Headin’ for the Rio Grande (1936)
Tex (Tex Ritter) and his pal Chili (Syd Saylor) drift down toward the Rio Grande country, apparently cowboys with no particular aim, though Tex has a reason for the trip — to visit and help out his brother (Forrest Taylor), a local lawman facing criticism for failing to put a stop to a cattle herd …
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Monogram Monday: The Moonstone (1934)
Wilkie Collins’ famed novel was brought to the screen as a fairly standard low-budget mystery movie by Monogram in 1934. The film is competent but nothing more, though it is enlivened a bit by Elspeth Dudgeon as a housekeeper and Gustav von Seyffertitz as a moneylender. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK.
Weekly Reader — January 29 – February 4
I finished three books during this week, as well as one 100-year-old magazine issue. Books Saints of the Christianization Age of Central Europe (Tenth-Eleventh Centuries), ed. by Gábor Klaniczay — a collection of five hagiographical works especially on missionaries and martyrs (often the one condition leading to the other): the Passion of Saint Wenceslas, by …
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Funny Friday: The Butler Didn’t Do It
Tarzak Against the Leopard Men (1964)
An imitation Tarzan known as Tarzak (in the Italian original, titled Tarzak contro gli uomini leopardo) or Zoltak (in the dubbed English version I watched) must rescue surviving members of a scientific expedition who ended up in the hands of a newly warlike tribe of “leopard men” intent on sacrificing them — a situation in …
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January Haul — Books, Magazines, and Movies
A library sale late in the month helped boost my acquisitions in January. I got 27 books in total (including one gift), as well as one magazine and 13 movies on DVD. Highlights include several of the Horatio Hornblower novels, which I’ve never read; Murray Leinster’s The Forgotten Planet, which I’ll be reading in March …
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Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935)
An evocative atmosphere blending mystery with horror is a highlight of this entry in the Charlie Chan series, as the sleuth (Warner Oland) travels to Egypt to investigate illicit sales of artifacts found in an excavation but encounters a disappearance and murder as well. Strong support is provided by Frank Conroy (as a professor connected …
Monogram Monday: Below the Border (1942)
Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, and Raymond Hatton, old hands at movie-making whose audience appeal dated back to the silents, made an appealing western trio for Monogram as the Rough Riders. In this series entry, U.S. Marshals Buck Roberts (Jones), Tim McCall (McCoy), and Sandy Hopkins (Hatton) investigate a gang that has murdered a local sheriff …
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Weekly Reader — January 22 – 28
I finished two books during this week, and I began my reading of 100-year-old magazine issues as well. Books The Antiquary, by Sir Walter Scott — This tale centers on the title character and his friends and neighbors, including a mysterious young man whom he befriends; it offers plenty of gentle comedy and a modicum …