Re Pulp Cover Art: I have a friend whose father created many pulp novel covers. Her living room is now graced with several framed examples of his lurid and lovely work. Hard not to get wistful when you think that an artist could support a family of five back then with little more than a box of oils and a lot of skill.
Speaking of skill, it's also interesting to note that this kind of commercial art effectively kept a 500 year-old tradition of representational painting alive at a time with the art world had turned overtly hostile to such craft-oriented knowledge.
These covers usually were created from sketches and photos made of models. On at least one occasion, my friend's dad did a kind of Hitchcockean cameo by placing himself as a happy hunk in one of his own covers.
A parting story about this all-but-vanished art form that might make you laugh or cringe: My friend's dad once told me that the artists who did this kind of illustration work were a loose confederacy, sharing contacts and models. If a particularly fetching model showed up for a session at a colleague's studio, he sometimes got an urgent call: "You should get over here now!"
1. I found the series *The Shield* repulsively irresistible, but will never forgive the writers for -- spoiler alert -- letting Vic Mackey ditch his (deadly-to-him) desk job in the final minutes.
2. A fellow writer about media always claimed that the ending of Breaking Bad ruined the whole series. I can see how the end of the story can effect how you read what were previous ambiguities, still, ruin the whole series? Interesting question of how an ending can have a backward reach on something you've been watching avidly and appreciatively, for, in the case of BB, years.
John Cazale was one of those rare actors who kept your gaze whenever he was on screen, even though never the lead. Some years ago when I worked in Malden I learned to my surprise that he was a Revere native and buried in Malden’s Holy Cross Cemetery.
Perhaps my favorite 15 minutes of TV ever was the ending of 6 Feet Under. Truly masterful. Even if you’ll never watch the series and become deeply invested in the characters, your heart will be on the floor just watching the you tube cut of it
"'Game of Thrones' threw its entire last season in the dumpster – an appropriately maximalist approach for a show dedicated to overkill." big laugh from me, thank you ty!
Ty, thank you so much for the link to I Knew It Was You. My head is spinning, so much to reabsorb, the emotions, the sensitivity, the passion, Cazale stands alone.
And love the 50’s, 60’s crime stuff, Charles Willeford, Dan C Marlowe, Donald Westlake… you found some nice pulp covers there in ME. 👍
Agree with the above and also that Daryl McCormack is the hottest actor on TV. Also agree with several commenters that Six Feet Under had an amazing ending. All in all Bad Sisters very entertaining. I’ll see anything with Sharon Horgan
Agree on the ending of Bad Sisters. Even though I suspected it was Grace or Roger, I was still surprised. I didn’t see how Grace went from waiting on him hand and foot to strangling him. I could see her turning on him if she discovered he was doing something to their daughter, but it just seem to come out of the blue. Either way, I will still watch ANYTHING with Sharon Horgan, which is why I selected the show. A friend and I would dissect each weekly episode! My husband and I enjoyed it immensely and told everyone about it.
I got thinking about Anne-Marie Duff. I first saw her in Strange Interlude; she was great. I wondered about the production history of the play and learned on Wikipedia that it was banned in Boston and the production was moved to Quincy where audience members spent the dinner break (it is a long play) at the first Howard Johnson's, contributing to the restaurant's success and eventual expansion.
Re Pulp Cover Art: I have a friend whose father created many pulp novel covers. Her living room is now graced with several framed examples of his lurid and lovely work. Hard not to get wistful when you think that an artist could support a family of five back then with little more than a box of oils and a lot of skill.
Speaking of skill, it's also interesting to note that this kind of commercial art effectively kept a 500 year-old tradition of representational painting alive at a time with the art world had turned overtly hostile to such craft-oriented knowledge.
These covers usually were created from sketches and photos made of models. On at least one occasion, my friend's dad did a kind of Hitchcockean cameo by placing himself as a happy hunk in one of his own covers.
A parting story about this all-but-vanished art form that might make you laugh or cringe: My friend's dad once told me that the artists who did this kind of illustration work were a loose confederacy, sharing contacts and models. If a particularly fetching model showed up for a session at a colleague's studio, he sometimes got an urgent call: "You should get over here now!"
Two series' endings to note:
1. I found the series *The Shield* repulsively irresistible, but will never forgive the writers for -- spoiler alert -- letting Vic Mackey ditch his (deadly-to-him) desk job in the final minutes.
2. A fellow writer about media always claimed that the ending of Breaking Bad ruined the whole series. I can see how the end of the story can effect how you read what were previous ambiguities, still, ruin the whole series? Interesting question of how an ending can have a backward reach on something you've been watching avidly and appreciatively, for, in the case of BB, years.
John Cazale was one of those rare actors who kept your gaze whenever he was on screen, even though never the lead. Some years ago when I worked in Malden I learned to my surprise that he was a Revere native and buried in Malden’s Holy Cross Cemetery.
Perhaps my favorite 15 minutes of TV ever was the ending of 6 Feet Under. Truly masterful. Even if you’ll never watch the series and become deeply invested in the characters, your heart will be on the floor just watching the you tube cut of it
I wanna be a Peace Corps Girl!
"'Game of Thrones' threw its entire last season in the dumpster – an appropriately maximalist approach for a show dedicated to overkill." big laugh from me, thank you ty!
Ty, thank you so much for the link to I Knew It Was You. My head is spinning, so much to reabsorb, the emotions, the sensitivity, the passion, Cazale stands alone.
And love the 50’s, 60’s crime stuff, Charles Willeford, Dan C Marlowe, Donald Westlake… you found some nice pulp covers there in ME. 👍
Agree with the above and also that Daryl McCormack is the hottest actor on TV. Also agree with several commenters that Six Feet Under had an amazing ending. All in all Bad Sisters very entertaining. I’ll see anything with Sharon Horgan
I think the gold standard in series finales was The Americans. They really nailed it. Worth rewatching.
“Peace Corps Nurse!” Hahaha. I have some immediate thoughts of who I need to share this with, the veterans!
Welcome back, and thanks for the Cazale doc, that was very moving and enlightening. We’ve missed you! “There’s nothing to watch, Dad!” Argh.
“Peace Corps Nurse!” Hahaha. I have some immediate thoughts of who I need to share this with, the veterans!
Welcome back, and thanks for the Cazale doc, that was very moving and enlightening. We’ve missed you! “There’s nothing to watch, Dad!” Argh.
Agree on the ending of Bad Sisters. Even though I suspected it was Grace or Roger, I was still surprised. I didn’t see how Grace went from waiting on him hand and foot to strangling him. I could see her turning on him if she discovered he was doing something to their daughter, but it just seem to come out of the blue. Either way, I will still watch ANYTHING with Sharon Horgan, which is why I selected the show. A friend and I would dissect each weekly episode! My husband and I enjoyed it immensely and told everyone about it.
You sent me down two rabbit holes. I've wondered why older paperback editions of Faulkner novels had such lurid covers and then I found this site: https://lithub.com/50-pulp-cover-treatments-of-classic-works-of-literature/ .
I got thinking about Anne-Marie Duff. I first saw her in Strange Interlude; she was great. I wondered about the production history of the play and learned on Wikipedia that it was banned in Boston and the production was moved to Quincy where audience members spent the dinner break (it is a long play) at the first Howard Johnson's, contributing to the restaurant's success and eventual expansion.
Bats Fly at Dusk was very good… but then again, they all are. AAF/ESG was masterful.
Thanks for the the tip to I knew it was you. Such a performer.