This work examines science and science fiction in American culture from the end of World War II to 1962. The radio work of Arch Oboler and the significance of his Rocket from Manhattan - airing only a month after the first atomic bomb was dropped and asking serious questions about the use of atomic energy - are for instance examined. Other topics are the conflict between the free world and the Communist world in the context of science fiction plot lines, the dangers of science as shown in films, the flying saucer phenomenon and the treatment of such stories in the media, the changing and more...

With Fire and Sword is a comprehensive study of the English-dubbed Italian spectacles produced in the 1960s which are often described as "beefcake" and "sword'n'sandal" epics. Termed respectably peplum by the many French critics who thought highly of the genre, such films as Hercules and Goliath and the Barbarians held a fascination for American movie and television audiences at a time of social and political turmoil. Using myth criticism to extract value in the films, the book first presents a descriptive study of the genre by defining its characteristics before analyzing its motifs,...

The identity of Jack the Ripper has consumed public curiosity since he first tormented the East End of London in 1888. Numerous theories have been offered as to the Ripper's identity, but a definitive answer has always been elusive. This work surveys the literary, film, television, and radio treatments of Jack the Ripper and his crimes.