On The Track Of The Ripper

[poliphilo]

My bro-in-law has just published a fascinating novel about the Jack the Ripper murders- and is backing it up with an LJ devoted to Ripperology. His LJ monicker is nashey1888 

Here's Tenniel's contemporary view of the police investigation.

Comments

[seraphimsigrist.livejournal.com]

fascinating. not perhaps enough of a ripper
buff to sign on but...
to him ,if he doesnt know it, the first episode
of the old american tv show Kolchak the night
stalker was The Ripper
summary at
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/4991/kolchak/klchk02.htm#ep01
the whole is on youtube here is the brief one of the end
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViYvr1no2a4

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've always wanted to see this show. I believe the character was based on the photographer Wee-Gee, whose work I admire.

Thanks for the links.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Tony, I just finished reading a book, and throughout my reading of it I knew I wanted to tell you about it.

The book is Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death. Here is the UK Amazon source if you are interested.

It's fascinating, well written, and talks about genuine mediums and spirit communication, etc., in depth. The author, Deborah Blum, won the Pulitzer in 1992 for a NF book about primates.

Jackie

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That looks fascinating. I believe we may have some credits with Amazon. Thanks for the tip.

kolchak

[nashey1888.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I hadn't heard of it so checked it out. I used to really like Darren McGavin, the first actor to play Kolchak. It seems that "the ripper" is most people's favourite episode. I presume it's where he investigates the ripper murders and finds that there was a conspiracy? A lot of people have used that theory since (Johnny Depp's "From Hell" being the most well known of the films using conspiracy as the plot) but none as far as I know used the theory before the early 70's so it must have been really original at the time. Sounds like the whole series was a precursor of the X-files?

ripper

[seraphimsigrist.livejournal.com]

well I haven't watched this episode
in full(aware of it because I have the set
on dvd and have watched some of them)
but it is all there on youtube in several
segments of 8 minutes each or so...
I doubt he finds a conspiracy the kolchak
modus operandi was more to find that something
which the police etc try to explain naturally
was supernatural so I would expect that it is
just that, well, this guy is somehow jack
the ripper and he is more or less immortal
for some reason except fortunately that
he can be electrocuted if a chance presents
itself...a rarity in daily life when you think
of it but fortunately hard pressed by the ripper
kolchak is able to do it.

rather as james bond does with odd job,an
otherwise intractable problem, towards the
end of goldfinger.

xfiles

[seraphimsigrist.livejournal.com]

Kolchak is said to be ,and is I
am sure, a precursor of the x-files
and an influence on them, but the
conspiracy element is largely absent--
and happily so I would say.