Friday's Favorite OTR

 Dragnet: "The Big Streetcar" 4/3/52

A woman shoots her husband and then goes on the lam. The sound of a streetcar bell over the phone might be the clue needed to find her.

Click HERE to listen or download. 

Glasshouse Gang #2

 

WARNING: The current ebook reprints of the Glasshouse Gang books lists Desert Marauders (1976) as Book 4 in the series. This is incorrect. It is Book 2 and literally picks up the action where Book 1 leaves off.

 

But the publisher messing up the series order doesn't distract from the quality of the book. Set in North Africa during World War 2, it recounts the adventures of Captain John Offer and his Glasshouse Gang Commando Unit. Except Offer isn't really a captain and the G.G.C.U. isn't a real unit. Instead, it's a ploy used by Offer and his men (all deserters and former residents of brutal military prisons called Glasshouses) to avoid being captured by the authorities.

 

But it turns out Offer is a really good tactical field commander and--when forced to do so--his men can do real harm to the enemy.

 

The book is filled with superb action set pieces as they finish an escape from the German army started at the end of the last novel and, later, find themselves shooting up a German airbase when they run across it by accident during a rain storm.

 

By this time, they've acquired an arch-enemy in the German army and the British army has figured out who they are. But Offer is given temporary immunity from prosecution if he and his men can pull off an apparently suicidal raid on Rommel's oil depot, deep in German territory.

 

This leads to an extended climatic action sequence that is literally edge-of-your-seat stuff.

 

Like the first novel, there's an interesting thematic tension existing just underneath the action. Offer and his men despise the British army because of the brutal treatment they were subject too in the Glasshouse. But to survive the war and stay free, Offer has to recreate a system of military authority within the G.G.C.U.--replicating what he has supposedly rejected. And, when the British finally tumble to what he's doing, a particular major general doesn't react with the same arrogant authority Offer usually sees from the Top Brass. Instead, the general respects what Offer has accomplished and, though he's quite straightforward about his willingness to sacrifice Offer's men on what is probably a suicide mission, he does so out of strict military necessity.

 

So is the series anti-authoritarian or simply critical of abuse among otherwise necessary authority figures? Is Offer a criminal (stealing vehicles, supplies and payrolls without a qualm) or does his skill, courage and the loyalty he shows towards his men lift him up into something more?

 

In the end, it doesn't matter. Desert Marauders works primarily as a cracking good wartime adventure novels. Thematic issues underlying it make for worthwhile discussions, but we come to the novel mostly to watch stuff get blown up.

When Even the Gods Give Up

 

cover art by Ron Wilson

The credits for Marvel Two-In-One #23 (January 1977) include Bill Mantlo as writer for the first 6 pages and Jim Shooter finishing it up from there. Ron Wilson is the artist, but with Marie Severin listed as giving an assist. But, despite having several hands the in the pot, the end result is a fun and satisfying story full of great art (including a couple of epic splash pages), great action and a defining character moment for Ben Grimm.

The last issue ended with Seth, the Egyptian god of death, sending an army of undead against Thor and Ben while in the operating room of a New York hospital. Seth is using the army to weaken his opponents while bringing them a bridge between dimensions. It's not the rainbow bridge to Asgard, but it seems to serve a similar purpose. There's a fun implication that each pantheon has its own bridge leading to its own kingdom.

Seth has his brother Horus hanging from chains, while their parents (Isis and Osiris) are held prisoner. This is the start of Seth's conquest of the universe. And it looks as if he might pull it off, as he is able to hold off attacks from both Ben and Thor.

Set summons up an all-powerful monster called the Devourer. But this works against him, as the Devourer plans to destroy everything, including Seth. In desperation, Seth releases Horus, who had once traped the Devourer. But Horus is too weak to do anying, while Osiris and Isis are fatalistically accepting their doom.

In the meantime, Thor is stunned by the Devourer, leaving Ben standing against the monster on his own.

And, by golly, if you want to get on Ben Grimm's nerves, then you can't do a better job than just giving up when the chips are down. Annoyed by the fatalism of the gods and realizing that the monster wants to kill Horus first, Ben grabs Horus and jumps off the bridge into endless interdimensional space.

The Devourer unthinkingly jumps after them. Thor, who has regained consciousness, throws his hammer near Ben, who is able to grab it and be brought back to the bridge. This leaves the Devourer falling into space forever.

From there, the two heroes return to Earth, where Dr. Donald Blake "arrives" in time to care for the patient that Ben and Johnny had brought to the hospital.

As I already said, it's a great issue. The art is fantastic, the action plays out in a logical (well, according to Comic Book Logic) manner, the pacing is lightning-fast and Ben's willingness to sacrifice himself if necessary by jumping off the bridge is typical of his inate heroism and one of the reasons he is one of the hearts of the Marvel Universe.

Next week, we jump back over to the DC Universe to continue our look at Green Lantern.

Cover Cavalcade

 MAY IS "WORST DATE EVER" MONTH!

A Walter Baumhaffer cover from 1934.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Suspense: "This Will Kill You." 8/23/45

Dane Clark gives an excellent performance of a paranoid and narcissitic man who is convinced he's planning the perfect murder.

Click HERE to listen or download. 

Taking Crazy Chances

 

cover art by Peter Stevens

A blog worth reading (well, other than mine, of course) is Rough Edges, in which author and master storyteller James Reasoner will review the sort of fiction I love and often add to my list of "Stuff I Gotta Read." A recent entry, found HERE, reviewed the June 1947 issue of Adventure. Reasoner mentioned one particular story--a boxing yarn by Clifton Adams--that sounded like more fun than a barrel full of oil workers.

"The Crazy Kind" is set in the oil fields of Oklahoma and narrated in the style of someone casually telling the story to friends, full of humor as it moves the plot along swiftly.

The unnamed narrator is an oil worker along with his best friend Ed Burk. Ed was once cheated out of valuable land by their foreman, big and brutal Hack Lawson. Ed is someone the narrator classifies as the "crazy kind." In Ed's case, it's because he gambles but always loses. "In fact, Ed don't miss anything that there's a chance to lose money on."

Soon, they meet new guy Duke Hastings. The Duke is another of the crazy kind--in this case a greenhorn who thinks that anyone who works in oil in Oklahoma is bound to strike it rich.

The Duke has a run-in with Hack Lawson, who gives Duke an under-the-belt shot to take him down. 

But Ed finds out that the Duke was a boxer back in Chicago. So he comes up with the idea of setting up a Duke/Hack rematch in the ring, knowing the arrogant Hack would take bets while giving really good odds. Ed scraped up enough money for a large bet. 

Ed's plan goes awry when Hack finds out the Duke has bad legs. If the fight goes more than three rounds, the Duke's gams would give out.

This fun story, written in easy, humorous prose and ending with an exciting and brutal boxing match, is worth reading. I appreciate Mr. Reasoner sharing its existence with us. 

You can read the story yourself HERE to see how it all plays out. 

Death Quest to Qward

 

Cover art by Dick Giodano

Green Lantern #125 (Feb. 1980) begins with GL blocking off a portal that leads to Qward. That won't keep either Sinestro or the Qwardians in Qward, but will keep a stray human from wandering into that less-than-friendly world.

Writer Denny O'Neil and artist Joe Staton keep things moving quickly. Hal tries to report to his new job at Ferris Aircraft, but he ticks off his boss by almost immediately getting a signal that someone has set off the alarm he left set near the portal.

At the portal, he discovers Sinestro returning to Earth, clearing the rock barrier around the portal to do so. There's a brief ring-vs-ring battle, then Hal sets off gas bombs he had planted earlier. This gives him enough of an advantage to take Sinestro's yellow power ring. 

Sinestro retreats through the portal. Hal knows Sinestro can get a new ring from the Weaponers of Qward, but takes a moment to recharge his ring before pursuing. While he's doing this, though, a kid wanders into the portal.

On Qward, Hal dodges a convoy of Weaponer vehicles, reaches the Weaponers' fortress, outsmarts and knocks out a guard, then gains entrance. He soon knocks out the Weaponer who is in the process of making Sinestro's new ring. (The guy also mentions that General Fabrikant is developing a weather control device for an invasion.)

It looks like Hal is in position to take Sinestro by surprise, but that Earth kid shows up and gets underfoot. Sinestro gets his ring. And Hal's ring--well, it doesn't work inside the Weaponers' fortress.

               

Hal keeps his head, though, using one of the lightning javelins carried by the guard he early knocked out to stun Sinestro. 

Once back outside, his ring works again. He quickly returns to Earth with the kid in tow.

Once back, though, he sees evidence that others have been through the portal. He adds up the convoy he saw, the absense of men & weapons from the fortress, and the mention of a weather control device. This tells him that the Weaponers have invaded Earth.

 

This is a great issue. It starts out in high gear and keeps moving rapidly, telling the story well and keeping the action almost non-stop. Hal is required to use his brains in addition to his ring to survive. Also, the story drops in a clue to a plot development we'll see in the next issue. The Weaponer general whose name was mentioned is Fabrikant. The kid who "accidentally" wandered into Qward and "accidentally" messed up Hal's chance to get Sinestro is Fabian. It's a nifty clue that gave the readers a chance to pick up on it, but subtle enough so that many readers would miss it. 

Next week, we'll return to the Marvel Universe to see how the Thing and Thor are doing against an army of undead. In two weeks, we'll return here to visit again with Hal Jordan.

Cover Cavalcade

 MAY IS "WORST DATE EVER" MONTH!

This 1940 cover is by Rafael De Soto.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 I Was a Communist for the FBI: "Card Game in the Clouds" 6/4/52

Matt thinks the communists might suspect him of being a double agent and that they have sent him on a mission designed to force him to reveal himself. 

Click HERE to listen or download.

Road House (1948)

 

SPOILER ALERT! if you haven't seen it.

Toss Richard Widmark into a Film Noir and it will be good. Especially if he's the villain.

In Road House (1948), Widmark plays "Jefty" Robbins, the owner of a place called... well, "Road House." It's a bar/bowling alley establishment, which Jefty's friend Pete Morgan (Cornell Wilde) runs efficiently as manager.

Things get complicated when Jefty brings a singer back with him from a trip to Chicago. This is Lily Stevens, played by Ida Lupina. Pete doesn't like this--Jefty often gets crushes on girls like Lily, then gets tired of them. Pete is then stuck with the unpleasant job of paying off the girl.

He tries to get Lily to leave, but she's strong-willed. She's also a good singer and brings in customers. So Lily stays. Jefty's crush on her intensifies, even though she makes it clear she's not romantically interested in him. In the meantime, Pete and Lily gradually fall for each other.

This first act of the movie is just a tad slow-paced, but this allows the movie to take the time to solidly establish character personalities and relationships, making the Pete/Lily stuff believable rather than a contrived plot point. Also, the dialogue is snappy and the cast is strong. This cast includes Celeste Holme as a cashier who also likes Pete, but proves to be a friend to both him and Lily when needed.

The Film Noir stuff kicks in when Jefty learns that Pete and Lily are going to get married. Jefty doesn't take this well. Widmark's performance here is superb, gradually taking Jefty down a slope that starts with "deceitful, selfish jerk" to "full-on pyscho." 

He frames Pete for embezzlement. After Pete is convicted, Jefty puts on a "I wanna help my friend" act for the judge, getting Pete probation on the condition that he comes back to Road House and gradually pays back the stolen funds. But once Pete is back, Jefty makes it clear that Pete is essentially no more than a slave--either do what Jefty says (including "don't marry Lily") or go to jail.

This all leads to an intense climax at an isolated cabin in the woods, with a drunken, gloating Jefty driving both Pete and Lily to consider drastic measures.

It's a strong, well-made Noir with a great cast. You can watch it in its entirety on YouTube: