From the L.A. Noir File: This is a fascinating six-minute ride through the Bunker Hill and Financial District of Los Angeles during the late 1940s. It comes to us courtesy of the wonderful folks at the Internet Archive. I can almost hear the tense Miklós Rózsa musical score and the Fred MacMurray narration. For a fantastic annotated Blog that walks you through all of the locations in the film, visit the Blogdowntown. There you will find both the film and a scene-by-scene description of the locations. It’s worth the time and the visit, especially for hardcore L.A. fans. 

From the Pat Boone File: Squeaky-clean Pat Boone, a Fifties Dreamboat if ever there was one, made a fortune in the early years of rock ‘n’ roll by recording safe and sanitized versions of songs originally performed by more raucous African-American musicians. In 1997, Pat - a devout Christian widely known for criticizing hard rock acts that he found immoral - did a dramatic about-face and released an album titled In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, in which he sang covers of songs by such legendary heavy metal bands as Judas Priest, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Dio and AC/DC. In this picture (above) Pat is promoting his new album and his new sound. Bang your head, Pat Boone! (Not literally, of course; that’s a song by Quiet Riot). 

From the Harry Langdon File: Silent comic genius Harry Langdon shares a steam cabinet with a gruesome twosome. 

From the Strange Tattoos File: I love Bob Barker. Not only was he a great game show host on The Price is Right, but he has long been one of the most famous outspoken advocates of animal rights and animal welfare. So there is much to admire in his case. Yet this Bob Barker Tattoo would probably seem weird even to Barker himself. Note the strange leer and the zombie-like appearance. If I were going to get a tattoo of a game show host, it would definitely be Barker. A close second would be Wink (Tic-Tac Dough) Martindale.  

Another great piece of wisdom, this time from Cecil Beaton. 

Words of wisdom from Malcolm X (1925-1965). 

Movie Poster of the Day: Edgar G. Ulmer, the Austrian-born filmmaker who gave us such amazing films as The Black Cat (1934) and Detour (1945) directed The Man From Planet X, an atmospheric science fiction film made in 1951 in Culver City, shot on the same set as Joan of Arc (1948)starring Ingrid Bergman. It’s about an alien who came to earth to explore the terrain as a possible location for a new settlement for other aliens from his dying planet. Ulmer used a fog machine and set the movie in Scotland. To my knowledge, it’s the only science fiction film set in Scotland (film buffs can correct me if I’m wrong). The film has developed something of a cult following, like The Black Cat and Detour. While it’s not in the same league as those movies, it’s still a strikingly well made early sci-fi movie, unjustly obscured by the same year’s The Day the Earth Stood Still. It comes on TV from time to time. Keep an eye out for it.

From the Early Cinema File: A Butterfly’s Metamorphosis (1904), a very short film (1 minute, 23 seconds) by Gaston Velle (1872-1948), is quite a remarkable work of moving art from Pathé Brothers Company. Originally titled La métamorphose du papillon, the film shows a caterpillar turning into a butterfly and the butterfly morphing into a woman. It is a visually mesmerizing piece of work. Please treat yourself to it if you have a chance.

From the Sixties Flashback File: “Groovin’” by The Young Rascals (1967). Check out this ethereal video that perfectly captures the youthful spirit and innocence and optimism of 1967. It puts you right back there, even if you weren’t alive at the time (it predates me, even). Beautiful.

Los Angeles, 1962

More wisdom from Eugene V. Debs, 1918. 

From the Great American Punks File: Jello Biafra (Eric Boucher), former lead singer of Dead Kennedys, was our great prophet of the Reagan Era. Sadly, the DKs broke up and got bogged down in legal battles. But Jello is always out there, on the front lines, raising Cain. His spoken word is fabulous (on a par with Henry Rollins, my other hero from my punk days). Check out Alternative Tentacles, Jello’s wonderful website. He’s a true hero!

From the How To Make Sure Your Livestock Survives Atomic Warfare File: These 10 U.S. government rural CIvil Defense TV spots from 1965 are, without question, the most SURREAL short films I have ever seen. PERIOD. THESE SHORT MOVIES ARE PURE LUNACY! Each one is very brief. Marionette-type puppets (!) are used to teach viewers how to protect farm livestock, houses, barns and loved ones in the event of an atomic war. The main puppet who appears in all of them, a blonde version of Sesame Street muppet Guy Smiley, is a strangely endearing cheerleader for Civil Defense Propaganda. Thanks to the Internet Archive for these crazy movies. 

Below: Civil Defense marionette takes action to protect his farm, imagining himself in a CD helmet. Looks good on him, huh?

Nostalgia Tripping 101: What a great gift! Nine minutes of vintage American television commercials from the 1950s and early 1960s in pristine condition. And there are more where these came from! If you haven’t visited The Internet Archive, do yourself a big favor: Check it out now! It’s full of ephemeral and educational and novelty shorts and public domain films and radio shows. It has something for just about everybody. You’ll also find lots of vintage Drive-in Theater Snack Bar commercials (“The snack bar closes in five minutes…”, etc.). What a treat!

Movie Poster of the Day: Three on a Match (1932), starring Warren William, Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak and Bette Davis, and directed by Mervyn LeRoy, is one of the best of Hollywood’s pre-code dramas. The good news is it comes on Turner Classic Movies fairly regularly (visit TCM’s Three on a Match trailer here). A splendid screenplay, understated acting, well-developed characters and expert direction by Mervyn LeRoy elevate the film above typical pre-code films. Once you start watching, the film keeps you hooked until the end. Character actors Edward Arnold and Lyle Talbot turn up, and Humphrey Bogart enters the picture for a small but effective cameo. The title refers to an old superstition that if three people share the same match to light a cigarette, one of them will die. The three ladies - Blondell, Dvorak and Davis - share a match at the beginning. And guess what? SEE IT!