harrygbutler takes a ride on the Reading — 8

By Roger Puta - Reading 7604 (SD45) in Rutherford Yard, Harrisburg, PA on May 10, 1970, Public Domain, Link

Welcome to my eighth thread for 2020! I’m Harry, and this is my fifth year in the 75 Books Challenge. By training I'm a medievalist, by occupation I’m a project manager, after many years as an editor. My taste in reading runs to Golden Age and earlier mysteries, pulp detective and adventure fiction, Late Antique and medieval literature, westerns, and late nineteenth and early twentieth century popular fiction, among others. I also have a fondness for collections of cartoons and comic strips, and relatively recently I have begun collecting pulp magazines from the first half of the twentieth century. I usually have a few books going at once.

I'm also an inveterate movie watcher, and I track my viewing in my thread, too. I watch a wide variety of genres — mystery, western, comedy, adventure, science fiction, horror, and more — and tend to watch older movies, particularly from Hollywood's Golden Age in the 1930s and 1940s, but extending through the 1980s and only rarely later.

My wife Erika and I live in eastern Pennsylvania with three cats — Elli, Otto, and Pixie — and a dog, Hildy. Our pets occasionally make an appearance in my thread. My other interests include model railroading, gardening, and birding, so you'll sometimes see something related to them as well.

I try to provide some sort of comment on the books and magazines I read and the movies I watch, but they are short and aren't really reviews.

I finished 168 books in 2019. I'd like to up that total to 170 in 2020.

Books finished in the first quarter

1. Vengeance Is Mine, by Mickey Spillane
2. The Voice of the Night: The Cases of Jeff Fanchon, Inquirer, by Hugh Pendexter
3. When a Feller Needs a Friend, by Clare A. Briggs
4. The Customs of Catalonia Between Lords and Vassals, by the Barcelona Canon, Pere Albert: A Practical Guide to Castle Feudalism in Medieval Spain, by Pere Albert; trans. by Donald J. Kagay
5. Warlords, Warlocks & Witches, ed. by D. M. Ritzlin
6. Don't Step in the Leadership, by Scott Adams
7. The Savage Salome, by Carter Brown
8. Roman Antiquities, Books 3-4, by Dionysius of Halicarnassus; trans. by Earnest Cary
9. Fair Blows the Wind, by Louis L'Amour
10. German Romance, Volume III: Iwein or The Knight with the Lion, by Hartmann von Aue; trans. by Cyril Edwards
11. Death of a Citizen, by Donald Hamilton
12. Death Walks in Eastrepps, by Francis Beeding
13. Lord Lister, Known as Raffles, Master Thief, by Kurt Matull and Theo Blankensee; trans. by Joseph A. Lovece
14. The Hurricane, by Terence Robertson
15. The Ferguson Rifle, by Louis L'Amour
16. Walt Disney's Donald Duck: "Christmas in Duckburg", by Carl Barks
17. The Milliner's Hat Mystery, by Basil Thomson
18. Death Dealers & Diabolists, ed. by D. M. Ritzlin
19. Breakheart Pass, by Alistair MacLean
20. Best Cartoons of the Year 1950, ed. by Lawrence Lariar
21. A Good Year for Dwarfs?, by Carter Brown
22. The Knight of the Parrot: Early Adventures of Young King Arthur, trans. by Thomas E. Vesce
23. Hope and History: Five Salzburg Lectures, by Josef Pieper
24. Death in the Cup, by Moray Dalton
25. A Talent for Revenge, by John Cutter
26. Ghost Breaker, by Ron Goulart
27. Hagar's Knight Out, by Dik Browne
28. Arrest the Bishop?, by Winifred Peck
29. The Wrecking Crew, by Donald Hamilton
30. The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat, by Thornton Burgess
31. Cartoon Laffs, ed. by Clyde Carley
32. The Life of Lazaros of Mt. Galesion: An Eleventh-Century Pillar Saint, by Gregory the Cellarer; trans. by Richard P. H. Greenfield
33. Anonymous Footsteps, by John M. O'Connor
34. The Red Pavilion, by Robert van Gulik
35. Over on the Dry Side, by Louis L'Amour
36. The Case of the Poisoned Cat, by K. P. Bahadur
37. Dennis the Menace—All-American Kid, by Hank Ketcham
38. Easy Company and the Suicide Boys, by John Wesley Howard
39. Diagnosis: Homicide, by Lawrence G. Blochman
40. Caravan to Vaccares, by Alistair MacLean
41. Treasure-House of Mysteries: Explorations of the Sacred Text Through Poetry in the Syriac Tradition, trans. by Sebastian Brock
42. The Blonde, by Carter Brown
43. Granddad! It's Morning!, by Bil Keane
44. The Crime at Diana's Pool, by Victor L. Whitechurch
45. Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works, by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite; trans. by Colm Luibheid
46. The Removers, by Donald Hamilton

Books finished in the second quarter

47. Everything's Archie!
48. Borden Chantry, by Louis L'Amour
49. The Body, by Carter Brown
50. Buck Fever: Deer Camp Cartoons, by Bruce Cochran
51. Reading the Psalms with Luther
52. The Phantom Spy, by Max Brand
53. A Murder Is Arranged, by Basil Thomson
54. This Petty Place: A Book of Drawings, by Mary Petty
55. Three Mysteries by Johnston McCulley
56. The Lives of the Monks of Palestine, by Cyril of Scythopolis; trans. by R. M. Price
57. Roman Antiquities, Books 5-6.48, by Dionysius of Halicarnassus; trans. by Earnest Cary
58. Marmaduke Sounds Off, by Brad Anderson
59. The Pleasure Cruise Mystery, by Robin Forsythe
60. North to the Rails, by Louis L'Amour
61. The Moving Shadow: Electrifying Bengali Pulp Fiction, selected and translated by Arunava Sinha
62. The Floating Game, by John Garforth
63. The Rescuers, by Margery Sharp
64. Heathcliff Rides Again, by George Gately
65. Theodulf of Orléans: The Verse, by Theodulf of Orléans; trans. by Theodore M. Andersson in collaboration with Åslaug Ommundsen and Leslie S. B. MacCoull
66. Best Cartoons of the Year 1954, ed. by Lawrence Lariar
67. The Eel Pie Murders, by David Frome
68. The Born Loser, by Carter Brown
69. Atlantic Fury, by Hammond Innes
70. Death Squad, by Don Pendleton
71. Easy Company and the Medicine Gun, by John Wesley Howard
72. The Tough Guys, by Mickey Spillane
73. Swords of Steel Omnibus, ed. by D. M. Ritzlin
74. Best Cartoons of the Year, ed. by Lawrence Lariar
75. Thrilling Pulp Detective Tales, Volume 1, ed. by Jonathan W. Sweet (editor) and Jules Sweet (associate editor)
76. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
77. Sacking Paris on a Budget, by Dik Browne
78. The House of the Vanishing Goblets, by Arlo & Carmen Edington
79. Take a Murder, Darling, by Richard S. Prather
80. Cy Whittaker's Place, by Joseph C. Lincoln
81. Tombstone & Speedy, Range Detectives, W. C. Tuttle
82. Death Sails the Nile, by F. Burks McKinley
83. East of Desolation, by Jack Higgins
84. Terror Comes Creeping, by Carter Brown
85. Not Reverse!, by Mort Walker
86. Sorry, Chief..., by William Johnston
87. Blondie, by Dean Young and Jim Raymond
88. The House That Kills, by Noel Vindry; trans. by John Pugmire
89. Two Dead, by Vernon Loder
90. Riders Against the Moon, by Johnston McCulley
91. Oh, Murderer Mine, by Norbert Davis

Books finished in the third quarter

92. Never Turn Your Back, by Margaret Scherf
93. The Mighty Warriors, ed. by Robert M. Price
94. Choice Cartoons from Sports Illustrated by Charles Preston
95. Zothique, by Clark Ashton Smith
96. Too Funny for Words! 125 Cartoons That Speak for Themselves, ed. by Phil Hirsch
97. The Brazen, by Carter Brown
98. Red Sonja #1: The Ring of Ikribu, by David C. Smith and Richard L. Tierney
99. Submarine Commander, by Rear Admiral Ben Bryant
100. The Winds of Gath, by E. C. Tubb
101. One Lonely Night, by Mickey Spillane
102. Roman Antiquities, Books 6.49-7, by Dionysius of Halicarnassus; trans. by Earnest Cary
103. Rivers West, by Louis L'Amour
104. Dead Man's Quarry, by Ianthe Jerrold
105. Nifft the Lean, by Michael Shea
106. The Poison Belt Together with "The Disintegration Machine" and "When the World Screamed", by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
107. March Upcountry, by David Weber and John Ringo
108. March to the Sea, by David Weber and John Ringo
109. March to the Stars, by David Weber and John Ringo
110. The Crime Coast, by Elizabeth Gill
111. The Man from the Broken Hills, by Louis L'Amour
112. Death of Anton, by Alan Melville
113. Poseidonis, by Clark Ashton Smith
114. Marmaduke Hams It Up!, by Brad Anderson
115. The Best of Thrilling Adventures
116. The Hunt Club, by Norman Daniels
117. Battle Mask, by Don Pendleton
118. Exemplary Lives: Selected Sermons on the Saints, from Rheinau, ed. and trans. by James C. Wilkinson
119. Fugitive from the Cubicle Police, by Scott Adams
120. Lives of the Visigothic Fathers, trans. by A. T. Fear
121. The Emperor's Pearl, by Robert van Gulik
122. A Rival from the Grave, by Seabury Quinn
123. Necromancy in Nilztiria, by D. M. Ritzlin
124. The Desired, by Carter Brown
125. Lookin' Good, Beetle Bailey, by Mort Walker
126. Milo Talon, by Louis L'Amour
127. Serpents in Eden: Countryside Crimes, ed. by Martin Edwards
128. Two Works on Trebizond: Michael Panaretos / Bessarion, ed. and trans. by Scott Kennedy
129. The Daffodil Murder, by Edgar Wallace
130. But Theriously Folkth, by Johnny Hart
131. The Man from Missouri, by Frank Gruber
132. In Search of the Sacred: Contributions to an Answer, by Josef Pieper; trans. by Lothar Krauth

Art by Glen White, for Argosy All-Story Magazine - http://rebelsofmars.blogs.com/rebels_of_mars/a_merritt/, Public Domain, Link

I read relatively few magazines last year, but I'd like to get back to the many pulps I've acquired, as well as some current pulp-inspired magazines, so I'm setting a goal for myself of averaging one magazine per month this year.

Magazines completed in 2020
1. Storyhack Action & Adventure, Issue 2 (neo-pulp)
2. Tales from The Magician's Skull, No. 4 (neo-pulp)
3. G-8 and His Battle Aces, October 1935
4. Storyhack Action & Adventure, Issue 4 (neo-pulp)
5. Storyhack Action & Adventure, Issue 3 (neo-pulp)
6. Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 25, 1924
7. Storyhack Action & Adventure, Issue 5 (neo-pulp
8. The Blue Book Magazine, April 1926
9. Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1920

In my first couple years in the group, I found I was avoiding reading shorter works — short stories, essays, treatises, sermons, etc. — found in books where I didn't intend to read the whole book at one go, because they wouldn't contribute to my totals. I'm tracking them now. I've set no particular goal for a total for this year, nor have I remembered to capture all that I've read, but I'll list what I can.

Shorter works read in 2020

1. "Ghost of a Crown," by Sterling Lanier (first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, December 1976)
2. "Witch-House," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, November 1936)
3. The Sultan of Hell, by Capt. Kerry McRoberts (first published in Thrilling Adventures, March 1934)
4. "The Terrible Parchment," by Manly Wade Wellman (first published in Weird Tales, August 1937)
5. "Orchid of Doom," by Lieut. Scott Morgan (first published in Thrilling Adventures, July 1934)
6. "Lost Treasures of Eden," by Capt. John Powers (first published in Thrilling Adventures, December 1934)
7. "Children of the Bat," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, January 1937)
8. "Interlude's End," by Robert Leslie Bellem
9. "The Lagoon of Monsters," by Johnston McCulley (first published in Thrilling Adventures, December 1934)
10. "Satan's Palimpsest," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, September 1937)
11. "World of Doom," by Ray Cummings (first published in Thrilling Adventures, January 1935)
12. "Pledged to the Dead," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, October 1937)
13. "Mother of Toads," by Clark Ashton Smith (first published in Weird Tales, July 1938)
14. "The Web of the Green Spider," by Capt. Kerry McRoberts (first published in Thrilling Adventures, February 1935)
15. "Sublevel Seventeen," by Paul Ernst (first published in Thrilling Adventures, February 1935)
16. "Murder on the Lotus Pond," by Robert van Gulik
17. "The Two Beggars," by Robert van Gulik
18. "The Wrong Sword," by Robert van Gulik
19. "Living Buddhess," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, November 1937)
20. "The Curse of the Shining God," by A. Leslie (first published in Thrilling Adventures, April 1935)
21. "Flames of Vengeance," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, December 1937)
22. "Hell's Oasis," by Arthur J. Burks (first published in Thrilling Adventures, April 1935)
23. "Frozen Beauty," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, February 1938)
24. "The Wooden Horse: Some Possible Bronze Age Origins, by Donald F. Easton (first published in ipamati kistamati pari tumatimis: Luwian and Hittite Studies Presented to J. David Hawkins on the Occasion of His 70th Birthday)
25. "Incense of Abomination," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, March 1938)
26. "The 'Shamraken' Homeward-Bounder," by William Hope Hodgson

I also listened to Vincent Price's reading of "Chu-bu and Sheemish," by Lord Dunsany.

Our cat Otto is a big fan of movies: When we start to watch one, he comes running to the living room from wherever he may be and settles in for the duration, though he chiefly dozes rather than actively watching.

I fell just short of 350 movies in 2019, so that number was my target in 2020.

I'll be giving Otto a place in my comments on movies. At present, the three ratings are as follows:

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movies watched in January

1. Mark of the Gorilla (Columbia, 1950)
2. Footsteps in the Night (Allied Artists, 1957)
3. Isle of Forgotten Sins (PRC, 1943)
4. Three Crosses Not To Die (original title: Tre croci per non morire) (1968)
5. The Inner Circle (Republic, 1946)
6. The Battle of the Damned (original title: Quella dannata pattuglia) (1969)
7. Beyond the Time Barrier (American International, 1960)
8. The Extra Girl (Mack Sennett Comedies, 1923)
9. The Fighting Renegade (Victory, 1939)
10. The Hound of the Baskervilles (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)
11. Traitorous (original title: Da tai jian) (1976)
12. Bowery at Midnight (Monogram, 1942)
13. Shall We Dance (RKO, 1937)
14. Commandos (1968)
15. Stagecoach (UA, 1939)
16. Let's Get Tough! (Monogram, 1942)
17. Make Mine Music (Disney / RKO, 1946)
18. Hands of a Gunfighter (original title: Ocaso de un pistolero) (1965)
19. The Range Feud (Columbia, 1931)
20. The Burning Court (original title: La chambre ardente) (1962)
21. The Hidden City (Monogram, 1950)
22. Bikini Beach (American International, 1964)
23. Non-Stop New York (Gaumont British, 1937)
24. The Death Kiss (K.B.S. Productions / Sono Art-World Wide, 1932)
25. The Hell's Wind Staff (original title: Long hu men) (1979)
26. The Black Camel (Fox, 1931)
27. Aces and Eights (Puritan, 1936)
28. Buccaneer's Girl (Universal, 1950)
29. A Candidate for a Killing (original title: Un sudario a la medida) (1969)
30. They Were Expendable (MGM, 1945)
31. The Atomic Submarine (Allied Artists, 1959)
32. Feud of the West (Diversion, 1936)
33. Locker Sixty-Nine (Anglo-Amalgamated, 1962)
34. Death Trap (Anglo-Amalgamated, 1962)
35. The H-Man (original title: Bijo to ekitai ningen) (Toho, 1958; Columbia, 1959)
36. Death on High Mountain (original title: La morte sull'alta collina) (1969)
37. Where's That Fire? (Twentieth Century Fox / Gainsborough, 1939)
38. The Ghost Camera (Real Art / RKO, 1933)
39. The Night the World Exploded (Columbia, 1957)
40. Action Man (original title: Le soleil des voyous) (1967)
41. The Lady in Scarlet (Chesterfield, 1935)
42. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)
43. The Living Ghost (Monogram, 1942)
44. 12 to the Moon (Columbia, 1960)
45. Phantom Rancher (Colony, 1940)
46. The Ghost Walks (Invincible, 1934)
47. Destroy All Planets (original title: Gamera tai uchu kaijû Bairasu) (Daiei, 1968)
48. Seven Steps of Kung Fu (original title: Qi bu mi zong) (1979)
49. The Thirteenth Guest (Monogram, 1932)
50. Sagebrush Trail (Lone Star / Monogram, 1933)
51. The Seventh Curse (original title: Yuen Chun Hap yu Wai See Lee) (Golden Harvest / Paragon, 1986)
52. F.P.1 (Gaumont British / Fox / UFA, 1933)
53. Charlie Chan in Paris (Fox, 1935)
54. Lawless Land (Republic, 1937)
55. Crazy Knights (Monogram, 1944)
56. Palmy Days (Goldwyn / UA, 1931)
57. Time Table (Mark Stevens Productions / UA, 1956)
58. Dead Men Walk (PRC, 1943)
59. The Vampire Doll (original title: Yûrei yashiki no kyôfu: Chi wo sû ningyô) (Toho, 1970)
60. Texas Wildcats (Victory, 1939)

Movies watched in February

61. The Loves of Hercules (original title: Gli amori di Ercole) (1960)
62. Midnight Limited (Monogram, 1940)
63. Awkward Hands (original title: Manos torpes) (1970)
64. Pajama Party (American International, 1964)
65. X Marks the Spot (Republic, 1942)
66. Lake of Dracula (original title: Noroi no yakata: Chi o suu me) (Toho, 1971)
67. Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (Universal, 1942)
68. Danger Ahead (Monogram, 1940)
69. Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (Allied Artists, 1965)
70. Mozambique (1964)
71. The Gunman (Monogram, 1952)
72. Sink the Bismarck! (Twentieth Century Fox, 1960)
73. Evil of Dracula (original title: Chi o suu bara) (Toho, 1974)
74. The Human Monster (Monogram, 1940) (originally released in the UK as Dark Eyes of London by Pathé, 1939)
75. Riders of the Desert (Sono Art-World Wide, 1932)
76. Win Them All (Park Films, 1973)
77. Gallery of Horror (American General, 1967)
78. Ice Station Zebra (MGM, 1968)
79. Murder on the Yukon (Monogram, 1940)
80. Midnight Manhunt (Paramount, 1945)
81. Santo el enmascarado de plata y Blue Demon contra los monstruos (Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters) (Cinematográfica Sotomayor, 1970)
82. The Red Blood of Courage (Ambassador, 1935)
83. Charlie Chan in Egypt (Fox, 1935)
84. Satanik (1968)
85. Caught Plastered (RKO, 1931)
86. Attack of the Monsters (original title: Gamera tai daiakuju Giron) (Daiei, 1969)
87. My Name Is Pecos (original title: 2 once di piombo) (1966)
88. Bulldog Drummond (Goldwyn / UA, 1929)
89. Goldsinger (original title: James Tont operazione U.N.O.) (1965)
90. Pecos Cleans Up (original title: Pecos è qui: prega e muori!) (1967)
91. Tiger Fangs (PRC, 1943)
92. The Weird Man (Shaw Brothers, 1983)
93. Condemned To Live (Invincible / Chesterfield, 1935)
94. Wrangler's Roost (Monogram, 1941)
95. Kriminal (1966)
96. The Beach Girls and the Monster (U.S. Films, 1965)
97. Candles at Nine (British National, 1944)
98. The Deadly Duo (Shaw Brothers, 1971)
99. Gog (Ivan Tors / UA, 1954)
100. Sky Bandits (Monogram, 1940)
101. Upperseven, l'uomo da uccidere (1966)
102. Return of the Deadly Blade (original title: Fei dao you jian fei dao) (1981)
103. Fenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankamen (original title: Fenomenal e il tesoro di Tutankamen) (1968)
104. Africa Screams (UA, 1949)
105. The Vampire Bat (Majestic, 1933)
106. Alias Boston Blackie (Columbia, 1942)
107. Prairie Law (RKO, 1940)
108. Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (Universal, 1942)
109. Da Istanbul ordine di uccidere (From Istanbul, Orders To Kill) (1965)
110. Song of Old Wyoming (PRC, 1945)
111. The Street Fighter (original title: Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken) (Toei, 1974)
112. The Bellboy (Paramount, 1960)
113. Treasure Hunt (IFD, 1952)
114. General Stone (original title: Shi san tai bao Li Cun Xiao) (1977)
115. Man on the Spying Trapeze (original title: Anónima de asesinos) (1966)
116. Murder by the Clock (Paramount, 1931)
117. Borderland (Paramount, 1937)
118. The Hidden Hand (WB, 1942)

Movies watched in March

119. Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlantida (Santo vs. Blue Demon in Atlantis) (Cinematográfica Sotomayor, 1970)
120. Breakout (Independent Artists / Anglo-Amalgamated, 1959)
121. Charlie Chan in Shanghai (Fox, 1935)
122. Heart of the Rockies (Republic, 1937)
123. Gammera the Invincible (1966)
124. The Ghost Rider (Monogram, 1943)
125. Come rubare un quintale di diamanti in Russia (Mission Phantom) (1967)
126. The Lion Hunters (Monogram, 1951)
127. Peking Blonde (original title: La blonde de Pékin) (1967)
128. Hercules, Prisoner of Evil (original title: Ursus, il terrore dei kirghisi) (1964)
129. Stage to Chino (RKO, 1940)
130. Miss Tulip Stays the Night (Grand Alliance, 1955)
131. Finders Keepers (UA, 1966/1967)
132. The Monster Maker (PRC, 1944)
133. The Snow Devils (original title: La morte viene dal pianeta Aytin) (1967)
134. Orphan of the Pecos (Victory, 1937)
135. Iron Monkey Strikes Back (aka Duel at the Tiger Village) (original title: Jue dou Lao Hu Zhuang) (1978)
136. Colpo in Canna (Loaded Guns) (1975)
137. Murder on the Campus (Chesterfield, 1933)
138. Assalto al tesoro di stato (Assault on the State Treasure) (1967)
139. The Mysterious Miss X (Republic, 1939)
140. Romance on the Range (Republic, 1942)
141. Last Man To Kill (original title: Un milione di dollari per sette assassini) (1966)
142. Charlie Chan at the Circus (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936)
143. Blue Demon y Zovek en La invasión de los muertos (Invasion of the Dead) (1973)
144. War Between the Planets (original title: Il pianeta errante) (1966)
145. Ridin' the Lone Trail (Republic, 1937)
146. Murder in the Big House (WB, 1942)
147. Borman (1966)
148. The Hurricane Horseman (Willis Kent, 1931)
149. Argoman vs. Diabolicus (original title: Superargo contro Diabolikus) (1966/1968)
150. Snake River Desperadoes (Columbia, 1951)
151. Calling Bulldog Drummond (MGM, 1951)
152. Every Day’s a Holiday (Grand National, 1964)
153. Perry Grant, agente di ferro (aka The Big Blackout) (1966)
154. 7 donne d'oro contro due 07 (1966)
155. Deathsport (New World, 1978)
156. Comanche Station (Columbia, 1960)
157. The Star Packer (Lone Star / Monogram, 1934)
158. Detective School Dropouts (Cannon, 1986)
159. Hercules in the Haunted World (original title: Ercole al centro della Terra) (1961/1964)
160. The Night of January 16th (Paramount, 1941)
161. Project Moon Base (Lippert, 1953)
162. Mrs. Pollifax – Spy (UA, 1971)
163. Sands of Iwo Jima (Republic, 1949)
164. Journey to the Center of Time (1967)
165. Black Magic (original title: Jiang tou) (Shaw Brothers, 1975)
166. Rogue of the Range (Supreme, 1936)
167. Sherlock Holmes in Washington (Universal, 1943)
168. The Case of the Frightened Lady (British Lion, 1940)

Movies watched in April

169. James Tont operazione D.U.E. (1966)
170. Devil Bat’s Daughter (PRC, 1946)
171. Rip Roarin' Buckaroo (Victory, 1936)
172. Supercolpo da 7 miliardi (aka The Ten Million Dollar Grab) (1967)
173. Sky Racket (Victory, 1937)
174. Death Journey (1976)
175. Ator, the Fighting Eagle (original title: Ator l'invincibile) (1982)
176. Sunset Range (First Division, 1935)
177. Jin Niukou (aka Gold Button) (1966)
178. The Time Travelers (American International, 1964)
179. Dick Tracy (RKO, 1945)
180. The Marshal of Mesa City (RKO, 1939)
181. Werewolves on Wheels (1971)
182. 28 minuti per 3 milioni di dollari (aka 28 Minutes for 3 Million Dollars) (1967)
183. The Flying Guillotine (original title: Xue di zi) (1975)
184. Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (original title: Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes) (1962)
185. Hold ’Em Jail (RKO, 1932)
186. Caryl of the Mountains (Reliable, 1936)
187. Blood Money (original title: El kárate, el Colt y el impostor) (1974)
188. One Armed Executioner (1981)
189. The Swiss Conspiracy (1976)
190. Space Raiders (1983)
191. Desert Gold (Paramount, 1936)
192. Il marchio di Kriminal (1968)
193. Planet of the Vampires (original title: Terrore nello spazio) (American International, 1965)
194. Meet Nero Wolfe (Columbia, 1936)
195. Sister Street Fighter (1974)
196. The Lost Missile (UA, 1958)
197. The League of Frightened Men (Columbia, 1937)
198. Flying Guillotine 2 (1978)
199. Hills of Kentucky (WB, 1927)
200. Charlie Chan at the Race Track (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936)
201. The Great Alligator (original title: Il fiume del grande caimano) (1979)
202. The Stranger (RKO, 1946)
203. Mean Johnny Barrows (1975)
204. Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring (Columbia, 1941)
205. Fatal Flying Guillotine (original title: Yin yang xie di zi) (1977)
206. Phantom from Space (UA, 1953)
207. Exterminators Of The Year 3000 (original title: Il giustiziere della strada) (1983)
208. The Man from Utah (Lone Star/Monogram, 1934)
209. Dick Tracy versus Cueball (RKO, 1946)
210. The Skull (Amicus, 1965)
211. The Killer With A Thousand Eyes (original title: Los mil ojos del asesino) (1973)
212. Goliath and the Dragon (original title: La vendetta di Ercole) (1960)
213. Mission Stardust (original title: ...4 ..3 ..2 ..1 ...morte) (1967)
214. Elephant Stampede (Monogram, 1951)
215. The Super Inframan (original title: Zhong guo chao ren) (1975)
216. Charlie Chan at the Opera (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936)
217. The Old Corral (Republic, 1936)
218. Supermen Against the Orient (original title: Crash! Che botte... strippo strappo stroppio) (1973)
219. Jungle Heat (UA, 1957)
220. Along Came Jones (International / RKO, 1945)
221. Operation Atlantis (original title: Agente S 03: Operazione Atlantide) (1965)

Movies watched in May

222. Fangs of the Wild (Metropolitan, 1939)
223. The Cobra (original title: Il cobra) (1967)
224. Invasion of the Star Creatures (American International, 1962)
225. Monster from Green Hell (1957)
226. Le solitaire passe à l'attaque (1966)
227. Agent X-77 Orders to Kill (original title: Baraka sur X 13) (1966)
228. The French Key (Republic, 1946)
229. Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops (original title: Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi) (1961)
230. Womaneater (1958)
231. Texas Terror (Lone Star / Monogram, 1935)
232. Blackmail (Republic, 1947)
233. Call of the South Seas (Republic, 1944)
234. How To Make a Monster (American International, 1958)
235. Ellery Queen, Master Detective (Columbia, 1940)
236. Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime (Columbia, 1941)
237. Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery (Columbia, 1941)
238. The She Beast (1966)
239. The Case of the Bloody Iris (original title: Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer?) (1972)
240. Dogora (original title: Uchû daikaijû Dogora) (Toho, 1964)
241. Un dollaro tra i denti (aka A Stranger in Town (1967)
242. Shaolin Devil Shaolin Angel (original title: Tie shou wu qing zhui hun ling) (1978)
243. A Close Call for Ellery Queen (Columbia, 1942)
244. A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen (Columbia, 1942)
245. Dick Tracy's Dilemma (RKO, 1947)
246. Murder with Pictures (Paramount, 1936)
247. Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (original title: Se tutte le donne del mondo... (Operazione Paradiso) (1966)
248. Thunder Trail (Paramount, 1937)
249. The Comedy of Terrors (American International, 1963)
250. Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (Universal, 1943)
251. The Set Up (Anglo-Amalgamated, 1963)
252. Electra One (original title: Con la muerte a la espalda) (1967)
253. The Bloody Vampire (original title: El vampiro sangriento) (1962)
254. The Invasion of the Vampires (original title: La invasión de los vampiros) (1963)
255. Uncle Was a Vampire (original title: Tempi duri per i vampiri) (1959)
256. Green Eyes (Chesterfield, 1934)
257. Kung Fu Zombie (original title: Wu long tian shi zhao ji gui) (1981)
258. British Intelligence (WB, 1940)
259. Discarded Lovers (Tower, 1932)
260. The World of the Vampires (original title: El mundo de los vampiros) (1961)
261. Un uomo, un cavallo, una pistol (aka The Stranger Returns) (1967)
262. Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror (1938)
263. Beast from Haunted Cave (Allied Artists, 1959)
264. Rocky Mountain Mystery (Paramount, 1935)
265. Jiang shi pa pa (The Close Encounter of the Vampire) (1986)
266. The House of the Arrow (1953)

Movies watched in June

267. Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947)
268. Up in the Air (Monogram, 1940)
269. Temptress of a Thousand Faces (original title: Qian mian mo nu) (Shaw Brothers, 1969)
270. The San Antonio Kid (Republic, 1944)
271. Ladrón de cadaveres (aka The Body Snatcher) (Internacional Cinematográfica, 1957)
272. Tomorrow at Seven (RKO, 1933)
273. La mujer murcielago (aka The Batwoman) (Cinematográfica Calderón, 1968)
274. Blue Steel (Lone Star / Monogram, 1934)
275. 002 operazione Luna (1965)
276. Charlie Chan at the Olympics (Twentieth Century Fox, 1937)
277. Leyendas macabras de la colonia (1974)
278. The Westland Case (Universal, 1937)
279. El robo de las momias de Guanajuato (1972)
280. The Cowboy Counsellor (Allied, 1932)
281. La nave de los monstruos (1959)
282. Danger on the Air (Universal, 1938)
283. African Treasure (Monogram, 1952)
284. If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (UA, 1969)
285. Aventura al centro de la tierra (1965)
286. The Kansan (UA, 1943)
287. Unforgotten Crime (edited version of The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine) (Republic, 1942)
288. Hold That Woman! (PRC, 1940)
289. The Caribbean Mystery (Twentieth Century Fox, 1945)
290. Las luchadoras contra el robot asesino (1969)
291. Scared Stiff (Paramount, 1945)
292. La casa del terror (1960)
293. Streamline Express (Mascot, 1935)
294. The Vengeful Beauty (original title: Xue fu rong) (1978)
295. Amazons and Supermen (original title: Superuomini, superdonne, superbotte) (1974)
296. The Spider Woman (Universal, 1943)
297. Riders of the Law (Sunset / Aywon, 1922)
298. The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968)
299. Get Mean (1975)
300. Charlie Chan on Broadway (Twentieth Century Fox, 1937)
301. Assignment Terror (original title: Los monstruos del terror) (1970)
302. Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985)
303. The Shadow (1933)
304. Green Dragon Inn (original title: Qing tian jian piao xiang) (1977)
305. The Crime Doctor's Courage (Columbia, 1945)
306. The Man from Painted Post (Artcraft, 1917)
307. While New York Sleeps (Twentieth Century Fox, 1938)
308. Dangerous Passage (Paramount, 1944)
309. Ghost Town (Commodore, 1936)
310. The Lady Confesses (PRC, 1945)
311. Kung Fu From Beyond the Grave (original title: Yin ji) (1982)
312. The Face Of Marble (Monogram, 1946)
313. Legion of the Lawless (RKO, 1940)
314. Carry On Camping (1969)
315. The Lone Wolf Strikes (Columbia, 1940)
316. The Devil's Possessed (original title: El mariscal del infierno) (1974)
317. 13 Lead Soldiers (Twentieth Century Fox, 1948)
318. Adventure of Shaolin (original title: Zhang San Feng du chuang Shao Lin) (1976)
319. Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (Twentieth Century Fox, 1937)
320. The Battle Wizard (original title: Tian long ba bu) (1977)

Movies watched in July

321. Espionage in Tangiers (original title: Marc Mato, agente S. 077) (1965)
322. Charlie Chan's Secret (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936)
323. Ninja Swords of Death (original title: Fei yin hu die zhan) (1978)
324. The Crimson Key (Twentieth Century Fox, 1947)
325. The Vampire's Ghost (Republic, 1945)
326. Heads for Sale (original title: Nu xia mai ren tou) (1970)
327. The Crime Doctor's Warning (Columbia, 1945)
328. Holy Flame of the Martial World (original title: Wu lin sheng huo jin) (1983)
329. Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster (original title: Gojira tai Mekagojira) (1974)
330. The Cape Town Affair (Twentieth Century Fox, 1967)
331. Revenge of Mechagodzilla (original title: Mekagojira no gyakushu) (1975)
332. Little Dragon Maiden (original title: Yang guo yu xiao long nu) (1983)
333. Charlie Chan in Honolulu (Twentieth Century Fox, 1938)
334. Legend of the Eight Samurai (original title: Satomi hakken-den) (1983)
335. Voodoo Island (UA, 1957)
336. Desperate Mission (original title: Agente Z 55 missione disperata) (1965)
337. Blue Demon: El Demonio Azul (1965)
338. Breakheart Pass (UA, 1976)
339. Mothra (original title: Mosura) (1961)
340. Wandering Dragon (1978? / 1981?)
341. The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle (original title: Der Würger von Schloß Blackmoor) (1963)
342. Pals of the Silver Sage (Monogram, 1940)
343. Arañas infernales (1968)
344. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (original title: San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen) (1964)
345. The Bells of Death (original title: Duo hun ling) (1968)
346. The Missing Corpse (PRC, 1945)
347. Atragon (original title: Kaitei gunkan) (1963)
348. The Spider Woman Strikes Back (Universal, 1946)
349. Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)
350. King Kong (RKO, 1933)
351. Fire Maidens of Outer Space (Criterion, 1956)
352. Invasion of the Astro Monsters (original title: Kaijû daisensô) (1965)

Movies watched in August

353. The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman (original title: La noche de Walpurgis) (1971)
354. Boy God (original title: Rocco, ang batang bato) (1983)
355. Between God, the Devil and a Winchester (original title: Anche nel west c'era una volta Dio) (1968)
356. The Beast Must Die (Amicus, 1974)
357. The One-Armed Swordsman (original title: Du bei dao) (1967)
358. Charlie Chan in Reno (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)
359. Una pistola per Ringo (1965)
360. Il ritorno di Ringo (1965)
361. Latitude Zero (aka: Ido zero daisakusen) (1969)
362. The Lady Hermit (original title: Zhong kui niang zi) (1971)
363. 6 donne per l'assassino (aka Blood and Black Lace) (1964)
364. The Westerner (Goldwyn / UA, 1940)
365. The Green Jade Statuette (original title: Shen dao liu xing quan) (1977)
366. Number One of the Secret Service (1977)
367. Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)
368. The One Eyed Soldiers (aka Colpo di stato) (1967)
369. Hips, Hips, Hooray! (RKO, 1934)
370. The Witch with Flying Head (original title: Fei tou mo nu) (1982)
371. Deadly Silver Spear (original title: Xue lian huan) (1977)
372. Step On It (Reliable, 1936)
373. Wolf Devil Woman (original title: Lang nu bai mo) (1982)
374. Thor and the Amazon Women (original title: Le gladiatrici) (1963)
375. La morte cammina con i tacchi alti (aka Death Walks on High Heels) (1971)
376. The Five Venoms (original title: Wu du) (1978)
377. Firewalker (Cannon, 1986)
378. Escape from Galaxy 3 (original title: Giochi erotici nella terza galassia) (1981)
379. Kilink Istanbul'da (1967)
380. Ten Wanted Men (Columbia, 1955)
381. Charlie Chan in Panama (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)
382. Iron Monkey (original title: Tie hou zi) (1977)
383. Sihirbazlar Krali Mandrake Killing'in pesinde (1967) 8/22
384. King Kong vs. Godzilla (original title: Kingu Kongu tai Gojira) (1962)
385. Hanuman pob Jed Yodmanud (original title: Urutora 6-kyodai tai kaijû gundan) (aka: Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman) (1974)
386. That Man in Istanbul (original title: Estambul 65) (1965)
387. Murder over New York (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)
388. Fun at St. Fanny's (1955)
389. Convicted (Supreme / Weiss Brothers Artclass, 1931)
390. Shoot, Gringo, Shoot (original title: Spara, Gringo, spara) (1968)
391. Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (Columbia, 1942)
392. Fearless Fighters (original title: Tou tiao hao han) (1971)
393. Devilman Story (1967)
394. Death Goes North (Columbia, 1939)
395. The Black Abbot (1934)
396. Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)

Movies watched in September

397. Wheels of Fire (1985)
398. Triple Justice (RKO, 1940)
399. Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte (aka If You Meet Sartana... Pray for Your Death) (1968)
400. Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino (aka I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death) (1969)
401. Quiet Please, Murder (Twentieth Century Fox, 1942)
402. C'è Sartana... vendi la pistola e comprati la bara! (aka: Sartana's Here, Trade Your Guns for a Coffin) (1970)
403. Have a Good Funeral, My Friend... Sartana Will Pay (original title: Buon funerale, amigos!... paga Sartana) (1970)
404. Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming (original title: Una nuvola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana) (1970)
405. The Kid with the Golden Arm (original title: Jin bi tong)
406. Return of Sabata (original title: È tornato Sabata... hai chiuso un'altra volta!) (1971)
407. Seven Footprints to Satan (First National / WB, 1929)
408. Dead Eyes of London (original title: Die toten Augen von London) (1961)
409. Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (original title: Du bei dao wang) (1969)
410. Destroy All Monsters (original title: Kaijû sôshingeki) (1968)
411. Halleluja for Django (original title: La più grande rapina del west) (1967)
412. Dead Men Tell (Twentieth Century Fox, 1941)
413. The Cat O' Nine Tails (original title: Il gatto a nove code) (1971)
414. Appointment with Venus (aka Island Rescue) (1951)
415. The Fat Man (Universal, 1951)
416. La dama rossa uccide sette volte (aka The Red Queen Kills Seven Times) (1972)
417. Probability Zero (original title: Probabilità zero) (1969) 9/10
418. Tômei ningen to hae otoko (aka The Invisible Man vs. the Human Fly) (1958)
419. Gung Ho! (Universal, 1943)
420. Fog Island (PRC, 1945)
421. The 72 Desperate Rebels (original title: Qi shi er sha xing) (1978)
422. The Alien Dead (1978)
423. Oath of Vengeance (PRC, 1944)
424. Wonder Man (Goldwyn / RKO, 1945)
425. Think Fast, Mr. Moto (Twentieth Century Fox, 1937)
426. Dai tozoku (aka: The Lost World of Sinbad) (Toho, 1963)
427. The Pit and the Pendulum (American International, 1961)
428. Curse of the Devil (original title: El retorno de Walpurgis) (1973) 9/16
429. Shaolin Fox Conspiracy (original title: Han shan fei hu) (1982)
430. Banco à Bangkok pour OSS 117 (aka Shadow of Evil or Panic in Bangkok) (1964)
431. The Black Raven (PRC, 1943)
432. The New One-Armed Swordsman (original title: Xin du bi dao) (1971)
433. Stage to Blue River (Monogram, 1951)
434. Kindar the Invulnerable (original title: Kindar, l'invulnerabile) (1965)
435. Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (American International, 1965)
436. ¡En peligro de muerte! (1962)
437. The Scarlet Claw (Universal, 1944)
438. The Dragon's Vengeance (original title: Chung kuo ren) (1972)
439. Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (original title: Le spie vengono dal semifreddo) (American International, 1966)
440. Incident at Midnight (Anglo Amalgamated, 1963)
441. The Rogues' Tavern (Puritan, 1936)
442. Yôsei Gorasu (aka: Gorath) (Toho, 1962)
443. Castle in the Air (1952)
444. The £20,000 Kiss (Anglo Amalgamated, 1963)
445. On the Run (Anglo Amalgamated, 1963)
446. Dressed To Fight (original title: Zhe jian chuan ji) (1979)
447. The Creeping Flesh (Columbia, 1973)
448. Bonanza Town (Columbia, 1951)
449. They Came from Beyond Space (1967)
450. Where the North Begins (WB, 1923)
451. Eyes in the Night (MGM, 1942)
452. The Game of Killers (original title: Xiao mian sha shou sha xiao zi) (1978)
453. Charlie Chan in Rio (Twentieth Century Fox, 1941)
454. Tom Dollar (1967)
455. The Return of the Durango Kid (Columbia, 1945)
456. The Murder in the Museum (Willis Kent, 1934)
457. 00-2 agenti segretissimi (1964)
458. House of Mystery (Anglo Amalgamated, 1961)

August recap:

• 16 books finished


• 10 shorter works finished


• 2 magazines finished


• 44 movies watched

Year-to-date (as of the end of August):

• 112 books finished


• 18 shorter works finished


• 6 magazines finished


• 396 movies watched

I am right on schedule for my book reading but still behind schedule for my magazine reading, although I do expect to get through at least two this month. I'm well past my target of 350 for my movie watching. I'll not set a formal target, but I do now hope to get to at least 500 this year.

Next one's yours!

Happy new one, Harry.

Happy new thread!

>20 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

>21 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

Happy new thread, Harry!

>24 mstrust: Thank you, Jennifer!

Happy new thread, Harry!

You inspired me to mention the movies we watched on my thread :-)

Happy reading on the Reading, Harry. (Actually I fatfingered your name as "Hattu" and *almost* left it. Singular male demonym for "one from Hattusa.)

>26 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita! And it's flattering that you've decided to start talking about movies, too. I've not been very good at visiting threads this summer; I've been spending little time on LibraryThing overall.

>27 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! I've recently downloaded a number of articles on Bronze Age Anatolian history, archaeological remains, and language, so I daresay Hattu might be almost fitting.

>29 harrygbutler: The goddesses move in mysterious ways, indeed.

Found and starred, Harry.

I dusted off Milo Talon...yes, it's September!

>31 fuzzi: Thanks. I'm in the middle of a couple books right now, so I may not get to Milo Talon before next week, but we'll see.

I'm well behind on posting comments on both books and movies, so I'll probably try to catch up over the weekend. Here's one movie to get things going on this thread.

Movie 386. That Man in Istanbul (original title: Estambul 65) (1965)



Horst Buchholz plays a rogue enlisted by a secret agent (Sylva Koscina) to help her deal with the kidnapping of a noted scientist. Not great, but pleasant enough throughout. Koscina is an excellent agent, Klaus Kinski as usual good as a villain, and Buchholz entertaining and convincing in his part as well.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 387. Murder over New York (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)



Charlie Chan investigates sabotage of test planes by the villainous (but unknown) Narvo, as well as the murder of a friend, a British agent who was on the saboteur's trail. Efficient little mystery, even if some of the red herrings get a bit too little time.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 388. Fun at St. Fanny's (1955)



Raucous and chaotic film in the vein of The Belles of St. Trinian's gives the spotlight to some older British performers in a loosely structured tale of doings at a British public school. There's not much of a story here, just a framework for puns, jokes, and comic set pieces, but it is nevertheless amusing.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 389. Convicted (Supreme / Weiss Brothers Artclass, 1931)



Jameson Thomas, most familiar to me as the doctor in Charlie Chan in Egypt, here plays an amateur detective called upon to investigate the killing of a vicious Broadway producer who was attempting to force his attentions on his leading lady, who of course is suspected of the crime. The unpleasant victim makes for quite a few potential killers in this early talkie set aboard an ocean liner. Rather stiff and slow, but of moderate interest.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 390. Shoot, Gringo, Shoot (original title: Spara, Gringo, spara) (1968)



An unexpected twist adds a little interest to this story of a gunman recruited to persuade a Mexican landowner's wandering son to return home; said son has taken up with an outlaw gang led by "the Major" (Keenan Wynn), and the gunman must use trickery to get the son home. Unfortunately, the story as a whole is a bit dull, and disappointingly, in the dubbed version I watched, someone else provided the voice for Wynn's character.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

95. Zothique, by Clark Ashton Smith



Weird fantasy tales set on the Earth's last continent, with plenty of darkness and doom. These are well written, if perhaps rather too much to read in a single sitting, and will likely have the reader reaching for a dictionary as well; recommended for fans of Smith's work, of Jack Vance's Dying Earth tales, or of weird fiction in general.

Movie 391. Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (Columbia, 1942)



Blackie and Runt travel to California to get their wealthy friend Arthur Manleder out of a jam; they are of course pursued by Inspector Farraday, who is convinced that they are somehow involved with the theft of a gem on the West Coast — and they are, or at least Manleder is involved as a target of various crooks. Fun series entry, but nothing is done with the California location, really.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 392. Fearless Fighters (original title: Tou tiao hao han) (1971)



Plenty of fights with exotic weapons (including twin shields that shoot out a death ray) and fearsome fighters in this story of theft, murder, and revenge. Worth a look.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 393. Devilman Story (1967)



Slow pacing and tepid action characterize this thriller starring Guy Madison as a journalist who helps a young woman in the hunt for her kidnapped scientist father. Too little happens for too long, and the characters just aren't very interesting, either.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Zothique was fun, like all his stuff; but doled out in doses not consumed. Sometimes entire years go by without a crystal of Clarkashton on my reading menu. Other times it's two in a day. (That hasn't happened since I turned forty lo those many years ago, however.)

Given what "fanny" means in British, I'm amazed the censors let that one go!

>42 richardderus: I sure understand about Clark Ashton Smith. I read a second of the Ballantine collections (Poseidonis), and that's probably enough for now — the second seemed to take distinctly longer to get through.

Yes, I was a bit surprised by that movie title myself.

>39 harrygbutler: The top line on this poster says this movie is, as our MIA pal CrazyMamie would say, "full of fabulous." I suspect Otto is skeptical.

>44 weird_O: It is not exactly fabulous, but it was enjoyable enough. It is however important with the Boston Blackie movies to spread them out, as otherwise Farraday's constant suspicion becomes just too implausible.

Movie 394. Death Goes North (Columbia, 1939)



When a man identified as the secretary of a young woman's uncle is murdered in the midst of a lumber dispute, Mountie Ken Strange (Edgar Edwards), aided by the uncle's dog (Rin Tin Tin, Jr.), tracks down the solution to the crime. Not particularly exciting, and the twist is rather obvious, but watchable for what it is.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 395. The Black Abbot (1934)



British thriller involves a "ghost" and the kidnapping of a wealthy man, but it fails to hold the interest.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 396. Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)



An escaped murderer takes refuge in a wax museum run by a discredited doctor so the physician can provide him with a new face through plastic surgery and he can then take his revenge by killing those responsible for his conviction, including Charlie Chan. When circumstances bring the inspector to the wax museum for a radio broadcast, a death trap is set, but a fellow criminologist on the panel, which was to discuss an old case in which Charlie believes an innocent man was convicted and executed, meets his death instead. The wax museum setting is a good one, allowing for both creepy atmosphere and some comic relief. A good entry in the series.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

96. Too Funny for Words! 125 Cartoons That Speak for Themselves, ed. by Phil Hirsch

Reasonably amusing collection of cartoons that largely rely on visuals (although some have, say, signs within the sketches) for their humor. Mildly recommended.

Movie 397. Wheels of Fire (1985)



Mediocre post-apocalyptic movie in the common 80s vein of Mad Max, with a desert landscape, isolated survivors, gangs in modified cars and trucks and dressed in plenty of black leather, and a misanthropic loner. Here there's some sort of grand scheme on the part of one gang to battle a mysterious (and apparently menacing) corporation, but the gang makes a mistake by kidnapping the loner's sister. Some unexpected twists don't lift this one into the category of worth watching, although a genre completist would want to take a look.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 398. Triple Justice (RKO, 1940)



Brad Henderson (George O'Brien), in town for a friend's wedding, witnesses a bank holdup but is himself blamed for the crime, and his friend the sheriff, shot by the outlaws, is unable to clear him. Henderson nonetheless sets out to capture the crooks, return the stolen money, and clear his name — but a corrupt official and an officious law enforcement officer may thwart his plans. Fast-paced and fun, with a little music and a little romance.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 399. Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte (aka If You Meet Sartana... Pray for Your Death) (1968)



The first of the Sartana movies finds a lone gunman with a trick revolver setting himself to acquire a stolen fortune. Double-crosses abound, with plenty of infighting among the various bad guys.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 400. Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino (aka I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death) (1969)



Somewhat lighter in tone than the first Sartana movie, this one has the gunman framed for a robbery and trying both to recover the stolen money and protect himself from bounty hunters on his trail. Klaus Kinski, who had a grim role as a killer in the first film, here has a more humorous part as a bounty hunter with a weakness for gambling.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 401. Quiet Please, Murder (Twentieth Century Fox, 1942)



A crime programmer likely to have some appeal to LibraryThing users, as a rare Shakespeare volume is stolen from the public library and a crook then makes use of it to craft fakes to sell to unscrupulous collectors. Matters get complicated when his accomplice unwittingly sells a copy to a buyer acting on behalf of Nazis; the arrival of an investigator on behalf of another buyer adds yet another layer of complexity. Murder, mayhem, and hijinks in the stacks follow.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

97. The Brazen, by Carter Brown



Lieutenant Al Wheeler is having a drink in a bar when a guy falls down dead beside him — a guy who had made an appointment to talk to him. The investigation uncovers plenty of suspicious characters, but who could have administered curare to the victim? Fast-paced entry in the series; a surprise twist in the final confrontation keeps things interesting. Mildly recommended.

402. C'è Sartana... vendi la pistola e comprati la bara! (aka: Sartana's Here, Trade Your Guns for a Coffin) (1970)



George Hilton steps into the role of Sartana in the third of the five Sartana movies directed by Giuliano Carnimeo (as Anthony Ascott). In this one, the wanderer witnesses a gold robbery and gets himself hired to guard the next shipment out of town. As usual, there are plenty of people working at cross-purposes, and all is not as it seems. Further complications arise with the arrival of Sabata (not the Sabata of the Lee Van Cleef movies), who dresses in white and carries a parasol and opposes Sartana. An OK entry in the series, with at least one twist I didn't foresee.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 403. Have a Good Funeral, My Friend... Sartana Will Pay (original title: Buon funerale, amigos!... paga Sartana) (1970)



Gianni Garko is back as Sartana, this time taking a hand in a competition to secure the supposedly worthless property that belonged to a murdered miner. Fun stuff, including Sartana picking up the tab for funerals for those he kills (but explicitly refusing to pay when he wasn't the shooter) and wielding a dangerous deck of playing cards.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 404. Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming (original title: Una nuvola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana) (1970)



Once more, Gianni Garko plays Sartana, here after a half million dollars in gold and two million dollars in counterfeit money, facing a rival gunslinger, a mad general, a conniving widow, crooked lawmen, and more. Fortunately, he is armed with not just his usual trick derringer, but also a pipe organ with a secret and, thanks to a friend, a windup toy that packs a punch. Wild but fun.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

98. Red Sonja #1: The Ring of Ikribu, by David C. Smith and Richard L. Tierney



I never read the Red Sonja comics (though I did see the terrible movie starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger), but, as a fan of sword and sorcery stories, I happily picked up the first three novels starring the character when I came across them in a local Habitat for Humanity thrift store recently. In this first, the swordswoman joins a doomed expedition to take vengeance on a sorcerer who has sacked a city in his search for the ring of the title and the power it will convey. Vile magic and monstrous foes beset the force that marches on the wizard's stronghold, guided by a former servant of the wizard who may not be completely trustworthy. The action occurs frequently enough to keep the story moving, but rather too much time is devoted to backstory. Still, I'll be willing to read the other two novels I own. Mildly recommended.

400+ films, almost 100 books...Harry, you're making the rest of us feel like slackers.

But Quiet Please, Murder was a blast from the lit'ry past, being based on Lawrence Blochman's Death Walks in Marble Halls! That was a fun memory.

Just dropping in to wish you a happy Friday :)

>60 richardderus: I keep plugging away. :-) Just yesterday I finally wrapped up a collection of short stories and novelettes from the pulp Thrilling Adventures. It took me 18 months to read it, as I spread the 21 stories out and took a few breaks.

I think all I've read by Blochman so far is a collection of some stories starring Dr. Coffee, but I have more of his work on hand.

>61 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita! I expect to wrap up our fall planting today (some kale seedlings) save for some late planting of lettuce and/or radishes after the tomatoes come out.

>63 harrygbutler: You're going to have a fantastic salad! I have to wait a few more weeks until the weather is cool enough to garden. I'm going to pull out some Coral Fountains and a firecracker plant and replace them. With what, I haven't decided.

>64 mstrust: I sure hope so. We already have some lettuce planted, as well as some salad turnips (we used the greens from thinning both as part of a salad earlier this week), and I've been getting lots of green onion stalks to eat from trimmed bottoms I started in water and then transplanted into pots. I've put some of the lettuce and onions in pots and containers that I can bring inside when the weather gets too cold, and I'm going to continue doing so, so I'm hopeful we'll have some fresh greens through the winter.

Movie 405. The Kid with the Golden Arm (original title: Jin bi tong)



Action-packed tale of a gang's attempt to rob a gold shipment and battles against them by its protectors is a great example of the Hong Kong action genre, with well-choreographed fights involving interesting characters and unusual styles of fighting.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 406. Return of Sabata (original title: È tornato Sabata... hai chiuso un'altra volta!) (1971)



The second Sabata movie starring Lee Van Cleef is a solidly entertaining spaghetti western, with the title character and his gimmicks taking on the crook who runs a town and has been amassing a treasure from taxes for prospective construction of improvements. Along the way, Sabata finds assistance, more or less, from a few different characters around town, including a man who had served with him during the war. Not as good as the original, perhaps, but still worth a look.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 407. Seven Footprints to Satan (First National / WB, 1929)



During a party the night before a young man (Creighton Hale) leaves for adventures in Africa, he and his girlfriend (Thelma Todd) are kidnapped and brought to the headquarters of a secret society run by "Satan," where the two encounter a wild assortment of strange characters, ominous warnings, and strange, and unexplained, happenings, all under an aura of menace. This movie, based on Abraham Merritt's novel, apparently was thought lost until a print was discovered in Italy; I watched a restored version created by the Serial Squadron with translated intertitles and found it an enjoyable trip, though I know some will dislike the ending, and thus I'd be reluctant to recommend it unreservedly.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 408. Dead Eyes of London (original title: Die toten Augen von London) (1961)



Wealthy men with no relatives have been found drowned in the Thames several times in recent months, and a police inspector suspects that there may be more going on than simply a series of accidents. An excellent entry in the German run of krimis based on Edgar Wallace's work keeps things suspenseful, complete with a pretty successful red herring, although the experienced viewer will likely figure out at least part of what's going on fairly early on.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

99. Submarine Commander, by Rear Admiral Ben Bryant



One hears a good deal of German U-boats in the Atlantic in World War 2, and of American submarines in the Pacific, but rather less of the submarine forces of the other countries involved in the conflict. Submarine Commander helped rectify that situation for me, with a look at British submarine operations both in the North Sea (and into the Baltic) and in the Mediterranean, by Britain's most successful submarine commander to survive the war. Consistently interesting, even in the technical discussions, but perhaps a little too slow-paced. Mildly recommended.

>69 harrygbutler: Oh boy! A new Edgar Wallace krimi (new to me, anyway)! Thanks, HG.

>71 richardderus: I hope you enjoy it, Richard!

>72 harrygbutler: I did, though seeing Klaus Kinski was a funny turn. I associate him with big-budget stuff, not this kind of B-grade project. It was pretty well done!

>73 richardderus: Glad you liked it! Kinski appeared in the first two Sartana movies, in the first as a ruthless killer, in the second less menacing and almost comic relief.

>74 harrygbutler: The second Sartana...Light the Fuse...was on TV, the old Night Flight show on cable. I remember thinking it was a lot like a long episode of The Wild Wild West.

>75 richardderus: That's an apt comparison, Richard.

Movie 409. Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (original title: Du bei dao wang) (1969)



Jimmy Wang Yu (as Fang Gang) and Chiao Chiao (as Hsiao Man) return in the sequel to the successful The One-Armed Swordsman. The two are living a peaceful farming existence when members of a martial arts school try to persuade Fang Gang to help them against the villainous Eight Kings, each of whom is a master of a different style of fighting. Although initially resistant, as Fang Gang had promised to give up such combats, he is nevertheless induced to take part, and what follows are plenty of impressive kung fu battles and a rather serious tone.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 410. Destroy All Monsters (original title: Kaijû sôshingeki) (1968)



Probably my favorite of Toho's monster movies, this one has aliens taking control of the world's monsters, which had been confined on Monster Island, and turning them loose on the world's cities, culminating with the targeting of Tokyo. The science fiction elements are a fun element.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 411. Halleluja for Django (original title: La più grande rapina del west) (1967) 9/7



A clever opening robbery, internecine strife on the part of the villains, and the usual mysterious loner make this a fairly entertaining spaghetti western, albeit the middle drags a bit as the crooks wait around for a guide to take them across the desert.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 412. Dead Men Tell (Twentieth Century Fox, 1941)



A murderer strikes when an old woman puts together a treasure-hunting expedition that will make use of a map she inherited from an ancestor, the pirate Black Hook. There's plenty of suspicious behavior: Who is the reporter who had been reported dead? Why does the captain of the vessel, a former museum, refuse to meet the passengers before they sail? Are the newlyweds really nothing more? A pleasant little programmer.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

100. The Winds of Gath, by E. C. Tubb



A wanderer hoping to find his way back to his home planet — the lost Earth — ends up on a planet whose economy makes getting back off-world unlikely. He finds himself embroiled in events connected with a plot targeting the likely heir of a dying matriarch of another world. This was the first of the Dumarest of Terra books, and also the first I've read. I picked up a couple more at the same time I got the first, and though I found this readable, I doubt I'll rush to read the others. Mildly recommended.

Just received today (just published last week): Necromancy in Nilztiria, a collection of sword and sorcery (and perhaps related) stories (a few previously published) written by D. M. Ritzlin, who has been publishing anthologies of stories (starting with the three volumes of Swords of Steel featuring fantasy by heavy metal musicians, now collected in the Swords of Steel Omnibus) and also reprinting pulp sword and sorcery and adventure stories. I'm looking forward to checking out the first story later this evening.

Movie 413. The Cat O' Nine Tails (original title: Il gatto a nove code) (1971)



A reporter (James Franciscus) and a blind man who likes puzzles (Karl Malden) investigate the murders of people working for, or connected with, a genetics research laboratory. The nature of the work and hidden secrets about the people involved cast suspicion in different directions, but some of the paths are underdeveloped before additional killings intervene.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 414. Appointment with Venus (aka Island Rescue) (1951)



In the bleak days of World War 2 after the fall of France, the British mount a small mission under the leadership of Major Valentine Moreland (David Niven) to retrieve a prize cow (with calf expected imminently) from one of the Channel Islands that had fallen into German hands. Fortunately, the major can count on the assistance of a woman from the island (Glynis Johns) and can count on cooperative locals; complicating matters, however, is that the German commander (George Coulouris) has an interest in cattle. Suspenseful pacing but really very little violence make this movie, based on a true story, an engaging time.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 415. The Fat Man (Universal, 1951)



The popular radio show The Fat Man comes to the screen in a nice little B mystery, with J. Scott Smart reprising the role of detective Brad Runyan, here persuaded by a nurse (Jayne Meadows) to investigate the murder of her boss, a dentist, and the theft of a single set of X-rays from among those he was planning to present at a convention. The trail leads Runyan to California and a nightclub singer (Julie London) who was involved with a missing ex-con (Rock Hudson). Director William Castle keeps things moving with a suitable tone that prevents things from getting too dark. I wish there'd been more of the movies, or that more of the radio show's episodes survived.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 416. La dama rossa uccide sette volte (aka The Red Queen Kills Seven Times) (1972)



This thriller opens with a scene of rivalry between two young sisters and then their grandfather relating the family history of the Red Queen and her curse, then jumps forward to a series of killings that begins with the death of the grandfather. Eyewitness evidence points to one of the sisters, but her sibling, a fashion photographer, says that she knows her sister could not be the guilty party — and the viewer learns why she thinks so. Could it be the sister? If not, then who? And why is the killer stalking people where the fashion photographer works? At least part of the explanation is fairly easy to determine, but not all is as it seems. Too bleak for my tastes.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

101. One Lonely Night, by Mickey Spillane



An introspective Mike Hammer witnesses a suicide and is driven to investigate what prompted a woman to take her life; in so doing, he uncovers a much larger conspiracy. A solid entry in the series, worth a look for fans but not a place to start. Mildly recommended.

>83 harrygbutler: love that cat!

>88 fuzzi: It looks quite menacing!

Movie 417. Probability Zero (original title: Probabilità zero) (1969) 9/10



Watching Appointment with Venus put me in the mood for another secret mission movie, but unfortunately Probability Zero was not a great choice. Henry Silva heads the cast as the leader of a raid to destroy a downed Spitfire's top-secret radar equipment, which had fallen into German hands. Scenes reminiscent of some in the far better The Guns of Navarone keep things moving, but the climactic scenes are a bit of a disappointment, and the high death toll among those on the mission made for a rather gloomy film.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 418. Tômei ningen to hae otoko (aka The Invisible Man vs. the Human Fly) (1958)



Several years before unleashing Gamera on the world, Daiei Studios produced this science fiction crime movie, in which a mysterious killer strikes again and again, unseen even with other people close by. One detective believes that the accidental discovery of an invisibility ray may provide a solution. A fairly entertaining movie, but the implausibility of the murders based on the movie's own explanation of what was going on leave this a curiosity at best.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 419. Gung Ho! (Universal, 1943)



In the months after Pearl Harbor, a special Marine unit, the Second Raider Battalion, is put together from volunteers and put through training based on the commander's experiences in fighting the Japanese in China, culminating in an attack to knock out a Japanese base menacing the route to Australia. The audience meets a variety of characters, not all of whom may survive, and learns enough of their individual stories to have some interest in their fates, and Randolph Scott is appealing as nearly always, but has too little screen time.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

102. Roman Antiquities, Books 6.49-7, by Dionysius of Halicarnassus; trans. by Earnest Cary



More of the early history of the Roman Republic, with the aftermath of the revolt of the plebeians, including changes to the government (e.g., the introduction of the tribuneship) and the consequences thereof. Recommended.

Movie 420. Fog Island (PRC, 1945)



Pleasing little programmer from PRC stars George Zucco and Lionel Atwill, with assists from Jerome Cowan and Veda Ann Borg, among others, in a tale of revenge. Leo Grainger (Zucco), released from prison after serving five years for a crime he did not commit, plots vengeance against those who betrayed him, one of whom also murdered his wife. There's a rather inconsequential romantic subplot, but the real interest here is in watching Grainger's plans come to fruition.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 421. The 72 Desperate Rebels (original title: Qi shi er sha xing) (1978)



A pirate protected by an assortment of expert fighters (the titular rebels) is targeted by a government agent who wishes to force him to abandon his ways. Plenty of fighting follows, with additional people recruited to assist, with some help from an unexpected quarter, but there are some lapses in the plot that weaken the overall film.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 422. The Alien Dead (1978) 9/13



Horrible low-budget horror film (an early picture from Fred Olen Ray) is notable for casting Buster Crabbe as the sheriff in an area beset by ravenous zombies, but Crabbe isn't given much to do, and the rest of the movie is just too slow and too poorly acted to be worth a look.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 423. Oath of Vengeance (PRC, 1944)



I needed to watch Buster in something better, even if just a low-budget western, after I finished The Alien Dead. In this entry in the "Billy Carson" series, sidekick Fuzzy is sick of cow-punching and buys a general store for a peaceful change — only to find that the area is on the cusp of a violent battle between the ranchers and the farmers. It quickly becomes clear that mutual suspicion is being egged on by someone, and Billy does his best to defuse the situation, even as a murder makes things much closer to breaking out in a war.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

103. Rivers West, by Louis L'Amour



In the early 19th century, a Talon heads southwest from Quebec to build steamships on the western waters. Along the way, he encounters a murdered man, a dangerous foe, firm friends, and a capable young woman looking for her missing brother. L'Amour keeps things moving and builds interest in the passing scene, but the ending feels a bit rushed. Recommended.

>94 harrygbutler: With a name like "Fog Island," that one seems to at least be atmospheric. Glad Otto recommends it.

>99 thornton37814: They certainly had plenty of fog on the set!

Movie 424. Wonder Man (Goldwyn / RKO, 1945)



Popular nightclub performer Buzzy Bellew (Danny Kaye) is set to testify about a murder committed by Ten Grand Jackson (Steve Cochran), but when Jackson is freed on bail, he hires two hitmen to kill Bellew. Fortunately, Buzzy has a twin brother, bookworm Edwin Dingle, and Buzzy's ghost is able to communicate with Edwin in an effort to see that justice is done — not without complications, in part in the form of Buzzy's longsuffering fiancée (Vera-Ellen) and an imminent wedding, as well as Edwin's incipient romance with librarian Ellen Shanley (Virginia Mayo). Fast-moving and colorful, with OK numbers and good dancing by Vera-Ellen.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 425. Think Fast, Mr. Moto (Twentieth Century Fox, 1937)



Peter Lorre debuts as Mr. Moto, Japanese detective and master of disguise and judo, here investigating smuggling aboard ships of the Hitchings Line traveling to the U.S. from China. Brisk pacing and Moto's cleverness and ruthlessness make a good initial entry in the series.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 426. Dai tozoku (aka: The Lost World of Sinbad) (Toho, 1963)



Toho takes a stab at the sword and sandal / Arabian Nights genre, with Toshirô Mifune as an ambitious man falsely condemned and seeking his fortune, but too motivated by a sense of justice to ignore the perils besetting a kingdom where he ends up after an attack by the fearsome Black Pirate. Treachery and sorcery, unexpected allies and vicious enemies, beset him as he seeks to recover his lost treasure, save a princess from an evil plot, and win status for himself. Light-hearted fare.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 427. The Pit and the Pendulum (American International, 1961)



Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price) mourns the death of his wife three months back, haunted by fears she may have been buried alive (though the doctor certified her dead) because of memories of horrible crimes he witnessed in the past, committed by his father, an inquisitor. The arrival of his brother-in-law, who is suspicious regarding the circumstances of his sister's death, sets in motion a series of creepy events that suggest the supernatural may be at work. Price is sympathetic as the mourning husband, and if the story is perhaps a bit rushed at the end, the final scene is a fitting conclusion.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

>103 harrygbutler: Mifune went on to portray Toranaga in the Shogun miniseries.

>105 fuzzi: He made many movies with Akira Kurosawa, too. I didn't see the Shogun miniseries.

Movie 428. Curse of the Devil (original title: El retorno de Walpurgis) (1973)



Another werewolf movie starring Paul Naschy as Waldemar Daninsky, in this one the last descendant of a family cursed by a witch several centuries before. The 19th-century setting is a change from the contemporary setting in most of the films about the character that I've seen. This one really ramps up the violence, too, with plenty of people ending up dead rather unexpectedly.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 429. Shaolin Fox Conspiracy (original title: Han shan fei hu) (1982)



Various folk are scheming to get possession of the Purple Jade Badger, which contains an elixir granting mastery of martial arts, and ambushes and murders target travelers heading for a wedding. Into the mix comes the Shaolin Fox, who is seeking his wife's murderer. His intervention to save the bride-to-be from a villain's attentions arouses the wrath of her fiancé, and what follows are a series of battles and betrayals as various folk seek to grasp the treasured item or wreak vengeance for past wrongs. The film moves right along, even if not all the developments are easy to follow (in part in my case because the print I watched was rather dark, so night scenes were difficult to understand).

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

>105 fuzzi: the original uncut series was well done, not as good as the book, but few movies are.

>109 fuzzi: Good to know. Thanks!

104. Dead Man's Quarry, by Ianthe Jerrold



When the body of a member of a bicycling party is found in a quarry, and the death proves to be no accident, suspicion lights on a cousin who disliked the man, a newly returned heir to an estate, but other suspects exist as well because of oddities about the circumstances. Fortunately, amateur sleuth John Christmas is on hand to investigate, and he soon finds a much more complex web of possibilities behind the event. Well-written but not particularly memorable; certainly worth a read for fans of the genre. Mildly recommended.

>111 harrygbutler: Another one of those amazing survivors of the Golden Age. I am delighted that the publisher is making the effort to keep these middlin' marvies alive.

I forgot to mention that I watched Fog Island...I think PRC invented the play Angel Island and its author to avoid Christie's lawyers hanging them out to dry. I can find nothing about either of them, and was very curious to know who did this!

Happy weekend's viewing and reading.

>112 richardderus: Thanks, Richard!

The IMDB listing for Fog Island has a copy of Time's mention of the play Angel Island from 1937: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037711/faq?ref_=tt_faq_1#fq0002414. A check of some online indices turned up a few other items written by the author, Bernie (for Bernadine) Angus, including a serial published in Real Detective magazine in 1934, but not as many works as I might have expected from Time's write-up, whether from gaps in the indices or actually limited publishing on her part, I do not know.

A thrift shop visit yesterday netted no books but some DVDs:


The Uninvited, a haunted house movie from 1944


Johnny Allegro, a crime movie from 1949


and a 10-movie set of Andy Hardy movies, including both the first and the last (because of the weird way in which the Warner Archive puts together its series sets without grouping movies in chronological order)

Movie 430. Banco à Bangkok pour OSS 117 (aka Shadow of Evil or Panic in Bangkok) (1964)



Kerwin Mathews (most familiar, perhaps, as Sinbad in 1958's The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) here plays secret agent OSS 117, sent to Thailand to investigate the source of ampoules of plague showing up elsewhere in Asia and to find the killer of his predecessor. He meets a sinister doctor (Robert Hossein) and becomes enamored of the doctor's sister (Pier Angeli), which complicates things, as the trail seems to lead to the doctor. Reasonable pacing and a nice view of Thailand in the mid-1960s.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 431. The Black Raven (PRC, 1943)



Another PRC thriller and mystery starring George Zucco. Here he plays a retired (perhaps) crook who runs an inn near the Canadian border and whose life is complicated by the arrival, on a stormy night, of an escaped prisoner who blames him for his imprisonment, a gangster on the run, a meek man with a secret, a young couple fleeing a hostile father to get married, and the father as well. When a murderer strikes, many of the guests could be suspected, though the obtuse sheriff (Charles Middleton) soon singles one person out for arrest. But more is going on here, and Zucco's character attempts to clear the person he believes wrongly suspected and bring an end to the other plots as well. A little creaky, but entertaining; Glenn Strange provides some comic relief as the inn's handyman.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Andy Hardy movies. Wow. Saturday afternoon before-sports fare in 1972 Texas. My mother drifted in while I was watching one once, sat down, and we both ended up reading with the TV on.

Riveting stuff.

Johnny Allegro sounds pretty keen, and The Uninvited does too.

105. Nifft the Lean, by Michael Shea



This volume collects four dark fantasy tales with a touch of black humor, set in a world reminiscent of Jack Vance's Dying Earth (and the central character perhaps will remind the reader of Cugel the Clever, as well) or any of Clark Ashton Smith's demon-haunted worlds. The tales vary in appeal and in length, but the writing is generally quite good, and I'd certainly be interested in reading more by Shea. Moderately recommended.

>117 richardderus: I used to enjoy the Andy Hardy movies, though I don't know how many of the whole run I ever saw. It has been quite some time since I last saw one.

I like Raft in his later roles, so I'm hopeful for Johnny Allegro, and I've heard nothing but praise for The Uninvited, so I'm looking forward to watching both.

>118 harrygbutler: Another author I've never even heard of. This thread is *awful* for my biblioholism.

>119 harrygbutler: I look forward to hearing about them! (Not the Andy Hardys.)

>120 richardderus: I had seen Shea's name before, but I think this book may be the first of his work I've actually read.

Movie 432. The New One-Armed Swordsman (original title: Xin du bi dao) (1971)



More one-armed action (with a new lead), here involving a master swordsman defeated in a battle and compelled by honor to chop off his own arm. When circumstances later force him to take up a weapon again, there is no real explanation of special learning — it is presumed he simply knows how to fight well with his left arm only — but there's plenty of fighting. The body count of the final battle is just amazing.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

I saw The Uninvited just a year or two ago and liked it. Milland was making some really stellar movies in the 40's, which isn't a knock against the much later "The Thing with Two Heads" at all. ;-)

>123 mstrust: Good to hear about The Uninvited. I never quite warmed to Ray Milland: I like the movies I've seen him in, and think he acts well, but he's not a personal favorite. It has been a long time since I've seen The Thing with Two Heads; maybe this year I'll get around to watching it again.

Movie 433. Stage to Blue River (Monogram, 1951)



Federal marshal Whip Wilson goes undercover with two sidekicks to investigate a series of attacks on a stage line that culminate in murder. Standard B-western fare, entertaining enough but unmemorable.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 434. Kindar the Invulnerable (original title: Kindar, l'invulnerabile) (1965)



Bodybuilder Mark Forest's cinematic swansong is this sword-and-sandal tale in an Arabian setting. Forest plays the title character, rendered invulnerable at birth when lightning sent by the god Horus strikes his mother, queen of an impregnable city. The infant Kindar is kidnapped and raised to be the son of a desert chieftain hostile to the city and its inhabitants, but will Kindar's innate goodness lead him to disavow battle? Will he learn his true identity? Rather slow going, and the plot never really delivers on Kindar's sole weakness (symbolized by a red flower).

Not really recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

106. The Poison Belt Together with "The Disintegration Machine" and "When the World Screamed", by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle



Three science-fiction tales from the pen of a master storyteller. The Poison Belt may be the most significant of the stories, with its account of unavoidable, universal doom, but my favorite was probably "When the World Screamed," in which the arrogant scientist sets out to poke beneath the crust of the Earth. Recommended.

>120 richardderus: me too :sigh:

>128 fuzzi: :-)

Movie 435. Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (American International, 1965)



Vincent Price heads the cast as a mad scientist in this spy comedy from American International, with Frankie Avalon as a bumbling secret agent and Dwayne Hickman as an eligible bachelor caught up in Dr. Goldfoot's plot. Not all the humor works, but plenty of it does — including cameos from other beach movie cast members — and Price is a delight as usual as the title character. A particularly pleasant sequence involves a parody of the climax of The Pit and the Pendulum, and the movie even includes some shots from that film.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

>128 fuzzi:, >129 harrygbutler: Such an enabler, he is. *tsk*

>130 harrygbutler: Meta-comedy in 1965! Go know from this.

>131 richardderus: I don't recall whether there are similar scenes in the sequel, Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, but I'll likely watch it in the next day or two and see.

Movie 436. ¡En peligro de muerte! (1962)



Viruta and Capulina are hapless prospectors who get mixed up first with Indians (who take a liking to Capulina) and then with a town menaced by two gangs of crooks and thus far protected by the cleverness of the marshal (Tin Tan). Plenty of slapstick and situational humor.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

>133 harrygbutler: I look at Otto before I read your reviews now 😉

>134 fuzzi: I'll let him know. :-)

Movie 437. The Scarlet Claw (Universal, 1944)



While in Canada, Sherlock Holmes investigates a killing attributed to a monster of some sort. Atmospheric, as one would expect of Universal at this point, and an interesting villain, even if the amount of coincidence is a bit high.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 438. The Dragon's Vengeance (original title: Chung kuo ren) (1972)



A Chinese fisherman seeks vengeance against the occupying Japanese and their Chinese collaborators after his wife and father are murdered. He gains and loses allies along the way, but the fights, although abundant, aren't all that interesting, and one is left speculating why pistols used once aren't employed at other points.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

107. March Upcountry, by David Weber and John Ringo



A thwarted assassination attempt aboard a spaceship carrying the scapegrace son of the current empress results in a crash landing on a planet nominally under the empire's control but in a system apparently in the hands of enemies — a planet still largely in a state of barbarism or limited development, particularly on the continent where the ship lands. Can the company of marines who are the prince's bodyguards keep him alive and get him back home safe? Entertaining military science fiction that moved right along and led me to quickly read the next couple in the four-book series. Recommended.

It's about time to revisit.

Movie 439. Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (original title: Le spie vengono dal semifreddo) (American International, 1966)



Dr. Goldfoot (Vincent Price) is back with a new scheme, but one that once again makes use of his female robots. The sequel to Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine was made in Italy and directed by Mario Bava, with Fabian instead of Frankie Avalon as the new secret agent for SIC and popular Italian comedians Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia (who starred in 002 operazione Luna, which I watched back in June) on hand as well. The movie is even sillier than the first Dr. Goldfoot movie, and the final 20 minutes or so is a chaotic mess, only fitfully amusing.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 440. Incident at Midnight (Anglo Amalgamated, 1963)



Complicated doings involving an all-night pharmacy, a disgraced doctor, illicit drugs, an injured man, a mysterious blonde, and more. There's plenty to hold the interest here.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

108. March to the Sea, by David Weber and John Ringo



More adventures and battles and political maneuvering for Prince Roger and his bodyguard marines as they face the threat of a Hun-like horde. Kept me interested; mildly recommended.

Hey Harry! I found a new author you might enjoy, William Donohue Ellis. I'm basing my recommendation to check out his works due to the book I'm currently reading, Jonathan Blair: Bounty Lands Lawyer. It's entertaining and informative, and definitely well-researched and written. The writing style reminds me of The Trees by Conrad Richter but with a humorous vein at times.

>144 fuzzi: Thanks for the recommendation! I'll try to remember to keep an eye out for his work.

Movie 441. The Rogues' Tavern (Puritan, 1936)



Department store detectives (Wallace Ford and Barbara Pepper) looking to get married arrive at an inn where a group of suspicious characters have gathered in response to a telegraphic summons. When a man is killed (apparently by a dog) and other killings follow, the detectives take a hand in figuring out what is going on. A bit too muddled to really be engaging, but it might appeal to fans of "old dark house" mysteries.

Not really recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 442. Yôsei Gorasu (aka: Gorath) (Toho, 1962)



A strange planet with a mass many times that of Earth is hurtling through space on a collision course with our planet, and humanity's hopes are pinned to a mad plan to shift the Earth out of its current orbit and thus out of the juggernaut's way. A giant monster is just one of the obstacles to successful completion of the project. The pacing seems slow, and there isn't enough action to really make this one successful, but the miniatures work is of interest.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

109. March to the Stars, by David Weber and John Ringo



Prince Roger, his Marine bodyguards, and their Mardukan forces battle their way across another continent to seize the spaceport and a ship in this third book of the series, one weighed down by too much talk, at least one difficult-to-follow battle, and too much space given over to commentary that unnecessarily foregrounded one character's viewpoint made this one a bit weaker than the others. Mildly recommended.

I started the fourth book in the series, We Few, but a continuation of some of the weaknesses of the previous book made me abandon it, at least for now.

Movie 443. Castle in the Air (1952)



Pleasant but slight British comedy, with David Tomlinson as the near-penniless lord of a castle, now run as a bed and breakfast and tourist location and threatened with seizure by the coal board. The arrival of a distant American relative and potential buyer adds a hopeful note but may mean sorrow for another member of the household. Margaret Rutherford has a small but amusing role as a manic genealogist convinced that the lord is the rightful king of Scotland, and the presence of an actual ghost adds a nice touch of whimsy.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 444. The £20,000 Kiss (Anglo Amalgamated, 1963)



When a rising politician soon to be married ends up an indirect target of blackmail, he calls in a private detective, but double crosses and murder soon complicate the case. Well-done entry in the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series from Anglo Amalgamated, as just what is going on remains a puzzle throughout.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 445. On the Run (Anglo Amalgamated, 1963)



Why would a model prisoner break jail just a month before his sentence is up? And why does the person who arranged the escape want the prisoner recaptured right away? OK entry in the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series from Anglo Amalgamated has a fairly sympathetic lead but is weakened by an implausible romantic subplot, slow pacing, and a disappointing ending.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

110. The Crime Coast, by Elizabeth Gill



Middling mystery with an Englishman on vacation, who has been asked to find a missing young man, caught up in the mystery surrounding the murder of a wealthy woman. I enjoyed it well enough but not so much that I'm in a rush to read the next Benvenuto Brown mystery. Mildly recommended.

Enjoying Otto's reviews...

>149 harrygbutler: Good goddesses, what annoying music the composer, aptly named Chagrin, wrote for this slight little bagatelle.

>153 fuzzi: I'm sure there are many more to come; in fact, there are six more movies to write up already, as we just finished watching #451 tonight.

>154 richardderus: The music didn't make much impression on me or on Erika, though David Tomlinson's bathtub song seemed quite minor, and of course the bagpipe performance was *ahem* distinctive.

Movie 446. Dressed To Fight (original title: Zhe jian chuan ji) (1979)

Middling martial arts movie has some decent scenes, including an instance when arms stick up out of the ground and beckon to a wanderer, but not enough to make this a must-see experience.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 447. The Creeping Flesh (Columbia, 1973)



Disappointing horror film delivers too few scares and too much drama, in a plodding story about a scientist's discovery of a prehistoric giant's skeleton whose flesh can come back to life undercut by a not-unexpected "twist" ending. Even Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are barely able to keep this one watchable.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 448. Bonanza Town (Columbia, 1951)



Steve Ramsay (aka The Durango Kid), with some help from Smiley, tackles a town run by crooks while he searches for a criminal thought dead. A long flashback sequence, characteristic of some of the later Durango Kid movies, doesn't really slow things down, but the plot structure may not be to everyone's taste.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 449. They Came from Beyond Space (1967)



Scientists investigating strange meteorites are taken over by some form of alien life, and it is up to Dr. Curtis Temple (Robert Hutton), who is immune to the aliens' domination thanks to a silver plate in his skull, to foil the aliens' scheme. Slow pacing and too many plot holes, along with a misfire of an ending, make this movie less than it could have been.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 450. Where the North Begins (WB, 1923)



The earliest surviving feature starring Rin Tin Tin is an enjoyable adventure yarn, in which a dog raised by wolves comes to the rescue of the victim of a fur-stealing plot. Plenty of action and a fair number of opportunities for Rin Tin Tin to show his abilities and star quality.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

111. The Man from the Broken Hills, by Louis L'Amour



Milo Talon takes a job with a man who once tried to rob his mother's ranch and finds himself mixed up in a range war and the target of an unknown assassin. Good pacing and an appealing protagonist with an OK twist make for a pleasing story. Recommended.

I sure wish that when users were removed as spam, their "contributions" to threads were removed, too, rather than just having the content of the post deleted.

>164 harrygbutler: It is unsightly, isn't it.

Rin Tin Tin! How wonderful that the films still exist at all.

>149 harrygbutler: Tomlinson and Rutherford in the same movie?! I must!
>158 harrygbutler: Seems like she could just slap that skeleton apart. Wait, did I just figure out how to defeat The Creeping Flesh?
>161 harrygbutler: I used to watch a lot of silents but never saw a Rin Tin Tin. I favored Valentino, Theda Bara and Clara Bow.

>165 richardderus: Indeed!

I've seen several (most?) of Rin Tin Tin's surviving movies, and I've enjoyed them all. So many early movies are lost that we're fortunate to have what we do.

>166 mstrust: We watched Castle in the Air on Amazon Prime. It was available, then it wasn't, but it is back again, at least for a while.

I've seen a fair number of silents and pretty much have the same genre preferences: mysteries, comedies, adventures, and westerns. When I was in high school, the local college film group showed several silents, and I saw some of them with my mother, who was always a big movie fan. They included The Phantom of the Opera, Riders of the Purple Sage (I think, though it may have been a different Tom Mix movie), and Douglas Fairbanks in The Three Musketeers or The Iron Mask. Over the years, I've watched more, and I've bought silents on DVD from Grapevine Video (including Where the North Begins). In fact, I just recently backed a Grapevine Kickstarter for the 1920 serial The Son of Tarzan.

I need to find a Rin Tin Tin movie to watch...

>169 fuzzi: A few of them can be found on the Internet Archive site, and I expect there are some kicking around on YouTube as well. The serials he made late in his career — The Lone Defender and The Lightning Warrior — are certainly available in various forms, too.

Movie 451. Eyes in the Night (MGM, 1942)



Former star Ann Harding returned to the screen in this, the first of two movies starring Edward Arnold as Baynard Kendricks' blind detective Duncan McClain. In this one, Norma Lawry (Harding), an old friend, calls on McClain for advice in dealing with a romance between one of her old flames, the actor Paul Gerente (John Emery), and her hostile step-daughter, Barbara (Donna Reed); the situation takes a turn for the worse when Barbara catches Norma with the murdered Gerente later that night. Also in the mix of events is Norma's husband (and Barbara's father), Stephen Lawry (Reginald Denny), who is working on a top-secret formula of value for the war effort. Reasonably interesting programmer, with Arnold a commanding screen presence.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Come join me on my new thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/324908.