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YOUR TIME MACHINE TO THE PAST!
Contact Us: Swapsale@aol.com
EDITORIAL
ON VACATION -- SORT OF
I'm off on a secret mission. I'll be gone for a little over a week. Therefore this week's editorial will be up for two weekends. Everything else should be normal; my son Taylor will be updating the website while I'm gone.
If necessary you can contact him the same way you contact me: Swapsale@aol.com
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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3-20-10 -- 3-27-10
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IS WHAT CONSTITUTES A GOOD MOVIE UP IN THE AIR?
I watched the George Clooney movie Up In The Air this past week. I was expecting something special; after all it had gotten universally good reviews and was even nominated for Best Picture. However, I was very disappointed. So I'm wondering, how far off base am I?
Judging by the Oscar nominations and winners this year, I'm not even in the ball park. The Hurt Locker wins best picture? I know a lot of people who really liked that movie but I'm not one of them. I didn't think it had much of a story. James Cameron's Avatar has been criticized as a rewrite of Pocahontas but at least it had a story, with plot points and act breaks. Plus it had a unique setting and some original concepts such as the use of human avatars. Then too, in terms of the movie business, it was a game changer in much the same way the second Terminator movie was. And a blockbuster to boot. Given a choice between Hurt Locker and Avatar, I believe the latter to be far and away the better film.
Maybe I'm just too old fashioned. To me, they don't make movies like they used to: The Philadelphia Story (1940), Casablanca (1942), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Key Largo (1948)...I could go on. These movies all had well developed stories and well developed characters, something that's missing from most movies these days. And for me, these elements were totally missing from Up In The Air and Hurt Locker not to mention a number of the other films nominated for Best Picture this past year.
So tell me: How far off base am I?
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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3-13-10
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CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
I admit it. On two separate occasions I have seen a UFO. Both times I was standing in front of the same building. The first UFO appeared as a glowing orange dot. I couldn't tell you if it was close or far but it traveled behind the building across the street from where I was standing, then shot off into the distance where it disappeared. The second time I saw a UFO, i thought it was a plastic shopping bag as it came wafting out from behind a nearby tree, at an elevation that was higher than the building across the street. Again I had no sense of distance because it was silhouetted against clear sky. But even as I tried to focus on the object, it traveled across the top of the building where it transformed into a traditional saucer shape, then, very quickly, into a glowing dot, much like the first UFO I had seen, only this one was silver. The object shot off into the distance exactly as the first UFO had, as if both traveled on the same invisible rail.
http://www.patriciamclaine.com/UFOs.htm
That would be the end of my story except that, about a month later, I was once again standing in front of the same building, telling an associate about my experience. As I talked, a plastic shopping bag -- this one really was a shopping bag -- wafted out from behind the same tree that had hidden the second UFO. We both fell silent and stared at the bag as it sailed higher into the air, circled around toward us, then slowly headed toward me. Carried on the wind, it came down slowly, directly over my head. Without moving from the spot I had been standing on, I reached up and plucked it out of the air. It was totally weird.
So what do I make of all that? Only this: We live in a universe that is stranger than we know.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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3-6-10
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SUPERMAN'S MILLION DOLLAR PAYDAY
It pains me to admit this but back in the 1980s I actually owned a copy of Action Comics number one. It wasn't a pristine copy; there were problems with it not the least of which was a detached cover. Still it was pretty cool and I wouldn't have sold it if it hadn't been for the strike by the Screen Writers Guild. Being a Hollywood writer at the time, that cut off my main source of income and I had a family to provide for.
I'm reminded of all this because of the recent one million dollar sale of Action Comics #1 at auction. (See Swap Talk.) I'd like to tell you what I got for my copy but honestly, I'm too embarrassed. If I'd been smart I would have sold it through a major auction house but in my panic to save my mortgage and provide for my family I put an ad in a publication aimed at comic book fans. There were a flurry of phone calls over a couple days as people bid against each other, then a final agreed upon price: $10,000. Ouch!
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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2-20-10
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ATTACK OF THE SPACE (PATROL) PIRATES
A year or two ago Space Patrol historian Jean-Noel Bassior introduced me to Dennis Humphries, a man, who wanted my masters of the TV show Space Patrol so he could put them on the web for free, or so he claimed. The way he presented it to me, he would make his money by selling ads for the web site which featured the shows.
His deal: in exchange for my masters I would receive a DVD containing the show or shows. That was it. Thousands of dollars spent by me to obtain these masters and all I'd get in return was a single DVD with the shows on them...something I didn't need his help doing in the first place. Beyond that, of course, I'd be setting this guy up to compete against me (with my own masters) at a price I couldn't beat.
Now you may be thinking, hey, free Space Patrol shows sound like a good deal to me. But is it really? Consider this: Every penny I make selling these shows goes back to transferring more Space Patrol kinescopes to DVD. I've never taken any profit from the shows I've sold or, for that matter, from this site. It all gets reinvested. Given that, how long do you think it would take Dennis Humphries to make enough money to reinvest in new kinescopes (if that's even his intention) when he's offering shows gratis? In the end, you, the Space Patrol fan is the loser.
Anyway, recently Mr. Humpries has begun selling Space Patrol DVDs on ebay, jamming about 11 episodes on a single DVD and selling it at a price I can't match. Well, I could match it if I was willing to cram that number of shows on a single DVD but my duplicator assures me the quality would be crap. So I recently ordered a DVD from Humphries through eBay to see what he has and to put his DVD on a scope so I could determine if he had obtained copies of my DVDs through a third party. (I know that other people selling Space Patrol DVDs on eBay have copied shows bought from me.) However, the DVD that arrived from Humphries would not play on any of my three machines. I've contacted him about this but have yet to received a reply.
For my money it's a shame that Jean-Noel Bassior, a person I have always respected and admired, has aligned herself with someone who does not well serve the Space Patrol universe. I have always offered my DVDs at a fair price, making sure that they were of the best possible quality. I have even paid royalties to the surviving stars of those shows though I certainly didn't have to. My goal has been to assure that the legacy of shows like Space Patrol and Tom Corbett Space Cadet survive for future generations. I see nothing from Mr. Humpries that suggests he shares my feelings and goals.
You get what you pay for. Everything has a cost, some of it well hidden.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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2-20-10
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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! 
What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than by playing some of those old rock 'n roll love songs from the 1950s? To that end I've added four cool songs by the Heartbeats and two from the Crows. I probably should have added them to the Video Juke Box a long time ago but better late than never.
While I was at it I also decided to post an Alan Freed article in our "Personalities" section. He was, after all, the father of rock 'n roll and the guy who first brought the Heartbeats and the Crows to our attention, at least if you were living in the New York City area in the 1950s or if you saw one of his many movies.
A lot has changed since Alan Freed and those old rock groups first hit the scene, not all of it for the better. But here's your chance to slip back to a less complicated and perhaps happier time. Ah, sweet memories.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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2-13-10
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AN ARGUMENT FOR SOLAR ENERGY
I had $42,000 in the bank from my mother's estate. The interest I was earning on it was approximately $42.00 a month. Meanwhile my electric bill was -- depending on the time of year --between $400 and $700 a month. With rebates from my power company and the government, the installation of the solar panels came to $42,000 out of pocket. Since the panels were installed, my electric bills have been averaging $2.50 a month, although the last bill was $52 due to all the rain we've been having lately.
So what's the better deal? $42 in interest each month from the bank? Or a savings of between $400 and $700 each month from the power company? The numbers speak for themselves.
I can't even begin to explain how liberated I feel.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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2-6-10
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WHAT'S NEW WITH US
You have no doubt noticed that we recently started offering our site visitors direct links to new DVD and comic book releases. We've been providing this as a service, at no profit to us, believing that the more we offer you here, the more likely you are to come back to this site week after week. Now, however, we are in the process of joining some affiliate programs which will allow us to make a small percentage on each sale made through this site. Thus you will continue to have the service just as before but we here at Swapsale.com will have another small source of revenue.
At the moment we're still in the process of figuring out how this new set-up will work. So there might be some small problems, hopefully of the kind that you wont even notice. Rest assured, though, that we'll solve these problems as quickly as possible. Just bare with us.
Regarding the new revenue stream: we urge you to use these links when buying DVDs and comic books. They provide you with a nice discount on these items and the money we make will hopefully help us provide you with more Space Patrol, Rocky Jones and Tom Corbett specialty items.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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1-30-10
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SHOW ME THE MONEY
Wall Street announced its earnings for 2009 this week. Here's what they said:
JP Morgan Chase made 11.4 billion dollars in profits. They're paying out 27 billion dollars in executive compensation.
Morgan Stanley made 11.73 billion dollars in profits. They're paying out 14.4 billion dollars in executive compensation.
Goldman Sachs made 13.4 billion dollars in profits and they're paying out 16.2 billion in executive compensation.
I've never been very good at math but aren't they paying out more in compensation to their employees than they actually took in for the year? How is that even possible? And isn't that our money they're paying with? Never mind that they paid back the TARP. The TARP is only 2% of the tax payers money our government made available to Wall Street. It doesn't take a genius to see the tax payers are getting the short end of the stick.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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1-23-10
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ME AND MY DUSTER
I always wanted one. Especially after David Tennant appeared as Doctor Who wearing a Duster -- those long, almost floor length coats. Sure, they're showy but what the heck. You can get them from the Country General Store in Van Nuys California. Here's their website: http://www.countrygeneralstore.com/
While I was at their store I decided to get that hat as well. I've worn the coat out in public a few times but not with the hat. I don't have that much nerve. At that point it starts to look like a costume. Maybe I'll wear the hat and coat together next Halloween -- with the gun. That gun, by the way, is a replica Atomic Disintegrator from the 1950s. We sell them on our site: Models.
Anyway, I figure the picture works for the website. It might even enable me to get a tax write-off on the hat and coat.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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1-16-10
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WAITING FOR 3-D 
I was a kid when I saw my first 3-D movie: House of Wax. I was blown away. After that me and my cousin Rich went to see every 3-D movie that came out. And I bought just about every 3-D comic that was published -- and there were a lot of them. Then, after what seemed like a very short period of time, the 3-D craze ended. I was devastated. What was wrong with everybody; didn't they realize 3-D was a great leap forward? That it was the way things were meant to be seen?
Now 3-D is making a comeback. I just hope it sticks this time. But that's not at all certain. There are, as I understand it, two competing 3-D television systems with a third one (which wont require glasses) in the wings. My hope is that they wont screw this up. I can't wait another fifty years.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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1-9-10
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MY THOUGHTS ON AVATAR
I finally got to see James Cameron's Avatar this past week. In a word: Fantastic! While some have criticized the plot as being, basically, a recycled cowboys and Indians story, I had no problem with it. Whatever its similarities to that old genre, Cameron brought enough new material and concepts to it to make it work. But, of course, what makes the film such a game changer is the artistry and detail Cameron brought to the alien world he created. The CGI enhanced aliens are totally believable but even more astounding is the completely realized world the aliens live in. Cameron is an artistic genius; you could take any frame from those sequences, blow it up and hang it on your wall as a work of art.
All of this is capped off with state of the art 3-D which plunges you into the landscape and the movie. I believe (and hope) that this amazingly effective use of 3-D in a non animated movie marks a new era in movie going. This is the kind of movie I want to see in 3-D.
My friend, the 3-D expert Elliott Swanson, says that to get the full impact of the movie you need to see it on the Imax screen, which I didn't do. (They took the 3-D cameras out of my local Imax theater.) I plan on taking his advice and seeing it again at another theater. Either way, however, this is a film you must see.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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1-2-10
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NEW YEARS SALE
Well, given that I'm still trying to clear overstock, i figured why not welcome in the New Year with another incredible sale. (You guys seemed to like the last one.) So here it is, 4 items previously offered at discount prices, now cut even further, just to move them out of my shop.
Item one:
NEW!
128 PAGES! 271 CARTOONS
AUCTION STARTS 5 PM, SATURDAY, DEC. 26
OPENING BID: $6.99
COVER PRICE: $12.99
AMAZON PRICE: $9.35
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Item two:
60 CLASSIC BUDDY HOLLY TRACKS
NEW!
AUCTION STARTS 5 PM, SATURDAY, DEC. 26
OPENING BID: $14.95
SELLS ON AMAZON FOR $18.78
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Item three:
BOOK -- HARD COVER
NEW!
AUCTION STARTS 5 PM, SATURDAY, DEC. 26
OPENING BID: $12.47
LIST PRICE: $24.95
SELLS ON AMAZON FOR $16.47
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Item four:
BOOK - HARD COVER
NEW!
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER!
PUBLISHER'S COMMENTS:
The New York Times bestselling author of Zodiac now uncovers one of the most bizarre cases in the annals of American crime.San Francisco, 1926: A series of women are slashed to death and dismembered. Incredibly, eyewitness reports claim the perpetrator was a hulking brute with razor-claws for hands who lumbered on all fours and laughed maniacally before shredding the nude flesh of his female victims. The tabloid press called him the Laughing Gorilla and loved every sensational beat of the story. For Inspector Charles Dullea of the San Francisco Police, the last honest cop in one of the most notoriously corrupt departments in the country, the serial killings raised a haunting question: who could commit such crimes? Nothing prepared Dullea for the answer.
AUCTION STARTS 5 PM, SATURDAY, DEC. 26
OPENING BID: $6.95
LIST PRICE: $26.95
SELLS ON AMAZON FOR $10.12
As you can tell, the above prices are cut to the bone. Happy bidding. And Happy New year!
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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12-26-09
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WELCOME, JEFF WACK
I'm delighted to welcome Jeff Wack to our line-up of incredibly gifted artist working in partnership with this site. Jeff's credentials are hard to beat; he has produced his stunning digital art for Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, MGM Studios, Bank of America, Nokia, Activision, Microsoft and a bunch of other major companies. But the art seen here is Jeff at the top of his form, following his own sensual muse.
A STARRY NIGHT (c) Jeff Wack / Sensuous Muse 16X28"
The art presented here this week is just the beginning. Over the next month or so we are proud to say we will be adding even more of Jeff's fantasy masterpieces. Meanwhile check out this first offering by clicking here. You'll be delighted by an amazing visual feast.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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12-19-09
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BIG SALE
I'm running out of storage space. So, in the spirit of the holidays, I've decided to have a clearance sale. These are items that have previously been made available to you at big discounts, now being offered at even bigger discounts.
First item:
HARDCOVER
SELLS IN STORES FOR $34.95
SELLS ON AMAZON FOR $23.07
OPENING BID: $12.95
Second item:
PAPERBACK
NEW!
After
surviving the machine plague and the world war that followed, nano-tech
researcher Ruth Goldman and ex-army ranger Cam Najarro discovered that a new
contagion is about to be unleashed.
SELLS ON AMAZON FOR $4.99
OPENING BID: $2.95
Third
HARDCOVER
NEW!
exploration of American history from the perspective of Boiler plate, the world's first robot soldier! Professor Archiblad Champion first revealed his invention to the world at Chicago's World's Fair in 1893, and Boilerplate would embark on his first mission in San Juan Heights, Cuba, in 1898. From there the spunky little metal fighter would rub shoulders with Teddy Roosevelt and travel to Africa; he would meet Nikola Tesla and appear on film. As documented in this delightful, fully illustrated book, Boilerplate's adventures will delight readers of all ages.
SELLS IN STORES FOR $24.95SELLS ON AMAZON FOR $17.96
OPENING BID: $12.95
Forth
HARDCOVER
NEW!
Marion
Zimmer Bradley's legendary saga of Avalon's extraordinary women continues with a
tale of fiery visions, a lost king, and a forthcoming destiny...Epic in its
sweep and peopled by the remarkable women who have always inhabited Avalon, Marion
Zimmer Bradley's Sword of Avalon
expands the legendary saga that has enchanted millions of readers over the years
and is sure to please Bradley's loyal readership and anyone who loves
wonderfully told stories of history, myth, and fantasy. A boy raised in secret
after traitors kill his parents will return to Avalon-and when he does, he'll be
faced with a formidable task: to prove his worth as a son of the kings and
priestesses of his land and lead his followers to victory, wielding the
newly-forged sword Excalibur.
SELLS ON AMAZON FOR $16.47
OPENING BID: $9.95
That's it for this time around. As you can see, we're practically giving these books away. For science fiction fans, this is a real buyers opportunity.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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12-12-09
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CONSPIRACY THEORY?
I discovered the following on YouTube:
On March 4, 2001, Rupert Murdoch's FOX
Television aired the pilot episode of an X-Files spin-off series called
"The Lone Gunman" (The title is taken from the name of a team of
investigative reporters' government watchdog newspaper).
The program depicts a staged hijacking of a passenger aircraft by a hostile
faction in the U.S Government, who take control of the plane by remote control
and attempt to fly it into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The
reason given for this false-flag operation is explained below by John byers'
father Betranm, a government insider who's recently discovered the plot, but is
reluctant to expose it to the rest of the world...
I confirmed the air date on IMBD. Here's your link to the complete text and video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=384CCzUKHtA
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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12-5-09
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SETH ROGEN? AS THE GREEN HORNET? GIMME A BREAK!
I've always loved the Green Hornet. It was, along with the Lone Ranger and the Shadow, one of my favorite radio shows when I was a kid. On the other hand, I've never much cared for Seth Rogen. And I found it deeply disturbing when I discovered he was set to play the Green Hornet. In fact, I found it so disturbing that I did my best to push it from my mind.
That ended this past week when I watched Rogen's Observe and Report on On Demand. This dreadful movie reminded me of just how miscast Rogen is. Even before Van Williams took on the role of the Hornet for TV, we all knew that Britt Reid was a handsome man's man. Tough, decisive, able to take on all comers. Rogen, on the other hand, is a fat blob with a face like mashed potatoes, who comes across as a pot head, which is apparently what he is. (Rogen's claims to have lost weight for the role are not reassuring.) Even worse, from my point of view, Rogen's not funny. Observe and Report is an ugly movie where pointless violence is supposed to pass for humor. Word on the Hornet movie is not reassuring: Rogen is not only the star he is also the producer. And according to some reports, the movie, which is due for release on December 22, 2010 is a comedy. A comedy? That's just wrong.
When Nicholas Cage said he wanted to play Superman, Hollywood shut that fantasy down real fast. Where were they when Rogen decided to play the Green Hornet?
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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11-28-09
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A HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL
I just want to thank all of you for visiting and supporting this web site. It's been over ten years since I first put it online. In that time I've met a lot of terrific people, many of whom have supported this site by buying some of the items offered for sale. Others, equally appreciated, have supported us by helping me produce product for the site and by sending information, such as can be found in Swap Talk. But I am no less appreciative of those who just make visiting the site a regular habit. Just knowing you find what we're doing interesting and worth your time is support enough.
To all of you, my sincere, heartfelt thanks.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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11-21-09
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JUST A FEW REMINDERS
The above pic shows me wearing one of Mike Elmo's Space Patrol T-shirts with the embroidered SP logo. It's a high quality article, something any fan of the 1950s TV show would want to consider adding to their collection.
While I'm at it, I might as well mention the Space Patrol shirts as well. Wear Mike's short sleeve shirt in the summer and my full sleeve shirt in he winter. You can finish off the ensemble with Mike's Space Patrol embroidered logo jacket and the autographed (by Ed Kemmer, AKA Buzz Corry) Space Patrol belt and holster. Of course you're gonna need a SP Dart gun to fit in the holster. It's not included.
You can find these items by clicking here.
One last thing; you might want to check out the "Comments" section this week. There's an (I think) interesting email chain between me and Space Patrol fan Larry James.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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11-14-09
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MORE MOVIE COMIC BOOK HEROES
Variety reports that Anthony Hopkins has landed the role of Odin in Marvel Studios Thor. The film, which is scheduled for release in 2011, will also star Chris Hemsworth (as Thor), Natalie Portman (as Jane Foster) and Tom Hiddleston (as Loki).
Thor is just the latest in a long list of comic book inspired movies currently in production. Sony Pictures Green Hornet movie, starring Seth Rogen and Stephen Chow, due for release in December, is the one I'm most excited about. That and the sequel to the Iron Man movie. Other comic book hero movies in various stages of talks or production are Kick-Ass, Micronauts, Ghost Rider 2, Black Summer, Red, Frank Millers Ronin and more.
If you'd like more information on comic book heroes in up coming films, here's a great source: http://www.superherohype.com/news/featuresnews.php?id=8682
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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11-7-09
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THE BARBIE TWINS
Everyone knows who the Barbie Twins are. Their first appearance in Playboy was the best selling issue ever for that publication. And why not? They are identical and drop dead gorgeous, even today, twenty years after they took the world by storm. They are also very smart and very sensitive. In fact, these days they are full time animal activists. Some might say their views are too extreme. After all, they did make the documentary, Your Mommy Kills Animals.
Now they've teamed up with Willie Nelson to lobby for the federal bill to ban horse slaughter and preserve the few wild horses remaining in America. I can get behind that. It's nice to know they are more than just a pretty face.
For more info on them go to:
http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/entertainment/2009/10/22/lovely-talented-barbi-twins
http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/10/23/barbi-twins-trade-naughty-poses-for-animal-rescue/
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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10/31/09
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ATTACK OF THE TELECOMS
Well, they're at it again. Net Neutrality is under attack by the Internet service providers who stand to reap huge profits by creating a tiered system for the Internet. That means you and I will have to pay more -- quite possibly much more -- in order to travel the Internet at normal speeds. Failure to pay will put you on Internet surface streets where you'll be traveling at a snails pace. In other words, it will take you longer to reach the website you are aiming for. Worse, if your ISP is selling the same things you are, they can slow you down or block you entirely.
The latest bill in Congress to propose ending Net Neutrality, the policy that has, up until now, kept the Internet on a level playing field, is being spear headed by "lawmakers received funding from AT&T, Verizon and Comcast," according to The Hill, Congresses' publication of record. According to The Hill "the lawmakers received more than $400,000 from AT&T" alone. This bill, if passed, could very well put small web operations such as mine out of business, due to higher operating costs. Most annoying is that this new bill is not intended to speed Internet connections up for those who pay but rather it is designed to slow things down for those who don't pay.
There's yet another disturbing aspect to this: most political websites -- both left and right -- would also feel the pinch. It's unlikely most of them would survive. Yet the web is where we find free speech in full flower. And isn't it free speech that makes our country great? Why would anyone want to mess with that?
The Internet has worked fine for everyone until now. I say leave it alone.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
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10/24/09
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MY PICKS FOR THE NEW TV SEASON
So far, I think FlashForward on ABC is a terrific new show. My hope is that they don't go down the same path Lost did and that we actually get a coherent payoff at some point in time.
Next on my list is Eastwick, also on ABC. Like FlashForward, it too has an unfolding storyline which, I'm hoping, will have a nice payoff, eventually.
The problem, of course, is making those payoffs happen when the object of the TV producing game is to keep a show on the air for four years -- enough time to make a big payday in the syndication market.
As for Warehouse 13, well, that's not for me. Like Fringe and before that, Prime Evil, those shows get too easily trapped in a monster or artifact of the week formula. Unfortunately, from my point of view, the shows that try to avoid that trap wind up getting canceled as did Journeyman and The Sara Connors Chronicles.
The English have the rigt idea: tell your story over a year or two -- Life On Mars, for example -- and then be done with it. Of course that would never work here.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
TO READ PAST COMMENTS CLICK HERE: COMMENTS
TO MAKE A COMMENT CLICK HERE: Swapsale@aol.com
10/17/09
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3-D TELEVISION
According to the Los Angeles Times, 3-D TV is here, or at least it will be next year when Japan's major electronics manufactures roll out their latest high definition flat screens. Leading the charge are Sony and Panasonic, although it's not clear exactly what programming they'll have available in 3-D, other than "movies and games." Sony, which runs a major studio, is believed to have a leg up in that regard.
Glasses will still be required but all reports are that the image and depth are as good as anything you'd see in a movie theater. No word yet on the price but I'm betting a lot of 3-D fans will be lining up to get these sets once they are made available.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
TO MAKE A COMMENT CLICK HERE: Swapsale@aol.com
TO READ PAST COMMENTS CLICK HERE: COMMENTS
10/10/09
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CORPORATE GREED
While considering the pros and cons of the heath care debate, it's probably worth taking note of the following: The current CEO of United Health Care, one of the largest insurance providers, is sitting on $700 million in stock options. His predecessor, William "Dollar Bill" McGuire, left the company with a billion dollars in compensation after ten years. While these may be the most extreme examples of corporate greed in the health insurance industry, they are hardly the only ones. The CEO's of these health care companies make this kind of money by driving up the value of their stock options and there is only one sure way of doing that: by denying payment to the very people they have insured. The more money they save, the higher the the value of their stock.
As noted in an earlier editorial, the California Nurses Association reports that PacificCare rejects 39.6% of all claims made by the people it insures in the state of California and Cigna rejects 33% of their California claims. Health Net rejects 30% of such claims. Anthem Blue Cross rejects 28%. PacificCare has had 133, 000 violations leveled against it and paid 3.5 million in fines last year. On going investigations into PacificCare could result in $1.33 billion in future fines. Obviously even the threat of steep fines do not impress the health insurance companies.
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman says there are 6 health insurance lobbyists for every member of Congress and that the health insurance companies have spent 380 million dollars lobbying against health care reform. Clearly the health insurance industry does not care about the well being of the American people. And it's far from clear that our elected representatives do either.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
TO MAKE A COMMENT CLICK HERE: Swapsale@aol.com
TO READ PAST COMMENTS CLICK HERE: COMMENTS
10/3/09
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KIRBY FAMILY SUES MARVEL
The Los Angeles Times reported this week that the four children of comic book artist Jack Kirby, who died in 1994, are making a claim to the copyright on Marvel characters known to have been co-created by their father. Those characters are: X-Men, Fantastic Four, Thor and the Hulk. According to the Times, "Under copyright law, creators can seek to regain copyrights they previously assigned to a company 56 years after first publication and can give notice of their intentions up to ten years before that."
I knew Jack Kirby. At the time I had a partnership deal with a very small independent film company. We optioned a character Jack clearly owned the rights to: Captain Victory, published by Pacific Comics. I remember sitting in the living room of his house discussing how Marvel had screwed him out of his copyright for the above mentioned characters and, by Jack's account, Spider-Man as well. Jack seemed resigned to the situation, saying "It was all about saving the house," meaning being able to make his mortgage payments.
Original Jack Kirby penciled cover for Captain Victory, purchased by me from Mr.Kirby
Unfortunately, my feelings towards Jack are not entirely warm and fuzzy. Once the deal was made I paid a thousand dollars, out of my pocket, for a full page ad in the Hollywood reporter. A week after the ad came out, Jack backed out of the deal. He had gotten a better offer from someone else because of our ad. I had the legal right to sue, of course, and probably would have if Captain Victory had ever made it to the screen. But it sank down a dark hole. And suing without that movie getting made would have, no doubt, cost more than we could claim in damages.
As for the families law suit, I hope they win. We all know that back in the day, the comic book companies took advantage of the creators, forcing them to turn over their copyright if they wanted to work for the company. Jerry Siegel and Joseph Shuster, the creators of Superman, are classic examples of that.
So best of luck to the Kirby family.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
TO MAKE A COMMENT CLICK HERE: Swapsale@aol.com
TO READ PAST COMMENTS CLICK HERE: COMMENTS
9/26/09
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BIG CHANGES AT DC COMICS
Because of Disney's purchase of Marvel Comics (see my editorial of two weeks ago), Warner Brothers is restructuring the way it interacts with the comic book company owned by its parent company, Time Warner. Up until now, DC has operated more or less independantly. But not any more.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Warner Brothers Chairman Barry Meyer said "This is a structural iteration we have been trying to accomplish for a long time. We think it is important for Warner Brothers to exercise appropriate control over these properties because they are highly valued assets of our company."
It's believed that tension between DC and Warner Brothers has prevented the movie company from matching Marvel's success with movies like Spider-Man, Iron Man and X-Men. We'll see if that's true in a year or two.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
TO MAKE A COMMENT CLICK HERE: Swapsale@aol.com
TO READ PAST COMMENTS CLICK HERE: COMMENTS
9/19/09
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MY THOUGHTS ON HEALTH CARE REFORM
My wife and I aren't getting any younger. We are, in fact, entering the age group that has the most need for health insurance. I suspect that may be true for many of you who visit this site. Fortunately for me and my family, we have health insurance. However, that does not mean we are truly protected. Here are some deeply disturbing statistics recently revealed by the California Nurses Association:
PacificCare rejects 39.6% of all claims made by the people it insures in the state of California and Cigna rejects 33% of their California claims. Health Net rejects 30% of such claims. Anthem Blue Cross rejects 28%. PacificCare has had 133, 000 violations leveled against it and paid 3.5 million in fines last year. On going investigations into PacificCare could result in $1.33 billion in future fines. Obviously even the threat of steep fines do not impress the health insurance companies.
The foregoing are just stats on rejected claims. Other real concerns regarding health insurance are the habit of insurers to cap treatment at a certain dollar amount, to drop policy holders when they get sick and to deny insurance due to a "pre-existing condition."
Clearly something is wrong here. We sure can't trust the insurance companies to fix this and I'm far from convinced our politicians are up to the task.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
TO MAKE A COMMENT CLICK HERE: Swapsale@aol.com
TO READ PAST COMMENTS CLICK HERE: COMMENTS
9/12/09
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DISNEY BUYS MARVEL
Watta deal! The Walt Disney Company just forked over an estimated 4 billion dollars for the Marvel Entertainment Group. According to the New York Times, "The boards of both companies approved the deal which was valued at $50 a share." Stan Lee issued a statement praising the deal.
So what could be next for Disney? A Mickey Mouse/Spider-Man team-up? And how long before people start to ask: "In an all out fight, who would win, Mickey Mouse or the Hulk?"
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
9/5/09
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ALL ABOARD!
Well, I finally got around to unpacking my train set, at least some of it. I'll be featuring the entire set in a feature article sometime in the near future, but for now I'm offering up these teaser shots.
The diesel is mine, the steam engine belonged to my sister who was kind enough to donate it to me along with a few other trains. The final pic shows the milk car which some of you will remember actually discharged milk cans on to a waiting platform. Other items from the train set include the Talking Station, a cattle car that, like the milk car, unloaded cattle on to a waiting platform, a coal loader and car, a tower, some bridges, a crossing guard who would exit his guard house when the train passed and, oh, I don't know, cows, people and probably some things I'm forgetting right now. Be assured, I'll have it all together by the time I post the article.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
8/29/09
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MY SISTER AND ME
Well, my sister came and left...back for New York City by way of Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Neither of us look much like the pictures I posted of us as kids two weeks ago (scroll down) but at least we're still here and still kicking. We had a terrific time, of course, mostly playing catch up; we hadn't seen each other in 14 years or fifteen years.
My wife, Wendy, my sister's husband Murray, me and my sister Marlene
One of the main reasons my sister and her husband Murray drove out to California from the East Coast (God bless them!) was so they could bring my Lionel train set, a Christmas gift from my mother in 1948 of 49, I think. Happily, my mother, who died a year ago, saved them all that time. Remarkable. When I get a chance I'll post some pictures of the rest of the set.
Marlene's visit was bitter sweet; with 3000 miles between us who knows when we'll see each other again. I miss her already.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
8/22/09
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WOODSTOCK 40 YEARS LATER
Yes, I was there. I had been doing a comic for an underground newspaper published in New York City so I was given a press pass which allowed me to drive right into the festival area where I parked my car at the top of the hill, over looking the bandstand. Pretty terrific, especially considering that most of the 500,000 people who showed up for the festival had to park their car miles away, then walk to the event.
I was there with Carol, my first wife, Barry Farrell from Life magazine, Peter Knobler the big gun at Crawdaddy (a now defunct rock mag) and John Wilcock, one of the founders of the Village Voice. Up in the press area you could find such luminaries as Yippie founder Abby Hoffman, radio personality Alex Bennett and Realist publisher Paul Krassner. I still hear from Paul every once in a while and Alex and I remain close friends to this day.
I had a terrific time, despite the rain and the mud. We'll never see anything like it again.
For more on this event click here.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
8/15/09
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A FAMILY OCCASION
Time is short this week. I'm getting ready for a visit from my sister Marlene and her husband Murray. It's been fifteen years since we last got together so I hope you'll excuse me for making this editorial short and sweet.
My cousin Rich, me, Buster Crabbe (at Pallisade Park in New Jersey) and my sister, Marlene
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
8/8/09
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THE LONE RANGER AND SPACE PATROL
This week we offer you yet another free radio show: a Lone Ranger adventure. This makes the second new show we have added to our freebies lineup. The Green Hornet, last week's show, remains available for free as will the Lone Ranger. We plan on adding to this list of free shows on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future. BTW, If you don't already know, these new radio shows are being added to shows we've already had available for free. Click here to check all of them them out.
Also, we're reducing the price on our On Demand downloadable half hour TV shows from $1.95 to a paltry 99 cents. It's just our way of helping old time television fans deal with a really tough economy. The first show available at this new reduced price is Space Patrol. To check it out click here.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
8/1/09
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BEWARE THE STING OF THE GREEN HORNET
More freebies are coming your way. Starting now we will begin listing a free radio show each week. Not sure how we're going to organize them. Maybe a month of The Green Hornet, then a month of the Lone Ranger, then...well, you get the idea. Or maybe we'll just list a different show each week. We'll see. Of course, you can still buy all the shows we have listed, if you'd like them as a package. Or just keep enjoying them, a show a week, without paying a dime.
Sorry we had to cancel our Frank Frazatta Eqyptian Queen auction. There was a problem with the shipping costs. But, having solved the problem, we're relisting it this week. Meanwhile, we've got a lot of other good stuff up for auction including the just released Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead. Check it out.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
7/26/09
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MAMIE AND ME
Yup! I finally got to meet 50s film goddess Mamie Van Doren in the flesh and guess what? She's still stunning! More than that, she's absolutely vibrant -- virtually untouched by time both physically and mentally. And she's a nice person to boot. Amazing.
As for our much heralded transition to a new ISP, that went virtually flawlessly. With the exception of one twenty-four hour period when you might have encountered some weirdess, we remained online and open for business. Whew! It doesn't always go like that.
With the change over out of the way, hopefully we will be offering a larger and better selection of auctions this week.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
7/19/09
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PROBLEMS ANTICIPATED -- PART 2
We're going to try and make the big switch to our new ISP this week. If we don't have our usual number of auctions up this time around, that's why. Making the change over is eating up a lot of our time. Hopefully next week things will be back to normal.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
7/12/09
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PROBLEMS ANTICIPATED
Well, as we predicted last week, it turns out that the changes being made by our current ISP will, in fact, have a profound effect on our site, despite what our hosting service originally said. Thus, we are now searching for a new ISP. We hope we we will be able to make the transition to our new ISP smoothly. It's something we will be working on over the next couple of weeks. But, as we said last week, if you don't see our site one of these days, or if it looks screwed up, know that the situation is temporary and that we are working to fix it.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
7/5/09
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NEXT WEEK'S TRANSITION
Hopefully it wont be any big deal but our ISP informs us they will be making changes to their service. We're told we wont notice anything different but every time we've been told that in the past things go crazy. Just know that if you have trouble finding us next week, or if the site looks weird, it'll only be temporary. We'll be working hard too fix it.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
6/28/09
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TV STATIONS PLAY BEACH BLANKET BINGO
Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello may be returning to TV, thanks to MGM's low cost programming offer to cash strapped stations. According to a recent report in the Los Angeles Times, other MGM owned B level programming included in this package will be "The Addams Family" and "ThePatty Duke Show." Movies from MGM will include stars like Vincent Price and Clint Eastwood, says the Times.
This is apparently all being done because of the recent change from analog signals to digital. Digital allows stations to squeeze signals into "a more compact slice of the spectrum" which, in turn, allows stations to offer additional channels. Hence the need for more programming. We'll see how it works out.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
6/21/09
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THE NEW TOM CORBETT DVD!
We're delighted to be offering a brand new Tom Corbett DVD: Tom Corbett Space Cadet Silver Vol. 2. It contains three complete episodes, all from 1955, all from the time when the show was advertised by Kraft foods. The shows are Ace of the Space Lanes, Mystery of the Missing Mail Ship and Pursuit of the Deep Space Projectile. All the shows star Frankie Thomas (as Tom), Al Markim (as Astro) and Jack Grimes (as T.J. Thistle). As always, we make our DVDs professionally, from the best masters available.
The new Tom Corbett release is just the beginning of a major push we are making to add to our listing of DVDs featuring Sci-Fi shows from the 1950s. Next up, Space Patrol. If things go right, the first new Space Patrol DVD should be available within a month. Keep an eye out.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
6/14/09
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EARTH 2100
ABC TV's two hour documentary, Earth 2100, which aired last week, was a gloomy prediction as to what the future holds for us, given global warming. According to the producers, backed by esteemed scientists, we may well be looking at the total collapse of civilization and the possible extinction of the human race.
Given our potential future, I suppose it's inevitable that we compare it to our recent past. For me, that means comparing it to my childhood in the 1950s. It was a great time to be a kid; the air was clean (even in New York City where I lived), things were simple and you didn't have to worry about anything except, perhaps, an atom bomb going off in your neighborhood. My sister, cousin and I were latchkey kids. Back then you could travel anywhere in the city via subway for a nickel. We'd go (by ourselves) to the Bronx Zoo, the Hayden Planetarium, the Botanical Gardens -- wherever we wanted. My sister jokes that she "peaked" when she was eight years old. Now I have to worry about my kids and the world we are leaving them.
On the bright side, I'm happy to be offering this website as a means of escaping back to a better, less complicated time. Hope you enjoy what we are offering this week.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
6/7/09
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FAMILY MATTERS
That's me with my kid, Jordan. He graduated from High School yesterday (Friday). We celebrated by going to a local Italian restaurant in Santa Clarita, California where this picture was taken.
Here's Jordan when he was nine, holding up a Tom Corbett cap and Buck Rogers gun for sale on this website. As you can tell from his expression, he was not the most willing model. It's college for him next year but hopefully he'll be helping his dad with this website over the summer.
Not much else to report on for now. We've got a great article on the pulps this week (Startling Stories) and the usual cool items elsewhere. Swap Talk is awesome as usual, especially the report on Body Art. Yup, the pic below is just a naked women painted to look like, well, I guess she's being eaten by an alligator.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
5/31/09
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3-D IS ALL THE BUZZ
As I think about the new Star Trek movie, which I loved, two questions come up. 1. Why wasn't it shot digitally? 2. Why wasn't it shot in 3-D, the new hot ticket in movie making? This past week the Cannes Film Festival was awash in 3-D movies with exhibitors showing everything from Pixar's Up to Disney's A Christmas Carol. One independent producer, Pavel Nikolajev, was even showing a 3-D movie, Duel 3-D, he made for $100,000. But the big buzz centers on James Cameron's 3-D pic, Avatar, due out in December.
Here are some of the studios that are committed to putting out a slew of 3-D films over the next few years: Pixar Animation, Dreamworks Animation, Disney and Lionsgate, the latter encouraged by the success of My Bloody Valentine in 3-D.
So far, the 3-D movies that have been released haven't really inspired me to rush to the theaters. I'm waiting for a Star Trek type movie -- something that's fun, fast paced and, hopefully, science fiction. Barring that, I can make do with Avatar.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
5/24/09
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MORE STAR WARS BUZZ
Once again, we've dedicated a significant portion of this week's edition of Swapsale to Star Wars. There's a lot of cool stuff and I don't think you'll be disappointed. Of course, we haven't neglected our normal reportage on all things nostalgic. The Shadow makes an appearance, as does Batman, Peter Gunn and other icons from the past. We're especially pleased to note that Mamie Van Doren is back (with some eye popping pix). I think it's fair to say we are becoming friends with her. We certainly know her well enough to say, without reservation, she is one cool and smart lady.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
5/17/09
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OUR STAR TREK EDITION
Welcome to this week's Swapsale -- our Star Trek Edition! Due to the movie's opening this weekend, we decided to put the emphasis on all things Star Trek. In keeping with that, I rushed out Friday afternoon to catch the movie. Reviews had been positive but that doesn't always mean anything. Would I be disappointed? The Star Trek franchise is something a really care about.
I'm delighted to report they did the franchise right. A new and more vibrant Star Trek has returned to the screen, smart, well written, beautifully shot and edited and, most importantly, it remains true to the show's original characters. The wit, the humor and the humanity are all intact. It has, in short, been added to my list of all time favorite science fiction films. Rush out and see it on the big screen. You won't be disappointed.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
5/10/09
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FRANK FRAZETTA
Last week I discussed the artist Jim Silke. This week, given what we have up for auction (see home page) it'll be Frazetta. No one on Earth is better at capturing the beauty and allure of the female form. Of course, he's also a master at drawing just about everything, the idealized male form as well. Jim Steranko -- also no slouch as an artists -- told me the two men once went sailing together. At some point, Frazetta, standing at the craft's bow, face to the wind, struck that classic pose. You know the one; the indomitable hero leaning slightly forward, back arched, legs spread. Neither man commented on it but Steranko felt sure Frazetta's stance was no accident.
I remember reading that when Frazetta first approached Playboy with his art he was rejected because his work looked too "old fashioned." That kind of thinking may very well explain why Playboy only made $17,000 in profits last year, or so I've been told. According to my source, who should be in a position to know, all Playboy operations lost money last year except for their merchandizing department.
Anyway, we are offering the amazing limited edition Egyptian Queen statue, faithfully based on Frazetta's work, at a steep discount this week. Get it now while supplies last. The price can only go up.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
5/03/09
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A FEW WORDS ABOUT JIM SILKE
I'm pleased to say I've actually had lunch (on two occasions) with Jim Silke, one of the best artists alive today, at least when it comes to nostalgia and Bettie Page. Soft spoken and smart, Silke is one person in Hollywood who does not sing his own praises. It only comes out in dribs and drabs that, aside from being a world renowned artist, Silke is also a successful novelist and screen writer. His screen credits -- to name only a few -- include The Barbarians, King Solomon's Mines, and American Ninja. And his accomplishments go well beyond screen and print.
I'm delighted to be offering one of his books -- Bettie Page Queen of the Nile -- up for auction. It's not something I'm going to make a lot of money on. It's more about sharing a great gift with the rest of the world.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
PS: Buck Rogers fans should click on Comments for some cool links.
4/26/09
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DISNEY'S 3-D PUSH
The Walt Disney company has announced a heavy slate of 3-D films through 2012. Good news for 3-D fans! Even better, Disney says they will release some past classics in 3-D as well. "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" will come out in 3-D October 2 as a double bill. This puts Disney on the same track as Hollywood's other big movie makers.
The problem up until now has been the number of screens capable of showing 3-D movies. Hollywood needs 5000 screens. A year ago there were only about 900. I'm sure that number has grown significantly, due to the prodding of the big movie producers. But if they haven't retrofitted a theater in your area, you'll only be able to watch a 2-D print of the 3-D releases. Maybe it's time to start hassling your neighborhood movie theater to make those changes.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
4/19/09
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BUCK AND MAMIE
Buck Rogers fans take note: We've got two pretty terrific Buck Rogers items at auction, both new and both marked down significantly. First, there's the really cool 16" Buck Rogers statue which normally sells for $189 (opening bid $149.95). Then there's the repro Buck Rogers ray gun -- the coolest ray gun ever made -- with a suggested retail price of $187 (opening bid $149.95). Since this is a Buck Rogers kind of week, we're also reminding you of the article we ran a while back on old Buck, which you can access by clicking here. It features a whole bunch of great stuff including those wonderful Frank Frazatta Famous Funnies comic covers.
On other matters, I'm delighted to draw your attention to a response we got from film legend Mamie Van Doren, regarding an editorial we ran two weeks ago on the way we treated radiation back in the 1950s. Just click on "Comments" below to see it. And BTW, if you missed our article on the sex goddess, just click here. She's as stunning as ever.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
4/12/09
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WARPED SPEED
Come on, who could resist?! I had a chance to sit in the Captains chair of the Federation starship Enterprise -- Hustler's version of it anyway -- so you bet I took it. The set was pretty impressive -- I'll bet Shatner and Nimoy would have trouble distinguishing it from the original. Don't know much about the storyline Hustler has planned for this XXX video but I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of sex in it. For more info on This Ain't Star Trek XXX check out this weeks Swap Talk.
You'll also want to check out Swap Talk for information on Terri Nunn's current tour. I meet Berlin's lead singer a couple of times when she was just starting out. Her looks were as flawless then as they are now, at age 50. You can also check out a couple of her hit songs by going to our Video Juke Box.
Overall I think this week's postings are pretty good, especially our Steam Punk stuff. If you don't know about Steam Punk this is your chance to, well, get up to steam on it. Just click here.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
4/05/09
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HOW TO BLOW UP THE WORLD
You've got to wonder exactly what we were thinking back in the 1950s. That's the thought that came to mind when I stumbled up this item on the web: an Atomic Energy Lab from Gilbert. I mean, the darned thing actually came with "four types of uranium ore, a beta-alpha source (Pb-210), a pure beta source (Ru-106), a gamma source (Zn-65?), a spinthariscope, a cloud chamber with its own short-lived alpha source (Po-210)."
Back then it seemed like every shoe store my mother took me to had one of those machines you'd stick you foot into so you could see an x-ray of it. Us kids would run to it, taking turns wiggling our toe bones as we peered into a luminescent green view scope. And, if I'm not mistaken, for a short while (blessedly), they were even selling nuclear dish sets made from actual nuclear material. It was the thing to have.
Given what we know now, it's amazing we survived the 50s.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
3/29/09
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THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
Here's something from the Cartoon Network you might enjoy:
http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/index.html
I haven't really been paying much attention to the Cartoon Network but maybe that's a mistake -- at least for someone who is into the old super heroes not to mention the original Star Wars mythos. Any way, check it out. That and The Clone Wars which we have previously plugged (in Swap Talk). You'll find The Clone Wars on the same page as The Brave and the Bold cartoon I've linked to.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
3/08/09
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A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE SOLAR GUARD
A lot of people who visit this site are fans of the old 1950s TV shows, Space Patrol and Tom Corbett Space Cadet. If that's you and you're not aware of the solarguard.com, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Nothing that goes on in the Space Patrol/Tom Corbett universe goes unnoticed and unreported by Cadet Ed Pippin and the other Cadets.
In that regard, I'd like to remind you all of a previously reported item (in Swap Talk) regarding the 2009 Solar Guard Reunion set for March 11- 14, 2009 in Williamsburg Virginia. That's where Cadets will meet and greet each other and enjoy some of the classic episodes of the 1950s Space shows. Check the Williamsburg Film Festival for the latest information on the guests and hotel reservations.
As for Space Patrol, please note the Space Patrol replica shirt put up for auction this week. It normally sells here -- and you can only get it here -- for twenty bucks. But our opening bid is $15.95. (You'd pay that much for a shirt at WalMart.) And check out the cool Tom Corbett spaceship mentioned in this week's Swap Talk.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
3/01/09
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THE 18 BILLION DOLLAR BONUS ISSUE (PART II)
Last week I went on a rant about the crooks of Wall Street receiving 18 or 20 billion dollars in bonuses -- paid for by us, the American tax payer (see below). I thought I had made my point fairly well. But this past week the defenders of Wall Street have refined their argument by pointing out the bonuses were paid as a percentage of sales made by individual brokers. In other words, the individual who made money for the company should be separated from the bankrupt company itself. That almost makes sense except for one thing: The company is bankrupt! They’re unable to fulfill their obligations to these employees. And I can’t afford to help them do so. Chances are you can't either.
Having the American citizen paying bonuses to employees of companies that are broke makes no sense. Neither does paying dividends to people holding stock in companies that are broke. Wall Street -- the very people responsible for our economic meltdown -- shows its arrogance as the average citizen scrambles to keep his job or find a new one. How long are we going to put up with that?
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
2/08/09
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18 BILLION DOLLARS IN BONUSES? REALLY?
It's an outrage. The very people responsible for destroying our economy -- the crooks on Wall Street -- saw no problem in giving out 18 billion dollars in bonuses despite the fact that their institutions were broke. Aren't bonuses supposed to be based on a percentage of the profits a business -- in this case a bank or investment house -- makes? They didn't have any profits in 2008! In fact, they asked the American people to bail them out. Had we failed to do so most -- if not all -- of the great banking institutions would have failed. So it was your money and mine that they gave out in bonuses -- the tax money we gave the government which then went to the TARP.
Even more outrageous was the response of Wall Street when President Obama called them out on their actions. Ali Velshi, CNN's Chief Business Correspondent -- a regular Wall Street cheerleader -- actually had the nerve to defend the bonuses, saying they are considered a normal part of the salary on Wall Street. Sans bonuses, a lot of the lower echelon employees might only take home a mere $100,000 for the year. I say they're damned lucky if they take home anything. And I'm sure most Americans would be quite happy to make $100,000 or even $50,000.
So here's the deal: I want our money back! All eighteen billion -- or twenty billion (the latest number I'm hearing) -- of the 700 billion that was part of the bailout. President Obama should immediately tell those criminal elitists on Wall Street he's taking that 18 billion out of the unpaid remainder of the TARP. If they want it back, Merrill Lynch and those other Wall Street creeps will have to recover it from the people they gave bonuses to.
And one other thing: CNN should fire Ali Velshi. He's a moron.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
2/01/09
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SWAPSALE'S BIG AUCTION STARTS NEXT WEEK
Saturday, January 10, 2009 (at 5pm West Coast time) is the big day! After month's of planning we're finally ready to launch. However, a few consignment items have yet to be added. And even the items already listed are still being updated as you can see here:
The Steve Canyon Glider Bomb toy (MIB), which came from the Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library collection, now includes a Certificate of Authenticity. We're including it because the item is in such perfect condition -- it looks like it did in the 1950s when it was first put on the store shelves -- that we want to assure bidders the box is not a repro.
Meanwhile, here's a look at two of the new items we've just added:
The two particularly spectacular additions are the Star Wars 3D cards and the Space Patrol puzzle tray. The puzzle tray speaks for itself but the Star Wars 3D collector's cards deserve your further attention, given all that is being offered. Check it out by clicking here.
As regards consignments, sorry, we are closed for this go round. Next time, however, just send us an email about the item with a good clean pic. You set the amount for the opening bid. When it sells, we take a paltry 20 percent and you get the rest. Watta deal!
We're expecting a big response to the auction. If we're correct, we'll do it again. Soon. If not, well, we might do it again anyway. Even if you're not going to bid, we hope you show up for the action.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
1/04/09
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CORPORATE LOGOS VS. FREE SPEECH
If you noticed it while watching TV you must have wondered why it was happening. I’m talking about shows such as Inside Edition, Survivor and The Hills (to name a few) where a poster on a wall or an image on some one’s T shirt is blurred out so you can’t see it. The reason this happens is because of concerns about copyright infringement. About 10 or 15 years ago, the big corporations and their lawyers began to complain that a TV show, or even a magazine, was guilty of exploiting copyrighted material if they showed someone wearing, say a Nike logo on their T shirt. The image, they argued, was proprietary, belonging to the corporation and therefore could not be featured without the corporation’s permission. Lawyers actually get paid to think up this kind of crap.
Consider the following: A person is in public, walking down the street wearing a Nike T-shirt where everyone can see them. Since it's in public you might think it's fair game, no? But if you photograph them for your magazine or you video tape them for a TV show, you’re supposedly exploiting the corporation’s copyright or diminishing the value of their brand. How are you diminishing it? Well, one way you are diminishing it is simply by showing it, the lawyers would argue. “If we let everyone feature our logo,” they might say, “where will it end?” Of course, the counter and more reasonable argument would be that as long as you are not trying to expropriate the logo, no harm is done.
Here’s another scenario that might concern them: Maybe it’s Brittany Spears wearing the T-shirt and she’s just dropped her baby on its head. Lawyers would argue that your statement in publishing the pix is that Nike customers are poor parents, a dubious argument. However, one can imagine a more extreme scenario where their argument might be strengthened; Say a guy wears the T-shirt while robbing a liquor store.
But wait! Now we’re talking about a real news story! Something that qualifies for a spot on the six o’ clock news. Do you blur that logo out too? It would certainly help identify the culprit. And if you don’t censor it for a hard news story why blur it out for a soft (gossip) style news story? In fact, why censor at all as long as you aren’t staging a scenario where the logo appears.
It’s time that TV executives and magazine publisher’s stood up to this corporate tyranny. They should join forces in a legal battle, taking it all the way to the Supreme Court, if they have to. If something happens in public — anything at all — it should be fair game for the media, T shirts and all. Otherwise -- to turn the lawyers argument around -- where will it end?From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
12/14/08
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BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU -- MAYBE
FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin wants to give Internet providers the ability to put filters on what you can access on the net. It's intended, we are told, to protect children from porn on the Internet. But you already have that ability on your computer, if you buy the necessary software. Why give that power to some super authority that will tell you what you can see? And what guarantee do we have that the government wont decide at some future date to block other things it doesn't want you or me to know about?
Martin has tied this proposal to plans he is drawing up which would supposedly provide free internet access to consumers. But that's another shell game: The free service would be slower than what you pay a monthly fee for. I suspect this would just be the beginning of a tiered system -- something net providers desperately want -- in which the speed of your net access will depend on how much you pay each month.
Getting back to the issue of filters, I'm sure you wouldn't want me deciding what you or your children can view on the net. And I know I don't want you telling me what I can view. So why would I want Kevin J. Martin -- or any government authority -- to have that power over me? It's just a bad idea.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
12/07/08
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HOW I ALMOST MET RAQUEL WELCH
This week's article features actress Raquel Welch, for my money one of the most beautiful women to ever light up the silver screen. While gathering the material for this feature, I was reminded of my brief encounter with the actress at a screening for a movie in Century City, California. This was many, many years ago, when I was still fairly good looking and single. I was looking particularly good on this occasion, wearing a rather neat tan corduroy suit I'd recently purchased. Standing in the lobby before the show started, I was shocked to notice Raquel Welch giving me the eye. Dare I say it: she was openly, blatantly flirting with me. Every one of the synapses in my brain fired at the same time. Raquel Welch? Interested in me? My brain turned to mush. I froze.
Sitting in the theater after the movie started, eating from a box of Bon Bon's, all I could think of was how stupid I'd been, standing there in the lobby, comatose, when one of the most beautiful women in the world was sending definite signals my way. I resolved to approach her after the show, no matter how stupid I came off -- after all, she was dazzling and I was sure I'd stutter and stammer. So when the movie ended I bolted from my seat, racing to the lobby...where I noticed that I had dripped melted Bon Bon's all over my nice tan corduroy jacket! I looked like an idiot. All my resolve evaporated. I made a bee line for the exit.
In retrospect, I should have boldly walked up to her and said, "See what you made me do," while pointing to my jacket. It would have been an ice breaker. And who knows what would have followed from that. Probably nothing but then again...I have to wonder. Anyway, I wouldn't trade the life I have now for all the sex goddess in Hollywood. My wife is every bit as beautiful as Raquel and she doesn't seem to mind when I drip crap on my jacket, something I still do from time to time. However, I haven't eaten a Bon Bon since.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
11/23/08
PS: Don't forget to check out our Up & Coming Auctions
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THE LOST FANTASTIC FOUR MOVIE
Back in 1994, the story goes, Roger Corman was about to loose his option for the Fantastic Four movie. The only way he could keep it was by actually producing a movie. So he decided to do so...as cheaply as possible, apparently never intending to release it. What follows are some excerpts from that film:
Actually, based on what's there, I think it looks kinda cool. If I could watch the whole thing I'd probably like it better than those big budget releases. Then again, I hated those big budget movies.
Finally, on another matter entirely, please check out our "Comments" page for a couple of responses to last week's editorial.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
10/12/08
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THE BAILOUT BILL
The Republicans and Democrats sold out the American people this past Friday by voting for a bill which will bankrupt the county while rewarding the same multimillionaires who created the economic crises we're in. But you don't have to take my word for it; Bush's first treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill has called Paulson's plan "crazy" and "lunacy" with potentially "awful" consequences for our economy. Even Paulson's supporters admit it will not raise stock prices or boost the economy. The only real oversight it provides is given to the people who got us into this mess to start with: Bush and Paulson. (As recently as this past March Paulson said our economy was strong.) And we're the ones paying for this incompetence and possibly criminal activity.
We are witnessing the biggest transfer of wealth -- from the poor to the rich -- in the history of our country. What comes next won't be good.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
10/05/08
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THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO COMIC BOOK
A couple months back I told you about my meeting with William Katt (scroll down), star of the 1980s TV show, Greatest American Hero. At the time I mentioned that Katt shared some secret info with me about his new company, Catastrophic Comics. But it was something I couldn't share with you; Katt asked me to keep it on the down low until it was announced at the San Diego Comicon. Well, the comicon is over and done with so here goes: In cooperation with Stephen Cannell, the show's writer/producer, Katt will be launching a Greatest American Hero comic!
It will be drawn by Clint Hilinski and written by Katt with Christopher Folino and Sean O'Reilly. According to Katt: "The initial three books will be a re-telling of the origin story from the two-hour pilot, although we've taken some liberties. We've truncated some of the storyline with the kids. And we changed a little bit of the bad guys, giving them more of a role in it. We wanted a recurring villain in it -- kind of like a Lex Luthor."
Here's a first look at one of the comic's interior pages. As you can see, Katt was nice enough to autograph it for me. I'll be taking good care of it.
The comic itself is due out this fall.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
8-16-08
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BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
For my money there were two great beauties of the 1950s: Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot. In this week's Articles section, we take a look at the career and life of Brigitte Bardot. In the fifties, when teenage boys heard the name Bardot, they had an attention span. I was certainly one of them. Even today, when watching one of her old movies, I'm stuck by the beauty of her eyes and full lips, her narrow waist and flowing hips and, most of all, the fluid sexual grace of Bardot in motion.
Even so, when collecting the pictures for this feature, I was surprised to find that I no longer see her as a sex goddess -- just merely a very beautiful young woman. There's a difference. As I've grown older (and, I hope, wiser), I've come to believe that the label of sex goddess is better applied to the more mature woman, a fully realized creature, secure in her identity and her sexuality, rich in the history of her life experience. Looking at Bardot now, I find her too empty, too unfinished for me to apply that appellation. She seems merely a work in progress.
Still, I've posted a number of pictures there for you to enjoy and muse over. Let me know what you think.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
8-10-08
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REGARDING SWAPSALE'S SUNDAY COMICS
Just giving you a heads-up: I'll be scaling back on what we offer each week in our Sunday Comics feature. Obtaining and posting those comics has been costly and time consuming. So, given the fact that both Flash Gordon and Terry and the Pirates are nearing the end of their run, I've decided not to replace them with new comic features. There will be a short run of pages from a comic book called Race To The Moon, then, at least for the time being, only the Buck Rogers strip. I think that, given all the other weekly features we now have on this site, you wont feel cheated by this decision. (I especially recommend that you check out the Buck Rogers article this week. Way cool.)
Of course, as always, if I get the word from you guys that you want more comics, I can change my mind on a dime. Meanwhile, I'll set it up so that you can have easy access to the comics we've already run, just in case you missed them the first time around or if you'd like to re read them.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
8-03-08
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INVASION OF THE SPACE PIRATES
Here's the deal: recently someone has started selling Space Patrol videos on eBay and elsewhere, using my DVDs and VHS tapes as his masters. Even worse, he's selling them at half my price. This is not only illegal and unethical -- it's also stupid and harmful to the Space Patrol legacy. How is it harmful to the SP legacy? When the price of Space Patrol DVDs is forced down, well intentioned and ethical dealers who use their own masters have less money to transfer the show's original kinescopes to DVD. Given the fact that this market barely pays for itself, that means no new shows.
I know that it's tempting to buy these cheaper, lower quality shows, especially in this economy but keep this in mind: by supporting the pirates you ultimately hurt yourself and everyone else who wants new, top quality Space Patrol DVDs.
One thing you can be sure of: I'm not going to sit still for this! Notice has been served on this slime bag. If he persist he can expect a bruising fight. And I will start it by naming names.
To the pirates: Consider this fair warning.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
7-27-08
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BIG SALE
I didn't have all that much to report on this week so I thought this would be a good time for a sale. So here goes:
Red Skelton normally goes for $3.99 each. So how about two for 4.95?
Order here:
Finally, for western fans, there's these Three Mesquiteers DVDs, both of which contain 2 uncut movies:
Normal price, $12.95 each. Sale price, $12.95 for both.
Sale ends: 7/30/08
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
7-20-08
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WE'RE BACK!
It's been a frustrating couple of weeks. Two weeks ago our hosting service went down. For the next five days -- despite numerous phone calls to tech support -- we were down more often that we we're up. Finally, last Saturday the problem was fixed (I hope). I could have posted the updated site for that week then, but I figured most of you guys probably hadn't seen the previous week's posting. So the decision was made to leave it up an additional week. This week's site contains much of the stuff you were supposed to see last week...plus new material, of course.
Regarding the new material, I would like to draw your attention to our Video On Demand Downloads. We have slashed the prices for that service; if you don't mind viewing your Space Patrol or Sheena shows on your computer, downloads are definitely the way to go. Check it out.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
7-13-08
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I'M WALKING ON AIR
Lookit that! It's William Katt! And me! I met the star of the 1980s TV classic Greatest American Hero last week while he was promoting his newest project, the launching of a comic book company: Catastrophic Comics!
The first comic out of the dock: Sparks, with art by JM Ringuet and story by Christopher Folino.
Yup! As you can see I got Katt's autograph while gushing about how much I loved GAH and what a wonderful team I thought he and Robert Culp and Connie Sellecca were. I don't think I was actually slobbering but he might have had to wring his suit out when he left. In any case, you can tell one and all that William Katt if a terrific, easy going person who is more than happy to talk to fans about his acting career. An overall great guy.
BTW, I did get a bit of exciting inside info regarding future Catastrophic projects but I promised I wouldn't reveal anything until after the San Diego Comicon where Katt plans to make a major announcement.
So stay tuned!
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
6-29-08
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IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!
Wow! Sales are really down. Not just for me but for everyone. My sales here and on eBay have fallen by half. Other people I know with websites tell me the same thing. But it's not just the net. My local WalMart is virtually empty. The cashier told me sales were way down. People shop there for discounted clothing and food! So you gotta figure, the kind of stuff I sell -- which requires discretionary income -- is really gonna take a hit.
That's why I've begun offering big discounts. But, honestly, they're not flying off the shelves either. My latest gambit: The Space Patrol shirts, marked down 33 %. See Sci-Fi Apparel . That's a real bargin!
The Drop in sales is also why I've started posting Google ads on this site; I'm hoping to make up at least some of the lost income that way. So click through on the darn things, please. Every time you do I make another nickel or dime.
The upside for site visitors is that I'm posting more free stuff to (hopefully) keep you coming back: 3-D Theater, 3-D Gallery (there's a bunch of new pix there), Movie Trailer Theater (see Hellboy 2), the Articles (two this week) and whatever else catches my fancy.
Believe me when I say this site has never been about making money. But it's the money I make here that lets me expand the site by bringing in new inventory. I want to transfer some more of my Space Patrol kinescopes to DVD but what's the sense in my doing that if nobody can afford to buy 'em?
The Middle Class has always gotten the short end of the stick. But this is the worst I've ever seen it.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
6-22-08
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CHEMTRAILS: WHAT THE HECK ARE THEY?
Have you heard of them? When people first started telling me about chemtrails I poo-poohed the whole notion. Secret government tests being conducted in our skies? Come on! They're contrails, I insisted, something that you expect to see when a jet is under full throttle. But then I began paying attention, looking upward, watching the skies. There sure did seem to be a lot of contrails, I thought. More than I remember seeing in the past. And, some of them at least, lasted for a pretty long time. Then, last week as I was driving home from work, looking out my driver side window, I saw that the entire sky was awash with the fuzzy residue of "contrails" spread by the wind. Even more astounding, when I walked into my back yard a short while later, I saw this:
Trust me when I tell you the image seen here is nothing compared to what I saw when I first stepped out my back door. The trails were brighter, bigger and thicker too. So thick it looked as if you could walk across the top of them. Unfortunately my wife couldn't find the damn camera. A good ten minutes had passed before I was able to take this shot and by then the sun had pretty much set and the trails had drifted to the south -- while remaining more or less intact! These are not contrails, regardless of what the government claims! But what are they? Some people on the internet say something is being mixed in with jet fuel to facilitate weather modification. Here's a report I unearthed from a local Los Angeles TV station which had previously covered the phenomenon:
Call me crazy but I think there's cause for concern.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
SEND YOUR COMMENTS: Swapsale@aol.com
6-15-08
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READY, AIM, FIRE!
Halloween, 2007! Last year I wore a Star Trek Next Generation uniform. You can find a picture of that (showing the top part of the uniform only) if you scroll down -- way down -- on this page. I was gonna wear the outfit again this year but doubted it would still fit. A quick check determined I could still get my cowboy holster around my waist -- just barely -- so I went with that. (BTW, that's a Roy Rogers Deputy badge on my chest.) I rather like the way the picture came out. At my age I don't get too many pictures I'm happy with.
Meanwhile, the fires are still burning in Southern California (see last week's Editorial) although they are largely under control. This weekend, however, they are telling us the Santa Ana winds will return, never good news during fire season.
It turns out that some of the houses saved during the fires two weeks ago benefited from private fire companies. "Just picture it." one customer of a private fire department told the Los Angeles Times, "Here you are in that raging wildfire. Smoke everywhere. Flames everywhere. Plumes of smoke coming up over the hills. Here's a couple guys showing up in what looks like a fire truck who are experts trained in fighting wildfire and they're there specifically to protect your home." Another report, this one from Bloomberg News, had this quote from a private fire fighter: "There were a few instances, where we were spraying and the neighbor's house went up like a candle." With public fire departments cut to the bone, it would seem equal protection is a thing of the past. That's just not right.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
SEND YOUR COMMENTS: Swapsale@aol.com
COMMENTS REGARDING LAST WEEKS EDITORIAL
THE MATH OF FIRE: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071103/mathtrek.asp
11-04-07
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THE FIRE THIS TIME
Last Sunday, October 21, the fires came to Southern California. When we looked out of the backyard that afternoon, we saw smoke to the North, West and South of us. There were fires to the East as well, but we were less worried about them; a number of towns and the 5 freeway provided a significant buffer.
Over the next three days, shifting winds and the efforts of fire fighters kept changing how we calculated the threat. By day, roiling black smoke filled the air from horizon to horizon. At night the hills around us glowed red, creating a hellish vision. On Monday some fires had been beaten back while others had grown closer. Monday afternoon we were told to evacuate the neighborhood. The wife and kids left, I stayed to cut back bushes and tree branches that were too close to the house and to fight spot fires, should they break out along the perimeter of my property. As a precaution, I packed 154 Space Patrol kinescopes into my car parked in the driveway for a quick escape. That evening, with the threat seemingly abating, the wife and kids returned home.
Tuesday saw some improvement in our situation but it wasn't until Wednesday that we finally breathed a sigh of relief. You don't realize how much pressure you've been under until it is lifted. I felt giddy. Our house was safe as was our extensive inventory of valuable collectibles. Still, some apprehension lingers, even now. It's hard to shake the feeling we have seen the future.
Record worldwide temperatures suggest global warming is a bigger threat than once suspected. Our government projects at least 36 states face water shortages within five years. Atlanta, Georgia could run out of water in 100 days. The Great Lakes are Shrinking. Florida is running dry. Australia is in the midst of a decade long dry spell. Sub-Saharan Africa is in trouble as is Asia. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that by 2050 two billion people worldwide could be facing water shortages.
Southern California has seen increasingly worse fire seasons. This time one million people had to be evacuated, the largest movement of people in the U.S. since the Civil War. As I write this the fires still burn South of us, in Orange and San Diego County. And fire season isn't over yet.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
COMMENTS: Swapsale@aol.com
10-28-07
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A HAPPY OCCASION!
Andy Andersen, for those of you who don't know, is a premiere Space Patrol fan and collector. He has, in fact, a very extensive collection of uniforms from the 1950s sci-fi TV show, one of which he has decided to put on the market. This is not the first time Andy has put Happy's uniform up for sale. A few months back, as noted in this column, he put it on eBay. However, no one made his minimum bid at that time.
Since then, as Andy has noted, another Space Patrol uniform offered for sale by someone else fetched a healthy $16,675. Andy figures, quite reasonably, I think, that if Major Robertson's uniform went for that much -- given the fact that he was just a supporting character on the show -- Happy's uniform should fetch more. He's told me that he wants $20,000 for it but he has also said he would entertain all bids.
If you're interested in purchasing Happy's uniform you should know that Andy is giving up this prized item with some reluctance. Low ball offers are likely to be dismissed out of hand. I can attest to that personally. Also, Swapsale is not the only place where Andy is listing this item. So you'll be competing against many other people. And I may be one of them.
For more info on this item click here.
From our Secret Mountain Top Retreat in Southern California, this is Bruce David signing off.
9-30-07
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WILL THE REAL DARTH VADER PLEASE STAND UP
Here's a pic of me as Darth Vader. Well, actually, it's not me. It's one of Swapsale's Secret Squadron Agents. However, the costume is mine, so what's the difference, really? As mentioned some time ago (in one of these editorials), I bought a whole bunch of costumes when a costume shop went out of business, this being one of them. I've always wanted to see what it looked like when worn and here it is...
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