Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Captain's Library: HERCULES Part 2

King Pelias of Jolco asks Hercules to aid his son, Iphitus.
However, the arrogant and impulsive prince of Jolco accidentally dies while in the demi-god's charge.
To atone, Hercules gives up his immortality and invulnerability while battling the Cretan Bull, which he barely defeats.
After the battle, Hercules discovers his old friend Chiron, gored by the bull and near death, and Jason, son of the true king of Jolco (whom Pelias deposed)...
Be here tomorrow as Hercules brings down the house...literally!
This adaptation was published as Dell's Four Color Comics #1006 with script by Paul S Newman and art by John Buscema.

Captain's Library & Theatre: STAGECOACH

Nobody personified Western movies like John Wayne.
Stagecoach (1939) was his breakout film, after a series of roles in b-movies and serials.
This landmark flick was immortalized in print with a unique fumetti-style adaptation in DC Comics' Movie Comics #2 (1939).
Stagecoach was even the cover feature with a picture of star...
 ...Andy Devine???
 (Who also got top billing in the adaptation)
Movie Comics ran for six issues, adapting everything from Westerns to romances to science fiction.
Using photographs was certainly one way around the problem of getting an exact likeness of the actors (as we showed you HERE with Movie Comics' adaptation of Phantom Creeps which used the same fumetti-format)!
The design/compositing/additional art was done by Jack Adler, a production artist/illustrator who rose thru the ranks and eventually became DC Comics' Production Manager/Vice President of Production, innovating a number of techniques that became standard comics practices.
The writer of the adaptation is unknown.

Here's a fascinating piece called Screen Scoops featuring tidbits about the actors from the various movies adapted in that issue of Movie Comics...
Art and script by Walter Galli
Remember, there was no Internet, DVDs, VCRs, or even TV, so the only way to see these movies was in the theater, and once they finished their runs, they were gone! until they were re-released, usually every 4-5 years after their premiere showings.
Adaptations in other media, including radio and comic books were used to promote the movies and were released either just before the movie opened for its' initial run, or when it was re-issued to second-run theaters.
Besides this comic, there was a radio adaptation done for the Screen Directors Playhouse in 1949, during the movie's re-release.
Reprising their roles on radio were John Wayne (Ringo Kid) and Claire Trevor (Dallas), along with Ward Bond (Doc Boone, played in the movie by Thomas Mitchell)
You can play that radio show by clicking HERE!
Plus, you can compare the adaptations with the film itself...

Catch the flick on TCM, August 1st at 9:15 am (ET)!

There's lots more John Wayne (and other stars) stuff during the  
2012 TCM Summer Under the Stars Blogathon!
For a plethora of posts (and info on how you can participate) check out ScribeHard on Film and/or Sitting on a Backyard Fence for details!

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Captain's Library: HERCULES Part 1

In the late 1950s, "peplum" aka "sword and sandal" flicks were a hot genre...
...starting with La fatiche de Ercole aka Hercules (1957) starring Steve Reeves, an expatriate American bodybuilder/actor seeking work in Europe.
Be here tomorrow as the demi-god undertakes the task!
This adaptation was published as Dell's Four Color Comics #1006 with script by Paul S Newman and art by John Buscema.
And a special bonus...the original trailer for the movie...

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Captain's Library & Theatre: BEACH BLANKET BINGO Conclusion

The temps are in the 100s!
Hit the surf with '60s legends Frankie and Annette in the conclusion of...
 This movie is so inherently silly, I'm not even going to try to summarize the plot.
You can read Part 1 HERE and Part 2 (which appeared in our "sister" blog True Love Comics Tales™) HERE and try to figure it out for yourself.
Once you've done that, and presuming you don't have a headache, continue with the story...
Interestingly, most of the "Beach Party" genre films incorporated fantasy elements ranging from ghosts to mermaids to Martians!

Irwin Allen Connection:
1) Frankie Avalon also appeared in the movie version of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, even singing the movie's theme!
2) Lorelei the mermaid was played by future Lost in Space star Marta Kristen (Judy Robinson)!

To give you idea of the flavor of the flick, here's the opening...


This one-shot comic was penciled by John Tartaglone, inked by Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin, and Sal Trapani.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Captain's Library: BEACH BLANKET BINGO Part 1

The temps are in the 100s!
Let's hit the surf with Frankie and Annette in...
...adapting the most famous movie in the "Beach Party" teen-flick genre that produced over a dozen films in the mid 1960s!
To be continued, tomorrow, in our "sister" blog True Love Comics Tales™!
"Frankie and Annette" were Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, the Justin Bieber and Jordin Sparks of the 1960s.
(BTW, Frankie Avalon also appeared in the movie version of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, even singing the movie's theme!)
This one-shot comic was penciled by John Tartaglone, inked by Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin, and Sal Trapani.