SUPERHEROES ARE DAMN-NEAR EVERYWHERE XVI

Primary EDWARD ALBERT's best-known credit was the recurring role of "Elliot Burch" on (the first) BEAUTY AND THE BEAST teleseries, though he also voiced the Silver Surfer on the 1994 FANTASTIC FOUR cartoon.

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Peripheral FRANK ALBERTSON acted in the 1960 PSYCHO with--

Primary JANET LEIGH, who played an evil torturess in an episode of THE MAN FROM UNCLE.

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Primary JACK ALBERTSON (not shown below) has just one credit, an episode of the 1970s series THE IMMORTAL.

SUPERHEROES ARE DAMN-NEAR EVERYWHERE XV

In contrast to Claude Akins' sparse involvement in the superhero idiom (see last post);
Primary MARC ALAIMO has dozens of relevant credits, including the 1990 TOTAL RECALL, but is best known for the role of "Gul Dukat" in STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE.

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Primary JESSICA ALBA acted in several relevant roles, not least the first SIN CITY and its sequel, and MACHETE and its sequel MACHETE KILLS.

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Peripheral ANNA MARIA ALBERGHETTI acted in CINDERFELLA with--

Peripheral HENRY SILVA of ALLEN QUATERMAIN AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD.

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Primary EDDIE ALBERT voiced the "Old Vulture" in the 1994-96 SPIDER-MAN series, in addition to DREAMSCAPE and other films.

SUPERHEROES ARE DAMN-NEAR EVERYWHERE XIV

Primary PHILIP AHN is probably best known for playing "Master Kan" in the series KUNG FU, though he also essayed diverse roles in WONDER WOMAN, both UNCLE shows, and others.

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Primary CHARLES AIDMAN (right) partnered with James West for 4 episodes of THE WILD WILD WEST.

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Primary DANNY AIELLO acted in HUDSON HAWK.

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Peripheral ANOUK AIMEE acted in SODOM AND GOMORRAH with--

Primary STEWART GRANGER, not at his best as a superspy in TARGET FOR KILLING.

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Primary Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje played "Killer Croc" in SUICIDE SQUAD.

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Primary CLAUDE AKINS, despite a really long list of credits, racks up just two entries: an episode of ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN and one of THE MAN FROM UNCLE, where he played the evil "El Supremo."

SUPERHEROES ARE DAMN-NEAR EVERYWHERE XIII

Primary JANET AGREN acted in HANDS OF STEEL.

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Primary JENNY AGUTTER acted in CAPTAIN AMERICA;WINTER SOLDIER, among others.

SUPERHEROES ARE DAMN-NEAR EVERYWHERE XII

Peripheral MARIO ADORF acted in SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS with--

Primary BARBARA BACH, best known for THE SPY WHO LOVED ME.

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Primary BEN AFFLECK acted in the 2002 DAREDEVIL, as well as some other minor flick this year.

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Peripheral CASEY AFFLECK acted in INTERSTELLAR with--

Primary MICHAEL CAINE, who acted in BATMAN BEGINS.

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Primary JOHN AGAR acted in the Arabic fantasy THE MAGIC CARPET.

MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE (1833)

MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE, though it may have been intended to be something of a burlesque of other "tall tales of the sea," shows Poe finally giving full rein to his daemonic imagination.

The "message" is purportedly one abandoned to the seas in a bottle, written by a man lost at sea. His sailing-vessel is caught up by a titanic storm, and, instead of simply being sunk, the ship is caught up and pulled along by the force of the storm. The narrator and one other man survive the initial torrent, but this already fantastic situation turns wilder when the ship he's on is destroyed by a second, larger ship, also being borne along by the great storm. The other survivor apparently perishes, but the narrator is flung onto the second ship. This ship still has a crew, though all of the sailors are so aged that they don't even apprehend the narrator's presence. Still alone even among these Sargasso-like survivors, the storm finally hurls the whole megilla down into an endless abyss-- though apparently not one so endless that the bottle with the message fails to show up in the mortal world once more.

I frankly didn't know whether or not Poe really believed that such phenomena were possible, or if it was all just a jape. This site, however, suggests that Poe harbored some eccentric beliefs about the structure of the known universe, and that MS. may be based in part upon those beliefs-- so I've decided to label it as "marvelous."

FOUR BEASTS IN ONE (1833)

Like "Tale of Jerusalem," this naturalistic tale is based on a bit of archaic lore. A narrator relates to the reading audience a story of ancient Antioch. It seems that at one point in history, both wild and tame animals were allowed to run free in the streets. This seems to work out well until the advent of the city's ruler-in-name-only: a huge "cameleopard" (giraffe), which the citizens of Antioch have decided to elevate to kingship. The long-necked fellow attracts the gustatory lusts of the roaming predators (certainly a lot of food-motifs in the early stories), and that's the end of the Giraffe King. More erudition for its own sake.