Regarding music posts: PLEASE NOTE that since my previous host FileFactory has made itself useless, I am slowly but surely updating to DRIME. Please be patient, and email me with comments or questions to msuperfan1956@gmail.com – note that comments sent through Blogger DO NOT allow a personal response.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Quick, Henry, the Flit! - MA-26 - Break -Ins from Beyond


The title of this post is a joking reference to an ad campaign for Flit insecticide.  Did you know that Doctor Seuss did some ads for this product campaign, early in his career?

Anyway, the topic of today's compilation is invaders from space.  We're gonna need a bigger aerosol of Flit! (or fly-swatter).

Most of these records are formatted as break-ins.  Dickie Goodman was an early instigator.

Here's the list:


1 -    Marty on the Planet Mars Part 1   Martty  1954
2 -    Marty on the Planet Mars Part 2   Martty  1954
3 -    Santa and the Satellite Part 1  Buchanan and Goodman       1957
4 - Santa and the Satellite Part 2  Buchanan and Goodman 1957
5 - Destination Love Jan Davis 1958
6 - The Outer Space Looters Part 1 The Mad Martians 1958
7 - The Outer Space Looters Part 2 The Mad Martians 1958
8 - Flying Saucer the 3rd Buchanan and Goodman 1959
9 - Blast Off! Jimmie Haskell and His Orchestra 1959
10 - Comic Strip Rock N Roll   Robert Ashley 1959
11 - Space Ship Dickie Goodman 1960
12 - Santa and the Touchables Dickie Goodman 1961
13 - Moon Gas Dick Hyman and Mary Mayo 1963
14 - The Flying Saucer Chickenman 1966
15 - Luna Trip Dickie Goodman 1969
16 - London, London Ceatano Veloso 1971
17 - Spaceship Spontaneous Combustion 1973
18 - Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft Klaatu 1976
19 - Hey ET Dicklie Goodman 1982
20 - The Martian Boogie Brownsville Station 1977
21 - The Ballad of William Robinson Bill Mumy 1997
22 - Return of the Flying Saucer Jon Goodman 1997
23 - I Took A Trip on a Gemini Spaceship David Bowie 2002
24 - UFO Darryl Rhoades 2005
25 - le flying saucer hat Chairlift 2008
26 - Flying Saucers Breakfast in Fur 2009


https://www.filefactory.com/file/2zxkxxkay52u/MA-26.rar


Monday, January 12, 2015

A Perfect End to the Tilt-a-Whirl Tale of TV’s STAR TREK




            These Are the Voyages:  TOS Season Three is finally in release!  This monumental book series by Marc Cushman illuminates the background and creation of the world-bestriding colossus that is Star Trek.

            The reason these books take so long to produce is the miles-deep research involved.  Over a span of years (and in some instances, decades), Cushman was able to interview the principal creators, and also achieved access to tons of studio paperwork, story proposals, casting lists, budget memos, and other original documents.

            He puts this together with contemporary press coverage and retrospective quotations from cast and crew, and, hey presto! the answer to every TREK or pop culture fan’s dream!

            We have in-depth descriptions of each episode’s genesis, development, and production; narratives of crew and cast changes; and for me the most interesting of all, the part telling the day-to-day stuff.  We learn how much time was spent on this stage or that; the changes in a character’s name or which directors were sure-footed or floundering; and about a gazillion other details that make you feel like a tribble on the wall.

            As I noted in my reviews of the first two books in this series, another mind-blower is the inclusion (and explanation) of the TV ratings for Star Trek’s NBC run.  Contrary to the popular narrative that Trek flopped in the ratings, we are shown that nearly every week, the show either won or took second place in one or both of its half-hour segments.  My own conclusion is that show creator Gene Roddenberry was too much of an irritant to NBC, Desilu, and Paramount executives.  (Read these books for plenty of ammunition for this opinion.) 

            As I wrote in 2013 to Marc about this topic:  “GR’s behavior once again proves that, while some idols have feet of clay, others replace clay with something more nasty.  This kind of behavior – me-first; willing to cross ethical and legal boundaries to benefit yourself; fire good, loyal, devoted employees to install others you like better – makes me sad.”

            Also, Star Trek was (of course) an expensive show to produce, nearly bankrupting Desilu before the production company was sold to Paramount.  So, the factors of expense plus “that darn Roddenberry” and his rebellious attitude were a couple of the major factors that doomed the series.

            As I pronounced when I encountered the first book, “TOS One,” this is going to be the primary research document for future researchers.  The only thing to be wished for is an index of names.  But, so loaded is every page, any index would be about as long as the book! 

            Now,  I consider myself an original Trekker.  I watched the show on NBC and in syndication; I taped episode audio from TV speakers on my “cassette-corder”;  I’ve had TREK nonfiction published in several volumes of the “Best of TREK” book series;  I have about a hundred books and magazines concerning the whole TREK thing.



            Still, I can about open any of these books at random, point a finger on any page, and find something I didn’t know.

            You cannot be knowledgeable about TV production in the 1960s, and about the peculiarly American phenomenon known as Star Trek, unless you have read these books.

            TRUTH IN REVIEWING:  I am an editor for this book series.

 

Monday, January 05, 2015

Memory Lane -- STARLOG #12, March 1978 -- "STAR TREK II" TV Series

At this point in time, STAR WARS had splashed, and Paramount decided that the cancelled little TV show Star Trek might be a good way to cash in on the craze, if they could get it out of mothballs fast enough.

So, the TV show that never was (one of thousands of course), began development.  'Twas to be called Star Trek II.







And note the ad on the last page for one of Shatner's methods to cash in on the fever!  Of course, the only "limited" in  the phrase"Limited Collector's Edition" referred to the amount of orders they received!

Happy 2015! 

 
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