The Master Mystery (1919), starring Harry Houdini

The Moon Riders (1920), directed by serial great B. Reeves Eason

Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), starring Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill

At least he didn't end up like Bonnie and Clyde . . .

Would you buy a used fire from these men? No, it's not the leads from The Lord of the Rings, it's the touring version of The Doors, with Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger-ho-Tep, and Cult singer Ian Astbury.

A 2002 piece in The Nation by Doors drummer John Densmore spelled out his side in the remaining band member's legal disputes, and he came out as a true keeper of the sixties' flame-- he was keeping his word to Jim Morrison that he (and the band) would never allow the music to be used for commercial purposes. In doing so, he's turned down millions for the others as well, but the sincerity of the guy was obvious.

Well, bad news for John's admirers and fans of the music: the sellout has officially begun. A story at fortwayne.com, of all places, quietly slipped in the news that the three remaining Doors "believe it's time to put their band's legacy (and, ahem, potential profitability) front and center."

Also: "Dick Wolf, the force behind the ubiquitous Law & Order franchises, is producing a full-length documentary on the Doors for theatrical release-- with all three surviving Doors on board as co-producers." It gets worse, with coffee table books, CD retrospectives, and a 40th anniversary blitz for "Light My Fire" and the first album. But the worst is saved for last:

"And talk about strange days, there's even a plan to take the Doors to Vegas in 2008. Jeff Jampol of Doors Music Co. said the surviving members and Morrison's estate are negotiating a deal in the 'tens of millions of dollars' to build a special theater of 800 to 1,200 seats at a Las Vegas casino and tailor-design a standing show."

Great. No announcement of what, exactly, the shows will contain (good news: they don't want anything that would cheapen the band's image). "We're creating something, but we're not sure what it's called," Jampol said.

Maybe they don't, but we do.

Great minds suck alike: Ray Manzarek and George Winston

I was a latecomer to the Ricky Gervais podcasts (I became a convert thanks to a gift from E. Yarber-- thanks again, E.!), but I made up for it right away, and now have not only the two podcasts series, but all of the British broadcasts from the past few years. These are the shows where Ricky and his writing partner Stephen Merchant first met their producer and (soon) co-star, the amazing Karl Pilkington.

If you've heard the podcasts, you know all about Karl's round head, his obsession with chimps, what time of day he could eat a knob-- on and on. If you're not familiar with these shows, trying to explain the above would be like trying to explain Karl himself-- I don't think it can be done. Only exposure to his cracked logic and blunt opinions can get the essence of the great Mr. P. across.

So here's a clip from one of the last UK shows, where Karl describes a recent train trip, accompanied by Ricky's earsplitting laugh.

Last week's audio montage clue was from the latest Albert Brooks movie, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, a film that, predictably, I like more than most. To give me my meager due, that's perhaps because I get it more than most of the people who wrote about it, at least in one way: this wasn't Albert's "big statement" movie, but was more his version of Lum and Abner Go to Yugoslavia. I'll explain.

While Albert has proven his acting chops in others movies, most of the time in his own movies, he plays "Himself," or, in this case, literally "Albert Brooks." He's "Albert" the same way his comedy idol was "Jack Benny." And often, when those comedians had movie careers (like Bob "Sepulchre-Breath" Hope), they'd make a film where they went to another country for the predictable culture clash.

In Albert's case, it makes perfect sense-- he can't do romance or yuppies anymore, and he's not quite old enough to start on death exclusively. So he made a small comedy about his character, "Albert," looking like a schmuck in another country for a change.

(By the way, the bucolic radio comedians Lum and Abner made a movie called L&A Abroad, where they did indeed go to Yugoslavia-- really a Hal Roach backlot-- working for the U.S. government!)

So congratulations to the following winners: Vince Tuss, Wayne Palmer, Cate Fogarty, Corey Anderson, Hank Parmer, Bill Hearne, Justin Cullen-Benson, and Jeremy Hodess. And special congratulations to Joe Rosenberg, who wins the new Buddy Guy CD, "Bring 'Em In."

It's an all-picture quiz this time. Here's the movie's main character, the lovely Mary:

She moves across the hall from this greasy creep

and is bothered by another while on a late-night drive.

Know the film? Then send me an email with its title by late Sunday night, and if you're right, experience the clammy chill, er, thrill of seeing your name in next week's winners circle.

Don't get excited, there's no prize for this quiz, and it won't even happen on a regular basis, but I thought it could be an occasional bonus for those who actually come by this page on the weekend. Its inspiration comes from hearing some surprising-- and surprisingly contemporary-- actors show up on some old radio shows I've been listening to.

The first one was completely unexpected, even though it's from one of radio's last gasp attempts at drama, a mid-'60s anthology series from ABC called Theater Five. Listen to our star open the show (his is the first voice you hear), and then, to see if you're right, listen to the opening credits. (By the way, that's Fred Foy, announcer for the Lone Ranger and Dick Cavett, reading over that groovy theme music.) When you learn who it is, be thankful I didn't post the whole show.