SERGEANT PRESTON AND YUKON KING

For those who have been enjoying the PDF scans I share every few months of children's books from the 1950s, featuring the like of The Green Hornet, The Lone Ranger and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, here is another for you to download and enjoy. It pleases me to receive an e-mail from time to time with an expression of appreciation. 

To maintain this as a hobby, I never went to the trouble of finding these books on eBay or Amazon and buying them right off the bat. Like a scavenger hunt, I went to toy collectible shows, comic cons and nostalgia film festivals to browse the selections and buy what I do not recognize as being part of my collection. The fun is the hunt and finding something new I did not have. This was one I recently acquired. And, as you can see from the images below, I also enjoy the art.

LINK BELOW FOR THE PDF

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7mtqbjzp279zlml/Sergeant%20Preston%20and%20Yukon%20King%20%281955%29.pdf?dl=0

UNUSED TARZAN RADIO PLOTS

In 1951, Commodore Syndication licensed from the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate the character of Tarzan for a series of half-hour radio adventures. The character of Tarzan had been done before on radio under various incarnations dating back to the 1930s, (photo illustration is from one of these early radio incarnations) including a thrilling early incarnation titled Tarzan and the Diamond of Ashair. Unlike all of the prior incarnations, the half-hour rendition was not dramatized in serial format. Every episode had a self-contained adventure.

Commodore was a small company based out of Hollywood, California, that had a license agreement to produce Hopalong Cassidy and The Clyde Beatty Show for radio. The former was a Godsend to the company, providing so much lucrative products that the producers wanted to invest in other properties -- hence Clyde Beatty and then Tarzan. The latter program, however, did not receive as wide a distribution as the cowboy hero, even with General Foods signing up for sponsorship for Saturday evenings starting in the spring of 1952. 

Tarzan, despite what some Internet referenced claim, premiered not in 1952 but in January of 1951 over the Don Lee Network on the West Coast. The tales of the jungle hero, however, were not of the high quality and caliber as the motion-picture counterpart being produced at RKO. Critics were quick to claim the program was dull. As Variety commented: "Why this was revived and sponsored must have puzzled many an unwary listener. Claptrap of the jungle is too contrived and what goes with it is just as dull."

In 1951, Judith Bublick, a female script writer located in New York City, submitted plot summaries to the secretary of Commodore, with the hopes that she would attain script-writing duties and help boost the quality of the story content. Bublick was responsible for writing scripts for such radio programs as Nick Carter, Master Detective, Quick as a Flash and The Shadow. While browsing through a number of archives recently, I came across two story proposals for the 1951-1953 radio program. Neither were purchased for adaptation, but for fans of the vine-swinging hero, these un-produced plot proposals are awesome to read. The link for the PDF is included below.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cx0bi151kmm5yud/Tarzan%20radio%20proposal%20%28by%20Judith%20Bublick%29.pdf?dl=0

Batman '66: The Lost Episode with Two-Face

Beginning in 2013, DC Comics began publishing a series of comics titled Batman '66, based on the television program starring Adam West and Burt Ward. Fans of the television series can enjoy additional adventures and -- on rare occasion -- some fun such as a Man from U.N.C.L.E. crossover. In 2015, DC Comics produced a one-shot comic based on a story proposal that was a lost produced. 

During the first season of the Batman television series, producer William Dozier had a roster of villains from the funny pages to choose from. Some criminals such as The Scarecrow and Two-Face were deemed too scary for the campy style they sought. During the first few weeks of the third season, it was discovered that the ratings were dropping and new criminals would be needed to keep the series fresh. Instead of a District Attorney who fell victim to a jar of acid thrown at The Joker, it was decided to make Harvey Dent a news anchor and his accident was the result of a stage light explosion. 

Hired to write a story treatment was Harlan Ellison, who was also known for writing such classics as The Outer Limits and Star Trek. The treatment was green lighted and a television script was drafted. According to the front page of the television script, actor Clint Eastwood was going to play the role of Two-Face. Some production files suggest Eli Wallach was going to play a supporting role. The third and final season was cancelled prematurely and the Two-Face episode never went into production. 

In 2015, Ellison's story treatment was adapted into the comic special Batman ’66: The Lost Episode by DC Comics. They never adapted from the teleplay, just the story treatment. The art never depicts Clint Eastwood as Two-Face, but fans of the television series who want to see what the visuals would have looked like can enjoy this comic.

 

MAD DADDY: Myers, Mintz and the Moondog and How Cleveland, Ohio, Changed Rock Radio

If you want to take a step back in time and look at the pioneers of Cleveland radio that gave us the top ten hits of the week, and the backstories, you can look no further than Mad Daddy: Myers, Mintz and the Moondog and How Cleveland, Ohio, Changed Rock Radio, by Janice and Mike Olszewski assembled. 

 

Television in post war America hit local radio hard so the success of staying in business was from local legends including Alan Freed, Carl Reese, and Bill Randle. This book primarily focuses on the life and career of Pete Myers, also known as “Mad Daddy.” But the book also crosses paths with Leo Mintz, a record store owner who knew what people wanted to listen to – and made an exceptional living doing what he did best. 

 

Not only is this book well-written and highly researched, but highly entertaining. No dead drool or encyclopedic jargon found here. If Mike and Janice were delivering a fascinating slide show presentation, this would be that type of transcript. Fans of rock n’ roll radio of the 1950s and 1960s will find this book a treat. I could sit here and type up a few of the great stories inside to wet your appetite, but that would ruin the fun of reading this book. Why give it away? Do not delay grabbing your copy today.

https://www.bearmanormedia.com/products/mad-daddy-myers-mintz-and-the-moondog-and-how-cleveland-ohio-changed-rock-radio-paperback?_pos=3&_sid=f20c5521a&_ss=r