Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: After a dying man emerges from the jungles of Africa with a missing anthropologist's diary, Sir Harry Bragdon leads a group of explorers, which includes his own daughter, Pamela, in search of a white gorilla believed to be the missing link. What Sir Harry doesn't know is members of his group are searching for gold instead, putting their lives in danger and resulting in Pamela being taken by the gorilla they're hunting. Who's in it? The movie stars Maris Wrixon , Richard Fraser, Michael Dyne, Lionel Royce, Gordon Richards and Al Eben. Review: I have had White Pongo in my movie library for some time now and was undecided about whether I wanted to watch it or not. I ended up doing so this morning, mostly because it was readily available and I hadn't picked out another movie yet. As it turned out, it was better than expected, but still not good. Here's the thing about this movie. It is named after a white gorilla (though the characters refer to it as ...

After getting caught up with Project Runway , my wife and youngest daughter have started watching re-runs of the show America's Next Top Model , which they found on Disney Plus.  My wife and I have seen some of the seasons from the series before so, as they plowed through the first three, there weren't any surprises about who would win. However, after receiving the refresher, here are some of my thoughts from those first three seasons. The show does a good job exposing the dark side of professional modeling. My wife and I are already familiar with some of it because she models part time, but the show takes it to an extreme. This includes the impossible body standards, with 25-year-olds being considered too old, 138 pounds being considered too fat and the eating disorders that sometimes come with it. However, I am also going to include photoshoots that require nudity, intimate situations with male models, working with exotic animals, etc. that they are forced to do even if they ...

Synopsis: In the Army and under the command of Sgt. Homer Gatling, the revenuer who used to harass him over his still, Pvt. Snuffy Smith is assigned to a unit tasked with guarding an experimental missile being built at a lodge owned by his cousin, Barney Google. After organizing a horse race to raise funds for the final missile part, Snuffy, along with Gatling, find themselves facing a group of spies determined to steal the plans. Who's in it? The movie stars Bud Duncan, Edgar Kennedy , Cliff Nazzaro, Doris Linden and Nicolle Andre. Review: I came across Hillbilly Blitzkrieg while looking for the movie I intended to watch this morning. Even though I'm not overly familiar with the Snuffy Smith comic book character and knew this was a sequel to a film I haven't seen yet, I figured I'd give it a try anyway. As it turns out, it wasn't bad. One of the things I liked right away about this movie is, while it didn't go into a great deal of depth about the main prota...

I had hoped to get out with my camera a bit over the weekend, even if it was just in my backyard. However, I had other things to do and by the time I was done doing those, just never got around to it. I did manage to get out at lunch today though. Here are a few of the photos: I skipped the monarch butterflies and dragonflies today and instead got some photos of some other insects for a change. It was kind of difficult getting a photo of these turtles with the way the sun was reflecting off both the water and the rock, but they were patient and I ended up with this one. I walked along the outside of the park on my way back to the car and spotted the hint of yellow fluttering around. I was able to get the photo before it flew off. I didn't realize there was a small bee buzzing the flowers until I edited the photo and just took it because I liked how they were popping out of the water. _________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my previ...

Synopsis: After spending time in prison, Stephen Pike is thrilled to be getting a second chance as a servant at the remote Tithe Hall, even after learning the Viscount, believing Halley's Comet will cause an apocalypse, seals his family and servants in their rooms for their safety.  The residents survive the night, except for the Viscount, who is found murdered inside his sealed room the next morning. With suspicion quickly turning on Stephen, his only hope to avoid being arrested for a crime he didn't commit is the elderly but still sharp Decima Stockingham helping him figure out both who killed the Viscount and how they did it. Review: I saw The Murder at World's End in my library's new book section when I went there to pick up a book I had on hold. It looked intriguing, so I decided to check it out as well. After finishing it last night, I can honestly say it was one of the best mysteries I've read in a while. Having the book set around the 1910 Halley's C...

The weather has been a bit too inconvenient for me to put my trail cameras out but since we finally had a night with no rain or fog, I figured I'd set them up. There wasn't a ton of activity, but I still managed to get photos of rabbits and squirrels. Here are some of them: _______________________________________________________________________ Here are some previous trail camera photos and videos: Trail Camera Photos (7/23/2026-7/24/2026) Trail Camera Photos (7/30/2026-7/31/2026) Trail Camera Videos (1/3/2026-1/4/2026) Trail Camera Photos (11/10/2024-11/12/2024)