Tagged: Hollywood

MICHAEL DAVIS: I Am Not Michael Davis

Columns / Michael Davis
November 1, 2011

I’m not kidding.

I’ll say it again. I’m not Michael Davis.

Once more, I’m Not Michael Davis and I’m getting pretty tired of people thinking I am.

Allow me to explain…

Some years back I received a call from news outlets asking for my response to Tom Cruise’s winning of a lawsuit.

For those of you who may not know this, I’m the last person who gives a darn about what any celebrity does. Unless I know the celebrity personally and I know quite a few, I just don’t care and it’s not worth my time. If it happens to be someone I know I still don’t give a hoot unless it’s wonderful or horrible news.

Wonderful, like Wayne Brady being nominated for an Oscar or horrible like Bill Duke voting for Herman Cain. That sort of thing I would care about because those are friends of mine and I’d like to share in Wayne’s happiness and Bill’s drug intervention.

Do I care what Wayne has to say after being caught by TMZ coming out of Starbucks?

Errr, hell to the no.

People who care about every little thing a Hollywood star does are, in my book, idiots.

“Is Paris writing you a check? Is Britney checking out your blog? If you died of a drug overdose would Kim keep an all night candlelit vigil at your freakin house?”

The above is pretty much my response when people try and bring me into a conversation about some well know person who would not know me if I stalked them.

I say “pretty much” because “freakin” is not the word I would use. I’m really trying to cut down on my swearing.

Why?

A guy told me the other day that my swearing while speaking at the Hollywood Black Film Festival was “ghetto.”

And you know what? That bitch was fucking right.

Damn.

The fact that he was in the audience to see me is ample reason for me to stop being me.

Right?

Note to self: Tell Stevie Wonder that being blind thing of his is ‘ghetto.’

Oh-if you ever have a chance to attend The Hollywood Black Film Festival you should go. It’s great. Yes, they let in white people.

But (sorry peter) I digress.

I told the reporter that I was really flattered (and I was) that they wanted my opinion but that I had no opinion on the Tom Cruise lawsuit win and in fact had no idea what the lawsuit was about.

Remember this was a serious news outlet and I was not going to give them my standard “Why the FUC…FREAK should I care? Is Tom Cruise writing me a check? Is he checking out my blog? If I died tonight of a hot threesome with two Asian girls (I say no to drugs), would Tom Cruise hold an all night vigil at my house?”

I was in a hurry so I politely got off the phone and went back to my dates, Katsumi and Asuka.

Not twenty minutes later while deciding between scented or unscented baby oil, my phone rung again and lo and behold it was another news outlet call. Let me be very clear: it was a different news outlet. The first call was from a TV news reporter and the second was a journalist from a serious newspaper. My mother did not raise any fuc…darn idiots so I listened to this guy and realized why I was getting these calls.

It turned out that Tom Cruise had won a $10,000,000 lawsuit against (you guessed it) Michael Davis. Michael Davis claimed he had a videotape of Tom getting busy with another guy. I explained to the guy that I was not that Michael Davis. We both had a good laugh and I hung up the phone.

By the way, all this really happened. All I’ve done is change the names of my dates. O.K… technically, one was my date and the other was her hot friend who came to dinner with us. In the man rulebook that makes them both my dates.

So I share the story with Katsumi and Asuka who both get a big laugh about it and Katsumi (my official date) and Asuka (her hot friend) begin to tease me about being gay and say I have to prove I’m not…

The next day…what?

What happened? Nothing that affects the story so I’ll just move on…

The next day at some goddamn…oh, sorry, some gosh darn unholy hour in the morning I get another call from a different news outlet and I just hang the fuc… fish up.

The asshol…the inconsiderate reporter who I had just hung up on calls me back. I scream into the phone, “I’m Not That Michael Davis” and hang up. He calls back…

Now I’m really pissed.

Hello??

Mr. Davis?

Yes! But I’m Not That Michael Davis!!!

Sir, this is not going to go away I’d like to give you a chance to tell your side of the story.

I’m not that Michael Davis! I work in comics!

Is that how you want to play it? O.K, I’m a comic book fan. What comics have you done? Tell me that and I’ll leave you alone.

L I G H T B U L B ! I say nothing. I just let the question sit there.

Who’s Stan Lee, Michael?

I say nothing, let another long moment pass and then I say…

You won’t edit me so I look like an utter fool?

No. I’ll paint you in the best possible light.

Tom was here last night. In fact he left his wallet and one of the Polaroid’s.

You have his wallet and a photo? What’s the photo of?

You (slow sing-song voice) know…

Can I come out and talk to you?

I told him sure and set up to meet him at Jerry’s Deli, a popular but not nearly as New York deli as people in L.A. think it is.

I don’t go and about an hour after I was supposed to meet him I get a call asking how much later would I be, I told him I’d be right there. I never showed up and he never called back. I assumed that was the time when his fact checkers discovered I was not that Michael Davis.

Yesterday, I get an email from one of the biggest agencies in Hollywood. I’ve been represented by two of the biggest agencies in Hollywood and every so often some agent at another of the biggest agencies in Hollywood tries to recruit me.

Yeah, it boggles my mind also. Hollywood. What a bunch of morons.

So getting an email from a huge Hollywood agency is not new to me. This email was a dream come true. It was about a movie deal.

I’m written TV. I’ve written books. I’ve written comic books. I’ve written for magazines. I’ve illustrated books, comics, magazines, etc.

I’ve hosted my own syndicated radio show. I’ve designed toys (out in Feb 2012; plug) I’m on the net. I’ve even designed stage sets for big name music artists.

I’m my own “King of all Media” just like my hero, Howard Stern.

Except…

I’ve never had a movie deal.

I’ve sold a screenplay but that as they say is that.

Everyone who works in comics wants a movie deal. I don’t care who they are, they want a movie deal.

I really want a movie deal. I want to see my work on the big screen. I don’t care if it’s a huge hit or a dismal failure, either way I’m golden.

If it’s a hit then I have a hit movie. If it’s a dismal failure then Hollywood fuc… fowled up my creation. It’s a win win!

My dream had come to pass! This huge hollywood agency was emailing me to tell me that I was going to direct my movie!!

Wait a sec…what movie? Wait another sec, me direct? A movie? I’ve got as much chance of directing a film as Herman Cain has of becoming black.

Not going to happen.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve directed hundreds of films. In fact Katsumi and Asuka starred in a one called “Two minutes and finished.”

It was a thriller.

So I am a movie director (my medium is video…sometimes hidden video) but as good as I am there is no way anyone is going to let ME direct a big Hollywood movie.

Then it dawned on me. I’m not that Michael Davis. I’d had meetings with the big Hollywood agency from which the email was sent and they must have gotten me mixed up with the Shoot Em Up director.

So, no movie deal for me. ;-(

It was an honest mistake. These things happen. The agent who sent me the email was quite nice when we met and perhaps one day this will be the agency that does do my movie deal which I know is going to happen!

You doubt me? Don’t. The world is littered with many who have doubted what I can do. Like my illustration teacher at Pratt who years ago told me in front of the entire class that as good an artist as I was I’d still never amount to anything because of my personality.

Less than ten years later I reminded him of that little fact when he tried to submit his work to Motown Animation and Filmworks where I just happened to be President and CEO.

I love that story.

Hey Gerry, how you living? I’m good! We should have lunch! I’ll pay. Call me! If you don’t get me at my home in NYC call my home in L.A. Yes, you can call collect!

I tend to hold grudges against people who are dream killers. And no, I’m not working on that. I’m keeping that personality trait.

Just to recap, when it comes to Tom Cruise, gay porn and mega movies deals I’m not Michael Davis. Like I said, these things happen and unless you are a complete idiot and refuse to believe I did not claim I had Tom Cruise on tape having a nude swordfight without any swords I will continue to laugh these things off. Hey, at least for a few seconds I knew how it felt to get a big Hollywood movie deal!

It’s good to laugh!

Now if a huge check shows up from a major movie studio and it’s the director’s fee from the next big budget Michael Davis movie I’m going to laugh at that also, all the way to the fucking bank!

Fuck that guy from The Hollywood Black Film Festival. I am THAT Michael Davis.

WEDNESDAY: I Am Not Mike Gold

‘The Walking Dead’ shambles to new TV ratings record

News
October 18, 2011

For those who think the comics/Hollywood connection is played out, it seems there’s still life in something that’s dead.

Season two of “[[[The Walking Dead]]]” opened to an eye-popping 7.3 million viewers on Sunday, and it broke cable ratings records in the key demographic categories of adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.

The preem averaged 4.8 million adults 18-49 and 4.2 million in the 25-54 demo — a new record for a basic cable drama series. It also easily ranked as primetime’s No. 1 entertaiment series for the night, according to Nielsen, topping the 18-49 delivery of Fox’s special “The X Factor” (4.2 million adults 18-49), ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” (3.4 million) and CBS’ “CSI: Miami” (3 million). AMC

AMC prexy Charlie Collier called the numbers “staggering, just like our zombies.”

via ‘Walking’ sets cable ratings record – Entertainment News, TV News, Media – Variety.

PULP 2.O. PRESS MAKES MOVIE MAGIC HAPPEN AGAIN WITH THE MIRACLE SQUAD!

News
October 18, 2011

from www.pulp2ohpress.com

LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!

Here comes THE MIRACLE SQUAD, the 1980′s indie comic that Pulp 2.0 has redesigned into a graphic novel. Thrill to the adventures of the cast and crew at Miracle Pictures, a poverty row movie outfit in 1930′s Hollywood, as they use all of their skills at movie magic to thwart a hostile takeover by a local gangster who aims to launder his dirty money.

Created by writer John Wooley and artist Terry Tidwell, The Miracle squad was originally published in 1987 by Fantagraphics. It has never before been released in a collected format such as this edition.

This collector’s treasure features:

The special preview and all four chapters.
John Wooley’s original essay on the B-Movies featuring all new photos and illustrations from his personal collection.
The original short story, “The Return of Mr. Mystery” which featured the first incarnations of the Squad.
Wooley casts the Miracle Squad serial with famous B-Movie greats from yesteryear.
A gallery of images by Terry Tidwell showcasing the development process for the series. Many of these images have never before been seen.
And much, much more!

All in all, over 50 pages of bonus features sure to thrill fans of the series as well as B-Movie enthusiasts!

PLEASE NOTE: A DIGITAL EDITION OF THIS GRAPHIC NOVEL WILL NOT BECOME AVAILABLE UNTIL 2012.

ORDER YOUR ADVANCE COPY NOW!

First Look: Sequential Pulp’s Shell Scott

News
October 4, 2011

Do you know Shell Scott?

Art: David Enebral and Alejandro Torres Montiel

Art: David Enebral

Of the art for the new Shell Scott graphic novel, New Pulp Writer, Mark Ellis says, “Here we go…David Enebral’s wonderfully atmospheric rendering of Shell Scott…who is apparently realizing anew that the sidewalks of 1960s Hollywood were just as likely to be paved with blood as stars.” I think you’ll agree our hero, Shell Scott is going to be up to his ears in trouble when our graphic novel, KILL THE CLOWN comes your way.

Shell Scott: Kill The Clown is adapted by Mark Ellis and illustrated by David Enebral for Sequential Pulp/Dark Horse Comics. Coming 2012.

For more on Sequential Pulp Comics, visit http://www.sequentialpulpcomics.com/
For more on Dark Horse Comics, visit http://www.darkhorse.com/
For more on Shell Scott, visit http://www.thrillingdetective.com/scott.html

Warner Announces Aim High to launch as the first ever “Social Series” on Facebook

Press Releases
October 1, 2011

Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD) announced the first-ever “social series” from a Hollywood studio will debut on Facebook starting October 18. Consumers can now become part of the show by seamlessly integrating their profile information – including photos, text and friends – by simply opting into the application on the show’s Facebook page. The action comedy series Aim High produced by Warner Premiere and Dolphin Entertainment, staring Jackson Rathbone (Twilight), Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights), and Greg Germann (Ally McBeal) will debut as the first “social series” October 18 through Facebook.com/AimHighSeries and Cambio.com.

By choosing to watch Aim High in a personalized viewing mode through the show’s Facebook page, viewers will be able to see themselves or their friends integrated into select scenes throughout the series – from their photo appearing on a student body election poster, to having their name seen as graffiti on the bathroom wall. This video application not only allows consumers to have an immersive and engaging viewing experience, but also a social one where they can share comments, scenes and Tweets about their favorite moments from the show.

Stealth Comic Tie-In Move ‘Argo’ Sets Release Date For Next September

News
September 30, 2011

After over thirty years, we now have a release date for what could be the surprise comic-tie in movie hit for next year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

Warner Bros has set September 14, 2012 to send out its Ben Affleck-directed hostage drama Argo. Affleck stars alongside Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston and John Goodman in the true story of a covert CIA operation to resuce six Americans trapped in Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis.

So what, you may ask, is the comic book connection in a real life story? No, it’s not Argo City… (more…)

SURF PULP-As Told to Chuck Miller!

News
September 30, 2011

AS TOLD TO CHUCK MILLER-Pulp Interviews

Chuck’s Guest today- Craig Lockwood

CHUCK MILLER: Surf Pulp is something that not too many of my colleagues who have loosely banded together under the “New Pulp” umbrella have been exposed to. And it’s a wonderful thing, since we are looking to broaden the definition of “pulp fiction,” and expand its visibility and appeal. Could you just give us a brief synopsis of how you got the idea and what steps you took to see it through all the way to Hard-Boiled Surf Pulp Fiction #1?

CRAIG LOCKWOOD: I’ve often wondered if the term “New Pulp” or “neo-Pulp” isn’t misleading. While the great pulp publishing and fiction industry died out forty years ago, Ellery Queen and Analog are still published. So at least a tenuous thread to the pulp-past was maintained. And the pulps have been an enduring and arguably profound influence on America and Europe’s popular literary culture.

What’s telling is that when I started this project with Rick we had no idea that there was anything like a pulp revival.

I’d had the idea of publishing an all-surfing-related fiction magazine for years. And I loved the old pulp form. I’d done a pulp paper book The Whole Ocean in 1986.

Twenty-three years later I’d just finished writing a big book for a publisher, and decided to see if I couldn’t put an inexpensive magazine—a real pulp—together.

Rick’s a talented illustrator who had been an aficionado of the American pulp illustrative style of the 1930s and ‘40s and ‘50s. I’d read the sci-fi pulps like Galaxy and Analog, and the mystery mags like Back Mask and Ellery Queen, as a kid and been entranced the storytelling and action. My first published fiction – and the piece was wholly an adventure pulp sory — was in SURFER Magazine—despite SURFER being a “slick.”

Both of our mutual interests and our livelihoods center around surfing and the surfing sub-culture.

That term may seem like an anomaly, but today there is an entire sub-culture—which is something like car-culture—but based around surfing, that had been growing in California since the 1930s. And I’m not talking “Gidget.”

There’s a multi-million dollar sustaining “surfing industry” that includes surfing apparel, surfboard manufacture, surf-related destination travel, surfing fine art with prestigious museum exhibitions, surfing cinema, TV shows, surfing music, surfing literature—including surfing journalism, with books and magazines—and even occasional surfing theater, and believe it or not, a nascent surfing academia.

And of course, there’s surfing crime. Which some older readers may recall getting both national notoriety and tabloid ink during the 1960s with a Florida criminal character nicknamed “Murph the Surf.”

Rick is academically trained, and a graduate of Art Center, here in Pasadena, California, which is one of he nation’s finest art schools. I studied creative writing at the University of California, Los Angeles. Rick’s work hangs in both private collections and at McKibben Gallery in Laguna Beach as well as in Rémi Bertoche, in France.

I’ve been a journalist and editor since college, mainly surfing but in the beginning the pickings were slim so I also worked as a lifeguard and deputy sheriff. Later I served as a war correspondent in Southeast Asia, Balkans, the Middle East and Afghanistan, a crime reporter, and a surfing historian whose last book “Peanuts” An Oral Biography Exploring Legend, Myth and Archetype In California’s Surfing Subculture” was reviewed last year by surfing’s most prestigious magazine, The Surfer’s Journal, as “This year’s Best book on Surfing, 2010.” Currently I serve as co-chair of the Oral History Committee of the Surfing Heritage Foundation, which is an endowed institution and museum. But I also shape surfboards and racing paddleboards – it’s all handwork – as a hobby/business.

We were well into the project when we started discovering you guys.

We looked at each other and went “Wow! Here’s real talent, good writing, and great storytelling.”

And you—the pioneers—were all out there taking great waves and cranking these stylish pulpy bottom turns and looking good.

It was like wandering through the desert thirsty and alone and discovering this well-supplied big wagon train with the Bonanza cast at the reins.

CHUCK: What would you say to potential readers who might be leery of your work because of their unfamiliarity with surf culture and the perception that this is a very specialized area that they just wouldn’t “get?” I think this could be really significant in terms of opening up new connections and exposing people to familiar concepts in a new context. That can be a difficult barrier to break through, which is sad because I think there are far more things in common than not.

Chuck, you nailed it. There are definitely more things in common in pulp fiction than not. To paraphrase Marshall McLuhan: The medium is the milieu.

I suspect we both see pulp fiction as a wonderful dimensional door through which readers are transported by writers into other realities. The vehicle of transmission is the combination of the author’s words and the reader’s imagination.

Surfing, and surfing fiction does reflect aspects of surfing’s specialization, just as espionage fiction is specialized. But specialization need not be exclusionary, and it’s never a reason to neglect the opportunity of an exciting read.

The English mystery writer Dick Francis, himself a jockey, set all his stories against a background of horse racing—which is like surfing, a kind of sub-culture. I’ve only been to one horse track in my life, and know nothing about horse-racing, betting on horses, or horse-racing as an occupation. But I’ve read and enjoyed at least a dozen Dick Francis mysteries, full of racetrack jargon, and enjoyed them.

Reading masters of a specific genera—such as spy fiction’s John Le Carre´, or Alan Furst—means being immersed in that specific fictional world. This is a world the author has created. And when the author is good, and when the narrative’s coherent and the drama compelling we’re exposed and become both intellectually and emotionally involved in a very specialized environment—say Carré’s Cold War London in 1965, or Furst’s Eleventh Arrondissement in 1940 Paris, during the Nazi Occupation.

And in that fictional environment the magic of a reader’s imagination, a skilled author’s description, narrative and dialog—all provide enough information for the reader to understand and personally assimilate the political climate, the geography, the tradecraft and techniques, the idiom and argot of espionage.

Compared to this kind of complex arcana, surfing’s lexicon is relatively easy. Especially when the format’s a short-story or novella. Here the author is going to be focusing less on some incidental technical aspect—such as a specific surfboard’s design limitations in a given wave—than say, on the protagonist’s efforts to get to the exotic location where a previously un-ridden but fabled wave exists. And—as in all adventure fiction—that requires an author’s commitment to narrative and a reader’s exercise of imagination.

And, if the author is skillful, he or she provides the reader sufficient expository detail so their imagination takes over. This, after all, is how we are able to read and immerse ourselves in—and find credible and enjoyable enough, and thus continue reading—our pulp fiction superheros.

Surfing is an activity rooted in American culture. Surfing comes out of that culture, and so much of what surfing authors are writing about is at least familiar. Most of us have either been to a beach, or seen film or stills of the ocean, and waves, and surfers. We have a sense of the beauty, power and grandeur of the sea.

I’m not a skier, have never skied, hate snow, don’t know the precise meaning of terms like “mogul” or “screamin’ starfish” or “slow-dog noodle turn” and have never experienced the thrill of flying down a mountainside in deep powder. Yet I’ve read and enjoyed skiing-related fiction. So it wasn’t what I knew that entertained me, it was the author’s skill in creating a literary door through which I could venture in imagination.

I didn’t have to be an anthropologist like Colin Trumbull, living with the m’Buti, in the Congo and having to learn an entire non-cognate language to figure out the sub-culture. If I didn’t know the terminology, the story carried me along.

In one of our Vol. 1 No. 1 issue’s stories, “Sorcerer of Siargao” by Susan Chaplin, her surfer-protagonist is described this way:

“Marla was tall, with big shoulders and clear blue eyes. At forty-seven and recently divorced she was living out some pre-divorce impulse to surf her way around the world.”

There is nothing very exclusionary here for a non-surfing reader. You get her logline. Restless middle aged woman seeks adventure. The rest is storytelling—through a surfer’s eyes.

In “The Big Deep” hard-luck hard-boiled surfing private eye Sam Sand tells surf syndicate enforcer Gang Lopez who’s bringing him an impossible-to-solve case: “Gang, you been laminating without a mask?”

Now a non-surfer may not have a clue that this wisecrack refers to the manufacturing process of saturating the “laminate,” the two fiberglass layers of a hand-shaped surfboard blank’s skin with catalyzed polyurethane resin, but you know he’s skeptical—and is obviously saying it in a colorful way.

One thing those of us who are attracted to the pulp milieu share is that we love imaginative storytelling. So if Hard-boiled Surf Pulp which is aimed at a primarily surfing audience has any chance of attracting non-surfing readers we think it will be because our writers can tell stories well.

CHUCK: Name two or three of the biggest influences on your writing. Not necessarily limited to authors, but including ANYTHING that you think has shaped your style and the worldview that your fiction is built on.

My biggest initial influences in desire to be a writer were genetic, i.e., my mother and father.

My dad was a hard-boiled, hard-core, hard-bitten, hard-case WW I combat veteran—a newspaperman/journalist, war correspondent, and occasional pulp writer during the 1920s and ‘30s. He became a wire-service bureau chief, in Lisbon. My parents had lived in the same Paris neighborhood as Ernest and Hadley Hemingway and were part of the same literary and artistic circles.

My mother was an artist, a sculptor of some renown, and the daughter of three generations of newspaper men. And she had the storyteller’s gift. She’d been a fashion illustrator for Vogue Magazine, so her artist’s eye missed nothing. Decades after an event she could recall the most precise details, inflect the tone of voice of someone who’d been speaking, mimic accents, and connect everything to the weather, the political climate, how the women and men were dressed, how the food was prepared, was served and tasted.

Just before World War Twice they returned to California and Hollywood where he became a screenwriter for Fox. I came along soon after. Then the war came along and my father was killed, soon after Pearl Harbor.

As a child without a father—growing up in Hollywood during the war—my mother would tell stories about her early life. I was fascinated with her accounts of her famous family’s history, of my father’s life, their travels—including some exciting adventures with narrow escapes—and the now all-but-forgotten literary figures they’d known such as John Dos Passos, Sinclair Lewis, Theodore Dreiser, Sherwood Anderson, Sylvia Beach, Gertrude Stein, Ford Maddox Ford, James Joyce, Raoul Whitfield, and Dashiell Hammett.

When I was very young my mother would tell me serial stories of characters she’d invent. Then, taking a big drawing pad and using charcoal pencils, she’d quickly illustrate them while she was telling the story, drawing the characters—horses, boats, cars, guns—and the most outrageous and weirdly costumed arch-villains. We had a house full of books, and a beach house in Laguna Beach and so I grew up reading and surfing.

Pulp magazines were still on the newsstands when I was a kid and I became interested in reading and collecting science fiction magazines. Without question, much of my interest in writing fiction came from that early pulp exposure.

Going to the local newsstand with my weekly allowance was a ritual. What a visual feast! There were dozens of lurid covers, adventures, detective mysteries, westerns, romances, creepy shudders, and the ones in the back at the top—beyond kid’s reach—the spicy pulps.

So I pictured myself being able to write for these kinds of exciting magazines. I was just learning to type and submitted a few science fiction shorts in my early teens—which were promptly rejected.

Unfortunately, by the time I had begun to write well enough to perhaps be accepted, the pulps were approaching extinction, and everyone in my college writing classes was trying to write like Jack Kerouac, J.D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut or Joseph Heller.

Ray Bradbury’s fiction was a strong early influence, and he spoke frequently at Robert Kirsch’s Art of Fiction course and workshops at UCLA where I was a student. I’ve never forgotten his closing words at one of his lectures:

“Always quit while you’re hot. And don’t forget to put the cover on your typewriter.”

HOLLYWOOD, DOC, SPIDER, THE UNEXPECTED, AND MORE FROM RADIO ARCHIVES!

News
September 23, 2011

September 23, 2011

NEW RELEASE – The Lux Radio Theatre, Volume 3

“Lux Presents Hollywood!”

Hollywood’s greatest actors and best directors. Star level writing and production values. A world renowned Hollywood legend as the host. And a full hour weekly to showcase it all to the listening public. Sound like the perfect formula for a drama program from the Golden Age of Radio? It was and Radio Archives has it here for you, The Lux Radio Theatre Volume 3!

The Lux Radio Theatre, based in New York, premiered on the Blue Network October 14, 1934. The name derived from the show’s sponsor, Lux Soap from Lever Brothers. Although Lux began primarily as an anthology based on Broadway shows of the period, it recognized the value of Hollywood star power from the start. Stories abound of the various imaginative and cunning ways that scouts for Lux snagged top talent.

Even with creative recruitment techniques, The Lux Radio Theatre teetered on cancellation within a year of its debut, due largely to lack of available talent in New York. Even a move to CBS on July 29, 1935 didn’t change the downward spiral. Danny Denker, an executive with the ad agency handling the Lever Brothers account, advised that production values of The Lux Radio Theatre had to be opulent and top notch and that films, not Broadway shows, should be the focus, and most of all, the program had to come out of Hollywood, not New York.

Denker’s suggestions became fact on June 1, 1936 with the first Lux Radio Theatre program from Hollywood. And from the first show, opulent and top notch was the new standard for the program: budgeted at $17,000.00, more than half of that going to pay Marlene Dietrich and Clark Gable, the show’s leads, and acclaimed director Cecil B. Demille as host.

As the six programs in this third volume of Lux Radio Theatre clearly show, there were many reasons that this hour long program was a top-ten network show for much of its nearly twenty year run after moving to Hollywood and remains one of the most beloved shows by OTR collectors today. The programs spotlighted in this volume are from early 1939 and are headlined by the seminal Hollywood talent of the era, including James Cagney and Maureen O’Sullivan. That combined with the sparkling audio quality of this newly restored and remastered set makes Radio Archive’s third volume of The Lux Radio Theatre an absolute must-have for OTR fans. Priced at only $17.98 for the six hour Audio CD set or $11.98 for the Digital Download version, you’ll want to add this to your personal collection today.

Radio Reviews of “The Unexpected Volume 1”

By Tommy Hancock

Even though it seems that all the audio gems that could be discovered from the Golden Age of Radio have been available for years, there are still several hidden treasures that haven’t been heard in many cases since the first time some radio station played them fifty or more years ago. Thanks to the work of Radio Archives, one such program, The Unexpected has risen from past obscurity and can be appreciated for all of its genre smashing greatness.

Produced by Hamilton-Whitney Productions for syndication in 1947, The Unexpected is a program consisting of fifteen minute long episodes, each one a self-contained tale involving some sort of situation that a protagonist found him or herself in, one usually of their own making, that led to adventure, action, or simply general chaos. Also, each show ended in exactly the same way. A resolution would be presented, seemingly the end of the episode, then the disturbingly deep voice of the announcer interrupted with “You think the story is over, don’t you? But wait! Fate takes a hand. Wait for the Unexpected!”

The Unexpected Volume 1 is just that, an unexpected treat for a variety of reasons. First, the cast pool that Hamilton-Whitney drew from consisted mostly of excellent character actors, like Barry Sullivan, Lyle Talbot, and Lurene Tuttle, many of which had experience behind the radio microphone as well. Even when there are flubs on the part of someone like Sullivan or Tuttle, it adds realism to the performance, accenting the anxiety already building for the character.

As mentioned, the scripts provided for The Unexpected are shining examples of just what a skillful writer can do with about twelve minutes of story. The pacing is frenetic, from the usually already in progress feel of the beginning all the way through the shock ending. Even though some of the outcomes may seem cliché to a modern audience, listeners will find they don’t care because they are caught up in the flow of the story. Add in the haunting melody of the theme music and the unassuming, yet unsettling tones of the announcer, and the production values of The Unexpected make this stand out well amongst other similar shows

The Unexpected is a stand out show that blends horror, mystery, adventure, and even a touch of comedy every once in a while. Stories in this volume range from adventure yarns like ‘Unknown Cargo’ to slice of life situations such as ‘Birthday Present’ and even into the realm of predestined justice with tales like ‘The Cripple.’ Each show is the audio equivalent of flipping through the yellowed pages of an old Pulp magazine, not knowing what thrills lay ahead. Excellent performances, dead on pacing, twist endings, and quality audio remastering insure that The Unexpected Volume One is one of the best series of its type! And it is available from Radio Archives for only $14.98 for the five hour CD collection or $9.98 for the Digital Download version.

31 New Digital Download sets now available

RA001 One Man’s Family, Vol 1 RA002 Mr. President, Vol 1

RA005 Little Orphan Annie RA008 The Shadow of Fu Manchu

RA009 The Kraft Music Hall starring Al Jolson RA016 Frontier Town

RA017 The Milton Berle Show RA020 Dr. Christian

RA031 The Complete Cinnamon Bear RA027 Birds Eye Open House, starring Dinah Shore

RA037 Mr. President, Vol 2 RA039 Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Vol 1

RA045 Matinee with Bob and Ray, Vol 1 RA064 One Man’s Family, Vol 2

RA068 Komedy Kingdom RA079 The Big Bands on One Night Stand, Vol 1

RA080 The Mercury Theatre on the Air RA082 The Big Bands on One Night Stand, Vol 2

RA083 MGM Theatre of the Air RA085 Mystery House

RA127 The Couple Next Door RA128 Screen Director’s Playhouse

RA131 Space Patrol, Vol 1 RA156 Imperial Leader

RA158 Date with the Duke RA160 Curtain Time, Vol 1

RA169 Luke Slaughter of Tombstone RA163 The Big Bands on One Night Stand, Vol 3

RA171 Command Performance, Vol 1 RA174 All-Star Western Theatre

RA178 Radio Hall of Fame, Vol 1

RadioArchives.com continues to bring the best of the Past to You via the technology of Today! With Digital Downloads, the amazing quality audio content that Radio Archives is known for can be yours on your phone, computer, iPod or portable device! Set at a great price with immediate delivery once you click and purchase, the audio you love from Radio Archives is available now as Digital Downloads! Click here to see all the sets available for download.

The Spider Arrives in First Audiobook

RadioArchives.com takes pulp audiobooks to a new and exciting level, with the release of Prince of the Red Looters, the first Spider audiobook, coming October 7.

Producer Roger Rittner says, “Prince of the Red Looters will be a stunning addition to RadioArchives.com‘s audiobook line. This action-packed story will have two stars of stage and film narrating and voicing the character parts. Nick Santa Maria and Robin Riker have done outstanding work in this exciting novel-length adventure of the classic pulp hero, The Spider.

“Nick has the perfect voice to narrate the fantastic adventures of The Spider. And Robin, who played Pat Savage in The Adventures of Doc Savage, has turned in a stellar performance as his companion and confidant, Nita Van Sloane, as well as other female characters.

“This new and exciting audiobook enhanced with sound effects and full music score takes you on a roller-coaster ride of danger, action, thrills, and adventure.”

In Prince of the Red Looters, The Spider faces one of his most cunning criminal enemies The Fly! The Fly’s ruthlessly efficient crime organization commits a chain of bold and deadly atrocities on New York City, while The Fly taunts The Spider in a series of ever more dangerous duels.

“The result is a listening experience that will thrill every fan of audiobooks and pulp fiction,” Roger says.

Listeners who have previewed early chapters are enthused:

* “It’s excellent. Really held my attention. I think it works wonderfully.”

* “An exceptional job.”

* “The results are amazing.”

Listen to a sample of Prince of the Red Looters

Prince of the Red Looters will be available in a six-CD set at $19.98, and an MP3 Digital Download at just $14.98.

Doc Savage Audiobooks Continue to Delight Fans

RadioArchives.com‘s first two Doc Savage audiobooks, Will Murray’s Python Isle and White Eyes, continue to attract and delight Doc fans as well as those just discovering the greatest adventure hero of the 1930s.

Narrator Michael McConnohie’s extended audio-visual sampler of Python Isle, the first Doc Savage audiobook, is available for viewing on the Python Isle Liner Notes in the Audiobook category. Python Isle will soon be available at selected comic book retailers.

White Eyes narrator Richard Epcar has been talking up the second Doc Savage audiobooks at recent comic and video game conventions, and says many of his fans are enthusiastic when they learn about the adventure hero.

Python Isle and White Eyes are available in impressive CD sets, as digital downloads, and also in special Signed Director’s Editions.

New Pulp Fiction Reprints

Need a dose of Action? Want to infuse some Adventure into your every day life? Do you need a Hero? Then find all of that and more in the classic pulp novel reprints from RadioArchives.com featuring the greatest heroes, the highest adventure, and the most action from the best Pulp Fiction has to offer!

Doc Savage, Volume 51: Halloween Special

The Pulp Era’s legendary superhero follows terror trails in classic thrillers by Harold A. Davis and Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, the Man of Bronze journeys to “The Land of Fear” hidden deep within Africa to discover the deadly secret behind the “skeleton death” that dissolves human flesh to the bone. Then, a grisly vampire murder in the lobby of his own headquarters building leads Doc Savage and his beautiful cousin Patricia to the South Atlantic in pursuit of “The Fiery Menace.” This classic pulp reprint showcases the original color pulp covers by Robert G. Harris and Emery Clarke, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and a behind-the-scenes article by Will Murray, writer of eight Doc Savage novels. Only $14.95 at RadioArchives.com

The Shadow, Volume 53: Vampire Triple Feature!

The Knight of Darkness investigates deadly vampire attacks in two heart-stopping chillers by Walter Gibson writing as “Maxwell Grant” and a classic radio mystery! First, the Master of Darkness must battle a giant vampire bat and enter the dangerous “Garden of Death” to discover the secret behind a deadly drug monopoly. Then, The Shadow enters haunted Haldrew Hall to unearth the bloody secret behind “The Vampire Murders” in a sequel to the legendary Victorian thriller, “Varney the Vampire.” BONUS: “Vampires Prowl by Night,” a lost thriller from the Golden Age of Radio! This instant collector’s item showcases both classic pulp covers by George Rozen, the original interior illustrations by Paul Orban and commentary by popular-culture historians Anthony Tollin and Will Murray. Available now for $14.95.

The Spider, Volume 20

The Spider returns in two thrill-packed adventures! First, in The Devil’s Candlesticks, Only the Spider can combat a mystic murder spell turning the rich into ruthless fiends has fallen over Manhattan! Then, in Revolt Of The Underworld, America’s most ruthless criminals, led by the Fox, have declared war on the Spider. Nita Van Sloan apparently murdered! Richard Wentworth framed! Can the Spider successfully clear his name and find his beloved fiancé? All this and more for $14.95 from RadioArchives.com!

Review of “Crime, Insured” from The Shadow, Volume 1

By John Olsen

“Crime, Insured” was originally published in the July 1, 1937 issue of The Shadow Magazine. A new racket has sprung up in Manhattan: crime insurance. Crime has gone ultra-modern. Bigshots have discarded old-fashioned methods and are now insuring their crimes against failure. But can they insure against intervention by that master of the night, The Shadow?

Nearly all of The Shadow’s agents appear in this story. Not only the main agents who are captured, but some of the secondary or “reserve” agents appear as well. Criminologist Slade Farrow shows up along with his assistant Tapper, whose expertise at picking a lock is second only to The Shadow. Giant African Jericho Druke is another reserve agent who appears. Doctor Rupert Sayre joins in to assist with some radio direction finding tasks.The New York Police is represented by Commissioner Ralph Weston and ace inspector Joe Cardona. Both get small parts, and don’t get to do much. Still, it’s nice to see them included here.

It’s mentioned that The Shadow is an expert at jujutsu. This isn’t the only time his martial arts abilities have been mentioned, but it’s nice to see them specifically identified.

In 1933s story “The Black Hush,” an amazing invention was detailed. A black-ray machine that could suppress all electrical activity. That machine reappears in this story, four years later. The black ray machine plays an important part in the rescue of the agents. Also, that strange code that The Shadow uses, the one that’s comprised of a silent eye-code shows up again. This time it’s Burbank who uses it to communicate with the other agents during their confinement. “Glances, with simple shifts of gaze, enabled them to spell out secret messages.”

This story is one of the pivotal ones in the saga of The Shadow. Read as The Shadow battles the boldest and most amazing racket in the history of modern crime, and nearly loses his entire organization in the bargain. Yup, this is the one. And it is available from Radio Archives in The Shadow Volume 1 for $12.95.

Will Murray’s New Doc Savage Book: The Desert Demons

by Lester Dent and Will Murray, writing as Kenneth Robeson

The Ultimate Pulp Hero is back after 20 years! Doc Savage and his mighty crew return in a brand-new series of nightmare exploits that can only be called The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage!

Ferocious blood-red Things drop down from the sky! The state of California is besieged by the Desert Demons, a phenomenon so fierce that it triggers a modern exodus! Only Doc Savage, the scientist-superman forged in the fires of scientific knowledge to battle the unknown, is equal to the challenge. From the Hollywood hills to the alligator-infested interior of Florida, the Man of Bronze wages war with cyclonic monsters that seem to possess an intelligence of their own and a murderous malevolence that smacks of the unearthly!

From ideas crafted by Pulp Legend Lester Dent, noted Pulp Author and Historian Will Murray uses his incredible storytelling skills to bring life once more to the penultimate fiction Hero of the 20th Century! Before Comic books there were pulps and before four color heroes, there was Doc Savage! And, thanks to Will Murray, Doc is most definitely Back in this first of The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage series.

The Desert Demons – Written by Will Murray! Based on concepts by Lester Dent! Cover Illustration by Joe DeVito! Get your copy today from RadioArchives.com for only $24.95!

Praise for The Desert Demons

My cover arrived today; it is fabulous! Without a doubt or hesitation it is worth every single penny! I hope fans recognize what a super bargain this volume is and support this release. From cover to cover this book remind me of times when publishers really took pride in their books; you folks obviously do and it shows! As always, I hope y’all know just how much Doc fans appreciate these new adventures! Will, you have really outdone yourself with this one; great fun! Wishing you all the very best!

Link Hullar

The Desert Demons resurrects Doc Savage and his friends in a way Lester Dent would be proud of. Will Murray, who fleshes out this novel from some previously unpublished notes and material written by Dent in the mid-thirties, seems at times to be channeling Dent in an almost supernatural way. Certainly The Desert Demons is a novel every fan of Doc Savage will not just enjoy, but thrill to. This one, certainly did.

Gerald W. Page, editor The Years’ Best Horror Stories

This took me back to my youth, when I spent summer afternoons avidly reading musty back issues of Doc Savage Magazine. It’s all here – the fantastic other-worldly menace, Doc’s crew of five, his cousin Pat, and the pre-World War 2 world of the ’30s. What more could I ask?

Ted White, author of The Great Gold Steal

A “lost” novel of the Man of Bronze, conceived in the 1930s by the great Kenneth Robeson and written by his brilliant successor, famed adventure novelist Will Murray the real Doc Savage lives again!

Richard Kyle, editor, Argosy

Deal of the Day

Looking for the best in quality Audio, Pulps, and classic DVDs at a price you just can’t beat? Then you’re in the right place for Radio Archive’s Deal Of The Day!

Not only is one item available daily at a discount, but there are Three Deals at All Times with the Deal of the Day! No limits! No minimum amount! Simply Great Products at Unbelievable Prices!

Every Day a Different Item is available at 10% Off. If you’re into Pulp, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days to pick up a great Pulp deal at a 10% discount!

For The Next Two Weeks Only – 4 Hours of Western Audio Adventure for 25% off!

OTR and Pulp fans alike will thrill to the six gun two fisted action of yesteryear with this fantastic 4 hour set of classic Radio Westerns. Stars such as Jeff Chandler, Guy Madison, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autry as well as classic Western characters like Wild Bill Hickok and The Cisco Kid make this Western set a must have for fans of Cowboys and Frontier Justice! And until October 6th, it’s available for $14.98, 25% percent off regular price!

September Deal Of The Month – Zorro: The Masked Avenger

Out of the old Spanish West comes Zorro! Relive the classic tales of Zorro, the defender of the common people, the masked hero of the oppressed riding right out of the old Spanish West! This 3-DVD set features three classic movie serials from Hollywood’s Golden Age plus the 1936 feature length film “The Bold Caballero”. Swashbuckling sword slinging at its best for only $14.98, 50% off regular price! for the entire month of September!

Look for the yellow ‘Deal Of The Day’ price tag in the upper right hand corner of the home page and click it for a great deal Every Single Day from RadioArchives.com!

Comments From Our Customers!

Steven Goodrich writes:

Thanks for the response. You have a great company there. Keep up the good work.

Andy Howells reviews The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes Volume 1 and writes:

“a new collection of rare radio plays from the 1940s recently released by Radio Archives retells some of Holmes greatest escapades from the armchair of his closest ally, Dr Watson and despite the age of the recordings have excellent sound quality. The presentation and pace of the stories is very good and in all examples have a beginning, middle and end making them very listenable and enjoyable.

Steve Sher writes:

Listened to “Suspense” on the way home tonight–lots of traffic–and was held spellbound by “Donovan’s Brain.” Just had to tell you!

Gil Wilson says of The Unexpected Volume 1:

“This collection is perfect for any fan of mystery, thrillers, suspense and old time radio. If you are just plain curious, check them out they are a lot of fun, especially because the end of each story is Unexpected.”

If you’d like to share a comment with us or if you have a question or a suggestion send an email to Service@RadioArchives.com. We’d love to hear from you!

MARC ALAN FISHMAN: Variant Variety Ain’t the Spice of Life

Columns
September 10, 2011

When my mother asked me why I was buying up all the comics I could, I made an attempt to satisfy her underlying problem. “I’m not wasting my money, Mom, these comics are worth money!” She bought that. Years later, she asked me when I was going to sell them and enjoy the tidy profit. Wouldn’t you know it? All those copies of Night Man and Mantra weren’t worth the paper they were printed on. And my Walgreens copy of Cyberforce: Bloodstryke? Nary a nickel would be given to me by any one aside from maybe Marc Silvestri. Had I been smart enough, I would have picked up the holo-foil variant cover, and nabbed me a dime.

You see kiddos, when I got into comics, the ‘Variant’ cover ruled the land. In the go-go-nineties, when people suddenly thought comic books were highly coveted collectables, the publishers followed suit by releasing a veritable tidal wave of ‘comicas con variantas.’ Short supply equaled high demand, and before you know it… even your next-door neighbor (who can’t tell Batman from Man-Bat) is collecting comic books. Me personally? I couldn’t care less. Have a seat. Get comfy. Let me pull out my jar of poetry wax. It’s time to polish up the Rant-O-Tron 5000.

Collectables by and large bother me. The idea that you would purchase a toy, a poster, a print, or a talking rubber fish all with the notion that it’d eventually mint you a tidy profit seems ludicrous to me. Toys are meant to be played with. Art is meant to be displayed. And those talking rubber fish? They’re meant to be in RVs in the south.

The same goes for comic books. Maybe I’m alone in this sentiment (and I hope in fact that I’m not) but comic books are meant to be read. Comic books as collectables just irks me a bit. Scratch that. Comic book collectors who don’t enjoy the medium for anything other than the potential profit? They irk me.

Unlike commemorative plates, baseball cards, or Hollywood memorabilia, comic books are made with the intent to entertain. Writers sat at typewriters concocting amazing fantasies for their fictitious creations. Artists slaved over their drawing boards meticulously adding nuance, detail, and action to the written word. And a literal team of other players had their hands in the pot… from the letterers, colorists, inkers, designers, and editors who spent their work week fretting over deadlines to eventually put their book on a store shelf… and you don’t even take the time to read it? Next time do me a favor, buy a limited edition Billy Bass.

But Marc, you protest, what about those smart people who minted thousands upon thousands for their rare Action Comics #1, or Detective Comics #27? What about them, indeed. Neither were a “Holo-Foil Sketch Blank Autographed Variant.” And 75 years from now, if you think your copy of the “B” cover of Justice League 2011 will be worth thousands of dollars more than the standard “A” cover… well, you are welcome to dance on my grave if it’s true.

Suffice to say, I’ve never bought a comic strictly for the purpose of profiting. And for those who do, while I don’t deny you the right to spend your money however you see fit: I scoff at you on principle alone.

For the publishers who produce them, it must seem like a brilliant idea. In John Ostrander’s piece a few weeks back, we learned that the comic book market is such that the publishers don’t sell to the consumers. They sell to retail shops who in turn sell to us. So their spin-off squeeze play is nothing more than an attempt to hike up sales a bit more. Dynamite alone must produce an Alex Ross variant every other week, for every other book they publish. In turn the shops might feel compelled to order enough of the base book to “earn” those packed-in variants, and in-turn mark them up for sale to the saps, err, collectors who come into their stores. I love Alex Ross’s work kids, I do. But they day I’m chasing down a Green Hornet Year One Sketch Cover Variant C, break a NASCAR Jeff Gordon plate across my face. Before anything else, a comic is there to be read and enjoyed.

Agree? Disagree? You know the drill. Let me have it below.

SUNDAY: John Ostrander

MARC ALAN FISHMAN: In Memoriam

Columns
September 3, 2011

Ladies and gentlemen… We gather here today to mourn the loss of a cherished friend. DeeCee was many things to many people. Entertainer. Educator. Detective. Optimist. Friend. Let us take this time to recount those times that touched us, before DeeCee passed on into the ethereal void of blackness.

DeeCee, above all else, seemed impervious to the mortality we all must face. Since his birth in 1934 (back when we call just called him Nate Alypub) DeeCee has been one to cite the changing times as his own catalyst for reinvention. The world went to war, and with it, so did DeeCee. When our world became fixated on the cosmos above, did he not put on his space suit and power ring? Against his better judgment, DeeCee proudly sported a mighty and magnificent mullet in the late 80s. He was never afraid to put on a pair of cowboy boots. Let us never forget when we all thought he was dead, back in 1992. Even from those bleak times, he rose once again, stronger than ever. When the world grew grim and gritty, DeeCee broke his back in that tragic accident. But did he not pick himself up and reclaim his mantle without pause?

I want to take some time now too, to acknowledge DeeCee’s extended family. We were all crushed by the tragic end of his cousins Tan Gent and Elle Swirlds. DeeCee was always so proud of their accomplishments! I’m touched to see in attendance today DeeCee’s brothers, Vern Tigo and Wiley Storm. Vern, DeeCee was always quick to note how you were the sobering realist and macabre dreamer to his starry-eyed optimist. And Wiley… How could we ever forget when DeeCee adopted you, and kept you afloat during your more troublesome past?

DeeCee was rich in family, but even richer in friends. I see gathered here today a veritable pantheon of personalities, in support of the loss of our friend. Marv-El… we all know how you and DeeCee butted heads throughout your friendship. Before you moved out to Hollywood, you and DeeCee could always be seen sitting in the park, debating this and that. And who among us didn’t beam ear to ear when you two ended a years-long feud and amalgamated your friendship! Also among us are some of DeeCee’s friends from later in life… Val, Imogene, “Boom-Boom” Burt, Ava Tarr… so nice to see you all.

It may very well be the elephant in the room today, friends. DeeCee’s untimely demise was something so many of us saw coming. Who here didn’t scoff just a little this past spring, when he told us all about his trip to Flushing? “Everything will be different after this!” he told us. And we just let him go. He’s had these flights of fancy time and time again. Crisis after Crisis, did we not keep supporting him? He’s always bounced back stronger, we told ourselves. And sure, this trip didn’t sound like anything we hadn’t heard him rant about before. Time travel? Alternate futures? It’s all old-hat for DeeCee. Who would guess though that in a single splash, he would be forever lost to us all. Who among us today thought his last words were anything more than the usual hyperbole DeeCee was known for using?

But I digress. Today’s service isn’t meant to wallow in the demise of our cherished friend. DeeCee would want us to look to the future, as he always had. Most importantly, he would want us to acknowledge his biggest legacy, his son, DeeCee Jr.

Junior is just a week old, and it will be a challenge for him to live, thrive, and survive in these tough times. DeeCee’s legacy will live on in Junior. Though his first steps seem to have stumbled, let us all here in attendance support him here in his infancy. He has the world at his fingertips, and his potential is limitless. May he be inspired by the past, but now wallow in it. May he grow into his own man over time. Let the world adopt him with new eyes and old hearts. For within his gleaming eyes are infinite worlds of infinite possibilities.

Let us now rise, as DeeCee’s charred, limp, decimated body is lowered into the ground. Amen.