Category: Uncategorized
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THE BLOB
Remember The Blob, the monster movie from the 50s? They still recall the picture in Phoenixville, Pa., 28 miles north of Philadelphia. That’s where they filmed the scene of people pouring out of the Colonial Theater (still intact) after the Blob makes a surprise appearance. They hold a Blobfest every summer in Phoenixville complete with…
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HANG UP THAT PHONE!
When you listen to the radio, you realize you’re tapping into all media. Actually you may not always realize that but you do. Think about it: a radio show can promote a movie or TV show or a website. Anything audio goes without saying: music, a song, a dance (okay, you’re missing out a little…
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Kiss Me Deadly
Kiss Me Deadly was the movie shown at the Peoria library downtown Saturday afternoon as part of a month-long film noir series. The show reminds us why some movies hold up better than others. Kiss Me Deadly holds up. Released in 1955, it was condemned by the Kefauver Commission, the congressional group that held televised…
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Radio transition
The beauty of history is that it routinely reveals we don’t realize pivotal moments until they’re past. Take Feb. 10, 1949, for example. That’s the date when the Burns & Allen radio show aired the episode, “Gracie sends Sam Spade to jail.” The program was notable for a number of reasons. It marked a final…
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Delivery issue
Not long after I joined the Peoria Journal Star in 1998, I found myself at the paper’s copying machine located in a little closet of a room just large enough for a big machine and a table where you could sort and staple. Over that table was a framed PJS carrier’s towel. I’m not sure…
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LIBRARY NOIR
No, the headline there doesn’t refer to film noir that had library scenes. Shadow of a Doubt, Chinatown and Big Sleep come to mind but we’ll save that for another day. Film noir is back at the Peoria Public Library in 2023 during the month of October–every Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in October at…
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TV vs. Movies: popular themes
TV themes Movie themes What do we remember when it comes to theme songs? That depends on how a theme is carried out. Some become pop hits and get repeated on radio for decades. Others are reworked and get refreshed in film franchises like “Mission Impossible” and “Pink Panther.” In examining lists from both TV…
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COMICS
I don’t think we realized what a special place it was. I’m talking about the comics page in your daily newspaper. You had all those characters, all that art, all those ideas, all in one place where you could pick and choose. Do I want to read Kerry Drake today? How about Nancy? You can’t…
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Illinois corn festivals
In Illinois you know the end of summer has come when you run out of corn festivals. The festival that honors a particular food item is a treasured tradition in many small towns across the state. You’ll find salutes to strawberries, pumpkins, apples—even horseradish—before corn takes center stage to bring the season to a close.…
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What if television hadn’t worked out?
“Selchow, I’m telling you that people aren’t going to waste time looking at little figures in a box when they can see the real thing on a stage or on a movie screen.” Selchow had heard all this before. He placed the latest figures from accounting on Carmody’s desk and stood near the door. “Selchow,…