Theater of the Mind: Old Time Radio at 2010 Nostalgia Convention

Martin Grams Jr, author of several books on old-time radio series such as Suspense and I Love a Mystery to name only two, is one of the organizers of the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, being held this year in Aberdeen, Maryland from September 23-25, 2010.

Of the guest list, sci fi actors include Mark Goddard (Lost in Space) and Ed Nelson (guest-star on a variety of SF series). (Scroll down to the very bottom of this entry to see the Sci Fi schedule at the convention - but NOTE that all items are subject to change as the months go on before the Convention.)

Below are a few videos he's put up at YouTube depicting events at past conventions. They are a lot of fun to watch (but of course it would be more fun to witness them in person!):







Martin Gram's presentation from his Twilight Zone book:





Science Fiction on the Schedule at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, being held this year in Aberdeen, Maryland from September 23-25, 2010. [Check out the website for everything else that's on the schedule, including talks from the actor-guests.)


THURSDAY

2 pm -- THE INVADERS: EXPLORING A SCI-FI PHENOMENON

Author Jim Rosin will discuss the science fiction series that ran two seasons on ABC, and made actor Roy Thinnes a Hollywood name! Jim will be joined with a surprise guest from the series!

3 pm -- THE HISTORY OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Resident expert Bill Parisho will give us a fascinating look at the classic television program that attempted to cash in on the James Bond franchise and ultimately inspired a number of spy programs including Get Smart.


8 pm -- THE HISTORY OF THE GREEN HORNET

Authors Terry Salomonson and Martin Grams will host a fascinating slide show documenting the history of The Green Hornet, his side-kick Kato, and the Black Beauty. Whether you want to knowthe ingredients of the Hornet's knock-out gas or who how much Bruce Lee was paid for playing the role of Kato on the television series, this is the presentation you do not want to miss!

FRIDAY

9 am -- THE HISTORY OF ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE (1930-1960)

Hosted by historian Donald Ramlow. Initially published in 1930, this magazine became one of the major publications of what fans and historians call the Golden Age of Sciene Fiction and had published the work of such majors as Theodore Sturgeon, Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein.


SATURDAY

9 am -- DEFEATING DIABOLICAL MASTERMINDS: THE ORIGINS OF SPY-FI

Before Dr. No, before The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Avengers, TV viewers saw invisible spies, 3 inch secret agents, and evil-doers plotting to rule the world with weather-controlling machines, atomic power, and alien technology. Find out the origins of a genre in this presentation from Dr. Wesley Britton, author of The Encyclopedia of TV Spies.


11 am -- THE MYSTERY OF THE ENCHANTED FOREST

On August 15, 1955, The Enchanted Forest opened for business in Ellicott City, Maryland. Appealing to families with small children, the theme park had a nursery rhyme theme and thousands flocked to see the pumpkin coach, Mother Hubbard's shoe and wave at Humpty Dumpty. Sadly, the theme park was forced to close in 1989 when much larger and elaborate attractions such as Kings Dominion and the mouse house in Florida gave people more bang for their buck. For a full hour, preservationists will show us what the park was like in its heyday, with photos and scale model, the history behind the theme park itself, and the sad state of affairs as the monuments today are still crumbling and falling apart, with neglect to any kind of restoration.

Hosted by Bruce Barrett.


3 pm -- THE THRILLING RADIO ADVENTURES OF THE SHADOW

Lamont Cranston, wealthy young man about town, had the power to cloud men's minds so that they could not see him. His constant friend and companion, Margot Lane, knew what evil lurked in the hearts of men. For a full hour we'll be treated to a history of the long-running radio program from 1930 to 1954, which later inspired the Alec Baldwin movie a decade ago. From horror host to crime-fighter, The Shadow's origins on radio will be explored with a fascinating slide show.

The Perfect Woman (released in US in 1950)

The Perfect Woman is a British film, and released in the UK on May 23, 1949.

The synopsis from the IMDB.

In need of cash, Roger Cavendish and his valet take a job escorting the perfect woman for a night on the town. She is in fact the robotic creation of Professor Belman, but it turns out rather to be the Professor's niece Penelope doing a pretty good imitation of the perfect Olga who winds up with them in the bridal suite at the Hotel Splendide.

Miles Malleson will be familiar to American audiences, perhaps, as the Grand Vizier in Conrad Veidt's Thief of Bagdad (he is stabbed to death by the Silver Maid). He's also the vicar in Peter Cushing's version of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Bill Warren's opinion of the movie: While no classic, The Perfect Woman provided sufficient entertainment and novelty for audiences of its day.

TV series that have exploited the idea of a robot impersonating a human. There was a Twilight Zone episode in which Lee Marvin substitutes for his robot boxer and gets beaten to a pulp (one of my least favorite Twilight Zones).

My Living Doll (starred Julie Newmar) Sitcom
Future Cop (drama, starring John Amos and Ernest Borgnine)
Holmes and YoYo (with John Schuck as YoYo) Sitcom
Mann & Machine (starring Yancy Butler, later of Witchblade) - cop drama
Prototype was a TV movie starring Christopher Plummer and David Morse...a reworking it seems to me of Gene Roddenberry's Questor Project

The Cast - The Perfect Woman
Patricia Roc ... Penelope Belman
Stanley Holloway ... Ramshead
Nigel Patrick ... Roger Cavendish
Miles Malleson ... Prof. Ernest Belman
Irene Handl ... Mrs. Butters
Anita Sharp-Bolster ... Lady Diana (as Anita Bolster)
Fred Berger ... Farini
David Hurst ... Wolfgang Winkel
Pamela Devis ... Olga the Robot
Jerry Verno ... Football Fan On Underground
Johnnie Schofield ... Ticket Collector
Philippa Gill ... Lady Mary
Jerry Desmonde ... Dress shop manager
Dora Bryan ... Model in shop
Noel Howlett ... Scientist

The Last Flight

In another couple of hours, as I write this, the Science Ficton channel is going to be showing The Last Flight, in their Twilight Zone marathon. It's one of my favorite episodes, not the least because it stars Kenneth Haigh.

Haigh, a British actor, came over to the States for a couple of years, in 1959/1960, to try his hand at American TV. (He had come over the pond to star in the American debut of Look Back in Anger, the play, on Broadway.)

Anyway, I love this episode. He also starred in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, called Banquo's Chair. A rather small part in that one, he plays a young man who murdered his Aunt. John Williams plays a lawyer who has hired an old woman to play the ghost of the murdered Aunt, in an effort to get Haigh's character to confess. And Haigh's character does indeed get freaked out and confesses. After he's led away, there's a knock on the door and an old woman shows up - the actress who'd been hired to play the ghost. She'd gotten lost on the way and just arrived... fade out on John William's reaction...
Kenneth Haigh today

Twilight Zone episode checklist

FREE DOWNLOAD

volcanoseven.com/TheThunderChild/Downloads/TwilightZonesEpisodes.html

A 9-page PDF featuring the 156 episodes, original air dates, main actors, and a column to check off which episodes you've seen/taped/own.