Sunday, September 22nd, 1974

A bad day. I paid terry 8 bucks for his two Marie Osmond albums and I didn't like them as much as I expected to.

Then we went out to Ludlow to see ONE MILLION YEARS BC. It was on with the Sinbad flick. I stayed to see some of it but not much. Having already seen it, I left, leaving Terry to catch the bus. I walked all the way home. I had two Cokes before I left and my stomach was hurting terribly. I'm never gonna do THAT again!

Back home tonight, 007 was on with THUNDERBALL as was Sonny (sans Cher). I saw THE MALTESE FALCON, also. It was really good!

DEATH WISH is coming to the Ludlow.

Two more celebrities died--Walter Brennan and Jacqueline Susann.

NOTES: Another memory lapse on my part. Looks like we DID go to see Raquel but I didn't stay. Sounds more like my chronic gastrointestinal issues more than any particular desire to NOT see the film(s) again. 

The Marie Osmond albums in question were her first two. They were more than "a little bit" country. They were SO country that I didn't really care for them.

When Sonny and Cher divorced, their hit TV series disappeared immediately. Sonny was given a one-hour variety show with emphasis on comedy. Cher would later debut her high-profile version with emphasis on music. Ultimately, both would disappoint and the two would eventually reunite creatively and revive their joint show. America wasn't buying it, though.

And yes, I believe this was my very first time seeing THE MALTESE FALCON, one of my all-time favorite films.

Saturday, September 21st, 1974

Terry came over late to go over to OBS with me. They had new Golden Age stuff. I got two cheapies and a PEANUTS paperback with the "Thompson" series. Wow! I couldn't resist.

We may go see ONE MILLION YEARS BC tomorrow at the Penthouse.

The TV man came this morning and fixed it, hopefully once and for all.

IT again...finally. Guess I knew it would happen one more time and I'm glad it did. Now I know it will never happen again! I'm free!

NOTES: We didn't make ONE MILLION YEARS BC, a revival of the 1966 Raquel Welch film that  we'd both already seen on television.

The PEANUTS book is THOMPSON IS IN TROUBLE, CHARLIE BROWN, named after a brief surreal seventies sequence in which Snoopy is called on to help fellow dog...what? Agent? Spy?...Thompson. It is, as far as I know, the only instance where a PEANUTS book had a  name like that in its title...and it was MY name! Cool! And yes, I still have it. 

IT. Last time. Again. Uh-huh. Free. Right. 

Friday, September 20th, 1974

I saw Cindy again. Holding hands with a boy. My little Cottontop has grown up.

I watched the second episode of PLANET OF THE APES and my first NIGHT STALKER episode.

I've started seeing more stuff about BORN INNOCENT, particularly the shower "rape" scene. Very controversial!

NOTES: I had mentioned a while back my neighborhood friend Cindy. It was an odd friendship as we rarely saw each other but when we did it was like we were old friends. We'd walk along and talk. She always seemed calm and friendly with a ready smile, much older than her actual years but she was really about a year or two younger than me. I called her Cottontop because, in the winter, she always wore a red coat with a white knit cap with what looked like a fluffy bunny tail on top. Guess I could have called her Bunnybutthead or some such but no, Cottontop she was. 

Once again from the department of "the more things change," just this week in 2012 I watched a NIGHT STALKER episode online!

Thursday, September 19th, 1974

A bad day. Most Thursdays are now. I got my locker stuck again. I had to take that GATB test which about made me sick just by the ridiculousness of it. In Gym, we played touch football on the practice field. Having never played the game before, I didn't know how to play and had no idea what I was doing. I still don't. As a matter of fact, I probably know even less now.

We got out early which should have been great but wasn't. I ended up walking home because of the long wait for the bus. My back was hurting terrible. I don't know why.

At Woolworth's, I got another mag with more on Linda and Marie. Mom brought me home an article about Roddy from a mag at her work. I may send Marie a birthday card. Her birthday's soon.

Dad went to pitch horseshoes so it was just Mom and I tonight at work. We split up his parts. Somebody over there had a catalog of dirty jokes, novelties, tricks, etc. Was interesting but dumb.

Talked to Doug. Yesterday at the golf thing, he met Jim Scott and Jack Nicklaus. No autographs, though.

NOTES: GATB is "General Aptitude Test Battery." Normally I liked standardized tests and breezed through them. No idea why this was apparently different. 

As previously stated, the Gym teacher, from what I understand a very popular man with everyone except me, seemed to treat every "class" like practice for the guys on his teams. The rest of us were treated like cannon fodder when not being ridiculed or ignored completely. No offense to my ex-classmates but I was there and this was the way I felt then and the way I still remember him.

Golf thing? No clue. This may have been the brief period I was mildly infatuated with Saturday afternoon Golf programs on TV. Never played real golf and was never good at miniature golf. 

Wednesday, September 18th, 1974

A fair schoolday. My back's been hurting a lot lately. I caught the early bus home.

I may go to the Princeton this weekend to see LIVE AND LET DIE  and WESTWORLD again.

IT almost happened. Even if IT does happen a time or two more I'm convinced I've got it under control finally.

I got TBG and found out that Ron Ely has quit Doc Savage films and Roy Thomas has quit Marvel!

I saw THE DAY THE EARTH MOVED with Cleavon Little, directed by Bobby Sherman.

NOTES: Had forgotten that my back problems had started so early. Poor me. Bad posture early in life is how one doctor described it.  

IT is under control. Finally. Seriously. Stop laughing.

Roy Thomas was arguably my favorite overall comics writer of the seventies and certainly one of my favorite comics writers of all time. In 2012, I have a bit of an email relationship with him and have contributed to his ALTER EGO magazine. Since there WERE no more Doc Savage movies, Ely's leaving them turned out to be moot.

The TV movie was a last ditch effort by 1970's flavor of the month, Bobby Sherman, to remain relevant by becoming a director. It didn't work and he soon became an EMT and later a police officer before finally coming back as an oldies act. 

Tuesday, September 17th, 1974

We did Kickball in Gym again.

I got all the books Terry said were out but three or four. I also got SPORTS ILLUSTRATED covering Evel's jump and a film mag with a Spidey cover.

Came home to fid my Hammer book had finally arrived! About time! Almost six months! It's got a lot of nude pictures in it.

NOTES: The Hammer book was the one seen here, mostly a picture history with, as I noted, more than a few nude shots! As with many books from this period, I still have it. The Bounty Books film book series that followed were done in almost exactly the same format dealing with vampire films, censorship in films, violence in films, disaster movies, mysteries, etc. They also featured a few nude shots in nearly every volume!

Monday, September 16th, 1974

A general day at school. Some good and some bad. I stopped downtown with Doug and ended up getting some coneys for me and chili for Dad. It was raining. Also got the STAR TREK adaptations # 10.

Was going to stop at the doctor's for my eye test but was running very late since I had stopped at Doug's.

Terry says all the new books are out. I'll get them after school tomorrow.

Doug telles me that Tony Marino is dead. One of my favorite wrestlers, killed in a car accident.

There's a Klingon model in Science class at school!

All day long I've been daydreaming about what it would be like married to Marie Osmond. I can just imagine the wedding. Of course, I'd have to become a Mormon. It's possible. I haven't broken any moral codes. I can imagine our honeymoon with both of us natural virgins.  And babies! there would have to be lots of babies. Mormons love babies! A large house in a beautiful, quiet place in Utah. If only I could believe in the Mormon God. But no, I'm cursed to be a free spirit. But it's a nice dream, though. But I guess at the end of this year, I'll be a bit older, a bit wiser, but my quest for a normal life will still be nothing. Sigh...I guess I can live with that. I'll have to.

NOTES: I remember that Klingon ship model hanging from the ceiling in Science but I don't remember a wrestler named Tony Marino. I looked him up. Apparently he had a feud with my favorite that I DO remember, The Stomper. Marino later teamed with Bobo Brazil as a tag team. These were the guys who were at the top of the game during my seventies wrestling infatuation but I'm blanking on Marino. I guess I could ask him for more details, tough, because apparently Doug was full of it. Looks like Marino is still alive even today!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Marino

Yeah, Marie briefly challenged my Linda Blair obsession. Couldn't have become a Mormon, though. A free spirit. Yup. That's me. I gotta blow with the wind, baby.