As a result of a general defect of nature, we are either more confident or more fearful of unusual and unknown things. – Julius Caesar
Some of you may have noticed that my tastes often run to the unusual and obscure; as you’ve read my previous “favorites” columns I’m sure I’ve mentioned a few things you’ve never even heard of before. So today I thought it would be fun to do a column sharing some of those obscure things, and perhaps introducing you to some stuff you might not otherwise have ever discovered. It’s a big internet, so I expect each of these things will be known to some of you, and each of you will probably be familiar with some of them; if, however, any of you are familiar with all of these, please speak up because I’d like to recognize a fellow explorer of the roads less travelled. I also wouldn’t be surprised if some of these things are much better known in some areas than others, so if you know of such a situation please speak up.
My Favorite Movies You May Never Have Heard Of
This list has to start with Witch’s Sister (1979), which some of you may remember from the list of my favorite movies (but probably nowhere else); however, it’s obvious that somebody besides me remembers it because I discovered it’s available on YouTube, though broken into 8 parts:
I doubt very many of you were familiar with The Night Walker (1964) before I mentioned it as one of my favorite horror movies, despite the number of big names involved with it; likewise, a mention of the darkly satirical Lord Love a Duck (1966) rarely elicits any recognition even though it starred Roddy McDowell, Tuesday Weld and Ruth Gordon. And how many of you had heard of The Monolith Monsters (1957) before I mentioned it last month?
My Favorite Actor You May Never Have Heard Of
I’m willing to bet you don’t recognize this face, and you probably don’t know his name, either. But you certainly know Paul Frees’ voice, or more accurately voices; he was probably the second most talented voice actor in history after the demigod Mel Blanc, yet his name is much less well-known to the general public than that of the far less talented Daws Butler. He was the narrator for many 1950s science fiction movies (including the aforementioned Night Walker and Monolith Monsters), played a radio announcer in countless other movies and TV shows, and was the never-seen John Beresford Tipton in the long-running TV show The Millionaire, but you probably know him best as the voice of Boris Badenov, Captain Peter Peachfuzz, Inspector Fenwick, Wally Walrus, Professor Ludwig von Drake, Frosty the Snowman, the Burgermeister Meisterburger, innumerable extras and villains for Hanna-Barbera, and the original Pillsbury Dough Boy.
My Favorite TV Shows You May Never Have Heard Of
My American readers are probably less familiar with the oeuvre of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson than my British readers, so a quick introduction is in order: the Andersons produced a number of adventure shows in the 1960s whose actors were all marionettes, the most famous being Thunderbirds. With each successive show, their technology improved; the puppets became more lifelike and the directorial techniques increasingly better at hiding their deficiencies (most notably their inability to walk in a realistic manner). Their very last puppet show before moving on to the live-action UFO was the little-remembered The Secret Service from 1969, in which comedian Stanley Unwin not only provides the voice of a character named after him, but doubles for the puppet in long shots! The show only ran for 13 episodes, which is a pity because it achieved the same mixture of science fiction, spy action and whimsical humor as the Mrs. Peel episodes of The Avengers.
Another favorite with which you’re probably unfamiliar is Thriller, an anthology series hosted by Boris Karloff which started out with stories of crime and mystery but eventually moved wholly into gothic horror. Though not as good as The Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents, it still deserves to be better-known than it is.
My Favorite Musicians You May Never Have Heard Of
In last month’s Halloween favorites column I mentioned a song by a band named Renaissance; though my British readers may well remember them, most of my American readers were probably wondering who the hell they were. Renaissance was a progressive rock band of the late 1970s which, despite its popularity in Britain, never had a single hit on this side of the pond (probably because Americans were too busy rotting their brains with disco at the time). The song I mentioned last month, “Jekyll and Hyde”, is fairly typical for them in its length, complexity and willingness to tackle subject matter more interesting and challenging than love, sex, drugs, partying or teen angst; my very favorite song of theirs, “Mother Russia”, is a tribute to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn with lyrics based on his novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
My Favorite Candy You May Never Have Heard Of
Though I discussed my favorite Halloween candy last month, those were obviously the conventional sorts of things with which any child would be familiar. But there is one sort of candy I like very much, yet don’t see very often; they’re called Violets and most people who know them at all tend to fall into two camps: they either love them or hate them. Obviously I’m in the former group, but my old friend Charlie declares that they “taste like soap”; I presume that’s because he thinks of flowers as something to smell rather than eat, but he’s not alone in the opinion. I was very glad to discover they’re available online, because that means I’ll always be able to get them without having to find one of the rare stores that still carries them.
My Favorite Food You May Never Have Heard Of
Obviously, this is a much larger category than candy, and it’s likely that I cook a number of things with which many of you might be unfamiliar. But there’s one dish I make often, yet have never heard anyone outside my family mention nor seen it on a restaurant menu; it’s the Hungarian version of a broad class of dishes in which chicken is cooked in some liquid in a skillet, and is thus related to coq au vin and chicken cacciatore. This one is called chicken paprikash, and it’s very easy but delicious:
1) Cook about 1 kilogram (2 to 2.5#) of chicken parts (leg quarters work best) in about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of oil in a large skillet for 15 minutes, turning pieces to brown evenly. Sprinkle pieces with salt and pepper, then remove them from the skillet and set them aside.
2) Add 1 large onion, chopped up to the hot oil along with 1 heaping tablespoon (about 20 ml) paprika, and cook until the onion is tender. Return the chicken to the skillet, turn the pieces to coat them with the paprika mixture, then add ¾ cup (180 ml) of chicken broth and ¼ cup (60 ml) of dry white wine (or just 240 ml of broth) and bring to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, turning the pieces over every 15 minutes, until the chicken is done. Remove it from the skillet again and keep it warm.
3) Stir together 1 cup (240 ml) sour cream and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) flour, and add the mixture to the skillet; cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, then 1 minute more. Serve sauce and chicken over hot cooked noodles, Hungarian dumplings or even rice.
Hungarian paprika is much hotter than the typical Spanish variety, so if you like your food spicy you may want to go out of your way to get some (though it’s still a treat either way). Obviously, the best time to cook the noodles is while the chicken is simmering.
My Favorite Game You May Never Have Heard Of
I love board games, and have since I was old enough to play them; one of these days I’m going to do a column on my favorite games in general, and Switchboard is one of them. I’ll be very surprised if any of you who isn’t a die-hard game geek has ever played or even seen it, but it’s been one of my favorites ever since I bought it at a TG&Y store with birthday money when I was about 10. Like all the best board games it is simple to learn, yet allows for strategic thinking; it starts out as a straightforward two-dice race game, but because the board is composed of moveable tiles the players can work to shorten their own paths to the finish while also trying to cut one another off.
I saw reruns of Thunderbirds on the Sci-Fi Channel growing up.
I haven’t seen “Lord Love a Duck” but read about it years ago and am a fan of Ruth Gordon (my favorite of hers is “Harold and Maude”), Tuesday Weld (my favorite is “Pretty Poison”) and Roddy McDowell (favorite is “Legend of Hell House”). I watched “Thriller” when in grade school and loved it. It was on a local TV station late at night. I found out about “Thunderbirds” through hearing the theme song from “Stingray” (I love the song and heard it a few years ago for the 1st time). There was a TG&Y store that I went to a lot while growing up and I miss it. I knew about the “Monolith Monsters” before the column and haven’t had chicken paprikash but have read several recipes for it.
Jerry and Sylvia Anderson’s shows have always been a faviourite of mine.
I especially liked Captain Scarlet and their Spectrum technology. Helmet mounted microphones, SPVs hidden inside exploding buildings, flying aircraft carriers, angel interceptors with sexy pilots. Great stuff. Fireball XL5 started my lifelong love of SF.
Wow! Someone who knows what chicken paprikash is. Dumplings definitely complete the dish. My Hungarian-Irish mother cooked chicken paprikash weekly, but I must say it was even better settled, congealed and reheated on day #2.
I liked Thunderbirds also although I saw them on re-runs.
fascinating… all new to me except the band Renaissance. At the time it was certainly among my very favorites together with the SF band “The Residents”…
Might have to give chicken paprikash at some point; it sounds good.
I’d heard of The Monolith Monsters before, but I knew almost nothing about it. I read a book about science-fiction years ago that showed a picture from the movie (the same picture you showed before).
I saw the end of Lord Love A Duck on TV. It looked very weird, and I’ve always wanted to see the whole thing, but so far, I still haven’t.
I had heard of Paul Frees, but I didn’t know he did all of those voices. I only remembered Boris Badenov.
I’ve definitely heard of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, but I haven’t seen any of their shows. I had NOT heard of Secret Service.
Spiked has an article about the old Satanic Panic that you might like. (It even calls it that. I’d never heard that term used until I discovered your blog.) It mentions some of the differences between the US and UK incidents that I didn’t know about.
What is is with working girls and weird interests? I suppose it’s because we have to establish our individualism, and willingness to go against the flow.
Maggie and I share some interests: H.P. Lovecraft and Sherlock Holmes.
Some of mine:
Movie: Legend of 1900
Actor: David Jason
TV Show: Darling Buds of May. I also like “Only Fools and Horses”, a fav of my childhood. Both starred David Jason.
Musicians: So many. “Steeleye Span” “Flogging Molly”, Maddy Prior.
Food: Bubble and Squeak
Game: “Call of Cthulhu”
Soda: Apple flavoured Tango.
I’m afraid I reveal my over seas origins there.
Have you heard of Pentangle?
Of course I have. Them, and DeDannan, and Fairport Convention, and lets of others.
I’m wondering if you have any favorite “more contemporary” bands?
Like, I was born in ’62 and my Ipod is all full of KISS, ELO, The Doobie Brothers, Boston, the Beatles, etc.
But I also try to make an effort to listen to new stuff too. It’s not easy I’ll admit. But, over the years …
I found I like Oasis a lot – though they’re broken up now. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters is a pure genius. One, I just stumbled upon … SIXX AM – with Nikki Sixx, the bassist for Motley Crue. SIXX AM doesn’t sound anything like MC though – and I found the “Heroine Diaries” by Sixx to be so hauntingly real – I felt the need to ask other people if they thought the album was as good as I actually thought it was.
That said – I don’t think you’d like any of the above. But … one guy I do know you’d like is Gary Clark Jr. I saw him live on TV and I swear, it changed my life. He plays a “fuzzed out” Epiphone Casino … which is the only guitar that George, John, and Paul each owned and it’s all over the Beatle’s albums and Paul’s “McCartney”. I have one and immediately I “fuzzed” out my Casino and blasted the neighborhood. My wife was like “WTF is that horrid sound!?!” LOL
Gary Clark Jr is like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Buck Owens, Frankie Vallie, and Prince – all rolled into one. That sounds utterly SICK I know – but it somehow works. He only has one album out … Blak and Blu.
Hi Maggie,
OT but just in case you missed it.
“I love board games, and have since I was old enough to play them; one of these days I’m going to do a column on my favorite games in general, and Switchboard is one of them”
Friends have introduced me to Mexican Trains, and despite getting frustrated at times (mostly with myself), I am enjoying the game a lot.
Like a couple other people have mentioned here, I also watched Thunderbirds on reruns growing up and later on the SciFi Channel. Thriller is one I found out about a couple days ago; a channel here in Chicago called Me-TV just started rebroadcasting it and maman was watching it when I walked into the room. She remembers the first run of the series since she is a Boris Karloff fan.
Pentangle, indeed.
“I am a Maid that’s deep in Love”or most anything on the Cruel Sister disc somehow always reminds me of stuff that is very hard to explain with mere words.
Violets … mmmm ….
Board games was a surprise. I’ll have to check out Switchboard.
Makes me wonder: Do you play any more traditional board games, like Chess or Go? (I love Go but have an unfortunate opponent pool of one.)
Yes, but I’m afraid I’m not very good at chess, and my husband always kicks my butt at go. I’m much better at backgammon and parcheesi.
Interesting. I must ask if he plays on KGS at all, or could be convinced to. I have an account there but don’t usually use it, owing to my distaste for the timers in automatched games.
I think you may be on to why you and comixchik were so popular with men. It wasn’t (just) the sex.
Yeah. Pentangle was a band with a weirdly high percentage of the Neoanderrthal genome-type made manifest.. Forensic DNA/facial / reconstruction is coming together these days such that we can know exactly what a big brained, red haired, green-eyed Neanderthal child really looked like.
One glance at that equals a head-shot to political correctness. in all its formes. JacKui McShhee is about as Thal as one can be and syill live.
Nonetheless, we live still.
I own every Renaissance album on both vinyl and CD, and all of the songs from the CDs have been transported into my digital media systems. I have loved them since I first heard them on WNEW broadcasting out of New York City — alas, WNEW has mutated into something horrible now, but back in the day, it was a true prog-rock powerhouse.
I’m sure, quite sure, that I’ve never seen Witche’s Sister, and yet I could swear I’ve heard the music somewhere. Maybe it was on in the background at somebody else’s house?
Switchboard lives.
I could never quite get past Super Marionation. I remind myself of this whenever it seems to me that somebody else’s inability to get past animation is silly. Well, is it really any sillier than my inability to get past Super Marionation? But you know, the puppets in Santa Claus is Coming to Town or The Year Without a Santa Claus never bothered me.
I will try Violets at some time. Maybe I’ll love it, or maybe I’ll hate it.
I’m keeping that chicken paprikash recipe, and I know just who I want to cook it for.
There was Fluidman and Multiman, but I don’t remember who the third Impossible was. Ah, well. I liked The Herculoids better anyway. 😉
Seems I neither love nor hate your band. They don’t sound a lot like anybody else, though, so there’s certainly something there to love or hate!
There’s a new CGI version of Captain Scarlet 🙂
Looks like the man’s on to something.
I love the Choward’s Violet & Lemon flavors. I also love this candy: Violet les Anis de Flavigny. It comes in a darling little tin.
http://www.simplygourmand.com/products.php?product=Violet-Anis-de-Flavigny
Thank you for the recommendation! 🙂
I AGREE AND HAVE HEARD OF YOUR FAORITE SHOW “WITCHES SISTER”.
I WOULD LOVE TO GET A DVD COPY. IF ANYONE CAN HELP PLEASE EMAIL ME AT TJPERKINS9@AOL.COM
THANKS,
TJ
One of my fave shows, apart from UFO, is Space 1999. And who could forget Dr Who? Classic. The Daleks still scare me, though I have got past the urge to hide behind the sofa. Nothing scarier than a Dalek you can see moving about… except maybe one you lost track of…
Boardgames : Buccaneer, Railroader and Sorry
Music : Steeleye Span, Clannad, & the immortal Dire Straits, to name a few.