Almost TREK

If you've read this breathless 1974 flying-saucer tome, then you've seen an example of what I call "Almost TREK."

Specifically, the top-right image looks like an out-of-focus AMT Enterprise model.  And the bottom pair of photos from Sky Lab III look like the Enterprise without its saucer.

From JC Penney's 1980 Christmas catalog, here's another suspiciously evocative shape.

Cropped from a big display ad in the September 24, 1982 Daily Oklahoma, this TV sold by Dillard's department store wanted you to space out!

This is from the June 6, 1988 Daily Oklahoman.  The saucer section is from a Star Trek: The Next Generation model.  You tell me what the bottom is -- looks like a US space shuttle shrinkwrapped with a Frisbee.

Anyway, all of these images are ... Almost TREK.

See you back here on Monday for some more cartoons referencing Star Trek.
  

Marriage Drama (or Trauma) -- and a TREK Movie Preview

Yes, from January 17, 1989, we learn that Leonard Nimoy stiffed his TREK costars by getting married without their company.

But on the bright side, here's a peek at Star Trek V:

What do you think?  Is it likely the rebel will find Heaven and God?  Hmmmm ...
 
Stay tuned!  See you on Friday for more scrapings from the scrapbooks.
 

TREK Cartoons #1

They all require familiarity with Star Trek tropes to be "funny."

Only you can decide how funny they might be!

See you back here on Wednesday for some breathless news, courtesy of the National Enquirer!

Nimoy's Second Turn in "Vincent" in OKC

1980:  After an April earlier stop in his Vincent tour, Leonard Nimoy came back in September to do it again.  Of course the wife and I were there again, along with two friends.

When Nimoy was here in April, we'd stalked him to his hotel for autographs.

This time we simply watched the OTHER stalkers mob him, on the way to his car.  Note the driver figuratively shrugging his shoulders.  Nimoy is in the white shirt at the center, signing autographs for the hoi polloi.

Of course, everybody loved the show.

  

See you on Monday for more Trekkish shenanigans!

  

STAR TREK II Newspaper Ads

Talk about a countdown to excitement!  From May 31-June 2, 1982.  You may note that the last two ads both appeared in Wednesday's paper.  Nothing on Thursday, the day before the movie's opening.  To build our suspense maybe?

See you on Friday!

  

I Set Up George Takei's Autograph Table!

 Yes, when I saw the above article in the August 25, 1978 Oklahoman, I got the high sign from the beautiful wife to attend.

 Being a punctual type, I got there early.  Early enough, in fact, to interact with George and to pitch in when he was not being taken care of by the so-called event organizers.  George was there with people gathering and nothing set up.  I asked him where he wanted to set up and dragged a table over to his designated area.

As you can see, in the era before PCs and desktop publishing, a hand-drawn sign informed fans that George Takei was here and he was signing autographs.  I got an autograph too.

See you Wednesday for the next stage in TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS!
 

This Just In: Roddenberry Surprised!

This reminds me of the most common (and therefore STUPID) question I hear asked of Trek stars:  "Did you have any idea in __ [insert year here] that xxx years later we would still be talking about Star Trek?"

Why of course, madam.  And I expect one of my bowel movements to be gold-plated and placed into the Smithsonian imminently.

See you on Monday for more gosh-wow visions of surprising success!
 

Welcome to TREKKING with CLIPPINGS!

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this month we'll be sharing some of the scrapings from the floor of my scrapbooks of Star Trek clippings from magazines and newspapers.

From June 20, 1977, the Oklahoman reports.

  See you on Friday!

Compare Your Car Repair

Among the papers found in our parents' houses were these two receipts for car repairs, from 1947.

Above: March 12, 1947.  According to Cash Car Buyer, "The average cost of head gasket repair is around $1,100 to $2,100."  Feel free to calculate a "repair price inflation rate" from that amount!

And this is from May 10, 1947.

See you on Monday, when we'll begin Trekking with Clipping, a month of Star Trek articles from my too-big scrapbooks of Trek nonsense.
 

Missing Pieces from 1983

Who else remembers Video Review magazine?  It was one of several periodicals competing for the home-video enthusiasts' buck.  These mags hyped upcoming releases, talked about camcorders and basic editing issues, and sold sketchy tech in the classifieds.

 Of course, video enhancers were never intended to forestall signal degradation when making your own copies of material.  Oh, no.

Above are two examples of the techno-wizardry offered, from 1984 issues.

The following article, from the February, 1983 issue, talks about TV edits, added footage, and the like.  Nerdy heaven!

If you're a REAL nerdy type, you can compare this article with the Special Edition Blu-rays or DVDs on your home shelf and think about all the once-rare treasures you now possess!

See you next Monday, friends!

  

Playground Folklore, from a 1977 Scholarly Angle

This "review of the literature" is from the May 1977 English Journal.  It caught my eye because I too shared gutter-type versions of rhymes.  Usually these were smart-aleck variations on other common bits of grade-school culture.

"Branded -- marked with a coward's name!  What will you do when you're branded?  Will you fight for your name?"
-- became:
"Stranded -- stranded on the toilet bowl!  What will you do when you're stranded, and you can't find a roll?"

What schoolyard ditties to you wish to share?
 

From 1971, It's Rat man and Boobin!

I am 85% certain that I got this poster from my beautiful older sister Sue.  It's been tacked up in our hallway for 20+ years.

According to minutiae around its periphery,

it's from Sunset Marketing, dated 1971.

It's got a catalog number and tagline.  However, these would only show if the poster were rolled up with the image outward, which might be rough on the printing!

You can try to decipher the signature, or you can read the nitty-gritty from the Center for the Study of Political Graphics.  As of right now you can buy one "near mint" for $139.95.

All I can say is, thank God we live in a country where such rampant free speech and dissent are allowed -- whether you agree with it or not.  And whether you like or dislike whichever "superhero" or "supervillain" -- your choice -- may be leading the dance at this moment.

See you next Monday!

  

WATCHPANELS, Part the Seventh

One compulsive reader’s observations ...

after gazing into Watchmen for the umpteenth time

PART THE SEVENTH

All right, I’ve got photons in my teeth and my wrist brace on ...

           On page 2, the chapter title is in quotation marks in the comic, but has no quotation marks in bound versions.

            What is Laurie holding in her right hand?  Maybe it’s a “pack” of tobacco balls, as in Janey Slater’s “three packs a day” in 3:6:3?

In the first panel of page 10, both of Laurie’s hands are in “Curt Swan style” – reference my blog post http://markssuperblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/curt-swan-gave-us-fingers.html?m=0

Panel 3 of page 11 Dan's Kitchen Clock.  As seen in 3:8:6, Dan’s kitchen clock is on 24-hour time.  17:58 = 5:58PM.

 Page 13:  In Watchmen’s New York, there’s an Astrodome, although on our Earth it’s in Houston.  On the other hand, the fact that the announcer specifies “the New York Astrodome” here and on the next page implies there MIGHT be more than one.

Likewise on page 13:  In Annotated Watchmen, Leslie Klinger makes a silly statement.  He says, “The song playing is part of Dan’s record collection.”  Where does this left-field guess come from?  Where in Watchmen are we provided with a list of Dan’s records?

 MORE TO THE POINT:  It seems that Klinger wasn’t paying attention.  It is obvious that “Unforgettable” is coming from the TV, the soundtrack music for A DANG TV COMMERCIAL.  The “voice balloon” of the song is even pointing to the TV screen in panels 8 and 9 – and referenced in the commercial’s voiceover on 1^st panel of the next page.

On page 20, When Dan says “get myself straight,” does he know that it’s a common druggie term for “smoothing things out” by getting a fix?

Page 23:  Now we see the New York Astrodome for ourselves.

In the supplemental material at the back, we are meant to assume that the “sick friend in Maine,” whom Dan was visiting, was Byron Lewis, Mothman, on behalf of Hollis Mason.

The bound versions do not have this paperclipped note about “next issue.”  Further, note that the paperclipped note misspells the paper’s name as Frontiersmen, not “-man.”

            Seven chapters down, five to go!  Buckle your owl-belts, kiddies!

See you next Monday for who-knows-what?!?