[crashryan]

Mentioning dear old Channel 12, Bellingham, brought back so many memories. Living in Snohomish, Washington, we could pick up a crummy Channel 12 signal. But for some reason the Vancouver stations came in loud and clear. Thanks to them I saw my first episodes of Danger Man, for which I'll ever be grateful. The family also enjoyed the simple half-hour music programs like "Pig 'n' Whistle." Later on we saw oddball stuff like "Randall and Hopkirk" and "The Champions" (is that title correct?). Great TV fun.

[jimmm kelly]

Yup, Champions is right.

I loved shows like the Pig n Whislte--something for the whole family. "Time Gentlemen Please," that's how each evening ended at that pub.

[profh0011]

Well Prof we just won't tell Disney now will we 

Oddly enough... I'd been hearing bad things about the film for 2 months before i went to see it.  I went, and enjoyed it. THEN I went online to read about it in depth.  And MOST of the reviews were extremely negative, some saying it was the "worst" Bond film ever (didn't those idiots see "DIAMONDS", "GOLDEN GUN" or "MOONRAKER" ?).

Also, much of the focus was on how tying in the main villain with the hero "ruined" the entire reboot.  Well, I dunno about that.  I DO think that sort of thing has become a "fad" and has been seriuosly over-done ever since they did it in ther 1989 BATMAN.  But this version of Bond is even further removed from Fleming than the earlier series ever was, so... does it matter one way or the other?

I got a laugh when I found I wasn't the only one who was already predicting how the NEXT movie would start.  I guess it was predictable.  I wrote a story like that back in the late 60s, after all.  (Crinminal gang breaks boss out of jail, he immediately goes after the hero to kill him.)

[profh0011]

I enjoyed THE CHAMPIONS when it ran here decades ago.  Thought it ended too soon, and vanished from the schedule even faster.  Read a lot of negative comments about it in recent years, have no idea why.

My favorite thing connected with the show was that William Gaunt later guest-starred on DOCTOR WHO as a mercenary named "Orsini" who is hired to KILL Davros.  He was absolutely the COOLEST character on the show that entire season.

[profh0011]

I don't see why a TV station outside the US would have to run a show the same day or time.

My understanding is, BATMAN was conceived as a one-hour show with a cliffhanger in the middle.  (Hell, a lot of MAN FROM UNCLE episodes were written that way.)  But ABC didn't have a free hour in their schedule (though, clearly, they could have moved something else around-- I guess they didn't do that so freqeuntly with such stupid abandon as nowadays).  But they had 2 half-hours-- a day apart.  So it sort of just happened that way.

[jimmm kelly]

Makes sense.

The reason why American shows came to be broadcast at the same time on the Canadian channel as the American one is a part of Canadian content history.

The BATMAN TV show came before that, so there was no reason for CTV to broadcast it at the same time as ABC.

However, a few years later the CRTC (which regulates radio and television in Canada) created a rule that whenever a Canadian channel broadcasts a show at the same time as the American channel, then the Canadian broadcast with the Canadian commercials will be carried on both channels.

This was an important new regulation, as Canadians were starting to watch a lot of the American channels on cable. So a Canadian broadcaster could get a lot more revenue from advertisement if they blocked their schedule out to match the American schedule--just so they could put their commercials on the American channel.

This has been the standard for decades now ever since the early '70s. But now that you have a lot of other ways for people to watch their programs, there's less of it and Canadian broadcasters will sometimes show the program ahead of the American channel.

However, with live programs, like sports and awards programs, I think this rule is still in effect. So when we see the Academy Awards or the Superbowl, we get Canadian commercials no matter which digital channel the TV program is on.

I haven't used a TV to watch those programs in a few years now, so I'm not sure about that. I think the last Superbowl, the Canadian broadcaster carried the American commercials, just because that's one of the main reasons for watching the Superbowl.

[profh0011]

Something I wrote up last night about "THE TWO DOCTORS"...

Just finished watching one of my all-time favorite DOCTOR WHO stories. This might be comparable to "Day of the Dove" or "The Tholien Web'. In the midst of growing chaos and insanity, one of the brightest lights in the entire history of the show (in my view).

Although I have been trying to watch these stories in 25-min. segments, in this case I got through the whole thing in only 2 days. I just couldn't help it!

This was the only 6-parter in John Nathan-Turner's entire long run as producer (never mind that it was run as 3 45-min. episodes). While I had trouble maintaining interest in "Attack of the Cybermen", found "Vengeance On Varos" pointlessly viscious for its own sake, and "The Mark of the Rani" simply directionless, plotless and boring as hell (despite an over-abundance of "clever" moments), "The Two Doctors" was really able to relax, take its time, and slowly build a story, a set of fascinating characters, and combine moments of "horror movie" incidents with wonderful bits of humor. Also, Colin Baker & Nicola Bryant were written better than ever. In a better world, Robert Holmes would have been invited back much earlier to write at least one story each season. Boy, he was good.

Among my favorite bits...

Patrick Troughton & Frazer Hines:
"What are you laughing at?" "Just marvelling at your expert diplomatic skills."

Nicola Bryant & Colin Baker:
"Maybe you should see a doctor." "Are you trying to be funny??"

"Oscar" talking to Colin Baker:
"Officer, I see by your rainment you are of the plain-clothes branch." ""

Not only are the 6th Doctor & Peri written better than perhaps in any other story, but we also get to have the 2nd Doctor and Jamie back together as well. On his blog, Philip Sandifer suggests Troughton was doing his own Doctor far more authentically here than he was in either "The Three Doctors" or "The Five Doctors" (although he stole every scene he was in, in those stories, as well).

It took me quite a few years before I connected that Laurence Payne, who played the scientist gone bad "Dastari", was in 2 of my favorite stories. He also played "Johnny Ringo" in "The Gunfighters".

Jacqueline Pierce is at times both mesmerizing and scary as hell in this one as "Chesini", what "Dastari" finally admits at the end of the story was "an unthinking beast he tried to raise to the level of the gods". She certainly did a vastly-better job here than her fellow BLAKE'S 7 co-star Paul Darrow did in "Timelash" (which aired next). Speaking of which, I have now twice sworn I would never watch "Timelash" again. And I mean it this time. So, up next... "Revelation of the Daleks".

[Captain Audio]

Found the four disc special edition cased set of "Broken Saints" for $1 USD. The store a friend worked for was closing out its DVD section and gave away DVDs still on the shelves to the employees. I bought about fifty from my friend altogether, $1.25 each for the first batch and $1 each for a second batch. Some were movies I've never heard of, some classic concert footage including Ray Charles in Paris in 1961. Got a copy of Tequila Sunrise, which I'd been looking for the last couple of years.

The Broken Saints cased set is very unusual, it opens something like a puzzle box. The DVDs are something else, very unusual method of chapter selection, and lots of interactive stuff and special features. I'm about halfway through the story, and its intriquing. Its only animated in so far as the background, more like graphic novel panels than regular animation. The characters themselves move very little. Music and voice actors are top of the line.

[crashryan]

I dabble in 3D animation, so I was interested to see that someone is producing a CGI adaptation of "Bessie's Little Darling," a story from Hillman's Crime Detective v2 #5. The animator, Attila Kovacs, has put a great deal of work into the video, which he is uploading to YouTube in segments (two so far). Here's a link to the first chapter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMJKofhKJNY

Obviously it's not a professional production, but it's way better than most Poser/DAZ Studio animations on YT. Too many Poser videos are simply half-dressed women walking or dancing. I'm happy when someone tackles a complete story--such a project is a huge undertaking. My main complaint is the computer-generated voice acting. However I realize that if you can't assemble a human cast you either do all the voices yourself or use synthetic voices.

Here's a link to the original comic:

https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=40103

[paw broon]

I agree with prof about The Two Doctors and I'm a big fan of Jacqueline Pierce, not only for Blake's 7 but in Dark Season, the BBC show from '91.  She played Miss Pendragon in the 2nd 3-parter.  A young Kate Winslet stars in the show also.  Written by Russell T Davies.
We've been watching some British tv shows, Shetland, which is on tonight, with Douglas Henshall as Insp. Perez and an absolutely chilling performance by James Cosmo as the nightmarish villain.
Death in Paradise continues to be highly entertaining, if a bit  formulaic.
This season of Midsomer Murders has been the best one for a while.
And Vera has been running for a few weeks with Brenda Blethyn in excellent form as DCI Stanhope.  Great, if dark, stories.

[narfstar]

Anyone else watching the Colony? Not a lot of scifi seen but good story.

[profh0011]

Just submitted this to the IMDB:

"The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu: The Prisoner of Dr. Fu Manchu (#1.1)" (1956)
The Not-So-Peaceful Conference     ***** ***

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

    Betty Leonard is kidnapped & hypnotized into drugging an ambassador trying to prevent a worldwide crisis involving radiation technology. Before things are over, an impostor tries to disrupt the peace conference by instilling distrust among the delegates attending. Naturally, this is all the work of Dr. Fu Manchu, who never does anything the simple way when more complex methods are available.

    I've seen many different versions of the characters in this series, but I have to admit, after seeing only 4 episodes of this TV series, the actors and their portrayal here of Sir Denis Nayland Smith & Dr. John Petrie MAY be my favorites! The TV series stresses Nayland Smith's role as a representative of law enforcement, while Petrie's role as a doctor is at the forefront.

    Betty Leonard, who was Petrie's assistant throughout the series, is introduced here in a way that made me suspect this may have been her first time working with Petrie. I had the same feeling when Sir Denis described in vivid language Dr. Manchu to the conference delegates. So I wasn't surprised to find this episode listed FIRST-- even though, strangely enough, the DVD I have has this one LAST. Go figure.

    Glen Gordon is adequate as Fu, although his manner of speaking is so clipped and unnatural, it keeps reminding me of the rumor that Fu may not actually have been Asian at all-- but an evil Englishman POSING as a Chinese villain! Gordon doesn't really measure up to Christopher Lee-- or Boris Karloff-- yet the show is so well done, I find he is at least acceptable.

    Laurette Luez as "Karamaneh" is suitably beautiful, seductive, and treacherous.

    This episode features Leonard Strong as Professor Hugh Yan and his impostor. A decade later he played "The Claw", a Fu Manchu-like villain on 'GET SMART"! This TV series apparently inspired the short-lived comic-book "THE YELLOW CLAW", which featured stories by Al Feldstein & Joe Maneely, and Jack Kirby. I was very surprised when I first saw the TV series, as the title sequence, with Fu playing CHESS, was paid tribute to by Jim Steranko when he brought The Yellow Claw back in 1967-68 in the "NICK FURY" series.

    Several elements in this series, including the portrayal of Sir Denis & Dr. Petrie, the use of kidnapping & hypnotism, and the presence of Karamaneh, were all later reused in the "MASTER OF KUNG FU" comic-book series, by Doug Moench & Paul Gulacy. It surprised me that this series seemed the most similar to "MOKF" of all the various "Fu" films I've seen.

    And what really cracked me up was that some of the episodes were directed by William Witney, whose work I have also been watching this week on "THE WILD WILD WEST", a series where Fu Manchu would have fit right in!
   (2-20-2016)

[narfstar]

I just watched Dracula Untold. It was actually pretty cool.

[josemas]

    And what really cracked me up was that some of the episodes were directed by William Witney, whose work I have also been watching this week on "THE WILD WILD WEST", a series where Fu Manchu would have fit right in!
   (2-20-2016)

Witney was one of the best directors of cliffhangers and B westerns from the 1930s to the 1950s.  He segued quite easily into television having learned how to shoot not only well but fast and economically.
I was lucky enough to meet him at one of the 1990's Cinecons in Hollywood where he appeared with some of the cast members of  Adventures of Captain Marvel, one of the most famous serials he had directed. 
He had a autobiography that came out posthumously which I've been meaning to check out.

[Captain Audio]

I just watched Dracula Untold. It was actually pretty cool.

Saw it awhile back, it is a pretty good take on the Dracula tale, though not historically correct in many areas.
Looks from the way it ended as if they planned on a sequel.

[betaraybdw]

I'm gonna binge on Daredevil season 2 this weekend

I hope they do not "tone down" the Punisher, his appeal, to me anyway, is that he is totally uncompromising, committed to his mission and is unapologetic/unrepentant about his methods.


A Punisher fan film made by real hollywood actors Including Thomas Jane & Ron Perlman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWpK0wsnitc

[betaraybdw]

I'm gonna binge on Daredevil season 2 this weekend

I hope they do not "tone down" the Punisher, his appeal, to me anyway, is that he is totally uncompromising, committed to his mission and is unapologetic/unrepentant about his methods.


A Punisher fan film made by real hollywood actors Including Thomas Jane & Ron Perlman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWpK0wsnitc

1st 2 episodes in and I am very satisfied so far. Bernthal is a relentless Punisher, but the best part was a shoutout by Foggy Nelson of the best/worst/best One Shot comics of the 70's



entire issue available here: http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2008/11/science-fiction-theater-killdozer.html

[Captain Audio]

I have Kill Dozer on disc, one of my favorites.

[narfstar]

I finished DD today. I enjoyed it over all. It had some things that I did not like though. Daredevil is way overboard on the not killing thing. I also think the vast majority of people would be on the Punisher's side as a hero and few would dislike him.

[crashryan]

Just finished watching Touchez Pas au Grisbi (Don't Touch the Loot), a 1954 French gangster drama with Jean Gabin directed by Jacques Becker. I must gush.

This is a terrific film! I've heard much about Jean Gabin but seen very little of him. Now I understand what the fuss is about. He plays Max, an aging gangster who's finally had enough of the business. Max is sitting on a cache of gold bars, the proceeds of a heist he staged with his best friend and longtime partner Riton (Rene Dary). All that remains is for the pair to convert their gold to cash and retire. Unlike Max, Riton hasn't come to terms with growing old. He makes a dumb choice to impress a girl and the world begins to disintegrate.

The is the plot of all too many American gangster films, but what elevates the movie above typical American fare is the subtlety and restraint of the characters. There's no loud, juvenile in-your-face stuff. Max, Riton, and their nightclub-owner compatriot are mature, seasoned professionals who've learned to set aside theatrics to get the job done.  The sudden eruptions of violence, when they come, are all the more shocking.

The central theme is camaraderie. Max's old-fashioned sense of loyalty and honor means he'll go to the wall for his friend, whatever the cost. The script and the actors make what could have been a hackneyed story thoroughly believable. Even alongside a talented cast Gabin shines like a beacon. I've never seen anyone say so much without uttering a word. His expression, his stance, the way he moves, speak for him. The final scene takes place in a restaurant where Max is about to dine with his long-suffering mistress. The look he gives her before joining her at the table is amazing. Regret, resignation, affection, even a hint of amusement, pass across Max's face in the space of a few seconds.

Combine a good script and fine acting with excellent direction, superb cinematography, and great Paris locations and you get a winner. Criterion has a good subtitled print. Check it out.

[narfstar]

Watching A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD. Other than the bad language, I have enjoyed all the Die Hard movies except #2. Is there anyone else who figured out very early how to solve the problem by putting fire along the runway? It made the whole movie pointless to me.

[Florian R. Guillon]

I've been watching a film a day for a few days. The latest are Hollow Man, The Hangover, Spider and Dragonfly. I still got a few sealed Blu-Rays that I'll be watching soon.

[crashryan]

So after bingeing on Chandu the Magician radio episodes, I sought out the movie version: a 1932 feature starring Edmund Lowe as Chandu and Bela Lugosi as his nemesis, Roxor. Paradoxically, this is a terrible movie, yet one that shouldn't be missed.

On the plus side, it's chock full of Saturday-serial style action, complete with a mountain citadel, a death ray, skulking mystery men and marauding Arabs. On the minus side, the plot sidelines Frank "Chandu" Chandler's sister and her kids, who were central characters in the radio show. Instead we get long, excruciating comic-relief scenes featuring Chandler's alcoholic servant(Herbert Mundin). Edmund Lowe is a decent Chandu, but his stupid mustache makes him hard to take seriously. Irene Ware is good as Princess Nadji. Both performers do what they can with the overripe dialogue. Nephew Bobby (Michael Stuart) has almost nothing to do. Neither does his sister Betty Lou (June Lang). That is, not until she's kidnapped and put on the auction block wearing only a thin shift, to be ogled and pawed by a crowd of lecherous Arabs (not to mention the viewers).

Bela Lugosi fills the role of Roxor. To quote Spike Jones, he not only fills the role, he overflows it. I'm not referring to his weight. In 1932 Lugosi was as homely as ever but he was slim and trim. No, I'm referring to his acting. His dialogue is overbaked to begin with, but Bela cranks it up to eleven, roaring and hissing and gnashing, popping his eyes like Robert Newton. By the time he finishes a speech about ruling the world, there isn't a square inch of scenery that doesn't have teeth marks on it.

Given all these shortcomings, why is Chandu the Magician a must-see? The answer is a name: William Cameron Menzies. Visually this movie is astounding. Gorgeous, elaborate sets, brilliant chiaroscuro lighting, stirring camera work--designer/director Menzies polishes this potboiler and turns it into a gem among early talkies. It's a catalogue of classic special effects: model work, mirror shots, double exposures, rear projection. Some are more successful than others, but they're a rare treat for the FX fan. We even get some nice shots of the world ending. Take it from me, if you like looking at pretty (moving) pictures, don't miss this one.

[profh0011]

Sounds like Lugosi gave Lionel Atwill acting lessons. 

[netrap]

     Note to crashryan: Now that you have seen the 1932 feature, you should also get a load of the 1934 serial,"The Return of Chandu", in which the title role is played by Bela Lugosi.  This twelve-chapter serial was edited into two features a few years after its serial release..  Both serial and features are in the Public Domain, judging by the distribution they have been getting. 

    Bela Lugosi makes a credible hero, and he probably enjoyed doing a picture where he didn't ave to skulk around in a sinister manner.