Heh. Heh heh. Might I have a word with you about a matter of great importance. It concerns me. The Crown Prince of Crime. The Harlequin of Hate. The frolicking fruitcake of frantic fear. Yeah, that's me. And I'm takin' over this cockamamie blog next month. It's going to be a Joker July all month long in the Comic Cover of the Day feature over in the right hand column. 31 of the bestestess covers to ever feature yours truly. And you'd better enjoy it. . .or I'll have a hyena eat your face off! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ODD COUPLES WE NEVER EXPECTED TO SEE.

#1) Vincent Price and Abe Vigoda. Any guesses where this is from??? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Answer: THE BIONIC WOMAN Season 2 episode entitled "Black Magic" guest-starring Vincent Price, Abe (FISH) Vigoda, Hermione (MAUDE) Baddeley, Julie (CATWOMAN) Newmar and William (THEY'RE TEARING DOWN SWEET CHEEKS' BAR) Windom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OSI Agent Jamie Sommers is sent to Lafite Island to Carstairs Manor in order to find a secret formula hidden among the effects of a recently croaked guy (Vincent Price in a dual role). Jamie masquerades as one of the venal, grasping & very-likely-murderous relatives (including Price, Newmar, Baddeley, dogsbody Vigoda and lawyer Windom) who must search the remote island mansion in a scavenger hunt to find the hidden inheritance. The episode heavily "homages" such films as AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1945) and THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) and includes a monstrous creature roaming the island. While radioing for instructions from the island, Jamie calls Oscar Goldman codename "Snow White" while she is called "Dopey". Terrific fun is had by all in this jolly Halloween party of an episode.

THIS WEEK WE'RE DEVOTING OUR "COMIC COVER OF THE DAY" FEATURE TO THE LATE GENE COLAN (1926 - 2011). As we post each cover over there on the right, we will add them to this post as sort of a permanent gallery of the beautiful artwork Gene produced for decades.

QUEEN ELIZABETH'S SECRET LIFE REVEALED! SHE'S A DRUID! WHO KNEW?!?! And all this time I thought she was just a giant lizard!

IT'S A WELL-KNOWN FACT THAT DEBBIE REYNOLDS HAS BEEN A HUGE COLLECTOR & PRESERVER OF HOLLYWOOD MOTION PICTURE MEMORABILIA SINCE THE MOVIE STUDIOS STARTED WHOLESALE LIQUIDATION OF THEIR ASSETS IN THE EARLY 1970s. Her ultimate goal has always been to found a museum to house these historically important objects. Although she has seemed on the verge of success several times, she sadly has been left with no choice but to auction off the Tinseltown treasures she rescued from oblivion. The same fate, you will remember, befell the monumental collection of Forrest J. Ackerman in the decades before his death. The History Blog posted a nice post you can view here which gives a lot of background info as well as a link from which you can download the pdf auction catalogue and see these irreplaceable treasures in living colour! You really, really must take a look at these objects if you have even the faintest interest in classic film. The actual auction will take place on June 18. Since most of us can't afford to bid for these items, I can't resist posting a group of some of the most intriguing treasures which show the incredible care and craftsmanship which went into bringing our Hollywood memories to life.

Rudolph Valentino's matador suit from BLOOD AND SAND (1922)

Katharine Hepburn's gown as Jo March in LITTLE WOMEN

Harpo Marx's hat and wig

Katharine Hepburn gown from MARY OF SCOTLAND

Marlene Dietrich's western outfit as Frenchy in DESTRY RIDES AGAIN

Basil Rathbone's cape & overcoat from THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

Eleanor Powell's sailor suit from the "All Aboard" sequence of BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940

Vincent Price's robe from DRAGONWYCK

The Ark of the Covenant from DAVID AND BATHSHEBA

Production artwork from CLEOPATRA

Bette Davis' bloodstained dress from HUSH HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE

Audrey Hepburn's Ascot gown from MY FAIR LADY

Costumes from PLANET OF THE APES