Thursday, May 28, 2009

Today's Video Link

Leo Dorfman was a prolific writer of comic books...and I'm afraid I don't know as much about him as I'd like. He began working for DC around 1950. One of his early credits was the Robin strip in Star Spangled Comics. He wrote war stories and romance stories and such throughout the fifties, and around '61 he became one of Mort Weisinger's main writers for the Superman titles and may well have been the most prolific scripter of the Man of Steel during that decade. (One story of his that many will remember was "Superman-Red and Superman-Blue.") During that period, he was also working a lot for Dell and Gold Key Comics. He passed away in 1974.

Some time between 1952 and 1956, he appeared as a contestant on the game show, Two for the Money, which was hosted by comedian Herb Shriner. Kevin Greenlee just wrote me that he discovered this appearance on an old videotape and he's been nice enough to transfer the segment so we can all see it. Not much is said about the specifics of Mr. Dorfman's career — they don't even mention a comic he writes or a publisher — but it's interesting to see how the host talked about comic books in those days when they were under attack by parents' groups and other moralizers...

• Posted at 10:53 AM · LINK

Recommended Reading

Merrill Markoe knows what to do about Kim Jong Il. We should listen to this woman.

• Posted at 10:22 AM · LINK

Today's Free Movie

Turner Classic Movies occasionally posts whole movies online for free viewing. Right now, you can watch Kelly the Second, a 1936 comedy featuring Patsy Kelly and a good supporting cast — Ed Brophy, Pert Kelton, Charley Chase, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Billy Gilbert and many more. It was made on the Hal Roach lot with much the same crew that worked on Laurel and Hardy films and has much the same ambiance. It's pleasant and funny enough for me to recommend so here's the link. Enjoy.

• Posted at 2:37 AM · LINK