Review of "Tonight Show Memories," starring Johnny Carson DVD

 Review of

Tonight Show Memories, starring Johnny Carson DVD

Five out of five stars

Great glimpses of the greatness

 At only 28 minutes in length, it is not possible for there to be more than a sampling of the 25 years that Johnny Carson was hosting the Tonight Show. Yet, the editors have done a masterful job at pulling out some of the classic events featuring Johnny at his best. From the earliest black and white and fuzzy skits to the high definition color at the end, they are still as entertaining as they were when first delivered.

 Most of the guests appearing in these clips have long passed, as have Johnny and Ed. It is pleasant to see them again at their prime, they are truly some of the best memories of the people that were the entertainment industry when Johnny Carson hosted the Tonight Show.

Review of "TV’s First Family," by Louis Solomon

 Review of

TV’s First Family, by Louis Solomon

Five out of five stars

History of a revolution

 When Norman Lear developed the hit show, “All in the Family,” he revolutionized network television. For the first time, pressing social issues became the subject matter of a prime time situation comedy. Specifically, the racism and ethnic prejudice that was so much a fact of American life. Ethnic, racial and religious slurs were as much a part of Archie Bunker’s life as was eating and breathing. On the opposite side, there was son-in-law Michael Stivic, a pure liberal that was often as thick-headed as Archie. Somewhere in the middle were Archie’s wife Edith and his daughter Gloria Stivik. As is almost always the case in revolutionary works of art, all the characters are played to extremes. Edith is portrayed as of limited intelligence and hopelessly devoted to Archie.

 The show was extremely satirical, with the prejudices of Archie portrayed as objects of ridicule rather than as role models. To many, it was a breath of fresh air in a medium that was sometimes referred to as “the bland leading the bland.” “All in the Family” was controversial, yet it was a hit and was the forerunner of other hits that stretched the limits of what could appear on network television. Often lost is that this show was the first fiction show on television to depict an attempted rape. It was dramatic television at its’ best, Jean Stapleton should have won an award for that scene only. There is no more dramatic scene in the history of television.

 A change agent of the largest type, Normal Lear was the first to give us reality television. Not the scripted nonsense now called reality TV, but television drama that reflected the difficulties and hardships of real life. This book is an excellent, brief history of this incredible show.

Review of "Buchanan’s Big Showdown," by Jonas Ward

 Review of

 Buchanan’s Big Showdown, by Jonas Ward

 Four out of five stars

Buchanan as a noble western hero

 The mighty Tom Buchanan and his boxing pal Coco Bean are traveling to Dodge City to meet with gambler Luke Short. Their goal is to stage a prizefight between Coco and a massive soldier at the local military fort. While the governor has given permission for the fight to take place and there are business interests in the town that stand to gain a great deal, there are many that still oppose it. The Colonel commanding the local fort is a pompous incompetent and a brutal outlaw gang led by a deserter is gathering nearby.

 Buchanan is once again forced to override his peaceful nature and deal with the outlaws in the only way they understand, with violence. He also shows his tender side in interacting with a widow whose son is in love with a local girl where her father opposes the match. The action moves quickly, the evil ones plot and Buchanan counters their every move, all of which is typical of a Buchanan story.

 Jonas Ward’s Buchanan stories are western hero fiction at its best. Buchanan always does good, even when it appears that he is doing bad when shooting down a man.

Review of "Ghosts of War: The Secret of Midway," by Steve Watkins

 Review of

Ghosts of War: The Secret of Midway, by Steve Watkins, ISBN 9780545665858

Five out of five stars

Quality history lesson wrapped in ghost story

 In the history of World War II in the Pacific theater, there is no question which battle was the turning point. It took place on June 4-7 in 1942 and some have called it the “most decisive battle in the history of naval warfare.“ In the span of only a few hours, the power of the Japanese navy to project air power from carriers was largely destroyed. Not only did they lose four carriers, but the planes, pilots and highly trained crews could not be replaced.

 Anderson and his friends Greg and Julie want to conduct the practice of their makeshift band in the basement of the junk shop of Anderson’s family. While rearranging for space in a room, they open an old trunk and find memorabilia of a sailor in World War II. The act of removing a navy peacoat from the trunk triggers a supernatural event where the ghost of a long-dead sailor appears. An old letter from the sailor is found in the peacoat and that leads the three friends to the person the letter was addressed to. While doing that, they learn a great deal about the battle of Midway and the consequences.

 This story has many features, a sound history lesson on the battle of Midway, the human cost of war when men leave home and their friends and lovers to fight and die in war and the general trials and tribulations of being a teen in the modern world. All of these features are put together very well in order to make a great book for young adults.

Review of "Incognegro Renaissance," by Matt Johnson and Warren Pleece

 Review of

Incognegro Renaissance, by Matt Johnson and Warren Pleece, ISBN  9781506705637

Five out of five stars

Great historical mystery

Much has been written about the Harlem Renaissance, where an area of New York City that had formerly been white became a dynamic black neighborhood. Such ethnic changes were part of what is known as the great migration, where blacks fled the segregated south in search of jobs and more economic opportunity. Many of the more talented ended up in Harlem and there began a flowering of what became black pride, a separate artistic thread as well as some intermingling of artistic and cultural works.

 One of the milestones was a party for the 1924 novel by Jessie Redmon Fauset called “There Is Confusion,” a party attended by some of the most powerful white publishing executives. After this party where rising black writers and editors attended, works by black writers began appearing in mainstream magazines.

 A party similar to that forms the opening scene of this graphic novel. Zane, a low-level reporter for a black newspaper, and Carl are attending a party for writer Arna Van Horn, celebrating his latest work. Zane is very light skinned black man that can pass for white and when there, they meet Xavier, a very exuberant black man that is also a writer. There is reasonable mingling of the races until Xavier is found dead in the bathtub, his wrists cut.

 The police show no interest in considering the death of Xavier as being anything other than a suicide, their concern is more with cleaning up the social mess. Yet, Zane is convinced that it was a murder, and his main lead was an actress that was at the party. He follows the leads and on occasion passes for white when the situation is advantageous. Hence, the word “incognegro” in the title.

 The storyline involves many instances of how the members of the black culture use their knowledge to come to the aid of Zane when he gets into difficulties. It is a very revealing look back into the days when blacks were relegated to secondary roles and doors were opened for the light skinned that simply would not have existed otherwise.

 The murder/exploitation crimes are eventually solved by Zane and his allies. That solution is almost a subplot to what is more interesting, how smart blacks navigated the borders between the white and black cultures as they existed in the 1920’s and ‘30’s. You conclude that there is a great deal of truth in this rendition.

Review of "Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of the OSS," by Lt. Col. Corey Ford and Maj. Alastair McBain

 Review of

Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of the OSS, by Lt. Col. Corey Ford and Maj. Alastair McBain

Four out of five stars

A bit laudatory, but still some key history

 The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the main US organization that engaged in clandestine warfare and spying against the Axis powers. It was headed by William (Wild Bill) Donovan and it sent agents all across the globe on missions ranging from the simple gathering of intelligence and radioing in to the sabotaging of key facilities such as factories, bridges and roads to rescuing captured Allied personnel. While they generally avoided direct combat with enemy forces, some of them were quite spectacular in taking the fight to the enemy.

 Written in 1945 and 1946, shortly after the end of World War II, several of the more spectacular missions are described. This would have been after the OSS was disbanded and before the Central Intelligence Agency was formed. Therefore, it serves as a point of patriotic pride in the people that made the OSS an effective tool in the Allied arsenal. In later years when the OSS records were declassified, some of the people that worked for the agency were surprising. For example, famed chef Julia Child worked directly under Donovan.

 While only the successful missions were chronicled in this book, there is enough history to convince the reader that the OSS made major contributions to the Allied victory.

Review of "Old Mills in the Mid-West," by Leslie C. Swanson

 Review of

Old Mills in the Mid-West, by Leslie C. Swanson

Four out of five stars

A look back at a key industry

 When people began settling in the midwestern area of the United States, certain industrial activities arose rather quickly out of necessity. We commonly think of the village blacksmith, freight lines and trading posts, but one that was generally the first industry was the mill that ground up grain. Crops such as corn and wheat are almost undigestible in the original form, only when it is ground up does it provide significant nutrition.

 Therefore, once there was a population base, significant capital was expended in building large and solid buildings near the only available power source, which was a dammed river or creek. The buildings were made of thick stone, as they were designed to withstand all but the most torrential of floods.

 Since they were often the largest building in town and housed the most important and sometimes only industrial activity in the area, many of the mills still exist. Although they have generally been repurposed for other uses. This book is a brief explanation of the importance of the mill for local farmers, the significant effort it took to build the dam to divert the water for power as well as the building and capital equipment and a listing of some of the most prominent mills still in existence.

 The states covered are Iowa and Illinois and I have toured the Costello Old Mill Gallery in Maquoketa, Iowa. Repurposed as an art gallery and living quarters, you can still see the machinery. If you are interested in how the Midwest was settled and how the people banded together to create necessary infrastructure, then this short book will tell you a great deal.