I was maybe seven years old . . . we had one of the first TV sets on the block . . . and I heard a promo for a new series called TERRY AND THE PIRATES. There wasn't much for a kid to watch in 1952, so being a big fan of TREASURE ISLAND, I literally began doing a dance . . . until my father explained that these weren't "those kind of pirates . . . but modern ones . . . after WWII" . . . when the East was alive with turmoil. Sounded way too political for me, but I figured I'd give it a chance. Two minutes in, I was hooked. Big time. There was Terry, the typical American he-man hero, flying planes for a none too trustworthy Asian owner of a seedy airline. And Terry's sidekick Hot-Shot Charlie, who reminded me of Mickey Rooney. Or a road company version thereof. But what made the show click was the villainess . . . The Dragon Lady. It was love at first sight. Most of my buddies had a crush on Burma, the slightly soiled American blonde night club singer who resembled Marilyn Monroe. Or a road company version thereof. Not me. It was the evil, if irresistibly so, Dragon Lady from day one. She slithered about in silk skirts. One year later I'd discover the Catwoman in BATMAN comics, and Dragon Lady would have some real competition when it came to my fantasy dreams of gorgeous bad girls. For a brief while, the Dragon Lady ruled supreme. She'd be up to her nefarious crimes and always slip away at the last moment, to strike again. The following week, I'd be there waiting to watch. In the old days, TERRY ran Sunday afternoons in New York on the old Dumont Channel 5. A ginger ale company sponsored the show and gave away free TERRY comics with a sixpack. THE DRAGON LADY STRIKES BACK was my all time favorite. Does a copy still exist anywhere in the world? I'm sure I'm not the only collector who would love to get ahold of it again! Several years later, when LAWMAN premiered on ABC, the publicity said young star Peter Brown was the son of the woman who had played The Dragon Lady. I never believed them.
