I keep dreaming about school dinners, especially one: a big hamburger bun with well done chips all drenched in gravy. This wasn't available when I was a kid but it is now and by God I'm going to treat myself to it if I make it to the end of next week and the start of Half-Term!
Which meal do you dream about readers?
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Today I hear that Paypal will charge inactive accounts a fee of £12. I've just remembered I have an old business account from my toy dealer days and I don't use it anymore. Whoops! I'd better close it down! I use my wife's nowadays! Anyone else heard about this fee?
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A recent read was The Fog by the British Stephen King, the late James Herbert. Its nothing to do with the fabulous John Carpenter movie of the same name about evil dead pirates in Antonio Bay. Herbert's Fog concerns a yellow mist rising from a crack in the ground and one which sends anyone caught in it murderously loopy.
The plot reminded me of Romero's The Crazies aka Code Name Trixie and Herbert's book starts off really well. There are some stand-out scenes especially the harrowing plight of the PE teacher in the gym but alas I have to say that I found most of the novel boring. Its obsession with two characters called Holman and Casey drove me nuts and I had to speed read the book to get to the end quickly! Have you read The Fog? Am I being too harsh?
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Another paperback I once had, as part of my second-hand TV-tie in book box for toy fairs, was called The Silencers. It was based on a film starring Dean Martin I think, who's character Matt Helm was a sort of assassin. I've never read the book or any Matt Helm novels and I've not seen the films either. Are you familiar with Matt Helm readers?
I have never read the books, but the films were once a fairly regular sight on TV. I do not recall Helm being an assassin, at least in the films, but he was a secret agent. Yes, it was Dean Martin, and they tried to be a spoof of James Bond, with plenty of pretty girls. One had a rather Science Fiction feel to it, with flying saucers. There were also a couple of Derek Flint movies, with James Coburn. All 1960s.
ReplyDeleteyeah, never seen anything of this character Paul, just a couple of raunchy cover novels. I saw In Like Flint recently and found it boring I'm afraid!
DeleteI watched at least one movie as a child.It was on daytime tv so it was edited for profanity.Mr.Helm was quite the womanizer.I was particularly impressed with a scene where he awoke in a circular bed that automatically rolled him across the room(with his lady friend) and rose on an angle,gently sliding the couple into a nice,Sudsy bath.
ReplyDeleteOld Deano sounds like he had an absolute ball in these films. I can't believe there are toy connected to them!
DeleteOn Freeview, Sony Movies have been showing the Matt Helm films and In Like Flint regularly over the last few months. I'm sure they'll be round again soon. Usually on a daytime slot. Low budget cheese but passes a rainy afternoon. Still waiting for them to show Our Man Flint and maybe the Man from Uncle compilation movies.
ReplyDeleteIn the Austin Powers film when Basil Exposition calls Powers on his vid phone the ringtone is the US president's hotline ringtone from Flint.
Yep, I saw In Like Flint on Sony t'other week. I think Billion Dollar Brain with harry Palmer was on afterwards. I was disappointed with both I'm afraid Yorkie.
DeleteI just googled Matt Helm toys - seems there was a Crescent secret agent revolver set, with what looks like a torch, but is actually a scope, and a silencer - is this a real period piece ? There also seem to be a few other items, such as a doll, but I think that is a modern item with a Dean Martin head, and a Code 3 version of his car, meaning it is something that someone has modified to resemble his car rather than a factory produced item. Are there any movies and TV shows that do not have a tie-in toy ?
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