A reader of this editorial asked me just why I had my knickers in such as twist about the comments made by our ex-governor. I realized that I had not articulated as clearly as I should have how offensive what he said struck me. Romney should have taken this moment to state his vision in some depth, but he has none. The shallowless of his remarks and the political banalities he voiced underline that he is a political Ken doll, an expensive empty suit and a haircut. The fact that he has raised over $6 million so far in his effort to secure the Republican nomination is telling. He apparently has support despite his mediocre at best record in Massachusetts. Too many people simply want the buzz word of their choice repeated in the proper context as opposed issues actually being discussed.

As I was walking through the streets of Manhattan during my visit to the Toy Fair, I noticed a headline on that day’s issue of “USA Today.” A front-page story was bringing up the issue of whether or not Mitt Romney’s religious beliefs – he’s a Mormon, remember? – was going to affect his chances for the
Republican nomination for president.

The Mittster announced his entry into the presidential race last Monday
in Dearborn, Michigan.

The “Today Show” then had Mitt on Tuesday morning to discuss his
flip-flops on abortion and gay rights. I had to leave before it was over, as
unlike Mitt, I have to work for my living.

So I don’t know if Matt Lauer asked him about his record in
Massachusetts. What did the new-to-politics one-term
out-of-the-state-more-than-he-was-in governor actually get done in the Bay
State?

I do know that Romney did mention his term as governor – the political
peg on which he hangs his tiny hat – twice in his coming-out speech: “At
America's core are millions of individual families: families of children and
parents, aunts and uncles and cousins, grandparents, foster parents. There
is no work more important for our nation's future than the work done in the
home.

“But the work done in the home isn't getting easier. Values and morals
that have long shaped the development of our children are under constant
attack. In too many cases, schools are failing. For some, healthcare is
inadequate.Family expenses and government taxes take a larger and larger
bite. America cannot continue to lead the family of nations if we fail the
families at home.

“How is the American family made stronger? With marriage before
children. With a mother and a father in the life of every child. With
healthcare that is affordable and portable. With schools that succeed.

“With taxes that are lower. And with leaders who strive to demonstrate
enduring values and morality.

“This was the agenda I pursued as Governor of Massachusetts. This is the
agenda I will pursue if elected President.”

Oh my God, pray for the nation.

I don’t care how Romney worships. We’ve got freedom of religion here –
still. I don’t think the leaders of the Mormon faith would control him any
more than the Vatican controlled John Kennedy.

The bigger issue is his record of accomplishment. What did he do here?
Did he act as the “salesmen of the Commonwealth,” as he promised, to
bring new jobs to Massachusetts? No.

Did he ever learn how to effectively work with the Legislature? No.
Did he have his eye on the Big Dig? Did it take a death for him to
notice if there were problems? You know that answer.

Did his healthcare “solution” really solve any problem? It remains to be
seen.

But Mitt is saying all of the right things for the right wing to hold
them close to him. Here are his beliefs:

“It has been said that a person is defined by what he loves and by what
he believes and by what he dreams.

“I love America and I believe in the people of America.

“I believe in God and I believe that every person in this great country,
and every person on this grand planet, is a child of God. We are all sisters
and brothers.

“I believe the family is the foundation of America - and that we must
fight to protect and strengthen it.

“I believe in the sanctity of human life.

“I believe that people and their elected representatives should make our
laws, not unelected judges.

“I believe we are overtaxed and government is overfed. Washington is
spending too much money.

“I believe that homeland security begins with securing our borders.

“I believe the best days of this country are ahead of us, because I
believe in America!”

Again I ask: pray for the nation.

©2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

I was at the Toy Fair last week in NYC. The toy industry plays a pretty big part in our local economy and I'm the only local reporter who regularly goes down to get a first-hand story.

One of the things that always interests me about the Toy Fair is how one sees examples of pure faith: people who beleive so much in their dream idea that they risk thousands of dollars manufacturing samples and then setting up at the Fair to see of buyers agree with them that their product could be the next hot trend.

I've posted photos of two of the most interesting examples of those kind of gambles. Fishermen are statues of Jesus in action poses. These are not satiric or humorous. The folk were dead serious about them. The are designed to be expressions of faith.

On the other hand, meet The Turds, action figures of poo. Will these sell? Who knows? Mr. Hanke was a big hit from "South Park," so why not a whole line of sh*t?

Speaking of "South Park," it was interesting to note just how little there was this year of licensed merchandise. Although there are some strong Nick cartoons, only SpongeBob is seen by the toy industry as a sure thing. Manufacturers have obviously been burnt so many times in the past and are wary of making an investment in something other than an evergreen property.

NEW YORK - Transformers, My Little Pony and Rubik's Cube: in the world of toys, the Eighties are back.

Many familiar names from 20 years ago were the featured stars of the 104th edition of the American International Toy Fair conducted last week at the Jacob K. Javits Convention center and at industry showrooms around the city.

According to figures released by the Toy Industry Association, Inc., the industry group that operates the annual event, over 1,200 manufacturers, exhibitors and sales agents from 31 countries showed off their goods and services to over 20,000 attendees from 94 countries. There were over 5,000 new products on display from every conceivable category of toy.

Accompanying the trend of returning toy stars of the 1980s was another movement to have toys aimed at Baby Boomers. The Toy Fair dedicated one of its many workshops to developing sales efforts for the Baby Boom market.

Western Massachusetts was represented by Hasbro the industry giant has its games division in East Longmeadow; Jan-Lynn of Chicopee; and Omni-Glow of West Springfield. LEGO System has its American headquarters just over the state line in Enfield, Conn.

If there was another trend at the show it was the relative absence of licensed toys. In past years the Toy Fair has exhibited dozens of toy lines featuring characters from television and movies. This year, it was clear to observers that manufacturers were willing to take a chance on just a few properties, including classic Disney characters, Spongebob Squarepants, Spiderman (with many products promoting the third Spiderman movie) and "Star Wars."

With 2007 being the 30th anniversary of the release of first "Star Wars" film, George Lucas cast his shadow all over the Toy Fair. Lucas actually attended the event and was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame at a $450-a-plate dinner.

It was hard not to walk down an aisle without seeing a "Star Wars" toy in many parts of the Javits Center. LEGO has new "Star Wars" construction kits and had their LEGO artists built a bust of Lucas that was on display at the LEGO booth.

Hasbro has had a long association with Lucas and the movie property and are including collectible coins into this years "Star Wars" action figure packaging.

For the ultra-serious "Star Wars" fan, Sideshow Collectibles is featuring a bust of Jedi Master Yoda for $550 and a bust of Greedo for $599. It's too late for the company's Darth Maul bust, which came with "an authentic partial replica of the costume worn by [actor] Ray Park" it's already sold out at a cost of $600.

One might assume that it is Baby Boomers who are the ones who can afford the $600 for a "Star Wars" bust, not kids, and there were many high-end collectibles at the Fair that were aimed at older markets.

There are not many kids who will be willing to buy action figures and bobble heads from the 1998 cult movie "The Big Lebowski," either, but those items made their debut at the Fair.

Buyers coming to the show had to walk the line between placing orders for sure things, while at the same time looking to catch the next hot trend. Would it be the "Flybar," a juiced-up pogo stick that achieves enough height for the rider to complete a mid-air flip? Or how about Goth dolls called "Be Goths?" They were billed as "toys that refuse to conform."

One company at the show for the first time was The Mountain of Keene, N.H., with a line of tee shirts featuring nature and animal themes. Jonathan Dancing, the director of sales for the company, noted a challenge for toy retailers was either to decide to have such a broad line of merchandise to compete with large companies such as Wal-Mart or to specialize on particular products.

He added that sales for his company at the Fair were quite good.

Omni-Glow

West Springfield's Omni-Glow was once known just for its glow stick technology, but now the company has several different directions. There is a division that designs and markets consumer glow technology novelties and another that sells party merchandise.

Alan Green, is the national sales manager for Omni Party and he said the division is "doing great." The new product the company was promoting at the Fair was a confetti gun. Take aim, pull the trigger and bam a shower of metallic glittering confetti shoots across the room.

Green said the gun comes in both one-use and refillable models.

On the Glow side of the company, National Sales Manager Michael Ahrendt said the company's glow glasses and shot glasses were receiving a lot of attention. Sales for the Glow side have been flat or on the increase depending upon the customer.

The company has reversed a trend typical for many manufacturers. Ahrendt said the company had ceased its manufacturing operations in China about 18 months ago and had relocated the factory to Mexico. The managers of the manufacturing operations live in Texas and commute daily to the plant. Ahrendt said that uncertain quality controls in at the Chinese factory prompted the move back to North America.

LEGO

LEGO Publicist Karen Lynch said that this year marks a "return to basics" to the most dominant company in the construction toy business. She said that LEGO will not be producing a new "Bionicle" direct-to-DVD movie and has sold its group of theme parks.

"LEGO is sticking to what they know best: classic construction sets," she said.

There is a new emphasis on promoting the bulk sets of LEGO bricks as well as sets in which there are multiple projects.

One of the company's new efforts will be selling new mosaic sets aimed at girls that use LEGO technology to construct art. Another is a series of sets called "Aqua Raiders," the first LEGO sets with an underwater theme.

Licensing is limited at the company to properties that have track records of success. Lynch said that surveys conducted with LEGO users indicated that Spongebob Squarepants was a fan favorite and last year's Spongebob success was a real success. There's a new Spongebob set this year.

There's also a new Harry Potter set and several sets featuring Batman, as well.

"Star Wars," though, is the company's largest license and Lynch said there will be nine new sets representing all six films released this year.

The company's "Exo-Force" line will have an added inter-activeness with a web site that children can access that has story lines and design tips.

Jan-Lynn

Catherine Dyjak, a key account executive with the Chicopee-based manufacturer of craft kits, said one of the company's best sellers was a line of pillow case art sets.

Children decorate the pillows, which come with a screen-printed design, with soy-based crayons. The company features several Disney designs in the line and also has the Disney version of Eeyore in a paint-your-own ceramics kit and Disney themed paint by numbers sets.

The company also has a new stuffed bear called "DJ Bear," which is designed for children with iPods and other MP3 players. The player fits in the bear's overalls pocket and plugs into a speaker system in the bear's feet.

Hasbro

One of the two dominant toy companies in the nation, Hasbro was leading the "back to the eighties" charge at the Fair with its 25th anniversary celebration of "My Little Pony," the return of the 1980s "G.I. Joe" characters and the "Kung Fu grip" and the 30th anniversary of "Star Wars."

The 1980s aren't the only things on the company's mind, though. Pat Riso, of the company's public relations department, explained the pace of life in the 21st century has changed the way people view games and play.

The company has introduced "express" version of some of their popular games. Riso said the games, such as "Scrabble," have been re-designed so there can be satisfying game play within 20 minutes. She added the games have been re-engineered to allow for "snacking" or 10-minute game play.

"These are specifically designed to have fulfilling robust game experience in 20 minutes," she said.

With older, established games, such as "Life" and "Monopoly," the company has acknowledged that families may not have the time for the traditional version of the game. There are versions of both games that involve debit cards instead of paper money so no time is wasted counting out cash to the players.

Aimed at the growing Baby Boomer demographic is a group of hand-held electronic games called "MY Q." With research indicating that Boomers and seniors need mind stimulation as well as exercise, these games are designed to provide mental challenges. There are versions featuring words and number as well as "MY Q" games aimed at younger people.

Although Hasbro has licensed toys "Star Wars,' "Spiderman Three, "Toy Story" and "Spongebob Squarepants are prominent the company would "rather build its core brands," Helen Van Tassel, associate manager of public relations, explained.

The way to build those brands is to take a toy or game with great name recognition and invent new versions. Besides traditional "Twister," there is now "Outdoor Twister" and "Dodgeball Twister."

There's a new version of "Operation" as well "Operation Rescue" with different levels of game play. Even "Candyland" has a new version called "Candyland Castle."

The company's biggest re-invention and tribute to the 1980s is combined in the July 4th release of the live action/computer animated movie "Transformers," based on the company's venerable toy line of morphing robots. The company has a new line of toys for the film as well as selling licenses to other manufacturers for other merchandise.

If the name "Optimus Prime" isn't something you don't know now, it probaly will be by summer.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

For about 20 years film producer Richard Gordon has been both a friend – and whether he knew it or not – a mentor to me. A witty and classy gentlemen, Richard has a vast knowledge about film and I'm hopeful a new generation will discover his own movies through DVD releases such as the following. These photos are from Richard's brother Alex's – also one exceptional gentleman – film "Atomic Submarine," "Corridors of Blood," "Haunted Stangler" and "First Man into Space."

This new two-disc set from The Criterion Collection – the gold standard for
DVDs – features the vintage horror films, “The Haunted Strangler” and
Corridors of Blood and science fiction films, “First Man into Space” and
“The Atomic Submarine.”

Richard Gordon produced three of the films – “Strangler,” Corridors
“and” Space – while the fourth film was made by Richard’s brother Alex back
in the era in which independent producers flourished.

This package is more than just four enjoyable films. It is a celebration
of a two movie fans who did what all fans wish they could do: actually
produce films – successful films no less.

Richard and Alex grew up in England in the 1930s and were both avid
films fans. As kids they ran fan clubs in their native country – Richard
organized a club for Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon of the movie serials),
while Alex ran a club for singing cowboy Gene Autry – and their love of
films only grew with time.

As young men, they decided to come to this country in the late 1940s to
try their luck breaking into the industry. After a variety of show business
jobs ranging from publicity to distribution, both men were able to find
their niche.

Alex settled in California and made most of his films at American
International Pictures and along with Roger Corman was one of the principal
producers of that company in the 1950s.

Alex was the producer who really established the casting concept now
made famous of by Quentin Tarantino of giving roles to performers who were
favorites from his youth and ready for re-discovery.

Alex left producing in 1965 and pursued a respected career as an
archivist and then a long stint working with cowboy turned businessman Gene
Autry. He died in 2003.

Richard established his offices in New York City and made his films in
his native Great Britain. Although his last feature was made in 1981,
Richard has been very active licensing his library of films for home video
and television around the world.

Of the many independent producers who were making films in the 1950s
through the 1980s, only Richard has remained active in the business to this
date.

Richard’s The Haunted Strangler” and “Corridors of Blood” both star
Boris Karloff and afforded the aging actor with two of best roles in the
last segment of his career.

“Strangler’ is a neat twist on the Jekyll and Hyde theme with Karloff as
an acclaimed mystery writer trying to prove his theory about a long-dead
serial killer.

“Corridors” features Karloff as a doctor in Victorian England pioneering
the use of anesthesia and becoming an addict in the process.

Richard’s third movie in the package is “First Man into Space,” a movie
that straddles the horror and science fiction genres.

A Navy test pilot returns from an experimental flight as an encrusted monster killing
people for their blood.

The effective direction of Robert Day and Karloff’s performances push
“Strangler” and “Corridors” out of standard horror genre fare. They are both
very good, solid films.

“First Man” is a fast-moving exploitation film – it capitalized on the
very topical space race of the late 1950s – and is also a lot of fun.

“The Atomic Submarine” is one of Alex’s most ambitious films with a
large cast of sentimental favorites – cowboy stars Dick Foran and Bob
Steele, suave Tom Conway, among others – a lot of special effects, and a
timely theme of nuclear submarines. It can also boast of one of the most
unusual monsters seen in a sci-fi movie.

Although the low budget shows at times, “Submarine” is a drive-in movie
that is hard not to dislike.

All of the films have great commentary tracks with author Tom Weaver
interviewing Richard and Alex and Criterion includes two insightful booklets
featuring essays on the films. Other extras are interviews with director
Robert Day and some of the cast members from the films.

This is one of my essential additions to my DVD library.

For more information, log onto www.criterionco.com

Images copyright by Gordon Films, Inc.
Copyright 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Announcement time

I've shipped off the final disc of my book " Escape: How animation fled the kidvid ghetto and went mainstream in the 1990s" to my publisher Bearmanor Media and now I feel fairly confident in putting something on this blog about it.

Essentially it is a collection of articles I've written over the years that illustrate how the perception of animation has changed. Some appeared in Animato and Animation Planet, the two magazines I owned and edited, while others are new pieces. All of the older stories have been updated.

I would have liked to have included articles written by some of the magazines's talented constributors, but I could not afford buying the rights.

The book is scheduled to appear sometime this year.

I'm devoting my free writing time to the completion of the book on the Fleischer Studio titled "Made of Pen and Ink. I've posted a new chapter on that blog (see link in my link list).

Hope you check it out.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Dave Chappelle and a mock-umentary are featured in this week's DVD column.

Inside the Actor's Studio: Dave Chappelle
Chappelle's Show Season One: Uncensored

Paramount Home Entertainment has recently re-released one of the highest selling television series on DVD: season one of "Chappelle's Show," and Shout Factory has issued a stand-alone disc in its "Inside the Actor's Studio" collection that features the Chappelle interview on that television show in February 2006.

In a recent column, I admitted my ambivalence with the often-fawning interview style of "Studio's" James Lipton. The show's success does not rest with Lipton and his pile of blue question cards, but rather the interest of the interview subject with participating in the process.

Chappelle was clearly interested in the interview and was a funny guest who spoke seriously on a number of subjects.

Chappelle's public image as a hip comic with a street attitude clashes somewhat with a guy who is a fan of the series, but it turns out Chappelle wanted to use the show as his forum to discuss not only his career, but his decision to walk away from his highly successful show in 2005.

It might be difficult for someone to initially understand why a performer would turn down a $50 million payday, but Chappelle explained without sensationalism why it was important for his own mental health to walk away from his acclaimed show.

Generally, Lipton does a good job guiding Chappelle through the conversation, although Chappelle clearly needs little guidance. I do admit fast-forwarding through Lipton dancing on stage and the little improv Lipton initiated is also a bit hard to take.

Chappelle also opted to go much more in depth with this interview than other performers as it runs for nearly two hours.

Chappelle fans that miss seeing the show will not want to miss watching this DVD.

The re-release of "Chappelle's Show" offers nothing new that I could discover from the first release. At his best, Chappelle is one of the funniest comics performing today, but at times on his show he gives in to some pretty low scatological humor.

Included in this set are some of his best sketches including the training film for copy shop employees and how to torture their clients, and the amazingly edgy look at the nation's most vehement Klan member who is blind and doesn't realize that he is black.

For more information on "Inside the Actor's Studio: Dave Chappelle," log onto www.shoutfactory.com. For "Chappelle's Show Season One: Uncensored," go to www.paramount.com/homeentertainment.

The Festival

I frequently watch IFC and caught parts of "The Festival," and it looked quite intriguing: a comic mock-umentary on a film festival in a small ski tourist town.

Since I had the privilege of attending the Sundance Film festival in 2004 and saw much of the madness that typifies that festival pretentious people who care only about being seen, attending parties and getting goodie bags rather than actually viewing films I was eager to watch "The Festival" in its entirety.

I must admit some deep disappointment. What played out fine in little chunks while channel surfing proved to be tedious as a whole. Nicolas Wright stars as fledging director Rufus Marquez who has made the trip to Sutton, Vt., with the sole print of his feature "The Unreasonable Truth of Butterflies." He hopes to find a distributor for the art house film, but instead discovers that everything that could go wrong does.

The problem with the comedy is that Rufus is a jerk in fact almost every character in the film is unappealing. No one really is sympathetic enough to care about.

It's a shame. Someone needs to send up the excesses of Sundance. It's a target well worth hitting.

For more information, log onto www.docurama.com.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Con photos!
Vernon Wells…classic screen heavy
Gunnar Hansen… the original Leatherface and a very talented writer
Rudy Ray Moore… Dolomite himself
Zacherle…the cool ghoul from 1950s and 60s television
Michelle Bauer…sigh…the prettiest and most talented “scream queen of them all.

I spend a good chunk of the 1990s writing, editing and publishing two animation magazines, Animato and Animation Planet.

I just finished scanning the illustrations for my animation book (more on that in a post later this week) when I came across a number of photos taken at the time in which I would promote the magazine at Chiller Con in New Jersey.

Initially, my business partner and I would man a booth, but eventually it would be Steve Bissette and I splitting a table.

I found that I could get far more attention for the magazine from the Chiller horror crowd than from a comic book audience.

One appearance at a local comic shop proved to be quite frustrating with comic fans wanting to know what the investment potential was for their purchase of our magazine! Go to eBay and you’ll see that in some cases, there has been a return!

This was at the height of the insane “comics are like bonds” period with the various publishers fueling this crazy concept with multiple covers and other gimmicks.

Anyway, manning a booth meant frequently rubbing shoulders with the various celebs that were there at their own booths selling their wares. Many of them I encountered were just decent working class folks who understood the nature of their fame.

The beauty of a show such as Chiller was the ability of fans to actually meet someone whose work they admired. Some celebs were so driven to get that $20 for an autographed photo that they drove fans away.

I saw Fred Williamson at one show and started to ask him about working with director Larry Cohen on “Original Gangstas.” At first Williamson seem interested, but when he realized that I wasn’t reaching into my wallet he shot me a look that clearly told me the conversation was over.

I didn’t take any of it to heart, as these folks have to put up with as many wing nuts as sensible fans. It’s not the easiest way to earn some side money. Often times, I would walk through a dealer’s room and seen bored and slightly frustrated celebrities sitting at their tables. It’s tough to put yourself out there and find out the fans aren’t clamoring to see you.

One thing I did learn is to always try to get a table near a good looking actress as it really didn’t matter if she was a star or not – her looks always attracted interest and that interest could trickle down to what I was selling.

Crass? Perhaps, but working a convention is a crash course in real world marketing.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

The word "hero" is perhaps one of the most over-used words in our language. It's used so much that it has been stripped of the depth of its meaning.

I don't use it too often, but I must apply it to Greg Mortenson, the activist whom I interviewed recently. This guy has done something remarkable: without government aid or intervention, he has built over 50 schools in northern Pakistan and Afghanistan to educate primarily girls.

Educated women in these cultures make a huge positive difference in them.

Pick up his book or log onto his web site to see if he's coming to your area.

For most Americans, the remote sections of northern Afghanistan and Pakistan have been described in the shorthand of the national press as little more than the breeding ground of the Taliban and the hiding place of Osama Bin Laden.

For Greg Mortenson, though, these areas are filled with the promise of lasting change through his effort to build schools in remote villages.

Mortenson's story is told in the book "Three Cups of Tea," a "New York Times" bestseller in hardcover in 2005 that has just been released in paperback. Mortenson will be speaking at the Alumnae Library Theater at Elms College on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. The event is free.

Mortenson spoke to Reminder Publications from his home in Montana last week. He is embarking on a national book tour which he hopes which raise money and consciousness for his effort.

In 1993, Mortenson attempted to climb K2, the world's second largest mountain. He wasn't successful and was saved by the residents of a remote northern Pakistani village. In exchange for their kindness, he promised to build the village a school.

With the financial assistance of the late semi-conductor developer Jean Hoerni, Mortenson was able to build his first school in 1996. Mortenson's Central Asia Institute then set out to build more schools.

Today, over 24,000 children with an emphasis on girls attend the schools his organization have built

While encouraging literacy in the broadest sense could be easily as a noble effort, Mortenson explained how education could help prevent the growth of a new generation of terrorists and encourage the growth of democracy.

Mortenson said, that to a large degree, the people of these regions are no different that American.

"They dream the same thing we dream here," he said. "They have a fierce desire for education and a dire lack of education."

He has seen children walk three hours to reach a school, attend classes and then walk back three hours to their home. The literacy rate is only about five percent in these remote areas.

Attending school is not without risk. Thousands of girls have stopped attending school because of threats from the Taliban.

To a great extent, educating women is the key to substantial change in the region, he said. A number of international studies have shown that educating girls to a fifth grade level brings down the infant mortality rate, reduces population expansion and improves basic health.

The effects are not immediate. These changes take one to two generations to happen, he added.

Mortenson has other reasons why education, in his opinion, is a strong deterrent against terrorism.

In Islam a "jihad" is a quest. Western journalists have linked the word with terrorist activities, but Mortenson said that traditionally a jihad does not have to include those kinds of activities.

An observant Muslim man seeking to undertake a jihad must receive the permission of his mother, and Mortenson said educated mothers are far less likely to approve terrorism.

Education also means diminishing the roles of mullahs or Islamic clergy in rural areas, Mortenson explained. They are often the only literate people in a village and hold great sway over the residents.

Mortenson said that Americans have not learned too much about the region from recent history.

When Afghan freedom fighters pushed the former Soviet Union out of Afghanistan in 1989, the United States had been funding their efforts with $1 billion. After the departure of the Soviets, the U.S. aid shrank to $147 million and Mortenson said the country "went into chaos" with conflicts between rival warlords and the rise of the Taliban.

When Osama Bin Laden came to Afghanistan in 1992, he funded road and infrastructure improvements.

"He went in on a good note to win the people over," he said.

On Oct. 8, 2005, a massive earthquake devastated parts of Pakistan resulting in 74,000 deaths, 18,000 of those being children. Initially he said the Unites States had a good relief effort, but now that aid has dropped 80 percent and terrorist groups are providing humanitarian aid and recruiting young men into terrorism through "madrassas," schools run by Islamic extremists. Mortenson said the madrassas are often next to the relief tents.

Madrassas are "virtual incubators for terrorism," he said.

"We [Americans] really don't understand it," he said. "We're dealing with a well-oiled machine."

The goal of the madrassa system, he explained, is to recruit the most promising students, send them to a madrassa in Saudi Arabia where they are indoctrinated for ten years and then bring them back to the village where terrorist organizations set them up as the wealthiest person in the village, and a leader.

"This is war of ideology," Mortenson emphasized. "We are trying to counter it with education."

He said that American military personnel, especially those with two or three tours in Afghanistan, give his analysis a warm reception, but State Department officials have denied the refugee camps with the madrassas are as widespread as Mortenson says.

Mortenson notes that he has not seen another American working in these camps. Since starting his effort Mortenson has made 31 trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan and has spent 64 months there. His organization receives no federal funding and relies on private donations.

"If we really want to bring peace and stability, we have to invest in education," he said.

For more information, log onto www.ikat.org.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

For once I would like to write that my job has slow cycles, but due to the fact we're down one reporter and I have to take up the slack, I never have any "slow" times.

And the job spills into my off-time quite frequently. Iy has affected my outside writing and these three blogs. I'm trying to figure out how to best serve my employers, my readers, and myself. It's an on-going process!

Yes, you now put away the violins...I know, as my father used to say where to find sympathy...it's between sh....well I can't write more. It wouldn't be prudent.

So let's do something fun...more stills from my "archives." Here are two classic shots. The first is from a relatively obscure B-movie entitled "Unknown Island" from 1948 . What I love about this shot is the fact it's a little inept. The two leads, Richard Denning and Virginia Grey are seen in tense movment before a fuzzy read projection screen watching a guy in a dino suit fight a guy in an ape suit.

The film itself is a wonderful cheesy confection and unlike other jungle/dino/lost world movies, it was shot on color. Seek it out! Amazon has it for $10.

Ah, "Hell it Came," a 1957 low-budget horror film that is also damn near cheese perfection. Fake South Sea island setting, a walking tree monster...the only movie monster slower than a mummy...a really improbable lead in Tod Andrews, a once pretty boy actor who had seen better days...this film has it all.

Unfortunately, "From Hell it Came" is not available legally at this time. I'm sure there are bootlegs floating about, though, at cons and on the web.

Why do I like these? Many years ago I came up with a book idea to explore just why we celebrate "bad" movies. it was called "Trash Chic." it was one of two projects that Steve Bissette and I tackled. We almost reached a publisher, St. Martin's, with "Animation Outlaws," a book that would examine the rise of adult animation from the silent screen to the prsent. We actually had a great meeting at the publisher with an editor, but when that editor left, the book was doomed.

The "Trash Chic" book never got that far, but I still think there is a market for an examination on how the whole "bad is good" concept came about.

What do you think?

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs.

Here's another comic, Tracy Morgan, who I recently interviewed. He was responsive and down-to-earth and thanked me at the end for being a "gentleman." I don't get that too often!

Tracy Morgan has done it all movies, television and stand-up but he doesn't have a favorite.

"I love it, " he told Reminder Publications. "It's all show business."

Morgan is a busy performer. He currently co-stars in the NBC sitcom "30 Rock" and was recently seen in the films "Little Man" and "Totally Awesome." He also has provided voices for the up-coming film "Farce of the Penguins" and for the MTV series "Where My Dogs At."

He will be coming to the Comedy Connection at the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee at 7 p.m. on Jan. 20.

He appeared on "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) from 1996 to 2003 when he left to star in his own sit-com.

During his long stint on SNL, Morgan became well known for character that included "Brian Fellow, the host of "Safari Planet," and space adventurer "Astronaut Jones" as well as impersonating people such as Mike Tyson, Busta Rhymes, Maya Angelou and Samuel L. Jackson.

Acting on "30 Rock" is a change for Morgan after years of appearing before a live audience. He explained the show is filmed with a single camera, like a movie, and that a person has to have confidence in what they are doing since there is no audience to affirm whether or not they are being funny.

The new assignment has meant a shift in his schedule: no more late nights.

Unlike many stand-up comedians who have a love-hate relationship with television, Morgan said he loves it.

"It's a personal medium," he explained. "You can reach out and touch people."

He was an active writer on SNL, and still has a hand in what happens to his character on "30 Rock."

"I helped develop the character," he said. "I let the writers know what he's thinking and who he is."

"30 Rock" is about the back-stage happenings at a SNL-like television show. His character, also named "Tracy," is a star on the fictional show.

"The guy's unstable," Morgan said. "He's an international superstar and a sweetheart, but when he's off his meds he's 'coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs.'"

Morgan said he has known some people like his character, but didn't base him on anyone specific.

Morgan said that comedy was part of his childhood.

"My uncle, father and all of my mother's family were funny," he said.

Growing up his comic heroes included Jackie Gleason, Redd Foxx, Lucile Ball and Carol Burnett. Martin Lawrence was also an influence on him as well as Chris Rock and Adam Sadler.

What's it like working with the people one admires?

"One word explains it: heaven," Morgan replied.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Hey there's a new post at That's Thirty...it's about time...and this week's DVD reviews.


An action classic, a new science fiction film and another serial set in a jungle are in the mix for this week's DVD column.

Night Skies

On March 13, 1997, thousands of people in Arizona watched a group of UFOs in the sky over Phoenix. The incident received national attention and to this date no explanation about these lights, which appeared to be flying in formation, has been offered.

Needless to say, this mass sighting is suitable material for a movie and "Night Skies" uses the event to present a story about a group of people who witnessed the UFOs in a decidedly personal way.

A group of young people is traveling to Las Vegas on back roads spot the lights and subsequently crashes their RV. They meet another driver, whose truck has stopped mysteriously, and then begin a torturous encounter with aliens.

The film is based on the recovered memories of Richard (played by Jason Connery), the truck driver. While the UFO sighting themselves and Richard's story should provide the fodder for a good story, director Roy Kynrim and writer Eric Miller waste too much time on setting up the relationships between the victims.

The focus of the story should have been on Richard: what happened to him on board the UFO, how he was found and what his life was like later. A documentary probably would have been more interesting a film.

The creepiest moment doesn't happen until the end of the film when actual footage of the lights is shown.

Competently shot and with a solid performance from Connery (yes, he's Sean's son), "Night Skies" crashes due to a poor script.

For more information, log onto www.night

skies.com.



Lost City of the Jungle

In my last DVD column, I recounted the experience of watching the over-the-top 1936 serial "The Lost City." Well, being a serial fan (or a glutton for punishment) I next tackled the other new release from VCI Entertainment, the 1946 Universal Studios release of "Lost City of the Jungle."

Among serial fans, the chapter plays from Republic Pictures were always praised as being the best made with those from Universal as being too talky and the ones from Columbia as being simply goofy.

This serial is a talkfest. The characters are always talking about what has happened or going to happen and there is very little action. As usual logic doesn't play much of a role in the serial universe and this production is no exception.

I can't really describe the plot other to say the good guy (Russell Hayden) has chased a warmonger (Lionel Atwill) to an Asian nation that sits in the middle of the snow-covered Himalayas in a state of perpetual summer. The bad guy is after a rare element that will be used to perfect a defense to the atomic bomb, thus threatening the balance of power and creating more war.

This was Atwill's last screen role. The veteran movie villain died during the production and in some scenes his character is played by a double with his back to the camera. It was a rather sad ending for someone who had once co-starred with the likes of Marlene Dietrich.

For more information, log onto www.vcient.com



Police Story

Jackie Chan fans should be very happy with the release on DVD of one of Chan's best films, which for many years was only available on an out-of-print VHS tape or in a hard-to-find boxed set.

The 1985 film was not Chan's first hit, but it was a film that helped form his reputation for the blending of comedy with amazing stunt work.

Chan's eager to please young cop has the task of protecting a witness needed to testify against a mobster and the film centers on the criminals' efforts trying to kill Chan.

This was the first Chan picture I saw back around 1990 and it instantly made my wife and I Chan fans and hungry to watch more films from Hong Kong.

It's a shame that Chan's reputation has been affected by a strong of lackluster Hollywood films and I hope a new generation of fans can discover his one- of-a- kind brand of film making through this movie and other classic Chan films.

The DVD features a commentary by Hong Kong expert Bey Logan and director Brett Ratner as well as a very insightful documentary on Chan's stunt team and an interview with Chan on the making of the film. It also features an alternative beginning and ending to the film.

If you're an action fan, you've got to see this movie.

© 2007 Gordon Michael Dobbs

We've have a new governor in Massachusetts and one I will hope will actually do something positive unlike the former gov, Da Mittster. Mitt Romney proved to be a shallow shill with one thing on his mind: getting the hell out of Boston and into Washington. I can't believe there are people who actually will give money – Mitt just raised $6.5 million in a single day – to support his effort to be president.

Well there are also still people who think we're doing the right thing in Iraq and that Bush is a competent president.

Anyway this is what I wrote in my newpaper column this week.


Let's step into the Way Back Machine and I'll ask Mr. Peabody to set the dial for Jan. 2, 2003 and Boston as the place. We'll make sure to get there early in the morning so we can get a good spot to listen to W. Mitt Romney's inaugural address.

The Mittster's speech ran some 20 minutes and here's an interesting segment of it:

"Surely, historians will look back to Sept. 11, 2001 as a pivotal inflection point. Like us, they will be moved by the human tragedy of that day and by the redefinition of heroism. They may also see Sept. 11th as a symbol marking the emergence of a fundamental change in human endeavors. Perhaps the most obvious of these changes is the reassessment of military strategy. Massive battle groups and warheads capable of destroying the entire planet were frustrated by a handful of murderous fanatics with box cutters. The large, slow, impregnable force gave way to the nimble, stealthy and inventive.

"This realignment toward the nimble and inventive is also being experienced in other dimensions of our lives. In commerce, the seemingly impregnable corporate behemoths are increasingly outmaneuvered by nimble, fast moving upstarts. As United Airlines files for bankruptcy, Southwest and Jet Blue thrive. One sees the same dynamics in industries like software, pharmaceuticals, publishing, broadcasting, retailing, steel and textiles. To survive, the largest corporations adopt the qualities that characterize their most nimble and inventive attackers. It's not terminal to be large. It is only terminal to be slow, unresponsive, arrogant, isolated, bureaucratic, or unwilling to change.

"These same dynamics also confront what we do in the public sector. Slow, bureaucratic, and disconnected are becoming untenable."

Seth Gitell, writing on the web site for the "Boston Phoenix," noted that Romney implied the citizens of the Commonwealth should have qualities exhibited by Al Quadea terrorists a statement that might bite Romney on the backside on the campaign trail.

What interests me is not the obvious goofy metaphor Romney or his speechwriters made, but instead thinking about what Romney has done in his four years as governor and whether or not he has helped the Commonwealth to be more nimble and intuitive.

The answer is that he didn't play any such role or have that kind of success.

The Commonwealth elected him because he was a businessman and outsider. His supporters believed Romney would use his election mandate to make positive changes and to beat and tease the Legislature into making decisions that would benefit the state as a whole.

Instead, once Romney discovered the state could not be run like a corporation, he seemed to lose interest in his job and started prepping for a new one.

Looking at the last four years, the role of the executive branch of our state government has been squandered. With people leaving Massachusetts because of high living costs and shrinking opportunities we can not waste another minute.

As I admitted in this column I voted for Mitt Romney and he failed us all. I will also tell you I voted for Deval Patrick and he can not be allowed to fail. The stakes for all of us are too high.

Here's an excerpt from his inaugural address:

"Quick fixes, gimmicks and sound bites are not enough. That's not in the spirit of what built this country. That is not what cleared the forest and planted New England's earliest farms. It's not what inspired our great universities and museums. It's not what created the boom in textile manufacturing in its time or a flourishing biotech industry today. It's not what freed the colonies from oppression or the slaves from bondage or women from second class citizenship.

"What has distinguished us at every signature moment of our history is the willingness to look a challenge right in the eye, the instinct to measure it against our ideals, and the sustained dedication to close the gap between the two. That is who we are.

"We will need different tools and different approaches, ones for our times. As your governor, I have broad responsibility for what goes right and what goes wrong, but far less authority than I need to influence the course of either. For that reason, I will reorganize the executive branch, to simplify our systems, to make it more modern and accessible and accountable, to enable our public employees to concentrate on the public service at the core of their assignments, and to enable your governor to advance the agenda you elected me to do.

"I will ask municipalities to enter into a new partnership with state government, so that we can work together to reduce their operating costs, to better plan across regions, and to rebuild city and town centers into stronger economic cores.

"And I will be calling on you, each one of you, to stay engaged, to bring forward your solutions, not just your problems, to suggest a better way, to keep your eye on the higher ground we seek, and to act like this State House is your House. You stood up, and you reached out, from every corner of the Commonwealth, working together in the best example in recent memory of a bedrock democratic principle: that to make any difference in our common realities, we must see our stake in each others' dreams and struggles as well as our own, and act on that.

"My point is that we will be doing some things differently. Moving today's rituals within reach of you is symbolic of that. Change is not always comfortable or convenient or welcome. But it is what we hoped for, what we have worked for, what you voted for, and what you shall have."

Patrick has asked for our interest and participation and we owe it to him and ourselves to give him just that.

And let's make sure he lives up to the promises of his speech.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

I was watching Turner Classic Movies last night ands they had a promo about an evening of films programmed by a guest, in this case Chevy Chase.

Chevy Chase?! Why not allow some of TCM's non-famous viewers come up with a slate of films? Although Chase's selections wwere nice standard must-sees ("Lawrence of Arabia," "The Gold Rush," and "Rashomon"), I think that there could be more interesting slections out of the TCM huge MGM, Warner Bros. Paramount and RKO holdings.

So what would be your programs?

Here's a couple of mine:

First, an evening of black and white Fleischer Popeye films. They have the broadcast rights for them and have done relatively little with them.

Second program, a journalist's night with "Five Star Final," "Picture Grabber," and "While the City Sleeps."

Third program: Pre-code favorites sich as "Wild Boys of the Road," "Baby Face," and "Heroes for Sale."

What would be your choices?

©2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

How could I have missed this? I've had the privilege of interviewing David Ossman once and Phil Proctor twice and seeing the whole group perform during their 25th anniversary tour now 15 freakin' years ago. I have a short list of patron comic saints: Buster Keaton, The Marx Brothers, Ernie Kovacs, Monty Python and the Firesign Theatre. God bless them all.


LOS ANGELES, CA (November 13, 2006): Legendary comic foursome The Firesign Theatre, creators of over thirty LPs and CDs including such classics as Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers, a 2005 inductee into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, celebrates their 40th anniversary on November 17, 2006.

Founding members Philip Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman, and Philip Proctor were a group of aspiring actors/writers when they met at the studios of Pacifica Network station KPFK-FM in Los Angeles in 1966. In the decade that followed, they wrote and performed thirteen albums for Columbia Records, full of dialogue that has become part of the national lexicon, with titles such as How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You’re Not Anywhere At All, Everything You Know Is Wrong, and I Think We’re All Bozos On This Bus.

Firesign celebrates its Ruby anniversary on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of their first performance, as guests on Peter Bergman’s pioneering talk show “Radio Free Oz” on KPFK.

On nights when he had no guest, Bergman would invite some of his more subversive colleagues to come on the air and pretend to be a variety of interesting guests. On the night of November 17, 1966, Bergman invited three friends – Philip Austin, the show’s producer; David Ossman, the station’s former dramatic director; and Philip Proctor, an actor – to join him as the four of them pretended to be the panel of an imaginary “Oz Film Festival”.

Bergman played film critic Peter Volta, who was writing a history of world cinema one frame at a time. Ossman played Raul Saez, maker of short but exciting “thrown camera” films, who had just won a grant to shoot a movie by rolling a 70mm camera down the Andes. Austin played Jack Love, son of a leatherworker, who was making movies for the Living Room Theatre like The Nun and Blondie Pays the Rent. And Phil Proctor played Jean-Claude Jean-Claude, creator of the Nouvelle Nouvelle Vague Vague movement and director of the documentary Two Weeks With Fred, which took two weeks to watch.

Following that night’s improvisation, in which the four men realized they had an almost telepathic rapport, Bergman christened the group “The Oz Firesign Theatre” (since the four of them were all “fire” signs of the zodiac). There is no known recording of their debut performance.

“That Oz broadcast was a life-changing improvisation,” says David Ossman. “After that we set out to stone the system, if you see what I mean.” Phil Proctor concurs: “We knew we were on to something. No matter how absurd we were, the audience bought it!”

Soon after, Firesign Theatre landed a contract with Columbia Records, and over the following decade they revolutionized the idea of what comedy albums could be, mashing up James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and William Shakespeare in a head-tripping mix of puns, satire, surrealism, and unforgettable characters – and selling well over a million LPs in meantime.

Between 1966 and 1972, Firesign Theatre also had a series of regular weekly shows on various Los Angeles radio stations. Radio Free Oz ran from June 1966 to February 1969, first on KPFK-FM, then on KRLA-AM, and finally on KMET-FM. The Firesign Theatre Radio Hour Hour aired for two hours on Sunday nights on KPPC-FM in 1970; Dear Friends aired on KPFK in 1970-1; and Let’s Eat followed on KPFK in 1971-2.

Hard-boiled detective Nick Danger, Third Eye, is one character who has been ruthlessly, doggedly following Firesign ever since their Radio Free Oz days, and he will soon have his own box set. In 2007 Shout! Factory will release a multi-disc collection chronicling all of Nick’s exploits. The box will assemble for the first time the many radio adventures of Nick Danger, Rocky Rococo, Lieutenant Bradshaw and announcer Dwight Yeast, including “Cut ‘Em Off at the Past”, “The Case of the Missing Shoe,” ”The Three Faces of Al,” and many other rare and unreleased items from Nick’s tattered casebook.

Unfortunately many of Firesign’s radio broadcasts remain lost, but the group invites its fans to dust off their collections and offer up any home recordings, either from Firesign’s radio broadcasts or their even rarer television appearances, that might help fill the gaps in Firesign’s archive. Fans who believe they have vintage unreleased material that the group can’t live without can contact Firesign via their Website, www.firesigntheatre.com.

All four members of Firesign Theatre remain active in the entertainment industry. Philip Austin is the author of “Tales of the Old Detective” from Audio Partners, and writes short and long fiction, most recently for the HarperCollins series “Mirth of a Nation” and “Phil Austin’s Blog of the Unknown”. Peter Bergman is Director of the Los Angeles arts enrichment program Radio Club Afterschool, is on the writing staff of CBS news station KFWB, and has recently produced two seminars on new media in Beijing and Shanghai. David Ossman, now a resident of Whidbey Island, Washington, is a producer of drama and comedy for radio and stage, with a book forthcoming in November from Bear Manor Press called The Ronald Reagan Murder Case. And Philip Proctor continues to act for the stage, screen, and TV while pursuing a celebrated career as a voice-over artist in cartoons, commercials, movies, radio plays and interactive games.

All of Firesign Theatre’s albums for Columbia, as well as their many later recordings, are available on CD from www.laugh.com and www.lodestonecatalog.com.

Random thoughts are running through my head for the New Year and no it wasn't the drink that caused them.

***

Most years some pundits or elected officials decide what year it's going to be. You know what I mean: "The Year of the Child," "The Year of the Woman," "The Education Year."

Supposedly these designations are to indicate some sort of common agenda or trend and the people who declare them have enough power or influence to make them happen.

Of course we know that it's all just puffery. Usually these titles are so general that the agenda could never be accomplished.

The titles make easy copy and afford editors the opportunities to assemble big think pieces with lots of quotes from experts and academics. It makes everyone involved feel ever so important.

Well, I'd like to follow the trend, but I'm going to be a bit more prosaic. So here are some suggestions to make 2007.

"The Year of Nationally Franchised Doughnut Shop Employees Actually Getting My Order Correct;"

"The Year of Big Oil Not Making Record Profits Off the Backs of Americans;"

"The Year of Not Spilling Something on my Shirt Every Time I Eat;"

"The Year of Boston Politicians Actually Understanding Where Western Massachusetts is Located;"

"The Year of a Local Radio Station Daring to Put on Local Programming after 10 A.M.;"

"The Year of Overweight People Deciding a Bare Bulging Midrift is Not Attractive;"

"The Year of People Actually Understanding that I Don't Like Their Music and I Don't Want to Hear It When I'm Sitting in my House;"

"The Year of Sanitation Trucks not Leaking a Trail of Slime Down the Side of my Street;"

"The Year of my Neighbors Not Throwing their Snow onto my Cleared Sidewalk and Driveway;"

"The Year Of Lucky the Wonder Bichon not Waking me at Dawn with a Passionate Kiss;"

You know I have as much chance of these things happening as the agenda of "the Year of the Child" becoming reality.

***

My real wish for 2007 is to find a safe place to smoke a cigar without gagging my wife or stinking up the house or car. I suppose I could sit in my garage in a lawn chair listening to the radio. Perhaps I'll build a smoking shed. Now, that could be the beginning of a national trend!

***

My wife forwarded some interesting words that were apparently coined during 2006. If you're reading a newspaper, you probably are a bit of a word buff, so here they are. Drop me a line if you've heard of any of them.

Blamestorming: A group process where participants analyze a failed project and look for scapegoats other than themselves.

Death by Tweakage: When a product or project fails due to unnecessary tinkering or too many last-minute revisions.

Clockroaches: Employees who spend most of their day watching the clock - instead of doing their jobs.

Plutoed: To be unceremoniously dumped or relegated to a lower position without an adequate reason or explanation.

Prairie dogging: A modern office phenomenon. Occurs when workers simultaneously pop their heads up out of their cubicles to see what's going on.

Carbon-based error: Error caused by a human, not a computer (which we assume would be a silicon-based error).

Menoporsche: Male menopause. Symptoms include a sudden lack of energy, crankiness and the overpowering urge to buy a Porsche.

Adminisphere: The upper levels of management where big, impractical, and counterproductive decisions are made.

Bobbleheading: The mass nod of agreement by participants in a meeting to comments made by the boss even though most have no idea what he/she just said.

Ringtone rage: The violent response by cube mates after hearing your annoying cell phone ringtone for the 15th time.

Muffin top: The unsightly roll of flesh that spills over the waist of a pair of too-tight jeans.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

I made out like a bandit this Christmas from my wife, my friends and family. Among my gifts were some cool DVDs. Here’s some notes on a few of them.

I received “Bettie Page: Dark Angel” from a friend and them used some Xmas gift money to buy “The Notorious Bettie Page.” Yes, I do like Page pin-ups and her story has long fascinated me as it’s one of those odd instances in which what was once underground popular culture becomes mainstream. Her story is also one of those relatively rare examples in which a very disposable kind of pop culture (pin-ups) actually finds new audiences despite changes in what people view as beautiful and/or erotic.

There’s a hand-full of women whose images seem to transcend fashion and Betty Page is one of those people.

The thing that struck me about both films is the obvious affection all of the filmmakers have for their subject. Betty is a likable, open person in each production.

“Bettie Page: Dark Angel” is a low-budget “Readers Digest” version of Page’s life and career produced and directed by Nico B, the guy whose Cult Epics company has been selling DVDs of Page’s Irving Klaw films. Taken on its own terms, it’s not bad once you realize the focus of the film is to re-create the Klaw bondage films. I’m not sure just why anyone would want to do that, but Nico B. did with obvious respect and affection.

Paige Richards makes a fine Page, but doesn’t have the material to work with that Gretchen Mol has in “The Notorious Betty Page.”

I had caught the second film up at the Latchis Theater in Brattleboro, Vermont earlier this year and loved it. Director Mary Harron achieved a fantastic look with her approach of filming the New York scenes in black and white and the Miami scenes in deeply saturated color. The result is a film that visually transports the viewer back to the 1950s.

As a biography, Harron seemed to follow Page’s story fairly closely and chose to end it with Page’s religious re-awakening in the late 1950s. As detailed in her interview in Playboy several years back, Page confirmed her years following her heyday as ones filled with coping with mental illness, failed marriages and poverty.

Page has been able to capitalize off her 1950s work and apparently was pleased with this movie. Much of the success comes from the performance of Mol as Page. Mol is able to look like Page much of the time and brings out that innocent, fun-loving attitude that Page always seemed to convey in her pin-up work.

The extras on “The Notorious Betty Page” include a “making off” featurette and a clip of a Klaw film in color with Page disrobing. She is obviously receiving directions from someone off camera and clearly not taking any of it seriously.

In a completely different direction, I was given a great double feature of classic bad Mexican cinema: “The K. Gordon Murray Collection: Doctor of Doom and Wrestling Women Vs. The Aztec Mummy.” Now how could you go wrong with these wrestling horror films?

I never saw a single K. Gordon Murray film as a kid, but I vividly remember seeing television commercials for his kiddie matinee films and thanked God my parents didn’t want me to see any of them. Imported from Germany and Mexico, these fairy tale-based films looked dreadfully cheap even to a nine-year-old kid.

These two films are truly a slice of a popular culture so foreign to American sensibilities that they seem a bit surreal. Yet for their time and place of origin they were acceptable pop culture that pleased many people.

And that for me is the bait. I love seeing something that other people view as entertaining.

©2006 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

A great film from Germany, a must-own set for any serious film fan, celebrity interviews and a double feature starring George Reeves are all in this week's DVD column.

The Kebab Connection

This charming romantic comedy from Germany is part "Romeo and Juliet," part kung fu action picture and part culture clash. Does it work? Absolutely!

Denis Moschitto plays Ibo, a Turkish immigrant who dreams of producing the first German kung fu movie. When the commercial for his uncle's fast food restaurant turns out to be a hit, Ibo thinks he's on his way, but then he discovers his German girlfriend Titzi (Nora Tschirner) is pregnant.

Suddenly he's on the outs with this father and when he hesitates about proposing to Titzi, he's minus a girlfriend.

Ibo must prove himself to her, to his father and to the producer who is considering his film. His path is made more difficult thanks to the local Turkish/German mafia, a rival Greek restaurateur and his sexy daughter, and an encounter with ouzo.

The film is in German with English subtitles and may not be at the local Blockbuster, but hunt it down. It's a great little movie.

For more information log onto www.lifesizeentertainment.com

The Premiere Frank Capra Collection

This five movie set of some of director Frank Capra's best work needs to sit on any serious film buff's shelf. Capra, like John Ford, Orson Welles and Erich Von Stroheim, was a director whose films carry a distinctive tone and social context.

Unlike Welles and Von Stroheim, whose style and technique sometimes did not always endear themselves to either studio execs or the public, Capra was like Ford in understanding how he could use the system to tell stories that had meaning for both him and the audience.

The phrase "Capra-corn" was coined to describe Capra's sometimes sentimental, but also very human approach to his subject material, and that's unfortunate as it colors his films as being naive. Capra's films, while often ending on very high notes, present that faith has to be tested and many of his films convey some very dark moments.

This collection includes "American Madness," "It happened One night," "Mr. Deed Goes to Town," "You Can't take it With You," and "Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington," as well as a feature-length documentary made in 1997 and a book on Capra.

What treats are in this collection: the great romantic comedy of "It Happened One night," and the triumph of the average man in "Mr. Deeds and "Mr. Smith." What might surprise some viewers is "American Madness," an earlier more obscure Capra film that is both social commentary and crime drama.

Go out and buy this set for the movie lover on your list.

Log onto www.sonypictures.com

Inside The Actor's Studio

I must admit certain envy for James Lipton and his show "Inside The Actor's Studio," as I would love to have a similar program myself. The difference between the two of us is I would like to present interviews with character actors and supporting players rather than the megastars that is standard for his show.

My own experience has been those performers bring a far more grounded view of show business. The folks featured in this set of four interviews (Clint Eastwood, Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman and Robert Redford) are performers at the top of the Hollywood "A" list.

And perhaps that's part of the problem I have with Lipton. While he has his hundreds of blue cards (which he reveals during an introduction that he writes himself) and that he doesn't engage in the practice of "pre-interviewing" his guests, he always comes across as a star-struck guy.

While some of his questions are probing, he frequently doesn't go for the subject material that might make his guest a little uncomfortable. For instance with Clint Eastwood, he didn't ask about Eastwood's habit of establishing relationships with leading ladies and how this can affect his films. Nor did he talk to Eastwood about being a poster boy for the right wing and whether or not he was comfortable with such a description.

Granted, I guess, I wouldn't want to poison the well after all if you're hard on one of these folks, others might not want to come.

So if you're a fan of the show and don't share my reservations, this is something you might want for your collection.

For more information, log onto www.shoutfactory.com

George Reeves Double feature: Thunder in the Pines, Jungle Goddess

This new collection the folks at VCI Entertainment is essentially designed to cash in on the renewed interest in George Reeves due to the movie "Hollywoodland" and also to be an unabashed valentine to the actor best known for playing Superman in the 1950s television series.

Reeves was indeed an actor with looks and talent whose promising career at major studios was derailed by his service during World War II. He was never able to regain his position at the big studios and wound up performing in low-budget affairs such as these two films.

Of the two, "Thunder in the Pines" is actually a lot of fun in the cheesy B-movie tradition. Reeves and co-star Ralph Byrd play "fighting pals," who are lumberman hankering to get rich. They are also in love with the same girl, which complicates the plot quite a bit. Both stars seem to be having a good time with the material and, in turn, so did I.

The second film, which also co-stars Byrd, is a different matter. "Jungle Goddess" is your standard "find the white girl marooned in the jungle that is now queen of a tribe" plot that about three million or so B- movies had. Reeves looks slightly uncomfortable at times and undoubtedly was revealing his feelings for this lackluster project.

The extras include a variety of fan produced little films and essays that illustrate just how many people still love the actor who died in 1957.

If you're a B-movie fan, the scorecard is 50 percent for this collection. I'd still buy it with that ranking!

For more information, log onto www.vcient.com

© 2006 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

It's nearly Christmas and these two items stir up some pleasant memories.

I was never one of the kids in love with Santa, not was I a scoffer. I suppose I was a Santa agnostic. I would sit on his lap and tell him what I wanted just in case, but I didn't buy the whole yarn.

I think it was the chimney aspect. We didn't have one and I was told he came through the window in our house. That sounded just a bit too common for the jolly old elf.

Well, the year a real telegram delivery person knocked on the door and gave us this telegram from Santa I was impressed. It didn't occur to me at the time that my parents had sent it. I saw it as some sort of proof that Santa was out there somewhere. If nothing else it caused me to question my agnostic position!

The other photo is from the Christmas season of 1983. I was in the middle of my five-year tenure as a talk show host on WREB in Holyoke, Mass. The Chamber of Commerce asked me if I would be the official city Santa at the tree lighting and I said yes. They supplied a great suit and brought me to the City Hall in a horse drawn sleigh (with wheels...good thinking as there was little snow at the time).

The acid test was that my wife Mary had brough our young nephew Andrew to the event to see Santa. I was sweating under the suit as the kid was a believer and I didn't want him to pull down my beard and see it was his uncle.

He didn't. He told Mary that he had seen the "real" Santa. He's now 29 and I don't know if he remembers this event, but I do.

©2006 by Gordon Michael Dobbs. Merry Christmas to all!

Everyone wants to label you: liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. There are some issues that go beyond any party lines, though and the following is a small example of the kind of mindset that plagues The Bay State.The only things these new regulations will accomplish is to drive businesses out of the state and put a lot of dough into the hands of the elevator industry.


If you own a building with a freight elevator, are you aware of the state's movement to enforce up-grades that could cost businesses anywhere between $25,000 to $100,000?

Did you know the state is considering having everyone who operates a freight elevator obtain an annual license and be sent to a training session on the safe use of elevators?

Well, if you don't get the newsletter of Associated Businesses of Massachusetts, then you might not have heard of the changes the state's Board of Elevator Regulators have in mind.

Kathy Anderson, who is head of economic development for the city of Holyoke, did read about these proposed changes, and headed up a Holyoke contingent to testify at a recent hearing in Boston about them.

Anderson spoke about the impact at a meeting of Mayor Michael Sullivan's Industrial Development Advisory Committee last week.

For a city such as Holyoke, the proposed regulations would force the replacement of existing older elevators elevators, by the way, that have been certified as safe by the state in annual inspections.

Besides the cost of the actual replacement of these elevators, businesses would have to absorb the costs associated with the shutting down of an elevator for an estimated four to six weeks.

If a business relies on the elevator as part of its manufacturing process, the costs skyrocket.

Anderson said the state board is considering establishing a state license at $25 a person annually for every employee who pushes the up or down button, as well as attendance at a state elevator school slated to be on the of the former Fort Devens.

Elevator school? What kind of tax and spend boondoggle would that be? This is a prime example of governmental abuse, pure and simple.

Although nothing yet has been decided, unless there is a widespread outcry from the state's manufacturing sector, these changes could take place. The impact could easily be another reason for businesses to leave the state.

We don't need to give employers more reasons to leave Massachusetts. We give them enough reasons with healthcare issues, non-competitive unemployment insurance, expensive land costs and high taxes.

If Governor-elect Deval Patrick is sincere about business development and I'm sure he is he needs to call in the Board of Elevator Regulators and slap some sense into them.

Making sure industrial elevators are safe is important. Making businesses pay for unnecessary changes is stupid.

© 2006 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Milton the Monster is coming to DVD

This series was produced by Hal Seeger, the former Fleischer office boy who grew up to be a prolific animation producer himself. My late friend and mentor Myron Waldman was associated with Seeger as an animator and director on several of Seeger's projects (including the pilot for a revived "Out of the Inkwell" with Max Fleischer's last on-screen role).

Shout Factory is releasing the series and here's what they sent me on it:

"In the fall of 1964, primetime television was invaded by two clans of monsters who were definitely more funny than scary, 'The Munsters' and 'The Addams Family.' The rabid success of these programs led to the popular animated favorite The Milton The Monster Show. Airing on ABC from 1965-1968, The Milton The Monster Show was full of offbeat characters such as Milton The Monster, Abercrombie The Zombie, Dr. Goo Fee, Stuffy Durma, Flukey Luke and of course Fearless Fly, the insect superhero who was the hit of the series. At long last, The Milton The Monster Show - The Complete Series is now available for the first time, thrilling nostalgia fans everywhere!

Special Features:
✹ Hal Seeger Home Movies: Milton & Fearless Fly At The N.Y.C. Toy Fair
✹ Sheriff For A Day - A Live-Action Short Starring Flukey Luke
✹ Test Footage For The Live-Action Short Sheriff For A Day
✹ Bonus Cartoon: Wilbur The Wanted

Preorder date: 2/23/2007
Street date: 3/20/2007
Feature running time: +/- 9 1/2 hours
SLP: $34.98

©2006 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

A little blast from the past...these are the movie ads from the Springfield (Ma) Morning Union from Oct. 9, 1937.

Springfield is my home town...not that I was born here, but that it was the community where I spent my first three years of school. It has always felt like home even though after Springfield I lived in Montgomery, AL, Rantoul, IL, Hadley, MA, Greenville, CA, Oroville, CA, Kadena AFB, Okinawa, and then Granby, MA.

My wife and I have lived in Springfield for over 25 years and while it has plenty of problems, it is a great medium sized city.

Anyway, we have two multi-plex theaters in town after years of having not a single open theater. I'm old enought o have been around when there were still downtown movie theaters and neighborhood second-run theaters, but the multi-plexes today are in outlaying shopping centers.The idea of the movie theater as part of vibrant downtown entertainment scene has become more and more rare as the older downtown theaters are single-screens. Single screen theaters are a very risky economic model in the exhibition business today. Theater owners play a game of hoping to have a couple of good films that will make up for having some dogs on the week's bill.

One screen with a bad film means big trouble.

These ads show a little of what it was like to be a movie fan in the 1930s in a city of the size of Springfield (probably then about 160,000 people). There was a lot going on.

The exhibition business has changed so much. There's no flair, no showmanship, and little excitement outside of the film itself.

I think I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon watching old movies. It's too bad it couldn't be in a grand theater!

©2006 by Gordon Michael Dobbs