ARACHNOPHOBIA

Little known film gave us first known instance of overacting on a movie poster.

Despite the cinema-style one sheet, Tarantulas: Deadly Cargo was made for U.S. television. Claude Akins and a cast of b-stalwarts—including Dr. Johnny Fever himself, Howard Hesseman—give this one everything they’ve got. Sadly, they are saddled with a preposterous storyline and upstaged by their own promo department, which slapped together a poster that portrays most of the film’s salient plot points (storm, lightning, plane crash, nearby city, spider swarm, and so forth) without taking up 100 minutes of your life. Plus it’s got that giant, horrified head we haven’t seen the likes of since, er, ever. Art fun, movie not so much. Tarantulas: Deadly Cargo premiered in the U.S. today in 1977.

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

1994—White House Hit by Airplane

Frank Eugene Corder tries to crash a stolen Cessna 150 into the White House, but strikes the lawn before skidding into the building. The incident causes minor damage to the White House, but the plane is totaled and Corder is killed.

1973—Allende Ousted in Chile

With the help of the CIA, General Augusto Pinochet topples democratically elected President Salvador Allende in Chile. Pinochet’s regime serves as a testing ground for Chicago School of Economics radical pro-business policies that later are applied to other countries, including the United States.

2001—New York and Washington D.C. Attacked

The attacks that would become known as 9-11 take place in the United States. Airplane hijackings lead to catastrophic crashes resulting in the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York City, the destruction of a portion of The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a passenger airliner crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Approximately 36% of Americans doubt the official 9-11 story.

1935—Huey Long Assassinated

Governor of Louisiana Huey Long, one of the few truly leftist politicians in American history, is shot by Carl Austin Weiss in Baton Rouge. Long dies after two days in the hospital.

1956—Elvis Shakes Up Ed Sullivan

Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, performing his hit song “Don’t Be Cruel.” Ironically, a car accident prevented Sullivan from being present that night, and the show was guest-hosted by British actor Charles Laughton.

This awesome cover art is by Tommy Shoemaker, a new talent to us, but not to more experienced paperback illustration aficionados.
Ten covers from the popular French thriller series Les aventures de Zodiaque.
Sam Peffer cover art for Jonathan Latimer's Solomon's Vineyard, originally published in 1941.

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