Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: When Muggs and the rest of the East Side Kids stop a mugging and recover a wallet full of cash, the wealthy victim, John Cortland, rewards them by giving them 24/7 access to the gymnasium in his mansion. The help from Muggs and company doesn't stop there. They also save a dinner party, stop Courtland's daughter from marrying a conman and, after learning Courtland's son, Roy, was one of the muggers, work to turn him away from a life of crime. Who's in it? The movie stars Leo Gorcey , Huntz Hall, Louise Currie, Johnny Duncan and Herbert Heyes. Review: I couldn't make up my mind between a choice of three movies this morning, so I called an audible and looked for another East Side Kids/Bowery Boy film instead. Million Dollar Kid has been in my library for a while, and I finally gave it a try. It ended up being a good choice. I think the thing I liked best about this movie is how the film does a good job showing why Muggs (Gorcey) is the leader of his gang....

I needed a bit of background noise while working on something in my office today, so I booted up my spare laptop and, because it was readily available, put on the very first episode of The Andy Griffith Show , "The New Housekeeper." As I watched this episode, which introduced Andy ( Andy Griffith ), his son Opie ( Ron Howard ) and Aunt Bee ( Frances Bavier ), something hit me - Andy grew up in Mayberry (evidence of which is provided in later episodes). So why does he seem to have zero relatives who live there? OK, so obviously, there is Bee. However, based on the first episode, she didn't live in Mayberry prior to the start of the series and instead relocated there to help Andy out. She was also his first choice, despite the distance, after his housekeeper got married, presumably because he had no other family around who were willing to help. The only other potential relative is Barney ( Don Knotts ), who is described as his cousin in early episodes. By the time we reach ...

I am still getting used to the macro setting on my new camera. It works, just in a different way than my previous camera, and there are some nuances I'm still figuring out. I did manage to practice a bit with that on my walk today though, mostly trying to capture images of dragonflies near one of the ponds. Here are some of the photos I got: ______________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my other insect photos: Just a Butterfly Picture Butterfly Photo Dragonfly Another Dragonfly Photo

Synopsis: A once-promising boxer, Davey Gordon, loses yet another fight and decides he should move back to Seattle to work on his uncle's ranch. That same night, he saves his next-door neighbor, Gloria Price, from an attempted rape by her boss, Vinnie Rappalo. The two fall in love and Gloria decides to go with Davey to Seattle. However, when they attempt to collect their final paychecks, a series of events lead to Gloria being kidnapped and Davey being accused of murdering his manager. Who's in it? The movie stars Jamie Smith, Irene Kane, Frank Silvera, Jerry Jarrett and Felice Orlandi. Review: I came across Killer's Kiss on Screenpix's 25 movies to watch before you die list last night and, while I wasn't sure if I'd be interested in watching it at first, decided to do so after seeing it was written and directed by Stanley Kubrick. I watched it this morning and, while I could clearly tell it was a Kubrick movie and understand why it made that list, my opinion...

Synopsis: In this series debut, the Manhattan Criminal Court receives a brand-new judge, Harry Stone ( Harry Anderson ). His quirky nature quickly results questions about his competence, especially when he orders an attempted murder suspect (Peggy McCay) to try to work things out with her victim/husband (Joseph V. Perry) over lunch. My Thoughts - The lack of diversity in the original cast is noticeable . I suspect one of the main reasons why the show pivoted from Sheila Gardiner (Gail Strickland) to Liz Williams (Paula Kelly) at public defender after just one episode was to address this. Though, to be fair, I think it was a good change regardless of the reason. Obviously, one 30-minute episode isn't a big sample size, especially since Harry Stone was the focus. However, I could say the same about everyone else in the courtroom and they all managed to establish their characters to some degree while Sheila was mostly just there. On that note, I need to just take a moment to pay my r...

Synopsis: A forgotten-about cistern located in the roof of Bascom Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison causes a flood and reveals the skeleton of a long-hidden body and a visiting art professor, Nora Barnes, finds herself helping with the investigation, even after her own life is threatened. Her husband, Toby Sandler, also takes an interest in the case but is more interested in finding lost architectural plans drafted by Frank Lloyd Wright. Review: I didn't plan ahead when I went to the library last week and, with nothing on hold and no books on top of my list, I wandered the stacks looking for anything that caught my eye. The Bones of Bascom Hall wound up being one of the books I checked out, primarily because it takes place in a city I frequently visit and I liked the idea of a murder mystery in a familiar setting. I finished the book this morning and would describe it as OK. I liked the mystery surrounding the discovered body because it added some challenges that were u...