Author: DOuG pRATt

A Porch There Was – Day 1

This year the pollen was rather late in arriving, but when it did it came with a vengeance! For most of my life I’ve been allergy-free, but no longer. The pollen not only made us miserable, it kept leaving a dusting of yellow on the back porch.

So we decided to remodel the porch into a 3-season room, with casement windows, electric baseboard heat, and a through-the-wall air conditioner. Today was Day 1, and what a difference a day makes! Every day that something gets done, and there will be gaps, I’ll try to post some pictures.

Pratt Porch Day 0 Pratt Porch Day 0
Pratt Porch Day 1 Pratt Porch Day 1

Click to enlarge

Mort Walker’s The Best of Times

Mort Walker's The Best of Times

Here’s something I didn’t know. For the past year cartoonist Mort Walker (or, more likely, his son) has been publishing a magazine of cartoons, ads, and household hints, called The Best of Times. The formatting of the page at that link is a bit messed up, but clicking on the pictures works to bring up PDF copies of the issues.

Doug Pratt's Comic Book Bike Ride, 1966 - 1968When Walker isn’t in Florida he lives in Wilton, Connecticut, next to Norwalk, where I grew up. In fact, I used to ride my bike through Wilton, on my way to buy comic books. My two regular stops were in the same shopping center — a stationary store, and a drug store. Click the picture to see a map of my bike route. I made that trip many, many times between the spring of 1966 and the fall of 1968, weather permitting. Two miles exactly. I don’t believe Hillcrest was there 40 years ago. If it had been I probably wouldn’t have taken it anyway, as I preferred to avoid Route 7, which was a very busy and fast stretch of road. When I was older, living in Massachusetts, it was painful to realize that in Fairfield County I had been surrounded by many of the cartoonists and illustrators who I idolized.

Superman in “A Game of Moonball”

In a blog post that was lost in what I’ll call The Great Database Disaster, I made a comment that I’m not ready to buy an HDTV set. I haven’t even decided yet if I want a direct-view set or a front projection unit. Note: I said FRONT and not rear projection. For example, this little gem looks interesting, but oh that sticker shock! A more reasonable choice would be this model.

For now, it’s an academic question, because it’ll be a year or two before I do anything, and the gear will be completely changed by then anyway. But why would I be considering a projector, rather than, say, a plasma or direct-view LCD? Because when I was a kid I had one of these…

…which was my #1 favorite childhood toy. This is the Kenner Super Show. The picture came from an eBay auction I just won. To a great extent, this blog is nothing more than me playing with an updated Super Show. In acknowledgment of this, I will present my favorite slide that I enjoyed projecting on the wall. It’s Superman and Lois Lane, in “A Game of Moonball.”

I have two comments about this 7-panel comic strip that I used to think to myself, whenever looking at it over 40 years ago, shining on the wall.

  1. The red and yellow are reversed on Superman’s “S” emblem
  2. Superman seems to almost be acting as if Lois knows his secret identity.

What I didn’t wonder back then, but I am now, is who did the art? It’s fairly apparent that Curt Swan did the pencils, but I’m not sure of who inked them. At the moment I’m inclined to say Stan Kaye.

Petula Clark: Blue Lady

Last November, the BBC ran a long overdue one-hour documentary on Petula Clark, called Petula Clark: Blue Lady. In thanks to whomever started the Petula Clark blog, here’s the entire show. Honor Blackman, the first leading lady of the The Avengers TV Series and Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, narrates.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Movies/Wordpress/NOV06/PetulaBBC.flv 440 330]

Little Miss Sunshine’s Clutch Problem

Little Miss Sunshine

Carol and I took a break from anime with Eric last night and watched Little Miss Sunshine. Am I the only blogger who doubts the premise for the running gag (literally a gag with running) about the busted clutch?

Long ago I briefly owned a VW with a busted starter. By myself I could get it running by popping the clutch. I’d put it in first gear, then stick my head under the steering wheel while holding the clutch down with my left hand. With my legs hanging out of the driver’s door, I’d get the car moving then I’d let out the clutch. That got the motor going, and I’d jump into the car and drive off.

But note: I said the STARTER wasn’t working. Popping the clutch requires a clutch! In Little Miss Sunshine the clutch was supposedly blown. If that were the case, it wouldn’t have held in third gear, or any gear. This would be a good question for Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the Car Talk guys on NPR.