Comic Book Plus Forum
Comic And Book Related => Comic Book Plus Reading Group => Topic started by: Quirky Quokka on March 19, 2023, 10:47:18 PM
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Something a bit different this week—a radio show and two comic books that all involve some sunken treasure and have links to movies or TV.
Bold Venture Radio Show, Episode #21 – Sunken Treasure at 20 Fathoms
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=81665
‘Bold Venture’ was produced during 1951-1952 and starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It has elements reminiscent of the movies ‘Casablanca’, ‘Key Largo’ and ‘To Have and Have Not’. Bogart plays Slate Shannon, seafarer and owner of a hotel in Cuba. Bacall plays his sidekick and ward Sailor Duval. If you like noir, this radio show should appeal. The episode is about 30 mins.
Sea Hunt #6
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=39007
This comic by Dell is based on the TV show starring Lloyd Bridges as a navy diver. I’m not sure if the comic is based on actual episodes or not. Maybe we can dig that up in our discussions. This issue contains two ‘Sea Hunt’ stories and some fillers, with the first story focused on sunken treasure at a Mayan site in Mexico.
Super Detective Library #59 – The Saint’s Sunken Gold
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=74180
This book follows Simon Templar, aka the Saint, who gets tangled up in a sunken treasure case while vacationing off the coast of Florida. What could go wrong?
Will we dig up some hidden treasure in these selections or will it be fool’s gold? I’ll look forward to your reviews and interesting side trips.
Cheers
Quirky Quokka
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Well done! I'm going to enjoy these.
l like those Sea Hunt comics. Sea Hunt was a favorite TV show when I was in primary school.
cheers!
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Well done! I'm going to enjoy these.
l like those Sea Hunt comics. Sea Hunt was a favorite TV show when I was in primary school.
cheers!
Glad I've picked something you like, Panther. 'Sea Hunt' was in reruns when I was in primary school, and at that age, I probably thought it was more of a boys' show. But when I came across the comics, I thought they were interesting and it's inspired me to dig out the old episodes. I see there are quite a few on YouTube, so will have to check them out.
Cheers
QQ
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You wanted to know if this was treasure? It certainly was for me. I thought the theme of sunken treasure for the three pieces was clever, but I enjoyed the fact that manta rays played a role in both the radio show and the text adventure in the Sea Hunt comic. I felt like the art was a little uneven in The Saint adventure, but I was so impressed with the length of the story and some of the full panels that I'm not disappointed.
As for Sea Hunt, it was my absolute favorite television show when I was a kid. As I put on the comment on the comic's page, the story played out like a mini-episode of the series. I just missed hearing Bridges narrating the voice over. The second Sea Hunt story was even more nostalgic for me. I had absolutely forgotten that Mike Nelson was supposed to be affiliated with Marineland of the Pacific. I was so thrilled when I was finally able to visit in my teens and disappointed to see the park completely gone in favor of modern development in my adulthood.
Putting this theme of sunken treasure together was a delightful journey. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
BONUS: You opened my eyes to the world of UK comics from that era, as well. I was totally ignorant.
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You wanted to know if this was treasure? It certainly was for me. I thought the theme of sunken treasure for the three pieces was clever, but I enjoyed the fact that manta rays played a role in both the radio show and the text adventure in the Sea Hunt comic. I felt like the art was a little uneven in The Saint adventure, but I was so impressed with the length of the story and some of the full panels that I'm not disappointed.
As for Sea Hunt, it was my absolute favorite television show when I was a kid. As I put on the comment on the comic's page, the story played out like a mini-episode of the series. I just missed hearing Bridges narrating the voice over. The second Sea Hunt story was even more nostalgic for me. I had absolutely forgotten that Mike Nelson was supposed to be affiliated with Marineland of the Pacific. I was so thrilled when I was finally able to visit in my teens and disappointed to see the park completely gone in favor of modern development in my adulthood.
Putting this theme of sunken treasure together was a delightful journey. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
BONUS: You opened my eyes to the world of UK comics from that era, as well. I was totally ignorant.
Great to see you here, Johnny. I've only been in the group since last August, so I'm still learning everyone's names. Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed the selections. I'm a child of the 60s, so 'Sea Hunt' was in re-runs by then and I was probably more interested in 'The Jetsons' and 'The Flintstones' at that time. However, when I discovered the 'Sea Hunt' comics here, they really took my interest. I think I can appreciate the stories a lot more now. That would have been great to visit the actual Marineland where it was shot. I live in Australia and we have a big marine park a couple of hours away called Sea World, which I've visited a few times. I love it.
Those Super Detective Library comics are great for full-length stories that allow for more story development. We've done a few of them before, and you'll find a really wide assortment, from straight detective stories, to sci-fi, to tales with well-known characters like The Saint. Plenty of range, so you should be able to find some more in there that you enjoy.
Thanks for your comments. That's a great way to start a Monday.
Cheers
Quirky Quokka
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Hi all
Trivia for the day. In the 'Bold Venture' radio show, there's a short song from a character called King Moses, who apparently does little musical interludes in all (most?) of the shows. I looked him up and the actor is Jester Hairston who was a composer, among other things. He wrote the well-known Christmas song 'Mary's Boy Child' that has been covered by tons of artists, the first being Harry Belafonte:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N8aNhbnP-Y
He also wrote the song 'Amen' which features in the Sidney Poitier film ' Lilies of the Field'. Sidney Poitier 'sings' it in the movie, but it was dubbed by Hairston. Here's a clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHd0HKaVw4
Cheers
QQ
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Hi all
Trivia for the day. In the 'Bold Venture' radio show, there's a short song from a character called King Moses, who apparently does little musical interludes in all (most?) of the shows. I looked him up and the actor is Jester Hairston who was a composer, among other things. He wrote the well-known Christmas song 'Mary's Boy Child' that has been covered by tons of artists, the first being Harry Belafonte:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N8aNhbnP-Y
He also wrote the song 'Amen' which features in the Sidney Poitier film ' Lilies of the Field'. Sidney Poitier 'sings' it in the movie, but it was dubbed by Hairston. Here's a clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHd0HKaVw4
Cheers
QQ
Thanks for the info, QQ. I've known both of those songs for a long time, but never realised they came from the same composer. It's good (and perhaps not surprising) to find that "King Moses" was a bona fide musician and songwriter.
I'll be dipping my toes back into Bold Venture when I've done with the comics. All good choices.
All the best
K1ngcat
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Good Research QQ!
One thing i love doing is finding althernative versions of evergreen songs.
Like these.
Jim Reeves - Mary's Boy Child
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLmt345o3mc
Harry Belafonte Sings "Amen" at Sidney Poitier's AFI Life Achievement Award
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBc0pV2Ipj8
Now this is worth listening to - this guy is a great songleader. I think you will like this bluesman!
"Amen" Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir 1994
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0obOtJGo-E
Speaking the line before the choir sings it, was a routine in black churhes because many present were illiterate and couldn't read.
I'd like to hear it done in modern churches where many don't sing at all.
cheers!
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Sea Hunt 6
Treasure of the Mayas
Funny how I started reading the narration and heard Lloyd Bridges' voice. :) I think I last binge watched the show about 10 years ago.
For some odd reason the art seems more like Dan Speigle than Russ Manning to me.
Raney came straight out of Central Casting for bad guys. Yeah, the writers don't have much time to build these things up, but yeesh!
Given this is an archeological expedition, why don't they have an underwater photographer to snap photos before they start disturbing the artifacts?
Okay story.
Shadow of Danger
Okay story of it's type.
The Fisherman's Feat
Not bad.
Underwater City
Page 26 we see a restaurant named Manning's. Guess that's the artist sneaking in his sig. ;)
Considering the thickness of the stone bridge, I'm not sure those small bundles of dynamite would work. Why not just dump logs and stuff to make the bridge more like a dam?
Frankly I wonder if blowing up a section of land near the quarry might work better to divert the flow of water. (But then the story wouldn't work for Sea Hunt, Keith. Think of the poor writers and the artificial contrivances they have to invent!)
Hot and Cold Running Water - The New Frontier - Treasure of the Seas
Eh, okay.
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Bold Venture 21
Sunken Treasure At 20 Fathoms
Hmmm, didn't know about this radio show. My first thought it was something like Lux Radio Theatre (radio adaptations of movies) or Escape (radio adaptations of print stories). Didn't realize Bogey & Becall did a continuing series.
Kind of funny how the manta ray, or devil fish, was considered a stock villain of the sea for sea stories up to some point in the mid-twentieth century, and then... I guess as skin diving became more of a hobby people began to see these distant relatives of shark's as more harmless fish that only cause trouble if you bother them and not the ruthless killers of fiction.
Nice story.
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Good Research QQ!
One thing i love doing is finding althernative versions of evergreen songs.
Like these.
Jim Reeves - Mary's Boy Child
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLmt345o3mc
Harry Belafonte Sings "Amen" at Sidney Poitier's AFI Life Achievement Award
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBc0pV2Ipj8
Now this is worth listening to - this guy is a great songleader. I think you will like this bluesman!
"Amen" Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir 1994
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0obOtJGo-E
Speaking the line before the choir sings it, was a routine in black churhes because many present were illiterate and couldn't read.
I'd like to hear it done in modern churches where many don't sing at all.
cheers!
Thanks for digging those up, Panther. You can't beat a black gospel choir for that second one. And that last one with Jester Hairston shows he certainly didn't lose anything as he got older.
Cheers
QQ
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Sea Hunt 6
Underwater City
Page 26 we see a restaurant named Manning's. Guess that's the artist sneaking in his sig. ;)
Considering the thickness of the stone bridge, I'm not sure those small bundles of dynamite would work. Why not just dump logs and stuff to make the bridge more like a dam?
Frankly I wonder if blowing up a section of land near the quarry might work better to divert the flow of water. (But then the story wouldn't work for Sea Hunt, Keith. Think of the poor writers and the artificial contrivances they have to invent!)
Good pick up on that sign, SuperScrounge. I wouldn't have realised that. I also had a few logistical problems with blowing up the bridge, but as you say, they had to have a reason to call in the navy diver.
Cheers
QQ
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Bold Venture 21
Sunken Treasure At 20 Fathoms
Hmmm, didn't know about this radio show. My first thought it was something like Lux Radio Theatre (radio adaptations of movies) or Escape (radio adaptations of print stories). Didn't realize Bogey & Bacall did a continuing series.
Nice story.
Hi SuperScrounge - I'd never heard of it either, and was pleasantly surprised to find it here. They were pretty major film stars to do a weekly radio series. I love the bits with the snappy patter between the two of them, reminiscent of their films.
Cheers
QQ
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Thanks for the info, QQ. I've known both of those songs for a long time, but never realised they came from the same composer. It's good (and perhaps not surprising) to find that "King Moses" was a bona fide musician and songwriter.
I'll be dipping my toes back into Bold Venture when I've done with the comics. All good choices.
All the best
K1ngcat
I thought you might like the music trivia, K1ngcat. Will be interested to here what you think.
Cheers
QQ
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Sea Hunt
I remember the TV series fondly, and the comic seems to capture the feel of the original. I like the art, it's clean but appealing, and I see the artist went to some trouble to render Lloyd Bridges' eyebrows very accurately. It's a small point, but it helps bring the character to life. The colouring is pleasing too, particularly in Treasure of the Mayas, the underwater scenes come across as beautifully fluid.
The Fisherman's Feat is a pleasantly amusing filler, but I found Underwater City slightly less gripping than the lead story, perhaps because of the scene in which it's set. There's less happening, too - they call Mike Nelson, he takes a dangerous job, has a setback, then goes on to save the day. Still, I suppose not having the adventure at sea does provide variety.
Overall I enjoyed this quite a lot, and it brought back some good childhood memories. Thanks for posting this one.
Sunken Gold
I'm less enamoured with this, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the detectoscope - "You tune it in to what you're looking for, and it tells you how deep it is?" It reads like the same kind of pseudo-science that I'd probably tolerate in sci-fi, but it seems out of place here. Surely Charteris could've done better.
The art is by John Spranger who was apparently very highly thought of, and worked with Jack Cole and Will Eisner. I'm sure I remember seeing his name in a few early Marvel comics too. Anyway, as suspected this is a newspaper strip, cut down to fit the SDL format, and as a result the amount of detail in a panel seems to vary wildly, and it doesn't do Springer any favours. Clegg is a little disappointing too, he seems to be straight out of Villains R Us, the powerful build, scowling simian face, and stripey shirt are all dead giveaways. I'm sure it was better in newspaper form, and maybe in colour, there are some nice examples here:
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/spranger_john.htm
Some interesting reading, QQ, I'll go back to Bold Venture for another listen before I comment.
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Funny how universal some things are, huh? I watched SEA HUNT after school in syndication too. The comic had all the elements I loved...lovely ladies in diving suits, underwater caves, and people not listening to Mike’s common sense advice...to their peril. The photo on the inside reminded me of his appearance in AIRPLANE with the hair standing up. The art was really nice and the colouring didn’t get in the way but at the same time was nice to look at. A good job done by DELL and a good choice.
And yeah, thanks for the Boogie and Bacall radio show. Didn’t know it existed either.
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Super Detective Library 59
The Saint's Sunken Gold!
Nice story. Admittedly expanding some of the panels for book publication kinda of showed off the artist's weakness as an artist (some bigger than normal noses on the Saint and Don), although it might have been ignored as a comic strip panel. But aside from a few minor points the art was fine.
As an aside thinking of possible suggestions I might make in a reading group one possibility was a Saint comparison featuring a normal comic book, maybe something like a Super Detective Library and one of the Vincent Price Saint radio shows that CB+ has (I think I listened to the whole collection they have here around a year ago. Highly recommended.)
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Now this is worth listening to - this guy is a great songleader. I think you will like this bluesman!
"Amen" Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir 1994
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0obOtJGo-E
cheers!
So that's Jester Hairston in the flesh, what a great entertainer, even when he runs out of breath !
Nice find, Panther, thoroughly enjoyed it.
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The photo on the inside reminded me of his appearance in AIRPLANE with the hair standing up.
Morgus, I forgot Lloyd Bridges was in Airplane (called 'Flying High' in Australia). I think I found that clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeI5ke0BENw
Cheers
QQ
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Yup. that’s the clip. I wonder why they had to change the title?
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Yup. that’s the clip. I wonder why they had to change the title?
Hi Morgus - I wasn't sure either, so did a quick search. It was basically that another film was released in Australia and New Zealand round about the same time with a similar title, so they changed it to avoid confusion. Though it can still cause confusion if people don't know it's the same film :D Here's a link with some other films that also have different titles elsewhere:
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/15-films-completely-different-titles-other-countries-movies-translation-a7929166.html
Cheers
QQ
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Super Detective Library 59
As an aside thinking of possible suggestions I might make in a reading group one possibility was a Saint comparison featuring a normal comic book, maybe something like a Super Detective Library and one of the Vincent Price Saint radio shows that CB+ has (I think I listened to the whole collection they have here around a year ago. Highly recommended.)
Definitely worth a look. SuperScrounge, can you make a note in the suggestions thread?
Cheers
QQ
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Sunken Gold
I'm less enamoured with this, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the detectoscope - "You tune it in to what you're looking for, and it tells you how deep it is?" It reads like the same kind of pseudo-science that I'd probably tolerate in sci-fi, but it seems out of place here. Surely Charteris could've done better.
The art is by John Spranger who was apparently very highly thought of, and worked with Jack Cole and Will Eisner. I'm sure I remember seeing his name in a few early Marvel comics too. Anyway, as suspected this is a newspaper strip, cut down to fit the SDL format, and as a result the amount of detail in a panel seems to vary wildly, and it doesn't do Springer any favours. Clegg is a little disappointing too, he seems to be straight out of Villains R Us, the powerful build, scowling simian face, and stripey shirt are all dead giveaways. I'm sure it was better in newspaper form, and maybe in colour, there are some nice examples here:
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/spranger_john.htm
Some interesting reading, QQ, I'll go back to Bold Venture for another listen before I comment.
Thanks for the extra info, K1ngcat. I didn't realise it came from a newspaper strip, so that explains why the storytelling is a bit patchy at times. It doesn't flow as well as the other Super Detective Library one we read recently.
Cheers
QQ
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I didn't realise it came from a newspaper strip
QQ, I pointed that out and pasted a link on Spranger, but over in the comments under the book itself, not in the reading group posts. The fact that two sets of comments on a book can exist on CB+ in two different places, can be quite confusing!
As I said there, quite a number of the Super Detective Libary Books are reprints from US strips.
cheers!
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Bold Venture
I've listened to this twice, trying to get the hang of identifying the different characters. The voice-over intro and the incidental music still have the most impact for me. They're beautifully old-fashioned and melodramatic and just the sort of thing that they used to lampoon wonderfully on Around The Horne, a sixties humour programme on BBC radio.
Actually, I found the music easier to relate to than the plot, or for that matter the acting. I can appreciate that Bogart & Bacall have a certain magic, though I'm inclined to think the combination worked better on celluloid. It all seems a little hammy, but I think that's the style of the era. I watched the first episode of the Captain Marvel movie serial, and it was just about as convincing.
The moral of the story seems to be everyone's got their own agenda and you can't trust anybody further than you can throw them. I'm sure Cornell Woolrich would agree, and I'm inclined to go along with him. Manta Rays seem to have attracted some bad press, but I can find no suggestion that they're particularly interested in harming humans. However, apparently they have the highest brain-to-body ratio of all fish, so if they knew what we were like as a species maybe they'd figure out that we can't be trusted.
An amusing diversion, but I suspect I'm more comfortable with comic books! Nice choice though QQ, thanks for changing the pace a little.
All the best
K1ngcat
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I didn't realise it came from a newspaper strip
QQ, I pointed that out and pasted a link on Spranger, but over in the comments under the book itself, not in the reading group posts. The fact that two sets of comments on a book can exist on CB+ in two different places, can be quite confusing!
As I said there, quite a number of the Super Detective Library Books are reprints from US strips.
cheers!
Thanks Panther. I'm sorry I missed those other comments. I looked at the comments under that issue, but still couldn't see the one you mentioned. I'm obviously looking in the wrong spot.
Cheers
QQ
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No QQ, you missed nothing. I posted that comment after you chose the book for the reading group.
cheers!
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Sea Hunt #6
Add me to the list of grade-schoolers who were avid Sea Hunt fans. I can still play the show's theme song in my head. I became a big Lloyd Bridges fan and watched him found an acting dynasty with Beau and Jeff. His grandson Jordan is also an actor. There are some Sea Hunt episodes on YouTube. The ones I found were later episodes, after he'd upgraded his AquaLung. In most of the shows I remember he had a barrel-shaped mouthpiece with hoses attached to each side. This is what he's wearing on the cover and in Manning's drawings. Later on Mike Nelson switched to a triangular face mask attached to a single hose. But I digress.
Scripts in Dell media tie-ins were generally crisp and efficient. They didn't delve deeply into character, but they were usually interesting, with a bit of action and plots that mostly made sense. As a kid I liked stories set in exotic locales served up with tidbits of "inside info" about things like Mayan sacrifices and skin diving protocol. So "Treasure of the Mayas" was my favorite of the three in this book. No huge surprises, but I liked how the writers (Freiwald and Schaefer, according to the GCD) had Mike rescue Consuelo (shouldn't that be Consuela?) by cutting her free of her air tanks without tipping us off that the abandoned tanks would later play a part in the climax.
"The Fisherman's Feat" was a fair filler story. Giving the skipper the same light yellow hair as Mike Nelson confused me at first. I thought it was Mike until we got a good shot of him on the second story page.
"Underwater City" was a good story served well by the art. I'm unsure about dynamiting the bridge. The rubble didn't seem tall enough to back up enough water to cause the river to change route. I like the way the drawings and the color were used to depict Mike submerged in muddy water.
Russ Manning's art was excellent throughout. I've always liked his slick, clean ink style. He drew a surprisingly good Lloyd Bridges. He also gave secondary characters individual appearances instead of using stock characters. Some of you noticed Manning sneaking his signature into a panel. Back in the 60s he did that constantly. Jim Vadeboncoeur even made an index once, listing all the Manning sneaks he'd found. Manning would also sneak in his wife Doris' name. One background sign read "HAMMING." Jim wondered if that was Manning poking fun at himself. The fact that Manning liked sneaking names makes me wonder if "Modjeska" in the filler story is someone's name as well. Note also his "RM" monogram below the boat's name.
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Since posting my Sea Hunt review I found this excellent Manning retrospective on the ERBzine website. It talks about his many projects and his name-sneaking. It turns out "Modjeska" comes from the Modjeska Canyon Fire Department, where Manning was a volunteer firefighter.
https://www.erbzine.com/mag8/0830.html
Don't miss the page of art samples Manning did in 1950 for Dell's proposed John Carter of Mars comic. Tragically he was called up for the Korean War and by the time he returned John Carter had been given to Jesse Marsh. I know Marsh was Manning's friend and that Manning respected Marsh's artwork. I've tried hard to like Marsh without success. In my opinion Marsh's John Carter of Mars was dreadful. Imagine how it would have looked with Manning at the helm! The page is here:
https://www.erbzine.com/mag8/0831e.html
Here's just one sample:
(http://www.erbzine.com/mag8/rmjc03.jpg)
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Crash,
from that article on Manning,
When Magnus #1 (February1963) appeared, most comic book fans had never seen the remarkably imaginative fine-line work of Alex Raymond, who died in 1956 and last worked on Flash Gordon in 1944. Nor had the fans seen the crisp work of Mac Raboy, who labored on Captain Marvel Junior and Flash Gordon in the 1940s.
If Raboy was doing Flash in the 40's, how is it that I was enamoured of it when I saw Raboys's Sundays - in full colour - in the late 50's? I never knew the artists name but I never forgot the style.
Didn't Raboy start doing Flash after Fawcett folded?
I find the comparison with Raymond a little surprising, because Manning's inking style puts me in mind of Wally Wood!
It seems Russ seems to have changed his style a lot from that John Carter work which clearly is inspired by Raymond. He matured into his own unmistakably unique style.
cheers!
Cheers.
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I enjoyed watching the "Sea Hunt" series, and enjoyed skin diving, the couple times I did that, so I'm looking forward to reading the comic book version. I bought hundreds of Dell and Western Publishing's comic books over the years, and lots were in their "Four Color Comics" series. But I never read the "Sea Hunt" books.
"Sea Hunt 6"
Nice artwork and the 2 "Sea Hunt" stories are good candidates for possibly having been taken from "Sea Hunt" TV show scripts. Does anyone here know if one or both of them were? The filler story about marlin fishing was mildly entertaining.
(1) Treasure Of The Mayas
This has some very nice picturesque visuals that look like they might have been drawn looking at still shots from an episode of the TV series. this story seems to be a nicely-distilled, condensed version of a feature film scoped plotline, with the greedy, mercenary, adventurer hired diver plotting to steal much of The Mexican Government's monetary and historical golden treasure for his own gain, and hide that from the others on their expedition. The underwater scenes are drawn nicely, and the action is decent enough. As was typical in "Sea Hunt" episodes, there were almost always scenes in which the divers were in life danger, based on losing their source of oxygen, or being cut to pieces by sharply-edged rocks when pushed or pulled at great speeds by treacherous ocean currents. This was an entertaining story, in which no character gets hurt badly, or killed, and the villain is apprehended, so justice is served. But, despite all that being expected, the story is still entertaining enough.
(2) The Shadow of Danger - Text Story
This "fish story" about the manta ray seems quite "fishy" to me.
(3) The Fisherman's Feat - Short Filler Story
A benign, happy little vignette about an un-athletic, inexperienced would-be fisherman, who wanted badly to have a Marlin trophy on his wall, and got his wish, only with the help of the men he hired to take him out to marlin frequented waters. A bit entertaining, but very much expected. Couldn't they think of a diving story without Mike Nelson (e.g. starring characters other than him to keep their series 2nd class postal status?) Perhaps a real life diving story used as a framework for describing the basic details of the scientific aspects of that sport and professional careers relating to that activity would have been more appropriate?
(4) The Underwater City
Now comes the story pointing out the real-life practical benefits of the careers based on the non-sportive activities of deep-sea diving. This story demonstrated one of the practical benefits of divers' prowess, and it included some interesting action and related suspense.
The (5) Information Pages were interesting and worth reading, as well.
Overall, this book was an enjoyable read.
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Hi all
Trivia for the day. In the 'Bold Venture' radio show, there's a short song from a character called King Moses, who apparently does little musical interludes in all (most?) of the shows. I looked him up and the actor is Jester Hairston who was a composer, among other things. He wrote the well-known Christmas song 'Mary's Boy Child' that has been covered by tons of artists, the first being Harry Belafonte:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N8aNhbnP-Y
He also wrote the song 'Amen' which features in the Sidney Poitier film ' Lilies of the Field'. Sidney Poitier 'sings' it in the movie, but it was dubbed by Hairston. Here's a clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHd0HKaVw4
Cheers
QQ
There was also a Jester Hairston Choral Collection still being published at least a couple of decades ago. That makes sense because, when I was in high school in California, he was well-known for attending and judging at high school choir festivals and conducting workshops.
He was the first black actor to appear on the television series, Gunsmoke, and was a regular on the Amos 'n Andy television show as the high society character that Amos 'n Andy tried to outwit for financial gain (which, spoiler alert, never really worked out for them).
One bit of trivia deserves another!
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"Sea Hunt 6"
Nice artwork and the 2 "Sea Hunt" stories are good candidates for possibly having been taken from "Sea Hunt" TV show scripts. Does anyone here know if one or both of them were?
I don't think so. IMDB has plot descriptions for the various episodes (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051311/episodes?season=1&ref_=tt_eps_sn_1) and while a few stories have similarities checking the episode entry has character names which don't match the comic stories.
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"Super Detective Library 59"
Excellent artwork and staging, and an interesting classic story of looking for sunken treasure on The Spanish Main. Up to this series' usual high standards. Well worth the read.
(1) The Saint's Sunken Gold
Right away, on the first page, the artist introduces the main characters, where they are, and what they intend to do there. The Saint and his friend wash up on the shore of The Professor's tiny Caribbean island after their boat is sunk in a storm. Already there is a clue that some danger may exist for them, as The Professor and his thug-like partner are armed when they discover the story's protagonists.
The underwater scenes are drawn really well. And for once, the black and white although interesting to see how it was inked, doesn't enhance the feeling of being under water as well as the added contrast between adjacent colours would enhance the feeling of being under the water.Also, the thickness of many (if not most) of the lines makes it more difficult to see individual reeds or strings of seaweed, or details of the fish, etc. So. I would have much preferred to see this story in four colour process (perhaps even better also using blended colours and gradations, to enhance differences in lighting.
The villain gang leader, Clegg, had a seemingly solid plan, to rig up a fake experimental explosion that would kill The Professor (who invented the undersea metals finder he needed to dig up treasures from sunken Spanish Treasure Ships). With The Saint and his diver friend bound by ropes, and taken by Clegg's henchmen to be dumped into the ocean where many sharks swim, The Professor's daughter seemingly was the only one possibly able to help free them, and defeat The Villain. However, The Saint is the star of this series, and he had a knife strapped to his leg, which was reached by his friend, Don, who freed them. In jig time, they captured the two thugs, drove the boat back to the island, apprehended Clegg, and the story was over. The climax was a bit too weak for my taste, and there was too little action after it, and no epilogue at all. The too mundane, and abrupt ending, didn't ruin the story, but it surely pulled it down a peg.
Still and all, it was an interesting plot and entertaining read, overall.
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Super Detective Library #59
I've read a fair number of The Saint continuities. It was a reasonably good adventure strip. John Spranger's art was very good and the stories were fair enough. The strip ran for years appearing in a middling number of papers. Now and again Simon Templar acted like The Saint in the books, though mostly he was your standard adventurer-private crimefighter.
"The Saint's Sunken Gold!" moves well and provides the appropriate amount of danger and derring-do. One thing kept me from enjoying the story more: Spranger's characterization of Clegg. "Clegg" is a bad-guy name to begin with, but drawing him as an ape-like brute torpedoes any doubt that Clegg is a thorough rotter, not just an obnoxious "partner." In real life we're not supposed to judge people by appearances, but comics are a different world. All Clegg lacks is a sign hanging round his neck that says "BAD GUY." Wouldn't it have been an interesting story if Clegg turns out not to be the bad guy? Maybe the Doctor gets greedy and tries to rub out the others (except, I hope, his daughter).
As long as I'm kvetching about art, I got a laugh out of the settings on the Detectoscope. Silver, Steel, Brass, Copper...Lead? Does the Doc hope to make a killing in the musket ball market?
It's tricky to adapt a newspaper strip to fit a comic. They did a pretty good job here, except for the addition of redundant captions to fill space. I am pretty sure a couple of pages were drawn by a Btitish artist to bridge gaps. On our page 6 The characters are way off model and details like hair and eyes are drawn differently than in the rest of the book. Page 58 also seems a bit suspect. I could be wrong of course, but home grown panels were added in other SDL reprints, so there's a precedent.
One last observation: why must every baddie attempt to force himself upon the woman in the story? It's doubly annoying here because Clegg shows little interest in Emily until suddenly his phone chimes and reminds him, "Time to assault the girl!" It'd be fun just once to see the villain so intent on collecting the boodle that he doesn't give the luscious babe a second glance. On the plus side, a tip of the hat to the writer for remembering that Simon always carries a knife strapped to his leg. It's not deus ex machina this time.
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Bold Venture 21 - Sunken Treasure At 20 Fathoms
This radio show didn't do a lot for me. Other than "Bogey" and Bacall, the acting was pretty weak. The plot was a decent idea, but, I think it could have been played out better. And the big disappointment was an almost complete lack of sound effects. That, and only having a couple interludes using dramatic music made this episode lack the feel of most of the old-time radio shows. I was around from the period with few scheduled programmes, and before we had a TV, in any case. And at that time I did listen, with family, to some radio shows. But, my main entertainment in the evenings was playing games and reading comics. This episode was too routine and weak, besides, to provide much entertainment. The writing wasn't very good, but the story idea was okay. The writers weren't very imaginative, and it seemed that nobody was having fun making it. I'd rather have seen this on screen, with a better script, and better supporting actors. The villain wasn't believable. He seemed like a journeyman "bit player", just going through the motions to get his daily pay. I'd even rather have heard a "hammy" actor, wrong for the part, like George Arliss, who, at least, due to pride in his profession and love of his work, would have gotten into the part, and tried to do his very best, even if the whole script was weak, and his part, silly.
I also miss the commercial breaks read by the announcer, and the corny music that goes with that. And they could have used a good sound effects man. There were no water splashes, and absolutely no sound effects in Slates dives, and, especially his struggle with the manta ray. What's the point of even writing in that scene as just a description we get from someone describing it vocally, in a calm voice, after the fact, and he has calmed down. We should have heard splashing, and Slate gargling in a glass of water, to mimic his forgetting he was under water and his mouth connected to an air hose, when he instinctively wants to yell at his adversary (the ray). And we should have heard his knife pierce a piece of leather, to simulate piercing the manta's skin. He should have been huffing and puffing when reaching the water's surface after his energy-sapping struggle to survive the encounter. We should have heard an exaggerated hard knock on a clothing dummy's head when the villain supposedly conked Slate on his head, knocking him unconscious. Slate should have yelled (Oof!) loudly. Maybe the villain should have yelled ("Take THIS!") loudly, just before we hear the "KONK!" of the blow landing. A radio show should be exaggerated in sound, and the people who make it should be having a lot of fun.
BAH! Humbug, I say!
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Sea Hunt #6
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=39007
In Australia, programming for Children started at about 3:30 pm and went to 7:00 pm, which was News Time.
Seahunt was always broadcast about 4:00 pm and I saw many episodes.
It seems that at the time, certain technology was new and considered exciting, so we had shows with helicopters, paracutes and scuba-divers.
I enjoyed SeaHunt, but I don't remember the comics.
I have recently found - to my delight, that Lloyd Bridges was very activie in building his career. Before Seahunt he appeared in no end of B Films, many of which aren't half bad and some of them can be found on YouTube.
So, to the comic!
Treasure of the Mayas
As i have pointed out in my comment on the book, this is a real scenario.
Anything drawn by Russ Manning is not only good eye candy but will be creatively laid out visually and make logical sense. He does a good job on Lloyd Bridges' face too.
A couple of problems tho. If there is a hole with enough suction to suck a man into it - right above the treasure and bones- why haven't they been swept into the hole, since they have been there for hundreds of years?
From the ERBzine article on Manning,
https://erbzine.com/mag8/0830.html
He got around the Dell policy of not allowing artists to sign their work by scattering his name and those of family members all through his work on buildings, signs, text, etc.
Russ and his artist wife Doris (nicknamed Doe or Dodie) were married in 1959 and spent their lives together in their home in Modjeska Canyon, Orange County.
The Fisherman's Feat
Note the name on the boat!
Now that I know this, going to look for them in Russ's art!
Nice little story!
Underwater City
The first and possibly the second page look like they were inked by somebody other than Manning.
The first page sets up the back-story, panel 1 on page 2 introduces the dramatic element.
Simples!
[I don't know what they teach in Comic schools but I f doubt they get students to analyse the work of Paul S Newman or Gaylord DeBois. I see no evidence of it.
We have to wait till page 4 for Mike to enter.
The Half-page helicopter shot works to help Mike make a dramatic entrance and emphasis the damage done by the flood.
Not sure though, though about the validity of the premise. 2 months ago I was on the site of a disaster area caused by a flash flood. Bridges were crucial for access to the area, and several had been severely damaged. one town close to the area was divided in two by a flooded river for weeks.
That scene of Mike being hit by a fast-flowing tree? That happened to a freind of mine in that disaster, except he got hit - and injured- by a fast-flowing car!
All of the scenarios in this book are quite realistic and therefore more believale than a lot of comic book fare.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1999/07/15/a-comic-genius/30457351-487f-47e1-b417-c65724640981/
On Paul S Newman
He also started what became his signature work: "Turok, Son of Stone." Turok was a Native American lost in the Valley That Time Forgot, which, to his perpetual chagrin, was filled with hungry dinosaurs. Newman wrote Turok for 26 years.
The young artists and writers argued that their characters were more realistic and representative of modern life. Newman was particularly disturbed by the revival of his "Turok" series. The old Turok carried a bow and arrows; the new wielded an AK-47 machine gun. The old Turok was slim and fit; the new was a bundle of impossibly chiseled muscle. The old Turok solved problems with ingenuity; the new Turok shot first and asked questions later. "Where I had written about an intelligent inventive optimistic Indian lost in a prehistoric world of dinosaurs and primitive people, the new publisher has turned Turok into a killer."
When asked his opinion of this new generation, Newman liked to cite a quote by Elizabethan author Ben Jonson: "The easiest thing in the world to write is a part for a crazy person."
"Ra-roob-ra-raay, ra-roob-ra-raay!"
--an exclamation by Scooby-Doo the talking dog, the last comic book line Newman ever wrote, from "Scooby-Doo #24"
These two were the most prolific Dell writers. Responsible for the Dell and Gold Key style. However the scripts for this book are credited to Eric Freiwald and Robert Schaefer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Freiwald
From the mid-1950s to 1984 with partner Robert Schaefer, Freiwald wrote for such shows as The Gene Autry Show, The Adventures of Kit Carson, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Maverick, Whirlybirds, Texas John Slaughter, Zorro, 77 Sunset Strip, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill, Jr., The Adventures of Champion and many others.
They also wrote 188 episodes of Lassie and, between 1957 and 1965, wrote comic book adaptations of TV shows and movies for Western Publishing.
So they may have been adapting scripts that they had written for SeaHunt that were never used.
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However the scripts for this book are credited to Eric Freiwald and Robert Schaefer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Freiwald
From the mid-1950s to 1984 with partner Robert Schaefer, Freiwald wrote for such shows as The Gene Autry Show, The Adventures of Kit Carson, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Maverick, Whirlybirds, Texas John Slaughter, Zorro, 77 Sunset Strip, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill, Jr., The Adventures of Champion and many others.
They also wrote 188 episodes of Lassie and, between 1957 and 1965, wrote comic book adaptations of TV shows and movies for Western Publishing.
So they have been adapting scripts that they had written for SeaHunt that were never used.
Not necessarily. An issue of Comic Book Artist talked about Western's habit of asking the people they've licensed a property from if they could suggest somebody familiar with the property (such as Disney suggesting Carl Barks as someone familiar with Donald Duck). The idea was that these people would be more familiar with the characters and be aware of upcoming stories unlike a writer who can only judge characters based on what's just aired. (If only Star Trek had suggested some writer for Western.) So while these authors were probably familiar with the show and what was coming up they might use some unsold scripts they pitched they also might create new stories for the comic. A script that works for a TV show might not work for a comic because of the different strengths and weaknesses of the storytelling mediums.
Reminds me of when I was reading J. Michael Strazinsky's Spider-Man comics and how weak I thought the dialogue was, then I realized how much he depended on the performances of the actors to sell his dialogue.
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Bold Venture #21
I don't recall having heard an episode of Bold Venture before. I wish I hadn't read Robb's review before listening to the show. I'm not sure how much it prejudiced me against the episode. At any rate, I have to agree with Robb that this radio play is a big disappointment.
I'm a longtime Bogey-and-Bacall fan. To Have and to Have Not is my favorite B&B movie, and Bold Venture has echoes of the film in the Caribbean setting and the relationship between Slate and Sailor. It's nice hearing them again. They play well off each other. However neither actor puts much energy into their part. I wonder if the production flow is partly responsible. I found this interesting article about how the show came to be:
http://www.jimramsburg.com/bogart--bacalls-bold-venture-audio.html
It turns out that B&B recorded all their lines separately, in advance. They aren't playing off the rest of the cast as in most radio dramas. I suspect this fact contributes to the action's somewhat choppy start-and-stop feel. In action scenes you'd expect characters to talk over each other or at least to crowd each other's lines. Instead we get a series of discrete speeches.
The supporting cast are generic old time radio character voices, meaning phony, unidentifiable accents. I could live with them if it weren't for the lead villain. He has a classic announcer voice, and his delivery throughout the episode sounds like an announcer reading a script. More than anyone he spoils the illusion that we're listening to people talking, not actors acting.
Many of the sound effects Robb asked for are there, just at so low a volume that they're almost inaudible. Even so they're not very good. It sounds almost like they're produced the old-fashioned way, with recorded sound effects played from a speaker into a microphone alongside the physical effects. That setup gave many Golden Age effects a muffled sound. I would have thought that by 1951 sound effects would have been mixed directly through the main board, which gave a much cleaner sound.
I was interested to see that Bold Venture was another creation of the King of Syndication, Frederick Ziv. He started syndicating radio programs in the late 1930s. During the 50s he was behind an amazing number of half-hour adventure shows I remember from my youth, including Highway Patrol, Men into Space, and The Aquanauts. If you're interested, here's a list of 17 Ziv TV shows:
https://m.famousfix.com/list/television-series-by-ziv-television-programs
There was a Bold Venture television series, too. Dane Clark and Joan Marshall starred. There don't seem to be many examples out there. I found this episode on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrUB3nP88eY
I admit I haven't watched it yet. I clicked into a random spot and found Clark and some police official literally standing nose to nose yelling at each other. Bogart he wasn't.
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SuperScrounge wrote,
Not necessarily.
No, possibly not, but likely.
Note that the bio stated,
between 1957 and 1965, wrote comic book adaptations of TV shows and movies for Western Publishing.
That's 9 years - so they would have had plenty of experience with comic writing.
And I came to the conclusioin from the quality of the comic book and it's faithfulness to the TV show.
Also in my post, I left out a crucial word, which I have corrected, so the sentence now reads,
"So they may have been adapting scripts that they had written for SeaHunt that were never used."
-
Following up on the Bold Venture TV show...I watched the episode on YouTube (the person who posted it called it "Back from the Dead") and I'm here to tell you I hated it! Production-wise the show is fine, with decent direction and locations. But Dane Clark is horrible as Slate Shannon, Bogart's role in the radio series. The story concerns only-slightly-hinged Whit Bonomo, an ex-Korean War POW, who holds Slate responsible for Bonomo's capture by the Communists. During his time as prisoner, Bonomo's wife died, adding to his list of grievances. Now he's come to Trinidad to destroy Slate and everything he loves--presumably Sailor Duval (Joan Marshall). Whit makes his mission clear to Slate, but since Slate can't prove he's done anything illegal Whit is free to lurk about taunting our hero.
That scene I stumbled into when I clicked on a random sample, with Slate and the police inspector yelling at each other, was Clark's crowning moment. Slate is trying to get the cops to deport Whit, even threatening to kill the guy. The inspector refuses because there's no evidence of wrongdoing. Slate blows his top and the inspector replies in kind. According to IMDB this story was adapted from a radio episode like numerous others. The IMDB episode listing is very sparse, and I don't know whether to take it seriously. The Whit Bonomo episode is given the title "Look Back, Inge Anger" and other episodes have joke titles playing on the titles of well-known films, like "Build My Gallows Ankle High." Several episodes are supposed to have had nonsensical titles incorporating producer David Friedkin's surname: "One of our Friedkins is Missing...Good," "Tom, the Fun-Loving Friedkin," "Tom Friedkin Calls It Quits," etc. I don't know what to make of it.
Anyway, back to Slate and the cop. I can imagine Bogart delivering Clark's rant--I'm thinking of when Sam Spade popped his cork at Casper Gutman--without sounding unhinged. Throughout the scene Clark carries on like a borderline nut case. If I were the inspector I would have locked Slate up for a psych evaluation. When he has his temper under control Slate is still not a sympathetic character. He's a jerk. Nothing shows this so clearly as his treatment of Sailor.
Bogart and Bacall as Slate and Sailor trade a lot of snarky patter in the radio shows. These exchanges mostly come off as friendly teasing. Bacall's cool impudence matches Bogart's wry delivery line for line. In the TV episode the power balance is way off kilter. Joan Marshall isn't much of an actor to begin with (her Fay Wray screams are laughable); she lacks Bacall's assurance. Marshall's Sailor Duval is desperate, needy, and steamrollered by Slate's loose-cannon machismo. At his very best Slate is patronizing and dismissive of Sailor. Most of the time he seems to hold her in contempt. Theirs is a terrible relationship. If I were Sailor Duval I would have let Whit Bonomo drill the sonuvabitch.
I want to put in one good word: the resolution of the final showdown was unexpected and quite satisfying. Even so I don't understand why the moment it's over, instead of a wrap-up scene with the inspector, they finish the episode with a "comedy" scene right out of left field. It has Marshall dressed in an I Dream of Jeannie outfit reading Slate's palm...you don't want to know.
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Bold Venture 21 - Sunken Treasure At 20 Fathoms
This radio show didn't do a lot for me. Other than "Bogey" and Bacall, the acting was pretty weak. The plot was a decent idea, but, I think it could have been played out better. And the big disappointment was an almost complete lack of sound effects. That, and only having a couple interludes using dramatic music made this episode lack the feel of most of the old-time radio shows. I was around from the period with few scheduled programmes, and before we had a TV, in any case. And at that time I did listen, with family, to some radio shows. But, my main entertainment in the evenings was playing games and reading comics. This episode was too routine and weak, besides, to provide much entertainment. The writing wasn't very good, but the story idea was okay. The writers weren't very imaginative, and it seemed that nobody was having fun making it. I'd rather have seen this on screen, with a better script, and better supporting actors. The villain wasn't believable. He seemed like a journeyman "bit player", just going through the motions to get his daily pay. I'd even rather have heard a "hammy" actor, wrong for the part, like George Arliss, who, at least, due to pride in his profession and love of his work, would have gotten into the part, and tried to do his very best, even if the whole script was weak, and his part, silly.
I also miss the commercial breaks read by the announcer, and the corny music that goes with that. And they could have used a good sound effects man. There were no water splashes, and absolutely no sound effects in Slates dives, and, especially his struggle with the manta ray. What's the point of even writing in that scene as just a description we get from someone describing it vocally, in a calm voice, after the fact, and he has calmed down. We should have heard splashing, and Slate gargling in a glass of water, to mimic his forgetting he was under water and his mouth connected to an air hose, when he instinctively wants to yell at his adversary (the ray). And we should have heard his knife pierce a piece of leather, to simulate piercing the manta's skin. He should have been huffing and puffing when reaching the water's surface after his energy-sapping struggle to survive the encounter. We should have heard an exaggerated hard knock on a clothing dummy's head when the villain supposedly conked Slate on his head, knocking him unconscious. Slate should have yelled (Oof!) loudly. Maybe the villain should have yelled ("Take THIS!") loudly, just before we hear the "KONK!" of the blow landing. A radio show should be exaggerated in sound, and the people who make it should be having a lot of fun.
BAH! Humbug, I say!
Hi Robb
Thanks for those comments. I liked the patter between Bogart and Bacall, which is something I liked from their movies, but something was missing. I think you're right about the sound effects not being very good. I listened to another episode with a hidden treasure in it too, but chose this one because I thought it was the better of the two. There was a part in the first one that I had to replay a few times because I missed what happened. I eventually worked out that Bogart's character had gotten into a fight with the bad guy and had come out on top, but the lack of good sound effects made it very difficult to work out that a fight was happening. I suspect similar things happened in this one. You have to rely on the dialogue to work out what was happening a few times.
Cheers
QQ
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Bold Venture #21
However neither actor puts much energy into their part. I wonder if the production flow is partly responsible. I found this interesting article about how the show came to be:
http://www.jimramsburg.com/bogart--bacalls-bold-venture-audio.html
It turns out that B&B recorded all their lines separately, in advance. They aren't playing off the rest of the cast as in most radio dramas. I suspect this fact contributes to the action's somewhat choppy start-and-stop feel. In action scenes you'd expect characters to talk over each other or at least to crowd each other's lines. Instead we get a series of discrete speeches.
The supporting cast are generic old time radio character voices, meaning phony, unidentifiable accents. I could live with them if it weren't for the lead villain. He has a classic announcer voice, and his delivery throughout the episode sounds like an announcer reading a script. More than anyone he spoils the illusion that we're listening to people talking, not actors acting.
Many of the sound effects Robb asked for are there, just at so low a volume that they're almost inaudible. Even so they're not very good. It sounds almost like they're produced the old-fashioned way, with recorded sound effects played from a speaker into a microphone alongside the physical effects. That setup gave many Golden Age effects a muffled sound. I would have thought that by 1951 sound effects would have been mixed directly through the main board, which gave a much cleaner sound.
Thanks for that extra info, Crash. The fact that Bogart and Bacall did their lines separately explains why it doesn't work so well as an ensemble piece, and also why the leads aren't firing at their best.
By contrast, I've recently discovered that Lucille Ball's 'My Favorite Husband' radio show is on Spotify. I'm a huge 'I Love Lucy' fan, and 'My Favorite Husband' was the springboard for the TV series. I've been listening to those episodes and they're great by comparison. All done in front of a live audience with the full cast, the corny announcer, good sound effects and great timing. I know it's a completely different genre, being comedy rather than drama, but it's a lot better than 'Bold Venture' in terms of production. A shame when they had such big stars. Maybe Bogey and Bacall just wanted some easy money by then so they could actually sail the Caribbean on their yacht.
Cheers
QQ
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Following up on the Bold Venture TV show...I watched the episode on YouTube (the person who posted it called it "Back from the Dead") and I'm here to tell you I hated it!
I want to put in one good word: the resolution of the final showdown was unexpected and quite satisfying. Even so I don't understand why the moment it's over, instead of a wrap-up scene with the inspector, they finish the episode with a "comedy" scene right out of left field. It has Marshall dressed in an I Dream of Jeannie outfit reading Slate's palm...you don't want to know.
Wow Crash, you've gone above and beyond the call of duty by checking out the TV show. I didn't even know it existed. After your description, it's probably not on my 'must see' YouTube list. Though it might be worth a laugh to see the 'Jeannie' scene. As it was made some time before 'I Dream of Jeannie', I guess we can't excuse it as cross-promotion. Thanks for finding that info.
Cheers
QQ
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Sea Hunt #6
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=39007
In Australia, programming for Children started at about 3:30 pm and went to 7:00 pm, which was News Time.
Seahunt was always broadcast about 4:00 pm and I saw many episodes.
It seems that at the time, certain technology was new and considered exciting, so we had shows with helicopters, parachutes and scuba-divers.
I enjoyed SeaHunt, but I don't remember the comics.
I have recently found - to my delight, that Lloyd Bridges was very activie in building his career. Before Seahunt he appeared in no end of B Films, many of which aren't half bad and some of them can be found on YouTube.
Hi Panther
I remember 'Sea Hunt' being on in the afternoon when I was primary school age, which must have been re-runs by then, but I don't remember sitting and watching a full episode. I was probably watching 'The Jetsons', 'The Flintstones', 'Gilligan's Island' and a bit later the 'Brady Bunch'. However, I enjoyed the comic and I alarmed my hubby by saying that we'd have to check out the 'Sea Hunt' episodes on YouTube. He's 7 years older than me and remembers watching them first time round, which he enjoyed, but he's not as big a fan of revisiting classic TV as I am. The gear all looks so old-fashioned now, but must have been cutting edge at the time. 'Sea Hunt' also predated James Bond's 'Thunderball' which had some even higher-tech diving scenes. I bet a lot of people took up scuba diving after watching the TV show. Hubby did a bit of scuba diving when he was younger, so it may have played a role. The most I've done is snorkeling.
Cheers
QQ
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There was also a Jester Hairston Choral Collection still being published at least a couple of decades ago. That makes sense because, when I was in high school in California, he was well-known for attending and judging at high school choir festivals and conducting workshops.
He was the first black actor to appear on the television series, Gunsmoke, and was a regular on the Amos 'n Andy television show as the high society character that Amos 'n Andy tried to outwit for financial gain (which, spoiler alert, never really worked out for them).
One bit of trivia deserves another!
Thanks for that, Johnny. It sounds like he was a real trailblazer. I'll have to check out some more of his work.
Cheers
QQ
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Years ago, I downloaded all 57 episodes of "Bold Venture" from Old Time Radio Researchers Library. Last time I checked, they're still available for free downloading. These recordings are, for the most part, quite good in quality and are a great little "time capsule" into early '50s radio. Light-hearted adventure, snappy repartee, and Bogart and Bacall- who could ask for more? An excellent way to pass the time on a rainy afternoon! Cheers, Bowers
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Super Detective Library #59 – The Saint’s Sunken Gold
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=74180
Well, As Effie would say, 'how embarrassment!' [Australian TV reference.]
The post that I referred to,
Spranger, but over in the comments under the book itself, not in the reading group posts.
Does not appear to be there. So I will cover that here.
John Spranger
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/spranger_john.htm
Quote
John Spranger is one of the more mysterious entries in American comic history. He made an impression during the 1940s as either a ghost artist for Jack Cole's 'Plastic Man' and Will Eisner's 'The Spirit'. He then moved over to work on newspaper strips like 'Bodyguard', a.k.a. 'Ben Friday' a.k.a. 'The Bantam Prince' (1948-1951) as well as 'The Saint' (1951-1959) before completely disappearing off the radar.
Seems to have been the master at copying other people's styles!
Mike Roy started the strip, at the end of its run, Bob Lubbers and then Doug Wildey worked on it.
So, to the book.
Not one of Super Detective Library's best covers, good image, but fuzzily reproduced.
The first 3 pages are an obvious summary of what may have been a week or more of lead-up strips.
The Saint doen't appear till page 6.
The first Saint book I ever picked up and read changed my life. It was The Saint and Mr Teal and the Saint's sense of Humor, irreverenace to the policeman and his self-beleif spoke to me where I was in my life at that point. So, for me, any depiction of the Saint needs to live up to the impression oif that first exposure.
The Saint should have a twinkle in his eyes, be cool and smiling and always in control. Roger Moore got that but for me he wasn't tough enough, because if you are a baddy, the Saint has to be able to scare you. A tough ask I know, but the Saint is a kind of a Superman in his own way.
Regardless of how good the story is, the physical depiction of the Saint in the strip always disappoints me.
Now that I think about it, The Spirit's character is much closer to Charteris' Saint!
The Story,
Sebastian Tombs was one of Simon's regular aliases.and they use Tombs rather interestingly here.
One Anomaly, why does Don the professioinal diver have a Clunky old style diving suit while Simon has an aqualung?
Who ever it was who edited the strip into this format did a good job. Good story - The full-page images are very effective and the artist is very good with faces.
But the art has beern reproduced with too much black. Looks to me like some of the detail has been lost.
Thank you QQ, I enjoyed that.
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Bold Venture Radio Show, Episode #21 – Sunken Treasure at 20 Fathoms
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=81665
Kingcat said,
I can appreciate that Bogart & Bacall have a certain magic, though I'm inclined to think the combination worked better on celluloid.
Well, when they are limited to dialogue, something will be missing.
It occurs to me that there had to be an art to making the script fit the time slot.
The plot here is a variation on the same plot used in the Saint story.
I would have listened to this and enjoyed it,when I used to come home from school and listen to Radio serials.[Late 50's]
Good choices QQ.
Something different Monday!
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Super Detective Library #59 – The Saint’s Sunken Gold
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=74180
The first Saint book I ever picked up and read changed my life. It was The Saint and Mr Teal and the Saint's sense of Humor, irreverenace to the policeman and his self-beleif spoke to me where I was in my life at that point. So, for me, any depiction of the Saint needs to live up to the impression oif that first exposure.
The Saint should have a twinkle in his eyes, be cool and smiling and always in control. Roger Moore got that but for me he wasn't tough enough, because if you are a baddy, the Saint has to be able to scare you. A tough ask I know, but the Saint is a kind of a Superman in his own way.
I know what you mean here, Panther. I've read a number of SDL issues where the Saint is totally confident, and in control. He's portrayed with such a fearless bravado and such a smart mouth that he'd rival Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, constantly wisecracking at the expense of cops and villains alike. That hasn't come across so much in this version, which is rather a pity.
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Thanks for all of your comments this fortnight. It looks like most people liked the ‘Sea Hunt’ comic, reactions were more mixed about ‘The Saint’, and not as many liked ‘Bold Venture’. Here are my thoughts.
SEA HUNT #6
I really liked the artwork in this one. It’s good to see an adaptation of a TV show in which the main character actually looks like the real deal. I read a Dr Who graphic novel a while back that involved the 10th doctor (David Tennant), and the renderings of the Doctor weren’t very good. It wrecked my enjoyment of the whole book (though the story was convoluted too). So, it was good to see this character actually looking like Lloyd Bridges, complete with bushy eyebrows! Like others have commented, I wondered if some of the panels were based on actual episodes, but I couldn’t find anything in the episode list that jumped out at me. I guess that doesn’t mean they didn’t use some generic stills.
Treasure of the Mayas
I liked the way they introduced the theme of cultural misappropriation, with fortune hunters trying to take treasure and artefacts out of other countries. A nice contrast between the greedy fortune hunter and Mike’s quest to help the people retain their own heritage. Was this theme ahead of its time in 1960? I’m not sure.
Shadow of Danger (1-page story)
Not much of a story, though it does give some interesting info about manta rays. Not bad as an educational feature.
The Fisherman’s Feast
Fairly basic tale in which a charter boat crew helps a tourist to catch a marlin. I read the ending again, thinking that I’d missed something because it seemed too straightforward. I felt sorry for the marlin.
Underwater City
A nice contrast to the other ‘Sea Hunt’ story, showing some of the other tasks a navy diver might do. However, I had trouble with the premise of this one. Would blowing up a bridge and damming the river, make a bad situation worse? It might stop the floodwater from reaching the town (or would it?), but wouldn’t it cause flooding further upstream? I wondered if their attempts to avert disaster, actually caused a bigger environmental disaster.
Educational Fillers
Not bad. Given how much technology has advanced in the last 60 or so years, including space exploration, it’s hard to think back to a time when underwater exploration was the new frontier. And of course, there is still much to explore in the ocean. Also, some of the ‘treasures’ in the sea like oil, have brought pros and cons. I’m not up on the science, but I’m sure there would have been many more important substances harvested from the sea, but also environmental impacts like oil spills.
Overall
I really liked the first story, but had trouble with the premise of the second ‘Sea Hunt’ story. The fillers weren’t the most riveting, but I enjoyed the comic overall. I remember ‘Sea Hunt’ reruns being on TV when I was a kid, but I was more interested in other shows at the time. This comic made me want to check out the series, and I’ll probably watch some of the episodes on YouTube. It would have been cutting edge at the time. I’ll probably check out more of the comics too. I’m glad it brought back happy memories for many of you. I’ll comment on the other two selections in a separate post.
Cheers
QQ
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Here's my review of the other two selections.
Super Detective Library #59 – The Saint’s Sunken Gold
I must admit I was a bit disappointed with this one. The premise was okay, though the detectoscope was a bit laughable. However, the storytelling and script seemed a bit choppy. After a couple of you mentioned that it had originally been newspaper strips, the choppiness made more sense. I'm not as familiar with the Saint (having never watched the TV show), but I was expecting a bit more action and mystery. It seemed a bit predictable. There was no denying who the bad guy was from the get-go, as Clegg was drawn to look like the stereotypical thug. Still, it was good to have a longer-length story. I might still check out some of the other Saint comics on the site.
Overall - Glad to have read it, but not one of my favourites.
Bold Venture 21
I was really pleased to stumble onto this radio series, as I'm a big Bogart and Bacall fan. I love the snappy dialogue in their movies and that aspect didn't disappoint in this radio show. I loved the banter. Though I found it hard to believe Bacall was his ward. She never sounded anything less than sultry.
The story was okay, and I liked the musical interlude with King Moses. However, something was missing. When Robb mentioned the sound effects (or lack of), I realised that was it. They were fairly minimal and didn't really add a lot. You had to pay attention to the dialogue to find out what was happening. When Crashryan mentioned that B and B had recorded their parts earlier without the rest of the cast, that made sense. It definitely misses that immediacy of an ensemble cast working well together, along with a good sound effects person. I've listened to another episode and had to replay a couple of parts because I missed what was happening. I now realise the sound effects were the problem there too.
I like Bogey and Bacall enough that I will probably try some more of these.
Overall - I liked it for the star power and snappy dialogue of Bogey and Bacall, but it would have been better with good sound effects and real-time interaction with the rest of the cast.
As always, I learned a lot from all of you. There were some good conversations. Looking forward to seeing what selections we have next week.
Cheers
QQ
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Years ago, I downloaded all 57 episodes of "Bold Venture" from Old Time Radio Researchers Library. Last time I checked, they're still available for free downloading. These recordings are, for the most part, quite good in quality and are a great little "time capsule" into early '50s radio. Light-hearted adventure, snappy repartee, and Bogart and Bacall- who could ask for more? An excellent way to pass the time on a rainy afternoon! Cheers, Bowers
I'm glad you liked them, Bowers. I've only listened to a couple of the episodes so far. Do you remember any episodes that were particularly good in case I want to check out more?
Cheers
QQ