Films of Whip Wilson

This 260 page book is the size of a coffee table book. Now I have dozens of self-published reference books about cowboys of the Golden Age of Hollywood, but this is the best one I have ever read. It includes a very detailed biography and filmography as well as personal appearance details, his comic books, Monogram Studios contract info, trade paper reviews, comments from people who worked with Wilson, his radio appearances, birth certificate, info on trusty white horse Bullet, and lots more. And there's many photos and movie artwork from Whip's films as well as photos and insights from the Wilson family. The author went to the movie star's home town and found the Chamber of Commerce with a wall of celebrities that originated from the town, and snapped a photo of Whip Wilson among them.

The book also provides a good perspective and "history lesson" on what it was like working for Monogram Studios under contract. The tidbits and nitty gritty in this well-researched volume is the meats and potatoes.

His childhood, photos of the house he lived in, personal appearance tours (rodeos, parades, etc.), the stuntmen at Monogram, his obit and family obits reprinted, and much more. I could go on and on for the next half hour about how good this book is.

David L. Godwin obviously made this book with a labor of love. For the few that say they don't buy self-published books, or feel there is a strike against anyone who does it, needs only to look at this one and discover they are wrong. I really wish there were books on other cowboy heroes in the same mold Mr. Godwin did. Great job!

Green Hornet Chronicles

For those of you who love character of The Green Hornet and long for more adventures, this book is aimed to please. And for the most part, it succeeds. As advertised on the back cover, this is the first anthology featuring all-new, original crime fiction tales of the man who hunters the biggest of all game, public enemies that even the FBI can't reach. Van Williams, television's Green Hornet, provided a nice introduction for the book. Dean Jeffries, who designed the Black Beauty car, wrote an afterward for the book.

There is a plus and a negative. Let us focus, for a moment, on the positives. Almost every author had a love for the character and attempted to bring the character to life without steering away from the original concept. All of the stories are fast-paced. The Green Hornet and Kato are not buffoons. C.J. Henderson did a nice twist on the character and he is becoming one of my favorite modern-day writers. Rich Harvey wrote a story that captures the closest to the character from the radio program.

Greg Cox wrote the amusing "I Had the Green Hornet's Love Child" story, but fear not, it isn't humorous. It's a serious story. Will Murray wrote one that appears to be ripped from an unproduced television script. Gary Owens, the voice actor who appeared in a number of the television episodes, wrote a nice blurb for the back cover.

Now the negative. The book was promoted in advance with having a story from Anthony Tollin retelling the origin of the character. As usual, having met Mr. Tollin personally at the Pulpfest convention and he failed to impress me, there is no such story. Could Moonstone intended to include the story and not included it due to space and time restraints? I doubt it. While I am not yet done reading the Salomonson/Grams History of the Green Hornet book yet (a future book review, stay tuned), I already learned that there is no origin to the character. Another disappointment from Mr. Tollin.

There is a story fragment about The Green Hornet meeting The Phantom, and an essay about why these two characters should never meet up. Who wrote these two pieces? Harlan Ellison. 'Nuff said. He, too, has disappointed me in person with an attitude I hope I never meet again.

Ruben Procopio supplied much of the illustrations in the book, and scenes are bridged with the Hornet logo like the television program. A nice touch. If you are looking for a history of the radio program, this is not the book to buy. But if you are looking for a collection or original short stories for new adventures and sheer enjoyment (skip Mr. Ellison's chapters), this is a book well worth the price and you won't even spent more than $20 bucks!

Superman: Flights of Fantasy

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY: The Authorized but True Story of Radio & TV's Adventures of Superman by Michael Hayde is a pleasant surprise. The book includes episode logs for radio and television, complete story lines for two un-produced TV episodes, and dozens of "deleted scenes" taken right from the shooting scripts. Can we say "someone did their homework?" I've seen only a few books like these that make it worth buying, because the author did their research. Kudos.

To be fair, I never cared much for the Superman character, but I have been enjoying the radio shows recently (not the butchered ones they play on Satellite Radio's XM/Sirius Channel) and this book gave me more background production information than I could ever dream about.

Page 289 even has a photo of George Reeves as Superman, from a deleted scene from "The Mysterious Cube."

A page from the August 7, 1946 broadcast can be found on page 88. There are candid behind-the-scenes photos sprinkled throughout and a great photo of Reeves in June 1959 (on page 329), less than 72 hours from the time his dead body would be found. Yes, the author dug into the mysterious death of George Reeves and it appears his theory is "murder," but I should note that while the case is and probably always will be open, he certainly knows his facts and deserves credit.

There are books about Superman out there but if you are looking for one that covers the radio and television program, and with detail (and great prose, by the way), this is the only book you want to get.