Swords, Specters, & Stuff
Welcome to My World
I started this blog in January 2012 for one simple reason: I love to write. I named it “Swords, Specters, & Stuff” because I especially love to write about writing, about books and movies in my favorite genres, about authors that mean a great deal to me. But there’s more to it than that, which is why I included “Stuff” in the title. It is “Stuff” that gives me carte blanche to write about anything, which is why you’ll see stories about special trips to Cooperstown, Sedona, and other places; about getting older; about baseball; about the otherworldly way in which I met my soul mate; about the loss of good friends, and so much more. Enjoy! And feel free to leave a comment.
Guilty Pleasures: INFESTATION
At this stage of my life it’s nice to discover a new Guilty Pleasure, and the 2009 comedy/horror movie, INFESTATION, fits the bill. My usual parameters—box office and reviews—don’t actually apply here, because I’m not even sure it had a box office, and the only reviews I found were on IMDB—and they were pretty good.
From Concentration Camp To Film Stardom
The late actress, Ingrid Pitt, gained a great deal of notoriety while starring in a number of 1970s horror films from Britain’s Hammer Film Productions and other studios. But no fictional movie could match the unthinkable, real-life horror she experienced as a child.
“Ode To Joy”—Exercising To The Oldies
A question: does Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” which is the fourth movement of his Symphony #9, qualify as an oldie? Well, he wrote it between 1823 and 1824. Old enough for you?
Who Was Moses Fleetwood Walker?
Sixty-three years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier during MLB’s so-called modern era, a professional baseball catcher was credited with being the first black man to play in the major leagues. His name was Moses Fleetwood Walker.
Did Sexism And Ageism Doom An Excellent Series?
The BritBox original series, McDONALD AND DODDS—a British crime drama whose setting is the historic city of Bath—ran for four seasons. There will not be a fifth. And that’s a bummer.
It Must Be About The Paycheck
If you’re an aficionado of old movies and TV shows, you’ll likely recognize most or all of the following names. Jack Palance; Martin Landau; Cameron Mitchell; Neville Brand; Sue Ann Langdon; Ralph Meeker; Larry Storch; David Caruso. What is the link? All eight of them played in the 1980 “B” sci-fi/horror film, WITHOUT WARNING.
Val Kilmer: Gone Too Soon
We lost an acting icon—and a personal favorite—last week. Val Kilmer passed away at age 65 after a courageous battle with insidious throat cancer. His last appearance on the big screen—an amazing effort—was a cameo in TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2022), where he reprised his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky from the first movie. At that point he could barely speak.
Let’s Hear It For Strong Women
In my favorite genres of horror and science fiction of the 1950s, women were great at two things: screaming and fainting. Yeah, the guys were always around to protect them while figuring out how to kill the monster, or prevent the alien invasion, or whatever. Fortunately, there were exceptions to the rule, and some of the best films during that era were ones involving strong, smart women.
Those 1950s “B” Movies: Hokey, But Fun
As a New York City kid growing up in the 1950s I watched a lot of that era’s science fiction/horror flicks, mostly on WOR Channel 9’s “Million Dollar Movie.” Giant bugs/animals/people, space invaders, experiments gone awry—all of them scared the crap out of me back then. In subsequent years, re-watching them became more about fun and nostalgia.
The Write Stuff?
I’m finding it hard to wrap my head around the reality that next month will mark one year since I lost my beloved Jacqueline. Often I find myself floating around my empty house in a daze of denial. Still, she made me promise to take care of myself and to keep on truckin’, and so I am.
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