshed out by writer Bill… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Batman Archives Volume 1