TOYHEM! From Planet of the Apes to Godzilla to Thunderball and MORE! — Welcome to TOYHEM! For the seventh straight holiday season, we’re bringing you a series of features and columns celebrating the toys of our youth, which often made for the best memories this time of year. Click here to check out the complete index of stories — and have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Chanukah and Happy Holidays! — By PETER BOSCH It’s TOYHEM 2025! Following up on my selection last year of 13 TV board games you may not have known existed, here are 13 more! This year’s selection includes a few board games based on movies and – as I am now doing a regular column called FOUR COLOR RADIO for 13th Dimension – I will start with a game inspired by a super-popular radio program of its time. (By the way, while some of these collectors’ board games can be purchased at reasonable prices on eBay or through auctions, there are some that – just like comics – have skyrocketed in value. With that in mind, I will list recent sales to give you an idea of how much that game you haven’t played in decades, and is now sitting on an upper shelf in your closet, could be worth.) — Charlie McCarthy’s Radio Party. Would you believe that a ventriloquist’s dummy was once one of this country’s favorite celebrities? “His” name was Charlie McCarthy. And, while ventriloquists are celebrated for being seen as not moving their lips, the man operating Charlie, Edgar Bergen, could easily be seen moving his. Also, hard as it is to believe, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy achieved their fame on radio! A ventriloquist on radio. The concept seems unlikely — except for one thing – they were hilarious together! The banter and timing of Edgar and Charlie was incredible, including Bergen’s switching voices so quickly and easily. Their popularity was such that they were the stars of The Chase & Sanborn Hour (Chase & Sanborn, maker of coffee, was the show’s sponsor). For an understanding of how good “they” were, listen to the audio clip below, starting at the 1:39 point. And, remember, this was done LIVE! They would also appear in movies. (W.C. Fields became a foil for Charlie in both media.) A game was issued by Chase & Sanborn, Charlie...
13 THINGS You May Not Know About the 1965 Classic… By PETER BOSCH In 1965, movies and TV shows everywhere exploited the spy craze James Bond had created. The Bond film producers — Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman — and United Artists knew they had to protect their goldmine by stepping up the game by making Thunderball an epic. The budgets for the three previous pictures ranged from $1 million to $3 million. Thunderball came in at $9 million. Broccoli and Saltzman’s company was Eon Productions, with “Eon” being their shorthand for “Everything or Nothing.” There are some who say Thunderball was when the James Bond productions lost their specialness and entered the world of just gadgets… but, to me, Thunderball is not only the best of the Sixties’ James Bond thrillers, it remains my favorite Bond movie. Since December 21 is the 60th anniversary of Thunderball’s release in the U.S., and since so much of the film involved underwater action, let’s take a “deep dive” into 13 things you may not know about the film. Enjoy! — 1. BACKGROUND Of all the Bond movies, Thunderball was probably the most litigious. In 1959, film producer Kevin McClory, screenwriter Jack Whittingham, and Ian Fleming banded together to create a new, original James Bond script because McClory felt that none of the novels lent themselves to a big screen treatment. The screenplay they created was called “Longitude 78 West.” Fleming did some rewriting, renamed it Thunderball, shopped it around but got no takers. It’s also been suggested he backed out of the project due to feeling nervous that McClory’s only movie as a producer, The Boy and the Bridge (1959), which McClory also wrote and directed, was a critical flop. With no film deal in sight, Fleming decided to adapt Whittingham’s script into a new James Bond novel, which he still called Thunderball. Published in 1961, Fleming’s novel included elements that McClory and Whittingham felt they had created, but they did not see any acknowledgment in his book. They took Fleming to court. The case lasted a few years, apparently longer than Whittingham could hold out because of the continuing legal fees he could no longer afford. In 1964, before a legal decision was made, Fleming decided to settle out of court. He was in ill health and no...
Shades of Wonka! It’s the “Krypto’s Golden Biscuit” sweepstakes…
A FRANCO FREE-FOR-ALL FRIDAYS birthday salute…
