A year or so ago I interviewed a Slovenian artist who creates space paintings using spray paint. He's got lots of videos at Goodle videos, and they are a treat to watch.
Now he's got a webcam at his website, and streaming video, and you can see it at:
http://www.sprej.com/sticko10.htm
Every day from 19:00 to 21:0 GMT (right now)
So now you can order a painting from him (he speaks several language including English!) and watch him paint it before your very eyes, on his website!
Here's the link to the interview at The Thunder Child:
http://thethunderchild.com/Art/Sprayman.html
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Viewmaster, and Pirates of the Caribbean electronics!
I went into a Toys R Us yesterday. I like doing that, checking out all the toys that are available to kids these days... some of which I'd buy if I only had room to put them!
And I came across a very small section devoted to the Viewmaster, and picked up Wall-E, Dinosaurs and Atomic Betty.
Wall-E was okay - except the adventure on the rocketship with the tubby humans was not shown at all, it was just the robots.
Dinosaurs - drawings in 3D, rather than what they've used in the past, actual models
Haven't looked at Atomic Betty yet - I bought it because it's based on a cartoon in which the girl is the hero, something you verrrrrrrrrrrry rarely see in cartoons for children. It's always the boy that's the hero and the girl that's the sidekick. (Yeah, there's Kim Possible, dressed in the latest fashion with her belly-button showing, and she's got a male sidekick, but that's the exception that proves the rule.... well, her and the Powerpuff Girls.)
Anyway, I can remember 20 years ago when I used to buy Viewmaster reels. (And unfortunately my collection is long gone...). You bought a package and each disc would be in its own folder, and all three folders fit into a larger folder with a picture of the movie on it...
Today all you get are the discs, and that's it. OF course, they do make Holders for the discs, and you can get quite a few of them in there... but still..
I did some research on Viewmaster at Wikipedia, and learned that the Viewmaster has been around since 1919, albeit in a slightly different form, and it was even used during WWII to teach soldiers how to recognize different kinds of planes.
On the other side of the store, I came across some stuff that I'd really like to have if I hadn't already recently bought a new TV and CD walkman.
The Pirates of the Caribbean has a TV out, and a portable DVD player, and a CD player. The CD player case looks like the compass that Captain Jack is always using. I really coveted that, but I just couldn't justify spending the $30 on it.
But on the off-chance that my readers here would like these items, and they are sold out of your local Toys R Us - you can pick a few of them up from Amazon. (The TV doesn't seem to be available - too heavy to ship, I suppose.)
And I came across a very small section devoted to the Viewmaster, and picked up Wall-E, Dinosaurs and Atomic Betty.
Wall-E was okay - except the adventure on the rocketship with the tubby humans was not shown at all, it was just the robots.
Dinosaurs - drawings in 3D, rather than what they've used in the past, actual models
Haven't looked at Atomic Betty yet - I bought it because it's based on a cartoon in which the girl is the hero, something you verrrrrrrrrrrry rarely see in cartoons for children. It's always the boy that's the hero and the girl that's the sidekick. (Yeah, there's Kim Possible, dressed in the latest fashion with her belly-button showing, and she's got a male sidekick, but that's the exception that proves the rule.... well, her and the Powerpuff Girls.)
Anyway, I can remember 20 years ago when I used to buy Viewmaster reels. (And unfortunately my collection is long gone...). You bought a package and each disc would be in its own folder, and all three folders fit into a larger folder with a picture of the movie on it...
Today all you get are the discs, and that's it. OF course, they do make Holders for the discs, and you can get quite a few of them in there... but still..
I did some research on Viewmaster at Wikipedia, and learned that the Viewmaster has been around since 1919, albeit in a slightly different form, and it was even used during WWII to teach soldiers how to recognize different kinds of planes.
On the other side of the store, I came across some stuff that I'd really like to have if I hadn't already recently bought a new TV and CD walkman.
The Pirates of the Caribbean has a TV out, and a portable DVD player, and a CD player. The CD player case looks like the compass that Captain Jack is always using. I really coveted that, but I just couldn't justify spending the $30 on it.
But on the off-chance that my readers here would like these items, and they are sold out of your local Toys R Us - you can pick a few of them up from Amazon. (The TV doesn't seem to be available - too heavy to ship, I suppose.)
Friday, July 25, 2008
You have one year to live. What would you do?
Randy Pausch has died....
Here is the video of his speech:
Here's his story:
Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon computer science professor whose last lecture became an Internet sensation and bestselling book, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 47.
Dr. Pausch, whose proudest professional achievement was creating a free computer programming tool for children called Alice, was an improbable celebrity. A self-professed nerd, he pushed his students to create virtual reality projects, celebrated the joy of amusement parks and even spent a brief stint as a Disney “Imagineer.'’
Last September, Dr. Pausch unexpectedly stepped on an international stage when he addressed a crowd of about 400 faculty and students at Carnegie Mellon as part of the school’s “Last Lecture” series. In the talks, professors typically talk about issues that matter most to them. Dr. Pausch opened his talk with the news that he had terminal cancer and proceeded to deliver an uplifting, funny talk about his own childhood dreams and how to help his children and others achieve their own goals in life. He learned he had pancreatic cancer in September, 2006.
See the complete article at: 'Last Lecture’ Professor Randy Pausch, 47, Dies
Here is the video of his speech:
Here's his story:
Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon computer science professor whose last lecture became an Internet sensation and bestselling book, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 47.
Dr. Pausch, whose proudest professional achievement was creating a free computer programming tool for children called Alice, was an improbable celebrity. A self-professed nerd, he pushed his students to create virtual reality projects, celebrated the joy of amusement parks and even spent a brief stint as a Disney “Imagineer.'’
Last September, Dr. Pausch unexpectedly stepped on an international stage when he addressed a crowd of about 400 faculty and students at Carnegie Mellon as part of the school’s “Last Lecture” series. In the talks, professors typically talk about issues that matter most to them. Dr. Pausch opened his talk with the news that he had terminal cancer and proceeded to deliver an uplifting, funny talk about his own childhood dreams and how to help his children and others achieve their own goals in life. He learned he had pancreatic cancer in September, 2006.
See the complete article at: 'Last Lecture’ Professor Randy Pausch, 47, Dies
Thursday, July 24, 2008
OT - a bald cardinal
In my back yard for the last two weeks there's been a bald cardinal.... which apparently is not uncommon.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Avengers screencap gallery
The Avengers is a classic TV show from the 1960s.
Although male and female characters as equal partners are rather commonplace today (Mulder and Scully in the X Files, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Remington Steele, Bones, etc.) it was The Avengers that paved the way with that groundbreaking partnership.
Cathy Gale (the original Avengers "girl") and Emma Peel remain excellent role models to this day.
To that end, The Thunder Child is now the host to the Avengers Screencap Gallery.
http://thethund.ipower.com//Avengerous/MurderMarket.html
and for kicks, check out:
Emma Keeps Her Kools
and a Quiz Pic (identify the scene):
http://thethund.ipower.com//Avengerous/QuizPic.html
Although male and female characters as equal partners are rather commonplace today (Mulder and Scully in the X Files, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Remington Steele, Bones, etc.) it was The Avengers that paved the way with that groundbreaking partnership.
Cathy Gale (the original Avengers "girl") and Emma Peel remain excellent role models to this day.
To that end, The Thunder Child is now the host to the Avengers Screencap Gallery.
http://thethund.ipower.com//Avengerous/MurderMarket.html
and for kicks, check out:
Emma Keeps Her Kools
and a Quiz Pic (identify the scene):
http://thethund.ipower.com//Avengerous/QuizPic.html
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Boris Karloff
In honor of just uploading Steve Vertlieb's retrospective on Boris Karloff to The Thunder Child, I thought I'd share here some clips from YouTube of the TV shows Steve mentions in his article:
Carol Burnett and Boris Karloff
You'll Find Out
Karloff on Rosemary Clooney Show
The Raven - Karloff, Price, Lorre
Carol Burnett and Boris Karloff
You'll Find Out
Karloff on Rosemary Clooney Show
The Raven - Karloff, Price, Lorre
Saturday, July 12, 2008
SF & Fantasy events July 13
Harrison Ford was born on July 13, 1945... and Frank Maher (stuntman, The Prisoner and Blakes 7) died on July 13, 2007.
I'd like to introduce a new feature at The Thunder Child, called The Book of Days.
Births, deaths, movie debuts, book publications, etc. will be listed there from now on.
There's only one page so far...:
http://thethunderchild.com/BookofDays/July13.html
I'd like to introduce a new feature at The Thunder Child, called The Book of Days.
Births, deaths, movie debuts, book publications, etc. will be listed there from now on.
There's only one page so far...:
http://thethunderchild.com/BookofDays/July13.html
Friday, July 11, 2008
Atom Vision 6
I just got a delivery of some sf and fantasy magazines from someone who was getting rid of their collection (always sad when that happens), and I will share them and their table of contents here. I'll be using these as reference works for articles for my Thunder Child webzine.
First, here's the table of contents from a French Science Fiction magazine, Atom Vision, number 6. (1997)
"Le zine qui fait revivre le fantastique du passe"
The magazine that revives the classic fantasies - that's as good as my French gets!
Here's the table of contents:
1. Courrier des lecteurs (letter page)
2. Voyage dans la Prehistoire (1954) Journey to the Beginning of Time
3. La Main Rampante vous Parle: un entretien avec le producteur Joseph Robertson - interview with Joseph Robertson
4. Destination Altair IV: Planete Interdite (Forbidden Planet)
5. George Wallace: Commando Cody vous Parle (Interview with Commando Cody)
6. Cody et les hommes-fusee de la "Republic"
7. Prehistoric Hammer
8. Les roles fantastiques de Joseph Cotten: (The Portrait of Jennie, From the Earth to the Moon, The Abominable Dr. Phibes), Soylent Green
9. Zinoscope
10. Kiss Meets the Phantom
11. Annonces (Announcements - Ads)
12. Doctor X - with Lionel Atwill
13. A la recerche de las cassette perdue (Les nuits de L'epouvante), aka La Lama Nel Corpo (1966)
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
SF & Fantasy July 8
Births
Jeffrey Tambor was born on 8 July 1944, in San Francisco, California.
Appeared in both Hellboy and Hellboy II, as well as Superhero Movie - 2008, Slipstream - 2007 (with Anthony Hopkins), Muppets from Space (1999) - K. Edgar Singer,
TV
The New Twilight Zone (Australia)
- The World Next Door (1986) TV episode - Milton
- Dead Woman's Shoes/Wong's Lost and Found Emporium (1985)
Deaths
Ben Chapman was born on December 25, 1908, in Oak Park, Illinois, USA and died on July 8, 1991, in Orange, California.
He is most famous for playing the Creature from the Black Lagoon - on land - in the movie of the same name. (In the water, it was Ricou Browning.)
Gene L. Coon was born on January 7, 1924 and died of lung cancer at the age of 49 on July 8, 1973, in Los Angeles, California. He produced 34 episodes of Star Trek and came up with the idea for the Klingons.
Jeffrey Tambor was born on 8 July 1944, in San Francisco, California.
Appeared in both Hellboy and Hellboy II, as well as Superhero Movie - 2008, Slipstream - 2007 (with Anthony Hopkins), Muppets from Space (1999) - K. Edgar Singer,
TV
The New Twilight Zone (Australia)
- The World Next Door (1986) TV episode - Milton
- Dead Woman's Shoes/Wong's Lost and Found Emporium (1985)
Deaths
Ben Chapman was born on December 25, 1908, in Oak Park, Illinois, USA and died on July 8, 1991, in Orange, California.
He is most famous for playing the Creature from the Black Lagoon - on land - in the movie of the same name. (In the water, it was Ricou Browning.)
Gene L. Coon was born on January 7, 1924 and died of lung cancer at the age of 49 on July 8, 1973, in Los Angeles, California. He produced 34 episodes of Star Trek and came up with the idea for the Klingons.
SF & Fantasy Events July 7, 2008
Births
Adam Byrne was born on July 7, 1977, Orange County, California. He is an illustrator on World of Warcraft and Spellbound.
Bill Campbell was born on July 7, 1959, Charlottesville, Virginia. He has not done a great of science fiction. He starred as Cliff Secord in The Rocketeer.
TV
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" - Capt. Thadiun Okona (1 episode, 1988)in The Outrageous Okona.
Movies
Call from Space (1989) - Young Man
The Rocketeer (1991) - Cliff Secord
The Cold Equations (1996) (TV movie) - Lt. John Barton
Menno's Mind (1997) - Menno
Max Q (1998) (TV Movie) - Clay Jarvis
Robert Heinlein was born on July 7, 1907, in Butler, Missouri, USA and died on May 8, 1988 in Carmel, California.
He was one of the Big Three of science fiction writers.
Jon Pertwee was born on July 7, 1919, in Chelsea, London, England, and died
on May 20, 1996, in Timber Lake, Connecticut of a heart attack.
He was the third Doctor Who.
Deaths
None known at this time.
Adam Byrne was born on July 7, 1977, Orange County, California. He is an illustrator on World of Warcraft and Spellbound.
Bill Campbell was born on July 7, 1959, Charlottesville, Virginia. He has not done a great of science fiction. He starred as Cliff Secord in The Rocketeer.
TV
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" - Capt. Thadiun Okona (1 episode, 1988)in The Outrageous Okona.
Movies
Call from Space (1989) - Young Man
The Rocketeer (1991) - Cliff Secord
The Cold Equations (1996) (TV movie) - Lt. John Barton
Menno's Mind (1997) - Menno
Max Q (1998) (TV Movie) - Clay Jarvis
Robert Heinlein was born on July 7, 1907, in Butler, Missouri, USA and died on May 8, 1988 in Carmel, California.
He was one of the Big Three of science fiction writers.
Jon Pertwee was born on July 7, 1919, in Chelsea, London, England, and died
on May 20, 1996, in Timber Lake, Connecticut of a heart attack.
He was the third Doctor Who.
Deaths
None known at this time.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
SF&Fantasy events July 6
Born
Geoffrey Rush was born on July 6, 1951, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.
No science fiction, but has created the iconic character Captain Barbosa in the fantasy films Pirates of the Caribbean I, last bit of II, and III.
He also played Casanova Frankenstein in Mystery Men (1999).
John Byrne is a comic book artist who was born on July 6, 1950, Walsall, England, UK. Wrote and drew the X-Men.
Deaths
Buddy Ebsen was born on April 2, 1908, in Belleville, Illinois,and died on July 6, 2003, in Torrance, California. Most famous as Jed from The Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones, he was the first choice for The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, but the aluminum paint that was used on him made him so ill he almost died, and he was replaced while in hospital by Ray Bolger.
He was also the telekinetic cook in the Twilight Zone episode, Prime Mover.
Cameron Mitchell was born on November 4, 1918, in Dallastown, Pennsylvania,and died on July 6, 1994.
In a long career, he made only a handful of SF appearances:
Movies
Space Mutiny (1988) - Cmdr. Alex Jansen
Frankenstein Island (1981) - Clay Jayson
Flight to Mars (1951) - Steve Abbott
TV
Project U.F.O." - Donald Worth in The Pipeline Incident (1978)
(aka Project Blue Book)
Death in Space (1974) (TV)
Malcolm Hulke (Doctor Who and Avengers scriptwriter), born in 1924, died on July 6, 1979.
From Wikipedia:
His first major television work was a series of 1950s children's science fiction serials - Target Luna, Pathfinders in Space, Pathfinders to Mars, and Pathfinders to Venus - which he co-wrote with Eric Paice for the British ABC network. The producer of the series was Sydney Newman, who was later responsible for the creation of Doctor Who as Head of Drama at BBC Television.
In addition to the Pathfinders series and Doctor Who (which he started writing for in 1967) Hulke contributed scripts to The Avengers, The Protectors, Danger Man, Crossroads, football soap United! and Gideon's Way.
His scripts for Doctor Who were noted for avoiding black-and-white characterisation and simplistic plotting. Military figures are usually presented unfavourably - Invasion of the Dinosaurs and The Ambassadors of Death both have a general as the ultimate villain. One of his best-known contributions to the series is Doctor Who and the Silurians, which depicts an encounter between the human race and the remnants of a technological reptilian race that ruled Earth in prehistoric times in a way that avoids casting either side as heroes or monsters. Hulke's "Silurians" are the first non-human creatures to be presented as having individual personalities in Doctor Who since the un-named antagonists of his own The Faceless Ones more than three years before. Outside of Hulke's work they are the first since the Menoptra in 1965's The Web Planet.
He also contributed to Target Books' range of Doctor Who novelisations, adapting all but one of his scripts before his death, as well as 1973's The Green Death. Unlike many Target novelisations, which tended to offer little that wasn't in the camera script apart from the words "he said" and "she said" in the appropriate places, Hulke's novelisations were noted for providing a wealth of additional background detail and character depth.
He was a friend and mentor to Terrance Dicks, with whom he collaborated in 1962 on The Avengers episode "The Mauritius Penny", which was Dicks' first television credit; The War Games, Dicks' first Doctor Who script, and on the non-fiction book The Making of Doctor Who.
Geoffrey Rush was born on July 6, 1951, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.
No science fiction, but has created the iconic character Captain Barbosa in the fantasy films Pirates of the Caribbean I, last bit of II, and III.
He also played Casanova Frankenstein in Mystery Men (1999).
John Byrne is a comic book artist who was born on July 6, 1950, Walsall, England, UK. Wrote and drew the X-Men.
Deaths
Buddy Ebsen was born on April 2, 1908, in Belleville, Illinois,and died on July 6, 2003, in Torrance, California. Most famous as Jed from The Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones, he was the first choice for The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, but the aluminum paint that was used on him made him so ill he almost died, and he was replaced while in hospital by Ray Bolger.
He was also the telekinetic cook in the Twilight Zone episode, Prime Mover.
Cameron Mitchell was born on November 4, 1918, in Dallastown, Pennsylvania,and died on July 6, 1994.
In a long career, he made only a handful of SF appearances:
Movies
Space Mutiny (1988) - Cmdr. Alex Jansen
Frankenstein Island (1981) - Clay Jayson
Flight to Mars (1951) - Steve Abbott
TV
Project U.F.O." - Donald Worth in The Pipeline Incident (1978)
(aka Project Blue Book)
Death in Space (1974) (TV)
Malcolm Hulke (Doctor Who and Avengers scriptwriter), born in 1924, died on July 6, 1979.
From Wikipedia:
His first major television work was a series of 1950s children's science fiction serials - Target Luna, Pathfinders in Space, Pathfinders to Mars, and Pathfinders to Venus - which he co-wrote with Eric Paice for the British ABC network. The producer of the series was Sydney Newman, who was later responsible for the creation of Doctor Who as Head of Drama at BBC Television.
In addition to the Pathfinders series and Doctor Who (which he started writing for in 1967) Hulke contributed scripts to The Avengers, The Protectors, Danger Man, Crossroads, football soap United! and Gideon's Way.
His scripts for Doctor Who were noted for avoiding black-and-white characterisation and simplistic plotting. Military figures are usually presented unfavourably - Invasion of the Dinosaurs and The Ambassadors of Death both have a general as the ultimate villain. One of his best-known contributions to the series is Doctor Who and the Silurians, which depicts an encounter between the human race and the remnants of a technological reptilian race that ruled Earth in prehistoric times in a way that avoids casting either side as heroes or monsters. Hulke's "Silurians" are the first non-human creatures to be presented as having individual personalities in Doctor Who since the un-named antagonists of his own The Faceless Ones more than three years before. Outside of Hulke's work they are the first since the Menoptra in 1965's The Web Planet.
He also contributed to Target Books' range of Doctor Who novelisations, adapting all but one of his scripts before his death, as well as 1973's The Green Death. Unlike many Target novelisations, which tended to offer little that wasn't in the camera script apart from the words "he said" and "she said" in the appropriate places, Hulke's novelisations were noted for providing a wealth of additional background detail and character depth.
He was a friend and mentor to Terrance Dicks, with whom he collaborated in 1962 on The Avengers episode "The Mauritius Penny", which was Dicks' first television credit; The War Games, Dicks' first Doctor Who script, and on the non-fiction book The Making of Doctor Who.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
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.
SF & Fantasy Events, July 5
Births
Jean Cocteau was born on July 5, 1889, in Maisons-Lafitte, Yvelines, Île-de-France, France and died on October 11, 1963, Milly-la-Forêt, Essonne, France.
Director and producer of Beauty and the Beast starring Jean Marais.
Philson Ahn, the brother of Philip Ahnn, was born on July 5, 1912, in the USA and died on May 23, 2001, Los Angeles, California. Of Korean/American ancestry.
Only made a handful of films before retiring from the screen. Played Prince Tallen in Buck Rogers (1939), starring Buster Crabbe.
Deaths
Kerwin Matthews was born on January 8, 1926, in Seattle, Washington, and died on July 5, 2007, in San Francisco, California.
Starred in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and The 3 Worlds of Gulliver.
Also played Major Caldwell in one episode of Space Patrol, "The Escape of Mr. Proteus." in 1954.
Jean Cocteau was born on July 5, 1889, in Maisons-Lafitte, Yvelines, Île-de-France, France and died on October 11, 1963, Milly-la-Forêt, Essonne, France.
Director and producer of Beauty and the Beast starring Jean Marais.
Philson Ahn, the brother of Philip Ahnn, was born on July 5, 1912, in the USA and died on May 23, 2001, Los Angeles, California. Of Korean/American ancestry.
Only made a handful of films before retiring from the screen. Played Prince Tallen in Buck Rogers (1939), starring Buster Crabbe.
Deaths
Kerwin Matthews was born on January 8, 1926, in Seattle, Washington, and died on July 5, 2007, in San Francisco, California.
Starred in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and The 3 Worlds of Gulliver.
Also played Major Caldwell in one episode of Space Patrol, "The Escape of Mr. Proteus." in 1954.
July 4 Events
Births
Carlton E. Morse, radio scriptwriter. Creator of I Love A Mystery.
Born on July 4 1901, in Jennings, Louisiana, USA and died on May 24, 1993
Deaths
Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland and died ob July 4, 1934, in Sallanches, France of leukaemia. One of the iscoveriers of radioactivity.
Carlton E. Morse, radio scriptwriter. Creator of I Love A Mystery.
Born on July 4 1901, in Jennings, Louisiana, USA and died on May 24, 1993
Deaths
Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland and died ob July 4, 1934, in Sallanches, France of leukaemia. One of the iscoveriers of radioactivity.
July 3 SF and Fantasy Events
Births
George Sanders was born on July 3, 1906, in St. Petersburg, Russia and died by suicide on April 25, 1972.
He is more famous for his detective movies (The Saint, The Falcon) than anything else, but he was in a bit of science fiction:
Movies
Doomwatch (1972) - The Admiral
Village of the Damned (1960) - Gordon Zellaby
From the Earth to the Moon (1958) - Stuyvesant Nicholl
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) - Miles Fairley (fantasy)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) - Lord Henry Wotton (fantasy)
TV
1) Mr. Freeze in Batman, "Instant Freeze " and "Rats Like Cheese" (1966)
2) Fenton in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, "The Traitor" (1965)
Deaths
Ross Martin
Born in Poland on March 22, 1920, in Grodek, Poland, died on July 3, 1981, in Ramona, California of a heart attack.
Most famous as Artemus West in Wild, Wild West.
Guest-starred in various sf shows including Mork and Mindy, The Invisible Man,
Sealab 2020 (1972) TV series (voice of Dr. Paul Williams ), two eps of The TWilight Zone: Death Ship (1963)as Lt. Ted Mason, and The Four of Us Are Dying (1960) as Johnny Foster, a musician.
Johnny Jupiter played Dexter Spiegelmacher in one episode in 1953: Duckweather and the Professor
Movies
The Colossus of New York (1958) as Dr. Jeremy 'Jerry' Spensser
Conquest of Space (1955) as Andre Fodor
George Sanders was born on July 3, 1906, in St. Petersburg, Russia and died by suicide on April 25, 1972.
He is more famous for his detective movies (The Saint, The Falcon) than anything else, but he was in a bit of science fiction:
Movies
Doomwatch (1972) - The Admiral
Village of the Damned (1960) - Gordon Zellaby
From the Earth to the Moon (1958) - Stuyvesant Nicholl
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) - Miles Fairley (fantasy)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) - Lord Henry Wotton (fantasy)
TV
1) Mr. Freeze in Batman, "Instant Freeze " and "Rats Like Cheese" (1966)
2) Fenton in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, "The Traitor" (1965)
Deaths
Ross Martin
Born in Poland on March 22, 1920, in Grodek, Poland, died on July 3, 1981, in Ramona, California of a heart attack.
Most famous as Artemus West in Wild, Wild West.
Guest-starred in various sf shows including Mork and Mindy, The Invisible Man,
Sealab 2020 (1972) TV series (voice of Dr. Paul Williams ), two eps of The TWilight Zone: Death Ship (1963)as Lt. Ted Mason, and The Four of Us Are Dying (1960) as Johnny Foster, a musician.
Johnny Jupiter played Dexter Spiegelmacher in one episode in 1953: Duckweather and the Professor
Movies
The Colossus of New York (1958) as Dr. Jeremy 'Jerry' Spensser
Conquest of Space (1955) as Andre Fodor
Friday, July 04, 2008
The one thing cable has over satellite
I've been DVD-R-ing the Twilight Zone marathon all day yesterday and today... except now at 11:37 pm I can no longer do it because it is raining here in torrents...
And the rain is preventing the satellite signal from reaching my satellite receiver...
So all I have on my delightful TV is the blue box of the DirectTV logo bouncing up and down and around!
And some of my favorite episodes were coming up, too!
Not that it's a complete loss.
These programs, being shown on the Sci Fi Channel, have had bits and pieces cut out of them, in order to make room for all the extra commercials that are being shown.
If you've never seen the originals, you might not know what you're missing, except there'd be a little bit of a disappointment in each episode, a little resonance that is lost... but if you have seen the originals then you know you've been cheated!
ANother thing that annoys me about the Twilight Zone marathon is that, although it's done every year for the 4th of July, they never, ever show them in chronological order. And I'd love to see them in chronological order, with the progression in the types of stories done and in the sophisticatedness of the plots, which you miss when they jump all around like this.
Which is why if you've got the moolah, you should buy the complete set, from Amazon.com
28 discs, ....
Oh, it just came back... halfway through The Lonely, in which convicted murderer Jack Warden is presented with an android, played by Jean Marsh, with human feelings and emotions... whom they leave behind when he's picked up at the end of the episode...
The Rocket Man Returns
I received a demo DVD a few months ago, called Thirty Second Doom, which for various and sundry reasons, I haven't had a chance to do anything with until now.
So, let me do something with it - such as suggest that you all check it out!
Their website is: www.rocketmania.com
A bit of the first chapter (of a four part serial) is available on Youtube right now:
The sci-fi serial, Thirty Second Doom, is scheduled to be screened at Wonderfest 2008. Wonderfest takes place on July 19th and 20th in Louisville, Kentucky. The 2008 Wonderfest Convention
Stay tuned for another chapter of this review tomorrow
Ancient City Convention
I just received the info for a new convention, and thought I'd share it here:
Ancient City Convention
A Northeast Florida convention for fans of Science Fiction, Fantasy. Anime, Comics, Collectibles, & Gaming.
The 2008 convention will take place on August 2nd & 3rd at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in downtown Jacksonville, FL.
Please direct all correspondence to the Convention Coordinator
Their website is www.ancientcitycon.com/
Their deadline for pre-registration is July 19, 2008.
July 2 SF & F events
Births
Yancy Butler
was born on July 2, 1970, New York, New York, USA.
She starred as Sgt. Eve Edison, in Mann and Machine, as a female android, from 1992, a series that was cancelled after 9 episodes.
She also starred as Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini in 23 episodes, 2001-2002, of Witchblade.
Brock Peters
Born on July 2, 1927, New York, New York, USA and died on August 23 2005, in Los Angeles, California, USA of pancreatic cancer.
Perhaps most famous as Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird , he had a long television career, with his later outings in science fiction. He played:
Battlestar Galactica: Chief Opposer Solon in "Murder on the Rising Star" (1979)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) .... Admiral Cartwright
Joseph Sisko in 9 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1996-98)
and a variety of voices for cartoons and audio, including Darth Vader in the radio adaption of Star Wars.
Deaths
James Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania and died on July 2 1997 in Los Angeles, California of cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism following respiratory problems.
He made no science fiction films, but two favorite fantasy films, It's A Wonderful Life and Harvey.
Yancy Butler
was born on July 2, 1970, New York, New York, USA.
She starred as Sgt. Eve Edison, in Mann and Machine, as a female android, from 1992, a series that was cancelled after 9 episodes.
She also starred as Det. Sara 'Pez' Pezzini in 23 episodes, 2001-2002, of Witchblade.
Brock Peters
Born on July 2, 1927, New York, New York, USA and died on August 23 2005, in Los Angeles, California, USA of pancreatic cancer.
Perhaps most famous as Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird , he had a long television career, with his later outings in science fiction. He played:
Battlestar Galactica: Chief Opposer Solon in "Murder on the Rising Star" (1979)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) .... Admiral Cartwright
Joseph Sisko in 9 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1996-98)
and a variety of voices for cartoons and audio, including Darth Vader in the radio adaption of Star Wars.
Deaths
James Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, Pennsylvania and died on July 2 1997 in Los Angeles, California of cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism following respiratory problems.
He made no science fiction films, but two favorite fantasy films, It's A Wonderful Life and Harvey.
Theatre: The Brain From Planet X
Bruce Kimmel (who used to produce movie soundtracks at Sarabande, then moved on to Fynsworth Alley and Broadway shows, and now has the label Kritzerland) co-wrote a 1950s sf movie spoof, the Brain from Planet X, that has been making the rounds of theatre festivals.
Here's the opening number. Lots of references to 1950s sci fi!
Here's the opening number. Lots of references to 1950s sci fi!
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