Michael Rickard's Blog, page 15
December 5, 2018
The Western Through a Red Lens: Historiography, Propaganda, and Umfunktionierung in Red Westerns and Easterns. Part Two of Five.
Copyright 2018 by Michael W. Rickard II
Editor's Note: In 2016 I wrote a paper for my undergraduate senior project on the Red Western, a sub-genre of the Western film. Here is the paper in its original form.Conventional wisdom is that American Westerns did not provide an honest look at the reality of American expansion into the West. A Hollywood film like How the West Was Won implied truth in its title but reality could be different. It wasn’t until revisionist Westerns arose in the 60’s, that...
Editor's Note: In 2016 I wrote a paper for my undergraduate senior project on the Red Western, a sub-genre of the Western film. Here is the paper in its original form.Conventional wisdom is that American Westerns did not provide an honest look at the reality of American expansion into the West. A Hollywood film like How the West Was Won implied truth in its title but reality could be different. It wasn’t until revisionist Westerns arose in the 60’s, that...
The Western Through a Red Lens: Historiography, Propaganda, and Umfunktionierung in Red Westerns and Easterns. Part Two of Seven.
Copyright 2018 by Michael W. Rickard IIEditor's Note: In 2016 I wrote a paper for my undergraduate senior project on the Red Western, a sub-genre of the Western film. Here is the paper in its original form.Conventional wisdom is that American Westerns did not provide an honest look at the reality of American expansion into the West. A Hollywood film like How the West Was Won implied truth in its title but reality could be different. It wasn’t until revisionist Westerns arose in the 60’s, that...
Editor's Note: In 2016 I wrote a paper for my undergraduate senior project on the Red Western, a sub-genre of the Western film. Here is the paper in its original form.Conventional wisdom is that American Westerns did not provide an honest look at the reality of American expansion into the West. A Hollywood film like How the West Was Won implied truth in its title but reality could be different. It wasn’t until revisionist Westerns arose in the 60’s, that...
December 3, 2018
Book Review: "2014 Holy Ground: 50 Years of WWE at Madison Square Garden (The History of Professional Wrestling)"
With the holidays around the corner, wrestling fans are always looking for a good wrestling-related read. Check out my review of the 2014 book, Holy Ground: 50 Years of WWE at Madison Square Garden (The History of Professional Wrestling).Graham Cawthon’s book 2014 Holy Ground: 50 Years of WWE at Madison Square Garden (The History of Professional Wrestling) is an excellent time machine for fans looking to visit the Mecca of Professional Wrestling’s various eras from the last fifty years. The b...
November 30, 2018
"Don't Call Me Bush Beans" My First Children's Book and My First Collaboration!
Recently I collaborated with my dad on a book about our three-legged cat, Chester. Now, the story of how Chester came into our lives can be found in the new children’s book, Don’t Call Me Bush Beans: The Legend of a Three-Legged CatHe's the coolest cat on the planet, but when this three-legged feline finds himself with no home and a goofy new name, he has to move fast to find a good home and a cat staff to treat him right. Discover the joy of perseverance and courage as this one-of-a-kind cat...
November 27, 2018
The Western Through a Red Lens: Historiography, Propaganda, and Umfunktionierung in Red Westerns and Easterns. Part One of Five.
Copyright 2018 by Michael W. Rickard II
Editor's Note: In 2016 I wrote a paper for my undergraduate senior project on the Red Western, a sub-genre of the Western film. Here is the paper in its original form.Introduction The Western has been called a true piece of America, as integral to its culture as jazz and baseball (Kitses 1). The idea of an individual fighting lawlessness on the frontier and helping to bring order has been said to be linked with America’s westward expansion. The values of...
Editor's Note: In 2016 I wrote a paper for my undergraduate senior project on the Red Western, a sub-genre of the Western film. Here is the paper in its original form.Introduction The Western has been called a true piece of America, as integral to its culture as jazz and baseball (Kitses 1). The idea of an individual fighting lawlessness on the frontier and helping to bring order has been said to be linked with America’s westward expansion. The values of...
The Western Through a Red Lens: Historiography, Propaganda, and Umfunktionierung in Red Westerns and Easterns. Part One of Seven.
Copyright 2018 by Michael W. Rickard IIEditor's Note: In 2016 I wrote a paper for my undergraduate senior project on the Red Western, a sub-genre of the Western film. Here is the paper in its original form.Introduction The Western has been called a true piece of America, as integral to its culture as jazz and baseball (Kitses 1). The idea of an individual fighting lawlessness on the frontier and helping to bring order has been said to be linked with America’s westward expansion. The values of...
Editor's Note: In 2016 I wrote a paper for my undergraduate senior project on the Red Western, a sub-genre of the Western film. Here is the paper in its original form.Introduction The Western has been called a true piece of America, as integral to its culture as jazz and baseball (Kitses 1). The idea of an individual fighting lawlessness on the frontier and helping to bring order has been said to be linked with America’s westward expansion. The values of...
November 25, 2018
Book Review: "Ten Pounds of Gold"-A Fun and Fact-Filled Look at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
It’s been said that you should write what you know, and wrestling fan/historian/author Dick Bourne has shown this with his various books dedicated to the legendary territory, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP was one of many promotions during the heyday of the National Wrestling Alliance, and like all NWA territories, it featured appearances by the NWA Heavyweight Champion. Now, in the book, Ten Pounds of Gold (2nd Edition): A Close Look at the NWA World Championship Belt, Bourne explores an...
November 22, 2018
Book Review: "Comic Book Implosion" Examines a Key Moment in Comic Book History
Copyright 2018 Michael W. Rickard
Things looked bleak for comic books throughout the 1970s because of plummeting sell-through rates. With each passing year, the newsstand became less and less interested in selling comic books. The industry seemed locked in a death spiral, but the Powers That Be at DC Comics had an idea to reverse their fortunes. In 1978, they implemented a bold initiative: Provide readers with more story pages by increasing the price-point of a regular comic book to make it co...
Things looked bleak for comic books throughout the 1970s because of plummeting sell-through rates. With each passing year, the newsstand became less and less interested in selling comic books. The industry seemed locked in a death spiral, but the Powers That Be at DC Comics had an idea to reverse their fortunes. In 1978, they implemented a bold initiative: Provide readers with more story pages by increasing the price-point of a regular comic book to make it co...
November 18, 2018
Madison Square Garden Magic: The Garden's First Cage Match
When a wrestler is portrayed as unbeatable, a wise promoter will want to be careful in how they are booked when they do lose. If done right, it can lead to successful rematches, even years later. When done poorly, it can result in a match that tarnishes the original. In 1975, arematch was held between a wrestling juggernaut and the man who had originally stopped him. Join me now as we look back at the Madison Square Garden series that pitted World Wide Wrestling Federation champion Bruno Samm...
Thanks for Entering the "Flunky: Pawns and Kings" Book Giveaway
Thank you to everyone who entered the Flunky: Pawns and Kings giveaway at Goodreads. 100 winners were chosen and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the book. Flunky will go on sale one week today at Amazon.com.
