Superman 2 FX Behind The Scenes

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.

Forbidden Planet: Entry Two

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

(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!

1975 "Cracked" Planet Of The Apes TV show spoof

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.

1990 Starlog article on Kim Hunter (Zira)

(Click on images to view larger size.)

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!

June 1989 "Time" article on Batman movie

(Click on images to view larger version.)

"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.