Aeolian Vocalion

All the old anthology tv-series had episodes that were hits-or-misses, but when weak episodes of "Twilight Zone" get pointed out, it always ruffles feathers. The series is such a sacred cow. Personally, I gravitate more towards episodes that exude atmosphere as opposed to just hinging on twist endings. Although it's particularly nice when the two can merge together, in an organic and seamless way.

The series "Thriller" (1960-62), hosted by Boris Karloff, had a lot of mundane clunkers, but there are a handful of episodes that are real knockouts, like the infamous "Pigeons from Hell," alongside "The Hollow Watcher," "Parasite Mansion," "The Weird Tailor," and several others. I don't know how some of those made it to television back in that day. Too potent, in terms of all-out horror.

"The Outer Limits" had a mix of good and bad episodes. There were a few episodes of "One Step Beyond" that were really, really eerie. Especially the episode with the clown. Don't recall the title, offhand. "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" had some good episodes, and some weak ones, although I sometimes tire of its rather cutesy, self-conscious approach to tales of murder and crime. I'm generally not too keen on "Night Gallery," although I remember several episodes scaring me as a kid. The British-filmed "Journey to the Unknown" was on American network-tv in 1968-69, and I've seen all the episodes, but didn't really care much for the series.

There were certainly some other (less fantasy-oriented) anthology series in the 1960s, like the color "Suspense Theater," which used to run a bit in syndication, and had some occasionally good episodes. I saw and taped most of those when the Sci-Fi Channel aired them in the 1990s. Also used to see "The Dick Powell Show," which was a mixed bag. "Chrysler Theater" was in color, and ran for four years in the mid-1960s, and used to be rerun under various titles like "Star Time" and whatnot. Don't recall any episodes really standing out for me, though. More rare was "Alcoa Premiere," hosted by Fred Astaire. Only seen one or two of those. After "Have Gun, Will Travel" ended, its star headlined "The Richard Boone Show," which had some solid, hard-edged episodes, but was dogged by a whiff of pretentiousness.

Okay, who's going to start a thread on favorite episodes of "The Loretta Young Show?"

"Remember the Night" (1940) Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray.

The Greatest Generation deserves all the kudos it gets for their sacrifices and contributions to the country. The generations that have followed in their wake have all been pale shadows.

But there is a negative footnote. After living through and enduring very hard times in the Depression, and then the human loss and chaos of a world war, which ate up the majority of their youthful lives, they (quite naturally) wanted some peace and quiet. So they settled in the consumerist comfort of the Fifties and vegetated a bit, putting everything on auto-pilot and handing the reins over to the elites, the experts, the academics. The Dr. Spocks, the Walter Cronkites, the 'Camelot' boys. Bad, bad move. I can't really blame them under the circumstances, and after all they had gone through. But it really derailed the nation, culturally and politically. Been on a bad, downward path ever since.

No. I've been aware of his freako liberalism for over thirty years.

Just because he's been associated with playing cowboy roles, folks are apt to think he might be a conservative. And it's not an unreasonable assumption, because in the past, probably 95% of the stars of old westerns (Clint Walker, Roy Rogers, Robert Fuller, Chuck Connors, etc., etc.) were indeed staunch conservatives..

Yeah, I read about this story yesterday. Twice convicted rapist being released out into public both times, let free to roam and commit a third atrocity. Just mind-boggling.

Right after we hear of that guy in Chicago who set the 26-year-old woman on fire on the transit system, who had been arrested 72 times, but was still allowed out on the streets. Every single time I see these stories, I think of my long-gone grandparents and their friends and peers, and how they could never have remotely comprehended how a society would let this happen. It would be just too psychotically suicidal to even imagine, from their perspective. No society in its right mind would invite such carnage and deliberately serve up its citizenry to be human prey. But then again, no country in its right mind would allow itself to be invaded by a foreign third-world. This nation, and most of Western Civiilization, is at mad-dog level of suicidal-crazy.

Minnesota, northern Iowa, Wisconsin, were hotbeds of leftism over a hundred years ago. Due to the Scandinavian immigration, especially, as it always had those socialistic leanings going way back. My grandmother had kin there, and I heard all about the card-carrying Communists they had even back when she was in her teens, visiting relatives there. .

Of course, only in recent years did these leftist nuts start embracing that notion of multiculturalism and importing foreigners to vanquish free, capitalistic America and remake it into their demented marxist utopia.

First 25 years of living in my corner of Texas, and hearing any foreign language in public was such an exceptional rarity, one would automatically turn a glance out of surprise or curiosity.

Texas-2025, I go out in public to local stores and such, and nearly 50% of the voices I hear are foreign. Absolutely insane. I've even started getting 'live' telemarketing phone-calls completely in Spanish the past few months. Several times a week. What the hell?

Yep, the America I grew up in and lived well into adulthood is gone, and has been replaced in a few short years by a trashy, foreign third-world. Doesn't even seem like a real, legitimate country anymore. More like an economic-zone of disparate transients. I don't even bother putting my flag up anymore, because it's such a joke to do so under these circumstances.

Oh, and to the people and politicians responsible for this 'transformation' of our once-great nation, I truly hope they all rot in hell.

Is that Penny Edwards?

A buddy of mine is always trying to sell me on Frank Crumit. I dunno. He likes those kinds of vocalists, being particularly keen on Irving Kaufman, Arthur Fields, Billy Jones, and the like.

I prefer the dames. Especially of the more hotsy-totsy variety. Marion Harris, Jane Green, Vaughn De Leath. Maybe Frances Williams and Helen Rowland, getting into the more modern era. Gotta have a bit of that jazz thing going.

The stations I go to are all operated by Americans. And that is specifically why I give those places my business.

If I stop at one while elsewhere while traveling, and discover it being run by foreigners, I never stop there again. Their stores usually stink to high heaven anyway. Damned foreign invaders.

Arthur Lake and Florence Lake were siblings.

Arthur played Dagwood in the Blondie film series, while Florence played Edgar Kennedy's wife in his long-running RKO short comedy series.