Tag Archives: Candy Clark

Pulp Friday: The Man Who Fell to Earth

Pan 1976Like so many people, I was enormously saddened by news this week of the death of David Bowie, from cancer at the age of 69.

There is no need for me to replicate all the sentiments that have been expressed elsewhere about Bowie’s passing, except to say that for me, as for so many of you, his death has left a huge hole in my popular culture landscape and the world is a less interesting place without him.

I did want to do something on this site to commemorate Bowie, however. And what better way to pay tribute to the man who once said his perfect idea of happiness is reading, than through books. So, my first Pulp Friday offering for 2016 is dedicated to the wonderful David Bowie: a selection of paperback tie ins for The Man Who Fell to Earth, directed by Nicolas Roeg, released in 1976.

It was only when I was doing research for an article on the ‘David Bowie Is’ exception that toured Melbourne last year, that I discovered The Man Who Fell to Earth was a book before it was a film. The Man Who Fell to Earth was first published in 1961. It was written by US novelist Walter Tevis whose debut work, The Hustler, featured as a Pulp Friday post here in 2013.… Read more

When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder

Red Ryder poster

This week I’d like to welcome someone to the site who knows more about seventies popular culture that many people have forgotten, Melbourne’s own maestro of pulp sleaze, John Harrison.

I recently managed to catch the very rare 1979 Milton Katselas film, When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder. I was keen to review it for Pulp Curry, but doing a bit of research I stumbled across this piece by John that really says everything there is to say about this lost classic and more. John was nice enough to allow me to reprint it in full on my site.

Like John, I first caught the film on late night television in the eighties and it’s fascinated me ever since. I’m thrilled to be able to post such a comprehensive piece about it on Pulp Curry.

The review originally appeared on Harrison’s own excellent site, Sin Street Sleaze. It’s a great resource on horror and grindhouse movies, as well as John’s own unique brand of pop culture observation.

Welcome John.

Based on a stage play by Mark Medoff (who also penned the screenplay for this cinematic adaptation), When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder is a hard film to categorise. Social commentary, psychological thriller, dark character study, seedy grindhouse exploitation film – all of these are applicable, yet none of them seem wholly suitable.… Read more