This week on TCM: SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS

Nobody Lives Forever (1946) is on tonight at 8pm-- I've never seen it but it's got John Garfield in it and I've never seen him in anything that wasn't at least watchable.

SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS is on Wednesday at 8pm-- if you're a fan of the movie OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOU and if you're not you should be-- this movie is where they get the title from.  Joel McCrea is a movie director who wants to experience the life of the lost man, so he embarks on a journey that is both hilarious and violent.  This week's MUST SEE pic.  Make sure you see the opening for some of the best slapstick put to film.

At 11:30pm the same night is THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943) which would be the Must See if Sullivan wasn't on-- it's about the housing shortage in WWII Washington.

Saturday at 6am is THE THIEF OF BAGDHAD (1940) which is a great little fantasy film, the Boston Blackie this week is BOOKED ON SUSPICION (1945) at 1045am

The Essentials this week is CAMILLE (1936) with Greta Garbo in a lavish MGM production.  I'm not a fan of MGM lavish productions but I do like Garbo.

The Descendants

George Clooney is one of my favorite actors, not only do I like his performances but I like who I think he is.  Along with Brad Pitt I think they are two actors of our time that will be the ones future generations look back on and consider classics.

I mention this as a preface that I should have liked this movie.

Clooney is a newly single dad living in Hawaii who has to deal with learning that his recently comatose wife was having an affair with Shaggy from Scooby Doo.  Clooney may live in paradise, but he's got trouble as he is the executor of his family estate which includes 2 million acres of land which will amount to something along the lines of a half Billion dollars for his hodge podge family members and he's got two daughters with mouths like sailors who are about to lose their mother.

Called a 'beautifully chiseled gem" by one reviewer I think it's more than that.

It's the epitome of the Hollywood Elite.  This is what they think real life is like.  This is what we all struggle with.  Real families talk like this.  Real 17 year old girls get wildly drunk and fire F-bombs like they were tomatoes at a Sheky Green concert.

That's what they think.

Clooney comes across as an inept loser who doesn't even have the balls to belt his daughter's idiotic boyfriend who spews nonsense throughout the hole film.  At one point Clooney even goes to this kid for advice.

Please.

You want to see how a real dad takes care of problems with his daughters-- rent TAKEN.   Leave this watery mess on the shelf.

SUNRISE (1927)

SUNRISE is an amazing silent film from FW MURNAU released in 1927, in it a young farmer is tempted by a 'city woman' to murder his young wife so they can sell the farm and run off together, the visuals and cinematography in this movie are stunning even by today's standards.

I often recommend silent films to many of my art students to help them see visually-- and this one is at the top of the list.

Bob Kane, The Story of Batman Part III

From the terrific Dial B for Blog Site

DC Comics was excited to get the next big hero, they've had huge success with Superman but character after character created after all seemed pale imitations-- which could explain why they were willing to negotiate with Bob Kane and his business savvy family when it came time to talk Batman.

It's likely they thought Batman wouldn't last either, so agreeing to give Kane a byline on each issue (unheard of then) and partial ownership of not only the character but of licensing and merchandising rights might have been something they didn't give that much thought to.

They had, after all, virtually stolen Superman from Siegel and Shuster with the contract they signed which agreed to pay them handsomely for providing art and stories to the character but offered no guarantees as to how long that would go on and gave ownership outright to the company.

The Bat-Man hit the stands in May 1939 in the 27th issue of DETECTIVE COMICS and DC had another smash on their hands-- with Rob't Kane's signature on the story-- and no mention of Bill Finger, the man who had convinced Kane to change his character from Bird-Man to Bat-Man, who had helped Kane design the trademark Bat-mask complete with blank white eyes.  The guy who had convinced Kane to make his character more along the lines of the pulp heroes of the time, and the guy who wrote many of the early stories-- no mention at all.

In fact, Finger got paid by Kane-- DC didn't even know he was involved.  The same way it worked with other 'employees' of Kane who worked in his art studio and produced  the majority of the art including Jerry Robinson and Dick Sprang.

Like Siegel and Shuster, Bill Finger struggled to make a living his whole life.  Often plagued with writers block and working on sub-standard projects.  Finger helped create several other DC Comics characters including Wild-Cat and Green Lantern, which he did often get credit for.

When Kane re-negotiated his contract with DC Comics in 1965 which gave him a large chunk of change to stop working on the character but insuring that his name would still be on the strip Finger was still left out of the proceedings.

Kane himself argued that he never worked with ghosts and it wasn't until 1989 with his autobiography that he seemed to show remorse for his treatment of Finger, who had long since passed away by the time it saw print.

Kane's book, by the way, is well worth reading if only for the chuckles it will bring including some nonsense about his swashbuckling days as a street kid and a chance meeting with Marilyn Monroe which led to him 'creating' the character of Vicki Vale.  The sketches he supposedly did on Monroe on the beach are laugh out loud funny as their is no way these are drawn from life.

More can be read about what actually happened with Kane and Finger as well as a host of other amazing comic history at the terrific DIAL B FOR BLOG website.

Bob Kane, The Story of Batman Part II

Bob Kane's original idea, re-created by Arlen Schumer

Bob Kane was a young cartoonist doing an occasional gag strip and trying his hand at a few adventure style strips for the new medium of Comic Books when he got to talking to DC Comics editor Vince Sullivan who told him that two kids from Ohio were making $800 a week producing Superman for them, and that if someone could come up with the next big thing they could be pulling in gravy like that too.

Kane heads home and traces a few Alex Raymond comic strips and starts to play around with costumes and character ideas.

Kane from all the accounts I've heard was a very nice man to his fans, and I'm sorry I never got a chance to meet him, but he did not like sharing the spotlight and his autobiography, BATMAN AND ME which was released in 1989, is filled with absolute nonsense including sketches of a Batman like character dated 1936-- three years before he had the conversation with Sullivan.

The sketches are bogus because we know Kane's original idea was for a character called Bird-Man, which itself was not all that original since there were Bird-Men in Alex Raymond's FLASH GORDON Comic strip already-- but Kane's idea was that this would be a non-superpowered character emulating Superman's fantastic exploits.

Kane's idea likely would have seen publication and disappeared forever into the annals of comic book history along with the likes of other comic heroes The Whizzer and Skitchy, had he not run into his high school chum Bill Finger.

Bill Finger was a talented young writer who hoped someday to write for Pulp Magazines like THE SHADOW and THE SPIDER.  Taking a look at Bob Kane's BIRD-MAN he suggested the character take a darker turn in the manner of his beloved pulp characters-- instead of bright red and blonde hair, he suggested the figure be dressed in black and gray with a full face mask and hood and a pair of long bat-ears.  Finger even suggested the character should follow The Shadow's lead and carry a .45 automatic for protection and dispensing justice, and he suggested a name change...

...to Bat-Man.

From the great ALTER EGO Magazine, edited by Roy Thomas

Taking the character into Vince Sullivan the following Monday DC bought it right away-- but this time they weren't going to wrestle complete ownership like they did with Superman.

Kane was smarter than that.
CON'T Tomorrow!

Bob Kane The Story of Batman Part 1

Bob Kane, circa 1967

Bob Kane is much maligned in the world of comics-- universally acknowledged as the creator of Batman up until the early 60s when fans became a bit more sophisticated and began to recognize there was more than one hand in the artwork.

Kane denied using ghosts for a good thirty years, seeing himself as the star of the strip.  In the years past most of those ghost artists and writers have been recognized and Kane's reputation has suffered because of it.

Bob Kane more than anything else was a businessman, thanks to some good fortune and well connected family in the Manhattan garment industry.  Kane's story would make a heck of a movie.

In 1938 the comic book industry as we know it was born with the release of ACTION COMICS #1-- featuring a brand new character by two very young men from the midwest-- SUPERMAN.  Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster had spent years hawking Superman to newspaper syndicates in the hopes of selling it as the new big comic strip property-- but the industry thought the idea of a super powered alien being was too outlandish for the adult audience of comic strips and the project was eventually brought to National Publications (soon to be known as DC Comics) where the character became a sensation and an industry was born.

Siegel and Shuster, trusting young men from Cleveland Ohio, signed contracts with the publisher that would net them a healthy $800 a week to produce the art and the story for Superman-- but as work for hire, virtually giving DC Comics the character of Superman as their property.   $800 is a lot of money in 1938 and they had such a hard time selling the concept its not hard to imagine them eagerly signing such a contract.

Their story does not go well, seeking to get the rights to the character back in 1947 they are fired by DC Comics and lose in their attempted lawsuit-- scratching out livings near the poverty level all the way up to 1976 when DC is shamed into giving them a pension by superstar artist (and someone you don't mess with) Neal Adams-- who pointed out the tidal wave of bad publicity that would come just as the million dollar blockbuster SUPERMAN (1978) would hit movie screens with Christopher Reeve as  The Man of Steel.

Kane played his hand better, bringing a similar character to DC Comics a year later, but with counsel wise enough to give him part ownership.

But would a character called Bird-Man be a hit?
FIND OUT TOMORROW

THE SPIDER - FINAL BW Page

I finished this yesterday, but figured I'd stretch this out into two posts.  Continuing the process of a sample page featuring THE SPIDER for DYNAMITE entertainment.

I'm anxious to get to the color.

The Spider in Process DYNAMITE

DYNAMITE Entertainment has the license for some amazing characters including THE SPIDER, THE SHADOW, ZORRO and a whole host of others!  As a life-long pulp fan I've got to get in there with one of their titles-- so I'm going to work up some samples to send over and thought I'd let you get a look at my process.

First step is to figure out the story-- since this is a sample I want to get right to the action-- thugs standing around about to be jacked by The Spider seems pretty solid.  So I draw out my thumbnails in green full size on a digital tablet.  I even drop the lettering on top of those pencils.

One of the benefits to working digitally is that I don't have to pencil crazy details and can get right into the inks.  I wanted the gangster characters to have some real style so giving one of them rat-like features seemed like a good idea.

I am pretty fast-- I can do about two pages a day at this pace not including colors-- and I'll send them both BW and color samples from these.

TOMORROW- The finished BW page.

This Week on TCM; THE THIRD MAN

Slim pickin's from what I can see--

Friday is the winner with DETOUR (1945) at 1115am-- a must see film noir which still has a solid impact.
SONG OF THE THIN MAN (1947) at 145pm which is one of the weaker of the popular series but still very watchable followed by OUT OF THE PAST (1947) which is a great film noir at 315pm and then wrapping up the afternoon with DOA (1950) at 5pm about a guy who has 24 hours to find his killer.

At 8pm is STAGE DOOR (1937) which is very much like a play that's been filmed with a pretty amazing cast including Katherine Hepburn, Lucille Ball and Ginger Rogers-- it's melodramatic but it's good too.

Saturday's BOSTON BLACKIE this week is ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT (1944)-- and as you know I like these Blackie films.

At noon is a triple feature of episodes of the 1933 serial PERILS OF PAULINE which is a nice way to get a taste of serials and why they were so popular in the 30s and 40s.

The Essentials this week is THE THIRD MAN (1949) which is partially directed by ORSON WELLES and it's this week's MUST SEE PIC PICK.

Of Mother Nature and Earth

Vader would have had a bigger challenge against Mom

It's really no surprise to me that my mom's birthday falls on Earth Day-- as a kid I would not have been a bit surprised if you told me that she was actually Mother Nature-- I know it's normal for kids to think their parents are more than just normal people-- but in my Mom's case it was more than that-- my friends saw it, my teachers all seemed to quake in fear should she be called in for some event and she is someone who carries herself like a petite tornado.

As an adult it surprises me everytime I see her that she's closer to 5'2" tall than the 6'4" I remember from my childhood, but don't let her size or her extremely polite demeanor fool you-- don't mess with her, she won't take it.

She taught me respect and courtesy to everyone who provides a service for you.  I remember questioning her once as to why she said thank you to the bus driver as she and I would get off a bus and she set me straight.

That's just what you did.

You said hello to the man sweeping the hall and you asked him how his day was, you thanked the bus driver or the policeman who signaled you it was okay to cross the street.  You thanked your waitress as you left a restaurant and you tipped 20% if the service was professional.

She also taught me you don't run from a fight, and you don't let someone wrong you.  She taught me how to stand up for what you believe in and to defend someone else's right to believe differently than you.

She remains my most trusted advisor and she has stood with me through good and bad, never allowing you to question whose side she was on, but letting you know when she thought you might be making a mistake.

She taught me what an A-Type personality was before I even knew there was one.

Growing up, and I know you find this hard to believe, I was a pain in the ass.

I was an extremely picky eater, prone to lying down in the middle of the store if I felt the shopping trip had gone on too long as a signal I was ready to leave and impossible to buy clothes for.  I refused to try anything on and would stubbornly refuse to pick a single item of clothing and then once bought announce at home that I didn't like it.

I've said before I'm lucky there is no such thing as a time machine because I would go back and pistol whip my younger self silly.

She had endless patience with me; although once I remember her yelling at me "FINE! Go to school bare-ass then!" as she stormed out of a particularly exhausting shopping experience-- and I remember equally well how embarrassed I was by the outburst and couldn't for the life of my understand why it had happened.

It was an eye opener for me and made me realize you don't want to ignite that fire.

She's Grace Kelly and Obi Wan Kenobi in one-- and I could certainly imagine had she been the one to face Darth Vader in that final showdown the series would have taken a different turn.

Happy Birthday Mom!  I love ya!

Adam West Gets His Star on the Walk of Fame

Adam West got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame a couple of weeks ago and I'm happy for whatever small involvement I had in it.  Adam has had a long and diverse career that includes so much more than just Batman-- and this is an accolade that is deserved.

Congratulations buddy!

Nope

Words of Wisdom from a Coffee Shop

"Things that are impractical, are like, impractical, you know?"
"Yah, you're right."
"I mean, I want to repress things, it might be, like, summer, and I want to be on my own but..."
"Didn't he do his job search online?"
"No, it's like, move out, you move out.  Come back for the summer but I don't have to go to class if I don't want to."
"I think he's, like, totally spoiled by his parents."
"Exactly.  So it's like, move out and get on your own.  I've got a job."
"Who wants to, you know, live with their dad?"
"What does your Mom think?"
"She thinks I should."
"Weird."
"I know!"

The Coming Death of Best Buy

"MINNEAPOLIS — Faced with a stubborn slide in sales at its U.S. stores, Best Buy on Thursday announced its steepest round of cuts: closing 50 big-box stores and eliminating 400 positions at its corporate headquarters in Richfield, Minn. Officials did not reveal which stores are on the chopping block.

The company also didn't disclose how many store employees would lose their jobs, but the number probably will be in the thousands because each store employs roughly 100 workers.

Best Buy, once known as the undisputed discount king of consumer electronics, has been struggling to find its place in a world dominated by flashy high-end brand temples like Apple Stores and low-cost Internet retailers like Amazon. Customers have been increasingly migrating online where they often find better deals, forcing Best Buy to figure out a reason shoppers would need to visit an actual store.

Last year, Best Buy lost a staggering $1.2 billion as it deeply discounted merchandise to keep pace with rivals Amazon and Wal-Mart."

Don't underestimate my knowledge of retail (say it in a Darth Vader voice please); I saw this coming and I posted it back when Circuit City shut it's doors, and I even predicted that.

Wake up retailers-- you need to train your staff to understand one important component above all others (and this used to be posted in my office when I would run a store):

A CUSTOMER IS NOT AN INTERRUPTION OF YOUR WORK, THEY ARE THE REASON FOR IT.

There is far too much competition and if you can't offer the best price then you better sure as hell offer the best service.

Whole Foods is a terrific example of this, they create a fun and exciting atmosphere to shop in, they have started to offer a line of store brand generics for cost-concious shoppers but they drop the ball with their cashiers-- some of them are outstanding-- and even the worst cashier at Whole Foods crushes the best cashier at Wal*Mart or Price Chopper where employees there seem to have the sentiment that they are serving out some kind of court-ordered service-- on more than one occasion I've had a weak interaction with a cashier, or the cashier is chatting with the bagger and ignoring me (a fire-able offense in my store).

But BEST BUY pulls off an Amazing Trick-- they are a store FULL of what I like to buy and I don't like going there.  How do they manage that?

Like the signs of terminal disease they have all the symptoms.

1. Never enough registers open.  A 3 minute wait in line is not acceptable when I'm going to get to the checkout and the cashier struggles with her machine and then tries to sell me a warranty, and then I have to swipe my card and wait for it to get approved.  What's an acceptable wait in line?  Zero minutes.

You heard me, and I used to drive my front end managers crazy-- I want the customer in front of you to be wrapping up as you walk up to the register.  I want the cashier to greet you with eye contact and ask you how your shopping trip was and MOST importantly if there was a problem they are to page a manager immediately and that manager had better respond.  The cashiers are the front line and can change the whole shopping experience from bad to good-- and yes they can do the opposite as well.

2. Cashiers not trained for problems.  I LOVE the new Wal*Mart commercial where they show a happy middle aged woman as a cashier who tells the shopper she can correct any problem right at her register-- I'd love to see the Wal*Mart where they have these cashiers.  The ones I deal with seem unable to master English or the numerical system never mind be able to help me with a problem.  A recent trip (my fault for going in the first place) I asked if she knew if they carried carpet cleaners to rent and she looked at me and shrugged.  Now that should be the commercial with a voice over saying GOOD LUCK.

3. Music too loud.  I don't care how high those car stereos can blast-- music needs to be a background component in any retail store it should never be offensive or unpleasant (Carly Simon will drive me out of a store just as fast as Kid Rock will), and as a matter of fact it should be barely noticeable.  Don't give your customers a reason to leave.

4. Product out of stock, or Product that requires a clerk to check it's status for you which means now you have to wait to find a clerk who can check that status and then after you've waited 15 minutes you find out they don't even have it.  The only acceptable response to an item being out of stock is "We can offer you a substitution" otherwise don't be out of stock.  As my mom once said, "You can't wash your clothes with a raincheck!"  Rain-check's put Caldor out of business.

There's more, but I've gone on long enough.  Best Buy may not be closing tomorrow (unless you're one of the fifty) but if I were working there I'd have my resume updated.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/02/2135926/best-buy-to-close-50-stores-as.html#storylink=cpy

MisAdventures of Adam West Comic Book

Just wrapped up the final art and cover for Mis-Adventures of Adam West #5 which should be out from Blue Water sometime this spring.  I re-wrote the script they had and handled the breakdowns, my good pal Brian Flint knocked out some killer finishes which I tweaked a bit and colored.  We got the whole book done in well under a month-- which is no easy task-- but when Adam West calls, I answer!

This Week on TCM; SPRING BREAK :(

TCM Celebrates Spring Break this week so I'm not going to be watching much this week, beach films are not my bag.

Today at 9am is CITY LIGHTS (1931) which is Charlie Chaplan's brilliant silent film from the sound era.
And you thought THE ARTIST was the first film to do that, eh?

At 6am tomorrow is INVISIBLE STRIPES (1939) which is either William Holden's acting debut or one of his earliest films which pairs him with Humphrey Bogart in a Warners film-- which can NEVER be bad.

At 5am Thursday night/Friday morning is DR GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE which is probably hilarious at 5am but not so much at any other time, worth it to see Vincent Price and Frankie Avalon in the same film.

Saturday at 6am is THE PETRIFIED FOREST (1936) which marks the debut of Humphrey Bogart as the persona that lead to his fame-- it's stagey and corny but it's also the PIC PICK of the WEEK.

Nothing Sacred (1937) is on at 730am with Carole Lombard in a soap operaish drama, but Lombard was a real gem of the Golden Age.

At 1045 is AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943), The Blackie films are actually really good little programmers.

TARZAN'S REVENGE is on at Noon with Glenn Morris as a Tarzan who is barely there.

CAPE FEAR is on at 6pm - don't watch it if you scare easily.

The essential this week is CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND(1977) which is a thinking man's alien film-- I prefer my aliens deadly, thank you.

Inside the Fishman's Studio

The Digital Area

I like clutter in my studio, as these pictures show.

But I'm able to spin to my drawing board when needed.

Get out and DO something; WAM After Hours

WHERE: Worcester Art Museum 55 Lancaster Street, Worcester MA
WHEN: Thursday April 19th at 530pm
WHAT: After Hours event including a talk by artist Carrie Moyer

FREE with Museum Admission.  Get out, experience the Museum and expand your horizons!

Happy Friday the 13th!

You'd think a level headed guy like me who fears ONLY Grizzly Bears and Great White Sharks would dismiss the fear generated by the 13th day of the month falling on a Friday in any given month.

And you would be right.  While I don't often challenge the dark forces of nature-- and I'm certain they exist, I don't give much weight to the impact of the event, but apparently there are a lot of people who do. From Wikipedia;

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day making it the most feared day and date in history. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. "It's been estimated that [US]$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day". Despite this, representatives for both Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines say that their airlines do not suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays.


So tread lightly today my friends.

FAMOUS MONSTERS

This photo might be the catalyst for my love of Frankenstein and Batman.  I know a lot of it stems from early issues of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine which would often have stories on the old Batman TV show as well as ads for 8mm films of the 1943 Batman serial.

Or this boss ad for a Batman Model kit from one of the issues--

I must have had a good half dozen of these kits-- they would never survive playing with them.  FAMOUS MONSTERS has been revived a number of times, but it's never been the same.

General Ursus Planet of the Apes

(c) 20th Century Fox

Going through some artwork I've done in the past-- this is a piece I did for my gallery show in Boston in '09.  Getting my head ready for my upcoming solo show in London in '13.

Morgan Spurlock's COMIC CON Episode IV in Boston

This Sunday at the COOLIDGE CORNER with MORGAN SPURLOCK for a Q&A afterwards.  Spurlock is the legendary director of SUPERSIZE ME and the terrific show 30 Days so I'm very excited to see his take on the San Diego Comic Con AND get the opportunity to talk with him too.

TICKETS are on sale now-- but there won't be a lot available!

Have you ever imagined a place where Vulcans and vampires get along? Where wizards and wookies can be themselves? Welcome to Comic-Con San Diego. What started as a fringe comic book convention for 500 fans has grown into the pop culture event of the year that influences every form of entertainment, now attended by over 140,000 strong.

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope - a film by Morgan Spurlock (Super-Size Me) explores this amazing cultural phenomenon by following the lives of five attendees as they descend upon the ultimate geek mecca at San Diego Comic-Con 2010:

• Eric, an aspiring illustrator, is hoping to impress publishers and land a job;
• Holly, costume and creature designer, hopes her creations will win the big prize;
• Chuck, a long-time comic book dealer, is looking for a big sale to pay off his debts;
• Skip, longtime amateur illustrator wants to be discovered at this year’s event;
• James, a young fan, hopes his girlfriend will accept a dramatic proposal.

One on one interviews with Comic-Con veterans who have turned their passions into professions include Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, Matt Groening, Seth Rogen, Eli Roth and others are shared throughout the film along with up close and up front coverage of all the panels, parades, photos, costumes, crowds and camaraderie that make up one of the largest fan gatherings in the U.S.

Presented by Stan Lee and Joss Whedon, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope is directed by Morgan Spurlock; produced by Spurlock, Jeremy Chilnick, Matthew Galkin, Harry Knowles and Thomas Tull; and written by Spurlock and Chilnick.

TCM this Week; FRANKENSTEIN!

The boys meet not only Frankenstein, but Dracula and the Wolfman Too!

Tonight at 8pm is Robert Osbourne's picks-- so we get a glimpse into the taste of the guy who hosts our beloved film channel;

First up is CHARLEY'S AUNT (1941) with Jack Benny-- I've never seen it, but Jack Benny is hilarious so I'll give it a go.

At 9:30pm is SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, which is the weakest (IMO) of the original Frankenstein Trilogy and the first not directed by James Whale-- which probably explains it's shortcomings.  Basil Rathbone is the son of Baron Frankenstein returning to his family's castle where he is met with less than welcoming arms by the villages who were plagued by the creator his father built.  The kid in the movie is so annoying you'll be rooting for The Monster (played for the last time by Boris Karloff) to kill him.

The movie has grown on me over the years, and any Frankenstein film from Universal is better than none-- so give it a whirl.

Tuesday morning at 630am is ON BORROWED TIME (1939) which is about an old man and his grandson who trap Death in a tree.  Good fantasy film.

It's all Western's on Wednesday, so CJ set your DVR, but for those of us who prefer our Desserts Dusty rather than our Trails LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) is on at 1230am- David Lean's EPIC film will make you call in sick on Wednesday but it's worth losing a day's pay and once it gets going it doesn't stop.

Thursday is a salute to Liza Minnelli which, short of a Barbara Streisand festival, is akin to having my eyes gouged out and then filled with salt so I'll be passing, but if you were dropped on your head as a kid and remain a fan you'll know what's on.

Friday the 13th at 8pm is CASABLANCA which is easily one of the top movies of all time, better in many ways to CITIZEN KANE which often overshadows it.  Bogie and Bergman are terrific and it's got the best supporting cast in the history of movies.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) is on Saturday at 915am-- the best of the long running A&C films and one that respects the monsters but still has fun with them.  Bela Lugosi returns as Dracula thanks to the insistence of Lou Costello and it's only Lugosi's second time playing Dracula on film. THE MUST SEE PIC THIS WEEK!

At Noon is Tarzan and the Green Goddess (1938) which is the feature version of a Tarzan serial filmed under the direction of creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, who was frustrated that MGM had depicted Tarzan as a grunting ape-man rather than as a british lord.

The Essentials this week is A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (1958) which is a great telling of the Titanic story and makes James Cameron's movie look fat and slow by comparison.

Happy Easter/Passover Yo!

Easter and or passover celebrate the day that giant mutant rabbits sneak into homes all over the world, or something akin to that-- whatever your beliefs, and mine run more towards Buddhism than Christianity, have a happy one.

And watch out for giant rabbit droppings.

Mr Fish goes to the Doctor

More of these would solve our medical crisis

I don't like going to the doctor.  I do my annual checkup but unless I'm REALLY sick I'm not going-- and this is not out of some fear-- it's about the pain it is to just get an appointment-- and then sit in a waiting room full of sick people who are probably giving me something else while I wait.

So when I do go-- it's serious enough that I'll put up with it.

Since changing insurance,  I don't love the hassle of my new doctor, so I opted to head to THE DOCTOR IS IN over on PARK AVENUE in Worcester at 5:23 one Wednesday Afternoon on my way to NU CAFE to teach my online Emerson class.  Thinking if it was crazy busy I would give it a shot after the class which starts at 7pm.

I got a space right in front, walked in-- paid my $40 and got diagnosed with a severe sinus infection and was over at Walgreens dropping off my prescription by 5:40!  AMAZING.

All this and Dr. Miller is a fantastic guy to boot.  Thorough and efficient-- he got me in and out in under a couple of minutes and already I'm feeling better.

Rather than try to fix insurance the government should consider tossing insurance out all together and going with more of these types of places.  What a huge difference.

First Friday In Boston! WOO!

Check out first friday in the SoWa area galleries of Boston if you're in the area tonight-- it's a night of art and festivity and all around culture and best of all it's FREE.

Telegram Towns Today

Nice article today in the Telegram Towns discussing the Manga Workshops I do with Jamie Buckmaster at the WPL every other Friday.

FUNKO Makes Batman Even FUNNer!

Combining elements from Batman Classic and the great line of Shogun Warriors from the 70s-- Funko's latest Batman offering is a must have for me anyway!

Vintage Shogun Warriors!

Shogun Warriors were released in the US in the late 70s imported from Japan-- at over 2' tall they dwarfed all other action figures with their coolness!

Nice article on one of our workshops in Natick earlier this year.  It's interesting to note that it's been 44 years since the BATMAN TV Series left the air but news reporters still go with the HOLY... Batman opener.

This was a good group of kids-- with quite a few on the younger side (at least for us-- we tend to work with older teens) but they were engrossed and active and a lot of fun to work with.

The Library is reponsible for most of the success, they had my How To Books on hand, as well as copies of Veronica's Pirates of Mars which gets the students more familiar with our work beforehand and tends to drive the attendance up.

Good to know our workshop was more popular than the legendary Duct Tape workshop the month before.

For more info on our workshops click the link.

WORKSHOPS

This Week on TCM: MIDNIGHT LACE

Wednesday at 8pm is MIDNIGHT LACE (1960) which is the ONLY Doris Day film I have any use for. It's a Hitchcock like thriller about a woman who may or may not be stalked by a crazed psycho killer.  It's the MUST SEE PIC PICK of the Week.

Doris is the star of the month so I guess I'll be watching FOX Movie channel a bit more.

Saturday at 915am is THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) which is one of James Whale's best films.  Claude Rains made his film debut in this classic sci fi thriller which is very much a black comedy-- second only to BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN in it's dark humor.

The Essentials Saturday night at 8pm is GILDA (1946) which is a well regarded almost film noir that I've never been able to get through-- but mostly because the only thing Glen Ford was ever in that I liked was SUPERMAN (1978).

THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1946) is a great film directed by Orson Welles who might be one of the most talented people ever to grace the planet, but even he should have dropped the fake Irish accent-- because it's distracting.

Happy April

I'm going to foresake my usual grumpiness about those who still feel the need to celebrate the start of April with a Fools Day prank-- I remember when a Boston TV News station did it many years ago and announced a volcano had erupted in Vermont resulting in panic and the firing of almost everyone in the News department.

Yes, I hear you asking-- don't I have a sense of humor?

As a matter of fact I do-- and I appreciate wit more than any other attribute among mankind-- but let's not confuse DUCK SOUP with THE HANGOVER.

It doesn't take wit to be an idiot.

MANY years ago we had a friend who had gotten so smitten with a girl that he gave up time to be with us to spend all his free time with her-- and she wasn't exactly a barrel of fun either.  She bossed him around so much we all wondered what he saw in her.

When he got a front license plate at a mall kiosk that had his name and hers and proudly showed us we realized he had gone too far.

Being real friends, we replaced that plate with a nearly identical one-- only this one had the guy's name and the name of his old girlfriend on it.  Identical in color and design-- when I attached the plate to the car I laughed myself silly over how clever we were.

We waited for days on end for him to react-- but there was no reaction.  It wasn't until almost a year later that he walked into a place where I was standing and lunged at me for what seemed like no good reason, I dodged his first swing and asked him what his problem was.

By the second or third one he explained that he saw the plate-- and by now I had completely forgotten about it but laughed myself silly anyway.

Now that was  a prank.