Hear it Here: The Sounds of the SILLY SURFERS and the WEIRD-OHS (1964)

In 1963, inspired by Revel''s success with a model kit of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's; Rat Fink, the Hawk Model Company began its line of Weird-Ohs and Silly Surfers. And after Allan Sherman recorded a song about Rat Fink, Hawk answered with a whole album of tunes about their own characters. This is, as it says on the label, "Music to Make Models By." The music on Side A, the album jacket says, is performed by "The Silly Surfers with Shary Richards, and Side B is credited to "The Weird-Ohs with Shary Richards." Surprisingly, some of these songs don't stink. Give them a a listen and see. 

Near as I can tell, Hawk never issued models of "Cowabunga Surf's Up" or "Gremmie Out of Control." Did they ever intend to? Beats me. Here are pics I grabbed off the 'net of the others. As you'll see, the skill and imagination of each individual modeler has a big impact on the result.

Woodie on a Surfari

Beach Bunny Catchin' Rays

Hodad Makin' the Scene with a Six-Pack

Hot-Dogger Hangin' Ten

Digger

Drag Hag

Endsville Eddie

Huey's Hut Rod

Daddy

Davey

ELLERY QUEEN Comics: "The Chain Letter Murders" (1952)

Here's another story from Mike Britt's favorite website (and fast becoming one of mine), comicbookplus.com.  This one is from the first Ziff-Davis issue of Ellery Queen, from Spring 1952. Thanks to "fett" for uploading it to the site. Don't know who did the art for this one, but I like it - especially the inks. 

The cover above is by the great Norman Saunders.

Pulp Gallery: DOC SAVAGE (1936)

Hear it here: PONDEROSA PARTY TIME! (1962)

This 1962 LP was, I believe, the first appearance of any of the Bonanza gang on record. They followed up with a similar effort called "Christmas on the Ponderosa." Lorne Greene went on to record several albums of his own. Pernell Roberts did an album of folk songs. Dan Blocker released two talkers, one on his own called "Tales for Young 'Uns," and another with singer/actor John Mitchum (brother of Robert). Michael Landon did a couple of singles as an attempted teen idol. Some reviewers think this album is silly. I found it better than expected. You Be Da Judge. 

YouTube Theater: Roger Moore in IVANHOE (Episode 1)

Yep, before he was The Saint, before he was Beau Maverick, before he pretended to be James Bond, he was Ivanhoe, complete with a rousing theme song. See for yourself . . . 

Forgotten Books: TAI-PAN by James Clavell (1966)

I've long considered Tai-Pan (along with Shogun) one of the two best books I've ever read. (My favorite book is Red Harvest, of course, but that doesn't make it the best). On this return trip, I read it with my ears, and its lustre remains undiminished. 

Tai-Pan one takes place in 1841, as the British take possession of the island of Hong Kong. (They've just concluded a small war, in which they sailed upriver to Peiking and forced the Manchu emperor to sign it over.) Our hero is Dirk Struan, head of a sea-going trading company whose main business is opium smuggling. (According the novel, the opium trade is what keeps the British government afloat. China had gained a stranglehold on the British economy by demanding nothing but bullion in payment for tea, but once traders started smuggling in opium from India, and demanding bullion in return, the trade balance swung in Britain's favor.) 

"Tai-Pan" is a term taken to mean "supreme leader," and Struan is not only Tai-Pan of his own company, but THE Tai-Pan of the China traders, because his is the supreme trading company. The Chinese have therefore taken to calling it the Noble House. (In the novel Noble House, a sequel taking place 120 years later, we learn that to the Chinese, "Tai-Pan" is a title given to the overseer of a whorehouse, and they are much amused by western barbarians using thinking it's a term of honor.) 

We're often in Struan's point of view, but a great deal of the book (I'm guessing at least three-quarters) is in the point of view of others. Many others. Some are Europeans, some Chinese, some Eurasians. All are richly developed characters, and all have their own secrets and motivations, and intricate roles in the plot.

The plot itself is masterful. There's always a big, compelling story question forcing you to read on, and by the time that question is resolved (to your great satisfaction), another equally powerful story question has you by the throat. It's just one hell of a great book.

I'm now on my second run through Noble House (also in audiobook form). It involves descendants of the characters in Tai-Pan, who still cast their giant shadows over Hong Kong. While I'm enjoying the plot and vast cast of this one, too, it's a lot longer than Tai-Pan (the Noble House audiobook runs 54 hours, versus 35 for Tai-Pan), and feels bloated. There are many digressions that seem unnecessary, and some scenes are as long as novelettes. Though I'm only a quarter of the way through, my feeling is that would be better at half the length. I'll let you know. 

Tai-Pan was made into a movie in 1986. Never seen it. I'd say it's about time.

RAYMOND CHANDLER British Dust Jackets (Part 1)

Gouged Eyes and Chawed Ears: The Rough and Tumble World of Breckenridge Elkins

Have you read A Gent from Bear Creek and the rest of the Breckenridge Elkins saga? If not, you oughta! I like everything Howard wrote (except maybe the detective stories), but this series is my favorite.

This is a paper read by Jeffrey Shanks at the 2011 Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference.