Recent Comments

1. about 9 hours ago on Crankshaft

   If I may, I think Timmy Meckler is the young boy in the bottom left of the film, and the little girls are Ed’s daughters Pam and Chris. Since Tim died in Vietnam and Pam was at Kent State in 1970, that would place this home movie (which someone transferred to VHS tape; maybe Crazy Harry did it) circa 1960, which sorta fits the timeframe. The big question is, who’s shooting this? Keesterman? Timemop? Maybe Ralph had a tripod?All that being said, it’s an inoffensive and evocative shot. I have no complaints. Happy Holidays to all.

2. about 10 hours ago on Crankshaft

   Ralph’s son Tim (the older boy on the left) was killed in the Vietnam War. His wife passed away of complications from Alzheimer’s in the early 2000s.

3. 2 days ago on Crankshaft

   The only picture Ralph has of his late wife is a small black-and-white photo that looks like it was taken at the passport office?

4. 3 days ago on Crankshaft

   Yes, of course. That’s why the Sunday strips are usually unconnected to any current story arc. But that, of course, means that the coming Sunday will have to be another plot rehash unless Batiuk thinks “Ed gives Ralph a VHS tape” was a sufficiently hilarious joke to stand on its own merits yesterday. I worry about how he’ll stretch this pseudo-tearjerker out another five days this week.

5. 3 days ago on Crankshaft

   “Once” again? You said it him yesterday, Ed, and the day before that, too. I’d expect you to say it again tomorrow, except that Tuesday or Wednesday will be the obligatory one- or two-panel strip of Ralph sitting on his sofa, watching the video of his late wife and son, with a tear passing down his cheek.

6. 4 days ago on Crankshaft

   To borrow a line from William Faulkner, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past”

7. 4 days ago on Crankshaft

   Well, Ralph used to own Centerville’s Valentine theater (“Come for ‘The Phantom Menace,’ Stay for the Stale Popcorn!”) before he unloaded…er, sold it to Max and Hannah, so at least it makes sense that he would have a 16mm projector as opposed to the more common for home use Super 8.

   Ed should still brace him for what’s on the tape, though.

8. 5 days ago on Crankshaft

   Tim Meckler (seen in the Kent State 1970 flashbacks) was said to have died in Vietnam. A mid-2010s storyline featured Ralph finding an old letter to Santa Tim wrote as a child and then buying and assembling the bike his son asked for; I think he then donated it to charity. As for Helen Meckler, she was diagnosed with Alezheimer’s in the late 1990s and eventually moved into Bedside Manor once she no longer recognized Ralph. That storyline was reprinted in not one, but two C’Shaft books in the last 20 or so years.

   This is why I thought a “heads up” from Ed about his discovery might have been called for. I’m not saying that Ralph wouldn’t be touched by the tape, but giving it to him gift-wrapped like a Dale Evans apron seems a little off.

9. 5 days ago on Crankshaft

   Really? Seriously, would anybody out there, if you found an old video of home movies featuring a close friend’s late wife and son, wrap it up and hand it to them with a “Merry Christmas” and no context or emotional preparation? I personally don’t feel it works dramatically or in real life, but tell me if you think it’s a good idea.

10. 6 days ago on Crankshaft

    No, nor do I beat dead horses, unlike Batiuk.