1995 - TV Guide Covers Beatles Anthology

15 years ago, TV Guide magazine was relevant to our household.

I'm so old, I remember standing in line before midnight at a Best Buy to buy the Anthology, Volume 1 CDs!  By the time the next two volumes came out, the hype was gone.

See you on Monday!
 

This Is How It Happened!

With the participation of Gene Roddenberry and dozens of Star Trek staff and stars, the next two volumes in the DEFINITIVE chronicle of the history of Star Trek and its creator are available NOW!

This volume will tell you about the many abortive efforts to revive Trek (and other travails in GR's creative life).  Paramount knew it had something in Trek,but couldn't figure out how to maximize it.  Plus, GR and the stars were being factored into and out of the project so many times that this book is the vital scorecard you'll need!

You'll learn all about the "Phase II" TV series which was slated to establish Paramount as the fourth TV network.  You'll read script treatments for the series and wonder why in the world Paramount dithered.

You'll learn (nearly) more than you could want to know about the chaotic, unbelievable genesis of STAR TREK: The Motion Picture in this mighty tome.  You'll be thankful that a finished film emerged from this chaotic genesis.

Not only that, you'll get to read a chapter from moi about only SOME of the merchandising for the film, and a section I wrote on the fantabulous Jerry Goldsmith score.

My friend Marc Cushman has once again uncovered contemporaneous reviews and news coverage, and interwoven it with interviews and commentary from the stars, creators, and crew.

The best part?  I get to read it first, as book editor!

Take it from me ... you really want to learn the wonderful stories, facts, and (mostly) serious recollections which stuff these books.

Jacobs/Brown Press

See you on Thursday with something almost as exciting ...

 

STAR TREK: The Motion Picture Promo Quiz

As part of their promotional push for STAR TREK: The Motion Picture, the guys at Paramount spent about a gazillion dollars on giveaways.

Some of that largesse made its way to the Oklahoma City Journal, which on December 3, 1979, ran a STAR TREK "Trivia Quiz."

I'm sure that the publicity flaks at the Journal recked not with the fanaticism of fanboys and -girls like me and other friends.  Above you can read my three pages of answers, including scholarly citations.

On December 11, the winners were named.  We were invited to stop by the Journal offices which I did with alacrity.

If the winners are ranked by levels of unnecessary detail, then I was outranked ONLY by the future Thunderchief himself, Larry Nemecek, then of Ada.  The late Tammy Bothel, of STAR OKC, was another winner.

And what did we win?

Well, I was invited to take TWO treasures from the stash at the Journal offices.  I chose the above STTMP poster, and the belt buckle seen below.

In the 40 years since its acquisition by inquisition, you can tell that we've had a bit of wear and tear on ol' Kirk and Spock.

Well, that wraps up this year's month of TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS!  See you back here on Monday for a fresh, steamin' pile of ... yet to be determined.

PS:
You can read all about STTMP, including a chapter I wrote about its merchandising, in the brand-new book These Are the Voyages: Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek in the 1970s, Volume 3: 1978-80.
 

NEWS FLASH: Great Bird of the Galaxy Dead, Hates Kirk Anyway

On October 26, 1991, Gene Roddenberry knew for sure whether he had been correct in denying and mocking the idea of a Supreme Being.

In this article you learn that GR didn't like that the Star Trek he imagined wasn't the Star Trek people got to know.  When you put it this way, such resentment sounds silly.  Every creation to find a wide audience becomes "compromised" from its "original" intent, due to the audience's influence on the creators or presenters.

See you back here on Friday the 31st for our final installment of this month's TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS!  Don't worry, there are still more than 150 more unshared tit-bits for future visits!
 

TREK Cartoons 03

These are all courtesy of Kevin Fagan's Drabble.  And they're all from 1985, as clipped by a wonderful mother who indulged too many of her youngest's obsessions.

 April 12, 1985 is above.

 Above is April 19, 1985.

And the last is from April 21, 1985.

See you on Wednesday for our penultimate installment of TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS!
 

Big Bucks in TREK

 The above article looks forward to expected revenue for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

 In 1982, licensors are looking for bootlegs!

In 1998, STTNG was just another cash cow.

 From later in 1988, Paramount execs discuss other ways to drain fans' bank accounts.

And from a 1991 TV Guide.  They call it trivia; some doofus will declare it a necessity!

Can't you see?  They're counting on you falling for the "collectability" conspiracy!

See you on Monday with even more TREK cartoons from magazines and newspapers.
 

Can You "Spin Off" in Space?

From 1993.

See you Friday for a look at big bucks, Star Trek style!
   

TREK Cartoons 02 - Editorials

Yep, editorial cartoonists find Star Trek an easy source of metaphors.

Some feel the Equal Rights Amendment is still in need of ratification.  Personally I think it has been superseded by recent Supreme Court decisions, etc.  This wasn't the case in 1982, when the above cartoon appeared.

I have a feeling that this cartoon from 1984 is a bit overshadowed.  The federal budget deficit was $2.7 trillion in the first nine months of fiscal year 2020.

Our last selection, from 1992, shows Jesse Jackson (not "Jessie") shooting for the moon.  Was it profiling, or just artistic shorthand, to align Jackson with Geordie La Forge?

See you on Wednesday for more out-of-this world clippings!
  

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!