Havre de Grace's Past

At the Frank Wolbert grave in Havre de Grace. 

     As reported in a previous blog, I had the honor of leading tours during the autumn months for Havre de Haunts Tours and Paranormal Research.  I found the experience most rewarding and of late I have furthered explored Havre de Grace's past - with a little help from my friends.

     My friend Theresa was raised in Havre de Grace like myself.  On a lovely September day we got together for me to do a practice run through of the tour.  The result was much reminiscing about growing up in Havre de Grace.  She shared with me a tale I had not heard of before concerning a legend of buried loot and gangster hauntings once in the town's old Bayou Hotel.   

     While taking a full weekend to celebrate my birthday at the start of December, I further explored Havre de Grace with my friend Deborah, who was visiting from Virginia.  She had previously come to Havre de Grace for the Halloween Havre de Haunts ghost tour.  In it numerous interesting characters from the town's past are discussed. One of my favorites is Frank Wolbert, and with Deborah I came across his grave in Angel Hill Cemetery outside of Havre de Grace.

     The Wolbert tombstone was large and impressive.  It is shared by both Frank Wolbert and his brother.  Whether Wolbert finds it impressive or not is questionable as there are reports he prefers to remain in the Senecca house where he lived and died.  His death on August 15, 1967 is not in dispute, but many facts about him remain vague or mysterious.  Some legends claim that the eccentric doctor kept a collection of shrunken heads and an alligator in his basement.  Frank Wolbert's death was a violent one - his head was bashed in and he was found hung from a window of the Senecca house.  The Senecca house is currently home to doctor offices whose employees supposedly often deal with objects disappearing or being discovered in odd places.  When such things happen it is suggested that 'Frankie' (AKA Wolbert's ghost) is to blame. 

     Stephen Senecca was responsible for building the Senecca house, and it is an architectural wonder.  It is also supposedly one of the most haunted places in Havre de Grace.  People have reported seeing odd lights occur in the house at night.  Orbs and odd phenomena in the house's windows often appear in photographs of the place.  For an art class at Havre de Grace High School I did a sketch of the place, drawn to its appearance but utterly unfamiliar with its history. Perhaps I should have added something in one of the windows...  

A Dickens of a Carol!

My friend Deborah Tipton, Henry Winkler & I at Steel City Comic Con.

 

     Christmas has inspired numerous writers and artists.  One literary work which has had a profound influence on our traditional celebrations for the holiday is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  Released in 1843, the novella conjures up Christmas in the image of a cold, snowy Victorian landscape with lighted evergreen trees and seasonal carols sung to imbue humanity's sense of generosity.  It seems almost unnecessary to describe the plot detailing Ebenezer Scrooge's conversion from miser to eager philanthropist, as the tale has been adapted for radio, film, tv, sitcoms and cartoons. Surely everyone has seen some version, somewhere.
     There are several silent short versions of A Christmas Carol, but perhaps the most praised film production is the 1951 version simply called Scrooge with Alastair Simm in the title role.  His performance as the skinflint with a change of heart is greatly admired.  In 1970, following the success of the Ocsar winning movie Oliver, A Christmas Carol was transformed into a musical called Scrooge starring a delightful Albert Finney as the title character.  He changes heart and sings as he does so!
    TV has brought forth it own renditions of the classic holiday book.  One of the best is a 1984 TV film called A Christmas Carol which remains very faithful to the tale, delivering both holiday cheer and the chills of the story's darker side.  George C. Scott played Scrooge and David Warner was his clerk, Bob Cratchit.  Another later TV version retaining the novella's name and sticking close to both setting and plot starred Patrick Stewart as Scrooge and Richard E.Grant as Cratchit .
     A Christmas Carol has always been my favorite holiday tale.  As a youth I remember regularly watching and being enthralled by An American Christmas Carol from 1979 starring Henry Winkler.  The story was transferred from Victorian London to small town America during the depression with Winkler mesmerizing in a Scrooge like character a far cry from his popular Happy Days role of Fonzie.  Apparently regard for Winkler was present on set as I learned when I recently got to discuss An American Christmas Carol with Robert Sax, who was an assistant to the producer.

Sax said, "I love Henry’s performance and think it was one of his best. It showed how good he could be in a dramatic role. He was mostly known for his comedy roles at the time. Henry was a consummate professional on and off the set, even when shooting in cold outdoor locations. Most of all, he had to endure several hours of special effects makeup application on the days when he played the old Slade. All this happened before the set call, so he had to get up extra early. He accepted this demand of the role with grace and aplomb, although the makeup would become rather uncomfortable by the end of the day.

     At the start of December I got to see Henry Winkler at Steel City Comic Con, where it was obvious that his appeal has not waned as he spoke dynamically at a Q&A and met fans.

     An American Christmas Carol is a real gem, worth seeking out.  Almost all versions of Dickens classic holiday novella have special treats.  I find it fun reading a classic work like this (or Dracula) and observing what filmmakers select to use, cut out, or adapt.  It tells a lot about the film makers and the taste of the audience it is aimed for.

Autumn Activities

Myself & Scott Wilson of AMC's Walking Dead series.

Havre de Grace has become quite the picture of Autumn with fallen leaves gracing its quaint streets and fading green grass.  The leaves often find themselves being whisked up and about by cool winds.  All in all it was a nice effect for the towns recent haunted history tours. 

I was honored to lead tours for Havre de Haunts Tours & Paranormal Research Group - www.havredehaunts.com .  The Halloween tour was a particularly fun way to celebrate the spookiest of holidays.  It was a fun experience - interacting with those fascinated by the supernatural and history as we took in the view of some of Havre de Grace's older residences and buildings, like the Senecca House and Rodger's Tavern, some of which barely managed to survive the burning of the city by British forces during the War of 1812.   Some of the town's residents may linger on, reluctant to depart their homes despite their deaths.

There are places of purely scenic beauty as well in Havre de Grace, which becomes a marvel of colors this time of year.  Located at the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and the Susquehanna River, Havre de Grace was a place of vital importance for colonial travel and trade.  Today its waterfront areas are still honored.  The town's promenade is a popular spot for exercise or photography.  In fact it was the backdrop for pics taken by Linnea Tober for the first edition of my book, Summoned Secrets from lulu.com - www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler .

Each Fall I also enjoy embarking on treks to local horror cons.  Monstermania in Baltimore, Maryland and Chiller in Parsippany, New Jersey were quite fun - interacting with celebrity guests from various mediums and decades of work.  I got to meet and interact with some of my favorite stars, like Joyce Randolph of the classic TV show The Honeymooners and Scott Wilson who starred in a more recent TV hit, The Walking Dead.

                                          
Autumn seems under way in full force, with one big holiday down and another looming at November's end.  Of course Christmas is closing in, with decorations and such already encroaching in stores!


The State Theatre in downtown Havre de Grace has been without audiences, but possibly not ghosts, for years.

Comic Book Characters Soar

     A few years ago I got to meet Lou Ferrigno at a Philadelphia comic con.  That's where the above picture is from and it's the perfect place for an actor that used to play a green skinned comic character called the Hulk.  He was engaging to chat with and cool to fans.  The guy has a great story - an American dream type - of going from picked on teen to successful body builder to TV star.
     Lou Ferrigno's birthday was a few days ago - November 9th to be exact.  It seems he's 63 and still looks great.  He's left behind his days of hulking out and being green, but the Hulk's still out there in comic books and films.  People age, comic characters get rebooted. 
     Marvel Comics - the company that contains the Hulk - is more active then ever at bringing their colorful creations to the screen.  The Hulk has had his own movies and appeared within the highly profitable Avengers franchise.  In fact recently there has been news regarding a slew of new Marvel characters slated for the silver screen - including such established characters as Black Panther and Dr. Strange.  Of course recent favorites must return like Thor and Captain America.  Marvel apparently plans to have its characters cross over in films and there is apparently a release schedule set for as yet unmade films over the next five years.
     I suppose all this is splendid news for fans, but I wonder if the folks at Marvel productions aren't pushing things a bit - overloading its cash cow to the extreme.  It's happened before.  My prime interest in comic characters was my teenage years, namely the late 80's to the start of the 90's.  It was quite an invigorating time for comics.  Chris Clarmont's X-Men were the rage at Marvel while DC was launching artistic triumphants like Frank Miller's Dark Knight and Watchmen. Yes, as I grew up I watched comics mature in content from recounting the adventures of super heroes to exploring the dark psychology of masked crusaders.  Alas, as the comic book grew as an art form, so did the financial greed of its publishers.  Of course comic's success meant that each company adopted an attitude of multiple covers and crossover storylines to get readers to buy as many comic books as possible.  Eventually I experienced a burn out on trying to keep up with all that.  Apparently a lot of readers and collectors did as well and the lucrative comics industry sort of collapsed.
     Before 1990, comic book film adaptions were a rarity.  There had been black and white serials, but the only big budget color productions were the Christopher Reeve Superman films - in which there was plenty to savor there.
     Comic book characters had experienced more success and longevity on the TV screen before 1990.  DC adaptions include such fondly remembered shows as Adventures of Superman from the 1950's with George Reeves as the ultimate straight laced super hero, the 1960's camp classic Batman starring Adam West and Wonder Woman with Lynda Carter from the 1970's.  The later era also saw a number of Marvel TV adaptions - the most successful being The Incredible Hulk with Lou Ferrigno.  While these series lacked the CGI marvels of today's Marvel film adaptions, I liked the earnestness and creativity associated with them  I guess it just ages me, but I prefer these old adaptions to today's, which seem everywhere.  But then so did Marvel comic books in the 80's.  We shall see how long the film franchise thrives.   


   

Jack The Ripper Strikes Again!

November 9th marks the date that the mutilated body of Mary Kelly was found in her Whitechapel lodgings in 1888. This horrid crime is the last officially attributed to the murderous fiend referred to as Jack the Ripper.
Jack the Ripper has become a legend due to his diabolical work, but everything about him remains a mystery – from his motivation to his identity. Suspects considered have ranged from Kosminski, a mentally unbalanced immigrant living in poverty in Whitechapel, to Great Britain’s royal family. Even the number of Ripper victims varies. Five female prostitutes are generally attributed to the Ripper’s reign of terror – but there are unsolved murders before and after the five crimes generally accepted to have been done by Jack which some experts blame the Ripper for. At any rate, Mary Kelly’s was the last officially labeled a ‘Ripper’ murder. Unlike the Ripper’s other victims who were found in the street, Mary Kelly was murdered in her lodgings, which allowed Jack the Ripper a better opportunity to mutilate his victim and he took full advantage of this opportunity.
I've long been fascinated by the legend of Jack the Ripper.  I've watched films, documentaries and more on the subject as well as read a few books concerning the Ripper.  In fact, I was even moved to write a fictional book of my own involving Jack the Ripper and my interest in vampires.  The book is called TERROR'S TASTE.  Jack the Ripper also appeared in a short story of mine of a more realistic nature called THE WHITECHAPEL WAGERS which appears in my collection of fiction and poetry called SUMMONED SECRETS.  I'm not alone in a little creative speculation on the subject. 
Filmmakers have had a field day on the subject of Jack the Ripper. In fact they’ve recruited such iconic British figures as Sherlock Holmes and H.G. Wells to face off against the mad murderer. In MURDER BY DECREE,  Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) and Dr. Watson (James Mason) pursued the wicked murderer to the highest level of the monarchy. In  TIME AFTER TIME, Jack the Ripper steals the time machine crafted by H.G. Wells to flee from the authorities into the furture of 1979. David Warner is chilling as Jack the Ripper, who looks favorably upon society’s changes, and Malcom McDowell portrays Wells as a charming adventurer adrift in a strange new era in pursuit of the fiend he has unwittingly unleashed on it.
A more realistic view of the Ripper crimes can be found in FROM HELL starring Johnny Depp as the inspector matched against the vile Ripper. The film develops a jarringly realistic view of life in Whitechapel for its inhabitants. The film does indulge in a bit of fictional fantasy regarding the character of Inspector Abberline, who in Depp’s perormance is prone to visions and whose fate is different from real life history.
TV has had its own interests in the Ripper crimes. In 1988 to mark the 100th anniversary of the crime, a CBS mini-series simply called JACK THE RIPPER starred Michael Caine as Inspector Abberline. His hunt for the Ripper also found its way to Britain’s royal bloodline and its corridors of power.  More recent TV undertakings have been more interested with the Ripper’s legacy. RIPPER STREET deals with the policemen patroling Whitechapel immediately after the Ripper murders and WHITECHAPEL deals with policeman in current day Whitechapel.
The 1980’s comic book series BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT maintained much of the facts of the case while introducing Dracula for a gothic match up of evil.


                                 Below: Myself & Malcolm McDowell of Time After Time.

Below: Terror's Taste book cover.

 

 

 

Havre de Haunts Tours

I was born in Havre de Grace. The town has played host to some historic figures of fame as well as some dark deeds. It is believed a few inhabitants of this picturesque town have elected to continue to reside in Havre de Grace even after their deaths.

Havre de Haunts Tours and Paranormal Research was founded in 2013 to preserve the history of Havre de Grace and investigate its supernatural occurences.

In October the group offer tours highlighting Havre de Grace's history and ghostly legends. I'm happy to say that I will be assisting with some tours.

My tentative schedule to give tours is as follows -

Fri Oct 3rd at 7pm
Sat Oct 4th at 7pm
Fri Oct 17th at 7pm
Sat Oct 18th at 8:30pm
Fri Oct 24th at 7pm & 8:30pm
Sat Oct 25th at 8:30pm
Fri Oct 31 at 8:30pm
Sat Nov 1st at 7pm
Fri Nov 7th at 7pm
Sat Nov 8th at 7 pm

For a complete listing of tours go to http://havredehaunts.com where you can purchase tickets and learn more about Havre de Haunts Tours and Paranormal Research.

Havre de Grace currently offers festivities on First Fridays and annual parades for holidays like Christmas and Halloween. The city once offered a movie theater dating back to the silent age of cinema. The theater is no longer active, but its spirits are and may provide ghostly piano music.

Short Chills

One of the first places I placed my writings online was at microhorror.com.  Nathan Rosen is microhorror's editor, a site dedicated toward presenting a vast variety of writers and fiction all with a common goal - to leave the reader with a frightening feeling using a minimum amount of words.

My stories at microhorror.com include:

The Whitechapel Wagers - The bets of two gamblers result in terror for those living in Whitechapel.

Like Taking Candy - A night of Halloween trick or treating has a horrifying effect on several kids.

The Cemetery - All is not quiet in a graveyard - thanks to one of its residents!

Several of my stories at microhorror found their way into my collection of short stories, Summoned Secrets, which is available at www.lulu.spotlight/spotlight/wrigler

Mr. Rosen has honored me by asking me to help in the judging of the 2013 Halloween contest entries and I'm very pleased to say that exciting events are continuing to occur at www.microhorror.com including a new story contest in celebration of Halloween next month.

MANC Approaches

     Once more Maryland's Hunt Valley Wyndham is about to play host to three days of film and entertainment inspired fun! September 18 to 20th are the dates of the 9th annual Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.  I've been happily attending since it first started in Aberdeen, Maryland.  The con has definately grown over the years and played host to a multitude of guests, from cinematic classics to sitcom favorites!  The list of past celebrity guests includes - but is not limited to - Larry Storch, Ron Ely, Davy Jones, James Best, Ed Asner, Julie Newmar, and Lana Wood.  In fact Wood was at the first con and must have had a good time as she is returning.  And the former Bond girl will fit right in as a Bond himself, George Lazenby, is amongst this year's guest list which also includes Veronica Cartwright, Piper Laurie, Josip Elic and William Sanderson (another returning guest)!  The con is a great chance to collect autographs and have pics taken with the guests.  There's a movie room plus seminars and slide shows address a wide variety of topics from entertainment's history.  See you there!

For more info go to www.MidAtlanticNostalgiaConvention.com     

Top pic -myself and Ed Asner at 2013 MANC. 
Bottom pic - Larry Storch, myself and Josip Elic at Storch's stand up event in NYC.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PINK ELEPHANTS

The circus music has started to play
and here comes a sight that’s strange for the day.
Pink elephants march all straight in a line
and lift up their trunks to reach for your wine.
Just give them their sips before you must go
to brew some coffee to end this strange show.


2014 William P. Rigler

William P. Rigler's books are available at www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler

Essential Sci-Fi Films

Sci-Fi is a genre that has been popular with filmmakers since the inception of the medium.  Check out Georges Melies 1902 short silent film, A Trip to the Moon, as an example.  Space travel, alien life forms, and futuristic predictions have long preoccupied the minds of filmmakers.  The following list is what I consider the most influential sci-fi films ever made and must viewing for film fans...

METROPOLIS - Acclaimed director Fritz Lang's 1927 epic view of a futuristic society/environment boasts impressive effects (for the era) and unforgettable German expressionist images (for any era).  Ingredients of the complex story include a disgruntled mad scientist and a female android that is a pawn for revolutionary ends.  The android's initial appearence was reputedly an inspiration for the look of Star War's C3PO while its scene of creation was an influence on James Whales work in the original Frankenstein.  This vision of the future must have been awesome to its original audience.  Its theme of the need for the heart to mediate between the hands (workers) and head (society's leaders)  still resonates.

THINGS TO COME – Based on a story by famed science fiction author H. G. Wells, this film was released in 1936 and the story starts at Christmas time 1940. It chronicles the occurrence of a great war, the struggle humanity undergoes to survive the aftermath and attempts to rebuild a society that can one day reach to travel to the moon. Raymond Massey stars in two roles and the film’s tone is quite somber throughout. There’s not a trace of camp or humor in this film, just a straight forward chronicle. But I have to say that the segment chronicling the walking death reminds me of a current popular TV series.

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - This collaboration from famed director Stanley Kubrick and visionary science fiction writer Authur C. Clarke is a cinematic hallmark.  The movie meditates on humanity's evolution as well as its place is the cosmos.  Its enigmatic approach to aliens and artificial life forms both baffled and entranced audiences.  Visual effects reached new levels in this 1968 film and space became more majestic then ever before.  Kubrick's approach of minmal acting and inclusion of classical music to enhance the journey into space is enthralling.

PLANET OF THE APES - Another 1968 science fiction film of great ambition that has remained popular is Planet of the Apes, based on a novel by Pierrre Boulle.  The movie starred Charlton Heston as an astonaut who crash lands on a world run by apes.  With Heston's experience at playing history's great characters, who better to face of for humanity against the apes?  Plus screenwriter Rod Serling adds a shocking final scene that has become iconic in the annals of cinema.  I'd consider this the best of the Ape films, however the initial four films that followed in the early 70's were pretty good.  And filmmakers won't let the franchise goes.  The original was remade by Tim Burton in 2001.  New versions of the saga have since appeared, the latest of which mere days ago under the title Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  

STAR WARS - While 2001 renewed interest in sci-fi as a mind expanding force and Planet of the Apes initiated the profitable bonanza of sci-fi film marketing, it was George Lucas' Star Wars that made the genre all the rage for sudio and viewers.  With a simple plot of good against evil and colorful characters drawn from sturdy archetypes, Star Wars' appearence in 1977 was a sensation with audiences. Two sequels quickly followed with the same cast and characters. In the 90's a trilogy appeared focusing on earlier events. 



                      FORGET THE ZOMBIE INVASION - WORRY ABOUT THE APES!

 

Myself posed with prop rifle and uniform from original Apes film that is part of a friend's collection.

 

 

Malcolm McDowell = Fantastic Films

Today, June 13th, is the birthday of actor Malcolm McDowell.  I've been a huge fan of his for years.  I first saw him in Time After Time, a film which wonderfully mixed sci-fi, humor and adventure.  McDowell played science fiction novelist H. G. Wells, whose time machine was stolen by Jack the Ripper (David Warner) in an attempt to avoid the authorities by escaping to the future.  Jack finds himself in an environment he happily calls home, while Wells in depressed by humanity's lack of progress.  Even a trip to McDonald's failed to lift the time traveller's spirits!

Malcolm McDowell also happens to star in my favorite film, O Lucky Man! which combines dark satire and whimsy in a plot about a coffee bean salesman inspired by McDowell's own youthful experience.  Alan Price, of Animals fame, provides a fantastically memorable soundtrack.  The film was directed by Lindsay Anderson.  Anderson was the director who brought McDowell to fame with the starring role of Michael Travis in the film if.....  McDowell returned to play the character twice more for Anderson in O Lucky Man! and Britannia Hospital.

The role which probably casts the greatest shadow across McDowell's career is that of Alex in A Clockwork Orange.  His appearence of a single false black eye lash and bowler hat accenting his tight white garb is iconic in the annals of cinema.  Director Stanley Kubrick's film offered abundant violence and nudity, but allowed Alex's unsavory actions an amount of appeal thanks to stylized scenes and McDowell's charisma.  It's shocked audiences and critics upon its release and still manages to do so.

Diverse is the best descripion applied to McDowell's work of the past 35 years.  He's portrayed villains with copious zeal in sci-fi pics like Star Trek Generations and Tank Girl.  He's been the lead in historic films with a tendacy toward drama like the World War I story of pilots - Aces High, as well as romps like director Richard Lester's Royal Flash.  Cat People presented McDowell as an odd indivdiual, desperate and cursed by a bizarre pedigree in an erotic reworking of the classic B&W horror film.  Along with other established actors like Peter O'Toole and Helen Mirren, he took a chance to appear in the sexually graphic Caligula.  Whether in the past or future, as hero or villain, McDowell is always fascinating to watch.

Most recently McDowell has starred on the TNT series Franklin and Bash as the eccentric head of the law firm which employs the title characters.

I've been fortunate to see Malcolm McDowell in person at several conventions.   His Q&A's concerning his career are always entertaining.           

Wild West Wonderings

     A couple weeks ago I took a trip to the wild west.  Well, I actually didn't travel that far west, I really went north - to Stanhope New Jersey.  That's where Wild West City is.  It's an amusement park that was established in the 50's when such places were all the rage, and the place has weathered changing tastes to remain in operation.  Wild West City offers a replica of an old west town complete with saloon and shows/re-enactments which feature can can girls as well as shoot outs.  Other points of interest include a stagecoach ride, a train ride, a station for the panning of gold and a petting zoo.

     The day I went to Wild West City, the place had a huge bonus attraction.  Larry Storch was there, meeting fans and signing autographs.  Storch seemed quite at home - not surprising since Storch's association with the wild west can be traced to his film appearence in The Great Race (alongside Tony Curtis) and his TV role as Corporal Agarn on the 60's comedy classic F Troop.  While only lasting two seasons, F Troop managed to fashion a ton of laughs as Corporal Agarn assisted the whiley Seargeant O'Rourke in numerous money making ideas under the nose of their commanding officer and often with the aid of the local indians who were more interested in profit then war paint.

     F Troop mixed modern sensibilities with western motiffs for hilarious results detailing life at Fort Courage.  Storch and co-star Forrest Tucker worked wonderfully well together.  F Troop remains a treasured series and is often repeated - currently it airs Thurs at 10pm on METV.  The west was a backdrop for a ton of series.  Some reinforced the traditional 'old west values' while others turned the genre inside out.  I thought I might mention a few favorites...

The Lone Rager - The classic western series.  Clayton Moore most famously portrayed the masked lawman, a Texas ranger who was the lone survivor of an ambush by outlaws.  Found and nursed back to health by Tonto, the two teamed to rid the west of the wicked.  The Lone Ranger wore a mask to hide his identity and became fond of using silver bullets as a trademark.  Tonto was portrayed by Jay Silverheels in a rare example for the era of  a native American portraying a native American.

Wild Wild West - Often honored as steampunk's TV intoduction, the series followed the adventures of secret service agents Jim West (Robert Conrad) and Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) as they derailed the most bizarre plots of sinister geniuses bent on world domination.  This series aired in the 60's, when all the media was obsessed and fascinated by secret agents, so it was no surprise the wild west got their own operatives.  The two heroes were a nice combination, West was a master at hand to hand combat while Gordon had a knack for using gimmicky devices and donning disguises. 

The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. - Starring cult icon Bruce Campbell (of the gruesomely fun Evil Dead films) this series managed to establish a cult following of its own by offering adventures in the old west with a modern spin for its single season.  Not only did Brisco and his comrades envision futuristic ideas while defeating madmen as evil as those West and Gordon opposed, Brisco also had to deal with an alien orb endowed with mysterious powers! 

Dusty's Trails - Here's one few have heard of.  Lasting a single season, this series detailed the misadventures of a wagon lost in the west with a passenger list that included a wealthy couple, a glamorous saloon hall gal, and the rest.  Sound familiar?  It should, as its star was Bob Denver and it was delivered by those who gave us Gilligan's Island.  Denver played the wagon master's side kick.  The wagonmaster was portrayed by Forrest Tucker.  Hmmm, shouldn't he have been able to find the way to Fort Courage?     


     If you feel like a fun trip back to ye olde west, check out these series or take a trip to Wild West City.

     And LarryStorch of F Troop is still making a lot of appearences.  In fact he has just been accepted to receive a star plaque on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.  To aid efforts to see that the comedy/acting legend gets his star you can go to www.gofundme.com/9ft6ag

Above photo - Larry Storch, W. P. Rigler, Cordelia (keeper of the Wild West City petting zoo) and one of the tough stunt hombres.  May 18, 2014

Stagecoach ride into Wild West City with Larry Storch.

Appreciating the Career of Lance Henriksen

Today, May 5th, is the birthday of Lance Henriksen. 

I'm pretty sure I was introduced to Lance Henriksen's work by the original entry in The Terminator series of films.  As legend has it, Henriksen was director James Cameron's first choice to portray the metallic killling machine from the future.  However the studio desired an actor with greater name recognition and the part went to Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Henriksen portrayed one of the frustrated cops dealing with the terminator's killing spree and had little luck in fending off the inhuman murderer's assault on his police precinct.

With his distinctive looks and sombre voice, Henriksen is an actor hard to get out of your mind once you've seen him.  His career is full of diverse roles, from hero to villain and from blockbuster studio faire to independent outings of interest.  He's been the lead in westerns, like Gunfighter's Moon and horror films like The Pit and the Pendulum.  Perhaps his most famous film role is that of the android part he did score - Bishop in Aliens, also from director Cameron.

He has had memorable TV appearences including a turn in Tales From the Crypt in which he portrayed a gambler literally willing to put his life and limbs on the line for his obsessive wagers.

In the late 90's Henriksen took on the role of Frank Black.  The TV series was from creator Chris Carter, quite hot in Hollywood at the time as his series The X Files was doing amazing for Fox.  Millenium starred Henriksen as a retired FBI profiler whose services were still used by a mysterious group called Millenium.  They were bracing themselves for an oncoming onslaught against society by crime and other dangers at the turn of the millenium. 

The stories were cryptic, dark and mysterious, but always engaging due to Henriksen's powerful work.  It was this show that made me a fan of Henriksen and eager to seek out his full body of work. 

I've been lucky enough to meet Henriksen twice at horror conventions.  He's very nice to fans, eager to hear their reaction to his work.  He can really reach fans on a common level as he seems very direct in speaking his mind.  Fans are lucky that he has his autobiography out, Not Bad For A Human.

Malcolm McDowell & David Bowie - 2 Greats!

Reality forges links in mysterious ways.

As a teenager I became a huge fan of Malcolm McDowell, first for his work in Time After Time.  McDowell played the great science fiction writer H. G. Wells, but in the film Wells did more then write science fiction - he lived it.  Wells created a time machine, but bad luck had a friend (played by David Warner) turn out to be the infamous Jack the Ripper and the killer escaped into time via the machine.

Time After Time led me to seek out other McDowell films.  I was repeatedly transfixed by his performances in such productions as A Clockwork Orange, if.., and O Lucky Man!.  The later is my favorite film, a heady mix of first rate acting and  music provided by Alan Price of The Animals.  The film has a surreal flair as it follows coffee salesman Mick Travis (McDowell) on a series of adventures throughout England of the late 60's early 70's era.  Travis encounters everything from nefarious businessmen to mad scientists but always looks for tomorrow's oppurtunities.  Interestingly, McDowell himself worked as a coffee bean salesman.  His character in this film, Mick Travis, was the central character in if.., and would return in Britannia Hospital.

Malcolm McDowell managed to introduce me to two musical greats.  It was McDowell's role as offscreen narrator that led me to view The Compleat Beatles.  His voice added a lot to the story of The Beatles start, growth and eventual breakup.  The film is well researched with ample facts and happily does not delve too deeply into gossip or unfounded scandals. 

Malcolm McDowell introduced me to David Bowie's work with Cat People.  The 1982 film was a remake of a black and white Val Lewton film from forty years earlier.  The remake had more blood and a stronger interpetation of the story's central theme of sexuality.  And it had a killer tune by Bowie. 

Cat People (putting out fire) has mysterious and passionate lyrics that somehow maintain an immortal flaire.  Bowie's voice seems to me at it fullest here, able to utilize its deep richness to convey listeners to an eerie plane of existance where the supernatural rules. I found myself recognizing that voice elsewhere, a TV movie called The Annhilator used Ashes to Ashes.  And I couldn't help myself from seeking out his work in albums and film.
 

  
    Myself and Malcolm McDowell at Horrorfind Convention in September of 2012. (Above)

It was a great pleasure to get to meet Malcolm McDowell at serval local conventions.  And recently its been a great pleasure to write for davidbowienews.com - go there to find more of my musings concerning the great David Bowie.
 

RiglerWrites: April No Fool's Deal

RiglerWrites: April No Fool's Deal:      The 1st of April has finally arrived and here in Maryland after a brutal winter there's a tantalizing taste of spring from a sunny...

April No Fool's Deal

    
The 1st of April has finally arrived and here in Maryland after a brutal winter there's a tantalizing taste of spring from a sunny sky.

Here's my attempt to tantalize you with an April deal.  Use the code FOOLSGOLD to get 10% off your order of either of my books or both from www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler

I've always been a big fan of sci-fi.  I logged countless hours in front of ye olde tv - the kind that was the living room floor's centerpiece with a big back behind the screen and an incapabbilty to switch channels unless the viewer actually rose to turn a knob on it - watching classic sci-fi shows.  My favs were from the 60's in which more imagination was put into the programs then dollars for special efects.  Sci-fi films were great too.  And books? 

I loved the wild romantisism found on the colorful covers of early sci-fi books.  Bug eyed aliens were cool - intergalactic views of or from space ships were fantastic.  I was introduced to Ray Bradbury in middle school when the reading assignment was The Martian Chronicles.  I found the ideas nifty, but it wasn't until I re-read the book on my own in my high school years that I was truly hooked by Bradbury's marvelous Martian landscape of adventure and introspection.  Other sci-fi novels quickly figured amongst my favorites as well, like Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

My imagination has always been rather wide-ranging and it wasn't long until I was coming up with my own ideas for sci-fi adventures.  Horror and fantasy tales also spewed from my mind.  Finally a couple years ago I decided to go ahead and bring those ideas to the printed page in a book called Summoned Secrets.  In Summoned Secrets you'll learn the secrets of...

An alien world where hunters test their skills and dragons dwell.
A library whose biographies hold the key to life and death.
History's most infamous serial killer's gambling... More > habits. And more...
18 strange stories of science fiction, dark fantasy, suspense & horror.
12 poetic creations.
1 book.
"With a cast that includes dimension-hopping murderers,extraterrestrial monsters and even the shade of Poe himself, Rigler's dark imagination will help populate your nightmares for days to come." Nathan Rosen, editor at microhorror.com

And my second book, Masters of the Alpha Crystals, is a novel of intergalactic intrigue and 
adventure in which Earth finds itself under attack by alien invaders. They do not ask for surrender or terms, merely seek destruction. All seems hopeless and then another mysterious alien craft appears in Earth's... More > sky...

While lulu.com offers 10% savings of either or both books by using FOOLSGOLD code when ordering April 1st 2014 or April 2, 2014, I hope you will take adventure of the deal and check out my sci-fi ideas.  But even if you miss the sale, the books will still be there at my spotlight.  No fooling.

RiglerWrites: Remembering Patrick McGoohan

RiglerWrites: Remembering Patrick McGoohan:      March 19th is the anniversary of the birth of the compelling and charismatic actor, director and writer Patrick McGoohan.  Interestin...

Remembering Patrick McGoohan

 

   March 19th is the anniversary of the birth of the compelling and charismatic actor, director and writer Patrick McGoohan.  Interesting he gave probably his most famous role, Number Six of The Prisoner, the same birthday.
     The Prisoner was a TV show Patrick McGoohan at least co-conceived, starred in, and wrote as well as directed various episodes of, both under his own name and pen names.  The series debuted in the 60's when the spy genre was all the rage, from Bond on the big screen to TV undertakings like The Man From U.N.C.L.E. or The Avengers.  McGoohan himself had starred as super-spy John Drake in two series, Danger Man and Secret Agent.  Allegedly, McGoohan had grown bored of the genre and wanted to do a series more cerebral and thought provoking.  The Prisoner certainly deserved the label thought provoking as well as enigmatic and bizarre, especially by standards set by 60's TV.
     The Prisoner revolved around the resignation of a spy played by McGoohan, which resulted in the character's transportation to an eigmatic village.  The village had a serene and tranquil visage, but was impossible to escape.  Populated by a sinister administration with an ever changing face of authority, McGoohan's character was always referred to as Number Six and he could never be sure who was running the village.  The show had surreal and sci-fi aspects including a balloon referred to as Rover which fetched back with uncanny ease those who attempted escape.  Issues explored in the show remain relevant today - including drug use, government influence and education vs mind control.  These themes were not so easily or ever undertaken by your average spy show, but their exploration appealed to Patrick McGoohan.  Perhaps that's why McGoohan felt such a close bond with the series that he merged himself with the role, even giving Number Six his March 19 birthday.
     Viewers could always expect the unexpected from the series.  It never settled for the simple hero-villain dynamic and many viewers were confused or disappointed by the show's 17th episode finale which failed to offer a tidy conclusion.  Yet the show was hailed by critics - one going so far as to call the series "an oasis in the vast wasteland of television."
     Patrick McGoohan will probably always best be remembered with fans as Number 6, but he had numerous roles of interest.  He played both heroes and villains.  He was memorable as both leading man and character actor.  Some other noteworthy roles include...

     Patrick McGoohan may well have first been noticed by American audiences for the lead role in Disney's 1963 version of The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh.  He portrayed Dr. Syn, a vicar by day and the masked leader of a gang of smugglers by night, who thwarted the wicked efforts of the local British officials.  The series consisted of three one hour episodes.  It was set in the British countryside and featured abundant swashbucking on McGoohan's part amid lavish sets.  And it had one catchy theme song that ended with a chilling laugh!

     Two Emmies were awarded Patrick McGoohan for his work on Columbo.  He played four different murderers, none of whom could best the determined detective in the crumpled overcoat.  McGoohan directed two of the episodes he appeared in, as well as episodes which featured Robert Vaughn and Billy Connelly.  Peter Falk (Coumbo) and McGoohan apparently had a good friendship, as McGoohan's work on the series ranged from the 70's to the dawn of the new millenium.  Falk even authored the forward for a biography about Patrick McGoohan.

     In Ice Station Zebra, Patrick McGoohan played a spy on the big screen.  At the height of the could war, McGoohan's David Jones was in a rush to ice station zebra to retreive a downed satellite with vital secret footage before the Russians could retreive it.  This film was Howard Hughes' favorite and he reportedly viewed it hundreds of times.  I had the chance to chat with actor Ron Masak, who appeared in the movie, and he confirmed the sub used to film on was authentic.   

     Perhaps McGoohan's best known recent role was in Mel Gibson's 1995 Academy Award winning Bravheart.  McGoohan played King Edward Longshanks, the nemesis of Gibson's heroic freedom fighter, Willliam Wallace.

     Patrick McGoohan died on January 13, 2009, leaving behind a plethora of great TV and film roles.


Below top -Patrick McGoohan receives treatment in The Prisoner.
Below bottom - Patrick McGoohan plays a secret agent in Ice Station Zebra with Rock Hudson.
        

Saint Patrick's Pet Peeves.

It takes a saint to keep a calm head with the way things are in the world today.  But as March 17 approaches, I wonder what might even get on the nerves of a certain saint...

1. Late night prank calls from drunks claiming to have seen a snake in Ireland.
2. Publicists insist on green garb for photo ops despite a preference for slimming black.
3. Leprechauns.
4. Constant debate with Saint Nicholas over whose holiday has the cooler customs.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

Summoned Secrets

from Summoned Secrets...


The Midnight Wind

The midnight wind
chills to the bone
and will not leave
your soul alone,
so stay in bed
throughtout the night
and you just might
remain all right.



The Haunting Hour

At midnight its dark
and time for a lark
from spirits who wave
and moan from their grave
so please be afraid
and the ghosts get paid.


Order your copy of W.P. Rigler's Summoned Secrets at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler


18 strange stories of science fiction, dark fantasy, suspense, and horror.
12 poetic creations.
1 book.

Learn the secrets of...
An alien world where hunters test their skills and dragons dwell.
A library whose biographies hold the key to life and death.
History's most infamous serial killer's gambling habits.


"With a cast that includes dimension-hopping murderers, extraterrestrial monsters, and even the shade of Poe himself, Rigler's dark imagination will populate your nightmare for days to come."
Nathan Rosen, editor at microhorror.com