Dink & More

This headline from nypost.com is troubling: “Facebook will start banning Holocaust denial posts.” Why? I think people should decide what’s legit and what isn’t. And I like when the enemy is in full view, not underground.

About face! Here’s a snippet from an article at foxnews.com: “The World Health Organization has warned leaders against relying on COVID-19 lockdowns to tackle outbreaks — after previously saying countries should be careful how quickly they reopen.” Hopefully this will be the last abrupt turn. Remember that in March Fauci said masks were unnecessary, and leaders were encouraging people to go to the movies and Chinatown. As we move deeper and deeper into the pandemic, my skepticism about the measures grows. It seems they do as much, if not more, harm than the virus itself, certainly economically and psychologically as well.

RIP Bond girl Margaret Nolan, 76. She appeared as a masseuse early in Goldfinger (1964), and was also the golden girl in the title credits sequence. Earlier that year she had an uncredited role in A Hard Day’s Night. Among the 75 titles listed under her name at IMDb are No Sex Please — We’re British (1973), Carry on Dick (1974. She did six of the series.) and Brideshead Revisited (1981). She had a spread in Playboy in 1965. She had a twin sister. Thank you, madam. Here’s she is with 007:

Whenever House on Haunted Hill (1959) airs, I get sucked in even though it’s always disappointing, as faulty as a script can be despite a promising opening that includes a monologue by Elisha Cooke Jr., who was born to play in creep shows. It wasn’t any different last night, although it was made more interesting when research turned up a couple of facts at IMDb. One cast member, Julie Mitchum, is the older sister of Robert. She has only eight titles under her name at IMDb, the aforementioned the last. She passed away at 88 in 2003. Carolyn Craig had an impressive career going, 48 credits, when her life ended at 36 in 1970. Her IMDb bio did not list the cause, so I Googled her name. I wish I hadn’t. She shot herself to death, leaving two children motherless. Here’s a still, left to right: Mitchum, Craig, Cook Jr., Richard Long & Alan Marshall:

Unlike House…, The Last Man on Earth (1964), also starring Vincent Price, remains creepy, odd fun. As film buffs know, it was an Italian production Americanized for the states. NYC’s Sidney Salkow received co-credit with director Ubaldo Ragona. Another unsung Hollywood stalwart, his career spanned 1936-’66. There are 87 titles under his name. If the tally included the multiple episodes of TV shows he helmed, the total would more than double. He did 39 of This Is Alice, 31 of Fury, 38 of Tales of Wells Fargo, and at least 10 of three other series. He also has many writing credits for both the big and small screen. He retired at 59, his last work on The Addams Family. He then taught film courses at California State University-Northridge, where he became a professor emeritus and headed the film side of the Radio, Television and Film Department. He passed away at 89 in 2000.

My thanks to my literary angel, Victoria Valentine, who set up a transaction for five copies of Killing through Paypal. She did it as a money exchange between friends, a dance around a business fee.

Back to back rain-outs for the floating book shop. Really looking forward to tomorrow’s session.

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