Fantastic Flashbacks

Starchaser: The Legend Of Orin poster

2012-01-17T07:26:00.000-08:00

This time we feature a full-page magazine ad for the 3D "Starchaser: The Legend Of Orin," released in 1985. I missed the theatrical release, but enjoyed it a lot when it came out on video a few years later.

(Click to view larger.)

Featuring a good score, nice animation and designs, it was the first time I remember ever seeing computer animation in an animated film, used mostly when depicting the hero's ship. Although obviously a Star Wars rip-off, it is interesting to watch, and sets itself apart enough to warrant repeated viewings. Although the 'Space Arabs" might be objectionable nowadays to some for their stereotypical bad-guy status...

The personality of the ship's computer, a complaining put-upon AI named Arthur that reminded one of C3PO, was amusing; as well as the fembot that had a crush on the Han Solo analog, Dagg Dabrini, after he forcibly reprogrammed her through a panel on her behind. Making someone love you through no choice of their own is not a good basis for a real relationship, though.

The spaceship designs were excellent, particularly the one flown by Dagg, with its swiveling engines that changed positions according to the direction one wanted to go in. This design was really efficient for sharp course changes and vertical takeoffs. This ability was used to great effect as some of the most exciting space battle scenes involved the rapid reversals and spins as the ship out-manuevered their enemies.

"Go Ape!" Marathon Ads

2012-01-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

(Note: This entry was originally posted over on my Newspaper Movie Ad blog titled "Held Over!" but since creating this blog I thought it might fit here also.)

Falling out of the Scrapbook this time are:

The "Go Ape" Marathon ads

(Click for larger images.)

The ads asks, "Can you take it...will you really Go Ape," but the real question is "Can your butt take it?"

How well I remember the excitement I felt that summer in 1973 when these ads came out. At 15 years old, I was a little late getting into the Apes thing, it was only after "Battle" that I started becoming aware of them very much and was getting interested, even though I had never seen any of them. When they were all played back-t0-back in these Ape-o-thons, I was wishing I could go, but didn't bother to ask my parents. It gave my stepdad too much pleasure to say no, and I'd just get ridiculed for it.

That couldn't stop me from wishing, however, or clipping the newspaper ads, and soaking up everything I could about them through "The Monster Times." Finally, I was able to see the original when it showed on TV while I was at my Grandma's house, and I was in heaven. Yes, I was officially an Apes fan, and would always remain so. And beautiful Zira stirred a crush I have never gotten over! Then when the Apes TV series began in 1974 I really got into it, collecting with feverish thrill all of the Marvel POTA magazines that came out.

Below is a little article I clipped from the Macon Herald (GA), like all of the ads above, about the marathon showings. In some future posts I'll revisit the Apes from time to time, including the ads about the series from TV Guide.

And here is the Go Ape! poster in all it's colorful glory.

(Image source.)

Superman Video

2011-11-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a little video I put together a couple of years ago, which takes the audio portion of the 1960's cartoon "The New Adventures Of Superman" and combines it with matching scenes from "Superman: The Movie" and Superman II."

There are no added sound effects; everything you hear is from the original TV show intro, but I tried to make every sound match up with something from the movie scenes. I managed to make a couple of scenes match with lip movements during the helicopter rescue scene; watch closely and you will see two different men in the crowd seem to say "Up in the sky!" and "It's a plane!"

I had fun doing this, but the resolution is low. I need to redo it at a higher resolution so it will look better. I will post it when I do.

Click to view: www.sheeplaughs.com/supermantvvideo.wmv

Starlog "The Questor Tapes" Article

2011-08-23T09:16:00.001-07:00

From the pages of issue #30 of Starlog magazine (published January 1980) comes this in-depth article on the TV movie "The Questor Tapes," which was Gene Roddenberry's pilot for a proposed series that was never produced. I caught the premiere of the movie, and enjoyed it, even taping it on cassette tapes and listening back to it later. I also have the novelization of the script; I'll have to scan the cover and post it soon.

(Click on images to enlarge.)

In later years, Gene would recycle the character for his new Trek series 'The Next Generation," and giving Data many of the same characteristics, even down to the "I am fully functional" line as well as its meaning, which was sexual function (or at least the mechanics of it.) It would have been interesting to see what the series would have been like had Gene been able to retain control of it.

"Masters of the Universe" Promo Booklet

2011-08-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

(This is a re-post from my now-archived blog "Sweet Skulls," but I thought my readers here would enjoy seeing this if they missed it there. )

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Say what you will about the film, that is one great piece of poster art.

The pages scanned in here are from a glossy newspaper-format promo magazine for upcoming Cannon films, which was sent to video stores at the time. This is to promote the VHS release of the movie.

I resisted watching this movie for nearly a year after it came out on video, as I considered it far beneath me. A movie based on a silly kid's toy line? No way would I watch this dreck!

But, I finally gave in and rented it; and surprise, surprise, surprise: I enjoyed it! People complain of it's cheesiness, but I like cheese in moderation, and this is like creamy Velveeta on a crisp, fresh Saltine cracker. As silly as it is, and it is very silly, there are some things to like about it. An awesome score by Bill Conti brings a weight and emotional impact not expected; Frank Langella as Skeletor brings to the role his voice and regal but wry bearing. Other things that stand out; Meg Foster's spooky eyes as Evil-Lyn, Teela's thong-enhanced tights, James Tolkan (Mr. Strickland from "Back To The Future") doing his usual character as Detective Lubic; epic sets and effects, bringing to life the Moebius art design. Somehow the movie succeeds in rising about it's toy-based roots and does it with a grin that says "we know it's dumb, but let's have some fun with it!"

The departures from the animated series concepts only served to make it a better movie, moving it more into a science fiction realm than that of sorcery. And bringing the action to Earth, involving a teen couple as our link to reality, makes the drama more close to home and relatable.

So, I've watched far, far dumber movies than this with lesser music, actors, effects and story. Why shouldn't I put this on occasionally and enjoy it for what it is? Cheese-Whiz squirted right out of the can onto the tongue.

Superman 2 FX Behind The Scenes

2011-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Miniature special effects master Derek Meddings works on the set of Superman 2, preparing the miniature Metropolis city street for the scene of the battle with the Kryptonians.

(Click on images to enlarge.)

Below, the farmhouse in Texas that is destroyed by the helicopter crash caused by the three criminals, as it appeared in camera....

And below, Derek working on it, which reveals the scale of the realistic miniature. His best work was done when you didn't realise the shot involved a miniature.

1977 Forbidden Planet article

2011-02-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

One can never have too much of material devoted to the movie "Forbidden Planet," at least by my calculation. As the immediate ancestor of "Star Trek," which I love, this film which pre-dated it by almost a decade set the standard for thoughtful and forward-thinking sci-fi set on a futuristic spaceship. Today's post is a scan of several articles from the high-quality magazine Science Fantasy Film Classics. This was from the first issue of this short-lived publication, which came out in the winter of 1977. (See the cover here.)

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I only in recent years found out that Robbie's bottom half and legs in the above scene are merely painted on a flat piece of wood or cardboard. It was positioned so that, when seen from the camera's angle, it gave the illusion of being the actual lower body and legs. The suit was not built to allow him to sit down, so this was a fast and money-saving solution that worked for the quick single shot.

I consider "Star Trek" and "Lost In Space" to both be sons of "Forbidden Planet." "Trek" inherited the character and intelligence, while "Lost" only strongly resembled in appearance. That said, I feasted on "Lost" as a kid, and it fueled my interest in monsters and sci-fi for years.

Planet of the Apes Timeline Article

2011-01-26T06:51:00.000-08:00

"And my timeline paper beats his, thanks to my superior firepower!"

The chronological timeline of the Apes movies and TV show is quite convoluted, with seeming contradictions scattered throughout. Indeed, many have tried to reconcile the various dates given throughout the series, and their efforts can be found on various sites, such as this one, this one, this one, and this one, among many others (One site that seems to offer an authoritative outline is HassleinBooks.com. I have not bought the book to examine it, but it looks to be the definitive effort so far) . This article from issue #11 of Marvel's 1975 POTA magazine seems to be the first published attempt to track the various dates and events given, in order to try to make sense of it (although it muddies the water somewhat by interjecting the Marvel comics storylines into it). I subscribe to the theory that once Zira and Cornelius come back in time to 1973, they created another timeline that differs from the original, where they did not go back. Their presence (and DNA) cause the ape mutation and uprising to occur much earlier than their history recorded, and I hold that the subsequent film and TV series events are a direct result of this new timeline. In that film the scientific advisor Hasslein thought that the future could be changed, and I think it was, just not in the direction he wanted. (Update: as you can see from the discussion with a knowledgable fan in the comments, there are different views on this.)

The author further submits the possibility, and I tend to agree, that the Zira and Cornelius of the third film may not even be from the same timeline as the first and second film; since it seems so unlikely that they could have located the sunken spaceship, retreived it, repaired it and launched it into space, even with Milo's help. Their technology just wasn't that advanced. The many attempts to catalog the timeline testify to the inconsistencies found in the movies; the carelessness of the writers force us fans into some strange contortions to justify the timeline of the films, indeed! Continuity was not a strong point of the franchise's producers. One thing is certain; we fans have given it much, much more thought than they ever did when creating it. Maybe we should set our brains in "nuetral" and just pop some popcorn and enjoy the films for the light entertainment they were intended to be...

Speaking of timelines, here is one that tracks various events in the real world relative to the production of the Apes franchise and various items associated with it. It's exhaustive, and informative, but ultimately depressing to me, to see how many people that contributed in some way to the Apes story have passed away.

1982 "Superman III" Filming Article

2011-01-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

From the "Star" tabloid, published September 28, 1982, comes this sneak peek at the filming of "Superman III." The article's revelation of the comedic nature of film did not bode well; I also had suspicions from the nature of the shot, which seemed more like a scene for a TV show than a movie, that the film was not going to be very good. Unfortunately, that suspicion was borne out. Regardless, this near-two page spread is a nice behind-the-scenes look at Christopher Reeve's work, which is always welcome. The writer got the scene wrong, though; the guy in the car was in danger, and not a bad guy.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

This large article took 6 scans in sections, that I pieced back together in Photoshop; all done for you, my readers! If you enjoyed seeing the fruits of my labors, comment and let me know.

Anne Francis "Starlog" Interview

2010-11-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

Jan 3rd update: Anne Francis Passes

I am saddened to hear, and post on this earlier entry, that Miss Francis is no longer with us. (Click here to read the article.) She passed away on Sunday, Jan 2nd due to complications of pancreatic cancer at a retirement home in Santa Barbara. She was 80.

The good captain of the C57-D, co-star Leslie Nielson left this world just weeks ahead of her. Both will be missed, and remembered for their wonderful parts in Forbidden Planet. Little did I know when posting this article that it would be the last tribute I made to her while she was alive. Anne, you lightly tread on barefoot toes into the hearts of many a young sci-fi fan.

-Frederick

Altaira, as portrayed by the lovely and enchanting Anne Francis, was one of three sci-fi sirens that captured my heart as a pre-teen; the other two were Yvette Mimieaux as Weena in George Pal's "The Time Machine," and the other was Vina, from Star Trek's "The Menagerie" played by Susan Oliver. This time we look at an article about, and interview with, the lovely Anne Francis from Starlog issue #186, published Janurary 1993.

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The above ad for "individuals wanted for secret time travel experiment" was placed by me just yesterday. I have found no takers from that year as of yet.

For more images of the impish Altaira, visit the Forbidden Planet pages over on the "tags" section of the sidebar.

Superboy TV show ad

2010-10-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

From a 1991 cable TV trade magazine comes this large format ad for the third season of "The Adventures of Superboy" TV series, starring Gerard Christopher who replaced John Haymes Newton in season two. Sadly, the second and third seasons have not been officially released on DVD, and considering the ongoing legal battles over the character, are not likely to in the near future.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

1982 Behind-The-Scenes Article on Return of the Jedi

2010-10-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

Back when filming was still going on of "Return of the Jedi," this one-page article with some behind-the-scenes shots was published in the August 1982 edition of Starlog.

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Below, a February 20th, 1994 Sunday strip of Calvin and Hobbes, in a particularly amusing sci-fi themed entry.

1976 "Logan's Run" article

2010-09-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

"Logan's Run" was one of the last of the big-budget science fiction films before Star Wars hit the scene and changed everything. Coming during that time when sci-fi films were not produced often, I was really captured by the world of "Logan's Run" (and Jessica's sideless dress), and collected the novelization, the score LP, and (best of all) a set of large-format lobbycards (which I'll feature in a future post). This time we're looking at an article on the film from issue #2 of Starlog (see cover here) published in November of 1976.

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I managed to see the movie twice when it was first released; once in the theater in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and a few months later in a drive-in in Macon, GA (we moved VERY often), where I taped the sound on my little Radio Shack tape deck. I probably still have the cassettes somewhere in a box. This was one of the first movies I went to see as a teen that show a little skin, which was a bonus at the time!

One thing I noticed was a Star Trek fan extra who snuck in the Vulcan salute at the end! Have you ever seen it? Watch at the end when the young people are reaching for the old man... right in the foreground, one of the raised hands briefly makes the Vulcan hand sign, and it made it in the movie! See my screen capture of the moment below...

My sneaky Trekker friend, whoever you are, I applaud you!

The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet

2010-08-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

(Click on images to view full size-scans.)

Written by Eleanor Cameron in 1954, this charming children's book is one that holds good memories for me. The cover art above is scanned from my copy, still intact but a little dog-eared after all these years. I was about nine years old, in 1969, when I bought this through the Scholastic book program at school, and re-read it many times. The story of two boy's journey through outer space in a homemade space ship to another planet really captured my young imagination. The idea of a trip to meet aliens in an self-made (but alien technology-enhanced) ship was echoed in the film "Explorers," which I enjoyed many years later.

I remember reading some of this book while tucked in one of my own cardboard box spaceships, which made it even more fun. Of course, my parents worried how I could spend hours on end in a cardboard box, but little did they know my mind was soaring off on amazing adventures. With my canteen full of Goofy Grape soft drink, a peanut butter sandwich, and a good book, I would be ensconced for hours in my make-believe space capsule. Now that I have a five-year-old grandson, I will be reading it to him very soon!

1978 TV Sci-Fi Schedule

2010-08-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

From the collection cabinet comes an article from the first issue of the low-class magazine "Space Trek," one of many genre exploitation rags ground out by publishing mogul Myron Fass. It's significant that this magazine, along with all the other generically-named versions (which cropped up overnight and expired just as quickly) all occupy the bottom shelf of my cabinet. The paper was the lowest-grade pulp, one step below the toilet paper at the corner service station, and the photos were washed out and spotty. But, sometimes these mags, too, offer up interesting articles, like this one with serves as a snapshot of the sci-fi/fantasy programs coming up that fall and winter of 1978. If you were a kid or teen during that time, reading about all these shows when they were new will bring back some (hopefully fond) memories. The article concentrates on the biggest, "Battlestar Galactica," but features info on many others you will remember, and some you might have missed. Nanu, nanu!

(Click on images to enlarge.)

Forbidden Planet: Entry Two

2010-07-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of the "Forbidden Planet" posts, imported from my other blog "My Monster Memories."

Here's a special bonus for you... "Forbidden Planet" painted by Vincent Di Fate as featured in Cinefantastique in 1979. Makes a great wallpaper!
(Click for Monster-Sized version!)

More lobby card photos of the alluring Altaira, Robby the Robot, Commander Adams and the C-57D.

More to come next time!

Forbidden Planet: Entry One

2010-07-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

(Reader take note: this entry was originally posted on my other blog "My Monster Memories," but now that I am also doing one on Sci-Fi, it fits here even better. Hence, the re-post!)-Fred

I'm kicking things off with some images from my all-time favorite Sci-Fi movie, "Forbidden Planet." You might enjoy seeing these images if you haven't before, which highlight the sexy, impish Altaira, played by the lovely Anne Francis. One envies Robby, as Jerry Farnam said! This is only the first entry on the subject, there will be others with more photos and behind the scenes extras!

As a kid and teen I was keenly aware of Forbidden Planet through the monster movie mags and such, but it was one of those seemingly unattainable goals to see it. Finally, when I lived in Ft. Lauderdale FL as a teen, around 1978 I went to a showing at a nearby public library. I took along my Radio Shack flat tape recorder and sat near the projector, taping the whole thing. I was like a dream come true to finally see it! I listened to the tapes of it many time later, projector noise and all. Now I can take out my Special Edition DVD and watch it on the big plasma screen any time I want to. Who would have imagined that, back then? It would have seemed like a science fiction fantasy to me at the time.

Come back soon for more pictures!

1979 article on "The Star Wars Holiday Special"

2010-05-25T12:29:00.001-07:00

From issue #19 of Starlog Magazine, published in February of 1979, comes this cover article on one of the darkest chapters in Star Wars history... the legendarily-bad "Star Wars Holiday Special." (See an earlier post on it here from another of my blogs.) Many might want to forget it, but as Master Po said to Grasshopper, "We do not learn by forgetting."

(Click on images to enlarge if you are a glutton for punishment.)

Bea Arthur is easily the scariest of any of the denizens in the cantina.

"Yes, son, we are your father Chewbacca's dirty little secret. Never forget that."

Whenever the pain of contemplating "The Phantom Menace" threatens to overwhelm you, recall this and you will be comforted.

1973 Mad Spoof On Apes Movies

2010-05-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

The collection cabinets open this time to bring forth issue #157 of Mad magazine, published in March of 1973. By this time there were four films in the Apes series, with another in the works to be released the following year, with a TV series soon after that. Enjoy this Mort Drucker-drawn overview of the films titled "The Milking Of The Planet That Went Ape."

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Bonus: Below, an ad I clipped from a newspaper sometime around 1974.

Bonus: below, a unique photo of McDowell as Cornelius in a rare good mood; most likely thinking of his fiancee, Zira.

Below is one of my pencil drawings of Galen from the TV series, drawn in 1974 sometime, probably while in homeroom. I was big into Apes that year!

More Sci-Fi Book covers

2010-05-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

As a young boy and teen I devoured the old science fiction novels I picked up at the used bookstore. Here are a few of the cool covers from some off my bookshelf...

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Burl realised he should have been suspicious of a videophone booth way out here.

Spreading his arms like the robot did nothing to help him get away faster.

G'nrex had 500 quatloos riding on this guy and he wasn't about to let him rabbit.

As he faded away, Sam knew he shouldn't have tried to put the space fireflies in a bottle.

"V - The Final Battle" 1984 TV Guide article

2010-04-29T09:03:00.001-07:00

Back in 1984, one of the most anticipated events on TV (at least for me) was the sequel to the highly-rated "V" saga. The article featured this time is from the May 7, 1984 edition of TV Guide, revealing the makeup technique used on the memorable scene where the Visitor is revealed to the rest of the world.

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It was then that "John" realised he should have disguised himself as someone more beloved than TV's Karl Maldan.

Below, the TV Guide Close-Up on the return of the popular V epic.

Below are some splash ads for the miniseries.

1975 "Space:1999" Premiere Review

2010-04-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

Below is an article I clipped from the September 11, 1975 edition of the Miami Herald. I lived in Ft. Lauderdale at the time, and although I was a fervent dyed-in-the-wool Trekkie, I enjoyed other good sci-fi series also. This is one of several articles I clipped about it, and I'll post more in the future. The author was withholding judgement on it until he saw more, and I'm sure he felt as I did that it was too dry and hard to follow. It's significant that it took bringing in the man that screwed up Trek's third season, Fred Frieberger, to bring it at least up to a level of action and characterization to improve the second season. Even then it never equalled or surpassed Trek as it's promoters bragged it would; at least in my opinion. Although the effects were superb, I enjoyed the earlier effort "U.F.O." more.

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Below is an earlier article, clipped from The Macon telegraph, about the upcoming show. It was this one article that, more than any other, predjudiced me against the new program. Replace "Star Trek"? Never! I would have been more open to it if every article about it didn't compare it to Trek. Here's an article from my other blog that does the exact same thing on a bigger scale.

Below are a couple of ads, one for an interview with the stars and another for the show itself, taken from the same publicity photo.

1978 Mark Hamill interview

2010-03-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

From Rona Barrett's Hollywood Super Special: Winter 1978, comes a one-page interview with Mark Hamill, who was about to begin work on "The Empire Strikes Back." I have featured this magazine in an earlier post about "Battlestar Galactica."

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It's interesting to go back and read stuff like this, from before we had ever seen the movie!

1966 comic book ads

2010-03-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

The first things I ever collected were comics, and looking through those earliest ones I bought as an 8 year old (that I still have) I am amused and taken back in time by the ads themselves. I liked "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." but this ad about a pen that "let you see through walls" was a bit deceptive. It doesn't mention that you must first have a hole in said wall or door to use the pen!

Below is a time capsule of all the shows I liked to watch on Saturday mornings in 1966, spent in my pyjamas and nursing a bowl of cereal ( I liked "Ka-Boom" cereal, remember that one?).

1976 UFO series article

2010-02-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

Those of you that also read "My Star Trek Scrapbook" blog, will know I have scanned some material from the excellent British publication "TV Sci-Fi Monthly." From issue #7 comes this two page layout on the first Gerry Anderson live-action series (vesus his marionnette programs) UFO. I enjoyed the show whenever I could catch it on TV as a young teen, and I taped the intro theme song onto cassette along with others I liked and played it endlessly. I also really dug the purple-wigged, mini-skirted hotties occupying the moonbase! What were the program administrators thinking? It's a wonder any work ever got done!

First, the cover of the magazine, which opened up similar to the "Star Trek Poster" magazine, except with more pages.

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Project Questor: Discontinued

2010-01-26T07:30:00.001-08:00

Since there has been some news lately about Gene Roddenberry's failed pilot "The Questor Tapes" being remade, I thought it was time to scan some of the articles about it in my collection. This one was found in the June 1977 issue of the magazine TV's Dynamic Heroes. More from different sources will be forthcoming in the future.

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I enjoyed the TV-movie when it came out, (the theme music was good also) and wished at the time that it had become a series. But in light of the fact that Roddenberry adapted the character to become Data in "ST:TNG," (even to the "I am fully functional" bit about being sexually capable) it seems a bit redundant now to revisit the concept. But, we'll see how it turns out.

Charlon Heston Talks About Sci-Fi

2009-12-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

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From the February 1980 edition of "Fantastic Films" magazine, comes this interview with Heston about his science fiction film roles and the genre in general. I've mined this issue for several other articles on my other blog "My Star Trek Scrapbook" since it partially focused on that movie, and I thought this article would be a treat for readers of "Fantastic Flashbacks."

Planet of the Apes teaching aid booklet

2009-11-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

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Back around 1971, I was in the 5th grade and living near Parkersburg WV at the time. The English class of the school I was in (one of over 20 I attended while growing up, thanks to my itenerant construction worked stepdad) had these booklets which they handed out to the class for study, and it was the earliest exposure to the Apes phenomenon I had up to that time. It intrigued me greatly, and I was fan for many years before I ever saw any of the movies.

We weren't allowed to keep the booklet after class; I suppose they re-used them for the other students. Well, I hope they ordered some extra copies, 'cause when I left the class that day, the booklet I had went out the door with me, hidden in my binder notebook. I still have it to this day, in the same condition. I have scanned it in its entirety for your education and enjoyment. Bet you didn't know the Apes could teach you something!

And, to counteract the dry academic tone of this post, a hot image of a young Dr. Zira, posing au naturale during one of her and boyfriend Cornelius' archeological expeditions. Everyone does crazy stuff when they're younger.

"Now, Zira... you're getting that look in your eyes again. Remember, the last time you kissed a human the freakin' planet blew up!"

Superboy TV show

2009-10-25T09:27:00.001-07:00

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Above, a full-page ad for "Superboy" in a cable-TV trade magazine.

In 1988, the "Superboy" series premiered, to my enthusiastic welcome. Although low-budget, it was an enjoyable show, which is in my opinion more enjoyable than the current "Smallville" series. John Haymes Newton, who, although a bit wooden, carried himself well in the suit and made a both a good Clark and Superboy. The flying wirework was equal to the movies, but the greenscreen flying effects were less convincing. Still, it was good to see a live-action Super-series of any kind, and was the next best thing to a Superman series.

Below, another cable trade magazine ad for the show.

And lastly, an article from Electronic Media magazine about the movie from the Disney studio to Universal. Sadly, I don't have the rest of the article.

1989 Family Channel Batman ad

2009-09-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

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This full-page ad, published in a fall 1989 cable trade magazine, is a very nice rendition of Adam West's campy Caped Crusader.

1978 "The Time Machine" TV remake

2009-08-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

(Click to enlarge.)

Clipped from the November 4-10 1978 TV Guide. I was always a fan of George Pal's "The Time Machine," so it was with a skeptical eye that I watched this new made-for-tv version that Sunday. I even taped the audio, which I still have in a drawer somewhere with hundreds of old cassettes I can't bring myself to throw away. I shouldn't have bothered taping it, though, because it lived down to my low expectations and more.

These clippings still made it into my scrapbook, however, and they exist as proof that this telefilm did indeed exist. Did you ever see it, and if so, what memories do you have of it? My love for the Pal version probably colored my perception of this movie. For those that saw it when young, not influenced by the earlier film, it could have been something they really liked, I'm sure.

Wiki entry on the 1978 TV movie:
A low-quality TV version was made in 1978, with very unconvincing time-lapse images of building walls being de-constructed, and inexplicable geographic shifting from Los Angeles to Plymouth, Mass., and inland California. John Beck starred as Neil Perry, with Whit Bissell (from the original 1960 movie and also one of the stars of the 1966 television series The Time Tunnel) appearing as one of Perry's superiors. Though only going a few thousand years into the future, Perry finds the world of the Eloi and Morlocks, and learns the world he left will be destroyed by another of his own inventions. The character Weena was played by Priscilla Barnes of Three's Company fame.

Fantastic Films article on Outer Limits

2009-08-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

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Scanned from my copy of the 5th issue of "Fantastic Films," published in December of 1978, is an indepth look at one of the most memorable science fiction series to come out of the 60's... which isn't Star Trek. The Outer Limits had a different monster every week, and at my tender age of six, when it first came out, it was too scary for me. Even the commercials would almost make me wet my pants, they were so terrifying! It was a few years later, when it was in rereuns, that I began to appreciate the show, and the delicious chills it brought to my spine. Even today when watching it, it takes me back to when I was 10 years old, watching it at my Grandma's house late at night. It had the best monsters anywhere, even counting the movies. I hope you enjoy this 30-year-old retrospective on this awesome 44-year-old series!

Logan's Run TV show article

2009-08-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Clipped the day before Halloween in 1977, from the Macon Telegraph's local TV guide. Despite having a pretty cool intro theme, and the involvement of veteran Trek writers David Gerrold and D.C. Fontana, the series never got up to running at full speed and was pretty forgettable. Tooling around in an fugly car --one of the worst-designed sci-fi vehicles ever-- and saddled with a boring robot that would have made Data look like the life of the party, they hit too many potholes in a series that really should have been renamed "Logan's Drive" to be accurate.

Basically a retread of Roddenberry's failed "Genesis II" pilot (survivors travelling around a post-apocalyptic U.S. encountering splinter groups), rather than a real sequel to the theatrical movie, the viewer was left asking "are we there yet?"

Their wheels would have made Buck Rogers lower his thumb and let them drive on by.

1978 Buck Rogers TV show clipping

2009-08-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Clipped from the Miami Herald on Oct. 15th, 1978.

60's Space On The Brain

2009-07-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

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I'm still wondering what a "drogue" chute is.

Continuing with the look back at the period in American history when visiting the moon was still an unrealised goal... above, a space-themed cartoon from the pages of The Saturday Evening Post, Jan 29, 1966. UPDATE: thanks to a comment about the "drogue" chute, I looked it up, and the cartoonist had his terms right! Here's the Wiki entry on it.

Below: Space was all the rage in the 60's, as this far-out, spacey ad from the same Post issue for a new refrigerator shows. Mod for the "now" generation, baby!

1962: Astronaut In A Can: Updated!

2009-07-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

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To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing in 1969, here is a scan of a Life magazine from April 27, 1962. Although it might look like a fanciful (and comically off-base) painting of an imagined future, it's actually a photo of a man testing out an early prototype of a moon suit. One can only imagine how heavy that thing must be at 300 lbs, and it would have been difficult to get out of the capsule in something so bulky! And if you fell over, forget getting up by yourself. No, this was one that thankfully never made it past the testing stage. I thought that the science fiction nature of this stage of preparation would be a good way for the blog to salute all the hard work and effort that went into making the dream happen.

Update: Reader Michael Craft left a comment below that identified the moonsuit design as being adapted for the Major Matt Mason moon exploration set. So I found an image online of the toy to post here for comparison. It's a perfect match, even the suit number is the same. Thanks for the heads-up!

1978 This Island Earth article

2009-07-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

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The article this time comes from the June 1978 issue of Science Fantasy Film Classics, the cover to which you can view here. I have just posted several articles from it over on one of my other blogs, "My Star Trek Scrapbook."

Admittedly a somewhat minor classic, "Island" still rightfully deserves classic status, and occupies a place close to the heart of many kids that grew up in the 50's, and those that knew of it from "Famous Monsters" and such magazines, like me. Chock full of aliens, space ships (the saucer resembles the main hull of the later U.S.S. Enterprise, no coincidence I'm sure), bug-eyed, exposed-brain mutants, battles in space and more, it is quintessential 50's sci-fi.

One thing that always struck me as odd about the "Mu-tant" costume was... "why pants?" I mean, really... would a bipedal insectoid/crusteacean creature need trousers? Why not just design more of the crab-like armor over his loins and thighs? But what's worse is, the pants don't just come down and end with a hem at the ankle, it seems to run into his bug suit and to plainly become part of the carapace again! So, is he wearing the pants, or are they part of his own body?

If the Creature From the Black Lagoon had come out of the water wearing swimming trunks it wouldn't have been more ridiculous... unless the trunks also had scales and blended with his body, yet had a belt in it! This seems to have just been laziness or perhaps they ran out of money when building the suit. "Can't afford monster legs? Just stick him in some baggy pants, then! The kids will never notice!"

If I had one major criticism of the movie, it would be the short amount of time devoted to the actual visit to Metaluna. The film is mostly taken up with the mystery of who these high-foreheaded people are and what they are doing, but the trip to their planet, brief adventure and trip back seems rushed and inconsequential. "Well, we're here! Oops, too late, we've lost the war... let's get you back home." Devoting more of the film to their time on the alien planet, and contributing to the solution to (or winning of) the space war would have been more fulfilling... as opposed to getting there just in time to see it destroyed. The entire setting of the Earth-bound think-tank could have been jettisoned in favor of starting the trip to space at that point in the film.

But, all in all, the movie is fun and full of effects, and certainly not bad enough to be chosen to spoof in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie." Although I admit I was amused by the passing resemblence and mannerisms of the main alien Exeter (Jeff Morrow) to Robin Williams, and I was half-way expecting him to break out with "Nanu-nanu!" any time.

1974's Shazam TV Show

2009-07-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

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(Note: This is a post I already made some time ago on another of my blogs, "Held Over!" but since creating this one it seemed to fit here better. So, I'm reposting it here in case you missed it over there, and just to put it where it belonged.)

The scan above is from TV Guide around 1974, while the "Shazam" Saturday morning series was in early production. (Sorry about the faded Scotch tape in the middle.) Jackson Bostwick, the first (and my favorite) Captain Marvel on the show, is shown doing the flying stunts. If it seemed that the Big Red Cheese was flying roughly 10 feet above the highway most of the time, this truck-based flying rig explains why. They could have taken a cue from the effects done in the 1940's Captain Marvel serial, which were far superior to anything else done at the time and were the best seen in movies or TV for over three decades later, including this show.

The article above I clipped from "The Star" tabloid about the same time. I really liked the show and seldom missed it Saturday mornings. I still get a chill watching it when he changes into Captain Marvel! The musical buildup, the animated effects of the transformation, and the subsequent leap into the air, were all done very well. They handled the drama and power of the change better than any other medium has, including his appearance on the Justice League episode "Clash." Sure, this Cap was more involved in lifting fallen trees and stopping runaway cars than fighting super-villains, but for a kid's show it was well done and exciting, and I have great nostalgic memories of it. I hope how soon the first season is released on DVD! As it is, I have my episodes taped off of TV Land latenight showings from a few years back.

Below, an article from a local TV guide supplement published in the Macon Telegraph (GA) on Oct. 6, 1974.

And what teen boy could NOT have a crush on Isis as portrayed by JoAnna Cameron? The article above came from a local TV guide newspaper supplement that I clipped while living in Ft. Lauderdale FL in 1975 when she joined the lineup with her own show.

Let's hope that the still-in-development Shazam movie gets made soon, and that it fulfills the possibilities of the character. It could really rock! And wouldn't it be nice if they gave Jackson a cameo role in it also? And the second actor to fill the red tights, John Davey, did a good job, but you always like best the actor you saw first in a role.

1975 "Cracked" Planet Of The Apes TV show spoof

2009-07-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

In 1975, I was 16 years young, and the biggest thing in my life at that time (aside from Star Trek) was the Apes movies and the new TV series based on them. I was excited to find this "Cracked" magazine, issue #123, in March of that year, and read it as I walked back home. The cover art and the inside spoof were done by Severin, as usual with his spot-on caricatures and accurately detailed costumes and sets. The cover, oddly enough, is from the movie, protraying Zira, Cornelius and Lucius, along with a couple of gorillas, whereas the inside parody was of the TV show. But that was alright by me, being an ardent Zira-lover as I was (and still am).

Bonus: Below, a two-page poster from the teen magazine "Spec," once again bought in 1974 at a corner 7-11 using the excuse of buying it for my (non-existent) little sister. I'm sure the clerk was used to hearing that from me after awhile as I bought teen girl's mags for whatever genre nugget I found in them. Humiliating it might have been, but nothing stopped me from my collecting, not even "the step-father" who was constantly on my case about it, irritatedly demanding "when are you going to grow up?" Well, "daddy-o," sorry to disappoint, but here I am at 50 years old and I still haven't.

1978 Battlestar Galactica set design article

2009-07-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

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This article from the Miami Herald TV listing insert was published on August 5th, 1978, before the series had premiered. It wasn't very often that a designer of a sci-fi series was interviewed, it was almost always one of the stars or the show's creator. So this early look at the set design and the interview with the person that created them was a welcome look behind the scenes.

1978 article on Battlestar Galactica SFX

2009-07-06T05:56:00.000-07:00

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Scanned from Rona Barrett's Hollywood Super Special: Winter 1978. Considering the magazine, you know going into that you're not going to actually learn anything about how the effects are done. No, true to her audience, the type to read typical "Hollywood Gossip" rags, the article is basically all about the fact that there are effects, not how they are done. Wow, Rona, we thought they were really in outer space.

1966 "Mad" Lost In Space spoof

2009-07-02T05:25:00.000-07:00

Heaven knows, "Lost In Space" was infinitely deserving of being lampooned, and Mad magazine does a good job of it. This spot-on spoof, scanned from my copy of issue 104, published July of 1966, came out while the show was still in first-run. Writer Dick De Bartolo accurately parodies the show's constantly-repeating situations, and artist Mort Drucker nails the charicatures; in all, it's truly funny!

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Oh, man... heh, heh, heh... (snort) oh, that was good.

Lost In Space memories

2009-07-02T05:18:00.000-07:00

(The following entry was posted awhile back on my other blog, "My Monster Memories." But this blog, "Fantastic Flashbacks," is really a better place for it, so I'm reposting it here for those that missed it.)

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Scanned from a comic book in my collection.

When I was six years old, the coolest, most awesomest thing on TV was "Lost In Space." I was watching it during it's first run, in black and white, and in my little mind there was nothing like it. I was living in Macon, Georgia, my home town, in the same place I described in my post on the Monster Magnet. After viewing the very first network showing of the early episode with the giant Cyclops monster, I remember recreating the memorable scene at play the next day.

I took some crayons and drew on a cardboard shoebox (belonging to my stepdad) some windows and a door to resemble the Chariot. Putting it in a ditch, I set up some toy soldiers around it and on top to represent the Robinsons. I then took some large clods of red Georgia clay, and moving in exaggerated slow-motion, I clomped around, picking up the large clods, and dropping them down on and around the helpless Space Family Robinsons and their vehicle. I must have looked pretty silly to any neighbors that might have been watching. I finally flattened the shoebox and people with a clod, breaking it apart in a small cloud of red dust. When it cleared, they were all dead. It's fortunate for the Robinsons and all the kids watching the show, that the episode didn't play out that way!

In one of the comics in a stack that a neighbor gave me, there was the ad (scanned in above) for the Aurora model kit re-creating that very scene. How I longed to have it! When I came across that ad again recently, it brought back a flood of nostalgia. For a moment I was that kid again, reading the comic while sitting outside under the shade of a mimosa tree. The sweet watermelon-like scent of the blossoms still linger in my memory, and when I smell them today it takes me back to that place and time.

(Image Source)

Now, of all the characters on the show, the Robot was my favorite. Of course, I related to Will, but the fantasy idea of having the Robot for a pal was extremely attractive. I imagined having him and taking him to school with me, and having him zap the bullies on the playground that dared mess with me.

One of the most unusual aspects of my childhood days is the amount of time I spent in cardboard boxes. You've heard of "The Boy In The Plastic Bubble," well, I was "The Kid In The Cardboard Box."

Whenever I came across one large enough to get in, I would have fun with it for weeks until it wore out. One of my favorite things to do with them was to make a spaceship. I would draw with crayons and markers on the inside, creating all sorts of screens, buttons, switches and computer panels. I would get in, blast off after a countdown, travel through space, then land on an alien planet. Getting out and exploring, the yard became a strange world of unknown dangers. The dog (we had a chihuahua at the time) was an alien creature that I befriended and shared my "space rations" (snack crackers) with. Sometimes I even took him back to Earth with me in the ship and kept him as a pet.

My parents would look out in the yard and see the box rocking back and forth and wonder if they needed to take me to the doctor to be examined for a mental condition. It was just good fun using my imagination! But the oddest use was turning myself into a robot. If the box was tall, like one for a water heater or something, but not big enough to crawl into comfortably, I would make it into a robot suit!

Detail of a comic book back cover ad for the Aurora model kit. View the entire ad here.

Cutting out a square hole in the front to see out of, arm holes in the side, and an open bottom for my feet to stick out of, I would festoon the inside with more colorful buttons, round gauges and rectangular readouts. Donning the box, I would trundle around the yard, mostly pretending to be the Robot from Lost In Space, waving my arms around and doing my best imitation of "Danger, danger! Warning, warning!" Other times it would be a mechanical suit, used by an astronaut to explore dangerous environments where a large robotic body would be helpful. What amusement I must have brought to the neighbors as I walked around in these boxes, and what shame I must have brought to my parents! But, they let me alone... better out in the yard doing whatever than inside bugging them. And cardboard boxes were cheap... make that free.

Here is a photo of an assembled and painted Robot from the Aurora kits. Any kid lucky enough to get one, is now a lucky adult if it survived and he still has it!

Photo source: http://www.geocities.com/ssbn598ssn682/index.html

Lots more cool images of models!
http://www.culttvman2.com/dnn/Default.aspx?tabid=294

Fun link: http://www.iann.net/vaults/lostinspace/

I watched the show whenever I could catch it for the next 6 years or so. My mother would fuss about the "stupid bells" that she had to listen to every day after school when it was on during afternoon reruns. She was referring to the piece of music that was always used during the climatic scene, with the clanging bells, you know the ones. Below is a drawing I did after I was older, about 13, of the Robot using the Aurora ad as reference. Meaning, I just copied it by looking at it and adding my own touches. By that time I was growing up into Star Trek and was beginning to consider Lost In Space to be childish. Notice the justification commentary down near the title; "The only good thing about it!" Sure, it was a kid's show... but it's fun to watch now and relive the innocent days when it all seemed so serious.

About the same time as I was playing the Cyclops and the Robot, there were Lost In Space bubble gum cards out. During several trips to the local corner store on the way home from my first grade school (I had to walk about a mile), I picked up some packs, which I stored in my box of personal stuff. Some actually survived over the years, and I now have them as proud relics of my younger years in my card binder. I've scanned in the dozen or so I have to share with you below!

The various and many monsters on Lost In Space both entertained me and scared me over the next few years. I could watch it and enjoy it, unlike "The Outer Limits," which at the time gave me nightmares, and was just too adult and intense. Lost In Space was the perfect show for the six and seven year old that I was, and the inner kid still living in me now gets a kick out of putting it on every so often... until I have had my fill of Dr. Smith for awhile. One can only take so much of him.

I'll close with a couple more Lost In Space memories. One, when I was about 11, I bought (well, my Mom did, when we were school clothes shopping) a pullover shirt that looked almost exactly like Will's. It was green and blue, with leather on the upper section. I thought I was hot stuff. I wish I had a picture of myself in that! I wore it out.

Second, I finally met Will Robinson, played by Billy Mumy, at a convention in Miami FL around 1993. I took my young daughter, who had seen him on the show when I watched it, and she was thrilled to meet him as well. We had an up-close and personal encounter with him; we were riding an elevator up to a higher floor of the hotel to see if we could look out over the Miami skyline. When who should step onto the elevator but Billy himself! It was so freaky, standing with a hero of my childhood. He really hadn't changed much other than just getting to be grown! We talked some as we rode up, and he seemed pleased that I was a fan and had watched as a kid. When my daughter mentioned why we were going up to the highest floor, he invited us into his suite to see the view!

So we got to visit in his hotel room for a little while, and see the beautiful view from his floor-to-ceiling windows. It was unreal. I didn't overstay, and we shook hands and parted after taking a picture of my daughter in front of the window. He really was a nice guy, and just like the Will I imagined I could hang around with as a kid. I'll always treasure the memory, and feel a little closer to Will Robinson when I watch it now. Later, down in the dealer's room, we got his autograph and a picture together with him, the one above. By that time it felt to me as if we were old buddies.

My daughter posing in front of the panoramic view visible from Billy Mumy's hotel window.

Check out Bill's official site: http://www.billmumy.com/

Dear Santa: Please bring me one of the B9 Robots (see attached picture below ) for Christmas. I have been a very good boy and would like to have one for a friend.

Love,
-Fred

Get your own Robot here for "only" $24,500! If I get rich soon, one of these will reside in my collection room.

Fresh off the assembly line, ready to activate and serve humanity, with a solid gold heart.

1977 article on Farrah in Logan's Run

2009-06-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

(Click on images to view larger size... you know you want to.)

Farrah Fawcett's tragic and untimely loss prompted me to go through some of my magazines to find an article on her role in "Logan's Run," since this is a sci-fi blog. Although her role as Holly was only a small part, she made an impression and the character was quintissential Farrah. From the second issue of TV's Dynamic Heroes, published in June 1977 we have this article...

A photo showing off the two things Farrah was famous for... her hair and face. What else did you think I was going to say, hmmm?

Below, some screen grabs I made of Farrah's scene in the movie. Logan's Run, which was made in 1976, was the last big-budget sci-fi film before Star Wars came out and changed everything, and it holds a special place in my memories. The design may be cheesy 70's, but I was a teen at the time, when "The Hustle" ruled the airwaves, and the movie was a lot of fun.

This is the way I'll always remember Farrah... who is now with the angels for real.

Bonus: a TV Guide ad for a new show coming out on September 22, 1976...

1990 Starlog article on Kim Hunter (Zira)

2009-06-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

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Today's item from the collection cabinets is an article from Starlog Issue #160, published November 1990. My absolute fascination and love affair with Kim Hunter's Zira began in 1973 when I finally saw the first movie, and it's never ended. My heart beats a little faster whenever she's onscreen, and my favorite scene was when she kissed Taylor... who was the viewer by proxy. Very few that I've come across share or even understand my appreciation for the beauty of Zira, but I melt when she wrinkles her muzzle and her eyes sparkle as she says, "You wouldn't hurt me, would you... Taylor?" The makeup design for Hunter was thinner and more flexible than anyone else's on the set, and they made an extra effort to make her attractive. In my mind, they succeeded!

Below, my all-time favorite photo of Zira, which I call the "Mona Zira." If the Ape civilization had it's Michaelangelo, surely she would have been his subject and model!

Below, a press kit publicity photo of the star-crossed, yet ill-fated, lovers.

And lastly, a scan of a color 8 x 10 photo from my scrapbook.

Finally, below is a pencil drawing I did of Zira about 1974 or thereabouts; I was about 15 at the time.

We'll see more of the First Lady of the Apes on this blog as time goes by, you can be sure of that!

1978 Star Wars Poster magazine #10

2009-06-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

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This 1978 poster magazine from my collection is especially valuable to me due to the personal autograph I have on it from the man behind the voice of Vader, James Earl Jones! I was working at a radio station in 1987 in West Virginia when he was there filming "Matewan," based on a true story that happened in a mining town in the Mountain State. Filming was taking place in a park that had an exhibition mine open for tours, and word reached us that he was coming to the station the next day for a live interview. I took this issue as well as a SW poster of Vader, and he was kind enough to autograph them both for me.

He was a great guy, very gracious, and it was an honor to meet him. It was made even more memorable because he came in full miner's costume, on a break fron the set! I only regret that I had no picture made of me with him. I guess I didn't want to impose too much on him, considering the little time he had there.

Below are the rest of the pages of this 31 year-old magazine, inside and back. I thought you might enjoy seeing the rest of it, if you don't have it!

Did you have, or do you still have, any of the toys depicted above? I bought my 7 year old little brother the landspeeder and blaster pistol for Christmas.

Below is a snapshot of the inside poster, which was too big to scan without messing up.

And as a bonus, from one of my five other blogs, "Held Over!" here's an earlier post of a full-page ad for the re-release (based on the artwork above), clipped by me from the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel on Friday, July 21, 1978.

Exciting times when I clipped this!

1987 "Newsweek" Robocop article

2009-06-26T04:58:00.001-07:00

July 20, 1987 Newsweek article that I clipped on the upcoming "Robocop," a clever and violent film populated by fun-to-watch actors. The back-stabbing world of corporate big business and greed give one a plethora of villains to cheer as each gets well-deserved punishment from the very entity they helped to create. This fresh take on "Frankenstein" turns the tables as the creature is good and the creator despicable.

A clipping from a Ft. Lauderdale, FL newspaper around 1992, as Robocop visits some kids to terrorize the tykes into not taking drugs.

June 1989 "Time" article on Batman movie

2009-06-24T17:31:00.001-07:00

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"Time" magazine article on Batman from June 19, 1989.

It's very hard to believe that it was twenty years ago last Tuesday, June 23rd, Tim Burton's breakthrough Batman movie opened. It just doesn't seem like that long to me. But it has been, and I've seen nothing online commemorating that in my (admittedly limited) web browsing. It was looking through stuff to post on my "Held Over!" blog, posted the first Batman movie ad, then realised: "Holy Coincidence, Batman!" I was only off one day in posting it 20 years after it premiered! So, here are a few items from the old scrapbooks. starting off with the most mainstream of venues, "Time" magazine.

A couple of articles from the local WV newspaper where I lived at the time it came out...

This was only lucky dude in the clipping below, but the car had no engine! I wonder what he ever did with it... probably sold it to some collector or museum. What good is a Batmobile if you can't hop in and tool around town after dark?

Below, from USA Today, a trio of Jokers yuk it up in line waiting for the movie to open.

Here's the newspaper ad I posted over on "Held Over!"

Below you'll see one of the press kit publicity photos for the movie.

Planet of the Apes TV show premiere (Updated)

2009-06-24T05:23:00.001-07:00

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Above, the TV Guide Fall '74 spotlight section highlighted the new shows, and POTA and Night Stalker were both of great interest to me, and are the ones I clipped out and saved.

September 13, 1974 was a red letter date, as it was the premiere of the most anticipated (by me) show just about ever. I was a tender skinny lad of 15, and the Apes movies had fascinated me, even though up to that point I had only recently managed to catch the first on TV in Florida while babysitting a neighboorhood kid (a situation that enabled me to catch many good movies on Saturday nights and even get paid for it). But, the POTA magazine by Marvel had just come out, and it was my main connection to the simian phenomenon. I made sure I got each issue no matter what. I'll be posting cover art, stories and comics from it quite often on this blog in the future.

Below, an ad from the same issue of TV Guide about the show. Since it was so difficult for me to see the movies, the TV show made it a whole lot easier to visit the Ape planet, and whenever I spent the weekend at Grandma's house, which was a lot that year, I was able to catch it, which elated me beyond words.

Next, a local television guide supplement in the Macon Telegraph (GA) supplied me with an ad...

...as well as an article, which I quickly clipped and put in between the pages of Apes section of my scrapbook. That section grew quite rapidly that year, for sure. Also pictured in the same page scan are some other snippets and articles from the same time period.

As with Star Trek, I was always on the alert for Apes article in any kind of magazine, tabloid or newspaper. My keen eye spotted a teen "Flip" magazine, which the cover had a text blurb that there there was an Apes article inside!!! And the article had exclamation marks after every sentence, sometimes in multiples!!! OMG!!! Embarrassed, but undeterred, I bought the mag, apologetically telling the clerk (who could care less!) that I was picking it up for my (non-existent!) sister!!! Once home, the article and photo was very quickly cut out and in my scrapbook, while the offensive teen mag was relegated to the bottom of the outside trashcan... lest it be found by my stepdad, who would have raised a real ruckus over it had he found it!!! Then, there would have been a lot of exclamation marks as he yelled!!! (Whew.)

Besides the trading cards, which I'll post images of often in the future, one of the bigger and more exciting items associated with the show was the novelizations that came out. Below is the front and back covers of the first one, which adapted two of the episodes.

It was with true joy that I snatched up the POTA series DVD set a couple of years back, and sometimes I will devote an evening to "the 70's" and watch an episode of "Apes," Kung Fu," and "Kolchack" back to back and lift my glass of blue creme soda to the memory of Grandma, who allowed me to have the freedom a kid deserves, to pursue and enjoy the things that interested me the most.

Here's a neat POTA TV show fan site that you'll enjoy visiting.

1979 "Newsweek" Superman: The Movie article

2009-06-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

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Check out the full-page newspaper ad I featured over on my other blog, "Held Over!"

"The Outer Limits" article

2009-06-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Monster Times, that wonderful newspaper-format magazine of my youth, came out with a magazine-format special in 1973. How well I remember ordering it from an earlier issue of the paper, then getting it in the mail a few weeks later when I went to spend the weekend at my Grandma's house (where I had everything like that delivered to protect it from my step-dad.)

The special magazine issue was mostly devoted to Star Trek, but there were other articles about many of the sci-fi TV shows that had come out in previous years. The Trek article you will find soon on my blog "My Star Trek Scrapbook" but you'll find some of the others here, like this one.

Outlaws of the Moon cover

2009-06-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

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A 1968 paperback reprint of the original 1942 book by Edmond Hamilton, which is part of the Captain future series. This is a scan of my copy which I bought at a used bookstore in 1971.

I always enjoyed these old-fashioned pulp-style sci-fi book covers, almost as much as the story within, so I thought you might enjoy seeing some of them here too.

1978 Quark TV show articles

2009-06-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

(Click on images to view large sized scans.)

Sponsored by Glad Trash Bags. Hefty, hefty, hefty!

Although few seem to remember it, the short-lived TV series "Quark" was a favorite of mine. It ran only three months, from February to March of 1978. Like "Star Trek" on laughing gas, it parodied not only that show but sci-fi movies as well. (Visit the Quark wiki page for more info.)
Below, a still from the pilot, which featured a character dropped for the regular series; Dr. O. B. Mudd was a crusty, eccentric scientist that was replaced by the Mr. Spock-like Ficus, to much better effect.

Below is an article I clipped from the Macon (GA) Herald TV guide supplement, on February 24, 1978.

The characters were a lot of fun to watch and interacted humorously with each other: the put-upon and unappreciated Adam Quark, commanding the garbage ship; his genius and emotionless first officer Ficus, who is a humanoid plant from Vegeton; the identical Bettys (one is a clone, but it is unknown which) who navigate the ship and are hopelessly in love with Quark; Gene/Jean the engineer, a transmute who is constantly switching back and forth between male and female personalities; and Andy, the cowardly swearing robot.

Ficus enjoyed listening to "Classicial Music To Make Your Plants Grow" in his off-duty time.

The scanned crew photo at the top of this post was one I acquired at a movie/TV show collectables store in Florida in 1979, and put it in my scrapbook. The article below is from Famous Monsters #144 from June 1978. Sadly, the show had been cancelled by the time the article was published!

Something I hoped for, but I never expected to see, was the recent DVD release, which I snapped up immediately and have enjoyed since. One thing that hampered the show was a near-nonexistent effects budget, so this would be a nice one to see remastered with updated effects! Maybe some fan could take this on and make available online? Anyone? (Crickets chirp.) I guess not.

I have a number of other magazine articles and clippings which I'll post in the future, so keep an eye out (like O.B. Mudd) for more Quark!

1977 "Time" Star Wars article

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The article posted this time was clipped by me from the May 30, 1977 issue of Time magazine. I had been following the articles in various other magazines with interest, like Starlog and Famous Monsters. But this was the first in a mainstream publication that I had found, and it came out the same week the movie did, before I or most people had seen it. Hope you enjoy this look back to a time when it was possible to read something fresh and new about Star Wars before it became the phenomenon that it did.

Looking at that photo of Kenny Baker made me realise that it was a good thing he wasn't claustrophobic in the least, or he would have been in trouble!

Also, don't forget to visit my other fun genre blogs: "My Star Trek Scrapbook," "My Monster Memories," "Held Over!" newspaper movie ads, and "Sweet Skulls." Between "Fantastic Flashbacks" and the others, the Fred blogging experience is a sensory overload of nostalgic goodness!

Welcome to My Newest Blog!

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(Click on images to view full-size.)

"Hey, look! Our magazine is featured this time on "Fantastic Flashbacks!"

Greetings, fellow sci-fi fans! You're probably coming here from a link on one of my other blogs, like "My Monster Memories," "My Star Trek Scrapbook," or maybe "Held Over!" which features old movie ads. One thing that they all have in common with this one it that they focus on particular areas of interest that I have had since being a kid.

A cool lenticular 3D postcard, I bought at a roadside souvenir shop in the 60's.

Science Fiction, in whatever form it may take, has always been an interest, so I had to create a blog to spotlight all the cool stuff I've collected over the years in that category. Memorabila from movies, TV shows, magazines, trading cards, comics, book, cartoons, whatever.... if I saved something about one of those that I liked, it will show up here eventually. One of my big loves over the years has been the Planet of the Apes movies and their spin-offs, so you'll see quite a bit of those items. (And you'll learn of my infatuation with Zira. ) Likewise, superheroes have always held an attraction for me, and since most of those fall under the heading of science-fiction in some way, they'll be featured often as well.

"Check out these pecs!"

So, put on your space helmet, strap yourself in, and enjoy the journey to the future's past. It's gonna be a retro-rockets blast!

Waldo was different from all the other gorillas in the crowd.

Below is a recent photo of my three collection cabinets open to show the contents...

So you see, there's no fear of running out of interesting things to post (on ANY of my blogs) any time soon!