Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Grandpa, Harold "Hal" Murray Bonnett, wrote pulp detective fiction before opening Bonnett's Back-Issue Magazines in 1939. He would've turned 105 today.

As the era of pulp mags gave way to the paperback age, he shifted gears, writing under pseudonyms. One story, "Satan in High Heels", published under the name "Noel Candler", found it's way to the silver screen in 1962, at which time his real name was credited for the story.

I've often posted about this in the past, so I'll leave out the links to mainstream websites for the film and it's excellent score by Mundell Lowe; who passed away just a few months ago. The B-film was also adapted for an off-Broadway comedy musical a few years back!

I can't help enjoying Grandpa's film. It was released 2 years before I was born, almost to the day, plus, Dad, Walter Bonnett, had a small role in it! However, for this birthday post I'm going to link to a couple of blogs to give an idea of what others have thought of "Satan in High Heels". Enjoy!

Cinema Knife Fight

She Blogged by Night

Dayton Broadcasters Hall of Fame

On September 12th, 2009 a fresh batch of local on-air talent from Dayton, Ohio's radio and TV history were inducted into the Dayton Area Broadcaster's Hall of Fame. Among them was the late Gene "By Golly" Barry. I'd had the opportunity to meet him on a couple of occasions because he and our grandfather, Harold Bonnett had been friends for years. They shared a love of good music and I've been told they would occasionally get together to enjoy some jazz cuts. When you're done taking a look at these, take a look at the Dayton Broadcast Hall of Fame for a trip through a little bit of Dayton's broadcast past.


This is Gene on the air during a remote from... ? Clearly it's not in the station, unless the station serves Schlitz. That's Grandpa Harold over Gene's right shoulder. Naturally, Gene's the one with the mic and cans.










Here's Grandpa Harold and Gene in Gene's record shop, right off N. Main St., across the street from Forest Park Plaza, a stone's throw from where Peaches Records used to be. I can't remember the name of Gene's shop, but it was a nice place to pick good stuff.

And, as Gene would close his shows, "Bye bye. Buy bonds."