Captain Midnight (film #10 on Atomic TV (Video Resources, 1994)). [Category: Early Film & TV]

This episode of the early 50s kiddie adventure show has Captain Midnight trying to save a kidnapped scientist from a bunker that's about to be hit by an atomic bomb. They don't make it out of there in time, but fortunately for them, the scientist's cold-generating machine creates "absolute zero, which counteracts the absolute heat of the bomb", so that it only generates enough force to blow the door off its hinges, allowing them to escape to safety. Yeah, right. Msties will want to watch for Sid "Monkey Boy" Melton as the Captain's dorky assistant. Comes complete with Ovaltine commercial.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.

Going Places (film #603 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Public Service]

This 50s film, amazingly enough, promotes better public transportation rather than better roads, more parking, and cars, cars, and more cars. It’s a valid message––too bad nobody listened to it. This is a great film to contrast with The Dynamic American City, or Freedom of the American Road. It’s also a good film to see lots of big ugly 50s cars, as well as buses, trolleys, and streetcars.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.

Monsters on the March (Video Images, 1987). [Category: Commercial]

Short collection of 14 trailers from classic horror and 50's science fiction movies. The few interesting trailers (The Return of the Fly, The Thing, etc.) also appear in other better collections. Fairly dull as a whole, though it does get 5 extra points for listing the trailers in order on the package.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: **. Overall Rating: *.

Chosin Reservoir (film #6 in the Korean War section of WPA Film Library). [Category: Military & Propaganda]

British newsreel clip of soldiers trapped in the Chosin Reservoir area under severe winter weather conditions during the Korean War. An interesting document of a little-known event in the history of that conflict.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: N/A. Weirdness: *. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.

Better Reading

Better Reading . Teenager Harold Wilson has a problem—he can’t read for (expletive deleted). So he has to spend all his free time studying ...