Doc Savage -- May 9, 2017

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Doc Savage was a pulp character who debuted in 1933.  Doctor Clark Savage, Jr was a many of many talents, mental and physical.  He gathered a team of aides including Monk, Ham, Johnny, Renny and Long Tom.  Each had his own unique talents.  His cousin Patricia turned up in many stories.  Doc and his team had many adventures fighting evil around the world.  Lester Dent created the characters and wrote many of the novels.

I first got to know Doc Savage from reprints that Bantam Books did in the 1970s.  I often spent what little money I had at Canterbury Corner on Geary or Green Apple Books on Clement buying copies.

George Pal produced a bad movie in 1975.  I saw a still in Famous Monsters of Filmland and immediately knew that they had done a poor job with Doc's aides.  I went to see it anyway. 

DC did some comic books in the 1980s.

I never heard the NPR recreation of the radio show. 

Ray Harryhausen, RIP -- May 7, 2013

I was sad to hear on the radio that Ray Harryhausen had died.  I remember seeing The Mysterious Island on television when I was very young.  I later read in Famous Monsters of Filmland, I think, that Harryhausen and his wife went out to dinner and he brought home the crab shell to use in the movie.  I loved Mighty Joe Young.  I liked It Came From Beneath the Sea with its 8-legged octopus and scenes shot in San Francisco.  I saw Clash of the Titans and some of the Sinbad movies in the theater.  When I got a Super 8 camera, I tried to do some object animation.  It only showed me how difficult it is to do what Ray Harryhausen did. 

Visitors -- December 7, 2008

Yesterday family visited from out of town. We went to the Cliff House for breakfast/lunch. I think this is the first time I have eaten there since the remodeling. We were upstairs. The food was good. It was windy and cold outside.

We took two young ones downtown. They enjoyed looking at the painted Victorians in the Western Addition. Fifth and Mission was very crowded, but we found a space. We went across the street to the San Francisco Center. Under the Emporium dome, we told them about the Roof Rides. Then we walked up Powell. They were interested in the guy with the "Jesus Saves" signs and the other guy who preaches with the loudspeaker. We watched a cable car turn around.

We looked at the animals in the windows at Macys. We went in and looked at the Christmas stuff on the first floor. Then we visited the FAO Schwarz stuff on five.

We went to Union Square and took a photo with a guy dressed as the Grinch, then went to See's Candy.

Everyone got together for dinner at the Outback Steak House near Serramonte.

I was sad to read that Forrest J Ackerman, creator of Famous Monsters of Filmland

had passed away. I enjoyed reading it when I was in grammar school.

Pacquiao beat De La Hoya. The pay-per-view people are probably very unhappy.