Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: After being raised by parents who stole from her and becoming a widow at 24, Hollywood star Mary Astor was involved in relationships with multiple men, including playwright George S. Kaufman, while she was married to Dr. Franklyn Thorpe and wrote about her affairs in her diary. In 1936, after agreeing to give Thorpe both a divorce and custody of their daughter, Marylyn because he possessed her diary and threatened to use it to derail her career, Astor took her ex-husband to court to contest the custody arrangement, putting Hollywood on high alert as the case threatened to expose the details of her private journal, including the famous stars she slept with. This non-fiction book gives a play-by-play detail of the trial, the events leading up to it and the aftermath. Review: As a classic movie fan, I am familiar with Mary Astor's work and knew enough about her history to be familiar with her infamous "Purple Diaries," named after the color ink she used to write...

As I re-watch the series Psych , I am gaining a whole new appreciation to just how brilliant the Mr. Yang storyline was. There's a great mystery about the serial killer's identity; it put Shawn Spencer's ( James Roday Rodriguez ) skills to the test and Ally Sheedy was a fantastic choice for the role.  The secondary story about her partner, Mr. Yin, had the potential to be equally as good but, at least in my opinion, fell short because Professor Karl Rotmessen ( Peter Weller ) was kind of a letdown. Don't get me wrong, Weller was solid. It's just a character that seemed in desperate need of a surprise twist involving an already established character rather than a guy who was suggested to be her father. Here are three that I think would have been much better choices. Mary Lightly (Jimmi Simpson) What if Mary wasn't actually killed by Mr. Yin and instead WAS Mr. Yin? In my version of this story, the murder victim would have been Mary's twin brother, killed by h...

Synopsis: Friendly but dim-witted backwoods resident Will Stockdale is drafted into the United States Air Force. Instead of putting him through basic training, his sergeant decides to make him "permanent latrine orderly." However, when the commanding officer finds out, the sergeant is given a week to help Stockdale pass all the necessary tests or risk losing his stripes. Who's in it?  The movie stars Andy Griffith , Myron McCormick, Nick Adams , James Millhollin and Don Knotts. You can read my review here:  Movie Review: No Time for Sergeants (1958) _____________________________________________________________________ Here are some reviews of other military comedies: Movie Review: Major Payne (1995) Movie Review: Sgt. Bilko (1996) Movie Review: Tanks a Million (1941)

Synopsis: Kitty O'Day, a hotel switchboard operator who is obsessed with detective stories, overhears her boss, Mr. Williams, being murdered over the phone. Her boyfriend, Johnny Jones, confirms this but by the time the police arrive, the body is gone and Williams' wife, Gloria, claims he is alive and on his way to Chicago. Despite warnings from the police, Kitty continues to investigate and when more bodies turn up, she and Johnny become the primary suspects. Who's in it? The movie stars Jean Parker , Peter Cookson , Tim Ryan , Lorna Gray and Dick Elliott . Review: I ended up selecting Adventures of Kitty O'Day solely because it sounded intriguing when I read the description. I didn't know what to expect when I started watching it this morning, but it turned out to be an entertaining and funny film. The movie, as I later learned, is a sequel to Detective Kitty O'Day and one of the things I liked about this movie is, while it did reference that film (which I...

There's a chance of thunderstorms tomorrow so, since that means I may not be able to get out for a walk, I made sure to get one in today. Surprisingly, despite the warm, sunny weather, there wasn't much in terms of signs of life. I didn't even see a turtle, and they normally are out sunning themselves on every available log or rock. I did manage to get some photos though. Here are some of them. _______________________________________________________________ Here are some other nature photos:  Some Random Nature Photos Lunchtime Walk Photos 9/18/2020 Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/1/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (5/8/2026)

I've been trying to get back in the habit of taking a walk in the morning, just so I can get some exercise in before sitting behind a desk most of the day. So, for the second day in a row, I went out with my camera not long after the sun started rising. As it turns out, most of the activity that early in the morning was from mosquitos. However, I was still able to get a few photos in between swatting. ____________________________________________________________________ Here are other photos taken on previous morning walks: Morning Walk Photos (6/3/2026) Morning Walk Photos 8/25/2017 Morning Walk Photos 7/19/2017 Morning Walk Photos 7/3/2018