Movie Review: The Case of the Lucky Legs

Della ministers to her employer.

Movie Review: The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935) directed by Archie Mayo Frank Patton (Craig Reynolds) has a pretty neat scam going. He poses as the representative of a major hosiery company who’s come to a small city to hold a “Lucky Legs” beauty contest. Patton gets local businessmen to front all the expenses for… Continue reading Movie Review: The Case of the Lucky Legs

Movie Review: The Case of the Curious Bride

Perry can handle drinking coffee during an autopsy, but Spudsy has a weaker stomach.

Movie Review: The Case of the Curious Bride (1935) directed by Michael Curtiz Between movies, star defense attorney Perry Mason has successfully defended an alleged hatchet killer, humiliating the district attorney once again. He’s preparing for a victory feast, the crab dish of which he’ll cook himself, and then a Chinese vacation. At the restaurant, he’s… Continue reading Movie Review: The Case of the Curious Bride

Book Review: The Hills of Homicide

Book Review: The Hills of Homicide by Louis L’Amour Before he landed the contracts that were to make him America’s most beloved Western writer, Louis L’Amour tried his hand at various other genres of pulp fiction. But the pulp magazine market was drying up, so it was generally a good thing he found other work.… Continue reading Book Review: The Hills of Homicide

Movie Review: The Case of the Howling Dog

Perry Mason reviews the evidence.

Movie Review: The Case of the Howling Dog (1934) directed by Alan Crosland Millionaire Arthur Cartwright (Gordon Westcott) is being put on edge by the howling of his equally rich neighbor Clinton Foley’s (Russell Hicks) dog Prince (Lightning). According to Cartwright, the dog’s been howling for the last forty-eight hours straight, an omen of death. Mr.… Continue reading Movie Review: The Case of the Howling Dog

Comic Book Review: Black Magic Vol. 1

Comic Book Review: Black Magic Vol. 1 Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby The creative team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby tried many different ideas for comic books over the years. Some were successful, others flops. In 1950, they cashed in on the then hot horror genre with Black Magic, created for Prize… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Black Magic Vol. 1

Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries

Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler While stories that could be considered “mysteries” in some sense have existed as long as writing, and perhaps a bit before, the short story mystery came into its own during the lifetime of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). This volume collects forty-nine notable stories from… Continue reading Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries

Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files

Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files edited by Max Allan Collins and Martin H. Greenberg In 1990, the venerable Dick Tracy comic strip got a movie adaptation, Dick Tracy, starring Warren Beatty and Madonna. To cash in on the publicity, the then-writer of the strip, Max Allan Collins, was asked to do both a… Continue reading Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files

Comic Strip Review: Don’t Make Me Laugh, Beetle Bailey

Comic Strip Review: Don’t Make Me Laugh, Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker From 1940 with World War Two looming to 1972 with the Vietnam War being lost, the United States of America had an active Selective Service (“the draft”) process. The amount of young men ebbed and flowed with requirements, but many folks were drafted,… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Don’t Make Me Laugh, Beetle Bailey

Comic Book Review: Bunty Picture Story Library #242: Tina the Tester

Comic Book Review: Bunty Picture Story Library #242: Tina the Tester art by Tony Speer Bunty was a weekly British comic paper for working class girls under the age of 14, which ran from 1958-2001. It primarily focused on serialized stories with teenage girls as the protagonists, dealing with school, jobs, family issues, and sometimes… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Bunty Picture Story Library #242: Tina the Tester

Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1

Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1 created by Various A fairly long-standing tradition of DC Comics is the “Holiday Special”; an anthology issue themed around a particular holiday or season. It started, naturally, with Christmas specials, now more general “winter holiday”-themed, but Halloween specials with horror-type stories were an obvious addition,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1