Happy Halloween...

Happy Halloween to everyone!

Many people are surprised to know there is a Turkish film version of the Dracula story called "Drakula Istanbul'da" (Dracula in Istanbul). The 1953 film is actually based on a novel called "Vlad the Impaler" by the Turkish novelist Ali Riza Seyfi
(1879-1958).

Atif Kaptan (1908-1977) played the Bela Lugosi role, and according to a book I read by cult film authority Pete Tombs, smoke scenes were devised when the film's director Mehmet Muhtar (1925-1995) told crew members to smoke lots and lots of cigarettes!

In his later years, Kaptan appeared in several action movies with the Turkish cinematic icon Cuneyt Arkin.

Zip Code USA- Transylvania, Louisiana 71286

Today, we profile Transylvania, La., population 743, in our series which has been defunct for a few months now.

The town's general store, which also includes a post office, sells bat souvenirs for tourists who come through northeast Louisiana (the area borders Mississippi).

Transylvania, La., was actually named after Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., rather than the more famous Transylvania.

If it's not obvious, Transylvania Castle (also pictured here) is actually in Romania.