Book Review: Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories My Mother Never Told Me

Book Review: 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories My Mother Never Told Me'

 3 / 5 Stars

Well, here we go with another vintage Alfred Hitchcock anthology, published by Dell in 1965. The cover artist is uncredited, but may be Fred Banbery. All of the stories compiled in this anthology first saw print from 1927 to 1962.

My capsule summaries of the contents:

The Child Who Believed, by Grace Amundson: Armitage, a down-at-heels magician, performs at a children's party. He imparts occult knowledge to a little girl named Constance. There is irony in the closing paragraphs.

Just a Dreamer, by Robert Arthur: Arthur, who would edit a large number of Hitchcock anthologies, pens this tale of a mild-mannered husband named Wilfred Weem. Wilfred has the unusual ability to bring into reality, the inanimate objects he sees in dreams. His wife, a grasping woman, seeks to leverage this ability. An interesting premise for a story, but Arthur avoids doing much with it, other than invoking a mild, darkly comic sensibility.

 

The Wall-to-Wall Grave, by Andrew Benedict: Morton, a mild-mannered, but meticulous, man decides to take revenge on the Sports Bro who ruined his daughter. One of the grimmer, and better, tales in the anthology.

 

Witch's Money, by John Collier: not a horror, suspense, or crime story, but a fable about a little village in the Pyrenees Mountains, and the consequences of unfettered greed.   

 

The Secret of the Bottle, by Gerald Kersh: Ambrose Bierce decides to investigate a strange mansion located in the mountains of the Yucatan. This, despite warnings from the locals that the place is to be avoided. A good story from Kersh. Like Shirley Jackson's tale (below) it relies on growing unease to generate suspense, but does so in a more impactful manner.

 

A Short Trip Home, by F. Scott Fitzgerald: a mild ghost story involving college students, home for Christmas vacation to Minneapolis-St. Paul. First published in 1927, it was aged even by the standards of 1965 when it was republished in this Hitchcock anthology.

 

An Invitation to the Hunt, by George Hitchcock: Fred Perkins, an otherwise unremarkable resident of the Marine Gardens subdivision, receives an invitation to participate in a hunt hosted by the imposing country club a few blocks away. I suspect most readers will guess where this story goes, quite early on. 

 

The Summer People, by Shirley Jackson: Janet and Robert Allison decide that, rather than returning to their New York city apartment come Labor Day, they will stay on for a few more months at their rural cottage. The local people do not seem enthused to hear this. This story's plot device is the same as that of Kersh's tale (above), but lacks its edgier quality. 

 

Adjustments, by George Mandel: Caroline's husband Peter is on a tenure track at the local university. This is a good thing, but then again, Peter does have those moments where he gets a little........excitable. This story's labored pacing and wordiness keep it from being impactful. Have a dictionary handy for 'marcescent,' 'elusion,' 'captious,' and 'oscitant.'

 

The Children of Noah, by Richard Matheson: At 3 a.m. Mr. Ketchum speeds through Zachry, Maine, population 67, and is startled to be pulled over by the local police. They place the indignant Mr. Ketchum in jail, and are vague about when he’ll be released. But they do take care to provide him with a wonderful breakfast in the morning.....

 

The Idol of the Flies, by Jane Rice: Pruitt is a little boy and a Bad Seed, a true Demon Child. He delights in abusing the four elderly people in his household: Miss Bittner, the tutor; Harry, the handyman; Bertha, the cook; and Aunt Mona, the home's owner. Disturbingly, Pruitt may have an alliance with something old, and evil...... This story has an offbeat premise, but is hampered by its use of pulp-style prose, and a dilatory narrative.

 

Hostage, by Don Sanford: Pat Cochrane, aka Pasquale Cocciani, is not a mobster, but in fact, a Legitimate Businessman who, in past years, associated with people from the more colorful walks of life. These past associations turn out to be a double-edged sword. A clever tale, and one of the best in the anthology.

 

Smart Sucker, by Richard Wormser: Henry Croft, a salesman of office products, is in the less pleasant part of the city when a rainstorm obliges him to seek shelter in a nearby dive bar. The lowlife patrons of the bar are pleased to see Henry, as they have something in mind that requires the use of a 'sucker'.......

 

This story first was published in 1957 in Manhunt magazine,whose publisher, Flying Eagle Publications / HSD, also published Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Manhunt was intended as a showcase for hardboiled crime fiction, and 'Smart Sucker' certainly has a noir sensibility. Unfortunately its denouement relies too heavily on contrivance and coincidence.

 

Summing up, 'Stories My Mother Never Told Me' is one of the less impressive Hitchcock anthologies. It's the entries from Benedict, Kersh, Hitchcock, Matheson, and Sanford that push my Rating to Three Stars. If you're a fan of the Hitchcock anthologies this volume may be worth picking up, but all others likely can pass without penalty.

High Times June 1986

High Times

June 1986 

June, 1986. The top single in the land is the rather treacly ballad 'On My Own,' by Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald. But there are some good songs elsewhere in the top 10;  the Nu Shooz had an 80s dance classic with 'I Can't Wait,' and the UK band Level 42 had a memorable hit with their reggae rocker 'Something About You.'

 

The June issue of High Times magazine is on the stands. Back in those days I didn't really read the magazine, for at $4 an issue, it was pricey for my grad student budget........

 

High Times in the 80s was something of a grab-bag of dope cultivation techniques and fringe / counterculture messaging. Sadly, the comics (such as 'Dope Rider' and 'The Furry Freak Brothers') and T & A that had characterized the magazine in the 1970s had been discontinued. There was an effort by the magazine's management to broaden appeal to the mainstream audience, and while this may have been sensible from a circulation standpoint, the loss of the magazine's classic counterculture sensibility was a demerit.

 

One thing was for sure in 1986: almost everywhere in the USA, cultivating marijuana in your yard, as well as possession, was a violation of the law. If caught, you could pay a steep price. The doper humor of Cheech and Chong tended to marginalize this aspect of pot use, but it was a very real consequence. A friend of mine who lived in Baton Rouge was busted for growing 7 or so plants in his back yard. The police came to his house, read him his rights, and took him to jail. He wasn't given a prison sentence, but he was obliged to pay a steep fine. In High Times in 1986, you could find defense attorneys who specialized in drug-associated cases.........

Back in the 80 there was a company that sold grow-it-yourself mushroom kits. I can't remember if I ever bought one such kit. I'm guessing that those who did buy the kit, and anticipated having a larder of 'magic' mushrooms, wound up disappointed ?
 

High Times provided its readers with a 'price watch' service listing the availability and cost of illicit drugs all across the nation. Back in '86, of course, the idea of walking into a 'dispensary' to score pot legally was a fantasy.

 

This issue has some good pop culture reportage. First, there's 'Punk Genesis on the Bowery,' an excerpt from Steven Hager's June, 1986 book about New York City in the early days of the punk / New Wave movement, 'Art After Midnight.'

 

 

 

Copies of the original printing of 'Art After Midnight' are priced quite dearly, but you can get the Kindle edition for a very affordable price.

Another excerpt, 'Acid Dreams,' taken from the book of the same name authored by Martin A. Lee and Bruce Shlain, deals with the convergence of LSD and the counterculture in the 1960s.

'Acid Dreams' is available as a reasonably priced trade paperback. I remember reading it some years ago and finding it moderately engaging.

Keeping a pulse on the popular culture, High Times provides its 'Top 40 Flashes.' Back then, some of these entries (like the Red Hot Chili Peppers) were still known primarily to hipsters, rather than the mainstream.

The 'Reader's Photo Contest' depicted candid shots of cannabis users enjoying themselves....

The cover story, about a trip to South America to partake in a 'scared' ceremony involving ayahuasca, features the sort of first-person storytelling that Carlos Castaneda pioneered with his 'Don Juan Matus' fables. Were the transcendent visions 'real,' or just an illusion ? Did it matter in the end ?

One place where smoking pot was permissible was in Holland, with both leaves and hashish available in the various stores and coffee houses in cities like Rotterdam. Technically, in 1986 in Holland pot possession was illegal, but as long as users stayed didn't make a public show of getting high the authorities looked the other way. 

 

High Times has an article, titled 'Young Holland,' written by Dutch residents Chais Donker and Miriam X, about the permissive culture of their country. According to Donker and Miriam, kids start having sex as young as 12 and 13, contraceptives and abortion are legal, and the "The kids who have problems are the ones whose parents are from countries like Turkey and Morocco and Yugoslavia. These kids see their peers having sex and they want to too, but their parents say no, causing them to have a lot of internal conflicts."

High Times of course was dedicated to instruction and advice on cannabis cultivation, so this June issue is filled with advertisements and features on these subjects. Ed Rosenthal was the magazine's in-house expert, and he offered quite a library of manuals and guides.

 

And then there was the fringe element: in 1986, in the pages of High Times, you could order a book that discussed UFO conspiracies, authored by Dr. Donald P. Coverdell, ThD (I don't know what the ThD stands for). This book is available at eBay, for those interested in learning more.  

And so we end our journey back in time, as things were 40 years ago, in the era before the internet, when pop and fringe cultures were necessarily accessed through print media. And you had to go Clandestine, if you wanted your baggie of pot...........

Book Review: 'I, Weapon' by Charles W. Runyon

Book Review: 'I, Weapon' by Charles W. Runyon

2 / 5 Stars

 

Charles W. Runyon (1928-2015) wrote a sizeable number of short stories and novels in the mystery, private eye, and sf genres during the 60s and 70s. Some of these saw publication under the house name 'Ellery Queen'. An interview with Runyon and a bibliography of his works, featuring scans of the paperbacks and hardcover editions, is available here.

According to his entry in the online Science Fiction Encyclopedia, Runyon wrote 16 stories for the sf digest market during the 50s though the 70s. His sf novels other than 'I, Weapon' include 'Ames Holbrook, Deity' (1972), and 'Pigworld' (1971). 

 

'I, Weapon' (252 pp.) first was issued in hardcover in 1974. The mass-market paperback edition I read was published by Popular Library in December, 1977, with cover art by Carlos Ochagavia.

 

The novel is set in the far future, in the wake of an interstellar war between the Terran empire and an alien race known as the Vim. The Vim had conquered the solar system and ravaged Earth before abruptly retiring back into their own system, and five hundred years later, as the events in 'Weapon' begin, there are signs that the Vim are renewing their offensive.

 

The empire is populated by various mutant races, all derived from Homo sapiens. Preeminent among the races are the Jelks, who represent the managerial class. Su-shann, a Jelk woman, has consulted with the empire's foremost computer brain about measures to deter the Vim. According to the computer, there is one option, and one option only: breed a superman and dispatch this superman to infiltrate Vim space, find the Vim master computer, and disable it.

 

To carry out the computer's instructions Su-shann is obliged to form an uneasy alliance with Yakov Ras, a fellow bureaucrat. The two of them joust for control of the breeding program, with Su-shann - the grandmother of the 'saviour,' so to speak - adamant about her choice of the notorious space pirate Ben Abo as the father of the child. For his part, Yakov Ras colludes to have some of the more exotic mutant races of Earth serve as the other pair of grandparents.

 

After much travail, the superman is born and rapidly matures. Going by the name of Raki, the eponymous 'weapon' sets out on his solo mission to defeat the Vim. But as his journey into Vim space progresses, Raki discovers that there are dangers greater than the Vim lurking in the depths of space......

 

I found 'I, Weapon' to be inferior to Runyon's other sci-fi novel, 'Pig World.' Part of this is due to the prose style Runyon uses for 'Weapon,' a wordy, compressed style that recalls pulp sci-fi in terms of relating major plot points, often within a paragraph or two, with a frenetic pacing. For all this, Raki doesn't set out on his mission to save the empire until page 207. This means the novel's first 206 pages are complicated expositions on all of the scheming and skullduggery between Su-shann and Yakov Ras.

 

Runyon salts the narrative with episodes of inter-species sexual congress, these episodes reading as combinations of sci-fi with the Penthouse Forum. Depending on your attitude about the Forum, these episodes can be rather cringey.........

 

The novel's final chapters offer some degree of reward, as the revelations come fast, but at the same time, Raki's superhuman powers mean he's never really in much peril, and there are too many contrivances popping up at just the right time to ease his path. This is particularly true when the plot takes on a 'cosmic' aspect and Raki can deploy not only telepathy, but teleportation (at distances of up to five miles, no less).

 

In closing, 'I, Weapon' has some value as a fast-paced example of a 1970s space opera. If that genre appeals to you, then you might the novel entertaining. 

Some older paperbacks

July 2026 

I recently went on eBay and picked up a selection of older (1960s, 1970s) paperbacks, mainly in the suspense / crime genres. I have mild expectations that a few of these titles will be entertaining reads..........

Book Review: The Story of the Bee Gees by Bob Stanley

Book Review: 'The Story of the Bee Gees: Children of the World' by Bob Stanley

Pegasus Books, 2024 

4 / 5 Stars

'The Story of the Bee Gees: Children of the World' (391 pp.) was published by Pegasus Books in February, 2024. Author Bob Stanley has written two books on the history of pop music, and is a musician (keyboards). 

[ I should note that 'Story' does not provide citations or sources, just a general bibliography. Stanley did not interview Barry Gibb, nor any members of the band, or other acquaintances in the Bee Gee's wider circle. The book's reliance on secondary sources means that a lot of familiar, previously printed quotes and anecdotes get recycled. ]

'Story' covers the brother Gibb and their musical endeavors from their childhoods in the postwar UK, to the 2010s, when the deaths of Maurice and Robin led to the dissolution of the band. 

Unlike Simon Spence's 2017 biography 'Staying Alive: The Disco Inferno of the Bee Gees,' Stanley is intent on showcasing the Gibb's music, less so the melodramas surrounding the band. There is considerable exposition on each of the LPs released by the Gibbs, either together or individually, with Stanley making a vigorous effort to argue that much of the Bee Gees catalog was highly influential on other artists of the 60, 70s and 80s, and should be acknowledged for steering the direction of popular music in those decades.

This sort of advocacy can be a heavy lift, and often is unconvincing; for example, Stanley declares that Robin Gibb's solo album How Old Are You "....was one of the best albums of 1983." Given the quality of the competition in that year (Thriller, Synchronicity, Let's Dance, Colour by Numbers, etc.) it's not surprising that How Old Are You didn't chart in the USA or the UK. On listening to it nowadays, I find it a competent album, but certainly not one to stand alongside the better LPs of 1983.

Going through 'Story,' it is recommended to have your phone or tablet at hand to access YouTube and keep up with Stanley's comments and observations on every album the band released, either jointly or as solo acts. So doing exposed me to some tracks that I otherwise was not aware of, but deserve attention.

In discussing the Bee Gees fall from favor in the early 1980s, Stanley adopts the conventional wisdom that "homophobia and racism" fueled the collapse of disco and the subsequent backlash against the band. In reality, it was the failure of the Bee Gees - and primarily, Barry Gibb - to consider any departure from the falsetto histrionics that had begun to pall by 1980, that set the band up for a massive comedown. Indeed, the second side of the 1979 LP Spirits Having Flown, and tracks like 'Stop (Think Again),' exemplified the over-indulgences that soon were to torpedo the Bee Gees sound. 

It's also true that it was the rampant commercialization and overexposure of disco, and the resultant diminution of the quality of the music, that drove the genre's fall, not Steve Dahl's 'Disco Demolition' on the night of July 12, 1979.       

Where 'Story' was informative to me was in its overview of the Bee Gees LPs of the 1990s and early 2000s, a time when the band tailored their music for the adult contemporary / middle of the road listenership. I didn't pay much attention to the Bee Gees output at the time, but the book shows that the band produced some quality material, such as Maurice's 2001 song 'Man in the Middle.'  

Some of the more important incidents in the life of the band simply aren't addressed, such as the 1983 Selle Vs. Gibb plagiarism trial, in which the jury found for Selle. The Bee Gees appealed, and overturned the verdict; the so-called 'striking similarities' ruling has had considerable impact on how courts interpret accusations of plagiarism. It's an important enough legal event to be included in a Bee Gees biography. 

Summing up, 'The Story of the Bee Gees' is a serviceable biography of the brothers and their music. It's engaging without necessarily bringing much that is new to the table. It's probably best to pair it with Simon Spence's 2017 biography to get the most complete picture of the Bee Gees and their time. 

Penthouse July 1976

Penthouse

July 1976 

July, 1976. I've just turned 16, and on the Fourth, a few block from my house, there is a big parade: the local National Guard armory has rolled out its vehicles, there are high school marching bands, police cars and fire trucks, and a celebratory air: it's the Bicentennial ! What a great occasion !

 

On the little AM radio, we listen to the 'American Top 40' with Casey Kasem. Super Seventies folkies The Starland Vocal Band are atop the chart with 'Afternoon Delight.' 

The July issue of Penthouse magazine features some provocation in the form of a model in  a tight-fitting tank top, with a carefully poised cigar in her mouth. Ahh, that Seventies Style !

 

For articles, we have journalist Tad Szulc (1926 - 2001), who had some currency back in those days as a sort of visionary analyst of world affairs. Accompanied by a brilliant photograph by Richard L. Schaefer, Szulc declares that the U.S. would do well to support the anti-apartheid movements in Rhodesia and South Africa, as a way of endearing the nation to the Third World. The US eventually did do this, but Szulc was wrong about such actions improving things with the Third World....

The fiction piece in this July issue is 'The Ledge,' by Stephen King. The story also features an excellent illustration, by Vincent Topazio. 'The Ledge' would be included in King's first short story collection, 'Night Shift' (1978).

 

There are some genuinely strange advertisements in this issue. First, we have a 'scratch and sniff honey,' which consists of a 'total fantasy system' with one poster, two perfume capsules, and a record with 'Honey's voice.'

Second, we have 'The Male Scale,' an implement which is so Seventies, and so Penthouse, that I launched an immediate Google search for it, without success. If someone has one of these artifacts in their possession, please let me know, so it can given a more in-depth profile here at the PorPor Books Blog.
 

Thirdly, we have the 'Orgy' t shirt, which 'shows you how' and is for 'men & women.' Someone is actually selling one of these on eBay; warning: it isn't cheap.....

The July Pet is the petite brunette Helen Lang (1951 - 1994). This is another portfolio that uses the Penthouse photographic style to good effect: intimate moments in the boudoir, and all that..... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there's your nudie action and your pop culture detritus, as it was in the summertime, fifty years ago..... 

Insect Fear No. 2

Insect Fear

No. 2, 1970 

The Print Mint 

These older underground comix are getting harder and harder to find and more and more expensive when you do find them. I was able to get a rather beat-up copy of 'Insect Fear' No. 2 for $5. 

 

Some warped brilliance in this issue from S. Clay Wilson: 'Spider Joy,' and 'Insect Angst.' Still bizarre, still entertaining, 56 years later......