Saturday, March 5, 2011

Before Beastly was Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast

 Once Upon a Time...
Before lovely Vanessa Hudgens fell for that tattooed guy, there was a classic movie based on the legendary fairy tale.
Here are five magnificent, HTF posters advertising that film!
Available on mugs, t-shirts, bags, and many more kool kollectibles!




Friday, March 4, 2011

Reading Room: THE GREEN HORNET in "Proof of Treason" Conclusion

When last we left our heroes...
Why does Mayoral candidate Wilkes Sherman hire criminals to bomb the home of nuclear scientist Professor Baldwin?
When the police track down the bomber, an assassin ends his life before he can talk.
The Green Hornet, who had followed the police, trails the murderer back to Sherman, and discovers the politician is a Commie spy!
In addition, he learns Professor Baldwin is a former Communist now working for the US, and the Commies want him brought back behind the Iron Curtain!
When The Green Hornet enters the meeting, the assassin tries to shoot him and is KOed by the Hornet's gas gun.
The Hornet then makes a deal to grab the professor and turn him over to Sherman for $5,000. (It was 1953, remember?) As a free bonus to Sherman, he'll "get rid" of the unconscious murderer (whom he turns over to the police.)
This b/w page was the inside back cover.
Curiously, though both stories in this issue are adaptations of radio episodes, this was published a year after the radio series was cancelled!
Art on both stories is presumed to be by Frank Thorne, but there are influences of several other artists, including Don Heck and Frank Giacoia, so it's possible they performed uncredited penciling and/or inking assists to meet the deadline.
The Hornet and Kato didn't appear again in comics until early 1967, when the first issue of their Gold Key series, based on the tv show starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee, was published.

Thanks for visiting the Reading Room. Come back soon!

And don't forget to check out...
The Classic Green Hornet Store
and the kool Green Hornet stuff below from Amazon

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Reading Room: THE GREEN HORNET in "Proof of Treason" Part 1

Last time we presented The Green Hornet's final Silver Age tale.
This time, here's his final Golden Age tale, the second of two from Dell's Four Color Comics #496, a series of one-off appearances of various characters to test sales potential.
Tomorrow: the conclusion of the Golden Age Green Hornet's final battle!
And don't forget to check out...
The Classic Green Hornet Store
and the kool Green Hornet stuff below from Amazon

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

YouTube Wednesday: THE GREEN HORNET "Hornet Save Thyself"

Continuing our weekly feature "YouTube Wednesday"...
A joyous surprise birthday party for Britt Reid turns tragic when the publisher guns down an ex-employee in front of two dozen witnesses...or does he?
Reid was holding the gun when it went off, but did he fire it?
And if he didn't...who did? How did they do it? And why?
Even old friend Frank Scanlon, who was at the party, is skeptical...and he's the District Attorney!
Reid knows he's innocent...and he needs his masked alter ego to help him prove it!
Trivia:
Despite the fact he knows Britt Reid is The Green Hornet, Scanlon doesn't use that knowledge to capture the fugitive publisher.  When Reid ducks out the disguised fireplace entrance Scanlon usually uses, the DA doesn't reveal it's existence to the police. Nor does he show them where the Black Beauty is, fully knowing Britt will use it shortly.
It's only the third time we see an unmasked Reid in a fight.
The same huge soundstage interior used for two different warehouses in "Bad Bet on a 459-Silent" is used here as a dry-cleaning plant Reid hides in.  Van Williams does the same "almost-fall" from scaffolding in this episode he did in that one!
There's no "Produced by" credit on the episode!  The two remaining episodes ("Invasion from Outer Space" Parts 1 and 2) are produced by a new producer.

Here's the 24th filmed and aired episode..."Hornet Save Thyself".


Tuesday, March 1, 2011

If they had done a Wonder Woman movie in the 1940s...

...Jane Russell (1921-2011) would've been the perfect Diana Prince/Wonder Woman!
Could be both kick-ass (The Outlaw) and demure, and would've fit into the costume perfectly!
And she had great comic timing (Paleface / Son of Paleface)!

Monday, February 28, 2011

Fantastic Femme Vanessa Hudgens in BEASTLY

Pix of lovely Fantastic Femme Vanessa Hudgens from Beastly, the first of two genre flix starring Vanessa Hudgens to be released this month.
A "reimagining" of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, it's more a chickflick than a true genre film.
Beastly opens this Friday.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Design of the Week--Spy Smasher Smashes Spies Some More!

Each week, we usually post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
In this case, this week, due to popular demand, we continue the return of one of the 1940s major anti-Axis comic book heroes!

Spy Smasher was one of the many rich playboys-turned-superheroes who filled the four-color pages of the Golden Age of Comics, but with one critical difference...he only fought those who worked for the Axis against the US!
Introduced in Whiz Comics #2*, Wealthy inventor Alan Armstrong, engaged to a Navy admiral's daughter, decided to secretly help his prospective father-in-law deal with cases of sabotage.
Utilizing his high-tech equipment, Alan adopted the identity of "Spy Smasher", following up on leads provided by Admiral Corby faster than the red-tape-hindered Navy officer could.
His primary weapon was the GyroSub, a combo autogyro/airplane/submarine.
So great was reader response that Spy Smasher quickly received his own comic as well as appearing in the anthology America's Greatest Comics, where he crossed-over with Captain Midnight!

Spy Smasher was also the only other Fawcett Comics character, besides Captain Marvel, to be made into a movie serial! (Captain Midnight, who also had a serial, was licensed to Fawcett, it wasn't owned by them.)
The serial introduced a twin brother, Jack Armstrong, who was engaged to admiral's daughter Eve Corby, not Alan, (who was still Spy Smasher).
When Jack fills-in for Alan, he's killed by Nazi gunmen in the only time a serial cliffhanger ending proves to be true!
Both Jack and Alan Armstrong were played by handsome Kane Richmond, who was second only to Buster Crabbe in playing various superheroes on screen. (Kane was also The Shadow, Brick Bradford, and male sidekicks to Brenda Starr and Tiger Woman.)
And, as a Martian spaceship pilot, he fought Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon in Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars! (Small universe, ain't it?)

We introduced Spy Smasher in our Lost Heroes vs Hitler Calendar, but now the time has come to unleash him on his own!
Pick him up this week on mugs, t-shirts, and other goodies since this particular design is NOT going to be part of his ongoing line of collectibles!

FREEBIE!: Chapter One of Spy Smasher: the Movie Serial! Watch it or download it!

*Whiz Comics #1 was only produced as a limited-edition "ashcan" to secure copyright. Whiz #2 is the "first" issue of the comic title.  It also introduced the Golden Age (SHAZAM!) Captain Marvel, Ibis the Invincible, and Golden Arrow.