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Miller was not afraid to stand up for right. I don't care for some of his plays, but always revere the man.

Well, edgar. We scooped Peter Jennings. Regardless of what we think of art, playwrights, poetry, mystic, or auras, we know that those who go, leave something behind, something indelible that the world cannot eradicate.

And would you believe that the tabloids are saying that Hilary was poisoned? Hey, listeners. We thrive on the unanswered.

Speaking of art. Where did Osso go? Peter Jennings had a beautiful bit on the Cristos tonight. Some people were meant to be and create, and everything else becomes incidental.

Oh yes. Arthur Miller, Ossie Davis. The Reaper has been busy here of late.

I like some Miller plays, just not all. I'm just an ordinary man, with no axe to grind.

Well after all, Pickering, I'm an ordinary man,
Who desires nothing more than an ordinary chance,
to live exactly as he likes, and do precisely what he wants...
An average man am I, of no eccentric whim,
Who likes to live his life, free of strife,
doing whatever he thinks is best, for him,
Well... just an ordinary man...
BUT, Let a woman in your life and your serenity is through,
she'll redecorate your home, from the cellar to the dome,
and then go on to the enthralling fun of overhauling you...
Let a woman in your life, and you're up against a wall,
make a plan and you will find,
that she has something else in mind,
and so rather than do either you do something
that neither likes at all
You want to talk of Keats and Milton,
she only wants to talk of love,
You go to see a play or ballet, and spend it searching
for her glove, Let a woman in your life
and you invite eternal strife,
Let them buy their wedding bands for those anxious little hands...
I'd be equally as willing for a dentist to be drilling
than to ever let a woman in my life
I'm a very gentle man,
even tempered and good natured
who you never hear complain,
Who has the milk of human kindness
by the quart in every vein,
A patient man am I, down to my fingertips,
the sort who never could, ever would,
let an insulting remark escape his lips
Very gentle man...
But, Let a woman in your life,
and patience hasn't got a chance,
she will beg you for advice, your reply will be concise,
and she will listen very nicely, and then go out
and do precisely what she wants!!!
You are a man of grace and polish,
who never spoke above a hush,
all at once you're using language that would make
a sailor blush
Let a woman in your life,
and you're plunging in a knife,
Let the others of my sex, tie the knot around their necks,
I prefer a new edition of the Spanish Inquisition
than to ever let a woman in my life
I'm a quiet living man,
who prefers to spend the evening in the silence of his room,
who likes an atmosphere as restful as
an undiscovered tomb,
A pensive man am I, of philosophical joys,
who likes to meditate, contemplate,
far for humanity's mad inhuman noise,
Quiet living man....
But, let a woman in your life, and your sabbatical is through,
in a line that never ends comes an army of her friends,
come to jabber and to chatter
and to tell her what the matter is with YOU!,
she'll have a booming boisterous family,
who will descend on you en mass,
she'll have a large wagnarian mother,
with a voice that shatters glass,
Let a woman in your life,
Let a woman in your life,
Let a woman in your life I shall never let a woman in my life.

and eoe, the reaper will forever pull that scythe across the grain. Ossie, we knew thee to be a good man and true:

He died last Friday in Miami Beach, a courtly and elegant man of 87 years, justifiably lionized for his accomplishments as a writer (Purlie, Cotton Comes to Harlem) and actor (Do the Right Thing, Evening Shade, Roots: The Next Generations) in a career that spanned six decades. But for all that, his most compelling legacy may lie not in his work as an entertainer, but in his effort to change a world where a black woman dared not correct a white man's mistake.

You know, eoe. I am always amazed at how far we have come in the race game.

edgar, Yes, let a woman in your life, and she will undo all that has been left undone. <smile>

You know, listeners, I watched an alligator movie the other night, and one of the black stars was a man that I think starred in To Kill a Mockingbird. Can't be certain. There are so many mutants out there, that it's difficult to tell the real from the paper mache.

31 Days of Oscar on Turner Classic Movies
Saturday, Feb. 12
Best Score

6:30 AM The Bridge of San Luis ('44)
8:00AM The Lost Patrol ('34)
9:15AM The Fall of the Roman Empire ('64)
12:30PM To Kill a Mockingbird ('62)
2:45PM The Magnificent Seven ('60)
5:00PM The Big Country ('58)
8:00PM Superman: The Movie ('78)
10:30PM Jaws ('75)
12"45 AM Papillon ('73)
3:30AM The Pink Panther ('64)

Superman the movie was one of the few films I have walked out on. It was hyped so large I had great hopes for it. But the deeper in it got, the less satisfied with the treatment of it I became. I got up in disgust when Lex Luther came on like a refugee from the defunct Adam West Batman series.

eoe, did you post that "To Kill a Mockingbird" announcement before seeing my observation about the black guy in the alligator movie. If you did, it is simply too weird.

I gotta watch Monk...yikes.

edgar, remember Captain Marvel? Shazam!

I do, and was a big fan. Much of the original concept was drawn somehow on Cap'n Billy's Whizzbang, though I no longer recall the details. His face was modeled on Fred MacMurray's.

Marvel/Shazam



Captain Marvel was created by C.C. Beck. Hist first appearance was as Captain Thunder in an ashcan comic titled Thrill Comics #1. His name was changed shortly afterward because Captain Thunder was already being used by another company. As a result, in Whiz Comics #2 Captain Marvel appeared, and he became more popular than Superman. Why was this? Well, there were many reasons.


First, young readers could relate to Captain Marvel because he was a boy with superpowers. Young Billy Batson just had to say "Shazam" and he would become the powerful Captain Marvel. At this time, most of the comic readers were young boys, who after reading comics would fantasize about becoming a superhero themselves.


Additionally, the stories were much better. The writers for Captain Marvel were much more creative than those who scripted Superman. A good example would be the villain Mr. Mind. Originally appearing as a voice over a radio, we would later find out that Mr. Mind was really a super intelligent worm from another planet! It was a shocking and more exciting villain than the typical robot or mad scientist that Superman was fighting.


So successful was Captain Marvel that his title Captain Marvel Adventures would almost circulate 1.4 million copies per issue, on a bi-weekly basis in 1946. The Captain Marvel phenomena also expanded to his relatives. There was a Mary Marvel (sister), a Captain Marvel Jr., an Uncle Marvel, and even Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, as well as many others.


Still, Captain Marvel had all sorts of legal troubles in his early years. They began in 1941 when DC filed a lawsuit against Fawcett Comics (publisher of the Captain Marvel titles). DC claimed that Captain Marvel was a copyright infringement on their character Superman. This case would finally come to trial in 1948; the courts decided in Fawcett's favor. The court stated that some of Superman's appearances were not published with the proper copyright material. However, the court did say that there were some similarities between the two characters. DC Comics appealed this decision and got a new trial in 1951. This court decided that because DC had no intention of abandoning the Superman character, their copyright was still intact, despite their earlier errors in publishing the proper copyright notices. In 1953, the case was finally settled out of court when Fawcett agreed to quit using the Captain Marvel character(s) and pay DC the sum of $400,000.


A new hero called Captain Marvel was published in 1966 by M.F. Enterprises. This was a totally new character, and the title only lasted 5 issues with another one-shot appearance in 1967. Later in 1967, Marvel Comics would come up with their own Captain Marvel. This was also a completely different character, but an important one, because: 1) He would die of cancer, and 2) He remains dead to this day (an amazing and astonishing occurrence in the comic book world).


In 1973, DC themselves revived the original Captain Marvel, but they were forced to call this title Shazam because Marvel Comics now held the trademark to the Captain Marvel name. Drawn by co-creator C.C. Beck, Shazam would last 35 issues. He would later re-appear in the Legends mini-series in 1986, then in his own Shazam mini-series in 1987, and now in a title called The Power of Shazam, begun in 1995 and currently still in circulation.




Go back to Main History Page

This page is operated and updated by Jamie Coville. Reproduction in any manner without expressed written consent is not permitted by law. Copyright c 1996. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners. Page created on August 15, 1996.

Brock Peters played Tom Robinson, the accused black man in "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Brock Peters did quite a bit of television for a long time.

(in between commercials)

Well, superman comics sued Captain Marvel and that was the end of Billy Batson.

Brock Peterson, eoe? Finest job of acting that I have ever seen. Loved the man. When Booman was on A2K, I referred to him a Boo Radley. <smile)

Monk is over.

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle (whatever that means)

It was Brok Peters in that movie, Alligator II, the Mutation. How's that for memory, yawl.

Hey, edgar. Lemme try that test again.

Well, listeners, we have so many things to report here on WA2K radio. Signing off for the night:

Shazam

Hi Letty, the meaning is as follows:

The publication of Darwin's theory of evolution in the "Descent of Man" was greeted with derision and a great deal of skepticism. The idea that man is related by a common ancestor to apes and monkeys was considered the most outrageous of the claims.

"I'll be a monkey's uncle" was originally a sarcastic remark by a non-believer of Darwin's theory and was intended to ridicule the theory of evolution.

My goodness. It's Don of England, radio audience. Welcome to the airways, Brit. It's good to get an etymologist in residence. Thanks for that update. Interesting, I awoke early and am in the process of watching The Lady in Question, a great mystery starring Monty Python. <smile>

Back later with a report.

Well, Letty goofed, radio audience. It wasn't Eric Idle at all, it was Gene Wilder. I understand many folks make that error.

The movie was delightful and I was amazed that I didn't recognize Clair Bloom. Quite a surprise ending, I might add.

Birthday Celebs for February 12: (speaking of Monkey's Uncle)

1809 Charles Darwin, naturalist (Shrewsbury, England; died 1882)
Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States (Hardin County, KY; died 1865)
1880 John L. Lewis, labor leader and head of the UMW (Lucas, IA; died 1969)
1881 Anna Pavlova, ballerina (St. Petersburg, Russia; died 1931)
1898 Roy Harris, composer (Chandler, OK; died 1979)
1923 Franco Zeffirelli, director (Florence, Italy)
1926 Joe Garagiola, baseball player and sportscaster (St. Louis, MO)
1936 Joe Don Baker, actor (Groesbeck, TX)
1938 Judy Blume, children's author (Elizabeth, NJ)
1953 Joanna Kerns, actress (San Francisco, CA)
1955 Arsenio Hall, TV personality and actor (Cleveland, OH)
1968 Chynna Phillips, singer (Los Angeles, CA)
1980 Christina Ricci, actress (Santa Monica, CA)