Spidey Visits Dallas

In the 80's Marvel Comics did the coolest thing ever and produced special comics for the now defunct Dallas Times Herald.  These were free in the Sunday paper and they took place in Dallas.  The third one starred Spider-Man and was titled "Danger in Dallas"!

The story involves a scientist who invented an anti-gravity device.  His wheelchair bound son uses it to fly around for some reason and Peter Parker is covering the story for the Daily Bugle.  And they are all headed to Dallas to catch a Cowboys game.

On the way, Peter reminisces about his last trip to Dallas when he wall crawled and web spun on and around Reunion Tower:

Once in Big D they apparently drove from the Airport (presumably DFW Airport) to downtown Dallas to check out the sites.  The site of the JFK assassination didn't seem to interest them nearly as much as the John Bryan Neely Cabin:

Here's a real world shot of the same location:

I could quite get the same angle but you can still see the Cabin, the Old Red Courthouse and Reunion Tower in relatively the same places.  I really wish those dead trees weren't in the way though.

So our heroes make their way to Texas Stadium where the scientist's son is immediately kidnapped.  Spidey leaps into action and he is soon joined by hall-of-famer Randy White:

Long story short:  they got it all sorted out.  The crew then sat back and enjoyed a Cowboys game:

Let Them Eat Cake

Here's a 1983 Skaggs Alpha Beta advertisement for Dallas Cowboys Cake!

Robocop Visits City Hall

Most people know that the original Robocop was filmed in Dallas.  The filmmakers weren't shy about showing Dallas landmarks like Reunion Tower in the background of what what supposed to be futuristic Detroit.

But the building that arguably gets the best part in the movie is Dallas City Hall.  It plays the part of the headquarters of the evil OCP company.  Here are some standard "then and now" side-by-sides:

 
Looks like not much has changed (except for the Omni Hotel popping up in the background).  So the next time you want to strap on the old Robocop costume and play Robocops and Robbers you know where to go.

CornyGate!

We can all agree that Fletcher's Original State Fair Corny Dogs are the alpha and omega of the corny dog world. 

That being said, recently an innocent trip to the Fort Worth Zoo brought a huge corn dog conspiracy to my attention.  As I walked into the Texas Wild! exhibit (which is great, by the way) I noticed a Fletcher's Corny Dog stand. 

This was surprising as I thought they were only available at the State Fair.  I tweeted my surprise and it wasn't long until the fine folks as Fletcher's set me straight:

 So take a closer look at that picture.  Notice it says "Fletcher" instead of "Fletcher's".  That lack of "S" makes all the difference.  The Fletcher's guys may be able to take this in stride but it's quite the controversy to me.  Who is the False Fletcher?!?  More investigation is necessary.

Thank God I didn't eat one!

Route 66 Detour

Route 66 was a fairly well received TV series in the 60's that followed the exploits of two adventurers as they traveled American roads solving problems and finding themselves in a series of weekly adventures.  Despite the title, the pair frequently ventured off the Mother Road and one such journey took them to a small Texas town that seems to be a magnet for production crews.

Crandall, TX is a tiny town approximately 30 miles southeast of Dallas.  Despite being relatively unremarkable, it has been used as a filming location for the movies Bonnie & Clyde and Boys Don't Cry.

The Route 66 episode "1800 Days to Justice" sees the boys getting caught up in a little small town justice.  It also features two future TV icons as guest stars:

That's Mrs. Cunningham from Happy Days and "Bones" from Star Trek.  The other gust star is Main Street in Crandall.  Here are some comparisons between the episode and today's Main Street:

Not a lot has changed.  And it's probably just a matter of time before the next film crew shows up.