Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Benefit of Steel review at the Saskatchewan Anglican!

My book the Benefit of Steel is reviewed in this month's issue of the Saskatchewan Anglican, on the occasion of my Aunt Peg and Uncle Steve's recent visit to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. It's good to see more promotion for the book, it continues to be bought and read by new people every month!

Monday, December 11, 2023

New Essay at Sequart: "Panther Beat"

At last, my new essay on Christopher Priest's Black Panther has been made available at Sequart! It's titled "Panther Beat: The Use of Beat Panels in Christopher Priest's Black Panther." Comedy was a major part of what made Priest's Black Panther memorable so it's about time to discuss one of the tools Priest used to put it together! I hope you enjoy the essay!

Friday, November 10, 2023

Creator Credits for Loki (season 2) 2023

Another season of Marvel Cinematic Universe television has come and gone - this time it was the 2nd season of Loki. My list of creator credits is featured below; as always, I'm not infallible and I welcome any corrections. You can view my full list of MCU creator credits on this page!

Walter Simonson: creator of Mr. Mobius, a senior executive in the Time Variance Authority; the Time Variance Authority depicted as an immense bureaucracy (Fantastic Four #346, 1990); of the Minutemen, the foot soldiers of the Time Variance Authority (Fantastic Four #352, 1991); of the Time Variance Authority based in null time, outside time itself (Fantastic Four #353, 1991); of Casey, a Time Variance Authority employee (Fantastic Four #354, 1991); co-creator of the Time Variance Authority, (TVA) an organization taxed with policing the timeline and undoing damage caused by alternate timelines; of the Time Variance Authority served by Justices, armed agents sent to correct timeline disruptions; of the Time Variance Authority pursuing Zaniac through time (Thor #372, 1986)

Stan Lee: co-creator of Kang, a time traveler and conqueror garbed in a battlesuit, clad in purple (Avengers #8, 1964); of Ravonna, a time traveler affiliated with Kang who falls in love with him (Avengers #23, 1965); of Thor, Asgardian god of thunder (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Asgardian trickster god with magical powers, including the ability to cast illusions; Loki as Thor's brother; Loki's helmet with horns and green costume with golden accessories; of Odin, ruler of Asgard; of Asgard, legendary home of the gods; of Balder the Brave, legendary Asgardian warrior (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); of Thor learning a lesson in humility from time spent on Earth (Thor #159, 1968)

Jack Kirby: co-creator of Kang, a time traveler and conqueror garbed in a battlesuit, clad in purple (Avengers #8, 1964); of Thor, Asgardian god of thunder (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Asgardian trickster god with magical powers, including the ability to cast illusions; Loki as Thor's brother; Loki's helmet with horns and green costume with golden accessories; of Odin, ruler of Asgard; of Asgard, legendary home of the gods; of Balder the Brave, legendary Asgardian warrior (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962); of Thor learning a lesson in humility from time spent on Earth (Thor #159, 1968)

Mark Gruenwald: co-creator of Renslayer, Ravonna's surname (Avengers Annual #21, 1992); of Alioth, a cloud-like temporal entity who is a foe of the Time Variance Authority, Kang and Ravonna (Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #1, 1993); of Ravonna assisting Kang in his "Victor Timely" identity (Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #4, 1993); of Kang having a makeshift alliance with the Time Variance Authority (Fantastic Four Annual #27, 1994); of the Time Keepers, three extraterrestrials who have assumed mastery of time (Thor #282, 1979)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of Thor, Asgardian god of thunder (Journey into Mystery #83, 1962); of Loki, Asgardian trickster god with magical powers, including the ability to cast illusions; Loki as Thor's brother; Loki's helmet with horns and green costume with golden accessories; of Odin, ruler of Asgard; of Asgard, legendary home of the gods; of Balder the Brave, legendary Asgardian warrior (Journey into Mystery #85, 1962)

Mike Gustovich: co-creator of Alioth, a cloud-like temporal entity who is a foe of the Time Variance Authority, Kang and Ravonna (Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #1, 1993); of Ravonna assisting Kang in his "Victor Timely" identity (Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #4, 1993); of Kang having a makeshift alliance with the Time Variance Authority (Fantastic Four Annual #27, 1994)

Sal Buscema: co-creator of the Time Variance Authority, (TVA) an organization taxed with policing the timeline and undoing damage caused by alternate timelines; of the Time Variance Authority served by Justices, armed agents sent to correct timeline disruptions; of the Time Variance Authority pursuing Zaniac through time (Thor #372, 1986)

Keith Pollard: co-creator of the Time Keepers, three extraterrestrials who have assumed mastery of time (Thor #282, 1979); of Zaniac, a movie monster with yellow skin and green hair portrayed by actor Brad Wolfe (Thor #319, 1982)

John Buscema: co-creator of the existence of divergent timelines which are accessible by others (Fantastic Four #118, 1972); of He Who Remains, the entity behind the Time Keepers who exists at the end of time itself (Thor #245, 1976)

Peter Sanderson: co-creator of "Victor Timely," an alias adopted by Kang while on Earth in the early 20th century, used to introduce advanced technology at earlier points in the timestream, based out of Wisconsin (Avengers Annual #21, 1992)

Rich Yanizeski: co-creator of "Victor Timely," an alias adopted by Kang while on Earth in the early 20th century, used to introduce advanced technology at earlier points in the timestream, based out of Wisconsin (Avengers Annual #21, 1992)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of the Time Keepers depicted as working with the Time Variance Authority (What If #37, 1992); of He Who Remains connected to the Time Variance Authority (What If #39, 1992)

Jean-Marc Lofficier: co-creator of the Time Keepers depicted as working with the Time Variance Authority (What If #37, 1992); of He Who Remains connected to the Time Variance Authority (What If #39, 1992)

Randy Lofficier: co-creator of the Time Keepers depicted as working with the Time Variance Authority (What If #37, 1992); of He Who Remains connected to the Time Variance Authority (What If #39, 1992)

Len Wein: co-creator of He Who Remains, the entity behind the Time Keepers who exists at the end of time itself (Thor #245, 1976)

Doug Moench: co-creator of Zaniac, a movie monster with yellow skin and green hair portrayed by actor Brad Wolfe (Thor #319, 1982)

Don Heck: co-creator of Ravonna, a time traveler affiliated with Kang who falls in love with him (Avengers #23, 1965)

Archie Goodwin: co-creator of the existence of divergent timelines which are accessible by others (Fantastic Four #118, 1972)

Ralph Macchio: co-creator of the Time Keepers, three extraterrestrials who have assumed mastery of time (Thor #282, 1979)

Mark Pacella: co-creator of the Time Keepers depicted as working with the Time Variance Authority (What If #37, 1992)

Gavin Curtis: co-creator of He Who Remains connected to the Time Variance Authority (What If #39, 1992)

Dan Slott: co-creator of Orobourous, a member of the Time Variance Authority (She-Hulk #3, 2006)

Scott Kolins: co-creator of Orobourous, a member of the Time Variance Authority (She-Hulk #3, 2006)

J. Michael Straczynski: co-creator of Asgardians connected to Broxton, Oklahoma (Fantastic Four #536, 2006)

Mike McKone: co-creator of Asgardians connected to Broxton, Oklahoma (Fantastic Four #536, 2006)

Herb Trimpe: co-creator of Renslayer, Ravonna's surname (Avengers Annual #21, 1992)

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Back in Action: Flash Gordon!

Comics blogger Mike Sterling recently noted that the comic strip Flash Gordon has recently and unexpectedly become interesting! Creator Dan Schkade took over the strip a few weeks ago and he's certainly emphasizing familiar faces, lots of action and an energetic art style. Here's the homepage.

I didn't grow up with the Flash Gordon strip - I've never seen a local newspaper who carried it. In fact, the local newspapers seemed to have little interest in the non-humourous comic strips (Rex Morgan M.D. is the only comic strip drama I recall from my youth). Consequently, I think I'm in the majority who know of Flash Gordon as a museum piece, a relic, a forgotten property; indeed, the comic strip went on hiatus in 2003 and spent the last 20 years replaying old strips. Not every property gets a second chance, but the weight of Flash Gordon's influence on science fiction and adventure must surely have helped it.

I'm pleased with what I've read so far - if these strips had been in the newspaper when I was a kid, I would have been a huge fan. Kudos to Mr. Schkade!

Friday, November 3, 2023

11 Thoughts about Ahsoka (2023)

  1. I knew nothing about Ahsoka prior to seeing her on the Mandalorian. I found her pretty underwhelming in that program but I understood she was some kind of popular character in the expanded Star Wars universe. I didn't plan to watch her program but my wife and I needed a distraction and it was good enough. Certainly it wasn't as bad as the Book of Boba Fett.
  2. But Ahsoka has a lot of other characters who are only barely introduced - they're all treated as though their adventures have been going on for some time. So they might also be from the expanded universe? Or maybe the series was going for an in media res style comparable to the original trilogy?
  3. Sabine might possibly be the worst sidekick I've ever seen in fiction. Her arc is that she keeps failing at everything she attempts until the final episode. There is a good case to be made that Ahsoka would have had an easier time if she had simply lost Sabine's phone number, since Sabine gives up the advantage to the bad guys every time she interacts with them.
  4. The Sith in this series were at least something different. The Inquisitors from Obi-Wan Kenobi were perhaps the most tiresome Sith I'd yet seen, but Ray Stevenson's character on Ahsoka demonstrated that it's possible to do something different; instead of the typical petty Sith in-fighting and self-destructive nihilism, Stevenson's repressed performance and quiet weariness were at least a change from the usual.
  5. Hayden Christensen is allowed to act now.
  6. At one point a useless senator character scoffs at the account of what Ahsoka's been up to as thinking it sounds like a fairy tale. My dude, are you paying attention to the universe you live in? Fantastic fairy tale stuff happens every day!
  7. Which brings to mind the space whales. My immediate reaction to my wife when they appeared was: "If you lived in the Star Wars universe and you were high on drugs, how would you ever know? 'Whoa, I think I see space whales. But I guess those things just exist in this universe.'"
  8. The way in which Thrawn is treated as a mythical evil seemed off to me. Yes, Thrawn is a legendary Imperial leader. But he's not Sith - he's only powerful because of what he's to command into battle. Hearing characters talk about him like some figure of destiny seemed off, given that actual Sith were standing in the room at the time.
  9. Then we finally meet Thrawn and he pretty much proved my point. He spends all his time delegating orders to others because he has no real power, just a lot of subordinates. His catchphrase, heard about every 15 minutes is: "Great Mothers; I have need again of your assistance."
  10. The Stormtrooper with the golden face is the dorkiest Stormtrooper I've ever seen, and that's a feat.
  11. Zombie Stormtroopers are not the wildest thing about Ahsoka; for me, it was hearing notes from Danse Macabre play as the zombies rose up. I was not expecting to hear an actual music sample in Star Wars.

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Radio Recap: The Clock

The Clock was an old-time radio mystery anthology series that ran over ABC from November 3, 1946 until May 23, 1948. Although it's estimated that the series broadcast 78 episodes, we have a mere half-dozen circulating today. However, in 1955 the program was revived in Australia by Grace Gibson, who evidently used some (or all?) of the scripts in their version.

The Clock is a bit of a frustrating series to pin down. Even though the mystery anthology program is one of the most popular types of programs among old-time radio collectors, collectors and researchers don't appear to have unearthed very much information about the program. It's also surprising because the series had some major talent behind it - notable performers as well as the peerless craft of producer William Spier. You'd think there would have been numerous articles written about the series while it was being produced but... evidently not.

The Clock used noises such as the ticking of a clock and the chimes of bells to lend colour to their narratives. Each episode was hosted by Father Time himself (portrayed by William Conrad during the William Spier era). But beyond these trappings, the title "the Clock" doesn't tell you much about the show, not in the way a title such as Suspense, Escape, Romance or Intrigue efficiently tell you what to expect.

Most of what we have from the US version dates from William Spier's involvement. Many of the episodes preceding his were apparently written by Lawrence Klee, who would later write for the Chase. Spier was joined by many familiar voices from his work on Suspense, notably the team of Elliott and Cathy Lewis and even writer Lucille Fletcher! At the time, Spier had quit Suspense and I'm sure it was a coup for ABC to bring him aboard the Clock. Yet Spier's time on the Clock (no pun intended) was very short-lived; he definitely produced the final 6 episodes but we don't even know when his tenure as producer began. After the Clock ran down (pun intended) he moved on to the Philip Morris Playhouse before finally returning to Suspense one last time; some of the programs Spier produced for the Clock had been produced on Suspense, including "The Right Man" (heard on Suspense as "Bank Holiday" on July 19, 1945); others would be reprised on Suspense, including "The Search for Isobel" (November 3, 1949).

What we have of the US version is a bit mixed. "Bela Boczniak's Bad Dreams" (also referred to as simply "Bad Dreams") is Lucille Fletcher's contribution as writer but it's not up to quality of Suspense plays such as "The Diary of Sophronia Winters" of "the Thing in the Window." And one of the earliest surviving episodes - "Nicky Kane Lives" - is an odd duck, a quasi-supernatural tale of a gangster seeming to come back from the dead.

Based on what little we have of the US version, it would be hard to say whether we've been deprived of something great by not possessing all of them, but I'm sure simply because of the talent involved it would be nice to have all of Spier's episodes of the Clock.

If it's true that the Australian version was indeed adapted from the US scripts - and episodes do indeed sound like US dramas - then the surviving 50 or so Australian episodes at least gives us some concept of the show's usual plots. The first episodes of the Clock I ever heard were both Australian episodes: "All the Money in the World" (about a young man who receives unlimited money from an eccentric millionaire - it's the same premise that Jack Benny used as satire in his "I Stand Condemned" radio skits) and "The Man with the Strange Trunk" (concerning a woman who is very curious about a hotel guest's large trunk).

The Internet Archive has a collection of the Clock episodes that you can find over here - but be warned that like most attempts to impose order on the Clock it intermixes the US version with the later Australian episodes. Perhaps future researchers will be able to better determine the complete broadcast history of the Clock - we may yet be treated to some rediscovered missing episodes as well!

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

"That can't be true, John. I can't imagine saying that." I Am Stan (and Stuf' Said) review

A few years ago I read and enjoyed Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics, a graphic novel biography of Jack Kirby written and drawn by Tom Scioli. When I learned he had recently released I Am Stan: A Graphic Biography of the Legendary Stan Lee I was immediately intrigued and quickly read a copy. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as I had the earlier tome.

I Am Stan covers Stan Lee's life from childhood to death and as he lived a good 95 years that's a lot of ground to cover. Early on the book traces events from his life as a fairly linear biography but once Marvel Comics becomes a success in the 1960s the narrative gets a little snarled as Scioli moves events around chronologically for dramatic effect and frequently years pass between pages without notice.

If you're very well-versed in the life of Stan Lee then you should have no problem following Scioli's account of his life -- everything he represents has already been covered by other biographies. If you're not familiar with the other biographies you will probably find yourself at a loss to understand why Scioli dramatizes episodes from Stan's life without context.

For instance, early in Stan's life Scioli puts great effort into contextualizing and explaining what's going on; when Stan becomes editor at Marvel, Scioli takes the time to name check all the artists in the bullpen at the time. You would assume that it will important to know the names of all these men since Scioli took the time to name them, but that would be an incorrect assumption; Syd Shores makes one more brief appearance but knowing who was who in the 1940s bullpen matters not a whit to the rest of the book. Similarly, late in the book there's an episode where the police engage in a wellness check on Stan Lee and there are references to a business partner called "Keya." If you're up on your Stan Lee lore then you know why the police are talking to Stan and who "Keya" is but Scioli doesn't frame this.

Like the police wellness check scene, many pages of I Am Stan feel weightless, without narrative. His Jack Kibry was guided by narration told in Kirby's voice but there is no one to guide Lee's life. If you haven't already read a recent biography of Stan Lee (such as my favourite, True Believer by Abraham Riesman) you won't understand the weight of certain scenes; as well, the story is told strictly from Stan Lee's perspective - so when Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby leave Marvel the reader doesn't really understand why they did so, only that Stan didn't understand.

If I understand Scioli's efforts, it seems like he just wanted to put the reader into Stan Lee's shoes and experience moments from his life, but the longer the book went on the less connected I felt to Stan as the narrative wandered from one moment to another on each page. Rather than a long-form narrative, I Am Stan reads like a webcomic that was meant to be enjoyed one page at a time rather than all at once - and as an addendum to a proper biography, not a biography in its own right.


Seeking out I Am Stan led me to Stuf' Said by John Morrow, a publication that was originally an issue of Morrow's Jack Kirby Collector magazine in 2019. A large part of why we comics fans have such complicated misgivings about Stan Lee have to do with the way he treated his collaborators, particularly Jack Kirby. In Stuf' Said, Morrow created a chronology from interviews and statements by Lee, Kirby and others close to them to track the sequence of events that led to Lee and Kirby's collaboration at Marvel and its dissolution.

Stuf' Said is definitely for the serious comics devotee - the one who really wants to know 'who said this and when.' For all that I know about these periods of history, there was a lot I didn't know such as the complete timeline on Kirby's involvement in the creation of Spider-Man; Kirby claiming a hand in creating Spider-Man was divisive to fans (although reading Morrow's book, Kirby's actual quotes are not as dismissive to Ditko as I saw others claim online) so discovering the earliest published mention of Kirby's involvement actually appeared in Marvel's own Foom magazine surprised me.

Riseman's True Believer had earlier made an impression on me with how passive-aggressive Stan seemed towards his collaborators and that not every artist was willing to put up with it (certainly not Steve Ditko or Wally Wood). Stuf' Said is particularly good at piecing all of those slights together; it's particularly instructive to note how many times Stan disparaged Dr. Strange while he was scripting that series - indeed he only seemed to consent that Ditko created Dr. Strange because he didn't want credit for those comics. But decades into his role as Marvel's perennial pitchman, he would repeatedly claim Dr. Strange was a favourite of his.

Stuf' Said is definitely not for the layman, it's for the dedicated comics fan who has a firm grasp on Lee and Kirby's careers. But I found it a fine book with a great deal of interesting discernments on the part of the author (particularly noting Kirby's satire of Stan Lee would have been invented at the same time Romita was satirizing Kirby in Captain America).

Both I Am Stan and Stuf' Said are best enjoyed by the experienced comics fan, but while I Am Stan is all very familiar and loosely-structured, Stuf' Said has excellent research and a very firm layout. It's obvious which I prefer.

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 31: "Don't Tell Me about Halloween"

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
"Uh, I'm going to kill my wife tonight. Or maybe tomorrow night. I mean, I'm gonna kill one of my wives. I better, or something's going to happen to me that won't be good. Well, Halloween's almost here. Halloween's the deadline. And Candace has to be dead before Halloween. Only trouble is, I'm not sure I'll recognize her when she shows up."

What better way to celebrate Halloween in Quiet, Please than with an episode all about Halloween? This time our hapless protagonist is the husband of a witch. It's a pretty sweet gig for him as she provides him with a long life. However, in-between Halloweens he proves to be an unfaithful husband and simply never seems to learn his lesson, no matter how many times his wife magically punishes him.

"Don't Tell Me about Halloween" was originally broadcast October 27, 1947. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

This concludes my month-long look at Quiet, Please. I hope you've enjoyed it and perhaps discovered some new favourite episodes!

Monday, October 30, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 30: "Very Unimportant Person"

"The Hollow Men. Ever read it? Lot of people were very fond o' quoting from it when T. S. Eliot got the Nobel Prize. Especially that part, 'This is how the world ends; Not with a bang but a whimper.' Well, it wasn't so, Mr. Eliot, you were wrong. Me? How do I know? I was there."

Wyllis Cooper was evidently a very religious man as so many episodes involve his Christian beliefs. Here, he marries theology with nuclear armageddon; our protagonist, a pilot, attempts to out-fly the mushroom clouds consuming all life on Earth, but his fuel supply is limited. And then, God himself takes a hand and offers the protagonist and the other survivors a choice.

"Very Unimportant Person" was originally broadcast December 5, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Sunday, October 29, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 29: "One for the Book"

"Once upon a time, when there were more lieutenants than lieutenant colonels in the Air Force and when you could tell a cadet by his blue suit like a mailman's, a thing happened. And if you think the boys from the bright blue yonder got snafued some time in this last war, brother, I'm here to tell you ain't seen nothin' yet. Because this was the largest, the most comprehensive, the doggonedest... Well, I have to tell you. And the thing about it is this snafu isn't over yet. It won't be over for nine years. Listen, I'll tell you."

This time Quiet, Please presents something of a science fiction tale. An Air Force officer is surprised to meet himself - his self from the future! It seems his future self traveled so fast that he landed his aircraft in the past!

"One for the Book" was originally broadcast November 21, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Saturday, October 28, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 28: "Good Ghost"

"I never did anything wrong in my life. That's why I was so upset when Schuster murdered me."

In this episode, Ernest Chappell portrays Gus, a real schmoe who - as the opening lines indicate - is dead. Having become a ghost with no direction for his unlife Gus tries to help the man who killed him by assisting him in his romance with Gus' sweetheart. Gus really is a good ghost who intends to perform good deeds, but he has his limits...

"Good Ghost" was originally broadcast October 24, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org. The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast also have an episode where they listen to and discuss "Good Ghost"; you'll find the episode on their website.

Friday, October 27, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 27: "Thirteen and Eight"

"I don't remember when was the first time I seen him, I don't think. Was it the fire at the Havre Hotel last August, wasn't it? When the fella jumped outta the window and lit on the streetcar, got carried three blocks from his nightshirt? Yeah, last August; I guess that was the first time. I seen him a lotta times since then."

Here's an interesting bit of photography lore; news photographers call out "thirteen and eight" when they spot someone trying to photobomb their pictures. That's how this story begins, with our photographer protagonist calling out "thirteen and eight" to get a man out of his way. But none of the other photographers at the scene saw someone trying to interfere with their shoot. And it keeps happening as the photographer keeps seeing a man getting in the way of his lens, resulting in him shooting a dramatic photograph in a split second. Who is this mystery man whom only the photographer can see?

"Thirteen and Eight" was originally broadcast April 26, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Thursday, October 26, 2023

War of the Worlds Turns 85!

The 1938 broadcast of "The War of the Worlds" on Mercury Theater on the Air has become possibly the most-heard radio drama in the history of radio thanks it's repeated replays over the decades. Certainly it was among the first old-time radio shows I heard as a young listener, thanks to the LP copy owned by my father.

I'm sure it seems passé to other OTR fans to be talking about "War of the Worlds" - or even cliché with Halloween upon us. Still, I'm linking to an article about "War of the Worlds" because it appears at my employer's website, and how often do they post anything about OTR? With quotes from one of my colleagues? That's worth celebrating!

Halloween Broadcast of Notorious War of the Worlds Radio Drama Turns 85

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 26: "Twelve to Five"

"Yes, ma'am, it does get lonesome down here. What? Oh, sure, being able to talk to people on the phone helps. Well, how'd you like to be stuck all the way down in the basement all by yourself from midnight to five AM? With nothing but a microphone, a turntable and some telephones?"

In this program, Ernest Chappell portrays a lonely disc jockey spinning turntables late at night over the radio. The first third of the episode simply sets up the atmosphere - the environment and conditions of the DJ's occupation. The problems arise when a newsman wanders over and starts sharing news stories for events that haven't happened yet. As with other episodes we've examined involving destiny, fate appears in Quiet, Please as a force that cannot be avoided and becomes more fearsome as time passes.

"Twelve to Five" was originally broadcast April 12, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 25: "A Night to Forget"

"You know how it is sometimes when you get in a dream and you don't think you're dreaming and when you wake up you wonder whether it happened or not?"

Much like yesterday's "Three" today's Quiet, Please is a tale of supernatural portent. Our protagonist, radio announcer John H., keeps dreaming of the world following his death, encountering figures in the morgue, the funeral home, the cemetery. But how far away is his death and can he avert it?

"A Night to Forget" was originally broadcast March 22, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 24: "Three"

"Well, it's, uh, kind of, uh, I suppose you'd say it's an obsession. Oh, uh, on the other hand, I guess you have to have a thing quite a while before you could call it an obsession. This has only been bothering me since day before yesterday. So I suppose maybe we'd better call it, uh, a premonition."

This is a story about a man who finds the number three recurring throughout his life. He hears the number whispered; his telephone rings three times; he finds three pennies. Again and again he encounters the number 3 and becomes increasingly agitated. And then three men introduce themselves to him and indicate that he'll be leaving his home - in 3 days! And still he finds the number three everywhere he turns...

"Three" was originally broadcast November 10, 1947. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Monday, October 23, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 23: "Bring Me to Life"

"Page one... well, that's a start. Let me see. What I need's a character. Character, character, come on, character."

A writer by vocation, Wyllis Cooper wasn't above poking fun at his profession, as we've heard earlier this month in "Rain on New Year's Eve." Today's episode, "Bring Me to Life" concerns an author trying to create a character on his typewriter - and his typewriter's attempts to guide his creative process!

This is a supernatural episode of Quiet, Please but also a whimsical one, especially as the author's characters come to life as little more than broad caricatures because they haven't been fleshed out. It's all in good fun.

"Bring Me to Life" was originally broadcast August 10, 1947. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Sunday, October 22, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 22: "The Oldest Man in the World"

"It was bitter cold up there in the uplands and foothills of the Pyrenees 20,000 years ago. The great sheet of glacial ice had slid down from the polar icecap, only the mountain peaks rose above it."

The titular "Oldest Man in the World" is a reference to prehistoric man, which seemed to be becoming a bigger topics in those days since the 1940 discovery of the Lascaux cave paintings and of Cro-Magnon man in the previous century, also in France. That's where Wyllis Cooper's Quiet, Please story begins, with a tale of three people who went climbing in the mountains and the blackhearted murder schemes they brought with them.

"The Oldest Man in the World" was originally broadcast May 22, 1949. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Saturday, October 21, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 21: "Dark Grey Magic"

"Well, I bought a book. Yes, I did. 45 cents. You guess. No; no; no, you give up? Magic. No, no, no, not card tricks, magic, real magic, black magic, just like real! Sure!"

As I've indicated before, I'm partial to the whimsical episodes of Quiet, Please, perhaps moreso than the typical series fan. Much like "Prest-o Change-o, I'm Sure," "Dark Grey Magic" concerns a hapless man who comes into magical power. Unlike the previous episode where the hapless practitioner was corrupted by the power at his fingertips, "Dark Grey Magic" has a protagonist so hapless - heck, his name is Meredith Barleycorn! - that he's practically immune to corruption. The drama comes from a demon named Bodge who keeps trying to corrupt Meredith, with little to show for it.

This is an episode where our protagonist reads aloud from a magic book: "How to Ride a Broom; oh, wait, that's for girls." That's my kind of humour, I'm into this episode.

"Dark Grey Magic" was originally broadcast May 1, 1949. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Friday, October 20, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 20: "The Man Who Knew Everything"

"That's always the way it is; they're so surprised when I know the answers. I can't really help it, you see: I know everything."

Now here's a fun premise: our protagonist knows everything but only knows it when he's asked about it. He helpfully answers questions sent in the mail to him and even seems willing to share his knowledge with a bank robber to plot a perfect crime. And yet, there's one fact he's ignorant of; he knows how he will die but not when it will happen. And that's bad news for you - the listener!

"The Man Who Knew Everything" was originally broadcast March 6, 1949. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 19: "Is This Murder?"

"That door? That's my workshop. I haven't been in there in quite some time. Artificial limbs. Rather unusual ones if I do say so myself. I've invented a few devices, you see, and they've been quite successful. Oh, yes. A great many persons wear hands, arms, legs and so on that I invented. You- didn't know my assistant, of course. Why, I don't know. I don't know where he is. As a matter of fact, it's Dan I wanted to talk to you about. Dan and Joyce. Joyce was his sweetheart. No. No, I didn't murder them."

This is an odd episode that certainly keeps you guessing as the narrator (our friend Ernest Chappell) keeps hinting at a murder that has been committed. He alludes to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as he describes his own attempts at creating life - and the death that resulted from this experiment.

"Is This Murder?" was originally broadcast January 16, 1949. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 18: "Adam and the Darkest Day"

"I don't know whether you ever heard of a place called Chicago or not but I knew it very well in my youth. I've forgotten how long ago that was even. There was a lake- beautiful, big, wide lake that could be bluer than the sky of a summer morning or gray as- Well, that's odd. I can't think of anything that's gray the way the lake was on a stormy day. Gray like the trees used to be? No, more alive, like the gray of steel. Steel? Oh, that's a metal we used to have. Forget about it."

Following World War II, science fiction began to imagine what a future dystopia might look like, and such a tale is Wyllis Cooper's "Adam and the Darkest Day." The story concerns three people who might be the only survivors on Earth after its near-destruction. Our protagonist is named Adam, which seems like a promising name to rebuild humanity... but Adam isn't certain whether humanity should persist.

"Adam and the Darkest Day" was originally broadcast November 7, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

RIP: Keith Giffen

Another brief digression from Quiet, Please month.

Just over a week ago, comic book writer/artist Keith Giffen passed away.

I was exposed to Giffen's work very early in my comic book hobby but it took me quite some time to really take notice of his name. My first exposure to Giffen's artwork was almost certainly a copy of All-Star Comics #62 that my family picked up at a church bazaar (it took a very long time to pick up All-Star Comics #63). Not too long after I encountered Giffen's writing via Justice League International #11 but I didn't like it very much - the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League comics really didn't appeal to me as a child.

I became a Giffen fan thanks to his work as artist/co-writer of Ambush Bug (with co-writer Robert Loren Fleming). The original mini-series, 2nd mini-series (Son of Ambush Bug) and Christmas special were all available at low discount prices in comic shops and I took to them immediately. I didn't understand all of the references in the comics - Giffen loved to invoke obscure DC Silver Age stuff - but they made me laugh and I was always happy to return to them. I drifted away from DC in my teens and therefore missed the launch of his 1992 Ambush Bug: Nothing Special but when I did find that comic I was obsessed with it. The only Ambush Bug comic I've ever reviewed on my blog was Secret Origins #48. There was also the 2008 mini-series Ambush Bug: Year None but it had a weird passive-aggressive tone that seemed to be Giffen and Fleming talking down to comics fandom - that was off-putting.

I really came to love Giffen's work when I discovered he wasn't all funny stuff but also a deft hand at space opera. His 2004 Thanos comics with Ron Lim were probably the best Thanos stories not written by Jim Starlin himself. That led to his good Drax the Destroyer mini-series with artist Mitch Breitweiser which in turn led directly to Annihilation, which he wrote the largest part of. Annihilation was Marvel's first big cosmic event series since the 1990s and its follow-up event Annihilation: Conquest led directly to the revival of the Guardians of the Galaxy, which owed a tremendous amount to Giffen's Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord mini-series with artist Timothy Green. (I wrote Annihilation-adjacent books back then but never so much as exchanged an email with Giffen, more's the pity)

Giffen's own art style was quirky but he was also a great mimic of Jack Kirby, especially early in his career. His time on Defenders (especially under the inks of Kirby's inker Mike Royer) are possibly the best Kirby comics not drawn by Jack Kirby (and certainly the Zodiac arc written by David Kraft in Defenders #48-50 is a series highlight).

And there's so much more; I found the Heckler almost impenetrable but what I did follow I enjoyed a lot; his March Hare one-shot with Fleming was right in the spirit of Ambush Bug and it's a shame it wasn't an ongoing. I found the character of Lobo uninteresting but his first 1990 Lobo mini-series with co-writer Alan Grant and artist Simon Bisley was good fun; he drew the layouts for DC's 52 weekly series; and he drew a ton of Legion of Super-Heroes comics with writer Paul Levitz that I really ought to read one of these days (I liked the dozen or so that I have read).

Giffen's art and writing were idiosyncratic yet he made a solid career for himself in comics for about 50 years; he was unique and given most of his work appeared at the major publishers - Marvel and DC - his presence in comics was certainly felt by the vast majority of people who read comics. Comics are poorer for want of Giffen. Rest in peace, sir.

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 17: "Meet John Smith, John"

"I'm funny about snow, I guess. Yeah, I get sentimental about it, I get- I get silly about it the way some people get about pussywillows and forsythia in the springtime or the way you get about kids or dogs or siamese cats, y'know. I was looking at the Post the other day and there were some pictures about the fighting in the Bulge- when was it, four years ago Christmas time? Soldiers wearing white sheets over 'em, tanks painted white, snow sifting down on them, the little pine trees piled thick with it. I thought, how awful, fellas having to fight and kill each other at Christmas time, in the snow. Blood on the snow. There oughtn't to be blood on the snow. Snow's kinda... sacred. I always thought ever since I was a kid I hope it's snowing when I die. You ever feel that way?"

As the above quote demonstrates, "Meet John Smith, John" is a very melancholy episode. Our protagonist - John Smith - meets an older man also named John Smith whose life has been one of hard luck. The younger John Smith soon finds his own life falling apart and in the same ways the elder Smith's life had done. Somehow the two men's destinies are linked by their names.

What's so unnerving about this episode is that the link between the two John Smiths is inexplicable; they are not the same person, their lives are not identical - and yet the pattern between them only seems to grow stronger as time passes.

"Meet John Smith, John" was originally broadcast October 3, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Monday, October 16, 2023

Brief Personal Update

A very brief digression in the midst of my month-long Quiet, Please posts.

So: I am now married, to the wonderful Bethany. She's an artist, I'm a writer - I hope we will have collaborations that I can post about to this blog in the future.

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 16: "Symphony in D Minor"

"Personally, I believe in the law of the jungle. I believe the fight goes to the strong, the one that's smarter, the one that ought to win. I've made my way in life that way, you can't tell me anything different."

Every episode of Quiet, Please opened with a performance of Cesar Franck's Symphony in D Minor. It's no coincidence that today's episode is likewise called "Symphony in D Minor." While the protagonist plots to murder his girlfriend's husband, the husband - a gifted psychologist - has his own scheme to use hypnotism and turn his would-be killer into a murderer whenever he hears Franck's Symphony in D Minor...

"Symphony in D Minor" was originally broadcast September 13, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Sunday, October 15, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 15: "Three Thousand Words"

"What'd you do if you heard a knock on your door some cold winter night, you went to the door and opened it, there was a fella about three feet high standin' on your front porch in the snow? Jump about ten feet in the air and yell? Sure, probably. Only, Hubert didn't jump; he couldn't."

"Three Thousand Words." A title that tells you precious little about what you're in for! What we have here is one of star Ernest Chappell's most interesting performances as he portrays a three-foot tall man with a rough, deep voice. What follows is a familiar tale of phony spiritualism and ventriloquism but with some great twists.

"Three Thousand Words" was originally broadcast August 23, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Saturday, October 14, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 14: "It's Later Than You Think"

"How I got there I will never know, one minute I was sitting on the davenport with Verna right in my own living room in High Bridge, New Jersey just for no reason setting my watch 11 hours ahead and then vrong! I'm alongside the railroad station in Camp Dix and it's daylight and the sergeant... well, now... things don't happen like that, there's no such thing as magic. But... how? Tell me, how?"

Joining the army must be a very disconcerting experience for a drafted civilian, to have to surrender so much control and be ordered about. Such is the case of our nervous protagonist in "It's Later Than You Think" (title possibly inspired by the famous intro heard on Wyllis Cooper's earlier radio series Lights Out). His new wristwatch has the unusual power to control time and that causes all kinds of problems as he finds himself reliving moments - and blundering into trouble.

"It's Later Than You Think" was originally broadcast August 2, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Friday, October 13, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 13: "Baker's Dozen"

"You see, I used to be a baker. Everybody was always askin' for an extra bun, or an extra donut, one more pork roll when they bought a dozen, you see? That's supposed to be some old-time custom or something for bakers."

A man sitting in a jury box listens to witnesses recount the story of a murder. As the case proceeds, the juror becomes more and more aware that the murder being described concerns him directly! It's a bit of a variation on Charles Dickens' story "the Trial for Murder," the variation being the identity of the person telling the tale - and it ends abruptly as the juror's fate is fully revealed!

"Baker's Dozen" was originally broadcast January 19, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Thursday, October 12, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 12: "Clarissa"

"It was an old, black shell of a house. A house that had lived too long. A house where the floors groaned in pain at night, where the windows shuddered at the gentlest touch of the wind. Where door latches suddenly gave up their grip and let the night come sniffing into the house to paw at your eyes and wake you to the other silences that lay around ya."

The story of "Clarissa" is not - as the narrator frequently reminds us - a ghost story. But it's a tale that carries all the earmarks of a ghost story and for that reason, becomes all the more chilling. The mystery of why Clarissa is perpetually hidden from sight comes to a startling resolution in the climax. "Clarissa" features some of the best atmosphere in all of Wyllis Cooper's Quiet, Please.

"Clarissa" was originally broadcast April 19, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org. There's also a great episode of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast where they listen to and discuss "Clarissa" that you can find here.

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 11: "Never Send to Know"

"I wouldn't be caught in an alley with a derby hat, or with one of those light snap-brimmed ones, either. Look, you know what this thing is? It's an automatic pistol. It's not a rod, a roscoe or a heater. Do you know where I keep it? In my desk drawer. I can't speak Chinese; I think most policemen are very nice fellows, very efficient, generally courteous, almost always intelligent, I get along with them beautifully. I don't know any stoolpigeons; I have never hit a woman in my life. No one has ever called me a 'private eye' or a 'shamus' or however you pronounce it and I do not indulge in rapid-fire slang."

Quiet, Please was a show of many moods. As the above quote indicates, "Never Send to Know" sets out as a fairly whimsical tale like so many other episodes. The detective's opening monologue about all the genre cliches he does not support is very funny. The episode soon takes a turn as his latest client is a dead man who wants to know the identity of his murderer. This too is presented with a somewhat whimsical tone, but the story ends up in a very nightmarish place!

"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." - John Donne

"Never Send to Know" was originally broadcast March 8, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 10: "Rain on New Year's Eve"

"It's raining again. Pretty near New Year's and it's raining again. Back east, it's probably snowing different places. Or maybe the moon's out, shining on the snow and people are saying, 'Why, it's so bright out you could read a newspaper!' Ya can't read a newspaper by moonlight; only the headlines. Maybe if you take your newspaper out in the yard and stand in the moonlight, you might find a headline with my name in it- it's been there before. Well, anyway, so there's moonlight. Here, there's rain; like it was that other New Year's Eve. That's what the rain makes me think of, as if I ever thought of anything else."

The title of this Quiet, Please is innocuous enough; early on in the drama, we spend some time delving into the misadventures of a Hollywood screenwriter, based on creator Wyllis Cooper's own unsatisfactory time in the motion picture business (including anecdotes about Boris Karloff, whom Cooper worked with). However, the early humour gradually gives way to horror as the writer tries to bring up something truly evil for inspiration.

"Rain on New Year's Eve" was originally broadcast December 29, 1947. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org. There's also a great episode of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast where they listen to and discuss "Rain on New Year's Eve." you can listen to it on their website.

Monday, October 9, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 9: "Kill Me Again"

"You ever hear anybody say 'I'd sell my soul for' this, that or the other? Well, not very many people really mean it when they say it. Unfortunately, I did. And I found a buyer. No, nothing very exciting. No crashes of thunder, no red fire. No, the doorbell just rang and when I opened the door there was a worried little looking man standing there."

This episode is about 1/3rd serious and 2/3rd very funny; this is the story of a man who sells his soul to the Devil and, as he proclaims "makes a profit." But like all such tales there are loopholes which the Devil is eager to exploit. There are many depictions of the Devil in popular culture - here he comes off primarily like a meek businessman but he's shrewd and definitely not to be trusted.

"Kill Me Again" was originally broadcast November 17, 1947. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Sunday, October 8, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 8: "Take Me Out to the Graveyard"

"You drive a cab twelve, fifteen years like I done, you get some funny ones. Drunks that wanna take you home with 'em, guys that tell ya to take 'em to the Whosit Hotel when you're parked practically in front of it, dames that want you... Well, ya get some funny ones, but this is the first time I run into this kinda character. Well, so I'm drivin' a cab to make a buck, not to argue with people about where they wanna go. So I think: Lakeside Cemetery. That's the farthest."

A taxi driver keeps picking up fares who direct him towards a graveyard. Not any graveyard in particular - just to a graveyard. He complies, but grows increasingly unnerved by these passengers he's taking on. Has he become a ferryman to departed souls? Are the passengers already dead before they enter his cab?

"Take Me Out to the Graveyard" was originally broadcast November 3, 1947. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Saturday, October 7, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 7: "I Remember Tomorrow"

"Would you tell me the time, please? Oh, thank you. Thank you very much. I just wanted to see how much more time I have before a certain thing happens. I wanted to see if I have time enough to tell you what's going to happen."

Several of creator Wyllis Cooper's Quiet, Please stories involve time travel; in this case, our protagonist is an alcoholic scientist who is hired by criminals to unlock the secret of time travel. The scientist succeeds and then learns how he's going to die - but he mostly accepts his fate, as he's clearly a man already on a path to self-destruction. Like many time travel adventures there's a suggestion that time cannot be changed, but the scientist does make an effort to obtain justice by recruiting assistance from you, the listener!

"I Remember Tomorrow" was originally broadcast July 27, 1947. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Friday, October 6, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 6: "Where Do You Get Your Ideas?"

"All I said to him was 'Where do you get your ideas?' and look what he did to me. I came in this bar, and I sat down quiet by myself, and I said to the bartender Charlie, make me a dry Manhattan and put two olives in it. So I had my dry Manhattan, and then I had another, and I began to look around. There wasn't anybody else in the bar but this skinny little guy in a corduroy shirt sitting down at the other end of the bar drinking ginger ale, and talking, kind of, to Charlie."

This story places creator Wyllis Cooper himself as one of the characters (although I believe he's impersonated by an actor). Cooper heads to a bar for a drink and is repeatedly bothered by a drunken man who is fascinated by Cooper's work and has ideas for stories he could tell about men from Mars; it seems these stories are based on the drunkard's own life! This is another light-hearted story and one of many episodes of Quiet, Please in which Cooper breaks down the fourth wall to comment upon his little spook show.

"Where Do You Get Your Ideas?" was originally broadcast February 20, 1949. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Thursday, October 5, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 5: "Wear the Dead Man's Coat"

"Lemme see... yesterday, that's one day; the day before, that's two; the day before that, that's three - three days. Three days, all right. Doc was right. That fixes me. You think it don't? Well, listen..."

Two men with little money to their names find a dead man. One of the men takes the dead man's coat and puts it on, then discovers he's become invisible to those around him. "Wear the dead man's coat, no one takes note!" At first it seems like a great gift with powerful potential for abuse, but the coat comes with an awful hidden price. This is an excellent horror story whose tension builds as the protagonist gradually realizes the horrible fate he's subjected himself to.

"Wear the Dead Man's Coat" was originally broadcast February 23, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org. There's also a great episode of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast where they listen to and discuss "Wear the Dead Man's Coat," you'll find it right here.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 4: "Prest-o Change-o, I'm Sure"

"Oh, uh, excuse me. Uh, you really must excuse me. It's an old joke I haven't thought of in years. A joke that Johnny Martins and I used to kill ourselves over- and, to me, it's still funny. Ah, probably you won't crack a smile even but I must tell ya, I really must. You say to me, 'Sarsfield, can you make an elephant disappear?' And I say, 'Sure. Where's the elephant?' Uh, that's all. Really. Oh, I told you it wouldn't sound funny to you but, to me, it brings back memories. I wonder where poor Johnny Martins is. All those years, ah, Johnny and I used to have fits just fits laughin' at our bum joke. Er, that is, we did till I made an elephant disappear."

I think I break a little from the majority of Quiet, Please fans where the humourous episodes are concerned - I rather like them! "Prest-o Change-o, I'm Sure" is played primarily for laughs as the protagonist obtains great magical power but gets a bit muddled as to how to apply it, frequently resulting in a muffed spell and a request for someone to "disappear." But where do people go after he's made them disappear?

"Prest-o Change-o, I'm Sure" was originally broadcast August 16, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org.

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 3: "Northern Lights"

"This is a story about the temporal displacement of mass. It is also a story about teleportation. Do you know what those terms mean? No, I didn't think you did, but you stay right where you are, my charming friend, and you're quite likely to find out. You just stay right there and listen- I'll tell you everything you want to know. And maybe- well, maybe a couple of things you're not terribly anxious to know."

Not every episode of Quiet, Please could be classified as horror (generally the series is perhaps best dubbed 'dark fantasy') but "Northern Lights" is a potent example of how terrifying the program could be. And this is despite what sounds like a ridiculous premise - fuzzy caterpillers who ride in on the Aurora Borealis and learn to sing in English. This should be high camp, but it isn't. It's not just horror, it's cosmic horror - it's the type of horror television's the Outer Limits would later tap into. "Northern Lights" is extremely effective!

"Northern Lights" was originally broadcast January 30, 1949. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org. There is also a great discussion of "Northern Lights" on the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast that you can hear on their website, here.

Monday, October 2, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 2: "Let the Lilies Consider"

"We... consider the lilies and some of us love them. Do you suppose the lilies consider us and... sometimes return our love?"

Here we have an episode of Quiet, Please that feels like a forgotten Algernon Blackwood tale. As in Blackwood's fiction, nature has an overwhelming presence, a fascination that overcomes and subsumes humanity. In this case, it's about a man who loves his flowers (especially lilies) and his wife who does not. Under interrogation by the police over his wife's disappearance, the man goes into how the flowers came between them and the weird outcome of this conflict.

"Let the Lilies Consider" was originally broadcast June 28, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org. For another view on this episode, I recommend the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast, who listened to and discussed this episode in an early installment that you can listen to on their website.

Sunday, October 1, 2023

OTR Halloween 2023 Day 1: "Beezer's Cellar"

I often like to spend Octobers on this blog performing a 31-day countdown to Halloween with some appropriate Halloween program. This year, I'm looking at the excellent series Quiet, Please which was written and directed by Wyllis Cooper.
"I looked at Marlena; Marlena looked at me when we heard this old guy talkin' about Beezer's cellar. 'Get a load of this Marlena,' I said, and she picked up a french fry and ate it very quiet while we listened to the old guy. He was sounding off to another old guy and the other old guy couldn't get a word in edgeways."

Three criminals overhear a discussion of "Beezer's Cellar" and the legend of the unusual six-fingered man who built it, then committed suicide. The cellar is deserted and shunned; the criminals think that renders it an ideal spot to hide their stolen money.

Although morality fables are a well-known feature of Arch Oboler's Lights Out series, Wyllis Cooper had a similar determination to depict in his radio scripts a strong moral code and sense of justice. At it's heart, that's what the criminals find in "Beezer's Cellar" - justice. And at the very end... a little mercy.

"Beezer's Cellar" was originally broadcast October 10, 1948. You can listen to the episode at Quiet, Please.org. This episode was listened to and discussed on the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast and you can hear it for yourself on their website if you're so inclined!

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Review: Meanwhile... a Biography of Milton Caniff

Meanwhile... a Biography of Milton Caniff is a 2007 book published by Fantagraphics and written by R. C. Harvey (who is now deceased). In his life, Harvey was a major fan and promoter of the work of Milton Caniff and had a lot of access to Caniff during the latter years of his life. Meanwhile clocks in at almost 1000 pages yet apparently Harvey's 1st draft was almost twice that length and had to be pared down.

In the early chapters you might well wonder what exactly was pared down - I did. The space spent covering Caniff's early life prior to his professional career as a cartoonist are extremely padded. For instance, to explain something about U.S. culture in the 1920s, Harvey spent two paragraphs recapping the plot and substance of Sinclair Lewis' novel Babbitt. An entire chapter was spent discussing the history of newspaper comics. At times Harvey scripted imaginary conversations he assumed Caniff must have held with other cartoonists. But digressions and rabbit trails (Babbitt trails?) such as this became fairly rare once Caniff's career took off.

Indeed, as Caniff was (and is) best-known for his comic strip Terry and the Pirates (1934-1946), Harvey devoted more time and energy to those years of Caniff's life to the point that most of the storyarcs from the strip were recounted in the text by Harvey. That stands in stark contrast to Caniff's long-running Steve Canyon (1947-1988) strip for which Harvey noted certain highlights in the strip's history but comparatively glanced over much of the content.

I own a set of the complete Terry and the Pirates strips by Caniff that was published by IDW some years ago. I love the strip and I have a lot of respect for Caniff's storytelling and art. I'm less enthusiastic about Steve Canyon - I have vestigal memories of that strip from my childhood and my impression then was that the strip was about as boring as Rex Morgan M.D. or Mark Trail. Of course, as I learned in Harvey's tome, Caniff didn't really draw the strip for very long, turning the penciling duties over to Dick Rockwell and only supplying inks for the majority of the strip's run.

Although I'm overwhelmingly for Milt Caniff, I wasn't prepared for the tone of Harvey's book. Harvey approaches Caniff as though he were beyond criticism. One snippet I found revealing was this, where Harvey engaged with some criticism written by Canadian Arn Saba (today Katherine Collins); Collins (Saba) wrote:

"[When Steve reenlisted in the Air Force], the strip became a vehicle for right-wing political views in that completely transparent and guileless way that Americans have of not even realizing that there might be any other point of view..."

Harvey immediately pushed back against this:

"I don’t wholly agree with Saba. Caniff was a mainstream moderate not a right-wing conservative: he scarcely approached Harold Gray’s end of the political spectrum."

As a fellow Canadian, I understand Collins (Saba)'s perspective as an outsider viewing American culture. Harvey seems unable to consider how American views appear to the world at large, how very right-wing his nation's culture is. One needn't be as far-right as Gray to espouse a right-wing viewpoint. Many of what I see Americans calling centrist views, I would call right-wing if they were uttered by a Canadian. Harvey's own right-wing views were evident when he discussed the protests against Vietnam, where he repeatedly cast shade on the protestor's motivations, at one point calling them "self-indulgent" and generally engaging in bad faith representations of why the war protests broke out.

But for me the most troubling part of Harvey's defensiveness (defensive of the USA and defensive of Caniff) is when he discussed racism in Terry and the Pirates. Despite Harvey's verbose writing style and indulgent 1000 page count, he spent less than 2 pages on this topic. Here's a snippet of the praise he lavished on Caniff:

Almost from the start, Caniff’s treatment of the Chinese in his strip had been respectful—even within the permissive conventions of the medium in a relatively racist society. Caniff’s Chinese villains had been villainous, but they hadn't been racial caricatures: they had been realistically rendered. Some of the early heavies had leaned a little too far in the direction of the Oriental villains of melodrama, but before the strip was six months old, Caniff had scuttled stereotypes like these. And all the other Chinese who crossed Caniff’s stage performed their functions as appropriate to their assigned roles (whether large or small) without any particular attention (or slight) to their race. Not all Chinese were pirates; not all pirates were venal. Not all Caucasians were good guys; and even the good guys had faults.

It really is fair game to talk about racism in Terry and the Pirates. I love that strip, but I also won't hesitate to call it racist. There absolutely are mitigating factors such as Harvey notes above, but any contemporary reader who sees a Caniff drawing of the character Connie will not hesitate in calling him a racist caricature. There's definitely a debate to have on that subject, probably an especially good one to hear from a critic of Asian descent (to say nothing of the Dragon Lady, who I myself saw targeted for criticism in a female Asian student's comics presentation at my university). I don't think Harvey's attempts to cast Caniff as going against the tide of his culture will really resonate with today's audiences; I think they'll simply see Caniff as (at best) a product of his times - and because of his great influence on comics, a fair target for criticism.

So Meanwhile is a hard book to recommend. If you are really enthralled by Caniff's work, I think it's indispensable. Otherwise, no one would want to engage with the book - it's too big, too overwritten, too hagiographic for the casual reader.

Friday, September 29, 2023

Radio Recap: 2000 Plus

2000 Plus was one of the first science fiction radio programs developed for an older audience. It debuted over Mutual on March 15, 1950, almost a month before the better-known Dimension X premiered on NBC. That these two shows launched within a month of each other shows how science fiction's reputation was growing by leaps and bounds at the dawn of the 1950s.

And yet, 2000 Plus has remained under-the-radar in old-time radio fan circles. Growing up, my local radio station only played one episode of 2000 Plus in their lineup - a drama called "Worlds Apart." As I gained more knowledge of old-time radio I went looking for more information on the series, but found it lacking. Circa 1998, the internet had only a couple of episodes of 2000 Plus and it didn't appear in any of the radio logs I used for research. My assumption was that 2000 Plus was a very short-lived program that lasted perhaps 3 months or so.

As it happens, more information about 2000 Plus has come to light and the series actually ran from March 1950 until August 1953! And yet, although it's believed about 92 episodes were produced we only have 16 currently circulating - and of them, some are a bit chopped-up, missing intros or outros (although the dramas are complete). The show's obscurity is no doubt due to originating on Mutual as that network's programming - particularly in the 1950s - is elusive compared to the bigger networks (note that we have every single episode of Dimension X and in great sound quality).

2000 Plus originated under the guidance of producer Sherman H. Dreyer. Dreyer's earlier credits for Mutual included the 1944-1945 series the Human Adventure and the 1946-1947 series Exploring the Unknown. Although both of these show titles sound like they belong to a science fiction anthology show, they were actually concerned with real science - about explaining advances in science to the layman (which dovetails neatly with some science fiction magazines of the day). And even then, there were exceptions - for Christmas, Exploring the Unknown ran a science fiction comedy-drama called "Chuckle Charlie and the Christmas Cloud" starring Morey Amsterdam. Clearly even then, Dreyer had an interest in bringing such programming to the airwaves.

It's impossible to talk about 2000 Plus without comparing it to Dimension X, especially since old-time radio fans are much more familiar with the latter series. Dimension X had the benefit of adapting works by big name science fiction authors such as Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. 2000 Plus had... a lot of uncredited authors thanks to the clipped nature of surviving episodes mixed with some wholly unremembered authors. Then too, Mutual didn't draw from the same talent pool as NBC (although they had some decent players such as Luis Van Rooten and Joseph Julian) nor did they have sound effects as accomplished as what the major networks could achieve.

The writing on 2000 Plus was frequently very juvenile; the episode I noted above, "Worlds Apart," is pretty much a kid-friendly science fiction adventure tale where the whole drama is just a big misunderstanding. Stories on the surviving episodes tend to involve mad scientists and malevolent alien invaders. Other episodes, such as "Brooklyn Brain" (the story of a Brooklyn man who becomes very smart thanks to an experiment) are played for laughs. Every episode is set beyond the year 2000, so there are frequently casual references to people piloting their jet cars. It may not have had any talent from Amazing Stories magazine but it certainly feels akin to that magazine.

And yet, there are episodes of 2000 Plus that strike me as being something unique, something special. The episode "A Veteran Comes Home" tells the tale of a veteran who has been fighting on Mars returning to Earth and struggling with adjusting to everyday life after his hellish experiences. It's essentially a PTSD story using a science fiction backdrop to set up a story that was familiar to post-World War II audiences. "A Veteran Comes Home" is a quiet, human drama that just happens to have a science fiction setting. For that episode alone, I think the fan who seeks out the series won't be disappointed.

You can hear the 16 circulating 2000 Plus episodes on YouTube through this playlist created by the Old-Time Radio Researchers Group.

Post-script: Because it seems every other post I write about old-time radio leads me to Suspense, I have to bring up that series, too; in 1962, Suspense's final year, the show used a lot of scripts from older shows including at least one instance where they recreated a lost 2000 Plus story called "the Doom Machine." You can listen to the episode right here as another example of what 2000 Plus was like.

Thursday, September 28, 2023

My Favorite TV List

I've composed an unusual list at the Internet Movie Database; this is my list of the best of TV. It begins with 1949 (the earliest original TV broadcast date of anything I've seen) and continues to the present with my picks of my favourite TV broadcast from each year. I considered TV episodes, TV movies, TV specials and TV mini-series to be equally eligible and consequently, there are some unusual picks. You'll notice in recent years my favourite programs seem to be primarily documentaries.

Anyway, check out the list, hopefully it serves as a good series of recommendations!

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Radio Recap: Mr. Moto

Mr. Moto was a fictional character created by author John P. Marquand and first appeared in fiction in 1935. Marquand presented Moto as an agent of the empire of Japan. It was certainly a background that set Moto apart from other detective heroes of the time, but Marquand's timing left a little to be wanted. Mr. Moto was very quickly snapped up by Fox to become the protagonist of a series of films starring the not-at-all-Japanese performer Peter Lorre (who fortunately was good in anything) and that added to the character's fame; then, of course, Japan declared war on the United States and that was that.

Marquand did just fine - his Mr. Moto novels were just a few among his many successful publications. In fact, after 1941 he didn't touch the character again until 1957 when he published his final Mr. Moto novel; Marquand died in 1960 (a few years later his earlier books were reissued in new paperback editions). The character made one last attempt at motion pictures in 1965 with the also-not-at-all-Japanese actor Henry Silva in the Return of Mr. Moto, which has been dismissed by historians as an attempt to cash-in on the James Bond craze.

I haven't read any of Marquand's novels, but Mr. Moto was written up in various encyclopedias of detective heroes (that I have read) as one of the better characters. Obviously, the war with Japan forced the character out of bookshops and cinemas for a time; in fact, in some wartime popular culture you can hear "Mr. Moto" used as a perjorative term for Japanese people.

But before the attempted film revival - before even Marquand's attempted revival - Mr. Moto's big return to popular culture occurred in the 1951 Mr. Moto radio series on NBC. Some refer to this program as Mr. I. A. Moto, which is how he always introduces himself on the program; but then, what's in a name? The series was broadcast from May 20th to October 20th of 1951 with the additionally-not-at-all-Japanese actor James Monks as Mr. Moto. The series did not have a sponsor and, as NBC was much less generous about allowing programs to find their footing than CBS, it didn't last very long.

The war was 6 years in the past by 1951 and the NBC series seemed content to leave the past in the past. Moto was emphasized to be an Interpol agent cooperating with American authorities and thus, less inclined to be a figurehead of the Japanese government. Episodes of Mr. Moto would almost exclusively pit him against communist agents operating in the US, emphasizing Moto's keen mind (yet deemphasizing his physical prowess which had been a major part of his previous depictions). The radio version of Moto is depicted as quiet and wise... frankly, he comes off as an imitation of Charlie Chan.

I find Mr. Moto to be okay as a post-war radio espionage series. The identities of the villains are often supplied to we listeners prior to Moto learning who they are, leaving us to wonder how Moto will put the pieces together, rather than what the big picture is. Episodes were written by Robert Tallman (Suspense, Intrigue, Voyage of the Scarlet Queen, Adventures of Sam Spade) and by Harry W. Junkin (Radio City Playhouse, Top Secret, the Chase), both of whom were clearly able hands.

The Internet Archive has a collection of Mr. Moto episodes. You'll notice there's an episode titled "the Kuriloff Papers" and another called "the Bazaloff Papers" that are basically the same script. The best explanation I've seen is that the former episode was a rehearsal program and the latter the broadcast version. Episodes of Mr. Moto do appear a bit clipped - I get the sensation that other surviving episodes might not be the broadcast versions but are instead rehearsals.

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Brief essay: Reasonable Jesus

I was inspired to write this by a recent sermon I heard in which the pastor suggested that Jesus' miracles were not "reasonable." I started thinking about what it would mean to have a "reasonable" version of Jesus.

One of the definitions of "reasonable" is to be "moderate, fair." So how would a "reasonable" Jesus appear (assuming that he was still the son of God and therefore a supernatural being capable of miracles)?

I see "Reasonable Jesus" as being one who would uphold the law and expectations, not one to court controversy. If Reasonable Jesus were asked to comment on divorce he'd ask them what Moses commanded them (as in Mark 10:1-10) but simply tell his audience to obey that law. He'd agree that taxes should be paid even though no one really liked paying taxes (Matthew 22:15-22). If a woman who committed adultery were brought before him (John 8:1-11) he'd consider stoning to be the acceptable form of punishment. This would be a version of Jesus who would read from Isaiah but choose not to claim he had fulfilled his words before his audience (Luke 4:14-30).

Still, this version of Jesus would have supernatural power. If 5 thousand hungry people were before him, he wouldn't hesitate to use this power to feed them. But I think instead of multiplying a single meal into sufficient food for the entire assembly, he'd perhaps magically supply sufficient money for everyone to go buy their own food. And once word got out that he had a bottomless supply of money he'd be certain to win followers!

But although this silly version of Jesus I'm describing could still find followers by his very nature he wouldn't attract controversy. This is not someone who would unnerve the religious establishment by speaking into the heart of the law in a way they didn't anticipate - Reasonable Jesus wouldn't say anything out of line from the establishment. This is not someone whose movement would be considered a potential threat to the authority of the Roman occupation. He would never inspire a movement to have him crucified.

And of course, you know all of this. We know that the things Jesus said did upset the leaders and the establishment. We know he even upset the man in the street by the number of times people tried to have him killed. He cautioned his disciples, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division." (Luke 12:51)

But I think given enough passage of time and familiarity, what once seemed unreasonable can become reasonable. Those of us with many years in the church aren't shocked when we hear Jesus say things that were outrageous in their original context. We don't dwell in the same time and place as his original audience - we are all-too-aware that we are outside of the original context in which those words were spoken. Heck, even outside of the church, Jesus' principle of "the Golden Rule" (Matthew 7:12) is a widely-admired belief that people of other faiths or of no faith background consider a sound - reasonable - teaching.

I think our danger is that we can read Jesus' words and simply nod along thinking, "yes, that's reasonable." We only become flummoxed when Jesus suggests following him brings on challenges such as:

"If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21)

Well, that sounds very hard and we're not accustomed to being challenged by anything said by Jesus in scripture, so we will ourselves to sidestep or minimize it. We know the Jesus of the Bible is not the "Reasonable Jesus" I invented; but I think sometimes we'd rather have a Reasonable Jesus who doesn't make great demands on us and whose supernatural power is held back. I'm sure I've made that mistake many times. So for me, as I attempt to make sense of the world and to recognize how Jesus is working today - the challenge to me is to not expect everything to be reasonable.

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Radio Recap: Agatha Christie's Poirot

Prior to World War II, the conventional wisdom on radio seemed to be that audiences liked mystery programs but they adored comedy programs. Although mystery programs were part of radio very early on, it was only really in the post-war era that radio was flooded with mystery shows as detective programs brought in big ratings.

In an earlier Radio Recap I looked at the Mutual 1942-1943 anthology series Murder Clinic, whose ranks included various famous sleuths by world-famous authors - such as Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie. Mutual weren't the leader in radio (far from it) but, while lacking in comedy stars, they put a lot of effort into their mystery programs. In 1945, during the start of the detective boom, Mutual returned to Poirot, this time in his own series!

Agatha Christie's Poirot aired on Mutual from February 22, 1945 to February 17, 1946. Harold Huber starred as Poirot (he also produced the show). After the Mutual run ended, Huber brought the series to CBS as a daily 15-minute program and it ran in that format 'til the end of 1947 - but I'm concerned with the Mutual run here.

The fussy little Belgian detective and his "little grey cells" is now known to have been something of a love/hate figure to his creator, Agatha Christie. In fact, by the time this radio program began in 1945 she was getting tired of writing about him, even though he was her most popular creation. She'd already written what would 30 years later be published as the final Poirot novel (Curtain) but certainly sponsoring Poirot for a US radio program could have only served to make him more famous. And indeed, Agatha Christie did sponsor the program, in fact she appears in the premiere episode!

The first episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot features Poirot relocating to the USA, where he'd spend his run on Mutual (meaning Mutual could cast local actors without worrying about passable British accents). He took on a new secretary, Abbie Thresher (who had a bit of Miss Marple's personality) and Inspector Stevens to be the reliably confounded police official. At the close of the broadcast Mutual made an attempt to link up to England so that Agatha Christie could appear over the airwaves and give her blessing to the new show. Unfortunately, the link up didn't pan out but Mutual instead played a recording they'd wisely made in advance, in which Agatha Christie wishes Poirot well in the USA (probably not good riddance).

Agatha Christie's Poirot only really stands apart from other post-war detective heroes because of the stature of Christie's stories. Huber definitely sounds appropriately accented and fussy in the lead role but the mysteries themselves are not too different from what other radio shows of the time provided. Huber's performance and lingering affection for Christie's work are the best reasons for revisiting this series - otherwise it's about as good as other Mutual detective shows of the era (ie, Charlie Chan, Crime Club, Nick Carter, Murder Is My Hobby).

You can hear episodes of Agatha Christie's Poirot at the Internet Archive.

Monday, August 7, 2023

Escape Episode Guide Follow-Up

Having recently completed my episode guide to the old-time radio series Escape I think it would be beneficial to look at the series as a whole, having already examined it episode-by-episode.

I rated every episode out of 5 stars; breaking them down by seasons here's how the averages came out:

  • 1947-1948 Season: (episodes #2-54) 4.32 average
  • 1949 Season: (episodes #55-76) 4.57 average
  • 1959-1950 Season: (epsiodes #77-122) 4.08 average
  • 1950-1951 Season: (episodes #123-148) 4.42 average
  • 1952-1953 Season: (episodes #149-195) 3.76 average
  • 1954 Season (episodes #196-219) 3.32 average

It isn't too surprising to see the last season's average is the lowest, but I think 3.32 is still a good ranking for an old-time radio series. There were still some very good episodes in that season. What's a bit more surprising is that the 1949 season (which lasted just half of a regular season) had the best average - probably because in that season there were a number of new versions of the best scripts from the previous season.

I also kept track of where in the world episodes were set. Here's how the settings break down by percentage:

  • Asia and the Pacific: 26%
  • USA and Canada: 25%
  • The "high seas": 22%
  • Mexico, South America and the Caribbean: 20%
  • England: 12%
  • Other European Settings: 11%
  • Africa: 7%
  • The Middle East: 1%
  • Other Planets: 1%

So Asia had a significant impact on this series, being the most common part of the world to appear. Note as well that "the high seas" rank very high. When you think of Escape, I think you do tend to think of William Conrad, a boat and a snake.

Although the USA ranks high, that doesn't diminish the exotic settings of the series; even stories set in the USA could involve nightmarish department stores ("Evening Primrose"), New Orleans at Mardi Gras ("The Man Who Stole the Bible"), historical adventures ("Command") or the end of the world ("Earth Abides"). Escape promised to bring its listeners into a world of high adventure and they did so, even amidst the everyday world.

Throughout its 7 years on the air, Escape demonstrated its versatility, offering tales from the espionage genre, westerns and science fiction. There were stories of pirates and smuggling alongside wartime exploits, comedic misfortunes and surviving the wrath of nature. You never knew exactly where in the world or what kind of adventure each episode of Escape brought but you could always count on the series to deliver a steady script with able performers and sound technicians. There are only a handful of episodes I don't recommend and that's against a multitude of episodes that I believe can be called among radio's greatest ("Leiningen versus the Ants"; "Taboo"; "Bloodbath"; "A Shipment of Mute Fate"; "Red Wine"; "The Fourth Man"; "Three Skeleton Key"; "A Study in Wax"; "Earth Abides"; "S.S. San Pedro"; "Confession"; "The Young Man with the Cream Tarts"; "Present Tense"; and more).

Escape has long been considered a sibling series to Suspense because they shared so many creative talents (including swapping scripts between the shows). Suspense ran 20 years so never managed the consistency of Escape (I'm certain if I created a Suspense episode guide there would be multiple seasons with averages under 3.32). I believe Escape holds up extremely well among old-time radio series and will continue to be enjoyed for as long as there is interest in audio drama.

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Radio Recap: This Is My Best

This Is My Best was a radio anthology series that ran from September 5, 1944 to May 28, 1946 on CBS. Less than half of the series' episodes are in existence now, and that's a real shame.

For This Is My Best was, for a time, produced by Orson Welles. Welles made a few appearances as a performer in the series' early months, but as of March 13, 1945 and a radio adaptation of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," Welles took control of the program. Under his guidance, the series basically became another Mercury Theater on the Air. In fact, as the first episode of the series I heard was "Heart of Darkness" I mistakenly thought it was the first episode of the series and that the program was (and had always been) Welles' program. It looks like Welles left the series at the 1945 summer break so he wasn't really involved for very long.

The series was sponsored by Cresta Blanca wines, who had an appealing commercial jingle. Post-This Is My Best they briefly teamed up with Roma Wines to sponsor Suspense, which is where I'm most familiar with their advertisements.

Looking at what remains of the series, what stands out? There's a terrific production of Norman Corwin's comedic "The Plot to Overthrow Christmas." We have most of an adaptation of James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" starring Thurber's fellow New Yorker author Robert Benchley - it's extremely funny. Welles crafted an odd adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" that doesn't really retain the easy humour of Fitzgerald's work nor is as faithful to the text as the Escape adaptations I've written about on this blog. Welles adapted Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Master of Ballentrae" but with just a half-hour the story can't really breathe. Jack Benny starred in a comedic program called "Babes in the Woods" but the style of comedy is quite different than what he perfected on his own show.

The series is, like most dramatic anthologies, inconsistent. But the best of the series ("Heart of Darkness" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty") really stand out and suggest that we old-time radio fans are poorer for the absence of so many other episodes in existing collections. Here's an incomplete collection at the Internet Archive.