Saturday, September 28, 2024
The Microwave Factor (1983)
The Microwave Factor, by Aaron Fletcher (Leisure, 1983); cover art by Ron Lesser. Fletcher also penned the better-known, Australia-set Outback Saga.
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Robert McGinnis’ Signature on Florinda
Click on the image for an enlargement. Learn more here.
Art Scott, the co-author (with the painter himself) of that beautiful 2014 hardcover release, The Art of Robert E. McGinnis, writes that if you magnify this image “and squint a little bit, you can see clearly a McGinnis signature just slightly cropped at the bottom edge. The distinctive ‘R’ is under the first ‘o’ in Broccoli. The ‘M’ is under the first ‘c,’ and the distinctive long-trailing ‘s’ runs well beyond the the Broccoli terminal ‘i.’… I’m not a certified Examiner of Questioned Documents, nor a graphologist, but as a self-made McGinnis authority I’ll sign off on this one as being genuine McGinnis.”
Art Scott, the co-author (with the painter himself) of that beautiful 2014 hardcover release, The Art of Robert E. McGinnis, writes that if you magnify this image “and squint a little bit, you can see clearly a McGinnis signature just slightly cropped at the bottom edge. The distinctive ‘R’ is under the first ‘o’ in Broccoli. The ‘M’ is under the first ‘c,’ and the distinctive long-trailing ‘s’ runs well beyond the the Broccoli terminal ‘i.’… I’m not a certified Examiner of Questioned Documents, nor a graphologist, but as a self-made McGinnis authority I’ll sign off on this one as being genuine McGinnis.”
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Dana Dorothy Broccoli’s Death Record
From the Ancestry Web site. Right-click to open an enlargement.
Above is the last resting place of Albert and Dana Broccoli, found at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.
Above is the last resting place of Albert and Dana Broccoli, found at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Columbo Quiz Answers
The questions, prepared by yours truly and delivered to author Laura Lippman at CrimeFest 2024 in Bristol, England, can be found here.
1: Just one—Prescription: Murder, a two-hour, 1968 NBC-TV film and the figurative first pilot for Columbo. Link and Levinson later developed the story for the second, 1971 pilot, Ransom for a Dead Man, but left the actual scriptwriting to Dean Hargrove.
2: Frank. Link called this an error, and blamed “a prop man [for] screwing up, creating a badge without even knowing the series.”
3: Six—five brothers and one sister.
4: Hard-boiled eggs.
5: The tuba. He explained in the Season 8 episode “Sex and the Married Detective” that it was the only instrument left in high school when he signed up for band.
6: Baseball great Joe DiMaggio.
7: Columbo’s adorable Basset Hound, who was rescued from the pound and never had a name other than “Dog.” He made his screen debut in the Season 2 opener, “Etude in Black.” Apparently, the first canine performer in that role died and was replaced. The second, younger version had to be made up to look like the original. Falk once said that the dog spent much more time in the make-up chair than he did himself.
8: Ice cream.
9: In an Italian restaurant.
10: Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini.
11: “Last Salute to the Commodore,” which aired originally on May 2, 1976, as the final installment of Season 5.
12: $15
13: 448-DBZ. During its original run as part of the NBC Mystery Movie rotation, its license read 044-APD.
14: “Forgotten Lady,” the first episode of Season 5. It starred Janet Leigh.
15: “Any Old Port in a Storm,” “Now You See Him,” and “Identity Crisis.”
16: “This Old Man.”
17: “Now You See Him,” with Jack Cassidy in his third appearance on the show as guest murderer.
18: A then very modern typewriter and its disposable carbon ribbon.
19: Sergeant Gilhooley.
20: Lieutenant Fisher.
21: Art Carney.
1: Just one—Prescription: Murder, a two-hour, 1968 NBC-TV film and the figurative first pilot for Columbo. Link and Levinson later developed the story for the second, 1971 pilot, Ransom for a Dead Man, but left the actual scriptwriting to Dean Hargrove.
2: Frank. Link called this an error, and blamed “a prop man [for] screwing up, creating a badge without even knowing the series.”
3: Six—five brothers and one sister.
4: Hard-boiled eggs.
5: The tuba. He explained in the Season 8 episode “Sex and the Married Detective” that it was the only instrument left in high school when he signed up for band.
6: Baseball great Joe DiMaggio.
7: Columbo’s adorable Basset Hound, who was rescued from the pound and never had a name other than “Dog.” He made his screen debut in the Season 2 opener, “Etude in Black.” Apparently, the first canine performer in that role died and was replaced. The second, younger version had to be made up to look like the original. Falk once said that the dog spent much more time in the make-up chair than he did himself.
8: Ice cream.
9: In an Italian restaurant.
10: Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini.
11: “Last Salute to the Commodore,” which aired originally on May 2, 1976, as the final installment of Season 5.
12: $15
13: 448-DBZ. During its original run as part of the NBC Mystery Movie rotation, its license read 044-APD.
14: “Forgotten Lady,” the first episode of Season 5. It starred Janet Leigh.
15: “Any Old Port in a Storm,” “Now You See Him,” and “Identity Crisis.”
16: “This Old Man.”
17: “Now You See Him,” with Jack Cassidy in his third appearance on the show as guest murderer.
18: A then very modern typewriter and its disposable carbon ribbon.
19: Sergeant Gilhooley.
20: Lieutenant Fisher.
21: Art Carney.
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
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