BOOK

IT'S POP-CULTURE PARTY-TIME!

Sam Maronie: Tripping Through Pop-Culture (Mis) Adventures of an Entertainment Writer!

Cover by acclaimed artist Joe Phillips. Foreword by Howard Victor Chaykin.

$18.99 6×9 softbound, 250+ pages (contact the author for international shipping charges)

To contact the author for interviews and further information at sam@sammaronie.com

#trippingthroughpopculture @tripping_pop

Please click HERE to order a copy from AMAZON

SAM APES

NO TURKEYS HERE

The character actor is almost extinct in today’s entertainment world. In Hollywood’s past, these colorful performers made even the most pedestrian film that much better with their presence. On Thanksgiving Day, let&...

by Sam Maronie

Full Story »

How better to launch Halloween Month here at the Funhouse than with the Big G himself. Here we have Godzilla giving the beat-down to King Kong in gay Paree. Notice how the still artist has pasted in an image of Kong from the 1933 RKO classic film? This scene is from the iconic 1960s epic, King Kong vs. Godzilla. (c) Universal Studios.

FROM TOKYO–WITH LOVE

Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, made his US debut in 1954 and was a tremendous hit. The Tokyo-made thriller was ‘americanized’ by inserting scenes shot in Hollywood to make the movie more palatable for do...

by Sam Maronie

Full Story »

Anyone remember the comedy team of Wayne and Shuster? I thought so. Anyway, they were hugely popular in the late 50s and 60s. Johnny Wayne of the duo is prepped for a comedy skit which appeared in a summer replacement series for CBS in 1960. (c) CBS

MUST-SEE TV STILLS

Behind-the-scenes or ‘production’ stills are pretty rare for TV series. The networks seldom release them to the general press. Even more scarce are such photos from vintage television of the 50s...

by Sam Maronie

Full Story »

SEEN BETWEEN SCENES

Studio publicists call these ‘production shots’. They’re the candid photos of moviemakers in-between actual shooting of a film. Usually they are corny shots of stars visting with each other between takes, enjo...

by Sam Maronie

Full Story »

An actor rarely has a chance to portray one iconic characters in their career---let alone two--but Karloff accomplished that feat. Not only will he be forever identified with the Frankenstein monster, but also as The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. This holiday special has run for years---and will most likely continue to run for decades more. (c) CBS

KAROFF THE UNCANNY

OUR FAVORITE MONSTER Mention ‘horror films’ to any fan, and more than likely he’ll automatically respond ‘Boris Karloff’. The British actor was the quintisesential terror film star. He started it a...

by Sam Maronie

Full Story »

Producer Glen Larson created dozens of TV series during his heyday, but Battlestar: Galactica was undoubtedly his most popular.

GLEN LARSON DEAD AT 77

Producer Glen Larson passed away Friday, November 14 age age 77. His family released a statement that he succumbed to a long battle with cancer. Even if you were the most casual TV water in the 1970s, you couldn&#...

by Sam Maronie

Full Story »

STABLER HITS THE BIG 5-4

Well, well, well….Everyone’s favorite detective, Elliot Stabler–actor Christopher Meloni. The star of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Oz and even The Fannelli Boys, hits the big 5-4 today! Birthday cheers...

by Sam Maronie

Full Story »

Super-Fine, Super-Bad detective John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) from the classic 1971 film. (c) MGM

RICHARD ROUNDTREE AKA JOHN SHAFT

BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN POP CULTURE Actor Richard Roundtree will forever be identified with iconic detective John Shaft. As the hero of the 1971 blaxploitation classic, Roundtree inspired a generation and cemented his pla...

by Sam Maronie

Full Story »

SUPERMEN OF AMERICA

Fan clubs have been around for decades. There have been such organizations for movie stars, sport celebs….and even for fictional characters! Back in the 30s, many pulp-magazine and radio heroes had their own ‘secret...

by Sam Maronie

Full Story »