Marilyn Chambers (1952-2009)

Eggs! Eggs! Eggs!

Old Comic Book Ads That Make You Say "Huh?"

Sensational! Startling! New!

Be first in your neighborhood.

Old Comic Book Ads That Make You Say "Huh?"

This is real.

I'm speechless.

Brenda Starr, Reporter

Brenda Starr, Reporter was always one of my favorite comic strips. Its creator, Dale Messick, was a woman in a world of full of men - much like her creation. The strip has been running continuously since June 30, 1940.The character of Brenda Starr is a newspaper woman who works for The Flash. Her soap opera-style strip chronicled both her exotic career and her steamy love life - sometimes at the same time! This pulp fiction fashionista always had the right outfit for the right adventure, and paper dolls were often featured in the Sunday edition.Brenda Starr is a a totally modern woman - smart, glamorous and determined. Brenda has traveled the world solving mysteries, unearthing scoops and breaking the heart of almost every man she encounters. Bold, sassy, sexy, competitive, yet also romantic.

Her mysterious beau was named Basil St. John — whom she eventually married in 1976. Basil is tall, dark and handsome and sports an eye patch. Much of Basil’s life is consumed by the search for a cure for his deadly illness, which can be extracted from the rare black orchid. Brenda had Basil's baby. The child was a girl - and she was wincingly named Starr Twinkle St. John. This precocious youngster was also lost to Brenda when a plane went down in a jungle, carrying both Basil and Starr Twinkle. Starr Twinkle subsequently reappeared in the comic strip. After few years, Brenda and Basil were reunited, and then divorced, but fate could not keep them apart. Later, Brenda discovered Basil had a son, named Sage, whose mother was revealed to be Brenda's friend,  talk show host Wanda Fonda!
While Brenda's supporting cast has changed over the years, several key players have remained: Hank O'Hair is The Flash's razor-sharp city editor and Brenda’s best friend and confidant, whose sage advice is seldom followed by Ms. Starr.Hard-nosed, yet soft-hearted, smart, cynical, sarcastic, and blunt. Lesbian? Perhaps...

Mr. Livwright is the blustering, cigar-chomping managing editor of The Flash. He's stubborn, often at odds with Hank and Brenda, though he admires their uncanny journalistic abilities.
Brenda Starr, Reporter started out as a weekly Sunday strip, but expanded to daily in 1945 in conjunction with the release of the Columbia Pictures released a serial, BRENDA STARR, REPORTER with Joan Woodbury in the title role.Over 30 years later, Brenda was ready for primetime, but maybe not so much.
Jill St. John played her in BRENDA STARR, an ABC TV movie that aired May 8, 1976. This was a pilot for a series that never happened.

A second pilot, BRENDA STARR, starring the sexy, sultry Sherry Jackson was produced for syndication in 1979. Sadly, this also never made it to series.

A feature film, BRENDA STARR, was produced in 1988, but released in the US on April 15, 1992 with Brooke Shields in the title role and Timothy (James Bond) Dalton as Basil. Believe it or not, I've never seen this film. Maybe someday soon?Leaping from the funny pages into the world of four color comics is often a unsuccessful road taken by comic strip characters.
Brenda headlined her own comic book series from Superior Comics (1948-49), a Charlton revival followed in 1955and finally a 1963 effort from Dell. A Big Little Book also supposedly exists, though I have never actually seen it myself.

Reprints of rare early strips and comics were made available in the 1980s.You may still be able to find these at your local comics shop.

Dale Messick retired from drawing in 1980, only to be replaced by the great Ramona Fradon, who previously drew many of my favorite DC Comics' titles, including Aquaman, Plastic Man, Super Friends and The Freedom Fighters.When Ramona Fradon retired in 1995, she was followed by Linda Sutter and June Brigman. Brigman's credits include Power Pack for Marvel Comics and Supergirl for DC. Here's a recent Sunday strip:The strip's current writer is Mary Schmich, who is also a columnist at the Chicago Tribune. June Brigman continues as the artist. 

The wonderful Ms. Messick received the National Cartoonists Society's Story Comic Book Award in 1975 and the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 for her work on Brenda Starr. Dale Messick passed away in 2005 at the age of 99!

In 1995, Brenda Starr one of 20 famous characters included in the "Comic Strip Classics" series of U.S. postage stamps.
How could anyone NOT  love Brenda Starr, Reporter?

From Last August. In Memory of Jack Wrangler (1946-2009)

What do BONANZA, Rose Marie and gay porn have in common? Jack Wrangler of course!

Jeffery Schwarz's WRANGLER: ANATOMY OF AN ICON is a stunning new documentary chronicling the story of Jack Stillman, a Hollywood brat (his dad was one of BONANZA's producers) who went from legit acting (bit parts on THE MOD SQUAD and MEDICAL CENTER) to modeling to being the king of 1970s gay porn to straight porn and back to legit showbiz (producing musical theater). Along the way he found unexpected companionship and love with sophisticated songbird Margaret Whiting (pal of Rose Marie)!

This true Hollywood story is a treat - as entertaining as it is informative. An unfiltered portrait of the blond-haired, blue eyed nice guy who just happened to be a porn star. Featuring some great clips from Jack's films and interviews with folks as diverse as Christine Ebersole, Samantha Fox, Chi Chi La Rue, Gloria Leonard, Rod McKuen, Marc Shaiman, Bruce Vilanch and Carol Woods.

Available on dvd from TLA Releasing.

Easter TV, Part 7: The Rankin-Bass Specials

Concluding my look at animated holiday specials with three fun Rankin-Bass holiday classics.
HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL (1971)Originally airing on ABC, this Rankin-Bass Stop-motion classic was adapted from the song by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins. The story is narrated by Danny Kaye and features the voices of Casey Kasem, Paul Frees and Vincent Price. Even Santa Claus makes a cameo. The show moved to CBS in 1976.

THE FIRST EASTER RABBIT(1976) NBC aired this half-hour traditional Cel animated special from Rankin-Bass featuring Irving Berlin's classic holiday song "Easter Parade". Narrated by holiday cartoon favorite, Burl Ives. Other voices include Robert Morse, Stan Freberg, and Paul Frees. Moved to The Disney Channel in the 1990s.
EASTER BUNNY IS COMIN' TO TOWN (1977) Animagic classic, narrated by Fred Astaire, recreating his mailman role from SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN. Debuting on ABC, this also moved to The Disney Channel in the 1990s. For much more on Rankin-Bass, don't forget to visit Rick Goldschmidt's Enchanted World of Rankin-Bass.

Easter TV, Part 6: It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown

Premiering on CBS in April 1974 - this popular Peanuts holiday special, like all in the series, features several subplots: Peppermint Patty tries to teach Marcie how to decorate eggs; Snoopy dances with the popular and adorable Bunny-Wunnies,Yes, the Bunny-Wunnies; Woodstock gets a new birdhouse; Lucy decides to throw her own egg hunt; and Linus, not defeated by the disappointment of the Great Pumpkin - tells Sally she doesn't need to color eggs because the Easter Beagle will bring them.

IT'S THE EASTER BEAGLE, CHARLIE BROWN moved to ABC in 2000,

where it has aired more or less every year, including tonight (Tuesday April 7). I believe it's padded with newer, inferior material to fill an hour timeslot.