RetroFan #11 by TwoMorrows Publishing

November 2020 No. 11 $9.95

Why can’t I get a date?

SUPERMAN’S FREAKY PAL, JIMMY OLSEN

Interview with

David Selby Dark Shadows’ Quentin Collins

Who is... The Niece of Frankenstein?

Kolchak: The Night Stalker

u vent d A TV’s

an erm p u fS res o

Casper • Rod Serling • Scratch models • Quisp and Quake & more! 1

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FEATURING <right> Ernest Farino • Andy Mangels • Will Murray • Scott Saavedra • Scott Shaw! • Michael Eury

RetroFan: The Pop Culture You Grew Up With! If you love Pop Culture of the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties, editor MICHAEL EURY’s latest magazine is just for you!

RETROFAN #11

HALLOWEEN ISSUE! Interviews with DARK SHADOWS’ Quentin Collins, DAVID SELBY, and the niece of movie Frankenstein GLENN STRANGE, JULIE ANN REAMS. Plus: KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER, ROD SERLING retrospective, CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST, TV’s Adventures of Superman, Superman’s pal JIMMY OLSEN, QUISP and QUAKE cereals, the DRAK PAK AND THE MONSTER SQUAD, scratch model customs, and more fun, fab features! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

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Hollywood interviewer CHRIS MANN goes behind the scenes of TV’s sexy sitcom THREE’S COMPANY—and NANCY MORGAN RITTER, first wife of JOHN RITTER, shares stories about the TV funnyman. Plus: RICK GOLDSCHMIDT’s making of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, RONNIE SCHELL interview, Sheena Queen of the TV Jungle, Dr. Seuss toys, Popeye cartoons, DOCTOR WHO’s 1960s U.S. invasion, and more fun, fab features! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Dec. 2020 Look for #13 in February 2021!

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Interviews with MeTV’s crazy creepster SVENGOOLIE and Eddie Munster himself, BUTCH PATRICK! Call on the original Saturday Morning GHOST BUSTERS, with BOB BURNS! Uncover the nutty NAUGAS! Plus: “My Life in the Twilight Zone,” “I Was a Teenage James Bond,” “My Letters to Famous People,” the ARCHIE-DOBIE GILLIS connection, Pinball Hall of Fame, Alien action figures, Rubik’s Cube & more!

With a JACLYN SMITH interview, as we reopen the Charlie’s Angels Casebook, and visit the Guinness World Records’ largest Charlie’s Angels collection. Plus: interview with LARRY STORCH, The Lone Ranger in Hollywood, The Dick Van Dyke Show, a vintage interview with Jonny Quest creator DOUG WILDEY, a visit to the Land of Oz, the ultra-rare Marvel World superhero playset, and more!

NOW BI-MONTHLY! Interviews with the ’60s grooviest family band THE COWSILLS, and TV’s coolest mom JUNE LOCKHART! Mars Attacks!, MAD Magazine in the ’70s, Flintstones turn 60, Electra Woman & Dyna Girl, Honey West, Max Headroom, Popeye Picnic, the Smiley Face fad, & more! With MICHAEL EURY, ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, and SCOTT SHAW!

NOW BI-MONTHLY! Interviews with ’70s’ Captain America REB BROWN, and Captain Nice (and Knight Rider’s KITT) WILLIAM DANIELS with wife BONNIE BARTLETT! Plus: Coloring Books, Fall Previews for Saturday morning cartoons, The Cyclops movie, actors behind your favorite TV commercial characters, BENNY HILL, the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, 8-track tapes, and more!

NOW BI-MONTHLY! Celebrating fifty years of SHAFT, interviews with FAMILY AFFAIR’s KATHY GARVER and The Brady Bunch Variety Hour’s GERI “FAKE JAN” REISCHL, ED “BIG DADDY” ROTH, rare GODZILLA merchandise, Spaghetti Westerns, Saturday morning cartoon preview specials, fake presidential candidates, Spider-Man/The Spider parallels, Stuckey’s, and more fun, fab features!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

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LOU FERRIGNO interview, The Phantom in Hollywood, Filmation’s STAR TREK CARTOON, “How I Met LON CHANEY, JR.”, goofy comic Zody the Mod Rob, Mego’s rare ELASTIC HULK toy, RetroTravel to Mount Airy, NC (the real-life Mayberry), interview with BETTY LYNN (“Thelma Lou” of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW), TOM STEWART’s eclectic House of Collectibles, and MR. MICROPHONE!

Horror-hosts ZACHERLEY, VAMPIRA, SEYMOUR, MARVIN, and an interview with our cover-featured ELVIRA! THE GROOVIE GOOLIES, BEWITCHED, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, and THE MUNSTERS! The long-buried Dinosaur Land amusement park! History of BEN COOPER HALLOWEEN COSTUMES, character lunchboxes, superhero VIEW-MASTERS, SINDY (the British Barbie), and more!

Interview with SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE director RICHARD DONNER, IRWIN ALLEN’s sci-fi universe, Saturday morning’s undersea adventures of Aquaman, horror and sci-fi zines of the Sixties and Seventies, Spider-Man and Hulk toilet paper, RetroTravel to METROPOLIS, IL (home of the Superman Celebration), SEAMONKEYS®, FUNNY FACE beverages, Superman/Batman memorabilia, & more!

Interviews with SHAZAM! TV show’s JOHN (Captain Marvel) DAVEY and MICHAEL (Billy Batson) Gray, the GREEN HORNET in Hollywood, remembering monster maker RAY HARRYHAUSEN, the way-out Santa Monica Pacific Ocean Amusement Park, a Star Trek Set Tour, SAM J. JONES on the Spirit movie pilot, British sci-fi TV classic THUNDERBIRDS, Casper & Richie Rich museum, the KING TUT fad, and more!

Interviews with MARK HAMILL & Greatest American Hero’s WILLIAM KATT! Blast off with JASON OF STAR COMMAND! Stop by the MUSEUM OF POPULAR CULTURE! Plus: “The First Time I Met Tarzan,” MAJOR MATT MASON, MOON LANDING MANIA, SNUFFY SMITH AT 100 with cartoonist JOHN ROSE, TV Dinners, Celebrity Crushes, and more fun, fab features!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

The Crazy Cool Culture We Grew Up With

CONTENTS Issue #11 November 2020 27

Columns and Special Features

Retro Interview Dark Shadows’ David Selby

Oddball World of Scott Shaw! Quisp and Quake’s cereal war

Retro Heroes Kolchak: The Night Stalker

Ernest Farino’s Retro Fantasmagoria TV’s Adventures of Superman

57 63 51

Departments

Retrotorial

RetroFad The Pet Rock

Oddball World of Scott Shaw! EXTRA “My Hero Was Rat Fink’s Big Daddy!”

Scott Saavedra’s Secret Sanctum Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen

Too Much TV Quiz

Celebrity Crushes

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon Who Created Casper the Friendly Ghost?

Retro Television Rod Serling, In and Out of The Twilight Zone

Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning Cartoon Preview Specials, Part Three

Retro Interview Julie Ann Ream, the Niece of Frankenstein (Glenn Strange)

RetroFan™ #11, November 2020. Published bimonthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: RetroFan, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 112 Fairmount Way, New Bern, NC 28562. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $67 Economy US, $101 International, $27 Digital.

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Super Collector Retrofitting Your Collectibles by Wesley Voyles

RetroFanmail

ReJECTED RetroFan fantasy cover by Scott Saavedra

Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Dark Shadows © Dan Curtis Productions. Superman and Jimmy Olsen © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2020 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING. ISSN 2576-7224

by Michael Eury

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow CONTRIBUTORS Michael Eury Ernest Farino Dan Johnson Rod Labbe Andy Mangels Will Murray Nicholas Parisi Lon Rovner Scott Saavedra Scott Shaw! Bill Spangler Wesley Voyles DESIGNER Scott Saavedra PROOFREADER Rob Smentek SPECIAL THANKS DJ Adie Gary Browning Dan Curtis Productions DC Comics James Chambers Mark Dawidziak Mark Evanier Steve Friedman Joe Gentile Michael Hayde Heritage Auctions Jim Pierson Brigid Reardon Tom Ruegger Rose Rummel-Eury Claudis Selby Stephen Sansweet Pete Vilmur VERY SPECIAL THANKS Julie Ann Ream David Selby

“Non-essential worker.” That’s the designation I bear as I write this in May 2020, being temporarily unemployed in a pandemic-created editorial production slowdown that has shuttered the comic-book business (publisher TwoMorrows’ main market) and its distribution network. Even Barnes & Noble, the mainstream outlet for this magazine, with its stores closed due to precautions against the spread of coronavirus, rejected both RetroFan #9 and 10 from the distributor since those issues’ cover dates would be expired by the time B&N could reopen to display them. Obviously, the professionals who brave possible infection to go to work each day—including medical and emergency-response personnel—and the retail workers who toil through long shifts to provide goods for fearful and sometimes churlish shoppers deserve kudos for offering services that are undeniably essential. But after having some extra time on my hands during these months of home isolation (where I’ve rediscovered my affection for Leave It to Beaver, not that you asked…), I’ve come to realize that my job as this magazine’s editor and a contributing writer is, in its own way, essential, as are the jobs of the writers, designer, publisher, and printers who help produce RetroFan. Judging from the social-media explosion of enthusiasm issue #9 garnered upon its May 2020 release, many of you agree. No, we’re not saving lives by publishing RetroFan, but we’re sure as heck enriching them. For Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, plus purveyors of pop culture of more recent vintage, RetroFan’s funky fallout shelter of kitschy nostalgia is more essential than ever before. The pandemic is threatening our traditional distribution venues, so if you don’t want to miss an issue of RetroFan, I urge you to subscribe. Subscription info can be found at the bottom of page 1 and elsewhere in this issue. And what an issue this is! Just look at that mesmerizing cover! Dark Shadows’ own Quentin Collins, the immensely talented and approachable David Selby, is both hunky and horrific, reminding me of when, as a grade-school kid, I would rush through my homework in time to tune in to Dark Shadows—until Mom made me stop watching it because of my vampire and werewolf nightmares. You Monster Kids of the Sixties and Seventies are gonna love Rod Labbe’s interview with Mr. Selby… and if that’s not enough to get your goosebumps popping, this issue also features Bill Spangler’s look back at Kolchak: The Night Stalker, a retrospective of Twilight Zone master Rod Serling by his biographer, Nicholas Parisi, and horror star Glenn Strange as remembered by his “niece,” Julie Ann Ream (as told to interviewer Dan Johnson). Plus regular columnist Will Murray exhumes the origins of animation’s pleasantest poltergeist, Casper. It’s not an all-scares issue, though, as our regular columnists explore some topics you’re gonna love. Ernest NEXT ISSUE Farino flies high with TV’s Adventures of Superman, Scott Saavedra has fun with the goofy Jimmy Olsen comic book, Scott Shaw! recalls the rivalry between the cereals Quisp and Quake, and Andy Mangels concludes his three-part feature exploring those weirdo Preview Specials that promoted Saturday morning cartoons and kids shows. SHEENA All that and more is waiting for you, making RetroFan Pin-up Queen of the TV Jungle #11 yet another groovy grab bag of the crazy, cool culture Three’s The Making we grew up with. With the coronavirus pandemic creat- Company of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer ing a “new normal” of social distancing, facemasks, and Popeye’s frequent hand washing, you can count on RetroFan to Long, Strange TV History whisk you back to a simpler time when the only creepy Behind the scenes of the virus you had to fear was Eddie Haskell. (Rest in peace, sexy Seventies sitcom Ken Osmond—your Eddie Haskell remains one of TV’s most unforgettable characters.) Did you own these retro Dr. Seuss toys? Thank you for being a supporter of this magazine. I Good Morning World with Ronnie Schell • Doctor Who • CB Radios • & more! hope this issue brings you joy. December 2020 No. 12 $9.95

WHAT IS… The GREATEST Christmas movie of all time??

The answer will blow-ho-ho your mind!

Come and knock on their door…

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November 2020

FEATURING Ernest Farino • Andy Mangels • Will Murray • Scott Saavedra • Scott Shaw! • Rick Goldschmidt

Three’s Company © DLT Entertainment. Sheena © Galaxy Publishing and Valdoro Entertainment. Rudolph © 2012 Miser Bros. Press/Rick Goldschmidt. Popeye © King Features Syndicate, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

RETRO INTERVIEW

David Selby Beyond the Shadows by Rod Labbe

In this world that we know now, Life is here, then gone But somewhere in the afterglow, Love lives on and on… “Quentin’s Theme” (a.k.a. “Shadows of the Night”) Words and music by Robert Cobert (1968)

g g g Meeting and getting to know a celebrity, especially one who affected you profoundly during your formative years, is an almost indescribable experience. Take actor David Selby, for example. We were introduced, in a manner of speaking, on December 16th, 1968, his first episode of Dark Shadows, ABC-TV’s gothic-flavored

Rehearsal shot from Night of Dark Shadows, with Selby as “Charles Collins,” a flashback role, and Lara Parker as Angelique. Night of Dark Shadows © 1971 MGM. Photo courtesy of Jim Pierson and Dan Curtis Productions.

afternoon “spook” opera. My weekday passion, DS entranced me totally—except when pre-empted by news reports of assassinations or the Vietnam War. There were vampires and a werewolf, ghostly weeping widows, witches, gypsies, warlocks, and religious fanatics, séances galore, ceaseless thunder, and one very David Selby today. Photo by Eric Wallace.

gloomy mansion situated atop a rocky, ocean-swept cliff in Collinsport, Maine. Really, what more could a starving horror fan want? David played Quentin Collins, introduced as a brooding specter possessing young David (David Henesy) Collins. Similarities between Peter Quint and Henry James’ Turn of the Screw could not be dismissed. Notwithstanding, it RETROFAN

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retro interview

didn’t take long for Quentin to establish his own personality. From 1968 until the show’s premature demise three years later (on April 2, 1971), he dominated plotlines and viewers’ romantic fantasies, and transformed the handsome Mr. Selby into an icon. Cursed by a vengeful gypsy (Grayson Hall, unforgettable as Magda Rakosi), Quentin became a vicious werewolf under the full moon. Plot machinations provided a cure, of sorts… Charles Delaware Tate (Roger Davis) painted Quentin’s portrait, which absorbed the curse and bestowed an interesting side effect: immortality. Coinciding with all this on-screen madness, circa 1969, Dark Shadows’

an article about Dark Shadows comic books in issue #128, and one year from now in these very pages (RetroFan #17) you’ll read an article about Dark Shadows merchandising!] Beyond the Shadows, David has built a thriving film career, supplementing it with theater and all-too-infrequent television appearances. He had a long run as scoundrel Richard Channing on CBS’ primetime soap, Falcon Crest, and his costars read like a “who’s who in Hollywood”: Barbra Streisand, Jason Robards, Johnny Depp, Jeff Bridges, Patty Duke, and Ben Affleck, among them. The new millennium sees him busier than ever. Between work on screens small

ratings soared. No soap before or since has been marketed so thoroughly: paperback books, collectible gum cards, record albums, 45 RPM singles, fan clubs, board games, model kits, toys, comics (newspaper strips and a color monthly comic book from Gold Key), Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine (sharing teen idol space with the likes of David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman, and Barry Cowsill), posters, and even fake vampire teeth were snatched up by an insatiable public. [Editor’s note: Our sister publication, Back Issue, will feature 4

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(NBC’s Chicago Fire and CBS’ CSI: New Orleans) and big (The Social Network, Loon Lake), David’s penned two novels, Lincoln’s Better Angel and The Blue Door (another is in the planning stages), as well as career retrospectives, My Shadowed Past, A Better Place, and In and Out of the Shadows. All things considered, it’s David Selby’s memorable run on Dark Shadows that cemented his lasting fame. To us, the original Dark Shadows kids and generations afterward, he’ll forever be

Quentin Collins, rake, scoundrel, and wandering soul. This interview was conducted in late Winter 2020. RetroFan: Reflecting upon your youth in West Virginia, David, was it an Our Town kind of existence? David Selby: I enjoyed a safe, happy life; I grew up in Morgantown and still have good friends back there, people I’ve known since grade school. West Virginia’s a fantastic place to raise kids. The environment’s nurturing and positive. Not as innocent as Our Town, mind you, but pleasant, nonetheless. RF: You were an athlete who also participated in college theatrics. What drew you to the stage, initially? DS: Acting intrigues me as art. College provided an opportunity to explore my creative side; I knew the Stage was something I could pursue with lifelong satisfaction. I started with Arthur Miller’s The Crucible—not exactly lighthearted fare—and I also liked the character of Will Parker, from Oklahoma, and Ensign Pulver, in Mr. Roberts. Let me clarify the athletics thing: I was an athlete mostly in my dreams [laughs]! I played baseball and basketball and have remained an avid sports enthusiast, but just for fun. RF: The early Sixties was an exciting period, bordering on tumultuous. How’d it feel to be a part of that? DS: Tumultuous doesn’t even describe it. Vietnam, inner-city riots, sit-ins, hippies, peaceniks, and social turmoil. The new decade began idyllically, like an extension of the late Fifties. A number of cataclysmic events occurred rapidly: political upheaval and assassinations, escalation of war, The Beatles, desegregation, and the women’s movement. Retrospectively, I think it helped bring our country together. We learned important lessons in the process. RF: Your college discipline was Marketing… it must’ve taken some soulsearching to put that aside and pursue acting as an avocation. DS: You know what, Rod? The moment I stepped on stage, I knew. This is it! By the time I left West Virginia for good, I was already married to a wonderful girl

retro interview

named Chip, who’s still by my side. She’s encouraged me to go forward and test myself. Don’t know what I’d do without her. We make a great team.

David Selby as Quentin Collins and Nancy Barrett as the prim and proper Charity Trask, in the Collinwood foyer, in the 1897 flashback scene from Dark Shadows (1969). Courtesy of and © Dan Curtis Productions.

RF: And against this dramatic real-life backdrop, you found yourself cast as a ghost from the 19th Century? Connect the dots! DS: Strange, isn’t it? An agent saw me perform in Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke, and wheels started turning. A call came in, and I was soon on my way across Manhattan to meet a casting director named Marion Dougherty. We chatted, she made another call, and off we went to Dan Curtis’ office, where I auditioned. I’d never heard of Dark Shadows; it was just another acting job. RF: You didn’t mind soap work? DS: Of course not. A job is a job, and no actor in his right mind turns down a long-

and glared menacingly from shadowy corners and secret hidden rooms! RF: You’d just finished a national tour of The Impossible Years prior to Dark Shadows. Any trepidation about giving up the stage, albeit temporarily? Or were you ready for anything? DS: I never gave up the stage. Dark Shadows was another facet, and how fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. As I said, Dark Shadows changed my life and the trajectory of my career, but the love I have for theater will never die.

From Night of Dark Shadows: Nancy Barrett as Claire Jennings, David Selby as Quentin Collins, and Kate Jackson as Tracy Collins during a seance at Collinwood. Night of Dark Shadows © 1971 MGM. Photo courtesy of Jim Pierson and Dan Curtis Productions.

term acting gig [laughs]! I’d no idea that one single audition would change my life in such a profound way. Dan, the show’s creator and producer, studied me on camera, an offer was made, and contracts signed. For the next several weeks, I donned mutton-chop sideburns

RF: The Quentin storyline took inspiration from Henry James’ Turn of the Screw. Did you know you were basically playing Peter Quint? DS: No, Quint didn’t occur to me, at first. I was aware of Quint only in the sense that I’d heard of the novel. I didn’t connect any dots until much later. Quentin and Quint were actually worlds apart. Quentin’s personality had several layers; he didn’t just raise havoc, like Quint. RF: True. Though at the beginning, Quentin’s evil, too. DS: Until the 1897 flashback redeemed him in our eyes. That’s what I loved about RETROFAN

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RF: Eloquent! DS: Hey, if there’s one character I’m familiar with, it’s Quentin Collins. RF: The build-up to your first appearance was nothing short of excruciating! It was great to hear you speak, after months of silence. DS: I laughed wickedly once in a while, just to break up the monotony. The character developed nicely, and viewers eventually came to understand him as a flesh-andblood person. That’s what any actor wants. For me, Quentin was an infinitely enchanting personality. If I recall correctly, he never went after anyone who didn’t deserve it! RF: Quentin clicked, and your past life exited stage left. Good or bad?

Gimme a head with hair—Rapunzel’s! David’s Quentin Collins makes the scene with Bobby Sherman, Greg Brady, a couple of Cowsills kids, and other fan-faves on the cover of the February �� Magazine. 16 © Primedia. 6

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DS: No complaints. I’ll admit, it was a bit more difficult to go places, but fans never bothered us in any horrid or intrusive way. Leaving the studio at night took finesse. If I walked home, kids escorted me. Or if I hailed a taxi, it wouldn’t be unusual for them to jump into the cab! RF: What was the fan mail situation like? Delivered in a dump truck? DS: The sheer enormity shocked me. Thousands and thousands of letters, boxes, and bags worth. Gifts, too. Love beads, food, pastries, whatever could be sent through the mail safely. I donated most of it. That fans thought enough of us to send gifts and homemade trinkets spoke volumes. We had a devoted group. Still do. RF: Your face was splashed all over the teenybopper mags. Remember these? [holds up articles] “Spend One Night with Quentin!” “My Darkest Dark Shadows Secrets!” And this steamy shocker: “Ten Things You Didn’t Know About David Selby!” DS: [laughing uproariously] Stop, Rod! Stop! Gloria Stavers, editor of 16 Magazine, orchestrated every one of those, and she was very protective of us… a vibrant personality. Through her efforts, I was able to communicate with our fans. She’d come to the studio and take pictures, saying, “Wear this or wear that, smile into the camera, look serious, look happy.” Yes, ma’am! [laughs] Magical. RF: My sister loved 16, and even I’d buy an occasional issue. 16 and Tiger Beat were the only monthly publications covering Dark Shadows. We cut out the pics for our scrapbooks! DS: Gloria kept us apprised of the fan response, and it was significant. I appreciated that! To suddenly find yourself the object of interest and curiosity is thrilling. The kids outside out studio represented a microcosm of the overall picture. Not a day went by when we

weren’t greeted enthusiastically by those delightful kids. RF: Philadelphia Gum put out two sets of Dark Shadows trading cards in the very late Sixties. How surreal was it, seeing your face on a bubblegum card? DS: Very surreal. As a boy, I collected baseball cards—so to be on one myself was the closest I’ve ever come to being a professional baseball player. The Dark Shadows marketing machine took off like a rocket, working full-tilt. We did an album, singles, and “Quentin’s Theme” hit the Billboard charts. There were Halloween costumes, fan clubs, magazine spreads, and personal appearances. I’d no idea we’d still be talking about those cards more than 50 years later! We lived for the moment, without any idea it would stretch beyond our wildest imaginings. RF: Christmas of 1969, my favorite gift was the Dark Shadows soundtrack LP, and your narrated version of “Quentin’s Theme” rocked. The touch of a diamond stylus, and we were living at Collinwood, eerie mood music wafting from room to room. DS: That LP was one of the nicest perks we had during production. At festivals, I’m asked to sign copies from fans who weren’t even born in 1969. Do you still have your copy? RF: I do. Ensconced in plastic and close to brand-spanking new. Would you autograph it for me? DS: My pleasure. I’d never done anything like that before, so I was green. Later on, I recorded a duet with Nancy Barrett called “I Wanna Dance

Dark Shadows © Dan Curtis Productions. Courtesy of Heritage.

him. Quentin emerged from the writers’ imagination and my own sense of pretend. His backstory revealed the tragic man behind the scowl. I saw him as someone with a deep emotional need to connect… someone who, despite all his insecurities, wanted inclusion and acceptance. Now, an immortal, Quentin’s wandering the Earth through time.

Dark Shadows © Dan Curtis Productions.

retro interview

FA ST FAC TS Dark Shadows ` No. of seasons: Six ` No. of episodes: 1,225 ` Original run: June 27,1966–April 2, 1971 ` Primary cast: Joan Bennett, Jonthan Frid, Grayson Hall, Louis Edmonds, Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby, David Henesy, Lara Parker, Alexandra Isles, Thayer David, John Karlen ` Creator: Dan Curtis ` Network: ABC

Spin-offs and remakes: A promotional photo of David Selby as Quentin Collins. Dark Shadows © Dan Curtis Productions

with You.” None of them reached gold status or anything, but they were well received. RF: You’re still very much taken with Dark Shadows, aren’t you? I can tell. DS: I’ve never stopped loving it! Creatively speaking, Dan’s writing staff elevated us as actors, and Shadows allowed viewers to forget what was going on around them. The perfect give-and-take. Who needs real-life strife, when you can escape to Collinwood? We went from social turmoil and war to a fairy-tale scenario and did it convincingly. There were good guys and bad guys and everything in-between. Never a dull moment! RF: Glad you mentioned the bad guys, because Dark Shadows certainly had its share of colorful villains: Angelique (Lara Parker), Nicholas Blair (Humbert Allen Astredo), Count Petofi (Thayer

David), and Reverend Trask (Jerry Lacy). A rogues’ gallery par excellence! DS: There’s great attraction to evil, and the beauty of these characterizations was in the actor’s interpretation. We made them our own. RF: The [fan and media] conventions— they’re not the same old, same old? A constant rehashing? DS: Oh, no, Rod. Not at all. The festivals continuously astonish me. We get a wide range of fans, professors, lawyers, bankers from JP Morgan, doctors, teachers, into the thousands. The one thing they have in common is an undying affection for Dark Shadows. RF: A testament to what you guys put out there. DS: I’m honored by their continued loyalty. No other word comes to mind. Dark Shadows is an irreplaceable part of my life.

` House of Dark Shadows (1970 movie, with TV series’ cast) ` Night of Dark Shadows (1971 movie, with TV series’ cast) ` Dark Shadows (1991 TV remake starring Ben Cross, Lysette Anthony, Jean Simmons, Joanna Going, Barbara Steele, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt; 12 episodes) ` Dark Shadows (2004 TV pilot starring Alec Newman, Marley Shelton) ` Dark Shadows (audio dramas starring original TV cast members and continuing the series’ storylines, based upon the 2003 stage play Return to Collinwood; produced intermittently since 2004) ` Dark Shadows (2012 movie directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, and Chloe Grace Moretz) ` Dark Shadows: Reincarnation (forthcoming CW series, details TBA)

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retro interview

How can I not acknowledge the kindness and support of our loyal fan base over the years? RF: At the ’03 Fest [see sidebar below], you and the cast performed Return to Collinwood, an innovative audio play that served as a precursor to the Big Finish audio CDs. [Editor’s note: Since 2004, Big Finish Productions has produced a variety of audio dramas continuing the original Dark Shadows storylines.] DS: Return to Collinwood was my idea. I felt an audio thing would be a neat way to do new Dark Shadows scripts, at halfway decent prices. Jamison, my son, wrote it, tying up loose ends from 1971 and establishing continuity. I was happy with his script. Several divergent elements needed to be addressed, and he drew them together seamlessly. Our goal was to present Return to Collinwood with style, exploring new territory while keeping an eye on what made Dark Shadows special. RF: Part of that mystique is the classic acting troupe. It simply can’t work without them. DS: Exactly the reason why we chose to do the play at a convention. Fan response was overwhelmingly positive, and you can see where things went from there. The Big Finish audio CDs carry the Dark Shadows torch. I’ve done several myself. RF: Speaking of the classic cast, we couldn’t wait to see you in Tim Burton’s 2012 reimagining of Dark Shadows. Plot critiques aside, what were your feelings about reuniting with Lara, Kathryn, and Jonathan Frid?

DS: I look back on it fondly. We flew to London’s Pinewood Studios for the filming and spent quality time there with Jonathan, who—as you know—passed away not long afterward. Jim Pierson [of Dan Curtis Productions] arranged everything. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, along with the rest of the cast and crew, were gracious hosts. RF: What’s your opinion of Burton’s approach? DS: Hmm. I believe Tim came to the project with an open heart and mind for the spirit of Dark Shadows… what he’d stored away as a child. He played the Barnabas Collins story out on a big canvas, with the mystery of life in all its strangeness, where the hunger for love is beautifully portrayed. Fate, destiny, reincarnation, reclamation, they’re front and center. We have mortality, and the price paid for those who covet everlasting life. What is Doctor Hoffman pondering when she opens her eyes?

RF: Everlasting life? DS: It’s what she desired, her ultimate goal. Finally, there’s the cleansing by fire, which will bring new beginnings and new growth. RF: Man, I had high hopes for this movie. After the PR and build-up, I was frankly disappointed. And angry! A sweeping opening that quickly descended into set pieces of humor so heavy-handed, I couldn’t help but cringe. DS: Honestly, I don’t know what happened. Everything I saw in England was beautifully done; Johnny’s a terrific

DON’T MISS THE DARK SHADOWS FESTIVAL From the Fest’s website, www.darkshadowsfestival.com:

“Dark Shadows Festival, the official Dark Shadows Convention held annually since 1983, usually in New York or Los Angeles, features appearances by cast and crew in question and answer sessions and autograph sessions, a banquet with the stars, a memorabilia room of Dark Shadows merchandise for sale, performances by the stars and more. We are fortunate that so many of the Dark Shadows actors are able and willing to participate in our annual celebrations.” 8

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guy, and Tim’s never lost his childhood wonder… and I thought, Wow, the fans are in for a nice ride. Instead, it went off the rails. RF: I expected a film more along the lines of House of Dark Shadows (1970), a go-foryour-jugular horror epic. Burton showed his chops with Sleepy Hollow (1999), which I consider one of his best, but he dropped the ball with Dark Shadows. DS: He has a visual style that can’t be beat, and that was clearly on display in the set design… RF: Yeah, but sets and style don’t sell a film. DS: No, unfortunately they don’t. I am happy it introduced new fans to Dark Shadows. No such thing as bad publicity! The property’s a viable one, and we’ll see more things down the road. Just wait. RF: Perfect segue! Have you heard about the new Dark Shadows series for the CW, tentatively called Dark Shadows: Resurrected? DS: There’s been scuttlebutt. Nothing concrete, yet. Any news? RF: They’re working on a pilot. I can’t imagine a Dark Shadows without involving the timeless cast in some way. DS: Whatever direction is taken, I’m glad to know Dan’s vision has legs and is continuing to grow. Will any of us make an appearance? Who knows? I’m open to it. RF: My fingers are crossed they’ll treat this seriously! Why critics dismiss Dark Shadows as fluff annoys me to no end. There were gaffes aplenty, stuff like microphones coming into view, or an occasional wall shaking when a door’s slammed too hard. But the storylines, look, and musical score were compelling. DS: We stayed true to the script and true to the characters. None of us treated it as satire. Dan’s writing staff worked hard, and it couldn’t have been easy coming up with fresh material. Any humor was completely unintentional. RF: Well, there are some moments that are over the top, but I wouldn’t say it ever tipped over into absurdity. DS: Our budgets were very low, even for the movies. Remember, soap operas were done live on tape, and mistakes came with

retro interview

the territory. Dark Shadows had an upper hand because of its creativity. We pushed the envelope every week. RF: Agreed. What about Night of Dark Shadows, the second film lensed back in ’71? All the ingredients were in place for a kickass ghost story, but it died at the box office. DS: MGM didn’t like the longer version and demanded extensive cuts. What they came up with didn’t fulfill Dan’s vision, and releasing it after we’d been cancelled didn’t help. We shot for about seven or so weeks, if memory serves me. It was chilly… April of ’71 sounds right. RF: I saw both House and Night at the cinema, so I immersed myself… but I only like the first one. Night was more romantic and schmaltzy, more a mystery than a full-blooded horror story. Pundits claim it failed because of MGMmandated edits, but I’ve a feeling those cut sequences wouldn’t have helped. Just a poorly conceived production. DS: Keep in mind the movie came out in the fall of 1971, and Dark Shadows had been cancelled the previous April. The bloom was off the rose. As it stands, I think Night’s a well-structured ghost story, with some good sequences. RF: Your next big success came with Falcon Crest, CBS’ long-running primetime soap opera. I like how it moved away from the Dallas ilk to find a separate identity. DS: Many, many fine performers and technical people were involved in making Falcon Crest a quality production. Jane Wyman, like Joan Bennett, was a professional—old Hollywood stock at its finest. What a great privilege to work beside them on screen. Terrific ladies. RF: You obviously had a ball fleshing out the dastardly Richard Channing character. So conniving. DS: Channing was a fascinating role, not that far removed from Quentin! RF: You’ve done TV, movies, radio, recordings—would it be presumptuous of me to say that theater’s your first love? DS: It is. Theater’s organic, a living thing for viewer and participant. I’m crazy about playwrights Williams and Mille, Sam

Shepard, Wilder, O’Neill, Albee, Odets, and Foote. David Hare, from England, too. Playing to an audience has immediacy, its own special appeal. You’re ‘right there’ with a group of people and feeding off all that palpable energy. RF: What do you have cooking, as of late? DS: I’ve something in my computer, another play. I write a page here, a page there, compiling notes and editing. After that’s done, I’ll be finishing up a novel. Writing keeps me busy between assignments. I prefer making myself useful, rather than just moping around [laughs]! RF: I recently saw you on NBC’s Chicago Fire and CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans. Chicago Fire was unexpectedly touching. And those fire effects! Whoa. DS: My wife read the Chicago script and cried. I knew then it would be great. Fire is sketchy, but safety ruled, and everybody got through without so much as a singe. Life’s an ongoing adventure, and I’m open to the surprises it hands me! Right this minute, I’m working on a new play in L.A. We’ve had a couple of table readings. RF: Your performance in Loon Lake, directed by Ansel Faraj, blew me away! Ansel’s a talented independent filmmaker, one destined for great things. DS: Ansel’s intuitive and knows his craft. Loon Lake was filmed in Michigan and is based on a local legend about a witch. Excellent script, co-written by Ansel and his friend, Nate Wilson, who also stars. I play two parts, each as different as night and day, and both centuries apart. It can be found on the net, I believe. RF: Kathryn Leigh Scott’s your wife in the flashback. A nice nod to Dark Shadows [Kathryn played Maggie Evans/Josette DuPres on the original show]. DS: Wasn’t it? I see Kathryn frequently at the Dark Shadows festivals, but working with her again was like a dream. I hope our fans like what we’ve done! RF: You’re so pleasant to talk with, easygoing and unaffected. Doesn’t anything ever get under your skin? DS: Rod, I live by a simple philosophy: I’ve learned not to glance over my shoulders too often. We’re here for such a short time, and we have to keep going, even if there

David Selby as Quentin Collins sporting his famous mutton chops. Dark Shadows © Dan Curtis Productions.

are roadblocks and speed bumps. Don’t sweat the small stuff. RF: One thing I know for sure, RetroFan’s readers will love hearing from Quentin Collins, a towering pop-culture figure. Thanks for our talk, David! DS: I must give a nod to the fans—they made Quentin what he is, and I’m very grateful for their support all these years. What would any of us do without them? Discover more about David Selby at davidselby.com. Special thanks to Jim Pierson, Brigid Reardon, and Claudeis Selby for providing photographs. ROD LABBE is a New England-based writer specializing in Baby Boomer pop culture and all it entails. From 1986 through 2014, he regularly contributed to Fangoria magazine. Other magazine credits include Famous Monsters of Filmland, FilmFax, Scary Monsters, Gorezone, and The Fantastic Fifties. Thus far, Rod’s received seven prestigious Rondo Hatton Award nominations for “Best Interview,” mostly for his work profiling the stars of Dark Shadows. RETROFAN

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RETROFAD

The Pet Rock No messy cleanups, no whines for attention, no incessant yapping, no bottomless feedings, no unwanted hair clumps, no inappropriate spraying… For some of you, I’ve just described the perfect mate. But that was Gary Dahl’s idea of the perfect pet. And it’s an idea that made him millions. Dahl (1936–2015) was a down-on-his-luck advertising writer when, in the mid-Seventies, a happy hour at a Northern California bar gave him something to really be happy about. As the legend goes, his drinking buddies were carping about their respective pet problems and the unrelenting responsibilities of caring for a dog, cat, or other critter. Dahl laughed that off with a playful boast about his carefree “companion”—a pet rock. That quip earned a round of chuckles from barflies who then ordered their next round of drinks, too stoned to realize they had just witnessed the birth of a new sensation. But not Dahl. Had he been a comic-strip character, a cartoon light bulb would have flashed over his head. He began to brainstorm the commercialization of his idea. His first problem was a lack of capital. At the time, Dahl was without steady work and eking out a meager living, residing in a cabin. He convinced a couple of colleagues to invest in his project. What Dahl lacked in finances, he made up for Pet Rock creator in imagination. His Pet Rock was Gary Dahl in ��. nothing more than a smooth stone © UPI. that was plentiful along Mexican beaches and purchased for under a penny each. How it was marketed reflected Dahl’s genius: Each Pet Rock was nestled atop a caressing bed of excelsior (wood shavings used in packaging; insert your own Stan Lee gag here), packaged inside a cardboard carrying case ventilated with air holes. Rounding out the package was a manual that instructed the owner on the proper care and feeding of their new Pet Rock. Dahl rolled out his Pet Rock in August 1975 at a San Francisco trade show—then was barreled over by an avalanche of orders from major retailers. Americans, still dazed from Watergate and its residual cynicism, were hungry for a diversion. The Pet Rock, retailing for just under four bucks, became a smash during the Christmas season. Dahl sold close to 100,000 Pet Rocks a day, nearly 1.5 million during the initial release, reaping 95 cents profit on each unit, making the entrepreneur a millionaire overnight. Bye-bye, cabin; hello, Easy Street. 10

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by Michael Eury

In 1976 Dahl hurled at the market flag-painted Bicentennial Pet Rocks and other products bearing the Pet Rock name, all sold by his company Rock Bottom Productions. Yet as is a common theme in our RetroFad fables, a rockslide of imitators followed (including Kryptonite Rocks, green-painted stones sold in a box bearing Superman’s likeness), although Dahl’s Pet Rock name was protected by trademark. After the initial joke wore off, people realized they were essentially buying… well, a rock in a box, and the Pet Rock began to lose its luster. Complicating matters were Dahl’s investors, who felt their earlier compensations were inadequate and took their partner to court. Dahl had to pay his investors big.

He wasn’t one to chuck it all, however, and Dahl twice returned to Mother Earth to create the novelty items the Canned Earthquake and the Official Sand Breeding Kit, neither of which I’m guessing most of you have ever heard of. Using his stillsizeable Pet Rock riches, Dahl bought and operated a watering hole in Los Gatos, California. It became a mecca for would-be inventors seeking an audience with the creator of the Pet Rock, more interested in courting Dahl for advice and investments than filling their glasses. Dahl ultimately circled back to the advertising business and even authored the 2001 book, Advertising for Dummies. Although he died in 2015, his Pet Rock lives on, as both an intriguing example of rock-solid ingenuity and as an actual retail item (check out Amazon if you want one). Rock on!

THE ODDBALL WORLD OF SCOTT SHAW!

Q u isp &

Quake’s

Sugar-Fu

eled

Feud Fig ht!

by Scott Shaw!

Take sides… Quisp or Quake? You’ll be (sugar-) shocked to learn the secret they share! (Trust us, it’s a lot to swallow!) Quisp and Quake © The Quaker Oats Company. Animation cel courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com).

What’s more nostalgic than eating cold breakfast cereal while watching animated cartoons on TV? Well, how about eating cold breakfast cereal while watching animated cartoons about the cold breakfast cereal you were eating—so tasty that you kept shoveling it down, despite the fact that the cereal was shredding the tissue on the roof of your mouth (like the Shredded Wheat you definitely weren’t eating?). A lot of vintage cereals still stock the shelves of your favorite supermarket. But, most likely, you will not find America’s most beloved cereal in your local grocery store. And no, the nation’s favorite isn’t Corn Flakes. According to the “Mr. Breakfast” website, cereal enthusiasts ranked Quaker Oats’ Quisp as the “greatest breakfast cereal of all time.” It even edged out Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, 5,551 votes to 5,517! Not bad for a bright pink propeller-headed Jerry Lewis impressionist from another planet who wears a scrooch gun on his hip, eh?

Let’s Go WABAC, Shall We?

But first, let’s all hop into Mr. Peabody’s WABAC machine to revisit the history of the studio responsible for creating the subjects of this article. Jay Ward Productions’ first cartoon production was Crusader Rabbit (1950–1952), serialized funny animal adventures starring a feisty bunny rabbit his best friend, a goofy tiger. This pioneering TV show provided the template for Hanna-Barbera’s The Ruff and Reddy Show (1957–1962) and Ward’s Rocky and his Friends (1959–1960), starring a feisty flying squirrel and a goofy bull moose, both characters repurposed from a unsold cartoon show pitch, The Frostbite Falls Review. Two-

chapters-per-episode serialized storylines starring “Rocky and Bullwinkle” were joined by segments featuring “Mr. Peabody and Sherman,” “Fractured Fairy Tales,” and “Aesop and Son,” plus lots of funny intros, transitions, and fillers. Not a mediocre cartoon in the bunch, although most of the show was animated in Mexico to decidedly variable results. The Bullwinkle Show (1961) was a full-color primetime extension of Rocky and his Friends that added the well-meaning but inept Canadian Mountie Dudley Do-Right to the mix. Fractured Flickers (1963) was a departure from cartoons, although its opening titles are some of the studio’s most outstanding footage. The series itself was dubbed silent movies, cleverly written by Ward’s usual funnymen and hosted by Hans Conried. The Dudley Do-Right Show (1969–1971) repackaged two “Dudley” cartoons from The Bullwinkle Show with a “The World of Commander McBragg” short from Total Television’s Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales. (Don’t ask for an explanation; that’s an entire article in itself.) Not much of a series, Hoppity Hooper (1964–1967) had spectacular opening titles by Gerard Baldwin, but with only one new lead feature leading a line-up of segments from previous series, even from Total Television and Gamma Productions. Even the new segment starring a naive frog, a dimwit bear, and a conman fox seemed to lack the sharp and over-kids'-heads references that made their earlier productions so memorable. Fortunately, Jay Ward Productions sprang back with George of the Jungle (1967). This was Jay Ward’s final cartoon series but it was, in many ways, his finest production. The dimwitted jungle king was joined by two more satiric heroic characters, swashbuckling dogooder “Super Chicken” and racecar driver “Tom Slick.” All three RETROFAN

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the oddball world of scott shaw! [LEFT] Animation legend Jay Ward, and voice actors June Foray (voice of Rocky) and Bill Scott (voice of Bullwinkle), in 1985. This photograph hails from Ms. Foray’s personal collection and was used in her memoir, Did You Grow Up With Me Too? – The Autobiography of June Foray (BearManor Media, 2009). Courtesy of Heritage.

[BELOW] Moose and squirrel sell milk and cereal! Jay Ward Productions' partnership with General Mills included comic-book ads like this one promoting Cheerios. Rocky and Bullwinkle © Jay Ward Productions and Classic Media, Inc. Cheerios™ © General Mills.

were based on adventure stories characters that Jay Ward, Bill Scott, and the gang all read about back when they were kids. The results were well-animated, hilariously hip stories that still hold their own when matched against the quality of any modern-day cartoon shows.

A Quaker to the Rescue

But their income depended on selling more TV series, and by this time, SatAM cartoons were smothered by the edicts of censors, educators, and humor-assassins. What was a funny cartoon studio to do? Fortunately, five years earlier, job insurance arrived in the form of the Quaker on the front of those oatmeal “drums.” The Quaker Oats Company began its 22-year association with Jay Ward Productions one weekend late in 1962. In an interview, Ward’s creative partner Bill Scott described Ward’s avoidance of involvement in cereal advertising: “The studio was pretty much closed up; we were in summer-vacation mode. One day the advertising people for Quaker phoned, and our secretary told them Jay would be delighted to submit a proposal on a character they had in mind: a character called ‘Captain Crunch.’ ‘Why, certainly,’ she told them, ‘Jay would be glad to.’ Of course, Jay hated commercials! He never wanted to do them.” But that really wasn’t the case. Jay didn’t have any problems with clients. What he truly despised were the idiots overseeing things at advertising agencies. (And having worked as a Senior Art Director at a big ad agency myself, I’d say that was an accurate assessment.) What he demanded was total creative freedom if he were to make commercials for television, a wish that was granted to him by General Mills in 1959. Bullwinkle starred in a number of Cheerios commercials produced by Jay Ward. They and a few others from the studio’s growing cast of characters also appeared on many of General Mills’ cereal boxes, including Dudley Do-Right, Boris and Natasha, and briefly, Mr. Peabody and Sherman. So it wasn’t surprising when their competition, Quaker Oats, also came 12

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a-callin’ to Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, the home of Jay Ward Productions. As Bill Scott recalled, “This Cap’n Crunch project was actually a brilliant notion; a clever fellow from Compton Advertising (Ken Mason) came up with a wonderful concept for selling a kids’ cereal. It had never been done before: that was, to research and find out the thing that kids liked most in a cereal, then to make that the name of the cereal and the name of the eventual character. That is, tie the whole thing together and then totally aim it to animated TV commercials.”

the oddball world of scott shaw!

After two and a half years of fully developing the “Cap’n Crunch” concept with the Chicago ad agency, Quaker Oats was finally preparing to launch the cereal itself… but first, they needed the input of an animation studio, because in those days, every kids’ cereal required animated TV commercials starring their brands’ specific spokes-characters, mostly cartoon funny animals and imps. Compton Advertising’s (Quaker’s agency) William Ayers and Bruce Baker headed out to Hollywood to meet with various animation studios, including Hanna-Barbera Productions, but due to their work on TV commercials for General Foods, Jay Ward Productions was indeed a frontrunner. Thanks to writer Alan Burns and cartoonist Roy Morita (and much later, with voiceover icon Daws Butler) who developed the personalities and designs of “Cap’n Crunch,” his kid-crew, pooch and even ongoing foe Jean La Foote were created over a frantic weekend, Jay Ward Productions was no longer dependent on selling animated cartoon series to television. Jay Ward authority and animation designer/director Darrell Van Citters has uncovered some incredibly diverse rough sketches submitted by another studio. As with General Foods, Ward once again had income from the same industry that was keeping most of the animation studios solvent—advertising. Cap’n Crunch cereal appeared on grocery store shelves in 1963 and was an immediate hit with kids. Ward’s TV commercials followed late the next year. So did trips to the dentist.

if you’re willing to admit that they were essentially the same cereal in two different shapes! Bill Scott and the ad agency Papert-LoisKoenig created a unique spokes-character for each cereal, and like Cap’n Crunch, each of them had the same name as the cold, pre-sweetened breakfast cereal they represented. After a year of development and manufacturing, in 1965, both cereals—“Quisp” and “Quake”— simultaneously premiered on supermarket shelves and on national television. (Their first commercial was recorded in March that year, so it’s likely they made their debut around the time schoolchildren’s summer vacations began and the kids would be watching more hours of TV daily.) Neither name sounded like the “mouth experience” of kids, but one was a funny mangling of the word “crisp” and the other one was named after its manufacturer, Quaker Oats. It was decided to have the two cereals compete against one another in a kind of popularity contest. The voice-over announcer of Q&Q’s commercials, Paul Frees, invited viewers at home to decide: “Take sides with either—two new cereals from Quaker, sort of a breakfast feud.” It was always a tussle between “cwazy energy” versus “the power of an earthquake,” with ridiculous story elements and lotsa puns to keep things interesting. The cereal’s different in-pack giveaways and mail-order premiums were also occasionally mentioned in competitive terms. The odd thing was, although Quisp and Quake were constantly trying to out-do each other in rescuing people in distress, they never The Breakfast Battles Begin! actually rescued anyone! Instead, each commercial would end According to Bill Scott, “When the cereal on a never-to-beresolved cliffhanger, with the company approached Jay about doing endangered individual(s) still this stuff, he said, ‘We’ll only do it struggling to decide which as long as it’s fun.’” That was Jay’s cereal would provide the main concern about everything that energy to solve the tricky left his studio. Then a layout artist on situation. the “Tom Slick” segments of George of the The ad campaign was presented Jungle, commercial director Sam Cornell, once as if it was a one-minute-per-episode told me that whenever Jay was circulating among television series, although the breakfast his cartoonists at work, he’d drop by every desk to battles themselves—appropriately referred to as “Your ask, “Is it funny?” (By comparison, back when I was Breakfast Cereal”—bore a greater resemblance to the serialized working across town at H-B, Bill Hanna and adventure movies of the Thirties and Forties. That was the Joe Barbera’s usual questions for me was the material that amused and excited Bill Scott and his creative team same one: “Is it done yet?”) back when they were kids. In fact, Jay Ward not only relied on the ad But make no mistake, it was the clever writing and truly account, he genuinely enjoyed working with the brass at funny animation that made the older RetroFans among us Quaker Oats, who he referred to as “gentlemen—with a who still value and even cherish the memory of Jay Ward’s Quisp sense of humor.” and Quake commercials. Jay Ward authority and voiceover artist Therefore, after a year of the studio’s very funny Cap’n Crunch Keith Scott wrote, “By early 1966, Ward was enthusiastically TV commercials airing nationally—and promoting very healthy overseeing the many recording sessions required for these sales to kids eager to gobble up Cap’n Crunch cereal (despite the commercials, and was proud of the fine animation emerging from damage the ultra-crunchy product inflicted on young mouthhis studio.” Animation historian Leonard Maltin has said, “Quaker roofs), Jay Ward was approached [gave] Ward amazing freedom… Quisp [INSET TOP] and Quake [INSET BOTTOM] as they looked and enough money for him by Quaker Oats to help create a during their �� premiere. © Quaker Oats Co. Animation cels courtesy new brand of cereal… actually, to turn out a product much of Heritage. two brands within one, at least handsomer than any of his shows RETROFAN

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the oddball world of scott shaw!

Can you pronounce all of the ingredients in a bowl of Quisp? Photo by Infrogmation/Digital Elements by SMS/Wikimedia Commons.

ever were!” And as Jay Ward’s porch-bound bystanders Edgar and Jonesy might have said, “Y’know, you don’t see purty pictures like thet around these here parts!”

Ingredients for Success

Quisp cereal is made of a baked paste of cornmeal, oats, and syrup, with each piece of cereal shaped like a flying saucer. Quake cereal was also made of a baked paste of cornmeal, oats, and syrup, with each piece of cereal shaped like a small gear or cog with holes in the center. The taste of both was similar to Cap’n Crunch. That’s not surprising when you consider that Quisp and Quake cereals were produced by the same process and with the same ingredients—just different shapes! According to a notification printed on the side of a box of Quisp from 2012: “Main ingredients: Corn flour, sugar, oat flour, brown sugar, coconut oil, and salt. Vitamins and other additives: niacinamide, reduced iron, zinc oxide, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, thiamin mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, BHT, riboflavin, folic acid.” Yum. However, this is the Quaker Oats Company’s official description of Quisp and his cereal:

boasting that he represented the superior cereal. The coptertopped alien spouted claims such as, “For quazy energy, Quisp is best—the biggest-selling cereal from Saturn to Alpha Centauri!” I guess when you’re “the Crown Prince of Planet Q,” you can get away with that kind of space-schtick. As the voice of Quisp, Daws Butler (November 16, 1916–May 18, 1988) did a slightly off imitation of comedian Jerry Lewis, only a bit spacier than the star of Visit to a Small Planet. (It was very similar to Daws’ Yippee Coyote, a mischievous pest in one of H-B’s “Quick Draw McGraw” segments.) As a young man, Butler’s comedic talent led him to vaudeville, legitimate theater, radio, and nightclubs. But it wasn’t until his first voice-over work for an animated cartoon short—Screen Gems’ Short Snorts on Sports (1948) that his cartoon career began to take off. That opportunity led to him doing a lot of voice-overs for Tex Avery at MGM and Walter Lantz at Universal. In 1949, Bob Clampett hired Butler for the role of the human co-star of Time for Beany, a televised daily puppet show (aired each weekday) that became a smash hit across America. He often worked with the brilliant Stan Freberg on both recorded comedy albums and TV commercials. Then, at Hanna-Barbera Productions, Butler became one of the studio’s vocal mainstays. He created the characterizations of Yogi Bear, Elroy Jetson, Quick Draw McGraw, Huckleberry Hound, Mr. Jinks, Snagglepuss, Lippy the Lion, Augie Doggie, Super Snooper, Blabber Mouse, Baba Louie—even Barney Rubble when Mel Blanc was hospitalized by an auto accident—but this is an article about Jay Ward Productions, so I’m gonna cut off Daws’ insanely long list of H-B credits right here. And speaking of Mr. Ward, Daws Butler was the voice of Cap’n Crunch at least a year before he was cast as Quisp.

“In 1965, Quisp landed on Earth with his Quazy Energy Cereal—and the world’s been a better place ever since, especially during breakfast. The saucer-shaped, crunchy corn cereal has delighted kids and adults everywhere. Bring Quisp to your house and home planet today. The crispy flavor is out of this world.” Bill Scott was undoubtedly inspired by Ward cartoonist Al Shean’s designs of the Moon men “Gidney” (voiced by Bill Scott) and “Cloyd” (voiced by Paul Frees), introduced in “Jet Fuel Formula,” the first story arc of Rocky and His Friends in 1959, when he came up with the look of Quisp, voiced by Daws Butler, and his nephew sidekick “Quunchy” (pronounced “Cwunchy”), voiced by Bill Scott. Both duos even carried “scrooch guns.” However, the diminutive outer space alien mascot for Quisp cereal—voiced by the great Daws Butler a là Jerry Lewis—was bright pink and had a propeller on top of his head, which allowed him to flit around and annoy his friendly rival, Quake, usually 14

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Plastic rings were popular in-box prizes for Quisp. Shown are an unopened Quisp Space Gun Ring (front and back package views) and an assembled Quisp Friendship Ring. © Quaker Oats Co. Courtesy of Hakes Auctions (www. hakes.com).

the oddball world of scott shaw!

high school I had attended. One of the other teachers was the ex-wife of one of Jay Ward’s top animators and directors, Jim Hiltz. She sent him my portfolio, and before long, I received an invitation to intern at Jay Ward Productions. George of the Jungle was currently airing on ABC and that show, along with the also-current Quisp/Quake ad campaign, were (and still are) my favorite cartoons the studio ever made. Of course, being a high school kid living in another city made their offer impossible to consider. (Oddly, I never approached JWP after I entered the animation biz, and only worked From ��, the Quake Globe ring (assembled), and on their characters once, drawing a Rocky a cereal box clipping noting its inclusion in the and Bullwinkle image for Universal Studios’ box. © Quaker Oats Co. Courtesy of Heritage and Hakes. “limited edition cel” collectible catalog.) I still wonder what my life would have been like if I’d somehow been able to accept that Quisp’s frenemy, Quake, designed by Ward cartoonist Lew mind-blowing offer. Who knows, maybe I would have worked on Keller, was a beefy and confidant miner/superhero wearing a some of their Quisp/Quake commercials. It sure would have saved lighted helmet and a cape. Quake cereal’s strong-jawed spokesme a lot of research time to write this article! character, he inhabited the center of the planet Earth, supposedly I wound up spending two decades of my career working in the source of the “wonderful wheelies of corn and oats, buzzin’ the world of advertising, specializing in created animated TV with honey and bustin’ with earthquake-powered cereal” he commercials for children’s cereal. Although most of the spots hawked to kids. In some of the early Quisp/Quake quommercials I worked on starred the Flintstones—and I certainly enjoyed (oops!), Quake even had the super-power to fly, but before he revisiting the period in which those characters were actually started crashing into stalactites (like George of the Jungle’s trees), funny—my inspiration for the commercials’ 30-second stories this ability was quickly downplayed by more Quake’s unique came directly from those produced by Jay Ward Productions… displays of power, such as riding tamed whales. June Foray because they were entertaining. Kids could watch and enjoy the performed the voice of Quake’s occasionally seen mom, “Mother same Cap’n Crunch and Quisp/Quake animated advertisement Lode,” helping her boy to promote “the power cereal from inner dozens of time without getting bored… and that’s getting the space.” client its money’s worth! Entertainment sells better than selling The role of “Quake” was voiced by William Conrad (September itself. 27, 1920–February 11, 1994), a WWII fighter pilot, was a radio star throughout the Forties. His most prominent radio role was as The Feud Fight Marshall Matt Dillon on the original Gunsmoke. Often a bad guy The entertainment was provided by the little pink man from outer in films, Conrad played on the side of right in such TV shows as space’s ongoing rivalry with the muscular miner from the center Cannon, Nero Wolfe, and Jake and the Fatman. He also directed a of the Earth. Bill Scott referred to this as “the feud fight.” Quisp number of TV series episodes. And of course, he narrated “The was “the quisp new cereal from outer space!” and Quake was “the Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle” segments of Rocky and His power cereal from inner space!” Quisp would declare that his Friends, The Bullwinkle Show, The Dudley Do-Right Show, and the cereal was the “Quazy energy cereal… the best-selling cereal from Hoppity Hooper cartoon series, as well as such live-action shows Saturn to Alpha Centauri!” Quake would counter that his cereal as The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. had “vitamins to give you the power of an earthquake!” Each Conrad’s booming basso profundo delivery was perfectly cast for spokes-character went to ridiculous extremes with grandiose Keller’s brawny underground digger. claims to entice their young viewers to convince their moms to The off-camera announcer/narrator of their animated boastbuy one cereal or the other. Ironically, Quisp and Quake—both offs was Paul Frees (June 22, 1920–November 2, 1986), already the cereal boxes and the spokes-characters—were almost always one of the most familiar voice-over artists in animation and livepromoted together in television and print advertising. They were action. Frees had already been working with Jay Ward for years, a team, whether they liked it or not! starting with Rocky and His Friends’ Boris Badenov. (For a change, But here’s where Quaker Oats’ and Jay Ward’s brilliance gets William Conrad, already busy with Quake, wasn’t the announcer/ fiendishly creative: Quisp and Quake were basically the same cereal modeled in narrator on these.) two different shapes. And no matter which one Mom bought, the On a personal note: People usually associate my work with Quaker Oats Company made another sale! Hanna-Barbera, and that certainly has validity, but when I was I worked on the Post Pebbles cereal accounts for decades, a kid, Jay Ward’s cartoons were as much of an influence on my first as the freelance production artist, then as Senior Art tastes as “the Animation Factory the Flintstones Built.” In fact, as Director for the Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency. There, I a high school student, I was assisting an art teacher at the junior RETROFAN

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occasionally “pitched” to the Post executives a new variation of their long-and-predictable “Barney! My Pebbles!” theft routine. (An O&M research expert once told that kids felt, “If something’s worth stealing, it must really be good!” Ugh.) Why not have Fred Flintstone as the spokes-character for Fruity Pebbles and Barney Rubble as the spokes-character for Cocoa Pebbles? And rather than having them steal from each other, they’re vying for the attention of kids across America in an attempt to sell metric tons of sugar-encrusted rice? Yeah, I suppose it was mildly plagiaristic, but it definitely would have had a completely different dynamic. However, no one at Post seemed understand the concept or that I was referencing a very successful ad campaign of my youth, one I considered to a top-drawer achievement of Jay Ward Productions. Oh, well. Now I’m the one who’s diabetic, so I can testify that karma will definitely get you in the end!

Quisp and Quake Commercials

Here are the titles of every single Quisp/Quake TV commercial. The years refer to production only, not airing dates. Please note that many of the one-minute spots bear titles that make it clear just how Jay Ward-ish wacky (and prolific) this ad campaign quickly became. 1965: “Joint Intro”; “Upside Down Bandits”; “Giant Saw”; “Dam Has Busted”; “Hard Sell”; “Question”; “Best”; “No Time”; “Roaring Flames”; “Rock Croc”; “Switch”; and “Meteor Mites.” 1966: “Planet Q”; “Ravening Wolves”; “Half Bake”; “Ring Promo”; “Giant Cave Cat”; “Excuse Me, Fellas” (two versions); and “Face to Face” (two versions). 1967: “Roaring Cataract”; “Dr. Uh-Uh”; “Dart Target”; “Quisp to the Rescue”; “The Shopper”; “Quake Lends a Hand”; “Keep the Peace”;

“Double Challenge”; “Hat Promo”; “Matchbox Cars” (with Cap’n Crunch); and “Elephant Pass.” 1968: “Nutrition Story”; “Time Bomb”; “Big Ben”; “Abdominal Snowman”; “Subsonic Atomic Car”; “Opera Star”; “Mad Ball of Yarn”; “Lost Dutchman”; “Daylight Robbery”; “Space-Quaft & Glowies”; “New Improved Quake Intro” (two versions); and “Adventure Book and Mini-Movie Promo.” 1969: “The Mine Rescue”; “Whynchataka Peak”; “Runaway Missile”; “The Magnetic Storm”; “Nosagref (One Word)”; “Cosmic Clouder & MiniMovie Offer”; “Matchbox Two” (with Cap’n Crunch); and “Explorer Kit & Quispmobile” (with Cap’n Crunch). (Quisp also appeared in “Caught in the Switch,” a commercial for Mister E in 1969.) 1970: “The Quakemobile”; “The Visitor”; “Dusted Moon Buster”; “Timer”; and “Meet Max.” 1971: “Vote”; “Vote No”; “They Like Me”; “Save Quake”; “Quangaroo Intro”; “Surprise”; “Simon in the Store”; and “Rain Dance.” 1972: “Sudden Hospitality”; “The Land of One”; “Great Race”; “Great Race Directions”; “Orangeania”; and “Shopping List.” 1973: “Great Race Final”; “The Quakealyzer”; “Leaning Giant”; and “Gronk.” Quisp’s premiums included a Quisp Cosmiclouder Gun, a Quisp Gyro Trail Blazer, a Quisp helmet, a Quisp unicycle, and a Quisp Playmate doll. Quake’s premiums included a Quake adventure book, a Quake super spinner toy, a Quake explorer’s kit, a Quake Playmate doll, an assortment of Quake rings, a Quake cavern helmet, a QuakeMobile toy car, a Quake MiniMovie player, a Quangaroon Gyro Trail Blazer, and a Quangaroo Soapbox Racer.

Extreme Quakeover

Mini comic books like this one (front and back cover views shown) were popular inserts in Sixties’ boxes of Quisp and Quake. © Quaker Oats Co.

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While the two cereals were virtually identical in flavor (Quake was said to be slightly crunchier), Quisp proved to have much more consumer appeal and traditionally beat Quake in sales. Quaker Oats placed the blame on Quake the character. As Quisp began to outsell Quake, the ad agency conducted focus groups with children expressing their reactions to Ward and company’s animated commercials. The results were surprising. The kids felt that, due to his huge size, muscular build, displays of superstrength, and rather stern voice, that Quake was kinda menacing. Using that information, in 1967 the agency and the studio worked together to concoct not one but two different TV commercials that depicted Quake getting a trimmer, hipper, less threatening makeover after being processed by a Rube Goldberg-ish “newer and improver machine.” In one version, the transformation is accidental, while in the other version, it’s intentional. Not coincidentally, both have the same result: Quake was now a

the oddball world of scott shaw! [INSET BELOW] All hail King Vitamin. © Quaker Oats Co. Courtesy of Heritage.

[BELOW] Were his makeover not humiliating enough, poor Quake had to share a cereal box with Simon the Orange Quangaroo throughout the early Seventies. © Quaker Oats Co. Image courtesy of Scott Shaw!

The kids have spoken! After Quake was deemed too threatening a figure by children, Quaker revamped Quake into a kinder character. © Quaker Oats Co. Cel courtesy of Scott Shaw!

friendly looking, freckle-faced character who resembled a chesty version of Tom Slick wearing an Australian bush hat instead of a racing helmet. Quake was no longer a miner, and Quake cereal no longer looked like gears or cogs but now the letter “Q.” They were also “neater and sweeter with the taste of honey” but still full of earthquake power. But it seemed to be too little, too late. Outer space’s Quisp had almost entirely eclipsed his one-time underground friendly rival. Finally, in 1971, Quaker brought things to a head, with a number of Ward’s commercials urging its young consumers to vote on which cereal they preferred: Quisp or Quake. The campaign carried on for a year, but it turned out to be no contest at all: Quisp was clearly the winner. But the “newer and improved” Quake was still around, if only to shepherd in and introduce a new player in the cereal game that same year. “Simon the Orange Quangaroo”—voiced by Bill Scott—became the primary spokescharacter (with Quake demoted to second banana) to promote an odd new cereal that delivered sweet orange flavor in addition to its corn crunch, Quake’s Orange Quangaroos. Unfortunately, although most of the kids’ cereal manufacturers were experimenting with orange-flavored cereal, the flavor-appeal didn’t prove equal to that of Orange Creamsicles. Once again, Quisp was triumphant. By 1974, Quake and Simon were sent back to the Outback, never again to hawk sugary cereal to kids.

More Ward Spokes-Characters

Other Quaker Oats/Jay Ward cartoon spokes-characters (and their voices) include: ` 1966’s Monster Munch ` 1967’s Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries featuring “The Crunch Berry Beast,” performed by Bill Scott ` 1968’s Captain Vitaman featuring “Captain Vitaman,” performed by Peter Graves and Bill Scott ` 1968’s Fudge Town Cookies ` 1968’s Scooter Pie Cookies ` 1968’s Fudge Town Cookies ` 1968’s Scooter Pie Cookies ` 1968–1969’s Mr. Chips Cookies

` 1968–1969’s Frosted Oat Flakes featuring “Quincey Quaker,” performed by Dick Beals ` 1968–1973’s Aunt Jemima featuring “Professor Goody,” performed by Daws Butler, and “The Waffle Whiffer,” performed by Bill Scott ` 1969’s Cap’n Crunch’s Peanut Butter Crunch featuring “Smedley the elephant,” performed by Bill Scott ` 1969’s Cinnamon Bear Cereal ` 1969’s Cinnamon Flakes ` 1969’s Crackles ` 1969’s Gauchos Cookies ` 1969’s Mister E featuring as “Mister E” (a parody of the pulp magazine and radio mystery man, The Shadow), portrayed by Paul Frees ` 1969’s Pronto ` 1969’s Scooter Pies featuring “Harold the Scooter Pie Giant,” portrayed by Paul Frees ` 1969’s Vitaman the Great ` 1969–1970’s Cap’n Crunch Ship Shake ` 1970–1971 King Vitaman featuring “King Vitaman,” portrayed by Joe Flynn, and his knights “Sir Laffitup” and “Sir Cravenleigh,” performed by Bill Scott ` Early 1970s’ Cap’n Crunch’s Punch Crunch featuring “Harry S. Hippo the pink dancing hippopotamus,” performed by Bill Scott ` Early 1970s’ Cap’n Crunch’s Vanilly Crunch featuring “Sea Dog” and two versions of “Wilma the White Whale” ` Early 1970s’ Jean La Foote’s Cinnamon Crunch featuring “Jean Le Foote,” performed by Bill Scott ` 1979–1982’s Halfsies featuring “The King of the Land of Half”; his sons “Half Prince” and “Half Pint”; “The Jester,” performed by Bill Scott’ and “Count Awfullot,” portrayed by Paul Frees ` 1980’s Hi-Los featuring “Officer High and Officer Low” and “the Hi-Lo Munchster,” performed by Bill Scott ` 1982’s Cap’n Crunch’s Choco Crunch featuring “Chockle the Blob,” performed by Bill Scott RETROFAN

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the oddball world of scott shaw!

Sweet Memories

Cap’n Crunch. © Quaker Oats Co.

Even after the Quisp cereal brand went into hibernation, it briefly reappeared in the mid-Eighties and Nineties. And when it wasn’t available as “Quisp,” Quaker was still selling the same cereal under other names. It first reappeared in less-expensive-than-boxedcereal plastic bags bearing the image of a famous sailor-man and the name Popeye Sweet Crunch, one of an entire line of Popeye-approved cereal. (Popeye’s an old salt, so the irony of him selling sweet stuff rather than spinach is alarming.) Eventually, that brand headed out to sea, only than to be resurrected by Quaker’s once again as Sweet Crunch Cereal. In 2001, the Quaker Oats Company relaunched Quisp as the “first Internet cereal.” The back panel of each box of Quisp directed consumers to an online Flash-animated “Quisp” cartoon short, “Your Breakfast Serial” (3:16 in length.) It was produced and directed by Spümcø’s notorious John Krisfaluci. “Quisp” was performed by Corey Burton and his sidekick “Quunchy” was played by Matt Danner. Frankly, its one-and-only gag was milked so thoroughly, the cartoon’s humor was only… soggy. Quisp cereal has remained in limited distribution, with Quaker Oats distributing the product in “guerrilla displays” that would appear in a store and last until the product sold out. Even in the late 2010s, it could occasionally be found in grocery and discount chains such as Dollar General, Marc’s, SuperTarget, and Food Lion. Quisp made its return to supermarkets as a mass-market grocery item in late 2012. Quaker Oats also sells Quisp directly to the public through an online store. You can also pick up a box from Walmart.com. In recent years, the Quaker Oats Company has licensed Quisp and Quake to Funko for retro toy figures, T-shirts, and more, including Funko POP! figures, Funko Pez dispensers, and Funko “Vynl” figures. According to Coinweek, the American Breakfast Cereal Heritage Act calls for one-dollar commemorative coins to celebrate our most beloved breakfast cereals. The cereal coins program launched in 2019, starting with Tony the Tiger. The 2020 design will feature Quisp, but at this writing in late March 2020 no image has been shared with the public. Although George of the Jungle was the studio’s final television series, a steady stream of TV commercials for a remarkable range of clients—which include, in addition to General Mills and the Quaker Oats Company: Peter-Paul Candy, Ideal Toys, Kenner, Colgate-Palmolive, Southern California Gas Companies, First Federal Savings, Shakey’s Pizza, Bubble-Up, Burger King, and the Auto Club, among others—kept Jay Ward Productions thriving. But by 1981, things had slowed down considerably at Jay Ward Productions. Jay and Bill were getting older, as were some 18

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Courtesy of Heritage.

of their voiceover talents. The studio concentrated on licensed products of their characters, plus collectible cels sold at their gif t shop run by Jay Ward’s wife, Billie. Although there was always talk of developing and pitching new project, TV executroids never seemed to get Ward and company’s sense of humor anymore. And when Bill Scott died on November 29, 1985, Jay Ward lost his remaining interest in making cartoons. The world lost Jay on October 12, 1989. On a brighter note, the refurbished statute of Rocky and Bullwinkle on L.A.’s Sunset Blvd. is slated to be unveiled any day now. And thanks to YouTube, we still can enjoy Jay Ward’s Quisp and Quake cartoon commercials any time we want... without the diabetes! So who knows? If Funko’s willing to pay the licensing fee for multiple Quisp and Quake products and since the Quaker Oats Company could bring back Quisp more than once, why can’t they bring back both Quisp and Quake—and what th’ heck, Simon the Orange Quangaroo, too? Pretty please? Thanks to Keith Scott’s The Moose That Roared (St. Martin’s Press, 2000) and Darrell Van Citters’ The Art of Jay Ward Productions (Oxberry Press, 2014) for quotes and obscure information, all greatly appreciated. And if you’re a big Jay Ward fan yearning to learn more about the studio, these two volumes pretty much comprise the verbal and visual history of Jay Ward Productions as completely as is humanly possible. – SS! For 48 years (and counting), SCOTT SHAW! has written and drawn underground comix, mainstream comic books, comic strips, graphic novels, TV cartoons, toys, advertising, and video games. He has worked on such characters as Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew (which he co-created with Roy Thomas), Sonic the Hedgehog, the Flintstones, the Jetsons, the Simpsons, the Futurama gang, the Muppet Babies, Garfield, the Garbage Pail Kids, and yes, even Annoying Orange. His career has garnered him four Emmy Awards, an Eisner Award, and a Humanities Award. Scott is also known for his “Oddball Comics Live!” visual presentation of “the craziest comic books ever published” and for his regular participation in “Quick Draw!” with Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragonés. He was also one of the teenagers who co-created what is currently known as Comic-Con International: San Diego, America’s biggest annual fan event. He can be reached at shawcartoons.com.

THE ODDBALL WORLD OF SCOTT SHAW! EXTRA

[Editor’s note: The following cartoon and its story were intended for last issue’s “Oddball World of Scott Shaw!” biography of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth but cut due to space limitations. I felt this was a story that needed to be shared and am proud to do so this issue.]

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MONSTER MASH

The Creepy, Kooky Monster Craze In America, 1957-1972 Time-trip back to the frightening era of 1957-1972, when monsters stomped into the American mainstream! Once Frankenstein and fiends infiltrated TV in 1957, an avalanche of monster magazines, toys, games, trading cards, and comic books crashed upon an unsuspecting public. This profusely illustrated full-color hardcover covers that creepy, kooky Monster Craze through features on FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine, the #1 hit “Monster Mash,” Aurora’s model kits, TV shows (SHOCK THEATRE, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, THE MUNSTERS, and DARK SHADOWS), “MARS ATTACKS” trading cards, EERIE PUBLICATIONS, PLANET OF THE APES, and more! It features interviews with JAMES WARREN (Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella magazines), FORREST J ACKERMAN (Famous Monsters of Filmland), JOHN ASTIN (The Addams Family), AL LEWIS (The Munsters), JONATHAN FRID (Dark Shadows), GEORGE BARRIS (monster car customizer), ED “BIG DADDY” ROTH (Rat Fink), BOBBY (BORIS) PICKETT (Monster Mash singer/songwriter) and others, with a Foreword by TV horror host ZACHERLEY, the “Cool Ghoul.” Written by MARK VOGER (author of “The Dark Age”). (192-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 • (Digital Edition) $11.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-064-9 • Diamond Order Code: MAR151564

GROOVY

When Flower Power Bloomed In Pop Culture

GROOVY is a far-out trip to the era of lava lamps and love beads. This profusely illustrated HARDCOVER BOOK, in PSYCHEDELIC COLOR, features interviews with icons of grooviness such as PETER MAX, BRIAN WILSON, PETER FONDA, MELANIE, DAVID CASSIDY, members of the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, CREAM, THE DOORS, THE COWSILLS and VANILLA FUDGE; and cast members of groovy TV shows like THE MONKEES, LAUGH-IN and THE BRADY BUNCH. By MARK VOGER. (192-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-080-9 • Digital Edition: $13.99 Diamond Order Code: JUL172227

HOLLY JOLLY

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RETRO HEROES

Creatures & Conspiracies The Truth-Seeking Hero of Kolchak: The Night Stalker by Bill Spangler In the summer of 1978, I was part of a group of science-fiction fans that were putting on a convention in State College, Pennsylvania, the home of Penn State University. As part of that committee, one of my tasks was to come up with a costume to wear at the planned costume party. (This was back in those prehistoric days before “cosplay” became a word.) Now, I had no discernable costuming skills. However, I managed to come up with an outfit that caused moments at later conventions where someone would look at me and say, “Oh, yeah, you’re the one who came as Kolchak.” Carl Kolchak was introduced to the world in The Night Stalker, a 1972 made-for-TV movie on ABC that set ratings records. [Editor’s note: The Night Stalker scored a 33.2 rating and 54 share in the Nielsens during its original airdate of January 11, 1972.] The Night Stalker was followed by a second movie, and that was followed by a TV series that lasted just shy of one season. In many circumstances, that would be the end of the story. But Kolchak, like the menaces he faces, has proven to be remarkably hard to kill. Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, has told interviewers that the TV show—Kolchak: The Night Stalker—was a major influence on his thinking. In one such interview, he said, “I had an opportunity to create a show for Fox. And they said, ‘What do you want to do?’ And I said, you know, The Night Stalker was this fantastic show and I was scared out of my pants. I said, there’s nothing scary on television anymore. Let’s do a scary show.” The show that scared Chris Carter out of his pants ran in 1974 and 1975. An attempt to reboot the series in 2005 lasted only six episodes in its original run, although ten were produced and all ten were shown when the show migrated to Syfy. Still, Carl Kolchak’s encounters with creatures and conspiracies continue to attract fans, thanks to the availability of the original adventures and an ambitious publishing program by Moonstone Books.

Never-Say-Die Journalist

Like the Thin Man, the title The Night Stalker did not refer to Kolchak at first. It referred to the monster in the first movie, a vampire named Janos Skorzeny, who was on a killing spree in modern Las Vegas. Kolchak was a reporter for the Las Vegas Daily

[ABOVE] Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak, the seersuckered supernatural sleuth of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. © Universal Television. Kolchak © Jeff Rice Estate. [RIGHT INSET] Kolchak creator

Jeff Rice (1944–2015).

News, searching for the big story that would land him a job in New York City. Discovering the truth behind Skorzeny proves to be an even bigger story than he imagines. He stops Skorzeny, but he can’t fight the Powers-That-Be in Vegas, who suppress the truth because it’s “bad for business.” This story started life as a novel by Jeff Rice, a Las Vegas journalist and actor. According to The Night Stalker Companion by Mark Dawidziak, generally considered to be the definitive reference on Kolchak’s adventures, Rice submitted his manuscript to an agent, looking for representation. This individual also turned out to be the agent for prominent fantasy author Richard Matheson, who wrote I Am Legend, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and “Duel,” among other stories. Matheson expressed interest in the book, and that led to a deal for a made-for-TV movie, produced by Dan Curtis, the force behind Dark Shadows, and John Llewellyn Moxey was tapped as director. A major piece of the project arrived when Darren McGavin was cast as Kolchak. RETROFAN

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retro heroes

McGavin is probably best known these days as Ralphie’s Old Man in the classic holiday movie A Christmas Story. However, McGavin, who died in 2006, had a decades-long career in both movies and television. His other credits include The Martian Chronicles, Tribes, and Murphy Brown. McGavin gave Kolchak a mixture of flamboyance and determination that was very appealing. He knew when he was physically outmatched and was perfectly willing to exercise the better part of valor. When it came to uncovering the truth, however, he never stopped, even when he knew his efforts would be blocked. As McGavin’s wife, Kathie Browne McGavin, put it, “The people who really love The Night Stalker love Kolchak because he never gives up. He’s fighting, always fighting. You can take the monsters and take them to be anything you want—the government, big business, corrupt officials. Their hero comes at the end, beaten up but ready to fight another day,” Mark Dawidziak, who is also a professional journalist, describes Kolchak as “the embodiment of what a journalist should be.”

Montage of press photos from the �� telemovie, The Night Stalker. © Universal Television. Courtesy of Heritage.

Kolchak arrived at roughly the same time that Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were breaking the Watergate scandal, Dawidziak said. However, he offered a radically different image of what journalists looked like. The movies cast Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein, but Kolchak was “scruffy, badly dressed, and had a European surname. It was a much more practical role model for a journalist.” McGavin also created Kolchak’s visual signature, his seersucker suit, battered hat, and sneakers. “I got this image of a New York newspaperman who had been fired in the summer of 1962,” he said, “when he was wearing a seersucker suit, his straw hat, 22

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button-down Brooks Brothers shirt, and reporter’s tie and he hasn’t bought any clothes since.” While the romantic lead in the first movie was played by Carol Lynley, you could say that Kolchak’s co-star, throughout McGavin’s association with the character, was editor Tony Vincenzo, played by Simon Oakland. Although there are points in their stormy relationship where Vincenzo seems to be an obstacle arbitrarily placed in Kolchak’s way, his feelings are explained clearly in this movie. Vincenzo admires Kolchak as a reporter, but he also has to appease the newspaper’s owners and local authorities. The title character in The Night Stalker was played by Barry Atwater. Unlike Bela Lugosi’s Dracula or Jonathan Frid’s Barnabas Collins, Atwater played Skorzeny as speechless and animalistic.

Primal Fears in Primetime

The combination of setting, theme, and acting produced a major hit. Ratings on The Night Stalker beat the highest rated madefor-TV at that point, 1971’s Brian’s Song. Rice’s original novel was published, and it wasn’t long before work began on a sequel. The sequel, The Night Strangler, relocated Kolchak and Vincenzo to Seattle, where Kolchak discovered an alchemist (Richard Anderson) who killed women in order to produce a serum that would maintain his immortality. This story did not come from Rice, although he did write a novelization. It was developed by Matheson and Curtis, who also directed. The Night Strangler premiered in 1973. It did well in both ratings and critical reception, although not as well as the original. A third script was written, but never produced as ABC executives became more interested in producing a weekly series starring Kolchak. The third script, The Night Killers, took Kolchak and Vincenzo to Hawaii and is described as being more science-fictional in nature, with UFOs and politicians being replaced by android duplicates. This screenplay was written by Matheson and William F. Nolan, the co-author of Logan’s Run. A prose adaptation of The Night Killers is available from Moonstone Books and a limited edition of all three scripts is still available. The TV series—which came to be titled Kolchak: The Night Stalker—debuted in the fall of 1974. It wasn’t an easy birth, and the show was plagued with problems. According to The Night Stalker Companion, there was a constant tug of war between McGavin and producer Cy Chermak on how to convert Kolchak’s adventures to a weekly format. This was aggravated by budgetary problems. This time, Kolchak and Vincenzo were in Chicago, working for the Independent News Service. Regulars in the newsroom now included prissy Ron Updyke (Jack Grinnage), aging but youngat-heart Emily Cowles (Ruth McDevitt), and intern Monique Marmelstein (Carol Ann Susi). In addition, Kolchak had regular dealings with morgue attendant Gordy “The Ghoul” Spangler (John Fiedler), who I like to think of as Uncle Gordy. Despite the story problems, there are several episodes of the show worth talking about. Many fans consider “Horror in the Heights” the best of the weekly episodes. Written by Jimmy Sangster, who scripted some

retro heroes

“I said I would submit four or five concepts, and if there’s one of the classic as Hammer horror films, this story boasts several clever plot twists, some political commentary, and a strong we all agree on, I’ll do it,” he says. One of those concepts was performance by Ruth McDevitt as Miss Emily. Grave Secrets, about the deaths surrounding a proposed landLike most TV shows at the time, episodes of Kolchak: The Night development project. Grave Secrets, along with Dawidziak’s other Stalker were designed to be self-contained, and to be watched books, are available at his website, www.markdawidziak.com. At this in any order. One result of this was that Kolchak treated every writing, his most recent book is The Shawshank Redemption Revealed, encounter with the paranormal as if it were his first. The one based in part during his time on the set during the filming. exception to this approach was “The Vampire,” written by David The X-Files acknowledged its connection with Kolchak: The Chase and Bill Stratton. Although it never Night Stalker at roughly the same time, with directly refers to the original movie, Kolchak two episodes featuring Darren McGavin, knows that this vampire was created by “Travelers” and “Aqua Mala.” The creative Janos Skorzeny and he knows what he has staff on X-Files had made two previous to do is stop it. attempts to bring McGavin onto the show, “Mr. R.I.N.G,” by L. Ford Neale and John once as Kolchak himself and once as Huff, may be the episode that bears the Mulder’s father. Ultimately, though, they closest resemblance to The X-Files. Kolchak cast McGavin as Arthur Dales, one of the uncovers a secret government project to first FBI agents assigned to the X-Files. build a robot soldier, and his “interrogation” In “Travelers,” Fox Mulder contacts Dales by government agents leaves him injured and for help with a case from the McCarthy era disoriented from drugs. that involved Mulder’s father. Naturally, a In “The Spanish Moss Murders,” by Al dif ferent actor (Fredric Lehne) plays Dales Friedman and David Chase, a legendary during the Fif ties scenes, but McGavin swamp creature terrifies the Cajun narrates the flashbacks, a nice salute community in Chicago. The writers find to the format of The Night Stalker. The a unique way to transport a swamp framing sequence for this story seems creature to the big city, and the monster’s to take place before Mulder meets Dana appearances are well-staged. Scully, and Dales is living in a lower-class “Legacy of Terror,” by Arthur Rowe, relies neighborhood in Washington D.C. more on strange contrasts than special effects to In “Aqua Mala,” Dales has moved to establish the mood. Kolchak discovers that a Florida. He lives in a mobile home but has string of luxury hotels is actually a front for an elaborate set-up of radios and police a religious cult that wants to bring an Aztec monitors. Dales calls on Mulder and demon back to Earth. Scully for help to fight a creature that has “Chopper,” which turns the Headless been pulled up from the ocean depths Horseman into a headless motorcyclist, by a storm. This is a stand-alone episode, started as a proposal from Robert with no new information about Dales’ Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the creators of the background or the continuing subplots on Back to the Future movies. Even the weaker X-Files. On one level, the episode resembles episodes have good points, however. One some of the stories from the Night Stalker TV Screen captures from the �� such point is that the victims of the various telemovie, The Night Stalker. © Universal series. creatures are almost always given some “Travelers” was co-written by Frank Television. Courtesy of Heritage. humanizing detail, like they collect plush Spotnitz, one of the main writers on The animals, or they’re six credits away from their X-Files. He would go on to develop the 2005 master's degree. reboot of Night Stalker, which also ran on ABC. In this version, Kolchak: The Night Stalker lasted 20 episodes, but reruns of the Kolchak (Stuart Townsend) is young, dark, and brooding. He’s show went into a late-night spot on CBS. This spot attracted new obsessed with unraveling the conspiracy behind the death of fans, viewers who may have been more receptive to the show’s his wife and their unborn child. He even spent some time in a style and subject matter than the primetime audience. mental hospital, recovering from the event. He’s still working for Tony Vincenzo (Cotter Smith) on the Los Angeles Beacon, but Grave-digging he’s spending most of his time with Perri Reed (Gabrielle Union), In 1994, a new adventure was added to Kolchak’s resume when the senior crime reporter on the Beacon. Reed, unsurprisingly, Dawidziak’s novel Grave Secrets was published. A new publisher is skeptical of Kolchak’s claims. An F.B.I. agent named Fain had printed an omnibus volume of The Night Stalker and The (Jon Pyper-Ferguson) is trying to prove that Kolchak killed his Night Strangler, Dawidziak tells RetroFan, and wanted Rice to wife. But is he motivated by the evidence, or is he part of the write a new book. Rice wasn’t interested, but he recommended conspiracy? Dawidziak because they had developed a friendship while the Frankly, it’s tempting to dismiss the reboot with one or two latter was writing Nightstalking, the first edition of The Night withering comments. Replacing the older, more world-weary Stalker Companion. Kolchak with a younger, more romantic version seems entirely RETROFAN

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at odds with the original vision of the by launching a series of comic book and character. Having Kolchak motivated by a prose adventures. It started in 2002 with a personal tragedy, rather than a dedication graphic-novel adaptation of the Kolchak’s to the truth, can be described as raising first appearance, and expanded into the emotional stakes. Still, for fans of the other formats. “We have done over 75 original stories, it’s a shock when, in the first different Kolchak publications,” publisher episode, Kolchak says, “The public doesn’t Moonstone Joe Gentile says, “and many of want to know.” The reboot seems to want to them with multiple covers and hardcover replace the Vincenzo/Kolchak relationship and paperback editions.” with a Kolchak/Reed partnership, but it According to Gentile, Moonstone never really comes together. At best, it “actively pursued” the rights to do Night comes across as a low-budget version Stalker comics. “It was the first license we of the Mulder/Scully friendship. (Cotter acquired.” Smith’s Vincenzo has very little to do in Moonstone was the “fourth or fifth the early episodes, but that changes as the entity” to approach Rice about doing show progresses.) On the other hand, the Kolchak comics,” Dawidziak says, “and he individual episodes are well produced, and was very, very cynical that it would come one of the recurring themes—that it’s hard to pass.” However, “Moonstone has done to tell the difference sometimes between everything it said it would do,” so Rice gave human and supernatural evil—is valid them permission to do prose stories. Black-and-white promo still, signed in enough. “Jeff [was] a very loyal guy and he �� by Darren McGavin. © Universal Television. If Spotnitz and company had introduced rewarded loyalty,” he continues. Dawidziak Courtesy of Heritage. this show as an original series, rather than a acted as an unpaid liaison between reboot, I think it would have been better received, although it still Moonstone and Rice, as well as writing for the line. “I read scripts, might not have had the lasting appeal of the first show. made general suggestions, and made sure they hit basic format There are several clever references to the original show in rules.” His contributions to the Moonstone books include coThe Night Stalker, although, ultimately, the in-jokes might have writing the comic Lamb to the Slaughter, and two prose stories, reminded the audience of what they were missing. An identifiable “Interview with a Vampire?” and “Cancellation.” The former was image of McGavin, lifted from the first movie, can be seen briefly a meeting between Kolchak and Barnabas Collins, written with in the Beacon newsroom. Kolchak’s straw hat can be seen hanging Dark Shadows’ Dan Curtis’ authorization. In the latter, Kolchak has on a hat stand in his replacement’s home office. The Los Angeles to deal with his adventures being converted to a TV show, which Beacon is apparently owned by the Crossbinder Corporation, will be competing with the ultra-popular Fear Files. which is not a coincidental name choice. Llewllyn Crossbinder is “Kolchak has as many faults as anyone,” Gentile says. “He has the name of the publisher in The Night Strangler. the worst kind of luck on everything from finance to relationships. But somehow, he just doesn’t give up. He just doesn’t give up. The Original Kolchak Returns He is driven to the truth. This is appealing when truth in the real Shortly before the reboot series premiered, Moonstone Books world seems to depend on which side is speaking. I also enjoy his made a commitment to the original version of the character sarcasm and the feel of noir that his stories bring.”

FAST FACTS

The Night Stalker

` Original airdate: January 11, 1972 ` Primary cast: Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Carol Lynley, Barry Atwater ` Director: John Llewellyn Moxey ` Producer: Dan Curtis ` Story: Richard Matheson (screenplay), Jeff Rice (story) ` Network: ABC

The Night Strangler ` Original airdate: January 16, 1973 ` Primary cast: Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Richard Anderson, Jo Ann Pflug, John Carradine, Wally Cox, Margaret Hamilton ` Director/Producer: Dan Curtis ` Screenplay: Richard Matheson ` Network: ABC

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Kolchak: The Night Stalker Titled The Night Stalker for the first four episodes ` No. of seasons: One ` No. of episodes: 20 ` Original run: September 13, 1974–March 28, 1975 ` Primary cast: Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Jack Grinnage, Ruth McDevitt, Carol Ann Susi, John Fiedler ` Producers: Paul Playdon and Cy Chermak ` Network: ABC

Remake: ` The Night Stalker (remake starring Stuart Townsend, Gabrielle Union, Cotter Smith, Eric Jungman, and Jon Pyper-Ferguson, 2005, 10 episodes)

retro heroes

Other writers who have contributed to the Moonstone books are Stuart Kaminsky, Ed Gorman, Kevin J. Anderson, Max Allan Collins, Peter David, Chuck Dixon, C. J. Henderson, John Ostrander, and Mike Baron. Some of the stories have Kolchak working alone, while others have him interacting with other characters from classic genre fiction, like Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Moreau. In Night Stalker of the Living Dead, a three-issue limited series from Moonstone, our hero encounters another classic horror theme—zombies—in Nebraska. This series, published in 2008, was written by Christopher Mills, with art by Tim Hamilton. “I’m pretty sure I first encountered Kolchak on a weekend afternoon in the late Seventies, when I caught the climactic scene of the first TV movie while flipping through channels,” Mills tells RetroFan. “I was riveted by Carl’s battle with the vampire. Later, I caught up with the series when it aired on CBS Late Night. “To me, the appeal is twofold: the monsters first, because I’m a fantasy/horror fan, and I love monsters. Second, it’s the fact that Kolchak is compelled to find the truth, no matter how unbelievable, how horrific and that, despite the efforts of everyone around him to suppress that truth—from Vincenzo to the government, et al.—he preserves, even though it costs him dearly, in damage to his reputation and livelihood. To me, that’s heroic. “I’m very proud of the work I did on Night Stalker of the Living Dead,” Mills remarks. “I think it might be the best writing I’ve ever done in comics, and the art by Tim Hamilton was exquisite.” Currently, Mills is the publisher/writer of Atomic Action comics, an imprint where Mills uses public domain characters to do stories in the style of Seventies comics. The Atomic Action website is, unsurprisingly, at www. atomicactioncomics. com. A more recent addition to Moonstone’s Kolchak line is 2016’s The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allen Poe, a graphic novel written by James Chambers, with art Artist Ed Silas Smith illustrated this by Luis Czerniawski, portrait of our intrepid reporter Felipe Kroll, and for a newspaper ad promoting a proposed- Jim Fern. While but-unreleased omnibus edition, c. 1994, visiting Baltimore, collecting (INSET) author Jeff Rice’s Kolchak meets a adaptations of the Night Stalker telemovie street magician and its sequel. Kolchak © Jeff Rice Estate. Art who performs tricks scan courtesy of Heritage. inspired by Poe.

KOLCHAK CAMEOS

Carl Kolchak has starred in many stories over the years. However, he has also made cameos in other stories where he might not have been identified but was clearly identifiable. Here are some samples, as Kolchak himself might have put it. ITEM: Paul Butterworth, a very familiar-looking reporter, took on another vampire in Marvel Comics’ Tomb of Dracula #43 (Apr. 1976). The name of the story? “The Night-Staker.” ITEM: The villain in Werewolf, a TV series on Fox in 1987, was lycanthrope named Janos Skorzeny. ITEM: In Primortals #10, a comic book published in 1995, a reporter named Carl can be seen calling his boss, Vincenzo, as he investigates the landing site of an alien spaceship. This issue was scripted by Christopher Mills, who would go on to writing Kolchak comics for Moonstone. ITEM: 08, by Michael Crowley and Dan Goldman, was a recap of the 2008 presidential campaign, done in the graphic-story format. Although the story was true, it was narrated by two fictional reporters, and one of them, Harlan Jessop, has a familiar fashion sense. ITEM: Several supernatural investigators descend on Sunnydale in Night of the Living Rerun by Arthur Byron Cover, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer tie-in novel from 1998. One of these investigators is a reporter named Darryl McGovern, who is described as a “late, middle-aged man in a baggy old suit, with a bowtie and a battered old hat. He carried a large, old-fashioned flash camera.” [TOP] Marvel’s Kolchak homage, Paul Butterworth, from Tomb of Dracula #43. © Marvel. [INSET] Does ��’s Harlan Jessop remind you of anyone? © Michael Crowley and Dan Goldman.

That leads to encounters with characters and themes from Poe’s stories. Forgotten Lore received the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement for Graphic Novel, according to Chambers. The Stoker Awards are presented annually by the Horror Writers of America. “There has been a Stoker category for graphic novel for many years,” Chambers says. “It’s the only category that allows licensed properties to be considered. It’s a little unusual for a RETROFAN

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retro heroes Kolchak keeps on creepin’! Among the many continuations of the Kolchak saga: Mark Dawidziak’s Grave Secrets (1994), Christopher Mills’ Night Stalker of the Living Dead (2008), and James Chambers’ The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe (2016). Kolchak © Jeff Rice Estate.

work featuring a licensed character to be awarded but it does happen.” Chambers says he had already sold a prose short story with Kolchak when he was approached about doing Forgotten Lore, although the story was not published until after the graphic novel. “My first step was a comprehensive rereading of Poe and reading the stories and poems I hadn’t yet read. This was a very deep dive into Poe’s writing and biography and I found insights into many of his stories I had read in the past. “I then turned to Kolchak,” he continues, “whose stories always contain certain key elements, such as Carl consulting with an expert on folklore and myth, Tony Vincenzo refusing to publish his ‘outlandish’ stories, and so on…. Everything crystalized when I discovered how much common ground existed between Kolchak’s voice as a narrator and Poe’s as an author. Both have a cynical, macabre, and world-weary humanism to them, and they share a wry, dark sense of humor.” Chambers believes Kolchak appeals to fans on multiple levels. “His personality is an attractive blend of cynicism, optimism, and pragmatism. Kolchak’s not above a little bribe now and then to grease the wheels for a story, but he’s always going to do the right thing when it matters most. “He’s a reluctant hero in the best way. He’s not whining about being forced into these situations or how fate keeps him from doing what he’d rather be doing. He’s reluctant because he must overcome his fear and revulsion in order to act. That’s something everybody can understand. “I think, too, that fans love that he is who he is at all times,” Chambers asserts. “Kolchak is an oddball—the way he dresses, the way he works, his outlook on life—he never compromises that. He has no time for worrying about what others think of him. I think his biggest appeal is that he is a fundamentally honest character in a world of cover-ups and corruption.” Moonstone’s books—including Night Stalker of the Living Dead and The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe—are available at www. moonstronebooks.com. Upcoming releases are Dawn of the Demons, a prose/graphic novel mix by Ed Gorman and Ricky Sprague, and Kolchak and the Night Stalkers, a prose novella by Chambers. 26

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Chambers explains, “We take a new approach to Kolchak, where he winds up working with a team of characters to take on a supernatural menace. Thanks to Moonstone’s library of classic characters, Kolchak works with a new version of the Domino Lady, Derek Flint (the spy played by James Coburn in the movies), private eye Pat Novak, T.H.E. Cat (a cult favorite Sixties TV show starring Robert Loggia), and several more surprise guests. They’ll all be drawn together by a Lovecraftian menace too big for any of them to face on their own.” Two series that were heavily influenced by The Night Stalker were the News from the Edge novel trilogy from the late Nineties by Mark Sumner, and Abbott, a four-issue comic-book series, written by Saladin Ahmed, with art by Sami Kivela. The protagonist of the News from the Edge books is Savannah “Savvy” McKinnon, a reporter for the tabloid Global Query, and her adventures combine mystery and supernatural elements. The titles of the trilogy are The Monster of Minnesota, Insanity Illinois, and Vampires of Vermont. The main character in Abbott is Elena Abbott, an African-American reporter in 1972. She’s investigating a series of grisly murders, which she believes to be the work of occult forces. Abbott was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story in 2019. The Hugo, for the record, is one of the two major awards in the science-fiction field, and is voted on by sci-fi fans. All of Darren McGavin’s adventures as Kolchak, as well as the 2005 reboot, are available on DVD. In addition, the first TV series can be found on NBC’s streaming service. For a while, “I was out here on my own chronicling Kolchak’s adventures,” Dawidziak says. “But I’ve given other people the tools to carry on the research. It’s not really mine anymore. I’m the proud granddad, standing on the sidelines.” BILL SPANGLER, who wrote “Thunderbirds Are Still Go” for RetroFan #4, used to have a photo of himself dressed as Kolchak, interviewing another attendee at that costume party, dressed as Dr. Frank N. Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But he wouldn’t run that photo here, even if he could find it.

ERNEST FARINO’S RETRO FANTASMAGORIA

That was my reaction to my parents gently breaking the news to me that George Reeves, the actor who played Superman/ Clark Kent in the TV series Adventures of Superman, had died from a gunshot wound. He died on June 16, 1959, and the news broke the next day on June 17—my birthday. I turned seven years old. Kids of that age are generally not secure in understanding the nature of death and dying anyway, so to wrestle with this notion regarding “The Man of Steel” was too much to deal with. Of course, it was true. And perhaps that reality gradually helped me start to understand such weighty life issues. But for the moment, I was content to live in the world of Metropolis, The Daily Planet, and “a strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.” The backstory is well known, so we’ll include just a brief refresher course here. Jerry Siegel (the writer) joined his high school friend Joe Shuster (the artist) in the Thirties to come up with a new comic-strip character. Based on Siegel’s concept, Shuster designed Superman’s costume based on heavyweight boxing champions of the day, adding elements such as the cape. Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938) and was an instant hit, but, not anticipating continued success, Siegel sold their rights to Action Comics’ National Allied Publications (later DC Comics) for—wait for it—$130 (about $2,400 today). For all intents and purposes, Siegel and Shuster were soon left behind by the success of their high-flying hero, and other creative personnel stepped in. Notably, the animator Max Fleischer’s studios (creators of the famous Popeye cartoons of the Forties) produced a series of 17 Superman cartoons in Technicolor from 1941 to 1943. In 1948 Columbia Pictures produced the first liveaction appearance of Superman on film: a 15-chapter B&W serial, Superman, starring Kirk Alyn as Superman and Noel Neill as Lois Lane and directed by Thomas Carr, who later directed many early episodes of the Adventures of Superman television series, also starring Neill. According to Jim Harmon and Donald F. Glut in their book The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury, the serial was a “tremendous financial success” and played in “first-run theatres that had never before booked a serial.” A sequel, Atom Man vs. Superman, directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet, was released in 1950. In 1976 Warner Bros. decided to make a Superman movie. Siegel contacted the studio, and some parties at Warner Bros. and DC Comics were surprised to discover that Siegel and Shuster were still alive. As Arlen Schumer wrote in Pete Von Sholly’s anthology of essays Fantastic Fictioneers (PS Publishing, 2019), “renowned comic book artist and firebrand Neal Adams, who, with grassroots support from many of the giants in the comic art fields,

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet! by Ernest Farino

Superman TM & © DC Comics.

“That can’t be true. I don’t believe it. He’s Superman!”

George Reeves, with signature.

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lobbied and publicly pressured DC’s corporate owners Warner Bros. to right the moral and ethical wrongs wrought on Siegel and Shuster. In short time, Warners conceded and promised modest annual stipends for the two for the rest The Mole Men were played by (alphabetically): of their lives—Shuster John T. Bambury’s only other major credit was the died in 1992, Siegel in all-dwarf Western The Terror of Tiny Town (1938), one of 1996—but perhaps more the films included in The Fifty Worst Films of All Time by importantly for posterity, Harry Medved and Randy Lowell (1978), winning the DC agreed to affix the PT Barnum Award for “Worst Cinematic Exploitation credit ‘Created by Jerry of a Physical Deformity” in The Golden Turkey Awards by Siegel and Joe Shuster’ Harry and Michael Medved (1980). to every Superman story Billy Curtis appeared as a Munchkin in The Wizard (and credit crawl in of Oz (1939), as the cowboy hero of The Terror of Tiny Town, movies and television) in as one of the friends of The Incredible Shrinking Man perpetuity.” (1957), and in the Clint Eastwood Western High Plains Superman: The Movie was Drifter (1973). He also appeared as a smaller version of released in 1978—Superman’s the alien during its disintegration in The Thing from 40th anniversary—and starred Another World (1951). Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Jerry Maren appeared in The Wizard of Oz as the and Margot Kidder and was directed Munchkin who hands Dorothy a welcoming lollipop. by Richard Donner (interviewed Johnny Roventini’s voice was heard on thousands of at length by Glenn Greenberg in radio programs sponsored by Phillip Morris cigarettes, RetroFan #3). The film became the and seen on television in his bright red bellboy uniform second-highest-grossing film of 1978 paging, “Call for Phillip Morris!” after Grease. Interested RetroFan readers are encouraged to seek out any of the numerous books on Superman were combined and distributed as [including, if you’ll forgive the plug, theatrical features overseas and in ye ed’s own The Krypton Companion, Mexico, adding new scenes to tie the from TwoMorrows—ed.], as well as episodes together. Unfortunately, this the many blogs and Facebook groups newly added transitional material has devoted to the Man of Steel. In the not been seen in decades. meantime, we’ll back up to a time Superman in-between the Kirk Alyn serials and and the Mole the Christopher Reeve movie, 1951 to Men is what got be exact, when 37-year-old George me (that sevenReeves first portrayed Superman in year-old kid) the feature film Superman and the Mole hooked, and I Men. (The on-screen main title hyphenates “Mole-Men,” but all faithfully watched of the posters and advertising omit the hyphen. So we’ll drop the the show every day hyphen here for clarity.) This was later re-edited into a two-part after school, hoping episode for television, retitled The Unknown People (Parts 1 and that story with 2), and kicked off the Adventures of Superman television series those little guys in first-run syndication across America on September 19, 1952. from inside the Sponsored by Kellogg’s cereals, the series was filmed in California Earth would show on the RKO-Pathé stages and the RKO “Forty Acres” backlot. The up again. first two seasons (52 episodes) were filmed in black and white, As told by and while seasons three through six (51 episodes) were filmed Doug Sederberg in color, they were originally telecast in black and white, only [TOP] This “strange visitor from another planet” could bend steel in his bare hands. [RIGHT] George Reeves as to be shown in color in 1965 the Man of Steel. Superman TM & © DC Comics. in local syndication. Episodes

MEET THE MOLE MEN

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ernest farino’s retro fantasmagoria [LEFT] On the set of Gone With the Wind in 1939 with the huge threestrip Technicolor camera. As the smitten Tarleton Twins, George Reeves as Stuart (RIGHT) and Fred Crane as Brent (STANDING, LEFT) pester Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) with “all this talk of war, war, war.” © Warner Bros.

[ABOVE] Glamorous Phyllis Coates (born Gypsie Ann Evarts Stell) was TV’s first Lois Lane in Superman and the Mole Men (1951) and then in the first season of the Adventures of Superman series. Equally glamorous Noel Neill played Lois Lane in the film serials Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), as well as the Adventures of Superman series, taking over from Phyllis Coates. Neill gave Lois a more wholesome, “girl next door” persona, contrasting Coates’ more “serious” portrayal. When Ernest Farino met Noel at a convention and showed her this decidedly un-Lois Lane photo, she smiled and waved it off, remarking that innocent cheesecake pictures were just part of the drill for female contract players.

on IMDb, “Reporters Clark Kent (George Reeves) and Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates) arrive in the small town of Silsby to witness the drilling of the world’s deepest oil well. The drill, however, has penetrated the underground home of a race of small, furry people (Billy Curtis, Jerry Maren, John T. Bambury and Johnny Roventini) who then come to the surface at night to look around. The fact that they glow in the dark scares the town folk, who form a mob, led by the vicious Luke Benson (Jeff Corey), intent on killing the strange people. Only Superman has a chance to prevent this tragedy.” There was something about that “deepest oil well” (six miles down, as I recall) that captured my imagination, and every time I’d see a subterranean movie since, whether the cheap-o and often bad ones like Unknown World (1951) or At the

Earth’s Core (1976) or even the good ones like Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) or Deep Impact (1998), part of me was always hoping those little guys would show up somewhere. The ensuing series was subject to the Law of Averages and some episodes were great, others just okay, and some downright silly. But, as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad pizza, and I ate it all up accordingly, unfettered by that pesky critical and sometimes cynical eye of the adult. Today I can enjoy the episodes through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia, along with my cumulative film experience casting newfound amusement at the inexpensive sets and, shall we say, “basic” special effects. But I’ll admit to one thing: that quivering orchestral tremolo that heralds the beginning of the opening title sequence still gives me a chill (in a good way). Instead of slogging through the details of the various episodes (and the entire series is available in DVD box sets), let’s touch on a few stories behind the series. With author Michael Hayde’s kind permission, we’ll use his “Ten Myths About George Reeves’s Portrayal of Superman on TV” as a guide (from his book Flights of Fancy: The Unauthorized But True Story of Radio & TV’s Adventures RETROFAN

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of Superman, 2009). Michael has headlined each myth, and I’ve added comments (in italics). Myth #1: George Reeves did not hate playing Superman. This was the take on his attitude in the feature film Hollywoodland (2006), written by Paul Bernbaum and unofficially based on Hollywood Kryptonite, a book co-written by Nancy Schoenberger of the English department at William & Mary College. Starring Ben Affleck as George Reeves, the film is entertaining, well produced, and takes a serious look at the story, but, as we’ll see here, seems to play into any number of myths regarding Reeves and the series itself. From all other accounts, Reeves did enjoy the role of Superman, though he felt he was ultimately too closely identified with the character, thus limiting professional opportunities elsewhere.

[TOP] Three of the Mole Men with their very impressive, dangerous-looking, and downright intimidating… vacuum cleaner. [RIGHT] Magazine ad for the Electrolux vacuum cleaner, used as the Mole Men’s ray gun prop. (Gotta keep that subterranean world dust-free, after all…) Phyllis Coates told columnist Ernest Farino she thought this was hilarious, as she had one of these at home herself.

Myth #2: Reeves knew almost from the beginning that adults were watching and enjoying the show. I enjoyed discovering this item on Michael’s list, because I know my parents did enjoy the show. (By comparison, my parents, like many, hated The Three Stooges. Apples-and-oranges, maybe, but such things register with a kid.)

Electrolux® © Electrolux.

[LEFT] Phyllis Coates is delighted to see Steve Friedman’s poster of Superman and the Mole Men at New York’s WorldCon 1 in 2008. Photo: © Steve Friedman

Director Lee Sholem stages a scene with George Reeves and the Mole Men, all under the watchful eye of continuity supervisor Mary Chaffee. 30

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Myth #3: No part of George Reeves’ role in From Here to Eternity (1953) was ever edited out of the film. Film historian/actor/writer Jim Beaver has probably the most thorough debunking of this legend: “That George Reeves’s role in From Here to Eternity was cut down due to his sudden popularity as Superman [originates with] Jack Larson, who starred with Reeves as Jimmy Olsen. He saw From Here to Eternity the day it opened and remembers audience members calling out, ‘There’s Superman!’ The next time he saw the film, he says Reeves’s role had been severely cut. “The problem with this is manifold. First, Jack’s next viewing of the film, as he told me personally, was some twenty-five years later. I’m convinced that his memory of what he’d seen in that initial viewing had ‘expanded’ over the years, particularly in light of the impact of Superman typecasting on Reeves’s career and life. “Secondly, Daniel Taradash’s first-draft screenplay, and every draft thereafter, contains exactly the scenes for Reeves’s character that are in the film as released and as now seen, and not one scene more nor less. Taradash told me personally that he did not write a single scene for Reeves’s character that was not in the final release print or in subsequent video releases. “Thirdly, director Fred Zinneman told me personally that not only was not one of Reeves’s scenes cut from the film, but that not one frame of the film was cut after the first audience screenings. He was at the

ernest farino’s retro fantasmagoria

same viewing that Jack Larson attended and, while he allowed as that there might have been some muttered reference to Superman from audience members, he does not remember any and that, in any case, there was no impact whatsoever on the film as released, nor even any discussion of the matter. [Zinneman] said the video release of the film is identical to the original theatrical release and that not one frame of Reeves’s scenes was cut for any such reason. “Fourthly, the editor of the film and its assistant director also confirmed and concurred with the statements of Taradash and Zinneman. “Fifthly, several of the cast members, including Frank Sinatra and Claude Akins, assured me they knew of no such reduction in Reeves’s screen time for any reason.” Myth #4: Reeves did not refuse to make personal appearances dressed as Superman, and in fact, did so many times. Shown here is Reeves visiting Allentown, Pennsylvania’s Hess Brothers Department Store on March 30–31, 1955. He met with the Easter Bunny, Hess’ employees, and thousands of fans. This photo and the one on page 33 are from the Morning Call newspaper from March 31, 1955 and April 3, 1955. Myth #5: At no time during any personal appearance did a young child (or anyone) point a loaded pistol at him. This “incident” is played out at length in the Hollywoodland film, and, to be honest, is handled well and is quite suspenseful. But it’s just not true.

[RIGHT] Cinematographer Harold E. “Hal” Stine describes the shot to George Reeves. Stine filmed 39 Superman episodes and would later photograph such major films as The Poseidon Adventure and Robert Altman’s M.A.S.H. (feature film), as well as countless TV episodes of 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Cheyenne, Maverick, and many more. © Warner Bros. [BELOW] Sproing!! George Reeves leaps into the air with the help of a springboard on the set of Adventures of Superman. [RIGHT] George Reeves ponders the latest dilemma facing Clark Kent’s alter ego. © Warner Bros.

[BELOW] On the set with George Reeves and Noel Neill. © Warner Bros.

Myth #6: George Reeves did receive billing (a verbal credit) on the network broadcast of his I Love Lucy episode (Lucy and Superman, Season Six/ Episode 13, original airdate: January 14, 1957). Only on the syndication print was the verbal credit omitted. Like the Mole Men two-parter and Captain Kangaroo’s occasional days with his model train layout, this kid was glued to the set when this Lucy episode came around. They played it for “real,” which only fueled my belief in Superman, and not mentioning George Reeves by name in the syndication prints (likely where I would have seen it) removed the notion that it was an “actor” and not the real deal. Myth #7: He never wrestled professionally at any time during his career nor did he have any offers to do so at the time of his death. Another myth perpetuated by the Hollywoodland feature film. RETROFAN

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Myth #8: He did not die by jumping out of a window in the belief that he could fly. Actually, I never heard this rumor. As a kid, I never had a Superman costume (such as the Ben Cooper Halloween-style costume and mask outfits), but was content to safety-pin a red cotton bath towel to the shoulders of my T-shirt and run around outside with my arms outstretched. But it never occurred to me to jump out the window or off the roof.

The “Lucy and Superman” (Season Six/ Episode 13) episode of I Love Lucy, written by Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, Bob Schiller, and Bob Weiskopf and directed by James V. Kern, was first broadcast on January 14, 1957 on CBS. © CBS/Warner Bros.

Myth #9: He never ducked when an empty gun was thrown at him while filming an episode (a stuntman did!). In fact, he grinned as a thrown gun once bounced off his chest. Even as a kid I was always amused by this: “The bullets don’t do any damage so, I know, I’ll throw the gun at him…” Right. Myth #10: He did not burn any part of his Superman costume at the end of each season. I had never heard this myth, either, but am glad to hear that it never happened.

As for George Reeves’ death, it remains a mystery. On September 15, 2006, Alex Ely and Charlotte Hancock interviewed Hollywood Kryptonite co-author Nancy Schoenberger for the William & Mary College website. She tells of seeing a copy of Reeves’ autopsy report, provided by Jim Hambrick, owner and curator of the Super Museum in Metropolis, Illinois [see RetroFan #3]. “An L.A. police officer never believed that the verdict should have been suicide,” Schoenberger said, “so he kept the autopsy report, and years after he retired, he sent the report to the owner and curator of the Superman museum. So we [she and husband/ co-author Sam Kashner] walked away with a copy of that report and that got us started [on their book Hollywood Kryptonite].” Schoenberger concluded from the evidence that the autopsy had been severely mishandled, and that glaring errors had been 32

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[ABOVE] When Ricky mentions how long he’s been married to Lucy, Superman replies, “And they call me Superman!” The episode can be found on DVD in the box set I Love Lucy–The Complete Sixth Season (2006). © CBS/Warner Bros.

George Reeves celebrates the fifth season of Adventures of Superman. © Warner Bros.

ernest farino’s retro fantasmagoria [LEFT] To the delight of two of his many young fans, George Reeves makes a personal appearance in costume. [RIGHT] George Reeves visited Allentown, Pennsylvania’s Hess Brothers Department Store on March 30–31, 1955, and met with the Easter Bunny, Hess’s employees, and thousands of fans.

SUPERMAN’S BIRTHDAY Phyllis Coates brings out the birthday cake, despite a mild controversy over Superman’s birthdate.

In the letters column of DC Comics’ World’s Finest Comics #164 in late 1966, Cathy Burnett of Goshen, N.Y., wrote: “Dear Editor: I was disappointed to find the birth dates given for Superman and Batman in The Fatal Forecasts of Dr. Zodiac were fakes. I would like to know the real dates— Robin’s too. I have quite a few birth dates of famous people, and I consider Superman, Batman and Robin to be in this category.” The Editor at DC Comics replied, “You’ll have to get Batman and Robin’s birth dates from editor Julius Schwartz, official custodian of the Caped Crusaders’ calendar. As for Superman, the Man of Might was born, by a strange stroke of fate, on the date in the Kryptonian year which corresponds with our February 29— Leap Year Day! —Ed.” [Editor’s note: In “The Fatal Forecasts of Dr. Zodiac,” which appeared in 1966’s World’s Finest #160, in an ruse to outwit the titular villain, Batman and Superman the provided bogus

birthdates of April 25th and August 1st, respectively. In issue #164’s lettercol, it was E. Nelson Bridwell, assistant to World’s Finest Comics editor Mort Weisinger and keeper of DC lore, who of fered the February 29th birthdate for Superman, making the man who can leap tall buildings in a single bound a leap year baby. DC Comics later reinforced the February 29th Superman birthdate in its 1976 Super DC Calendar, as well as other sources. Perhaps the most famous use of that date in a comic book was in the celebrated tale “For the Man Who Has Everything” from 1985’s Superman Annual #11, by the Watchmen team of writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, where Wonder Woman, Batman, and Robin arrive at Superman’s Fortress of Solitude for a birthday celebration—which is also “attended” by the intergalactic despot, Mongul. In the wider media, TIME Magazine, when commemorating Superman’s 50th anniversary in 1988, cited February 29th as Superman’s birthday; a collectible coin engraved with this date was issued upon the occasion.] RETROFAN

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made. “With a gunshot wound, you check to see if there is powder on the skin, and that can tell you whether the gun was selfinflicted, if it was held up to his head, or if it was shot from across the room, in which case it couldn’t be suicide,” Schoenberger said. She added that the body was taken to a funeral home and washed before the autopsy, and the bullet hole in Reeves’ head was sewn up, so there was no way to tell the depth of the wound. As it turned out, the funeral home was owned by Eddie Mannix. (Reeves was in the midst of an affair with Toni Mannix, wife of film studio executive Eddie Mannix, and they conclude that Mannix’s documented Mafia ties were called upon to kill Reeves.) That sad fact—the harsh reality—was that Reeves was dead. But I never bought into the suicide angle. Despite playing into some of the myths mentioned above, to its credit the film Hollywoodland, directed by Allen Coulter, presents as many as three theories, leaving it to the viewer to draw his or her own conclusion. Narrator: Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Man 1: Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! [ABOVE] George Reeves, in costume, participates rides a float sponsored by the City of Hope to aid Leukemia research. [LEFT] The September 25, 1953 issue of TV Guide, a rare collectible which, in good condition, can go for as high as $600.00 and up. © TV Guide. [RIGHT] Superman – Now in Color! Newspaper ad c. 1965 sponsored by Rochester, New York’s CBS-affiliate WROC-TV. Episodes 1–52 were filmed in black and white, but, while the episodes 53–104 were filmed in color, they were originally telecast in black and white. The episodes were first shown in color in 1965 when the series was syndicated to local stations, such as WROC.

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Woman: It’s a plane! Man 2: It’s Superman! Narrator: Yes, it’s Superman, strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands. And who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way. And now, another exciting episode in the Adventures of Superman. Mere mortals may come and go, but the Adventures live on… Thanks to Steve Friedman and Pete Von Sholly. ERNEST FARINO recently directed an episode of the SyFy/Netflix series Superstition starring Mario Van Peebles, as well as serving as Visual Ef fects Consultant. Previously Farino directed Steel and Lace starring Bruce Davison, episodes of Monsters starring Lydia Cornell and Marc McClure, ABC’s Land of the Lost starring Timothy Bottoms, and extensive 2nd Unit for the miniseries Dune starring William Hurt, Noah’s Ark starring Jon Voight, and Supernova starring Luke Perry. A two-time Emmy®-winning Visual Ef fects Supervisor for SyFy’s Dune and Children of Dune miniseries, Farino supervised the Emmy-nominated visual ef fects for the Tom Hanks/HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon; James Cameron’s The Terminator, The Abyss, and T2; as well as Starship Troopers, Snow White–A Tale of Terror, Creepshow, and many others. His publishing enterprise, Archive Editions, has published Mike Hankin’s elaborate three-volume book set Ray Harryhausen – Master of the Majicks, The FXRH Collection, and more.

SCOTT SAAVEDRA'S SECRET SANCTUM

by Scott Saavedra Do you believe a bit of good news is like taking a hallucinogenic drug? Have you ever been an island king? A werewolf wearing a bowtie? A turtle giant? Stretchy? A police officer of the opposite sex on another planet? Are you willing to put nearly any darn thing into your mouth? Then you just might be Jimmy Olsen, Superman’s Pal and total trouble magnet. Over the decades there have been many different creative interpretations of Jimmy Olsen, a comic-book character originally seen in the background and even occasionally rescued in various Superman comics. It’s the sort of thing that happens to popular-culture creations that manage to endure, and Jimmy has been around a long, long time. The version of Jimmy Olsen that captured my attention and, well, maybe not my heart but some other lesser organ (pancreas?) got into quite a bit of mischief during the last half of the Fifties through the Sixties. What kind of mischief? You’re going to want to sit down.

Weirdo Wedding

Special wedding events have long been a staple of popular entertainment. In comic books, Dick Briefer’s Pirate Prince

was one of the first featured adventure characters to have wedding-themed woes with a two-parter in Daredevil Comics #18 and 19 in 1943. Reed Richards and Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four got married in the rambunctious “Bedlam at the Baxter Building!” (Fantastic Four Annual #3, Oct. 1965). Battles with villains were waged, wedding vows exchanged, and Fantastic Four creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were turned away at the door due to a lack of invitations. Jimmy Olsen got a big wedding story just a couple of years later in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #100 (Mar. 1967), “The Weirdo Wedding of Jimmy Olsen!” The tale goes something like this (deep breath): Perry White gives Jimmy tickets to see the Beatles at Metropolis Stadium; Jimmy drinks “Super-Physique Formula” (a product of the 7th dimension) from his trophy case, gets in a fight with Lucy Lane’s date, loses, asks Lucy (Lois Lane’s sister) to marry him, she says yes; Jimmy gets rid of his snapshots of old girlfriends; he travels to the future via a time globe he keeps in an enormous vault in his apartment to let past girlfriends Saturn Girl, Duo Damsel, and Light Lass know that he is marrying Lucy since he had plans

Look closely at the wedding guests gathered under the awning, where it appears that Jimmy's boss Perry White wasn't invited but Clark Kent was (a mystery unexamined in the story). [TOP] Jimmy reacts to Lucy Lane's expression of everlasting love in the least normal way possible. From Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #100 (Mar. 1967). TM & © DC Comics.

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to go to the future anyway (and there’s more to that whole multi-relationship if you can believe it); Superman builds Jimmy and Lucy a gigantic island mansion (cub reporters must be millionaires in Metropolis); a feature of the house is a private theater stocked (stocked!) with films of Jimmy’s many adventures; Lucy gets robots that look like Lucy to use for shopping and household chores (this is creepy, right?); VIPs from everywhere arrive for the wedding; and common people think that this special day should be a national holiday. Great Caesar’s Ghost! I am not even close to getting to the part where Lois Lane tries to make the day about her failure to bag Superman and, hey, speaking of Superman… he turns into a mole (“one of the world’s ugliest creatures!”—thank you, judgmental bystander) whose frantic digging saves

largely because actor Jack Larson made him so likable. Even Reeves’ death (as well as the death of John Hamilton, who played Perry White) didn’t immediately put an end to Adventures of Superman or Jimmy’s own adventures. A suggestion that the show become Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen with Superman body doubles and other tricks was rejected by Larson.

The Rise of Jimmy

The boy who would be Jimmy. Superman #13 (Nov.–Dec. 1941). TM & © DC Comics.

The Road to Jimmy

Jimmy's love life was the stuff of nightmares. Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #98 (Dec. 1966). TM & © DC Comics.

Metropolis half a billion dollars on its subway project. There’s more—lots more—but we’ll be here all day just to get through this one adventure. So, was this fable an outlier? Oh, no. It’s not even his first wedding story. But at least the bride this time was human. Plenty of Jimmy’s adventures have thrown a freckled fist into logic’s face. That wasn’t always the case for the Daily Planet’s cub reporter/ photographer. He began his comic-book life as a pretty unremarkable guy. 36

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Jimmy Olsen got his name on the radio program The Adventures of Superman early on following its debut in 1940. A year later, a newspaper copyboy—basically a young errand runner—named Jimmy appeared in Superman #13 (Nov. 1941). More than just a background character, Jimmy was an important part of the adventure along with his boss, Perry White (editor of the Daily Planet, a great metropolitan newspaper), feisty reporter Lois Lane, and mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, who, in the guise of Superman, fights to free dimes from the tiny fists of young readers. It’s true that three years earlier, an unnamed blond copyboy of similar build made a brief appearance in Action Comics #6 (Nov. 1938), but other than his fine bowtie there was really nothing much to connect him the modern Jimmy Olsen. For the most part, Jimmy was a background player with a line of dialogue here and there. This early evolving version of Jimmy was as grounded in reality as a character in a fantastical comic book could be. He was a minor element of Superman’s adventures. A television show would change that. The popular syndicated television program Adventures of Superman [see Ernest Farino’s column this issue for more] may have made a star of George Reeves in the title role but it also helped put Jimmy Olsen on the pop-culture map. Jimmy was a much-loved character on the show,

The Daily Planet’s favorite cub reporter/ photographer/guy-who-needs-to-getrescued became the star of his own comic book in 1954. Jimmy Olsen’s popularity on television was mentioned on the first page of the first issue of Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen (how about just SPJO from here on out?) and influenced the decision to publish the comic. Still, a whole comic book devoted to a low-level newspaper employee— friend of a super-hero or not—had to be pretty risky. The comic-book business was in a state of upheaval at the time. The popularity of super-heroes had plunged after the end of World War II and gruesome horror and crime comics helped fill the sales void. It was those types of comics that alarmed parents, politicians, and meddlesome fools. A newly setup self-regulatory group, the Comics Code Authority, managed to calm the

This 1956 promotional postcard features Jack Larson, who played (and helped popularize) Jimmy Olsen in the Adventures of Superman television series. © Warner Bros. Courtesy of Heritage.

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angry villagers (who, in fairness, weren’t all wrong). Still, the new rules not just dumbed down comics for a generation but led to reduced sales, fewer publishers, and plenty of out-of-work talent. Jimmy’s publisher, National Periodical Publications (better known today as DC Comics), had the most successful heroes in town with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman still fighting colorful criminals and space aliens. To the public, at least, DC was a class act (behind the scenes, well, the way Superman’s creators, for example, were once mistreated presents a much darker picture). DC comics were pleasant, sharply produced, and reasonably inoffensive. Still, DC struggled like every other publisher trying to land on the Next Big Thing. Jimmy Olsen would not be that exactly, but, jeepers, that cub reporter made a very good showing. Plus, SPJO did well enough to encourage another Superman Family title to be created, Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane, in 1958. Thanks to U.S. postal

Superman's "getta load of this guy" pose hints at the "who can be the biggest jerk" dynamic between him and Jimmy Olsen that would drive so many stories. Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #1 (Sept.–Oct. 1954). TM & © DC Comics. Courtesy of Heritage.

regulations and the hard work of John Jackson Miller at comichron.com, some hard data about comic-book sales has been collected. In 1960 SPJO average sales were 498,000 an issue, putting the title behind

such sales-beasts as Uncle Scrooge (at over 1,000,000 copies per issue!), Superman, Mickey Mouse, and Batman but ahead of Action Comics (starring Superman!), Detective Comics (Batman!), and Wonder Woman (she’s a wonder!). So what did young Olsen—I’m guessing he’s about 18 in these stories—do that was so interesting? At first, he just did his cub-reporting job and have a pal named Superman.

Superman’s Pal

Jimmy’s first story in SPJO #1 was “The Boy of 100 Faces!” The story title is, as were so many DC comics of the Silver Age (a collector’s term for a period roughly ranging from 1956–1970), a stupid lie. Jimmy chases down a news story working undercover as a “Happy Smile” ice cream salesman and a “Barton Brush Man,” spoofing both Good Humor ice cream and Fuller Brushes. That’s two “faces” if you don’t count his own identity as a cub reporter. It’s a pretty straightforward reporter-on-the-trail-of-criminals tale. But aside from the different jobs, Jimmy’s face remains the same. The only real “comic book” element—well, beyond the Man of Steel himself—is that Jimmy only escapes death when he uses his “wristwatch Superman signal” (later streamlined to just signal watch). The device sends a sound only Superman can hear (“My boy pal in trouble!”). The other stories star Jimmy as a lumberjack (and he’s okay) and one where he makes a mess of trying to spare Superman some embarrassment. Ultimately, Jimmy Olsen pretty much comes across as a decent young man who has some trouble making sound choices. The power of flight is bestowed to Jimmy in the second issue (it’s just a dream, uh… spoiler alert) but the action of note is Superman handing his pal a mangled gun from a recent adventure. It’s for Jimmy’s Superman souvenir collection, which would grow to contain potions, alien technology, questionable inventions, and odd bits of debris—trash, really— from various adventure and dimensions. The collection would factor—for good or ill—in numerous stories. SPJO #5’s cover (May–June 1955) teases a story about Jimmy’s collection featuring an item of note: “Invisibility Belt worn by Luthor (a scientific genius and sworn enemy of Superman).” You’d think the Defense Department might want a look at that.

Jimmy Olsen's iconic pal-summoning signal watch debuted in his first issue and made regular appearances for years. TM & © DC Comics.

Some of these early tales could have incredibly small stakes. In SPJO #7 (Sept. 1955) Jimmy and Superman bust up a mob operation that created fake marbles to be used for cheating in a marble championship. Unless there used to be big, big bucks in marble competitions, I fail to grasp the upside to such an ef fort. Other adventures: Jimmy gets a cold and can suddenly sing (SPJO #9), Jimmy goes undercover as an elevator operator and gets amnesia (SPJO #10),

Jimmy was very proud of his Superman trophies, but when he suddenly starts tossing some of them out the Man of Steel takes it really, really hard (using his power of Super Self-Pity). Who would throw such swell stuff away? It's difficult to see here but Superman spelled Jimmy's name with the barrel of a gun taken from a criminal. Panel from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #131's (Aug.–Sept. 1970) reprinting a story from 1956. TM & © DC Comics.

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and Jimmy becomes Clark Kent’s pal and roommate but won’t give Superman the time of day (SPJO #11). A comic starring a pleasant young man just trying to do his job while facing minor, though odd, obstacles would be some pretty weak tea, especially in comparison to a best friend as remarkable as Superman. But things would change. How?

Things Get Weird

In two different stories from SPJO #12 (Dec. 1955), Jimmy goes to an island full of dinosaurs and then accidentally gets sent to the 4th dimension. Which is, you know, a pretty okay level of weirdness. But, just as quickly: No living human could count the all of the islands with dinosaurs that have been in comic-book stories— especially in DC comics—over the long years since Superman’s debut in 1938. As the Fifties wound down, the weirdness quotient ramped up. Jimmy got a big head (literally this time) along with a big brain—thanks to a science demonstration by Professor Potter gone horribly wrong—which he used to make Superman do his bidding (SPJO #22). As often happens in these stories, Jimmy’s changes bring out the jerk in him (“In the future they will laugh at your civilization!” Big Head Jimmy says to Lois Lane). In other stories, Jimmy swapped brains with a gorilla (SPJO #24), faced his (and our) worst nightmare in “The Day There Was No Jimmy Olsen!” (SPJO #25), and became Elastic Lad—an identity he returned to over the years—using his newfound stretchy ability to join a circus, and, unwittingly, aid a criminal gang (SPJO #22). By the time the Sixties come around, Jimmy was fully committed to very strange adventures.

thousand dollar bill in the trash because it’s “soiled.” He makes bad choices: Two complete strangers of fer Jimmy Olsen pills that will increase his appetite. Let’s stop here a moment. I realize this story predates “Stranger Danger” warnings, but Jimmy is so not setting a good example for younger readers. Anyway, Jimmy, wanting to win a sports car in an eating contest sponsored by the Daily Planet, and unbothered by ethical or safety concerns, accepts the mysterious drug which, no surprise, works. He blasts through the contest eating stacks of wheat cakes, franks, apple pies, and spaghetti. Superman makes Jimmy a Super-Doughnut. But even af ter the contest is over and won, Jimmy still needs more to eat and consumes everything in his kitchen. Once the food is gone, he eats flowerpots and dirt. Next, Jimmy goes to his Superman Trophy Room and chows down on a can of Krypto Dog Food, “the first can of dog food endorsed by Krypto, Superman’s pet when he was a young boy.” Then he eats his curtains and a football. A phone call past midnight from one of the pill-hustling strangers of fers Jimmy a swim and some barbecue. Jimmy, the knot-head, accepts the invite and brings with him his appetite and a valise full of counterfeit money (wait, what?). The

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strangers, a pair of counterfeiters, trap Olsen in a cabana. Still hungry, he eats the counterfeit money and is rescued by boy scouts (since Superman was likely of f somewhere making SuperDoughnuts). No explanation is given for why counterfeiters would create appetite pills. From SPJO #38 (July 1959). He can be a lousy friend: There are so many stories where Jimmy is turning on his pal, Superman, that DC filled an 80-Page Giant “Shock-Filled Anti-Superman” issue of SPJO #113 (Aug.–Sept. 1968). It’s Jimmy at his worst (but then, the best stories are Jimmy at his worst).

But First, Some Stuff You Need to Know About Jimmy

He’s kind of a jerk: As Jimmy developed as a character some of his sweetness got, oh, forgotten, I guess. The tendency to become a jerk, especially when good fortune smiles on him, was revealed early on in SPJO #3 (Jan.–Feb. 1955), wherein our hero becomes “The Boy Millionaire!” A wealthy cat lady gives Jimmy $1,000,000 after he calls for Superman—who destroys part of the lady’s house—to rescue one of 48 or so cats. Now rich, Olsen struts around in front of the “slaves” at the Daily Planet offices, where he dumps a

This collection of "anti-Superman" stories just scratches the surface of Jimmy versus Superman battles. Various DC 80-Page Giants allowed new readers a chance to encounter stories published before they were born. Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #113 (Aug.–Sept. 1968). TM & © DC Comics.

Jimmy dumps girlfriend Lucy Lane for a nearly identical "space doll." Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #64 (Oct. 1962). TM & © DC Comics.

He doesn’t respect boundaries: At an Old West living museum, a display featuring Sitting Bull’s Peace Pipe has a sign which reads, “Beware! Do Not Touch!” Jimmy immediately lights it up and takes a few deep tokes that he quickly regrets, “It’s doing something to me!… UHHHH!” From “Jimmy Olsen’s Last Stand!” in SPJO #66 (Jan. 1963). Extra fun fact: In this story Jimmy meets Sitting Bull, who, as Jimmy points out, looks like Lex Luthor. Even in comic books, native Americans are cast with white guys.

Scott Saavedra's secret sanctum

He has lots of “girl trouble”: We could do a whole issue on this subject. Jimmy has “girl friends” not only on land and in the sea, but in outer space and different dimensions and other time periods. In SPJO #59 (Mar. 1962), four spacemen turn Jimmy into a huge balloon-shaped cub reporter with long hair and a footlong tongue in “Jimmy Olsen, Freak!” The spacemen are angry that their wife (singular!) wants Jimmy to be husband number five. Superman saves the day by lying. He brings in two old women he claims to be Jimmy’s two wives. The space lady turns tail, wanting nothing to due with such “hags” (Superman’s description). This same issue, another story features an unscheduled trip to the prehistoric past where Jimmy meets a “cavegirl” who makes her intentions known by “leering romantically.” But generally, Jimmy’s favorite is Lucy Lane, sister to Superman’s girlfriend, Lois Lane. He has a fan club: A movie director reluctantly includes Jimmy in his film even though Olsen is a ham because there are “thousands of Jimmy Olsen fan clubs” (SPJO #98, Dec. 1966). He can’t act: See “He has a fan club.”

My Head Hurts

Seriously. Looking over Jimmy Olsen’s various adventures and selecting what to share was a bit like going to the beach and trying to pick out favorite grains of sand. The concentrated weirdness of James Bartholomew Olsen’s antics overwhelmed my brain (I wish I were kidding). And twice (twice!) I had to set the manuscript aside for days at a time to clear my mind of flame breaths, dream adventures, and alien fruit hallucinations. Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen is a rich, rich dessert.

The 1,000 Greatest Jimmy Olsen Transformation Tales from the Sixties

Or six. Let’s do that. And also, they’re not the greatest but rather the ones that caught my attention first. In the beginning, Jimmy’s primary skill was supposed to be his ability as a “master of disguise” (see the cover of SPJO #1). He was terrible at it. He was much better at having someone or something else change his appearance (usually against his will) into a tall, heavy, short, hairy, dangerous,

for Superman’s affections with a wall full of Superman photos who hopes this kiss— “ugh”—will make her look “superior” to Lois) all fail to rescue Jimmy. A kiss from Mr. Mxyzptlk’s girlfriend, Miss Gzptlsnz (in her debut), changes Jimmy back to normal (“Yipes! She’s a homely hag!”). Absolutely, completely normal.

The worst thing you could be in Superman's sphere is old, ugly, or morbidly obese. Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #49 (Dec. 1960).

Transformation #3, from SPJO #80 (Oct. 1964), “Jimmy Olsen, the Bizarro Boy!”: Professor Potter—who seriously needs to be locked up—turns Jimmy into a Bizarro version of our bowtie-wearing hero (“Bizarro Code: Us do opposite of all Earthly things!”). Bizarro Jimmy naturally returns to work (instead of not-work, which would be more opposite), gets his scoops wrong (“People Put Money Into Bank”), and tries to burn down the clubhouse of the Jimmy Olsen Fan

TM & © DC Comics.

alien Jimmy who then gets into extreme mischief. Transformation #1, from SPJO #49 (Dec. 1960), “The Fat Boy of Metropolis”: So… Jimmy is secretly given a weight growth serum by Professor Potter, a scientist with the worst inventions. Jimmy takes a nap and wakes up fa—with more girth—than he had earlier that day. Perry White gives Jimmy the only outfit he has large enough to fit the cub reporter, a Santa suit. Jimmy endures further humiliations after being too heavy for a parachute, a ladder, and a date with a circus “fat lady.” In the end, Jimmy is returned to his former weight and concludes that “no treasure compares with the value of being thin!” Fun fact: Superman shares that he is never searched by customs officers. Transformation #2, from SPJO #52 (Apr. 1961), “Jimmy Olsen, Wolf-Man!”: Fifth dimension magic (courtesy of that 5th dimensional imp Mr. Mxyzptlk, of course) secretly forces Jimmy to drink “Ye Wolfman Potion” from his collection. Jimmy turns into a wolf-man during the full moon. The last time this happened (!), kisses saved Olsen. Kisses from Lois Lane (Jimmy: “I’ll never forget this great kindness!”), Lucy Lane, Lori (a mermaid of note), and Lana Lang (rival of Lois Lane

In this issue Jimmy's head has chameleon powers and in another story he is king of his own island and, also, a jerk. Busy, busy, busy. Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #85 (June 1965). TM & © DC Comics.

Club while children are in the building. Superman banishes Bizarro Jimmy to the Bizarro World (it’s square), where a good bad time am had. Tragically, Bizarro Lex Luthor blasts Bizarro Jimmy with a ray that makes his brain normal again but doesn’t change his appearance. He now lives in a nightmarish world that makes no sense (ice cream kept in a “heat box”?). Bizarro Professor Potter accidentally restores Jimmy to normal (but, of course). RETROFAN

November 2020

Scott Saavedra's secret sanctum

Transformation #4, from SPJO #85 (June 1965), “The Adventures of Chameleonhead Olsen!”: The Legion of Super-Heroes are a young group, or legion, if you will, of 30th Century super-heroes. Jimmy Olsen, an honorary member of the Legion, is visiting. He is given a serum that produces temporary “chameleon powers” and then sent home. Unfortunately for Jimmy, the Anti-Superman Gang is having a “Crime Convention” in Metropolis and they’re sponsoring a bounty on Jimmy’s head, dead or alive. Jimmy drinks the serum and develops a kangaroo head and a swordfish snout, which he uses “skillfully” to unarm a thug. He also develops a single giant ear, tusks, a rock head, and in a particularly disturbing image, a skeleton head (terrifying a little person dressed as a child on a bike).

Jimmy who is a barber (“This is a laugh”). We also get to enjoy appearances by Fat Jimmy, Elastic Lad, and my favorite transformation, Giant Turtle Man Jimmy. The final image of lifeless Olsen bodies encased in ice is pretty dark.

For some things there are just no explanations. Comic-book giant Jack Kirby took Jimmy to new heights of crazy. Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #141 (Sept. 1971). TM & © DC Comics.

The Further Transformations of Jimmy Olsen

Nope. This is a world of maybe a couple dozen of Olsens. Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #105 (Sept. 1967). TM & © DC Comics.

Transformation #5, from SPJO #105 (Sept. 1967), “The World of 1,000 Olsens”: This isn’t a story of Jimmy transforming so much as it’s one about him meeting his various transformations on an asteroid… the Olsen Asteroid. A spaceship takes Jimmy to the asteroid, where he is violently attacked by doubles of himself (“…are they against –bow-ties?”). Jimmy sees old Jimmys, female cop Jimmys (“Holy Hat!”), and plenty of the transformed Jimmys including the Human Octopus, Human Porcupine, and the Wolf-Man 40

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As the Sixties wound down, the covers to SPJO got more serious and dramatic despite whatever silly stuff was inside. Legendary comic-book creator Jack Kirby took over the title as writer and artist with #133 (Oct. 1970) and, boy, that man sure knew how to bring the crazy. Comedian Don Rickles appears along with his doppelgänger Goody Rickels in two issues of SPJO (#139 and 141), one of which has the teaser: “Kirby Says: ‘Don’t Ask! Just Buy It!’” I did have the chance to meet Jack Kirby and ask what was up with the “Don’t ask.” He just chuckled and said something about “There’s always a wiseguy…” So, that’s my report on that. After Jack Kirby moved on, Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen floundered a bit and then changed its title to The Superman Family. Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane and Supergirl were absorbed into the title, which ran from #164 (Apr.–May 1974) to 222 (Sept. 1982).

Jimmy continues to be part of Superman's circle of pals and girlfriends (or wives). Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen returned with a nice 12-part maxiseries that began in September 2019. In film and television, Jimmy Olsen has appeared numerous times. Recently Jimmy has been part of the Supergirl television series in his most amazing transformation: hunky and competent. That issue of Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #100, the one with the weirdo wedding, it really got to me when I first read it. And it actually changed my life. I absolutely could not see comic books the same way again. They all made me laugh. So much so that I created a modest fanzine called Comic Book Heaven devoted to sharing my epiphany. The fanzine became a little magazine published by SLG (who, over its 25 years, published a load of fine comics), and I connected with many like-minded people. Unfortunately, not enough. Still, that writing led somewhat to me writing here in RetroFan. Not a super-transformation story, but it’s what I’ve got. I’m no Jimmy Olsen, you know. I’ve written about Jimmy Olsen more than a few times but never delved into the subject quite like this. A few bits and pieces, observations, and whatnot have appeared in different forms in various issues of Comic Book Heaven. Space prevented me from giving the Jimmy Olsen artists and writers their due, but I must mention my favorites: Curt Swan (longtime Superman and Jimmy Olsen artist), Pete Costanza, and writers Leo Dorfman and Otto Binder. They made great fun. SCOTT SAAVEDRA is a graphic designer, writer, and artist who loves and hates Jimmy Olsen in equal measure. He is perhaps best known as the creator of the long-ago comic-book series It’s Science with Dr. Radium (SLG), and he wrote for the short-lived Disney Comics line, where he scripted stories featuring Chip ’n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and others. His fanzine, Comic Book Heaven, about crazy vintage comics, had a devoted but, sadly, tiny following. Check out his Instagram thing, won’t you? (instagram.com/scottsaav/)

All characters TM & © their respective owners.

BOOKS FROM TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING

ER EISN RD AWAINEE! M NO

MONSTER MASH

GROOVY

MARK VOGER’s time-trip back to 1957-1972, to explore the CREEPY, KOOKY MONSTER CRAZE, when monsters stomped into America’s mainstream!

A psychedelic look at when Flower Power bloomed in Pop Culture. Revisits ‘60s era’s ROCK FESTIVALS, TV, MOVIES, ART, COMICS & CARTOONS!

(192-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $11.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-064-9

(192-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $13.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-080-9

MIKE GRELL

LIFE IS DRAWING WITHOUT AN ERASER Career-spanning tribute to a comics art legend! (160-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $27.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-088-5 (176-page LTD. ED. HARDCOVER) $37.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-087-8 (Digital Edition) $12.99

KIRBY & LEE: STUF’ SAID

ED AND EXP COND SE ION! IT ED

ISBN: 978-1-60549-094-6

THE MLJ COMPANION

Documents the complete history of ARCHIE COMICS’ super-heroes known as the “Mighty Crusaders”, with in-depth examinations of each era of the characters’ history: The GOLDEN AGE (beginning with the Shield, the first patriotic super-hero), the SILVER AGE (spotlighting the campy Mighty Comics issues, and The Fly and Jaguar), the BRONZE AGE (the Red Circle line, and the !mpact imprint published by DC Comics), up to the MODERN AGE, with its Dark Circle imprint! (288-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $34.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-067-0

COMIC BOOK IMPLOSION

In 1978, DC Comics implemented its “DC Explosion” with many creative new titles, but just weeks after its launch, they pulled the plug, leaving stacks of completed comic book stories unpublished. This book marks the 40th Anniversary of “The DC Implosion”, one of the most notorious events in comics, with an exhaustive oral history from the creators involved (JENETTE KAHN, PAUL LEVITZ, LEN WEIN, MIKE GOLD, and others), plus detailed analysis of how it changed the landscape of comics forever!

ER EISN RD AWAINEE! NOM

(136-page trade paperback with COLOR) $21.95 (Digital Edition) $10.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-085-4

(272-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $36.95 (Digital Edition) $13.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-073-1

IT CREPT FROM THE TOMB Digs up the best of FROM THE TOMB (the UK’s preeminent horror comics history magazine): Atomic comics lost to the Cold War, censored British horror comics, the early art of RICHARD CORBEN, Good Girls of a bygone age, TOM SUTTON, DON HECK, LOU MORALES, AL EADEH, BRUCE JONES’ ALIEN WORLDS, HP LOVECRAFT in HEAVY METAL, and more!

EXPANDED SECOND EDITION—16 EXTRA PAGES! Looks back at the creators of the Marvel Universe’s own words, in chronological order, from fanzine, magazine, radio, and television interviews, to paint a picture of JACK KIRBY and STAN LEE’s complicated relationship! Includes recollections from STEVE DITKO, ROY THOMAS, WALLACE WOOD, JOHN ROMITA SR., and other Marvel Bullpenners! (176-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $26.95 (Digital Edition) $12.99

HERO-A-GO-GO!

MICHAEL EURY looks at comics’ CAMP AGE, when spies liked their wars cold and their women warm, and TV’s Batman shook a mean cape!

(192-page trade paperback) $29.95 (Digital Edition) $10.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-081-6

ER EISN RD AWAINEE! NOM

JACK KIRBY’S DINGBAT LOVE

The final complete, unpublished Jack Kirby stories in existence, presented here for the first time, in cooperation with DC Comics! Two unused 1970s DINGBATS OF DANGER STREET tales, plus TRUE-LIFE DIVORCE and SOUL LOVE magazines! (176-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $43.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-091-5

AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES:

THE WORLD OF TWOMORROWS

Celebrate our 25th anniversary with this retrospective by publisher JOHN MORROW and Comic Book Creator magazine’s JON B. COOKE! Go behind-the-scenes with MICHAEL EURY, ROY THOMAS, GEORGE KHOURY, and a host of other TwoMorrows contributors! Introduction by MARK EVANIER, Foreword by ALEX ROSS, Afterword by PAUL LEVITZ, and a new cover by TOM McWEENEY! (224-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $37.95 (240-page ULTRA-LIMITED HARDCOVER) $75 (Digital Edition) $15.99

8 Volumes Covering The 1940s-1990s

MAC RABOY

Master of the Comics

OR -COL FULLDCOVER HAR RIES SE nting me f docu ecade o d y! c a e h s histor ic com

MAC RABOY perfected his art style on such 1940s comic book creations as DR. VOODOO, BULLETMAN, SPY SMASHER, GREEN LAMA, and his crowning achievement, CAPTAIN MARVEL JR., before moving on to illustrate the FLASH GORDON Sunday newspaper strip. Author ROGER HILL documents the life and career of the master artist in a full-color hardcover with never-before-seen photos, a wealth of rare and unpublished artwork, and the first definitive biography of a true Master of the Comics! (160-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 • (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-090-8

TwoMorrows. The Future of Pop History.

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Too Much TV If your old man used to gripe that you’d never learn anything with your nose glued to the boob tube, here’s your chance to prove him wrong. (Father doesn’t always know best.) Each of the street addresses in Column One corresponds to the residence of a TV character or family in Column Two. Match ’em up, then see how you rate! COLUMN ONE

1) 1049 Park Avenue 2) 834 Ocean Vista Ave., #201 3) 1313 Mockingbird Lane 4) 1020 Palm Drive 5) 518 Crestview Drive 6) 623 E. 68th Street 7) 704 Houser Street 8) 485 Maple Street 9) 4222 Clinton Way 10) 565 North Clinton Drive 42

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RetroFan Ratings

Y’all come back now, ya hear?

10 correct: Fine-Tuned RetroFan Sock it to me, baby! I bet you know theme song lyrics too! 7–9 correct: Rabbit-Eared RetroFan Dy-no-mite! You wasted your childhood with the rest of us! 4–6 correct: Fuzzy-Receptioned RetroFan Up your nose with a rubber hose ’til you spend more tube time! 0–3 correct: Tuned-Out RetroFan Ya big dummy! Put down that book and go watch some classic TV! COLUMN TWO

A) The Clampetts (The Beverly Hillbillies) B) The Bradys (The Brady Bunch) C) The Cunninghams (Happy Days) D) Jack Tripper (Three’s Company) E) The Ricardos (I Love Lucy) F) The Munsters G) The Cleavers (Leave it to Beaver) H) Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar (The

Odd Couple) I) The Bunkers (All in the Family) J) Major Anthony Nelson (I Dream of

Jeannie) All in the Family © Columbia Pictures Television. The Beverly Hillbillies and I Love Lucy © CBS Television. The Brady Bunch, Happy Days, and The Odd Couple © Paramount Television. I Dream of Jeannie © Sony Pictures Television. Leave it to Beaver and The Munsters © NBC Universal Television. Three’s Company © DLT Entertainment. All rights reserved.

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ANSWERS: 1–H, 2–D, 3–F, 4–J, 5–A, 6–E, 7–I, 8–G, 9–B, 10–C

WILL MURRAY’S 20TH CENTURY PANOPTICON

Who Created Casper the Friendly Ghost? by Will Murray

Like many Baby Boomers, my childhood was filled with familiar faces. Some of those faces I kept seeing over and over, but I didn’t realize until I was an adult that I was looking at the same features worn by completely different characters. Confused? Let me relate the strange saga of Casper the Friendly Ghost. I first encountered Casper in the early Sixties on an ABC program called Matty’s Funday Funnies, sponsored by Mattel Toys. Casper was the nominal star, but the show also included Baby Huey and Little Audrey––all cartoon characters available in comic books put out by Harvey Comics. In those days, I watched TV cartoons and never thought about the people who created © Classic Media, LLC. them. What seven-year-old would? You turned on the TV at the appropriate hour, the cartoon magically appeared, and that was all you needed to know. 44

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Naturally, I also read the comics, which included satellite characters like Wendy the Good Little Witch, Hot Stuff the Little Devil, and others. Although I preferred Superman and Batman in those days, the Harvey comics were pleasant fun. And since my sister bought them, I could read them for free! Although I long ago ceased following Casper and his ghostly associates, as an adult researcher into popular culture, I naturally became interested in how the little phantom came to be.

The Friendly Ghost Rises

The character didn’t start on TV or in comic books, but originated in short theatrical cartoons during the period when movie theaters showed short subjects with the main feature. Amazingly for such a ubiquitous presence during my childhood––surveys showed that in the early Sixties he enjoyed a 98% recognition [TOP] C’mon, you easily terrified toons—how could you not love this pintsized poltergeist? Casper the Friendly Ghost, as rendered by Warren Kremer for a Sixties-era 45rpm record cover. Casper the Friendly Ghost © Classic Media, LLC. Original art courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com).

rate––Casper got off to a slow and very rocky start. At various times, he was the official recruiter for the Boy Scouts of America, spokes-spook for UNICEF, goodwill ambassador for various national sports leagues, and the mascot for the Apollo 16 Moon mission. As an experienced delver into the creative cauldron, when I learned that two entirely different people claimed to have created the character, animators Seymour Victor Reit (1918–2001) and Joseph D. Oriolo (1913–1985), I was not completely surprised. According to Oriolo, Casper was born on Halloween night when his daughter Joan was four. After hearing spooky stories of ghosts and goblins, the little girl became frightened of the dark. So Joe made of cardboard cutout of a friendly ghost and hung it in the backyard tree to prove that not all ghosts were bad. As an adult, Joan recalled, “He did it for me because I was afraid of the dark. He told me that there are good things in the dark, that not everything was bad. The way he told stories, you had to believe.” Reit politely disagreed, saying, “Joe was an associate of mine years ago, when we were both employed at the Fleischer Animation Studios in Miami. He was a fine artist and animator; however, he was not the creator of ‘Casper the Friendly Ghost.’ Joe created the actual cartoon of the character––but the concept, series, idea and plotline were mine, prior to Joe’s involvement. Joe played an important part, but I was Casper’s legit ‘Poppa.’” Sy Reit was an animator working on Gulliver’s Travels and the Popeye cartoon series when he conceived one of the strangest animated characters of all, inspired by research he did into a supposedly haunted castle. The year was 1939. “At that time,” Reit recalled, “Fleischer paid a few bucks for Popeye jokes submitted speculatively by the staff. People also tried their hands at writing short stories for use in the series called Fabletoons. One weekend I wrote a 3–4-page story I titled ‘Casper the Friendly Ghost.’ The story was mine––every last word. Shortly after, I gave it to Joe Oriolo, who wanted to develop visuals, and perhaps peddle it either to the studio or to a children’s book publisher.” Oriolo executed a number of sketches, modeling Casper’s look on that of a small boy. But what to call a timid ghost? They toyed with several names, finally deciding on Casper, after H. T. Webster’s famously meek Casper Milquetoast, star of the syndicated panel, The Timid Soul. The collaborators never sold their Casper children’s book. Then Reit went into the Army, leaving Oriolo stateside, still toiling at the animation company, which relocated to New York as Famous Studios. “In the interim,” Reit explained, “Joe had created the Casper drawing and sold both story and cartoon concept to Fleischer’s.” Orolio’s first attempt to visualize Casper gave him a squiggly tail instead of feet and an incongruous sailor’s hat. He might have gone nowhere but for another cartoon sailor. “While we were in New York,” Oriolo recounted, “King Features decided to take Popeye the Sailor back. The contract had expired and they wouldn’t renew it with Famous Studios. They were looking for new characters. I developed the character and gave it to Sam Buchwald. He called me into his office one day and I said, ‘If you’re looking for a character, I’ve got a good little character which I have already developed.’ And I have the original concept as a book prepared for, I think, Grosset and Dunlap at the time. They were going to buy the book. I decided that if it’s a one-shot

The Friendly Ghost has been the spooks-person (sorry, couldn’t resist) for numerous organizations, as this montage from the Sixties and Seventies shows. Casper and related characters © Classic Media, LLC.

deal then maybe the book would be more acceptable to the public if there was something up on the screen.” Thinking short-term, he accepted a modest deal from Buchwald, the studio’s president and general manager. Oriolo recalled, “He says, ‘I’d like to give you a token amount of $175,’ and he said, ‘I’ll give you 10% of merchandising if this thing takes hold.’ Now he had the merchandising contract on his desk and he told me to come back for it, and I used to come back trying to get the thing many a time and he was too busy… I have lost millions of dollars because of that through the years….” Fleischer released “The Friendly Ghost” into theaters in May 1945. It told how Casper ran away from a haunted house because, unlike other ghosts, he didn’t want to scare people but befriend them instead. But people and animals invariably flee from the small spook once they realize he’s a ghost. In a chilling scene, the RETROFAN

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Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

despondent Casper lies down on a railroad track, deciding to end it all. When two children, Bonnie and Johnnie, accept a dejected Casper, they bring him home––only to face rejection by their frightened mother. When Casper scares off a banker come to foreclose on the house, the mother has a change of heart and adopts Casper in a happy ending. For this, Oriolo only saw his flat fee. Reit received nothing, despite that debut story being adapted directly from his children’s storybook illustrated by Oriolo, a fact Oriolo never denied. “I wrote the original ‘Casper’ story––complete with title, character development, and storyline––while at Fleischer’s,” Reit repeatedly insisted. “The story served, word for word, as a voiceover narration for the very first Casper ‘theatrical’ release. That film won an Oscar nomination in the animation category, and it was because of this that the studio undertook to turn my little ‘Fabletoon’ into an ongoing series.”

A Slow Start and Premature Death

the character between 1950–1955––although he is sometimes credited with earlier episodes. When he turned 17, he, too, had to retire. Cecil H. Roy was another female Casper. Frank Gallop narrated Casper’s adventures. Each subsequent Casper cartoon was patterned after the formula of the first. Unwilling to join other ghosts in their nightly rounds of haunting and scaring, the shy specter attempts to befriend various people he encounters, but is invariably met with a panicky stock response: “A g-g-ghost!” “With the Casper series,” commented animator Lee Mishkin, “you never knew what picture you were working on because they were all exactly the same.” Formulaic or not, Casper continued as a theatrical cartoon for another ten years, with Isadore Klein, who conceived Mighty Mouse, scripting many of his earliest ghostly adventures. All did not go smoothly, however. Some theater-goers did not care for the morbid subject matter, and complained to managers. Consequently, certain theatres stopped showing Casper cartoons. Yet Famous Studios kept cranking them out, four or five per year. “Casper’s Birthday Party” was released in 1959, closing out the improbable run.

Credit disputes aside, no one working on the project thought it had a future. Casper was not immediately embraced by the American public. The second Casper cartoon didn’t materialize until 1948, after Sam Buchwald gave the go-ahead for Casper to have his own series. Family Business In this sequel, “There’s Good Boos To-Night,” Casper befriends But that was not the end of the Friendly Ghost. a fox named Ferdie, who is hotly pursued by human hunters. In 1949, St. John Publishing licensed the still-developing Later in the story, Casper discovers Ferdie lying dead. It’s a property for a comic book, which ran only five issues. shocking development only partially ameliorated by the surprise Enter the Harvey brothers, led by publisher Alfred Harvey. appearance of the fox’s animated spirit. Ferdie is now a ghost Recognizing the property’s potential and knowing that the himself. Casper finally has a movie cartoons would help friend. But not for long. promote a comic book, he Casper’s design was took over the numbering modified after his premier of Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon. Oriolo’s concept had in 1952. Harvey editor a dumpy look. Subsequently, Sid Jacobson took on the he was made cuter and more challenge of continuing the infantile in appearance. Head comic book. He assigned animator Myron Waldman Warren Kramer to draw the claimed to have redesigned feature, and once again the Oriolo’s Casper for the second character was redesigned. cartoon. “Warren really gave the “A-haunting We Will Go” latter and more famous look was released the next year. to Casper,” Jacobson stated. Ferdie is forgotten. Here, Seeking a stronger design, [ABOVE LEFT] An early portrait Casper finds a baby duckling. Jacobson hired Famous of Joe Oriolo and [RIGHT] a later Once again, a menacing Studios’ Casper animators photo of Sy Reit. hunter looms. Perhaps to such as Dave Tendlar and Steve Muffatti to mentor redeem the fledgling series [LEFT] Sid Jacobson, longtime him, but Kremer became the after Ferdie’s death, Dudley editor of Casper’s adventures at star. Together, they began the duckling survives being Harvey. Photo by Shure Jacobson. developing a larger canvas for shot, but there are several the character. harrowing moments where More importantly, he appears to be another Jacobson and Kremer reinvented the strip. casualty. Artist Ernie Colón, who contributed later, observed, “Think of Isador Sparber directed the first Casper cartoons, followed Casper the Friendly Ghost and what [Jacobson] and Warren Kremer by Seymour Knietel, who later directed the Casper TV show. and Jim Miele did for him. When Casper was an animated cartoon Radio actor Ron Hill claimed to have done the first three Casper at Paramount, where Jim worked, he was depicted as the ghost of a episodes, only to be replaced by a female voice when puberty dead boy. Further, he had no feet––just this kind of squiggle at the hit. This was probably Mae Questral of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl bottom of what was supposed to be like a sheet. The cartoon with fame. Under his stage name of Alan Shay, Alan Schreiber voiced 46

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sometimes start with him wisping out of a grave and he would be sources credit Muffatti. Harvey staff also came up with the lonely and he’d go looking for a friend and he would meet someone Ghostly Trio, spectral uncles who first took individuality in the who liked him but who suddenly discovers he’s a ghost––shriek; 1956 cartoon, “Fright from Wrong.” eyeballs would bug out; stripes on a zebra would fly off; skeletons Most of them were modeled on Casper’s impish features. You would jump out of the skins and on, and on. The formula could swap their faces and they would be indistinguishable! was simple and it went “If you were drawing Casper,” observed Ernie Colón, “you nowhere.” begin with the same “We tried not to shape head as for Richie dwell on the fact that [Rich], or [Little] Dot, he was a ghost, a dead or Wendy. These heads kid, or something,” could be viewed from Kremer noted. “In the three quarter lef t or very beginning, they right, or profile. But it had Casper living in a was almost impossible grave, and he came out to draw them face front. and leaned against a Yet Warren [Kremer] tombstone. We never drew every character picked up on that.” with ease, fluidity and “When the Harvey an inherent sense of brothers bought Casper rightness that none of from Paramount he those who followed his was dead in more ways style could match.” than literal,” Colón Sid Jacobson recalled, asserted. “Through “After the first issue of the creativity of the Casper, I edited every one. aforementioned… Casper I realized Casper, being a {ABOVE] Casper’s namesake Casper grew feet, stopped good ghost, always had Milquetoast, star of Harold T. being referred to as a to be the hero, so it then Webster’s comic panel The Timid Soul, dead kid, accrued some became, ‘Okay, so you in his July 1, 1940 installment. © 1940 friends (the Ghostly do the opposite,’ which N.Y. Tribune. Courtesy of Heritage. Trio, Wendy the Good was to make Spooky the Little Witch, Spooky the bad one (if only on the [RIGHT] Title cards and the evolving Tuff Little Ghost, many surface). The same thing Friendly Ghost from Casper’s first two more), an environment with Wendy––who was screen appearances, in 1945 and 1948. (the Enchanted Forest), a Casper apparently from a Casper © Classic Media, LLC. place to live in and a slew female POV––you make of adventures that had to her a good witch, so you grow from the rich loam give her bad stepsisters. of a complex, character-driven milieu.” We upgraded Casper with Wendy and Spooky.” Jacobson recalled, “They were quite dif ferent from the early These characters soon migrated over to the cartoons. cartoons, where Casper lived in a graveyard. We moved him to “When my dad started publishing Casper,” observed Alan a haunted house, created elves, fairies, and gnomes, and gave Harvey, “the comic books became such a success that they it a fairy tale quality. I got tired of the situations that were used ended up doing more shorts, which reflected what was in the over and over in the cartoons, where everyone was frightened comic books rather than the original shorts.” but a kid, and then the kid would show the world they shouldn’t As Seen on TV be afraid, that was the set-up. In the comics, we’d say he could In an unusual turnabout, the characters were sold to Harvey after solve people’s problems, he was a super-hero. He used his Famous Studios closed in the Fifties. powers to do good. And that’s where the whole change came Warren Kremer recalled, “Alfred Harvey, along with the rights about… and in that world, we needed more characters, and we to do the books, got an option from Paramount that if Paramount created them.” ever wanted to sell the cartoons and the rights to the characters, Initially, Casper lived with his ghostly parents. But they soon Harvey had the first option.” The selling price was an unheard-of faded away. Casper’s disreputable cousin, Spooky, was spawned two million dollars. at the Harvey office in 1953. Animator Larz Bourne is said to be The old cartoons were soon licensed to TV as Harvey-toons. his creator, although Sid Jacobson and Warren Kremer further And that is where I came in. In 1963, The New Casper Cartoon developed him for comics. Show debuted, showcasing new cartoons and a new voice for “We had a good one, so we decided to have one that was a the Friendly Ghost, Norma MacMillan. The beloved Harvey line, little feisty,” explained Casper artist William Hudson. which expanded to include Richie Rich and Stumbo the Giant, Artist Steve Muffatti created Wendy a year later. Nightmare continued until 1982, and the demise of Harvey Comics. the Ghost Horse was the inspiration of Jim Miele, although some RETROFAN

November 2020

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

So, who really created Casper? Everyone credited Oriolo for the initial design. “Joe is just an incredibly delicious, vital, creative man, who stayed young all his life,” recalled Sid Jacobson. “He used the enchanting qualities of being a ghost––his playfulness, his ability to fly and become invisible––to show that the unknown could be friendly and not be fearful.” Sy Reit concurred. “Oriolo’s role, an important one, was to create the original graphics that accompanied my story; he did indeed create the first drawings of Casper. But, as the Fleischer files, [plus many old-timers] will readily attest, the original concept and story were my own.” MAD magazine’s Jerry DeFuccio supported that, recalling, “Seymour Casper was becoming more recognizable to contemporary audiences in this 1950 Reit told me he theatrical poster. [INSET] Animator Myron created Casper the Waldman drawing the li’l fella on televighost, when we sion. Casper © Classic Media, LLC. luxuriated around 48

RETROFAN

November 2020

WAS CASPER THE FIRST CARTOON GHOST?

None of the purported creators of the Friendly Ghost ever mentioned a precursor. But one existed. In 1940, a Merrie Melodies cartoon was released entitled “Ghost Wanted.” Written by Dave Monahan and supervised by the legendary Chuck Jones, it told the story of a boy ghost who bears a strong resemblance to the polished version of Casper, except that he sports an unruly forelock and wears a “footsie” pajama with a buttoned “trap door,” suggesting that he’s the ghost of a small child. This silent short follows him as he answers a “Haunt Ad” in The Saturday Evening Ghost to haunt a house. There, he encounters a bigger, badder ghost who scares him away. That was the end of this shy, nameless spook. He never reappeared. But he enjoys the distinction of being the first childish ghost in cartoon history.

Casper inspired a cemetery full of imitations––Li’l Ghost, Homer the Happy Ghost, Gus the Gloomy Ghost, Timmy the Timid Ghost, and Spencer Spook. Eventually, they all faded away. But Casper lived on, and still does. A new comic book, Casper’s Spooksville, was launched by American Mythology in 2019. The Friendly Ghost has neither changed nor aged. One man was left out. After the first cartoon, Joe Oriolo never worked on Casper again, transferring his attention to Otto Mesmer’s Felix the Cat, which he helped bring to television, inspired by Casper’s runaway success. “He was a good artist and a top animation director,” remembered Sy Reit, “and did a lot toward making the Casper series successful. I, also, worked on many subsequent Casper cartoons, contributing gags, dialogue, etc. For years, Casper was strictly a movie-house short subject. Later, picked up by TV, the little ghost went on to fame––though by then neither Joe nor I had any financial stake in it.” “It’s a shame that I never held on to the Casper series, for Paramount and the Harvey people made millions of dollars from the series from which I made mere pennies,” lamented Oriolo. Near the end of his life, Joe Oriolo experimented with a spooky character in the Casper tradition. “All of my characters are non-violent,” he claimed, “like Vanguard the Vampire, a lovable but timid character who faints at the sight of blood.”

a pool, with the MAD gang, in Haiti in 1957. Woody Gelman, animator and preserver of cartoon art, who worked with Sy on Gulliver’s Travels at the Floridian studios in 1939, backed up his claim. As did Dan Gordon, who earlier created Mr. Bug Goes to Town, for Fleischer.” One dissenter was animator William Hudson, who worked with them. At the time of the artist’s 1985 death, he stated, “Oriolo came up with an idea––why not have a little boy ghost who doesn’t do anything wrong and is friendly. I guess I drew ten different Caspers and they chose the one they liked.” In another interview, Hudson claimed that animator Larz Bourne conceived the storyline for “The Friendly Ghost,” and both he and Oriolo were asked to come up with the design. “We did at least ten before we got it right,” Hudson stated. “Casper was a very simple character. He was like a cowboy with a white hat, except he was a little one. He was true blue all the time.” Animator John “Wally” Walworth also claimed to have created the original cartoon design, which he said was based on the shape of a teardrop. “It just so happens that I did most of the animation on the first picture,” he asserted. Walworth’s name in the credits lends some credibility this statement. But Bill Turner and Otto Mesmer were credited with adaptation the Reit’s story for that first cartoon. It’s likely that Oriolo’s children’s book design was modified and adapted

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

for that first cartoon. Casper’s look periodically evolved, yet always stayed true to his childish essence. But no one did him better than Warren Kremer, insisted Ernie Colón. “He would demonstrate the curve of Casper’s head

Comic-book racks were once possessed by Casper clones! © the respective copyright holders.

[FAR LEFT] The first Casper to me and I simply couldn’t get that extra something that comic book, from publisher St. John in 1949. [CENTER] Harvey defined Casper’s dimensions and thereby his character. I do Comics helped solidify Casper’s a reasonable Casper, but never look. Casper #1 (Aug. 1958). achieved Warren’s symmetry.” [RIGHT] By the Sixties, Casper’s status as a television star was Joseph Funaro, who drew promoted by Harvey Comics. both the cartoon and the © Classic Media. LLC. comics, once explained, “I must have drawn Casper tens of thousands of times. The secret to Casper is this indentation in his cheek. If this isn’t right, it isn’t Casper.” Oriolo himself always insisted that the idea was his. “I have the whole history of it, papers and everything else and it’s all in the hands of lawyers [to] this day. I’ll be happy even if I get a ‘crank’ type of settlement. Anyone else who said they created Casper the Ghost, I should hold them liable for it. More people took credit for it than anything else.” Oriolo meant that he came up with the initial design, not concept. He acknowledged that Walworth redesigned the character for the premier Casper cartoon. Yet he also insisted that Reit wrote the unsold children’s book under his direction. The artist’s surviving children also backed up Oriolo’s account. “He felt everything he did was a personal jewel,” asserted son David. “There was nothing he did for the pure commercialism. He was an absolute genius.” There the matter rests. Periodically, Casper and his fellow phantoms are revived. The question of who he really was in life is usually avoided. But everyone involved had a point of view. Oriolo’s son, Don, observed, “Casper was unique. He was the first ghost in cartoons, like Felix was the first cat and Mickey was the first mouse.” Funaro echoed the prevailing sentiment when he observed, “He was just designed as a ghost, a friendly ghost, not the spirit of anyone.” William Hudson once quipped, “He’s like Sarah Lee––who wouldn’t like Casper?”

RETROFAN

November 2020

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

But the connection children made with the Famous Friendly Ghost, and the reason he resonated with so many generations, was summed by another son of Alfred Harvey, Leon: “To a young child, a ghost merely need represent someone who is different and, perhaps, unjustly feared. When you’re bereaved of friends, as Casper is at the beginning of all his stories, it’s as though you’re invisible, like a ghost. In other words, you don’t exist until you connect with somebody as friends.” Sid Jacobson thought it went deeper than that. Kids saw Casper as one of them. “Letters from children were incredible in their amount, their acceptance of the reality of the character, and believed in his being a special friend.” When a live-action Casper firm was released in 1995, the producers broke with tradition and gave Casper an origin: He was a boy named Casper McFadden who died of pneumonia. The film did well, but nobody believed the origin. Casper was too magical to have ever been a real boy…. By that time, Joe Oriolo had passed away. Sy Reit was philosophical about the millions of dollars that the character had generated, admitting at the time, “All I have are some nice memories and a little nostalgic sadness that I am not part of the movie. I’m not mourning or grieving over what I might have lost with Casper. It was fun. I did the story. It has a lot of cachet. My career went on in all sorts of interesting, fun ways.” Happily, Reit was offered a substantial honorarium by the filmmakers, so it worked out in the end. And he never had a bad word to say about Joe Oriolo. In the spirit of his gentle creation, Reit always gave his friend all due credit.

Animation cel from 1963’s The New Casper Cartoon Show. © Classic Media, LLC. Courtesy of Heritage.

“The Casper series was based on a definite collaboration between my script and Joe’s artwork––and that is precisely how it happened,” he insisted. “Joe and I worked together subsequently, but over the years he may have forgotten or overlooked the true origins of our lovely little character. Nevertheless, he was a good artist and a top animation director, and did a lot toward making the Casper series successful.” WILL MURRAY is the writer of the Wild Adventures (www.adventuresinbronze.com) series of novels, which stars Doc Savage, The Shadow, King Kong, The Spider, and Tarzan of the Apes. He also created the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl with legendary artist Steve Ditko.

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November 2020

RETRO TELEVISION

Rod Serling In and Out of

The Twilight Zone by Nicolas Parisi

Rod Serling was a visionary. This would likely seem obvious to anyone who has watched even a few episodes of Serling’s landmark television series, The Twilight Zone. For five seasons between 1959 and 1964, Serling opened the door to a “wondrous land of imagination” unlike any that had been seen on television. At a time when more than 20 Western series were on the air and the rest of the schedule was dominated by detective dramas, The Twilight Zone presented an unclassifiable combination of surrealism, noir, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, with some social commentary often in the mix. During its initial run, members of the World Science Fiction Convention awarded The Twilight Zone three consecutive Hugo awards for Best Dramatic Presentation. But long before Serling had proven himself a visionary of televised science fiction, he was a pioneer of the television medium itself. Rodman Edward Serling was a Christmas baby, born December 25, 1924. During his childhood in Binghamton, New York, he listened to radio dramas, read the pulps and comic books, and fell in love with the original King Kong. He would come to remember his childhood as idyllic, particularly because of what came afterward. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. And on January 16, 1942, one day after graduating from high school, Serling volunteered to serve in the United States Army. He was five feet, four inches tall, weighed 118 pounds, and was barely 18 years old. He wanted to be a paratrooper. His short stature was an obstacle, but after three months of basic training, Serling completed a month of jump training, made 37 practice jumps as part of his advanced training, and earned his wings. The accomplishment would become a stark example of the warning: be careful for what you wish. Assigned to the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 11th Airborne

Submitted for your approval: Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination (University Press of Mississippi, 2018), author Nicholas Parisi’s superb, in-depth biography of one of television’s most influential and enduring visionaries. © 2018 Nicholas Parisi. Photo credit: Bettmann / Getty Images.

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November 2020

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Division, Serling served in the Pacific theater and experienced heavy combat on the islands of Leyte and Luzon. When the nearly 2,000 men of the 511th arrived on the shores of Leyte in November 1944, American forces had captured the island’s coastlines, forcing the enemy to retreat to the Mahagnao mountains at the island’s center. The 511th’s mission was to traverse those mountains, destroy any remaining Japanese forces that remained, and ultimately reunite with American forces on the opposite side of the island. Serling and every member of the 511th who survived the mission would remember the ordeal as 30 days of hell. When he was discharged from service and returned home in 1946, Serling brought with him a Bronze Star, Purple Hearts for wounds to his wrist and knee, and several symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. He experienced flashbacks, nightmares, and bouts of insomnia for the rest of his life. He began writing as a form of therapy, and he would eventually dramatize his combat experiences several times, in and out of the Twilight Zone. The trauma of combat also intensified Serling’s yearning for the lost innocence of his Binghamton childhood. This feeling of intense nostalgia would inspire several stories throughout his career, perhaps most famously the first season Twilight Zone episode, “Walking Distance.” “Every writer has his own special preoccupations and predilections,” Serling once said. “For me, it’s a hunger to be young again. A desperate hunger to go back to where it all began.” In “Walking Distance,” Serling indulges this wish in the form of Martin Sloan, a middleaged business executive who escapes the relentless pace of New York City by traveling backward in time to his childhood hometown, Homewood. Sloan yearns to remain in this blissful place of carousels, cotton candy, and seemingly endless summer, but is forced to return to the present with the sad realization that there must be only “one summer to a customer.” The carousel that inspired the one that Martin Sloan rides in Homewood still exists in Binghamton’s Recreation Park, just a few blocks from Serling’s boyhood home. Today it is adorned by Twilight Zone-inspired artwork, and a marker is embedded in a nearby bandstand, proclaiming it as this classic episode’s inspiration. 52

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AWARD-WINNING WRITER Some of Rod Serling’s major awards include: ` 1955 Emmy Award, Sylvania Award, “Patterns,” Kraft Theatre ` 1956 Emmy Award, Sylvania Award, Harcourt-Brace Award, Peabody Award, Writers Guild Award, “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” Playhouse 90 ` 1957 Emmy Award, “The Comedian,” Playhouse 90 ` 1958 Writers Guild Award, “A Town Has Turned to Dust,” Playhouse 90 ` 1960 Emmy Award, The Twilight Zone ` 1961 Emmy Award, The Twilight Zone ` 1963 Emmy Award, “It’s Mental Work,” The Chrysler Theatre ` 1970 Christopher Award, “A Storm in Summer,” Hallmark Hall of Fame ` 1985 Inducted into Television Hall of Fame

[ABOVE] Serling’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Courtesy of Nicholas Parisi.

Serling’s boyhood home at 67 Bennett Ave., Binghamton, New York. Courtesy of Nicholas Parisi.

In September 1946, Serling took advantage of the G.I. Bill and enrolled at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The famously progressive school, founded by educational reformer Horace Mann, proved to be the perfect environment to nurture not only Serling’s creativity, but also his political thinking. Reflecting on his college career, he said, “This is what I learned at Antioch: that if something was wrong, and I could reason it out and be secure in my own mind that it was wrong, that I could get up on my own two feet and make comment on it. That’s something that’s carried with me over the years and has been, I think, fairly evident in my writing.” Besides this general influence on his philosophy, Serling’s Antioch connection would make two literal appearances in his work, first in “Horace Mann’s Miracle” written for Hallmark Hall of Fame in 1953, and later in The Twilight Zone’s “Changing of the Guard.” In this episode, Donald

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Pleasence stars as a college professor who contemplates suicide, fearing that he has not lived up to Mann’s admonition, “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” As a freshman at Antioch, Serling had no firm plan to become a professional writer, and he initially majored in physical education. Before long, however, his writing had evolved into something more than therapy and he switched his major to language and literature. He published a short story, “The Good Right Hand,” in the Antioch College literary magazine, but most of his writing took the form of radio scripts. He took charge of the campus radio station, WABS, and produced a weekly dramatic series that was broadcast on WJEL radio in Springfield, Ohio. He sold a few scripts to national series, but during his four years of college, television steadily hastened radio’s demise. When he graduated in June 1950, Serling quickly transitioned to the new medium. His first television script, “Grady Everett for the People,” was produced on a short-lived series called Stars Over Hollywood just a few months after graduation. Although America’s transition from radio to television was well underway, television was still taking its first, unsteady steps away from being merely “radio

TV Dial Magazine page listing Serling’s teledrama, The Storm (see column two). Courtesy of Nicholas Parisi.

with pictures.” The television season that began in September 1950, when “Grady Everett” first aired, was the first in which the three major networks, CBS, NBC, and ABC, provided all of the national primetime content. It was the first in which the Nielsen organization compiled rating statistics. The most popular programs were variety shows like Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows

Historical marker outside Binghamton High School. [INSET] Marker inside Binghamton’s Recreation Park bandstand. Courtesy of Nicholas Parisi.

and Milton Berle’s Texaco Star Theatre, and the popularity of situation comedies was easily foreseeable, but Rod Serling recognized television’s massive potential to not only entertain, but to be a vehicle of social change. He also recognized that television was not yet ready to accept that role. Years later, Serling’s attempts to address socially relevant issues on television would prompt battles with sponsors and network executives so frequently that he earned himself a nickname, “television’s angry young man.” But Serling’s earliest scripts to be produced nationally include very little of social relevance. He would later refer to this as his “noncontroversial” period. It was a time, he said, when his scripts were “socially inoffensive and dealt with no current human problem in which battle lines could be drawn.” During this period, however, while Serling was attempting—and usually failing—to sell scripts to national networks, he was also writing for a series that was produced and broadcast on WKRC-TV in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area only. It was called The Storm. For this unsponsored series, free from interference from advertising agencies and network censorship, he scripted what is likely the first television drama to explicitly deal with the issue that concerned Serling more than any other: racial prejudice. Serling’s agent, Blanche Gaines, did not even bother trying to sell this script, “As Yet Untitled,” knowing that it had no chance of being produced on a national network show. Serling, who occasionally submitted scripts without Gaines’ approval, did not question his agent’s judgment in this case. Inspired by an actual incident, “As Yet Untitled” was broadcast on WKRC’s The Storm on April 5, 1952. TV Dial Magazine described it as “The story of a young Chinese couple who buy a house in a nice section of town only to be run out because of the color RETROFAN

November 2020

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SUBMITTED FOR YOUR APPROVAL

Rod Serling wrote 92 of The Twilight Zone’s 156 episodes. Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, George Clayton Johnson, and others scripted several classic episodes, including “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “The Howling Man,” and “Living Doll.” Here are some of Serling’s best: “Eye of the Beholder” Donna Douglas is featured as a hospital patient who has undergone cosmetic surgery to conform to the standards of a totalitarian society. With unforgettable visuals, an effective moral message, and a great twist ending, this may be the “quintessential” Twilight Zone episode. “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” After what appears to be a meteor traverses the sky, residents of an idyllic American suburb find that their modern conveniences have stopped working—and they soon destroy each other with suspicion and paranoia. Serling’s closing narration, in which he laments that prejudices cannot be confined to The Twilight Zone, is the most blatant social commentary the series would ever make. “A Stop at Willoughby” In this companion piece to “Walking Distance,” James Daly plays Gart Williams, Serling’s archetypal over-stressed business executive who yearns to return to a simpler time and place. In this case, it’s a turn-of-the-century town called Willoughby, which Gart has visited in a dream. A bland but enjoyable television movie, For All Time starring Mark Harmon, was inspired by this episode. “Time Enough at Last” Burgess Meredith puts in a performance for the ages as Henry Bemis, henpecked husband who wants nothing more than to have some time to be left alone with his books to read. Adapted from a short story by Lynn Venable, its ending is delivered like a swift punch to the gut. “To Serve Man” Adapted from Damon Knight’s short story, “To Serve Man” introduces us to The Twilight Zone’s most impressive aliens: the Kanamits, who have visited Earth with what they assure is the most altruistic intentions. In 1997, TV Guide ranked this episode’s ending as “The Most Startling Twist of All Time.”

RETROFAN

Twilight Zone © CBS.

November 2020

Serling’s works, both in teleplay and short story form, were bookstore favorites in the Fifties and Sixties. Twilight Zone © CBS. Book covers courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

of their skin.” Sharing the magazine’s TV listings with Wrestling, Midwestern Hayride, Jamboree, and Comedy Cameos, this synopsis for “As Yet Untitled” stands out as if it were printed with radioactive ink. Rod Serling was 27 years old and he had sold a total of four scripts to network television, but he already envisioned a time when television drama would be mature enough to address relevant social issues. And with this script, he made it clear that he intended to be instrumental in this evolution. One thing that Serling could not envision was that he would still be talked about, let alone revered, more than 40 years after his death and more than 50 years since his most famous creation, The Twilight Zone, aired its final original episode. “One year after this show goes off the air, they’ll never remember who I am,” he once said. On another occasion he suggested, “You judge good writing by its lasting qualities, and nothing I have written in my life, and that spans 24 years of professional writing, will ever be remembered 100 years hence.” Time has proven Rod Serling profoundly wrong. While countless television catchphrases have gone in and out of vogue, “The Twilight Zone” entered the lexicon and has never left. It remains synonymous with the unexplained, the ironic, the disorienting, familiar even to those who have never seen an episode of the series. In 2019, the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation (a charity dedicated to preserving Serling’s legacy) celebrated the 60th anniversary of The Twilight Zone’s October 1959 debut with a three-day gathering in Serling’s beloved hometown of Binghamton. More than 650 movie theatres across North America screened six Twilight Zone episodes in recognition of the anniversary, along with a newly produced, 30-minute

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Autographed personal letter and publicity stills sent by Serling to a fan in 1961. Courtesy of Heritage.

Serling documentary. There has been progress on an oft-rumored Rod Serling biopic, a major Twilight Zone play has been staged in London, and CBS All Access is streaming a new Twilight Zone series, helmed by Jordan Peele. The Twilight Zone appears to be immortal— and its creator’s legacy is inextricably intertwined with it. The Twilight Zone understandably overshadows the rest of Rod Serling’s career, and yet, Serling did some of his finest work outside of his most famous series. Long before anyone had heard of alien cookbooks or gremlins on the wings of airplanes, he had already won three Emmy awards for Best Dramatic Writing. The plays that earned him the first two of these awards, Kraft Theatre’s “Patterns” and Playhouse 90’s “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” were both produced later as very good feature films. Toward the end of The Twilight Zone’s run, Serling scripted the critically acclaimed political thriller, Seven Days in May. He co-wrote the script for the original Planet of the Apes, released in 1968. In 1969 he scored a ratings hit (and an Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America) with the television movie, Night Gallery, which spawned a continuing series the following year. Rod Serling’s Night Gallery aired for three seasons between 1970 and 1973. Serling lacked creative control over the series, and this led to sometimes-heated conflicts between him and the series’ producer, Jack Laird, over the series’ direction. But despite these disagreements and Serling’s public criticism of the series, he wrote 38 of the series’ 99 segments, including its only episode to be nominated for an Emmy, “They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar.” On January 14, 1973, Night Gallery aired “Something in the Woodwork,” Serling’s final teleplay credit during his lifetime.

On May 3, 1975, while working in his garden, Rod Serling collapsed. He was brought by ambulance to Tompkins County Hospital in Ithaca, New York, where he was treated for what was deemed a mild heart attack. Serling’s father, Sam, had died after a sudden heart attack at 52 years old. An inherited susceptibility, 30 years of chain smoking, and far too much stress had taken its toll on Rod. Another heart attack a month later left him with no choice but to undergo cardiac bypass surgery, a relatively new procedure at the time. This surgery was performed at Rochester Memorial Hospital on June 26. After ten hours of what initially appeared to be successful surgery, Serling suffered another heart attack while on the operating table. After two days on life support, Rod Serling died. He was 50 years old. In a span of approximately 25 years, more than 250 of Rod Serling’s scripts were produced on television, radio, or as feature films, and he won an unmatched six Emmy awards for Best Dramatic Writing for four different series. In 1988 his impact was acknowledged with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 1991 his hometown of Binghamton, New York, established its own Walk of Fame, with its first star dedicated to its favorite son. NICHOLAS PARISI serves as president of the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation and is the author of Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination.

RETROFAN

November 2020

CELEBRITY CRUSHES

My Comic Book Crushes “I’ve got a comic-book crush on you, sweetie pie.” Maybe the song would have had those lyrics if it referred to three comic-book heroines that made the jump from the four-color world to the real world. These super-ladies were not only wonders, but they definitely drove me batty (waiting for their next appearance). I’m referring to Batgirl (Yvonne Craig), Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter), and Supergirl (Helen Slater). As a comic collector who hit his teenage years in the Seventies (and moved up to color TV, too), seeing these fantasy females portrayed was a fan’s treat at a time when the public did not “get” the merits of superheroines and superheroes. Today, seeing Black Widow, Captain Marvel, or Wonder Woman saving the day on the big screen has become somewhat expected. In my youth, on a handful of TV stations you got your comic fix any way you could. My crush on Batgirl is complicated. Being introduced to her on the Batman TV show in 1968, she was just part of the gang. After all, to an eight-year-old boy, seeing Batgirl in black-andwhite lacked the magic that I would later discover once I saw her in color (in syndication). My wife and I got to meet Yvonne Craig in person at a small convention, where we got autographs and took pictures with her. Hearing her stories of Batman, Star Trek, and Elvis made for a memorable encounter. Her memoir book is a great read if you can find a copy. Posters of Farrah (of course!), Charlie’s Angels, and 7-Eleven Marvel Slurpee cups were on my walls during my high school years. Yet there was a special place for my poster of Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman. After all, she was in her red, white, and blue satin tights (and then there was the poster with her in that orange dress on the blue couch). The Wonder Woman TV show was like a comic brought

to life with Lynda perfectly cast as Princess Diana, WW, and Diana Prince (in the Army or the IADC). Three years of Wonder Woman were not enough for me. [Other screen Wonder Women] Cathy Lee Crosby and Gal Gadot are both wonders, too, but Lynda’s version will always be worth another spin (either on the DVD player and/or for a quick costume change from a favorite episode). The Bionic Woman, Catwoman, and Mrs. Peel were all favorites, but then the movie Supergirl (1984) flew in. Its plot was weak, but the flying scenes were outstanding and the costume looked like it came out of Action Comics #252 (May 1959, Supergirl’s first appearance). Some movies are guilty pleasures, and Supergirl is one of mine. Today’s superhero cinema creators know how to salute the stars of past projects. In this case, the 1984 Kara of the Supergirl movie, Helen Slater, is on the CW Supergirl series, playing Supergirl’s adoptive mom. Maybe there could be a scene where both actresses can go up, up, and away. That would be historic (you thought I was going to say SUPER). We RetroFans are living in the best of times, as today we have several methods of getting to view these wonder women (including DVD, cable, and internet). You can’t make the excuse that you missed the listing in TV Guide these days. So if you want to see Barbara Gordon get on her Bat-cycle, see Diana fly in the invisible plane (or not see the invisible plane), or see Kara’s cape flap in the wind, just go to your platform of choice and hit play. You may just develop a comic-book crush too. LON ROVNER has been a comic collector (Marvel and DC) since about 1967. He has gone from buying 12cent comics at the corner drug store at the end of the block to driving to Dreamland Comics in Libertyville, Illinois, and using a credit card.

Hey, lovelorn, quit sobbing into your pillow and writing diary entries—instead, share your Sixties/Seventies/Eighties Celebrity Crush with RetroFan readers! You can become famous, get three free copies of the magazine, and earn a whopping $10 as well. Submit your 600-word-maximum Celebrity Crush column to the editor for consideration at euryman@gmail.com. 56

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November 2020

Batgirl, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman TM & © DC Comics/Warner Bros.

by Lon Rovner

RETRO INTERVIEW

Strange Relations Julie Ann Ream, the Niece of

Frankenstein

If you are a fan of classic film and television, then no doubt the name Glenn Strange is well known to you. Glenn wore many hats before he got into acting. He worked as a stuntman, musician, and cowboy before getting into the film business. Most actors are lucky if they can count one iconic role to their name, but Strange is best remembered for at least three. To Western fans, he was the Lone Ranger’s first nemesis, Butch Cavendish, and he was Sam the Bartender on Gunsmoke. To fans of classic horror, he was the last actor to play the Frankenstein Monster during Universal’s Golden Age of Horror. Recently I had the honor of interviewing Julie Ann Ream for RetroFan. Ms. Ream spent ten years as an investigative agent on the TV series Unsolved Mysteries and has worked for NBC, CBS, and Lifetime. She is also a producer of live events and Western award shows, most notably the Western Legends and Silver Spur Awards. She also co-produces the Roy Rogers Festival.

by Dan Johnson

Julie also comes from a very famous Hollywood family, and Glenn Strange was her “uncle.” “Glenn was my grandfather, Taylor Curtis ‘Cactus Mack’ McPeters,’ first cousin,” says Ream. “They were closer than any two brothers could be. They were born one week apart to sisters in Weed, New Mexico, in 1899. They lived together from birth, moved back to Texas where they were raised, and then worked side-by-side all of their careers. “After I was born, I was brought home from the hospital to my grandfather’s little ranch house,” Ream recalls. “It was in North Hollywood, and sat behind the infamous Palomino Club, and was near Republic Pictures. By this time my grandfather and Glenn had a good deal of their careers under their belts, but Glenn was [TOP] Glenn Strange’s first turn as the Monster in 1944’s House of Frankenstein, also starring the original Frankie, Boris Karloff, as the mad scientist Dr. Niemann and Lon Chaney, Jr. as Larry Talbot (the Wolf Man). © 1944 Universal Pictures. Lobby card courtesy of Heritage. [INSET] Julie Ann Ream. Facebook.

RETROFAN

November 2020

retro interview

a huge part of my life. I remember my life with them both quite vividly. They were also cousins to Rex Allen, ‘The Arizona Cowboy,’ and both he and Glenn were ‘Uncle Glenn’ and ‘Uncle Rex’ to me always.”

SINGING COWBOY

Strange was always known for cutting a huge figure on the big screen and he did no less so in real life, according to Ream. “I remember as a child his towering height; at six, six and one-half feet tall, he made quite a presence.” Despite his imposing height, Ream recalls Strange as a kind man who was nothing like the bad guys he played on the silver screen. “He had a deep love of the outdoors, for fishing, cooking, and he loved children. He also loved making miniature furniture, and I have a couple of pieces, donated by Glenn’s dear friend, actor Dan White, in our museum in Los Angeles [see sidebar]. He made them for Dan’s children. He was their godfather. “My memories of Glenn are big and vast… he loved, and could tell, a good joke. He was a part of my life from its beginning. My wedding in June of 1972 was among the last times Glenn was seen in public, before his death from lung cancer in September of 1973.” When I sat down to talk with Julie about Glenn, I was most eager to find out as much as I could about his background. Unlike a lot of the actors who worked in the Universal Horror films, not as much is known about him as fellow monsters Karloff, Lugosi, and Chaney. What might surprise most people is that before acting, his career was on a much different path. “My family were

all musicians before they were Strange and his Western family. actors, and Glenn was no Courtesy of Julie Ann Ream. exception,” reveals Ream. “He played a mean fiddle, wrote music beautifully (often pairing with Eddie Dean), and was a pretty good singer. He was listed as ‘Pee Wee’ Strange in many of Cactus’ bands. And music was the main impetus to their beginning film work. They performed in many films with many Western bands. It was music, their beautiful Western drawls, and their prowess at stunt work that got them jobs.” Remember what I said about Strange wearing many hats? In the early days of Western movies, a man of many talents could always find work and Strange was oh, so talented. According to Ream, “These men were pioneers; they did everything that needed doing to get an episode filmed. Glenn could also drive a stage and could handle a ‘six up’ team (that is, where six horses pull the stage), which led to his playing a stagecoach driver in many of his movies and TV roles. The actual beginning of their film careers came when Glenn, who had previously traveled with Cactus as a musician, joined Cactus in the new venture of becoming a part of the Hoot Gibson Rodeo in 1930. They both had lengthy Those fidgety villagers would douse their torches if they knew what a sweetheart Glenn Strange was behind that Monster make-up. With Boris Karloff, from The House of Frankenstein. © 1944 Universal Pictures. Still courtesy of Julie Ann Ream/Valley Relics Museum.

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retro interview

rodeo careers, and Hoot began filming his Westerns at the rodeo grounds. And it was there that they began in the Westerns. Glenn’s height, looks, and Western drawl made him a natural heavy in films and TV. Glenn and Cactus appeared together in most all of John Wayne’s B-Westerns, working for the Poverty Row studios in the early Thirties, before entering under contract to Republic Pictures.”

spoke at his service. As sick as Glenn was himself—I don’t know how he did it— he wasn’t going to miss sending off his dear friend. Glenn died only two months later.” Making films has never been easy, but Chaney was known as a prankster and someone who could keep spirts high on a set. Speaking of spirits, Julie had a wonderful behind-the-scenes story about Strange and Chaney. “Both Glenn and Lon were working on a film MONSTER MAKEOVER together,” recalls Ream. “I’m unsure While Strange’s looks lent themselves which one, and conditions were not perfectly to Westerns, they also caught great. Glenn had a scene to do where the eye of Universal’s Monster Maker, and he was uncomfortably submerged in that is what led to Strange’s connection to the mud and it was cold, late, wet, and one of the most famous movie monsters freezing. Glenn was also sick with the of all time. “Glenn was at Universal flu. They were having trouble getting the working on a Western, and having lunch scene to go the way they wanted, and inside the commissary,” says Ream. Glenn was stuck there for hours. Well, “Also lunching was Universal’s make-up Lon didn’t want to see him freeze, so he man, Jack Pierce. Due to the amount of kept sneaking his friend ‘nips’ from his time Boris Karloff and other actors had little flask, and as the night went on, to spend in the make-up chair (usually Glenn got much more than just ‘warmed four and a half hours), Pierce was hoping up’!” to find another candidate to play the Glenn and Lon would go on to make Monster. He looked over at Glenn and said three films together with Strange as to himself, ‘If I only had him, I’d be halfway the Frankenstein Monster and Chaney done with my makeup before I got as the Wolf Man. Their last monster started.’ He approached Glenn, offered mash together had them meeting up him $25 to stay late and let him ‘make him with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the up’ and 45 minutes after beginning, he horror comedy classic, Abbott and Costello had his new Monster. Glenn’s response Meet Frankenstein. So, what happened in seeing himself for the first time was to when the Horror Icons met the Comedic say, ‘Wow, you’ve turned me into Boris Legends? “Sheer chaos! That’s the only Karloff.’” way to describe what it was like on that Strange’s first turn as the set,” Ream laughs. “Glenn had a ball! It Frankenstein Monster was in 1944’s was one of his favorite movie-making House of Frankenstein, which just experiences, and it showed. That film happened to star Karloff as a mad really stands up as an iconic movie Strange’s Monster shares the movie billing with scientist in this installment. Ream the “Who’s on first?” comedy duo in 1948’s Abbott everyone can enjoy! I don’t know of recalls, “Glenn enjoyed working with anyone who doesn’t love it.” and Costello Meet Frankenstein. © 1948 Universal Karloff very much, though he did remark Pictures. Poster courtesy of Heritage. Hollywood legend has it that Lou about how many times they had to Costello loved to try and crack his costop for tea! He had great respect for Karloff, though he clearly stars up on the set, and Glenn Strange was not immune to his brought his own interpretation of the Monster to the screen. As a antics. What did the funny man do to make the Frankenstein matter of fact, upon Karloff’s death, those planning his services Monster grin? “What didn’t Lou do?” says Ream. “He knew he could mistakenly placed a picture of Glenn as the Monster behind the make Glenn laugh, and he had a field day at it. Glenn said that fallen icon’s casket.” they could barely get through the scene where Lou sat on his lap, Strange also worked with another horror legend in House of and Lou did everything in his power to keep Glenn in stitches. Frankenstein, the Wolf Man himself, Lon Chaney, Jr. Indeed, this All Glenn had to do was look at him, and he burst out laughing. film marked the beginning of a long friendship between the two When you watch that scene, you can see him trying to just ignore men. “Glenn really enjoyed his years working on the Universal him, which isn’t easy. He did nothing in particular, and everything Horror films, and he absolutely adored Lon,” says Ream. “They in general. Just Lou being Lou.” worked together every chance they got and helped each other After playing the Frankenstein Monster, Glenn was offered the out at each and every opportunity. They were terrific friends, and chance to play another Universal Monster, the Creature from the when Lon passed away suddenly in July of 1973, it was Glenn who Black Lagoon. “Creature was filmed locally at Corriganville nearby RETROFAN

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[LEFT] Butch Cavendish (Glenn Strange) prepares his infamous Texas Ranger ambush on TV’s The Lone Ranger. [INSET] The rock that shielded the ambusher has become a Hollywood legend. The Lone Ranger © Classic Media, LLC. Photos courtesy of Julie Ann Ream.

the Iverson Movie Ranch where Glenn filmed the Westerns,” says Ream. “He turned down the opportunity because of the full body costume, which was heavy, restricting, and very claustrophobic. He also didn’t relish the thought of working underwater.” In the end, the role of the Creature was played by two men, Ben Chapman would play the part on land and Ricou Browning would play the Creature underwater. “Glenn admired all who made it such a good movie but had no regrets [about turning down the role]” says Ream. “[It was] a good decision, I think as they got a wonderful performance from Ricou Browning, a true athlete. I understand there were scenes where Ricou held his breath for up to four minutes! The movie is a classic, I had the pleasure of knowing [co-star] Julie Adams, and the fans loved her and the film.”

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Strange would have his chance to immortalize two other characters on the small screen. The first came when he took a hand in “creating” the most famous lawman of the Old West— and one of the first break-out stars of television—as he played Butch Cavendish, the outlaw whose ambush on a band of Texas Rangers would lead to the emergence of the Lone Ranger. “I know [the producers] wanted a mean demeanor, and Glenn sure fit the bill,” says Ream about Strange being cast as Cavendish. “I looked for that in the recent remake, and Disney did see to it that the character of Cavendish was mean!” Strange is not the only reason for Ream’s fondness for this three-part episode that began The Lone Ranger’s long run on television [Season One, Episodes 1–3, original airdates September 15, 22, and 29, 1949, but rerun for decades to follow]. “The Lone Ranger episodes were another of the many times both Glenn and Cactus worked together, and I just love that!” says Ream. “Cactus was a member of the Cavendish Gang appearing in his nightgown in episode three of the 1949 trilogy.” Ream’s love for Hollywood history is another reason these episodes are special to her. “The episodes were filmed at Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California, and the trilogy is an excellent visual representation of the movie ranch,” says Ream. “The famous rock that Glenn rested upon when taking aim as he ambushed the Texas Rangers sits inside the famous Garden of the Gods at Iverson and was recently dedicated to his memory and named ‘Glenn Strange Rock.’ That was exciting! The Lone Ranger 60

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Rock is a part of the landscape as well, and the famous Iverson Movie Ranch sign now hangs inside Valley Relics museum, just above the exhibit on the Hollywood Cowboys.” The second television role Strange is known for was as Sam the Bartender on the longest-running Western in television history, Gunsmoke. “Glenn ended his career on that show,” recalls Ream. “[He left] only when he was too sick to come into work any longer and passed away shortly thereafter. They told him it was his call, and that he’d have a job there as long as he felt like coming to work. And he came in as long as he could. He played Sam Noonan, Miss Kitty’s loyal barkeep and protector for 12 years, and the role was created specifically for him.” Julie was nice enough to further fill in RetroFan on how Strange came to be a long-term citizen of Dodge City. “Glenn said that once while talking with Jim Arness, who played Marshal Matt Dillon on the show, that Jim asked him when he was going to come over and work on the show, and that he ‘liked working with big guys.’ He was offered the role shortly thereafter. Glenn was also very close with character actor Dan White, who worked on the show often. Dan claims it was he who introduced Glenn to Jim and championed him for the role. He loved the time he spent on Gunsmoke, and in that role, and I loved visiting the set. It was filmed at CBS Studio Center, the old Republic Pictures lot! Can you imagine? Such history! And Gilligan’s Island filmed just around the corner from the Gunsmoke soundstage.”

retro interview

Assorted Glenn Strange memorabilia on display in the Valley Relics Museum. Courtesy of Julie Ann Ream.

Glenn Strange was one of those actors who was always working and always in demand, which by Hollywood standards means he was a true success. He passed away on September 20, 1973, at the age of 74. At the time of his death, he had over 300 acting credits to his name. With so many roles to choose from, which one is Julie’s favorite? “I love him in absolutely anything and everything I can see him in,” says Ream. “He most always has speaking parts and involved roles, but I’m thrilled even if it’s a role where I can only catch a glimpse! “I’ve always preferred character actors to leading men; their range of acting is superb. But if I have to choose, I must choose two roles. First is the role of Butch Cavendish in The Lone Ranger. He really played it mean, a complete departure from who he really was. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body, and there was no one that didn’t absolutely love him. I loved that role for a lot of reasons; the iconic filming location of the Iverson Ranch, the lasting message that the show resonates to this day, and for the fact that it was Glenn who was the first person to ever ask the question ‘Who was that masked man?’ I love that. And it’s also among the roles that are most treasured by the public.” And what about that second favorite role? “It has to be Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” smiles Ream. “I love it because I can watch him interact with so many of the icons of horror. But I truly love it mostly for the way it makes me feel to watch him having such a good time! He had such tender memories of making that film. And it showed.” These days, Julie Ann Ream gets to share her love of Glenn and the other famous members of her family through the Valley Relics Museum. “That museum is my heart! It shares memories of the past and present happenings and history of the San Fernando Valley. I have been lucky enough to have been a founder of the museum; working with it from its inception and have the distinct

pleasure to work alongside its owner, Tommy Gelinas, as both a curator and docent.” From what Julie tells us, the Valley Relics Museum sounds like a must-see destination for the readers of RetroFan and anyone else that loves the history of Hollywood. “Along with aerospace and other businesses, the film industry was an integral part of the mega-corps that built the Valley, and the museum is filled with beautiful exhibits on the industry,” Ream explains. “I have exhibits on Old Hollywood, Horror, Film and TV, Westerns, and have just recently inherited the Hollywood Stuntman’s Hall of Fame Collection. Glenn has a prominent showing there along with Cactus, Rex, and the rest of my family and their peers. The museum is a 501c3 nonprofit and is open four days a week. We have a wonderful event space, and in addition to private parties, we play host to authors, tours and historic lectures, and PowerPoint presentations that are made available to the public. Come pay us a visit and soak in the past!” DAN JOHNSON is a comics writer and pop culture historian. He is a co-founder, editor, and writer for Empire Comics Lab (empirecomicslab.com) and Golden Kid Comics (goldenkidcomics. com). Dan has written for Antarctic Press, Campfire Graphic Novels, InDELLible Comics, and ACP Comics and is a gag writer for the Dennis the Menace comic strip.

7900 Balboa Blvd., Hangar 3 and 4 Lake Balboa, CA 91406 818-616-4083 https://valleyrelicsmuseum.org/museum/ Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Sunday 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Admission: Adults: $10. Seniors $8. Children 10 and under FREE. RETROFAN

November 2020

ALTER EGO #166

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COMIC BOOK CREATOR #23

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FAWCETT COLLECTORS OF AMERICA (FCA) Special, with spotlights on KURT SCHAFFENBERGER (Captain Marvel, Ibis the Invincible, Marvel Family, Lois Lane), and ALEX ROSS on his awesome painting of the super-heroes influenced by the original Captain Marvel! Plus MICHAEL T. GILBERT’s “Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt” on Superman editor MORT WEISINGER, JOHN BROOME, and more! Cover by SCHAFFENBERGER!

Salute to Golden & Silver Age artist SYD SHORES as he’s remembered by daughter NANCY SHORES KARLEBACH, fellow artist ALLEN BELLMAN, DR. MICHAEL J. VASSALLO, and interviewer RICHARD ARNDT. Plus: mid-1940s “Green Turtle” artist/creator CHU HING profiled by ALEX JAY, JOHN BROOME, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and Mr. Monster on MORT WEISINGER Part Two, and more!

Two RICHARD ARNDT interviews revealing the wartime life of Aquaman artist/ co-creator PAUL NORRIS (with a Golden/ Silver Age art gallery)—plus the story of WILLIE ITO, who endured the WWII Japanese-American relocation centers to become a Disney & Warner Bros. animator and comics artist. Plus FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, JOHN BROOME, and more, behind a NORRIS cover!

WENDY PINI discusses her days as Red Sonja cosplayer, & 40+ years of ELFQUEST! Plus RICHARD PINI on their 48-year marriage and creative partnership! Plus: We have the final installment of our CRAIG YOE interview! GIL KANE’s business partner LARRY KOSTER talks about their adventures together! PABLO MARCOS on his Marvel horror work, HEMBECK, and more! Cover by WENDY PINI.

TIMOTHY TRUMAN discusses his start at the Kubert School, Grimjack with writer JOHN OSTRANDER, and current collaborations with son Benjamin. SCOTT SHAW! talks about early San Diego Comic-Cons and friendship with JACK KIRBY, Captain Carrot, and Flintstones work! Also PATRICK McDONNELL’s favorite MUTTS comic book pastiches, letterer JANICE CHIANG profiled, HEMBECK, and more! TIM TRUMAN cover.

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COMIC BOOK CREATOR #25 WORLD OF TWOMORROWS

BACK ISSUE #124

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BACK ISSUE #126

BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH discusses his new graphic novel MONSTERS, its origin as a 1980s Hulk story, and its evolution into his 300-page magnum opus (includes a gallery of outtakes). Plus part two of our SCOTT SHAW! interview about HannaBarbera licensing material and work with ROY THOMAS on Captain Carrot, KEN MEYER, JR. looks at the great fanzines of 40 years ago, HEMBECK, and more!

HORRIFIC HEROES! With Bronze Age histories of Man-Thing, the Demon, and the Creeper, Atlas/Seaboard’s horrifying heroes, and Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch) rides again! Featuring the work of CHRIS CLAREMONT, GERRY CONWAY, ERNIE COLON, MICHAEL GOLDEN, JACK KIRBY, MIKE PLOOG, JAVIER SALTARES, MARK TEXIERA, and more. Man-Thing cover by RUDY NEBRES.

CREATOR-OWNED COMICS! Featuring in-depth histories of MATT WAGNER’s Mage and Grendel. Plus other indie sensations of the Bronze Age, including COLLEEN DORAN’s A Distant Soil, STAN SAKAI’s Usagi Yojimbo, STEVE PURCELL’s Sam & Max, JAMES DEAN SMITH’s Boris the Bear, and LARRY WELZ’s Cherry Poptart! With a fabulous Grendel cover by MATT WAGNER.

“Legacy” issue! Wally West Flash, BRANDON ROUTH Superman interview, Harry Osborn/Green Goblin, Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Infinity Inc., Reign of the Supermen, JOHN ROMITA SR. and JR. “Rough Stuff,” plus CONWAY, FRACTION, JURGENS, MESSNER-LOEBS, MICHELINIE, ORDWAY, SLOTT, ROY THOMAS, MARK WAID, and more. WIERINGO/MARZAN JR. cover!

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KIRBY COLLECTOR #79

See “THE BIG PICTURE” of how Kirby fits into the grand scheme of things! His creations’ lasting legacy, how his work fights illiteracy, a RARE KIRBY INTERVIEW, inconsistencies in his 1960s MARVEL WORK, editorial changes in his comics, big concepts in OMAC, best DOUBLE-PAGE SPREADS, MARK EVANIER’s 2019 Kirby Tribute Panel, PENCIL ART GALLERY, and a new cover based on OMAC #1! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

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HOLLY JOLLY

MARK VOGER’s sleigh ride thru Christmas pop culture! Explores movies (Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life), music (White Christmas, Little St. Nick), TV (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), books (Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol), decor (1950s silver aluminum trees), comics (super-heroes meet Santa), and more! Featuring CHARLES M. SCHULZ, ANDY WILLIAMS and others!

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ANDY MANGELS’ RETRO SATURDAY MORNING

Saturday Morning Preview Specials by Andy Mangels

Welcome back to Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning. Since 1989, I have been writing columns for magazines in the U.S. and foreign countries, all examining the intersection of comic books and Hollywood, whether animation or live-action. Andy Mangels Backstage, Andy Mangels’ Reel Marvel, Andy Mangels’ Hollywood Heroes, Andy Mangels Behind the Camera… three decades of reporting on animation and live-action—in addition to writing many books and producing around 40 DVD sets—and I’m still enthusiastic. In my RetroFan column, I will examine shows that thrilled us from yesteryear, exciting our imaginations and capturing our memories. Grab some milk and cereal, sit cross-legged leaning against the couch, and dig in to Retro Saturday Morning! Normally in this column, I have spotlighted one series or set of series, giving you behind-the-scenes stories, cool factoids, and interviews. Starting in issue #9, continuing in #10, and concluding this issue, I’ll instead be giving you the Retro Saturday Morning treatment of one of the most anticipated shows every fall from 1968 forward… the Saturday Morning Preview Special. In the September 26, 2008 issue of TIME magazine, Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane gave his own thoughts on the phenomena: “I

was obsessed. Every year, the Friday before the new Saturdaymorning shows would premiere, the networks would do this big preview special, and I was always glued to the TV. As horrible as they were, they were entertaining at the time. There was a lot of showmanship from the networks based around the new lineup.” The problem with nostalgia for the Preview Specials is that they were only ever aired once. They were never rerun, never offered in syndication, and never released on home video, DVD, or streaming. Because of the cross-platform licensing rights for clips and music, they never can be legally released. Some of them exist in parts and pieces on YouTube—a few of them exist completely there—but by and large, this set of shows is a missing part of television history. Very little has been written about them, and even Wikipedia has many of its crowd-sourced facts wrong. Until now. Now there’s RetroFan to the rescue. Utilizing this author’s amazing resources, here is as much information and material that could be dug up on the astonishing phenomenon of Saturday Morning Preview Specials! Beware, though… proceeding without caution can bring untold emotions, unfettered joy, and quite possibly, madness! RETROFAN

November 2020

Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning

1984 ABC – The ABC Saturday Morning Preview Park Airdate: Friday, September 7, 1984, 8pm, 30 minutes Written by Ken Shapiro Directed by Barry Glazer Produced by Larry Klein, Dick Clark

Although he was a hit on the Dr. Demento Show on radio and stage, and had one album out, “Weird Al” Yankovic was still relatively early in his career when he hosted this special. His second album, “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D, had come out in February 1984, with a monster hit in his Michael Jackson parody, “Eat It.” Considered hot enough with kids to be chosen as the host of the ABC special during the fall, Yankovic shared the screen with costumed versions of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (voiced by Don Messick) as they taped at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. First up, Al and the Doos played bumper cars before showing a scene from Turbo Teen. Arguing about going into a cave marked Dragon’s Lair, the trio introduced a clip from arcade game spinoff Dragon’s Lair. Next up, the trio met Missy Gold (Benson) at the arcade, where her robot friend Orbie introduced a segment from Mighty Orbots. Following a brief look down at The Littles, while Al enjoyed a parachute ride, Scrappy introduced newcomer Firestorm in scenes from SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show. Next up, a visit to a half-full discothèque of somnambulant preteens brought Al to meet howling DJ Wolfman Jack and his bird, and a preview of the breakdancing new series Wolf Rock TV, which combined music videos and animation. Finally, a preview for American Bandstand’s 33rd season and The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries led into a complete fall recap, and a cute motorcycle gag to end the show. Oddly, for a special hosted by a comedy singer, guest-starring a DJ, and produced by a music producer… there wasn’t a single song to be heard! 64

RETROFAN

November 2020

Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning

1984 NBC – Laugh Busters

Airdate: Saturday, September 8, 1984, 8:30pm, 30 minutes Songs: “Laugh Busters” (rewritten version of “Ghostbusters”), “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys” (Danny Cooksey), “Video to Radio” (Kidd Video) Written by Christopher Brough, Paul Raley, Robert Smith Directed by Jack Regas Produced by Christopher Brough, Andrew Golov NBC was top-rated on Saturday mornings, so their preview choice for the year seemed a lackluster affair. As Director D. W. (Sandy Helberg) prepared to preview NBC’s new Saturday mornings, he’s stopped by the evil Gargamore O’Dette (also Sandy Helberg) and his henchmen Hank and Hubie Gritz (James Avery and Bill Saluga from Going Bananas). Black-caped Gargamore is allergic to laughter, so he planned to kidnap the animated stars of the new NBC shows. Thom Bray, in character as Boz from Riptide, and his robot sidekick Roboz, were quickly asked to help save the new schedule by D. W. First up, a live-action Spider-Man from Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, who web-swung from New York to Burbank, California—yes, really!—was rescued from a giant sheet of ACME flypaper by the K.I.T.T. car from Knight Rider and pint-size Danny Cooksey (Diff’rent Strokes), with some extra help from Alfonso Ribeiro (Silver Spoons) and orangutan Roxanna Banana (Going Bananas). Then, even rolling boulders couldn’t stop the teen rock band from Kidd Video from making a musical stop, or Alvin and the Chipmunks from trying to catch a free train ride. As with the Chipmunks, almost every character switched back and forth from animation to live-action costumed versions depending on the scene’s needs… although Mr. T’s bus had to stand in for the busy star in a preview clip for Mister T. Next up were scenes from The Pink Panther and Sons, Snorks, and The Smurfs, before everyone ended the show with a liveaction dance-off to the theme song. Wait! Did I forget to mention how Papa Smurf callously murdered Gargamore by causing him to evaporate? No, I’m not making that up. Papa Smurf is an executioner. R.I.P. your childhood memories.

RETROFAN

November 2020

Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning

1984 CBS – Saturday’s the Place

Airdate: Friday, September 14, 1984, 8pm, 30 mins. Songs: “In an Animated Cartoon” (Ted Knight) Written by Mark Evanier Directed by Bob Bowker Produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, Bob Bowker, Mark Evanier, Albert J. Tenzer Three’s Company star Joyce DeWitt played an unnamed magazine reporter (named Joyce in the script, but never onscreen) assigned to interview an animator Mr. McKay (veteran voice and TV actor Ted Knight) at Wunderland Studio about how animation is created. We saw McKay create instant animation of Bugs Bunny, then sing while drawing Charlie Brown, Baby Kermit, and Q-Bert. DeWitt told McKay the assigned article was going to be called “Animation: A Waste of Time and Paper,” which didn’t sit well with him. Nevertheless, McKay graciously gave her a tour of the studio, starting with the writer who was working on scripts for Donkey Kong and Q-Bert from Saturday Supercade, then moving to a storyboard artist working on Kangaroo from the same series. Each time McKay explained, the script or storyboard transitioned to animated previews of the shows. Next up was a model designer working on model sheets for Space Ace, then they snuck in to watch a voice recording session with the cast of Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies. In the process, cast members Frank Welker and Howie Mandel recreated voices they did for the movie Gremlins, entertaining voice actresses Russi Taylor and Laurie O’Brien. Next, they moved on to the director for a sequence from The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, then a quick stop with layouts, before McKay got annoyed with the reporter’s dismissive attitude and shrank her down into an animation cel to put her into a race car in a preview of Pole Position. Next, McKay showed how multiple drawings could be animated to give the illusion of movement using drawings from The Get Along Gang, then showed how the Ink and Paint department added color to cels with art and scenes from Dungeons & Dragons and Shirt Tales. Trying to get away from McKay, the still-shrunken reporter ran off of a shelf, only to discover that cartoon gravity worked with the same delay on her as it did for Wile E. Coyote. She then saw a clip from the liveaction newcomer Pryor’s Place, starring Richard Pryor. Last stop on the tour was backgrounds, but before McKay could restore her to her proper size, the reporter was caught in a scene from The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, then fought Snoopy’s Red Baron in an air battle, before ending up in the realm of Dungeons & Dragons. There, in a specially animated sequence with the evil wizard Venger (voiced by Peter Cullen), the reporter almost met her doom because she didn’t like cartoons. She woke up in the lobby of McKay’s animation studio, believing the whole adventure to be a dream, and left, determined to write a pro-animation article so she’d never be shrunk down again. McKay then broke the fourth wall to tell the audience that she wasn’t dreaming, and that he drew her waking up because he was real. But in a twist, McKay was soon erased by Bugs Bunny, who claimed that he was actually the real one! 66

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Joyce DeWitt (LEFT) and Ted Knight (RIGHT) with Emmy-winning animation director Bill Melendez. [BELOW] Animation voice actors at work. © CBS.

Writer Evanier notes that this special was taped “with most of the staff of Pryor’s Place on the same stage and with most of the same set. We actually taped a segment with the kids from Pryor’s Place that played Little Richie’s classmates. We taped a segment with them that got cut out for time.” The staffers at the animation studio were all real. The woman writer was Sharman DiVono, who wrote on Rickie Rich with me and also some Garfield and Friends episodes.” The storyboard artist with the mustache was Alan Zaslove, an Emmy-winning animation producer and designer, while the African-American character designer was later X-Men producer and animation legend Larry Houston. The director who looked a lot like Sergio Aragonés was actually six-time Emmywinning director Bill Melendez, the man behind all the Peanuts

Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning

specials. The colorist was Bunny Semones, a colorist for RubySpears. The recording studio duo was director Hank Saroyan, and an audio engineer assistant.” Of the “how animation is done” plot, which was a concept that had rarely been covered on TV before, Evanier says, “In all the other preview specials, we had a star. ‘We’ll have the Bay City Rollers host it.’ This was the only time we had no star and had to build it around a situation. I came up with the situation because it was the only thing that seemed to me to be relevant to cartoons. We went through dozens of people before we got to Ted Knight and Joyce DeWitt—we thought we were going to get Jonathan Winters to play the cartoonist. We kept asking different people over and over again and finally got [Knight and DeWitt].” The visual effects for the special were done with a form of green screen called Chroma key. According to Evanier, “Bob Bowker would stage the scenes with Ted Knight and I’d be staging the scenes with Joyce DeWitt over in the Chroma key area. We had to have two directors because we had two different things going on. Bob was officially the director. There was no special animation done for this special. We took clips out of the exiting show and then we’d Chroma key Joyce DeWitt and put her against the backgrounds. We’re basically cutting back and forth.” Evanier reveals that besides Peter Cullen doing new vocals for the Dungeons & Dragons clip, “The appearances of Bugs Bunny were done by redubbing old Bugs Bunny clips, so I got to direct Mel Blanc! I went in and I recorded Mel Blanc in a recording session, dubbing the clips. I not only directed Mel Blanc, I told him how to read the line, ‘What’s Up Doc?’ When he read it, it didn’t fit the video. He was dubbing a clip, not just acting. We had to match the timing to the way he did it in 1952, or whatever. That was the most memorable thing about that show for me. After that, we sat and talked for an hour and a half.” He also credits Frank Welker, who “did voices above and beyond being in the recording sessions for Muppet Babies. He did vocal sound effects on the set. He did the sound of the pencil erasers at the end of it, he did the sound of the creature fighting the Dungeons & Dragons kids. He helped sweeten the show. A man named Mark Elliot, the voice of Disney, he was the off-camera announcer who did the commercial breaks. It was a very long night of taping and we finished at 3 a.m. or something. “ Delivering the final show was its own kind of hell for Evanier and Bowker, whose schedule was very tight. “We had to actually edit it two days later,” Evanier says. “The show aired on a Friday night. We were editing it DeWitt and Knight banter in the background while animation legend Larry Houston works in the foreground.

Ted Knight finds himself being erased. By who? A little stinker named Bugs.

starting midday Thursday until 4 a.m. or so Friday morning. What happened was, literally we did not have those clips until 24 hours before we had to air. We got the clips from the RubySpears show, like Space Ace at 1 a.m. We had to deliver the show to CBS at 6 a.m. We finished at 4 a.m. and Bob Bowker and I took the finished show and drove over to an all-night restaurant on the way back to my house. We hadn’t eaten all day. I was going to hand-deliver the Mark Evanier, writer of stuff (including Saturshow at 6 a.m. and go home and go day morning preview to bed. I lived near CBS. I brought the only copy of the show in the world into shows). the restaurant and when we left, I left it in the restaurant! I was halfway home and suddenly realized. I pulled a U-turn and zoomed back and the waitress was standing in the parking lot with the tape and said, ‘I think you lost this.’ I immediately zoomed over and broke the speed limit and got there in time. They had to put it on the satellite to New York to be broadcast that night. They put in the broadcast central part of CBS where—the technical part where they broadcast the shows. I had never seen this part of CBS before in my life. The guys were sitting there, running The Price is Right videos of all of the models in bikinis—all of the footage they had of them. They stopped it to satellite my show to New York. I went home and collapsed. We delivered that show at the absolute last second.” RETROFAN

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Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning

1985 ABC – The ABC Saturday Sneak Peek and Fun Fit Test Airdate: Friday, September 6, 1985, 8:30pm, 30 minutes Written by Tom Ruegger Directed by Tom Trbovich Produced by Eleanor Sanger Riger

ABC was in last place on Saturday mornings, so they took a huge gamble—and gave Lucasfilm a huger licensing fee—to get into the Star Wars business. The Saturday morning schedule was thus going to be home to Ewoks & Droids Adventure Hour, with new adventures of the Skywalker saga’s kid-friendliest characters. But to really seal the deal, they needed the stars to show up, and in this preview special, they did. Although this show was hosted by Tony Danza (Who’s the Boss?)—and occasionally, 1984 Olympian Mary Lou Retton—what audiences really tuned in for was the appearance of C-3POand R2-D2 for a half-hour. C-3PO was—as always—played with elegant fussiness by Anthony Daniels, while the remote-controlled R2-D2 was fitted with a tie, a snorkel, and other costume silliness, as well as being forced to dance with Retton. Luckily, Threepio wasn’t asked to do the gymnastics or exercises demonstrated by Retton, although Artoo seemed awfully smitten with the pint-sized acrobat… when he wasn’t mistaking garbage cans for fellow droid stagehands.

As the show progressed, Danza would ask multiple choice “Fun Fit” questions, each answer of which included short clips from ABC shows, and led in to longer promo segments. Scenes from The Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes Comedy Hour, Ewoks & Droids Adventure Hour, and Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show aired, prior to the stage getting dark and spooky as a large demonic box appeared. The box led into a clip for The 13 Ghosts of ScoobyDoo (with Vincent Price playing Vincent Van Ghoul), followed by The Littles. Retton then came back onstage to promote ABC Fun Fit and American Bandstand. Cute young Drew Barrymore was the draw for a trailer for the debut of the new ABC Weekend Specials (her episode was “The Adventures of Con Sawyer and Hucklemary Finn,” and co-starred the then-unknown Melissa Joan Hart). This special was written by ex-Filmation writer Tom Ruegger, who was editing The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo at the time. He would go on to develop and produce A Pup Named Scooby-Doo at Hanna-Barbera, and then to Warner Bros., where he created, wrote, produced, and wrote the main title lyrics for Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Road Rovers, and Histeria! He executiveproduced and wrote scripts for Batman: The Animated Series and developed, wrote, and produced Freakazoid, and served as the Chief Creative Executive of

[ABOVE] Tony Danza and C-�P�. [RIGHT] Writer Tom Ruegger.

the studio. [Editor’s note: See our sister mag BACK ISSUE #98 for a look at BTAS.] More recently, he developed, wrote and produced Animalia and Disney’s The 7D. Ruegger says of this special that “I wrote The ABC Sneak Peek and Fun Fit Test preview special for Jenny Trias, Squire Rushnell, and Ame Simon back in 1985. The ‘one-day shoot’ was one to remember. The cameras were supposed to roll at 9 a.m., but Mary Lou Retton—a minor at the time—didn’t have a work permit, so we didn’t start till a permit arrived at noon. Three hours completely wasted. By 5 p.m., we were [LEFT] C-�P� AND R�-D� are confused by trash cans. [CENTER] The droids bookend Danza and Mary Lou half finished, but host Tony Retton. [RIGHT] R�-D� wears a tie. © ABC. Star Wars © Lucasfilm. Danza was completely 68

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Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning

finished. He wanted out. He was leaving. When the producer and director insisted that he stay, he threw a solid one-hour f-bombpacked tantrum until promised a bunch more money. If we had cell phones back then—with video cameras—Tony’s tantrum would’ve become a famous moment in the history of show biz tirades!” Danza had apparently established Who’s the Boss?, and filming continued. Why was Ruegger on-set for filming? “Why was I even on the set? Well, the day before the shoot, the director said the script was way too long and insisted that I cut out half of the pages. The script went from 42 pages to 21 pages. Then, on the day of the shoot, a desperate call went out at 3 p.m. for me to report to the director. The show was now 15 minutes short! So right there, with actors standing around waiting and the guys inside the droid outfits ready to pass out from heat exhaustion, I reinstated everything from the original script. And voila, 15 more minutes of material!” Ruegger notes that in his opinion, “the producers and directors of these sorts of specials—I co-wrote The Flintstones 25th Anniversary Celebration produced by Bob Guenette… Yikes! That’s a tale for another time—would do the shows a service by at least occasionally following the writers’ cues.” Ruegger recognizes that the special is a missing part of Star Wars canon. “For some strange reason, this TV special has not been given its own night in the spotlight at the Paley Center for Media, or at the Television Academy, or at the Skirball Center. Let’s

hope that oversight gets rectified before this classic of television’s past—and a crucial chapter in the Star Wars canon—crumbles into video dust. (Kidding! It’s a wreck!) In retrospect, I’m very glad for the opportunity to put words and sounds in the mouths/ speakers of C-3PO and R2-D2.”

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Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning

1985 CBS – All-Star Rock ’n’ Wrestling Saturday Spectacular

Airdate: Sunday, September 8, 1985, 4pm, 60 minutes Songs: “My Secret (Didja Gitit Yet?)” (New Edition), “Stir It Up” (Patti Labelle) Written by Mark Evanier Directed by Bob Bowker Produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, Dave Wold, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Bowker, Mark Evanier, Albert J. Tenzer Reporter Scott Osborne reported on location in Los Angeles, where wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper took over a studio from host Hervé Villechaize, who was going to do a live variety show. Piper forced announcer Gary Owens to announce him. Accompanied by dancing Piperettes, Piper delivered a rousing opening to the live audience, before showing a brief music-less clip from Cyndi Lauper’s Goonies music video. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came on as the first guest to trade barbs with Piper, before a clip from The Berenstain Bears was played. Then, Piper interacted with two gay stereotypes in the audience who were super-fans of his, before Gary Owens played a clip of him interviewing Hulk Hogan about his new animated This really happened. From left to right: Gary Owens, Pee-wee Herman, Patti LaBelle, and the show's host, wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. © CBS.

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series, Hulk Hogan’s Rock ’n’ Wrestling. The New Edition performed next, before being dissed by Piper and introducing a clip from Wuzzles. Piper and Captain Lou Albano next performed an altered scene from King Lear, with special guest Pee-wee Herman. A hilarious interview followed, wherein Pee-wee took his socks off and forced Piper to wear one on his hand to puppet-interview him, followed by a clip from Jim Henson’s Muppets Babies & Monsters. Quick clips from Dungeons & Dragons, Land of the Lost, and Charlie Brown & Snoopy were then followed by Patti Labelle performing a song from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack. Labelle muzzled Piper to air a clip from CBS Storybreak, before Faye Flamboyant, a chubby, aging Cyndi Lauper “lookalike,” came onstage. The real Cyndi Lauper finally broke onstage with Hervé Villechaize, and invited the audience to move to the studio next door for the real show. This would be Mark Evanier’s final Saturday morning preview special. The live-action clips and songs were throwbacks to earlier specials, and the type of primetime series the writer had worked on for years, but a sense of chaos and anarchy seemed to pervade this particular special. Evanier recalls that he was called in to write by the producers. “The Kroffts had made some arrangement with Cyndi Lauper to do some projects together4, which I don’t think ever happened. Cyndi and her then-boyfriend, named Dave Wolff, they were going to co-produce the show with Sid and Marty and me and Bob. I brought Bob in because I’d worked with him before on these. This was our third one together. I came up with the storyline and things like that. I put Gary Owens in it because Cyndi Lauper had decided she wanted to have Hervé Villechaize and Patti LaBelle and Pee-wee Herman and a couple of other people—some who didn’t get in the show. She came up with the cast and said, ‘Here, Mark. Figure out a show where we can get all these people in.’ I said, ‘We need to add one person who is absolutely normal and belongs on a talk show,’ so I called Gary Owens, and he was delighted to do it. Then Gary and I took turns being the warm-up guy for the live audience.”

Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning

Evanier wasn’t much of a wrestling fan, but Owens and Piper don't share a laugh. © CBS. notes that WWF head Vince McMahon “was heavily involved in the show. He was as involved with it as anybody. We were hampered by the fact that because Roddy Piper was our host and we had to have Hulk Hogan because we were plugging Hulk Hogan’s Rock ’n’ Wrestling. But we weren’t allowed to have them in the studio at the same time because they hated each other. They had a legitimate hatred of each other that it started in the ring and manifested itself in real life. We only had Hulk Hogan for two hours because he was literally stopping off flying from one place to another. We couldn’t have him for one second more. He had to be oiled up and wouldn’t let the make-up guy oil him up—we had to get a woman to do it.” Hogan wasn’t available for the reverse shots of Gary Owens interviewing him, when the camera was not on Hulk, but Owens. “Hulk Hogan had to leave, so the reverse shot is me,” says Evanier. “I played Hulk Hogan’s shoulder. We put some bronzer on my shoulder and Marty Krofft liked. He promised the guy he put him in a show. a ripped T-shirt. I was stepping on a box. I’m six-foot-three and I The guy who spoke, Ira Nussbaum, was Dave Wolff [Lauper’s had to stand on a box to be as tall as Hulk Hogan!” boyfriend]. I didn’t think either [character] was gay, actually— Diminutive actor Hervé Villechaize (whom Evanier reveals just stupid. One Piperette was Deanne Krofft Pope, Marty’s was once a background inker for Harvey Comics) also had issues. daughter.” “Hervé had a problem. He couldn’t grip anything. He couldn’t Much of the dialogue during the talk show segments almost zip his own fly. He had a couple of wardrobe changes and would seemed improvised. Evanier says, “Roddy Piper couldn’t learn come out of the dressing room with his fly unzipped and shirttail dialogue to save his life. He was a great guy. What we did hanging out and maybe other things and would be demanding essentially was, I wrote a script and I would act out the script and the wardrobe ladies zip him up. They wouldn’t do it, so I had to if Roddy was interviewing Patti LaBelle, I’d sit in the guest chair convince the stage manager to do it. I tell that story when people and he’d interview me and I’d do the lines and then Patti would ask, ‘What does a producer do?’ Stuff like that.” As for a few of the trying to remember roughly what I’d said. It didn’t come exactly. cameos, Evanier says they were all friends of the production. “The It was loosely interviews based on the script.” Paul Reubens [Peetour guide/CBS page was played by Steve Nevil, a friend of mine. wee Herman], who seemed the smoothest with delivery, was The two fans in there, one was the maître d’ at a restaurant that easier. “He was the only one with an improvisation background. He was very good. Everyone was fine. It was actually kind of fun on the set.” One burning question for Evanier I had was, How many times did it take for Kareem to hit Piper with the basketball? “Once. The hard part was with Hulk Hogan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I’m not used to working with people taller than me! I’m six-three. I know shorter people get used to it, looking up at people, but it threw me a little bit.” According to TV Guide, the special was scheduled to be aired on a Sunday, September 8th (4 p.m.), but some local TV markets apparently scheduled it to air on Saturday, September 7th (8 p.m.), while other markets rescheduled it to NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar bounces a basketball off of Piper's noggin. © CBS.

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Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning

run on Friday, September 13th (8 p.m.), the night before the new season started. Finding a definitive airdate is thus as crazed as Roddy Piper fans. Evanier says that nobody knew what was going on with the dates. “In L.A., it was preempted for Wimbledon and they didn’t tell us. I turned it on to watch it and Wimbledon was on. The lady in charge of our show, Judy Price, called me and said she had found out at the last minute they weren’t going to air it then. Everyone was phoning me, ‘Where’s our show?’” About his time on the five preview specials, and previews in general, Evanier says, fans should know that “because of all the technical problems with them, they had to be done the day before they aired or were supposed to air. The new season was starting on Saturday; that means the studios delivering cartoon shows would do them on Friday night because they didn’t want the networks to ask for retakes. They would deliver them at the last minute. Then, you are walking in-between the Primetime department and the Saturday morning department. Almost always, the Primetime people would say, ‘We won’t clear the time for this show unless we can plug some of our new shows in it.’ Which is why we got stuck on the ABC ones putting in some plugs for Webster and T. K. Carter in the Dick Clark one and why Jimmy Brogan’s show was plugged in the Plastic Man one. We had to clear

with the Primetime people the stars of Saturday’s the Place. It’s bad enough pleasing one network division—you had to please two in this case. The clips get very political because everyone producing the show wants a longer time for their show and you have to say, ‘No, you get eight seconds, or 20 seconds,’ or whatever it is. You can’t favor one show over another. You’re dealing with a lot of people. The saving grace is doing it at the last minute because there isn’t time to talk. If we’d had 12 weeks to do these, we would’ve spent every day of the 12 weeks on them. But we had to do each of these in very little times. Every one of these was a lastminute schedule to do it because the Primetime people wouldn’t free up the schedule. We’d do them and know they’d only air once, although one of them aired twice. You just know you’re doing something that’s not becoming a series or have a spin-off, it’s just a silly one-shot and a cross between an entertainment special and an infomercial. Then you’re trying hard not to make the plugs sound too plug-y. You’re throwing it together at the last minute. They’re kind of fun in that there’s no time for lots of meetings. You just have to hunker down and do them.” Despite fan jokes about the creators of all of the very odd preview specials using drugs, Evanier laughs, and adds, “No, no drugs. I don’t even drink coffee!”

1985 NBC – Back to Next Saturday

Airdate: Thursday, September 12, 1985, 8:30pm, 30 minutes Songs: “I Wish That I Could Fly” (Keshia Knight Pulliam), “Back to Next Saturday” (Lisa Welchel) Written by Glenn Leopold, Christopher Brough Directed by Lee Bernhardi Produced by Christopher Brough

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For their special in 1985, NBC doubled down on kid appeal and nightmare fuel, allowing live actors and clips with altered voice tracks to interact. Keshia Knight Pulliam (The Cosby Show) was ready for bed, and her babysitter, Lisa Welchel (The Facts of Life), read to her as she fell asleep, uneaten cookie in one hand. In her sleep, Keshia went to the “Dream Zone,” where she met the cast of Punky Brewster (including Soleil Moon Frye and a trio of others) both in their animated and live-action forms. As they explored the realm, they saw clips from Snorks, met spooky skeletons that led them to see video from Smurfs and Alvin and the Chipmunks, and then ended up in the adventures of “Illinois Jones” (whereupon the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme played). After encountering a live-sized pink bear from Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears, the kids stumbled across a giant jukebox spaceship and brought the cast of Kidd Video into the Dream Zone. Trapped above lava and needing super-help, the kids were rescued by Spider-Man, who swung out of animation and into live-action. Separated from the others despite help from the animated clips from Mister T, Keshia sat down to sing a sad song, whereupon Lisa Welchel appeared as the “definitely not copyright-infringing” Glinda-esque Queen of Dreams. After singing the electro-tinged theme song for the special, the Queen and the others disappeared, leaving a terrified Keshia all alone in a cave. Thankfully, babysitter Lisa wakes a screaming Keshia up and tells her it was all a dream, whereupon

Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning

Keshia Knight Pulliam (LEFT) and Lisa Welchel (RIGHT). [LEFT] Spider-Man.

one of the cartoon animals from Punky Brewster appeared, just to taunt her that it would be back on Saturday morning. The moral of the story: Eat your cookies before falling asleep, because Lisa Welchel will steal them, and if you meet Punky Brewster in your dreams, she’ll leave you sobbing in a dark cave. And, oh, yeah— watch NBC on Saturday mornings, or cartoon characters will haunt you! Coming soon… Ringu, The Animated Series!

OTHER PREVIEW SPECIALS

Although we spent 39 pages in three issues on the Preview Specials, we chose to end this coverage with 1985. Here’s a list, though, of other Preview Specials that followed! 1986 NBC – Alvin Goes Back to School Airdate: Friday, September 12, 1986, 8pm 1987 NBC – ALF Loves a Mystery Airdate: Friday, September 11, 1987, 8pm 1988 ABC – Saturday Morning Preview Airdate: Friday, September 9, 1988, 8:30pm 1989 ABC – The ABC Perfectly Strange Saturday Morning Preview Airdate: Friday, September 8, 1989, 8:30pm 1989 NBC – Who Shrunk Saturday Morning? Airdate: Wednesday, September 13, 1989, rerun on morning of Friday, September 15, 1989 1990 ABC – ABC Saturday Morning Preview Airdate: Friday, September 7, 1990, 7:30pm 1991 ABC – The ABC Saturday Morning Preview Airdate: Friday, September 13, 1991, 8:30pm 1991 FOX – Fox Kids Preview released on VHS in a tie-in promotion with KB Toys © NBC.

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Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning Fox Kids Sneak Preview (1999) was hosted by Malcom in the Middle's Frankie Muniz. © FOX.

1991 NBC – NBC’s World Premiere Cartoon Spectacular Airdate: Sunday, September 8, 1991, 7–8pm 1992 ABC – ABC Saturday Morning Preview Special Airdate: Wednesday, October 12, 1994, 7:30pm 1993 ABC – ABC Saturday Morning Preview Special Airdate: Friday, September 17, 1993, 8:30pm 1994 ABC – ABC Saturday Morning Preview Special: It’s a Whole New Level of Fun! Airdate: Friday, September 9, 1994, 7:30pm 1995 ABC – The ABC Saturday Morning Sneak Preview Airdate: Friday, September 8, 1995, 8:30pm 1995 WB – Welcome Home, Animaniacs! – Kids’ WB Preview Airdate: Saturday, September 9, 1995, and others 1996 ABC – The ABC Saturday Morning Preview Party Airdate: Friday, September 6, 1995, 8pm 1996 WB – Kids’ WB! Sneak Peek Airdate: Friday, September 6, 1996, 8pm

1999 FOX – Fox Kids Sneak Preview Airdate: Saturday, September 11, 1999, 10:30am, rerun Friday, September 17, 1999, 4:30pm 2002 FOX – What’s Inside the FoxBox? Airdate: Sunday, September 1, 2002, 6pm 2003 FOX – Fight for the FoxBox [a.k.a. Fox Box Rocks] Airdate: Sunday, August 31, 2003, 7pm

1997 ABC – Disney’s One Saturday Morning Airdate: Friday, September 12, 1997, 8:30pm

2008 CW – The CW4Kids Brand Spankin’ New Spectacular Sneak Peek Party Airdate: Friday, September 12, 1998, 4:30pm

1998 ABC – Disney’s One Saturday Morning on Friday Night Airdate: Friday, September 11, 1998, 8:30pm

2010 CW – The CW4Kids Toonzai Friday Fall Preview Airdate: Friday, September 3, 2010, 4pm

The quotes from the fantastic Mark Evanier are from a March 2020 interview, with transcription by Rose Rummel-Eury, and the quotes from Tom Ruegger are via email in June 2020. Many thanks also to the wonderful Gary Browning at LA’s Paley Center for research help, DJ Adie and Tim Lybarger for some missing preview specials, and Pete Vilmur and Stephen Sansweet at Lucasfilm! Artwork and photos are courtesy the collection of Andy Mangels. ANDY MANGELS is the USA Today bestselling author and co-author of 20 books, including the TwoMorrows book Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, as well as Star Trek and Star Wars tomes, Iron Man: Beneath the Armor, and a lot of comic books. He recently wrote the Wonder Woman ’77 Meets the Bionic Woman series for Dynamite and DC Comics, and is currently working on a book about the stage productions of Stephen King and a series of graphic novels for Junior High audiences. Additionally, he has scripted, directed, and produced Special Features and documentaries for over 40 DVD releases. His moustache is infamous. www.AndyMangels.com and www. WonderWomanMuseum.com RETROFAN

November 2020

CORRECTION BOX

In RetroFan #9, the first part of this article, there were two errors, and we have a new bit of trivia:

Next time out, we’ll take a picture-filled look at Saturday morning animation studios’ holiday greetings!

1999 ABC – Disney’s One Saturday Morning on Friday Night Airdate: Friday, September 10, 1999, 9:30pm

` Page 44, column 1, Drooper was voiced by Allan Melvin, not Daws Butler. ` Page 53, column 1, “Whoofur” should be spelled “Woofer.” ` Page 56, column 1, “Frank and Harry Karamazoff” is a pseudonym for writers George Tricker and Neil Rosen, who hated writing this special so much they used the fake names.

SUPER COLLECTOR

s e r u s a e r T r u o Y it f Retro (All captions by Wesley Voyles) The restored (completely cracked face and hand enamel repainted, shoulder swivel replaced) Marx Girl from U.N.C.L.E. April Dancer retro-outfitted with Barbie YSL Mondrian outfit helps the eBay custom Men from U.N.C.L.E. (with original Gilbert heads) save the world from a jet engine model.

Unit was $10 simply because it was dirty, had a scratched-up cockpit dome (the scratches polished right out), and had a few missing pieces that were easy to replace and even improve upon.

Action Figures

A Scratch Modeler’s Secrets

Dated charm can’t always compensate for something made too cheaply or that is too hurriedly painted to entice anyone it is passed on to to save, even if the subject is a classic TV show. Many saved Boomer “gems” by Wesley Voyles are doubtless landfill-bound within 20 years or so without enhancement. Even if the objects in question are presumably unimprovable, when it comes to recent, high-end, 1/6 scale, retro action figures, there is little if anything to choose from in commercially released vehicles and buildings/playsets. Further, if there were ever any original vehicles or playset buildings for a vintage figure they are likely unaffordable if you find them, which has inspired me in the making of many of the items pictured in this article. If cleaning, repainting (with inexpensive reversible acrylic paints), simple repairs, making accessories, and outfit- or even entire body-swapping can persuade a future collector to preserve your valued figures, why not try it? Making foamboard buildings of any scale is relatively easy. Vehicles are more challenging, but many don’t require any sculpting talent (I have no such talent and am visually challenged to boot), especially when you can repurpose parts from other toys or repurpose entire toys themselves. Also, many vintage toys are extremely cheap if you’re willing to invest a little effort. My Seventies Mego Lynda Carter Wonder Woman figure cost me all of $10 because it had a missing foot (the head sculpt is all you want anyway), my Sixties Marx Girl from U.N.C.L.E. was maybe $20 from Mexico due to the figure’s (fixable) condition issues, and my G.I. Joe Adventure Team Mobile Support

Many classic Boomer “action” figures, such as the Sixties 1/6 scale James Bond/Man from U.N.C.L.E./Honey West from Gilbert, the iconic Mattel “mod” Barbies, and the Seventies Mego Lynda Carter Wonder Woman, among others, are essentially statues, articulation-wise. But the Bond/U.N.C.L.E figure heads fit onto articulated Elite Brigade bodies and the skin tones are close.

Buildings

Ever found a complete Seventies Ideal Captain Action Quick Change Chamber or a Seventies Mego Wayne Foundation Building for sale? Who could afford one if they did?

“The road’s here, Max.” Sideshow’s 1/6 Get Smart Chief and Maxwell Smart figures ride in a Nineties Barbie car alongside Product Enterprise’s Steed and Mrs. Peel on a Barbie Vespa. (What figure doesn’t look good on a Vespa?)

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There are few reading this who couldn’t make better more 3D versions of these playsets with Dollar Tree/Walmart/ craf t store foamboard and assorted scraps and repurposed parts. An X-acto knife, a straight edge, maybe a template with holes (for curves), and a cutting surface let you make walls, floors, stairs, doorways, and windows of most any size and shape. Glue and building blocks (or hinges if you’re pressed for space and require the buildings to fold) can join the super-light foamboard walls. Accompanying are photos of an 8′ by 8’ fluorescing (fluorescent paint and poster board save on wiring) 1/18 scale Gotham City. Figures are Preiser (model train) G scale, comic-shop stuf f, and assorted pre- and self-painted civilians found over the decades; the model is about 25 years young. Isn’t this better than just cramming your relics onto an ever more overloaded shelf (not that I’m not as guilty of that as anyone)?

Overview of the chest-to-ceiling Gotham 21 model.

Vehicles

My recently completed 1/6 Dragula shown herein is on the stripped chassis of an Eighties American Plastics pink and white and yellow (for fashion dolls?) Street Machine toy car (hard to find—I’ve never seen a complete one). The wheels were perfect, save for filling in the rear tire inner voids. The canopy is from an R/C airplane. The casket is foamboard and foamrubber. It is decorated with flowery nail decals from China. Hobby stainless steel headers with chrome blowers are from two doll cars. The 1/6 Munsters Koach (wasn’t there supposed to be a commercially released one years ago, as well as the Hot Toys Batmobile ’66, DC uniforms for the re-released Captain Action figures, the Phicen Honey West…) is (surprise!) foamboard and foamrubber for the hood, brass, cloth for curtains and covering foamrubber seat cushions, copper headers, and repurposed 1/8 scale hot rod kit parts (necessitating some obvious departures from the original). The wheels are from an R/C airplane and the rumble seat frame is two mailbox metal “9s.” Headlights work and figures are, as I recall (this model is around 20 years old), early Nineties Hallmark, with Marilyn Munster

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Night patrol in Gotham City.

[LEFT] Detail of the fluorescent “sculpts” that surround the museum. Inside is a spiral staircase amid artwork projecting from the wall. [RIGHT] Detail from the papier-mâché / foil Batcave with straws and paper-towel tubes around a plastic cup (strobe inside) atomic reactor. Red, green, and purple bats fly around the red-lit (obscured by strobe flash) cave. Shown are the recent 1/18 Mattel figures/Batmobile.

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The Munsters Koach.

being a delightful original Mod Francie head on a poseable Nineities Barbie body in reissue outfit. The 1/6 Batmobile is a resin kit by G.I. Joe guru James Desimone. The dreadful original oversized wheel/tires were replaced, along with the axles, with 1/8 hot rod kit parts (the same kits provided chrome engine parts for the Munsters Koach). The axle holes were redrilled (several times; the car’s not as symmetrical as it looks) to give the car the desired nose-down, rear-up look. The original configuration had the nose slightly up. A professionally done version on eBay, way better than anything I could do, asked $9,000 but used the original godawful giant onepiece molded wheel/tires! I’ll take this one. My original Seventies Lynda Carter head is on a poseable Nineties Barbie gymnast body. My Batgirl is a toy show custom with the statue body again replaced with a poseable one. The roughly 5’ by 5’ Batplane uses the proportions of the much smaller Aurora kit (with the sublime James Bama box cover art) and is just a mailing tube with styrofoam glider wings, a rubber tailplane, resin rocket cones front and back, and even part of a cereal bowl to help with the rear taper. There are cockpit controls and the nose and rear are detachable (so I could fit into a vehicle for a trip to Flushing Meadow, NY—it never occurred to me to just cut and paste the model’s image over a Unisphere picture—

2004 Majestic Herman and Grandpa Munster figures admire a Bradford Exchange Lily Munster statue. (Unfortunate placement of Grandpa’s cigar not planned.)

stupid!). Whatever its faults, it’s a googillion times better than the Sixties ugly, ungodly expensive if you see one, solid/painted canopy Irwin 1/6 Batplane!

Who Has Time to Make Anything?

So, just buy accessories (at least vehicles) for your retro figures. eBay is loaded with cheap horses and cars (and sometimes some terrific collector-made custom figures). Also, Barbie occasionally releases something useful like the recent, charming, and customizable $20 two-seat helicopter, which is certainly better than the Sixties Irwin G.I. Joe chopper (a lot more than $20 complete!). And there’s the 1/6 Lil Tykes dollhouse that can be converted into a haunted house with some painting and cutting out of the molded-but-solid side windows (mine came from a Hurricane Ivan debris pile).

Photographic Dioramas

As opposed to real dioramas—Who has the space?—recommend your objets d’art be photographed outside if possible. It’s difficult to capture close-up detail with interior lighting. Also, a camera with a real macro lens is better than a phone camera, though blacklight photography is way easier with a phone camera. Once you’ve captured some decent images you can then digitally or The Batplane.

Wood-framed 1/6 foamboard Panzer for a Combat! (i.e., “The Duel” episode) diorama, with a female crew. The turret is made of giant flower pots. The interior has turret basket/ladderway/seats and (dummy) engines. There are swivel casters beneath for rolling.

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literally cut and paste them onto landscapes you would never have time or space to build. Your diorama images might even outlive their subjects.

A (Little) Help with Space

Any aircraft toys or models, custom-built or otherwise, taking up precious shelf or counter space? Why aren’t these hanging from the ceiling, if possible? I have at least five (in just the 1/6 scale) I would never have room for anywhere else—they would take up 10% of my living area. Just be sure to use strong enough fishing line, secured through the ceiling with back-up slack lines for your heavier, more fragile items. Also, putting larger objects like my 1/6 Lil Tykes haunted dollhouse as well as work and drafting tables on casters helps. [ABOVE] Acrylic sheet display. The all-but-invisible-tape wrinkling at the lower right

No Time to Dust and Can’t Afford Display Cabinets?

Lowe’s and doubtless other hardware/hobby stores will custom-cut for free clear acrylic sheets that can be clear packing taped and/or even fit into the sides of higher-end plastic and metal/ wood modular shelving. The acrylic sheets aren’t as low-cost as foamboard, but compared to the price of a fancy glass cabinet? Cutting and fitting white foamboard to the shelf bottoms will not only cover the ridges and slots associated with some shelving but also more efficiently reflect light to show your treasures. The shelf pictured in this article hopefully shows this isn’t as tacky as it sounds. I have many of these homemade cabinet/ shelves. If you need to access the shelf, just X-acto knife the tape off and re-tape afterward (how often would you do this anyway?). Dusting larger items that won’t fit inside your homemade cabinets seems easier with a soft-bristle paintbrush like the archaeologists use as opposed to most anything else.

Finally

The foamboard building shown (with the BatClimb) is about 7’ tall with six flights of stairs, all removable, as are the floors. Walls are hinged for storage, though I admit it’s not practical to do so, with nowhere to put the stairs. Don’t be dumb like me and make things you have no room for, like the lawntractor-sized blue Panzer (for a Combat! diorama) or flying saucer. WESLEY VOYLES (seen here on Halloween 1966 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a hobbyist and RetroFan reader living in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area. 78

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is due to multiple trips back inside “cabinet” to pick up items I knocked over. (Note the figures of the cult Sixties supergroup at left center—“The Go-Go Swingers”— who, I believe, were briefly bigger than The Beatles! [BELOW] Seven feet high, a foamboard building.

I wanted to write to tell you how much I loved the RetroFan Winter 2020 issue. I am a big fan of the original Charlie’s Angels, so I picked it up to read the Jaclyn Smith interview, which was great. But I was also pleasantly surprised by the rest of the issue! The article on streaking cracked me up—I remember my parents joking about that when I was a kid! And John Cimino’s article about the Marvel World playset made me misty with nostalgia. I never had the playset as a kid, but my neighbor did and we used to play heroes for hours! Mr. Cimino’s writing really took me back and inspired the fan in me. The magazine is great and I’m glad it’s going to be bimonthly. I look forward to reading more from these writers! AMY KUKTA

Congratulations on another excellent issue (#7), a publication that gets better with each issue (and it already started out strong). I enjoyed the Captain Action and Charlie’s Angels overviews (oh, to have seen a Season 4 co-starring Michelle Pfeiffer), the Larry Storch interview (it’s great to hear from him, as I feel that the first season of F Troop is, for me, second-for-second the funniest of Sixties sitcoms), and the Land of Oz amusement park travelogue (which I still fondly remember visiting as a young child of the Seventies). Only two disappointments: Doug Wildey’s lack of enthusiasm for Jonny Quest and the just-seems-so-wrong color photos of the Dick Van Dyke Show set. For future articles, I’m a big fan of Kolchak the Night Stalker, Hart to Hart, and Marvel’s Seventies Hanna-Barbera comic books. JEFF WOOTEN Kolchak is in this issue, and we’ll eventually cover Hart to Hart, one of my TV not-so-guilty pleasures (my wife loves it, too). And next year in my other TwoMorrows magazine, Back Issue, in #129, there will be an article about Hanna-Barbera comic books (from all publishers) of the Seventies. Gee, I loved Ernest Farino’s color photos from the Dick Van Dyke Show set, and so did some other readers—it was almost like being on the set, without tarnishing the show’s B&W sanctity. Ernie’s planning behind-thescenes peeks at other classic TV shows for a future issue.

Not sure about the Jaclyn Smith article. Granted, she is one of the most beautiful women ever on television, but is she “cartoony” enough to be on Retro TV? Isn’t this magazine supposed to focus on more of the light-hearted television and pop culture of yesteryear? Wasn’t Charlie’s Angels supposed to be serious crime drama?

Scott Shaw!’s article on Batman #183 was great. That particular issue was attention getting. The stories were fun, and you don’t get comics like that these days. Today’s Dark Knight would never be so tempted by a femme fatale in such a silly way. More’s the pity. “Too Much TV Quiz” and “Celebrity Crushes,” I would dispose of. The first because the match-ups are too easy for pop-culture fans. The second is just too heartbreaking. Please have Andy Mangels research some rare children’s specials that were shown one time on network television—The Enormous Egg, the two Miss Pickerell films, and other assorted treats that were tried on NBC. There’s scant information about them on Wikipedia and some critics say the special effects were much to be desired, but I find myself curious for more information on them. Granted, I haven’t seen them in over 40 years, but I find myself wondering if they hold up. With today’s YouTube, DVDs, and instant access, they seem to be holdouts. Congratulations on making it to bimonthly status. JAMES SMITH III While Charlie’s Angels was indeed a crime drama, it’s unlikely that anyone involved, including producer Aaron Spelling, would have considered it “serious” (it’s also a staple on MeTV and other retro TV channels). There are no restrictions on TV show genres in these pages: in future issues you’ll read about everything from Three’s Company to The Outer Limits to Search to Leave it to Beaver… if we grew up watching it, it’s fair game for RetroFan. Wear your “Too Much TV Quiz” victories as a badge of honor! It’s an important feature in this mag that provides readers with some breathing room between our meaty articles. (I made this issue’s quiz harder—how’d you do this time?) And “Celebrity Crush” is, to participants, what this lettercol is to you: an opportunity to participate in the magazine. It will come and go whenever our lovelorn readers send in their stories. Andy Mangels: Please see James’ animation requests.

I really enjoyed reading the interview with Doug Wildey about Jonny Quest. It was interesting to learn Doug Wildey proposed a follow-up animated series with Jonny Quest as a college student at MIT with his father and Race as older characters. DAVID DUNSTAN

In RetroFan #7’s Secret Sanctum, Scott Saavedra has Knott’s Berry Farm in Anaheim, CA, like Disneyland (pg 49). Knott’s is in Buena Park, CA, and predates its neighbor in Anaheim

by several years. [Summer 2020] will be the centennial of Walter and Cordelia Knott moving to Buena Park and starting their little farm that eventually became America’s first theme park. DOUG ABRAMSON

RetroFan #7 was of the best issues yet. I loved Jonny Quest when it aired, later in reruns and now on DVD. A more realistic approach, but still charming with the stylized visuals. It was also one of those shows that empowered young kids as, frequently, they saved the day. Cool how the article also touched on the distinctive music. I didn’t recall Dr. Quest’s vocal performer changing. I’ll have to view some again and see if knowing of the replacement, I catch a dif ference. Delighted you talked to Larry Storch. Perhaps, shortly, you can do an article on F Troop. Always liked The Dick Van Dyke Show, though I saw it more in syndication than original airings. It was humorous and had a heart to it. Funny and timeless. Captain Action was great. Only ever had the Aquaman costume. Not that it was a favorite; only that it was either that or Steve Canyon. They were the only two I saw at the time. Otherwise, given a choice of the entire line, back then, it easily would have been Spider-Man. I wonder if the Sgt. Fury option was just to capture the same buyers as G.I. Joe? [Yes, it was!—ed.] I remember that cool Batman #183 cover from the barbershop. So often, DC’s covers would be enticing and the interior significantly less so. I’d read through the issue, during my wait and haircut, and wonder, “Who’d pay 12 cents for this?!” One article that unexpectedly amused me was the Not-So-Super Collector, current antiques that seem less than thrilling or questionable treasures of a bygone era. The Ma Kent Slurpee Cup was hilarious. What kid, then or now, would be overjoyed with that? Of the dubious items on display, I’d likely have enjoyed the Hanna-Barbera cups as a kid. And I remember Shell’s Mr. President coins with much amusement. But the rest? Collectibles for some other collector. Regardless, that’s what makes antiques: old items that connect with somebody. Though not a fan of Charlie’s Angels, the articles were still informative and well written. Even if I don’t share the same fondness and interest, I can admire the love and zeal that goes into collecting some personal favorite. JOE FRANK

Tell your friends about us, and share your comments about this issue by writing me at euryman@gmail.com. MICHAEL EURY Editor-in-Chief

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November 2020

REJECTED! Just keep telling yourself, "This isn't real... this isn't real..."

by Scott Saavedra

The un-filmed seventh season of Adventures of Superman planned to hew closer to the comic book with Perry White becoming a caveman, Lois Lane scheming to get Superman to marry her, Jimmy Olsen having a fan-club and transforming into a giant turtle boy, and a giant-brained Superman visiting from the far-off future year of 1980.

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Time Enough at Last Eyeware

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the monsters are due on

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Rod Serling’s Kolchak, the Night Gallery Stalker

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DARK SHADOWS EYE SHADOW

SCRATCH BUILT MODELS Do they come alive while you sleep? (And do they hate you?)

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November 2020

Keep The World of TwoMorrows spinning! Two great ways to help us stay in business!

Just as our 25th Anniversary book and six new magazines were about to go on sale in March 2020, comics shops and our distributors shut down due to the pandemic, and we had to dispose of thousands of copies of RetroFan and BrickJournal that never made it to Barnes & Noble stores. We’ve incurred huge losses on all those copies, and even as distributors and stores reopen, it’ll be months before they catch up on payments—and we’ll see lower orders as some stores close permanently, and the ones that survive will be cutting back. But when TwoMorrows Publishing was founded in 1994, our publications weren’t sold through comics shops or bookstores—only by mail order and subscriptions. With your help, we’ll continue shipping worldwide by mail, even if stores and distributors are forced to shut down again. So here’s two simple ways you can keep us publishing new material:

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#2: Get older issues of our mags!

Download our new, easy to use 2020 Digital Catalog at: https://www.twomorrows.com/2020InteractiveCatalog.pdf and order our books and magazines online. If you prefer not to order online, we can also take orders by phone or mail, and will include a free printed catalog with your order. Finally, don’t miss the World of TwoMorrows 25th Anniversary book, available now in Softcover, Ultra-Limited Hardcover, and Digital Editions. If you’ve enjoyed the material we’ve produced for the last quarter-century, you’ll love learning how we made it happen all these years! Now stay safe, and let’s keep The World of TwoMorrows spinning for another 25 years! - John Morrow, publisher

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2020

Due to the recent pandemic store closings, we’ve adjusted our schedule for 2020 releases. See our website for other ship dates.

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BRICKJOURNAL #66

Exclusive interviews with Lost in Space’s MARK GODDARD and MARTA KRISTEN, Dynomutt and Blue Falcon, Hogan’s Heroes’ BOB CRANE, a history of Wham-O’s Frisbee, Twilight Zone and other TV sci-fi anthologies, Who Created Archie Andrews?, oddities from the San Diego Zoo, lava lamps, and more with ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, and SCOTT SHAW! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Holy backstage pass! See rare, behind-thescenes photos of many of your favorite Sixties TV shows! Plus: an unpublished interview with Green Hornet VAN WILLIAMS, Bigfoot on Saturday morning television, WOLFMAN JACK, The Saint, the lean years of Star Trek fandom, the WrestleFest video game, TV tie-in toys no kid would want, and more features from FARINO, MANGELS, MURRAY, SAAVEDRA, SHAW, and MICHAEL EURY.

A look at YUANSHENG HE’s breathtaking LEGO® brick art photography (and how he creates and captures it), the many models of TOM FROST are showcased, as are the intricate Star Wars builds of Bantha Brick’s STEVEN SMYTH! Plus: “Bricks in the Middle” by KEVIN HINKLE and MATTHEW KAY, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

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