Saturday, February 17, 2018
Toys From My Childhood
Aurora Godzilla Glow in the Dark
The first of the Aurora monster models was Frankenstein, although the kit was, of course, of the Monster. From a sculpture by Jack Lemon, based on a Marx’s wind-up walker toy, the original prototype was shown at the HIAA annual convention in January, 1962. No orders were received until the last day of the show, when industry representatives were allowed to bring their families. On that day, Chicago distributor Al Davis’s sons Glenn and Fred wandered into the Aurora exhibit. Instead of grabbing the planes, cars or trucks, they made straight for the Monster, and Davis placed an order. A couple of California distributors saw this and placed orders too.
Aurora shipped the kits, and a few days later the phone started ringing: ‘Can we have some more monsters?’ As it became obvious that the Frankenstein kit was going to be a huge success, the rest of the line-up was rushed into production. Dracula came next, followed by the Wolf Man, both of these being in stores in time for Christmas 1962. The following year saw The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Mummy and the Phantom of the Opera, with the Hunchback of Notre Dame, King Kong and Godzilla coming in 1964. Dr Jekyll as Mr Hyde was not released until 1965. Later that year, the Bride of Frankenstein and the Witch went into production, but it was a miscalculation by Aurora; girls tended not to buy model kits, and female characters don’t appeal to 10 year old boys.
The last of the line of Aurora monster models was The Forgotten Prisoner of Castel Mare, which was created in association with Warren Magazines. The story of the hapless prisoner was told in the August 1970 edition of Creepy. As famous as the models today is James Bama’s fantastic box art, and a mere glimpse of it recalls fantastic childhood memories for many an ‘old boy’.
As sales dwindled, Aurora attempted to revitalise the range with their ‘Frightening Lightning’ and ‘Glows in the Dark’ series in 1969, which featured new, square boxes (the originals had been rectangular) and an extra sprue with some phosphorescent plastic parts. The move worked, and once again the monsters racked up sales from a new generation of 1970s kids. [Classic Monsters]
New York
This photo was taken in 1882 from the roof of a mansion that belonged to George Ehret, a successful brewer and one of the first wealthy New Yorkers to move to Prospect Hill (now Carnegie Hill)
First Lines: Donald Hamilton - Death of a Citizen
I was taking a Martini across the room to his wife, who was still chatting with our host, Amos Darrell, the physicist, when the front door of the house opened and a man came in to join the party.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Fences (2016)
A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.
It shows that this movie is the adaptation of a stage play as its very heavy on dialogue, but the stellar performances and intelligent direction make it worth the while.
Appaloosa (2008)
Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.
Nicely photographed and played elegiac revisionist Western celebrates old-fashioned men's bonding and honor which includes a good slice of misogyny as well.
Maltin**: "Fairly simple story...takes an awfully long time to spin out. Harris and Mortensen make a great team, and their friendship is the most interesting aspect of this long-winded film."
Thursday, February 15, 2018
New York
Photographer Peter Baab captured what he called the march of improvement new row houses and mansions began to overrun the old factories squatter homes and farmhouses that once dominated the upper east side
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
First Lines: Richard Condon - The Manchurian Candidate
It was sunny in San Francisco; a fabulous condition.
The Howling: Reborn (2011)
A teenage outcast discovers he is a werewolf, and must battle a pack of the brutal creatures when they threaten him and his new girlfriend.
A sad example of how the mainstream horror has degenerated to a genre for an immature teen audience.
The Fog (1980)
An unearthly fog rolls into a small coastal town exactly 100 years after a ship mysteriously sank in its waters.
Nicely-made, old-fashioned ghost story has some predictable shock moments, but is otherwise quite unoriginal.
Halliwell*: "Silly but beguiling horror film with shock effects typical of its director."
Maltin**1/2: "...a well-directed but obvious ghost story..."
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
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