How Close is Disney to the Original Legend of Sleepy Hollow ?
JES Campbell JES Campbell

How Close is Disney to the Original Legend of Sleepy Hollow ?

Before the time of cable, we would all gather around the TV in anticipation for the Halloween cartoons before trick or treating. Early on, it was mostly Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin, but later Garfield joined the event. Disney even chimed in with The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad , created in 1950 and narrated by Basil Rathbone (of Sherlock Holmes fame - who narrates Mr. Toad) and Bing Crosby. For the longest time, my cynical nature drove the thought the story the Legend of Sleepy Hollow had been modified to fit the stylistic whims of Disney and leverage Crosby’s singing ability.
Boy was I wrong.

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The Blob - Fighting the Red Menace

The Blob - Fighting the Red Menace

What was interesting was this concept of an unstoppable creature…bent on eating the population of the small towns. True to form, the highschoolers were trying to warn the authorities - but it was too late ! The monster noshed on increasing numbers of the PA populace, eventually making its way to a movie theater (which is in Phoenixville, PA), before the heroes can make their way across the street (in reality, 11 miles away) to hide in a diner before the Blob can be defeated (spoilers !). Bottomline, for this Cold War kid, the whole concept was a look at the spread of Communism. As the Blob absorbed more and more people - the redder it got.

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It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year !

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year !

As is tradition in the JES Campbell household, we are celebrating our (well, for me and “E”) our favorite holiday, Halloween. This year, we will be giving away free copies of both Blue Summer and Gruff Ending on Kindle during the month of October. The giveaway for Blue Summer will take place from 21 through 25 October, and for Gruff Ending from the 27th through Halloween !

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And The Reviews Are Rolling In…

And The Reviews Are Rolling In…

In preparation for Halloween, JES Campbell commissioned 100 copies of Gruff Ending (on Kindle) to be given (for free) to random GOODREADS subscribers. We had over 371 readers apply for the giveaway (very overwhelming). Simultaneously, we did the same for Blue Summer through Amazon. While not as overwhelming (13) , we did do this for a shorter period of time (3 days) and I think that was a driver in overall responses for Kindle copies.

The results are in.

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