Avengers in Time

Tuesday, 3 November 2026

1963, Belgian Comics: Les Avontures de Tintin, Les Bijoux de la Castafiore

In 1963, "Les Bijoux de la Castafiore" was published by Casterman. It was the 21st album in the "Les Aventures de Tintin" series, created in 1929 by Georges Prosper Remi, better known by his pseudonym Hergé. The first story, "Tintin au pays des Soviets", appeared in 1929 in "Le Petit Vingtième", the children's supplement of the Belgian newspaper "Le Vingtième Siècle". The main characters in the series are Tintin, Milou (Bobbie, Snowy), Captain Haddock, Professor Tournesol (Professor Zonnebloem, Professor Calculus) and Dupond et Dupont (Jansen & Janssen, Thomson and Thompson). "Les Bijoux de la Castafiore" was serialised in the children's magazine Tintin from 4 June to 4 September 1962, before being published as an album in 1963.

Dutch Cover

"Les Bijoux de la Castafiore"

full colour
publisher: Casterman
Dutch title: De juwelen van Bianca Castafiore (Casterman, 1963)
English title: The Castafiore Emerald (Methuen, 1963)
Other languages: German (Die Juwelen der Sängerin), Spanish (Las joyas de la Castafiore), Portuguese (As joias de Castafiore), Italian (I gioielli della Castafiore), Arabic, Japanese, Icelandic (Vandræði Vailu Veinlólínu), Indonesian (Zamrud Castafiore / Permata Castafiore), Turkish (Kastafiore'nin Mücevherleri), Vietnamese (Viên ngọc bích Castafiore), Greek, Hebrew, Serbo-Croatian and various dialects.
drawings by Hergé, Bob De Moor, Roger Leloup, Jacques Martin, Joseph Loeckx
story by Hergé

Tintin and Captain Haddock

Professeur Tournesol

Dupond and Dupont

Captain Haddock and Nestor

The main characters in this album are Captain Haddock, Tintin, Miarka, Nestor, Professeur Tournesol, Irma, Igor Wagner, Bianca Castafiore, Milou, Mateo, Lampion, Dupond and Dupont,

Captain Haddock, Tintin and Miarka

Igor Wagner

Irma, Bianca Castafiore and Captain Haddock

Synopsis
Tintin and Captain Haddock are walking through the countryside around Moulinsart when they come across a group of Tziganes camped in a rubbish dump. They help reunite a lost little girl named Miarka with her family. The Tziganes explain that they are not allowed to camp anywhere else, so Haddock invites them to stay on the grounds of his estate…

Lampion

Mateo

Milou

References

Reference to Les Brigands by Jacques Offenbach.
Jean-Loup de la Batellerie and Walter Rizotto are based on Philippe de Baleine and Willy Rizzo, journalists for Paris Match.
Reference to Christian Dior through the character Tristan Bior.

Reference to Christian Dior

Jean-Loup de la Batellerie and Walter Rizotto are based on
Philippe de Baleine and Willy Rizzo, journalists for Paris Match

Reference to Les Brigands by Jacques Offenbach

Vehicles

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Berlina (Series 2)
Citroën Ami 6
Opel Rekord P2
unidentified truck probably Brossel
unidentified van
Peugeot 404
Citroën 2CV
Peugeot 403

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Berlina

Citroën 2CV

Citroën Ami 6 and Opel Rekord P2

Peugeot 403

unidentified truck probably Brossel

unidentified van and Peugeot 404

Sunday, 1 November 2026

1962, Film: Jessica

The comedy film "Jessica" premiered in Italy on 17 January 1962. It was directed by Jean Negulesco and Oreste Palella, with a screenplay by Ennio De Concini and Edith Sommer, based on Flora Sundström’s novel "The Midwife of Pont Clery". This Italian–French–American co-production starred Maurice Chevalier, Angie Dickinson, Gabriele Ferzetti, Sylva Koscina and Agnes Moorehead.

"Jessica" Poster

Synopsis
In a Sicilian village, the beautiful midwife Jessica (Angie Dickinson) is admired by all the men. Their wives grow jealous and devise a plan: they resolve to stop sleeping with their husbands, so that no more children will be born and there will be no further need for a midwife. When the village priest, Antonio (Maurice Chevalier), learns of their scheme, he urges Jessica to marry as soon as possible. She sets her sights on a wealthy widower, but as none of the wives can stick to their resolution for long, Jessica soon finds herself busier than ever…

Angie Dickinson as Jessica Brown Visconti

Maurice Chevalier as Father Antonio

Gabriele Ferzetti as Edmondo Raumo

Sylva Koscina as Nunzia Tuffi and Agnes Moorehead as Maria Lombardo

Noël-Noël as Old Crupi

Main Cast

Maurice Chevalier as Father Antonio
Angie Dickinson as Jessica Brown Visconti
Noël-Noël as Old Crupi
Gabriele Ferzetti as Edmondo Raumo
Sylva Koscina as Nunzia Tuffi
Agnes Moorehead as Maria Lombardo
Marcel Dalio as Luigi Tuffi
Antonio Cifariello as Gianni Crupi
Marina Berti as Filippella Risino
Georgette Anys as Mamma Parigi
Kerima as Virginia Toriello
Carlo Croccolo as Beppi Toriello
Rossana Rory as Rosa Masudino
Manuela Rinaldi as Lucia Casabranca
Angelo Galassi as Antonio Risino
Alberto Rabagliati as Pietro Masudino
Gianni Musy as Filippo Casabranca
Joe Pollini as Rosario
Danielle De Metz as Nicolina Lombardo

Angie Dickinson as Jessica Brown Visconti

Danielle De Metz as Nicolina Lombardo and Antonio Cifariello as Gianni Crupi

Rossana Rory as Rosa Masudino, Manuela Rinaldi as Lucia Casabranca,
Agnes Moorehead as Maria Lombardo, Angie Dickinson as Jessica Brown Visconti
and Sylva Koscina as Nunzia Tuffi

Maurice Chevalier as Father Antonio

Maurice Chevalier as Father Antonio and Angie Dickinson as Jessica Brown Visconti

Friday, 30 October 2026

1961, Designs: Cars, furniture, electronics, clothes IV

Lancia Flaminia Spider Amalfi
- Designed by Rodolfo Bonetto, Italy, 1961
- Built by Carrozzeria Boneschi S.r.l., Turin, Italy, 1961
- Introduced at the 1961 Salone dell'Automobile di Torino, Italy
- Based on Lancia Flaminia Cabriolet by Carrozzeria Touring

Lancia Flaminia Spider Amalfi

Pontiac XP-758 Scorpion
- Probably designed by Bill Mitchell at General Motors Corporation, USA, 1961
- Built by General Motors Corporation, USA, 1961
- Probably based on the Pontiac Tempest

Pontiac XP-758 Scorpion

Braun HL 1 Multiwind Table Fan
- Designed by Reinhold Weiss, Tucson, Arizona, USA, 1961
- Manufactured by Braun AG, Kronberg im Taunus, West Germany, 1961