Hearse Available - Condition Excellent

     McVeil trudged through the grey sludge the morning snow had become.  He kicked at the chunks of ice in it and cursed at it as he crossed the parking lot of McVeil's Funeral Services.  A sudden gust of cold wind careening through the night air caused him to pull the collar of his tan overcoat tighter and puff harder on his blazing cigar.  McVeil hated winter's early nights.
     McVeil noted that the new hearse was in a different position then when he had departed for dinner.  Green must have moved it - but why?  There could be no reason to.  Green was reliable, not smart, but reliable. 
     Taking two steps at a time, McVeil launched up the small porch to the funeral parlor's door. 
     "Green, have you been in that hearse!" McVeil roared, his booming voice preceding him to the small office where a thin young man with short brown hair and glasses sat at a desk opposite a taller man whose black garb faded into the room's shadows. 
     "Yes sir.  This gentleman was interested in acquiring its services," Green meekly replied.  "And wished to examine it."
     McVeil turned to the seated stranger who leaned forward to reveal a pale, bald head and dark eyes.
     "Oh, you're here on business then," McVeil said in a quieter tone as he motioned to Green to depart the desk.
     "Indeed.  My name is Hintz," the stranger commented.  "And I am very pleased at the condition of your hearse - a most suitable means of transportation.  Very comfy."
     "I am sure it will be suitable for your loved one's final ride," McVeil softly said as he settled down behind the desk. 
     "It is not for a loved one.  It is for myself."
     "You're not...well?  Wisely planning ahead?" McVeil asked.
     "Oh, it will be a round trip - up the coast to Twin Sun and back the first weekend of next month. You see I have a reunion of sorts and I don't want to arrive in anything too shabby."
     "He was most impressed by the state of the hearse," Green submitted from where he stood in the corner of the room.  "And at how smoothly it ran as we drove around the block."
     "Once tucked in my coffin I'm sure I'll sleep like a babe the whole trip."
     "Then you have your own coffin..."
     "I never travel without it," Hintz answered.
     "You'll require the hearse for the whole weekend?" McVeil asked as he took a cigar from the box on his desk and offered it to Hintz. 
     Hintz nodded as he took the cigar, and as he placed it in his mouth McVeil noted the stranger had some very long pointed teeth. 
     "And a driver?"
     Hintz nodded.
     "I volunteer," Green said.
     "I'm sure he'll do nicely," Hintz commented with a puff of smoke.
     "I'm sure he will," McVeil mumbled, as he thought to himself that this might not work out too badly. 
     It was even a chance for repeat business for a change.

 copyright  ©  2015 W. P. Rigler
    
Hearse Available - Condition Excellent is the first W. P. Rigler story of 2015.
Previous fiction can be found at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler     

Poe Time

January is the perfect time to share a spooky story, considering the length of its dark, chilly nights and anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe (January 19th, 1809).  Although mainly thought of by his peers as a literary critic, Poe popularized the horror tale by concentrating on psychological terror in his poetry and fiction.  The Raven is generally considered his most famous work, but the writer's dark shadow covers numerous classics including The Cask of Amontillado and The Pit and the Pendulum.

As cinema started, so did its fascination with Poe.  The Fall of the House of Usher was made into a silent film.  Universal added Poe to its black and white horror library with versions of The Pit and the Pendulum and The Black Cat - both starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff but bringing little of the Poe tales to the screen outside of their titles.  Poe's stories were often a mere starting point for filmmakers, as the writer's work generally delved deeply into the thoughts of his central protagonist in regards to a single, sensational occurrence.

Poe was most famously adapted to films by Roger Corman.  Vincent Price was Corman's principal factor bridging eight Poe based films, starting with The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) and continuing through The Tomb of Ligeia (1964).  Corman had a reputation for fast, inexpensive productions, but as his series of Poe films progressed successfully, more care was lavished on the movies - especially the final entry.

Elizabeth Shepherd still greets fans at a con.

"This was a Corman Epic - FIVE weeks shooting!" explains Tomb of Ligeia leading actress Elizabeth Shepherd.  "The first week was all on location at Castle Acre Priory, a beautiful ruined abbey in Norfolk, east England. Apparently both Vincent and Roger had dreamed of making a Poe film in a real ruin. So all the outside is on location - once we are inside the door of Verden's abode we are in the Studio - Shepperton Studios outside London."

 

Although unfamiliar with Corman's Poe films before being cast and mainly aware of Vincent Price's reputation for his earlier work such as 'Laura', Shepherd successfully threw herself into a role she had beaten out 200 actresses for - thanks to her ability to convey maturity despite her relatively young age.  The result was a classic.  Without doubt, one huge reason was the script. "He (Corman) had commissioned from Robert Towne a superior script for this movie, with well developed characters, a love-story with real emotional stakes, and was intent to make this last Poe film different and more substantial than the others," Shepherd said. 

 

 

 

 



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.