Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: On his 18th birthday, Mugs McGinnis learns his father's wealthy ex-business partner, "Uncle" Pete Monahan, is coming to visit from Texas. Mugs, an only child, also learns his uncle, through a series of lies told by his now-deceased father, believes he has five brothers and a sister.  Wanting to protect his dad's reputation as well as his mother, who has been accepting annual birthday checks for her fictional children, he convinces his friends to pose as his family, with Glimpy dressed in drag as his sister. However, a local gangster, looking to score a big payday, complicates things when he learns of the ruse. Who's in it? The movie stars Leo Gorcey , Huntz Hall , Bobby Jordan , Noah Beery and Amelita Ward . Review: I added Clancy Street Boys to my movie library some time ago but as sometimes happens, it temporarily disappeared when I tried to watch it. It re-appeared in the library recently and I finally gave it a try this morning. While I wasn...

Synopsis: Judd Nix just got the break of a lifetime. After serving as an intern, he has been hired to be part of a team managing country music's latest superstar, Ripley Graham. In addition to a steady paycheck and meeting celebrities, he is getting the opportunity to learn about the industry from his boss, Simon Stills and the attractive Megan Olsen. Things take a sour turn, however, when both Judd and Simon are struck by bullets presumed to have been meant for Ripley, leaving Simon in critical condition and clinging to life. Was the attempt the result of stalled negotiations, a revenge plot from a recently fired recording studio head or was there another motive? As the investigation takes place it becomes clear multiple lives are at risk. Review: As I previously mentioned, my last trip to the library was made without any clear idea what books I wanted to check out. As a result of that, I wound up choosing them at random and that included Murder on Music Row , which I picked pri...

Synopsis: After serving in the war, Johnny Duncan returns to the Louisiana delta and, despite suffering PTSD from his ship being sunk in battle, resumes his duties as Coast Guard bar pilot, guiding ships from the gulf to the Mississippi River and proposes to his girlfriend, Toni. However, a fatal accident on the eve of his wedding sends Johnny into a drunken spiral and the wealthy Janet Hilton, who has had her eyes on Johnny since the day she met him, uses it to attempt to steal him away from Toni and turn him against his friends. Who's in it? The movie stars Johnny Weissmuller , Carol Thurston, Virginia Grey , Buster Crabbe and Edwin Maxwell . Review: I had Swamp Fire in my library for some time and finally decided to watch it this morning. Since the description was a bit vague, I watched it with no expectations. Had I had expectations, I am confident the film would have failed to meet them. Sometimes movies just try to do too much, and in the case of this film, it honestly ju...

There's a chance for storms this afternoon and evening, but the weather was decent enough at lunch for me to get a walk in with my camera. There hasn't been as much at the park as usual, but I did still manage to get some photos. Here are a few of them: ________________________________________________________________ Here are some previous nature photos: Just a Couple Rabbit Photos Morning Walk Photos (6/3/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/29/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/4/2026)

Synopsis: Tom "the Bomber" Brown is an up-and-coming boxer who is a match away from winning the lightweight championship when a fight with a well-connected gambler, Smoothy Morgan, results in him needing to flee New York to avoid assault charges. While in hiding under the name Tom Hayes, he meets a young man by the name "Babyface" Madison and seeing his potential, offers to train him while secretly working as a gas station attendant to pay for the use of a gym. Tom's past and present eventually collide, however, when Babyface gets a shot at the title and Tom needs to return to New York as a result. Who's in it? The movie stars Frankie Darro , Kane Richmond , Fred 'Snowflake' Toones , Frances Grant and Jack La Rue. Review: I've had Born to Fight in my library for several weeks, mostly because I've enjoyed other Frankie Darro films. I finally got around to watching the movie this morning and was able to add it to the list of Darro movies I...

Prequels are an effective way to continue a popular television series because it doesn't have the constraints of keeping one or more cast members from the original, allowing for fresh (and cheaper) faces while also giving a bit more insight into how certain characters became who they are.  They are, like most spin-offs, hit-or-miss as far as fans go. Some, like The Big Bang Theory prequel, Young Sheldon, were popular enough to last several seasons and inspire their own spinoff series. Others, like the Supernatural prequel, The Winchesters , were cancelled after just one season. Meanwhile, there are some series that might have done surprisingly well with a prequel based on one or more of their characters but were never given the opportunity. Here are five characters I think would have been perfect for that. Phoebe Buffay ( Friends ) -  Of the six friends on Friends , Phoebe ( Lisa Kudrow ) has the most interesting past. Her mother, who wasn't her real mother, committed suicid...