Tagged: England

Ray Harryhausen, 1920-2013

ray_harryhausen-5886923He brought out dreams to life.

Raymond “Ray” Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) died today at age 92, leaving behind a legacy of pioneering special effects work and a filmography that has deeply influenced writers, artists, and filmmakers for generations.

Dubbed by Starlog as “The Man Who Work Miracles”, he was one of the most influential movie makers who was himself inspired by Willis O’Brien’s stop-motion animation in King Kong. He took O’Brien’s efforts and improved upon them, branding it as Dynamation.

mjy0090-8864937Although he resided in England for the majority of his adult life, Harryhausen was born in Los Angeles. King Kong was the spark that set him on a course towards a career in film, meticulously creating miniatures that could be photographed a few frames at a time followed by the tiniest of movements, followed by more frames, until the model appeared to move across the screen. This was done with artistry and engineering know-how long before Industrial Light and Magic brought computer-aided technology to the process.

When the legend met the student, they bonded quickly and Harryhausen was given pointers to improve his work through trial, error and art classes. Along the way, he befriended fellow Angelino Ray Bradbury, just at the beginning of his fantastic career. Little wonder they both belonged to Forrest J. Ackerman’s Science Fiction League, linking the trio until their deaths.

beast-from-20000-fathoms02-5938313Like O’Brien, Harryhausen strove for realistic creatures to confront the live-action performers, drawing inspiration from the myths and legends familiar to people the world over. He began his professional career with George Pal, contributing to his series of Puppetoon shorts. World War II intervened and Harryhausen was assigned to the Special Services Division, continuing to make movies. This proved an invaluable tutorial and lab for experimenting with his animation techniques.

Soon after leaving the service, he embarked on the first of several dream projects that would dot his career. He did some demo footage based on H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds but the project never materialized. Instead, he was hired to work on Mighty Joe Young, letting the master and student work together and earning them earning them the Academy Award in 1949 for best Special Effects. Harryhausen was hired solo to provide the effects to The Monster from Beneath the Sea. When a connection was made to Bradbury’s story “The Fog Horn”, the film was renamed The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, the story’s original title and was released to acclaim and box office success in 1953.

By this point, Harryhausen had developed the technique that saw him shoot the actors then animate the creatures, splitting the image between foreground and background, the latter becoming a rear projection with the models before it. With mattes, the images were combined and Dynamation was born, although it was named later.

thegoldenvoyageofsinbad-2-8624227Harryhausen continued to evolve his work and then made the leap to color with The 7th Voyage of Sinbad in 1958. By now, he was partnered with producer Charles H. Schneer – beginning with It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) — who helped him perfect the shift to color, experimenting with different stocks until the look was right. Given the requirements of the models, Harryhausen became far more intimately involved in the story than most effects men ever did, ultimately co-directing many features although Director’s Guild rules denied him his proper credits.

The Sinbad series of films found an eager audience in the later 1950s and early 1960s as all things fantastic played well on screen. It offered adults, and their children, a wholesome escape from the Cold War tensions. It wasn’t all fantasy and monsters as Harryhausen and Schneer also produced several science fiction tales, such as 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957).

jasonandtheargonauts11-300x213They continued to produce works that stretched the imagination until 1963 and what is considered by many his finest outing, Jason and the Argonauts. Here, there was the amazing complex battle with the skeletons and the multi-armed gorgon. Little wonder that Tom Hanks, who first saw it as a kid, proclaimed years later, “Some people say Casablanca or Citizen Kane…I say Jason and the Argonauts is the greatest film ever made!”

Despite this pinnacle of technological achievement, tastes were changing and he endured a series of box office failures. After losing his contract with Columbia Pictures, he wound up in England working for Hammer Films’ One Million Years B.C. (1967). That film’s success allowed him to on to make The Valley of Gwangi (1969), a labor of love considering it was O’Brien’s unrealized dream project.

Harryhausen endured a lean 1970s, kept in the minds of readers thanks to Ackerman’s devoted retrospectives in the pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland. Finally, thanks to Star Wars, inspired in part by Harryhausen’s work, the appetite for fantasy was back and he revived Sinbad beginning with The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.  This and its sequel Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger were suddenly feeling dated and jokey, not at all what modern day audiences found palatable.

gwangi_curious-1386283He put everything he had into his Greek myth opus Clash of the Titans (1981), working with protégés Steve Archer Jim Danforth, much as O’Brien mentored him. With a star-studded cast and the addition of the impressive Kraken, the film was a last hurrah but for audiences now used to computer-generated effects, it looked and felt dated. Harryhausen was effectively retired, like it or not.

Thankfully, his work was rediscovered with h advent of magazines like Starlog, the rise of cable television, and a new generation of fans enchanted by his creations. As a result, he released several lovely books about his career:  Film Fantasy Scrapbook, An Animated Life, The Art of Ray Harryhausen, and A Century of Model Animation. With the arrival of home video, Harryhausen personally oversaw the restoration and transfer of his films, from VHS to Blu-ray.

Clash-Of-The-Titans-Kraken-300x208Harryhausen relocated to England in 1960 and in 2005, donated his archive, some 50,000 pieces, to the National Media Museum in Bradford, England. His efforts have not gone unrewarded such as being given the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for “technological contributions [which] have brought credit to the industry” in 1992, handed to him by Bradbury, and a special BAFTA award, delivered by director Peter Jackson.

Hollywood didn’t forget Harryhausen either, with Columbia’s parent, Sony, naming their main screening theater after him and his receipt of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

His influence and spirit will live on for generations to come thanks to his films being available to enjoy and the generations of filmmakers he inspired.

 

HARD BOILED WESTERN OMNIBUS DEBUTS FROM PRO SE-SAVAGE NOIR BY GREG NORGAARD!

  • News
  • March 6, 2013

An untamed land of lawless men and deadly decisions.  Evil hides in the shadows of alleys and Good dies on blood soaked streets. Loose words lead to skinned sixguns and flying lead.  A land where a man has to be of a certain breed.  Tough, relentless, unforgiving.  A land where a man has to be…Savage.


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Pro Se Productions, a leading publisher of Genre Fiction and New Pulp proudly presents SAVAGE NOIR: The Complete Adventures of Frank Savage.  Written by Greg Norgaard, SAVAGE NOIR is a hard boiled two fisted western.  This omnibus features the original two novels featuring Norgaard’s raw, exciting protagonist-Frank Savage- as well as a never before published short story chronicling Savage’s last adventure.

There is only one way to deal with murderous souls when killing is their modus operandi and revenge is on their mind. When the West was wild, one man knew this better than any other. His name was Frank Savage.

A SAVAGE RETRIBUTION – On a cross country stagecoach trip, Frank’s destiny causes him to cross paths with people from his past.  Unaware that they are being followed, Frank must come to terms with his old ways.  With the help of his friends, he will face his past and fight for their lives against a madman who will stop at nothing to get his savage retribution.

A SAVAGE DARKNESS –The violent story of four lawmen in search of a murderous group of psychopaths.  Frank leads his new found partners into Chicago’s dangerous underworld in order to destroy the killers who savagely murdered one man’s family.

AN AMERICAN SAVAGE- Never Before Published!  This trek takes Frank to England for his final mission- to stop a killer from continuing his rampage.  A killer that he should have disposed of when he had the chance.  It will not be a mistake Savage makes twice!

According to Paul Bishop (Fight Card), “Savage Noir is not your father’s western.  Frank Savage is a flawed hero riding hell-bent for violence.  Nasty.  Brutish.  Twisted.  I loved every page.” 

Gordon Dymowski (Zone 4/Blog THIS Pal) recommends, “If you like your Westerns a little wilder than most, you’ll dig SAVAGE NOIR.”

SAVAGE NOIR: THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF FRANK SAVAGE by Greg Norgaard is currently available from Pro Se Productions at https://www.createspace.com/4190844 and at Amazon and Barnes & Noble!  Coming Soon to Kindle, Nook, and Other E-Readers!

For Interviews with the author or more information on Pro Se Productions, contact proseproductions@earthlink.net!

New Who Review – “The Power of Three”

The Doctor is very good at saving the world, but very poor at sitting still.  So when he’s stuck waiting a full year for an invasion to start, it gives a new meaning to cabin fever.  The Year of the Slow Invasion, the year The Doctor got involved in Amy and Rory’s life and not the other way around.  A very personal episode (featuring the entire world), rife with spoilers, so sit back, and keep your eye on the box.

(more…)

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It’s Writing, Captain, But Not As We Know It

  • News
  • August 17, 2012

darkandstormy_5013-5625430The annual running of the bad prose has come again, with the winners of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest announced Monday. (Yes, that page is apparently official, even though it looks like something that crawled out of 1996, and not before dying, either.)

In honor of the “dark and stormy night” feller, the judges of the Bulwer-Lytton contest every year choose the most lousy opening sentence they can from among a myriad entrants. This year’s winner was:

As he told her that he loved her she gazed into his eyes, wondering, as she noted the infestation of eyelash mites, the tiny deodicids burrowing into his follicles to eat the greasy sebum therein, each female laying up to 25 eggs in a single follicle, causing inflammation, whether the eyes are truly the windows of the soul; and, if so, his soul needed regrouting.

And it was extruded by one Cathy Bryant of Manchester, England.

Since there are always more bad sentences, there are also category winners. Those of genre interest are:

  • Fantasy: “The brazen walls of the ancient city of Khoresand, situated where the mighty desert of Sind meets the endless Hyrkanean steppe, are guarded by day by the four valiant knights Sir Malin the Mighty, Sir Welkin the Wake, Sir Darien the Doughty, and Sir Yrien the Yare, all clad in armor of beaten gold, and at night the walls are guarded by Sir Arden the Ardent, Sir Fier the Fearless, Sir Cyril the Courageous, and Sir Damien the Dauntless, all clad in armor of burnished argent, but nothing much ever happens.” from David Lippmann of Austin, TX
  • Science Fiction: “As I gardened, gazing towards the autumnal sky, I longed to run my finger through the trail of mucus left by a single speckled slug – innocuously thrusting past my rhododendrons – and in feeling that warm slime, be swept back to planet Alderon, back into the tentacles of the alien who loved me.” from Mary E. Patrick of Lake City, SC

(via Publishers Weekly)

FIBBER, OPERATOR 5, THE SPIDER, AND SO MUCH MORE FROM RADIO ARCHIVES!

  • News
  • June 15, 2012

RadioArchives.com Newsletter

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June 15, 2012
 
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Very few shows from Radio’s golden age had an impact that still today resonates throughout society and entertainment. One such program left its mark indelibly on performers, on our language, on popular culture in a number of ways. Forever changing the landscape of American comedy, it featured a duo all others would be judged by. Why is evident in The Fibber McGee and Molly Show, The 1939/1940 Season from Radio Archives!
 
Best known as the blustery storyteller and his witty, long suffering wife, Jim and Marian Jordan did in fact have a lot in common with Fibber and Molly, the characters they created for themselves. Married in 1918, The Jordans worked to be entertainers together. Spending the next nearly seven years trying to break into show business and failing, The Jordans finally got their chance in 1924 when they rushed to a radio station, sure they could perform better than the singing act they’d just heard on the same station.
 
The rest indeed is history, but it was a history marked with many ups and downs as well as a multitude of other characters, real and fictional, joining Jim and Marian as they made ‘Fibber McGee and Molly’ not only a hit on the radio, but a remarkable page all its own in American history.
 
Restored to “Sparkling Radio Archives” audio quality, The Fibber McGee and Molly Show, The 1939/1940 Season is a 20 hour collection that begins a series of collections featuring individual seasons of the classic program as originally heard over 70 years ago. Only $59.98 from Radio Archives!
 

Special New Release Price: Save $20 for the next two weeks. Only $39.98 in a beautful 20 CD storage case!

 
 
 
weirdtales-3932907“Weird Tales” was a proposed radio series recorded in Hollywood in 1932 and based on stories in the famous horror themed Pulp of the same name, notable for featuring such iconic authors as Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft. The series was produced by Hollywood Radio Attractions, 4376 Sunset Drive, Hollywood. In a promotional flyer for the program, they advertise three episodes that had been produced and the company was planning to record a total of 52 half-hour shows.
 
Scholars looking at the history of “Weird Tales” magazine have heard about the series for years, but no recordings of the shows themselves or many detail about the series have surfaced until now.
 
Radio Archives is giving you a chance to hear an episode of Weird Tales for Free! Similar to “The Witch’s Tale”, the show was created in such a way that they could be played as one half-hour program each week or split into two fifteen minute shows, completing one story each week. Click the Weird Tales Banner and listen to the Weird Tales radio show today!

 
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NEW Pulp Audiobook: Operator #5 “#1 The Masked Invasion”
 

Before James Bond was ever imagined, Jimmy Christopher was the bravest, boldest and best-equipped secret agent any nation ever had!

 

 

From out of the pages of Operator #5 magazine steps a dramatic hero who pits himself against threats to national security from all origins. Whether it’s subversive internal menace, or a full-scale invasion from an enemy land, James Christopher stood ready and resolute to defeat it.

 

In 1934, with Hitler consolidating power in Germany and the Japanese Empire on the rise in Asia, young pulp publisher Harry Steeger decided that the American public was ready for a magazine chronicling the exploits of an undercover agent dedicated to defending the United States from foreign aggressors. With his editors, Steeger came up with a title, Secret Service Operator #5, and a cover depicting a masked terrorist fleeing an exploding White House. Over this loomed the resourceful hero, blazing away with a .45 automatic. His job: to defeat a new invasion of the United States—every month!

 

James Christopher did not technically belong to the U. S. Secret Service. He was a top agent for an America’s unnamed Intelligence Service. It was in his blood. His father, John Christopher, retired from the same agency years before. Answerable only to his superior, Z-7, and carrying a letter from the President of the United States identifying him as Operator #5, Jimmy Christopher played for keeps. He carried a rapier sewn into his belt, and in a golden skull hanging from his watch-chain was a reservoir of poison to be taken in the event of capture.

 

Aided by a small group of trusted assistants, ranging from his twin sister Nan to scrappy street urchin Tim Donovan, Jimmy Christopher was a one-man defense force. Proud and patriotic, expert marksman and swordsman, he was the best America has to offer in a time of severe trial.

 

Originally written by master pulpsmith Frederick C. Davis, the Operator #5 series was a clear forerunner of the spy and espionage genre, which exploded in the 1960s when President John F. Kennedy happened remark that he enjoyed reading Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. The first Bond film, Dr. No, was released in 1962. Soon, America was surrounded by spies. The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Our Man Flint, and Nick Carter, Killmaster were just a few of the most prolific. Jimmy Christopher was on the job a generation before them all, blazing the espionage trail, and keeping America safe from fascism and other wicked isms.

 

Invisible, secret, deadly, the Masked Empire wielded its dread power of darkness throughout the nation. Havoc and ruin followed the terror-torn thousands who fled the country to escape the Thirteenth Darkness. America, faced with certain disaster, placed her chance of survival in one man’s capable hands — and prayed that the warrior gods might smile once more upon the miracle man of her Secret Service — Jimmy Christopher!

 

Into this unprecedented crisis plunged Jimmy Christopher. Only one man, but a man who embodied with the American spirit—and stands prepared to perish to protect his country. James Christopher, Operator #5 is voiced by the talented Richard Epcar. Order your copy today for only $17.98.

 
Interview with Audiobook Reader: Richard Epcar
 
One important aspect of bringing a Pulp classic to life as an audiobook is finding just the right voice to breathe life into the words on the page. Continuing its fine tradition of doing just that, Will Murray’s Pulp Classics from Radio Archives has matched one of Pulpdom’s most loved characters with a voice actor with a passion for the period and this type of character.
 
Jimmy Christopher, that super United States secret agent known to Pulp fans as Operator #5 is the newest character to be added to the ranks of The Spider, Doc Savage, and others to be featured in the audiobooks produced as a part of Will Murray’s Pulp classics. And giving voice to Christopher and to the stories themselves is a voice talent who feels a certain connection to a character that most definitely might be considered the James Bond of the Pulp set.
 
Richard Epcar has had an acting career in Los Angeles for nearly three decades. “I’ve appeared,” Epcar stated, “in films, television, commercials, stage and as a voice actor, I’ve voiced over 300 different characters in games, animation, commercials, foreign film dubs and anime.”
 
With this exceptional background in voice acting, Epcar’s involvement in the Operator #5 audiobook project is actually his first major professional association with Pulp. “Honestly,” Epcar admitted, “I haven’t had that much exposure to it, although I think that pulp fiction and I are a very good fit. I love the stories and I’m kind of an old school guy, so I think these books and my style really go hand in hand.”
 
As for Operator #5 specifically, Epcar finds himself well suited to take on a character that truly stands out amongst its Pulp peers and as a precursor to the Spy craze of the 1960s. Richard said, “I am a huge fan of spies and spy tales so this is perfect for me. I’m just starting the second book as we speak, and I’m really getting into the characters.”
 
The cast of the Operator #5 tales particularly appeals to Epcar. “They’re a bunch of wonderful characters and I’m having so much fun doing the different voices for each character. It has a great noir, old time comic book feel to it. I love the plots and the science involved, especially for the time, is amazing.”
 
Richard feels a connection, not only to the Operator #5 stories, but to the time when the stories were first published. “I love the period,” he said, referring to the heyday of Pulps. “I would have loved to have lived then. In some ways a simpler time, but a time with more style. I really enjoy getting into all the wonderful characters and becoming ensconced in the language of that time. I think people love these stories for the same reason I do-because they are wonderful period pieces, and great escapism. Like watching some old Bogart movie or any of the old Noir detective or spy films. There’s just a great feel to them and they create a lovely fantasy by which to escape into the world of espionage, danger and intrigue.”
 
Richard definitely notes the obvious comparisons between Jimmy Christopher and another famous spy, but recognizes differences that make Operator #5 stand out as well. “I’m a huge fan of spies, especially James Bond. Anyone who knows me knows that. My office is covered with 007 movie posters, figures, books and memorabilia. There are a lot of similarities between Bond and Christopher.”
 
“But unlike James Bond,” Richard continued, “Jimmy Christopher is an ace spy for the United States, he’s straight laced, a man of honor and high moral code, isn’t a womanizer, doesn’t really drink, but he is a master of many forms of combat and nobody’s fool. He’s also quite a magician, which is something really interesting that pops up in all the stories. The stories are fantastic and a lot of fun.”
 
Although many of the Operator #5 stories might be considered extravagant and over the top compared to other Pulp tales, Richard noted why he thought the stories appealed to the readers of Pulp in the 1930s and 40s. “Up until Pearl Harbor, the United States had never been attacked. I think the idea of a foreign power invading us and taking over is a very frightening thought for all Americans. It might even be enough to cause us to stop bickering amongst ourselves. I think by using our actual enemies at the time, it gives the stories more verisimilitude.”
 
He also recognizes why Operator #5 is an ideal character to bring to modern listeners in the Will Murray’s Pulp Classics audiobook line. “Perhaps when these books were written the idea of attacking our mainland seemed far fetched, but as 9-11 showed, we’re not impregnable. I think audiences today will love these stories, for the characters, the incredible action, and that sense of another time, also they have a fantastic hero-Jimmy Christopher.”
 
Operator #5 is a series that fans of Pulp and audiobooks will enjoy for its action, fast pace, and stunning characters brought to life by Richard Epcar. “I love the feel of the books,” Richard said. “I think they are great story telling and you care about the characters. I really like that Jimmy Christopher is a man of honor, yet he is also self-effacing. I like the relationships between all the characters, they are really fleshed out, and not one dimensional and I said before, you really care about them. I’ve really been enjoying reading these books and I hope that everyone enjoys my interpretation of Operator #5.”
 
Operator #5 “#1 The Masked Invasion” is the latest title from Will Murray’s Pulp Classics voiced by Richard Epcar and available now! Stay tuned for more adventures of Jimmy Christopher voiced by Epcar from Radio Archives!
 

Guest Audiobook Review: The Spider “Wings of the Black Death”
by Ron Fortier, Airship 27
 
With the expansion of the increasing popular New Pulp movement, it was only inevitable that the audio book industry would enter this exciting new field. One of the most aggressive to do so in the past year has been Radio Archives out of Spokane, Washington, headed by the wonderfully creative and energetic Roger Rittner. Working with noted pulp writer and historian, Will Murray, Rittner and Radio Archives have began doing expansive audio book versions of classic pulp thrillers with the feel of genuine old time radio melodramas. It is important to note that these are not exact, full cast recordings, but by adding brilliant sound effects and period background music, Radio Archives provides such marvelous audio atmosphere as to beautifully mimic those old radio plays.
 
“Wings of the Black,” was written by Norvell Page, writing as Grant Stockbridge, and appeared in the December 1933 issue of “The Spider” magazine. This exciting audio adaptation produced and directed by Rittner, features Nick Santa Maria as both the narrator and primary male characters to include Richard Wentworth, aka the Spider, and Police Commissioner Stanley Kirkpatrck along with Robin Riker who takes on the role of Nita Van Sloan, Wentworth’s paramour. They are absolutely marvelous, each evoking these well known characters as we all imagined they would sound…and act towards each other.
 
The plot centers about a fiendish villain calling himself the Black Death. He has managed to get a strain of the Bubonic Plague and is systematically unleashing it on the people of New York City. He will only stop when they pay him a billion dollar ransom. As if that were not horrendous enough, this merciless fiend has managed to convince the police that it is the Spider who is responsible to the point of leaving the Spider’s telltale crimson seal on the foreheads of his policemen victims. Now, for the first time ever, Commissioner Kirkpatrick finds himself believing the Spider is in reality a heartless monster and he proceeds to hunt him down with all the resources at his command. Suddenly Richard Wentworth is battling both the fiendish mastermind and the police, frantically trying to evade capture until he can solve the mystery of the Black Death and bring him to justice.
 
Rittner’s direction is pace-perfect as he leads both Santa Maria and Riker through each chapter hitting all the right beats, from moments of intense action scenes to those of quiet, anxious reflection as the pair, depending on each other as never before, endure the Spider’s greatest challenge of his crime-fighting career. Radio Archives’ “The Spider – Wings of the Black Death,” is a winner from the opening scene to the last. It pulls the listener into the raw, brutal, fantastic world of the classic pulps and in the end provides such a unique, rewarding experience as to delight both old and new fans alike.
 
Finally, this audio book is available both as a digital download and in the 6 CD set, both reasonably priced. For those into new fangled digital toys, this reviewer would imagine the digital version would be their obvious choice. Whereas the legion of audio book listeners who prefer enjoying books while on long road trips will find the CD set much to their liking. Either way, this is a package you will be thrilled with. And if you aren’t familiar with audio books, this is easily the right book to begin with. Enjoy.

 

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The best of timeless Pulp now available as cutting edge Ebooks! Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings the greatest heroes, awesome action, and two fisted thrills to your E-Reader! Presenting Pulp Icons such as the Spider and Operator 5 as well as wonderfully obscure characters like Doctor Death and more, Will Murray’s Pulp Classics brings you the best of yesterday’s Pulp today!
 
Five new golden age Pulp tales exquisitely reformatted into visually stunning E-books!

 

Mysterious death, suicide, and madness took uncanny toll of New York’s most prominent citizens. Only the Spider sensed the presence of the criminal genius whose tentacles were strangling the city — and the Spider was next on the crime monster’s death list! Another epic exploit of America’s best-loved pulp-fiction character of the 1930s and 1940s: The Spider — Master of Men! As a special Bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction: “Meet the Spider” especially for this series of eBooks.
 
America faces certain doom as its citizens fall in screaming thousands before the noxious death vapors loosed upon them by the Green Hand. How can the Spider, harried and threatened by a hundred new and deadly perils, check the rising power of the next Dictator — and lay bare the scheming, criminal mind which seeks to enslave the nation? Another epic exploit of America’s best-loved pulp-fiction character of the 1930s and 1940s: The Spider — Master of Men! As a special Bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction: “Meet the Spider” especially for this series of eBooks.
 

The mad Emperor, warrior descendant of the ravagers of Asia, unleashed a new, horrible, ingenious weapon against the American people. While slant-eyed Mongols bent over a powerful death-machine, a thousand miles away, the air became unbreathable! Men and women and children — all living things — gasped for life-giving oxygen, and with searing, heaving lungs, fell strangled by the mysterious, deadly element. Against these demoniacal hordes, one man alone — Operator 5 — struggles while red revolt and destruction blasts America!
 
Jimmy Christopher, clean-cut, square-jawed and clear-eyed, was the star of the most audacious pulp magazines ever conceived — Operator #5. Savage would-be conquerors, creepy cults, weird weather-controllers and famine-creating menaces to our mid-western breadbasket… these were but a few of the fiendish horrors that Jimmy Christopher was forced to confront. Operator #5 returns in vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. As a special Bonus, Will Murray has written an introduction especially for this series of Operator #5 eBooks.

 
Trapped in the depths of Halley’s Comet, the Futuremen battle fourth-dimensional monsters in a titanic struggle to save the system’s solar energy! Captain Future… the Ace of Space! Born and raised on the moon, Curt Newton survived the murder of his scientist parents to become the protector of the galaxy known as Captain Future. With his Futuremen, Grag the giant robot, Otho, the shape-shifting android and Simon Wright, the Living Brain, he patrols the solar system in the fastest space ship ever constructed, the Comet, pursuing human monsters and alien threats to Earth and her neighbor planets.

 

Through an unguessable abyss fraught with peril, Curt Newton and the Futuremen set out to save the remnants of a great civilization from suicide and destruction! Captain Future… the Ace of Space! Born and raised on the moon, Curt Newton survived the murder of his scientist parents to become the protector of the galaxy known as Captain Future. With his Futuremen, Grag the giant robot, Otho, the shape-shifting android and Simon Wright, the Living Brain, he patrols the solar system in the fastest space ship ever constructed, the Comet, pursuing human monsters and alien threats to Earth and her neighbor planets.
 

When you purchase these beautifully reformatted eBooks from RadioArchives.com you receive all three formats in one ZIP file: PDF for PC or Mac computer; Mobi for Kindle and ePub for iPad/IPhone, Android, Sony eReader, and Nook. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your eBook novels to your new device without the need to purchase anything new.
 
Find these legendary Pulp tales and more in Will Murray’s Pulp Classics, now available in the Kindle store and the Barnes and Noble Nook store! The best Pulp eBooks now available for only $2.99 each from Radio Archives!
 
ebook1centoffer-71359021 cent Spider eBook!

 
For a limited time you can now download an exciting original Spider adventure for just one thin penny! Part of the Will Murray Pulp Classics line, The Spider #11, Prince of the Red Looters first saw print in 1934 and features his momentous battle with The Fly and his armies of crazed criminal killers. Their motto? Why “KILL THE SPIDER!” of course.
 
For those who have been unsure about digging into the wonderful world of pulps this is a perfect opportunity to give one of these fantastic yarns a real test run. With a full introduction to the Spider written by famed pulp historian and author Will Murray, The Spider #11 was written by one of pulp’s most respected authors, Norvell W. Page. Writing as Grant Stockbridge, Page’s stories included some of the most bizarre and fun takes on heroes and crime fighting in the history of escapist fiction.
 
Even today Page’s scenarios and his edge-of-the-seat writing style are still thrilling both new and old fans everywhere. For those who have never read one of these rollercoaster adventures, you are in for a thrill. If you already know how much fun a classic pulp is, make sure you download this bargain.
 
All eBooks produced by Radio Archives are available in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats for the ultimate in compatibility. When you purchase this eBook from RadioArchives.com you receive all three formats in one ZIP file. When you upgrade to a new eReader, you can transfer your Spider novels to your new device without the need to purchase anything new. Use the PDF version when reading on your PC or Mac computer. If you have a Kindle, the Mobi version is what you want. If you have an iPad/iPhone, Android, Sony eReader or Nook, then the ePub version is what you want.

 

 

Altus Press is proud to announce the release of the third volume in its acclaimed Wild Adventures of Doc Savage series, written by Will Murray and Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson.
 
Set in the Fall of 1936, The Infernal Buddha tells the epic story of Doc Savage’s desperate quest to control the Buddha of Ice, a relic of unknown origin—and what may become the most dangerous object on Earth!
 
When a mummy arrives at Doc Savage’s New York headquarters wearing the clothes of his missing assistant, engineer Renny Renwick, Doc, Monk, and Ham rush to Singapore where they get on the trail of a swashbuckling pirate who calls himself the Scourge of the South China Sea, in whose hands a piece of the infernal Buddha has fallen. The trail leads to Pirate Island, the fate of Renny, and a mysterious box containing a terrible, unstoppable power.
 
But that is only the beginning of the quest into which the Man of Bronze plunges—one that will take him to the upper reaches of the Yellow Sea and a series a wild ocean battles against the vicious factions fighting for control on the infernal Buddha.
 
Before it is all over, every human life on Earth will tremble on the brink of eternity, and Doc Savage will face his greatest test.
 
“This may be my wildest Doc novel to date,” says author Will Murray. “The Infernal Buddha is a fantasy epic full of corsairs, criminals and other culprits. The menace is planetary. The threat, extinction. Doc Savage has a reputation for saving the world. This time he does it on the greatest scale possible. I began this book back in 1992, working from an opening situation Lester Dent started in 1935. Together, we have produced a true Doc Savage epic. And it only took about 75 years….”
 
The Infernal Buddha features a startling cover painted by Joe DeVito, depicting Doc Savage as the Buccaneer of Bronze! This cover was painted from a still taken in 1964 of legendary model Steve Holland, and is a variant pose shot for famed illustrator James Bama’s classic cover to The Man of Bronze. There has never been a Doc cover like it! Buy it today for only $24.95 from Radio Archives.
 

Girasol Collectables presents a fantastic example of Villain Pulps that thrilled and chilled readers of the early 20th Century. Dr. Death #1 is an authentic replica of the magazine as originally presented in February 1935. Featuring a full length tale starring the evil Dr. Death, this replica is designed to give fans a real idea of what holding and reading a pulp magazine really was like. Every aspect of the magazine is faithfully reproduced. Experience a harrowing tale of a Villain gone mad in Doctor Death #1, faithfully reproduced as a top of the line Pulp Replica from Girasol Collectables.
 

Altus Press publishes a book destined to be a Pulp history classic. Writings in Bronze by Will Murray, noted Pulp Expert and Historian, features the best of 40 years of articles on Lester Dent and Doc Savage written by Murray. Considered to be the leading expert on the author and his greatest creation, Murray brings to light many facts and insights about Dent and Doc in this collection of work, all articles that have been features in fanzines throughout the last four decades. Writings in Bronze is a definite must have for Pulp fans from Altus Press!

 

The Master of Darkness battles murderous master villains in thrilling pulp novels by Walter B. Gibson and Theodore Tinsley writing as “Maxwell Grant.” First, the Master of Darkness journeys to New Orleans to uncover the hidden identity of the international swindler known only as “Cyro.” Then, The Shadow suspects that “The Man Who Died Twice” still lives, and is the key to the Prince of Evil’s plot to murder Lamont Cranston! This instant collector’s item showcases the original color covers by George Rozen and Graves Gladney and the classic interior illustrations by legendary illustrators Tom Lovell and Earl Mayan, with historical commentary by Will Murray. Buy it today for $14.95.
 

A knockout painting by legendary paperback artist James Bama leads off a special variant edition of two action-packed pulp epics by Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, a bequest from a dying scientist leads Doc Savage to Death Valley in search of a long-dead pirate’s legendary treasure. Can this amazing invention allow “The Pirate’s Ghost” to speak from beyond the grave? Then, the Man of Bronze goes undercover at a Wyoming dude ranch to solve the bizarre puzzle of a strange “Green Eagle” with lead feathers! This special anniversary edition also showcases the original color pulp covers by Emery Clarke, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and an intriguing article by The Shadow’s famous raconteur, Walter B. Gibson. Priced at only $14.95.
 

The Pulp Era’s most unusual mystery man returns in three action-packed adventures by Paul Ernst and Emile Tepperman writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” Dick Benson’s life will be forever changed after “Murder on Wheels” and the mysterious Cole Wilson lure The Avenger into a deadly trap! Then, “The Three Gold Crowns” and a dentist’s forceps leads The Avenger to Mr. Death’s house of murder. PLUS: “Death to The Avenger,” a bonus Avenger novelette, and a Whisperer thriller by Alan Hathway. This classic pulp reprint features the color pulp covers by H. W. Scott, Paul Orban’s original interior illustrations and historical commentary by Will Murray. Priced at only $14.95 
 

One of the top crime-fighters from the golden age of pulp fiction, The Spider returns in two thrill-packed adventures written by Norvell Page under the pseudonym of Grant Stockbridge. First, in “The Spider and the Scarlet Surgeon” (1941), With unheard of skill, the Red Surgeon can change a patient into an imbecile… or a genius of crime! Not only can he alter the physical shell, but this mad doctor can even amputate parts of a victim’s personality, even their conscience. And his greatest ambition is to operate on none other than Stanley Kirkpatrick, Nita van Sloan… and the Spider! Then, in “The Spider and the Death Piper” (1942), Weird compelling music lures the inhabitants of Martinsville to suicide! By ones and twos at first, then in a stampede of maddened self-destruction. Even Richard Wentworth, with the iron will of the Spider, felt the irresistible calling of that Devil-tune! Can even the Master of Men prevail against an unearthly power that goads the listener to suicide? These two exciting pulp adventures have been beautifully reformatted for easy reading and feature both of the original full color covers as well as interior illustrations that accompany each story. Available now for $14.95!
 
 

artsippo-5566325

Review of “The King Maker” from Doc Savage, Volume 19
By Dr Art Sippo

 
The Ambassador of the Balkan nation of Calbia comes to Doc Savage to seek his protection against an assassination attempt. But while Doc is going to see him, the ambassador’s yacht is blown up in New York harbor! Then the beautiful Princess Gusta de Galbin of Calbia is in peril and Doc comes to her rescue. There is a revolution brewing in this Balkan nation and the Princess begs Doc to come with her. A new king must ascend the Calbian throne and Doc is being offered the job! The megalomaniac Captain Henri Flancul wants to make himself dictator and Gusta’s ailing father wants to abdicate in Doc’s favor offering the hand of his only daughter as both an enticement and a legitimization of royal succession.
 
Doc and his men go to Calbia and fight a guerrilla war against the anarchist seeking to take over the government. Flancul has a super weapon that he used to destroy the Ambassador’s yacht and he is threatening to use it against anyone who stands in the way of his rise to power.
 
This is a cloak and dagger tale of intrigue, suspense, and espionage. Doc and his men operate like an underground cell seeking out the villainous Captain Flancul. But this is the wily Flancul’s home turf and he knows how to play the game and fight a clandestine war. At stake is the throne of Calbia and the key to control the entire Balkan area of Europe.
 
Can Doc Savage prevail against a covert army of revolutionaries led by a man with Napoleonic visions of grandeur? Will he allow himself to be made King of Calbia? And will he accept the hand of the lovely Princess Gusta to seal the deal of rightful succession in this war torn land?
 
This is one of the earlier Doc Savage novels (October 1934) when Doc was at his super-heroic best. The stakes were high but Doc was always up for the challenge. Don’t miss this one! Only $12.95 from Radio Archives!
 

Comments From Our Customers!
 
SGT Michael D. Dean writes:
I just wanted to say thank you for your line of pulp classic ebooks. Not only are you offering these classic stories at a reasonable price, but you have also taken it upon yourselves to provide multiple formats, allowing customers a flexibility not offered through the regular Nook or Kindle storefronts. While that is not so significant when you only have one device, it is a great help if you’re looking for a new device and don’t want to lose your purchased books. Thank you for allowing us that flexibility not offered by all booksellers.
 
Uncle Chunk writes:

Real life has forced me to neglect my nostalgia life and I’m just now getting back to the important things…pulp reprints, for one. My last order was back in 2010. I just finished ordering two more reprints of The Shadow and I was pleasantly surprised to see the prices are unchanged and your inventory has expanded.
 
Lou Dumont writes:
During the mid-summer weeks of 1945, I served as announcer on three of the ‘Date With The Duke’ radio shows. The first, in July, was at the RKO Keith Memorial Theatre, downtown Boston. A couple of weeks later, we did a remote for ABC from Marshfield, Massachusetts and in August, after V-J Day, another show from Marshfield. I have them on a reel to reel made by a friend some years back but the quality that you’ve got on your Radio Archives set is just outstanding and this is a testimonial and you can print that and I will be very pleased. Excellent sound. What pleasant memories. Keep up the great work. Lou Dumont still broadcasting at age 87.
Update
I’ve listened to several of the shows, hoping to find my voice and I did on program #34. I remember that the show vividly. He never gave us a play-list. Keeping an envelope on his piano, he had jotted down song titles. I would check with him, hoping he would give me a clue to help me quickly come up with an appropriate intro. So, if you hear this ‘rookie’ (aged 19) introducing “In a Mellow Tone,” “The Wish That I Wish Tonight” (sung by Joya Sherill); “C-Jam Blues”; “UltraViolet”; and that crazy intro about the alphabet, with Kay Davis singing “There’s No You.”
 
Norma Mawston writes from England:
Many thanks for your speedy response to my query regarding new Railroad Hour CD releases. I’ve immediately ordered Volume 3. Yippee-I-Kay!! Please keep them coming!!! Thanks again.

 
Allan Smith writes from England:
Have received latest package and just finished being completely entertained by “ The Spider – Wings of the Black Death “. It had me nailed to the chair until the early hours listening in the dark. Total enjoyment for me, a grand story, magnificently orated and enhanced so well by the subtle touch of delicate background atmosphere that works beautifully in generating that right sense of involvement. I was there and look forward to the next thrilling episode. Thanks so much for this piece as well as all that you produce and release. Cheers.
 
Owen Ken Knight writes:
I bought all 3 volumes of One Night Stand programs, and they’re wonderful! The sound quality is excellent, and whoever selected these from among the hundreds of AFRS recordings really knew what they were doing. High points are Jan Garber’s swing band with Debbie Claire (sister of the more famous Dorothy Claire) and Art Wayner’s orchestra with Ginnie Powell and Andy Pierce. Not to mention the two Gay Claridge segments with guitarist Mary Osborn singing. These performances, just to name a few, are treasures that I’ve listened to over and over again.
 

If you’d like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We’d love to hear from you!

 
The products you’ve read about in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you’ll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it’s the sparkling audio fidelity of our classic radio collections, the excitement of our new line of audiobooks, or the timeless novels of the pulp heroes, you’ll find hundreds of intriguing items at RadioArchives.com.
 
If you no longer wish to receive our newsletter, or if this newsletter has been sent to you in error, please reply to this e-mail with the subject line UNSUBSCRIBE and your name will immediately be removed from our mailing list.
 

REVIEW: We Bought a Zoo

I’ll tell you right up front that I had a stronger emotional reaction to the film than most audience members, largely because of the theme of loss that permeates most of the story. As a result, I found myself loving the We Bought a Zoo and have been recommending it to families ever since. Now that it is out on DVD from 20th Century Home Entertainment, I’m here to recommend it as a purchase as well.

Since we’re all about to fall in love with Scarlet Johansson all over again when she kicks ass in The Avengers, it’s good to see her actually acting here, paired nicely with Matt Damon, the grieving patriarch who needs to change his life in some way and chooses to do so in a rather radical fashion. (more…)

Meet The Panthans

  • Uncategorized
  • October 3, 2011
Cover Art: Mark Wheatley

Cover Art: Matt Wagner
Cover Art: Neil Vokes
The National Capital Panthans, founded in September 1996, are the Washington D.C., Baltimore, Annapolis and Northern Virginia area Chapter of the Burroughs Bibliophiles. Meetings are generally held on the firs…t Sunday of the month and are hosted by various members in their homes.

There are approximately 50 members from around the United States and one each from England, Canada and Germany. The Panthans hosted the 1998 Burroughs Bibliophiles Dum-Dum, the 1999 and 2003 ECOF Gatherings, and will again host the 2006 ECOF in Rockville, MD. Generally so many members go to ERB fan conventions hosted by others that the Panthans can be counted on to assist with registration. The Panthans have published a book, entitled “ERB – The Second Century,” which includes fan-produced fiction, scholarly deductions and many great illustrations!

To become a member and receive a monthly newsletter informing you about Panthans activities send your annual subscription fee of US $15.00 to:

John Tyner, Treasurer
5911 Halpine Road
Rockville, Maryland 20851-2410

For further information check their Web site at: www.taliesan.com/panthans/cover.htm

Outcasts

“This isn’t about humanity! This isn’t about the future!”

So said a member of the Outcasts cast late in the show’s abbreviated run and it’s a shame because a story set in the future should be about that very thing. Creator Ben Richards wrote earlier this year,

“The inspiration behind Outcasts was the desire to tell a pioneer story, and the only place you can do that really now is in space.

“I wanted to explore second chances, most fundamentally whether humanity is genetically hardwired to make the same mistakes again and again.

“The stories that kick start the series are intense, and hopefully moving, but the world view is never cynical or willfully pessimistic.”

In other words, he was hoping for the critical success of Battlestar Galactica but told stories more worthy of Space: 1999. The BBC series ran eight weeks earlier this year while it came to America in June to meet the same dismal critical reception. Now, BBC Video releases the complete series on a three-disc set.

Never heard of the show? That says a lot about how poorly received it was on both sides of the Atlantic. It was a serious-minded SF series, a counterpoint to the more over-the-top SF from England including Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Primeval. Sadly, it may have suffered more from self-importance than bad production.

Set in the middle of the 21st Century, mankind has ruined the Earth and its survivors have been coming in drips and drabs to the world of Carpathia, a mere five years’ travel distance. The remnants of humanity are trying to forge a new society but they all come with such baggage that fresh starts seem impossible. We join them ten years after the first colonists arrived and long after regular contact with the nuclear-devastated Earth was lost. A ship, perhaps the very last from Earth, arrives as we begin the series. We then see how life tries to work with the Protection and Security team keeping the peace while the Expeditionaries goes foraging for foods and medicines while studying their new home.

Richards wrote five of the eight episodes and may have had good intentions, but his internal story logic and execution left a lot to be desired. There’s a sprawling, attractive cast ill-served by their individual storylines and they never really gel as an ensemble. His talkative scripts rob the show of momentum and its slow pacing, reminiscent of 1999, doesn’t help.

His characters all feel like ones we’ve seen before, in far better science fiction concepts. There’s the President (Liam Cunningham), the madman (Jamie Bamber), the better former VP (Eric Maibus), the man with a secret past (Daniel Mays), and so on. It’s an international group, trying to reflect humanity so there’s Maibus the American, Bamber the Brit, and the South African (busty model Jeanné Kietzmann). If only we grew to care about them.

About the freshest element in the series is the notion of the Advanced Cultivars, artificially created humans designed to survive in the alien environment and blamed for unleashing a virus that killed many of the colony’s children, threatening the humans’ future.

The thing is, each episode should be advancing stories and themes but there are a lot of retreads and flashbacks and no real sense that the society is settling in. Still, there’s something, some quality to each episode that keeps you watching, keeps you hoping things get better. By the sixth episode, things feel like they are finally coming together then the subsequent episode spins its wheels and the final episode ends on a less-than-compelling cliffhanger. One that will never be resolved because the ratings dropped so dramatically that the series was yanked from its high profile time slot after five airings and dumped on late Sunday nights when good British telly watchers had gone to sleep. The day after the finale aired, the BBC announced the show’s cancellation.

The episodes look fine in high definition and there was at least some interesting thought into the colonization of this alien world that is as bleak as the stories told on its surface. One of the set’s extras if a set tour for Forthaven, which details the thinking.  The other is “Reach to the Stars”, a featurette that has cast and crew try to convince you they’re doing something unique and wonderful.

You can judge for yourself whether this was a missed opportunity or hidden gem. Either way, these eight installments are all you’re ever going to see of this world and its dreary inhabitants.

ALL PULP REVIEWS-FORTIER TAKES ON ‘GHOSTS OF WAR’!

GHOSTS OF WAR
By George Mann
Pyr Books
231 pages
Available July 2011
Hot on the heels of earning a Pulp Factory Award nomination for Best Pulp Novel of 2010 for GHOST OF MANHATTAN, writer George Mann unleashes the second novel in this steampunk series.  Although considering the archetype pulp trappings these books are totally saturated with, one would suggest labeling them steampulp.
This new adventure of Gabriel Cross, the haunted veteran of World War One who protects New York City as the rocket-boot propelled, black garbed vigilante known as the Ghost, begins only a few weeks after the end of his last, horrific case.  He is still emotionally wounded having witnessed his lover, Celeste, sacrifice herself to save mankind from outer-dimensional monsters.
When a new threat to his city arises, he gratefully dons his Ghost garb and goes into action.  Weird hybrid mechanical flying creatures called Raptors are swooping out of the night sky and randomly kidnapping people with no apparent pattern or purpose other than to cause city wide terror.  The Ghost sets about catching one of these horrible monstrosities with the help of his friend, Inspector Felix Donovan, who shares his secret identity. 
At the same time, Donovan is given the task of hunting down a British spy by his superiors.  He is told the secret agent is a catalyst with information that will ignite a war between England and America.  When elements from both assignments suddenly come together, the Ghost and Donovan begin to suspect a much darker plot with tendrils leading to corruption among the highest ranks of City Hall.  In the end the Ghost allows himself to be captured by the raptors and taken to their hidden lair.  It is his one chance to uncover the evil mastermind behind the attacks and discover the true horror that awaits all mankind unless he and his small band of allies can save the day.
Hideous creatures from another dimension, a mad scientist more machine than man, an armed, massive airship on a mission of doom and more thrill-a-minute action than any other ten, oversized thrillers on the market today.  GHOSTS OF WAR is even better then its predecessor as Mann is truly warming up to this alternate world and his remarkable, colorful and appealing cast of characters that populate it.  This is new pulp fiction at its finest and I’m predicting there’s another Pulp Factory Award nod in its future.  Long live the Ghost! 

ComicMix Quick Picks – September 22, 2009

crayon-shin-chan-8581558Here are some of the things we didn’t get to on Monday, bullet-pointed for your reading pleasure:

Anything else we missed? Consider this an open thread.

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