Our film festival proved to be an enjoyable way to sit in the dark on a Sunday afternoon.  We were particularly happy to screen some of the films of John Keel, which had not been seen since the 1970s.  Thanks to all who attended.

I will be showing comics and picture stories, projected on the wall so that all can see, on the next “Carousel,” hosted by R. Sikoryak.  (I’ve decided that we need a moratorium on the word “curated.”)  It will be at 7:30, on Wednesday, Sept.12, at Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie St, NYC.  There is more info on the Carousel site.

Now that summer is over, you may want to head over to Jalopy, in Brooklyn, to brush up on your ukulele skills.  I’ll be teaching three levels, starting Sept. 13.  Private instruction is also available, for those who can’t stand the ruthless competition of a group class.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)

Here, in case you missed it, is an interview about the upcoming event, as residents of Michigan look longingly eastward.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)

There’s one in every crowd.  (Please click to enlarge.)

(Posted by Doug Skinner.  The photo is from Master Course in Hypnotism, by Harry Abons, Power Publishers, 1948.)

“The Cheerful Game of Porky the Pig,” first published by Parker Brothers in 1946, got a makeover in 1961.  The original ’40s graphics (here) were replaced by the more stylized design popular in the ’50s.  Here, for comparison, are the two Porkies as well.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)

The Ullage Group presents its twelfth enjoyable event: The Ullage Group Film Festival, Volume One.  Attend, and you will see a selection of brief, rare, and unusual films.  We will project onto a screen some of the experimental films John Keel made in the ’60s.  We will show short subjects by Doug Skinner, Anthony Matt, Morgan Miller, and Russ Johnson.  Lisa Hirschfield and Mark Newgarden will air rarities from their collections.  And you can sit in the dark, nurse a drink, and pass judgment on it all.  It’s on Sunday, August 19, at 3 pm, at the Jalopy Theater, 351 Columbia St., Brooklyn.  It costs our usual pittance, $5.  Directions to Jalopy are here.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)

If you leave the house without your pants, where will you put your keys?

golf without clubs

Salt is best enjoyed at room temperature.

The beauty of the little lamb
Is that it doesn’t give a damn.

Nobody ever lost money by finding money.

Science still can’t create an ineffective placebo.

a globe with Mercator projection

No true Scotsman will invoke “no true Scotsman.”

Rich people need the government, because it’s the government that issues the money.

Don’t drop the child; you’ll break its head.
Go throw it in the lake instead.

to halt to a different drummer

(Posted by Doug Skinner. The illustration is by R. B. Birch.)

The Peter Coddle games were early versions of “Mad Libs,” or of “Dr. Quack.”  One player read about Peter Coddle’s misadventures; other players drew cards to fill in spaces in the story.  The most popular version chronicles the rural Coddle’s trip to New York; another takes him to Chicago.  This one follows him to the 1939 World’s Fair.

You can play digital Coddle over here.

(Posted by Doug Skinner.)

I found these drawings at the flea market.  They’re all 4 3/4″ x 6 1/2″, done with ink and shading film on board, and unsigned.  Enjoy them.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)

This is an isolated card; I have no idea of its context.  But I do like the restrained patch of grass, the dog’s perky tail, the hunter’s coat, and the two color design.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)

We return to that interesting character, Benjamin De Casseres.  There are only a few pictures of him online: a caricature, for example, and a photo of him celebrating the 21st Amendment.  So, here’s a portrait of De Casseres with his wife Bio.

The picture is taken from his 1931 book, Love Letters of a Living Poet.  Like many of his books, it’s intense, original, and somewhat embarrassing.

Apparently, in November, 1902, De Casseres met a “beautiful, very dark woman” in his Manhattan boarding house; they exchanged some meaningful glances, and read some Byron together.  They met briefly three more times; and she then left town, in March, 1903.  Her name was Mary Adele Terrill Jones, she was married, and she lived in California.  She preferred the name Bio, which she said was her Indian name.

Ben and Bio wrote increasingly passionate and elaborate letters to each other; but didn’t meet again until 1919, at which point Mrs. Jones divorced Mr. Jones, and married her penpal.  De Casseres was, perhaps, not the ideal suitor, since his letters often dwelled on his poverty, suicidal impulses, and massive consumption of alcohol.

In 1931, De Casseres published a selection of his letters to her, as well as a few of hers to him.  Here’s an extract from a long letter, expressing one of the oddest romantic fantasies I’ve seen.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)