Cliff Corner (Bastei Verlag)

Ok, I finally admit it! I am a pulp novel junkie since my early childhood. Thanx dad! Not only do I read pulp novels from the USA that everybody knows like Tarzan, Conan, Buck Rodgers,... but also the lesser known ones like the Shadow, the Spider, Doc Strange, Lord Lister, G8....and all the others. And my addiction does not stop there it stretches even into the German pulp novel market better known in Germany as "Romanhefte" from publishers like Bastei, Kelter, Pabel... with heroes like G-man Jerry Cotton, Ghosthunter John Sinclair, Demonkiller Dorian Hunter, Professor Zamorra, Damona King, Lassister... covering everything from horror over phantasy over science-fiction over westerns and even, gulp, romance and heimat pulp novels! I read it all and collect it all! Silly me! So it is always nice to see a cover on a German romanheft with a motive from a Marisa Mell movie! (The G-man Jerry Cotton covers) This time it is from the Bastei Verlag series "Cliff Corner", a copy cat of the mega success G-man Jerry Cotton. Issue 105 from 1969 with title "Sterben Sie wohl, Mister Corner!" sports Marisa Mell as she appeared in the movie "New York Chiama Superdrago", a James Bond rip-off! (The Mystery of the Purple Dress) Now where did I put this issue of the series in my collection?

New "Mario Bava"-book by Spanish writer Carlos Aguilar

A new phantastic book about the great Italian filmmaker "Mario Bava" was published this March 2013 in Spain, by the author Carlos Aguilar. The book forms part of the publisher Catedra’s Cineastas collection. Carlos Aguilar is a Madrid based author, who writes both novels and cinematographic essays, among which some of the most successful of the series have been on Clint Eastwood, Sergio Leone, Jesús Franco and Giuliano Gemma, as sole author, and those about John Phillip Law, and Eugenio Martin, written with his wife, teacher and writer Anita Haas. This is the first book ever on Mario Bava published in Spanish by Aguilar, contains around 330 pages and 60 photos. It describes the career of the great Italian filmmaker, combining objective information with subjection evaluation. It also includes a detailed filmography as well as an extensive bibliography on both Bava, and others who worked with him, in front of and behind the camera. Among them is, of course, the one and only Marisa Mell and the film Diabolik forming an important part of the work (no less than 15 pages!). A must-have book on this genius of Italian cinema, who knew how to reconfigure the parameters of fantasy and horror genre, adding a unique macabre sensuality and an enveloping, baroque atmosphere, and creating two such contrasting currents as Italian Gothic and Giallo.

This book on one of the greatest directors ever costs 13 euros and can be found on Amazon, or get a signed copy from the author at: carlosaguilargutierrez@gmail.com. Highly recommended!

Coming soon on the "Marisa Mell" Blog!

"New York chiama Superdrago"

During the height of the James Bond craze Marisa Mell could not escape becoming part of an Italian James Bond movie clone called "New York chiama Superdrago" . The film premiered on February 17 1966 and is now regarded als one of the so many movies trying to cash in on the spy wave of that era! Although having had in recent years several DVD releases the film is still not widely known among the general public and is probably best remembered from an episode of the cult classic television series "Mystery Science Theatre 3000" just like its counterpart "Danger: Diabolik!". Nevertheless these lobby cards are a real gem from an era long gone! And they really deliver what they should do namely giving the impression when you saw them in the cinema lobby that you are going to see a good action packed movie with spies, beautiful women, mad scientists and an über-criminal organisation gaining for world domination. Sadly the movie did not deliver that at all but is instead a real bore from start till finish, only highlighted by Marisa Mell's presence!

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Thanx again to Gerald S. from Krefeld, Germany for letting me use this wonderfull complete set of lobby cards! You are really spoiling me, my friend!

Finally! "Ruf der Wildgänse" on DVD

On April 26th 2013 one of Marisa Mell's earliest movies "Ruf der Wildgänse" will be released on DVD in Germany with a German audiotrack for the first time ever! In the past if you wanted to see this movie you had to tape the movie when it was broadcasted on a local German television station. This 1961 movie has the original running time of 91 minutes and was completely shot in Canada for exteriors, which at that time was quite an endeavor but gives the movie an authenticity that you seldom see in those kind of movies. It was an attempt to break away from the classical Heimat-movies in Germany and Austria that had stories which constantly played against the back drops of the Alpes in those countries. Secondly it has some notion of the western genre which became quite populair in the years to come in the 60's with cult television shows like Bonanza or Gunsmoke. For Marisa Mell it was a little step on the career ladder. The movie is issued in the series "Juwelen der Filmgeschichte" and is highly recommended for Marisa Mell fans who had never the possibilty in the past to see this movie outside of Germany wanting to know how Marisa Mell acted before she became a cult figure. The movie can be bought through the usual DVD-outlets.

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Thanks to André Schneider for pointing this one out!