Thrift Store Thursday: Gunsmoke

Like last week’s Thirft Store Thursday, this is a Whitman book based on a television series, this one the long-running western Gunsmoke.

The book, entitled simply Gunsmoke, was written in 1958 and written by Robert Turner. Don’t know much about him, though I did find a science fiction short story from the mid-1950s by him available for download on The Gutenberg Project. The fact that the book is out of print, yet, obviously, still under copyright brings up this question: when are publishers of old material such as this going to make it available digitally? Is there a way to make it cost effective?

Anyway …

I like the looks of this book. I like how the cover wraps around to the back as one picture. A friend of mine gave this to me for Christmas many years ago and I’ve always kept it for a variety of reasons:

• it was given to me by a friend;
• I like old books;
• I remember watching the syndicated Gunsmoke on television growing up.

Marshall Matt Dillon is a real man: friend to the downtrodden (Festus), respectful of women (Miss Kitty) and intellectual peers with the elite (Doc). That’s probably as good of a definition of a real man as I know.

What’s your definition?

Thanks, ESPN …

 

Thanks to ESPN’s Winter X Games commercials, I’ve got this song running through my brain.

Thanks a lot.

No, really … thanks … I actually went online a bought it.

TV Commercials: The 21st Century Equivalent of the Pizza Joint Juke Box.

R.I.P. Priceline Negotiator

 

Read that William Shatner‘s role as the Priceline Negotiator will come to an end during a commercial that starts to air on television Monday (of course, the commercial is already released online, leading to the question of when does an ad spokesman  really die?)

It’s a pretty funny commercial (“Save yourself … some money …”) and the publicity given to the commercial is exactly what Priceline wants. (Side note: I’m wondering why they didn’t wait until the Super Bowl? Was the Super Bowl too expensive for such a whimsical death ad? What does that say about the Super Bowl, which has built a counter following of commercial-only viewers? I guess these are questions left for another post …)

As far as the commercial, don’t worry about Shatner. Priceline officials note that he is still under contract with the company for another year, leaving the door open for a miraculous return.

And if he does, will this be the first time a long-running commercial pitchman has jumped the shark?

Mopey birthday, Edgar Allan Poe

 

So I guess today is the 102nd birthday of Edgar Allan Poe, so it seems appropriate to post the trailer for the new John Cusack film, The Raven.

Let’s face it, if there was ever a lock in casting, John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe would be it. I mean, who else, but Lloyd Dobler, black shirt and dark trenchcoat, with arms raised high blasting music in order to salve a wretched, broken heart … well … kinda lost my train of thought … but, you get the picture …

Anyway, read a poem today … and then, Nevermore!

Thrift Store Thursday: I Spy

On a recent trip to Ohio I stopped in a book store and found this sweet “I Spy” book, Message from Moscow.

The hardcover book is an “authorized edition” (it says so on the front cover) based on the classic TV show. I love the cover picture of the young Bill Cosby and Robert Culp. The back cover picture is pretty neat-o, too.

The book was published in 1966 by Whitman Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Western Printing and Lithographing Company. Western Printing also published the popular Little Golden Books we loved as a child. Now that I know that, I can see the same kind of art flair between the two.

The book was written by Brandon Keith, who also wrote some other TV adaptations (including some Man from U.N.C.L.E. books, according to Amazon). Does anyone know anything else about him?

Either way, this book looks totally retro because, well, it kind of is. Or is it? Can an original be retro? Hmmmm … let me ponder that while you tell me what kind of cool books you’ve found lately.