From Those Were the Days:

1940 - Light of the World was first heard on NBC Radio. The soap opera was unique in that it featured the Bible as the center of the story line.
11:04:17 PM    comment []  trackback []  

Foiled on eBay!

I really wanted this movie poster on the left, a 1950 re-release of the Lum & Abner 1943 feature film, Two Weeks to Live. Unfortunately, while I slept today, an individual(s) named patandpeg was willing to pony up more than the $30.00 that I had bid, so they have walked away with the prize. I used to be bitter about these sort of things, but I've learned to roll with the punches from life's disappointments. Mazeltov to him (or her, whichever the gender case may be).

I guess the reason why I’m not bitter is that I look upon this transaction as a positive thing. I’ve bid on Lum & Abner movie posters before at eBay, and my getting outbid is usually the result. I think that’s a very encouraging sign that the gentlemen from Pine Ridge are still that popular today. I also went and did a little research on patandpeg, and discovered that (s)he apparently has an affinity for movie posters that are OTR-related, snagging up goodies like a 1948 poster for It Pays to Be Ignorant (I wasn’t even aware that there was a movie based on this program!) and a 1941 one-sheet for a Bob Hope/Milton Berle compilation, It Pays to Be Funny (a “feature” comprised of some Hope/Berle two-reelers, like Going Spanish and Poppin’ the Cork). (I guess it pays to be both ignorant and funny, which might explain the tremendous box-office appeal of someone like, say, Adam Sandler.)

I know people have a tendency to trash eBay, but I’m not one of them. I’ve picked up some really nice items, and although I’m certain we could bicker back and forth (“Blanche, will you please let me sleep…”) about the price I’ve paid, I still think I got some top-notch bargains. I have in my possession a 1-sheet for Fred Allen’s It’s in the Bag! (which is in surprisingly great condition), a 1-sheet for the Allen-Benny feud fest Love Thy Neighbor (a little beat-up, but still serviceable), and a beautiful one-sheet for Benny’s The Meanest Man in the World. Add to this some prized lobby cards, my favorite being So This is New York (1948), with Henry Morgan.

I bid on and won a lobby card earlier this week, a nice one of O’Henry’s Full House featuring Fred and Oscar Levant (I would show you the picture but unfortunately it’s copy-protected) and this evening snagged a couple of fine stills from It’s in the Bag! from its 1952 re-release. So, as far as consolation prizes go, I am content.
11:03:55 PM    comment []  trackback []