T.K. Wade -- Author

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss [Movie Review]

"Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss" is a movie produced by both Disney and PBS and written by Jean Shepherd. It was released in 1988 onto TV and video tape. It never made it to the big screen, but it really should have. It is also the fifth movie in the Parker Family Saga.

The movie was based on a story written by Jean Shepherd for Playboy Magazine. It's honestly one of his best stories he has in his archive. One of the reasons I began reading his books was to get at this story, and where it may not be my favorite, it's right up there near the top.

The story is about the Parker Family as they go on a surprisingly realistic 1950's vacation to a camping site called Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss. While there, they will stay in a cabin without any plumbing and go fishing. The journey there is full of fun little mishaps, but none of them feel like they couldn't have happened to real people. For example, the mother keeps wanting to stop at trinket shops, the tire blows out, and there is a sudden bee attack in the car. These are all kinds of normal things, but the movie pitches them in a very wholesome comedic light.

I've heard this movie often compared with the National Lampoon Vacation films. That's somewhat fair, but the National Lampoon films tend to border more on the absurd rather than relatable circumstances. They are more like worst case scenarios and can most often seem unrealistic. Nothing in "Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss" feels unrealistic, and yet it still comes across as fun and entertaining.

As we have seen with the previous films, the movies are not long enough to encapsulate just one of his short stories. The first half of the movie is a flashback about Ralph getting his first job, which might actually be the worst job he ever had. Also it was great to see Jean Shepherd play Ralph's horrible boss himself.

The family also dealt with their dog Fuzzhead running away. This seems like a silly plot at first, but it almost takes over the whole movie. The mother obsesses over it and even claims she won't go to the lake unless Fuzzhead is found. It was an entertaining sidestep, and I won't spoil how it ends.

All said, "Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss" is a great movie, and it really did deserve to make it to the big screen. Sadly, Disney has all but ignored this movie since it came out. It had a few runs on the Disney Channel, but nobody really seems to talk about this film anymore, and it's really sad. The film is wonderful and keeps your attention from scene to scene. I think I may actually enjoy this film a little more than "A Christmas Story." It was just so relatable.

Of course, I absolutely recommend this movie. You can view it on Youtube in acceptable quality. The only problem with it is that it plays with mono sound (only in the right ear), and there was one part in the film where the recording glitches really bad, but then it recovers. It's about the only way to see this film today, so you should definitely deal with those imperfections. This movie deserves to be a classic, but there just isn't anybody who knows about it these days.

This blog was written on December 29, 2025.

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Monday, February 9, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: I, Libertine [Book Review]

"I, Libertine" as written by Frederick R. Ewing is a hoax novel that did not actually exist when it was first being promoted. It was mainly Jean Shepherd that promoted it on his radio show. It had to do with the often arbitrary rules by which books ended up on best seller lists in the 50's. In fact, it still kind of works that way today.

Jean Shepherd and other celebrities all pushed people to read this amazing book, and soon everyone was struggling to have their copies ordered at bookstores. It didn't exist though, and nobody could figure out what was going on. The strange thing is that it did end up on a best seller list even though nobody actually wrote the damn thing.

However once this corruption was exposed, the book did ultimately get written. It appeared on book shelves as "I, Libertine" by Frederick R. Ewing, but the author was actually famed scifi writer Theodore Sturgeon. It was published in 1956. On the back cover was a picture of the author, but it was actually just Jean Shepherd all dressed up to look fancy.

But what about the book? Now that the book exists, is it any good? Well... yes... but it is something of a difficult read if you are not super into historical fiction. It takes place in 18th century England, and centers around a man named Lance Courteney who takes up a legal manner revolving around a very devious woman named Elizabeth Chudleigh.

She was a real person and involved with a good number of scandals, usually involving bigamy. But the point was that she was extremely powerful, vindictive, and dangerous to mess around with. As horrible as she might have been, the story focuses more around Lance who spends the whole book trying to determine what sort of man he wants to be.

The concept of "libertine" is thrown around a lot in this story. It's something Lance wants to be. It has to do with being personally independent and bound only by your own counsel and choices. The book does a surprisingly good job at showing the folly of this, and I loved how it deals with it by the book's end. Solid work. It rather trumps all the legal mumbo jumbo that I had to put up with throughout.

A lot of people just think that libertine means hedonism. That's complete rubbish. Hedonism strictly means that you live for pleasure. Libertine can lead to that, but it doesn't have to. A person can be libertine and be good-hearted, compassionate, and sincere, because they chose to be that way. But they are not doing it because they hold allegiance to God. They do it because they believe it is entirely in their nature to do it and nothing else. This also is folly because God demands allegiance regardless of your worldly beliefs and actions. Unfortunately, the libertine mentality shall always be adverse to God. It is not humble in the slightest, and God loves the humble. Ultimately that person would be damned and likely even suspect it if he was well-versed in religion.

This is a difficult book to recommend because it spends a lot of time on Lance's legal issues, but it is extremely well crafted. If you are looking for some well-written historical fiction, then I could recommend this one. It's still funny how the book made it to the best seller lists before it even existed. Jean Shepherd played a really good joke, but at least it ended up existing eventually.

This blog was written on December 27, 2025.

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Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: How to Die in Krakun Space [Short Story Review]

"How to Die in Krakun Space" is a short story by Phox Sillanpaa. It is the eleventh story in a collection called "Tales of Hayven Celestia," which was published in 2020. As I have already stated, this is a universe created by author Rick Griffin, in which he allowed many other people to write stories in.

This one felt similar in vibe to "Friend for a Day" but with a sharper edge. It was about a really bratty krakun named Huk who was forced into military service by his beast of a dad. Nobody likes him. His commanding officer officer hates him. There is also this interesting rule that on krakun spaceships, if you cause too much trouble, the officer can just eject your living quarters from the ship where you will simply die over time.

But through all this, there is a tiny voice inside Huk's head that is trying to convince him to be a good person. It sounds a little like he may have a conscience, but this story is a bit more nuanced than that. Throughout this story, Huk battles with his bratty anger while at the same time trying to become a more compassionate krakun, something they are not known for at all. The crazy thing is that he doesn't seem the type to actually try to be better, but to explain this would go into spoiler territory.

The sharp edge of this story sinks deep. It's extremely well told, but you have to go all the way to the end to find out why Huk struggles the way he does. The author plays no favorites. He tells a story as if it just happened the way it did, flaws included. I was stunned by how the story got weaved together here.

I very greatly recommend this story. It surprised me, and I was left with a lot to think about. Cleverly written and at times painful in all the right ways. Give this one a look.

This blog was written on December 27, 2025.

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Monday, February 2, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski [Movie Review]

"The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski" is the 4th film of the Parker Family Saga, created by Jean Shepherd. It was released to public broadcasting in 1985. This was done in a similar way to the first two films, dropping the nice MGM budget in the process.

This movie is about one of the most shocking "bad dates" Ralph had, and the whole movie pretty much centers on it. Ralph falls in love with a Polish daughter purely on the basis that she is exotic. What he doesn't understand is that she is not just looking for a date... she's after a commitment.

This is actually more frightening that it seems like it should be. The poor boy is being driven by puberty, and his brain just isn't functioning right. He needs to decide if he really wants to continue being a kid or if he is ready to move on into adulthood. It's a funny story, and I am glad it was made into a movie.

This film also has a Thanksgiving theme which I enjoyed. The whole story is set in and around that period. There was also a hilarious side story about his kid brother Randy being forced to wear a Turkey costume in the school's Thanksgiving play. Very charming, and I thought it was all presented very well.

I do recommend this movie. The only place to see it is on Youtube. The quality was tolerable, but a lot of the really dark scenes were very hard to see. It's great, though, and I think more people should see these obscure but still wonderful movies. Jean Shepherd gave us so many great stories, and this was certainly one worth making a movie for.

This blog was written on December 22, 2025.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: A Christmas Story [Movie Review]

"A Christmas Story" is a movie released in 1983. It is the third film in the Parker Family Saga based off the work of Jean Shepherd. It is clearly the most famous one as well. It is so incredibly famous that most people only think this is the only film and that there is no series. I always found that kind of funny. This movie actually was the reason I found out about Jean Shepherd and made me want to read everything he wrote.

This movie was a huge leap from the first two films. Those movies were TV films that appeared on public broadcasting. "A Christmas Story" was produced by MGM as a major motion picture. It shows. There is a giant leap in quality of content in this one, and it deserves all of the recognition it has gotten over the years. Also, this is flatly a wonderful Christmas movie in general. It may even be the best Christmas movie of all time, but that is a little harder to nail down, so I won't say it.

The reason the movie works so well is because of how honest everything feels. This family is relatable and believable. The perspective of Ralphie as a little kid is given really well through Jean Shepherd's phenomenal narration. I always feel like a little kid whenever I see this film.

The leg lamp makes a comeback in this one. I was surprised that it made its first appearance in the first film "The Phantom of the Open Hearth." I honestly feel that both versions are great. I just haven't been able to pick a winner.

My favorite scene is when Ralph beats the snot out of Scut Farkas, the bully. It is the only fight that always brings tears to my eyes. The emotion happening in this shockingly long scene is so well presented that I can't help but empathize with him. Great work on the part of child actors as well. It isn't just Ralph's anger that gets me; it's the pathetic crying coming from the bully. Brilliantly executed scene and one of the best in film history.

Everybody has seen this movie, so I won't go into all the things that make it good. I had to really search hard to find something I didn't like. It's a nitpick, but I am honestly confused by something. The credits music for this movie is bad. I never noticed it until just now. They put absolutely zero effort into it. They took part of a Christmas tune and looped it over and over (and badly too) until the credits are over, and then finally let it finish. Terrible and baffling decision there that doesn't match the quality of the rest of the film. Did anyone else notice this?!

I absolutely recommend this movie if you haven't seen it. Heck, I recommend it to those who have seen it. A lot of people today dislike the movie because of how it keeps getting pushed on TV every Christmas. I would argue that the reason you keep seeing it is because it is genuinely good. I hope it remains that way, because this movie is a fine and important piece of Americana. I love it.

This blog was written on December 14, 2025.

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Monday, January 26, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Stinky Cheese Man [Book Review]

Full title "The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales" is a book written and illustrated by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith respectively. It was published in 1992.

This is one of those novelty books. Remember back when I was reading those? I had the itch again and went looking for a new one. This book jumped out at me, and I ordered myself a copy.

The idea here is that Jack (the one from "Jack and the Beanstalk") decides to write stupid versions of old fairy tales. The problem is that the book is coming into existence live right in your hands, all the characters are self-aware that they are in a book, and the stories themselves are really terrible... on purpose. Reading this book is like experiencing a train wreck. It all happens at one time, and there is no way to really stop it from happening.

For example, in "Chicken Licken," it isn't the sky that's falling; it's the table of contents that is falling down on top of everyone. Another example is "The Really Ugly Duckling," which is about a duck who is actually an ugly duck. That's it. He's just really ugly and isn't a swan. It's stupid.

The titular character The Stinky Cheese Man was actually a take on "The Gingerbread Man." The main difference here was that he was so stinky, nobody wanted to chase him... so he was just running away for nothing.

Characters in this book are so aware that this is all happening that they often protest that they have to be there at all. Jack is constantly trying to round them up and get them to do what he wants them to do. Sometimes they cooperate, and other times they revolt. The Giant in particular will flat-out not listen, but that makes sense since he is Jack's main antagonist.

All in all, this book is a complete disaster, but it is also really funny. I was impressed with how it utterly destroys the fourth wall. It's also a quick read, being there are only fifty pages and most of them are pictures... or just blank pages that the characters might complain about. It's all over the place.

Either way, I do recommend the book. It's pretty easy to find and would probably make a good book for your coffee table. Check this one out.

This blog was written on December 8, 2025.

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Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Price of Compassion [Short Story Review]

"The Price of Compassion" is a short story by Robert Carter. It is the tenth story in a collection called "Tales of Hayven Celestia," which was published in 2020. As I have already stated, this is a universe created by author Rick Griffin, in which he allowed many other people to write stories in.

This one was about a geroo named Darian who finds a lio refugee on board their ship while the krakun were present. The lio are presently at war with the slaver krakuns, so keeping them safe is a huge crime. Krakuns are also extremely hostile to people who go against them, so one hidden lio could mean 7000 geroo abandoned to the cold of space.

This is a story of one geroo who makes a very simple choice of compassion that very clearly puts his entire people at risk of extermination. He choses to save the life of a lio who just doesn't want to be a slave, but if he is found out, everybody dies and there is no way out. This was a very interesting moral story, because, no matter what he does, every decision is morally questionable.

This was also a good story to learn about the lio. They are kind of like the Klingons of this universe but look like lions. I liked them, and seeing the cultural differences with the kind-hearted and physically weaker geroo race made for some good reading. I recommend the story!

This blog was written on December 7, 2025.

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