Forgotten Reels: The Blasphemer (1921)

Posted on February 22, 2025 by bloodlinematt

The Rotten Ink Theater is open! The lobby has that great smell of freshly popped popcorn, and I can see that the Icee machine is turned on and on tap are my two favorite flavors, Coke and Blue Raspberry, so it will be hard to choose which to get. Today’s “Forgotten Reels” update is about the 1921 religious drama film The Blasphemer that was an almost forgotten rarely seen film that marked the early cinema work of the church. And with any luck this film will have a hint of horror and maybe even showcase the devil himself and be a forgotten spooky gem. Really, let’s hope for that as this is a first time watch for me. So let’s find our seats, and let’s get ready to talk Silent Cinema as we open a fresh bag of potato chips to snack on. Oh and for those of you wondering, I went with a Coke Icee today for this update.

The Blasphemer is a drama film that was produced by the Catholic Art Association to strike fear into the hearts of those who do not follow the word of God. The film was directed by O.E. Goebel who only on record directed one other film before this one that seems to also have been his last film as director, and he was known more for being a writer for films like “The Burning Question (1919)” and “On The Stroke Of Three (1924).” He was also the president of Erbograph Co., a film production company that started in 1916. The film starred names like Augusta Anderson, Irving Cummings, Margaret Seddon and George Howard as John Harden, the man who turned his back on God. George Howard is also known for acting in such films as “The Darkest Hour (1919)”, “The Whisper Market (1920)” and “What Is Your Reputation Worth? (1921)” and was married to actress Clara Earle. The film is considered a religious film, and this allowed it to travel around and play in churches as well as theaters to help spread the word of the Bible and the teachings of God. After its run, the film just kind of faded into obscurity. In modern times, the film has found a place in home media as it has been released on DVD and has found a new audience, and can also be found on such sites as YouTube.

The chips that Juliet selected for me were by Good Health and were the flavor of Olive Oil Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt. The company Good Health looks like it is a side company for Utz Brands, a company that was started in 1921 and was based out of Pennsylvania. Utz has been a force in the world of snacks and can be found in many major retail stores as well as allows you to order from them direct. Another awesome thing about Utz is that they sponsor MLB teams like the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates, and they even sponsor Minor League Baseball teams the Erie SeaWolves and Connecticut Tigers. Much like the film, this will be a first for me as I have not had these Good Health chips in this flavor so I am looking forward to them. Below is a picture of the chips in a freshly opened bag.

Will The Blasphemer be a great silent film that is as great expression of religious cinema or will it be a snooze fest filled with overdone messages, only time will tell as this will be a first time viewing for me. And remember I will be grading both the film and the chips on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film ratings I am basing it on a scale that is for silent films of all budgets and eras. So sit back in your theater seat, grab some a snack and a soda and let’s sit back and see what The Blasphemer has to offer. Alpha Video has brought us this lost classic on home media.

The Blasphemer
Starring: George Howard and Augusta Anderson Directed: O.E. Goebel
Not Rated 1921 62min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

We open up at a massive church where a sermon is going on, and the priest is talking about those who commit blasphemy. We then cut to the massive estate of John H. Harden who went from having nothing to having it all due to rising in the finical world. Inside the mansion is his wife Mary and his two children Tom and his Daughter, and they all miss John who has been away for long period of times due to his work. John is mad at his wife when she says that it seems that he just doesn’t have time for them, and he had arrived home to hear this. The kids are happy to see him as he glares at his wife for crossing him, and when the kids are away John blames Mary’s faith in trying to turn his own kids against him. The two talk and John tries to put down her beliefs and says they are old fashioned ideas as Mary takes up for God and his teachings. The fight ends when John gets a phone call and leaves the room.

The kids have been put to bed by their nurse, and the two sneak out of bed as they have a puppy that they are playing with. While Mary is upset and worried about her husband John, he is on the phone with his mistress named Florence Darling, and the two plan to meet up that night. As Mary sits in her chair upset, John looks at her with hate in his eyes as their butler brings him his jacket and hat and out the door he goes. Mary falls to the floor heartbroken as the nurse goes to her side.

John arrives at the home of Florence and before he is shown in, another man leaves the living room area, showing that something is odd with his mistress lover. John and Florence sit on her couch and exchange looks and kind words. While Mary at home checks on the kids and finds the puppy the two were hiding and talks about their happiness and how she and their father were once happy like that when they were both kids. She flashes back to when they were kids and were best friends and even about their time in school together and when young John punched out a bully who was threatening her during recess. Mary starts to cry, and her children are sad by this.

Back at the home of Florence she tells John about her brother, a man who is about to make a big deal that will bring in lots of money, and she asks John if he is able to help him by giving him eight hundred thousand dollars to close the deal. He agrees to help, and the man who had just left her house returns and is her brother and for security to get the money he offers government bonds for John to hold onto until he pays him back for his help on this “big” deal. After thinking for a few moments, John agrees to lend him the money and hold onto the bonds and Florence his happy her lover will help her brother.

The next day at the office of John Harden, his mother comes to visit and they two sit and talk as she is mad about how upset Mary and the kids are over the behavior of John, and this makes the rich man mad that his mom is now involved and shows anger at his wife. His mother reminds him of the love that he use to show Mary, and she shares a story of when John and Mary was kids. The story has John sneaking and smoking and getting trapped in a shed after his match causes a fire, and Mary was the one who saved him from burning to death. John hears the story but still puts down his wife and her religious beliefs, and this saddens his mother as she knows that his money has truly changed her son for the worse. She shares another story about how Mary and him learned to always be kind to each other and share what the other had and would read Bible tales. But these tales do not change his mind, and John tells his mother that he just does not worship God anymore, and she leaves sad from his office.

After his next big business success, John holds a dinner party for his friends and has Florence at his side and he gets angry as one of his guests starts flirting with her. She calms him down as a thunderstorm comes rolling in and he makes a toast that praises wealth and his rise to it. And when one of his guests talks of God being the ultimate power and controller of fate, John snaps and puts down God and makes the claim that he himself is who made his own success…this offends his guest and the two argue about it with John mocking him. And to prove his opinion right he says let god strike him dead at midnight if he is real, and the storm rages outside as everyone waits to see what happens. As midnight hits so does lighting that makes a tree branch fall through the window, but John is not killed and claims he won!

The next day at John’s office he gets terrible news that his stock has dropped and he does what he can to keep his money safe and even uses the bonds that was given to him for safe keeping in order to try and keep his money safe at the bank. But as the bank looks into the bonds they find that they are stolen and with that John Harden looses everything and all his money is gone due to the stock market and because he trusted his mistress and her brother. John calls up Florence and demands that she find her brother as he is on her way to her house to settle up on the stolen bonds.

At the home of Florence she is panicking as her brother as well as two other men are talking about how to deal with John once he arrives and they even bring out a handgun as they think that this might be the only way out as they can not be brought down by the stolen bonds. Once he arrives John and one of the men fight over the gun, and the other man ends up being shot as Florence watches on in horror. The man is really Florence’s husband or so she says and as her brother and the other man enter the room they tell John that he will get the electric chair for his crime! The brother tells John to leave town and he will cover up this crime for him, and John hangs his head low and leaves his one-time lovers home a broken man as the brother says he will tell of this crime if he talks about who gave him the bonds.

The world now looks at John Harden as a failure and his disappearance proves to them that he was just another washed up former rich tycoon who has fallen from grace. It’s been many years now and John’s mother is heartbroken about her missing son, as his Mary his wife who has lost her dreams of being with her husband their whole lives. His kids have grown up and do what they can to cheer up their mother as well as their grandma as they have grown up without their father most of their lives.

Meanwhile in a city John Harden who was once a well dressed rich man is now a hobo wearing worn out clothes and his soul has been broken. While sleeping on the street young kids even ask him if he is sick due to his looks and living conditions. He tells the kids that he is very hungry and they run off to try and find him help, and they find his daughter who does not recognize him but gives him money for food. He watches as she walks into and out of an Opium Den, and the workers come outside and are plotting something against her. John wonders into town and sees a Holy parade and remembers back to when his father used to march in a parade like this, and listens as people talk about the church, the parade and the importance of finding God.

John starts wondering the city and walks past the church and decides to go inside and ends up finding his faith that he lost so long ago due to greed and the love of his money. He has visions of Saints and their messages, words and trails and then begs for forgiveness and learns that he must now live for his faith.

John’s daughter heads back to the Opium Den and is kidnapped by the workers and she is even drugged and knocked out by them. John enters the den and asks were the young lady is that just came in and for his questions John is attacked by the workers who even hit him over the head with a steel pipe and then toss him into the basement. Meanwhile outside the den, a cop stands guard and the workers get nerves as they have two people captured beyond their will. John wakes up in the basement and comes face to face with the man he thought he shot dead, who is mow addicted to opium and tells him that Florence and her brother as well set him up and lead him to ruin, and that the gun was filled with blanks. His daughter wakes up and tries to escape the room and is making all types of noise and one of the workers comes in to attack her, but her screams make John and the other ruined man break down the basement door to come to her aid. They two fight off the workers and save her and get the attention of the cops who go into the den.

The daughter comes home after being attacked and brings John with her and once the family sees him they realize that he is their loved one and he is home! John hugs his wife Mary as well as his kids and mother. We next see John at church as he has found his faith and his life has gotten better.

The Blasphemer is a interesting religious silent film from the early days of cinema and does a good job of being preachy but not over board, but some of the moments that showcase parades and people going into church seems to last a little long and comes off as filler. The story really revolves around John Harden, a man who made lots of money via the stock market and who started to lose the love for his wife, family and religion as to him getting more money was more important. He also seems to lose common manners as he mocks those who have faith and even chooses to cheat on his wife with a younger woman who clearly is using him for her own gain as well as that of her criminal con-man brother. John mocks God himself and this is when he falls from grace and loses it all and really hits rock bottom by living on the streets and have believed to committed two big crimes. It’s sad as his kids barely remember him and his wife and his mother’s lives have had a void in them sense he went on the run away from them all. While John is the film’s villain turned good once he finds God again, the film’s real bad guys are his lover Florence and her brother who use people to gain money, stole government bonds and even faked a murder that ended up ruining many peoples lives just so they could steal money from ego driven rich men. The true victims in this film is Mary, the kids and his mother who all have to deal with John’s careless ways and his self centered acts that leave with without their loved one for years and are forced to think he was a coward who ran out on them when thinks got bad. This clearly was a film that was a way to try and show viewers that God is what makes life good to live and if you turn on him he can turn on you and with him in your life you can find the love and comfort you seek. The best scene in the film for me is the one that has John at the dinner party mocking religion as a thunderstorm rages outside, it reminded me of classic Horror as they kept showing shots of the outside with the rain and lighting all around. Also I have to point out that the film also has a opium den that is run by a group of Chinese men, and they are shown to be very evil as they try to kidnapped and assault a woman for their amusement, and while they are bad guys, I am glad that they at least did not get raciest in their depiction as bad guys. Over all this is an entertaining religious film of early cinema and while I wish it had a little Horror Film elements in it, I was still entertained for the most part as actor George Howard played the part of John Harden so well that he draws you in. The print of this film by Alpha Video is ok and does have scratches, bleaching, missing frames and off centered title cards but none are to bad to ruin your filming experience. Over all if you like old religious films and enjoy silent dramas, then make sure to check this one out.

Now let’s talk about the chips. The first thing I have to say is that they have a very interesting and yet good flavor as the olive oil used to make the chips did make it taste different from your normal chips. The downside is the sea salt is lost in the cracked pepper flavor that on some chips was very over powering and took over the full taste. Good Health Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt is a good chip that is a slightly healthier choice for a snack while watching a silent film at home, but while tasty, I would say that its not the best of this flavor chip I have ever eaten.

Movie: **1/2
Chips: **1/2

Both this film and the chips were very middle of the road, but I have to say the film did have some great moments and I truly do wish they had played more up on the Devil aspect as well as even show the character John H. Harden’s fall from wealth and they should have pushed his downfall deeper into the dirt and had him get an illness and be lower than low, that way when he gets his rise and family back it would have been more impactful. And like those we reviewed and chatted about before this one, I have to say it’s been a blast to watch these Silent Films and do these Forgotten Reels updates. But as you can see, the movie is over and we are all out of chips so I think that is our sign that its time to go but before we leave. Let me take a moment to tell you that the next update will take us to medieval times as we take a look at the indie comic series called “Honor Among Thieves,” a comic series I found in the cheap bin at a local comic shop. So until then, read a comic of three, watch a silent film or two and as always, support your local Horror Hosts. See you next update as this looks like it’s going to be a indie good time.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Ape Man (1943)

Posted on September 23, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update as these themed updates are so much fun to do and you readers really seem to enjoy them. For this update we will be taking a look at the 1943 B-Movie classic The Ape Man that stars horror icon Bela Lugosi as the title character and the Blood Scream Comics adaptation of the film that was done by Scott Scarborough who took the story of the film and added an Ohio touch to it as well as adds his own touches to make it more spooky as well as silly. Due to this comic being released by Blood Scream Comics I will not be giving the comic a star rating as that just feels gross to do as I am connected to Blood Scream and I am proud of everything we have released. I am a fan of the film Ape Man and really am looking forward to doing this update, so if you are ready, let’s dive into this From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update.

Let’s first take a look at Dr. James Brewster, the villain and killer of the film, and his ways of dealing death to his victims. Dr. James Brewster is a brilliant scientist who during a failed experiment turns himself into a half man and half ape being that is filled with anger and sorrow. Brewster has super human strength and can use this in order to squeeze and choke the life out of his victims, he can also use it to his advantage to keep them captive as well as at bay. His anger can fuel him into going into an almost berserk like rage and will cause him to rampage and during this time he can cause death as well as serious injury. His appearance as well can shock those that see him as his long jet back hair and crazed eyes as well a grunting noises and ape like walk is sure to strike terror in his victims. Dr. James Brewster also has the need for human spinal fluid in order to try and find a cure for his condition makes him dangerous, as he is desperate and will commit murder or have others do so for him in order to get it. Brewster also has a gorilla named Ape as a friend that he abuses as well as commands to do his bidding and that includes abducting and murder. Dr. James Brewster, while strong and brilliant, does have weaknesses that could lead to his death as while enhanced he is still a living breathing man creature. Brewster has temper tantrums that cause him to lash out and break things around him causing destruction and also make him very sloppy in protecting himself and this could lead to an accident or even him being killed by someone who is wise to his evil ways. Also his nasty temper and lack of respect for his gorilla sidekick Ape can lead to his death as if he pushes the primate to far the animal might just fight back and break his back or crush his neck. Dr. James Brewster can also be stopped by being shot, burned, stabbed, poisoned or crushed as well as could die from other natural things that kill humans. One of his biggest flaws that could lead to his destruction would be his slow decent into madness as it is mudding up his brain and causing him to truly become a savage animal. Say what you will but Dr. James Brewster aka The Ape Man is very dangerous and his rage and madness makes him a threat to anyone who gets in his way.

Now that we have chatted about Dr. James Brewster aka The Ape Man and his murderous and sinister ways of dealing death, I think we should now chat about the 1943 film he is from called The Ape Man. I would like to remind you readers that I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and after that I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So with that, let’s avoid Ape and try and sneak into the lab of Brewster.

Ape Man (1943)

“Conducting weird scientific experiments, crazed Dr. James Brewster, aided by his colleague Dr. Randall, has managed to transform himself into a hairy, stooped-over ape-man. Desperately seeking a cure, Brewster believes only an injection of recently-drawn human spinal fluid will prove effective. With Randall refusing to help him, it falls to Brewster and his captive gorilla to find appropriate donors.”

The Horror boom of the 1930’s continued into the 1940’s and during this time many smaller film producers as well as production companies got into the act of making spooky films to fill the theaters as movie goers seemed not to be able to get enough. Monogram Pictures was one of these companies and along with the producers Sam Katzman, Jack Dietz and Barney Sarecky they came up with the idea for a sci-fi horror film that would be called “The Gorilla Strikes” and would later have a title change to “The Ape Man”. The film’s script was written by Barney A. Sarecky and was based on the Karl Brown story “They Creep In The Dark” and they hired on William Beaudine to direct as he was a veteran of cinema as he had been making movies snce the 1920’s! When casting the film they brought in such names as Louise Currie, Wallace Ford, Henry Hall, Emil Van Horn, Minerva Urecal and the big star for the film was Bela Lugosi who would play Dr. James Brewster, the film’s main villain. At this time Lugosi was still working for Universal from time to time and was still a big name at the box office for Horror and that is why the indie companies tried to lock him in for these roles. The film began filming on December 18, 1942 and was filmed in only 15 days and was your typical fast paced indie production for that era. The film would be released in theaters on March 5, 1943 and was met with mixed reviews from critics and fans. The film was released alongside such other films as Son Of Dracula, The Mad Ghoul, The Return Of The Vampire, I Walked With A Zombie, Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman, Dead Men Walk and Phantom Of The Opera among others in 1943. The film would become a cult classic over the years once it was released on home media and new viewers discovered this fun and cheesy classic that has Bela Lugosi as a half man and half ape creature. The film would have a sequel in 1944 with “The Return Of The Ape Man” that was a very loose sequel and Bela Lugosi returns this time as Professor Dexter and the Ape Man is a Caveman. The film also starred John Carradine, George Zucco and Judith Gibson.

The Ape Man is one of those films that took me many years to track down and see as I had always read about it as I was a big fan of Bela Lugosi and had seen many of his films thanks to VHS releases as well as being aired on TV when I was a youth. But The Ape Man was one that seemed to not be carried at any of the rental stores my family had a card to and TV just seemed not to air it. But I finally got to see it when I was a teenager when I found a copy of the film on DVD released by Alpha Video at one of the local malls as my friend Josh Weinberg and I were on the prowl to find some classic Horror Films to watch while we scarfed down some fast food and talked about some shot on video movie ideas we had. And during that trip Josh bought the film “The Mad Monster” starring Glenn Strange and I have to say this made for a great double feature! When watching The Ape Man I was glued to it as I found it to be a very delightful cheesy z-grade film that showcased Lugosi doing what he does best and that was creep around all scary like and spook the viewers with his masterful performance. His appearance as The Ape Man was great as they gave Lugosi long black hair on his head, face and hands and the look of madness in his eyes made for some classic scares. After watching the film Josh and I even toyed with the idea of making a shot on video sequel to the film, that sadly we never did make, but man I wish we would have done that one as I am sure that it would have been a cheesy watch just like the original…and who knows maybe one day I will get the old Independent B Movie and Bloodline Video crews back together and make Ape Man 3 as I am sure the awesome company SOV Horror would love to release it! I feel that many of the Z-Grade Horror Films that Bela Lugosi made in the 40’s and 50’s are often over looked and tossed aside for being Golden Turkeys but I have to say many of these films are loads of fun. The Corpse Vanishes, Bride Of The Monster, Voodoo Man, The Black Sheep and Devil Bat are all great and entertaining films in their own right. In fact, if you have not seen Devil Bat make sure to check it out as it’s an over the top film that Lugosi shines in. But back to The Ape Man, I also have to point out that I really like the film’s score music done by Edward J. Kay as the opening them to the film is very exciting sounding and draws you in. I also have to say that actress Louise Currie who plays photographer Billie Mason is stunning and had worked with Bela Lugosi as well in 1944 in the film Voodoo Man. If you have not seen The Ape Man and love the films of Lugosi or just like 1940’s sci-fi horror, make sure to give this a watch as you can find the film on DVD as well as can watch it even on YouTube.

The Ape Man is truly a forgotten gem that blends horror, sci-fi, romance and even comedy together and was a fun film to watch Bela Lugosi act like an ape in as he would shuffle around the sets. And now that we have talked about the film as well as the main monster of it Dr. James Brewster, we are now at the part of this update that we will be taking a look at the comic book that is based on it! And I would like to thank Scott Scarborough for creating this comic for Blood Scream Comics and making this update possible. I would like to also remind you that due to this comic being released by Blood Scream Comics and by connection to this publisher I will not be giving this comic a star rating as that just seems very silly. So if you are ready, let’s head to the lab of Dr. James Brewster and see what kind of Ohio twist Scott put into this tale of classic terror. Oh and remember this review will have spoilers so read on if that does not bother you.

Ape Man # 1
Released in 2021 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 1 of 1

Dr. James Brewster is locked in a cage in his lab in Ohio, as he was trying to find a cure for polio as he had been diagnosed with the disease but instead of finding a cure has turned himself into a monster that is part man and part ape as he has to inject himself with the spinal fluid of apes in order to live. Dr. George Randall has called for Agatha Brewster, the sister of James who is also a scientist that is working in Africa, and the three are trying to find a cure. When there Agatha also meets the gorilla sidekick and friend of James named Ape who is very loyal as unknown to all James has been injecting Ape with human brain fluids to make him smarter as the two have plans to take over the world. Outside the Brewster estate, FBI Agent Richards as well as photographer Billie are watching as a newspaper reporter is peeking in the windows and this leads to Ape going outside and removing the head of the reporter! And Agent Richards calls his boss J. Edger Hoover for permission to investigate the Brewster Home as he and Billie saw Ape and The Ape Man. That night Brewster and Ape go after Wilber Wright at his home but things go wrong when FBI Agents bust in and wound Ape, the agents are both killed and Wilber escapes. But as Brewster and Ape are returning hope they run across Agent Richards and Billie and after Ape beats Richards bloody Brewster takes Billie to his lab as he wants to make her is bride and the mother of what will bring in the new race of super apes! Once at the lab Brewster is using his experiments on Billie and George tries to stop him only to have his neck slit, more FBI Agents also rush in and end up killing Ape with bullets as well as electrocuting him…as Brewster tries to get away with Billie he is as well shot and as he is dying he laughs as he knows that this is far from over as Billie is now half ape like he! And it was Agatha Brewster who had tipped off the FBI all along.

This is such a fun and creative take on the 1943 film Ape Man as when you read this issue it comes off more like an alternative universe version of what Dr. James Brewster could have been if he was in Ohio and working for the government to find a cure for polio when he was turned into The Ape Man. The new twists and turns for the story are also lots of fun as we get to see Ape Man and Ape be more of friends who have an idea to make Earth a true to life Planet Of The Apes. We get cameos from such historic figures as J. Edger Hoover and Wilber Wright, who of course is one half of the Wright Brothers who invented flight as we know it. Scott, the madman behind this comic, also takes away the humor and the newspaper reporter hero is traded in for FBI Agents and he adds in a good amount of blood and gore to make horror comic readers very happy. Dr. James Brewster is a madman who has turned himself into a Ape Man and instead of wanting to cure himself would rather stay this way and wants to make Apes smarter in order to run the world, he also enjoys killing and wants to use the fluids he takes from his victims to make his friend Ape smarter. Dr. Brewster is both sinister and smart and all signs of having human feelings are gone as he is truly a monster. Ape is Brewster’s gorilla sidekick and best friend who is super strong, smart and also very brutal as he takes human life with ease and will also die for his friend in order to protect him. Agatha and George are fitting parts who both want to help Brewster find a “cure” but also want to try and stop his killing ways to achieve it. The FBI Agents are brave and charge in to the rescue as the local cops are goofs and botch the capture of The Ape Man as the President wanted him taken alive, but instead he is shot and killed. In this comic as well it’s shown that Dr. Brewster did not start with apes but instead with wolves and one of his past assistants was injected with wolf spinal fluid and was turned into a weird wolf life creature that escaped into the woods, a very cool touch as I like the idea that Brewster tried other animals before the Gorilla and this makes him some what of a Dr. Moreau type mad scientist as we as a Dr. Jekyll as Brewster’s experiment gone wrong turned him into a cruel monster as well. The comic has two different covers both showcasing Ape Man as well as Ape and both are very cool and eye catching for fans of Indie Horror Comics. Scott Scarborough’s interior artwork is really great stuff and I love the way he draws both Ape Man and Ape and his gore is over the top and cartoonish that gives it a charm all of its own and for me that is awesome. Over all The Ape Man from Blood Scream Comics is truly an experience of it’s own and while elements of the film and characters are there it’s a whole new experience that will truly delight readers. Check out the artwork below to see the style used by Scott in this issue.

The Ape Man is a great comic by Scott Scarborough who brings the terror feel of the film more to the front and plays more on the sci-fi horror elements for his comic and that is one of the great skills that Scott as a creator has and that is he can bring out the scary elements but they truly have that b-movie feel that makes them very entertaining reads. And for those who are wondering, you can get a copy of Ape Man # 1 from HERE while supplies last and make sure to check out some of Scott’s other work that includes The Wolf Hunter # 1, The Cool Ghoul # 0 and Captain Scurvy # 1 with that last two being based on TV Horror Hosts and the first being the classic Shot On Video film by director Matt Hoffman. And with that this update has come to an end and before we head our separate ways, I would like to let you know that our next update will continue our countdown to Halloween 2024 and will keep us in the groove of another From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update as we look at Return Of The Living Dead! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a classic horror film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as we party with the living dead!

Forgotten Reels: Speed Spook (1924)

Posted on July 25, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to another Forgotten Reels, my update series that celebrates the Silent Films from our cinematic past as well as that amazing snack food known as potato chips. This update is the 1924 Comedy film The Speed Spook, a goofy movie that brought belly laughs to moviegoers as well as brought The Speed Spook driverless car to the big screens that blew the mind of moviegoers. And the chips we have at the snack bar are from Route 11 and you will have to wait until a little later to see what flavor they are. So let’s head on into the Rotten Ink Theater and find our seats as I think it’s time we chat about Silent Films.

The Speed Spook was released on August 30, 1924 and was distributed by East Coast Productions and was directed by Charles Hines with this film being his second feature film. Charles Hines was the brother of actor Johnny Hines who was also in this film as he played the lead character “Blue Streak” Billings. Other actors that made up the cast include Faire Binney, Frank Losee, Edmund Breese and Warner Richmond. The film was a comedy that had a hint of horror to it. When released, it was met with pretty good fanfare and reviews and over the years the film has sadly semi faded into obscurity. Even when it was released on DVD by Alpha Video, the film seems to have not gotten attention. The one thing that does get talked about in this film is the fact that the Ghost Car was being driven by a driver that was out of sight and was super close to the burning hot engine, and car lovers have always seemed to enjoy this modified race car as its very classic. The Speed Spook is a great example of a Horror themed movie that was turned into a comedy as cinema owners as well as studios just didn’t have faith that the scares of the screen would not get push back from moviegoers who back in the 20’s were a little more easy to shock and offend. Another reason that many Silent Film fans say that The Speed Spook is not as remembered as other films from 1924 is that Johnny Hines, who was a comedian was not an innovator but a duplicator and that his gags had been done better by many before and after him, making him lost in the shuffle of the emerging comedian film actor shuffle. But I myself find Johnny Hines to be a pretty funny guy who added his own style to the classic gags of the early vaudeville and talkie films.

The chips for this update was selected by Juliet just for this update as with this film being about a “haunted” car she thought what better chips then one from company Route 11 and we picked the “Sour Cream and Chives” kettle cooked chips to be the ones to go along with this spooky silly silent flick. Route 11 is a company out of Virginia and is a pretty well respected chip company that offers a variety of flavors. Check out the picture below to see the chips in the freshly opened bag.

I am looking forward to watching The Speed Spook as this will be a first time viewing for me, and I would love to see just how funny this film is. And remember I will be grading both the film and the chips on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film ratings I am basing it on a scale that is for silent films only and of all budgets and eras. So sit back in your theater seat, grab yourself some tasty chips and a soda and let’s head to the world of a haunted race car with Alpha Video.

The Speed Spook
Starring: Johnny Hines and Faire Binney Directed: Charles Hines
Not Rated 1924 90min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

The stands are packed at a motorway as a car race is going on and in the race is “Blue Streak” Billings and he has his fans as they cheer him on to try and win the race, and he does! Chuck Brady is the mechanic and the guy who takes care of the race car and he is happy to see Blue Streak cross the line and get the fanfare and watches as Blue Streak is invited to a big banquet, and Blue Streak lets them know that he and Chuck will not be there as they are leaving for the city of Westwood a place that loves cars and is also the town of his lady. Once in Westwood, the townspeople are very happy to see Blue and Chuck and everyone rushes to shake their hands, and this makes them feel very welcomed and they shake the hands of almost everyone in town! Finally Blue and Chuck make it to Comet Six, the car sales business owned by Betty West and her father is the Sheriff who is running for re-election.

Inside Comet Six Blue is waiting for Betty who has rushed off to change out of her oil covered coveralls and while waiting around Blue finds the shops record keeping book and sees that they are in bad debit! Once Betty comes out of the backroom looking all nice in her dress the pair shyly chat with each other. Blue makes the mistake of asking how business is and after Betty tries to downplay how hard times have been, Blue talks about the dollar being what matters and this upsets her. He then asks how he and Chuck can help as they know cars, she says she has only sold one car and that it keeps breaking down on the main street and how people laugh at the owner for his broken car. And as they are talking Hiram Smith the man Sheriff West is against for the election and the man who bought the lemon of a car is outside and he is not happy. Blue goes outside and looks at the engine of Hiram’s car, he then drives it around the town and as people watch the car has issues and they all laugh at him. And as Hiram leaves Blue lets Betty know that he thinks that Hiram is doing something to the car to make it act up and that he is doing so to ruin Comet Six.

Judd Skerrit is a fellow car salesman and he sees what has happed and the spectacle that Hiram has caused, and he tries his best to block Blue from talking to Betty as it is clear he is also sweet on her. And Blue is able to sneak and ask Betty for a date that night, and she agrees. Late that night Judd dresses up in fancy clothes and heads to the West home himself as young kid buys itching powder that he uses on a cop, and when the cop gives chase the youth slips the package of powder into the pocket of Judd, who arrives to with it still in his pocket, and just on time Blue as well shows up at the West house ready for his date. Judd finds the itching powder in his pocket and sprinkles some on the seat and sticks around as Blue sits on the powder and as Judd talks to Betty, Blue starts itching really bad. And while sitting on the porch Betty brings out a radio and the three listen to some music, as Sheriff West asks for a cushion and Blue gives him his and he as well starts itching and all he wanted to do was read the paper. Sheriff West gives up and gets up as the family dog jumps on the cushion and as well starts itching. And as the night goes on, Judd offers Blue a ride back to his hotel, but Blue tricks Judd by acting like he got into the car and stays to be alone with Betty, Blue promises her that he will put over the Comet Cars in the town. Blue gives Betty a kiss goodnight and he meets back up with Chuck and tells him he is in love and that he has an idea to help get the Comet cars over that will turn the town into a circus.

Two weeks pass and Westwood is being shaken by a driverless car they have called The Speed Spook that has been zipping around town and scaring people. As Speed Spook drives through the townspeople gather around and watch it speed around and Sheriff West is worked up as he wants to stop the car as it’s breaking all types of road rules and speed limits. And many of the townspeople jump into their cars and go after Speed Spook and that includes Judd and the Sheriff who is in a side cart on a motorcycle holding a shotgun. And the chase starts as Speed Spook is zooming around and the others are hot on its heels. But we see that Chuck opens a hidden door that is covered by leaves and plants, and Speed Spook pulls in and looks like it vanished into thin air. And in the hideout we see that the driver of Speed Spook is really Blue as he and Chuck modified the car in order to pull of this hoax. And once they fully hide the car away Chuck gives Blue a ride to the home of Hiram who is hosting a pool party for all the rich and to do people of the town.

At Hiram’s house there is dancing, swimming and everyone is having a great time and Blue is goofily walking around shaking hands and being splashed by water. And Blue hits on an old lady that he mistakes for a younger woman and even passes out and falls into the pool. And once in the pool Blue just swims around and is a announce to many as he just splashes around and ruins many of peoples good time. And even the bratty kid with the itching powder returns and starts shooting his BB Gun and popping peoples pool tubes. While inside Judd is upset that Blue is there and is told to be nice as they need him if Hiram is going to win the election, and the rich old man confirms that he has indeed messed with the car he bought from Betty in order to boost the sells of Judd’s business. While Blue is out of the pool the bratty kid starts shooting him in the butt with the BB Gun and he thinks it’s a young lady by the pool smacking him on the butt, and after the ladies boyfriend gets involved a mishap has them all falling into the pool. Once back out and now inside Judd and Hiram are treating Blue like an old friend offering him drinks and cigars. And when Blue finds out that they want him to help Hiram become the towns new Sheriff he rejects there gifts and pledges his loyalty to Betty and Sheriff West and he storms out of the house. Meanwhile Judd and Hiram are upset but also are coming up with a plan that will help lock Hiram in as the winner of the election as Judd owns a printing press and claims he can just cheat and print out ballots that will have Hiram as the winner. The rich man says let him think it over.

Hiram Smith is starting his Campaign and holds a town meeting the night before election to talk to the towns people and even throw a little party to help push them to vote for him and its packed with people who are supporting Hiram. Meanwhile Blue and Chuck so up to the meeting with mischief on their minds as they use Hiram’s vote for plaques as cheese as they switch them out with the blind sandwich maker so people will eat these disgusting things and blame Hiram. They also use a monkey puppet to distract the man who is running the slide show for Hiram and replace them with slides of cartoons that are making fun of him. Blue then gets the towns people to go outside for real tasty sandwiches brought to them by Sheriff West and as the people head out Hiram gives Judd the green light to rig the election in his favor. As Judd and one of his men race off to the printing press, Blue gets into the Speed Spook and lets out flyers that challenges Sheriff West and the town’s people to try and catch him tomorrow at 3pm!

Judd and his henchman arrive at the printing press and they get to work on trying to print out fake ballots. Meanwhile The Speed Spook pulls up and as Blue looks out of his hidden hatch and notices Judd’s car parked at an old warehouse and gets puzzled and rushes off to change clothes and get his normal car in order to investigate as Blue knows something is not right. When Blue gets their he climbs a tree to open a hatch on the top floor and watches as Judd and his friend are cleaning the print plates, and by accident he drops the challenge flyer for the catch the Speed Spook and Judd reads it and sends his friend outside to look around, and as he leaves Blue drops down from the roof inside and gets into a fist fight with Judd. As the two are wrestling around Judd falls into the press and Blue sees that fake ballot printed on his back, and knows that they are truly up to no good. The henchman runs back in and clubs Blue upside the head and while he is knocked out they tie him up. And Judd and his friend continue to print out the fake ballots.

The next morning Judd has the ballots fixed and tells his friend that while the town is chasing the Speed Spook he will switch the ballots out and then will be the one to capture the driverless car. As they leave they make sure the ropes are still tight on Blue and then they lock him in the warehouse. Once they are gone Blue wiggles around and finds a magnifying glass and uses it and the sun rays to burn the ropes and set himself free, but can not find a way out of the warehouse yet. While in town it’s the final moments of the election and almost all the town has turned out for it, and besides voting they are also all worked up about the chase to capture Speed Spook. Meanwhile back at the warehouse Blue is looking for a way to escape and finds an old army tank and gets it up and running and even takes the printing plate with him to show that Judd was cheating to get Hiram to get elected. And with the tank Blue busts through a bricked wall and sets himself free and starts making his way towards town. Meanwhile Judd’s friend sneaks in and changes out the voting box at the poll while people are outside awaiting the arrival of the Speed Spook. Blue makes it to Chuck and tells him of the plot that’s at play with fake ballots, and then Blue gets into the Speed Spook and says first he has to let Betty West be the one to capture him so that her car sales will go up. As Chuck heads to town in order to alert people of the fraud, Speed Spook as well starts his quest to be caught.

Speed Spook arrives in town with its horn blaring and it’s Betty plus her father in one car given chase, and the other car is being driven by Judd who is working on ways to cheat to catch the car as well as dump the real ballot box. And the chase is going on at high speed and finally Betty is able to force Speed Spook to pullover and both she and her father are shocked when they find that Blue was the driver of the car that was made to look driverless. Blue tells Sheriff West that Judd has the real ballot box in his car and that the one at the poll has been rigged for Hiram to win and they all agree that the road he turned off on must mean he is dumping it into the river to get ride of the evidence. Blue in Speed Spook drives along the railroad tracks to cut off Judd as Sheriff West and Betty wait at the crossroads, and Blue takes a pair of handcuffs with him. Judd makes it to the river and tosses the ballot box in, Blue is able to get ahead of Judd and climb a tree and drop into his car and knock him out with a serious of punches. Blue handcuffs him and wakes Judd up and makes him sit in the driver seat of Speed Spook as he gets into the hidden driver seat and delivers him to the Sheriff.

Back in town Chuck is trying to tell all the towns people of the cheating plan of Judd and Hiram, just then Betty West in her car as well as Speed Spook with Sheriff West and Judd aboard comes pulling in and the townspeople flock to them. Sheriff West then tells the people of Westwood that the real driver of the Speed Spook has done them all a favor by exposing voter fraud, and that all his speed charges have been forgiven. West also makes sure to say that it was his daughter’s car that caught the speedster. He then shows the town that Blue Streak Billings was the driver and the hero of this election. Blue and Judd argue over the charges as the accused says he was framed and never did any of this that he is being accused of. But Blue outsmarts him and rips off Judd’s jacket and shows the ballot that was printed on his shirt when the two fought in the warehouse and this shows the town that Judd was a conman! And all ends well as Blue and Betty in the street next to the Speed Spook share a kiss as a random storm comes rolling in, and then the two get into the speedster and drive off in the rain.

Review: Speed Spook is one of those films that had a very interesting idea back in the golden age of cinema that sadly was not executed as well as the creators wanted it to be. Now let me explain film is named after the driverless car The Speed Spook that is really a hoax that is being pulled off by auto race car driver Blue Steal Billings and oddly enough The Speed Spook element takes a backseat to the over all story as the car rarely shows up in the film, and it’s mostly about Blue Streaks feud with Judd Skerrit who is a sleazy car dealer who is cheating and also going for the same lovely lady as Blue. The Speed Spook car is really cool and the design and look of the car is very neat and is the type of car that classic car lovers will very much enjoy. The story is a little weak and drags in spots as many moments are wasted on long drawn out comedy bits that add nothing to the story, and much time is also spent on the cars just driving around the roads and kicking up dust. With that said some of the comedy bits are funny and Blue Streak is a likable hero who while a goofball is also a slugger who fists fights, drives and out smarts the films baddies. Judd is a creep who tries to not only steal an election and the towns auto sales he also is trying the creep on our heroes lady! And when Judd gets punched in the head several times by Blue after dumping the ballot box in the river had me cheering. Betty West and her father are also good side characters and while they are not flushed out fully they do their part for the film as does Chuck and Hiram. The horror aspect of this film is a sand pebble and it’s mostly a comedy film that turns into an action film as at a certain point the slap stick comedy disappears from the film and it starts taking its self a little more serious. Johnny Hines who plays Blue Streak Billings does a great job and he does some good silly faces and some of his physical comedy is well done with his best bit being the stuff at the pool party. The thing about Speed Spook while it is entertaining and has moments that are great silent cinema stuff, it just kind of is middle of the road and the comedy bits are part of what slows the pace down as an example the bit of Blue shaking hands of everyone in the town of Westwood goes on way to long and even for that time the humor of the wacky handshake was dated and when done so many times in a row the charm it did have wears thin and the comedy aspect flees. I should also note that I like the friendship of Blue and Chuck as they are racetrack teammates and clearly also best friends. The Alpha Video DVD print of this film is pretty good and while it has scratches and such it’s a normal silent film print that has not been digitally remastered. Over all Speed Spook is a good film but not a great silent film that is filled with a cool car, cheesy classic comedy and a sand grain of horror and while over long it still brought the entertainment and laughs.

The Route 11 Sour Cream & Chives are just okay as the chip itself has a good texture and crunch, but the flavor of the sour cream and chives is very light and didn’t pack a huge punch. But with that said sometimes its nice to have a chip that is not just covered with the flavor powder making it all you taste. And to be honest the more of them you eat, the more of the flavor does start to pop out and cover your taste buds. Route 11 is a good chip company and while this is not their best flavor I have had it was still an enjoyable one that made for a tasty movie-watching snack.

Movie: **1/2
Chips: **1/2

I love silent films and after watching Speed Spook for the first time I will say that while it’s a middle of the road film that is not a must see film it really is an interesting film of early car chase cinema. And also when you think about it the film even has elements of crime as the main plot is to stop voter fraud, and also has elements of early haunted object as people of the town of Westwood think that the car is driving on its own or is being driven by a ghost. And while the comedy of the film was your normal slapstick and nothing new, it still packed some humorous moments and I will say I am a fan of the film overall. The Route 11 Sour Cream & Chives potato chips as well were good and not great but was a tasty treat that made for a great snack attack eat. Well the lights are coming on here at the Rotten In Theater as Speed Spook is over and that’s our cue to head out and as we make our way out I would like to inform you all that our next update will be about the classic sitcom Horror Host known as Zombo! So until next time read a comic or three, watch a Silent Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! And make sure for the next update to bring a box of Crumble Creature Crackers and some milk.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Wolf Blood (1925)

Posted on May 2, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. This time around we will be taking a look at a silent horror film that is also very much a romantic drama that was made in 1925 and is the oldest surviving werewolf film known as of this update’s posting. I am talking about Wolf Blood, a film that is often overlooked when people speak of early silent horror cinema. Now this update is going to be a little different as Blood Scream Comics the company I own and am the editor-in-chief of is the one who released this comic series, so I will not be giving the issues any kind of star ratings as I feel that would be very cheesy of me to do so. So instead I am just going to talk about the plot of the issue and “review” what is going on after as well as some of the twists that we added to spice it all up. So with that, let’s hike ourselves into these woods and let’s talk about a werewolves and people who get blood from wolves!

Before we dive too deep into this spooky update, let’s take a look at the “werewolf” named Dick Bannister! Dick is the foreman at Ford Lumber in the woods of Canada and is kind of new at his post but does have the respect of his men as he shows them respect and gives them chances even after they make mistakes. He also knows some basic medical care, and when his men are injured, he cares for them or sends for help in order to truly treat them. He is a skilled fighter with his fists and he very loyal to his co-workers as well as his boss Edith Ford who he gets a crush on, even though she is set to be married to her doctor boyfriend soon. But after a bad fight that leaves Dick almost dying, he has the blood of a wolf transfused into him to stay alive and this is when he starts having some mental issues as people fear him when word gets out. He also starts to get more angry and violent as he thinks the wolves of the woods are calling to him. But even in his state of madness, he is not dangerous and does not kill a living soul and is more of a danger to himself as he almost leaps off a cliff! Not a danger to a living person at all and not a werewolf, Dick Bannister is just a normal man who for a brief time has a mental break and can be killed like any normal person from shooting, stabbing, beating or burning making him one of the weakest killers or monsters we have covered on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update…but while he might not be a killer, he does throw a mean punch and that has to count for something.

So while Dick Bannister might just be a man with a mental breakdown for a short time, he still made his mark on werewolves in cinema. And now let’s take a look at the film that he is from and that’s the 1925 film Wolf Blood. Like always, we will be taking the film’s write up from our pals at IMDB and after I will write about the film’s production and my thoughts. So if you are ready, let’s wander into those woods and keep our eyes open for wolves as we chat about this underrated silent horror classic.

Wolf Blood (1925)

“In this tale of the great Canadian forest, Dick Bannister, the new manager of the Ford Logging Company receives a transfusion of wolf blood, followed by strange reactions that he begins to think he is neither beast nor man.”

Wolf Blood is a silent film from 1925 that was produced by the Ryan Brothers and was released by Lee-Bradford Corporation. It was based on the story by Cliff Hill with the screenplay by Bennett Cohen. The film is set in Canada and is about two feuding lumber companies that lead to a man being injured and to save his life he gets a blood transfusion from a wolf and this causes people to think that he will turn into a werewolf after false rumors are spread around and this drives the man mad. The film is a mix of drama, horror and romance and directing the picture was the team of Bruce Mitchell and George Chesebro, who would also play the lead role of Dick Bannister. And sadly the horror aspect is really cut down as they focus more on the romance aspect. Other actors brought into the cast include Marguerite Clayton, Raymond Hanford, Milburn Morante and Frank Clark. The main star George Chesebro was known for being a western actor and would have a very long career in Hollywood and would pass away on May 28, 1959 at the age of 70 and was pretty much active almost to his death. The film, while a werewolf film, more plays up on the mental madness of a man after getting some wolf blood to stay alive. He thinks that he is becoming a wolf even chasing after phantom wolves that act as his pack, so those who are looking for a transformation will be disappointed. The film was met with mixed reviews, and to this day it has that same reaction as many enjoy the simple story of love finding a way, while others wanted more scares with their horror. The film was released with such other horror films in 1925 as The Phantom Of The Opera, The Lost World, The Monster and The Unholy Three to name a few. While not a full fledged horror movie, thanks to home media this film as gained a cult following over the decades. And at some point I will be doing a Forgotten Reels update about this film.

I am going to start off saying that I am a big fan of Wolf Blood and can see what impact it had on early werewolf cinema as it deals with the mental strain that a person goes through when they fear the moon and what they may become once the beast side takes over. Actor George Chesebro plays the role of Dick Bannister so well that you believe his confusion and pain throughout his mental breakdown. I really think that George Chesebro is a silent actor that should get more credit as he was fantastic at his art and had that classic Hollywood leading man look. Actress Marguerite Clayton plays Edith Ford in this film, and she has that classic beauty to her. She does a great job in the film as many of the film’s key moments also fall on her performance, and she knocks it out of the park as she and Chesebro seemed to have good chemistry on the screen. And yes, I would have loved to have seen an early transformation from man to wolf in this film, but I can also step back and enjoy that the film plays more up on the mental disease of lycanthropy as well as the power of persuasion of how planting a seed in someone’s mind can grow to truly affect them and others around them as they might believe a little white lie that will grow into a full fledged nightmare. While the horror elements of the film are pushed to the back in order to play up the romance aspect of love can conquer all, there are still some truly great moments that are spooky for the time like Dick’s decent into the madness and even the phantom wolves that run around the woods can add a classic chill to viewers of the more early horrors of the world. One aspect that makes me laugh when watching this film that Edith Ford and Doctor Eugene Horton are slated to be married and quickly Edith falls for Dick Bannister and by the end of the film Edith acts as if Eugene owes Dick the apology for telling a lie that the wolf blood might effect him to her that Dick overhears…when in this film Dick steals Eugene’s lady, chokes him and without Eugene he would be dead…owed an apology indeed! The film’s finale is also very well done as Dick who is filled with madness after thinking he killed a man who was found dead in the woods runs with his phantom wolf pack to the edge of a cliff. If not for Edith, the crazed man would have fallen to his death, but it is she who holds him back and risks her own safety. This is such a fun film that is a quick watch as it only runs a little over an hour. While it’s not as iconic as many other silent horror films, I do think that it is one that is often over looked. If you have interest in seeing it you can find it on YouTub,e but I would suggest watching it on Physical Media as you can get it on DVD from Alpha Video or Grapevine Video. While not fully horror, I feel the aspects are there and because of its ties to early werewolf cinema it’s worth a watch for sure.

Now that we talked about not only the film Wolf Blood but also Dick Banister, the man who thought he was cursed to become a wolf, I think it’s time we talk a little about the comic based on the film by Blood Scream Comics that was written by me! That’s right, I wrote the story and along with artist Jeff Potter, did the dialogue. And boy did we make some changes, but I will save that for the “review” part of this update. Like I said before and just like with The Giant Gila Monster, I will not be giving these comics any kind of star rating as that just seems silly as I worked on the comic. But I wanted to cover this comic for two reasons: I am a fan of the film and wanted to chat about it and the other being that I had a blast working on this comic series and wanted to share it with you readers. I would like to thank Jeff Potter for creating this comic alongside me for Blood Scream Comics and making this update possible. I should also warn you that this will spoil some of the big surprises we have in this comic adaptation so you have been warned: read on at your own risk. So of you are ready, let’s head into the woods of Canada and see if we can find the old Ford Lumber Company so that we can talk about the tale that is known as Wolf Blood.

Wolf Blood # 1
Released in 2022 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 1 of 2

The Ford Lumber Company and Consolidated Lumber Company are at war with each other in the woods of Canada as they are very close to one another and their mangers Dick Bannister and Jules Deveroux have different ways of dealing with the job as Bannister wants his people to work safe and Deveroux is giving orders to his men to sneak into the woods and shoot to wound the lumberjacks that work for Ford. After another attack and having to give the camp’s guard, Pop Hadley who has a track record of drinking too much and passing out, another chance, Bannister sends a message to the Ford Company’s owner that they need help as well as need a doctor to take care of these bullet wounds. And meanwhile in a small town bar Deveroux and his men celebrate the attack and even attack an old man looking for work and his son at the bar just to be cruel. The call for help is answered as Ford Lumber owner Edith Ford, her doctor fiancé Eugene Horton as well as her Uncle head to the camp and start helping the wounded. This is when Bannister sees that his boss is a beautiful young woman, and he falls in love with her fast. Bannister at this time also is almost stabbed and crushed by a tree by Jacques Lebeq, who is a bootlegger and has been entering the camp and selling his liquor to his workers, and this makes the two men truly hate one another. Late at night Edith Ford also hears the howls and growls of the wolves that are all around in the woods, and this frightens her as it reminds her of a time in the city when an unknown man stalked her in the streets until she got home, and this is a story she shared with Bannister the next day after they toured the camp. As Bannister and Edith head into town with the camp’s Cook, the wolves attack and slaughter one of the Consolidated Lumber Company’s lumberjacks. In town Edith tells Bannister that she is to be married to Eugene and that their attraction needs to stop, and this breaks Bannister’s heart as once back at the camp he goes alone to investigate the Consolidated Lumber Company and learns that they are building a dame to block the Ford lumber on the river. When Deveroux sees Bannister, he orders his men to kill him, and after a big fight, Bannister is beaten badly and then tossed off a cliff where he is then bitten by wolves! When Bannister does not return, Pop and the lumberjacks set out to find him and it’s Eugene that finds Bannister who is dying from blood loss and is able to get the wounded man to a cabin that is owned by Jacques Lebeq who refuses to give his blood to save Bannister and the Doctor has to make the decision to use the blood of a wolf to save his life. The next day Eugene is able to get Bannister back to the Ford Camp where he is able to recover and tells Edith that he is in love with her! The next day Edith, Eugene and Pops all head into town when Jacques Lebeq enters the Ford Camp and spreads the rumor that Bannister is a werewolf due to the wolf blood, and this causes the Lumberjacks to riot and armed with axes they kill the Uncle and as the moon gets full Bannister turns into a werewolf and busts out of a cabin looking to kill!

This was such a fun issue to work on, and the plot is simple as we have two feuding lumber camps at war with one another and things get out of hand when attempted murder comes into play and that act causes a good man to have to get wolf blood in his veins and this turns him into a beast at the Full Moon! You also have a love story brewing as Edith Ford must choose her doctor fiancé or her new love, the rugged lumber boss that works for her company. And we leave you on a big cliffhanger as the Ford Lumberjacks are armed with axes and are worked up into a fearful rage of their boss who now is a werewolf with bloodlust in his eyes. Dick Bannister is a good man that is a great boss as well as will fight for the rights and lives of his men. He also is tough as nails and is a good fist fighter and has the heart of a champion…he also has a soft spot and that is his boss and the lumber company owner Edith Ford who seems to be all he can think about after meeting her. Bannister also proves he has the will to live as after being beaten badly, thrown from a cliff, bitten by wolves and getting a blood transfusion from a wolf, he still lives…but he is also now cursed to live his life as a werewolf! Edith Ford is a kind hearted woman who owns a big company and has a fiancé that is a doctor, but while her life sounds perfect, it is not as she is confused as she finds herself loving Bannister who is her employee. She is also living with a secret that she does not share with many and that is she fills her life with late night parties with friends out of fear as she was one night stalked by Nosferatu! Pops Hadley is a drunk that is trying to change after he failed at his job and allowed workers to be shot. Eugene Horton is a good doctor who helps the wounded and saves Bannister’s life, and Cook really loves talking about the deals he got on food from town! The comic has three real “bad guys” as first you have Jules Deveroux, a scumbag who is a bully and also a coward who gives orders to hurt and kill others that stand in his way. You have the bootlegger Jacques Lebeq who sells his liquor as well tries to kill Bannister and sets up the Ford workers to turn on their boss. And lastly you also have to say that the wolves are one of the biggest dangers in those woods as they kill anyone that they can surround and rip to shreds. The comic is very bloody and the kills are gory with my favorite kill in this issue being the death of lumberjack Henrique who is ripped apart by a pack of wolves! The cover is really cool and the art was done by Jeff Potter with the colors by Jason Gilmore and the interior art is done by Potter and is 100% what I was looking for when I wrote this adaptation story. To sum it up, this was a blast to write and is one of the Blood Scream Comics projects that I am the most proud of! Now let’s talk about the second issue in this series and see how this twisted tale of love, horror and lumber ends!

Wolf Blood # 2
Released in 2022 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 2 of 2

Dick Bannister is now a werewolf and is killing all the Ford Lumber Camp workers and his howling has also brought the wolves to join in the bloodshed. Giovanni is a lumberman who runs past the bodies of his friends and finds an old train freight car in the woods and uses it as shelter to get away from the werewolf and his wolf minions. While at the cabin of Jacques Lebeq the bootlegger has a visitor; he is selling Deveroux the boss of Consolidated Lumber tons of whiskey as he wants to have his workers to celebrate the downfall of Dick Bannister, but the two are quickly greeted by the werewolf who bites the head off Deveroux and then burns the face of Lebeq on the stove before throwing his body to the wolves to be ripped apart. The next morning Edith Ford, Eugene Horton and Pop Hadley arrive back at camp to find the massacre, and when Eugene finds Dick still alive and asleep in bed, he tells the others the truth about the wolf blood flowing through the veins of Dick and that maybe he did turn and cause all this death! Pop does not want to hear it and heads into the woods to hunt the wild animals he thinks did the killing while Edith tells Eugene that she is in love with Bannister and wants to be with him, and the confused lumber man hears this all and runs into the woods as he does not want to change in the coming full moon and hurt anyone else, and Edith goes after him. Meanwhile a lumberjack from Consolidated rides up and says that they are closing down for good after they found the mangled bodies of Deveroux and Lebeq and he warns Eugene and Edith that they should leave as well. As Giovanni takes supplies from the now dead Lebeq’s home in order to survive and wait for help in the rail car, while Eugene thinks of his life without Edith and decides to end it with one bullet. Meanwhile in the woods Edith runs into Pops, and they two are surrounded by wolves. As Pops tries to fight them off, he is overwhelmed and ripped to shreds as Edith runs from them and ends up meeting the werewolf and she knows that her love Bannister really is a beast now…she tries to talk to him to bring the human side back…she fails and gruesomely pays with her life. The next night Dick Bannister is back human and is about to leap off a cliff to end his life when he is stopped by Nosferatu himself, Count Orlock, who informs him that he has need of a man with his talents.

The second issue of Wolf Blood is all about the slaughter as our hero Dick Bannister truly loses control and becomes a werewolf and slaughters almost all his workers (minus one who escapes and hides away in a steel trail freight car) and after he is done making Ford Lumber a slaughterhouse who makes sure to swing by his enemies home and kill both of those who wished him death as a man with that being Deveroux and Lebeq who are both killed very brutally. And even a little later in the issue the werewolf rips apart his true love and allows his wolves to attack and kill his best friend Pops! And all of these werewolf and wolves attacks are done super gory to truly show you the savage nature of these creatures as their bloodlust is out of control and it also shows that once the moon is full the caring and hard working Dick Bannister is not longer in control and in his place is a killing machine that wants to annihilate all that’s in his path. And poor Doctor Eugene Horton is another victim of Dick Bannister and while he is not killed by razor sharp teeth and claws he is broken spiritually as his whole world is taken away by Bannister as he steals his lady love away, and she cruelly has fallen out of love with the man who has given her everything…and he thinks his only way to find a way to end his pain is by a self inflicted gunshot to the head. Deveroux and Lebeq are truly two scumbags who enjoyed trying to not only take Dick Bannister’s life but also try to ruin everything about him, but they really do get their comings when the werewolf comes howling around and they find themselves begging for their lives to the one person who is now a creature that they never showed any mercy to. Poor Pops Hadley stays loyal to his friend Bannister and does not believe the tales of him being a werewolf, and even before dying by a pack of wolves, he still tries to save the life of Edith…poor drunk old fool. You have to also feel bad for Cook as he is killed during the slaughter at the Ford Lumber Camp, and by the looks of it, he really was ripped apart! And for those wondering about the fate of Giovanni, you will find out what comes of him in a future comic as his tale is not yet finished and his fate is yet to be shared. This issue really was a blast to work on as artist Jeff Potter and myself were able to showcase the idea of Bannister becoming a fully fledged werewolf, something sadly the classic silent film did not do as they played up more on the aspects of it all being in his feverish mind. And while the first issue was bloody, we upped the gruesome level to 11 with this second issue! I am sure you also have noticed that in the Silent Film Universe by Blood Scream Comics, the one and only Count Orlock has been appearing and is almost recruiting people for some sort of sinister plan, and this will unfold in every issue of these comics based on Silent Horror Films. The cover for this issue showcases The Werewolf as well as Edith Ford and the colors by Jason Gilmore make it pop! The interior art is done by Jeff Potter who is a fantastic artist and who has brought many comic alive for Sparkle and Blood Scream Comics as his work includes such titles as Adventure Man, Curse Of The Beast, Spring Heeled Jack, Eternal Sleep, Farmer Joe and Shocking Macabre Theater, to name a small few. The way Potter draws the werewolf is fantastic and reminds me of the classic Creepy and Eerie Magazines, and the gore we draws rivals that of the indie horror comics from the late 80’s and early 90’s. While Nosferatu # 1 started the Silent Universe for Blood Scream Comics the Wolf Blood series is amping up the chills and blood spills, and this is just the start as you readers have not seen nothing yet. Check out the art work from Potter below to see his style in this series.

So as you can see, we truly put the horror first in this reimagining of Wolf Blood as we have Dick Bannister turning full force into a werewolf and he ends up killing everyone at the Ford Lumber Camp and also his true love Edith Ford, and by the end is taken away by Nosferatu himself Count Orlock as this is just one of several issue we have in store for you as Jeff Potter and I have more twisted tales in our Silent Universe to bring you! We released “Haunted House 1908” for Halloween 2023, and we screened the movie with a new score by musician Todd The Fox at Horrorama! If you have interest in ordering Wolf Blood # 1 and 2 you can do so here, while it remains in print that is. And yes, I will also do a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update for Haunted House 1908 as I love sharing my love for silent horror cinema with you readers. Well as you can see, this update has come to an end and for our next update we will be heading to the world of cartoons as we will be talking about the 1966 Captain America series. So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a silent horror film or two and as always support your local horror host. Oh and remember when Captain America throws his mighty shield, All those who chose to oppose his shield must yield!

Wild West Round Up: Lucky Boots (1935)

Posted on March 3, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to the Rotten Ink Ranch. Pull yourself up a seat around the campfire as the chili is cooking and we’ll chat about classic Western Cinema while we bring it to a boil as talking classic western cinema is something that I enjoy. I am thinking that March 2024 will once more be Cowboy Month as we will not only chat about the 1935 film Lucky Boots in this update but we will also later in the month be talking about wrestler Tex McKenzie as well as the iconic cowboy Red Ryder! Oh and the chili we will be trying for this update sounds fantastic, and you will learn about it a little later in this update. So if you are ready and while the chili is still cooking over the campfire, let’s take a look at the history of the film Lucky Boots and its actor Big Boy Williams.

Lucky Boots, also known as Gun Play, was a cheaply shot western that was made to cash in on the craze that was sweeping cinemas at the time, as moviegoers loved western and horror movies during the time. The film was written by William L. Nolte and was produced by Arthur Alexander and Max Alexander, who were brothers that produced many movies during their long career. They followed many trends in their time, and their production company M & A Alexander Productions of course was involved with Hollywood Film Exchange being the distributor. When they needed a director, they brought in Al Herman, a man who was known for directing and writing B-Movies and has such titles as “The Whispering Shadow (1933)”, “Blazing Justice (1936)”, “Valley Of Terror (1937)” and “The Missing Corpse (1945)” to name a very few as he directed almost 200 films, shorts and shows. And it was clear that the Alexander Brothers hired Herman due to the fact that he could turn in fun films on a small budget that would turn profits. When casting the film, they brought in Guinn “Big Boy” Williams to be the star. He served in the military during World War I and originally had dreams to play baseball before becoming an actor thanks to Will Rogers who hooked him in the business. Big Boy would star in over 200 films and would be married three times all to actresses with one being Barbara Weeks who would star in the Ed Wood written film “The Violent Years” in 1956. Sadly Big Boy Williams would pass away in 1963 from uremic poisoning at the age of 63. Other names hired for the cast include Marion Shilling, Hal Taliaferro, Frank Yaconelli, Tom London, Helen Gibson and Charles K. French. The film would open in theaters on December 1, 1935 and was a modest hit that sadly over the ages has been lost in the shuffle of the western movies filmed at this time. And for those wondering and wanting to pay their respects to Guinn “Big Boy” Williams, he is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in California.

The chili for this Wild West Round Up review is called “Smokey Chorizo Chili” and is a recipe by Country Music Star Trisha Yearwood and was listed on the Food Network website. This one sounds good as I am a big fan of chorizo and it will be interesting as the recipe calls for red and orange bell peppers and I am not a big fan of them, but I do look forward to seeing how they taste in this chili. This Smokey Chorizo Chili has about 40-45 prep time and should cook for around 1hr 30min. And the smell of this chili cooking was very pleasant and filled the house, I even noticed my cat Jazzy sniffing the air. So below is a look at the chili with cheese and sour cream on the top once it was done.

With my bowl filled with some Smokey Chorizo Chili and a nice tall class of ice water ready to be drunk, I think it’s time we munch down and take a look at the film Lucky Boots starring Big Boy Williams. And I want to remind you that I will be grading both the film and the chili on a classic 1-4 star scale, and would also like to thank Alpha Video and Game Swap Kettering for making this update possible. Well I am ready to eat and watch classic Western cinema, so with that let’s dig into both the chili and this Wild West Round Up film!

Lucky Boots
Starring: Big Boy Williams and Tom London Directed: Al Herman
Not Rated 1935 59min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

A massive gun fight is breaking out between two groups when General Tirado is shot and is taken away by friends to the nearby ranch ran by the Holt family for help as well as away form the massive amounts of gold he is caring to be safe. His men are loyal and his friendship with the Holts is true as they rush him into a room for rest, but sadly that night he dies. Meanwhile many years later at a shady saloon, Pedro is telling Meeker over drinks the story of the death of the General and the gold that was buried on the Holt ranch as he was a witness to this and was blindfolded before they got to the spot and now he is the only surviving member of those who buried it. Meeker then enters his office and reads a letter from George Holt about he and his sister Madge coming west for their fathers estate. He steals apart of the letter and then gets his men ready to head to the Holt ranch.

Meeker and his men get to the ranch and he gives orders to not let anyone get too close to the house as he and his right hand man Cal enter the home looking for a trunk that is talked about in the stolen section of the letter. Meanwhile Billy Williams and his friend Frank Gorman are riding near and having a good time when they are threatened and chased off by some of Meeker’s men who tell them that it’s private property, and this causes a big chase to take place as Meeker’s men ride after Frank and behind his men is Williams. When Frank is thrown from his horse, Meeker’s men catch up to him and start to rough him up, that is until Billy Williams arrives and uses his fists to floor the goons with big punches and chases them off. Williams and Frank decide to camp there for the night, while back at the Holt ranch Meeker and Cal have found the trunk and ride off with it to open away from the ranch as George and Madge are on their way to the family ranch.

Williams and Frank are at their night camp removing their boots and settling in for the evening as Frank is complaining about nothing going their way as Williams tells him to look at the brighter side of things and who knows luck just might fall out of the sky, as the two start to take a nap. Meanwhile Meeker and Cal search the trunk and just find some papers, hats and boots and when they see that the Holt siblings are coming they toss the trunk and boots over a small ledge and leave the scene. The boots land near the sleeping Billy Williams who ends up putting them on and thinks it’s a sign from heaven as his boots had holes in them. Meeker and his men make it back to the ranch on time to great George and Madge Holt and deliver the letter that now makes them the full owner of Holt ranch, he even tries to trick them into selling it to him as he talks about the ranch needing lots or repair as well as the taxes and up keep. But Madge and George Holt are tired and do not want to talk business so Meeker leaves for the night as the siblings soak in their new home.

Williams and Frank come across The Holt Ranch and come up with the idea of seeing if they could get jobs at the ranch to earn a little money, and they arrive just in time to save Madge from a charging bull as Williams is able to rope it and then wrestle it to the ground. After talking with the Holts they are hired to work the ranch as hands. Back at the office of Meeker he can not figure out the hiding meaning of the trunk and the stolen part of the letter and Cal and he try their best to crack the secret and they finally do as the heat from Meeker’s cigar brings out the invisible ink that tells them the location of treasure can be found in the heel of the boots that are now being warn by Williams. Meeker gets his men together and the head to the location of the dumped trunk only to find the boots missing and know that some one has them when they find the old warn out boots of Williams. Meeker does not give up and has a plan that will help them find the boots and the clue to find the buried gold.

Meeker is sponsoring a dance that will allow any cowboy from town to bring their old pair of boots in for a brand new pair, as he hopes this will get him the boots quick and easy. And when news of the dance to the Holt Ranch excitement fills the air as George says that all of them should go and all agree and are ready for a fun night of gathering and dancing and of course boots! The dance is going well and many people are trading in their old boots for new ones, but when Williams and his friends arrive none trade in their boots as when Frank tries they are out of his size. Meeker sits the Holts at a reserved table and reminds them that he made an offer to buy the ranch before talking to Cal who is boot watching seeing if anyone entering the dance and not trading in their boots don’t fit the description of the boots they are looking for. As Meeker heads back to the Holts’ he notices the boots on the feet of Williams and knows he has finally found them! Williams asks Madge to dance as Meeker alerts Cal who as well heads to the dance floor with a lady and after rudely bumping into Madge he and Williams get into a fight on the dance floor as the towns people watch. Williams is getting the upper hand so Meeker signals for more of his men to enter the fight and Williams is holding them all off by himself, and Meeker even tries to cheat by turning off the lights and scaring the people at the dance. Once the fight is over Williams, Frank, Madge and George all head home to the ranch as Meeker yells at Cal for failing to get the boots.

Back at The Holt Ranch, both George and Frank turn in for the night while Williams and Madge chat about the fight and how unprovoked it was that so many others would jump in like that, they also talk about the death and hidden treasure of General Tirado, spurs and Williams even sings for Madge while Frank plays the harmonica outside, but George puts a stop to the singing as he is wanting to sleep and so everyone starts to get ready for bed. While outside Cal and another man watch and wait for everyone to be asleep so they can steal the boots, the goon climbs into Williams’s window but is punched in the face and falls out the window for his effort and as he and Cal make a run for it Williams fires his gun at them. The noise wakes everyone in the house and Williams tells them of the prowler and how it looks like it was two of them, he then says he thinks something is up and that he is keeping guard all night and everyone else should get some sleep.

The next morning Williams and Frank starting working and when the separate to complete some jobs Meeker’s men once more attack and give chase to Williams who falls from his horse and acts as if he has been hit by one of their bullets, this of course was a trick as he lures them close to him and when they try and take his boots he then puts up a big fight. After taking out two of Meeker’s men, more show up with Meeker being one of them and start shooting at them and this causes him to once more get on his horse and try to out run them and is able to hide from them. Williams ends up finding the hidden message in the heel of his boot and unlucky for him Meeker and Cal seem him discover it and decided to follow him to learn the location for themselves. Williams takes the location paper to George and Madge and they now know that Meeker is a bad man and that the treasure is there and theirs.

Williams leads George, Frank and Madge to the location of the buried treasure and they all start digging hoping to find it, and after awhile they find the gold! But across the way Meeker, Cal and the others are watching and plotting to rob them of their newly found riches and they make their move by shooting at them! George and Madge try to make their escape in a wagon that the gold is on board while Williams and Frank on horseback try and keep Meeker and his gang at bay. The Holts are able to make it back home to the ranch and get the gold inside just as Williams and Frank arrive with Meeker and his goons right behind them, Williams gets them to all hold up in the house and have a stand off with Meeker and his men who are outside firing in. After a few minutes two of Meeker’s men are dead and only he and Cal remain to try and get the gold, but in the end with two unloaded guns Williams is able to get Meeker and Cal to surrender and they are arrested. Williams and Frank also find themselves now as part owners of The Holt Ranch for all their help and Madge and Williams start up a relationship.

Review: Lucky Boots is a very slow moving and for the most part lackluster western film that is about hidden treasure, a con man who runs the town and two strangers that befriend the new ranch owners of the town and help them uncover the riches that is theirs…oh yeah and lots of talk about boots as the whole film revolves around the directions to the hidden treasure that is hidden in the heel of an old pair of them…just silly stuff. And to be honest while most of these westerns were made very cheaply this one seems to be more lacking in the script department than the budget one as it just seems like it never truly starts and much of the “action” parts are two few and far between and in some cases brag on and almost seem like filler with the opening gun battle and the fist fight at the dance both coming to mind. The final gun fight between the good guys and the bad guys comes off very generic and standard as it’s just back and fourth shots of guns being fired with lots of smoke and no real danger being felt as for the longest time both sides are as bad of shots as Stormtroopers from Star Wars and Cobra Guards from G.I. Joe with just blindly firing lots of bullets and hitting nothing. The film’s main hero is Billy Williams who is played by Big Boy Williams and is kind of a goofy hero who thinks his found boots have brought him luck, and well they kind of do as the lead him to a job, gold and the love of a lady…but I also think he is kind of two goofy as I just can not take him serious as a gun slinging hero. His sidekick Frank Gorman is played for laughs and cheesy slapstick comedy his way through the film and has a over the top laugh and even at one point is creepily looking around a door, he as well is not a hero you can believe in. The beauty of the film is Madge Holt and she is your typical city woman who now is in the west and trying to run a ranch, the best part for her is when she has to run from the bull as it made me laugh out loud. Meeker and his men are the baddies and besides being greedy, wanting to steal gold and try to kill some people they are pretty lame and just ride around shooting and hitting nothing, loosing fist fights and just kind of being lame. The film is a total miss for me as the action is drawn out and boring, the story is bland and over all this is a classic western you should skip. I will say that the Alpha Video DVD print is pretty good and has only a few audio issues but nothing that distracted me from the movie.

Now let’s talk about the Smokey Chorizo Chili and if it was a hit or a miss for me. I am here to say that it was a HIT as I found it to be very good and hearty. I have to point out that this chili has many ingredients that I do not like at all like Red Peppers, Butternut Squash and Orange Peppers…but it also has Chorizo that I really like and what is shocking is all these things along with the tomatoes, spices, onions and black beans blend really well together. The chili packs a little heat that is not over bearing and again I have to really push that all these flavors just blend together really well. So really if you enjoy chili and are looking for something warm and comforting during a cold evening give this chili a try as both Juliet and I really liked it. I should say I would suggest that if you try this recipe to do a pound and a half of the chorizo

Movie: **
Chili: ***1/2

So as you can see, we had a great tasty bowl of chili and watched an entertaining yet kind of bland classic western film and I have to stress for me no matter how good or bad these Western Films released by Alpha Video I still very much enjoy sitting down and watching them as again they make me think of my Grandpa who loved these types of films and because watching them with him I found myself as well loving them. Also I have to say that Big Boy Williams had that Hollywood Cowboy look, I just wish he was a little more rough and tough in this film and way less silly and goofy. And The Wild West Round Up updates have been lots of fun to do and while I am not sure if they will be an every year theme, they will be a main stay update here at Rotten Ink. Cowboy Month is still going strong and out next update will take is to the squared circle as we talk about The Texas Hangmen, a masked tag team that worked from the 80’s to 90’s. So until next time, read a western comic or three, watch a western film or two and as always support your local chili makers! See you next update as the R.I.W Wrestling Legend update event should be a brawling one.

Forgotten Reels: The 3rd Alarm (1922)

Posted on July 25, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, we are back at the Rotten Ink Theater for another Forgotten Reels update, celebrating the Silent Film era of cinema. As I am sure you all know Horror is my favorite genre of films as they have always captured my imagination and delivered chills, thrills and even blood spills. We will get to the Silent Age of Horror on Forgotten Reels, but before we do, I would like to take a look at other genres from the Silent era and that is why for today’s update I chose a film from 1922 that is a drama about an old firefighter. The film is called The 3^rd Alarm, and this will be a first time watch for me! So let’s grab some soda and popcorn and find our seats as it’s time to chat about some Silent Cinema!

The 3rd Alarm is a 1922 Drama film that was released by Film Booking Offices Of America and was the brainchild of the films director Emory Johnson who was with his mom at a Los Angeles street corner watching the Elk’s parade and see the LAPD’s fire horses in their final public appearance as they were being replaced by vehicles, and this trigged a story of how everything old has a passing down or a changing of the guard. And with this idea he had his mother Emilie Johnson write up the script as she had a history of working on Silent Films for Hollywood. Emory then went out and hired Ralph Lewis to play the lead character Dan McDowell, Lewis was an actor who had been working in Silent Films sense 1912 and was in such films as “The Birth Of A Nation (1915)”, “Macbeth (1916)”, “Dante’s Inferno (1924)” and “The Block Signal (1926)”. Also brought into the cast was Johnnie Walker, Ella Hall, Virginia True, Frankie Lee and Josephine Adair. Emory also bought a rundown five-story apartment building in Los Angeles in order to set it ablaze for the shots of fire in the film, and he even lived with the LA Firemen for a week just to see their life styles and get their actions down. And the film was originally going to be called “The Discard” before being called The 3^rd Alarm and released in movie houses. And once out the film got great promotion with Firemen help spreading the word and once in theaters it was meet with positive reviews from both critics and audience. The film was considered one of the best 40 films of 1922 and over the years it has been restored and released on DVD as well as on Digital Platforms, as the film has fallen into the Public Domain.

With The 3^rd Alarm being about firefighters and with fire being burning hot I decided that I needed a hot chip to cover with this review so I selected the “Ruffles Flamin’ Hot BBQ Potato Chips.” I have to say that growing up Ruffles was by favorite chips and I am looking forward to trying this flavor! And that’s the thing about choosing Potato Chips to go along with these Silent Films, the flavors to choose are many as are the brands. Check out the picture below to see what the chips look like in the freshly opened bag.

This will be a first time watch for me and one I am looking forward to watching and reviewing here for you friends and readers. And I will be grading both the film and the chips on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film ratings I am basing it on a scale that is for silent films of all budgets and eras. So sit back in your theater seat, grab some chips and a soda and let’s travel to the fire with Alpha Video.

The 3^rd Alarm
Starring: Ralph Lewis and Ella Hall Directed: Emory Johnson
Not Rated 1922 58min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

A fire has broken out and a firebox is used to call in the firefighters who slide down the pole and get the horses hooked to the fire cart and are on their way as fast as the horses can run. Dan McDowell is the driver for engine seven and has been a firefighter for 20 years and has a bond with the horses, and even the neighborhood kids like to show up at the station to see the horses that pull the fire engines including his own daughter Alice and her friend Jimmy who is a newsboy for the city as today is his birthday and they let him ride Bullet the stations main horse. And the kids all have fun with the horses minus one little boy that’s candy apple was eaten by Bullet.

Mother McDowell is the wife of Dan and is at their home near the station making a birthday cake for Dan as it’s his birthday as well and the young girl comes home and watches as her mother ices the cake, as Dan takes the kids around the station all while they are ridding Bullet. Alice decides that she wants to make something for the cake. Meanwhile Johnny McDowell is Dan’s son who is away studying to become a doctor and it’s were he also meet his sweetheart June Rutherford as they are hanging around the lake and he shows her a horse charm that he bought as a birthday gift for his father, but she was hoping it was a engagement ring. And the happy couple head to the McDowell house for the celebration.

Back at the station the Fire Chief shows up in his motor car and is happy to tell them all that Engine Seven will be motorized soon and the horses will be retired, the firefighter are all happy and as Dan hitches Bullet on the post and says goodbye to the kids he enters the station and gets the news, his heart breaks as he knows that means the horses will be going away and he has a bond with them all. The rest of the department tries to cheer him up, as this is a good thing as the department is becoming modernized. June Rutherford returns home and her dad Dr. Rutherford and teases about leaving school forever, as back at the McDowell home Alice has made a cake topper of a horse that has Bullets names on it. Back at the Rutherford home her father is talking about no one being good enough to try and marry his daughter but promises that he will be nice to Johnny when he comes to dinner that night.

Johnny shows up at his father’s house and is greeted by Alice at the door, while at the station Dan is sitting outside feeling old and outdated as Bullet comes walking over to comfort his friend. Alice shows up at the station and tells her father its time to come home, and Dan fallows his daughter home and they run into Jimmy who gives Dan a free paper for his birthday, and Dan invites the youngster in to have some cake but he can not due to him having to sell papers. Johnny shows his mother the horse charm he bought his father and they hide it on his plate for him to find. Dan ends up buying all the papers so that Jimmy can come and celebrate his birthday along with his. Once inside Alice decides that she is going to help Jimmy wash his hair and causes a massive mess as water sprays all over the kitchen. Once they clean up the head into the dinning room and Dan’s eyes are covered and once he opens them he sees the room decorated and before he can see the cake the fire alarm goes off and Dan if off to do his job, and his family and Jimmy are upset that this special time was interrupted.

Nighttime falls and the McDowell family is standing at the window as off in the distance they can see something is on fire and the night sky is lit up by it. While Dan McDowell and his fellow firefighters have hoses in hand and are trying to get the blaze under control. And this lasts all night and his birthday was ruined and his family was left waiting for their father.

Time passes and the new motorcar engine is at the station and is there to retire the horses on Engine Seven, as the firefighters and neighborhood kids are all looking the vehicle over Dan is cleaning the horse straps and bits. And once the Engine fires up the animals around hate the sound and even a stray cat runs away in terror as the fireman laugh at the scaredy cat. And then someone comes to take the horses away, and Dan is heartbroken as he looks at his friends that he has taken care of for so long now and gives them hugs and stands in the street as he watches the horses be taken away, Jimmy joins him for their final farewell. The fellow firefighters notice how sad Dan is so they go to him and try and cheer him up. And they get him to get into the drivers seat of the Engine Seven and they cheer for him.

The following days Dan McDowell is not feeling the motorcar and is being forced to learn how to drive it, and he is not doing well with driving as he is hitting curbs and is awkward behind the wheel, and Dan realizes that he just can not drive the car. Dan comes home a defeated man and he has to tell his wife that he has been places into forced retirement due to not being able to drive the car, his time has passed and he fills down and out. He feels that he has failed his son Johnny who he is putting through medical school, his wife tries to lift his spirit by telling him there are other jobs he can do and that the Fire Department was not everything. As she leaves the room Dan starts crying as she does in the kitchen when Johnny comes over for a visit, and his mother informs him of his fathers discharge. Johnny enters the room to cheer up his father and tells him that not to worry as his girlfriends father is one of the top surgeons and that he only has one more year of school and he will be a full doctor himself! Dan then alerts his son that they have taken everything from him his horses, his job and now they have taken his son!

We then show a flashback to the McDowell home and a doctor informs Dan that his infant son is very sick and that the youngster’s only hope is Dr. Rutherford! And Dan rushes to get to Rutherford’s office and once inside a nurse tell him that the Doctor can not see him, but in the hallway the Doctor passes and Dan begs him for help to save his son. But Dr. Rutherford refuses to leave his office as in another room a patient is indeed of surgery to save their life, and he claims he cannot trade one life for another. And Dr. Rutherford leaves Dan in the hallway and closes the door to help save another life.

Johnny is shocked at what he has heard and asks if his father can look past this as he is in love with June, and Dan says he will never forget and forgive this action and that Johnny must do what he thinks is right. Johnny is now heartbroken and torn between the love of his life and his fathers anger. While at the Rutherford home June is talking to her father and showing him pictures of her and Johnny together. While back at the McDowell Home Johnny is in his room in distress and his haunted by his fathers disapproval of his girlfriend June, and almost writes her a breakup letter but crumples it up and hangs his head in sadness and thought.

The next morning Dan McDowell is checking the paper for job listings as its clear the fire fighters as well as the stations pet dog are missing him. Across the town the old retired fire horse Bullet is sold to a man for only $150.00, and back at the station the fire alarm rings and Dan even hears it and starts to leap from his chair, but the remembers that he sadly no longer is a fire fighter. And he watches as Engine Seven rushes off to the site of the fire. As Dan is sitting sad in his chair the fire house dog gets into the McDowell Home and comes to Dan’s side and even brings him his old fire hat. And Dan goes deep into thought and wants to figure out what to do for a job.

Dan the next morning applies for a driving job and all looks good, but he soon finds that its not for wagon driving its for a motor car and does not get the job. As he leaves the job interview feeling defeated he sees a sign for labor work and looks at his hands. We then join Johnny who is walking June to her car and she tells him that her father would like to see him tonight about maybe hiring him at his clinic. We then go back to Dan who has gotten the labor job and he and other men are digging holes, and the boss of the dig site shows up and Bullet is the horse pulling his wagon and when Bullet sees Dan he walks over to his old friend. The Boss gets mad and walks over and starts getting rough with Bullet, and Dan tries to stop him and take up for his old animal friend and ends up punching the man in the face! Dan and then man then get into a full fist fight and just in time Johnny is walking by and as Dan is knocked down Johnny and the man get into a fight! And Johnny drops the man with a good hit and then goes to check on his dad, and Johnny tells the man he will get Bullet away from him if it’s the last thing he ever does! Johnny then stops his father from going back to digging and Dan quiets the job.

That night the man who owns Bullet puts him into a stale and is still being mean to him, but as fire engines drive by Bullet hears the sounds of the fire bells and goes into action and breaks free from the stale and heads toward the fire. Johnny meanwhile goes and visits the office of Chief Andrews who is in control of the cities Police and Fire Departments and informs him that he has quit medical school and would like a job and he is given one. While back at the McDowell home the police have shown up with the Horse abusing man and they are questioning Dan and his wife about Bullet missing and they think Johnny might have stolen him. And as Dan walks them around his property Dan is shocked as Bullet is in his garage. And as the man takes Bullet back the police let Dan know that they want his son for the theft, but Dan tells them that he is the one who stole Bullet and he is put under arrest. Dan thinks he is protecting his son, but really no one is to blame as Bullet just escaped and went to the home that he knew he was loved at. Johnny shows up a very short time later dressed in his new uniform and sees his mom and sister crying on the porch and finds out why and rushes off to the police station.

At the police station Dan is being booked in for horse theft, and Johnny comes in and is told that the police cannot help him with the situation. While back at the Rutherford’s apartment home June gets a call from her father that he will be late home tonight and for dinner. But as June is talking to her father the housemaid comes in and alerts her that the home is on fire! June gets the servants to safety and then goes back to get her little dog and is now stuck inside a building that is on fire, and she is in panic as there is no way out of the inferno and she passes out from the smoke and heat. The fire department are on their way and from his jail cell window Dan can see the blaze at the Rutherford apartments.

At the Rutherford Apartments people are rushing out of the burning building as the fire department has shown up and start hooking up their hoses in order to fight the fire. While at the street corner selling his papers young Jimmy sees the story of Dan being arrested over Bullet and heads to the station and talks to Chief Andrews and tells him that he is the one who found Bullet wondering the streets and placed him in the old McDowell woodshed so the horse would not get lost, Chief Andrews tells Jimmy that they are going to get Dan out of jail. While back at the fire they are doing their best to put out the fire that is now out of control and they call in Engine Seven for help and on this engine is Johnny McDowell who is heading to his girlfriends house. While back at the fire June wakes up and gets the window and is spotted by the fire fighters bellow. And they send the ladder up and Johnny rushes up it to save his love from a burning death. As Johnny is up their trying to save June the building starts to collapse and the order goes out for Johnny to come down with our without June! But Johnny is able to get to June who he has climb on his back and together they climb down, just then Dr. Rutherford gets home and is scared as part of the building crumbles at the spot of June and Johnny! Dan McDowell is now out of jail and has rushed to the fire and has suited up to help get the blaze under control and to save lives. But the water pressure drops and the fighters are not able to combat the fire without water, but they find June and Johnny who are alive but cannot be saved just yet as a massive safe is on the rubble they are trapped in and the men are pulling but are not able to move it!

More fire engines with more firefighters are on the way, and Bullet once more hears the bells ringing and rushes off to the fire! While back at the fire Dr. Rutherford begs Dan McDowell to save his daughter and he tells him she is all he has in life, and Dan remembers back to the day he begged the Dr. to save his son. Meanwhile Bullet is now on the scene of the fire, and he and Dan work together and with Bullet they are able to move the safe and save the lives of June and Johnny! The other fire trucks are now on the scene and they have more water and are able to clear a path for all the heroes stuck to get out of the inferno safe. Dan McDowell learns to forgive Dr. Rutherford who in turn is very grateful for the rescue of his daughter. In the end The McDowell Family along with the Rutherford Family, Jimmy and even Chief Andrews are at a ranch and they have a surprise for Dan, and it’s all the old Fire Horses are now at this farm that Dr. Rutherford bought in order for Dan to be able to care and look after all his old friends. We also see that Johnny is now a Doctor and has cured Jimmy who no longer needs a crutch! And all ends well for everyone.

Review: The 3^rd Alarm was a silent film that really surprised me as this was a first time watch for me and at the start I was not fully sure what to expect as it was clearly a drama film and it started off a little show, but by the less then half way mark I was hooked and found myself drawn into this world and felt a bond with Dan McDowell and his family and extended family. As Dan was a hard working man who was working a tough job and was saving peoples lives as well as their homes all the while bonding with the horses that worked hard to pull the fire wagons to get them to the sites to fight the fires, and with technology coming in Dan and his horses were discarded as things of the past. The movie really brings to light how the work force views employees that have been loyal to them for decades but are getting older and are forced to retire or are fired as they think the newer and younger is better. But I do need to stress that Dan was loved by the fire department but could not get down how to drive the new motorcar and that’s why he was given his pink slip. And you have to give this film major credit as they really did set a massive apartment building ablaze and they told a great story of change, respect and the importance of family. And that’s the thing you as a viewer get to see is not only the change of times with more modern technology coming in to make things easier, but you also see a change of a man who had a grudge and learns to let it go and by doing so he changes as a person. I also like that the horse Bullet has a personality of his own and feels like he really is apart of the McDowell family, and when he escaped his abusive owner I cheered for him to get away and was glad that he and his fellow retired Fire Station Horses have a nice ranch to retire at. The love between Johnny and June is also a great layer as Johnny loves her very much but is also torn over his fathers hatred for her father, and in the end the true love between the two bring them together. I really enjoyed this drama film as I found all the characters interesting and likable and this one really did surprise me on how well I liked it.

Now let’s talk briefly about the chips and I have to say that it I was really surprised as I found myself liking these chips as well! The BBQ flavor was good and strong and had a bold flavor, and the Flamin’ Hot aspect brought some heat, but it was not as over baring like the taste can be such on the Cheetos. The burn of the chip sticks around a little after eating them, but it’s not too bad and does not feel like its coating your mouth like many of the Flamin’ Hot snacks do. And besides Ruffles just making a good basic chip the BBQ flavor is really what pushes this chip into the very tasty realm and made me buy more bags after eating them for this review.

Movie: ***
Chips: ***

The 3^rd Alarm is a great silent film and it nearly almost got three and a half stars from me as even days after watching it I found myself thinking about moments in the film and the characters themselves. I like the idea that Dan, his wife and young daughter lived on this ranch and took care of the horses while Johnny and June would end up married and have kids making Dan a grandpa and they lived out their lives as a very happy family…or at least that is what I think happened after the events of the film. But grab your bag of Ruffles as the Rotten Ink Theater has turned up the house lights letting us know that the film is over and that our time looking at Silent Films is over for now. So while we head out, let’s take a moment and chat about what our next update will be about as I am happy to say that we will be walking across the street to the Rotten Ink Stadium as I will be ranking Ohio’s Best Collegiate, Softball and Minor League Baseball Team Mascots! So until then, watch a Silent Movie or Three, read a comic or two and as always support your local Cinema. See you next update for some good old Baseball talk!

Wild West Round Up: The Law Rides Again (1943)

Posted on March 23, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to the Rotten Ink Ranch. I am sure you can smell that chili cooking over the campfire and you know that we will be talking about another classic western film that was released on DVD by Alpha Video around the old fire as we eat a bowl or two. This Wild West Round Up update will like always have one film that I will break down. I will talk about the plot of the film and will also use pictures to do so. I will also very quickly talk about the film’s production as well as the lead star of the film, and sometimes even the director, as they are very important to the film as well. Also for these updates I will find a chili recipe online and cook up a batch and watch the movie while eating a bowl or two…and the chili and the film will be graded on a 1-4 star scale! This should be a fun time as Rotten Ink Ranch has been kind enough to allow us to sit around a campfire and cook some chili and chat about good old western films. So if you are ready, let’s start The Law Rides Again and get this themed update started and the chili cooking.

The Law Rides Again was a cheaply shot western film that was released on October 12, 1943 and was released by Monogram Pictures. Like many films at this time, it was filmed quick and cheap to get into the cinema to cash in on the still hanging on cowboy popularity. The film over the years has held up and is one that is mostly met with positive reviews from critics as well as fans. The director of this film was Alan James, who over his career directed over 70 films with many of them being westerns as well as the Dick Tracy serials from 1937. And besides directing, James was also known for his writing skills as he wrote over 60 scripts. The film’s main star was Ken Maynard, who plays the part of U.S. Marshal Ken Maynard. He was a true star when it came to acting in Western films, and this was his second time playing the U.S. Marshal character. It also had Hoot Gibson, Jack La Rue, Chief Thundercloud, Budd Buster and Betty Miles added to the cast. The film was cheap to shoot and when finished Frank Sanucci was brought in to score it. The film did well at the theaters and that was mainly due to the duo of Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson both who were really well loved by movie goers of the 1940’s. Over the years the film has built a following with fans who enjoy this era of Hollywood Westerns and as of this update’s posting holds a 6.1 out of 10 star rating on IMDB. The film has also been released on home media on multiple DVD labels.

For The Law Rides Again screening we decided to cook up some “Café Zupas Chicken Enchilada Chili” a slow cooking chili that should be very tasty and is by Emily Walker and sounds like it could be a very good meal as we chose to fix and eat it on a very cold January day in 2022. We both picked this chili as it sounded really interesting and would have to slow cook for around four hours. So after getting all the ingredients, we placed it all into the crockpot and followed the recipe and we will soon find out if it’s as good as its sounds.

I have a blast doing these western and chili updates and for sure the “Wild West Round Up” will be around for a while here at Rotten Ink. I will be grading both the film and the chili on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film ratings, I am basing it on a scale that is for this era of classic westerns. So pull up a rock and gather by the campfire as it’s time to eat some home cooked chili and watch a western flick brought to us from the folks at Alpha Video.

The Law Rides Agian
Starring: Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson Directed: J.P. McGowan
Not Rated 1943 58min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

A wagon train is spotted by an Indian Scout. He reports back to his tribe, and they decide to go on the attack! The people of the wagon train try to escape but they are no match and are caught and killed and many of the wagons are set on fire. The aftermath is spotted by Eagle Eye who in fear rides off heading into town.

Meanwhile in the Arizona Territory at the Commissioner’s Office Eagle Eye is inside talking to Commissioner Lee about the wagon ambush and is worked up over all that the tribe took and what they destroyed, and now the Commissioner is looking at U.S. Marshal Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson to investigate and see why the Native Americans have gone against the peace treaty. Ken and Hoot end up with an idea to use connected fugitive Duke Dillon to help find who is creating the tension and making the tribe attack the wagons, and Duke agrees to help dig and find the info as they promise his punishment would be made lighter for the help. Meanwhile in town Indian Agent John Hampton is talking with Chief Barking Fox as they have gotten a herd of cattle for the Indians and as well John slips Thundercloud, a brave, some coins and the deal is done.

The Marshal arrives at the jail with Duke Dillon arrive at the stage coach office and Betty Conway takes over the job or driving it as they head toward the town so that Duke can find the person who is causing the drama with the tribe. Meanwhile as Eagle Eye stops to take a drink of water he is almost hit with an arrow as the tribe have spotted him and do not want him on their land, they give chase to them and it’s luck that he is able to give them the slip. Eagle Eye rushes to the station and informs Pete Conway the owner of the stage couch company that the tribe is on a path of destruction…and lucky for them Ken and Hoot arrive and are told of the situation and they go after the stage coach and after a chase they are able to leap from their horses onto the coach and get Betty to stop it. But they are all unlucky as the Native American Tribe has shown up and now Betty’s driving skills are being put to the test. And during this chase Duke is able to get the Marshalls gun away from him and kill him and then leap out of the coach just as they reach the safety of the town as the Native Americans turn around. Meanwhile Ken, Hoot and Betty are unaware of the escape of Duke and the killing of the Marshall. And just Duke’s luck where he lands he finds a house that he limps to.

John Hampton and his men have gotten word that Duke Dillon is working alongside the law in order to help point the finger at the people who are working up the Native Americans and causing these attacks, and of course its them that are doing so and they have an idea to kill Duke as he exits the coach…but of course he has already escaped. Meanwhile Sheriff Jeff is called when the body of the Marshall is found and Ken and Hoot are taken in for questioning, as Betty does not know them and they are the ones who originally stopped her coach before the Indian attack. Hampton stops by and tries to get information from Betty and Jeff as well as acts as if he is not sure why the Indians are attacking and even more he wants to know who was the criminal passenger who was on the coach that escaped. And when he doesn’t get what he seeks he acts like he will help Jeff in finding out why the tribe is attacking.

Ken and Hoot are locked up in a jail cell for over three hours now and they are getting antsy as they want to be on their way to track down Duke And with a whistle they get their horses to show up at the jail window and Hoot uses a lasso to get Ken’s gun off the desk and they then use the rope to also tie to the horse who pulls the window out and they are now free. Sheriff Ken arrives at the jail just in time to see them ride off as he had been spending the morning talking to Betty and letting his prisoners think about the crime he thinks they did in jail. Meanwhile John Hampton is relieved that Ken and Hoot escaped as they think now the investigation into the Tribe attacks will be over.

Ken and Hoot return to the trail and find the tracks of Duke as well as the old house he is taking shelter in. Before the head to the house Hoot tells Ken that even though Duke double crossed them he still might be useful into the matter of finding out who is behind the Tribe attacking. When they get to the house they leave the horses by the door and walk away to the back of the house, as Duke limps out of the home thinking about stealing a horse to get away Hoot and Ken bust him as it was a trap and the crook fell for it. When caught the three head into the home to talk about the original plan as Duke claims he did not kill the Marshall that it was a bullet from the attacking tribe that killed him. Meanwhile back in town Thundercloud visits with Hampton who just wrapped up a meeting with Sheriff Jeff and warns him that trouble could be on the way as a white man has scheduled a meeting with Chief Barking Fox at sundown and this worries Hampton as he thinks that the gig could be exposed. And worse for Hampton is Ken, Hoot and Duke have just arrived in town and Duke heads toward Hampton’s building as Ken and Hoot watch on.

Ken and Hoot are shocked that Duke headed straight for Hampton’s post and they think that they should go and get the Sheriff and Hoot breaks off to go do so as Ken keeps his eye on the building. Inside Duke and Hampton have a talk and Duke alerts him that he has no intention in helping the law and turning in Hampton for his work on angering the Indians, and all he wants is for him to help him escape. Duke even says that if Hampton refuses and has one of his men shoot him that the law will be at their door in no time as he tells him that Ken and Hoot are outside. Meanwhile back at the jail Hoot is having to explain to Sheriff Jeff, Betty as well as two other men why they had such strange behavior and why they escaped jail, and Ken is tricked into coming into the Indian Agent building and even punches and knocks out one of Hampton’s men in the lobby.

Ken starts looking around seeing if he can find Hampton and Duke and once upstairs he has a fist fight with two more of Hampton’s men and the odds being against him Ken is hit with a chair and goes down, the attackers all flee the scene when Hoot along with Betty, The Sheriff and the two other men arrive. Ken wakes up and joins the search party and when they arrive at the room of Hampton he plays dumb and acts as Duke is gone and he acts as if he has never heard of him before. When they all leave Duke comes out from behind a trick bookcase and tells Hampton that he thinks that the only way out of this is if they kill Ken, Hoot and Betty as they have all seen him. Meanwhile back at the jail Eagle Eye is telling Ken and Hoot that the meeting with Chief Barking Fox is a go at sunset. Hoot heads off to the meeting with the Chief as Betty heads to the fort to bring her fiancé who is a Calvary soldier, while Ken and Eagle Eye stay with the Sheriff and his deputies in case of trouble in town. While at the office of Hampton he is being convinced by Duke and Thundercloud that during the meeting they should attack and kill those who are close to exposing this crime ring they have. And when they find out Hoot and Betty have rode off Hampton sends men to go and get them.

As Hoot and Betty are riding he catches on that they are now being followed and tries to come up with an idea to loss their soon to be attackers, he even had Betty split off so that it would be harder for the bad guys to track them. And Betty outsmarts her followers and heads toward the fort, while Hoot as well makes his trackers look silly as he gets the jump on them and even steals their horses, leaving them walking back to town. Hampton and Duke’s attempt to stop Betty and Hoot was a failure. While back in town Ken gets on top of the roofs and makes his way to Hampton’s Indian Agent Post as the front door was heavily guarded. Once inside the office of Hampton he locks the door and starts snooping around and taking evidence, but is caught when Hampton comes from behind the bookcase and a fight breaks out alerting his men who arrive to late as Ken escapes and Hampton is knocked out.

Ken goes to the Sheriff with the evidence he has found about Hampton and his men stealing cattle from the tribe during delivery, and Hoot finds that the Chief has not been happy as they are promised lots and always delivered little by the white man. And when Hoot returns to town they all agree that Hampton is the man behind cheating the tribe and that he as well has been hiding and working alongside Duke Dillon and they now have one day to make things right with the tribe before a war breaks out. And the whole time they talk Thundercloud is at the window listening to the plan and figures out that he as well has been lied to by Hampton, and once back at his office he is knocked out and taken away by Hampton’s men. Meanwhile Ken, Hoot, Sheriff Ken, Eagle Eye and the two deputies are going to try and bluff until the Calvary arrives that Betty has went to fetch.

Hampton gets all his men ready for a gunfight as Duke now just wants his money so that he can skip town and be away from all this madness, but Hampton refuses and now he is stuck at the post. And now Eagle Eye and Sheriff Ken have also went to go get Chief Barking Fox to bring him to town as well to not only even the odds but to expose the scam that Hampton has been pulling on them. As Hampton empties his safe Duke takes out his gun and shoots Hampton and steals the money and tries to make his escape. And as Duke rides away he is spotted by Ken and Hoot who give chase and in turn Hampton’s men as well start to chase the other men. Duke gets off his horse and hides in the rocks as Ken and Hoot follow and try to get him to give up, but then things get worse as many of Hampton’s men show up guns ready and a shootout starts with Ken and Hoot being badly out numbered and out gunned, but just on time arrives the Calvary and during this gun fight even Duke is hit by a bullet and wounded badly. And when the Sheriff, Eagle Eye and The Chief join the fight its over as Hampton’s henchmen surrender, and when Ken and Hoot make it to Duke he dies. In the end the tribe and the town have peace and after chatting at the jail with Sheriff Ken, Betty and Eagle Eye our heroes Ken and Hoot then set out for more adventures.

Review: You can tell from the start that “The Law Rides Again” was made on a very cheap budget as very little gunfights breakout and the cast is kept pretty small as are the locations used. The pairing of Ken and Hoot is fun to watch, and while they are the heroes of the story and do lots of heroic and brave things, they also oddly have a comedy aspect to them that made me as the viewer take them not as serious as I should. It’s almost like they wanted to make a western comedy but got cold feet and just decided on a normal production. Ken Maynard is a good actor but for some reason in this movie for me he just did not pack that leading man punch that one would think of when it came to these classic western films, as just something was lacking in his performance and I think it was making his character have confidence. Hoot Gibson does a pretty good job of being the sidekick character who has good ideas and in the final gunfight shows that he might been the more skilled of the two heroes as his bullets save Ken twice from dying. I like the character of Betty Conway played by Betty Miles, a beautiful stagecoach driver who it appears could by all means take care of herself and I wish they would have allowed her to take part in the gun fight at the end of the film. And speaking of that gun fight, I wish there was a little more to it most of the take it was just characters firing the guns with close ups and once and awhile one of the actors would act as if they got hit by a bullet, and both of our films villains Duke Dillon and John Hampton meet their end with Hamptons being a good death for a cheat while I felt Duke’s was a little lacking. As far as bad guys go in these old western films, I would say that both Duke and Hampton are pretty dang good as Duke is just sneaky and Hampton is a full fledge conman. Plus the subplot of the Tribe attacking wagon trains and white men on their land should have been a bigger part as having them even attack the town in revenge for being cheated would have been a great touch. While this film does have many flaws it also has many charms as I felt the acting was good for the time, the fist fights were very cheesy and glorious and the fast pace and focus on our two heroes made for an enjoyable watch. And while not a classic by any means, fans of Ken Maynard and or Hoot Gibson will surly enjoy this one. I was really torn on what star rating to give this one as my gut was saying it was a *1/2 to ** star at best film, but the entertainment it gave me on a cold winters day in 2022 made me bump it up to the rating you will see it got below and yes I know I am being generous. Also the DVD print from Alpha Video is ok and while it does have a few audio and picture issues, they just added to the charm.

Now onto the Café Zupas Chicken Enchilada Chili first thing I have to say is that while cooking in the crockpot it had a great smell to it that filled the house and both Juliet and I thought so. Now for the test of the chili I can say it really does taste like a Chicken Enchilada that was blended up and made into a chili type soup. The tastes are bold but not like your normal chili taste, as the enchilada sauce is very powerful with each bite and it kind of over powers the dish. But the mix of chicken, corn and black beans do as well add to the taste and texture and helps take your tongue to the chili comfort food zone. While not as hearty as I like my chili, this one was an above average bowl that had some unique elements that made for a tasty meal.

Movie: **1/2
Chili: **1/2

Well that was some tasty chili and a fun and entertaining classic western movie featuring Hoot Gibson and Ken Maynard, two icons of the western genre, and again while flawed the movie really was a fun watch. As you can see, the camp fire is going out and the bright stars are filling the night sky and that means its time for us to hit the dusty old trail but before we do, I would like to let you know that our next update will be taking us back to the world of Pro Wrestling and will also kick off our WrestleMania month as we will have three updates all based on R.I.W Wrestling Legends with the first one being about Big John Studd, who is one of my all time favorite big man wrestlers and then you will have to wait and see who the second Legend is we cover! So until then, read a Western comic or three, watch a western film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update at the Rotten Ink Arena for a body slam challenge.

The Wild West Detective Known As Shotgun Slade!

Posted on March 3, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! You know what, I am thinking this month will be Cowboy Month. We will take a look at all things Wild West and that includes a cowboy-themed wrestler, but first let’s start off with a TV Show that turned the normal western formula upside down and added its own touch to the then-growing stale genre by sprinkling in jazz and private detective plots. Of course you fans of TV know that I am talking about Shotgun Slade, a syndicated show that entertained viewers for a few years and left its mark on the western genre for trying to be something original. So if you are ready, let’s hit the dusty, inky comic book western trail and go on a case with the wild west private detective known as Shotgun Slade!

Shotgun Slade was a TV Western show that was syndicated starting in 1959. It was created by Frank Gruber and starred Scott Brady as the title character Shotgun Slade. The story would follow Shotgun Slade as he would try and solve crimes in the old west mixing the detective genre with the western, and this was a smart move as western shows was starting to lose viewers as detective shows was gaining in popularity. The episodes ran about 30 minutes each, and the show lasted for two seasons and a total of 78 episodes. It was a decent success in the ratings and had its fair share of viewers who enjoyed going along with Shotgun Slade as he solved crimes. The show would also have its fair share of guest stars with most being known for their roles in other western themed shows and movies. Names like Francis X. Bushman, Jeanne Cooper, Frank Ferguson and Brett King to name a few appeared in episodes. One other thing that made Shotgun Slade stand out is that the score music done by Gerald Fried had a jazz sound and wqas not your typical western style. This made viewers take notice of this very odd western show. Over the years Shotgun Slade has slipped away from being one of the well known shows in the western genre as it does not get much play in reruns, but it does have a cult following and those who remember or discover it seem to truly enjoy it.

Shotgun Slade is a show that I had heard of but never paid much attention to as I had seen the Dell Comic before as well as other merchandise at garage sales and antique malls and for some reason just never tracked down the show to give it a watch. That is crazy because, as you readers know, I am a fan of westerns in all forms of media from novels, comics, movies and shows and Shotgun Slade sounds like it would be up my ally. I have no excuse on why it has taken me so long to give it a watch. But I was really happy to find out that Alpha Video, who you all know is the company I love and use their prints of films in my “Wild West Round Up” Reviews (so make sure to give War On The Range a read if you haven’t yet), had released three volumes of DVDs featuring episodes of the show, and of course I had to get them and watch, and I have to say this show is lots of fun. The Shotgun Slade character is very cool and draws you in as a viewer as you go along with him on his case and try to piece together who are the crooks and who even hired him from time to time. I will say that the jazz soundtrack does set it apart form other western shows, but at times it also is kind of distracting and reminded me of some of the music cues used in the 1960’s Batman TV Show starting Adam West. After watching several episodes I have to say I really like the show as each episode flows well and the cases he takes are interesting and kept me wanting to see how he was going to solve them. Very cool and original concept by creator Frank Gruber and Scott Brady was the right choice to play Shotgun Slade, and with that I say if you like westerns, like detective shows and enjoy classic television make sure to go and get yourself these DVDs or heck look up episodes on YouTube and enjoy this fun and should not be forgotten show.

Now let’s talk about the character Shotgun Slade, who is a private detective who for the right price you can hire and he will crack any case. He was always armed with his trusty shotgun that had barrels stacked with one firing a 12-gauge shell and the other .32 caliber bullet making his gun very effective in any situation, and yes he is skilled with it. Because he was a detective for hire, this caused him to travel a lot and meet, friend and fight with many people along the way. He is super smart and uses not only his fist fighting and gun skills on his cases but also his mind to blend in and get the information he is looking for to solve his case. He is strong willed and when need be he also can be a smartass or even tough as nails. Shotgun Slade is played by actor Scott Brady, who was a big actor for many years and was even in such Horror Films as “Castle Of Evil (1966)”, “The Mighty Gorga (1969)”, “Nightmare In Wax (1969)”, “The Ice House (1969)”, “Five Bloody Graves (1969)”, “Wicked, Wicked (1973)”, “The Night Strangler (1973)” and “Gremlins (1984)” but he was mostly known for his roles in the western genre. Sadly Scott Bradley would pass away from respiratory failure at the age of 60 in 1985. And one thing about Scott is that he was a good character actor that I think is often over looked for his roles in Horror. But to sum it up, Shotgun Slade is a very cool character who is one part cowboy and one part private detective.

Like all good TV Western shows, Shotgun Slade had his fair share of merchandise for fans to collect that includes comic book, home media, board game, soundtrack and a toy shotgun replica of his famous weapon. And oddly enough that is pretty much it, and Shotgun Slade never got an action figure or even a lunchbox. But while limited on what fans could get their hands on, as you can see, some cool stuff over the years have been made available. And for those wondering, I own the comic, home media and the soundtrack on CD of Shotgun Slade. So if you are a fan, you can add to your collection by tracking down any of this cool stuff.

After doing the research and watching Shotgun Slade episodes as well as listening to the score music, I am very much looking forward to reading this comic book based on the character released by Dell Comics as this will be a first time read for me. And that’s something I might be doing more of in the future here at Rotten Ink is tracking down some of these old Dell Comics based on old TV Westerns and doing updates based around them as I have been trying to get the complete run of The Rifleman for a while now as that is one of my favorite shows of all time and needs to be covered here. I want to thank the Ebay seller who had this comic in stock and made this update possible and I also want to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So with that lets head out to the old west and see what kind of case Shotgun Slade has to crack in this one and only comic book adventure.

Shotgun Slade # 1 ***1/2
Released in 1960 Cover Price .10 Dell Comics # 1111 of 1354

“Outpost Outlaws” Shotgun Slade has been hired by The Shannon Stage Line by it’s owner Beth Shannon and arrives just in time as he watches as outlaws are robbing a stage coach and even shoot the driver Beth herself after she sees one of the outlaws face and that being Ben Watson. The outlaws escape as Slade is able to check on Beth who survived the shot and tells him that Ben hangs around the general store with the owner Jess and that her father also hangs around there as well to play checkers all day. Slade heads to town and goes to the general store and takes Ben Watson to jail, and unknown to him one of the outlaws sneaks out the back and threatens Beth with killing her father if she identifies Ben as one of the coach robbers! Ben ends up walking free and Beth lets Slade go from the case, but her father hires him back and its shown that Jess is the mastermind of the stage coach robberies and now he and his outlaws have a plan to flee the town, but before they do so they take Beth’s father hostage! Slade figures this all out and brings down Jess and the outlaws before they can run, gets Beth her money back as well as brings her and her father closer. “Cowtown” Slade has been hired by the Cattlemen’s Association in order to look into a rash of cattle thefts that has hurt many of the ranches, and before he can even reach the town to check in he is attacked by a unknown gunman who ends up loosing the back of his boot given Slade his first clue. Once in town he gets some rest and meets the Association who hired him including Will Lundeen a very rude rancher who is not happy to see Slade, cause as you guessed it he and his men are behind the cattle thefts! Slade while piecing the case together even finds an old mine shaft that the rustlers are using to move the stolen cows. And after going through the mine Slade finds that it leads to Lundeen’s ranch and he is able to make the arrest and solving the case of the stolen cows.

This is a really fun comic and does a pretty great job of capturing the nature of the show as the only thing missing is the western jazz music! This comic has two cases for Shotgun Slade one that has him bringing down some outlaws who are robbing stage coaches and the other has him stopping some cattle rustlers and along the way he charms pretty ladies as well as uses his awesome special shotgun to bring justice. Shotgun Slade is great at his job and finds the clues and solves the cases fast and is able to bring all the criminals to justice without having to kill them, but he does have to at times use his shotgun to wound them. The main bad guys in this comic are Jess a man who runs a general store but is also the leader of outlaws who rob stage coaches of their money, and he and his men do not care to take lives in order to get the money they seek. Will Lundeen is the other who is a ranch owner who along with his hired hands are stealing the cows from their fellow ranchers in town, and he as well does not mind sending his goons to kill. The cover for this issue is pretty cool and eye catching for fans of the show as it’s a promo photo used for the show set to a green background. The interior art is done by an Unknown Artist and is pretty great stuff as it has the typical Dell Comics look and style and Shotgun Slade kind of looks like the actor who played him on the show. Over all this is a great western comic based on a very underrated TV Show and is one that you should check out if you like the show or just western comics in general.

Shotgun Slade is a great TV Show that made for a great comic book as well and I am shocked that this show is not talked about to this day as it was very original and highly entertaining. And I myself would love if the missing episodes could be found and if it could be released as the whole series on home media, as I would buy it! But with our next update we keep the Cowboy Theme up and will next head back to the world of Pro Wrestling and be talking about Cowboy Bob Ellis! So until next time read a western comic or three, watch a western film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for a rootin tootin good time in the squared circle.

Rotten Ink That’s Where You’ll Find Diver Dan!

Posted on November 9, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! Are you as shocked as I am that we are already in November 2022? This year has flown by and crazy to think Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away! The 10 Year Anniversary for this blog has been in full effect and we have looked at many classic things that I am sure brought back memories for many of you readers as well as maybe even acted as you first introduction to some of the update topics, and todays update is one that many of you might have grown up watching while others of you reading have no idea about and that is Diver Dan a very cool and yet also cheesy kids show from the 1960’s and when chosen topics for this year I just knew he had to be one of them. As I did not grow up watching Diver Dan but once I was introduced to the show I quickly became a fan and knew we had to go on a deep-sea dive adventure with him! So lets get our deep dive suits on and check our oxygen tanks as its time to enter the water and see what we can find.

Diver Dan was created by cartoonist J. Anthony Ferlaine in 1960 as a spin off of his comic strip “Fish Tales” and was the show was made by Brian Cartoons, and distributed by ITC Entertainment and was aired mostly on NBC stations during its original run. And each episode ran around seven minutes long and it would normally be paired with other cartoons like Felix The Cat and be apart of children shows that were hosted. The show would have 104 episodes and would last until 1970 given it a good ten year run. The under water scenes were shot through an aquarium with the fish on the showing being a mix of real ones as well as puppets that was mostly voiced by Allen Swift who also played the voices of the Narrator and the off screen character Captain Murphy. The lovely Suzanne Turner played the mermaid Miss Minerva. Diver Dan was very well loved by young viewers and would even have many years life after it ended thanks to reruns. And while Diver Dan was not for everyone as lots of kids wanted animated shows and not live action ones, it’s legacy of being a beloved 1960’s kids show is still strong and was one of the favorites shows of my Ex-Girlfriends dad who is the one that introduced me to the show. The show can be found originally on grey market VHS tapes and now can be found on DVD via Alpha Video as well as other budget labels and can also be watched on YouTube. I also have to point out that the shows theme is very cool and catchy, look it up and give it a listen and see what you think.

Diver Dan is a deep-sea diver who is studying fish and is a good guy and a hero to the aquatic life that makes up the waters he is in. A true good guy character who is likeable and noble and is truly that classic kid show standard of who you should grow up to be like. Diver Dan was played by actor Frank D Freda who was known for being a writer for the animated show “The Smokey Bear Show” as well was Ronald McDonald in some early McDonalds commercials. He was also a Broadway actor and was a sales person for HBO and Cellphones and is the first person to cell a car cell phone in New York. But back to Diver Dan who 100% is a true iconic character in the world of kid shows and has inspired many people over the decades to be a good person, to want to study bodies of water and fish and even helped fuel creative minds. On a side note I would love to see Diver Dan return to TV and do it as the next generation and the show could follow his Grandson who has followed in his grandfathers footsteps and is going on adventures in the same sea. Also if he was in public domain I would totally write a comic mini series based on Diver Dan for Sparkle Comics!

Ok lets take a moment to chat about Miss Minerva the blonde mermaid who was friends to the fishes and would keep her distant from Dan who she just would call The Diver. She as I said was played by actress Suzanne Turner who was a very good stage actress as she was featured in the play “Auntie Mame” and as for other TV or Movie roles she had no other as Diver Dan was he only work in that field. Miss Minerva had long blonde hair and would wear a crown and speak to the fish who would warn her of the dangers coming or tell what they have seen. She was a kind mermaid who would watch after her friends as well was the target sometimes of the fish of the ocean that are not so kind. After he work on Diver Dan not much else is known about Suzanne Turner as she seemed to drop off from acting, and during her time on the show she was the crush of many young viewers. And when trying to look up information on her it looks like she might have passed away, but sadly not much is out there about her after the show ended.

The shows two main baddies was the fishes Baron Barracuda and Trigger Fish who acted as stooges and help set up the dastardly plots the plans they had cooked up in their cave hideout by Teetering Rock. You see even in the deep ocean we have gangsters that want to cause harm to the people or should I say ocean dwellers. They are your typical kid show baddies as they have silly plans to just ruin peoples fun and to cause just annoyance to all around them. And to be honest the show really needed Baron Barracuda and Trigger Fish to add that villain element to the show and they both are the spice needed to make the show more enjoyable.

Diver Dan like all good kids shows of the time had lots of amazing merchandise for fans to collect and own! Besides the comic books they made a board game, vinyl record, coloring book, fanzines and later episodes was released on DVD and before that on VHS with many of those being from the grey market. I think the odd thing about all this is that Diver Dan never got an action figure and I for one think he should have. And thinking about it Super7 should do a Diver Dan ReAction figure and Funko should do a Pop! of Diver Dan as well as Clutch Cargo. But if you are a fan of Diver Dan there is some cool stuff for you to collect and I myself besides the comics own the DVD sets from Alpha Video.

So now that we have chatted about Diver Dan and the characters that made up his show as well as the merchandise he spawned I think we should now move onto his comic adventures and see what Dell Comics has in store for him. I also want to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So if you are ready like I am lets go on a deep dive adventure with the one and only Diver Dan!

Diver Dan # 1 **1/2
Released in 1962 Cover Price .15 Dell Comics # 1254 of 1354

Diver Dan is helping Miss Minerva and the fish to set up and have a Masquerade Ball, and as they all go to get ready Baron and Trigger as well as Rocky who is the nephew of Trigger go to the party and break everything down and destroy things as they have a plan to finally take down Diver Dan. When Minerva, Diver Dan and the fish return to find the party ruined they are sad as the ball seems like it will not be taking place, but our dastardly fish baddies show back up dressed up pretending to be party goers and acted shocked that the party has been attacked, and suggests a new location that they have a trap set at via a octopus. When Diver Dan and the party guests get there they set back up as Baron and Trigger even try to get Dan in trouble with his Captain when they snap a picture of Diver Dan and Minerva with the party lights behind them and deliver it above to the Captain who is mad as Dan is supposed to be looking for hidden treasure. But when Baron and Trigger’s plan goes wrong and the octopus gets trapped they decided to try and kidnap a young female fish and get ransom for her safe return, but that backfires when Rocky returns her to her friends and the baddies are chased off by Rocky’s angry mother. And the Ball happens and all are happy as Diver Dan wonders off to find the treasure.

This first issue of Diver Dan is really a kid friendly fun read that has Diver Dan in trouble with his boss as well as trying to help his fish friends to get a Masquerade Ball to happen after it was sabotaged. Diver Dan is a good spirited human who does what he can to bring joy to all his friends that live in the waters and is helping set up a party when he is being paid to find a treasure, and this fact also gets him in trouble with his boss and Dan still just continues to help his fish friends and even gets his boss on the boat to send down a camera! The one flaw of Diver Dan in this issue is that he is way to trusting as he does not see that Baron and Trigger are right in front of him luring them all to a trap and dismisses the concerns of fellow fish who alert him that they think the two are at the Ball! Baron and Trigger are such fishy little jerks as they get joy of breaking and ripping down the Ball decorations all because they want to lure everyone into a trap, and for what reason…cause they dislike Diver Dan and want to ruin his day. Sadly mermaid Miss Minerva really does not do much in this issue and that stinks, but the one thing they do show is that almost all the fish respect and love her. The story is as basic as can be and is very much kid friendly and the message is being mean, a trickster and bad never pays out and that good will always find a way and that friendship and community is important. And with a few odd elements like Dan and Minerva being around each other when in the show that was not the case for the most part, I do feel that it captures the mood and feeling of the show. The cover is great and features Diver Dan, Baron and Trigger and is eye catching for fans of the show, and the interior art is done by an Unknown Artist and is really good and has that classic Dell look but I think this is even slightly better art then the average Dell Comic. Over all I would say this is a super fun and silly Kid Comic read that does Diver Dan justice, and I am very much looking forward to reading the next issue.

Diver Dan # 2 ***
Released in 1962 Cover Price .15 Dell Comics # 2 of 1

Carolos is leading a band of gypsy fish to find a new queen as his daughter the current one has been kidnapped and Baron and Trigger send them the way of Minerva and the gypsies have chosen her to be the new Queen, and without telling her this news they set up a show for the area to enjoy first, and with tea they knock out Minerva by acting as if they are reading her fortune and flee fast from the area. But not before Carlos also hypnotizes Baron into being a nicer fish to others after he and Trigger tried to rob his wagon. The fish go and get Diver Dan in order to save Minerva and he along the way runs into Baron who goes along to help. But before Minerva can be made Queen the old one shows up as she has escaped and her captor a fellow bands Prince who is after her as he wants to marry her! The gypsies would rather have Minerva as the Queen but after some arguments she is able to kind of get away and to Diver Dan. In the end Baron gets punched by accident when Carlos and the Prince get into a fight and this snaps him out of his trance, and as Diver Dan and Minerva get away the Queen and Prince ride off and Trigger is almost forced into marriage before Baron saves him.

This second issue of Diver Dan is one great read as it has a fun kid friendly story, the artwork is fantastic and I feel that it did a great job of capturing the feel of the show its based on. This one has a band of gypsy fish kidnapping Minerva to make her their Queen, only for Diver Dan and the unlikely ally of Baron coming to her rescue. This issue also is mostly about the mermaid Minerva as she is the target of the gypsy and is the one who has to try and tell them she does not want to be anyone’s Queen and that her home is were she is at in the ocean, I also like that even with her kidnappers she tries to be kind and not hurt their feelings as while they did something bad they are more misguided then evil. Baron and Trigger as well have bigger parts as the Baron is under the trance he turns into a good guy and forces his goofy henchman to go along with him. The Gypsies are cool characters who have Queens and Kings and will do sneaky things in order to honor their culture, but as I have stated I do not feel its to be mean. Diver Dan kind of takes a backseat in this issue as he does not come around until the end of the comic and even then he does very little and I like that as this gave other characters from the show a little time to shine and be the focus of a story that was really entertaining. I also have to say that the cover for this issue is great and features both Diver Dan and Minerva and is super eye catching for fans of the show. The interior art is done by Sal Trapani and is 100% fantastic and he captures the characters likeness so well. Over all a great series Diver Dan was and it’s a shame that the comic series only lasted two issues as it should have lasted way longer on the comic racks as well as on TV. Check out the artwork bellow as I think it showcases the work that went into this series.

Diver Dan is one of those classic 1960’s kids shows that I feel just never gets the respect in these modern times like it should as it was a simple concept that made oceans, fish and a deep sea diver cool! And sadly in 2022 I am sure many of you younger readers have never heard of Diver Dan and his show and I hope this update has at least sparked your interest in getting the Alpha Video or Digiview releases or even look them up on YouTube. That is one thing that I hope that Rotten Ink is able to do and that’s help keep vintage and old school stuff like this alive and not only bring joy to fans who remember but also I hope bring new fans into the topic. And with that said I would like to let you know that Rotten Ink’s 10 Year Celebration continues as we head back to the Rotten Ink Theater to chat about Silent Cinema and it will be 1921’s one time lost German classic “The Island Of Lost”! So until next time read a indie comic or three, watch a Diver Dan episode or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you soon and make sure to be ready to travel to an island filled with mystery and horror!

Forgotten Reels: The Lost World (1925)

Posted on September 13, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Forgotten Reels is a new update theme here at Rotten Ink and will take us to the Rotten Ink Theater to sit around and talk about Silent Cinema! As I am sure you all know by now, I am a major fan of all types of films and genres, but did you know that I am a huge fan of Silent Films? And when it comes to Silent Horror Films as well as Silent Science Fiction films, I am a major geek for them and have been trying to figure out a way to cover them here on Rotten Ink and thanks to the success of the “Wild West Round Up” updates I have found the formatting that would work to share my love for them! When covering the Silent Films, I am also going to cover a different bag of my favorite kind of snack food and I am talking about potato chips! And like before, I will be given a star rating to both the film and the chips. For these Forgotten Reels updates I will be covering releases from companies like Alpha Video, Grapevine Video, Creature Feature Video and Madacy Entertainment. And yes, I know that Kino Lorber and Criterion a lot of the times has the way better prints that have been restored and re-mastered, I just feel that the companies above have the look and quality I remember seeing these types of films for the first time as a kid. I also want to give my friend and amazing artist Jason Gilmore a big thank you for the Forgotten Reels logo that will be used for these Silent Film themed updates. Oh, I almost forgot the first film we will be covering for Forgotten Reels is a real classic in cinema as it’s the 1925 film The Lost World! So let’s find our seats and get ready to talk some Silent Cinema!

The Lost World is a 1925 film that was based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and was released by First National Pictures and had a budget of $700,000. Harry O. Hoyt was brought on the production to direct as he was the man in the director chair for such films as “The Moth (1917)”, “The Rider Of The King Log (1921)” and “Sundown (1924)” to name a few, and they had screenwriter Marion Fairfax in to adapt the novel for screen as she had a long history of being behind the pen for many classic silent films. The film brought in classic actors like Wallace Beery, Bessie Love, Arthur Hoyt and Bull Montana to fill roles, and the film is considered one of the first in cinema to use stop motion special effects. Willis O’Brien, the godfather of this style, was the man behind these amazing dinosaur effects, and he is one of the all time great effects masters and would go on to work on the 1933 King Kong among many other iconic films of cinema. The dinosaurs of the film were based on the artwork of Charles R. Knight and decades after the film, it’s said that Forrest J. Ackerman had many of the O’Brien models in his private collection. Ackerman was a true lover of classic Horror and Sci-Fi cinema and saved many items like them from being lost to time. The river scenes of the film were said to be shot behind MGM studios in an open sewer area, or so the Hollywood story goes. Another great story about The Lost World is that in 1922 Conan Doyle showed a ton of magicians including Harry Houdini test footage of O’Brien’s dinosaurs and would not tell the origins of the footage while they all viewed it and they as well as the press was said to have been blown away by the effects. The film over the years is said to have made $1.3 million dollars and was the first film to be shown on a flight in 1925 via a nitrate film reels and is as well what kicked off the dinosaur movie craze that is still going to this day. Over the years some prints of the film have fallen into the Public Domain and have been shown on many Horror Host programs as well can be found on many budget VHS, DVD and on YouTube. And over the years Lost World has had some lost footage found as well as has been re-mastered.

The chips I chose to pair with this film are “Grippo’s Bar-B-Q,” a chip that I have loved since I was a young kid and a potato chip company from the great state of Ohio. Growing up as a kid, popcorn, Andy Capp’s Hot Fries and potato chips were the snacks of choice for my brother and I as we watched USA Saturday Nightmares or WWF Monday Night Raw, and one of our favorites hands down when it came to chips was always Grippo’s! You see my father has always worked in the grocery business and he would from time to time bring home different styles of snack food for not only him to eat but also for my brother and I to try, and Grippo’s was always a popular eat at our house during movie and TV watching. Grippo’s started in 1919 and is based out of Cincinnati, Ohio and was founded by Angelo Grippo. The company over the years has made all types of snack foods from Pretzels, Sugar Cones and their most popular item is Potato Chips that comes in many flavors from the overly popular BBQ as well as Cheddar, Salt & Vinegar as well as a few others. Grippo’s is still going strong to this day and so many of my friends love these chips. Below is a shot of a freshly opened bag so that you can see these BBQ Grippo’s in their natural habitat.

Forgotten Reels is a themed update that will be sticking around for a very long time here on Rotten Ink as being able to share my thought and the wonders of Silent Films is something that I really like to do! And I will be grading both the film and the chips on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film rating, I am basing it on a scale that is for silent films of all budgets and eras. So sit back in your theater seat, grab some chips and a soda and let’s travel to The Lost World with Alpha Video. And yes, the stills used in this review update are indeed taken from the Alpha Video print and the DVD that I own.

Lost World
Starring: Wallace Beery and Bessie Love Directed: Harry O. Hoyt
Not Rated 1925 63min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

We open in the office of the London Record Journal, and the Editor is upset as he has just gotten word that Professor Challenger is going to sue them over the paper doubting his story of living dinosaurs, and they are also worried, as Challenger has attacked three reporters just that day! In order to get the interview with Challenger, they send eager reporter Edward Malone who stumbles into the editor’s office and has to hurry to Zoological Hall to cover a lecture that Challenger is giving and try to score the sit down interview for the paper, as well as sneak in as reporters are banned from the lecture. At the Hall many people are in line for the lecture including Sir John Roxton who is an explorer and hunter who wants to disprove Challenger’s claim of dinosaurs. And it seems like many of those attending are there to mock Challenger and his claims. Malone is able to easily get into the lecture thanks to Roxton who brings him in on his pass. As he starts the crowd mocks Challenger, who in turn wants to get a committee and a group together to head to the Amazon and to this Lost World with him! And some in the crowd who believe and disbelieve take him up on this chance to see the Dinosaurs and they are Professor Summerlee, John Roxton and Edward Malone. But when Malone alerts Challenger of his profession, the Professor goes into a rage and tries to attack the young man and chaos breaks out. And Challenger, mad that a reporter got in, returns to his home.

As Professor Challenger gets home for the night, still mad over the lecture, he soon finds that Edward Malone has entered his home via a window, as he would like to talk to the Professor and says that he really needs to go on the expedition in order to impress his fiancé who will not marry him until he faces a major challenge, and this means nothing to Challenger who attacks Malone and they two fight and struggle so much that they end up in the street! A Police Cop witnesses the fight and when Malone refuses to press charges and even takes blame for the fight, Challenger ends up listening to Malone when he finds out that he is also close friends with Sir John Roxton. Once inside the parlor, Challenger has his butler call upon Miss Paula White, and also Roxton comes to the house and they talk about the diary of Maple White and as Paula shows up the story of the Lost World that is populated with Dinosaurs is discussed. Paula explains how her father discovered a plateau in the Amazon alone as she was back at camp sick from a fever, and as she speaks Malone flips through the pages of the diary and sees the explorers drawings of Dinosaurs that he said he saw! And then Paula claims that she has seen them herself and that her father is lost on that plateau as his crew left him behind in fear of the beasts. And as they talk, Mrs. Challenger enters the parlor and is upset that her husband has kicked out everyone up to this point has come to the house to help. Edward Malone then comes up with the idea to get the paper to pay for the rescue mission as he can pass it off as a good human-interest story as they might think that the talk of Dinosaurs is fake but saving an explorer in a exclusive story they would bite on. Challenger agrees to this pitch and everyone is happy. Malone asks Roxton to go talk to the editor with him, and before they leave Roxton tells Paula that he is going on this mission for her. Paula looks both happy and taken back by this, but is happy they help is on its way for her father.

The London Record Journal funds the rescue mission and Professor Challenger, Sir John Roxton, Professor Summerlee, Paula White, Austin and Edward Malone meet up with some natives and boat down the river to the secret location deep in the Amazon. Once they reach the plateau they all make camp and Malone is writing to his editor as everyone else is enjoying the rest and wildlife around the area. But watching them is a strange apeman who is monstrous in nature and watches and Roxton talks of how Paula said her father used a fallen tree in order to get to the plateau and Challenger says in the morning they will knock down another tree and get across. The apeman then pushes a bolder off the cliff and tries to crush the rescue party, his attack fails and causes the men to look around and they see a massive Pterodactyl flying around and then landing and eating, and Challenger then declares that everything in Maple’s diary is true.

The next morning Challenger leads them to the top of the plateau and chops down another tree to make a bridge across a cliff and while doing all this dinosaurs start to pay attention to the noises being made by these human invaders. One by one they cross the fallen tree and then watch as a Brontosaurus feeds on leaves. They are scared and yet also so amazed by this sight. The massive creature then does the unthinkable and knocks their tree bridge off the cliff and causing them all to be stuck now. All the while back at the camp native Zambo with his pet monkey Jocko and Austin, the butler of Challenger watch on and are helpless to save them from being stranded.

As night falls, the group starts a fire to stay warm and try and come up with a plan, and unknown to them the apeman once more is watching them this time from the trees. Malone heads to Paula and tries to find out what is on her mind. She tells of the worry she has that something bad has happened to her father as she feels he would have made his way to the fire if he was still alive. Malone tries to comfort her as Roxton watches on and is not pleased that someone else talking to the woman he loves. But before anything else can be said, the whole group gets a scare as a T-Rex appears and attacks and kills another dinosaur before their eyes. They then watch as the T-Rex’s path of murder doesn’t stop as it goes after a Tyrannosaurus and its baby. He fails in his attempt to kill and gets a horn would to his side that makes him even more mad as he heads out into the jungle and into the camp! Challenger and Roxton armed with rifles open fire on the T-Rex and Malone throws a lit torch at it scaring it off and back into a battle with a Tyrannosaurus. As the group then finally spots the apeman and Roxton shoots him in the arm scaring him away. Meanwhile the T-Rex kills the Tyrannosaurus as well as then kills a Pterodactyl. Meanwhile at the base camp, Zambo and Jocko are drinking water when Austin has an idea that they can make a giant rope from the hammocks and have Jocko climb the mountain plateau to give it to them.

After all the excitement of the T-Rex attack, Challenger and the group find a cave to seek shelter in from the craziness of the jungle. They decided that this cave would be their home until they are saved or for the rest of their lives and then Challenger tries to design a catapult weapon out of bent down trees in order to fight off dinosaurs. While in the cave Roxton is looking around and finds a skeleton of a human that has a locket, and inside that locket is a picture of Paula…the hunter thinks he has found the remains of her father Maple White, he then also finds an open at the back of the cave that leads straight down the mountain and fires his gun and gets the attention of Austin and Zambo who yell back and fourth with Raxton that they will be turning the rope into a ladder and will send Jacko up with it in the morning, but the monkey needs to see Paula to make the climb. Meanwhile alone in a part of the cave Malone tells Paula that he loves her, and is breaking his promise to his fiancé as he wants to be with her. Roxton walks in on the two embracing and sharing loving words, Malone informs his friend that he and Paula are going to marry each other in the cave as Summerlee was once a minister before he was a professor and goes off to find him. As Roxton says he needs to tell Paula something very important.

In the jungle Challenger and Summerlee are watching a Brontosaurus feed and are following it, as back in the cave Raxton gives Paula the locket and tells her the bad news of her father’s death. The T-Rex shows up once again and this time goes after the Brontosaurus and knocks the massive creature over the cliff, the T-Rex is mad that he did not get to eat his victim and wonders off into the jungle. Meanwhile in another cave the apeman along with his chimpanzee friend sulk over the humans being around and him being wounded by a bullet. Paula and Raxon are waiting for the others to return as they have been gone for hours now and they are worried, but Raxton tells her they must wait for them in order to lead them to the cave opening so they can all escape. And also a volcano on the plateau is about to erupt adding more danger for Challenger and his crew as the lava starts to flow the dinosaurs start to stampede and it’s making it hard for Challenger, Summerlee and Malone to get back to the cave for shelter. The T-Rex is attacking his fellow fleeing dinosaurs as fire is breaking out all around in the jungle! And they are finally able to make their way to the cave as the volcano calms down and the fires stop and the dinosaurs go back to their normal lives.

Back in the cave Raxton shows Paula the opening as she calls for Jocko, the little monkey, who with the ladder makes his way up the mountain to get to her, and does so delivering their way to escape the Lost World. The Brontosaurus who fell from the cliff is shown to be alive and stuck in mud, and it’s the mud that spared its life and cushioned the landing. With the ladder now in place Paula White starts making her way down the mountain, Jocko the monkey is next, then Professor Summerlee, Professor Challenger, Edward Malone and lastly Sir John Roxton gets on the ladder. But the apeman and his chimpanzee friend and a score to settle with Roxton and they start to pull the ladder up with him still on it as his friends below try to pull it back down, but the apeman is just too strong. They fire a rifle up at the mountain and hit apeman in the chest and Roxton makes it down to land safe. As they are heading away from the mountain, Challenger spots the wounded Brontosaurus and with the help of Major Hiddard of Brazilian Geodetic they get the dinosaur out of the mud in a month’s time with a one-way ticket to London.

In London Professor Challenger is giving another lecture to a roomful of people and he tells them that they are brining a living Brontosaurus to London and that reporter Edward Malone is on the ship that is bringing the creature to them in mere moments. Challenger then gets a phone call from Malone who informs the professor that during unloading at the dock the straps on the cage broke and now the Brontosaurus is loose in the streets and causing panic and chaos. In the streets people are running and driving away in fear as the dinosaur is on a rampage. Challenger tells the crowd at the lecture to stay inside as his dinosaur is free in the streets, and the crowd starts to think that this is a scam and begin to boo and turn on Challenger who they think is a liar. All the while the Brontosaurus is stomping around the city causing destruction and ends up on the London Bridge and it ends up breaking under its weight and it falls into the water and swims away. After the dinosaur is gone Paula and Malone come together and Roxton pushes his feelings for her aside and is happy for the couple. And Professor Challenger sits on the bridge and watches as his dinosaur fades away into the horizon.

Review: The Lost World is a truly amazing early cinema film that allowed the team of Harry O. Hoyt and Marion Fairfax to truly bring the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to life on the big screen and offered thrills, chills to movie goers who left the theater wondering if they had just seen footage of real dinosaurs! The film really focuses on reporter Edward Malone and his quest to cover the big story of the lost world as well as him falling in love with Paula White who his own friend famed hunter Sir John Roxton also is crushing on. And all three of these characters are great and their story is interesting and helps add more drama to the story and also adds a good amount on tension to a group that is already stuck in a land of dinosaurs who want to eat them for dinner. But I think like most people who have read the book as well would agree that the real star of the film is the eccentric Professor Challenger whose anger, passion and personality sets him apart from the rest of the cast of characters and Wallace Beery was the perfect actor to cast in that role. The Dinosaur effects were done by the true legend and godfather of early day special effects Willis O’Brien and this film was a great warm up for him as in 1933 he would bring us the masterpiece of cinema King Kong. And the T-Rex in this movie is such a jerk and gets his jollies in just killing other dinosaurs as well as trying to kill our heroes. And let’s not forget to point out the awesome Brontosaurus rampage in London, a scene that influenced many Kaiju and Giant Monster movies over the decades. One thing I have to point out is that actor Bull Montana played the Apeman on the Lost Planet and he is one of cinema’s early creature actors as he would wear that suit or one just like it in the 1920 Horror Comedy Film “Go And Get It” and had the movements of creatures down, but that I am sure this is due to his years of being a Pro Wrestler. This film is also very much the inspiration for the Jurassic Park book and film series, and The Lost World is one of the world’s best Silent Films from that era as it brings so many emotions with it and best of all its super entertaining from start to finish. If you have not seen this film, do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy from Alpha Video or another home media copy and give it a watch.

Now let’s briefly talk about the Grippo’s Bar-B-Q Potato Chips, a snack food that has always been a favorite in my family’s household growing up. When eating this bag I can see why I loved them as a kid. The BBQ seasoning on these chips is very flavorful and have a nice spice taste that makes it so easy to eat a full bag in one sitting. They have a taste like no other BBQ chip and that is why those who have tried Grippo’s always put them at the top of their shopping list for snack food. And they are not afraid to coat the chip in the seasoning and hands down these are some amazingly good potato chips!

Movie: ****
Chips: ****

The Lost World really is a fantastic Silent Film. The effects that they pulled off in 1925 are amazing and set the guidelines for special effects to come in Hollywood, and really the film is a mix of Adventure, Sci-Fi and Horror and really was one of the early versions of a Giant Monster movie as the end of the film has a Dinosaur running wild in a big city that would go on to be a staple of the kind of films. And as you can see, this first Forgotten Reels update starts off with a perfect Silent Film as well as a perfect bag of chips. But the house lights have been turned on and that is our cue to head out, but before we do, I would like to let you all know that our next update will take us to New York and the time that Dracula visited it as the topic is the 1979 film Love At First Bite and the photo comic book based on it! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a Silent Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you soon as we continue our countdown to Halloween 2022 and spend some time with Count Dracula.