harrygbutler takes a ride on the Reading — 11

By O484~enwiki - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Welcome to my eleventh thread for 2020! I’m Harry, and this is my fifth year in the 75 Books Challenge. By training I'm a medievalist, by occupation I’m a project manager, after many years as an editor. My taste in reading runs to Golden Age and earlier mysteries, pulp detective and adventure fiction, Late Antique and medieval literature, westerns, and late nineteenth and early twentieth century popular fiction, among others. I also have a fondness for collections of cartoons and comic strips, and relatively recently I have begun collecting pulp magazines from the first half of the twentieth century. I usually have a few books going at once.

I'm also an inveterate movie watcher, and I track my viewing in my thread, too. I watch a wide variety of genres — mystery, western, comedy, adventure, science fiction, horror, and more — and tend to watch older movies, particularly from Hollywood's Golden Age in the 1930s and 1940s, but extending through the 1980s and only rarely later.

My wife Erika and I live in eastern Pennsylvania with three cats — Elli, Otto, and Pixie — and a dog, Hildy. Our pets occasionally make an appearance in my thread. My other interests include model railroading, gardening, and birding, so you'll sometimes see something related to them as well.

I try to provide some sort of comment on the books and magazines I read and the movies I watch, but they are short and aren't really reviews.

I finished 168 books in 2019. I'd like to up that total to 170 in 2020.

Books finished in the first quarter

1. Vengeance Is Mine, by Mickey Spillane
2. The Voice of the Night: The Cases of Jeff Fanchon, Inquirer, by Hugh Pendexter
3. When a Feller Needs a Friend, by Clare A. Briggs
4. The Customs of Catalonia Between Lords and Vassals, by the Barcelona Canon, Pere Albert: A Practical Guide to Castle Feudalism in Medieval Spain, by Pere Albert; trans. by Donald J. Kagay
5. Warlords, Warlocks & Witches, ed. by D. M. Ritzlin
6. Don't Step in the Leadership, by Scott Adams
7. The Savage Salome, by Carter Brown
8. Roman Antiquities, Books 3-4, by Dionysius of Halicarnassus; trans. by Earnest Cary
9. Fair Blows the Wind, by Louis L'Amour
10. German Romance, Volume III: Iwein or The Knight with the Lion, by Hartmann von Aue; trans. by Cyril Edwards
11. Death of a Citizen, by Donald Hamilton
12. Death Walks in Eastrepps, by Francis Beeding
13. Lord Lister, Known as Raffles, Master Thief, by Kurt Matull and Theo Blankensee; trans. by Joseph A. Lovece
14. The Hurricane, by Terence Robertson
15. The Ferguson Rifle, by Louis L'Amour
16. Walt Disney's Donald Duck: "Christmas in Duckburg", by Carl Barks
17. The Milliner's Hat Mystery, by Basil Thomson
18. Death Dealers & Diabolists, ed. by D. M. Ritzlin
19. Breakheart Pass, by Alistair MacLean
20. Best Cartoons of the Year 1950, ed. by Lawrence Lariar
21. A Good Year for Dwarfs?, by Carter Brown
22. The Knight of the Parrot: Early Adventures of Young King Arthur, trans. by Thomas E. Vesce
23. Hope and History: Five Salzburg Lectures, by Josef Pieper
24. Death in the Cup, by Moray Dalton
25. A Talent for Revenge, by John Cutter
26. Ghost Breaker, by Ron Goulart
27. Hagar's Knight Out, by Dik Browne
28. Arrest the Bishop?, by Winifred Peck
29. The Wrecking Crew, by Donald Hamilton
30. The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat, by Thornton Burgess
31. Cartoon Laffs, ed. by Clyde Carley
32. The Life of Lazaros of Mt. Galesion: An Eleventh-Century Pillar Saint, by Gregory the Cellarer; trans. by Richard P. H. Greenfield
33. Anonymous Footsteps, by John M. O'Connor
34. The Red Pavilion, by Robert van Gulik
35. Over on the Dry Side, by Louis L'Amour
36. The Case of the Poisoned Cat, by K. P. Bahadur
37. Dennis the Menace—All-American Kid, by Hank Ketcham
38. Easy Company and the Suicide Boys, by John Wesley Howard
39. Diagnosis: Homicide, by Lawrence G. Blochman
40. Caravan to Vaccares, by Alistair MacLean
41. Treasure-House of Mysteries: Explorations of the Sacred Text Through Poetry in the Syriac Tradition, trans. by Sebastian Brock
42. The Blonde, by Carter Brown
43. Granddad! It's Morning!, by Bil Keane
44. The Crime at Diana's Pool, by Victor L. Whitechurch
45. Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works, by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite; trans. by Colm Luibheid
46. The Removers, by Donald Hamilton

Books finished in the second quarter

47. Everything's Archie!
48. Borden Chantry, by Louis L'Amour
49. The Body, by Carter Brown
50. Buck Fever: Deer Camp Cartoons, by Bruce Cochran
51. Reading the Psalms with Luther
52. The Phantom Spy, by Max Brand
53. A Murder Is Arranged, by Basil Thomson
54. This Petty Place: A Book of Drawings, by Mary Petty
55. Three Mysteries by Johnston McCulley
56. The Lives of the Monks of Palestine, by Cyril of Scythopolis; trans. by R. M. Price
57. Roman Antiquities, Books 5-6.48, by Dionysius of Halicarnassus; trans. by Earnest Cary
58. Marmaduke Sounds Off, by Brad Anderson
59. The Pleasure Cruise Mystery, by Robin Forsythe
60. North to the Rails, by Louis L'Amour
61. The Moving Shadow: Electrifying Bengali Pulp Fiction, selected and translated by Arunava Sinha
62. The Floating Game, by John Garforth
63. The Rescuers, by Margery Sharp
64. Heathcliff Rides Again, by George Gately
65. Theodulf of Orléans: The Verse, by Theodulf of Orléans; trans. by Theodore M. Andersson in collaboration with Åslaug Ommundsen and Leslie S. B. MacCoull
66. Best Cartoons of the Year 1954, ed. by Lawrence Lariar
67. The Eel Pie Murders, by David Frome
68. The Born Loser, by Carter Brown
69. Atlantic Fury, by Hammond Innes
70. Death Squad, by Don Pendleton
71. Easy Company and the Medicine Gun, by John Wesley Howard
72. The Tough Guys, by Mickey Spillane
73. Swords of Steel Omnibus, ed. by D. M. Ritzlin
74. Best Cartoons of the Year, ed. by Lawrence Lariar
75. Thrilling Pulp Detective Tales, Volume 1, ed. by Jonathan W. Sweet (editor) and Jules Sweet (associate editor)
76. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
77. Sacking Paris on a Budget, by Dik Browne
78. The House of the Vanishing Goblets, by Arlo & Carmen Edington
79. Take a Murder, Darling, by Richard S. Prather
80. Cy Whittaker's Place, by Joseph C. Lincoln
81. Tombstone & Speedy, Range Detectives, W. C. Tuttle
82. Death Sails the Nile, by F. Burks McKinley
83. East of Desolation, by Jack Higgins
84. Terror Comes Creeping, by Carter Brown
85. Not Reverse!, by Mort Walker
86. Sorry, Chief..., by William Johnston
87. Blondie, by Dean Young and Jim Raymond
88. The House That Kills, by Noel Vindry; trans. by John Pugmire
89. Two Dead, by Vernon Loder
90. Riders Against the Moon, by Johnston McCulley
91. Oh, Murderer Mine, by Norbert Davis

Books finished in the third quarter

92. Never Turn Your Back, by Margaret Scherf
93. The Mighty Warriors, ed. by Robert M. Price
94. Choice Cartoons from Sports Illustrated by Charles Preston
95. Zothique, by Clark Ashton Smith
96. Too Funny for Words! 125 Cartoons That Speak for Themselves, ed. by Phil Hirsch
97. The Brazen, by Carter Brown
98. Red Sonja #1: The Ring of Ikribu, by David C. Smith and Richard L. Tierney
99. Submarine Commander, by Rear Admiral Ben Bryant
100. The Winds of Gath, by E. C. Tubb
101. One Lonely Night, by Mickey Spillane
102. Roman Antiquities, Books 6.49-7, by Dionysius of Halicarnassus; trans. by Earnest Cary
103. Rivers West, by Louis L'Amour
104. Dead Man's Quarry, by Ianthe Jerrold
105. Nifft the Lean, by Michael Shea
106. The Poison Belt Together with "The Disintegration Machine" and "When the World Screamed", by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
107. March Upcountry, by David Weber and John Ringo
108. March to the Sea, by David Weber and John Ringo
109. March to the Stars, by David Weber and John Ringo
110. The Crime Coast, by Elizabeth Gill
111. The Man from the Broken Hills, by Louis L'Amour
112. Death of Anton, by Alan Melville
113. Poseidonis, by Clark Ashton Smith
114. Marmaduke Hams It Up!, by Brad Anderson
115. The Best of Thrilling Adventures
116. The Hunt Club, by Norman Daniels
117. Battle Mask, by Don Pendleton
118. Exemplary Lives: Selected Sermons on the Saints, from Rheinau, ed. and trans. by James C. Wilkinson
119. Fugitive from the Cubicle Police, by Scott Adams
120. Lives of the Visigothic Fathers, trans. by A. T. Fear
121. The Emperor's Pearl, by Robert van Gulik
122. A Rival from the Grave, by Seabury Quinn
123. Necromancy in Nilztiria, by D. M. Ritzlin
124. The Desired, by Carter Brown
125. Lookin' Good, Beetle Bailey, by Mort Walker
126. Milo Talon, by Louis L'Amour
127. Serpents in Eden: Countryside Crimes, ed. by Martin Edwards
128. Two Works on Trebizond: Michael Panaretos / Bessarion, ed. and trans. by Scott Kennedy
129. The Daffodil Murder, by Edgar Wallace
130. But Theriously Folkth, by Johnny Hart
131. The Man from Missouri, by Frank Gruber
132. In Search of the Sacred: Contributions to an Answer, by Josef Pieper; trans. by Lothar Krauth

Books finished in the fourth quarter

133. Red Sonja #2: Demon Night, by David C. Smith and Richard L. Tierney
134. The Rider of Lost Creek, by Louis L'Amour
135. Addams and Evil, by Charles Addams
136. Hard-Boiled Detectives: 23 Great Stories from Dime Detective Magazine, ed. by Robert Weinberg, Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, and Martin H. Greenberg
137. Miami Massacre, by Don Pendleton
138. Hardcase for Hire, by Clay Randall
139. So What Killed the Vampire?, by Carter Brown
140. Let's Change Places, Beetle Bailey, by Mort Walker
141. Poets and Murder, by Robert van Gulik
142. The Adventures of Mr. Clackworthy, by Christopher B. Booth
143. Many Rivers to Cross, by Steve Frazee
144. The Fastest Hound Dog in the State of Maine, by John Gould
145. Mystery at Olympia, by John Rhode
146. Poems, by Venantius Fortunatus; ed. and trans. by Michael Roberts
147. Best Cartoons of the Year 1948, ed. by Lawrence Lariar
148. Red Sonja #3: When Hell Laughs, by David C. Smith and Richard L. Tierney
149. The Vampire Murders, by Robert Wallace
150. Moral Essays, Volume I, by Seneca; trans. by John W. Basore
151. Scream for Jeeves: A Parody, by P. H. Cannon
152. Dilbert Turns 30, by Scott Adams
153. Bodies in Bedlam, by Richard S. Prather
154. Continental Contract, by Don Pendleton
155. The Loving and the Dead, by Carter Brown
156. The Mountain Valley War, by Louis L'Amour
157. Best Cartoons from Abroad 1957, ed. by Lawrence Lariar and Ben Roth
158. Murder in the Museum, by John Rowland
159. The Pulps: Fifty Years of American Pop Culture, ed. by Tony Goodstone
160. Nights of Terror, by Steve Frazee
161. Comanch', by Cliff Farrell
162. Doctor Who and the Daleks, by David Whitaker
163. Proof of the Pudding, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
164. Off-Collar, ed. by William McIntyre
165. Partners of the Tide, by Joseph C. Lincoln
166. Assault on Soho, by Don Pendleton
167. Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation, by Josef Pieper
168. Beetle Bailey: Quit Hangin' Around!, by Mort Walker
169. The Big Kill, by Mickey Spillane
170. Kilkenny, by Louis L'Amour
171. Until Temptation Do Us Part, by Carter Brown
172. The Lure of the Dim Trails, by B. M. Bower
173. Roads, by Seabury Quinn
174. The Double Alibi, by Noël Vindry; trans. by John Pugmire

Art by Glen White, for Argosy All-Story Magazine - http://rebelsofmars.blogs.com/rebels_of_mars/a_merritt/, Public Domain, Link

I read relatively few magazines last year, but I'd like to get back to the many pulps I've acquired, as well as some current pulp-inspired magazines, so I'm setting a goal for myself of averaging one magazine per month this year.

Magazines completed in 2020
1. Storyhack Action & Adventure, Issue 2 (neo-pulp)
2. Tales from The Magician's Skull, No. 4 (neo-pulp)
3. G-8 and His Battle Aces, October 1935
4. Storyhack Action & Adventure, Issue 4 (neo-pulp)
5. Storyhack Action & Adventure, Issue 3 (neo-pulp)
6. Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 25, 1924
7. Storyhack Action & Adventure, Issue 5 (neo-pulp
8. The Blue Book Magazine, April 1926
9. Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1920
10. Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 13, 1925
11. Storyhack Action & Adventure, Issue 6 (neo-pulp)
12. The Popular Magazine, June 7, 1920

In my first couple years in the group, I found I was avoiding reading shorter works — short stories, essays, treatises, sermons, etc. — found in books where I didn't intend to read the whole book at one go, because they wouldn't contribute to my totals. I'm tracking them now. I've set no particular goal for a total for this year, nor have I remembered to capture all that I've read, but I'll list what I can.

Shorter works read in 2020

1. "Ghost of a Crown," by Sterling Lanier (first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, December 1976)
2. "Witch-House," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, November 1936)
3. The Sultan of Hell, by Capt. Kerry McRoberts (first published in Thrilling Adventures, March 1934)
4. "The Terrible Parchment," by Manly Wade Wellman (first published in Weird Tales, August 1937)
5. "Orchid of Doom," by Lieut. Scott Morgan (first published in Thrilling Adventures, July 1934)
6. "Lost Treasures of Eden," by Capt. John Powers (first published in Thrilling Adventures, December 1934)
7. "Children of the Bat," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, January 1937)
8. "Interlude's End," by Robert Leslie Bellem
9. "The Lagoon of Monsters," by Johnston McCulley (first published in Thrilling Adventures, December 1934)
10. "Satan's Palimpsest," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, September 1937)
11. "World of Doom," by Ray Cummings (first published in Thrilling Adventures, January 1935)
12. "Pledged to the Dead," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, October 1937)
13. "Mother of Toads," by Clark Ashton Smith (first published in Weird Tales, July 1938)
14. "The Web of the Green Spider," by Capt. Kerry McRoberts (first published in Thrilling Adventures, February 1935)
15. "Sublevel Seventeen," by Paul Ernst (first published in Thrilling Adventures, February 1935)
16. "Murder on the Lotus Pond," by Robert van Gulik
17. "The Two Beggars," by Robert van Gulik
18. "The Wrong Sword," by Robert van Gulik
19. "Living Buddhess," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, November 1937)
20. "The Curse of the Shining God," by A. Leslie (first published in Thrilling Adventures, April 1935)
21. "Flames of Vengeance," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, December 1937)
22. "Hell's Oasis," by Arthur J. Burks (first published in Thrilling Adventures, April 1935)
23. "Frozen Beauty," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, February 1938)
24. "The Wooden Horse: Some Possible Bronze Age Origins, by Donald F. Easton (first published in ipamati kistamati pari tumatimis: Luwian and Hittite Studies Presented to J. David Hawkins on the Occasion of His 70th Birthday)
25. "Incense of Abomination," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, March 1938)
26. "The 'Shamraken' Homeward-Bounder," by William Hope Hodgson
27. "Suicide Chapel," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, June 1938)
28. "The Venomed Breath of Vengeance," by Seabury Quinn (first published in Weird Tales, August 1938)

I also listened to Vincent Price's reading of "Chu-bu and Sheemish," by Lord Dunsany.

Our cat Otto is a big fan of movies: When we start to watch one, he comes running to the living room from wherever he may be and settles in for the duration, though he chiefly dozes rather than actively watching.

I fell just short of 350 movies in 2019, so that number was my target in 2020.

I'll be giving Otto a place in my comments on movies. At present, the three ratings are as follows:

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movies watched in January

1. Mark of the Gorilla (Columbia, 1950)
2. Footsteps in the Night (Allied Artists, 1957)
3. Isle of Forgotten Sins (PRC, 1943)
4. Three Crosses Not To Die (original title: Tre croci per non morire) (1968)
5. The Inner Circle (Republic, 1946)
6. The Battle of the Damned (original title: Quella dannata pattuglia) (1969)
7. Beyond the Time Barrier (American International, 1960)
8. The Extra Girl (Mack Sennett Comedies, 1923)
9. The Fighting Renegade (Victory, 1939)
10. The Hound of the Baskervilles (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)
11. Traitorous (original title: Da tai jian) (1976)
12. Bowery at Midnight (Monogram, 1942)
13. Shall We Dance (RKO, 1937)
14. Commandos (1968)
15. Stagecoach (UA, 1939)
16. Let's Get Tough! (Monogram, 1942)
17. Make Mine Music (Disney / RKO, 1946)
18. Hands of a Gunfighter (original title: Ocaso de un pistolero) (1965)
19. The Range Feud (Columbia, 1931)
20. The Burning Court (original title: La chambre ardente) (1962)
21. The Hidden City (Monogram, 1950)
22. Bikini Beach (American International, 1964)
23. Non-Stop New York (Gaumont British, 1937)
24. The Death Kiss (K.B.S. Productions / Sono Art-World Wide, 1932)
25. The Hell's Wind Staff (original title: Long hu men) (1979)
26. The Black Camel (Fox, 1931)
27. Aces and Eights (Puritan, 1936)
28. Buccaneer's Girl (Universal, 1950)
29. A Candidate for a Killing (original title: Un sudario a la medida) (1969)
30. They Were Expendable (MGM, 1945)
31. The Atomic Submarine (Allied Artists, 1959)
32. Feud of the West (Diversion, 1936)
33. Locker Sixty-Nine (Anglo-Amalgamated, 1962)
34. Death Trap (Anglo-Amalgamated, 1962)
35. The H-Man (original title: Bijo to ekitai ningen) (Toho, 1958; Columbia, 1959)
36. Death on High Mountain (original title: La morte sull'alta collina) (1969)
37. Where's That Fire? (Twentieth Century Fox / Gainsborough, 1939)
38. The Ghost Camera (Real Art / RKO, 1933)
39. The Night the World Exploded (Columbia, 1957)
40. Action Man (original title: Le soleil des voyous) (1967)
41. The Lady in Scarlet (Chesterfield, 1935)
42. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)
43. The Living Ghost (Monogram, 1942)
44. 12 to the Moon (Columbia, 1960)
45. Phantom Rancher (Colony, 1940)
46. The Ghost Walks (Invincible, 1934)
47. Destroy All Planets (original title: Gamera tai uchu kaijû Bairasu) (Daiei, 1968)
48. Seven Steps of Kung Fu (original title: Qi bu mi zong) (1979)
49. The Thirteenth Guest (Monogram, 1932)
50. Sagebrush Trail (Lone Star / Monogram, 1933)
51. The Seventh Curse (original title: Yuen Chun Hap yu Wai See Lee) (Golden Harvest / Paragon, 1986)
52. F.P.1 (Gaumont British / Fox / UFA, 1933)
53. Charlie Chan in Paris (Fox, 1935)
54. Lawless Land (Republic, 1937)
55. Crazy Knights (Monogram, 1944)
56. Palmy Days (Goldwyn / UA, 1931)
57. Time Table (Mark Stevens Productions / UA, 1956)
58. Dead Men Walk (PRC, 1943)
59. The Vampire Doll (original title: Yûrei yashiki no kyôfu: Chi wo sû ningyô) (Toho, 1970)
60. Texas Wildcats (Victory, 1939)

Movies watched in February

61. The Loves of Hercules (original title: Gli amori di Ercole) (1960)
62. Midnight Limited (Monogram, 1940)
63. Awkward Hands (original title: Manos torpes) (1970)
64. Pajama Party (American International, 1964)
65. X Marks the Spot (Republic, 1942)
66. Lake of Dracula (original title: Noroi no yakata: Chi o suu me) (Toho, 1971)
67. Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (Universal, 1942)
68. Danger Ahead (Monogram, 1940)
69. Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (Allied Artists, 1965)
70. Mozambique (1964)
71. The Gunman (Monogram, 1952)
72. Sink the Bismarck! (Twentieth Century Fox, 1960)
73. Evil of Dracula (original title: Chi o suu bara) (Toho, 1974)
74. The Human Monster (Monogram, 1940) (originally released in the UK as Dark Eyes of London by Pathé, 1939)
75. Riders of the Desert (Sono Art-World Wide, 1932)
76. Win Them All (Park Films, 1973)
77. Gallery of Horror (American General, 1967)
78. Ice Station Zebra (MGM, 1968)
79. Murder on the Yukon (Monogram, 1940)
80. Midnight Manhunt (Paramount, 1945)
81. Santo el enmascarado de plata y Blue Demon contra los monstruos (Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters) (Cinematográfica Sotomayor, 1970)
82. The Red Blood of Courage (Ambassador, 1935)
83. Charlie Chan in Egypt (Fox, 1935)
84. Satanik (1968)
85. Caught Plastered (RKO, 1931)
86. Attack of the Monsters (original title: Gamera tai daiakuju Giron) (Daiei, 1969)
87. My Name Is Pecos (original title: 2 once di piombo) (1966)
88. Bulldog Drummond (Goldwyn / UA, 1929)
89. Goldsinger (original title: James Tont operazione U.N.O.) (1965)
90. Pecos Cleans Up (original title: Pecos è qui: prega e muori!) (1967)
91. Tiger Fangs (PRC, 1943)
92. The Weird Man (Shaw Brothers, 1983)
93. Condemned To Live (Invincible / Chesterfield, 1935)
94. Wrangler's Roost (Monogram, 1941)
95. Kriminal (1966)
96. The Beach Girls and the Monster (U.S. Films, 1965)
97. Candles at Nine (British National, 1944)
98. The Deadly Duo (Shaw Brothers, 1971)
99. Gog (Ivan Tors / UA, 1954)
100. Sky Bandits (Monogram, 1940)
101. Upperseven, l'uomo da uccidere (1966)
102. Return of the Deadly Blade (original title: Fei dao you jian fei dao) (1981)
103. Fenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankamen (original title: Fenomenal e il tesoro di Tutankamen) (1968)
104. Africa Screams (UA, 1949)
105. The Vampire Bat (Majestic, 1933)
106. Alias Boston Blackie (Columbia, 1942)
107. Prairie Law (RKO, 1940)
108. Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (Universal, 1942)
109. Da Istanbul ordine di uccidere (From Istanbul, Orders To Kill) (1965)
110. Song of Old Wyoming (PRC, 1945)
111. The Street Fighter (original title: Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken) (Toei, 1974)
112. The Bellboy (Paramount, 1960)
113. Treasure Hunt (IFD, 1952)
114. General Stone (original title: Shi san tai bao Li Cun Xiao) (1977)
115. Man on the Spying Trapeze (original title: Anónima de asesinos) (1966)
116. Murder by the Clock (Paramount, 1931)
117. Borderland (Paramount, 1937)
118. The Hidden Hand (WB, 1942)

Movies watched in March

119. Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlantida (Santo vs. Blue Demon in Atlantis) (Cinematográfica Sotomayor, 1970)
120. Breakout (Independent Artists / Anglo-Amalgamated, 1959)
121. Charlie Chan in Shanghai (Fox, 1935)
122. Heart of the Rockies (Republic, 1937)
123. Gammera the Invincible (1966)
124. The Ghost Rider (Monogram, 1943)
125. Come rubare un quintale di diamanti in Russia (Mission Phantom) (1967)
126. The Lion Hunters (Monogram, 1951)
127. Peking Blonde (original title: La blonde de Pékin) (1967)
128. Hercules, Prisoner of Evil (original title: Ursus, il terrore dei kirghisi) (1964)
129. Stage to Chino (RKO, 1940)
130. Miss Tulip Stays the Night (Grand Alliance, 1955)
131. Finders Keepers (UA, 1966/1967)
132. The Monster Maker (PRC, 1944)
133. The Snow Devils (original title: La morte viene dal pianeta Aytin) (1967)
134. Orphan of the Pecos (Victory, 1937)
135. Iron Monkey Strikes Back (aka Duel at the Tiger Village) (original title: Jue dou Lao Hu Zhuang) (1978)
136. Colpo in Canna (Loaded Guns) (1975)
137. Murder on the Campus (Chesterfield, 1933)
138. Assalto al tesoro di stato (Assault on the State Treasure) (1967)
139. The Mysterious Miss X (Republic, 1939)
140. Romance on the Range (Republic, 1942)
141. Last Man To Kill (original title: Un milione di dollari per sette assassini) (1966)
142. Charlie Chan at the Circus (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936)
143. Blue Demon y Zovek en La invasión de los muertos (Invasion of the Dead) (1973)
144. War Between the Planets (original title: Il pianeta errante) (1966)
145. Ridin' the Lone Trail (Republic, 1937)
146. Murder in the Big House (WB, 1942)
147. Borman (1966)
148. The Hurricane Horseman (Willis Kent, 1931)
149. Argoman vs. Diabolicus (original title: Superargo contro Diabolikus) (1966/1968)
150. Snake River Desperadoes (Columbia, 1951)
151. Calling Bulldog Drummond (MGM, 1951)
152. Every Day’s a Holiday (Grand National, 1964)
153. Perry Grant, agente di ferro (aka The Big Blackout) (1966)
154. 7 donne d'oro contro due 07 (1966)
155. Deathsport (New World, 1978)
156. Comanche Station (Columbia, 1960)
157. The Star Packer (Lone Star / Monogram, 1934)
158. Detective School Dropouts (Cannon, 1986)
159. Hercules in the Haunted World (original title: Ercole al centro della Terra) (1961/1964)
160. The Night of January 16th (Paramount, 1941)
161. Project Moon Base (Lippert, 1953)
162. Mrs. Pollifax – Spy (UA, 1971)
163. Sands of Iwo Jima (Republic, 1949)
164. Journey to the Center of Time (1967)
165. Black Magic (original title: Jiang tou) (Shaw Brothers, 1975)
166. Rogue of the Range (Supreme, 1936)
167. Sherlock Holmes in Washington (Universal, 1943)
168. The Case of the Frightened Lady (British Lion, 1940)

Movies watched in April

169. James Tont operazione D.U.E. (1966)
170. Devil Bat’s Daughter (PRC, 1946)
171. Rip Roarin' Buckaroo (Victory, 1936)
172. Supercolpo da 7 miliardi (aka The Ten Million Dollar Grab) (1967)
173. Sky Racket (Victory, 1937)
174. Death Journey (1976)
175. Ator, the Fighting Eagle (original title: Ator l'invincibile) (1982)
176. Sunset Range (First Division, 1935)
177. Jin Niukou (aka Gold Button) (1966)
178. The Time Travelers (American International, 1964)
179. Dick Tracy (RKO, 1945)
180. The Marshal of Mesa City (RKO, 1939)
181. Werewolves on Wheels (1971)
182. 28 minuti per 3 milioni di dollari (aka 28 Minutes for 3 Million Dollars) (1967)
183. The Flying Guillotine (original title: Xue di zi) (1975)
184. Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (original title: Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes) (1962)
185. Hold ’Em Jail (RKO, 1932)
186. Caryl of the Mountains (Reliable, 1936)
187. Blood Money (original title: El kárate, el Colt y el impostor) (1974)
188. One Armed Executioner (1981)
189. The Swiss Conspiracy (1976)
190. Space Raiders (1983)
191. Desert Gold (Paramount, 1936)
192. Il marchio di Kriminal (1968)
193. Planet of the Vampires (original title: Terrore nello spazio) (American International, 1965)
194. Meet Nero Wolfe (Columbia, 1936)
195. Sister Street Fighter (1974)
196. The Lost Missile (UA, 1958)
197. The League of Frightened Men (Columbia, 1937)
198. Flying Guillotine 2 (1978)
199. Hills of Kentucky (WB, 1927)
200. Charlie Chan at the Race Track (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936)
201. The Great Alligator (original title: Il fiume del grande caimano) (1979)
202. The Stranger (RKO, 1946)
203. Mean Johnny Barrows (1975)
204. Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring (Columbia, 1941)
205. Fatal Flying Guillotine (original title: Yin yang xie di zi) (1977)
206. Phantom from Space (UA, 1953)
207. Exterminators Of The Year 3000 (original title: Il giustiziere della strada) (1983)
208. The Man from Utah (Lone Star/Monogram, 1934)
209. Dick Tracy versus Cueball (RKO, 1946)
210. The Skull (Amicus, 1965)
211. The Killer With A Thousand Eyes (original title: Los mil ojos del asesino) (1973)
212. Goliath and the Dragon (original title: La vendetta di Ercole) (1960)
213. Mission Stardust (original title: ...4 ..3 ..2 ..1 ...morte) (1967)
214. Elephant Stampede (Monogram, 1951)
215. The Super Inframan (original title: Zhong guo chao ren) (1975)
216. Charlie Chan at the Opera (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936)
217. The Old Corral (Republic, 1936)
218. Supermen Against the Orient (original title: Crash! Che botte... strippo strappo stroppio) (1973)
219. Jungle Heat (UA, 1957)
220. Along Came Jones (International / RKO, 1945)
221. Operation Atlantis (original title: Agente S 03: Operazione Atlantide) (1965)

Movies watched in May

222. Fangs of the Wild (Metropolitan, 1939)
223. The Cobra (original title: Il cobra) (1967)
224. Invasion of the Star Creatures (American International, 1962)
225. Monster from Green Hell (1957)
226. Le solitaire passe à l'attaque (1966)
227. Agent X-77 Orders to Kill (original title: Baraka sur X 13) (1966)
228. The French Key (Republic, 1946)
229. Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops (original title: Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi) (1961)
230. Womaneater (1958)
231. Texas Terror (Lone Star / Monogram, 1935)
232. Blackmail (Republic, 1947)
233. Call of the South Seas (Republic, 1944)
234. How To Make a Monster (American International, 1958)
235. Ellery Queen, Master Detective (Columbia, 1940)
236. Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime (Columbia, 1941)
237. Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery (Columbia, 1941)
238. The She Beast (1966)
239. The Case of the Bloody Iris (original title: Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer?) (1972)
240. Dogora (original title: Uchû daikaijû Dogora) (Toho, 1964)
241. Un dollaro tra i denti (aka A Stranger in Town (1967)
242. Shaolin Devil Shaolin Angel (original title: Tie shou wu qing zhui hun ling) (1978)
243. A Close Call for Ellery Queen (Columbia, 1942)
244. A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen (Columbia, 1942)
245. Dick Tracy's Dilemma (RKO, 1947)
246. Murder with Pictures (Paramount, 1936)
247. Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (original title: Se tutte le donne del mondo... (Operazione Paradiso) (1966)
248. Thunder Trail (Paramount, 1937)
249. The Comedy of Terrors (American International, 1963)
250. Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (Universal, 1943)
251. The Set Up (Anglo-Amalgamated, 1963)
252. Electra One (original title: Con la muerte a la espalda) (1967)
253. The Bloody Vampire (original title: El vampiro sangriento) (1962)
254. The Invasion of the Vampires (original title: La invasión de los vampiros) (1963)
255. Uncle Was a Vampire (original title: Tempi duri per i vampiri) (1959)
256. Green Eyes (Chesterfield, 1934)
257. Kung Fu Zombie (original title: Wu long tian shi zhao ji gui) (1981)
258. British Intelligence (WB, 1940)
259. Discarded Lovers (Tower, 1932)
260. The World of the Vampires (original title: El mundo de los vampiros) (1961)
261. Un uomo, un cavallo, una pistol (aka The Stranger Returns) (1967)
262. Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror (1938)
263. Beast from Haunted Cave (Allied Artists, 1959)
264. Rocky Mountain Mystery (Paramount, 1935)
265. Jiang shi pa pa (The Close Encounter of the Vampire) (1986)
266. The House of the Arrow (1953)

Movies watched in June

267. Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947)
268. Up in the Air (Monogram, 1940)
269. Temptress of a Thousand Faces (original title: Qian mian mo nu) (Shaw Brothers, 1969)
270. The San Antonio Kid (Republic, 1944)
271. Ladrón de cadaveres (aka The Body Snatcher) (Internacional Cinematográfica, 1957)
272. Tomorrow at Seven (RKO, 1933)
273. La mujer murcielago (aka The Batwoman) (Cinematográfica Calderón, 1968)
274. Blue Steel (Lone Star / Monogram, 1934)
275. 002 operazione Luna (1965)
276. Charlie Chan at the Olympics (Twentieth Century Fox, 1937)
277. Leyendas macabras de la colonia (1974)
278. The Westland Case (Universal, 1937)
279. El robo de las momias de Guanajuato (1972)
280. The Cowboy Counsellor (Allied, 1932)
281. La nave de los monstruos (1959)
282. Danger on the Air (Universal, 1938)
283. African Treasure (Monogram, 1952)
284. If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (UA, 1969)
285. Aventura al centro de la tierra (1965)
286. The Kansan (UA, 1943)
287. Unforgotten Crime (edited version of The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine) (Republic, 1942)
288. Hold That Woman! (PRC, 1940)
289. The Caribbean Mystery (Twentieth Century Fox, 1945)
290. Las luchadoras contra el robot asesino (1969)
291. Scared Stiff (Paramount, 1945)
292. La casa del terror (1960)
293. Streamline Express (Mascot, 1935)
294. The Vengeful Beauty (original title: Xue fu rong) (1978)
295. Amazons and Supermen (original title: Superuomini, superdonne, superbotte) (1974)
296. The Spider Woman (Universal, 1943)
297. Riders of the Law (Sunset / Aywon, 1922)
298. The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968)
299. Get Mean (1975)
300. Charlie Chan on Broadway (Twentieth Century Fox, 1937)
301. Assignment Terror (original title: Los monstruos del terror) (1970)
302. Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985)
303. The Shadow (1933)
304. Green Dragon Inn (original title: Qing tian jian piao xiang) (1977)
305. The Crime Doctor's Courage (Columbia, 1945)
306. The Man from Painted Post (Artcraft, 1917)
307. While New York Sleeps (Twentieth Century Fox, 1938)
308. Dangerous Passage (Paramount, 1944)
309. Ghost Town (Commodore, 1936)
310. The Lady Confesses (PRC, 1945)
311. Kung Fu From Beyond the Grave (original title: Yin ji) (1982)
312. The Face Of Marble (Monogram, 1946)
313. Legion of the Lawless (RKO, 1940)
314. Carry On Camping (1969)
315. The Lone Wolf Strikes (Columbia, 1940)
316. The Devil's Possessed (original title: El mariscal del infierno) (1974)
317. 13 Lead Soldiers (Twentieth Century Fox, 1948)
318. Adventure of Shaolin (original title: Zhang San Feng du chuang Shao Lin) (1976)
319. Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (Twentieth Century Fox, 1937)
320. The Battle Wizard (original title: Tian long ba bu) (1977)

Movies watched in July

321. Espionage in Tangiers (original title: Marc Mato, agente S. 077) (1965)
322. Charlie Chan's Secret (Twentieth Century Fox, 1936)
323. Ninja Swords of Death (original title: Fei yin hu die zhan) (1978)
324. The Crimson Key (Twentieth Century Fox, 1947)
325. The Vampire's Ghost (Republic, 1945)
326. Heads for Sale (original title: Nu xia mai ren tou) (1970)
327. The Crime Doctor's Warning (Columbia, 1945)
328. Holy Flame of the Martial World (original title: Wu lin sheng huo jin) (1983)
329. Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster (original title: Gojira tai Mekagojira) (1974)
330. The Cape Town Affair (Twentieth Century Fox, 1967)
331. Revenge of Mechagodzilla (original title: Mekagojira no gyakushu) (1975)
332. Little Dragon Maiden (original title: Yang guo yu xiao long nu) (1983)
333. Charlie Chan in Honolulu (Twentieth Century Fox, 1938)
334. Legend of the Eight Samurai (original title: Satomi hakken-den) (1983)
335. Voodoo Island (UA, 1957)
336. Desperate Mission (original title: Agente Z 55 missione disperata) (1965)
337. Blue Demon: El Demonio Azul (1965)
338. Breakheart Pass (UA, 1976)
339. Mothra (original title: Mosura) (1961)
340. Wandering Dragon (1978? / 1981?)
341. The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle (original title: Der Würger von Schloß Blackmoor) (1963)
342. Pals of the Silver Sage (Monogram, 1940)
343. Arañas infernales (1968)
344. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (original title: San daikaijû: Chikyû saidai no kessen) (1964)
345. The Bells of Death (original title: Duo hun ling) (1968)
346. The Missing Corpse (PRC, 1945)
347. Atragon (original title: Kaitei gunkan) (1963)
348. The Spider Woman Strikes Back (Universal, 1946)
349. Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)
350. King Kong (RKO, 1933)
351. Fire Maidens of Outer Space (Criterion, 1956)
352. Invasion of the Astro Monsters (original title: Kaijû daisensô) (1965)

Movies watched in August

353. The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman (original title: La noche de Walpurgis) (1971)
354. Boy God (original title: Rocco, ang batang bato) (1983)
355. Between God, the Devil and a Winchester (original title: Anche nel west c'era una volta Dio) (1968)
356. The Beast Must Die (Amicus, 1974)
357. The One-Armed Swordsman (original title: Du bei dao) (1967)
358. Charlie Chan in Reno (Twentieth Century Fox, 1939)
359. Una pistola per Ringo (1965)
360. Il ritorno di Ringo (1965)
361. Latitude Zero (aka: Ido zero daisakusen) (1969)
362. The Lady Hermit (original title: Zhong kui niang zi) (1971)
363. 6 donne per l'assassino (aka Blood and Black Lace) (1964)
364. The Westerner (Goldwyn / UA, 1940)
365. The Green Jade Statuette (original title: Shen dao liu xing quan) (1977)
366. Number One of the Secret Service (1977)
367. Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)
368. The One Eyed Soldiers (aka Colpo di stato) (1967)
369. Hips, Hips, Hooray! (RKO, 1934)
370. The Witch with Flying Head (original title: Fei tou mo nu) (1982)
371. Deadly Silver Spear (original title: Xue lian huan) (1977)
372. Step On It (Reliable, 1936)
373. Wolf Devil Woman (original title: Lang nu bai mo) (1982)
374. Thor and the Amazon Women (original title: Le gladiatrici) (1963)
375. La morte cammina con i tacchi alti (aka Death Walks on High Heels) (1971)
376. The Five Venoms (original title: Wu du) (1978)
377. Firewalker (Cannon, 1986)
378. Escape from Galaxy 3 (original title: Giochi erotici nella terza galassia) (1981)
379. Kilink Istanbul'da (1967)
380. Ten Wanted Men (Columbia, 1955)
381. Charlie Chan in Panama (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)
382. Iron Monkey (original title: Tie hou zi) (1977)
383. Sihirbazlar Krali Mandrake Killing'in pesinde (1967) 8/22
384. King Kong vs. Godzilla (original title: Kingu Kongu tai Gojira) (1962)
385. Hanuman pob Jed Yodmanud (original title: Urutora 6-kyodai tai kaijû gundan) (aka: Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman) (1974)
386. That Man in Istanbul (original title: Estambul 65) (1965)
387. Murder over New York (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)
388. Fun at St. Fanny's (1955)
389. Convicted (Supreme / Weiss Brothers Artclass, 1931)
390. Shoot, Gringo, Shoot (original title: Spara, Gringo, spara) (1968)
391. Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (Columbia, 1942)
392. Fearless Fighters (original title: Tou tiao hao han) (1971)
393. Devilman Story (1967)
394. Death Goes North (Columbia, 1939)
395. The Black Abbot (1934)
396. Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (Twentieth Century Fox, 1940)

Movies watched in September

397. Wheels of Fire (1985)
398. Triple Justice (RKO, 1940)
399. Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte (aka If You Meet Sartana... Pray for Your Death) (1968)
400. Sono Sartana, il vostro becchino (aka I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death) (1969)
401. Quiet Please, Murder (Twentieth Century Fox, 1942)
402. C'è Sartana... vendi la pistola e comprati la bara! (aka: Sartana's Here, Trade Your Guns for a Coffin) (1970)
403. Have a Good Funeral, My Friend... Sartana Will Pay (original title: Buon funerale, amigos!... paga Sartana) (1970)
404. Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming (original title: Una nuvola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana) (1970)
405. The Kid with the Golden Arm (original title: Jin bi tong)
406. Return of Sabata (original title: È tornato Sabata... hai chiuso un'altra volta!) (1971)
407. Seven Footprints to Satan (First National / WB, 1929)
408. Dead Eyes of London (original title: Die toten Augen von London) (1961)
409. Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (original title: Du bei dao wang) (1969)
410. Destroy All Monsters (original title: Kaijû sôshingeki) (1968)
411. Halleluja for Django (original title: La più grande rapina del west) (1967)
412. Dead Men Tell (Twentieth Century Fox, 1941)
413. The Cat O' Nine Tails (original title: Il gatto a nove code) (1971)
414. Appointment with Venus (aka Island Rescue) (1951)
415. The Fat Man (Universal, 1951)
416. La dama rossa uccide sette volte (aka The Red Queen Kills Seven Times) (1972)
417. Probability Zero (original title: Probabilità zero) (1969) 9/10
418. Tômei ningen to hae otoko (aka The Invisible Man vs. the Human Fly) (1958)
419. Gung Ho! (Universal, 1943)
420. Fog Island (PRC, 1945)
421. The 72 Desperate Rebels (original title: Qi shi er sha xing) (1978)
422. The Alien Dead (1978)
423. Oath of Vengeance (PRC, 1944)
424. Wonder Man (Goldwyn / RKO, 1945)
425. Think Fast, Mr. Moto (Twentieth Century Fox, 1937)
426. Dai tozoku (aka: The Lost World of Sinbad) (Toho, 1963)
427. The Pit and the Pendulum (American International, 1961)
428. Curse of the Devil (original title: El retorno de Walpurgis) (1973) 9/16
429. Shaolin Fox Conspiracy (original title: Han shan fei hu) (1982)
430. Banco à Bangkok pour OSS 117 (aka Shadow of Evil or Panic in Bangkok) (1964)
431. The Black Raven (PRC, 1943)
432. The New One-Armed Swordsman (original title: Xin du bi dao) (1971)
433. Stage to Blue River (Monogram, 1951)
434. Kindar the Invulnerable (original title: Kindar, l'invulnerabile) (1965)
435. Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (American International, 1965)
436. ¡En peligro de muerte! (1962)
437. The Scarlet Claw (Universal, 1944)
438. The Dragon's Vengeance (original title: Chung kuo ren) (1972)
439. Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (original title: Le spie vengono dal semifreddo) (American International, 1966)
440. Incident at Midnight (Anglo Amalgamated, 1963)
441. The Rogues' Tavern (Puritan, 1936)
442. Yôsei Gorasu (aka: Gorath) (Toho, 1962)
443. Castle in the Air (1952)
444. The £20,000 Kiss (Anglo Amalgamated, 1963)
445. On the Run (Anglo Amalgamated, 1963)
446. Dressed To Fight (original title: Zhe jian chuan ji) (1979)
447. The Creeping Flesh (Columbia, 1973)
448. Bonanza Town (Columbia, 1951)
449. They Came from Beyond Space (1967)
450. Where the North Begins (WB, 1923)
451. Eyes in the Night (MGM, 1942)
452. The Game of Killers (original title: Xiao mian sha shou sha xiao zi) (1978)
453. Charlie Chan in Rio (Twentieth Century Fox, 1941)
454. Tom Dollar (1967)
455. The Return of the Durango Kid (Columbia, 1945)
456. The Murder in the Museum (Willis Kent, 1934)
457. 00-2 agenti segretissimi (1964)
458. House of Mystery (Anglo Amalgamated, 1961)

Movies watched in October

459. To Have and Have Not (WB, 1944)
460. Up the MacGregors (original title: 7 donne per i MacGregor) (1967)
461. Sugar Hill (American International, 1974)
462. The Big Sleep (WB, 1946)
463. Sartana in the Valley of Death (original title: Sartana nella valle degli avvoltoi) (1970)
464. House on Haunted Hill (Allied Artists, 1959)
465. Bao biao (aka Have Sword, Will Travel) (1969)
466. Carry On Screaming (Anglo Amalgamated, 1966)
467. Both Barrels Blazing (Columbia, 1945)
468. A Fistful of Dollars (original title: Per un pugno di dollari) (1964)
469. Castle in the Desert (Twentieth Century Fox, 1942)
470. For a Few Dollars More (original title: Per qualche dollaro in più) (1965)
471. The Runaway Bus (Eros, 1954)
472. For a Few Dollars Less (original title: Per qualche dollaro in meno) (1966)
473. The Black Abbot (original title: Der schwarze Abt) (1963)
474. Yongary, Monster from the Deep (original title: Taekoesu Yonggary) (1967)
475. L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone (aka: The Killer Reserved Nine Seats) (1974)
476. Find the Blackmailer (WB, 1943)
477. Blood of the Vampire (Universal, 1958)
478. Outlaws of the Rockies (Columbia, 1945)
479. The Nurse's Secret (WB, 1941)
480. Pygmy Island (Columbia, 1950)
481. 18 Shaolin Riders (original title: Xuan feng shi ba qi) (1977)
482. Meet the Wildcat (Universal, 1940)
483. Hantu Jerangkong (aka: The Skeleton Ghost) (1957)
484. Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (Monogram, 1944)
485. The Curse of the Aztec Mummy (original title: La maldición de la momia azteca) (1957)
486. Smartest Girl in Town (RKO, 1936)
487. A Night of Magic (1944)
488. Sumpah Pontianak (aka: The Curse of Pontianak) (1958)
489. Godzilla vs. Mothra (original title: Mosura tai Gojira) (Toho, 1964)
490. Go-Get-'Em, Haines (Republic, 1936)
491. Two Great Cavaliers (original title: Ci xiong shuang sha) (1978)
492. Blazing the Western Trail (Columbia, 1945)
493. The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy (original title: La momia azteca contra el robot humano) (1958)
494. Duo qing jian ke wu qing jian (aka: The Sentimental Swordsman) (1977)
495. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (American International, 1971)
496. Dr. Phibes Rises Again (American International, 1972)
497. The Curse of Nostradamus (original title: La maldición de Nostradamus) (1961)
498. Mo jian xia qing (aka: Return of the Sentimental Swordsman) (1981)
499. The Monsters Demolisher (original title: Nostradamus y el destructor de monstruos) (1962)
500. The Mummy (Universal, 1932)
501. Hebi musume to hakuhatsuma (aka: The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch) (1968)
502. Ren pi deng long (aka: Human Lanterns) (1982)
503. The Chinese Cat (Monogram, 1944)
504. You gui zi (aka: Oily Maniac) (1976)
505. Our Man Flint (Twentieth Century Fox, 1966)
506. Xiao shi yi lang (aka: Swordsman and Enchantress) (1978)
507. Mummy's Boys (RKO, 1936)
508. Xiao Xia Long Juan Feng (aka: Chivalric Tornado) (1989)
509. Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (Hammer / Paramount, 1974)
510. Rim of the Canyon (Columbia, 1949)
511. Tien ya ming yue dao (aka: The Magic Blade) (1976)
512. The Trygon Factor (1966)
513. Lawless Empire (Columbia, 1945)
514. Die, Monster, Die! (American International, 1965)
515. Just Before Dawn (Columbia, 1946)
516. Fight for Glory (original title: Jue dai ying xiong) (1980)
517. The Jade Mask (Monogram, 1945)
518. Muscle Beach Party (American International, 1964)
519. Behind Green Lights (Twentieth Century Fox, 1946)
520. Oasis of the Zombies (original title: La tumba de los muertos vivientes) (1982)
521. Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (Hammer / Paramount, 1974)
522. Blood Orgy of the She-Devils (1973)
523. The Fake (UA, 1953)
524. Lady Frankenstein (original title: La figlia di Frankenstein) (1971)
525. The Ghost Galleon (original title: El buque maldito) (1974)
526. Maneater of Hydra (original title: La isla de la muerte) (1967)

Movies watched in November

527. The Lucky Texan (Lone Star / Monogram, 1934)
528. Kung Fu Girl Fighter (original title: Huang pu tan tou) (1972)
529. Ghosts on the Loose (Monogram, 1943)
530. The Mad Monster (PRC, 1942)
531. Force Four (original title: Black Force) (1975)
532. Black Magic (Monogram, 1944)
533. Death Rides the Range (Colony, 1939)
534. Demonoid (1981)
535. Passenger to London (1937)
536. Texas Panhandle (Columbia, 1945)
537. The Magnificent Kick (original title: Huang Fei Hong yu gui jiao qi) (1980)
538. Giants of Rome (original title: I giganti di Roma) (1964)
539. Target for Killing (original title: Das Geheimnis der gelben Mönche) (1966)
540. After Midnight with Boston Blackie (Columbia, 1943)
541. Naga Tasik Chini (aka: The Dragon of Lake Chini) (1966)
542. Requiem for a Secret Agent (original title: Requiem per un agente segreto) (1966)
543. Return of the Ape Man (Monogram, 1944)
544. Any Gun Can Play (original title: Vado... l'ammazzo e torno) (1967)
545. The Night of the Party (1935)
546. Ten Brothers of Shaolin (original title: Shi da di zi) (1977)
547. La notte dei diavoli (aka: Night of the Devils) (1972)
548. Mr. Wong, Detective (Monogram, 1938)
549. They Call Me Hallelujah (original title: Testa t'ammazzo, croce... sei morto - Mi chiamano Alleluja) (1971)
550. Fistful of Diamonds (original title: El hombre del puño de oro) (1967)
551. The Scarlet Clue (Monogram, 1945)
552. Riders to the Stars (UA, 1954)
553. Blackenstein (1973)
554. The Violin Case Murders (original title: Schüsse aus dem Geigenkasten) (1965)
555. El puño de la muerte (1982)
556. The Murder Mansion (original title: La mansión de la niebla) (1972)
557. Tex Rides with the Boy Scouts (Grand National, 1937)
558. Jungle Flight (Paramount, 1947)
559. Secret Agent 777: Invitation to Kill (original title: Agente segreto 777 - Invito ad uccidere) (1966)
560. The Guy with the Secret Kung Fu (original title: Cai yang nu bang zhu) (1980)
561. Ship Ahoy (MGM, 1942)
562. Roaring Rangers (Columbia, 1946)
563. The Mystery of Mr. Wong (Monogram, 1939)
564. Ngû yaks (aka: Golden Buddha Against the Snake Phantom) (1982)
565. The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (Columbia, 1940)
566. Lure of the Islands (Monogram, 1942)
567. Le spie uccidono in silenzio (aka: Spies Strike Silently) (1966)
568. Giant from the Unknown (Astor, 1958)
569. Gui da gui (aka: Encounters of the Spooky Kind) (1980)
570. Adventure Island (Paramount, 1947)
571. The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (original title: Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse) (1960)
572. Law of the Jungle (Monogram, 1942)
573. One Frightened Night (Mascot, 1935)
574. Space Probe Taurus (American International, 1965)
575. Arizona Bound (Monogram, 1941)
576. The Pearl of Death (Universal, 1944)
577. Mr. Wong in Chinatown (Monogram, 1939)
578. The White Butterfly Killer (original title: Hu die sha shou) (1973)
579. Death and Diamonds (original title: Dynamit in grüner Seide) (1968)
580. Assignment: Outer Space (original title: Space Men) (1960)
581. Gui meng jiao (aka: Spooky, Spooky) (1988)
582. The Return of Dr. Mabuse (original title: Im Stahlnetz des Dr. Mabuse) (1961)
583. The Dark Hour (Chesterfield, 1936)
584. Los campeones justicieros (aka: The Champions of Justice) (1971)
585. Comin' Round the Mountain (Universal, 1951)
586. Mystery Liner (Monogram, 1934)
587. Wings of Adventure (Tiffany, 1930)
588. Too Much Gold for One Gringo (original title: La caza del oro) (1972)
589. Tangled Destinies (Mayfair, 1932)
590. The Phantom (1931)
591. Gunning for Vengeance (Columbia, 1946)
592. The Vulture (1966)
593. Hero of the Wild (original title: Tian luo fei sha xi yang hong; aka: The Invisible Terrorist) (1977)
594. Saddle Mountain Roundup (Monogram, 1941)
595. The Wizard of Mars (aka: Horrors of the Red Planet) (American General, 1965)
596. Trail of the Silver Spurs (Monogram, 1941)
597. The 8 Masters (original title: Ba da men pai) (1977)
598. The Avenger (original title: Der Rächer) (1960)
599. Tobor the Great (Republic, 1954)
600. Galloping Thunder (Columbia, 1946)
601. Fury of the Congo (Columbia, 1951)
602. Death Duel (original title: San shao ye de jian) (1977)
603. The Bat People (American International, 1974)
604. The Mystery Train (Continental Talking Pictures, 1931)
605. The Fatal Hour (Monogram, 1940)
606. Broadway to Cheyenne (Monogram, 1932)
607. Jack and the Beanstalk (WB, 1952)
608. Under Montana Skies (Tiffany, 1930)
609. Death in a Red Jaguar (original title: Der Tod im roten Jaguar) (1968)
610. The Shanghai Cobra (Monogram, 1945)

Movies watched in December

611. War Gods of Babylon (original title: Le sette folgori di Assur) (1962)
612. The Camels Are Coming (Gainsborough, 1934)
613. The Catman of Paris (Republic, 1946)
614. Masked Avengers (original title: Cha shou) (1981)
615. Return to Treasure Island (UA, 1954)
616. Devil's Cargo (Film Classics, 1948)
617. Two-Fisted Stranger (Columbia, 1946)
618. Dr. Jekyll vs. the Werewolf (original title: Doctor Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo) (1972)
619. Johnny O'Clock (Columbia, 1947)
620. Texas Cyclone (Columbia, 1932)
621. Doomed To Die (Monogram, 1940)
622. More Dollars for the MacGregors (original title: Ancora dollari per i MacGregor) (1970)
623. Sunset Murder Case (Grand National, 1938)
624. The Invisible Dr. Mabuse (original title: Die unsichtbaren Krallen des Dr. Mabuse) (1962)
625. Daikaijû kûchûsen: Gamera tai Gyaosu (aka: Gamera vs. Gyaos) (1967)
626. Conquest (1983)
627. Murder in the Private Car (MGM, 1934)
628. Peligro...! Mujeres en acción (1969)
629. A Study in Scarlet (KBS / World Wide / Fox, 1933)
630. Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour (original title: The Sleeping Cardinal) (1931)
631. The Bat (UA, 1926)
632. Santo contra Capulina (1969)
633. Dark Alibi (Monogram, 1946)
634. The Man from Beyond (Houdini Picture Corp., 1922)
635. Gamera vs. Jiger (original title: Gamera tai Daimaju Jaiga) (1970)
636. The Kid's Last Ride (Monogram, 1941)
637. Wu Tang Magic Kick (original title: Shen tui) (1977)
638. Supervan (1977)
639. Black Angel (Universal, 1946)
640. The Bat Whispers (UA, 1930)
641. The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case (1932)
642. Danger: Diabolik (original title: Diabolik) (1968)
643. Gamera vs. Zigra (original title: Gamera tai Shinkai kaijû Jigura) (1971)
644. Phantom Ship (original title: The Mystery of the Mary Celeste) (1935)
645. The Oklahoma Cyclone (Tiffany, 1930)
646. The Viscount (original title: Le vicomte règle ses comptes) (1967)
647. Bang Bang Kid (1967)
648. Murder at Glen Athol (Chesterfield, 1936)
649. Straight Shooting (Universal, 1917)
650. Beach Blanket Bingo (American International, 1965)
651. Cat Girl (Insignia Films / American International, 1957)
652. Midnight Faces (Otto K. Schreier / Goodwill, 1926)
653. Fury in Marrakesh (original title: Furia a Marrakech) (1966)
654. The Terror of Doctor Mabuse (original title: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse) (1962)
655. Dangerous Money (Monogram, 1946)
656. Without Honor (aka: Without Honors) (Weiss Brothers Artclass, 1932)
657. The Ghost That Walks Alone (Columbia, 1944)
658. The Cat and the Canary (Universal, 1927)
659. The Desert Horseman (Columbia, 1946)
660. Postal Inspector (Universal, 1936)
661. The Silent Passenger (1935)
662. Law and Lawless (Majestic, 1932)
663. Jungle Manhunt (Columbia, 1951)
664. One Body Too Many (Paramount, 1944)
665. Killers from Space (RKO, 1954)
666. Johnny Allegro (Columbia, 1949)
667. Night Raiders (Monogram, 1952)
668. Valley of the Zombies (Republic, 1946)
669. Sky High (Fox, 1922)
670. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
671. Death from a Distance (Chesterfield, 1935)
672. Fearless Duo (1979)
673. Border Devils (Weiss Brothers Artclass, 1932)
674. Sea Racketeers (Republic, 1937)
675. Phantom Killer (Monogram, 1942)
676. King of the Pecos (Republic, 1936)
677. The Sword and the Claw (original title: Kiliç Aslan) (1975)
678. Shadows over Chinatown (Monogram, 1946)
679. 'Hukkunud Alpinisti' hotel (aka: Dead Mountaineer's Hotel) (1979)
680. Crime Doctor's Man Hunt (Columbia, 1946)
681. Branded a Bandit (Arrow, 1924)
682. War of the Satellites (Allied Artists, 1958)
683. Rock All Night (American International, 1957)
684. How DOooo You Do (PRC, 1945)
685. The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935)
686. Let's Go (Truart, 1923)
687. The Land of Missing Men (Tiffany, 1930)
688. Chinatown After Dark (Action, 1931)
689. Straight Shooter (Victory, 1939)
690. The Return of Boston Blackie (Chadwick / First Division, 1927)
691. Heading West (Columbia, 1946)
692. On the Spot (Monogram, 1940)
693. The Black Pirate (UA, 1926)
694. The Hole in the Wall (Paramount, 1929)
695. The Midnight Message (Goodwill, 1926)
696. The Red Dragon (Monogram, 1946)
697. Flying Wild (Monogram, 1941)
698. Underground Rustlers (Monogram, 1941)
699. War of the Planets (original title: I diafanoidi vengono da Marte) (1966)
700. The Big Steal (RKO, 1949)
701. The Dead Are Alive! (original title: L'etrusco uccide ancora) (1972)
702. Rubber Racketeers (Monogram, 1942)

November recap:

• 12 books finished


• no additional shorter works finished


• 1 magazine finished


• 84 movies watched

Year-to-date (as of the end of November):

• 163 books finished


• 28 shorter works finished


• 11 magazines finished


• 610 movies watched

I am ahead of schedule for my book reading and on track with my magazine reading. I'm well past my original target of 350 for my movie watching and may very well get to 650 movies or more this year.

After a power outage just as I was setting things up, this thread is now ready for visitors. Next one's yours!

Glad I'm able to get a look at your amblings before the end of the year. No wonder your power went out. You've been surging and surging with the reading and the watching.

Keep safe and healthy.

>24 weird_O: Thanks for dropping by, Bill! I do try to keep busy. :-)

I hope all is well with you and yours.

New thread orisons, HG. This piece on Todd Downing rekindled my desire to read his Mexico-set Golden Age mysteries. Peruse at will.

Happy new thread, Harry, and happy December!

Happy new thread, Harry.

And congratulations on reading over 2 x 75 books and watching the amazing number of 8 x 75 movies in 2020!!

>26 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! I've read all of Downing's mysteries. They are quite good, serious works.

>27 mstrust: Thank you, Jennifer! A happy December to you as well!

>28 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita! I've been quite happy with my totals this year.

Movie 599. Tobor the Great (Republic, 1954)



Youth-oriented science fiction, with a boy's grandfather the inventor of a new robot, one that is the target of scheming enemy agents. Lightweight but fun.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 600. Galloping Thunder (Columbia, 1946)



Steve Reynolds (Charles Starrett) goes undercover as a gunman to investigate a gang of rustlers, then uses his knowledge as the Durango Kid to thwart the gang's schemes, despite some reluctance on the part of one of the ranchers to distrust the likely ringleader because he is her fiancé.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

150. Moral Essays, Volume I, by Seneca; trans. by John W. Basore



Treatises on several subjects, including anger and mercy, by the first-century philosopher are well worth a read. Recommended.

>1 harrygbutler: here I am!

What's the train car in your opening post?

>35 fuzzi: Thanks for stopping in! The car in the photo up top is one of two observation cars used in the Reading Crusader train beginning in the 1930s. The five-car train was set up with an observation car on each end so that the train didn't need to be turned when it arrived at the end of its run.

Happy new thread, Harry and well done on making it to 2x75.

Happy new thread!

>37 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

>38 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

Movie 601. Fury of the Congo (Columbia, 1951)



Crooks after the Okongo, a zebra-like little horse, enslave natives to help them in their hunt for the beasts, and it's up to Jungle Jim and the women of the tribe to try to stop them. Some fun stuff, including a giant desert spider and the inventive approach to the "treasure," help balance out some slow pacing.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 602. Death Duel (original title: San shao ye de jian) (1977)



A master swordsman tries to lead a normal life, but he is unable to avoid the impact of his past of constant battles. Well-done but a bit too gloomy for my tastes.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 603. The Bat People (American International, 1974)



Story of the effects of a bat bite on a young man, and the consequences for his wife as well, is slow-moving and dull, with really nothing much, even in the way of special effects, to reward the viewer.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

151. Scream for Jeeves: A Parody, by P. H. Cannon



Three pleasing little pastiche tales of Lovecraftian horror faced by Jeeves and Wooster make up the bulk of this volume, though there is also an essay that may be of interest as well. Recommended.

>43 harrygbutler: Growing up in Bat City (one of Austin's nicknames) and, before that, in Mercedes, Texas, bats get a bad rap from movies like that one. Bless every bat you ever see! If not for them the skeeters would eat us all.

>44 harrygbutler: Jeeves and Wooster and Cthulhu, oh my! Jeeves and Wooster and Cthulhu, oh my! That does sound amusing.

Happy Wednesday, Harry.

>45 richardderus: We've considered putting up a bat house but have never gotten around to doing so. One of the many little carpentry projects I ought to knock out.

Happy Wednesday to you as well.

>36 harrygbutler: did they put them in front of the engine?

>36 harrygbutler: No. Ordinarily, an observation car would be the last car in the train, but the Reading Crusader had a mirrored consist so that there was an observation car at the end when heading in either direction.

Southbound/westbound (front of train to the left): Locomotive - Observation Car - Coach - Cafe Car - Coach - Observation Car

Northbound/eastbound (front of train to the right): Observation Car - Coach - Cafe Car - Coach - Observation Car - Locomotive

I'm not sure how clearly the arrangement can be seen in this image, but here's one picture of the train:

>48 harrygbutler: thanks! I was trying to figure out how the observation car could be at the front. You clarified it for me, it's appreciated.

Movie 604. The Mystery Train (Continental Talking Pictures, 1931)



A crooked lawyer and his client plot to use an escaped prisoner, a young woman who in fact is innocent, as a means of gaining the wealth of another young client of the lawyer, with train wrecks bookending the action. It suffers from the weaknesses common to many early talkies, but it has some interest nonetheless.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

>49 fuzzi: You're welcome. I'm glad the explanation was helpful.

Movie 605. The Fatal Hour (Monogram, 1940)



Mr. Wong investigates the murder of a policeman working undercover. A good entry in the series, with Marjorie Reynolds in excellent form as a reporter.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 606. Broadway to Cheyenne (Monogram, 1932)



A New York detective takes a vacation back home and discovers gangsters are trying to work a protection racket out on the range, too. Fairly entertaining early Monogram western.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 607. Jack and the Beanstalk (WB, 1952)



Lou takes center stage as title character Jack in this kiddie-oriented fare. The dance numbers are poor, but I do like Lou's big song, as well as Buddy Baer as the giant and Bud's greedy butcher.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 608. Under Montana Skies (Tiffany, 1930)



Lighthearted early sound western has a cowboy helping out a stranded troupe of vaudevillians. There's plenty of comedy and a reasonable amount of action, and the charm of the picture manages to overcome the limitations of the technology.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 609. Death in a Red Jaguar (original title: Der Tod im roten Jaguar) (1968)



After the execution-style killing of a woman and her young daughter, FBI agent Jerry Cotton tries to put a stop to a murder-for-hire organization. A little confusing in its structure, and the scheme to flush out the ringleader relies on a rather farfetched substitution, but entertaining nonetheless.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 610. The Shanghai Cobra (Monogram, 1945)



Charlie Chan investigates the murders (by cobra venom!) of employees of a bank storing radium for the government. He is aided once again by son Tommy and chauffeur Birmingham Brown, as well as by a young private eye. A weaker entry in the Monogram series, but the technology on display is of some interest.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

152. Dilbert Turns 30, by Scott Adams



Anniversary Dilbert collection includes both the usual run of recent strips and a selection of those from preceding years. Amusing enough; mildly recommended.

>59 harrygbutler: I'd probably appreciate that, I'm a moderate fan of the characters.

I don't know how but I missed the beginning of your new thread.

Happy new thread ( even though it's 60 posts in)

>44 harrygbutler: Looks interesting and has a wonderful cover.

>60 fuzzi: I don't know how long it has been out; there are rather few copies cataloged on LT. I find the humor variable but there are enough hits to offset the misses.

>61 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita! I don't recall how I first learned about Scream for Jeeves, but I've found the stories worth revisiting. And I agree, it is a good dust jacket cover illustration.

>59 harrygbutler: So Dilbert turned 30 last year, which to be honest surprised me. I thought he was a decade older than that.

Well, anyway, I see your latest Nader-as-Cotton wasn't the best...better luck next time.

And happy weekend!

>64 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. I'm not sure when we'll get to other Jerry Cotton movies, but I've enjoyed the three we've seen enough to watch the rest. Last night, we hit a similarly weak series entry with the Dr. Mabuse movie The Invisible Dr. Mabuse; I think I may need to space them out a bit more.

Have a good weekend, too!

Movie 611. War Gods of Babylon (original title: Le sette folgori di Assur) (1962)



Assyrian brothers end up rivals thanks to the scheming of a general and their love for a young peasant woman. Impressive sets and colorful costumes, and well-done special effects (which I hope were able to be used in more than one movie, if they were original to this one) buoy a standard story.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 612. The Camels Are Coming (Gainsborough, 1934)



Awkward comedy-adventure stars Jack Hulbert as a pilot heading a squadron of the Egyptian air force tasked with stopping smuggling. Although the music is OK, far too much of the comedy fall flat, and the viewer is never really drawn into the crime story, either.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 613. The Catman of Paris (Republic, 1946)



A writer suffering from blackouts may be responsible for brutal murders in the French capital...but are they done by man or monster? A bit incoherent toward the end, and one twist is not unexpected.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

153. Bodies in Bedlam, by Richard S. Prather



When an obnoxious report with whom he'd earlier had a fight ends up murdered at a party, Shell Scott soon finds himself working to clear his name and find out what was really behind the killing, uncovering a sordid web of crime as he does. The plot moves right along, and the wise-cracking Scott remains an entertaining protagonist. Mildly recommended.

The books and movies keep flowing Harry and long may it continue. Have a wonderful weekend.

>70 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. I hope you have a swell weekend as well.

Movie 614. Masked Avengers (original title: Cha shou) (1981)



Action-packed story of a clan seeking vengeance on the paid killers who have targeted some of the family suffers from too many characters, most of whom meet their doom fairly quickly, so that although the central plot is clear enough, the details of what is going on become hard to follow.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 615. Return to Treasure Island (UA, 1954)



Slow-moving adventure flick sees rival thieves after the map to gold on Treasure Island, a map still in the possession of a descendant of Jim Hawkins. A shirtless Tab Hunter and a sometimes swimsuit-clad Dawn Addams star. The movie never really generates much excitement, in part weighed down by the overuse of narration.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 616. Devil's Cargo (Film Classics, 1948)



After his run at RKO ended, the character The Falcon ended up with low-budget filmmaker Film Classics, with magician-actor John Calvert in the role. In this first entry, the detective is contacted by a man who claims to have murdered a prominent playboy, and who leaves with him a locker key. When the confessed killer is later murdered in his cell, the locker provides a big surprise, and the Falcon tries to uncover what is really going on, using his sleight-of-hand tricks along the way. Calvert has little charm as the character, and the writing is poor.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

154. Continental Contract, by Don Pendleton



To extricate himself from a trap set at an airport by the mob, Mack Bolan escapes aboard an international flight to Paris. The overseas branch of the Mafia aims to put an end to the Executioner, but with the help of some chance-made friends, he may be able to turn the tables and rain destruction down upon them. A solid entry in the series with some added interest from the location and a few of the characters. Recommended for fans but probably not the place to start for new readers.

Poor Otto, not many pleasing movies lately.

^^^what she said

>76 fuzzi: >77 richardderus: True, but the lull really only represents a couple days' worth of movies. I'm sure he'll see an uptick in pleasing movies soon. :-)

Movie 617. Two-Fisted Stranger (Columbia, 1946)



Deputy Steve Gordon (Charles Starrett) takes over when the sheriff is murdered, and as the Durango Kid he aims to counter the efforts of a gang looking to dupe local ranchers into investing in a fake diamond mine. Smiley's camera plays a part in foiling the crime.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 618. Dr. Jekyll vs. the Werewolf (original title: Doctor Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo) (1972)



Paul Naschy again plays werewolf Waldemar Daninsky, this time ending up in London, where a descendant of Dr. Jekyll plans to use his forebear's formula to cure the wolfman. Bringing the Jekyll/Hyde story into the mix adds an interesting twist to the werewolf story.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 619. Johnny O'Clock (Columbia, 1947)



A shady gambler with a crooked partner ends up the suspect in a couple murders. The movie has a fairly standard noir plot, with no real surprises, but the charismatic Dick Powell makes it worth watching; smoothly entertaining, if not distinctive.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 620. Texas Cyclone (Columbia, 1932)



When Texas Grant rides into a new town, he is mistaken for a man named Rawlings who had disappeared some five years before. At first, even the man's wife thinks him her husband, and when he learns that she is about to lose her ranch to an overbearing thug, he decides to play the part long enough to set things straight. Good support from a young John Wayne and from Walter Brennan, already playing an old man, adds to the picture as well.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

I love the old movie posters.

>83 fuzzi: I do, too, and I'm glad that tracking my movie watching gives me a chance to find and share so many.

Movie 621. Doomed To Die (Monogram, 1940) Recommended



The last of the Mr. Wong movies starring Boris Karloff (the series would get an unsuccessful reboot in the next film, with Keye Luke in the role of the detective) is a good entry in the series, with the detective asked by Bobbie Logan to help clear the accused killer in an apparently open-and-shut case. Kenneth Harlan plays a menacing role as a discharged chauffeur who has little use for the police, and others in the cast do a good job as well.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 622. More Dollars for the MacGregors (original title: Ancora dollari per i MacGregor) (1970)



A mysterious stranger and a killer bounty hunter go after a notorious criminal after the bounty hunter's usual scheme backfires, resulting in the death of his wife. Some odd elements — the crook and his gang seem to have enslaved a bunch of hippies, and there's a witch who keeps the crook supplied with, apparently, marijuana — fail to make this one particularly entertaining. Overall, too grim for my tastes.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 623. Sunset Murder Case (Grand National, 1938)



The chief interest of this crime story, in which a murdered policeman's daughter goes undercover as an exotic dancer to catch the gang that killed him, is the performance of Sally Rand in a couple numbers. Reed Hadley and especially Dennis Moore and Sugar Kane provide good support.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

155. The Loving and the Dead, by Carter Brown



Private eye Mavis Seidlitz, junior partner in a detective agency, is hired to impersonate a man's wife so that he can meet the conditions of a will, and she ends up, largely unawares, in the midst of menace and murder. A good introduction to the ditzy character; mildly recommended.

>81 harrygbutler: Now, that's what I'm talkin' about! Dick Powell, noir mystery, nothin' too brainy. *happy sigh*

>89 richardderus: It's hard to go wrong with "hard-boiled" Dick Powell. And that reminds me I should watch Murder, My Sweet again soon.

Movie 624. The Invisible Dr. Mabuse (original title: Die unsichtbaren Krallen des Dr. Mabuse) (1962)



Lex Barker returns as an FBI agent in this installment in the Dr. Mabuse series, but the plot, which involves the master criminal's efforts to gain a scientist's secret of invisibility, is a bit of a mess and ends up rather dull. I'll continue with the movies, but I'd say this one is only for completists.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 625. Daikaijû kûchûsen: Gamera tai Gyaosu (aka: Gamera vs. Gyaos) (1967)



A volcanic eruption unleashes a giant monster, Gyaos, a nocturnal man-eater, and it's up to Gamera to save the day. The new creature's depredations also threaten a road-building project, and there's a fair amount of time devoted to the villagers who are hoping to profit from the construction. Fun kiddie fare.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 626. Conquest (1983)



Subpar sword-and-sorcery flick has unsympathetic or uninteresting characters and a twist that makes it worse.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 627. Murder in the Private Car (MGM, 1934)



Laughs aplenty in this story of a switchboard operator who turns out to be the daughter of a wealthy man and who then becomes the target of a criminal plot, with an inept-seeming "deflector" (rather than detective) trying to keep her safe from harm. Charlie Ruggles and Una Merkel keep this one sparkling.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

156. The Mountain Valley War, by Louis L'Amour



The man called Trent, who has been trying to lead a peaceful life homesteading in the mountains, is forced into battle when the big local boss sets his sights on driving out the "nesters." Solidly entertaining, with an interesting account of finding a path through desolate badlands. Recommended.

Movie 628. Peligro...! Mujeres en acción (1969)



An enjoyable espionage flick, with secret agent Alex Dinamo and his colleagues battling a gang of vicious killers who first target a refinery in Ecuador and then set their sights elsewhere. The copy I watched was marred by out-of-sync subtitles that made the movie a struggle to watch, but the entertainment value of the movie was still apparent.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 629. A Study in Scarlet (KBS / World Wide / Fox, 1933)



Reginald Owen does a decent job as a rather more jovial version of the great detective in a movie that shares nothing but its title with the first Sherlock Holmes novel, instead featuring a secret society whose members are dying — thereby increasing the shares of the survivors. Well worth a look for a somewhat different characterization of Holmes and an enjoyable thriller overall.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 630. Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour (original title: The Sleeping Cardinal) (1931)



Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Wontner, who essayed the role in several British movies in the 1930s) takes on archcriminal Professor Moriarty in the wake of bank burglaries where nothing apparently was stolen, but yet murder was done. Interesting plot but a rather stilted production.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

157. Best Cartoons from Abroad 1957, ed. by Lawrence Lariar and Ben Roth



Another entertaining anthology of cartoons from around the world. Though, as one would expect, not all please equally, overall the collection is amusing.

>97 harrygbutler: your review brought to mind an actor who played Holmes, William Gillette. He was mainly a stage actor, but did do one silent movie. He's probably best known for his home in Connecticut which is now a museum, Gillette Castle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillette_Castle_State_Park

Note that he had his own narrow gauge railroad, too.

My family all went together to visit this house in the mid 1980s and I remember the rooms well.

ETA: there's a really good bio on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gillette#Gillette_Castle

>100 fuzzi: Thanks for the info! I hadn't heard of Gillette Castle; it does seem worth a visit, though one could wish the little railroad were operational, too. I knew Gillette had played Holmes on the stage and in a movie, but I didn't know, or didn't recall, that the movie, once thought lost, had been found several years ago. I'll have to try to watch it sometime.

Pickings have been lean at the thrift stores in recent months, but today I did get three paperbacks during one stop.


The Velvet Fleece, by Lois Eby and John C. Fleming (thriller; Dell mapback)


The Corpse in the Green Pyjamas, by R.A.J. Walling (a Mr. Tolefree mystery)


Meet Fred Basset, by Graham (humor)

Oh my heck, Fred Basset! I loved that strip as a kid. Some fine filmed entertainments, too...I think I liked Conquest more than you did, but I saw it in a theater as a twentysomething so it could simply be the Lustre of Nostalgie™ who knows

>103 richardderus: I've always been up for reading Fred Basset if I encounter the strip in a paper's funny pages.

I've got a fair tolerance for bad sword-and-sorcery movies, but for some reason Conquest just had me wishing for the end. Perhaps seeing it in a theater would have helped.

Movie 631. The Bat (UA, 1926)



Film-maker Roland West brought the smash play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood to the screen for the first time in 1926, and the movie is a solid success. An atmospheric blend of suspense, horror, and comedy, it features a vicious masked criminal (the Bat), other crooks, hidden rooms, an isolated mansion, and people who are not what they seem.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 632. Santo contra Capulina (1969)



Capulina works as a (lazy) night watchman at a warehouse that crooks are raiding as part of their smuggling. Fortunately, Santo is on the case; unfortunately, he ends up with Capulina trying to help him. Some amusing scenes keep this one entertaining, but there are better movies to watch for either performer.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 633. Dark Alibi (Monogram, 1946)



Charlie Chan scrambles to uncover the truth when an ex-convict who had gone straight is sentenced to death for the murder of a bank guard during a robbery, with the conviction based on the man's fingerprints. Could those fingerprints have been faked? Other similar cases exist, and all have a connection to one state prison. It was good to have Ben Carter back for his cross-talk act with Mantan Moreland, and this time Sidney Toler gets in on it as well. The movie is a bit too crowded with irrelevant characters, even if they do help conceal the actual solution to the mystery.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

158. Murder in the Museum, by John Rowland



On a visit to the British Museum, mild-mannered Henry Fairhurst discovers a dead scholar of Elizabethan literature, and the police soon determine that the man had been murdered. Fascinated with the crime, and armed with his sister's recollection of a similar death occurring some months before, Fairhurst attempts to play the part of amateur assisting Inspector Shelley in his investigation, with distinctly modest success. The mystery is fairly engaging, but the pace is rather slow and deliberate, at least until events near their climax. This is the second of Rowland's Inspector Shelley mysteries I've read, and I'd be willing to read more. Mildly recommended.

>108 harrygbutler: I really have not read many of that reprint series this year. I guess I've focused on other things.

>108 harrygbutler: An understated review...I think I'd need this one to magically appear before me to read it, not that it doesn't sound amusant...just so very many things to read!

>110 richardderus: Yes, it isn't a book to seek out, I'd say; it was pleasant enough while it lasted, but not memorable.

Movie 634. The Man from Beyond (Houdini Picture Corp., 1922)



Escape artist Harry Houdini plays a man frozen for a century in the Arctic and brought back to life. He coincidentally meets a woman who exactly resembles his long-dead love, and a mystic connection draws them together. There's a crime plot going on as well, for the young woman's father has disappeared, and the mastermind of the disappearance has it in for Houdini as well. The story is perhaps a bit melodramatic, but it was enjoyable to see one of Houdini's escapes on screen.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 635. Gamera vs. Jiger (original title: Gamera tai Daimaju Jaiga) (1970)



A transported tiki means trouble, as removing the giant stone statue for display at an international exposition sets free a destructive giant monster, and it's up to Gamera to save the day. There's an amusing sequence, perhaps inspired by Fantastic Voyage, involving a couple kids using a mini-submarine to help out.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 636. The Kid's Last Ride (Monogram, 1941)



Outlaw brothers, now seemingly respectable citizens, plot revenge on the children of the judge who sentenced a third brother to hang for his crimes. Fortunately, the Range Busters are on hand to sort things out, though the theft of their horses on their way to town sets them off on the wrong foot, and though there is a price to pay by someone else as well.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Source of image: The Fabulous Fifties, http://allthingsger.blogspot.com/

>115 harrygbutler: 😁😁😁

>116 fuzzi: Glad you liked it!

Movie 637. Wu Tang Magic Kick (original title: Shen tui) (1977)



Ambitious rivals wish to battle the master of the "magic kick" technique and attempt to force a fight by assaulting and killing his men. Though he responds at first, he then, at the urging of his wife, refuses to respond to further provocations until matters escalate significantly. The action sequences are OK, but there's far too much drama in this one.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 638. Supervan (1977)



A young man who leaves home to follow his own path drives an inventor's solar-powered van to a national "vanner" convention, accompanied by the daughter of the event's sponsor, a conniving manufacturer. The movie's storyline is no great shakes; the real appeal here is a look at custom vans and the people who owned them during their heyday. Famed customizer George Barris designed the title vehicle.

Mildly recommended as a curiosity. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK for those who'd like a glimpse of late-Seventies partying, but not great.

Movie 639. Black Angel (Universal, 1946)



A wife races to clear her husband, who is on Death Row, by finding the real killer of a murdered woman, aided by the dead woman's ex-husband. Peter Lorre has a good role as a nightclub owner with a connection to the victim, too. The movie delivers a couple effective twists as well.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

159. The Pulps: Fifty Years of American Pop Culture, ed. by Tony Goodstone



Solid anthology of pulp stories spanning several genres can serve as a good introduction to the magazines' content. Not all the tales are equally good, and some subjects are neglected, but still worth a look for the curious. Recommended.

>120 harrygbutler: I do love that film. I miss seeing and hearing about Dan Duryea, too.

>121 harrygbutler: What a great idea for an anthology!

>122 richardderus: I don't recall having seen Black Angel before, and I'm also pretty sure it is based on one of Cornell Woolrich's books I've never yet read. I'd certainly watch the movie again sometime in the future.

Movie 640. The Bat Whispers (UA, 1930)



The first sound movie version of The Bat, again from director Roland West, is a solid success despite the limitations of early sound film-making, with some effective camera techniques and a fast-paced story (not surprisingly nearly identical to that in 1926's The Bat) with lots of twists and turns, with characters appearing, disappearing, and meeting their doom. Chester Morris is of course fine, but the others in the cast deliver creditable performances as well.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 641. The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case (1932)



Arthur Wontner returns as Sherlock Holmes, with Ian Hunter an effective Dr. Watson, in this tale of vengeance for crimes of the past and a young woman menaced by suspicious characters.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 642. Danger: Diabolik (original title: Diabolik) (1968)



This fumetti-based story of a vicious archcriminal (and his girlfriend) has some interest, including intriguing heist sequences, but ultimately depends rather too heavily on finding stars John Phillip Law and Marisa Mell attractive and compelling in their roles, and they just lacked sufficient charisma.

Mildly recommended for fans of the genre. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not really worth the time for the casual viewer.

>123 harrygbutler: Oh yes, The Black Angel! I have that in my memory as a propulsive read.

Movie 643. Gamera vs. Zigra (original title: Gamera tai Shinkai kaijû Jigura) (1971)



Aquatic aliens invade the Earth, using both violence and hypnotism to gain their ends, but luckily Gamera is available to fight the giant shark-like alien beast, and some plucky kids, and a clever dolphin trainer, help in the fight as well.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 644. Phantom Ship (original title: The Mystery of the Mary Celeste) (1935)



A grim tale of horror at sea, as death stalks the decks of the sailing vessel Mary Celeste. A good role for Bela Lugosi and some sympathetic victims enhance the movie, but some unsympathetic performances and seeming contradictions weigh it down.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 645. The Oklahoma Cyclone (Tiffany, 1930)



Plenty of talk and plenty of singing can be found in this early sound western starring Bob Steele as a young man looking for his missing father and stringing along, albeit not very cooperatively, with an outlaw gang while he hunts for his dad. Slow and not too exciting, and really just for completists, I'd say.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 646. The Viscount (original title: Le vicomte règle ses comptes) (1967)



Kerwin Matthews plays a top insurance investigator called in when a French bank is looted by a well-organized gang headed up by a famed criminal. Some decent action and the usual twisty plot follow. It appears that the English-language dubbed version excised an entire subplot, as in the print I watched, which was chiefly in English, scenes involving one major character were still all in French.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 647. Bang Bang Kid (1967)



Bang Bang Kid is a comedic western with some steampunk appeal, as Tom Bosley plays an inventor who brings his robot to the town of Limerick to battle the gunmen working for the tyrannical Bear Bullock (Guy Madison, enjoying his villainous turn). Slapstick and farce, with violence that isn't to be taken seriously and an engaging cast.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

160. Nights of Terror, by Steve Frazee



Collection of shorter western stories, most of which had been published previously in pulp or other magazines, provides a fair amount of entertainment, even if the appeal of the stories varies, as is usual with such collections. Probably not a bad means of sampling this author. Mildly recommended.

Movie 648. Murder at Glen Athol (Chesterfield, 1936)



A detective writing a book is drawn into solving the murder of a neighbor the night of a party there. There are plenty of possible suspects, and the detective is further motivated to investigate because a woman with whom he has become infatuated may be implicated. Reasonably entertaining with an odd resolution.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 649. Straight Shooting (Universal, 1917)



John Ford's first feature-length directorial effort is an entertaining western starring the charismatic Harry Carey in his recurring role as Cheyenne Harry, here a gunman who reforms and turns against his old comrades after witnessing the aftermath of one murder. Watch for Hoot Gibson as a young cowhand in love with the farmer's daughter.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 650. Beach Blanket Bingo (American International, 1965)



Skydiving, singing, and a siren of the sea make for plenty of chaotic beach-oriented fun in this American International picture. Buster Keaton has a fair-sized presence, there's an extended chase sequence evocative of silent film, and Harvey Lembeck as usual delivers plenty of laughs as Eric Von Zipper.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

>136 harrygbutler: Oh my. Good gracious me. I am amazed to have that romp brought to mind in 2020!

As always, solid entertainment gets your nods, and a few make it onto my playlist.

>132 harrygbutler: I think my brother, who loves weird stuff, might enjoy that one.

>137 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. I hope you enjoy those you choose to watch.

>138 fuzzi: He should be able to find it online if he does want to take a look.

>140 harrygbutler: he watches a lot of stuff online, with Amazon I think.

>141 fuzzi: I've been watching a lot online in the last couple years, partly out of the thought that any particular offering can vanish at any point. I know movies disappear from the various streaming services — even public domain movies go away — and thus I try to watch as many of interest as possible before that happens.

I do wish that Amazon Prime (I don't know about other services) had an easy filter to let you see what movies on your watchlist are going away at the end of each month. You can see that information when you look at an individual movie, but the information isn't available in aggregate, so far as I can tell.

Movie 651. Cat Girl (Insignia Films / American International, 1957)



In a movie reminiscent of Cat People, a young woman finds out that she is heir to a centuries-old family curse that connects her fate with, and perhaps turns her into, a big cat. A rather pedestrian production overall, with too much time spent on talking of the "you're just imagining it because you're under a strain" sort, though there are some nice touches as well (e.g., the disparate fates of some of the characters).

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

I think you might make 75x9 on the movies front, Harry.

Movie 652. Midnight Faces (Otto K. Schreier / Goodwill, 1926)



Midnight Faces is another old dark house mystery-comedy, with Francis X. Bushman, Jr., as a young man who inherits a house in the Florida swamps from an uncle he never knew existed. The usual trappings, including secret passages and a mysterious cloaked figure, make for fair entertainment for fans of the genre.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

>144 PaulCranswick: That does seem likely, Paul. At this point 700 seems within reach, but only barely. I'm just 3 books away from my target for the year of 170 as well, and I have that many underway now, so I think it quite likely, too.

Movie 653. Fury in Marrakesh (original title: Furia a Marrakech) (1966)



Fury in Marrakesh is an undistinguished Eurospy entry with a new agent on the trail of a fortune in perfect counterfeit money hidden by the Nazis and now discovered by an international criminal cabal. The big twist is a long time coming but obvious almost immediately, though a minor twist toward the end was a pleasant reveal.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 654. The Terror of Doctor Mabuse (original title: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse) (1962)



Dr. Mabuse may be locked up in an insane asylum, but someone is plotting and using a ruthlessly controlled criminal organization to carry out intricate heists. Could the evil doctor have found a way to continue his criminal reign even while imprisoned? It was good to see Gert Fröbe back as the police inspector in this series entry.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 655. Dangerous Money (Monogram, 1946)



When a government agent is murdered aboard a ship heading to Samoa, Charlie Chan investigates. Subplots aplenty and the welcome return of son Jimmy (Victor Sen Yung) help, but this is one of the lesser entries in the series, perhaps because there are too many characters with too little development for most of them.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 656. Without Honor (aka: Without Honors) (Weiss Brothers Artclass, 1932)



Harry Carey brings his gravitas to a serious story of a lighthearted gambler who joins the rangers to avenge his brother's murder and clear his brother's name, along the way solving an old mystery and freeing a girl from an abusive home.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 657. The Ghost That Walks Alone (Columbia, 1944)



Arthur Lake (best known for portraying Dagwood Bumstead) plays the lead in this tale of a honeymooning radio star and her husband, a special effects man, caught up in the murder of the horrible producer of the radio show. There are some laughs to be had, but it's a slight affair overall.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 658. The Cat and the Canary (Universal, 1927)



Twenty years after the death of Cyrus West, his relatives gather for the belated reading of his will. Young Annabelle (Laura La Plante) is named principal heir, with the condition that she not be found of unsound mind after a doctor's examination, in which case another heir will take her place. Unfortunately, someone has opened the sealed letter identifying this second person, and Annabelle is thus likely to be the target of a plot. Meanwhile, a man comes to the house saying he is searching for an escaped maniac. In this fraught atmosphere, a murderer strikes. This is an effective blend of suspense and comedy, if perhaps a bit weaker than the earlier silent version of The Bat.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

La Plante was one of the few silent actresses who looks rather modern, easily imagined in the current styles. It's probably the dimples that set her looks apart as the ideal of beauty then was the "pudding-faced" girl.

>151 harrygbutler: Intellectually, I suppose I knew that Arthur Lake had jobs that didn't involve being Dagwood, but it simply does not compute. "What's Dagwood doing in this movie?" would be my continual thought.

Interesting how deep typecasting goes...he's been dead a generation and I, one of the shrinking number who even knows his name, am typecasting him.

>153 mstrust: I thought that her hairdo in this film looked rather modern as well.

>154 richardderus: I'd say the character he played in The Ghost That Walks Alone wasn't all that different, so it would be a reasonable reaction.

Movie 659. The Desert Horseman (Columbia, 1946)



A cashiered army officer blamed for a payroll theft comes to the aid of a woman whose father and uncle have both been murdered, perhaps in a plot to gain their ranch. An unexpected backstory, and consequent motivation, for Charles Starrett's character in this Durango Kid outing helps keep this one interesting, and Smiley Burnette and the musicians (Walt Shrum and His Colorado Hillbillies) add some fun.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 660. Postal Inspector (Universal, 1936)



This film is a paean to the postal service and its hardworking inspectors, who apparently are jacks of all trades with regard to the mails. Crime and adventure and plenty of examples of mail fraud add to the interest of this rather odd little movie.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 661. The Silent Passenger (1935)



Disappointing movie features Lord Peter Wimsey taking an interest in a case involving blackmail and murder, with a wronged husband implicated in the blackmailer's death. Rather talky, with Wimsey on the annoying side, though there are some fun railroad-related scenes.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 662. Law and Lawless (Majestic, 1932)



Former silent film cowboy star Jack Hoxie was nearing the end of his movie career when he made Law and Lawless, but it's easy to see the appeal he had, as he is personable and enjoyable to watch. Here, he and a pal (played by Julian Rivero) lend a hand to battle night riders and yet also compete in romance.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

>158 harrygbutler: !!!!

Timely, if nothing else, for its support during the PO's time of peril. "Universal in 1936" is enough of an explanation of its existence.

>161 richardderus: It was a good vehicle for Ricardo Cortez, with some surprises in the plot.

Otto quite likes the Christmas cottage we got for the cats. The other two cats seemed more neutral.

>162 harrygbutler: It's queued up now.

>163 harrygbutler: How completely adorable!

>164 richardderus: I hope you enjoy the movie, Richard. Thanks.

>163 harrygbutler: about three years ago a friend bought a similar structure, a castle, for my two cats. With assistance from some duct tape it's still holding up, and is loved by the remaining cat!

>166 fuzzi: This cottage is slightly too small for Otto; the sides bulge out (and he bulges out through window and door openings) when he curls up. I thus won't be surprised if it needs some help to last. We may put it up in the attic with the Christmas things if it is still in good shape when we take down the decorations.

Just a few minutes ago I finished my 170th book for the year, Louis L'Amour's Kilkenny, which I read as part of this year's Louis L'Amour Shared Read Challenge, so I've now hit my target for books for this year. I just need to wrap up one more pulp magazine (already started) to hit that target as well. Time to start planning for next year!

Movie 663. Jungle Manhunt (Columbia, 1951)



Jungle Jim helps a photographer in her search for a former football star missing for 9 years, a search that brings them into conflict with a group of slavers, led by "skeleton men," who use their forced labor to go after dangerous materials.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 664. One Body Too Many (Paramount, 1944)



An insurance agent whose prospect client has already died ends up taking on the job of watching over the corpse to ensure the terms of the will are met, in this pleasant but slight "old dark house" mystery comedy. Jack Haley is fun to watch, though perhaps Jean Parker is given too little to do.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 665. Killers from Space (RKO, 1954)



A scientist (Peter Graves) miraculously shows up unharmed (save for a strange scar on his chest) after he should have perished in an aircraft wreck that occurred while he was monitoring an atomic test. It soon becomes clear that something strange occurred, which he does not remember, and that it means danger for all the Earth.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

>171 harrygbutler: The goo-goo-googly eyes in that poster make me snicker. The film made me snicker, too.

>168 harrygbutler: CONGRATULATIONS!

I watched Postal Inspector and that opening scene with the kid screaming and the brat playing the harmonica damn near killed me.

After that it was fun.

>172 richardderus: Yes, it wasn't a great movie by any stretch. And thank you!

>173 richardderus: That opening scene might have been the most realistic part of the movie. :-)

>174 harrygbutler: It always feels that way to me, too. Fran Lebowitz, my Patron Saint of Cynical Sarcasm, said it best:

It is imperative when flying coach that you restrain any tendency toward the vividly imaginative. For although it may momentarily appear to be the case, it is not at all likely that the cabin is entirely inhabited by crying babies smoking inexpensive domestic cigars.

>175 richardderus: Well said.

Movie 666. Johnny Allegro (Columbia, 1949)



An escaped convict working as a florist is drawn into a Treasury Department investigation. I enjoy the later George Raft vehicles, and here the lead villain also makes for an interesting character.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 667. Night Raiders (Monogram, 1952)



Whip Wilson investigates a series of ranch raids in which nothing is stolen. What connection does the local saloon owner have to the crimes, if any? And why does the local sheriff seem reluctant to take a hand?

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 668. Valley of the Zombies (Republic, 1946)



More vampire tale than zombie story, and with no particular "valley" in evidence, this Republic horror picture stars former Mesquiteer Robert Livingston as a young doctor and Adrian Booth (aka Lorna Gray) as his girlfriend, who encounter the undead as they try to clear themselves of suspicion in the killing of the senior doctor in the medical practice.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Tachyon Publications, an SFF house, posted this on Twitter. Says it all, no?

>180 richardderus: I think many are eager for this year to end.

161. Comanch', by Cliff Farrell



Complex, thoughtful western examines questions of identity, as a young man, possibly the son of a Comanche chief but raised by a rancher as his son, seeks to uncover the truth of his past, aided by a young woman with family issues of her own. Recommended.

Movie 669. 25833621::Sky High (Fox, 1922)



The Grand Canyon plays an important part in this Tom Mix movie, in which Mix is a present-day border patrol agent out to put the kibosh on the smuggling of illegal aliens via the natural wonder. Good scenery and appealing performances by Mix and by co-star Eva Novak, as the niece of the criminal gang's leader, with plenty of action and touches of humor, make for an entertaining picture.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 670. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (original title: Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo) (1966)



Overlong western set during the Civil War has three men — Clint Eastwood (the Good), Lee Van Cleef (the Bad), and Eli Wallach (the Ugly) — seeking a fortune in gold hidden in a cemetery. A lengthy introduction to the characters has some interest, but the middle drags, especially in the extended version I watched. The score is certainly good, though.

Mildly recommended at best. Otto thinks it might be worth a look for completists but suggests seeking out the theatrical cut, if it is available.

Movie 671. Death from a Distance (Chesterfield, 1935)



A murderer strikes during a lecture at a planetarium, but though there are many suspects, it seems it may be impossible for the police to identify the killer. Lola Lane is a reporter, on hand for the lecture, who meddles in the case thereafter, while Russell Hopton heads up the police investigation. One means of murder seems far-fetched, but overall the mystery holds the viewer's interest.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

162. Doctor Who and the Daleks, by David Whitaker



The first novelization of a Dr. Who serial gives us an account of the first adventure involving the perennial, and most famous, menace from the series, the Daleks. The novel differs a bit from the show, in part to introduce all the characters, and in part to take advantage of the opportunity to present more action on the written page than on screen, and overall it makes for an entertaining read. Recommended for fans of the show.

Hope it's a good one, Harry!

>187 mstrust: Thank you, Jennifer! I just finished up baking Christmas cookies a couple hours ago.

I finished up yesterday with some cinnamon pie crust knots. Everything is in tins now and ready for delivery.

>189 mstrust: I went with just four types of cookies: oatmeal dried cranberry, thumbprint (no jelly in mine), peanut butter, and the orange drop I mentioned before. I just need to get some containers and then they can go off — together with stollen from the bakery for my dad and for my aunt.

Movie 672. Fearless Duo (1979)



Jumbled story of a drifter's involvement with two women seeking vengeance for the killing of their family has severe problems with tone that keep it from being consistently enjoyable either as comedy or as serious story, and, in the dubbed version I saw, far more foul language than seems usual in these sorts of films.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 673. Border Devils (Weiss Brothers Artclass, 1932)



After being framed in the killing of a friend, a man (Harry Carey) goes undercover using the identity of yet another murdered man in an effort to find the ringleader of the crooks, putting the criminal gang that committed the murder in a bind. Complicated story carried well by Carey.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 674. Sea Racketeers (Republic, 1937)



Coast Guard pals find romance while attempting to foil fur smugglers. A substantial and sympathetic role for Warren Hymer and a fun performance by Penny Singleton just before her Blondie days make for a pleasant time-filler.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

163. Proof of the Pudding, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor



Asey Mayo returns from his war work only to stumble over a murdered woman. Potentially implicated himself because of a threat made to her father years ago, the detective races about to establish the real culprit. An absorbing read; recommended.

>194 harrygbutler: I'm moving The Cape Cod Mystery up the queue, since these are reliably recommended.

Happy Humpday.

>195 richardderus: I hope you enjoy it, Richard. The Asey Mayo mysteries aren't as madcap as her Leonidas Witherall stories, but they do have some humor to leaven the tale, and the puzzles are in general quite good, with many strands of events pulled together well in the end.

Movie 675. Phantom Killer (Monogram, 1942)



In this remake of 1933's The Sphinx, a deaf-mute philanthropist is placed at the scenes of murders — and speaking! — even though many witnesses see him at public functions elsewhere at the times of the crimes. An assistant district attorney risks his job and reputation to try to prove the man guilty despite the evidence clearing him.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 676. King of the Pecos (Republic, 1936)



A young boy whose parents are murdered by a land-grabber grows up to be a lawyer and take on the big crooks long-established machine. An appealing John Wayne vehicle from early in his time with Republic.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 677. The Sword and the Claw (original title: Kiliç Aslan) (1975)



A kindly king is betrayed and murdered, but he leaves behind him two sons, half-brothers, one of whom is raised by the villainous killer as his own; the other is raised by lions and grows up as a forest-dwelling wildman. Will the two brothers meet and battle? Will they avenge their father? Some goofy fight scenes (the wildman uses his hands as claws and mostly leaps and then scratches people to death), but some good plot twists and plenty of action make this one fairly entertaining. If I find other Turkish historical adventure movies starring Cüneyt Arkin with English dubbing or subtitles, I'll give them a look. (Note: The historical Kilij Arslan, whose name per Wikipedia means "Sword Lion," was Sultan of Rûm in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries.)

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 678. Shadows over Chinatown (Monogram, 1946)



Charlie Chan investigates murder (the "torso killings") and looks for a missing person in this middling entry in the series. The identity of the criminal mastermind is fairly obvious fairly early on, but there are a reasonable number of complications to keep things interesting.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

164. Off-Collar, ed. by William McIntyre



Collection of cartoons featuring clergy delivers some laughs but overall is only mildly amusing. Mildly recommended in consequence.

>202 harrygbutler: Omigosh! I had a truckload of those.

>203 richardderus: I had a couple, and we have one at the moment that my aunt found used and passed along. There is/was a dealer at Reinnnger's in Adamstown, Penna., who had many, many Big Little Books available. It was fun to look at them all, as there were just so many.

Merry Christmas!

Movie 679. 'Hukkunud Alpinisti' hotel (aka: Dead Mountaineer's Hotel) (1979)



In this odd Estonian movie, a blend of mystery and science fiction, a police detective is summoned to a remote alpine hotel full of strange guests, and, though no crime (apparently) has yet been committed, a dead body is soon discovered. The movie never really clicked for me.

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 680. Crime Doctor's Man Hunt (Columbia, 1946)



A complicated case unfolds for Dr. Ordway after a young man suffering from blackouts that result in his going to an unfamiliar part of town visits him. The doctor later sees him, apparently dead, in the company of two thugs, but the young man disappears thereafter. Add in a concerned fiancée and her dysfunctional family setting, as well as a sideshow barker who knows more than she is volunteering, and there's plenty to keep the Crime Doctor busy, even if the police are at first inclined to be dismissive. One twist will likely be fairly obvious.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 681. Branded a Bandit (Arrow, 1924)



After a miner is shot down by crooks, they pin the blame on a young cowboy, enamored of the miner's granddaughter, who had been entrusted with some gold to take to the girl and thus is found with "evidence" on him. To complicate matters, the body of the miner disappears. A young Yakima Canutt proves an appealing — and active — leading man, and lots of fights and narrow escapes follow before the resolution.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

165. Partners of the Tide, by Joseph C. Lincoln



A young orphan, raised by two older spinster relatives, goes to sea and partners with an older captain to launch themselves into the salvage business as their own bosses. A fair amount of action, a moderate amount of romance, and some gentle humor make for another solidly appealing novel from Joseph C. Lincoln. Recommended.

I hope you get some of those at least, Harry, as we all look forward to a better 2021.

>210 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

>197 harrygbutler: Congratulations on watching 9 x 75 movies this year, Harry!

>212 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita!

Wanna help me kick 202 to the curb? 2021 group is here

>214 drneutron: Thanks for setting things up, Jim! I'll start my 2021 thread sometime this week.

Movie 682. War of the Satellites (Allied Artists, 1958)



Short science fiction feature has aliens looking to stop Earth's expansion into space by replacing a key scientist and sabotaging efforts to overcome the destructive point that has doomed previous expeditions. Reasonably effective although a few aspects of the movie (for example, why were there two identical replacements?) muddle things a bit.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 683. Rock All Night (American International, 1957)



What seems at first likely to be a typical rock-and-roll movie (opening with two songs by the Platters, my favorite rock-and-roll group) instead takes a turn into character-driven drama as assorted people interact in a bar over the course of one evening. Far-fetched, but moderately entertaining nonetheless.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 684. How DOooo You Do (PRC, 1945)



When radio performers travel incognito to a resort and the body of an agent is found there, much craziness ensues, with scads of self-aware humor and an odd twist ending. Worth a look.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 685. The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935)



Arthur Wontner and Ian Fleming return as Holmes and Watson in this film based on The Valley of Fear. With much of the movie told as a flashback, the burden is on Leslie Perrins as John Douglas to carry the viewer along, and fortunately he's up to the challenge.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 686. Let's Go (Truart, 1923)



To prove himself, the speed demon son of the owner of a cement firm heads to another town to sort out problems with a prospective customer, encountering crime along the way. Plenty of action, as one would expect from a Richard Talmadge vehicle, keeps this movie humming right along.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 687. The Land of Missing Men (Tiffany, 1930)



When pals on the lam Steve and Buckshot (Bob Steele and Al St. John) find a tavern full of corpses, they decide to take a hand to put an end to the depredations that the local lawman has been unable, or unwilling, to stop, despite complaints from the townfolk. Director John P. McCarthy, who also wrote the script, keeps things moving and gives plenty of characters a chance to contribute, even if some are a bit stiff in their delivery of dialogue in this early sound western.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

166. Assault on Soho, by Don Pendleton



What Mack Bolan intended as a mere transit point becomes the scene of his next big battle with the mob, as it seems some homegrown villains wish to make use of the Executioner to fend off the Mafia — but more may be going on that at first appears to be the case, and Bolan will serve as no one's tool. A solid entry in the series, if a little odder than the previous books; mildly recommended.

Movie 688. Chinatown After Dark (Action, 1931)



When a man is murdered and the fellow delivering a dagger concealing a secret disappears, the brother of one investigates, despite police suspicions that the brother in fact committed the crime. So-so fare moves too slowly to hold the viewer's interest, despite some enjoyable elements (such as a young woman's ignorance of slang).

Not recommended. Otto thinks your time would be better spent staring at the wall.

Movie 689. Straight Shooter (Victory, 1939)



An old man is killed by outlaws seeking stolen bonds he has hidden at his ranch, leading to competition among three parties — the crooks, the old man's niece, and Lightning Bill Carson — to gain control of the ranch, so they must face off at a sheriff's auction. Will the bonds be found? Will the crooks get their comeuppance? A fun but minor Tim McCoy vehicle.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 690. The Return of Boston Blackie (Chadwick / First Division, 1927)



Boston Blackie is met by a friend and his loyal dog, Strongheart, when he is released from prison. Blackie has resolved to go straight, but circumstances soon involve him in burglary and blackmail on behalf of another. Strongheart, one of the first dog stars of the movies (and one who lent his name to a long-lasting dog food brand), isn't much of an actor and doesn't contribute too much to the film, but it's good to see an example of his work.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 691. Heading West (Columbia, 1946)



The Durango Kid is framed for stage robberies that are bankrupting miners, and the murder of a friend adds further motivation for him to take a hand in stopping the crooks. Although the ringleader is fairly obvious early on, proof seems difficult to come by, leading to some complicated maneuvering by Steve Randall (the Durango Kid's alter ego) in both guises. Good musical interludes from Smiley and from Hank Penny and his group round things out.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

167. Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation, by Josef Pieper



Short essays by Josef Pieper explore the nature of art and music. Worth a look, but a minor volume of Pieper's work.

>221 harrygbutler: I love the poster.

Congratulations on a great year!

>228 fuzzi: There were a couple good choices for that movie, if I recall correctly.

Thank you! I think I've settled on my challenge targets for next year, but I'll probably wait until Jan. 1 to set up my first thread.

692. On the Spot (Monogram, 1940)



When soda jerk Frankie Kelly and his pal Jeff White are on hand for the dying words of a murdered gangster, they attract a good deal of interest from other crooks and, eventually, from the killer as well, even though the victim never imparted the message he meant to give. This little Monogram picture, one of several starring Frankie Darro and Mantan Moreland, pleases even if the identity of the culprit will be fairly obvious to the average viewer.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 693. The Black Pirate (UA, 1926)



When his father is killed in a pirate attack, a young man vows to bring the murderers to justice. To further his aims, he makes a place for himself in the pirate crew, even vowing to single-handedly capture a tempting merchant ship. But not all of the pirates like this new crew member, and the way to the goal faces several obstacles. Lots of rousing action in the Fairbanks style.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 694. The Hole in the Wall (Paramount, 1929)



A young woman, wrongfully convicted of robbery and sent to prison years before, joins a group of fake spiritualists and induces them to further her plot for vengeance, but several twists await. Nearly the first feature, and I think the first sound feature, for both stars reveals them as effective performers already, with Edward G. Robinson in particular seeming particularly at ease delivering dialogue. The movie itself is a minor melodrama, but worth a look for fans of either actor.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

168. Beetle Bailey: Quit Hangin' Around!, by Mort Walker

Mid-1980s collection of Beetle Bailey strips is fairly amusing. Mildly recommended.

Dropping in to say, "Hi, Harry!", and also, "Nearly 700 movies!"

You're going to make it to 700, and it looks like it'll be a cakewalk. That's amazeballs.

The Darro and Moreland vehicle is on the list thanks to you, so will come comment after viewing.

>234 mstrust: Hi, Jennifer! Yep, closing in on that total.

>235 richardderus: I expect to hit 700 tomorrow.

Have you seen any of the other Darro/Moreland movies? Though they are minor films, we've enjoyed them all.

>237 harrygbutler: Up in the Air, the one where Darro is an usher and Moreland a janitor, solve the murder of a **terrible** singer. Wow was that singing b-a-d.

They were great together. Apart...?

>238 richardderus: Most of them are the same sort of mystery, which Erika and I both like.

Movie 695. The Midnight Message (Goodwill, 1926)



A messenger boy discovers burglars at the home where he is to deliver a wire, and he attempts to capture the crooks, though mix-ups and mishaps hamper his efforts. An engaging star in young Johnny Fox and a goodly seasoning of humor help make this crime story fun.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 696. The Red Dragon (Monogram, 1946)



A clever but far-fetched means of murder is an important part of the mystery surrounding killings aimed at obtaining atomic secrets. There's a lot of running around in the middle of this one while the murderer strikes repeatedly, with fair comic relief from "assistants" Tommy and Chattanooga, but this one is distinctly middling.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 697. Flying Wild (Monogram, 1941)



The East Side Kids tangle with saboteurs and spies, with good roles for both Leo Gorcey and Bobby Jordan. A nice blend of action and humor.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

169. The Big Kill, by Mickey Spillane



Mike Hammer hunts the people responsible for the killing of a petty crook who had gone straight but was pulled back into crime, and who left behind an infant son when he was gunned down. Once again Hammer plays things this way, and although the reader is likely to see the major twist coming, it still is an enjoyable trip to get there. Recommended.

>239 harrygbutler: I rewatched Up in the Air and it turns out the singing was okay but the damn song's stuck in my head but good! It was that, and Darro doing blackface, that weren't favorite moments.

>239 harrygbutler: We watched it again earlier this year, so I doubt we'll get back to it anytime soon.

Movie 698. Underground Rustlers (Monogram, 1941)



The Federal government calls on the Range Busters to foil a plot to steal western gold and enable the cornering of the gold market. Alibi gets a fair amount to do in this one, working undercover as a traveling salesman, while Crash and Dusty operate in the open as government agents trying to safeguard the gold shipments. A good entry in the series.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 699. War of the Planets (original title: I diafanoidi vengono da Marte) (1966)



Gaseous green aliens attack Earth's space stations and take possession of some of the crews, using them as hosts united with the alien intelligence. It's up to one maverick captain and a few colleagues to try to end this menace after most conventional forms of defense prove insufficient. The special effects are reasonably good for the time, save for the oddity of space ballet.

Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 700. The Big Steal (RKO, 1949)



Joan Graham (Jane Greer) is after her fiancé, Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles), who skipped to Mexico with $2,000, ends up involved with Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) who is seeking the fugitive as well, for a much bigger sum stolen in a payroll heist. Halliday in turn is being pursued by his superior officer in the U.S. Army, Vincent Blake (William Bendix). An extended chase makes up much of the running time, as Joan and Duke chase Fiske even as Blake chases them. At the same time, the clever Inspector General Ortega (Ramon Novarro) watches and manipulates the players in hopes of catching the big crooks involved. Greer and Mitchum work well together, with effective banter and a certain sizzle; Bendix is convincing as the driven Capt. Blake; Knowles makes for a heel whose charm is understandable; and Novarro makes the most of his role as well. Solid entertainment delivered with efficiency.

Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

170. Kilkenny, by Louis L'Amour



Lance Kilkenny may have finally found a home, in a remote valley in the mountains, but when a land-grabbing cattleman threatens all the little spreads in the area, including that run by the woman he loves, the tired gunfighter must once again take up arms and bring the fight to the oppressor. The final Kilkenny book (though the first written/published as a novel) brings the tale of Lance and Nita to a satisfying conclusion. Recommended.

171. Until Temptation Do Us Part, by Carter Brown



Al Wheeler investigates the murder of a real estate bigwig whose wife was playing around, but when a second killing follows, it is clear that much more is going on. A middling entry in the long-running series, with a few decent twists; mildly recommended.

172. The Lure of the Dim Trails, by B. M. Bower



A writer from the East — but one born in the West — comes back to his birthplace in search of "color" to make his stories more authentic, and he soon finds the attractions of the rough-and-tumble life of the ranch, even as he grows and matures. Recommended.

173. Roads, by Seabury Quinn



Pulp master Seabury Quinn offers an origin story for Santa Claus, with action and mystery and moving sentiment. Excellent seasonal reading; recommended.

174. The Double Alibi, by Noël Vindry; trans. by John Pugmire



With the aid of a police inspector, a French magistrate goes undercover to investigate the strange case of a man apparently the perpetrator of two crimes, hundreds of miles apart, on the same night, while also apparently the victim of a murder that same night in yet another locale far removed from the others. A complicated story keeps the reader's interest, as even if one of the mysteries is partly cleared up quite rapidly, questions remain even about that, and the apparently impossible bilocation isn't explained until the end. Recommended.

And with the posting of comments on movie #700 and books 171–174, I'll wrap this thread up. I don't expect to finish any more books before the New Year, and although I'll probably add another movie or two (I just watched #701 earlier today), I don't plan to put comments up for them today. Meet you all in my new thread in 2021!

Harry

As the year turns, friendship continues

>206 harrygbutler: weird poster...

Happy New Year, Harry!

>255 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul!

>256 fuzzi: Yep, strange, as was the movie. Thanks!