Celebrating Rural America With The Pulps!


by George Gross

With the Fourth of July just a few days away, let’s celebrate the American countryside with the pulps!  From the early days of the pulps, life in rural America has been a favorite subject.  Here are a few portrayals of that life, courtesy of some of the best artists and illustrators to work in the pulp industry!

by Rudy Nappi

by Victor Kalin

by Rudy Nappi

by Saul Levine

by Lou Marchetti

by Sam Cherry

by James Avati

by Paul Rader

by Warren King

by Robert Bonfils

by James Meese

by TW McClean

American Images, Part One


Every 4th of July, I like to consider the diversity of America.  We’re a nation of large cities but we’re also a nation of small towns and rural highways.  We are one nation but we are also fifty states, each with its own identity.  In honor of America’s 250th birthday, here are some photographs that capture America outside of the cities.

by Dorothea Lange

Photograph by Tim Richmond

Photograph by Tim Richmond

by Carol Highsmith

by Carol Highsmith

by Carol Highsmith

by Carol Highsmith

 by Scott Wishart

by Erin Nicole

By Erin Nicole

By Erin Nicole

By Erin Nicole

by Erin Nicole

 

Feel The Love With The Covers of Romantic Range!


With the 4th approaching, let’s celebrate the romance of the American frontier with these covers from Romantic Range.  Romantic Range was a pulp magazine that ran from 1935 throughout the 1940s.  The magazine featured love stories that took place on the range and the covers provided a break from the gunplay and deadly rattlesnakes that dominated most western magazines of the era.  The covers are notable today for being romantic but surprisingly chaste, especially by the standards of the pulps.

Here’s a small sampling of some of the most innocent covers in the history of ranch romance.

by John Drew

by John Newton Howitt

Artist Unknown

Artist Unknown

Artist Unknown

by William Luberoff

by William Luberoff

I Watched Summer In The City (2016, Dir. by Vic Sarin)


The lesson of this movie is always be nice because you never know when some rich person might suddenly give you a dream job.

Taylor (Julianna Guill) owns a boutqiue in Ohio and is always honest with her customers, even if it means missing out on an easy sale.  Rich New York fashion maven Alyssa (Vivica A. Fox) just happens to be in town and, when Taylor helps her pick out the perfect outfit for a meeting, she hired Taylor on the spot to come to Manhattan and manage her new store.

At first, Taylor is a fish out of water in Manhattan and she struggles to fit in with Alysssa’s high-powered style of business.  Alyssa’s stores have to make a profit or she’ll lose all of her investors.  Can Taylor bring in the money while being honest with her clients?  Will a sidewalk sale appeal to Manhattan socialites?  Will Taylor be able to bring hats back and also convince her salespeople to switch from all lack to knit dresses?  Taylor also needs to find an apartment but then she meets a hunky realtor named Philip (Marc Bendavid) and they fall in love.  Philip comes from a rich family and has a good job but what he really wants to do is open up a food truck.  But before he can do that, he has to help Taylor adjust to living in the big city.

Think of it as being The Devil Wears Prada, just without the fashion sense or the wicked humor.  Everyone raves about Taylor’s ability to match customers up with the right clothes but none of the outfits that she wears or picks out are really that spectacular or flattering.  It’s a Hallmark movie, through and through.  In real life, no one would hire someone they met two minutes ago to run their flagship star in Manhattan but this is Hallmaker, where everyone’s dreams come true!

I liked the performances of Marla  Sokoloff and Natasha Henstridge.  Marla is someone who was passed over when Alyssa hired Taylor and who now has to work under her at the store.  Nastaha Henstridge is a rich customer.  They were both believable and had some good moments.  There were a few good shots of Manhattan, though the majority of the film was obviously shot somewhere cheaper.

It’s an okay movie if you’re in the mood for a Hallmark version of the Big Apple.  Do you think it’s a smart idea to quit a high-paying job to open up a food truck?  Really?

 

Get Ready For The 4th With “American” Pulp!


Unknown Artist

Are you still struggling to get into the 4th of July spirit?  Really?  What’s wrong with you!?

Well. don’t worry.  The Pulps are here to help!

by Mitchell Hooks

by Rudolph Belarski

Unknown Artist

by George Erickson

Unknown Artist

Unknown Artist

by James Trombata

by Ken Fagg

by George Quintana

by J. Oval

by Walter Baumhofer

by James B. Settles

Guess Who Won Last Night… Again!


Guess who beat the Guardians last night… again!?

Go Rangers!

I know that I keep saying that I can’t allow myself to get excited because I might jinx the team but I’m going to take the risk.  If they start losing, I’ll go back to not getting excited.  I’ll fight the jinx.  I think I can beat it.

For now, the Rangers are 44-42.  We’re only one game up on the Mariners so we can’t afford to get cocky.  But I’m finally feeling good about this season!  The only question right now is whether or not we’re going to sweep this series against the Guardians.  Go Rangers!  I’m cheering for you!