Mad about Magic

I picked up this great Mad Magazine pocket novel "The Mad book of Magic and other Dirty Tricks" by Al Jaffee (1970) at a local thrift shop the other day. Bing a huge fan of magic and Mad, I was thrilled to find this amongst a bunch of romance novels and out of date computer books. Well worth my 65 cents, as this book is filled with great magic tricks, and other dirty tricks.
The forward to the book reads: [If there is one word that is the byword of all magicians that word would have to be SECRECY. In the foreword of every book ever written by a magician, the reader is always constrained never ever to reveal a trick's secrets. The reader is told that this is some sort of unwritten but nevertheless inviolate magician's code. And somehow, this code is honored by millions of readers of millions of books that show how millions of tricks are done.
But as far as we are are concerned, this is all nonsense. Our tricks do not need to be kept secret. Our tricks do not have to be hidden. Our tricks do not have to be reserved for a chosen few. Why...? Why do we fly in the face of tradition? Because our tricks do not work, that is why.
Anyway, we just don't go in for sill codes and restrictions. Go ahead and tell anyone whatever you want from this book. Tell them all you like to your heart's content. Just one little thing we ask you not do do with this book. Don't lend it. Lending means not buying. Not buying means that not only won't the tricks in this book work, but the author of the book won't work either.
And now on this entertaining, engrossing, fascination, and ofter diverting volume about which one reviewer said, "Once you've started reading, you'll certainly want to pit it down."]
Ok, I know what they just said, but I don't want to get in trouble with the Secret Magic Society, so do me a favour and don't tell any one you just read this blog.

My New Blog

If you are a fan of Disney Records, then you will want to check out my new blog, the Disneyland Records blog. Check out my most recent blog about the great Sleeping Beauty album I picked up and the great little extra I found inside!

Let's All Do the Bunny Hop

Here is another recent thrift shop find. I am always digging though the old LPs hoping to find something to add to my collection. This one was actually inside a banged up copy of a Winnie the Pooh LP. I didn't end up buying the Winnie the Pooh LP, but couldn't resist this great Peter Pan Records 45 of the "Bunny Hop". I have not listened to it yet, but I'm sure it must be good, as it is sung by Vicki Dale with the Peter Pan Orchestra. The record is from 1952 and manufactured by Synthetic Plastics Co., of Newark, NJ, and should last forever, as it states right on the record, "NON-BREAKABLE (with Normal use)."

Little Golden Book Monday #32

Today's Little Golden Book is Walt Disney's Peter pan and the Pirates, the 1969 (Seventh printing) edition. From the Motion Picture "Peter Pan" Based on the story by Sir James M Barrie, Illustrations by the Walt Disney Studio, Adapted by Bob Moore. I absolutely love the cover, it has such a great retro look. The quality of this copy is pretty good, but like many of the older LGB's I have, the spine is in bad shape, with pieces of the shiny coating starting to peel off.
This book also has a different back cover from what I am used to seeing. Here is a scan of the back cover which shows many of the LGB characters around the edge and the following text; "MORE THAN one billion Golden Books have gone into home of children of all nations. They are far and away the best-known series of books for young people ever published.
The Subjects of Golden Books are chosen to entertain and delight children. Many of them are about the young child's own environment, giving him a feeling of belonging. Others begin to acquaint the child with the lives of people around him and extend his awareness of the world.
Although their gay and colorful appearance does not always immediately show it, a number of Golden Books are packed with information. And behind the amusing stories in many of them is the serious purpose of helping the child prepare for difficult adjustments.
The Golden Books include versions of modern children's classics told for young listeners and, of course, a good share of the beloved fairy and folk tales.
So look closely at the Golden Books you choose from they have many imitators. You will find a listing of some of the books in the Little Golden Library on the reverse of this cover."
Here is the list from the inside back cover: "How many of these LITTLE GOLDEN BOOKS have you read?
21. Tootle
25. Taxi That Hurried
42. Little Red Riding Hood
45. Words
47. The Three Bears
101. Little Golden ABC
205. Prayers for Children
282. Animals of Farmer Jones
285. How to Tell Time
301. Five Little Firemen
305. White Bunny and His Magic Nose
309. Three Bedtime Stories
319. Little Red Caboose
337. Numbers
352. We Help Mommy
361. Counting Rhymes
369. Picture Dictionary
381. Three Little Kittens
384. Happy Birthday
385. Saggy Baggy Elephant
393. Happy Little Whale
414. Little Cottontail
415. Lassie Shows the Way
428. Home for a Bunny
343. My First Counting Book
436. Color Kittens
437. Gingerbread Man
456. Golden Egg Book
460. Manners
463. Wait-for-Me Kitten
464. Baby Farm Animals
468. We Help Daddy
473. Nurse Nancy
480. Tommy Visits the Doctor
481. Smoke the Bear
487. Golden Goose
491. Hansel and Gretel
493. A Child's Garden of Verses
498. Rumpelstiltskin
504. Seven Little Postmen
505. Peter Rabbit
506. Poky Little Puppy
511. A Visit to the Children's Zoo
512. Chipmunk's ABC
514. Thumbelina
517. Baby Animals
519. Little Red Hen
521. Fun for Hunkydory
523. Bow Wow! Meow!
528. My Kitten
534. First Golden Geography
538. Bedtime Stories
543. ABC Rhymes
548. The Little Engine That Could
550. Good Humor Man
551. Lively Little Rabbit
552. We Like Kindergarten
558. Hop Little Kangaroo
559. Betsy McCall
560. Animal Friends
561. Tom and Jerry
567. Play With me
568. Where Is the Bear?
569. Little Mommy
570. Things In My House
573. Animals On the Farm
574. So Big
576. Animal Daddies
577. Sleepytime
578. When I Grow Up
D3. Dumbo
D63. Scamp
D66. Snow White
D67. Seven Dwarfs Find a House
D78. Three Little Pigs
D79. Mother Goose
D90. Bambi
D110. Peter Pan and Wendy
D115. Cinderella's Friends
D116. Whinnie-the-Pooh, The Honey Tree
Only Golden Books bring you all these famous characters. Ask to see the newest Little Golden Books"
I own, and have read 27 of these books... How many of those have you read?

Little Golden Book Monday #31

Tonight's Little Golden Book is the Sesame Street, The Together Book from 1971. When I saw this one at the junk store, I immediately loved the cover. I have always loved Sesame Street and the Muppets, and this cover has a certain charm about it. It's so simple and yet so familiar.
Upon opening the front cover we see that this book features Jim Henson's Muppets. There is a large text box with the following words; "The Sesame Street Together Book was created to entertain your child as he (1) tests his logical thinking by choosing the object that will prove useful in each set of circumstances, and (2) discovers that things go more smoothly when we cooperate with each other.
This educational product was designed in cooperation with the Children's Television Workshop, creators of Sesame Street. it has independent educational value, and children do not have to watch the television show to benefit from it.
Workshop revenues from this product will be used to help support CTW educational projects."
So what did we learn from that... (1) that only boys are ready this book, (2) that we were being tricked into learning while enjoying Sesame Street as kids, and (3) that luckily for those unfortunately few souls without televising sets in the 70's, they could read this book and enjoy it, even without watching the Sesame Street TV program.
I'm not sure, but I bet I owned this book as a child.

Little Golden Book Monday #30

Today's Little Golden Book is Jim Henson's Kermit, Save the Swamp! from 1992. Any book with Fozzie Bear on the cover has to be part of my collection! I happen to think Fozzie Bear is the funniest bear ever, even if Statler and Waldorf give him so much grief during his comedy routines.
The story finds Kermit and Fozzie heading on vacation to the swamp, just in time to find that it is being turned into Swamp World, a big shopping mall and amusement park. Kermit aranges a Good-Bye Swamp party for the friends of the swamp, where Kermit reminds all the animals who live there that they are about to lose everything including their homes, as the whole thing gets paved over to make way for the mall and amusement park.
"Well, there's just one thing to do," Fergus the beaver says in his loud growly voice. "tell them we don't want Swamp World here after all!"
"Kermit, you did it" said Fozzie as everyone cheered. "You saved the swamp. But I still feel bad about one thing."
"What's That? Kermit asked.
"I really like amusement parks," Fozzie replied.
"Well, Fozzie," Kermit answered, "look at it this way. There are lots of amusement parks. But a good swamp is hard to find!"
That may be true, but you usually don't have to worry about getting eaten by an aligator while ridding the merry go round!

Happy Halloween!

Tonight is Halloween night. What am I doing to celebrate Halloween this year? I am doing to Seattle to see one of my favorite bands, Nightwish, live. If you have not heard of Nightwish, they are an amazing metal band from Finland that combines melodic metal with operatic vocals. I saw them in 2004 when they did a handfull of shows in the US, and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen. They have a new singer now, so I am looking forward to seeing how she handles the vocals on all the old songs, as well as hearing the new songs. Should be an amazing show!
Seen here is the cover to a Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy the Good Little Witch book from Wonder Books, 1974 (originally printed in 1963).

PS: ABC aired It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown last night, so I recorded it while I was at work and then came home and watched it with my son. He doesn't usually sit though TV shows, but he got on the couch and sat quietly and intently watched the show with me. When it got to the part where the Peanuts kids go Trick or Treating the kids all announce what they received, Charlie Brown says "All I got was a rock", Kaden began to giggle, which I thought was funny since that has always been a favorite line of mine, and I was surprised that a 2 year old would get the humor. I guess he really is my son!

Little Golden Book Monday #29

Today's Little Golden book is The Pink Panther in the Haunted House. I have always been a big Pink Panther fan and I also love anything to do with haunted houses, so this book was a great find. This copy is a third printing from 1980.
The story has the Pink Panther buying a new home, which happens to be haunted by a ghost I especially like the real estate salesman in the story who is the character from the Pink panther cartoons. I'm not sure of him name, but he's the guy that always ends up being tormented by the Panther in each cartoon.
The story is a fun read, and I found myself being reminded of the Cat in the Hat book I enjoyed so much as a child. A great addition to my collection, and a fun read to boot!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Linus Believes! He keeps the faith every October 31st. And Sally's right there with him in the pumpkin patch. They don't care who laughs - Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy - what do those skeptics know about the transcendental mysteries of the Great Pumpkin?
Perhaps the greatest Halloween tradition of them all, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. It's not Halloween if you don't watch this classic cartoon on TV before Halloween night. And last year I even found a down loadable copy of the Great Pumpkin record which is now in my iTunes library ready for listening again this year. I also picked up this neat paperback edition of the story which I will share with my son this year.

Some Great Halloween Comic Reading

Being that Halloween is less than a week away, I thought I would post some recent comics that would make for some great Halloween reading.
First off we have Slave Labor Graphics Haunted Mansion comic which is based on the famous Disneyland attraction of the same name. Shown here is the most recent issue, #6. SLG obtained the rights to some great Disney properties including Tron, Gargoyles, Alice in Wonderland and the Haunted Mansion. Being a big Haunted Mansion fan and collector, this series was a no brainer. I was a little disappointed that SLG went with an anthology series instead of a continuing story, but each issue still manages to provide some fun reading.
Second we have another of SLG's Disney comics, Gargoyles. Again, I was a big fan of the show when it was on TV back in 1994, so when I saw this title I was also very interested. This series is very cool, as it is written by Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman and is written as a continution of the TV series as the creator envisioned. They have done a great job of creating stories that really feel like they have come right out of the cartoon series. The illustrations are done by David Hedgecock, Karine Charlesbois and Gordon Purcell and and looks great!
And finally we have the most recent comic version of Jason Voorhees and the Friday the 13th series. After comic runs in Topps, Avatar, Chaos Comics, the series now finds a home at Wildstorm, where already more than a handful of series titles have been released. This most recent one is titled Friday the 13th: How I Spent My Summer Vacation, a two issue limited series. This one is suggested for mature readers, and for good reason, as it is filled with lots of what you would expect from a Friday the 13th film - suspense, nudity and gore!
Check them out at your local comic shop this Halloween!

Little Golden Book Monday #28

It's Higitus-Figitus magical mirth!
Ok, I'm back... did you miss me? For today's Little Golden Book, I decided to go with something to go along with the Halloween theme since Halloween is just nine days away. What I came up with was the 1974 "Walt Disney's Donald Duck and the Witch Next Door".
The story here dose not have anything to do with Halloween directly, but it does feature a witch, who's house is made of candy, and Huey, Dewey and Louie do find some spiders and cobwebs in the attic.
While flipping though this book, I knew I recognized the witch character, but could not figure out why? A quick trip to the imdb.com web site, and a quick flip though my copy of "Disney A to Z" by Dave Smith, and I figured out that she was the witch from the 1963 Disney animated film "The Sword in the Stone" and her name was Madam Mim.
I realized that although I am a big Disney fan and own most of the Disney animated films in one form or antoher (including this one), I have never actually sat down and watched this one all the way though. I guess I will have to dust off my VHS copy of "The Sword in the Stone" and watch it with my son Kaden some time in the next 9 days.

Little Golden Book Monday will Return...

My computer is at the shop being upgraded, and my digital camera just died, so putting together something for today isn't working out. Everything should be back to normal next week. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Little Golden Book Monday #27

Today's Little Golden book is "The Three Bears" (1981 printing). The reason I am posting this one, is that I thought it was kind of a unique find.
So, today I present for you the 3 "The Three Bears" books!
First off, back on Monday, September 10th, I posted the Little Golden Book "The Three Bears" for the Little Golden Book Monday #24. But this new copy was totally different. I had never seen this Little Golden book before, and I was amazed to find two copies. I thought it was pretty odd that after never seeing this version of the "Three Bears" before, I would find two copies at my local thrift shop, both on the same day. But then I was even more puzzled to see that both these new copies had belonged to the same person!
If you check out the picture (to the left), of the inside front cover, you will see I have placed the second books signature along with the first signature, and they are obviously the same signature. Both copies belonged to Kimberly.
So this then is the puzzle... Why would a child (I assume it was a child) have two copies of the same book?

Shopping in the Mall is a Family Affair

Shopping in the Mall is a Family Affair... who knew? Apparently the owners of this mall in Fremont, Nebraska knew this in the 60's, as they put out this lovely postcard for the Fremont Mall letting everyone know that malls indeed are a great place for families to spend some quality time together!
Judging from the empty parking lot in the picture, I would guess that the owners of the Fremont Mall would like a whole lot more families to show up and enjoy their mall!

More Black Hole

I found another great Black Hole item the other day. This one is the illustrated adaptation of the exciting Walt Disney productions film The Black Hole. Its from Golden and published by Western Publishing Company, Inc, 1979 with a cover price of $1.50. Its the size of a magazine, and looks like a comic book inside with typical comic book artwork and text.
Text from the inside front cover: Imagination, Black Holes, and Disney. Do black holes really exist? Can we travel to, through, and beyond them? What will we find if we do? Nobody really knows! It took some brilliant imaginations (Einstein and his contemporaries) to come up with the concept, but that concept is still just talk.
Scientists tell us black holes are formed when a star burns out, and collapses on itself. it becomes so dense that it exerts a tremendous gravitational pull, so great that nothing, not even light, can escape!
Nobody has ever seen a black hole. They are the ultimate monster man's imagination has produced. Some scientists claim that black holes will eventually devours the entire universe.
Walt Disney Productions has taken this monster and made it frighteningly real, in the movie "The Black Hole." The special effects show us, up close, what it might be like to journey to a black hole.
Disney has always made use of special effects and animation to make the unbelievable seem true. In "Mary Poppins", Mary's combination of live action with animated characters added a dreamlike quality to the film.
Fifteen years later, in "The Black Hole" special effects play an equally important role in giving the deep space setting a chilling sense of reality. Suddenly the scientist's dream has come alive as a terrifying truth!
A new automated camera has been developed to give the models of spacecrafts more realistic movement though the stars. The models look so realist, that you will believe they could fly. In fact, as you watch, they become fully functioning spacecrafts, carrying you vast distances away from Earth, and across the galaxies. And once again, that most magical element of all - imagination - has got the better of you!
Imagination. It's the thing that makes a shadow into an evil creature about to pounce - that turns a neighbor's squeaking footsteps into an approaching intruder, and it's the element that allows us to be so frightened, thrilled, astonished, and entertained at the movies.
Black holes do not exist as far as we know, but as log as imaginations do we can travel with the crew of the Palomino as their journey becomes our journey, and the story of The Black Hole unfolds.

Little Golden Book Monday #26

Tonight the Fall TV season kicked into high gear, with some great season premiers. In honor of all the great TV viewing I was going to be doing tonight, I wanted to present a Little Golden Book with a TV on the cover. When I realized that wasn't going to happen, I started looking my collection of a picture of a TV inside one of the books. After flipping though more than 30 of them, I found Disney's Goof Troop Great Egg-Spectations (1992) which has the following two page spread showing Bubbles the dinosaur watching TV and eating munchy marshmallows.

Goof Troop was an animated series created and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation from 1992 until 1993 on ABC and on The Disney Afternoon. It centers around the families of the classic Disney characters Goofy and Pete. The character voices in the series were provided by Bill Farmer (Goofy), Dana Hill (Max), Rob Paulsen (P.J.), Jim Cummings (Pete), April Winchell (Peg), Nancy Cartwright (Pistol) and Frank Welker (Waffles the Cat & Chainsaw the Dog). I was a big fan of Goof Troop when the show originally aired on TV. Next door neighbors Pete, Max, Peg and Pistol were always great for a laugh.
I look forward to Disney releasing the series on DVD, as I would love to share it with my son.

Dumpy the Turtle

Here is a silly little book I picked up recently at a thrift shop for 10 cents. I picked it up simply because the cover made me giggle. Dumpy the turtle. I thought that Dumpy had to be the name of a turtle from Europe or some other country where perhaps Dumpy meant something completely different from what it meant to me. But when I opened the front cover I found that the book was published by the Samuel Lowe Company, Kenosha, Wisconsin, 1970. Written by Lucy Macdonald and illustrated by Cathryn Taylor.
Here is what is says about Dumpy on the inside front cover:
Once there was a little turtle who lived in the woods at the edge of a pond. He had a heavy shell which weighed him down so that he got around very slowly. He was SO slow that he was called Dumpy.
So... next time one of your friends or co-workers seems to be going in slow motion, you can now call them Dumpy! Makes sense to me.

2007 TV Guide Fall Preview: Returning Shows

The 2007 TV Guide Fall Preview Returning Shows issue came out last week. As I did with the previous New Shows issue of TV Guide, I purchased this issue online via the
Zinio web site. This issue covers 130 of the hottest returning shows. Here is a list of the Returning shows I am going to be tuning into each week:

MONDAYS:
1) Heroes
2) How I Met Your Mother
3) Two and a Half Men
4) Rules of Engagement

WEDNESDAYS:
5) 'Til Death

THURSDAYS:
6) My Name Is Earl
7) 30 Rock
8) The Office
9) Supernatural

OTHER RETURNING SHOWS:
10) Jericho
11) Monk
12) Psych

Just watching these 12 returning shows this season will take up 8 1/2 hours a week... Looks like I have a lot of TV watching to do. I am off now to watch the first two shows I recorded tonight, Back to You and 'Till Death.

Little Golden Book Monday #25

Today's Little Golden Book Monday, I present a pair of books based on Walt Disney's 1940 animated feature Pinocchio. When I saw the second book with a different cover, I thought that it was the same book with a new cover, and was surprised to see that it was totally different from the first version with completely different text and drawings.
The first version was originally printed in 1948 (this edition is the fifty-first printing from 1981). This story was adapted by Campbell Grant from the Walt Disney motion picture "Pinocchio", based on the story by Collodi, with illustrations by the Walt Disney Studio. Inside the front cover it says, "Little Golden Books here bring you, in gay color, delightful stories and illustrations adapted from the world-famous Walt Disney Motion Pictures. In them you will find Pinocchio, The Three Little Pigs, Bambi, Dumbo, Cinderella, Peter Pan, as well as many other well-loved Disney characters.
The second was originally printed in 1953, and this newly released edition looks wonderful. It has been digitally scanned and restored by Tim Lewis of Disney Publishing Worldwide and Ron Stark of S/R Labs. This second version of the story includes a few scenes that are not in the first book including the scene with Monstro the whale.
This must be a great book, as on back cover there is a "Best Classic Toys" Winner stamp from Dr. Toy, and I am sure Dr. Toy doesn't just give these stamps out willy nilly to any old thing.

2007 TV Guide Fall Preview: New Shows Issue

Ok, so as I have blogged before there is no more TV Guide in Canada. But that hasn't stopped me from checking out the TV Guide Fall Preview; New Shows issue. Since there is no print edition in Canada, I decided to download the electronic version (cost $2.49) from Zinio, an online electronic magazine distributor. I have also got a friend in the US picking up a copy of the American version of the magazine to mail to me - but for now, I have the computerized edition.
Let me just say that as long as I can pick up hard copies of my favorite magazines, I will continue to do so. I much prefer having the hard copy lying around the house, which I can pick up any time I feel, as opposed to having to sit at my computer to read. I also find it a bit absurd that they charge almost the same price for the downloadable version as it cost for the hard copy editions. For TV Guide, you save 50 buying the online version as opposed to the hard copy edition. I guess they feel that this new electronic version is the way of the future, but for me, I feel that the online version should be cheaper than the hard copy... a lot cheaper! Until the cost of the online versions drops drastically or the hard copies go away all together, I will stick with picking up my magazines at the local news stand
Now on to the issue at hand... or computer screen as it were. The cover says "the scoop on 78 hot new shows!". How many of those 78 do you think will make it past a few episodes before the networks pull the plug on them? It seems they are giving new shows less and less time to establish a following before they decide to cancel them. One exception would be last seasons Jericho, which was canceled after the first season, but then brought back to life as a mid season replacement show this season after a large amount of pressure from its fans - me included! I was greatly disappointed to find out it had been canceled after the first season, especially since the last episode of season one was left as a cliff hanger! Luckily the show will get to give the show a conclusion this season. something not all shows get to do... don't get me started on Gilligan's Island!
Here is the full 2007 Prime Time show grid. It will be fun to check this out in a few months to see which of these shows are still on the air and which have been given the axe.


PS: If anyone reading this would like a copy of this issue or the following issue (Returning shows), just post a message in the comments and I can send you a copy. Part of the purchase agreement from Zinio says that I can send the issues I purchase to other people - they even give me a button at the top of the Zinio reader which allows me to do it. So go ahead and ask!

What Happened to Fraidy Cat?

While flipping though some old pictures I had collected from various Disney web sites, I came across this great desktop I had made (at the bottom of this story) for a Disney movie that was to have been released in 2009. The title of the film was "What Happened to Fraidy Cat?"
From Jim Hill Media: It was to have been Ron'n'John's first computer animated feature. A comedy thriller that affectionately paid tribute to the films of Alfred Hitchcock. And -- according to WDFA insiders -- the rough story reel version of this picture was playing as well as anything that Ron Clements & John Musker had ever produced.
(For those of you who haven't figured out who Ron'n'John are yet: Ron Clements & John Musker are the writers / directors of such Disney animated hits as "The Great Mouse Detective," "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," "Hercules" and "Treasure Planet." Over the past 20 years, these gifted filmmakers are personally responsible for billions of dollars pouring into Disney's corporate coffers.)
So if a picture that these two guys (with their proven track record) have helped create is playing this well in story reel form, you have to assume that Walt Disney Feature Animation is naturally going to be putting that project in production, right?
Well, that's where you'd be wrong, folks. "Fraidy Cat" (which was originally scheduled to be released in late 2009) isn't going into production. In fact, this project was actually shelved last month. Which is the main reason that Musker & Clements -- after 31 years of working for Walt Disney Feature Animation -- are exiting the studio on September 11th and heading for ... parts unknown.
"Wait a minute?," you sputter, "If people inside WDFA are saying that 'Fraidy Cat' actually looked that good, then why isn't Disney then putting this picture into production?" Ah, that's where this cat's tail ... er ... tale gets interesting.
To read the rest of the story about this film, click over to Jim Hill Meadia to read the rest of the story.

Little Golden Book Monday #24

Tonight's Little Golden book is The Three Bears. We all know the story of the three bears. Nothing new here, but it does have some great artwork. I especially like the front cover. The look on the little girls face is priceless. Just what exactly is little bear doing to her?
This book is originally from 1948, and reprinted in 1976. "This is one of the Little Golden Books which bring children the best of the world's folk tales with fresh illustrations by outstanding children's book artists. Feodor Rojankovsky's pictures for books published in this country and in Europe have endeared him to children the world over."
...Goldilocks opened her eyes and she saw the three bears. "Oh!" said Goldilocks. She wa so surprised that she jumped right out of the window and she ran all the way home. And she never saw the house in the forest again.

A Couple of Disaster Novels

Ok... who doesn't enjoy a good disaster movie? I know I do! Here are two great novels I found recently based on a couple of disasters. One is based on a movie, and the other is the basis of a movie "coming soon".
Roller Coaster is a novel by Burton Wohl and based on a screenplay by Richard Levinson & William Link. I am actually very interested in seeing this movie as I am a big coaster fan and was a subscriber of the Coaster Radio podcast. When the movie was rereleased on DVD a year or two ago, they did a podcast commentary that you could listen to while watching the movie. Being as I found the Coaster Radio guys so much fun to listen to, I am dying to get a copy of the movie so I can watch the flick while listening to their commentary. The problem is I am having a tough time finding any video rental places around town that have a copy of Roller Coaster. It looks like I will have to finally break down and buy a copy from Amazon.ca.
The second novel is The Tower by Richard Martin Stern. The cover of the book says "Coming soon as Irwin Allen's productions of The Towering Inferno. A film based in part on this novel". This movie I remember seeing the Towering Inferno at the Drive In back in the 70's, and still enjoy watching it any time its on TV.
Since I found these, I have been keeping my eyes open for novel versions of Earthquake and Airport to fill out my disaster novel collection.

Little Golden Book Monday #23

Today's Little Golden book is a great Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary collectible. It's from 1997 and called Disney's Special Collectors Edition Mickey's Walt Disney Wold Adventure. I picked this book up this weekend at a local thrift shop. The strange thing is that I had never seen this book before, but ended up finding two copies at two separate thrift shops on the same day. I bought both.
The book shows Mickey and Minnie Mouse touring around WDW, and riding all the rides. At one point in the story when they are on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Huey, Dewey and Louie show up in the boat with them. And at the end of the book, Goofy shows up to give Mickey his brand new drum major's hat that he had misplaced.

Fall TV Preview Issue

It's September and that means the new TV season is just about here. Usually this means I am excited about two things; 1) all the new shows to check out, and 2) the special editions of the TV Guide with the Fall Previews. But as I blogged back in November 2006, the Canadian edition of TV Guide ceased publication, so, there will be no TV Guide Fall Preview issues this year. So instead, I picked up the TV Week Fall Preview issue. Although it has a listing of new shows etc, it really doesn't seem the same... it's just not the TV Guide tradition I am used to for the past 20 years.
Enough of my disappointment in the folding of TV Guide... let's get to the new shows.
This issue of TV Week lists 45 new shows, and these are the shows I will be tuning in to and checking out this fall (I'll give each show a rating out of 5 for how much I am looking forward to it - 5 being the ones I am most excited about):

CHUCK (5) - A nerdy computer geek accidentally downloads a secret government computer program concealing all the agency's intel within coded images, giving him instant recall of classified info and a unique ability to connect the dots to thwart all manner of terrorist threats. While keeping his busy day job at the "Nerd Herd" within a big-box electronics store, Chuck covertly assists his feuding NSA/CIA handlers.

THE BIG BANG THEORY (3) - In this geeky sitcom, a pair of brilliant nerds can tackle the toughest mathematical equations, but are completely stymied by their sexy - and not particularly smart - new neighbor.

SAMANTHA WHO (3) - After emerging from an eight-day coma following a car accident, Samantha Newly has total amnesia - and is horrified to discover what a nasty piece of work she it. This comedy follows her not-always-successful attempts to repair the mistakes of the past while learning about the rotten person she used to be.

JOURNEYMAN (2) - A San Francisco newspaper reporter mysteriously stars travelling back in time (but only within the confines of his lifetime), and discovers he must alter events in the past to effect changes in the present. Along the way, he reconnects with his estranged former flame, which complicates his rocky relationship with his wife, who doesn't buy the time-travelling excuse to explain his frequent disappearances.

CARPOOLERS (4) - A quartet of male suburban neighbours band over java and a lame Air Supply songs during their morning commute to work.

REAPER (5) - On his 21st birthday, a chronic underachiever discovers his parents sold his soul to the devil when he was just a baby, and now he must work for Lucifer as a sort of bounty hunter, tracking down evil souls who have escaped from Hell with the help of his wisecracking slacker buddy.

BACK TO YOU (1) - After an on-air meltdown derails his career, pompous LA anchorman Chuck Darling returns to the mid-level Pittsburgh station he abandoned 10 years earlier, where he wasn't exactly beloved by caustic co-anchor Kelly Carr, and the sparks fly in this workplace sitcom.

PUSHING DAISIES (5) - In this quirky comedy with a procedural crime twist, a shy pie-maker has the power to bring the dead back to life with a single touch - then sends them back to the great beyond with a second - a skill that he lends to a PI by briefly reviving murder victims so they can recall who killed them. But when he re-encounters his long-lost love (unfortunately, at her funeral), the gift of life he gives her will only last if they never touch.

BIONIC WOMAN (3.5) - Less a remake than reinvention of the cheesy 1970's superhero series, grad student/bartender Jamie Sommers is almost killed in a horrific car crash, but is then rebuilt with top-secret technology that requires she and her awesome new powers to be at the disposal of a shadowy government agency. But all bets are off when she meets her bionic predecessor, who's broken away and gone rouge.

MOONLIGHT (1) - Mick St. John is a Los Angeles PI with a secret - he's actually a vampire, but chooses to use his dark powers to help the living.

There is also a mid season replacement show I am excited about called THE IT CROWD, which is a remake of the hit Britcom following computer nerds as they keep the bits and bytes flowing at a major corporation. I have been watching the original British episodes on Tech TV and its one of the funniest new shows I have seen in a long time. Hopefully the American remake is as good.

Woodward's Music Department

The other day while flipping though the records at a local thrift shop, I came across this unusual item. It is a small bag, just big enough to hold a 45 rpm record, from Woodward's music department. For those of you who don't know, Woodward's was the name of a department store which operated in Western Canada for one hundred years, before its sale to the Hudson's Bay Company 1993, at which time the Woodward's stores retired to the history books.
I remember that when I was young, most department stores had a pretty decent record department. I did a lot of my record shopping at Planters which was the record department of the Bay. This paper bag was obviously for anyone purchasing and 45 singles, or other smaller items. I assume they also had a larger version for LPs. This one has a flap on the back like an envelope, and you can see where it had been taped shut when the customer made their purchase and left the store.
The front of the bag lists the shopping locations in British Columbia as Vancouver, Oakridge, West Vancouver, New Westminster, Victoria and Port Alberni, and in Alberta in Edmonton, Westmount and Calgary.
When I found this, I was really hoping their might be an original receipt inside so I could see how much was spent on records, but no such luck.
Luckily though, the thrift store clerk let me take this treasure home with me for free!

Little Golden Book Monday #22

I've been reading The Annotated Cat: Under the hats of Seuss and His Cats for the past few days, so I am in a real Seuss mood. So for today's Little Golden book I have chosen the "Cat in the Hat" movie addition from 2003. Adapted by Jesse Leon McCann, Based on the motion-picture screenplay written by Alec Berg & David Mandel & Jeff Schaffer, Illustrated by Christopher Moroney, Based on the book by Dr. Seuss... whew, did you get all that!
It's the story from the Universal Studio movie, but with artwork that looks very similar to the original "Cat in the Hat" and "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back" books from 1957 and 1958.
Although I was not a big fan of the movie, I am certainly a fan of the books. I remember as a young child having a copy of both "Cat and the Hat" and "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back" (which I still have today), and loving to curling up in bed to have mom read them to me, which seems kind of ironic now after reading the Annotated Cat book in which they make a big point of that fact that these books were meant to help kids learn to read by themselves, and even sported the "for beginning readers" and "I can read it all by myself" slogans on he original and subsequent printings of the books. I remember them being books that I loved to have read to me, but I don't really remember reading them myself. I guess I was more of a Dick and Jane reader.
...the Cat in the Hat - singing, and driving his super-splendiferous Housecleaning machine!
Conrad and Sally could scarcely believe their eyes.
When the cleaning crew had finished, the house was spotless. They'd dry-cleaned Mom's dress, scrubbed Conrad and Sally, and even given Nevins a both - all without waking up Mrs. Kwan!
"Good-bye, Cat!" called Conrad and Sally. "Thanks for everything!"
The Cat was still singing as he drove away.

Donald Duck the Milkman 45 RPM

The other day while out thrift shop shopping, I came upon a large collection of picture sleeve 45's... all priced at 49 cents each! One of my absolute favorite things to collect is Disneyland Records, and any time I find a new addition to my Disneyland Records collection, I am very excited! Among the great picture sleeve 45's I found that day, I picked up this great Walt Disney "Little Gem" Record with 2 Fun Stories, "Donald Duck The Milkman" and Donald Duck The Peanut Vendor". The record is copyright 1961 Walt Disney Productions. There is a large white sticker on the front of the record with the price of 39 cents, which I am sure was put on the record back when it was originally on the store shelve back in the 60's. I absolutely love the artwork on the front!
On the back of the record sleeve is a listing of other Little Gem records. If you and your children enjoy this Walt Disney Little Gem record we know that you'll be happy to learn that the Disney Studio has prepared a wonderful library of 12-inch LPs for children.
This Little Gem record, while complete in itself, is only a small portion of the high quality and good musicianship found on the Disney 12-inch LP line. We invite your attention to the following LP titles which are available at your favorite record store:
DQ-1201 SNOW WHITE - Sound Track
DQ-1202 PINOCCHIO - Sound Track
DQ-1203M BAMBI - Sound Track
DQ-1204 DUMBO - Sound Track
DQ-1205 UNCLE REMUS - Sound Track
DQ-1206M PETER PAN - Sound Track
DQ-1207 CINDERELLA - Sound Track
DQ-1208 ALICE IN WONDERLAND
DQ-1209 Walt Disney's FUN WITH MUSIC
DQ-1210 GOOFY'S DANCE PARTY
DQ-1211 MOTHER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES
DQ-1212 DONALD DUCK AND HIS FRIENDS
DQ-1213M BEST LOVED DISNEY SONGS
DQ-1214M HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND HOLIDAY SONGS
DQ-1215M MUSICAL MONKEY SHINES
DQ-1216 ZOO SONGS
DQ-1217 SONGS OF OUR AMERICAN HERITAGE
DQ-1218 STORIES OF AESOP
DQ-1219 BABES IN TOYLAND
DQ-1220 Walt Disney's DOG SONGS
DQ-1221 ANIMAL SONGS FROM AESOP
DQ-1222 PROFESSOR LUDWIG VON DRAKE
ST-1901 STORY OF DARBY O'GILL
ST-1902 STORY OF GOLIATH
ST-1903 STORY OF THE COUNTRY COUSIN
ST-1904 STORY TO TOBY TYLER
ST-1905 STORY OF GRASSHOPPER AND THE ANTS
ST-1906 STORY OF POLLYANNA
ST-1907 STORY OF SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON
ST-1908 STORY OF 101 DALMATIANS
ST-1909 STORY OF PERRI
ST-1910 STORY OF THREE LITTLE PIGS
ST-1911 STORY OF THE ABSENT MINDED PROFESSOR
ST-1912 STORY OF THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER
ST-1913 STORY OF NIKKI
WDL-1008M A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES
WDL-1016 PETER AND THE WOLF
WDL-1030 LITTLE GEMS FROM BIG SHOWS
WDL-1039 SALUDOS AMIGOS
WDL-4101A RITE OF SPRING / TOCCATA AND FUGUE
WDL-4101B NUTCRACKER SUITE / DANCE OF THE HOURS
WDL-4101C PASTORAL SYMPHONY / NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN

Captain Canuck Vs the Walrus

The other day I was at the library and this particular magazine caught my eye. I could only see half the cover (there is a half cover with text, that can be folded back to reveal the complete picture without text), but the artwork looked very familiar. It turned out it was a drawing of Canadian super hero Captain Canuck, drawn by Captain Canuck creator Richard Comely. It was the February 2007 issue of a Canadian magazine called The Walrus. I took it out along with a pile of other great reads, including the Overstreet Comic Price Guide.
When I got home, I quickly thumbed through the magazine looking for an article on my favorite comic hero, but was disappointed to find that the cover drawing and a small note on the contents page, "Cover: Captain Canuck has been appearing in comic books since 1975. Painting by Richard Comely" were the only Captain Canuck items to be found in the magazine. Inside was an article which said "To The Rescue! Have the Liberals found their Captain Canuck? which is I guess why someone thought it would be a good idea to put a comic book character on the cover.
As for the magazine its self, its one of those magazines where its really hard to tell exactly what the focus (if any) the magazine has. The Walrus magazine is definently not a magazine I will be picking up again, but it was a neat treat to see my favorite super hero on the cover of a recent magazine sitting there at my local library... and now I have a scan of it here on my blog for all to see!

Kinda Related to Last Post...

Today while out checking out my favorite thrift shops, I came across this book called TJ Bearytales: My Bear-riffic Safari Adventure. After Monday's post all about the Knott's Beary Tales attraction, I decided to pick this up.
It turns out this is part of a Playskool musical toy. On the first page it says "Slide the play camera into T.J.'s left paw and during the story, he'll snap pretend pictures!" On the back page it says "Slide switch at top of the backpack to 'on'. Push to start or pause the story. Push 'music note' for activities & songs." So, apparently this is part of a toy that comes with a spoken story & music, stuffed bear (with camera and backpack), and the book which I picked up.

Little Golden Book Monday #21

"Welcome one and all! Ya ‘all come have a ball! Things are very fine, ridin’ on the ol’ Knott’s Berry Line."

Today's Little Golden book is All My Chickens by Robert Kraus, 1993. I picked this one up at a local thrift shop for one thin dime. I immediately liked the cover but didn't really know why until later when I got home and took another look at it. I realized that it was in some small way, reminding me of the long since closed Knott's Berry Farm attraction "Bear-y Tales", which I so fondly remember riding as a 9 year old kid back in 1977. To this day, this silly little attraction is one of the things I remember most about that vacation!
Knott's Bear-y Tales opened at Knott's in 1975. It was a slow moving dark ride that took riders past various adventures of the Bear-y Family. Along the way, you’d see Frog Forrest, the Candy Company and bakery where everyone is making boysenberry pies and preserves, the Gypsy camp, where Sara tells your fortune, and the spiders and creatures of Thunder Cave. And you can’t forget the Weird Woods, home of Crafty Coyote, or the trilling conclusion at the Country Fair.
Some of the most endearing things about Knott's Bear-y Tales was its catchy theme song, boysenberry smell throughout the attraction, and the campy, black-light look through the entire ride. Knott's Bear-y Tales wasn't a mass-produced dark ride. It was 100% Knott's Berry Farm, back before thrills ruled the day and rides were restricted to last only as long as the MTV attention span.
Sadly, when I went back in the late 80's I hoping to ride this attraction again, I found it had been replace with a ride to capitalize on the popularity of dinosaurs. Bear-y Tales closed in 1986 to make room for Kingdom of the Dinosaurs. "KOD" used the exact same ride system, vehicles, and track as Bear-y Tales to take riders on an adventure back to the time of the dinosaurs.
I have since purchased the "Bear-y Tales" DVD from Extinct Attractions Club, which has allowed me to relive all the excitement (or is that disappointment) of that long forgotten attraction. After rewatching my Bear-y Tales DVD today, I realize how much this ride reminds me the Splash Mountain ride thru, with the same sorts of visuals and a theme song that gets stuck in your head while you ride. The only thing missing is the flume at the end!

Batman could totally beat Superman!

I have never considered myself a comic nerd, but I do love comics. I have been collecting them since the early 80's when I got my first issues of Captain Canuck, Silver Surfer and Rom: Space Knight. I have been going to comic shops almost as long as I have been reading comics, but it seems there is never enough time to really spend digging around my favorite comic shops. I'm always in a hurry, or have someone waiting for me, or worse yet, have my 2 year old son with me while I try to browse!
There has been the odd time where for some reason I wasn't in a rush and we able to hang out at the comic shop. I got to listen to and partake in some of those bizarre conversations about which comic book heroes would beat who, or discussions on why something that happened in a recent issue could never have happened the way it did. Real geek speak stuff... and just the kind of stuff that makes me smile.
So, while reading though an old copy of Wizard I picked up recently, I couldn't help but get a chuckle out of the following article.
Can it be done? The Flash's breathing rate. With DC's Scarlet Speedster sprinting toward a new era in his career, we got to wondering - since all living things process oxygen to perform physical acts like running, wouldn't the Flash use up all of Earth's oxygen during one of his light-speed dashes?
Professor James Kakalios of the university of Minnesota has the answer. "A student of mine asked that question in class, and I loved it so much that I used it in my new book," said Kakalios, author of The Physics of Superheroes (2005). "If you do some calculations using the Flash's body mass, the volume of oxygen used to run a mile and the number of oxygen molecules in that volume, and assuming he runs at the speed of light, you come up with a number like a trillion trillion oxygen molecules that he inhales per second. But since Earth's atmosphere contains 20 million trillion trillion oxygen molecules, he's have to run that fast for about 27 million years before he exhausted all the oxygen in the atmosphere."
That sound you hear is us breathing a sigh of relief. [Reprinted from Wizard magazine, issue 169]
The comic cover shown with this blog entry is from "The Flash", issue #118, from October 1996. This cover has been on display on the comic spinner in the basement for some time now, and I was thrilled to have an excuse to scan it and use it on my blog!

Little Golden Book Monday #20

Today's Little Golden book is "Buster Cat Goes Out" by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Rose Mary Berlin, 1989. Not sure why I liked this one so much, but it stuck out from all the other books I saw at the thrift store the other day. The artwork and story inside are nothing special, but I really liked the cover. I'm not sure if it's Buster, or the cute little squirrel climbing the tree that I like so much!? And without giving anything away, Buster does end up meeting the cute little squirrel near the end of the story.
On the inside front cover of my copy, it says "This little Golden Book belongs to Emma and Eric W." I hope Emma & Eric were OK with Mom (or Dad) sending this treasure off to the thrift store.

Chimp-Artist Will Paint For You!

Commission a canvas for yourself or an art-loving friend... a genuine primitive by the world's first professional chimpanzee artist! Not a dabbler, not a fingerpainter, talented Pablo uses brush and palette (sometimes 2 brushes) for his spectacular abstract originals. Created individually for you in oils on canvas, the painting comes handsomely wood-framed (12" x 18") with a gleaming engraved metal plaque that tells the world who it's been commissioned for. Included are documentary photos of Pablo at work. Fantastic art value - untouched by human hands! Be sure to specify the name of the fortunate recipient. Primitive Painting... $9.98
This was in an old 60's comic book. If this was available today, I would be sending off my $9.98 right away!

This ad also got me thinking... here is a drawing my two year old son Kaden drew recently. I wonder if we could put ads in he back of comic books today, selling "Toddler-Artist Will Paint For You!". we could sell Kaden's artwork as a PDF file sent to the purchaser via email along with a few photos of him creating their artwork!
Anyone want to commission a Kaden Blaze masterpiece?

Little Golden Book Monday #19

Today's Little Golden Book is "From Trash to Treasure" which seems very appropriate for me right now, as I have been on a real Thrift store kick recently. There is a certain thrill in finding some treasure amongst a pile of junk at the local thrift shop, and recently I have been venturing into a lot of said thrift shops!
So, in honor of my recent trash to treasure finds, I bring you the 1993 CTW Sesame Street "From Trash To Treasure" in which Ernie and Bert, along with the rest of the Sesame Street gang learn about recycling, in which "new things can be made from trash."
So I guess what this book teaches me, is that I am actually helping the environment by buying all this stuff and keeping it out of the land fill! Makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over just thinking about my planned visit to some new thrift shops tomorrow afternoon.

Hey, City That Never Sleeps...

Here is a great advertising stunt by Flogers coffee. They have placed this picture of a cup of cover with the slogan "Hey, City that Never Sleeps. Wake up. Folgers" over manhole covers in New York City. There are holes in the picture that line up with the holes in the manhole cover which allows the steam to come up through the holes to make it looks the the cup of coffee is steaming hot. Brilliant!

Polaris Nuclear Sub, just $6.98

Here is a great 70's ad from inside a comic book. It's for the Polaris Nuclear Sub... for only $6.98. It's over 7 feet long, seats 2 kids, has controls that work, rockets that fire, real periscope, firing torpedoes, and an electrically lit instrument panel. This sub does everything but get wet!
This is one of those items that I remember seeing all the time in comics and wishing I could buy. Now as an adult, I wish I could buy one for two reasons; 1) it would be really cool to have this item in my collection - I'm sure the packaging is very retro cool looking. 2) I would love to see what it actually looked like. As a kid, I thought it was an actual sub that you could go into the ocean with and shoot rockets and torpedoes etc. I'm sure I never read the ad closely enough to actually read the fact that it was made of fiberboard - hardly something that was going to be seaworthy! Like so many of the items from comic ads, I would absolutely love to see the actual items today, just to confirm all of the thoughts I had as I got older, about how hokey these items really were, and to see how accurate the ad text of these ads really were!
Here is what the small print on the ad had to say about the Polaris Nuclear Sub. How proud you will be as commander of your own Polaris Sub - the most powerful weapon in the world! What hours of imaginative play and fun as you and your friends dive, surface, maneuver, watch the enemy though the periscope and fire your nuclear missiles and torpedoes! What thrills as you play at hunting sunken treasures in pirate waters and exploring the strange and mysterious bottom of the deep ocean floor!
Hours and hours of adventure. Sturdily constructed of 200 lb. test fiberboard. Comes complete with easy assembly instructions. Costs only $6.98 for this giant of fun, adventure and science. (Because of the Polaris Sub's giant size we must ask for 75 cents shipping charges.)
Money back guarantee. Order today and we will rush your Polaris Nuclear Sub to you. use it for 10 full days. If you don't think it is the greatest ever - the best toy you ever had - just send it back for full purchase price refund.
Luckily this item came with a 10 day free trail, so it had to be good, right!?

[since posting this, I found this great post over at the Secret Fun Blog. It includes a photo and description of the actual sub!]

Little Golden Book Monday #18

Today's Little Golden Book is The Amazing Mumford Forgets the Magic Words! featuring Jim Henson's Muppets (1979). This book combines three of my favorite things; Little Golden Books, the Muppets, and magic! And I love the artwork in this one. Check out this two page spread from the book, which shows The Amazing Mumford standing outside the theater where he is about to preform. Luckily it looks like Santa Claus is going to be able to see the show as it is only ALMOST Sold Out.

I don't want to give the whole book away, but that "D" on the marquee is going to fall and hit poor Mumford on the head, and cause him to forget who he is and where he is. That sure is going to make things tough for him to put on a good show.