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A King deal

Denro tipped me off that Barnes & Noble stores have bargain-priced copies of Mark Evanier’s book Kirby: King of Comics. I bought one for $12.95, so now I can keep my autographed copy on the shelf. This deal is, from what I can see, available only in stores.

As I have said before, Jack “King” Kirby — a title given to him by Stan Lee — was the greatest creative force the comic book biz will ever have. Kirby’s family has, so far, been unsuccessful in getting money out of Disney-Marvel, and that’s wrong, because the corporation owes the man a lot.

TCM triumph

I was worried during the intro to tonight’s in-theater showing of Casablanca by Turner Classic Movies, because the sound was out of sync with the picture. The problem was bad enough that I went to the concession counter and told one of the staff there about it. If the movie itself had that problem, I would have told Carol we were leaving and requested a refund but, happily, the presentation was nearly perfect. The 4:3 “Academy” aspect ratio was maintained, and the sound was monaural, as it should be. The picture could have been a bit brighter, but that’s a common complaint at movie theaters these days.

P.S. The show was very well attended. I’d estimate 2/3 of the seats were taken.

Firesign before Python

Before I first heard Monty Python on WBCN in Boston in 1971-72, the station played records by the comedy troupe The Firesign Theatre. Founding member Peter Bergman has died. In The Further Adventures of Nick Danger, Third Eye, Bergman played Lt. Bradshaw, as heard in this audio clip.

http://youtu.be/Ouuq5J7lSuY

The first three Firesign Theatre albums are my favorites. They’re smart, savvy, carefully crafted, intricate, subversive, and for myself Nick Danger led to an interest in what is now called Old Time Radio. For someone of my generation, the Firesign Theatre records hold up well to repeated listenings, and they evoke a great deal of nostalgia. There was that time in college, in a dorm room that was not mine, listening to Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me The Pliers, and… uh… well, never mind about that.

“… and there’s hamburger all over the highway in Mystic, Connecticut…”