BREAK A WHAT?
By Susan
Schnitzer
The theater expression “Break A Leg” just doesn’t
make any sense. Why would any performer wish to inflict pain on
themselves or others right before the raise of the curtain and the
beginning of the overture (Especially if there are no understudies to
fill in)? I’ve witnessed dancers in many heavy dance vehicles twist
ankles, pop knee caps out of sockets, and come to rehearsals with ice
packs, ace bandages and crutches. These hoofers never wished anyone to
“Break A Leg” – in fact all they would do was wince in agony and wait
for the swelling to go down! So where did this painful expression come
from?
A very likely origin probably comes from the times
of that Old Bard himself – William Shakespeare. During his era, when
performers joyfully told each other to “Break A Leg” this meant to “take
a bow” by bending their knees in deep appreciation of an audience’s
thunderous applause.
For those believing in the superstition of spirits
and ghosts, “Break A Leg” took on an opposite meaning. In order to
outsmart those sprites of mischief and havoc, one would use reverse
psychology thus hoping for the best of luck.
Superstition folklore against wishing an actor
“Good Luck” was carried forth to the 1865 assassination of President
Abraham Lincoln. When actor John Wilkes Booth leapt to the stage of
Ford’s Theatre after the murder, he broke his leg in the process. Here
there is no logical connection with good luck since no one benefited
from “Breaking A Leg” (and no one was covered by Major Medical!).
In the days of early vaudeville, the producers
would book more performers than needed since “bad” acts could be pulled
on the spot while on stage. In order to insure that the show didn’t
start paying performers who were pulled off – there was a general policy
that a performer DID NOT get paid unless they completed their act. So,
here, the phrase “Break A Leg” referred to breaking the visual plane of
legs that lined the side of the stage (In other words “Hope you break a
leg and get on stage so that you can paid”).
For the sake of the performers, I hope that no one
really “Breaks A Leg” and for the sake of the actors on stage, the
musicians in the orchestra pit and the viewing audience, I hope that
theaters never “Bring Down The House!”
August 2010
AMONGST FRIENDS
The 32nd Metropolis Superman Celebration
By Susan Schnitzer
Neither
having nasal congestion, nor plane and various other congestions (and
problems) could have kept the extended Traveling Friends (Bill Dillane,
Matt McCue, Rachel Nesser) from their appointed rounds – that of
attending the Superman Celebration and ESPECIALLY viewing the unveiling
of Noel Neill’s Lois Lane statue.
Though Matt, Rachel and very truly yours haven’t been to Metropolis
since last year, it felt like we had never left. We all received the
warmest responses (well actually HOT by Metropolis temperature
standards) from everyone that we met. We reacquainted ourselves with
past friends and made new ones of different ages and backgrounds. No one
was rude nor in a rush.
We
made it in time to see the opening ceremony and skit at Superman Square.
Mayor Billy McDaniel and his Chamber of Commerce staff welcomed one and
all. Superman Josh Boultinghouse, assisted by new Lois Lane Michelle
Lyzenga, won against the evils of Lex Luthor, MG Man, and (formerly Lois
Lane) Stephanie Perrin (as Ursa). Immediately following, Carrie Neely
was named as the 2010 recipient of the Lois Lane Award – a working
mother who balances home life and volunteerism in her home town of
Metropolis.
The
next day, was the day that many had been awaiting for the past 5 years –
that of the unveiling of the Lois Lane statue at 8th and
Market street. The heavens must have been overcome with emotions,
because 30 minutes before the ceremony – the skies let loose with
torrential rains and winds. I’m sure that all of us spectators huddled
underneath the tent were praying to the sun Gods (I know that I was
praying to George Reeves to “let the kid have a chance!”) to please have
it clear up. Miraculously, the sun came out, everything calmed down and
the staff dried up the stage and area. Diminutive, but ever spunky,
Noel Neill didn’t complain when muscularly massive Superman Josh
Boultinghouse escorted her from her vintage car to the grandstand.
Mayor Billy McDaniel opened the ceremony with saying “We have a legend
in the statue on the Superman square. This is a unique statue, because
this is a living legend -- A dedicated lady who has dedicated so much of
her life to entertainment.” Sculptor Gary Ernest Smith, who also
created the 15 foot Superman statue, was chosen to create the 6-foot
statue of the “girl reporter.”
"You
always do it a little larger than life size, because outdoors it looks a
little dwarfed if it's the actual size. You'll see her in her heroic
size -- A woman in charge, a woman who knows what she wants. I tried to
capture that character, but most of all, I tried to capture the spirit
of Noel Neill," said Smith. Kevin Maag cast the statue in bronze. That
statue sits atop a pedestal of engraved bricks that have been sold at
$75 each from fans of every reach. The statue and area cost about
$65,000. The brick sales and donations helped cover the project cost.
Clyde Wills, chamber president
and statue committee chairman said that the project was accomplished via
the organized efforts of the City, Banterra Bank, and various Tourism
departments. All around stand up great guy (as well as stand up comedian
wannabe) Larry Ward quipped, though he is known as Noel Neill’s manager,
that it is hard to manage Noel because she does “whatever she wants
whenever she wants – all I have to do is to suggest….Lois Lane is Noel
Neill.”
Noel
slyly laughed and made soft funny comments as she listened on. Then it
was time for Noel to take center stage. Noel joked about the statue,
““Nine feet tall. Whatever. None of us are over nine feet tall, not even
George. But that's showbiz.” Though it's been decades since she played
Lois Lane, fans still call her “Lois” when they meet her, “They say
sorry, but it's alright. I just miss the show so much -- So glad that
you think to have us here every year. So thank you and see you around."
She also added that both she and Jack Larson still miss George Reeves
very much. Noel Neill was left speechless as she unveiled her statue.
She was beaming more than the Metropolis sunshine. Those of us in
witness will all agree that this was a once in a lifetime happening.
The
Superman Supersite held a “Meet and Greet” at Dippin’ Dots – the home of
freeze-dried ice creams (which Rachel and I refused to try since we
didn’t consider the product to be “real” ice cream). They had a raffle
for which Bill won a large character shopping bag and I won a JUSTICE
LEAGUE DVD.
At
the Superman Trivia Jeopardy game at the Metro tent with the Rinaldi’s,
Chris Brockow came in second place while his wife Helen kept score. I
must have had my brain cells on overcharge because I won 3 T-shirts, 2
key chains and a purple knapsack (of course I knew the vintage George
Reeves stuff only).
The
Fabulous 50s Dance at the Baymont Theatre with the Jerry Ford Orchestra
was very fun filled. Not to be outdone by all of the poodle skirts that
ladies wore in the costume contest, I dressed as a Mouseketeer (yes, I
shopped my own closet); and not to be outdone by the Greasers in the
room, Bill dressed (so I think) as Potsie of TV’s HAPPY DAYS. It wasn’t
a winning day for us, other than being with winning people.
Early morning Saturday, Rachel and I visited the SUMMER’S RIVERVIEW
MANSION – a quaint Victorian B & B that is located across the street
from the Baymont Hotel. With the atmosphere, charm and prices, we both
agreed that it would be an ideal place for a romantic honeymoon getaway.
Bill, Rachel and I got a chance to “Meet and Greet” those from the
Superman Homepage. Some members traveled as far as the UK to attend the
celebration. We all signed an email contact list.
Twice during the day, I visited Noel Neill and Larry Ward just to say
“hello” at their autographing signing sessions.
As
I sat to get out of the heat, I briefly sat through a Q & A session with
Artist and Editor Carmine Infantino at Artist Alley and Writer’s Way.
Infantino was in charge of finding and creating the look for the FLASH
superhero.
At
the George Awards and Auction at the Bayment Theatre later that night,
we cheered on Brian Morris for winning the Noel Neill Award and Neil
Cole for the George Award. Over one hundred items were auctioned off.
On
our last day, Chris Brockow took on first time MC duties at his own
STUMP THE SUPERMAN EXPERT contest at the Metro Tent. Bill and Matt got a
chance to answer questions and win prizes.
Bill got a chance to showcase his new age Perry White talents at the
$1000 Superhero Costume Contest at the Metro tent. There were several
return contestants, dressed as different characters, along with 47 year
old Ken, who worked on his own George Reeves costume for 3 weeks. The
resemblance was uncanny. Also most uncanny was a Clark Kent (Aka Alex
Rae) who looked like a thinner and younger embodiment of Christopher
Reeve. Originally, he didn’t want to enter the contest. The audience
went wild when he stepped on stage so it was obvious who the $1000
winner was (though everyone who entered were true winners).
June2010
Interview with
Sue at Metropolis:
supermanhomepage.com
HEART OF GOLD: Part 3
Where There’s Life, There’s Hope:
Novelist, Playwright and Screenwriter
Edward Hope (Coffey) (1896 – 1958)
By Susan
Schnitzer
Edward Hope (Coffey) was the first Humor Editor of
“The Polygon”, an in-house magazine for Brooklyn’s Polytechnic Country
Day School (most likely an equivalent of modern day middle school and
high school) in 1914. As a few levels of separation from George Reeves,
Whitney Ellsworth was a 1926 graduate of Poly Prep. As a 1920 Princeton
University graduate, Hope’s writings were represented in various media.
In 1928 he wrote his first published book, “Alice in the Delighted
States”, —a political satire written in the manner of Lewis Carroll’s
“Alice in Wonderland”. A later published book of humorous fiction was
"She Loves Me," which was made into a movie staring Bing Crosby, Miriam
Hopkins and Kitty Carlisle (1934).
Before writing HEART OF GOLD for Ford’s
Theater, Hope wrote “She Loves Me Not” (1949) starring comedic actress
Judy Holiday and veteran actress Ruth McDevitt which was first a short
story and then a New York play. These forms of entertainment were
derived from Hope’s THE SATURDAY EVENING POST short story done in
four installments. This tongue and cheek story takes place at a college
in Vermont (also set in New England) in the depression year of 1933.
Hope has a very descriptive way of bringing the reader into the dorm of
4 male college students protecting an innocent chorus girl who is on the
lam after witnessing a murder at her dance club. The students are rich,
handsome, brash and eager to help the chorus girl out – no strings
attached! The college’s Dean is a steadfast authority figure, not unlike
HEART OF GOLD’S James Lindsey. The women, of course, are
glamorous even if they are dressed poorly. Of special note is Hope
mentioning that after the chorus girl’s hair is sheered off, in order to
hide her identity as a male student, one of the male student’s says,
“Unless she’d like us to keep locks of it and wear ‘em in little GOLD
HEARTS around our necks.” Hope’s ideas brought life to
HEART OF GOLD.
TV’s HEART OF GOLD was filmed in Los
Angeles, rather than broadcast live in NYC, causing a significant effect
on the way it was produced. Film production was superior to live drama
so producers made use of Hollywood-based actors and directors (Robert
Stevenson as director for HEART OF GOLD.) Also important
was that filmed dramas avoided controversial subjects by conforming to
more stringent Hollywood codes of censorship. Of course they also had to
attract sponsors. HEART OF GOLD offered viewers cultural images
of prosperity, and family values as the foundation of society.
Hawthorne’s works had to be rewritten for the small screen of the 1950s.
GOLD was most befittingly broadcast on NBC on Christmas Day,
1952. The sponsor, Ford Motor Company, wanted the series to “embody the
values of quality, sophistication and class.” Also, sponsors were
unwilling to take a chance with new or even experimental material.
Effective marketing of the era tried to appeal to everyone and attract –
“no one!” This is the reason why NBC chose Hawthorne’s short story “The
Snow Image” rewritten as HEART OF GOLD rather than choosing a
more well-known story. Directors, such as Stevenson, sought to reshape
their material to family suitability. Hope’s screenplay, as
opposed to Hawthorne’s version, suggest that Father is not
stubborn but a man who has forgotten his family responsibilities as he
dutifully instructs his children to set aside childish beliefs in Santa
Claus and learn “good old-fashioned horse sense.” The ending is very
reminiscent of Dicken’s “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” because through love of
family, father has been totally transformed from an old Scrooge to a
loving middle-aged father. In a world dominated by fear of communism in
the 1950s, family represented a source of security and the good old
American way. HEART keeps away from making any kind of political
comment. Hope’s small TV screen version of Hawthorne’s tale took us
inside the home of the Lindsey family for a private view of their
emotions, hopes and dreams.
By adding a handlebar moustache and parted down the
middle graying hair, George Reeves was transformed to the father
character right out of the big screen’s 1947 LIFE WITH FATHER
starring William Powell. In 1953, Leon Ames assumed the role for the
small screen. Just as our George had the heart for acting, Edward Hope
had a heart for adaptation.
References:
Laurence Raw: “Adapting National
Hawthorne to the Screen”
“She Loves Me Not” short story by Edward
Hope (Coffey)
Local NJ Libraries
W. Dillane
M. J. Hayde
April 2010
HEART OF GOLD: Part 2
Change of Heart
By Susan
Schnitzer*
The
1952 teleplay of HEART OF GOLD was based on novelist Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s (1804 – 1864) short story: The Snow-Image: A Childish
Miracle (1852). Hawthorne was an American novelist and
short story writer whose
works centered on his native New
England’s strict Puritan and dark
Romantic beliefs. Hawthorne’s
themes often centered on evil, sin, and guilt. What an “odd ball egg
head” I was in high school when I relished reading my advanced English
class assignment of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter (1850). The
Scarlet Letter was written in the English of Hawthorne’s time and
culture which I found very cryptic so much so that I had to constantly
refer to my bedside dictionary. Set in 17th-century
Boston, it tells the story of
the married Hester Prynne, after giving birth to her illegitimate
daughter. Throughout the book, the characters struggle to create a new
life of repentance and
dignity.
The Snow-Image: A Childish Miracle (1852)
This short story had a lighter, funnier and
breezier tone than Scarlet Letter thus making it easier to
read and visualize. The warm and loving overtone of HEART OF GOLD
prevails in Hawthorne’s short story though with some fine character and
storyline differences. The protagonists are the tender (though bossy),
beautiful and modest older daughter Violet and her younger brother
“Peony.” Peony derived his nickname because of his ruddy complexion and
his round little face which reminded everyone of “sunshine and great
scarlet flowers. The children’s extremely practical hardware
businessman father, though a kind-hearted man, was much too hard headed
and sensible. Mother remains refined, poetic and delicate in beauty and
has mixed in the realities of marriage, motherhood and imaginative
youth. Clearly, this family has a stellar relationship.
Hawthorne
writes with a very keen eye for detail and description—much more than a
25 minute TV show could afford. With Mother’s encouragement, the
children play out in a very barren and icy winter garden. It is here
that the children decide to create an image out of snow—a little snow
sister.
It is here that the children decide to create an image out of
snow—a little snow sister. (Perhaps the concept of a “snow man” was more
acceptable to TV audiences in the 1950s.) Tending to her mending by the
parlor window, Mother listens “with her heart more than her ears” as her
children play in the snow. With pride, Mother distinctly knows that her
children are creating the most realistic and angelic snow sculpture in
creation. The snow angel possesses hair of cascading golden
ringlets. A kiss from Peony’s scarlet cheek makes the new sister’s lips
turn red. Mother is not totally convinced that her children have “quite
an imagination” when she thinks she sees an angelically dressed snow
urchin chasing the children about. Could this be a new neighbor child
come to play? A flock of snowbirds fly to the white-robed child to
claim her as an old friend.
A care worn, though elated, father comes home to
the absurd sight of his loved ones dancing in the night air with a
little white stranger and is assured that the child’s mother must be
crazy to let her out on such a dismal night. He stubbornly summons her
into the warmth of their hearth and robustly laughs when the children
warn him this will cause the little stranger to melt away. Mother feels
that the child is immortal. In a comical chase, father falls down in the
snow as he corners the snow angel to take her inside. As the snow child
melts, the common-sense father sees nothing amiss. He summons the maid
to bundle her up and make her a warm supper while he ventures out in the
chilled air to find the child’s mother. But it is too late—the snow
child is reduced to a puddle on the living room rug for which the
children scold their father profusely. In the world of childhood and
fantasy—commonsense makes absolutely no sense. What does make sense is a
loving family with just a touch of winter’s delight.
Hawthorne’s story takes place in an unspecified
location in1852; Hopes’ teleplay takes place in New England in 1903. In
those 51 years, the world had changed at super speed. Most uncanny is
that in the TV version, hot headed father (George Reeves) rants on about
the Wright’s Brothers flying machine changing the world. As TV’s
ultimate flyer and father figure, “Superman” was about to change
television history. Whether George Reeves mentioned in preproduction
that he had just done a 24 series pilot on the man of steel influenced
the father character or not is something that his viewing fans will
never know.
As for the life and times of Teleplay writer of
HEART OF GOLD, Edward Hope –well that’s another story (or
article).
*References: the 1952 DVD that was gifted to me,
Wikipedia, Year-round angels and pixies
February 2010
THE SUPERMAN EXPERT:
Chris Brockow
By Chris Brockow as told to Susan
Schnitzer
Though Chris
Brockow was born on May 13, 1965 (decades
after the comic strip, radio, movie serial and almost a decade after
“The Adventure of Superman’s ’ first TV run), he has always been a
Superman Fan. George Reeves was the first Superman that he ever saw
dating back from the late 60s—early 70s—that show sure made an
everlasting impression on his psyche!
After the 1978
“Superman: The Movie” (starring Christopher Reeve) Chris became
“obsessed!” This obsession paid off when he received an “A” for a school
term paper on the Man of Steel! In 1985, Chris bought his first VCR.
His very first VHS movies were “Superman the Movie,” “Superman II” and
the Filmation cartoons of Superman. When Superman turned 50 in 1988,
Chris started to buy and record “The Adventures of Superman” (TAOS) for
his personal collection.
Chris began to
dig deeply into the background
and history of the famed superhero which is how he learned of
Metropolis, IL. The first time
that Chris and his wife Helen, went to the Metropolis, IL celebration
was in 1998, when Helen treated him for his birthday. Chris immediately
fell in love with this marvelous little town. Their second trip was in
2005 where a shocked and surprised Chris won the “Superman Jeopardy
Show”, under fierce competition, as hosted by John and Alex Rinaldi and
sponsored by THE BOXING NEWS. Chris’ third trip was definitely a charm
in 2006 when he won the competition once again. The Brockow’s fourth,
2007, Metropolis adventure proved, once again, to be a winning situation
when Chris won the contest with approximately 4,400 points which far
surpassed the other contestants. Ever since, Chris’ nickname, given to
him by audience members, has been “Returning Champ” and he has been
asked to come up from the audience as the “category keeper.” For the
fifth and sixth time, 2008 – 09, Chris has continued to earn thousands
of points. Chris deserves the self appointed title of: SUPERMAN
EXPERT!
How would you like
to: Stump the Superman Expert?
Winning
in “Leaps and Bounds” during the
years despite all of the competition and pressures, Helen and John have
encouraged Chris to try his own expert hand at a game show when in
Metropolis. The show will be called
Stump the Superman
Expert. This game show is
centered on the audience and not the contestant. Chris will have at
least 10 hard questions in order to establish an expert. After the
contestant is picked, the show will shift to the audience, and they will
become the center of attention. The audience will be asked to raise
their hands if they have a question to ask “The Expert”.
Chris will go over
to them with a microphone and ask them about themselves. After that,
they will ask their question. If they ask a question that the expert can
not answer, they have “Stumped the Superman Expert” and they win a
prize. That person will come up they will be the new “Expert.” This
will go on for 30 minutes. If a person gets caught up in the excitement
of raising their hands and does not have a question, Chris will provide
a question. Chris will supply the prizes but will need microphones and
Amp speakers.
So get out your
Superman research materials now and look to see Chris Brockow in “Artist
and Writer’s Alley” in June, 2010. Who knows, perhaps YOU will be the
next SUPERMAN EXPERT!
January 2010
HEART
OF GOLD
By Susan
Schnitzer*
http://www.sell.com/23RRJW
"Heart of Gold" Neil
Young’s 1972 song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh44QPT1mPE
As the holiday season of 2009 and New Year 2010
approaches, one may reminiscence about the pleasant glow of past
memories. Though progress gets more complicated with each new
century—love, sentiment, heart and the imagination of childhood are
simple and everlasting.
Let us take a brief journey back to 1903, to be
exact. The world was changing faster than it was able to spin on its
axis:; the $750 Model A Ford is introduced in Michigan; Madam Marie
Curie is the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize; Marconi sends a
wireless greeting from President Roosevelt to Britain's King Edward
VII; Agnes Nestor and Elizabeth Christman (lead female glove makers of
the International Glove Workers Union) form their own women's local; the
national debt was $2,202,464,781.89 and—oh yes, the Wright Brothers
made their first flight out of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Somewhere
in New England of that very same year, the patriarch of the Lindsey
family (James) is reading the daily newspaper and just can’t fathom the
idea of “flying machines,” the government debt of $500,000, or even his
wife (Helen) and 2 small children (Violet and Fitzjames) playing and
using their…imaginations at the breakfast table or…at anywhere at all!
No, No, father just won’t be contradicted “By George”!!! AND THAT’S
FINAL! Father strictly believes in good old fashioned common sense,
horse sense and a world of reality which does NOT include him dressing
up as SANTA for his children! Subservient, but smartly sweet, mother
gently tells her husband about the insecurities of childhood and how a
world of “make believe” will help the children through the transition to
adulthood. Still in all, father does love his family, though he has no
time to play with them in the snow—but business must go on and bills
must be paid. Off he goes to conquer the world. There is no time for
dreaming, and the children just must really grow up—bah!
Lovingly,
Mother encourages the children to go outside, play in the snow and make
a snowman, just as she did when she was a child. Fitzjames puts
Violet’s heart locket, with their parents’ picture inside, in the
snowman’s chest. Magically, the snowman comes ALIVE and is full of heart
and love! The Snowman is invited inside the Lindsey household to sit by
the warmth of the fireplace. The snowman, with his own version of show
and tell, tells mother and the children that a child starts as a dream
and gradually accepts the world as they grow up. Make believe takes them
out of the unbearable existence of life. Hence, a happy moment, whether
real or imagined, lasts forever. Dreams can’t be destroyed. The Snowman
takes mother back, literally, to when a young and carefree James Lindsey
came courting at her window with flowers and promises in hand. Young
James was full of “dreams” and promises of protecting her from the
world.
Father comes home and bolts into his study with the
household bills in hand. The Snowman feels the change
of
disbelief in the atmosphere and begins to melt. Privately, Mother
reminds Father of their happy future hopes by a young James who was
ready to give his Helen the world. Something was lost along the years.
As the Snowman melts away, he
informs the children that he is only a whistle away. Just like hopes
and dreams, he is never lost. This is indeed a warm moment for the
Lindsey family as Father puts the locket carefully around daughter
Violet’s neck. Father’s heart melts, like the rekindling of old
flames, and he agrees to “don the red suit”
to play Santa for his adoring children. Mother and father have reignited
their romance and are not so practical about life. The Christmas spirit
has, once again, caught fever in the Lindsey household.
*************************
This
1952 TV production, sponsored by Ford Theater, ran only a half an
hour in duration. Yet, it was long on acting by wonderful performers.
Though George Reeves (James Lindsey) took bottom billing, his acting was
tops. It’s very ironic that for an actor who portrayed Superman, he was
cast as being very cynical about “flying machines.” As the crusty care
worn father, and the young suitor, George’s facial expressions switched
from exasperated, to fancies of love and ended with something
in-between.
Eight
year old Beverly Washburn (Violet) believed that George WAS Superman
after appearing with him in TAOS’ Superman and the Mole Men. So
when he played her father in a Heart of Gold, her mother told her
that Superman was just “acting.” George was great with the children on
the set. Beverly's character's belief in the snowman was very real.
There is nothing more powerful than a child's innocence and belief in
the innate goodness of people. Beverly’s sweet innocence and blind faith
makes the snowman even the more believable. It was that gold heart
locket, with all its sun filled warmth, that made the snowman come to
life.
Tommy Retting (Fitzjames)
– who played TV’s Lassie owner Jeff Miller
(also known as Jeff’s Collie) portrayed a
very rough and tumble boy in Heart of Gold
with enough pluck and energy to energize the Lindsey household
(much to father’s dismay) .
Anita Louise (Mother Helen Lindsey) was known in
movies for her fragile and delicate looks and mannerisms. On TV’s
My Friend Flicka, she portrayed the gentle
spirited mother Nell. In the time before women obtained the right to
vote in 1920, Anita played a most believable 1903 subservient wife.
Fortunately, she knew how to deal with her husband’s medieval ways. How
uncanny that her name was HELEN in this episode.
I best remember Edmund Gwenn (The Snowman) in the
1947 holiday classic movie Miracle on 34th Street.
His performance here is reminiscent of his Santa Claus portrayal. Of
course, his snowman character made a brief inside reference to his being
a good friend of old St. Nick. They both believed in miracles and
imagination that would last an entire lifetime.
*References: the 1952 DVD that was
gifted to me, Wikipedia, Holiday angels and pixies
December 2009
Media Events:
FOTR, CHILLER and WENDY WILLIAMS
By Susan
Schnitzer
*(Sources
from Steve Brant, Michael J. Hayde and Matt McCue)
For 6 months, no one in theater loved, adored, or
even took notice of me. Since the simmering summer, the tides of talent
have changed and I have been involved (as a performer, stage manager,
dresser and props person) in four back-to-back productions. My schedule
changes from day to day.
Fortunately,
I was able to attend 3 recent media events, though for only brief
periods of time. On Thursday, October 22, 2009, Matt McCue and his
friend John accompanied me to The Friends of Old Time Radio (FOTR),
Newark, NJ. As soon as we found our way through the catacomb of
hallways, we found Michael J. Hayde.
http://www.michaeljhayde.com/ and got reconnected. Upon Michael’s
recommendation in his Glass House Presents interview, Matt
purchased a CD radio collection of SUPERMAN – LAST SON OF KRYPTON and
SUPERMAN—UP, UP AND AWAY which takes the listener through the radio
excitement of “yesteryear.” It was so enthralling that Matt loaned the 2
sets to me until the next time we meet and greet.
Michael,
though not always able to get a word in edgewise, took part in the
AUTHORS PANEL along with Alan Abel, Martin Grams, Jim Manago and Mel
Simons, the host. Alan Abel is a noted writer, prankster, and has
created hoaxes that became media circuses. He is best known for the
tagline “A nude horse is a rude horse.” Following the Watergate scandal,
Abel hired an actor to pose as Deep Throat for a press conference in
NYC. As a satirical commentary on the rise of unemployment and
homelessness in our nation, Abel created the fictional “Omar’s School
for Beggars.” When Jack Kevorkian was in the news, Abel set up the bogus
company “Euthanasia Cruises, Ltd” which offered cruises allowing
suicidal people to jump into the ocean. Abel is assured to “always” get
a section of an airplane to himself whenever he wears his “strings and
things.” To Michael’s, and the audiences’ surprise, Mr. Abel quipped
that he once slept with George Reeves. Well…he had to
explain…that he shared a hotel room with George during World War II
during their USO tours. George was so naturally charismatic, women gave
him their hotel keys and some (ahem) other things. Abel was happy to get
George’s “leftovers.” Martin Grams has documented broadcasting in the
20th century with such writings as: “Twenty Years of Thrills and
Chills”, “The History of the Cavalcade of America “, and “The CBS Radio
Mystery Theater.” Jim Manago, author of "Love is the Reason For it All:
The Shirley Booth Story” was literally star
struck
as he talked about the career of Shirley Booth, TV’s favorite fun loving
maid “Hazel,” who was better known for her Broadway starring triumphs in
“Come Back Little Sheba” (also starring in the movie version), “A Tree
Grows in Brooklyn,” and radio’s “Duffy’s Tavern.” The host of the
panel, Mel Simons relives oldies but goodies in his books: “The Old Time
Radio Trivia Book,” “The Old Time Television Trivia Book,” and “The Old
Time Radio Memories.
On a howling Halloween Eve Friday, Matt and I
attended the CHILLER THEATRE CELEBRITY EVENT, at The Hilton Court Hotel,
Parsippany, NJ. Not knowing our schedules in advance, we hadn’t pre
purchased our tickets that would have saved us $5. Matt lucked out when
someone sold him their left over ticket for the going price of $20.
Inside was like a farmer’s market of vendors selling vintage TV
magazines, LPs (remember RECORDS?), autographed photos of the stars as
well as Halloween creature features type of memorabilia. Matt was
astounded by my recall of people, their names, who I have briefly met at
the April’s CHILLER, NYC Conventions and at Metropolis. Passing in a
hallway, I came across Randy, Soupy Sales’ significant other. We briefly
chatted about his recent funeral and her missing him. When I commented
that I’m not a dancer, but I do remember how to do Soupy’s Mouse and
Soupy Shuffle. She thanked me and said that she had briefly thought
about doing those dances in honor of Soupy at his service.
It clearly was a CELEBRITY LADIES NIGHT OUT at
CHILLER. By nature, I think that ladies love to chat with fans more than
their male counterparts. We met our very own Steve Brant waiting in line
for close to 90 minutes to have Ann-Margret sign his 4 homemade 8x10
glossies (made to ensure she’d be autographing pictures from his
favorite A-M films, “Pocket Full of Miracles” and “The Cincinnati Kid”).
Husband Roger Smith sat next to her, so he could autograph photos from
“77 Sunset Strip”. The final member of the ensemble was A-M’s pet dog,
Biscuit: happily snoozing in a small, wicker basket. Everyone who
chatted with Ann-Margret cheerfully remarked on how personable, as well
as lovely, she was and how she took time to answer questions. She
didn’t just sign and say “Next”. (Steve reports that two days later,
when he went back to get two autographs for some friends, she remembered
him.) Matt came with 2 vintage black and white Ann-Margaret photos that
he had purchased from a collectible store in NJ. Though not a big A-M
fan, he did enjoy her performance in the movie
"Twice in a Lifetime" with Gene Hackman. But after hearing that
Ann-Margret would not allow any photos taken of her, he wondered if any
of the vendors would like to buy them. A vendor overheard our
conversation, liked the pictures, bought them and Matt came away with a
slight profit. As a bonus, we got a glimpse (shh….) of Ann-Margret
through a rear window with a sparse curtain. We both agreed that she
looked good—bright orange hair and all! Peter Fonda (“Five Easy
Pieces”) told Steve that he designed the bike for the movie but the
movie company insisted he give them ownership of the design. So Fonda
hasn’t gotten a dime from any of the replicas of the bike made
since.
The next day, Steve enjoyed meeting Richard
Dreyfuss (who is launching his effort to teach civics in America's high
schools here - The Dreyfuss
Initiative), and Ali MacGraw (Steve McQueen's ex), who was kind
enough to answer some questions about McQueen. Ali is a big animal
rights activist. Steve was wearing his Steve McQueen "Bullitt" outfit
and nobody noticed. Next time…Steve will come dressed as Clark Kent!!!
Fresh from TV land, “Gilligan Island’s” wholesome and sweet Dawn "Mary
Ann" Wells looked amazing at 70+ years old.
Stephanie Powers (TV’s “Hart to Hart”) passed by us
on the way to say “hi” to A-M. Ms. Powers looked absolutely ageless.
Other female celebs for which the aging clock has virtually stopped
were: Barbara Feldon, Jenilee Harrison, Linda Blair, Joanna Cassidy, and
Geri Reischel. So perhaps vintage actor Mickey Rooney (there with his
smiling wife Jan) and Ex-Monkee David (I love you Davy) Jones were
uncomfortable with the masses of fans rushing upon them and looked like
they couldn’t wait to duck down the backstairs. Matt and I didn’t mean
to disturb “Lassie’s” Jon Provost, as he was chowing down on a burger
while seated at a snack bar table. We were merely observing him, when
he saw us and bolted into the elevator, burger in hand! However, as our
own pleasant departure from the crowds, we ducked into Artist Marcus
Boas’ room which was a studio of his oil-based creature paintings. The
prints were only $5. Since hubby loves dragons, I purchased a print of a
dragon cornering a most beguiling lady.
WHOA
WHOA “How You Doing?” --- I dressed royally in purple to be part of the
audience of THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW on Monday, 11/09/09 @ 7:30 am, since
the contact info stated that everyone should be dressed “appropriately”
and have interesting questions to ask Wendy. But appropriate dress in
this show’s case was “Wendy Wild!” and interesting questions were
slightly trashy and gossipy – which is what the show is all about. The
cameras concentrated on the center section of fans that were dressed
“appropriately.” The audience “made the show” with their preshow dance
floor contest. The hardworking staff kept our energy at a frantic pace
as we waited for Wendy to appear live, promptly at 10 AM. At 6 feet
tall and wearing size 12 spiked heel shoes and masses of “cuticle”
chestnut faux hair, Wendy is larger than any screen and with a
personality and heart to match. She literally soaked up our energies and
thanked us for it, and our good looks, during the numerous commercials
breaks. She reminded me of Drag Queen RuPaul channeling Mae West! Fran
“The Nanny” Dresser was the guest star though that segment was
prerecorded for which Wendy disappeared. We disappointedly watched the
interview on studio monitors. Towards the end of the show, during a
break, a soft spoken teenage girl asked Wendy if she would come to her
charity function in February. Wendy was rather flip in asking the girl
to please speak up and said “I hope that YOU’RE not the spokesperson for
the charity --- since I can’t hear you,” Wendy smiled and came back with
“I’d love to – please email me about it.” Apart from being a very
entertaining show, it does not make for great television and will
probably be a flash in the pan in TV history.
Well, it’s time for me to preset another community
theater show --- but look for me to come out of the wings shortly.
*Wikipedia helped with some resources for the
article!
December 2009
Interview with Michael J Hayde
Author of Flights of Fantasy
By
Susan
Schnitzer
In June, at the 31st Superman
celebration held in Metropolis, Illinois, I had the pleasure of meeting
Michael J. Hayde, author of Flights of Fantasy, and
purchased his book. My travel mates also purchased Michael’s book. We
were so enthralled by its well organized contents and wealth of
information that we, in-between events and before boarding our plane
home, would read various passages to one another in awe of all of this
new information. I had received an email from Neil Cole, owner of the
Superman Super Site, that I had won his contest to win Michael’s book!
The gift copy will be treasured forever, as well as the first one to be
used for research! Michael and I had a good laugh over this fortunate
turn of events. In-between our guffaws, Michael graciously accepted my
offer to interview him regarding the book.
SS: When did
you first get interested in TAOS?
MJH: I really
don't remember a time when I WASN'T interested in TAOS. I've been
watching for as long as I have memories of television, and probably
longer than that.
SS:
Why did you decide to do the book? What was your motivation?
MJH: I resisted
it for a long time. I really thought my original TAC article, "Superman
Comes to Television," would be my primary contribution. But the more I
learned about Superman on radio, the more I thought that its story was
closely intertwined with that of the TV show, and that they should be
told together for a complete picture. It's not like Bob Maxwell dropped
out of the sky, did 26 TV shows and disappeared. He had a lengthy
history with the character that most fans didn't know much about. He
also enjoyed a level of success with Superman on radio that the TV
series has NEVER had: acclaim in the press by respected critics and
numerous awards from civic organizations. At first, I thought the radio
story might overshadow the TV show, because there wasn't much left to
learn about the latter. That was BEFORE I discovered the TV scripts
were at the Library of Congress, which yielded a LOT of new information.
SS: What were
the two episodes that he found in the Library of Congress that were
never put on the show?
MJH: There was
a script from 1951 called "Death Rides the Sky Chaser." That was
replaced by "The Human Bomb." The second un-filmed episode was called
"The Killer Mountain" from 1953. Apparently Whitney Ellsworth just
thought it was too violent. I detailed the stories for both episodes,
with much of the dialogue, in one of the appendixes in my book.
SS: How long
was your research?
MJH: All told,
about twenty years! Seriously, the first TAC article I ever wrote was
in 1988.
SS: How long
did it take you to write the book?
MJH: About 18
months. Of course, I adapted nearly all of my TAC articles. "Superman
Comes to Television" is about 75% of chapters 8 through 11.
SS: How did
you juggle the research of the book with work, home and family? Or did
you juggle?
MJH: I sure
did. Most of my weekend and vacation days for those eighteen months
went to research and writing sessions, and my days off this year are
mostly allocated to promotion. Fortunately, my wife and children had
been through this with me before. My wife, Myra, calls herself "a book
widow" when I'm writing. But she's very proud of me.
SS: Is
Flights of Fantasy your first book?
MJH: No, my
first book was My Name’s Friday: The Unauthorized but True
Story of DRAGNET and the Films of Jack Webb, which came out in
2001. Visit my website
michaeljhayde.com if you'd like a copy!
SS: This is the
first edition of Flights of Fantasy, will there be others?
MJH: I hope so,
if only to correct some of the typos and mistakes in the first one!
Seriously though, every year I think there's nothing new to learn, and
then something comes up, whether it's Serena Enger's fabulous
genealogical research, or Lou Koza turning up George's relatives, or my
book. I think we'll learn even more about George in the future.
Flights of Fantasy shouldn't be the forum for all of it, but you
never know what might turn up that would be a perfect fit.
SS: If there
are any further editions of Flights of Fantasy, what would you
change, edit, or delete?
MJH: Certainly
the typo at the start of Appendix IV—everyone knows the TV series didn't
begin in 1941! Other than obvious mistakes like that, if any of the
"lost" radio episodes should come to light—or if I could gain access to
any of the radio scripts—I'd love to update the episode guides, and make
them more comprehensive.
SS: Why do you
think TAOS has endured so long even though it received little praise
from TV critics?
MJH:
TAOS received some good reviews when it began - some negative ones, too,
for the violence of its early episodes. But latter-day TV critics who
disparage the primitive special effects and lack of super-villains, and
mock the show's dedicated fans, are totally missing the point. TAOS
endures because the actors—especially George Reeves—are so likable and
charismatic in their roles. George's Superman is a REAL person, not an
excuse for spectacular FX. His Clark Kent is a believable reporter, not
a comedic klutz. Keeping the adventures relatively earthbound—with a
few excellent exceptions like "Panic in the Sky"—enables the viewer to
relate to the characters and situations. The Christopher Reeve
"Superman" films are wonderful for occasional escapist fun in a movie
theatre, but I wouldn't welcome those characters in my home every day.
SS: Do you
think that the radio episodes would be entertaining to most TAOS fans?
MJH: I think
so, especially those who enjoy the first TV season. It's kind of
jarring to hear the earliest "Superman" radio serial, where the
character has no sympathy for the villains and is perfectly willing to
let them perish. And, of course, the episodes produced during wartime
are chock full of references to "Japs" and Nazis. But overall they're a
lot of fun, and it's especially fun to hear stories that were later used
for TV. The half-hour radio episodes are strongly reminiscent of the
1951 season.
SS: Are there
any radio episodes that you would recommend for their sheer
entertainment value?
MJH:
Absolutely. The entire "Kryptonite—Atom Man" saga, which ran from
September 1945 to January 1946, is the most famous of Superman's radio
career, having inspired both of the Kirk Alyn movie serials. That one's
a must. But I'm also partial to the social justice story arcs, like
"The Hate-Mongers Organization," "The Skin Game" and of course "The Clan
of the Fiery Cross" where the Man of Steel takes on an easily
recognizable white supremist secret society. Of the half-hour radio
episodes, not to be missed is "Dead Men Tell No Tales," which is
basically "The Stolen Costume" with more violence. "The Mystery of the
Walking Dead" is another gem; as macabre as "Mystery in Wax" and "The
Evil Three."
SS: Are there
any radio episodes on the Internet that could be heard for free?
MJH: Yes.
ComicWeb.com hosts a Superman radio show Podcast here:
http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podcasts/16341
Some early episodes on .mp3 files are available for free download here:
http://www.oldtimeradiofans.com/template.php?show_name=Superman
There are probably others, if you do a Google
search of "Superman on radio." However, if you're a serious collector
in search of high-quality audio CDs of all the circulating episodes,
this is your best source:
http://www.audio-classics.com/welcome.html
SS: Did you
learn anything about George Reeves and/or The Adventures of
Superman that really surprised you (that you weren’t aware of
prior to writing your book)?
MJH: More about
the series than George. Reading all the original scripts, seeing what
was eventually omitted and what was kept - and especially learning about
the two episodes that WEREN'T filmed—was a big thrill. It helped answer
a lot of questions about production that have been asked for a long
time.
SS: What
thoughts or information do you want your readers to come away with?
MJH: Of course,
I hope everyone enjoys learning about the Superman of radio, and of Bob
Maxwell's history of bringing him to life. But for TAOS fans
specifically, there are three things that, I think, will surprise
readers of Flights of Fantasy: One, that Jackson Gillis, while
definitely capable of conceiving great episodes, was not always the best
guy to write dialogue for them. Second, that David Chantler has been
unfairly maligned for everything that was bad or childish about the
color episodes. His writing was often much sharper than what was
actually filmed, and I cite some specific examples of this—particularly
"The Gentle Monster." Three that Whit Ellsworth—who has also shouldered
blame for the "dumbing down" of TAOS—was clearly impacted by the 1954
congressional investigation of the comic book's role in contributing to
juvenile delinquency. There's a world of difference between the second
season and the rest, and it's not just due to color film. When it went
to color, TAOS was a family show, usually airing around 7 p.m. After
the investigation and the subsequent creation of the comics’ code, TAOS
plots became more simplistic and less violent, and Kellogg's became more
comfortable about moving it to earlier, less expensive time slots. By
1957, it was airing at 5 p.m., before Mickey Mouse Club!
The audience got younger, so the stories became simpler. The cart was
driving the horse by the final season.
SS: What did
you think of Hollywoodland?
MJH: I wish I
could say it was a faithful depiction of George Reeves' life and
experiences as Superman. I can't—there was a lot of fabrication for
dramatic effect, some of it unnecessary. Conversely, I wish I could say
it was a terrible, unjust, unrealistic take on his life. I can't do
that, either. There was good and bad in Hollywoodland. I think
Ben Affleck did a very good job of capturing the part of George that
Jack Larson once termed "a charming cad." I loved the scene where he
poses by the window for the children (and adults) who are overjoyed. I
just wish there had been more charming moments like that. There was
nothing about his charity work! I'm sure George was capable of some
cynicism about his job, but I don't believe he was like that all
the time.
SS: If you
were to write the screenplay of GR's life, what would YOU have included?
MJH: I would
have put in at least one scene where he visits a children's hospital or
orphanage. He admitted that after his first orphanage visit, he "came
out of there and bawled like a baby." How could that not be a
dramatic, touching moment? I also would cast a slightly older Leonore
Lemmon. She was younger than him, but she wasn't so young that
she'd be playing rock 'n' roll on his phonograph!
SS: Do you have
any plans for future books or writings?
MJH: I belong
to the Metropolitan Washington Old-Time Radio Club; they have a
bimonthly publication called Radio Recall, and I contribute to
that. The next issue will feature a lengthy article I wrote about Bob
Maxwell's attempt at serious crime drama: the 1948 ABC radio series
Criminal Casebook. Previous articles I've written are available
online at
www.radiorecall.com. I also have a blog called "Better
Living through Television" (www.betterlivingtv.blogspot.com)
where I occasionally post short pieces on various TV-related topics. As
for another book, I don't have any plans at the moment - but if I can
find a subject that interests me, and which hasn't received the
attention it deserves, I'll be happy to fill the void.
SS: How can
people purchase a copy of your book?
MJH: The
easiest way is from
Amazon.com. Both of my books are available there at a discount. It
can probably also be purchased at bookstores like Borders and Barnes &
Noble, but they'd have to special order it.
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking
Michael J. Hayde for his thought provoking interview as well as my
extended Super Team for their insight, probing questions and moral
support.
July 2009
Kal and Kara:
Danny and Heather Kelley
—A Super Couple
By Susan Schnitzer
At the
31st Annual Superman Celebration in Metropolis Illinois,
my travel friends and I were pleasantly surprised when friendly and
personable Danny and Heather Kelley (Superman, Supergirl/Black Canary
and their multitude of costumes) came up to us and remembered our names
after only seeing us last year at the 30th celebration. They
were a most welcome and friendly down to “Earth” couple throughout the
celebration. It was always nice bumping into them during the event and
they volunteered their MYSPACE and email info to me. They were gracious
enough to answer my email questions:
Words
from Danny and Heather Kelley:
SS:
What was it about Superman/Girl (and other characters) that made you
want to portray him/her?
DK:
Superman has always been my hero, since I was small. Then when I grew up
I started working out so I could look like him. I believe in everything
he stands for. My wife Heather Loves Supergirl but can do most any hero
she wants. She makes them jump out of the comics.
SS: When did you first become a Superman/girl fan?
DK: I
became a Superman fan the first time I read my first comic, my wife when
she met me.
SS: Who is your favorite Superman actor?
DK: That
would have to be Christopher Reeve, he was Superman, he made us believe
a man could fly.
SS: What's your workout regimen?
DK: We
train at the gym 6 days a week and take one day off, our workouts get
harder leading up to a convention. We do Cardio 4 to 5 days a week. And
also eat a strict diet. (SS: At the Auction, I asked Danny about his
diet and he told me that when in training, he goes through 20 dozen egg
whites a week, broccoli and lots of lean protein.)
SS: What's your family's/friends reaction to you becoming Metropolis'
Superman/girl?
DK: They
all think its great, we have pictures of us at my Moms house
SS: Do
you have a motto that you live by?
DK: Of
Course “TRUTH, JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY"
I know that you will want to catch up on their
super escapades. Please save this link among your PCs favorites – as it
will soon be a favorite of yours:
http://www.myspace.com/kryptonsun
June 2009
The MARVELOUS
METROPOLIS SUPER TEAM STRIKES AGAIN: Part I
Rachel Nesser, Matthew McCue and Susan
Schnitzer
June 11–14, 2009
By Susan Schnitzer
Day 1 –
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Getting our 31st
Annual Superman Celebration, Metropolis, IL trip planning down to a
super science our Super Team arrived just in time for the opening
ceremonies. We noticed that there were several welcome improvements to
the square: the vividly colored Supermen mural, town murals, and a town
information kiosk that looked like Superman could fly right out of at a
moment’s notice.
At the opening
ceremony, we saw Lex Luthor and Darksied try to ruin the day, but
Superman (a very verbal Josh Boultinghouse) and Lois Lane (Stephanie
Perrin) thwarted their evil attempts. Mayor Bill MacDonald was presented
with the “Guinness World Record Largest Gathering of People Dressed as
Superman Award” set during the 2008 Superman Celebration. “The Noel
Neill Statue Ground Breaking Ceremony” was located at the other end of
the square. Thanks to the generosity of Bank, the Mayor and the
City
Alderman, the location for the Noel Neill statue is on the Bank’s
grounds which will allow visitors to stroll down the street from the
Superman statue and enjoy the town. Noel Neill made a grand entrance
arriving in a classic Studebaker and made a very lively speech about the
public purchasing $75 bricks to finance the statue, which has been in
the planning stages since ’05. Then she heartily “dug right in”
alongside Superman, the Mayor and other city officials. Next to me in
the crowd was a familiar face—that of Dennis Lark. I also met a local
female newscaster who looked like Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack of
SMALLVILLE) though that was not her intention.
We went to WILLY
JAKS for dinner and met Stephanie P, and the celebration’s roving
reporters—Jamie Aaron Kelley (Clark Kent) and his fiancée Ronda Furlotte
Marson (Lois Lane).
Day 2 –
Friday, June 12, 2009
Rachel and I were
up predawn to get in line for the 7 am pre autograph ticket session, for
Smallville’s Phil Morris and Justin Hartley, at Metro Chamber. The staff
was so organized that we were done by 7:05 am. At breakfast at the
Baymont Hotel, in walked the “face and the voice” of famed editor, and
all around great guy, Carl Glass—it was great to FINALLY meet and greet
one another.
We
thought that it looked like rain, so we “forfeited” going to the
“Superman Fans Baseball Game. “ Instead, we went to greet Beverly
Washburn at Artists’ Alley. We gleefully hugged one another when she
stepped out of her car and then she went inside to “work. Outside,
Rachel spoke with Freelance Artist David K. Wong about the craziness of
going to the San Diego Comic Con next year. I waited on line to give
Beverly a special gift to a special lady. Rachel went to see Intuitive
Pop Imagery artist Trevor Hawkins inside. Then we both purchased Michael
Hayde’s book Flights of Fantasy from the author. After that,
Michael waved to “Super Sue” whenever he saw me at other events.
Once the doors
opened for the Tribute to Noel Neill and George Reeves—we made a
beeline to our chairs. After Biographer (and friend) Larry Ward gave an
uplifting intro to the career of Noel Neill—Superman Josh escorted her
on stage (some girl reporters have all the luck!). A 40 minute film
clip was shown on the film and TV career of George Reeves. I had never
seen George on anything than my home TV screen so it was a treat seeing
our George on a wide screen. The audience reaction, plus the bags of
popcorn, added to the movie theater atmosphere. Following was Noel
Neill’s film tribute which focused on her westerns, teenage films and
her tuneful singing and energetic dancing. Rachel and I guessed 3 out 4
of Noel’s favorite Superman episodes: “The Tomb of Zaharan,” “The
Wedding of Superman,” and “Panic in the Sky.” “Through the Time Barrier”
was an added favorite. In-between episodes, Noel and Larry took part in
an audience Q&A which delighted everyone.
Day 3 –
Saturday, June 13, 2008
Rachel and I were
the first in line for the 9 am Justin Hartley and Phil Morris autograph
signing. In a 30 second flash, we met both stars. Phil Morris’ (Martian
Manhunter) father Greg was on “Mission Impossible” in the 60s. Phil’s
first acting role was as a child in the 1966 “Star Trek” episode “Mira”
and as the Johnny Cochran like attorney in “Seinfeld”. Justin Hartley
portrays “The Green Arrow” aka Oliver Queen, a modern day Robin Hood, in
the series. Justin also starred in the NBC soap opera “Passions.” Rachel
had her own homemade posters of the stars that she asked them to sign.
Afterwards, we went over to Noel Neill’s signing at the Metropolis
Planet. As soon as Larry Ward saw me he called for “Security” but no one
came!!!
Rachel and I sat
outside on a picnic bench, once again, as we tried to listen to the
Celebrity Q&A inside the packed Metro Tent (Neill, Hartley, Morris and
Washburn). Afterwards, in the picnic area, there was Superman cape
designing for the wee ones.
Rachel was ever so
honored to be sworn in, by Mayor Billy McDaniel, as an Honorary Citizen
of Metropolis held at the Superman Statue. We are so proud of her.
Rachel and I took
the horse drawn carriage ride around the town. Afterwards, all 3 of us
walked over to the Massac Theatre which is badly in need of repair. Fund
raising efforts have been taken place within the past year. The theatre
was first opened in 1938 and closed in 1978.
Rachel and I drove
to the “George Awards & Auction” at the Metropolis Community Center.
Unfortunately, the awards didn’t start right away and we had tickets to
see Beverly Washburn at 7 pm. So we left a little after 6 pm. “A
Tribute to George Reeves” film by Tim Brown of Ink Monkey Productions
was shown before the uncut full length “Superman and The Mole Men.”
Bubbly charming Beverly Washburn (the little girl in the film) gave a
special intro to the film with her fond memories of working with George
Reeves. She, at age 8 believed that George WAS Superman. So when he
played her father in a “Heart of Gold” soon afterwards her mother told
her that Superman was just “acting.” It was wonderful being a part of
the audience and laughing and reacting to the film. There was even a
mid-sized Mole Man playing on stage.
Day 4,
Sunday, June 14, 2009
At breakfast on
this last day of the celebration, we ate with Carl Glass, Noel Neill,
Larry Ward, and Jeffrey Breslaur, Jeffrey starred with Noel and Jack
Larson in TVs SUPERBOY about 20 years ago. Larry, since I was out of the
loop, told me of the time when Noel mistakenly introduced Larry to Tom
Selleck as “Jeffrey.” The rest of the conversation centered on Carl and
Larry comparing baseball game aches and pains from the other day.
We were happy that
are travel plans to return home did not interfere with getting a chance
to watch the “$1000 Super Heroes costume Contest” at Metro Tent. The MC
was none other than Steve “Jor -EL” Kirk. Though many outfits were
professional, quite a few were original and home made. One woman sitting
in front of us remarked that her husband made his Ghostbuster outfit and
it was signed by Dan Ackroyd. There were about half a dozen costume
categories.
Next year’s event
is only a moment away; perhaps we should start planning—NOW!!!
The
MARVELOUS METROPOLIS SUPER TEAM STRIKES AGAIN: Part II
Rachel Nesser, Matthew McCue and Susan
Schnitzer
Quote from Chris Brockow
June 11–14, 2009
By Susan Schnitzer
Since I did not
travel alone to Metropolis, here are the experiences of my travel mates
plus a new friend that I encountered at the celebration.
Matt mentioned:
When we stopped to admire
the long-neglected Massac Theatre, a 77-year old passer-by brought us
back in time with stories of its days as a center of entertainment. A
fund drive is currently underway to restore this art-deco structure
to its former splendor.
http://ecoabsence.blogspot.com/2007/11/massac-theater-crumbles-in-metropolis.html
I went to
the Metropolis Public Library to access the Internet. The computers were
top-notch with no wait-time and a helpful library staff. The
inscription above the front entrance to the building read "Carnegie
Library" in honor of U.S. Steel founder Andrew Carnegie, who donated the
money to build it in 1914. It is an elegant, spacious structure inside
and out. Its well worth a visit, as is the equally
impressive Metropolis U.S. post office. I couldn't resist driving to
the far northern end of the town to see Lois Lane. This street, only a
few blocks from trailer homes, was lined with what looked like luxury
condominiums. This diversity is typical of the town. Anyone walking
through Metropolis’ numerous neighborhoods will be rewarded with new and
interesting sights at every turn and with friendly townsfolk. Part of
the allure of going to Metropolis is running into people we know or
heard of, but have never met. I certainly enjoyed meeting Michael J.
Hayde and Carl Glass this year and also enjoyed seeing people that I saw
last year (like Larry Ward, Noel Neil, Stephanie, and Steve Kirk). I
got a kick out of hearing that you (Susan) met someone (Chris Brockow)
who said that he read all of your articles on Carl's Glass House. I also
enjoyed the Superman skit at the opening ceremony and the costume
contest, both of which I missed last year. Discussing passages from
Michael Hayde's book was fun.
Respectfully from Rachel:
Yep, I think we all had a *super* time
in Metropolis for this year's Superman Celebration! It was my 2nd time
visiting Metropolis for the annual Superman Celebration, and I certainly
enjoyed it as much as I did the 1st time (at last year's Celebration)!
Traveling with Super Sue and Matt is always fun, and it was great to
meet up with fellow Superman fans Chris, Stephanie, Carl Glass, Dennis
Lark, Danny and Heather Kelly, Jamie and Ronda (aka Clark Kent and Lois
Lane), Michael Hayde, Steve Kirk, etc. Highlights of the weekend for me
included: Getting to see Noel Neill and Larry Ward once again, the
Groundbreaking ceremony for the Lois Lane statue, meeting Metropolis'
official Superman Josh Boultinghouse, the film tributes to Noel and
George Reeves by Larry and Beverly Washburn, meeting the Smallville
actors Justin Hartley and Phil Morris, and the Superhero Costume
Contest. Needless to say, I had such a SUPER time that I hope to be able
to attend the Celebration in Metropolis again (maybe next year?)." And I
want to add a special thanks to Noel Neill, Larry Ward, Beverly
Washburn, and Inked Monkey Productions for their super film tributes to
George shown at this year's Superman Celebration in Metropolis.
Super Sue says:
I am thrilled that my articles are
appreciated by Chris Brockow so I asked for his take on the celebration.
Chris commented:
Helen and I have been going to
Metropolis off and on since 1998. My favorites are the Jeopardy, seeing
Larry and Noel, and this year was meeting Beverly Washburn. I look
forward all year to the Superman Celebration. I also save up all year
for the auction.
We are known by the
company we keep, and I was in great company during this celebration. Who
could ask for anything more?
June 2009
EVERYTHING WE
ARE LOOKING FOR AT THE GOTHAM’S SUPER COLLECTOR’S SHOW –
By Susan Schnitzer
(quotes by Bill Dillane and Rachel
Nesser and some photos courtesy of Bill Dillane)
What a delightful
day it was (weather and otherwise) to get reacquainted with old friends
(though always young at heart) and make new ones on May 30, 2009 at New
York City’s Holiday Inn ‘s Gotham’s Super Collector’s Show. Even
before I could see my way into the hotel’s lobby, travel pal Rachel
Nesser greeted me with a hug and a kiss (my – what a friendly place!).
Upstairs in the convention center we immediately made a bee line to see
Noel Neill and Larry Ward (who’s so generous that I don’t know how he
makes any money). Sadly, this will be Noel’s last New York appearance,
so we wanted to wish her well. Bill Dillane of CT commented:” I'm glad
we had one more time to visit with Noel in New York on Saturday. I've
enjoyed meeting her on these numerous occasions and watching her
graciously greet her many fans in our area.”
Rachel adds: “It
was wonderful to see Noel and Larry again (and I agree that Larry is so
very generous) especially since it was Noel's final East Coast
appearance, and she will be missed here in the NY/NJ area. It was also
so nice to get the chance to meet other fellow TAC/GR fans in person
that I haven't met before, like Bill Dillane, and Lou Koza and his
daughter Louanne. Great people to talk to and hang out with! It made the
day that much
more fun.”
Since Noel’s table
was inundated with grateful fans, walking around we met TAC’s Lou Koza
and his sweet daughter Louanne (who could pass for Rachel’s sister),
Bill Dillane, Steve Brant, Steve Randisi, Eddie Caro, Joe “Shorty”
Caruso and other familiar friends.
At lunchtime, Bill,
Rachel and I strolled down Broadway
to ELLEN’S STARDUST DINER.
This is the place where young wannabe
Broadway singing star hopefuls work as wait staff. On their way to fame
and fortune, they sing golden oldies as they serve up some good times
and great sounds. I practically overdosed on their crispy (though
non-greasy) fries.
http://www.ellensstardustdiner.com/gallery.htm
Back at the
Convention Center, I needed to rest my weary bones and sat on a low
window sill right next to TV personality/Film star Betsy Palmer.
Everyone enjoyed Betsy with her down to earth humor! When complimented
by one fan on her honest portrayal of the mother in the movie FRIDAY
THE 13TH she remarked that she researches and becomes the
character which adds to her performance. When I asked how she remembers
her lines she answered though at age 83 she doesn’t think that she’d
remember them anymore, but she depended on hard repetitive study as the
only way to develop the character. On such TV shows as I’VE GOT A
SECRET she always got into trouble for just being herself.
Bill D. said:
“Betsy spoke fondly about her days with the other panelists on I'VE
GOT A SECRET. When I said that Bill Cullen was the best game show
host of all time, she said she keeps in touch with Bill's wife. We
shared a story about Franklin Heller who directed "Secret" and "What's
My Line". I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Heller on the phone
in 1997 about six weeks before he died. He enjoyed directing those two
shows.”
I
mistakenly thought that Betsy was in the 1955 movie MARTY
(starring Ernest Borgnine); but she was in the 1953 TV version that
starred Rod Steiger as the lonely, shy, unmarried butcher. Betsy played
his sister-in-law, Virginia who, along with well meaning family and
friends, tries to get Marty to meet a nice girl and get married. Betsy
threw up her hands and laughed because her manager didn’t want her to be
in the movie—he didn’t like the name MARTY!. When we posed for a
picture, she couldn’t stop laughing because I asked her if we were a
COUPLE!
Also
in attendance was TV’s Larry Storch (dressed as F-TROOPs Corporal
Agarn), body builder Dan Lurie; Edd Byrnes—who starred in TV’s 77
SUNSET STRIP and in the 1978 movie GREASE as Vince Fontaine,
the National Bandstand host for the dance contest scene. Unfortunately,
I didn’t get a chance to speak with Edd but Bill D did : “I did speak
with Edd Byrnes. Edd signed copies of his autobiography, "Edd Byrnes:
‘Kookie’ No More ". We spoke about his son, Logan, being the morning
news anchor at Fox 61 in Hartford. Logan worked on Connecticut TV
for a long time
before and after his stint as an Inside
Edition reporter, and Logan was a trial lawyer in LA before he got into
journalism. Edd told me he flew in from CA and he was going to Hartford
to visit his son after the show.”
Also
there was very strikingly attractive comedienne
Sheba
Mason. I recalled, from the
tabloids, that Sheba is the
illegitimate daughter of Jackie Mason. She bases much of her sardonic
humor on their lack of relationship. I asked her if her father
appreciates her and she quietly answered “I hope so.” Just to keep us in
line was (I guess) investigator Tony Stone, body guard of TV’s Regis Philbin, he was there chatting about his self defense moves.
Mr. New York
himself, Joe Franklin, walked in to shake everyone’s hand and to provide
us all with great memories of a great day.
June 2009
Memorable
Things to Do
and See in New
Jersey
By Susan Schnitzer
All photos courtesy of the NJ
State Park Services
Have
you ever wanted a mini getaway that doesn’t require spending too
much gas or admission money while staying local (yes, and
actually learning something at the same time)? Well, I did
recently when my travel friend (Matthew McCue) and I took in
some of New Jersey’s sites as sponsored by the NJ Federal Park
Services.
Along
route 27, Lincoln Highway in Edison, is a museum at the site of
Inventor Thomas A. Edison's Menlo Park lab. Edison purchased the
land for very little from a realtor who once had rental
properties in this once quiet and pristine area. Known as the
"Wizard of Menlo Park", Thomas Alva Edison's contributions to
society through his inventions forever changed the face of the
world. We had a private tour by a very knowledgeable gentleman
who made Edison’s history come alive. From 1876-1884,
Edison (along with his dedicated
staff) invented: the Telephone Mouthpiece; Incandescent Light
Bulb; Electric Train and the Phonograph. We saw the inventions
in their various developmental stages up until the 1920s. These
inventions
represent just a few of the over 400 patents that were issued at
this laboratory. The memorial, erected in honor of Thomas Alva
Edison in 1937, is located on 36 acre parkland that makes up the
Edison State Park. Unfortunately, the seasonal freeze/thaw
cycles and vandals have taken its toll on the memorial tower and
on the walking path. In 2007, fundraising began for the
restoration of the tower and an enlargement to the associated
museum. For more info:
http://menloparkmuseum.org/
Tour
Director Sharon Farrell gave us a most delightful, congenial,
informative and personal tour of THE GROVER CLEVELAND
BIRTHPLACE in Caldwell, NJ. Grover Cleveland was this
nation’s 22nd and 24th President. The
residence was built in 1832 as the pastor’s residence (Grover’s
father the Reverend Richard Falley Cleveland) for the First
Presbyterian Church at Caldwell. Most of the first floor rooms
depict the modest middle class house as it was in 1837 - 1841,
Grover’s birth year until the family moved four years later. On
display was Grover’s cradle, the bed he was born in, family
portraits, furnishings, political and presidential information,
inauguration outfits and period costumes and toys for visiting
children to play with as they reenact history. (Stephen) Grover
Cleveland was named for the first ordained pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church at Caldwell (Stephen Grover). The fifth of
nine children, Grover’s upbringing was religious and simple.
Because of his upbringing, Grover Cleveland political career was
marked for his honesty, fairness and nonpartisanship. Grover
Cleveland was a bachelor when he became President in 1885 but
made history by becoming the first president to marry in the
White House in June 2, 1886 when he married Frances Clara Folsom
who was the youngest First Lady at age 21. The Cleveland’s had 5
children. Their first born, Ruth, had the candy bar “Baby Ruth”
named after her. Grover Cleveland is pictured on the 1,000 bill.
For more information, contact 973 226-0001.
Eagle
Rock Reservation,
West Orange, NJ is dedicated to the memories of the victims of
9/11. On October 20,
2002, Essex County
Executive James W.
Treffinger, along with many local residents and
dignitaries, dedicated a section of the reservation — which
overlooks the Manhattan
skyline, and some of Jersey City. The names of all who perished
at the World Trade Center
are permanently inscribed in a double marble memorial surrounded
by statues. The reservation is named after the Eagle Rock, a
bare rock looking down from the mountain, which is used to form
the boundary between Montclair and West Orange. This area is
very serene with a beautiful view of a most tragic event.
Located
in Thomas Edison National Park, West Orange, NJ is Thomas A.
Edison’s residence GLENMONT. The guided tour is given by
Rangers of NJ’s Park Department. Edison’s spacious 23 room Queen
Anne-style mansion located on 15.5 acres was the home of the
Edison family from 1886 – 1931. The mansion interior, which
contains many of its original furnishings, is rather dark and
austere. He lived at Glenmont with his second wife Mina and
their 6 children (3 from his first wife) until his death at age
84. With a house of this size, he employed 10 servants. At his
home and nearby laboratory (currently
undergoing renovation), Edison fine tuned many of his earlier
inventions and experiments. Apart from the house is the vast and
aromatic greenhouse; garage which houses several Ford Model T
cars, a limo and a horseless wagon. Mr. and Mrs. Edison are
buried in the Japanese garden that has a beautiful view of the
back of the house and the rolling green grounds. For more
information, email
www.nps.gov/edis or call 973-324-9973.
To
end our adventurous day, we strolled around FORT NONSENSE
located in Morristown National Park, Morristown, NJ occupying a
high hilltop overlooking Morristown. It was originally
built at the order of General
George Washington in
1777 for use during
the American Revolutionary
War as a look out point.
Washington's original purpose
for constructing the fort was to keep the American troops busy
and out of trouble. The location of Fort Nonsense is at the
highest point rising above a relatively level
plateau west of the
Watchung Mountains on
which Morristown was settled. The
strategic point
provides a clear view of the lands to the north, east, and south
with a range of mountains arising directly to the west of the
point. The mountains of northern
New Jersey provided
safe retreats behind natural barriers so that the British troops
could not scale up the area.
May 2009
A WARM
RECEPTION AT
CHILLER
THEATRE
APRIL 17 -
18, 2009
By Susan Schnitzer and the
Super Team
On Friday
the 17th, with the expert navigational driving skills
of Matt McCue, we drove us via 287N to the Hilton Hotel,
Parsippany, NJ (no matter what my GPS told him ….), so we
arrived in ample time for the event. Because of the popularity
of the stars, we had to park in the additional parking area
across the street.
Of
course our first (and most important) stop was seeing Noel Neill
(the original Lois Lane of SUPERMAN) and her biographer and good
friend Larry Ward at their table. There we were greeted by the
other half of our Super Team – Steve Brant and Rachel Nesser.
Likeable Larry jumped up to say hello to all of us as Noel
beamed on. Of course I couldn’t resist asking Noel how a demur
lady such as she always manages to have her table sandwiched in
between X rated female film stars! This comment tickled her as
she casually shrugged it off.
Then
the Super Team went their (temporarily) separate ways in search
of super stars in various rooms and sections. The longest line
in the main center lobby was that of film star Tony Curtis. For
several “younger” people waiting in line with me, when they
asked who Tony was, I told them that he is the father of Jaime
Lee Curtis. Tony is also an artist as evidenced by his self
portraits that were up for sale. My father was acquainted with
Tony (formerly Bernie Schwartz) when they attended a boy’s club
in the Bronx, NY as teenagers. I had my parents wedding picture
for him to sign, hoping that there would be a glint of
recollection. Unfortunately, with all of the hustle and bustle
going on, when I told Tony about my father, he signed the
picture and said “Here Dear.”
Next
I went to see my favorite mad capped singer/TV personality
Monkee Mickey Dolenz who signed his music CD for me that
contains
many oldie hits. There was no line there so I had an opportunity
to tell him how he helped cheer up my childhood. Mickey was very
professional and answered with a quiet “thank you.” Mickey’s
daughter Ami had her own table several feet away.
Movie BIRDS
actress Tippi Hedren (yes, mother of “Melanie Griffin) and Donna
Mills (from TV’s KNOTTS LANDING) had their own tables, close to
one another, with small lines. From what I could see of them in
passing, they retained their glamorous looks and trim bodies.
Strolling
along (and keeping tally of how much money I had left) I almost
bumped into Star Trek’s Walter Koenig twice as we walked out of
the same doorway and corridor; and in one room was Frank
Stallone and Dennis Cole. In the Chiller Tent (located off of
the parking lot) I quickly scanned the sea of stars and saw the
incredible Lou Ferrigno (always larger than life), Geri Reischl
(of the Brady Bunch reunion TV shows) and Pat Harrington (TV’s
“One Day at a Time”). Matt and I stopped to speak with Chris’
BLUE LAGOON Atkins who, believe me, has NOTHING to hide (as Matt will relate to you).
I
saw a very familiar looking petite, pleasant and well toned
beaming auburn haired woman. Her photos and signs showed that
she was former child star Pamelyn Ferdin who was the voice of
Lucy in the Charlie Brown cartoons; Felix Unger’s daughter Edna
in TV’s “The Odd Couple” as well as in the TV movie remake of A
TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (taken from my favorite book) as well as
other TV movies. She assured me that she would ONLY charge me
for her autographed picture and not extra for taking a picture
with her. So I picked one with her and William Shatner in Star
Trek’s “And the Children Shall Lead”. She signed the photo “To
Susan, Hail, Hail, Fire and Snow! This was the children’s chant
on that episode. She loved working with William Shatner. She
gave me her cute business card and assured me that she answers
ALL of her email. So I will share her information with you:
PAMELYN
FERDIN – Animal Advocate – Guest Speaker
Websites: www.PamelynFederin.com;
www.adoptmenow.com
Steve’s comment:
It was an honor to meet Edward James Olmos - "Admiral Adama" from the
reimagined "Battlestar Galactica". He is both a social activist
and the embodiment - along with co-star Mary McDonell - of
leadership in complex, crisis-ridden times thanks to his
brilliant performance in the show. Meeting Edward James Olmos
("Admiral Adama") was great. When it comes to entertainment that
makes people think, it doesn't get any better than the
reimagined "Battlestar Galactica"!
I
was very happy to discover that Ms. Erin Gray
http://www.heroesforhire.info/ has decided to help
her celebrity friends get motivational speaking engagements in
the corporate world. Signing autographs and meeting fans is fun
I'm sure, but inspiring an audience at a business meeting must
be a very rewarding experience. I was also pleased to be
reminded that Ms Gray teaches Tai Chi, which I studied years
ago.
Math’s
comment:
I enjoyed
meeting Christopher Atkins and Pamelyn Ferdin, who for some
reason were relegated to the tent in the back with the lesser
known names. Both were personable and accessible. I asked
Christopher about one of my favorite movies, "A Night in
Heaven," in which he appeared opposite Leslie Ann Warren. He
said that he and his agent were pretty angry that they kept
rewriting the script, each time making him look more and more
like the bad guy. I agree with him that this was no way to
treat the top male box office draw in the film. For the less
prudish, Chris had an album on his table discreetly labeled
"Nude Pictures." After some hesitation, I opened it. It was
all in good taste, but I
feigned
embarrassment. Chris used this as an opportunity to tell me
that he doesn't think people should object to presenting the
human body as it is. He was certainly very convincing.
I pleaded
poor when asking for his autograph and was very happy when he
offered to sign my video cassette of "A Night in Heaven" on both
the cover and the cassette label for only $20, the price of one
autograph. I was also thinking about buying his autographed
picture of a strip scene from "A Night in Heaven," but frugality
prevailed. Chris joked, "Come back man and we'll talk … more
when you have the cash." I left with the joy that I just
encountered the same innocent, carefree spirit he showed in
his movies.
I asked
Dwayne Hickman (TV’s “Dobie Gillis) if Bob Denver was zany like
his character, Maynard G. Krebs. He said that to a certain
extent he was.
Rachel’s
comment:
I only got
two autographs: one from Noel, and the other from Michael Dorn
(actor from Star Trek The Next Generation—he played the Klingon
Lt. Worf). He seemed very nice. Not very talkative...but then I
was too shy to really say much to him either. :-) Still, a nice
guy.
The next
evening, Saturday, Matt and I (after we did some NJ sightseeing)
came back to CHILLER to have dinner with Noel and Larry after
they packed up for the day. Joining us was former KISS band
member Richie Scarlet and his wife Joann.
http://www.kissinuk.com/bio/ace.htm. At first, I didn’t
know who they were but then Matt told me about the KISS
connection. Despite their rocker appearance, the Scarlet’s were
very down to earth and lovely.
No matter
what the age and background, Noel Neill is loved by all. The
food servers at our table just adored her. In the hallways and
corridors of the hotel, fans came up to Noel to speak with her,
as well as hug and kiss her. She’s every body’s Lois Lane.
May 2009
Dear Friends,
Since MCC's QUO VADIS newspaper didn't want
me to show any type of humor (or adventure) in my overview of
Italy, I saved these Superman notes (and photos) for a "special
Superman article." Please enjoy! Note, of course, that QUO VADIS
couldn't open up this link in their newspaper but it's great for
my glasshousepresents--Just Say Sue article!
SAS
Did Superman
Follow Me to Italy?
By Susan Schnitzer
Recently I took a
trip to Italy with my junior college. It was more of a cultural exchange
than a relaxing vacation. In fact, we were constantly on the run (via
bus rides, subways and walking tours). Apart from the sights, we were a
group of 43 racially and culturally mixed students, teachers, alumni and
significant others of all ages who meshed together very well.
However, as we
traveled from villa to villa, from historic sight to sight --- I had the
strangest (but most pleasant) feeling that I wasn’t ALONE. Maybe, just
maybe some entity was hovering above me to protect me in my travels.
The serene and lovely area of Assisi is marked by the Basilica
of San Francisco. San Francis was the protective saint.
This lively and
riotous youth dreamed of achieving military glory and abandoned his
worldly ambitions at the age of 19. He, thereafter, became a mystic who
experienced visions of
Christ and Mary and founded the famous order of
mendicant friars known as the Franciscans in 1210. His gentle unassuming
nature earned him an enormous following throughout Europe. As I was
touring this area and stopped to shop, I got the feeling that I, too,
had an enormous following of my own. Amongst all of the Italian
memorabilia of one shop, was Superman’s long-sleeved T-shirt blowing in
the entranceway breeze. Perhaps I was about to also be “saved”
physically as well as spiritually in Assisi.
We stopped at
Piazza Navona right before dinner one evening. This is one of the
liveliest and most beautiful squares in Rome. In ancient Rome, the area
was an athletics stadium. The church is, supposedly, built on the site
of an old brothel where St. Agnes was forced into prostitution.
Strolling along, I saw an Egyptian Obelisk (a figure fountain), a mime
dressed as Mr. Liberty, a fountain with a palm tree … and …. Jolly
gumball …. A superman gum ball machine (chained up as if we could keep
him contained) in a convenience store!!! Was our Super guy going to
join us for our Italian pizza dinner and give treats to the birthday
girl at dinner (instead of cake)
The Leaning Tower
of Pisa, is the free standing bell tower of the cathedral of the
Italian City of Pisa. It is situated behind the cathedral and is the
third oldest structure in Pisa’s Cathedral Square. Although intended to
stand vertically, the tower began leaning to the southeast soon after
the onset of construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation and
loose substrate that has slowed the foundation to shift direction.
Though the tower was closed in 1883 to fix the leaning nothing work,
until, until, until --- what’s that up in the sky?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QweKdCjQ0eg
Gee, I honestly
think that Superman was trying to rescue me from a tower that wasn’t
about to fall! Oh well, there goes tourism!!! We might as well scrap
selling Pisa figures and open up “Pisa (Super) Pants and Comics.” Thanks
for accompanying me on my Italy trip “man of US Steel!”
April 2009
IT’S ABOUT TIME
By Susan Schnitzer
Time it was
Oh What a Time It was
It was ….
A Time of Innocence
A Time of Confidences
Long ago
It must be
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
There all that’s left you….
Lyrics from Simon and
Garfunkel’s The Bookends Album
We’re off to
another new year – 2009 – and it’s on to a most promising start.
Reminiscent of the days of Camelot in 1960 when a young Catholic man
was elected President, our nation now has its first young
African-American President. US Airways Pilot Chesley "Sully"
Sullenberger was forced to land Flight 1549 in the icy waters of the
Hudson River. All 155 passengers miraculously survived making Sully a
most modest hero.
THE TIME MACHINE (1960)
(Future Time Travel)
For
many years now, my New Year’s Eve laser (and now DVD) movie has been the
1960 version of “The Time Machine” based on H. G. Wells’ 1895 novella
because of its opening scene of New Year’s Eve and the entering of a new
century. I remember seeing it originally at a neighborhood Movie
Theater. We were overjoyed when it came to our small TV screen in 1965
mainly because there is a scene where the time traveler, Rod Taylor
(“The Birds”) finds himself in a nuclear war in 1966. Would that really
happen to our world within the next year? The story was first published
in serial form in the New Review through 1894 and 1895. The book is
based on the Block Theory of the
Universe, which is a notion that time is a fourth space
dimension. Science Fiction/Special effects Director George Pal (“The War Of The Worlds”) included an all star cast
which gave more “dimension” and character life to the original book
(which I read after the fact): Fresh faced
Yvette Mimieux (Movie “Where
the Boys Are”) as the young Eloi, Weena (an added love interest);
Alan Young (TV’s “Mr. Ed”) as
his closest friend David Filby (in 1917 and 1966, his son James Filby),
Sebastian Cabot (TV’s
“Checkmate” and “Family Affair”) as Dr Hillyer; and
Whit Bissell (TV’s “The Time
Tunnel”) as Walter Kemp .
Interesting enough, the Time Traveler, George (Taylor) had inscribed on
the plate of his machine ‘Manufactured by H. George Wells ' to be viewed
as he takes his adventure into eternity. This is more of an adventure
than the novella, with actual timely world events added for the movie.
The story begins with inventor George returning from his trip (5 days in
1900 time), in wild disarray. He relates to his friends (all learned and
influential gentlemen of their London community) of what he has
witnessed: flying machines in war torn 1917; the “Blitz” horrors
destroying London in 1940; and a nuclear bomb in1966 (where Mother
Nature rebels with mass destruction of her own). George’s journey
propels him to 802,701 A.D., where he finds the world has become a
Garden of Eden. He meets the very blond child like Eloi people who have
very little interest in survival, technology, knowledge or the past.
Their lives are comprised only of play – because they will NEVER live to
grow any older. Through the “talking rings”, which none of the Eloi
understands, George understands that through nuclear war and mutation
--- people kind have split into 2 worlds: The Eloi people of the
sunshine and the monstrous Morlocks who live in the caverns below the
surface of the Earth – The Morlocks are the underground workers and
providers while the Eloi are bred as food. On TV in 1966, the censors
would not show a graphic scene where a dead Morlock is decomposing—there
it is in all its glory on DVD!
After
relating his story to his disbelieving friends, George leaves for a
second journey. Filby and the housekeeper, Mrs Watchett, note that he
had taken three books from the shelves in his drawing room. Filby and
Mrs. Watchett realize that George must have a plan for creating a new
Eloi civilization. "Which three books would you have taken?" both
inquire. No matter what, George has “All the time in the world” to
reinvent civilization. The teaming of Rod Taylor and Alan Young (in a
dual role as father and son) as friends was very heart warming as well
as extremely believable. Their chemistry, and dialogue exchanges, is
cosmic.
The film is noted for its then-novel use
of time lapse photographic effects
to show the world around George’s changing at various speeds as he
travels through time. Noteworthy is the female mannequin (in Filby’s
store across the street) that changes outfits with the times. Like
George, she also never ages!!!
Thirty-three years later,” The Time
Machine: The Journey Back” is featured as an extra on the DVD release of
the 1960 film with Rod Taylor hosting, and Bob Burns (Ex Producer)
telling of the fate of the original movie Time Machine prop.
Michael J. Fox (also a time
traveler in the “Back to the Future”
trilogy) spoke about time travel in general. In the second half, the
movie's original actors Rod Taylor, Alan Young (who hardly aged since
the movie) and Whit Bissell reprised their roles. George returns to his
laboratory in 1916, finding Filby there, and encourages his friend to
join him in the far future (not telling him that this will save his life
from the war in 1917) — but Filby has doubts. Some things in time cannot
be altered—or can they????
The Twilight Zone: “Once
Upon A Time” (1961)
(Future Time Travel)
Buster Keaton was one of the biggest
stars of the silent era. He starred in and devised elaborate stunts and
gags for the classic comedies: The
General and Steamboat Bill,
Jr. His career suffered greatly with the advent of sound films,
for which he spent decades struggling in Hollywood. This episode was
intended as a comic tribute to his early work. The parts set in the
1890s are silent with captions and a player piano.
Woodrow
Mulligan (Buster Keaton) is a
grumpy janitor in 1890, dissatisfied with his time and place: A
backwater town called "Harmony" (which is noisy even in caption) with
$.17 cuts of meat, $2. hats,
chickens freely roaming the streets, shameless pictures of
“scantily clad women” and bicycles that knock him down while going the
speed limit (8
mph). Mulligan works for
Professor Gilbert, who has just invented a time helmet. Accidentally,
Mulligan uses the helmet to transport himself (and chicken) to 1960.
What a surprise—THERE IS SOUND!!! Steak is $1.49, hats are $45.00 and
the speed limit is 35 mph!!! The
Helmet is snatched off of his head by a driver in a traffic jam and then
thrown to a kid on a bike; the chicken gets lost – and there is only 30
minutes left to get back to 1890!!! . He meets Rollo (Stanley
Adams TV’s Star Trek “The Trouble with Tribbles”), a scientist
and authority on the 1890s, which he regards as "a charming time of
simplicity." The broken helmet is found and taken to a repair man (Jesse
White from the Maytag TV commercials) who thinks it’s a toaster.
Mulligan thinks that the TV set in the repair shop is a window with
people talking to him…. Rollo tries to go back alone, but Mulligan jumps
on him and they go back together (after all, that’s how the chicken did
it). The silent 1890s turns out to be too barbaric and primitive for
Rollo. Mulligan, however, is relieved (and happy to be back), and when
he hears Rollo griping, he sets the helmet for 1960, puts it on Rollo's
head, and sends him off. A running gag throughout the episode, in both
times, is of Mulligan without his pants getting run over by a "high
speed" bicycle and being chased by a policeman.
In the closing narration by Rod
Sterling: “ 'To each his own' - so goes another old phrase to which Mr.
Woodrow Mulligan would heartily subscribe, for he has learned,
definitely the hard way, that there is much wisdom in a third old phrase
which goes as follows: 'Stay in your own backyard.' To which it might be
added, 'and if possible, assist others to stay in theirs' - via, of
course, the Twilight Zone. “
TAOS: THROUGH THE TIME
BARRIER (1954)
(Past Time Travel)
What a fun episode to start the new,
colorful season of The Adventures of Superman when it switched from
black and white to color in this first episode of the third season
(Episode # 51)! There are so many classic one liners, put downs and a
lame reason for how Superman can NOW get back to 1954 Metropolis, thanks
to Carborium X, that it’s no wonder that George Reeves couldn’t resist
turning away from the camera to try and hide some chuckles on several
occasions !!! As I wrote in TAOS Bloopers:
When Superman flies to an
asteroid to find the metal "Carborium X," how nice that it so happened
to be waiting for him just sitting on the asteroid's ledge. Everything
else on the asteroid was sizzling, but not the metal. AND…Superman, when
he flies back from the asteroid, says that he "dug" the metal out of the
rock. Well, since it was waiting for him on that ledge—he didn't have
to!”
But back to the story: a crook named
Turk Jackson (Jim Hyland) has shown up in the office of "Daily Planet"
editor Perry White, to sign a confession, in bursts eccentric scientist
Professor Twiddle (Sterling Holloway who also portrayed Professor Oscar
Quinn in TAOS’ “The Machine that Could Plot Crime” and “The Whistling
Bird” – but what’s in a Professor’s name anyway; but I also remember him
as the voice of “Winnie the Pooh” ) who announces that he has invented a
time machine. “Just for laughs,” Turk has figured a way of getting out
of a long jail sentence. In an instant, the invention has hurled White,
Turk, Twiddle and the Planet’s 3 ace reporters back in time some 50,000
years to the Stone Age. There's just one small hitch: Twiddle hasn't
invented a device to return the time travelers back to 1954. As
ridiculous as Perry White looks in his red flannels (underneath his cave
outfit) -- it’s always a treat to see Lois Lane’s well toned body in her
mini fur; Lana the cave lady (Florence Lake) “trying” to domesticate PW
and the reaction of the passersbys in the Planet hallway when the time
travelers leave the elevator, forgetting to change out of their cave
furs. What could be timelier than Perry White gruffly commenting “Well,
what’s the trouble – didn’t you ever see a caveman before?” The full
face ending laughter of Clark Kent (or was it really George’s own
reaction), makes this a timeless classic.
Here are some comments from Matthew
McCue (one of my travel Super Friends):
Superman’s statement to Turk that
they’ve “all got to learn to live together there somehow” smacks of
“Gilligan’s Island,” where diverse personalities had to find a way to
make things work. And many of the “Odd Couple” episodes were fantasies
that reflected the humorous sides of the show’s characters. “Through the
Time Barrier” is a winner. Color is used to good effect. We are treated
to great performances by all of the actors. In addition, traveling back
in time is a very interesting topic in science fiction that has recently
also becomes a serious matter of discussion among theoretical
physicists. I look at this as a kind of “what if” episode: what would
happen if the main TAOS characters were suddenly thrown into the
prehistoric era with a known gangster? Would the adventures continue?
The answer from this episode is “You bet,” and with a lot of humor.
It’s true that “Through the Time Barrier” was not stamped as a “what if”
episode by a kickoff scene, like one leading to a dream. But, for me
this wasn’t needed. It’s obvious that “Through the Time Barrier” is
played mainly for laughs and I think it should be viewed this way. After
all, in a normal TAOS episode, Perry would have been more concerned with
whether their improbably story should go to print rather than how two
onlookers thought he looked in his caveman garb. I liked the hat that
Lois was wearing at the begin of the episode. It covered only about 2/3s
of her head and supported what appeared to be a large tuft of feathers
on one side. Lois’s hostility toward Turk was very apparent. To this
credit, he didn’t reciprocate. He must have liked the hat, too.
The Twilight Zone: “Back
There” (1961)
(Past Time Travel)
My
mother and I always had a fascination with President Abraham Lincoln.
There was something about his melancholic demeanor as well as his tragic
ending that drew our attention towards our 16th President.
Naturally, my attention is drawn towards this episode.
Peter Corrigan (Russell Johnson—the
Professor in TV’s “Gilligan’s Island” as well as Chopper in “The Runaway
Robot” of TAOS) and his cronies (TAOS’ Mr. X …John Eldredge and The
Beverly Hillbillies Banker Drysdale…Raymond Bailey) at Washington DC’s
Potomac Club are speculating on the possibility that a person can travel
back in time and change history. Corrigan bids farewell to his friends
and prepares to head home from his club. As he walks through the doors,
he is unexpectedly transported from 1961 to 1865. Once he gets to his
boarding house (now a very new building), Corrigan finds that it is
April 14, 1865 and President Lincoln is about to be assassinated at
Fords Theater. In an attempt to stop this from happening, he makes such
turmoil in town that he is jailed. Flamboyant Jonathan Wellington takes
Corrigan into his protective custody. As Corrigan tells his protector
what is about to happen, he realizes that his wine is drugged and he
passes out as Wellington quickly flees. He is awakened by the policeman
from the jail who has been going all over Washington trying to get extra
guards to protect the President at the theater. Lo and behold, the
handkerchief that Wellington gave Corrigan has the initials JWB
monogrammed on it! As Corrigan realizes that his protector was Booth,
cries come from the street “The President has been shot by an actor.”
Corrigan is suddenly transported back to his club in 1961. The attendant
is not the usual William. William is now at the table with the other
cronies talking about their next topic – how to acquire wealth. William
inherited his wealth when his policeman great grandfather, for some
unknown reason, knew that President Lincoln would be assassinated and
tried to get him extra guards. This led him to becoming the Chief of
Police and onward to real estate and wealth. Corrigan’s adventure
couldn’t have been a delusion because he still has the JWB
handkerchief. So this "wrinkle in time" turned out to have entirely
different results.
In the closing narration by Rod
Sterling: “Mr. Peter Corrigan, lately returned from a place 'back
there,' a journey into time with highly questionable results, proving on
one hand that the threads of history are woven tightly and the skein of
events cannot be undone, but on the other hand, there are small
fragments of tapestry that can be altered. Tonight's thesis to be taken
as you will, in the Twilight Zone.”
Is time travel possible?
Physicist and time-travel guru Michio Kaku told Popular Mechanics last
year that some scientists believe time travel through holes in space and
time, known as wormholes, might be possible, but there are problems that
need to be conquered. First, there's the matter of energy—massive
amounts would be needed to create a black hole, which could function as
a portal to another point in space and time. But it would be a one-way
trip; black holes aren't stable enough to stay open on their own.
Creating a wormhole, a stable portal through space and time that would
allow return trips, would require inconceivable amounts of
energy—inconceivable, that is, unless you're on an island that can make
paraplegics walk, harbors a monster of smoke and can disappear off the
face of the Earth. Physicists have created tiny amounts of energy in the
laboratory using the
Casimir Effect—quantum
fluctuations that can create energy in a vacuum—but what has been
generated in the lab isn't enough to keep a wormhole open, Kaku says.
I wonder if we shall witness time travel
in our lifetime. Well, only time will tell.
February 2009
(Information resource: Wikipedia)
SUPERHEROES:
Fashion and Fantasy
(The Book)
http://uk.youtube.com
By Susan Schnitzer
Back to a most
pleasant August Saturday of this year, the Super Friends
(Steve Brant, Mathew McCue, Rachel
Nesser and yours truly) ventured out on our own to the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in NYC to visit the Superhero exhibit. Shortly afterwards,
Steve forwarded me the link to the exhibit’s mega Q&A sessions. With pen
in hand and yellow legal pad on my desk, I attempted to transcribe the
sessions but soon realized that I wasn’t getting course credit for the
psychological (and often sexual) type lectures. Then I photocopied the
book (mostly high gloss pictures) so that I could highlight the pages
without marring the original print.
SECRET SKIN:
AN ESSAY IN UNITARD THEORY
Fashion designer
Giorgio Armani has always been fascinated by the idea of how clothing
can transform the body of the wearer. This is more so with the body of
superheroes that are seductive, uncommon place, bound by whimsy and
fantasy. This type of fashion, like superheroes, allows us to escape
into a world of pure imagination. Superheroes have served as channels
for our hopes, dreams, desires as well as explore our social and
political issues. The superhero works long hours at a day job and
struggles to fit into the expectations of the everyday world. The
superhero does not lust for glory and fame and just wishes that they
could stay home, hang out, date the ones they love and be like everybody
else. They must conceal their secret identities to downplay, and even
deny their special abilities.
The alter ego of
the superhero’s origin must be kept a secret as if it were a source of
shame. Superman hides his arrival on Earth; his Smallville childhood;
the history of his Kryptonian family/race and the Fortress of Solitude
that holds all of this information. Superman’s “S” shield coincidentally
stands for Superman but in fact the emblem is the coat of arms of the
ancient Kryptonian House of El from which he descends. Batman hides his
own history in the trophy chamber of the Batcave. A stylized bat refers
to the mammal whose flight though an open window sealed Bruce Wayne’s
fate; a lightning bolt in sigma captures the secret history of Captain
Marvel; an 8 legged glyph immortalizes the bug whose bit sealed Peter
Parker to his super hero career. Robin’s (Batman’s sidekick) gaudy
uniform hints at the murder of his circus-acrobat parents. Iron Man has
an injured heart requires a life-support device which is the primary
function of his armor.
Unlike the past,
the new age Superheroes attire is not made of fabric, but of foam
rubber, leather, plastic that draws its inspiration from spacesuits, cat
suits, and scuba suits. Superman never bothered wearing a mask—neither
did Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Supergirl and the Mighty Thor. Most
superheroes wear some kind of tights. However, Wonder Woman wears
star-spangled hot pants, and the Incredible Hulk wears torn away
remnants of tattered purple pants. The Flash and Green Lantern, make do
without trunks over their tights allowing a more continuous flow of
fabric from their legs to their torso that lends a suggestion of speed
and sleekness.
THE GRAPHIC
BODY
SUPERMAN was the
first to embody the meaning of the superhero. His flowing cape and
skintight unitard were inspired by the costumes worn by circus acrobats
and by swashbuckling actor Douglas Fairbanks of the 1920s which combined
classical nudity with flamboyance. In this exhibit, designer Rossella
Jardini has substituted Superman’s “S” emblem with the letter “M”, the
design and symbol closely associated with the Moschino fashion house
which is a cultural comment of a branded body. In the black Spider-Man 3
costume worn by actor Tobey Maguire, it features a large black spider
symbol on the bodice and an actual depiction of Spider-Man on the
facemask.
THE
PATRIOTIC BODY
Superheroes, just
like apple pie, are all Americans who uphold the values and ideals as in
the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In the comics,
superheroes responded to World War II by fighting fascism, the Nazis’
and the “Japs”. Most notably, Captain America and Wonder Woman made this
fight their entire mission. Wonder Woman, in the comic books and on TV,
was dressed in Christian Dior ensembles of red and white striped jacket,
bustier with gold and white stars and a pair of scanty gold briefs. The
outfit captures not only politics but also the sexualized overtones when
in 1982 she swapped her previous golden eagle that had cupped her bra
for a stylized letter “W”. Over the years, the heroine’s outfit has
changed with the times: in 1968 she wore an ultra short mini dress and a
pair of thigh high boots.
THE VIRILE
BODY
Superheroes played
a minor role during the Cold War. The exception was the Hulk, created by
writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby – which was inspired by Mary
Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” In 1962, the Hulk was written in response to
the fears involving the atomic age. Dr. Bruce Banner, the inventor of
the gamma bomb, was caught in the bomb’s test blast. This resulted in
massive amounts of radiation causing the doctor to undergo a monstrous
metamorphosis – the Hulk.
Originally, Banners’ transformation was triggered by sundown but later
it was prompted by the emotions of anger and frustration. As a by
product of the nuclear age, the Hulk represented the raising fears
associated with paranoia of the times.
Superheroes bodies
were inspired by strongmen bodybuilders (especially Superman). For TV’s
THE INCREDIBLE HULK, former Mr. America/ Mr. Universe was played by
bulking Lou Ferrigno. The Hulk incorporated adolescent fantasies of
physical empowerment, the change into puberty and male arousal and
potency. Inspired by the protective sportswear worn in American football
and baseball, the Hulk fashion collection has worn bulk like protective
shoulder pads with ripped abs.
THE
PARADOXICAL BODY
Female superheroes
are portrayed as sex objects and reveal a lot more bare flesh—all taken
from the chauvinism male point of view. This appeal is also controlled
by a simple denial of this appear—thus creating the eternal paradox of
the super heroine. Catwoman, caught between her good girl/bad girl
persona was inspired, in part, by actress Hedy Lamarr whom artist Bob
Kane admired for her “great feline beauty.” Originally in 1940, she was
simply known as the Cat (in reference to the term “cat burglar). Her
real identity was Selina Kyle and just like her costume, over the years
her story origin has changed. Fetishism is the ingredient in Catwoman’s
costume of plunging necklines, and cleaving cat suits all leaving little
to the imagination. She is best known to her portrayals by Julie Newmar,
Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt in TV’s campy BATMAN as well as Michelle
Pfeiffer in the film BATMAN RETURNS. The cat suit has long been
identified with dominatrix are associated paraphernalia such as whip,
gloves and high-heel shoes.
THE ARMORED
BODY
There are 2 types
of superheroes: the super powered hero (Superman), and the non super
powered hero (Batman). Batman, created 11 months after Superman by
artist Bob Kane, he was a combo of several characters: the Bat, Zorro,
Dracula, the Shadow and the Phantom. Batman honed his mind and trained
his body to enable him to have superior human abilities. Through
military discipline, he turned himself into a fighting machine armored
with an arsenal of crime fighting gadgets encased in his utility belt
all of which were nonlethal with respect to Batman’s young audience. The
designs of his armory had a bat motif. The Adam West TV Batman of the
1960’s played the character for farce and camp style humor. Batman’s
costume was padded, with a bat symbol on his chest. Styled after
Superman’s costume, Batman’s attire was comprised of unitard, trunks,
gloves, boots cowl, and belt. Like a bat, Batman emerges mostly
nocturnally to thwart crime.
Another non-super
powered superhero is IRON MAN. As a product of the Vietnamese War, Stan
Lee’s character (Tony Stark) is linked to munitions manufacturing in
Vietnam and oversees experiments of his miniaturized transistors which
is capable of “solving the problems in Vietnam.” Tony is captured by the
Viet Cong after a booby trap lodges pieces of shrapnel near his heart.
His captors, after finding out that he is an inventor, trick him into
designing weapons in exchange for a false promise to remove the
shrapnel. Instead, he builds a suit of armor with a pacemaker. This
transforms Tony Stark into a machine. Iron Man serves as a metaphor for
our fears, human weaknesses, limitations and vulnerabilities. He acts as
a cross between a body and technology with technology quickly taking
over. Iron Man’s armored body is comprised of muscle, metal, skin and
chromium to create a hybrid of body and machine. Recently, I watched the
Robert Downey, Jr. movie IRON MAN and thoroughly enjoyed the film which
was my first introduction to the character. Downey was in top buff
shape which enhanced the Rebecca Bentjen and Laura Jean Shannon costume.
Somehow, I feel a sequel coming on.
THE
AERO-DYNAMIC BODY
Power is key to
the superhero. THE FLASH (created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry
Lampert) possesses super speed with the abilities to talk, think, act
and run faster than any human being. The Flash can also use his speed to
produce other effects such as time travel, whirlwinds, invisibility,
intangibility and appearing to be in more than one place at a time. Four
different characters have assumed the role of the Flash since his 1940
comic strip birth. Each character brought a different look. In the 1990
RV series (starring John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen, the second
incarnation of the Flash), wore a sleek, scarlet bodysuit that has
become the character’s trademark. Allen was a police scientist who
attained his power when a lightning bolt hit a rack of chemicals in his
lab dousing him with an electrified mix solution. Through advances in
clothing technology, the gap between fictional superheroes and real-life
superheroes is narrowing. Bodysuits designed by Muscle Suit, Mike’s
Swift Suit, and Speedo’s are aerodynamic solutions to passive drag that
are made from super stretch fabrics that mold to the body like a second
skin and rely on seaming and surfacing to decrease friction and increase
velocity which allows the wearer to reach speeds of more than 200 mph.
THE MUTANT
BODY
Mutant superheroes
embody the agonies of their existence. Like the X-Men, mutants are
genetic accidents being the results of increased radiation that caused
them to display bizarre and grotesque physical characteristics. They are
viewed as a danger to humanity and are feared and reviled by society.
Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, 1963, the comic THE
X-MEN is not only their code name but is also a reference to the X gene
that caused the mutation and to Professor Charles Xavier (Professor X)
who founded the team. The professor teaches the team how to protect
themselves against a world of fear, hatred and persecution. Together,
they are a surrogate family. The theme of the X-MEN was revamped in the
1970s making them diverse racially and ethnically which is reflected in
their outfits: a Cyclops, an Apache with super speed (Thunderbird), a
German teleporter (Nightcrawler), Japanese with solar radiation powers (Sunfire),
an African with power over the weather (Storm), an Irish ex-villian with
powerful “sonic scream” (Banshee), a Russian who could transform his
body into “living steel” (Colossus), and a Canadian with skeletal
structure and retractable claws (Wolverine). They are symbols of those
who face discrimination and isolation. Like fashion, the mutant body
celebrates diversity, difference and distinction. There is beauty in
their differences.
THE
POST-MODERN BODY
During the 1980s,
most of DC’s superheroes, including Batman and Superman, were given a
makeover. This was to simplify their histories and eliminate
inconsistencies from their past stories. In the Batman comic: THE DARK
KNIGHT RETURNS and WATCHMEN both can stand alone as graphic novels of
grim and gritty guys with a gun. Both works are attempts to elevate the
cultural prestige of comic books. The hero in WATCHMEN, Rorschach, is
portrayed as essentially a psychotic. He is a vigilante superhero
without superpowers but he lacks any kind of veneer of glamour. Alter
ego Walter Kovas lives in filth. His mother was a prostitute who abused
him. She died when her pimp forced her to drink Drano. Rorschach is
known for his strong body odor and disheveled appearance. His costume
consists of a trench coat with some missing buttons, a latex mask with a
Rorschach inkblot pattern made from the fabric of a dress that a young
woman ordered from his factory but decided not to purchase it. He
believes that the woman has been murdered in a sexual assault which
fuels his resolve to avenge the powerless victims of crime. He has no
qualms in killing people and will even break their fingers one by one in
order to make them talk.
The Post Modern
Body of both fiction and fashion are the darker terrors of our
contemporary world. Now I realize that there’s more to a super hero than
just fashion and fantasy.
January 2009
The
Other Side(s) of Phyllis Coates
By Scoop Schnitzer
The super powers from a far off galaxy
asked me to cover the upcoming first NYC Phyllis Coates event May 24 -
25, 2008. So, I have decided to do some investigative reporting on her
career life. Yes Gypsy Anne Evarts Stell of Wichita Falls, Texas (Aka
Phyllis Coates) played other characters, after assuming the
hard-hitting, no nonsense, blood-curdling screamer (whenever in danger)
persona of Lois Lane (the first year of TAOS). My self appointed
assignment is to "scoop out" the other side of Phyllis Coates.
TV -- TERRY AND THE PIRATES -
Green God - 1953 - This TV
adventure/drama series was based on Milton Caniff's popular comic strip
('34) and radio series. It came to TV from June 26 - November 21 '53
concerning Terry and his cold-war adventures. In the TV series, Colonel
Terry Lee (John Baer) heads to the Far East to locate a gold mine
he inherited from his grandfather. Once in the Orient, Lee becomes a
pilot with Air Cathay, a cargo and passenger airline owned and operated
by the cunning Chopstick Joe (TAOS alumni Jack Reitzen), who is not
always honest. His friend and co-pilot is Charles C. Charles, aka
Hotshot Charlie (William Tracy). In a wonderfully strange and eerie
twist of TV fate, the background music is the same as the melodramatic
background music in the first year of TAOS. So it is befitting that
Phyllis Coates emerges as a very honey-dripping southern belle named
Georgia Pedigrow (later referred to as Georgia Peach). Georgia charms
the men folk with her "I declare" and "poor little me" talk because
she's been standardized in Linpon and needs Terry's plane out. This
femme fatale is NOT so innocent, NOT so helpless nor southern but
involved in a plot to steal a priceless black pearl necklace from the
Canton Museum. With the $125,000 that she will get from the necklace,
she will open up her own nightclub. Yes, Georgia can shoot as well as
sing and dance (though none of this is ever shown—we just know that she
can). Even as a criminal, Georgia is so beguiling that the pilot ends
the episode with referring to her as "You're a naughty beautiful thing,
you" and Phyllis Coates is just that—and more.
TV—THE WAY OF LIFE ON THE
BATTLEFIELDS OF THE SOUL—1955
- With the assistance of "faith, hope, and
conscience" this TV program dealt with the spiritual dilemmas of modern
life. The uplifting show was narrated by a minister. In the episode
SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY a middle-aged man (Richard Denning as a very
ancient looking 50), is filled with regret for the many missed chances
in his life. Riding on the train on the way to work, his guardian angel
window image gives him an opportunity to relive those moments with
decidedly different outcomes. Phyllis Coates plays his mother, Grace, in
the segment of when young Donald decides to play hooky, for the first
time, from school. Brunette Phyllis portrays Grace as a very caring and
concerned mom. She sends him off to school everyday, tending to him and
reminding him of the things that he needs to do in order to "get off to
a good day's start!" One day, the rambunctious rascal decides to go
fishing instead and doesn't come home from school. An uncredited Maudie
Prickett (from Phyllis' year on TAOS) plays the maid who tries to calm
down a most hysterical Grace. Grace is convinced that her son has been
kidnapped. After he is brought home by the police, she is afraid that
young Donald will get lockjaw because he stepped on a rusty nail as he
was fleeing the game warden and truant officer. She sobs aloud CALL
THE DOCTOR, CALL THE DOCTOR. Grace is overprotective of the boy
especially when dad decides to put to good use the fishing rod in giving
the boy an old fashioned spanking.
*TV—THE
UNTOUCHABLES—"AIN'T WE GOT FUN" (1959) -
This series was based on the life of real
treasury department gangbuster Eliot Ness (Robert Stack), who played an
important part in stopping the power of the notorious Al Capone in 1931
Chicago. The Ness autobiography served as the basis of a two-part
semi-documentary dramatization of the Capone affair. It was such a huge
hit that it was turned into a regular series the next fall. The show
followed Ness and his small band of incorruptible agents (called the
"Untouchables" by a Chicago newspaper) as they battled organized crime.
Ness had in real life disbanded the Untouchables after cracking the
Capone case, and had nothing to do with most of the cases dramatized on
TV. The estate of Al Capone sued the show for $1 million, not for
inaccuracy, but for using the Capone name and likeness for profit. In
this episode, the end of prohibition is less than a year away and the
gangsters are starting to look for other avenues to keep their criminal
activity alive, columnist Walter Winchell informs us (he got paid
$25,000 per episode) in the opening narrative. Crime now is centered on
such things as "the numbers racket, call girls, gambling and dope." This
story takes place in early 1933, involving "Big Jim" Harrington (Ted de
Corsica) who still wants to control the liquor business and take over
the speak-easies using strong-armed methods. Comic Johnny Paycheck
(Cameron Mitchell ) plays both ends of the emotional spectrum, funny to
serious, as his mentor and nightclub owner Benny Hoff is "accidentally"
run over by Big Jim's hired hit in order to "release" Johnny from his
nightclub gig so that he can work for Big Jim. At the conclusion,
Harrington and his gang were apprehended by Ness and the Untouchables
for the federal crime of operating a whisky still. The violence was a
police matter. Phyllis Coates (Renee Sullivan) never looked so sultry
(with ultra form fitting outfits) nor acted so alluringly evil, cunning,
nasty and sarcastic as Big Jim's lady. She's brutally honest with comic
Johnny on why she is two timing Big Jim for him. As far as she is
concerned, Johnny is just "another boy" in order to help Big Jim. If
young Jimmy Olsen could see what happened to this Lois Lane, he would
gulp and say "Golly MISS Lane ...." (* Thanks Bill of CT for the loaner
DVD).
INVASION USA 1952 - This movie actually
made me think. The catch phrase in the movie was "Let George Do It" when
it came to protecting our nation. Five people are sitting in a New York
City bar discussing the Red Menace of Communism (cold war of the '50s)
as they are watching the TV news. The mysterious Mr. Ohman, the
forecaster, (Dan O'Herily) swirls his brandy sifter hypnotizing them.
Then they watch the news that the nation is on alert as A-bombs are
crashing down on our nation. The five rush off to various sections of
the country to do their part to stop the invasion of the Russians who
parachute on the USA and take over various key industries and
government. Stock footage and models are shown to show mass destruction.
One by one, each meets a sad fate in an attempt to avoid the start of
WWIII. Out of hypothesis, everyone at the bar realizes that these events
did not happen, YET—but it's up to each and everyone to NOT let George
do it—but to save our nation individually. Noteworthy performances are
those of Peggie Castle (as rich debutante Carla Sanford) who learns the
real value of life and love with newscaster Vince Potter (Gerald Mohr);
character actor William Schallert (dad on "The Patty Duke Show") as a
world newscaster broadcasting the end of the world; TAOS alumni Jack
Reitzen ("Tomb of Zaharan" and "Divide and Conquer") as the Russian
invader (uncredited); Noel Neill gives an earnest performance as the
Second Airline Ticket Agent who must turn people away, or put them on a
wait list, because they may no longer have homes to go to; and Phyllis
Coates (Mrs. Mulfory) a Boulder Colorado wife and mother, whose husband
taxis from the NYC bar to save his wife and children just as the bombed
dam bursts. Phyllis hangs on to her children for dear life, with crying
and screaming outbursts as the flood overtakes them.
Marshall
of Cedar Rock ( 1953) -
teams Phyllis (Martha Clarke - mmm.... Clark's Earth mom?) up
with TAOS alumni Robert Shayne (crooked John Harper impersonator) and
John Hamilton (the prison warden). Federal Marshal Allan "Rocky" Lane
(the voice of TV's Mr. Ed) attempts to prevent crooked railroad
agent/local tycoon Henry Mason (Roy Barcroft) from cheating Cedar Rock
ranchers out of their property while making a tidy profit. In order to
prove that the agent is also a murderer, the Marshal convinces the
prison warden (Hamilton) to let prisoner Bill Anderson (William Henry)
escape believing that he will lead him to Mason's gang and the evidence
he needs to bring the culprits to justice. But when railroad agent John
Harper is murdered, the innocent Bill Anderson is arrested for the
crime, Rocky gets suspicious. Anderson escapes from prison, and
immediately confronts Mason. But while Anderson has been kept under lock
and key, Mason has been doing some suspicious deals with a replacement
railroad agent (Roberty Shayne)! It's a conundrum for Rocky to sort out,
but his plucky willingness saves the day—and town. Of course John
Hamilton, is very firm and authoritative as the skeptical warden; Robert
Shayne is very clear, concise in his speaking with a very convincing
style. In shades of his Inspector Henderson character, though he is into
swindling he is NOT into murder and gets Henry Mason to confess. Phyllis
Coates is very loving, adoring and sweet to her Uncle Nugget and a firm
and faithful believer that friend Bill is NOT guilty.
Panther
Girl of the Kongo ( 1953) -
represents Republic's last-ditch attempt to keep its head above the
swampy waters of debt. Here, Phyllis is a photo reporter (Jean Evans) on
assignment in the Utanza African Village. Also known as the Panther Girl
of the Kongo, she is clad in a mini-skirt wraparound with bands of
leather crossing the top and bottom. This exact outfit allowed the
editors to mix this in with the 1941 "Jungle Girl" movie footage (with
swinging vine action that was shown several times). Even with this stock
footage, in close up Phyllis is quite limber, agile and athletic on her
elephant. In this 12 cliff hanging adventure, Jean encounters a fiendish
plot by diamond smugglers. Renegade Scientist Dr. Morgan (Arthur Space,
also a TAOS alumni as Mr. Jasper in THE SEVEN SOUVENIRS and STAR OF FATE
as Dr. Wilson) develops a fantastic growth hormone to create gigantic
claw monsters (for the seafood lover in us?) that keeps everyone busy
while the evil men loot the diamond mines (aided by henchmen Cass and
Rand). With the aid of hunter Larry Saunders (Myron Healey as a good
guy), Panther Girl combats giant crayfish, a gorilla wearing a body rug,
dry-skinned crocodiles, an off sound track, unrealistic rear
projections, near deadly attacks and explosions. Phyllis' knockout legs
help her run away from trouble as her screams frightens away danger.
Jean/Panther Girl/Phyllis is called Bwana (boss) lady by the natives
because she is always coolly in control and not afraid of danger.
THE
INCREDIBLE PETRIFIED WORLD (1959 ) -
Filmed at Colassal Cave, Tucson, AZ this is
the tale of four adventurers descend to the depths of the ocean when the
cable on their underwater diving bell snaps at 1,700 feet. The rest of
their expedition, believing them to be lost, abandons hope of finding
them. Exiting the diving bell, the party finds themselves in a network
of underwater caverns. They encounter a demented shipwrecked hermit
survivor (definitely suffering from a bad hair decade). He tells them he
has been there for 14 years and that there is no way out of this. The 4
explorers' relationships deteriorate as their hopes and confidence ebbs
away. Dale Marshall (Phyllis Coates) is a female reporter (yes, again
....) and is extremely bitter over her own failed life and relationship.
Here is her exchange with the other female of the expedition:
Dale Marshall
(Phyllis Coates): [to Lauri] You just listen to me, Miss Innocent.
There's nothing friendly between two females. There never was. There
never will be.
Lauri Talbott: (Sheila Noonan) Sorry you feel that way. I was
hoping we could help each other.
Dale Marshall: You don't need help - neither do I. Not as long as
we have two men around us.
Dale has much cause to scream when the
hermit puts the make on her "we can kill the others so that we can be
alone." Luckily, for her, he quickly meets his demise. On the surface,
Prof. Millard Wyman (John Carradine), the scientist who designed the
original diving bell, decides to try again to explore the depths of the
ocean. He finds out that there is another diving bell in existence that
is identical to the one that was lost and everyone is saved. Dale
apologizes to Lauri for her behavior and says that it's a new life and a
new start for all of them. Except for Phyllis and John Carradine, most
of the actors appear to be reading their lines instead of acting them.
The reptiles don't fare much better.
I know that I fared much better for
knowing of the versatility and talent of Gypsy. Aside from her trademark
scream, Phyllis Coates' acting roles were very far removed from her Lois
Lane persona.
September 2008
SATURDAY IN NYC WITH THE
SUPER FRIENDS
(The
Adventures of Steve Brant, Mathew McCue, Rachel Nesser and Susan
Schnitzer in the Big Apple)
By Susan Schnitzer
It
was nothing but blue and clear skies as the SUPER FRIENDS embarked on
Saturday, August 9, 2008 to see the sights of the Big Apple. Traveling
on the NJ Transit train to NYC’s Penn Station and hitting the pavement
with Math, I was amazed at how friendly many passerby’s and taxi drivers
were to me as they smiled and nodded at me. At first I thought that it
was my winning smile that attracted their attention until I realized
that it was the very oversized Metropolis, IL SUPERGIRL tank top that I
was wearing. Though we had never met in person, meeting Steve Brant on
the corner of 34th and 5th avenue was like having
a family reunion (we also dressed alike, which helped us recognize one
another).
Our
first venture was to the 86th floor of the observation deck
of the Empire State Building. Whether we were anticipating “King Kong”
carrying a scantily clad Fay Wray, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan falling in
love in “Sleepless in Seattle” or having “An Affair to Remember” with
Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr (though Deborah’s character was in an
accident and never got to the rendezvous point) we were ready to wait in
the long and wounding lines to the elevator’s 86th floor of
the observation deck. This took about an hour. While waiting on line,
we passed the time by hitting upon our “billion dollar business idea!!!”
Because thin people weigh less, less fuel would be needed for their
flights passing the savings on to them. This weightless approach would
encourage people to lose weight who were traveling by air. This venture
would be called “Thin Air Airline.” Since the airlines are all very
weight conscious these days, we assured ourselves that this would be a
winner (of course the thin air must have prompted us to come up with
this idea and take the weight out of waiting)!!! Once on the 86th
floor of the observation deck, the visibility was 15 miles and the wind
was to a minimum. We probably learned about 3 languages as the tourists
(whether we asked them to take
photos for us or the other way around) were from all over. Matt was most
interested in viewing the Flat Iron’s Building with his 15 x
image-stabilized binoculars that contained special electronics to
create a very steady image; copper topped buildings and seaport area.
Looking south from the Empire State Building, Matt was surprised to see
a large skyline on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.
Steve and I
enjoyed seeing a tiny piper plane toting an ad for
a high-speed Internet service (Verizon's FiOS)
that was easier to view with
Math’s binoculars, the MACY*S advertising logo on a building and we
cramped our necks to look up at the 102nd floor observation
deck.
Then we taxied
over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Rachel quickly, and
gleefully, skipped over to greet us in front of the building. Since
security wouldn’t allow us to bring in our own food (“bugs” they said),
we ate AL FRESCO by the outside fountain as we watched and listened to
DOO WOP street singers. Matt gave half of his museum support money ($10)
to these young talents.
Unfortunately, we
weren’t allowed to take photos inside the SUPERHERO costume museum, so
(course) Rachel and I bought the $30 paperback book located at the very
convenient gift shop. (When I do read the book and research
additional materials, I will give a full review in a future write up).
The exhibit was supported by fashion designer Giorgio Armani and
Conde Naste publications. There was no extra charge for the exhibit, but
still—I wished there was more to it. What there was to it was most
entertaining. As we entered the exhibit, we were greeted by a film clip
of Clark Kent (with Steve Kirk’s facial features) morphing into
Superman. The exhibit centered around, mostly, modern super hero
costumes with Alex Ross artistic backdrops. Alongside the actual movie
costumes, were stylized high-fashioned European runway model versions of
the outfits (the models must have had many sessions with their personal
trainers and dieticians). The exhibit was broken down into these
sections: THE GRAPHIC BODY, THE PATRIOTIC BODY, THE VIRILE BODY, THE
PARADOXIAL BODY, THE ARMORED BODY, THE AERO-DYNAMIC BODY, THE MUTANT
BODY and THE POST-MODERN BODY.
Afterwards,
we quickly toured the other bronze statue exhibits of the main floor
before deciding to go outside to walk around Central Park. What a
glorious day it was on the green for bikers and joggers (I think we
crossed paths with several marathons) and picnickers.
We helped a group score points
in a treasure hunt for the birthday “boy” (actually a young adult) of
the group. They took pictures of, Steve, Rachel and yours truly who were
in our Superman shirts to prove their find of people who were unusually
dressed (well, we THOUGHT that we looked “usual”). They also asked if we
knew any dirty jokes (which was also on their check list), but being
clean thinking individuals, we just drew blanks, smiled and moved on.
Briskly we walked over to see
Cleopatra’s Needle (the Obelisk). I do recall seeing a sister of
this needle alongside London’s Thames River once upon a time. The third
needle is in Paris, so this is part of a trio. In 1869, the Khedive of
Egypt formally gave this obelisk to the US in the hopes of cultivating
trade relations. The obelisk was erected in Central Park on
January 22,
1881. The move took a decade to
complete. The 244-ton granite needle was first shifted from vertical to
horizontal from Alexandria, and then put into the hold of the
decommissioned steamship Dessoug, across the Mediterranean Sea, then
over the storm-tossed Atlantic Ocean without stop. The obelisk's base
rode on the deck at the stern. It took four months just to bring it from
the banks of the Hudson River to Staten Island, finally arriving on
20 July
1880. The final leg of the
journey was made across a specially built trestle bridge from Fifth
Avenue to its new home on Greywacke Knoll; just across the drive from
the then recently built
Metropolitan Museum of Art. At
its base are four 900-pounds, 19th-century bronze replicas of crabs,
which were first placed there by the Romans and are on display in the
Met. At 3,600 years old, some sides show more signs of aging and
weathering than other sides (truly, I know the feeling...) At the four
corner stones of the monument are translations of the obelisk that are
no longer evident on the stone due to erosion.
Continuing our walking tour of the
Park, we ventured forth to the conservancy where atop the hill is the
Belvedere Castle. The Castle rises out of Vista Rock and is the
second highest natural elevation in the Park. The castle is an
architect’s dream providing beautiful views of the Park and the city. We
were able to look down to the Delacorte Theater (where the plays HAMLET
and HAIR are featured); to the Great Lawn (home of many free outdoor
rock concerts); and an abundance of lawns for all to enjoy. Inside the
Castle are displays that show how naturalists observe the world. Ever
hear the phrase on the news “The temperature in Central Park is ….?”
Well, this info comes from meteorological instruments located at the
Castle. The U. S. Weather Bureau has collected data at this site since
1919.
Our last stop in Central Park was the
Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater which was not opened, but currently
featured performances of “Jack and the Beanstalk.” To end our event
filled day, we had a nice dinner at a Greek diner on Columbus Avenue
near where Steve grew up. Going down memory lane, Steve pointed out the
candy store where he had bought his first comic books as a child. The
store was now vacant and maybe deserved to be a candy store once again
having been several other types of stores in the intervening years. The
“kid” of our group, Rachel, said that she fell in love with George
Reeves by watching TAOS on NICK AT NITE years ago. From then on, her
interests blossomed to other Superman related areas. Her family doesn’t
share her interest (but WE do)!
What other adventures will the SUPER
FRIENDS be up to next? Stay tuned to this website, to this writer.
Check out the video:
YouTube - Superfriends Visit NYC
August 2008
The
Travels of the
MARVELOUS METROPOLIS SUPER TEAM
Rachel Nesser, Matthew
McCue and Susan Schnitzer
June
12—15, 2008
As I was putting
together my Metropolis, IL scrapbook the other day (yes, I saved every
receipt, bill, pertinent email, AAA triptik, brochures, as well as
Rachel’s well planned, organized and outlined itinerary which we “tried”
to follow) a flood of wonderful memories came back to me! I looked at my
travel log, photos as well as various memorabilia and realized, NO—it
wasn’t a dream, but a reality that had been in the planning stages for
6 months. So my article will take the form of my travel log
(along with some brochure research info, enrichments and valuable input
from my travel team):
According
to background history, the city of Metropolis,
Illinois, as of the 2000 census,
had a population of 6,482. On January 21, 1972 DC Comics declared
Metropolis "Hometown of
Superman".
On June 9, 1972 the Illinois State Legislature passed Resolution # 572,
which
declared Metropolis the
"Adopted Hometown of
Superman,"
the comic book superhero (also known as a distinguished “Son of
Metropolis”) who is based in the
fictional city
of Metropolis. Among the ways it
celebrates the character are a large 15-foot bronze Superman statue
standing proudly in the town square, a small Superman museum, and an
annual June Superman festival. Also, it has a local newspaper, known as
The Metropolis Planet, a name inspired by the newspaper in fictional
Metropolis, The Daily Planet. Metropolis is also home to Harrah's
Metropolis Casino/Hotel, a riverboat casino frequented by visitors from
around the region, making tourism one of the city's largest industries.
This year marked several special occasions: the 30th anniversary of the
Superman celebration, the 70th year since Superman first made his
appearance in the comics and, happily, the 60th anniversary of Noel
Neill’s first portrayal of “Lois Lane”. These events are used to
promote the general welfare of the Metropolis Community. The small town
atmosphere was very befitting for this 30th anniversary. We felt like we
truly belonged here and were returning to our own hometown.
Day 1 –
Thursday, June 12, 2008
What a rush it
was, the morning of the day before my trip, to have a pop up American
Airline reminder that my boarding pass was ready to be printed out on my
computer. It was obvious that this trip was MEANT TO BE and that
everything would be “smooth sailing”…or flying in my case. At La Guardia
Airport, the staff was most helpful in helping me find my way. I was
allowed to bring on my suitcase (along with my carry on and purse), I
sat next to a most delightful and charming gentleman lawyer from
Connecticut who was doing litigation in Tennessee. He was amazed at my
Superman and general movie trivia (well, since he wasn’t into it--at
least I SOUNDED impressive). This was my first time traveling “solo” but
everyone made me feel at ease. The flight was so fast and smooth that
before I realized it, we were touching down at the BNA Airport in
Nashville, Tennessee.
As planned, Rachel
and Matt met me (they traveled together from Newark via Continental
Airlines) at the Hertz Rent a car at the bottom deck. I had
several coupons (the bargain hunter that I am) which helped us save $60
on the car. With Matt at the helm, we were guided by my preprogrammed
GPS (and Rachel kept track with AAA’s triptik print out) that took us
straight to the Baymont Hotel in Metropolis, Illinois.
We settled in to
the Baymont, a hour ahead of schedule and found out that our hotel rooms
were $50 cheaper than our original quoted price (Am I on the “Price is
Right” or what?). The rooms were very cozy and roomy (especially for 2
women sharing one bathroom). Boy, but was it HOT, HOT, HOT and sticky as
we walked over to the Harrah’s Casino to have some lunch. The corridors
were very glitzy as we were escorted by personnel to the snack bar.
Along the way, we passed by great vintage slot machines, used in a
bygone era, which Matt took special interest in. As we sat and ate,
every 15 minutes an alarm would go off in the casino announcing that
someone had won a jackpot!
We walked into
town for the 5:00 pm Opening Ceremony in Superman Square. We were ALL
treated to our
first
time seeing new Superman Josh Boultinghouse in full costume and
character as he had numerous photo op
portunities
with fans of all ages (causing a town heat wave !). There were also
several funny superheroes around and the Lois Lane of the town
(Stephanie Perrin) who asked “important” questions of the day. During
our visit, there were people dressed (all ages, shapes and sizes) in a
variety of superhero costumes.
Strolling back to the hotel, we literally bumped into General Zod
himself (dressed as the smiling and unassuming Steven Kirk).
In the lobby of
our hotel, the TV was playing the current season of SMALLVILLE. Rachel
astounded me with her wealth of information and knowledge on the show.
She couldn’t wait to meet and greet Allison Mack—“Chloe” of the show.
Day 2- Friday,
June 13, 2008
Back in town early
on our second day, to pick up tickets for the night’s 1940s ball, we
went to the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce. Along the way, we met and
spoke with Jamie Aaron Kelly (the runner up Superman) and his lovely
fiancée, Ronda who were dressed as Dean Cain’s Clark Kent and Lois Lane,
respectively.
Then we dashed
afoot, with our Payless walking shoes, to the Metropolis Sports Park for
the 10 am “Superman’s Fan Baseball Game.” It was the Smallville Meteors
(with Steven Kirk) vs. the Metropolis Marvels (with Larry Ward). All
players were asked to sign a “release” to ensure that the town would not
be held responsible against the velocity of those super pitches…or so I
gathered. In the playing fields were Stephanie (Lois Lane) Perrin and
several people who we had seen in town previously. It was the 7th
year that a mother and her grown daughter (with husband now added) had
traveled to this event by car from Michigan. Noel Neill was under the
weather and not available to throw out the first ball nor was Rich
Potter to lead us in the singing of the National Anthem. Larry Ward did
the first pitch honor right after us spectators stood to lend our
singing talents to our own version of the National Anthem.
We hung around
just long enough to watch Steven fall “in style” (doing a roll and
tuck), “run Larry run” and seeing “Bat Boy” Gary take a swing. Rachel is
a graphic designer at a company in Morristown, NJ so our next stop was
the “Artist’s Alley Opens” to speak with Marc Tyler Nobleman and put
ourselves on his email waiting list for his upcoming book “Boys of
Steel: The Creators of Superman” about Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and
the dynasty that followed. Marc was also staying at our hotel (probably
with most of everyone else) and held the door open for us
the day before. Also at the “Open” were Michael Eury, writer of “The
Krypton Companion” which I bought (mmmmm…is this a segue way for 2 more
future “Just Say Sue” articles?) and Lonnie Cruse (Metropolis Mystery
novels).
Then our Super
Team went to the “Superman Museum.” All of us were in total “aweeeeee...”
as we mused that if we should “accidentally” get locked inside overnight
that we would be surrounded by everything connected with Superman
(especially George Reeves!). My digital photos just did NOT do it
justice (my excited hands were shaking too much). My favorite was the
Daily
Planet’s replica office.
Rachel loved the “Lois and Clark” section as we were looking over Teri
(Lois Lane) Hatcher’s outfits in the series. Adjacent to the museum is
the Superman Gift Store where everything was quite affordable! Jim
Hambrick’s brother, Kevin, runs everything. There’s so much in the
museum that it could easily be made into another one. Way to go Jim!
Then we went to a
“Q&A” session, under the main tent, of writers Marc Tyler Nobleman,
Michael Eury and Josh Elder (“Mail Order Ninja”). I recently sent Marc
my 2 photos of him speaking with the others at this session. Lo and
behold, he used it on his website (and even gave me credit for it!).
Rachel stayed in
the store as Matt and I ventured forth to the “Americana Hollywood
Museum” (above) which is “normally” several minutes away on foot.
However, as we walked down the street, a sudden rain monsoon swept over
and all around us. Math’s shoes were Paymore to my Payless so he was
more than a bit concerned. We walked along side a financial building
when we heard a tap on a window as the employees were signaling us to
come in and stay dry. When the storm let up a bit, we thanked everyone
and walked down the street only to have the storm meet up with us again
(at this point we were about to sing “Laughter in the Rain”). This time,
we were alongside a drive in bank. A woman in a car, with a small child,
opened up her window and handed us her umbrella to use, “Here, I don’t
need it anyway”! In front of the museum, was a large green Kryptonite
rock. Inside the gates were an assortment of farm animals and a mini
pony who didn’t know enough to get out of the rain. Inside the museum
were exhibits dedicated to the memories of: Elvis Presley, Marilyn
Monroe, Betty Boop, John Wayne, James Dean, Jimi Hendrix, various
western heroes and a gift store bigger than any yard sale that I’ve ever
seen. Matt got a c-phone call from Rachel saying that the rain had let
up; she was pleasantly stuck in the
Superman
Museum Store as her 4:00 Q &A with Marc Tyler Nobleman was cancelled due
to the rain and she was on her way to find us. Then we sloshed back to
the casino where, in a conference room, was an in-progress press
conference with Noel Neill, Ned Beatty and Superman Josh. Rachel laughed
as she recalled that Josh was right behind her in the rain, carrying an
umbrella, and yet got to the conference room before her. Of course being
Superman, and having a car waiting, probably helped! We didn’t want to
disturb the conference, so we left.
Then we went back
to the hotel to get our glad rags on for the “1940’s Hollywood Ball” at
the Baymont Theater (actually, I cheated by wearing a vintage purple
gown borrowed from a NJ community theater). It truly was a tribute to
the lovely Noel Neill, who was given a special award for her 60 years of
being our Lois Lane and for doing so much for Metropolis (she was
adorable in her pink beaded gown). The Jerry Ford Orchestra played brass
and sax tunes of the era to help celebrate the evening. Larry Blakely
spoke as a special friend to Noel Neill. Noel Neill’s publicist and
friend, Larry Ward, gave humorous accounts of Noel’s pixyish sense of
humor. Then most of the audience (male and female separately) paraded
around for the 1940s costume contest. Honestly, I think that 2-year-old
Chloe, hopping and dancing around in her little sailor dress, should
have won first prize. Instead, both male and female prizes ($100 each)
went to a couple dressed in army uniforms. I even got to slow dance with
the famed Steven Kirk. Matt and I joined in the YMCA dance line. The
night was topped off with refreshing fruit and vegetable platters with
cheese and crackers and several Noel Neill anniversary cakes.
Day 3 –
Saturday 6/14/08
We went back to
town square where we met up with Danny Kelley and his beautiful wife
Heather (I felt flabby next to her). Perhaps because we were inundated
with super “hunks” I kept on confusing Danny with Jamie Aaron Kelly,
though they look nothing alike—but they shared the same last name (and
are both stud muffins). Danny and Heather work out together and have 2
small children. Both Danny and Heather had enough costume changes to
fill their own museum! Jim Hambrick was busy flitting around from event
to event. Rachel and I waited on a very long, however organized,
autograph signing line at the Chamber of Commerce. Our “B” line tickets
were picked up the day before. Today, we were waiting on line to
get
autographs from Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan of Smallville) and
Ned Beatty (Otis in Superman, the Movie). I asked Mr. Beatty what
was his favorite movie that he was in and he answered that he loves
working with kids so it was a kids movie with a blind dog (he didn’t
remember the name of the movie and I couldn’t find it in my research).
Perky Allison smiled when I asked her how she managed to stay 12
forever. She said that she was in a reverse time warp. Rachel thanked
Allison for continuing with Smallville for its upcoming 8th
season. On line for the autograph signing, I met some people who I met
at the last Phyllis Coates NYC convention. One young gentleman even
tried to sneak in ahead of me on line to take pictures of Allison and
Ned through the glass door. Of course, he would have been tarred and
feathered if he got in the door before us!
Immediately
afterwards, there was a Q & A session at the main tent with Noel Neill,
Ned Beatty and Allison Mack for which we weren’t able to get in (SRO).
So we listened to the proceedings at an outdoor picnic table with other
fans. The event was cut short because a woman in the audience had a
seizure. Thankfully, the paramedics were outside the tent and were able
to take her to the hospital. The woman’s young daughter was comforted by
one of the Supermen in the crowd (Jason, I believe); she wanted to stay
with the super hero instead of attending to her mother in the hospital.
Awaiting the next
Artist’s Alley Q & A, we saw an ongoing newsreel starring Muley and
Mule, General Zod Kirk and other characters. The next talk was given by
Lin Workman, Kevin Williams, Antone and Janet Wade who all work on Muley
adventures.
Then
it was time to get ready for the 13th Annual Superman
Celebration Auction at the Baymont Theater. This time the attire was
more casual. The auction preview began at 5 pm, dinner at 6 pm, followed
by the ceremony and awards presentation at 7 pm. The auction began at 8
pm. The bidding on items was from $1 to $5,000 plus. The MC for the
evening was Steven “Booming Voice” Kirk.
According to Math:
“At last week's Superman auction in Metropolis, a Christopher Reeve
Superman cape fetched $2,200—more than any other item. I think it came
with a certificate of authenticity and it was signed by many members of
the movie's cast.”
Matt also told me
about an item, said to be George Reeve’s most prized possession, that
was auctioned off after Rachel and I had left for the night. It was a
copy of a document purchased from the Pope that would free Reeves from
his sins if he couldn't go to confession before he died.
The Super
characters in town attended and were dressed down to some extent. Super
Josh wore form fitting jeans (is there any other kind on him?) and a
black Superman embossed t-shirt. When I went to get my picture taken
with Super Josh, of course the battery wore out and had to be changed
(do you blame it?). Helping out Steven on stage were Jamie Aaron Kelly
(aka Dean Cain’s Clark Kent with gal pal Ronda aka Lois Lane). Much of
the bidding “wars” was fun packed!
We sat next to
Jason and his wife at the auction. I remember seeing Jason proudly
walking through the town streets dressed in his “Superman Returns”
costume, with his plain clothed wife right beside him. I told him that
he looked about 12. His beaming wife laughed and said they have 1
teenage child and 2 younger children and people “think” that he is child
# 4. Jason has been working out for this event for months in order to
get his Superman costume to fit—but now his dress suit is several sizes
too big.
Awards were
presented to: Heather and Danny Kelley, Steven Kirk, Jamie Aaron Kelly
and Josh Boultinghouse. The Noel Award went to Stephanie Perrin; and the
George Award went to: Steven Younis (from the Superman Homepage).
(Mini) Day 4 –
Sunday 6/15/08
As we were having
breakfast, right before we left our grand time in Metropolis, “Jimmy
Olsen” was in the hotel’s cafeteria. We asked him to join us. Matthew is
from Australia and attended the auction and bid/got the George Reeves
signature poster. He told us of his coming to Metropolis the week before
(a 39-hour trip to San Francisco with other stopovers in the states). He
was hopeful that he would win the $1,000 prize money to pay for the
trip. As we spoke he remarked that I looked like Dean Cain’s TV mom (K.
Callan) with my glasses and short blonde hair and would be great if
there ever was a contest for her.
Rachel’s
Take:
I'm a bit
depressed now to be back in "reality"—post-Superman Celebration
depression has set in. But I agree—it was a great weekend in
Metropolis, and I'm SO glad we were together to share it, and I'd do it
all again in a heartbeat! I had a SUPER time, and I want to say thanks
again for everything! You were a great roomie too, Sue. We three are a
super team indeed...and maybe we'll get together again sometime soon and
meet in NYC to see the Superhero costume exhibit at the Met Museum. That
would be nice! I'm really missing Metropolis and all the fun we had at
the Superman Celebration...so much so that I'm seriously thinking about
attending the 2009 Celebration. If I do, I want to stay there through
the Sunday, and then leave to go back home on the Monday (instead of
leaving on the Sunday and missing out on the Sunday events like the
costume contest).
Math’s Take:
I had a swell
time. Bright, enthusiastic traveling companions; an
overwhelming Superman museum; friendly townsfolk; great architecture; 
a
glimpse into the city's glorious past; and a great collection of antique
slot machines. The paid evening events were top notch. And I got to
meet a sheep (first time ever). Nice fellow too. Where else but in
Metropolis could one go for a ride on a horse-driven carriage for $2? I
joined about five strangers for a twenty-minute ride from the Superman
statue to the riverfront (Harrah's Casino) and back. We passed an old
theater that had obviously been out of service for a long time but whose
prominent marquee suggested a glorious past. One of the passengers said
that she worked there as a cashier when in high school. She had moved
to Indiana with her now retired husband but returns to Metropolis to
visit her parents who still live there. We then passed a
large majestic bank that was no longer in use. A passenger explained
that this structure harkened back to the days when Metropolis was
a thriving manufacturing town. Indeed, this stretch of Metropolis did
have the charm and mystique of a ghost town. About a half-mile away
could be seen a railroad bridge crossing the Ohio River. There was a lot
of freight traffic on this bridge. I was told that trains had to slow
down to five miles an hour when crossing it because repairs were needed
on the tracks. The old post office and library are worth visiting for
their beautiful architecture, inside and out. There were many churches,
all apparently still in use. We were in the Bible belt.
Sue’s Summary:
When we checked
out of the hotel, I handed the umbrella to the hotel clerk to give to
someone else in need. She remarked “That’s good karma.” I believe we had
great karma in Metropolis. I also believe that there is great karma in
the works for Metropolis. Metropolis City Officials have announced a
major multi-million dollar riverfront development adjacent to Harrah's
Casino that will enliven and activate the Riverfront for the millions of
visitors to the Home of Superman. This development is going to be a
terrific opportunity for the City of Metropolis.
A life-size bronze
statue of Noel Neill will be officially unveiled at the 2009 Superman
Celebration where it will hold a place of honor near the Superman
Statue. Personalized bricks will be used on the base and walkway. What a
wonderful tribute for a wonderful woman.
July 2008
Phyllis Coates –An Honest Portrayal
By Susan Schnitzer
All geared up and trying to be an ace ‘Glasshouse’
reporter for the
CAPTAIN CELLULOID EXPO.
I showed up at 9:30 am on Saturday, May 24 with my ‘still
working’ tape recorder, various pens, note pads, folder, the jacket from
the DVD of the Phyllis Coates movie ‘Panther Girl of The Kongo.’
(Hopefully Phyllis would sign it), along with a compiled list of
questions for her to answer and my ‘Glass House’ article on some of her
movies. The vendors were still setting up. Bruce Dettman settled me in
and told me that I would be sitting next to Beverly Washburn. Phyllis
was running a little bit late.
At about 10:30 am, Phyllis came into the convention
assisted by Bruce into the room, all smiles and waving at everyone
saying how clean NYC was. Phyllis appeared smaller and fitter than her
web site pictures, but still I could see the traces of her much younger
self. The Saturday event was well attended, but that day was spent with
Beverly Washburn. I tried every so often, to jump in between the masses
of fans so that I could interview Phyllis but to no avail. Sunday is
another day.
Sunday, about midday, there was actually a low in
the crowds (some retuned from the previous day and even looked like they
slept in the same clothing. Finally, I got the opportunity to sit with
Phyllis (when I wasn’t asked to move by fans who wanted a photo with
her). The opportunity arrived to have a one on one interview as she
prefers.
SS: My
husband would like to know how you got to be named ‘Phyllis Coates?’
PC:
My real name is Gypsie Ann Everts Stell. I went for an interview
at Metro Goldwyn Mayer and Gale Getteman was the producer
out there who later became studio manager for Desilu. So he
said…what’s your name? (Laughing) At that time I had a thick accent. I
said in mock Texan accent, “My name is Gysie Ann Evarts Stell and I’m
from Odessa, Texas.” And his reply was, “Oh s__t!” “We can’t go with a
name like that!” HA! And he had a bunch of books on his desk. And he
went up and down. He said, “Coates, Coates.” “Phyllis.” Tell them your
name is ‘Phyllis Coates.” And I said, “Phyllis Coates –write it down for
me.” So he wrote it down and I went in to see this person and he asked
me, “What’s your name?” So, I had to pull out that piece of paper –
Phyllis Coates! And it stuck! I don’t like it. There’s a much better
name out there, but it stuck.
SS: You’re
from Texas, right? So how did you get rid of the accent?
PC:
Well, I went to college and talked with marbles in my mouth. The reason
why I talk so weird now is that I’ve got a retainer in my mouth. I’m
getting a tooth pulled for an implant. But I got rid of the Texan
accent. I’ve got a pretty good ear.
SS: Well,
that’s good. Do you sing also if you have a pretty good ear?
PC:
Ah…for my own amazement. I did a couple of USO shows and that kind of
thing, but I’m not a real singer.
SS: Did you
have a favorite Superman episode at all?
PC:
I cannot remember. They all ran together because we didn’t shoot in
sequence. I just liked working.
SS: So did
you like working with everybody?
PC:
In those days it was great. We shot out of the big studios where Gone
With The Wind was shot by Selznick. We had dressing rooms the
size of apartments. Wonderful! Everybody was friendly and helpful. We
could pick up the grip stuff. Somebody would say, “Hey Phyllis, carry
this OK!” “We’re changing, let George carry…” None of the stuff that
goes on today.
SS: So, you
have fond memories of working with George Reeves?
PC: Oh,
God! George and I were good friends. And I became a very good friend
with Toni [Mannix]
SS: Toni
Mannix, his girlfriend, yes.
PC: I
saw a lot of those party animals.
SS: So what
do you miss the most about George Reeves?
PC:
What do I miss about him…I don’t know quite how to answer that…People
were very attached to him, and some of them lived in a ‘Superman’ world.
But we were good friends. And I really liked him and Toni too.
SS: Maybe
there was just something about him. In other words, HOLLYWOODLAND
wasn’t accurate. That wasn’t George.
PC:
Oh, God! A piece of trash! Good actors, the actor who played Eddie, the
English actor Bob Hoskins. And Diane Lane is a very good
actress.
SS: Was she
close to the Toni Mannix character in life?
PC:
The whole story was awful, that’s why it didn’t make any money. Just a
big bag of crap.
SS: Have you
ever thought about if you would have stayed on for the duration of
‘Superman’ would you have done it over again if you had a choice knowing
now how popular it would have been?
PC:
No, I knew. George called me and he wanted me to come back on the show
and he said, ‘Look, you’re leaving at a bad time, residuals” and so on.
And I said, “George, I just don’t want to do it anymore.” In those days
we worked 6 days a week. He said, “No we’re going to change that.” Then
Whit Ellsworth called me and said, “Look, I’ll give you five
times your salary – just come back.” If you notice, George and I were
such good friends. He gave me equal billing in here…and I didn’t ask for
it. And somebody came in from Hays to see the credits…Well that was
George’s idea.
SS: So, if
you would have stayed on, was there anything you would have changed
about the Lois Lane character?
PC:
No, she was what she was.
SS: So, how
much of the Lois Lane character were you, how much Phyllis?
PC:
Well, I guess it was me. Because Bob Maxwell hired me and he
said, “You’re it!” He said you personify – you’re hired.
SS: Out of
how many other candidates were there?
PC:
Well, I think around 150 – 200 girls.
SS: Did you
think that you had the look or the attitude for it?
PC:
Ha, I think it was more of an attitude.
SS: A
definite attitude alright. Good. Do you think maybe that you were a role
model for other women today being Lois Lane?
PC:
Well, I’ve had women tell me that…I did a radio show and three women
called in (laughs) they had gone into the newspaper business, writing,
and I was, you know, their image. Well, I said if you done that, then
you are the real Lois Lane.
SS: Out of
all the men who have portrayed ‘Superman’ on TV and the movies, who
could be that ‘Superman’ today?
PC:
I can’t see anyone else other than George Reeves. He was the only
Superman. Although I say my favorite Lois Lane is Margot Kidder.
She was great. She was really good. Some friends took me to see
Superman The Movie. But George, he had his own thing.
SS: He was
just ‘it!” Yeah.
PC:
Yeah.
SS: Did
George ever talk to you about doing more projects like in Spain?
PC:
George came to see me. I was living up North Beverly Drive and he had
directed already a few of the Superman episodes and he had a script and
said, “Look, Eddie got me in the screen director’s guild.” “I’ve got a
script here – I want you to do the lead.” “Will you do the lead?” I
said, “Of course, but don’t leave the script with me now because I’m
moving and I’ll lose it or misplace it and get it back to me in a few
weeks after I’ve moved.” I wish I kept the script. It was a sci-fi.
SS: Do you
remember the name of the sci-fi?
PC: No I
don’t. You got to remember how many years ago that was.
SS: Was he
going to direct it or star in it?
PC:
He was going to direct it. He was in debt because Eddie got him into the
screen director’s guild. So he was going to direct and he already had a
few Superman episodes under his belt. So he figured…Yeah, he wanted me
to go on personal appearances with him. He’d call me to go…He said “kids
did terrible things to me.” They’d stick him in his rubber muscles.
SS: Do you
think that he felt demoralized or downgraded to be Superman?
PC:
In the beginning he did, yeah, in the beginning because television was
not accepted. You know he was a wonderful movie actor. He had done a lot
of good things and it sort of thinned out. In fact when I had met him
and he came to my set of my dressing room to come over to have
cocktails. He mixed us a martini and he just said, “Well, here’s to the
bottom of the barrel.” He had no idea.
SS: So now
you’re sitting here. You never thought that the show would be popular in
any way, nothing.
PC:
Well, I knew it was kind of a cartoon.
SS: Everyone
wants to ask, especially me, where did you learn to scream like that?
PC:
Scream?
SS: Yes,
scream. Anything special or was that just you?
At this time a fan was talking to Bruce Dettman
about the 1951 episode, Night of Terror where Phyllis gets decked
by actor Frank Richards.
Dettman:
It was a real punch. She missed her mark!
SS: Do you
remember that punch?
PC:
Aw, God!
Dettman:
Knocked her cold!
PC:
Knocked me out.
SS: Anything
serious from that?
PC:
Lee Sholem, they were all action people, you know, and we all
worked fast, and I missed my mark and the guy who knocked me out wept
after. Lee Sholem said, “Get her off the set, bring her to, bring
her back and let’s finish the shot and send her home before she starts
to swell.” And that’s what happened.
SS: Nothing,
no damage or anything?
PC:
He just knocked me out. The big heavy, he cried, he wept. I missed my
mark.
SS: Has that
ever happened before or since?
PC: Not
to me.
SS: I think
you learned your lesson! I was recently watching a movie, I don’t know
if you remember, a 1953 Marshall of Cedar Rock where you were
paired together again with John Hamilton and Bob Shayne.
Do you remember anything about that, and how it was to act with them
again?
PC:
I remember a few things about it.
SS: How about
other things you did after Superman.
PC:
I did a few Untouchables and I remember working with Ida
Lupino. God she was great. Then I remember doing Death Valley
Days or Wagon Train, where I worked with Burgess Meredith
and when you work with people like that…
SS: In what
way, because they were special or great?
PC:
Yeah. Great to work with and real professional. And I worked
with David Niven one time on a show that was shot out of
Republic and wonderful to work with.
SS: Were
there other times that you saw George Reeves?
PC: I
saw him when I was shooting I Was A Teenage Frankenstein. I think
it was on the studio at Santa Monica Boulevard, a little studio. I was
shocked because it was kind of a come down from the dressing rooms they
had me in. They looked like lean twos.
SS: Who did
you like better, Clark Kent or Superman as a character?
PC:
I never thought about it.
SS: How were
you directed as Lois?
PC:
If I laughed at something, the director would say “Oh, Lois wouldn’t
laugh that much. Or, “Lois didn’t smile that much.”
SS: What was
the spirit of George Reeves the last time you saw him? What was his
mood?
PC:
My God yes! He was so up, so high because he was going to direct.
SS: So out of
all the acting that you have done, what kind of acting parts do you
prefer?
PC:
Just good parts. I’d love to do a granny gone wrong.
SS: Granny!
Do you think that you could do it at this point in your life?
PC:
Oh, God, yes!
SS: As long
as you didn’t have to travel too much?
PC:
Traveling is too…
SS: Is there
a part that you wouldn’t want to do at all? Anything that you prefer the
least?
PC:
Well, Christmas I went and did with some professional actors in
Coalhead City, AZ…A politically correct ‘Scrooge.’
SS: So it was
dull then?
PC:
No, we made it crazy and it was fun.
SS: Do you
remember the name of it?
PC:
It was called, HoliDAZE.
SS: What was
your favorite role?
PC:
I liked doing the Eliot Ness stuff.
SS: The
Untouchables. You played the moll. I remember that – Ain’t We Got
Fun – I just saw that. Very sultry, very blonde, very trashy.
PC:
Yeah, those are the best kind. A whore with heart, the best part.
SS: In 1978
you were in a stage play with Bob Shayne called Never Too Late.
Do you remember how that experience was?
PC:
Yeah, we did it in Palms Springs. I’m friends with his family and with
Bart Williams. It was great, great.
SS: I know
that you have three children. So how did you manage to juggle acting and
your family?
PC:
It was difficult. It paid a price.
SS: So you
were the sole supporter most of the time in the family? You supported
them almost on your own?
PC:
Yes.
SS: Do you
prefer to act in comedies or dramas?
PC:
I like comedy because if you can play comedy, you can act.
SS: Do you
remember anything about working with Clayton Moore in The Lone
Ranger? Somebody said to me that you were in three episodes of that
show.
PC:
No, just that it was great to work with Clay and Jay
Silverheels. Good people.
SS: Do you
remember anything about working on Perry Mason? How was
Raymond Burr like to work with?
PC:
They were all nice.
SS: Now, you
were on The Adventures of Superman for a year. Would you ever do
another series?
PC:
Yeah, I did This Is Alice.
SS: When was
this?
PC:
In 1958 with Dick Wessel at Desilu studios. I did a pilot
with Bert Lahr. Sidney Sel directed it, but it didn’t
sell. Bert Lahr was wonderful. I should have brought my resume
because I did so much work.
SS: You were
in Lois And Clark as Lois’ mother correct?
PC: Right, I
did one episode. But I didn’t want to move back there.
SS: But how
was it like working with Terry and Dean?
PC: Everybody
was wonderful, what can I tell you?
SS: In what
way was it different or similar to…?
PC:
Oh, different my God! The budget, you wouldn’t believe the budget!
Wardrobe, the sets, Terry’s wardrobe – ah!!! The wardrobe, I couldn’t
get over it.
SS: How did
you feel about Dean Cain as Superman? Did you think he was
believable?
PC:
He’s a cute guy…Well…So…
SS: Thank you
Phyllis.
.JPG)
In my ‘Panther Girl of The Kongo’ DVD cover Phyllis
Coates wrote, ‘To Sue – What A Gathering.’ It surely was.
GHP thanks you Sue!
June 2008
NYC Collectors Show 2008
May 24 - 25 2008
Part I
Bubbly Beverly Washburn
By Susan Schnitzer
I was privileged to be
picked to be the veggie luncheon slice seated between Richard ("Oh
George") Potter (along with his gracious wife Grace) and Bubbly Beverly
Washburn (the little girl in Superman's "Mole Men" as well over 500
other movies and TV shows) during the 2 days of the convention.
Getting there before most of
the vendors at 9:30 am on Saturday, I nestled into my seat and took out
my tape recorder (falling apart at the seams but still working), note
pads and pens to await the events of the weekend. Bubbly Beverly bounced
in and we said our "hellos." At first, she didn't put out all of her
pictures because she thought that I was "somebody." I immediately put my
stuff underneath the table and explained that I am "a legend in my own
mind" and there to interview Phyllis Coates (to other people who
questioned who I was, I remarked "I came with the room"). Since we were
in the "flight path" of Phyllis Coates' adjacent table, we met and
received many grateful and adoring fans going her way. It was from
Beverly's exchange with her fans, that I learned about her remarkable
career/life (unfortunately, I didn't record any of it --- my notes are
in paraphrase) and the personalities that she encountered. For extended
information, I referred to Beverly's website and individual website
resources.
Jack Benny and Loretta Young
were Beverly's inspiration. Beverly played many roles on the Anthology
Series "The Loretta Young Show." On "THE NEW LORETTA YOUNG SHOW" Beverly
was a series regular as Loretta Young's daughter. With Jack Benny,
Beverly starred in "The Jack Benny TV Program," "The Jack Benny Radio
Program" and his LIVE ON TOUR. Contrary to his image, Jack was neither
cheap nor stingy.
A reporter came up to
Beverly from the "Bing Crosby Fan Club" and asked her questions about
the movie "Here Comes the Groom." In my research, I found a quote from
Beverly regarding her 1950 role with Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman:
Hello, I'm Beverly
Washburn. After appearing in Superman and the Mole Men with George
Reeves, my agent secured a role for me in Here Comes the Groom. I played
the little war orphan, Suzie. My mom was thrilled that I would be in
nearly every scene, except for the fact that I wouldn't speak English...
only a little French. I went on to appear in many more movies (like Old
Yeller and The Greatest Show on Earth), and by the time I reached my
twenty first birthday, I was on more than 500 TV shows. But Here Comes
the Groom is a favorite of mine. I still have the gifts that Bing and
Jane sent me after the filming, and I have years worth of Christmas
cards from Bing. He was a very nice man to me. Look for a "blooper" in
the film when Jane Wyman takes off my coat. I can't believe they let
that one slip. It's a wonderful film for the entire family, and I even
get to sing a few bars of the Oscar winning song, In The Cool, Cool,
Cool of the Evening with Bing!
Beverly
has very little memories of George Reeves at the time that she filmed
"Superman and the Mole Men"(1951) because she had no scenes with him but
she did see him around on the set and thought that Superman --- WAS
REAL! She never had any scenes with Phyllis Coates. She wasn't afraid of
the Mole Men because her mother explained to her that it was just makeup
on the men. Beverly had brought 15 posters of the "Mole Men" with her
(we figured out that her character name was "little girl") which sold
out the quickest. I offered to go to KINKOS to get more copies, but
Cappy told me to just get rid of them.
"The
Greatest Show On Earth" (1952) starred James Stewart, Betty Hutton and
Charlton Heston. Both Noel Neill ( as "Noel" of course) and Beverly
(little girl spectator) were both uncredited. James Stewart plays
Buttons, the mysterious clown who never takes off his make-up even
between shows. It turns out that he is on the run from the law.
George Reeves (James
Lindsey) played Beverly's (Violet Lindsey) father on an episode of "The
Ford Theater" (in the 1952 episode "Heart of Gold"). This was a
departure from Reeves' "Superman" portrayal. Beverly's brother on that
special Christmas program was played by "Lassie" star Tommy Rettig (Fitzjames).
George was great with the children on the set. As the synopsis goes: On
a Christmas Eve in Turn of the 19th Century a mother Helen (Anita
Louise) and father (George Reeves) disagree about having father to play
Santa Claus for the family. The father is very stoic and believes it to
be better to make the children grow up faster by not believing in such
(in his view) foolishness. Father seems very stern and heartless, but
was this always so? When the son (Tommy Rettig) builds a snowman (Edmund
Gwenn) and puts a golden heart locket in its chest (to give it a heart),
it comes to life and reminds the wife that the husband was once young at
heart as was she. They were romantic and not always so practical about
life. In the end, Father proves he has the Christmas Spirit and
masquerades as Old St. Nick for the family.
I never realized, until my
research, that Beverly was the "girl outside the window" in my all time
favorite Danny Kaye movie "Hans Christian Andersen" (1952) in the
"Thumbelina" song segment.
I
never heard of "The Juggler" -- 1953-- that Beverly (Suzy) starred in
with Kirk Douglas (when fans saw his photo --- they thought that he was
Danny Kaye). It was filmed in Israel. Hans Muller, (Kirk Douglas) who
was a German refugee from Germany relocating to Israel after WW II. Hans
Muller was a Juggler who entertained many people and young children and
was a wonderful tender hearted man, but he had serious psychological
effects from his being confined in the Nazi Concentration camps and
witnessed the horrors of what Hitler created for human beings being
burned in ovens.
Beverly
remembers that the western movie "Shane" (1953) (also starring Alan
Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde, Elisa Cooke Jr, and
Jack Palance) was shot in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. As a young child, she
remembers that the 13 week shoot and long days waiting around on the set
was very tedious for her. When a fan asked her what was the line that
she spoke, she quickly smiled and said "I can't even remember what I had
for breakfast this morning!"
Beverly starred with Jack
Webb in "Dragnet" (1954 "The Big Pair" as Ruthie Snyder). The reason why
Jack
spoke so clipped was because he refused to remember his lines and read
from a teleprompter.
Phyllis Coates played the
part of a nurse on the 1955 sitcom "Professional Father," on which
Beverly was a series regular.” Professional Father" was broadcast live
on CBS-TV for a full season. Beverly's mother on that series was played
by Barbara Billingsley, who would gain fame a few years later, as mom
June Cleaver on "Leave it to Beaver."
In
the 1956 Warner Brothers production of the "Lone Ranger" (with Clayton
Moore and Jay Silverheels) Beverly Washburn is Lila Kilgore, the sweet,
innocent daughter of the double-dyed villain. The nominal leading lady
is played by Bonita Granville, who co-produced the film with her husband
Jack Wrather. The Lone Ranger proved successful enough to warrant a
sequel, The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (also 1956). Beverly
was on the set when the Lone Ranger split his pants while mounting
Silver (and riding off into the moonset!?).
Old Yeller" (1957) is a
classic Disney tear-jerker production set in post-Civil War Texas about
a boy and a stray dog he befriends. The film stars Dorothy McGuire, Fess
Parker, Kevin Corcoran, and Tommy Kirk, and also features Chuck Connors,
Jeff York, Beverly Washburn, and animal actor Spike as "Old Yeller."
Beverly was not a Mouseketeer as the other children were in the movie,
but picked based on her wide-ranged acting abilities.
Beverly
starred with comedic actor Lou Costello in his one serious role in TV's
"Wagon Train" in the episode "The Tobias Jones Story" (1958)
(appearing on the show 3 times). Lou portrayed a man with a very severe
drinking problem traveling west with Beverly (Midge) who is in his care.
Beverly enjoyed working with Lou and said that he was a very nice and
friendly man who was used to adlibbing his lines in his comedy routines.
So for "Wagon Train," when he had difficulty in remembering his lines,
he would stop, look into the camera and say "So, how are you?" One fan
(a postal worker) came by with a Lou Costello photo scrapbook collected
bit by bit over the years. On the set of "Wagon Train," there was so
much foul language being tossed about by the star, Ward Bond (Beverly's
first "WT" venture) that the entire production was nearly closed down
because young Beverly was within earshot. Beverly knew that Ward wasn't
mean spirited but that's the way he spoke with the others on the set.
Afterwards, he was very careful what he said and very polite. In another
episode of "Wagon Train" Beverly (Susan Kevin Hagen) starred with Ernest
Borgnine ("The Willy Morgan Story" 1957). Still to this day, 91 year old
Ernest is very nice and very fan friendly. He's a likeable guy!
In
the 1959 Beverly starred in Boris Karloff's chilling TV series
"Thriller" in an episode entitled "Parasite Mansion" as a disturbed
teen. Pippa Scott (a stranded traveler) and Jeanette Nolan (a witch)
were also featured. (a fan gave Beverly a gift DVD copy of it that was
played on Rich Potter's laptop -- years later it's just as disturbing).
Beverly giggled as she recalled that her hand was dipped in chocolate
syrup and she held a cut out mold in her hand. As she screamed, she put
the mold to her face which looked like (especially in black and white)
she had scratches on her face. A technician was off camera, reeling in a
fishing rod that was used to eerily move a candle around Beverly's head.
Beverly starred with Lon
Chaney, Jr. in "Spider Baby" (1964) ,also known as The Maddest Story
Ever Told deals with 3 children of the Merrye family who live in a
decaying rural mansion with their guardian and chauffeur, Bruno (Lon
Chaney, Jr.). The children suffer from a genetic affliction unique to
members of their family, which causes them to mentally, socially, and
physically regress backwards down the evolutionary ladder, starting in
late childhood. When two distant relatives and their lawyer arrive to
take control of the property as rightful heirs, Bruno's shaky control
over the children is lost. Chaos and insanity take over. Beverly
Washburn plays an inbred, demented and dangerous child. Beverly
remembers Chaney as a very quiet and gentle man who suffered from
alcoholism.
Beverly starred with Barbara
Stanwyck (Stanwyck's photo reminded fans of Bea Arthur) in the unsold
movie pilot "Calhoun." Beverly, who played her teenage daughter, found
Miss Stanwyck to be very professional and concerned with everyone
knowing their lines. The only "Calhoun" that I found in my research was
entitled ""Calhoun: County Agent" (1964). I don't know if this was the
same feature.
The
Deadly Years" (1967) is a STAR TREK TV classic where the landing party
of the USS Enterprise picks up a virus causing them to age rapidly.
Beverly (Lieutenant Arlene Galway) and I had a field day telling fans
who looked at her "old" picture that that's what happens when you don't
use Oil of Olay daily!!! When asked how long it took to put the "old"
make up on, Beverly quipped "About as long as it takes me NOW to put on
my makeup." Beverly joked that usually on Star Trek, anyone who wore red
usually died, but she wore BLUE and died. When asked what kind of person
William Shatner was to work with, Beverly laughed and said that he was
quite the "ladies man" and had a bizarre sense of humor that only
Leonard Nimoy appreciated. She was amazed by the Star Trek experience
since the series wasn't popular during its original run.
"Demon Haunt" is Beverly's
latest movie (to be out shortly). She best describes herself in it as
"an over the top crazy lady." THIS I GOTTA SEE!!! What a pleasure it was
seeing this lovely and talented lady. All of the proceeds Beverly
collected from fans purchases are donated to Beverly's local animal
shelter. Beverly has been an animal lover since her "Old Yeller" days.
In between my helping out
Beverly at the table, I cheered on Soupy (Dollar Bills) Sales as he was
wheel chaired into the room. His ever present "Let's Do the Mouse" smile
greeted all of his fans. It's my hope that one day Soupy will be able to
do "the Soupy Shuffle" again for all of his fans. James "Hannibal Dobbs"
Hampton was all laughs, smiles, and down home country boy humor to
everyone. Jim would just love to bring his wife to his next convention.
Along side of Jim was his "F-Troop" alumni Larry "Corporal Agarn" Storch
who I've met twice before. Joe Franklin (I love his 3 course discount
menus offered at his restaurant) of NYC channel 9's "Down Memory Lane"
(No relation to Lois....) came to say hello to Phyllis Coates. I
explained to Phyllis who Joe was.
June 2008
PERIL
IN PARIS
(La Belle France)
Enchanted by my recent trip to
France, I decided to give TAOS season five's PERIL IN PARIS (1956)
another visit. This time, I was in the privacy of my study, unscheduled,
truly relaxed and I didn't need to pack and unpack daily. Just like a
fine French wine, this fine episode set, in France, is vintage and
classic.
Clark Kent and
Jimmy Olsen are over in Paris, I gather working on an PLANET assignment,
when they get a call to see the Prefect of Police. Golly gee it's
"Inspector Henderson" with a hint of a tiny moustache. Well, not really,
it's "Inspector Lonier" (Robert Shayne) giving us his best French
accent. Well, it certainly was an attention-grabber to start off the
fifth season. The resemblance is so close to the Metropolis Inspector
that Clark quips "The resemblance is truly frightening....I mean
uncanny." The inspector gives Kent a letter for Superman. It's from
actress Madame Anna Constantine, (Lilyan Chauvin) who writes that she is
in trouble and needs his protection.
Superman
arrives in Paris to help the French damsel in distress to defect from an
Iron Curtain country. Superman is talked into flying some very valuable
jewels back into Paris and then giving them back to her at a
pre-arranged meeting place. Madame C was concerned she wouldn't be able
to get jewels over the border from behind the Iron Curtain. It turns
out, however, that Anna is the dupe of a smuggling ring which is
attempting to escape Europe with a cache of valuable jewels—and before
long, Superman has been duped as well. The "police" were fakes and were
actually crooks getting the ICE (as young Olsen would call it). This
episode has more twists and turns in it than a croissant! It is somewhat
like a spy movie in which you don't know who the good guys are…or are
they the bad guys?!?
This episode
marked a refreshing departure from the usual Metropolis and Daily Planet
sets. In the opening segment, there is a view of the Eiffel Tower and a
mini Statute of Liberty.
The
Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in Paris and one of the most
recognized structures in the world. It was named after its designer,
engineer Gustave Eiffel and completed in 1889 as an entrance arch for
the World's Fair marking the centennial celebration of the French
Revolution. This symbol of Paris was the world's tallest building until
1930 when it was superseded by NYC's Chrysler Building. On the third
floor deck of this magnificent tower is the ALTITUDE 95 RESTAURANT where
my group had our farewell dinner. The small scale replica of the Statute
of Liberty is located on the far end of the island lle des Cygnes
which faces west in the direction of its larger sibling in NYC.
Inaugurated 3 years after its NYC counterpart, the statute was given by
the French community living in the USA to commemorate the centennial of
the French Revolution. Originally, it faced toward the Eiffel Tower, but
was turned west in 1937 for the exposition universelle hosted by
Paris that year. Its base carries a commemorative plate, and the booklet
carries the inscription that recognizes the American Independence Day
and Bastille Day. Superman meets Madam C and her man servant Gregor
(Peter Mamako) on the "other side" (France) to return the jewels. This
rendezvous was in the mist and fog of the Fountain of TreLee. I
couldn't find this location in my notes or in my research. Nevertheless,
it set a most mysterious and intriguing background for the episode.
The
actors in this adventure fit the Parisians in both look, demeanor and
mannerism. French-American character actress Lilyan Chauvin (Madame
Anna Constantine) is a long time veteran of the European stage, and is
adept at playing strict, but sometimes loving characters. She might be
best known as the sinister Mother Superior in Silent Night Deadly Night
(1984), but her career started back in the 1950s when she was plucked
from the stage to appear in small minor roles in motion pictures. One
notable film was with John Wayne in North to Alaska (1960). Over the
years, Chauvin has found herself as one of the busiest character
actresses in Hollywood appearing in over forty films and numerous
appearances on television. Her many film credits have included "Private
Benjamin", "Predator 2", "No Place to Hide", "Universal Solider" (as
Jean-Claude Van Damme's mother) and most recently co-starred with Tom
Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio in Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can".
Just like most of the women I encountered in France, Ms. Chauvin's
character was slim, trim and impeccably dressed in black and gray
tailored suits.
Man-servant Gregor (Greek American actor Peter Mamako) reminded me of an
Inspector Closeau wannabe with his dapper black suit, matching butler's
derby and upturned moustache. Mamako was in 2 other TAOS episodes: KING
FOR A DAY as Markel and in THE DEFEAT OF SUPERMAN as Happy King.
Phony police
official Albert Carrier (Pierre LuMont) looked very crisp and
professional in his beige raincoat. Madame C said of him "Your manners
are French—but that is all!" Carrier played many French waiters,
servants and ethnicities in American TV sitcoms until the 1980s.
Pug looking
(especially in THOSE stripes and barret) thug Charles LaTorre (Raul
Durant) last starred in TV's I SPY, BATMAN and MR. ED.
Franz Roehn (crooked jeweler turned honest jeweler Jacque du Crae)
looked a little like the nutty inventor, Maurice, in Disney's BEAUTY AND
THE BEAST. Roehn was featured in numerous TV shows up until 1961 in
westerns and mysteries.
When
a very bored Jimmy Olsen writes a postcard home that reads "Having a
wonderful time—wish I was there" either he should have opted for "a
rousing evening at Napoleon’s Tomb" or better still, looked around to
see what a great adventure he was a part of! Bon magnifique!
April 2008
CHARLOTTE'S
WEB
By Susan Schnitzer
I must have been out of the
WEB when I was a child and never had the chance to read CHARLOTTE'S WEB.
But when I was recently cast in the role of Mrs. Martha Arable
(“Mother") at the KidsVille Theater in Somerset, NJ I figured that now
was the time to do my research. As originally written by Stuart Little,
Charlotte's Web tells the story of Wilbur, an undersized pig (also known
as a "runt") who is saved from being axed by the sweet, but headstrong,
tender-hearted farm girl Fern Arable. When this "runt" does grow, he's
on the verge of eating his human family (Mr. & Mrs. John Arable and big
brother Avery) out of house and home. So he is moved, down the road, to
Uncle Homer and
Aunt
Edith Zuckerman's farm because they sometimes raise pigs. When Wilbur
is big enough to be moved inside to the barn, he is befriended by a
beautiful gray spider named Charlotte. Wilbur doesn't stop growing, or
eating, causing the Zuckerman's to want to turn Wilburn "into ham." In
the months that follow, Charlotte uses messages (i.e. —"some pig,"
"humble" and "radiant") to magically spin into her web to repeatedly
save Wilbur from disaster. To help Charlotte is the reluctant and
gluttonous rat, Templeton, who gets these catch phrases from garbage
pile magazines where he frequently dines al fresco. The other animals on
the farm are Goose, Sheep, Lamb and Gander. Other human characters in
this pig's tale are Lurvey (the farm hand) and the Narrator.
Mother is NOT an exciting
character and neither are her lines. I watched the1970's cartoon and the
recent live action movie—and mother is dull. On the plus side, her
dialogue is cut and to the point (plus we share the same hairdo). Since
my memory is a sieve (unlike the children in the production who inhale
their dialogue), it was fine that I was able to keep my script with me
behind the scenes and refer to it constantly as I walked on and off
stage with props. However, I noticed that some of the adult actors were
also either referring to their scripts behind the scenes or had cheat
cards tucked into their costumes.
It
didn't make a difference how we went about learning our parts, because
the audience loved us! It was adorable how the very little audience
members shyly came up to the performers at the "meet and greet" at the
end of the show and handed us a pen to sign a program. The greatest
compliment that I received from hubby, friends and audience members is
that I was so natural playing mother (mostly because I yelled at the
children so much). Basically, my acting formula was Susan being Susan.
It also helped that I got my costumes from the "Susan Collection.” There
were no drama queens in the production or in the dressing room.
I'd like to share with
everyone the nice sentiments that I received from cast members (the
entire cast also received sentiments according to their personality).
The little blond lighting lad "A" wrote:
--- "Mrs. Arable (Susan) - It
has been a huge amount of fun to see you play the part of Mrs. Arable in
this show. When I am in the tower, I always look forward to being
entertained by you!"
--- On a paper plate given
out by the Narrator, I received this award "Susan --- Best Style.”
--- The Sheep "J" traveled
all the way from PA to be in this production. She presented me with this
moving passage:
"Susan, You are so talented! What a wonderful mother you've been, on and
off the stage. I feel as though I could go to you on a rainy day when
I'm feeling blue, and you would make me laugh hysterically! Your fun
stories about your home life are what keep me going most of the time
during intermission, and I just wanted to thank you for being so kind
and friendly! I hope everything goes well with the singing career, I see
big things for you!"
With nice people like this to
perform with, I don't mind being called a "mother .....”
March 2008
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED
FOR YOUR APPROVAL:
The Genius of ROD SERLING
IN EVERY SEASON...PART III
By Susan Schnitzer
THE FIRST SEASON
(1959 - 60)
“A year ago, when the first publicity came out
on the series, I was inundated by submissions from agents offering me
six foot nine actors with long necks to which electrodes could easily be
attached. One agent told me that he had an actor so versed in horror
movies that he’d taken to sleeping in a box in the basement.” – Rod
Serling
Producer Buck Houghton, Rod’s producer and script
editor on Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, was not Rod Serling’s
original choice to produce the series. Fortunately, he was so impressed
by the first 2 striking scripts, that his enthusiasm took over and he
couldn’t wait to be a part of the TZ. For the first 3 years of
the TZ, considered the best years of the series, Houghton was
singularly mostly responsible for translating Serling’s and other
writers’ story visions off the paper and unto film. Houghton purchased
scripts (other than Sterling’s), cast actors, scored music, cut/edited
and got final approval to everything. Houghton would listen to
suggestions and be very supportive to the director and actor in their
original idea as much as possible. The pilot (“Where Is Everybody?”) had
been shot at Universal as a courtesy to CBS who did not rent its
facilities to outside production companies.
So Houghton decided to rent space and facilities at
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). MGM kept everything they ever made, so they
had the best storehouse of sets in the business. Next, Houghton hired
the production crew from the art department of MGM Oscar winner William
Ferrari (for the movie Gaslight and The Time Machine).
From his Schlitz associations, Houghton hired director of
photography George T. Clemens (a distant relative of Samuel L. Clemens
aka Mark Twain), as well as a cameramen on High Noon, The Great
Dictator, Frederic Marchs’ Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and
Valentino’s Blood and Sand. For casting directors, network boss
William Dozier suggested Mildred Gusse. Serling, Houghton, and George
Clemens arranged to hire directors who were just as enthusiastic as
everyone else on the creative team. Of special importance was hiring
Mitchell Leisen who directed the classic fantasy Death Takes a
Holiday starring Frederic March. Houghton hero worshipped Leisen
ever since he was the 4th assistant director on one of
Leisen’s movies. However, hiring movie directors to do TV didn’t always
go smoothly as when Oscar-winning editor/director Robert Parrish (Body
and Soul, A Double Life and All The King’s Men) directed
TZ’s episode “One for the Angels,” starring Ed Wynn. Parrish didn’t
know anything about TV and was shocked to receive a 30-page script, to
be done in three days, whereas he was used to shooting only five pages a
day on a movie. Systemically, Parrish brought in a legal-size piece of
paper with all of the setups and crossed off all of the shots that
represented two ways of doing the script. Then he crossed off all of the
shots that were redundant. This gave him a choice between over-shoulders
and close-ups. Thus, the shooting was done in three days.
Each episode was given one full day of rehearsal
plus three shooting days beginning in June. Twenty episodes were made
before public reaction came in. Serling’s commitment to the show was
total. He worked 12–14 hours a day, 7-days a week. He was the only
person, according to writer Mary Wood, who could get a tan and make
money at the same time while working by his poolside. Serling would
finish writing by lunch time and then drive to MGM where he would work
on until late into the evening. Serling was instrumental in the
development of the scripts and rewrites, in on the post-production and
always looked at the dailies. He was always ready to rewrite very
quickly. Serling had a very short attention span and was forever on the
run and couldn’t sit around for dubbing, or going through casting lists,
or cueing music. He left all of that up to the executive producer. But
he DID have the final say. Over a period of 9 months, Serling produced
28 of the first season’s scripts. These scripts fell into three basic
categories: science fiction, horror, and fantasy—using the surprise
twist ending which came to characterize the program. Each script took
from 35–40 hours to complete. Serling was able to keep up with this
whirlwind pace because he had a backlog of story ideas and many of the
stories had already been written in his mind. Serling’s writing followed
a rigid pattern. He would dictate the first draft for a secretary to
type up then he would rewrite any trouble spots and tighten up the
timing. Though he usually didn’t have to do a second rewrite, the
director and cast would sometimes makes pencil changes. There was a lot
of excitement amongst the crew. Each script was different, unique and
everyone looked forward to what was coming up next.
Production of the first season came to an end early
In April, 1960. In total, 36 episodes had been produced. In the spring
of 1960, John Brahm won a Directors Guild Award for “Time Enough at
Last.” Buck Houghton picked up a Producers Guild Award for Best Produced
Series. The show won numerous awards. In April, Bantam Books released
Stories From The Twilight Zone, a paperback collection containing
6 of Serling’s teleplay adaptations (“The Mighty Casey,” “Escape
Clause,” “Walking Distance,” “The Fever,” “Where Is Everybody?” and “The
Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.”) The reviews were favorable and sold
well.
Now Rod Serling was a TV star recognized walking
down the street or going into public places. Unfortunately, Serling
photographed taller and handsomer than he was in person for which fans
commented. Serling’s daughters, Anne and Jodi, were embarrassed by the
attention that their famous father received and wished that he would
tell fans that he was “someone else” but he was too kind to people.
Despite the pitfalls, Serling rather enjoyed his new-found celebrity
status. He was living out everyone’s fantasies and figured that he was
the best known and most highly paid writer on TV. He loved his creation.
On June 21, 1960, he won his fourth Emmy for Outstanding Writing
Achievement in Drama. If he had actually thought that he would have
won—he would have shaved before the broadcast. He thought that he would
be just another face in the audience applauding the winner. HE WAS
BEYOND SHOCKED when he accepted his award. Serling had taken a chance
with his new series and won.
THE SECOND
SEASON (1960 – 61)
After the success of the first season, TZ
had found its audience. There were fan clubs in 31 states and the show
received about 500 letters a week. On the average, 50 story ideas per
week came in. There were TZ products: a comic book, a record
album, a board game and Serling’s More Stories From the Twilight
Zone, which was in its second print two weeks after its release.
There were production bonuses to boot. After the first season, there was
absolutely no trouble getting a cast. The stars would work for half of
their normal amount in order to join this prestigious program.
This season only saw 29 episodes (down from the
previous year). CBS was more concerned about the cost of the shows in
relation to the ratings. They taped in order to save some money. Six
episodes were videotaped as a cost-cutting measure.
For Serling, the spring of 1961 was a replay of the
past year with a host of awards. In May, another Emmy, once again for
Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama, was presented to Serling.
Serling held up the award and said to the other writers, “Come on over,
fellas, and we’ll carve it up like a turkey.” George Clemmens got an
Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in TV Cinematography.
CBS toyed with the idea of expanding the TZ
to an hour format in hopes of attracting a larger audience. This was
ultimately done in the third season. Up until this time, 65 episodes had
been produced. Some of the “worst” episodes were still entertaining
while the best remain unforgettable. For now, the series was at its
peak. Few TV series before or after have ever reached this level.
THE THIRD SEASON
(1961 – 62)
“Next year, I’m
going to do the commercials – ‘In the Twilight Zone, nine out of ten
doctors recommend you smoke …’ They’ll say I’ve really sold out.” – Rod
Serling
Rod Serling became drained of ideas. Whereas
stories used to bubble out of him so quickly that he couldn’t set them
down on paper fast enough but after writing 47 TZ scripts and 13
for the next season, he became woozy. His enthusiasm began to lag and he
was afraid that he couldn’t retain his usual high quality. He began to
borrow from himself. However, other Serling’s talents were called into
play when the American Tobacco Company, now one of the show’s sponsors,
asked him to endorse their product. There were no writing blocks in
talking about the full pleasure of Chesterfield cigarettes—…”great
tobaccos make it a wonderful smoke. Try ‘em, they satisfy.” By the close
of the third season, “the twilight zone” was a catch phrase to describe
just about anything. In the spring of 1962, the TZ was late in
finding a sponsor for its fourth season and another show was programmed
in its time slot. Without prior warning, the TZ was OFF the air.
Serling’s agent frantically tried to work out some kind of deal with CBS
so the series would remain on TV. Houghton found himself without a job
and took an offer from Four Star Productions. At the 11th
hour, CBS decided to renew the TZ, in a different format. Each of
the 18 episodes was an hour to begin airing in January, 1963 as a
mid-season replacement. CBS hired producer Herbert Hirschman to
supervise these shows.
With the close of the third season, along with
Houghton, Serling was also leaving the series. Serling accepted a
teaching position at Antioch College from September 1962–January, 1963.
Serling was tired and burned out. Over the next two seasons, Serling’s
involvement would be greatly diminished. Though he would still host the
show and contribute scripts but production decisions would be made by
others. He needed change, time to exhale, and an opportunity to pick up
some knowledge and renew his perspective. If CBS dropped the show and
Antioch dropped Serling, he wanted to go fishing for the rest of his
life! In the early days of the show, the quality of the show was so
special that the crew would finish up at 2 am and go out for a beer
while discussing the show. In future seasons, this would not happen
again. Many memorable shows would be made but the innovation and
freshness were gone. This was a different show.
THE FOURTH
SEASON (1962 – 1963)
“Ours is the
perfect half-hour show … If we went to an hour, we’d have to fleshen our
stories, soap-opera style. Viewers could watch fifteen minutes without
knowing whether they were in a Twilight Zone of Desilu
Playhouse.” -- Rod Serling
With the show’s
return, the series featured a new name: TZ (without “The”) which
was rather appropriate because with its new producer and expanded
length, the series bore little resemblance to its predecessor. The hour
length show didn’t move as quickly and could no longer sustain its
previous smashing payoff. It wasn’t thought that story material would
carry for an hour. New producer Herbert Hirschman had worked his way up
in the business and knew the ins and outs of his job from experience
with Studio One, Playhouse 90, Perry Mason and Dr. Kildare. Hirschman
didn’t try to change the formula nor come with his own fixed ideas. This
worked great with the rest of the crew. If retakes were necessary, he
wouldn’t bring back the director, but direct it himself. The shooting
schedule for an hour show was six days. There was a day of rehearsal and
a day of set pickups. So the work would be eight days with four days and
the weekend off. Robert W. Pittack was hired to alternate with Hirschman
as director of photography for back to back episodes. Hirschman had to
get scripts from scratch.
Far from being on vacation while teaching at
Antioch, Serling was also working on a screenplay adaptation of Seven
Days in May. In addition he turned out a number of TZ
scripts and mailed them to Hirschman. Serling would be sent other
scripts and would discuss these over the phone with Hirschman. Hirschman
expected more from Serling who wrote so easily. Serling would fly to
L.A. to film the openings standing in front of a gray background and do
3–4 tapings at a time. Hirschman created the main title, the
clock ticking, the mannequin and supervised the making of the props and
came up with the notion of things floating through the void. Serling
wrote the narration. Hirshman bought high-quality scripts from Matheson,
Beaumont, Reginald Rose and Earl Hamner, Jr while recruiting alumni
directors Buzz Kulik, Don Medford, John Brahm and Abner Biberman.
Different episodes were filmed simultaneously, on different stages at a
brisk pace. Serling was NOT thrilled with the new Thursday 9:00 timeslot
that eliminated a sizeable young audience that Friday night had brought
in.
In the spring of 1963, TZ was back for its 5th
season and back to its half an hour format. The network experiment had
failed and the expanded timeslot had not made for an expanded viewing
audience. The shows were too padded, lacked the excitement and punch of
the shorter TZ dramas. Serling favored his own hour episode “On
Thursday We Leave for Home” (starring James Whitmore) but thought it was
overwritten. Though Serling was quite hard on himself and the series,
the hour length show still held merit and did not disgrace itself. By
this time, the show was winding down and beginning to show its age.
THE FIFTH SEASON
(1963 – 1964)
“There was this
knock on the door of my office – I had this huge office – and Rod came
in on his knees, he walked in on his knees like Toulouse-Lautrec, see….
And I said ‘What have you done now?’ He says, “Well, I’ve just blown
Twilight Zone, that’s what I’ve done!” – William Froug.
TZ had lost a great deal of its zest,
vitality, thoughtfulness and innovation of previous years. Lacking, too,
were some of the show’s best directors and the quality of writing.
Towards the end, Serling felt that he was losing his perspective on what
was good or bad. By far, TZ was STILL better than the majority of
other TV programs of its time. It only faded in comparison to its former
self. At the end of January, 1964, CBS canceled TZ. The president
of CBS was sick of the show though it was still rated well. The episode
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” put the show back under budget
thought the series had never been over budget. According to Daily
Variety Serling was quoted as saying that he canceled the network!
After five years and 156 episodes—92 scripted by
Serling—Cayuga Productions closed its doors. In 1962, when it looked
like TZ was about to be canceled, Serling was quoted as saying
“We had some real turkeys, some fair ones, and some shows I’m really
proud to have been a part of. I can walk away from this series unbowed.”
I hope that everyone has enjoyed their walk through
the Twilight Zone and come out with a further enrichment and enjoyment
of Rod Serling’s works that speak volumes for itself.
February 2008
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED FOR YOUR APPROVAL:
The Genius of ROD SERLING—
THE TAOS CONNECTION PART II
By Susan Schnitzer
TWILIGHT
DELIVERY
After I completed Part I of this write up last
month, I ordered from AMAZON.COM 2 reference books: THE TWILIGHT
ZONE COMPANION – Second Edition by Mark Scott Zicree and INTO THE
TWILIGHT ZONE – The Rod Serling Programme Guide by Jean-Marc & Randy
Lofficier. When I ordered the books over the internet, my given
delivery date was December 23. The next evening, resting on the bench of
my front porch was THE TWILIGHT ZONE COMPANION. The only sound I
could hear in the otherwise stillness of the night was DA DA DA DA DA
DA DA. The second book arrived 10 days later. With these excellent
reference books providing details as to storyline and cast and crew
members, I have decided, instead of critiquing MY favorite episodes , to
delve into TAOS members and story lines that have crossed over into—THE
TWILIGHT ZONE.
NERVOUS MAN IN A FOUR DOLLAR ROOM
(10/14/60
Episode # 39)
Written by:
Rod Serling
Jackie
Rhoades: Joe Mantell
Rod Serling intro narration:
“This is Mr. Jackie Rhoades, age 34, and where
some men leave a mark on their lives as a record of their fragmentary
existence on earth, this man leaves a blot, a dirty, discolored blemish
to document a cheap and undistinguished sojourn amongst his betters.
What you’re about to watch in this room is a strange and mortal combat
between a man and himself, for in just a moment Mr. Jackie Rhoades,
whose life has been given over to fighting adversaries, will find his
most formidable opponent in a cheap hotel room that is in reality the
outskirts of the Twilight Zone.”
Jackie Rhoades is a scared, nail biting, sweaty
little excuse of a man who lives in a stuffy, dingy and insufferable
oven of a room. Jackie is more mouse than man who has been ordered by a
gangster to murder the owner of a bar. Jackie doesn’t have the spine to
refuse his order and he knows that he’ll be caught if he commits the
crime. While shakily looking for a match, Jackie is shocked beyond
belief to see that his mirror image is already smoking a lit cigarette.
This Jackie is the total opposite—he’s intelligent, strong, self-assured
and in total control of himself. If Jackie would have chosen a better
path in life—this imagine would have been him. Frantically, Jackie tries
to bolt out but sees the same alter image in other mirrors in the
closet, bathroom and the hallway. The gangster arrives to deal with
Jackie, who has not murdered the owner of the bar. But THIS Jackie is
different—he’s very forceful when he tells the gangster that he is
resigning from a life of crime, beats up the gangster and literally
throws him out of the room. The mouse known as Jackie Rhoades is now in
the mirror and is replaced by Mr. John Rhoades, his own man—who is
checking out of his room and checking into life!
Rod Serling ending narration:
“Exit Mr. John Rhoades, formerly a reflection in
a mirror, a fragment of someone else’s conscience, a wishful thinker
made out of glass, but now made out of flesh and on his way to join the
company of men. Mr. John Rhoades, with one foot through the door and one
foot out—of the Twilight Zone.”
Though known as a low key actor, Joseph Mantell was
nominated for an Academy Award
for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Angie (his classic line “So,
whad do ya wanna do tonight Marty...) in the 1955 film Marty,
which earned the Best Picture Award, and the Best Actor Oscar for
Mantell's co-star, Ernest Borgnine
(“Marty”). Mantell also appeared in
Storm Center (1956) and
Chinatown (1974). In
the latter he played the fairly small role of Walsh the photographer,
who delivered the film's famous last line, "Forget it, Jake. It's
Chinatown". Mantell is on a high note in this TZ episode and shows
tremendous range. Rear projections were used for the mirror imagine of
John, the stronger personality. Even the music cues were different for
both personas—for Jackie, the music was quick and uneven. Joe Mantell,
just like George Reeves, plays a highly believable dual role. Jackie and
John are total opposites and the stronger one remained the victor! Clark
Kent is slightly meek and evasive when need be in order to hide his
secret identity. However, he manages to put out his all in researching,
and writing his articles while conveying wit and warmth as a person. As
Superman, he remains the masterful keeper of the peace but remains fair
and firm while dealing with adversity. Both are strong characters, do
well for all and are in constant check of their purpose in life and
rarely, if ever, let their guard down. Towards the end of TAOS run, we
view, in brief glimpses, Superman having more of Clark’s qualities but
since he wasn’t wearing his glasses—no one noticed!
STATIC
(3/10/61
Episode # 56)
Written by:
Charles Beaumont
Based on an
unpublished story by OCee Ritch
Ed Lindsay:
Dean Jagger
Vinnie
Brown: Carment Mathews
Prof.
Ackerman: Robert Emhardt
Mrs.
Nielsen: Alice Pearce
I dedicate this passage to Bill Dillane of CT
who DJ’s in Connecticut and invited me to see radio legend Bobby J
at the Radio Oldies luncheon in NYC in early December. Bill was
unfamiliar with this episode, so I’ve decided to tie it in to both TAOS
and the radio event.
Rod Serling intro narration:
“No one ever saw one quite like that that,
because that’s a very special sort of radio. In the days, circa 1935,
its type was one of the most elegant consoles on the market. Now, with
its fabric-covered speakers, its peculiar yellow dial, its serrated
knobs, it looks quaint and a little strange. Mr.
Ed Lindsay is going to find out how strange very soon—when he tunes in
to the Twilight Zone.”
Feed up by the worthless and mindless TV watching
that his fellow boardinghouse dwellers stare at, crusty middle- aged
bachelor, Ed Lindsay, digs out his old radio from the basement and hooks
it up in his room which served as a source of relaxation and
entertainment in the “good old days” before TV. When he’s alone, the
vintage radio receives programs from the past (“Major Bowes”, “Fred
Allen” and “Tommy Dorsey” all long dead). Lindsay, in his glory, tells
the others about this miracle, but they can only hear static. Worried
that Ed’s mental state will lead to a breakdown, former fiancée Vinnie
(also a boarder), is sure that it’s Lindsay’s sense of nostalgia for the
“good old day” when the 2 were engaged with the promise of a happy life
together that is causing this. The couple waited so long to marry
because Lindsay’s mother was ill, that happiness eluded them. Vinnie
gives the radio to the junk man. Ed rushes out and buys the radio back
for $10. Ed and Vinnie have a confrontation. Vinnie points that though
they were engaged 20 years ago and listened to these shows together, the
past cannot be retrieved and Ed should let it go. As Vinnie returns to
her room, Ed turns on the radio. Immediately, it is 20 years ago and the
couple is young again and lovingly listening to their radio shows. They
are reliving their lives and setting the dial on “right.”
Rod Serling ending narration:
“Around and around she goes and
where she stops nobody knows. All Ed Lindsay knows is that he
desperately wanted a second chance and he finally got it, through a
strange and wonderful time machine called a radio…in the Twilight Zone.”
The idea of this episode came from OCee Ritch, a
friend of Charles Beaumont when Beaumont gave a party attended by
old-time radio fans who performed bits of radio nostalgia. Ritch recalls
“I think I said something like, ‘Hey man, wouldn’t it be great if you
could just tune in those old things?” So Ritch went home and wrote a
story called Tune in Yesterday. Beaumont suggested that it be
made into a TZ ep instead of submitting it as a short story. Beaumont
did the teleplay based on it for the series and reworked the storyline
to a once engaged couple instead of an unhappily married one. I enjoyed
this episode because my parents and extended family always spoke of the
days before television (the idiot box) where the pictures where in your
head and NOT on the screen.
Dean Jagger (Lindsay) worked in stock, vaudeville
and radio. At first, Hollywood attempted to turn Jagger into a standard
leading man, fitting the prematurely balding actor with a lavish wig and
changing his name to Jeffrey Dean. It wasn't long before the studios
realized that Jagger's true calling was as a character actor. One of his
few starring roles after 1940 was as the title character in “Brigham
Young, Frontiersman”, cast as a fictional Mormon follower. Jagger won an
Academy Award for his sensitive performance in Twelve O’clock High
(1949) as one of General Gregory
Peck's officers (and the film's narrator). Physically and
vocally, Jagger would have been ideal for the role of Dwight D.
Eisenhower, but he spent his career studiously avoiding that assignment.
Having commenced his professional life as a teacher, Dean Jagger came
full circle in 1964 when cast as Principal Albert Vane on the TV series
Mr. Novak.
Carmen Mathews’ (Vinnie) long career encompassed
stage, screen and television. Mathews did not take her first acting bows
on stage until her early '30s. Prior to her American stage debut,
Mathews had attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and had
honed her skills in Shakespearean plays. Mathews made her film debut
with an uncredited role in The Butterfield 8 (1960). Her
television appearances include M*A*S*H (1972) and in the
television movies The Last Best Years of My Life. Robert Embardt
(Professor Ackerman) began his Broadway career as an understudy for
corpulent character star Sidney Greenstreet whom he closely resembled.
In films, the paunchy, phlegmatic Emhardt carved a niche in
characterizations calling for gross, obnoxious villainy. His best and
most typical screen role was the respectable crime boss in Sam
Fuller's Underworld U.S.A. (1961). A television fixture well into the
1980s, Robert Emhardt showed up in several Alfred Hitchcock Presents
installments, in various SUSPENSE episodes (with George Reeves in
Murder at the Mardi Gras), was seen on a regular basis on the
daytime soap opera Another World, and won an Emmy for his
performance as an ulcerated businessman stranded in Mayberry, NC, in
Man in a Hurry, a 1963 episode of The Andy Griffith Show.
Alice Pearce (Mrs. Nielsen) built her reputation in
Broadway musicals. Her first screen appearance was as Lucy Schmeeler,
the girl with a really bad sneeze, in the Gene Kelly/Frank Sinatra
musical
On the Town
(1949). Preferring stage to screen work, she didn't settle down in
Hollywood on a permanent basis until the early '60s. At the time of her
death, Alice Pearce was appearing as nosy and neurotic neighbor Gladys
Kravitz on the TV sitcom Bewitched, a role which won her a posthumous
Emmy.
VALLEY OF THE SHADOW
(1/17/63
Episode # 105)
Written by:
Charles Beaumont
Philip
Redfield: Ed Nelson
Ellen
Marshall: Natalie Trundy
Father:
James Doohan
Evans:
Dabbs Greer
Rod Serling intro narration:
“You’ve seen them. Little towns, tucked away far
from the main roads. You’ve seen them, but have you thought about them?
What do the people in these places do? Why do they stay? Philip Redfield
never thought about them. If his dog hadn’t gone after that cat, he
would have driven through Peaceful Valley and put it out
of his mind forever. But he can’t do that now,
because whether he knows it or not his friends’ shortcut has led him
right into the capital of the Twilight Zone.”
Reporter Philip Redfield (Ed Nelson) is lost and
almost out of gas. He pulls into Peaceful Valley, a small everyday town
or so it seems until his dog (Rollo) chases a cat. The little girl who
owns the cat uses a strange machine
that makes Rollo disappear. The girl’s father (James Doohan) dismisses
the disappearance as he returns Rollo, claiming the dog only ran around
the side of the house. Redfield senses something wrong. Stopping at the
only hotel in town to get Rollo a steak, he meets up with attractive
Ellen Marshall who claims to run the hotel. Strangely, the hotel has no
guests and the most recent paper dates back to 1953! To the contrary,
Ellen tries to convince Redfield that the hotel is full but asks him to
please leave the town. In a huff, Redfield drives away and his car
smacks into an invisible force field at the edge of town. The car is
wrecked and Rollo is killed. Some townsmen come to his aid, and unseen
by Redfield, use a device to fix the car and restore Rollo to life.
Redfield is taken to the town chambers and meets Evans (Greer), Dorn and
Connelly. The men tell him he will never leave Peaceful Valley.
Regardless, Redfield tries to escape but a device is used to teleport
him from the doorway to a chair. It is explained that 100 years ago, a
stranger, perhaps from outer space, arrived in town introducing an
energy source with equations and other devices that moves matter,
reshapes it and reverses the flow of time. This information is forbidden
to be shared with the outside world until they are at peace. Redfield
firmly disagrees and says that the townspeople have a moral
responsibility to share these secrets with the world. In protest,
Redfield is given 2 choices: stay in Peaceful Valley or DIE! Redfield
elects to stay and is imprisoned in a force field house. Ellen helps him
to escape by going to the town chambers, finding the stored equation
that will produce a .38 gun that he uses to shoot the 3 townsmen when
they try to stop him. Once at the edge of town, Redfield looks at the
stolen equation papers and finds them blank. Ellen teleports him back to
the 3 townsmen to find that it was all a test and Redfield has failed!
The men aim a device at him putting Redfield back in his car BEFORE his
dog jumped out of the car and chased the cat. All memory of his
experiences in Peaceful Valley have been erased. However, as he drives
away, he spots Ellen in the shadows and briefly stares at her in puzzled
recognition as he drives off.
Rod Serling ending narration:
“You’ve seen them. Little towns, tucked away far
from the main roads. You’ve seen them, but have you thought about them?
Have you wondered what the people do in such places, why they stay?
Philip Redfield thinks about them how and he wonders, but only very late
at night, when he’s between wakefulness and sleep—in the Twilight Zone.”
Most of the FX in this episode was accomplished by
reversing the footage so that blood seems to flow backward and
disappear. For the illusion of teleportation, a scene was jump cut of a
person standing in the middle of a room to a shot of the exact scene
less that person. For the FX of the car crashing into the invisible
force field, two identical cars were used and wrecking the front of one
of them. Through a series of cuts, the car appeared to slam into the
unseen force field. A one-inch chain placed on the back axle and running
it with about 20 feet of slack, to a nearby tree where it was tied off.
A stunt person drove the car into the camera frame, when the slack was
used up, was slammed against the steering wheel.
In 1964, Ed Nelson won his most famous role
portraying Dr. Michael Rossi on the drama Peyton Place. Nelson's
fellow cast members included Mia
Farrow and Ryan O'Neal
. Dr. Rossi proved to be so popular that by
1968, he became the lead
actor on the show. Nelson reprised his role in two made-for-TV movies,
Murder in Peyton Place and Peyton Place: The Next Generation.
Natalie Trundy made a sizeable contribution to the
Planet of the Apes
movie series during the 1970s.
She appeared as the telepathic
mutant, Albina, in the first
sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, as Dr. Stephanie ("Stevie")
Branton in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and as the
chimpanzee
Lisa, the mate (later wife)
of Caesar, in Conquest of the
Planet of the Apes and Battle for the Planet of the Apes. On the small
screen, Dabbs Greer is a TAOS favorite appearing in 3 episodes (Superman
on Earth, Five Minutes to Doom and The Superman Silver Mine). Greer had
a prominent continuing role in the
NBC TV
series Little House on the Prairie as Reverend Alden. Often cast as a
minister, he performed the marriages of Rob and Laura Petrie on The Dick
Van Dyke Show and of Mike and Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch. He tended
to the spiritual needs of the townsfolk in fictional Rome, Wisconsin, as
Reverend Henry Novotny in
Picket Fences.
In films in I Want to Live! he played the
San Quentin captain who
finished strapping down Barbara
Graham in the gas chamber
prior to her execution and was the last person to speak to her. He had a
similar role in the 1999 film
The Green Mile in which he played the elderly version of
Tom Hanks' Death Row officer
Paul Edgecomb.
James Doohan was a
Canadian
character
and voice
actor best
known for his role as
Montgomery
"Scotty" Scott in the
television
and film
series Star Trek. Doohan's characterization of the Scottish
Chief Engineer
of the Starship
Enterprise was one of the most recognizable elements in the Star Trek
franchise.
Comparison with: TAOS Ep # 82, 1956
Airdate: 22 March 1957 (Season 5, Episode 3)
THE TOWN THAT
WASN’T
This episode also stars 3 men who are affiliated
with a town (a fake judge and two fake officers). But this time, it’s a
“fake” town that’s always on the move. Their aim is to hijack trucks
with precious cargo that they can sell. Instead of just one reporter
caught in the town’s web, the Daily Planet offers 3 reporters. Jimmy is
the first to get caught in a speed trap (actually going under the speed
limit). Lois investigates the diner on highway # 53 to Dartsville and
gets arrested and placed in a cell next to the 2 truck (which equals 3
people in jail. Then Jimmy, Clark and Inspector Bill go to find Lois
(another trio). Always on the sharp, Lois realizes that though the town
has been moved in the middle of the night, the prisoners are
transplanted back into a jail cell. Clark sets himself up to be arrested
in the speed trap. Inspector Bill is practically accused of being a
“fake” cop and the 3 are arrested and placed in the same jail cell. Poor
clumsy Clark gets locked out of his cell and Superman captures the
judge, officer and Joe from the diner (all three) in one car. In TAOS,
the town consists of 4 stick like portable buildings. In the TZ, it’s a
complete permanent town with a force field. In both episodes, reporters
are put in jail, though in the TZ the force field is a jail and in TAOS
there is an actual jail cell. The lady in the hotel is shady and on the
side of the town, where as Lois Lane is outspoken and always on the side
of her workmates and Inspector Bill.
January 2008
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED FOR YOUR
APPROVAL:
The Genius of ROD SERLING-PART I
by Susan Schnitzer
INSPIRATION
Searching
my memory banks of vintage TV programs that left more than a indelible
trace and a truly unforgettable impression on my young brain was THE
TWILIGHT ZONE (1959 – 64) and the slight, but overpowering, figure
of creative genius—ROD SERLING who introduced each and every
episode. With his well-tailored suits, style, polished voice, handsome
mannerism, over the top comments, logic, wisdom and sure attitudes of a
mysterious other dimension, he reminded me of a small screen Cary Grant.
The show was presented on CBS and I felt that the logo CBS eye was a
perfect segue way for the show’s long lashed doll’s eye image. Of course
I loved The Adventures Of Superman, Bonanza and countless comedy
and variety shows of the time, but like a good filling meal, Rod
Serling’s works has stuck to my mental ribs throughout the decades.
True, Mr. Serling wasn’t an actor, but an outspoken writer whose works
enabled other talented actors of his time, a chance to shine forth with
pearls of his script verbiage. Mr. Serling wrote 70% of the episodes
and never missed a mark in his commentary and social conscience. Though
there was Alfred Hitchcock Presents with Mr. Hitchcock’s
macabre sense of humor and Edgar Alan Poe type of episodes, I wasn’t
impressed. Mr. Hitchcock wasn’t attractive and I didn’t find him funny
or likeable. When the series became available on DVD at my local
Suncoast store several years ago, I was surprised on how many episodes I
remembered by just sitting lotus style on the floor and scanning the DVD
covers. A funny thing occurred while I sat organizing the
episodes—several customers came up to me to ask me where certain TV
shows and movies where. I pointed to the appropriate aisle and commented
“I don’t work here—I just look like I do.”
A LIFE SCENARIO
Rodman Edward Serling
was born on Christmas Day in 1924 in Syracuse, NY. Rod was an outgoing
boy who read Sci Fi magazines and was involved in high school drama.
People were drawn to his charisma and self assuredness. Growing up, he
had few disappointments and life was safe. He spent afternoons and
summer nights with his brother at the movies. During World War II, Rod
enlisted in the paratroops the day that he graduated high school and
served in the Philippines. After leaving the service, he attended
Antioch College in Ohio. While still a student, he sold his first script
to a radio show—Dr. Christian. Afterwards, Rod was soon selling
his scripts both to radio and TV shows. In 1955, he made the leap to
national prominence with his TV screenplay Patterns (1956)
as shown on Kraft TV Theater. It dealt with the cutthroat world of
corporate business. The script won Mr. Serling’s first of his 6 Emmys
and was made into a film. At the age of 34, Rod Serling was the top
writer of TV’s Golden Age. More winning scripts followed as presented
live for 90 minutes on Playhouse 90: The Comedian (1956 - Mickey
Rooney) and Requiem For A Heavyweight (1957). By the end of the
1950s, Rod Serling was TV’s most esteemed and popular writer.
Unfortunately, he found himself increasingly constrained by sponsor
censorship.
To
avoid this, he created The Twilight Zone (TZ). His
reasoning was correct and the sponsors dismissed his stories as fantasy
and didn’t notice his hidden social comments. Mr. Serling even made a
commercial sales pitch to the sponsors predicting the high quality of
the series promising to put viewers at the edge of their seats. In turn,
he was sure that these same viewers would hurry to the stores and buy
the sponsor’s products (he used instant SANKA coffee as an example of an
item that would “disappear” off of the shelves.) For TZ, Mr.
Serling enlisted the finest actors of the time (Robert Redford, Robert
Duvell, Lee Marvin, Art Carney, Ed Wynn, Keenan Wynn and Jack Klugman,
etc.). Many of these actors he met in his Playhouse 90 days. He
also enlisted the directing talents of Richard Donner (TZ episode
“Nightmare At 20,000 Feet” [William Shatner] and on
the big screen Superman and Lethal Weapon). Bernard
Hermann composed music for the movie Citizen Kane and
later was incorporated to score both the initial theme and a number of
TZ episodes before he moved on to score for the films Psycho
and Taxi Driver. Rod had the insight for hiring gifted
performers that brought their own specific voice to this unique show.
What attracted these talent pools was the writing
and astounding variety of the series produced at a dizzying speed. Mr.
Serling sat by his swimming pool in his back yard at his Pacific
Palisades, CA mansion and dictated and worked, 12–14 hours a day–7 days
a week, into a tape recorder for a secretary to transcribe. Then he
would make line changes by hand producing 10–15 pages of script per day.
Rod wrote 70% of the 156 scripts with writers Charlie Beaumont and
Richard Matheson filling in as needed.
During and after The Twilight
Zone, Rod Serling continued to craft his
moving and memorable work. He continued with the TV
series The Loner (starring Lloyd Bridges),
Night Gallery and films Seven Days in
May and Planet of the Apes.
Interview with Mike Wallace
At the time TZ came to the small screen in
’59; Rod Serling was, in a cloud of shared cigarette smoke, interviewed
by Mike Wallace. He started off as a staff writer, a dreamless
occupation, at a Cincinnati, Ohio station. He wrote testimonial product
endorsements. Totally fed up with his position, he sat down with wife
Carol and decided to quit his job and to write free lance. It wasn’t
just about the money—it was the battle of writing so that he could be
his own man. Rod Serling loved to write about the controversy of
socially relevant materials. He hated commercials that interrupted a
broadcast every 15 minutes that had absolutely nothing to do with the
show.
Rod was known as “TV’s angry young man” because he
refused to be told what to write. There was always a sense of outrage in
Rod’s writing. It showed human’s potential for evil. For a thinking
human being, humanity is our business. He took on issues that the
networks and sponsors were against. He wrote a TV play A Town That
Goes to Dust about a black man being lynched in the south. It was
butchered, emasculated and sanitized to death so much that it became
antiseptic. He protested this action all the way. It was Rod’s belief
that all evils grow from prejudice. Rod very clearly articulated the
evils of censorship. He spoke about a lovely episode of Lassie
about the birth of pups. His young daughters, Jodi and Anne, enjoyed
watching the birth process as it was quite innocent. Protest letters
came flooding in to the station that it was a “sex” show. In his
Playhouse 90 days in Judgment at Nuremberg there was a
line about gas chambers that was cut because the sponsor of the program
sold gas ovens. Rod was totally against any type of sponsor
interference.
In the first year of filming 18 episodes of TZ,
only one line was changed by the sponsors. The action took place in
England where they were serving tea. The sponsor happened to sell coffee
so the line was changed to bringing in a tray of food. Rod’s half an
hour dramas couldn’t probe like a 90 minute show so the writing had to
be concise. The show was adult, very polished and high quality. Rod felt
that a play couldn’t be chopped with an axe and took great pride and
wouldn’t write beneath himself. His role was that of the tired
nonconformist who didn’t want to compromise nor fight the sponsors.
When asked by Mike Wallace if he thought out of the
TV box, Rod commented that he wasn’t sure that he could make it out of
TV. His movies were less than spectacular and he wanted to stay in the
womb. However, Rod wanted to do Requiem again as a theater
play. Eventually, he would have loved to write a novel. He wasn’t
ashamed of what he was doing and had turned down low quality at the sake
of high pay. The Velvet Alley was part autobiographical dealing
with the corruption of getting into big money and the preoccupation with
status. Rod’s biggest value in life was his family but it was difficult
to balance along with his overloaded work schedule. He wasn’t concerned
that a contract would bring in a lot of money but would rather do a
project for it’s built in challenge.
In closing, Rod felt that some TV was good and some
was wonderful. TV had much promise as it’s a real art form that could be
improved tremendously. From 40 rejection slips to Emmys; from a trailer
park home to a mansion – Rod Serling came a long way.
THE CREATIVE HEART OF ROD SERLING
In his pre TZ live TV plays days, Rod
Serling wrote an autobiographical account of his climb and pitfall of
stardom—The Velvet Alley starring Art Carney (as Ernie the
writer), Jack Klugman (the agent) and Leslie Nielsen. The young writer
came from the heartbeat of a big city, after countless rejections, where
it took 8 months to complete a script. But in Hollywood, he fell into
the Hollywood rat race of life where he had to crank out script after
script at a lightening pace. In life off the page, Rod Serling came to
NYC in 1954 in a world that fueled a writer for TV and a new breed of
writer emerged. Rod Serling succumbed to writing and gladly had no other
choice.
People came out of theater or basically nowhere to
be on live TV. Rod Serling lived every line of agony in his
Playhouse 90 (The Comedian and Patterns) days. Anything could
and would happen during those live TV days and Rod agonized through it
all. Performers Kim Hunter and Richard Kiley both liked the moment of
truth on live TV for its mad dashing around from scene to scene. While
it was thrilling and invigorating; if an actor screwed up it was
“curtains.” Patterns (a recurrent theme also
in the TZ episode *Stop at Willoughby* was that of
the push, push, push of a businessman causing him to be on the brink
between life and death) was a story of a powerfully heartless
boss (played by Everett Sloan) pushing out an elderly worker (Ed
Begley). It’s a tale of morality vs. success at the shady side of the
corporate street. It proved an overnight success for Rod Serling and
pushed him into the limelight. Rod’s wife Carol Serling said that her
husband dealt with success very well on the surface but he had to
maintain it. Every script was expected to be a success.
Also on CBS’ Playhouse 90—Requiem For A
Heavyweight, Keenan Wynn, manager, Ed Wynn, trainee, of
fighter Jack Palance on his final bout where after he was discarded and
used up just like the life of a writer. Everyone feeds off of the
fighter’s misery. Ed Wynn portrayed his trainer with an innocence and
love for the fighter. Kim Hunter played a social worker. This proved to
be a most electric work of Rod Serling and put TV ahead 10 years. It was
the hit of the season and won 5 Emmys. Rod Serling won for best writer.
Serling, at this point of his career, had won 3 Emmys (Pattern,
Comedian and Requiem).
The last Playhouse 90 was In The
Presence of the Enemy telling of the Warsaw ghetto during
World War II. Rod Serling researched this piece for 8 months and many
sponsors turned it down. It starred Robert Redford and Charles Laughton
and was the first to deal with the subject of the Holocaust. It was
taped and the sound effects were put in afterwards on an empty sound
stage. After this work, live TV was history and never the same. The
writers went west to further their craft.
In Los Angeles 1959, offers flooded in for Rod
Serling and more scripts came pouring out. He was trapped in success. He
was quoted as saying “LA is Ok if you’re a grapefruit.” Regardless, Rod
loved to rub elbows with the stars but he didn’t think Hollywood would
sport his The Velvet Alley style.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE 1959 – 64
At first no one wanted to buy the idea of this most
unusual series. Rod Serling got the idea of the pilot Where Is
Everybody (Earl Holliman) while he was walking through an empty
movie studio as the story of the last man on Earth. Everything takes
place in the mind of this astronaut for space research to determine if
space travelers could tolerate loneliness. The episode was so reality
based that the sponsors liked it immediately. It turned out to be the
fastest sale of a pilot ever! From then on, Rod Serling’s imagination
went beyond the twilights. Rod Serling was sharp and outspoken for a
“little guy.” He saw the TZ (both as writer and co producer) as
half hour well polished films dealing with fantasy and imagination with
social messages “subtly” put in. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
signifies that scapegoats and prejudices can kill. This idea was
taken from the McCarthy era where Rod’s friends were seared and branded
as “reds.” WE are the enemy. In *The Eye of the
Beholder*—what is beautiful and what is ugly? *Number Twelve
Looks Just Like Me* is another example of a totalitarian society
where everyone must look the same. But what exactly is lost in the
transformation? The Masks, set at a Mardi Gras party
shows us the real faces we wear in life. Nothing in the Dark
is when a very unlikely Mr. Death (Robert Redford) comes to the door
of an elderly woman (Gladys Cooper) who is afraid to let him in. Death
comes in as a loving salvation and as a whisper. All of the men in Rod
Serling’s life died very young so perhaps he was preparing himself to
meet Mr. Death shortly.
Jack Klugman (who was in 3 TZ episodes)
revealed that Rod wrote with an actor’s sensibility in mind. The
dialogue had a crisp, snap, crackle and pop sound that actors loved to
speak. In Passage with a Horn, Jack plays a down on his
luck horn player, an everyday person, who feels unloved, neglected, and
dispossessed. His suicidal character feels that he has nothing to hold
on to but is given a chance to redeem himself to start again. He had
forgotten about all the good things in his life and just concentrated on
the bad. *To Serve Man* is a very bizarre twist on
the “good neighbor policy.” *Time Enough at Last*
starring Burgess Meredith (who was in 3 TZ episodes) let’s us
know to be careful what you wish for—you may get it! This was also the
theme with Mickey Rooney as a jockey not being caught short in The
Last Night of a Jockey and in The Trade In
where an elderly couple is willing to trade in their life’s savings
for a robot fountain of youth.
Though Rod Serling complained about all of the
trappings of fame, he was a real ham in front of the camera. He loved
being a celebrity and being highly recognized on the street. In a skit
on the The Jack Benny Show he introduced himself as the Mayor of
a small town and called himself “Mr. Zone.” Only 5’5”, being a star fed
his insecurities,
At times, he was fondly nostalgic about the simpler
life he led back in Binghamton, New York as opposed to his hectic pace
in Hollywood. In Walking Distance (Gig Young) a
businessman goes back in time to revisit his boyhood. The moral of the
story is “Can you REALLY go back again?” Enjoy that time of your life
and remember it well. Daughter Jodi Serling felt that writing was
therapy for her father to relieve him of his emotional pain.
The Purple Testament (Dick York)
was a flash back to Rod’s paratrooping days in the Philippines of
World War II. Rod had nightmares for the rest of his life due to his war
experiences. Fortunately, these nightmares proved for great writing
therapy. In this episode, death is shown on the faces of soldiers who
wouldn’t be going home. The nightmare of war continued with A
Quality of Mercy (Dean Stockwell) during the last day of the war
where the tables are turned on an American solider set to destroy
Japanese soldiers.
Towards the end of the series, Rod was writing at a
pace of 36 hours for each episode. In addition, he oversaw the filming
of the episodes. This was a departure from his Playhouse 90 days
where it took him months to complete a script. He became drained of
ideas and needed 6 months to stop and replenish himself. He wanted
OUT. Outspoken Rod always went to the press if he disagreed with
procedure and was so harsh that CBS was up against him. So he was more
than OK and philosophical when the program was cancelled in ’64.
Rod Serling went on to other writing opportunities
after the cancellation of TZ. The Loner (1965 Lloyd
Bridges) was a thinking man’s western. Critics and sponsors panned it
because there was not enough action and violence and it wasn’t a typical
western. Rod Serling wanted believable characters only.
In 1969, NBC
aired a Serling-penned pilot for a new series, Night Gallery.
Set in a dimly lit museum, the pilot film featured Serling (as on-camera
host) introducing three tales of the macabre, unveiling canvases that
would appear in the subsequent story segments. The series, which
premiered in December 1970, focused more on
gothic horror and the occult
than did TZ. Serling, no longer wanting the burden of an
executive position, sidestepped an offer to retain creative control of
content—a decision he would come to regret. Although discontented with
some of producer Jack Laird's script and creative choices, Serling
maintained a stream of creative submissions and ultimately wrote over a
third of the series' scripts. By season three however,
Serling began to see many of his script contributions rejected. With his
complaints ignored, the disgruntled host dismissed the show as “Mannix
in a cemetery." Night Gallery
lasted until 1973. While the series has its own cult
following, it was not as successful as TZ and is generally
regarded, sometimes unfairly, as a pale shadow of Serling's previous
series. Wife Carol Serling said that Rod should never had done
the TV series because Rod acted merely as
a “front” to introduce the episodes.
Serling wrote a number of
short stories in
the science fiction
and horror
genres, which were collected into three volumes of TZ stories
(1960, 1961, 1962), two of Night Gallery
stories (1971, 1972) and a collection of three
novellas,
The Season To Be Wary (1968). Many of
Serling's stories can stand as genuinely original and meritorious works
of prose fiction.
Rod Serling took his craft to the large screen and
wrote screenplays with a political focus. The film Seven Days in May
(1964-Frederick March) was quite a superior telling of an attempted
military coup against the President of the USA. Planet Of The Apes
(1968-Charlton Heston), which later evolved into numerous sequels and a
TV series, is a turned around world where the masters of the planet are
NOT human. The Man (1964) was about the first African American
President.
Serling had taped introductions for
a limited-run summer comedy series on ABC, Keep on Truckin',
which was scheduled to begin its run several weeks after his death;
these introductions were subsequently edited out of the broadcast
episodes. He also wrote the pilot episode for a short-lived Aaron
Spelling series called The New People in
1969.
Serling returned to radio in 1974
as the host of a new mystery/adventure series called The Zero
Hour. The show aired for two years and Serling wrote
several of the scripts. It failed to find a large audience due to its
radio serial format and lack of promotion. He did voiceovers for various
projects and narrated documentaries featuring French undersea explorer
Jacques-Yves Cousteau and (uncredited) performed
the narration for the beginning of the Brian De Palma
film Phantom of the Paradise.
After his death, several Serling
scripts were produced. In 1988, J.
Michael
Straczynski scripted Serling's outline Our Selena Is Dying
for the 1980s revival of The Twilight Zone;
Rod Serling's
Lost Classics
(1994),
was a TV movie based on a Serling script and an outline for another
story (the latter was expanded and scripted by
Richard Matheson);
In
The Presence Of Mine Enemies
(1997) was set in the
Warsaw Ghetto;
a science-fiction remake of A Town Has Turned To Dust
(1998) and
A Storm In
Summer (2000)
followed.
In his last years, Rod took to teaching writing in
Ithaca College, NY where the pressure was low and he loosened up with
his students. In a TZ episode Changing of the Guard
(Donald Pleasance) a teacher is forced to retire. At the crossroads of
his life, the teacher wonders if he left a favorable mark on his
students. The same sentiments rang true for Rod Serling who didn’t trust
enough in his own talent. The TZ episode One for the Angels
(Ed Wynn) dealt with an aging salesman who wants to make “one big
pitch” with the angel of death before he replaces himself with a little
girl dying in his building. Just like Rod Serling, he wanted to know
that he achieved something of value in his life.
Living on a diet of too many cigarettes, chewed up
fingernails, black coffee, and stressful deadlines affected his creative
heart. Rod Serling died of complications from open heart surgery at the
age of 50 on Tuesday, June 28, 1975, thus ending his life but not his
legacy as a memorable writer. Rod Serling was like a modern day Aesop
who slipped some information into our pocket and then slipped away—too
early.
December 2007
SO
PROUDLY WE HAIL
(1943)
By Susan Schnitzer
World War II (USA
involvement 1941 – 45) became the defining moment in the
lives of an entire generation of Americans. But most
accounts do not tell the whole story of the courage,
tenacity, and faith of American nurses during those four
terrible years. To qualify for commission as an Army
nurse, one had to be graduated from an approved nursing
school, be under 40 years of age, unmarried, and
(presumably) female. For the new nurse recruits, the
actual experience of military life was very different
from the recruiting posters. Depending on their assigned
locations, nurses found themselves sharing their
thatched-roof communal bathroom with lizards, snakes,
monkeys, and rats scampering through camp. Some nurses
found accommodations more suitable but were plagued with
insects, scorpions, and the diseases they carried.
Writes one nurse veteran: "I wish I could forget those
endless harrowing hours. Hours of giving injections,
anesthetizing, ripping off clothes, stitching gaping
wounds, of amputations, sterilizing instruments,
settling the treated patients into their beds, covering
the wounded we could not save. I had still not grown
accustomed to seeing people torn and bleeding and dying
in numbers like these". Another nurse relates: "Nurses
had to assume a lot of responsibility...as there were
not enough doctors to supervise every case at every
stage". In some cases, nurses were forced to use helmets
as washbasins and bedpans, rainwater for bathing and
drinking, and local herbs for healing ointments. At one
evac hospital the nurses joked that the water was so
polluted that they were forced to brush their teeth with
champagne. One nurse recalled a patient brought into her
evac hospital directly from the battlefield, missing
both arms and both legs; undaunted, the soldier looked
her in the eye and said, "Hey nurse, how about going out
with me when I get outta here?" "The words of a badly
wounded man, as he looked at you giving him plasma, were
thanks enough for us all.”
So
Proudly We Hail! (made
by
Paramount Pictures,
directed by
Mark Sandrich),
is a war time epic that romantically
displayed the
lives and loves of those dedicated and
underrated army nurses sent to the Philippines
and Melbourne as a sample of wartime
propaganda.
The movie was based on a book written by Nurse
Juanita Hipp and starred
Claudette Colbert
(IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, CLEOPATRA, IMITATION OF
LIFE – 1943), as Lt. Janet 'Davy' Davidson;
Paulette Goddard
(supposedly once Mrs. Charlie Chaplin starring
with him in MODERN TIMES 1936 and THE GREAT
DICTATOR 1940 and later to become Mrs. Burgess
Meredith starring with him in 1940 SECOND
CHORUS) nominated for an
Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actress
for this performance, as Lt. Joan O'Doul;
George Reeves
as Lt. John
Summers; and
Veronica Lake
(noted for her long blonde hair cascading over
one eye, starred in I MARRIED A WITCH, 1942).as
Lt. Olivia D'Arcy.
Deservingly, George
Reeves was listed at the top of the credits as a
supporting actor ranked by a wonderful cast. The
movie, as introduced by Robert Osborne, told of
the clashes of the 3 great actresses in the
production. Mostly, as George Reeves concurred,
the major clash was the result of Ms. Lake
refusing to share the led with her other female
stars who were truly professional as well as
superb to work with. This movie was taken from
the flashback point of view of Ms. Colbert as
head nurse Davidson who has lost her true love
(George Reeves) in the entrenches of war. She
is in the throes of a mental collapse after the
nurses’ abrupt evacuation from the battle scene.
The unglamorous nurses are relaxing and
reflecting aboard the rescue ship. Thinking back
to the Philippines, Paulette Goddard, O’Doul, is
a notorious flirty nurse until she meets country
bumpkin Kansas (played lamely by muscle guy
Sonny Tuffs). I see absolutely no chemistry nor
likeability in the pairing. Nor do I agree nor
understand Ms. Goddard’s award nomination for
this film. True, her personality does a 180
degree turn from shallow to likeable, but not
enough of a turn that could be considered a
winning performance. That honor should have been
bestowed upon Veronica Lake (yes, the difficult
diva) as the hell cat who hates ALL Japanese
because her finance was killed by one, who gives
an excellent ghoulish performance as the nurse
on her own suicide mission in order to save her
unit. Ms. Lake’s trademark hair and glamour was
missing from this film, but not her trademark
talent.
Ms.
Colbert plays a solemnly caring, motherly but
down to earth head nurse. However, her extreme
false eyelashes were out of character for war
conditions. Of course how could she resist
George Reeves as bed ridden patient Lt. John
Summers?! They lock horns (and hearts) when he
resists her giving him a sponge bath (top half
only) in a most comical scene. I can understand
Ms. Colbert’s character being attracted to
George, but not the other way around. She is
clearly a decade older than him, very reserved
and distant. Lt. Summers clearly outshines all
of the other soldiers by his lively boyish
charm, impetuousness, wit and total
irresistibility. Perhaps her distantness
presents a challenge to him in wartime where he
has no time to waste in falling in love and
makes his feelings clear right away. Their
romantic kisses, though hidden and covered in
the ship’s darkness, is enough to light the
night skies. Their romance takes place over a 3
month period (which translates into 18 George
Reeves’ scenes). In those 18 scenes, George
shows a serious, mature side telling about his
war woes with hopes for a future back home on
his farm. In the 1940’s, the Hayes Censorship
Code toned down any reference to sexuality when
the lovebirds were together in the foxhole all
night while dating (called the “Rainbow Room”)
and later on when they honeymooned (Lt. Davy
proposes). Summers leaves a note for the nurse
while she sleeps telling her that he was called
away on an assignment. Was the note actually
written by George? George is especially soothing
to Ms. Colbert when an older nurses’ (“Ma”) son
dies tragically. The look of compassion on
George’s face just reaches the soul. When John
is injured, he is in great humor especially when
he has to hobble around on crutches; when he
needs a shave, he is gruff in a hunky way. The
couple knows almost nothing about one another
but it doesn’t matter. He talks about having a
family of girls because “Girls are more
decorative.”
The
end of the movie leaves us hanging for a mere
moment of thought only. Lt. Summers is on an
assignment in search of Quinine to help the
sick, but he tells his lady love to “Wait for me
– I’ll be back” for which Nurse Davy answers
back “I’ll be right here.” Unfortunately, he is
reported to be MIA leaving his new wife limp and
almost lifeless as she is put on the ship to
Hawaii with her charges. The end of the movie
could very well be the beginning of a new
chapter as Lt. Davy is read a letter by John
(with George Reeves’ voice over) in a moving
statement about war, courage and goodness in all
people. She envisions his hazy face as she
begins to come back to reality and sanity. In
the distant horizon is a ray of sunshine which
is a ray of hope for their future together. Will
they meet at his farmhouse back in the states?
The answer is only for them to know. It was also
signaling the future hope of our nation at the
end of the war.
Truly, George Reeves was worthy of
much, much more than top supporting billing. There
should have been a ray of sunshine in his movie career
horizon. Who is to say what would have been the outcome
if director Mark Sandrich would have lived to fulfill
his promise of making George a movie star. After all,
leading actress Colette Colbert thought highly of him
and wanted to pair him in further leading roles with
her. HAIL TO GEORGE REEVES in this stellar performance!
November 2007
They Were Afraid They'd Lose Their Jobs
By Susan Schnitzer
Has anyone ever wondered
"why" no one picked up that Clark Kent was actually the
one and only Superman? There were certainly enough clues
and innuendos being thrown back and forth on TAOS. To
coin a phrase of Noel Neil "They were afraid they'd lose
their jobs" not only pertained to the staff of the
Planet but also to various characters on the series.
Perhaps no one wanted to wait on line at the
unemployment office of the 1950's since there were no
"on line" services yet on a home computer. Super Sis
Gail came up with the idea for this article, while our
famous Mr. X supplied us with the clue ridden episodes.
Season
2 contained the majority of clues as well as combining
the dramatic noir of season 1 coupled with the comic wit
and charm of future episodes. The first episode was
FIVE MINUTES TO DOOM starring Dabbs Greer (of the
movie The Green Miles and other TAOS episodes
such as Superman on Earth and The Superman
Silver Mine, and the reverend on TV's Little
House on the Prairie) as condemned death row
prisoner Joe Winters. Joe is a foreman on a construction
job where he physically struggles with a supervisor over
inferior steel products used on a job. In the struggle,
the supervisor is shot to death and Joe is blamed and
sentenced to death. Did Lois ever wonder how trusting
Clark was able to take Joe's pulse aka a lie detecting
test which is something only machines and Superman could
detect? Joe was too emotionally distraught to pick up
on this. When a henchman hitching a ride with Lois and
Clark accidentally on purpose leaves his lunch box (with
a bomb filling) in Lois' car, the supposedly "timid"
Clark risks his life, and limbs, by jumping out of the
car with the bomb saving Lois and the car. Lois
comments that Clark was mighty brave to which Clark
answers "You mean just like Superman... Sometimes I
think you under estimate me." I wonder IF the dark
trench coat (maybe from the George Reeves collection)
wasn't in the car and Clark would have emerged with half
of his suit intact and half of Superman's outfit
showing, would she have managed to CATCH ON? By the
way, did anyone else notice that the clock in death row
had the name HAMILTON on it? Perhaps it was an inside
joke of John Hamilton or a side job that he had
in-between acting gigs.
PANIC
IN THE SKY,
according to the commentary track comments of Jack
Larson and Noel Neill, is a favorite episode of comic
Jerry Seinfeld. Noel brought this episode along on her
college discussion trips. When Clark is in bed,
suffering from amnesia after a confrontation with the
deadly asteroid, he is surrounded by the Planet's staff.
Jack commented that Jimmy was a bit dense and befuddled
when he was looking at Clark laying there NOT wearing
his glasses. There was no excuse why the learned and
powerful editor of the DAILY PLANET couldn't fathom that
the handsome hunk laying on the bed was the one and only
powerful Superman. Perhaps a good detective (well, Candy
wasn't in this one) could have figured out if George
Reeves was wearing his own PJ's as it looked quite
similar to the one that he wore in the late '50s clip
"Roving Reporter" at the home of George Reeves. Clark
was missing right after Superman's collision with the
asteroid. Then he shows up at home quite tired and out
of it. When he collapses in the shower, of course
without his glasses, Jimmy notices that "he must weigh a
ton" (of course Super muscle weighs more than regular
muscle). Jimmy also notes that Clark doesn't have a
scratch on him after his mishap because "he must be the
luckiest man alive." Back at the office, with the
possibly that being at work will jar his memory, Mr.
White asks Clark to contact Superman. Clark's answer is
"Do you know what he looks like? Well, apparently "no"
because everyone is staring right at his handsome super
face. Jimmy still doesn't have a hint about what's
happening when Clark asks him if Superman's powers come
from his suit, doesn't see the bump underneath the chair
cushion from the costume and is not in the least bit
miffed why Clark abruptly rushes him out the door. The
ending is classic and timely with the verbal exchange of
Lois and Clark. Clark comments "I know who Superman is
now." Lois answers ""Oh, who?" With perfect deadpan
timing, Clark comes back with "Just knock me on the head
sometime." Of course Lois would maim herself if she hit
Clark on the head and guess what, she still wouldn't get
it!
THE
CLOWN WHO CRIED
takes place at the circus where Lois and Clark ask Rollo
the clown if he would do his act for a children's fund
telethon that the Planet is sponsoring. When Clark's
x-ray vision reveals that Jimmy is in trouble in a
nearby tent, Clark tries to get away from Lois. The only
trick that works is for him to take his glasses off in
front of Lois, to dust them, and purposely step on them
and ask Lois to go back to the office to bring back his
second pair. Of course, in those early years, Clark's
glasses were only frames but no one took notice. He
also had a spare pair tucked away in his jacket. Once at
the telethon, Clark cleverly takes a meal break, when it
is time for Superman to make an appearance, In a bit
borrowed from season one's HUMAN BOMB, Clark
trades places with the guard who has a similar hair,
body and profile type as our ace reporter so that his
visage can be seen in the foggy next door window.
Supposedly what we see is the guard munching away, but I
wonder if it wasn't actually George doing that bit.
Well, once again, Clark is much too clever for anyone
around and the guard didn't think that it was wrong for
Clark to use his hat. After all, the guard would
officially be out of uniform.
THE
GOLDEN VULTURE
is a 1950's pirate salvage ship adventure. Off-balanced
Captain McBain's disgruntled stewart Scurvey (perhaps he
didn't take his Vitamin C) sends out a help note in a
bottle out to sea that is retrieved by a beaching Jimmy.
Back at the office, the only person who can read the sea
water smudged note is Clark (even with his non glass eye
glasses). None of the ship mates are ship shape enough
to catch on to Clark's super feats. Clark snaps the
chains that are binding Scurvy because "they must be
rusty, I guess...perhaps there are more rusty chains
around." Clark poses his steel-like finger in fence
Sanders back alarming Sanders to think that there
actually is a gun back there. Most likely due to George
Reeves' boxing days, Clark is agile when he waivers and
ducks with lightning reflexes away from hostile crew
members. He just wants to get away "Stupor man, where
are you?" in order to save the day. Clark has no glasses
on when he is blind folded to walk the plank. No one
gets the visual connection especially when Superman
emerges mini seconds after Clark submerges Superman is
in no rush to save Clark from the perils of the deep
much to the chagrin of Lois and Jimmy. Just when Lois
may catch on to the Clark-Superman connection, he grabs
her hand and she gets a dunking. "It just couldn't be,
it just couldn't be" unglues that part of the puzzle.
In
season 4, there is THE JOLLY ROGER which is a
campy tale of descendants of a pirate family still
living on a deserted island that is targeted for
destruction by the navy. On the island is TAOS alumnus
Leonard Mudie (Drums of Death, The
Magic Necklace and Ghost of Scotland) and the
serial Perry White—Pierre Watkins as the admiral. Clark
takes off his glasses and is about to ”reveal all" (as
Superman that is) in order to save the islanders from
the bombing but reconsiders when he comes up with
another plan. No one takes note of this. Also, did
anyone ever notice that when Clark is challenged on his
proximity to his Super pal, he smugly readjusts his
glass frames?
In the
last season, there was one last effort for Clark to fool
everyone in THE BIG FORGET but this time he was
able to get away with it thanks to Professor
Pepperwinkles'
anti-memory
vapor spray which wipes out anything that happens within
the past 15 minutes. Here's a hint, Clark tells the
Professor not to try the spray on him as he may be
immune to the spray but that comment doesn't register
with the memory challenged inventor. When con Mugsy
Maple (veteran TV bad guy Herb Vigran) gets a hold of
the spray and ties everyone up in order to poison pellet
them to death, Clark reveals the inevitable that he is
also the Man of Steel. Only Lois sits there without a
reaction and without shock as if she really knew it
after ONLY 6 seasons of playing the guessing game. Perry
White is astounded while Jimmy is enjoying helping Super
Clark bash down the door. So both Jimmy and the
Professor saved the day and Clark's identity. Gee, I
wonder if Mr. White remembered to give his staff that
$10 raise that he promised them or did the spray wipe
that memory out, too?
**The
photos were done by our Gail M—give credit where credit
is due! SAS
October 2007
A View of
FOREVER FEMALE
By Susan Schnitzer
It’s no ones guess that I’m attracted to the limelight
of theater whether it be New York’s Broadway, London’s
West End or Regional and Community Theater in New
Jersey. As a child living in the Bronx, mom and I would
venture to the “city” of Manhattan on a Saturday for a
“girl’s day out” to go to Radio City Music Hall and see
the very made up (but beautiful) dancing and singing
Rockettes kick their way on stage. Mom would explain to
me that the average height of the Rockettes was about
5’7” but their hat feathers and dance shoes were
adjusted accordingly so that they would all appear to be
the same height. Mesmerized, we sat up front for this
part of the show. But when the motion picture came on,
we had to rush past the crowds and sit as far back as
possible in the auditorium because the movie screen was
larger then Yankee Stadium, or so we thought.
In 1968, after the stage show, we saw the movie THE ODD
COUPLE but the auditorium was much too crowded and we
couldn’t move back. Imagine the neck ache and eye strain
we suffered when we had to look up the nostrils
of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau for 2 hours! Before
the show, we would eat lunch at the Automat (my favorite
meal was the vegetable plate with pumpkin pie dessert)
and then a trip to Carol Ann’s Dress Shop (a purchase
was a whopping $9.99). If we had already seen the Radio
City Show, there was always a $4.00 matinee Broadway
show. It didn’t make a difference whether the play was a
musical, comedy, tragedy, memorable or not --- we saw it
all! So when I plugged in my loaner, thanks to Green
Ink Girl, VHS copy of FOREVER FEMALE (1953) my front
row seat was my Magic Motion Bed and I was still
mesmerized.
Up came the opening scene of
Broadway in grainy, but beautiful, black and white.
Ginger Rogers (Beatrice Rogers) was a 40+ year old
actress starring as a 29 year old (she’s 29 like I’m
29!!!) in a play produced by her ex-husband Harry
Phillips (Paul Douglas). After the performance, Bea sups
at New York’s Sardis’ restaurant. She is escorted by her
boyfriend of “this season” – George Courtland IV (George
Reeves) who is very conservative sporting a crew cut
and Clark Kent eyewear. In fact, George is referred to
as the “crew cut.” Harry introduces George to Bea’s
agent as “what’s his name.” Bea corrects him. When
other people join the group seconds later, no one can
recall George’s name. George’s retort “It’s a perfectly
simple name” is followed by Harry’s “For a perfectly
simple fellow.” An argument boils up between the men at
the table as to how “well (or not)” Bea’s performance
went that night. Ex-husband Harry tells Bea “If I was
still your husband, I’d ask him to step outside,” ….
“But now it’s up to Mr. Courtland.” George solemnly
says, “Now you remember my name!”
This priceless moment was the
highlight of the entire movie. George’s highly arrogant
rich snooty mannerisms and dry wit was reminiscent of
Jim Backus’ “Gilligan’s Island” portrayal of Thurston
Howell in the 1960’s (George and Jim were the best of
friends in these pre-Gilligan days, so perhaps Jim
“borrowed” Howell’s character from George). This is the
last time that we see George “what’s his name,” but he
is mentioned several times later on in the film.
The rest of the film centers on Bea
coming to terms with accepting herself as an “older”
actress. Patricia Crowley (who is known as Sally Carver
as well as numerous other stage names) comes in to
assume the daughter part and Bea assuming the mother
part. William Holden is the young playwright (Stanley
“who ever”) who becomes Bea’s next “boy toy” but winds
up with Sally (and her multi Sybil personalities) and
Bea winds up with her ex-husband (I lost my score card
along the way).
What I found MOST amusing about
this film is the 1950’s perception of a woman of 50+ as
frumpy, dumpy and lumpy (the evil triplets). When Bea is
playing the “young” daughter character, “mature” women
audition for the mother part (this was in the pre CURVES
health club days). My family photo albums reveal that
middle aged women looked, in the year of yester, more
like senior women of today. Now when I look at photos of
our Super Women of this Board, as well as my own gal
pals, I realize how girlish we all are. We must have
all tapped into the fortress of youth.
September 2007
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
THE ULTIMATE BACKSTAGE
WORKOUT
By Susan Schnitzer
There’s an abundance of work and
preparation that goes into putting together a Broadway
style show. What the audience does not see is the world
behind the curtains—the world of the backstage crew.
Without these unsung (and unseen) heroes and heroines
there would be no show.
MILLIE was my return, after an
absence of eight years, to the backstage world of
theater. It was also a reunion of working with
performers whom I had encountered both on stage and in
the orchestra pit. To my delight, it was a reunion of
working with Terry, who was my dresser last year in THE
SCARLET PIMPERNEL. What a fun and crazy-paced time we
had!!! I had 3 costume changes in less than 5 minutes
(with outfits, wigs and caps that fit like Bozo the
clown’s formal wear),
but
nimble-fingered Terry was able to swiftly, safely and
modestly get me on stage in a breeze. With the intense
summer heat of outdoor theater, this was quite a
challenge. This year, Terry and I were teamed together,
again, but in the capacity of crew members (i.e. shakers
and movers of props and sets). MILLIE takes place circa
1922 NYC with sets almost as large as the Big Apple
itself (and I had the black and blue marks to prove it).
Assistant Stage Manager Justin is going to college this
fall with a major in Stage Management so being a part of
this outdoor theater experience was a big thrill for him
(even if he didn’t admit to it!). Stage Manager Kim was
overjoyed to have us on hand (and especially on foot)
and even remembered our names as we ran from stage left
to stage right and back tapping along to the syncopated
beats of the music and dance numbers.
All backstage crew are required to
wear black as not to be seen by the audience. As I found
out, wearing scandals was NOT a good idea but it did
give me a free pedicure! Terry and I were provided with
print outs of the acts and scenes where we scribbled
down activity notes—in the semi darkness! On
stage
right, before the show, we had to preset the unfolded
(and never washed) laundry towels for the show stealing
characters Bon and Chin. Stage left had the most
activities as we moved the set of the Hotel Priscilla on
and off a dozen times; helped Justin go under the hotel
desk as we helped wheel him out; helped move the café
platform, office ledger and tap dancing secretaries’
typing sets. We raced over to stage right to put the
towels on the laundry table and helped Bon and Chin move
the table into the cove so they could take it on stage.
In between, we moved the secretary set ups into place
for the tapping secretaries to go on stage, moving
typewriters on and off and putting phones in place for
the second act; moved in and out the glitter curtain for
the speakeasy scene and helped move the jail out.
Then
in came the “infamous” laundry cart where we raced to
put the towels back on the prop table by the men’s
dressing room; doing our version of a very clumsy Indy
5000 as we raced to get the cart down the narrow
hallway, constantly bumping into stored café chairs and
tables, the “once” working theater fire extinguisher,
and tripping on empty bottles of water. Once outside on
the loading dock, we passed scenery from the MATTRESS
show, tried not to hit it, went back through the ladies
dressing room corridor, hitting plastic garbage cans and
the prop table. Once on stage left, we left the laundry
cart to the rear of the back curtain—all in time to push
the secretaries and their desks onto the stage!!! All of
this was done within 30 seconds (what great
cardio!). Then the performers wheeled a desk and swivel
chair off stage for us to put in the corridor and for
Terry to take a jacket off the set to put on the boss
character! Need I forget that Terry had to race back to
stage right to get the winter fur coat (like anyone
really needed it in August) off of the café singer and
put in the dressing room.
During
intermission we had to move the typewriter sets to right
behind the main curtain, help move the jails to the back
wall, and move the kitchen sink to the stage right wing.
After this, the clumsy chaise lounge (with broken wheel)
had to be dragged from the corridor right next to the
Hotel Priscilla set. This took 10 minutes out of our 15
“rest” intermission. Act 2 was a bit lax for us. Mostly,
we sat on the lounge and helped a dancer with her outfit
change at the end. In Act I, we watched in awe as main
character Millie’s outfit and wig were changed by 3
dressers in less than 30 seconds. In rehearsal this
change was timed by the music cues. Millie never missed
a cue or a dance beat. By the end of the run of fun, we
were mouthing all of the songs, some dialogue tags and
mimicked the dance routines. Sadly, during the jail
scene, a baby squirrel (which looked like a mouse)
dropped from the ceiling rafters and splattered onto the
set.
The
performers didn’t respond to this until they were all in
the wings. What a short career for the squirrel!
From the wings, we watched the
final bows and the great audience response. Tap dancing
must enhance the niceness zones of the brain stem
because the performers were the nicest people I’ve met
in theater in years. They kept on thanking us (even if
we got in their way). Contrary to what Terry said, we
weren’t the OLDEST back stage helpers around, but the
MOST SKILLED and thoroughly enjoyed tapping our troubles
away.
September, 2007
BEHIND
THE SCENES:
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
By Susan Schnitzer
Believe me, at this stage of my life, it’s always a
thrill and delight to be ON THE STAGE no matter how big
or small the part. On my audition card, never to take
the nerve wracking process of auditioning or myself too
seriously, I put down that I would be happy to play the
part of THE PEA (though there is no such part).
Well, I got the part of one of the ensemble Ladies in
Waiting (I’ve been waiting decades longer than most).
Most ensemble ladies in this production were either high
school or college aged; one more “seasoned” lady was
approaching the advanced age of 30 (the poor old dear).
My claim to outfit fame is that other than being
petite and easier to fit (thus my Pea Green Gown), I
have a reputation backstage as being easy to get along
with. A little bit of niceness with the costume shop
ladies goes a long way. At opening night, I present all
of the backstage crew with trays of cookies and a
freezer full of ice cream and ices treats (nothing
healthy). When it’s time for outfit repairs, mine is
usually the first attended to. When I was being measured
for my PEA outfit, I told the laughing costume lady that
I wanted my usual garbage bag with holes but in the
summer I want a paper one since it’s more breathable in
the heat. I received the same kind of ROYAL treatment
from the sound crew, prop people and the stage managers.
The main principles of the show, from ages 35 – 60, were
at ease and confident with both themselves and the
production. They were a joy to work with and provided
valuable input to the director as to character
development.
Of course, since my
background, talents and brain cells are limited,
adorable choreographer David P. took special “pains”
(not painful I hope) with me to go over the dance
movements again and again. He even allowed hubby to
video
tape
the “Spanish Panic” dance number so that I could go over
it when I got home. I constantly apologized to my dance
partner Kyle for not being the Ginger Rogers in
his dance life. He didn’t mind, smiled and we joked
throughout the entire dance number. In fact, our routine
came out to be the funniest!!! For 7 weeks, the show
rehearsed in the nearby community college. By the time
it moved into Plays in the Park (the show’s final home)
for tech week everything looked different. The stage and
number markings on the floor were different plus we were
working with set pieces and props. So dance routines and
basic movements had to be reconfigured. David was on
hand (and foot) to walk me through everything --- yet
again! Director Art N, who laughs and jokes like veteran
comedian Ed Wynn, just stared at me and said that my
work was ADMIRABLE (I’m not sure if that was a
compliment or not). His wife was my first voice teacher,
so he knew of my limitations and was quite patient with
me (before he turned away and laughed some more!!!).
Once on stage, all of our varied personalities came into
play. As an ensemble member, we had to constantly
interact with the others as if we were in real life and
having real conversations. As in real life, each
performance was slightly different. Since all cast
members wore mics, our singing voices rang out quite
strong and clear. During the second act, for the song
QUIET, ensemble members had to walk, with pillows and
mattresses, outside the theater, along an ill-lit field
of the Park onto the rear of the outside auditorium.
This was during the last several moments of
intermission. Several times, audience members came up to
us to ask us questions or give positive feedback on the
show to which we answered in character “The Queen
insists on QUIET…..” Most of the time on stage, I was
paired with Nick (sort of like a young Oliver Hardy),
who is the complete body opposite of me. I’m sure this
was done for comic effect!!!!
Several friends and acquaintances came up to me at the
end of the show to comment on how good I looked (I
didn’t have any solo speaking lines) in my Pea green
dress, how I was actually able to dance (surprise,
surprise) and that I was constantly in view in the front
line (being pushy didn’t hurt either).
Included in this chapter of my stage life, is a photo of
me with the Queen (as played by Marti Bookstein of
various NJ singing cabaret acts), of Nick and me, and
group shots (CD ROM photographed by Rich K.) and a
publicity shot of the entire production by an outside
concern. Enjoy the show!!!!
August 2007
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS
By Susan
Schnitzer
The
musical comedy ONCE UPON A MATTRESS opened at the
off-Broadway
Phoenix Theatre on
May 11,
1959, and then
moved to several
Broadway
theaters before finally settling in at the St. James
Theatre. It ran for a total of 460 performances. The
play was written as an adaptation of the
Hans
Christian Andersen
fairy
tale THE
PRINCESS AND THE PEA with music by
Mary Rodgers, lyrics
by
Marshall Barer
and book by
Jay Thompson,
Dean Fuller,
and Marshall Barer. The original production was directed
by
George Abbott
and choreographed by
Joe Layton.
MATTRESS marked the Broadway debut of stage and
TV comic legend Carol Burnett, who originated the role
of Princess Winnifred the Woebegone. Also featured were
Joseph Bova,
Allen Case,
Jack Gilford,
Anne Jones,
Matt Mattox,
and Harry Snow.
Actress
Jane White
played the role of Queen Aggravain, becoming the first
African-American woman to portray a white character on
the Broadway stage. The play was nominated for the
Tony Awards
for
Best Musical,
and
Best Leading Actress
(Carol Burnett).
MATTRESS was
first written as a shorter play at the Tamiment Ault
Summer Camp Resort and was later expanded for the
Broadway stage. Initial reviews of the play were mixed.
Critics and actors alike were surprised by the show's
enduring popularity.
A
London
production of
MATTRESS
opened in
September 1960 at the
Adelphi Theatre
and ran for one month. A Broadway revival starred
Sarah Jessica Parker
(TV's SEX AND THE CITY star),
Lewis Cleale,
and
Jane Krakowski.
Featured in the show was Plays-in-the-Park alumni Thom
Warren! It opened on December 19, 1996 at the
Broadhurst Theatre
and ran for 188 performances. This production was
nominated for the 1997 Tony Award for
Best Revival of a
Musical.
The first television
adaptation was aired on June 3, 1964 on
CBS. The film,
shot in black and white, featured most of the original
Broadway cast.
The second
television adaptation was broadcast on December 12, 1972
on
CBS. This
television movie, filmed in color, also included many
members of the original cast (including Burnett and
White) and featured
Bernadette Peters
as Lady Larken. In the teleplay, several songs were
eliminated and characters were cut or altered (including
a prologue sequence with Burnett playing a storyteller).
The third television
version, which aired on December 18, 2005 on
ABC in the US
and was released on DVD two days later, starred
Carol Burnett as
Queen Aggravain,
Denis O'Hare as
Prince Dauntless,
Tom Smothers as
King Sextimus,
Tracey Ullman as
Princess Winnifred,
Zooey Deschanel
as Lady Larken, and
Matthew Morrison
as Sir Harry.
Strange that it took
45 years for PIP to mount this show...but it's never too
late for a happy ending --- and in Mattress,
everyone classically lives happily, happily, happily
ever after.
August 2007
ALWAYS
A BRIDE
By Susan Schnitzer
George Reeves (Michael Stevens) has
my vote not only as the underdog Mayor in this 1940
picture, but for practically carrying this 58 minute
picture on his own strong shoulders. His wit, charm,
charisma, believability and upbeat comic timing makes
one forget that he was ONLY given second billing under
Rosemary Lane (Alice Bond). In 1939, George was first
teamed with Rosemary and 2 other of the Lane sisters in
“Four Wives”
Rosemary was one of the 4 talented
Lane Sisters (originally named Lola, Leota and Priscilla
Mullican) who first achieved success in the 1930s as a
singing act. The sisters’ popularity led to a series of
successful films.
George’s film nemesis for the hand
of sweet, intelligent, and lovely Alice is a very thin
and dark haired John Eldredge (Marshall Walker). John is
well known for his 4 roles in Superman:
Superman's Wife
(1957) as
Mr. X,
The Girl Who Hired Superman
(1956) as Jonas
Rockwell,
Shot in the Dark
(1953) as Burt Burnside and
Crime Wave
(1953) as Walter Canby. John’s other TV appearances have
been in I Love Lucy, Bonanza, December Bride, Amos
and Andy...and the list goes on and on.
Aside
from the billing oversight, the wonderfully campy funny
script, by Robert E. Kent from a play by Barry Conners,
is not to be overlooked. The men are verbally fighting
for the hand in marriage of Alice. Trying to talk
Marshall out of the idea of marriage, Michael smilingly
tells of all the pit falls of marriage. Let’s face it,
Marshall is a great catch for any woman and parents
absolutely love him. He is rich, well positioned and
connected but a CRASHING OVERBEARING BORE!!! Michael is
the extreme polar opposite. Michael is a parent’s worst
nightmare for their daughter because he has absolutely
nothing to offer – he doesn’t work, he’s lazy, he’s in
debt, but he’s the ultimate people pleaser (a George
Reeves trait) and EVERYONE LOVES AND ADORES HIM!!!!
Alice can’t resist Michael (who can?) and she marries
him under family protest.
In order to save his marriage,
Michael agrees to run against the shiftless Mayor Loomis
figuring that he won’t win, but all of his bills will be
paid. With his honest approach to the voters, Michael
wins. He not only wins the election, but the respect of
Alice’s parents. According to Michael, the best part of
being an elected official is that he’ll never have to
work again!!!!
This movie was above adorable and I
watched it twice in a row because 58 minutes wasn’t
enough of watching our smiling George.
July 2007
ARGENTINE NIGHTS
(1940)
By Susan Schnitzer
Who could forget the swinging and
singing Andrew Sisters -- LaVerne, Maxene and Patty?
They started their career as imitators of an earlier
successful singing group, The
Boswell Sisters. After singing
with various
dance bands and touring in
vaudeville with comic bandleader
Larry “Dick” Rich, and
Ted Mack (the 1950’s TV The
Ted Mack Amateur Hour) they first came to national
attention with their recordings and radio broadcasts.
Their mega hit "Bei
Mir Bist du Schon” (m
eans
That You're Grand)," a
Yiddish tune, became a
million-seller,
making them the first
female vocal group to achieve a
Gold Record. They followed this
success with a string of
best-selling records over the
next two years making them a
household name by 1940. During
World War II, the Sisters were the most beloved
entertainers with their hits, that have since become
standards, Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree and Boogie
Woogie Bugle Boy. The Andrews
Sisters remain unsurpassed today on Billboard,
record-breaking theater and cabaret runs all across
America and Europe as well as countless appearances on
radio shows from 1935-1960, including their own; and
guest spots on every major
television show of the 1950s and
1960s. The Andrew Sisters appeared in 17 Hollywood
films. Argentina Nights was their first film,
pairing them with the comedy trio, the Ritz Brothers.
Universal Pictures was so budget conscious that they
refused to hire a choreographer. So the Brothers taught
the Sisters some of their wild and eccentric steps. So
if you ever see the Andrew Sisters next film Buck
Privates (starring the comedy duo Abbott and
Costello) you will note that they dance just like the
Ritz Brothers!!!
Brothers Al, Jimmy and Harry Ritz
became known for their wide-eyed expressions when they
first became a team called The Collegians in 1925
when they were managed by older brother George. The off
the wall comedians debuted with a film short Hotel
Anchovy (1934) and continued with Sing, Baby Sing
(1936), Life Begins in College (1937), The
Three Musketeers (1939), The Gloria (1939)
with Bela Lugosi, Argentine Nights (1940), and
Never A Dull Moment (1943). The brothers remained
popular thereafter in live performances and TV guest
appearances. Jimmy and Harry appeared individually in
small film roles into the mid-1970s. Harry was seen in
his last feature film, Mel Brooks’ slapstick Silent
Movie (1976).
Argentine Nights
is a total farce, with unbelievable characters, a story
line and events that don’t fit nor make sense, but it is
not without some merit. Any movie that has
George
Reeves (even with heavy eye shadow) as a dreamy,
romantic lead with pseudo Latin mannerisms can’t be all
bad. He is sort of like a delectable kissing bandit
(Eduardo/El Tigre) in the arms of Constance (Bonnie)
Moore (who just so happens to be around waiting for him,
I guess). How prudish Bonnie resists and is insulted by
his advances at first, is beyond belief, but then again,
this was 1940 when movie love scenes were restrained.
George is humorous, conceited, devilish and impish
especially when he sings his one line of Once Upon a
Dream in his tuneful tenor voice. This playful
criminal playboy is actually a singer in an all guy
singing gaucho band (go figure!). The Ritz Brothers are
Marx Brothers wannabes with loud and cheesy humor at an
annual stockholders meeting. They sponsor a girls’ band
(The Andrews Sisters) in route to Argentina to recoup
the stockholders money. Amongst the craziness, the
Andrew Sisters wonderfully sing and dance and their
acting is cutely funny considering the little bit that
they had to work with. To my surprise, the Brothers’
comic dancing is better than expected. The Brothers sing
Brooklynonga which tells of their trekking back
to Brooklyn, which is only 4,939 miles away, is somewhat
amusing in a Bugs Bunny cartoon way but not rib
tickling. The topical humor and gags must have meant
more in its day. Perhaps Mel Brooks was a fan of the
Ritz Brothers because some elements of this movie remind
me of his 1981 bomb The History of the World, Part I,
though not quite as bad. Marty Feldman and Gene Wilder
(of Brooks’ Young Frankenstein) had the same wild
facial features and expressions as the Ritz Brothers.
June 2007
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
By Susan Schnitzer
Thoroughly Modern Millie takes
audiences back to the height of the Jazz Age in New York
City in 1922. Julie Andrews (Broadway's My Fair Lady
and Disney's Mary Poppins) starred in the title
role in the 1967 Oscar-winning film, supported by Mary
Tyler Moore (TVs The Dick Van Dyke Show and
The Mary Tyler Moore Show) Carol Channing
(Broadway's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and
Hello, Dolly) James Fox, John Gavin and Pat Morita
(Arnold in TV's Happy Days).
Although the
play is based on the 1967 movie (book by Richard Henry
Morris),
Thoroughly Modern
Millie
is almost thoroughly new. Music composer
Jeanine Tesori and lyricist Dick Scanlan wrote a batch
of swinging melodies, while retaining a couple from the
movie—including the Jimmy van Heusen-Sammy Cahn title
tune and recycled some older material.
The Broadway
version had its first big reading in New York in 1999,
with Kristin Chenoweth (Broadway's Wicked), David
Campbell, Marc Kudisch and Bea Arthur (TVs Maude).
From there, it went on to have its premiere at the La
Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in the fall of 2000,
extending its original run and receiving enthusiastic
reviews. It officially opened at the Marquis Theatre in
New York on April 8, 2002. The show was nominated for
eleven 2002 Tony Awards, and won six, including Best
Musical, Best Actress (Sutton Foster as Millie) Best
Featured Actress (Harriet Harris as Mrs. Meers the
Dragon-lady), Best Costume Design, Best Choreography
and Best Orchestrations. This production closed on June
20, 2004.
The London
production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on October
21, 2003 and closed right after the Broadway version, on
June 26, 2004. However, the show can still be seen on
national tours, one of which has been traveling the U.S.
since 2003 and another one in the UK as well.
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a high-spirited musical romp
that should have all of Plays in the Park
audience dancing the Charleston. Filled with frisky
flappers, dashing leading men and a dragon-lady of a
villainess audiences will love to hate, this musical is
a perfectly constructed evening of madcap merriment.
June 2007
By Susan Schnitzer
THE GREEN MILE (1999) is an
amazingly moving, though at times disturbing, miracle of
a motion picture marking the last film of TV/movie/stage
star Dabbs Greer (the elderly Paul Edgecomb). THE
GREEN MILE marked Dabbs 100th film that
ranked along side his 570 guest spots in TV programs. It
surpasses anything that he had ever done previously.
This movie is not for the weak, nor faint of heart. It
will rip your emotions asunder just as it did both
Gail’s and mine.
Joining
Dabbs are the superbly acting talents of actors who
have appeared in numerous TV, movies and the stage: two
time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks (the younger Paul
Edgecomb); David Morse ("Brutal" Brutus Howell); Bonnie
Hunt (Jan Edgecomb); Michael Clarke Duncan (John
Coffey); James Cromwell
(Warden Hal Moores); Michael Jeter (Eduard ‘Del’
Delacroix); Graham Greene (Arlen Bitterbuck); Doug Hutchison
(Percy Wetmore); Sam Rockwell (William "Wild Bill" Wharton);
Barry Pepper
(Dean Stanton);
Jeffrey DeMunn
(Harry Terwilliger); Patricia Clarkson (Melinda
Moores); Harry Dean Stanton (Toot-Toot); Eve Brent
(Elaine Connely); Brent Briscoe (Bill Dodge); and Gary
Sinise has a cameo as Burt Hammersmith, Coffey’s public
defender. Not to be overlooked is Mr. Jingles—the mouse.
No creature is too small or too insignificant not to be
included in this big cast list.
THE GREEN MILE is told
through the eyes of elderly Paul Edgecomb who is now
living in an old-age home some six decades after working
as the head guard on Death Row at Cold Mountain
Penitentiary during the great depression. THE GREEN
MILE signifies the final walk that Death Row Inmates
walk along the green colored linoleum that leads to
their final destination—the electric chair. Watching
the film, one wonders who is more demented and more of a
criminal—be it the gentle healing hands of convicted
killer John Coffey (who feels all of the pain and
suffering of the world and wants to “help” all of
humankind) or the sadistic prison guard who can do no
wrong because he has political connections. There seems
to be a fine line. The public (relatives and friends of
the murder victims) are allowed to watch these brutal
executions as a form of entertainment (just think of the
Roman Gladiator days in history). The Del Delacroix
execution scene is just too, too, too brutal,
barbaric and graphic for description. It makes one
wonder how such a hardened killer can feel and show such
softness and compassion to a tiny mouse. Through the
gentle and down to earth soul of Dabbs Greer’s eyes, one
can readily see in him the same traits as Tom Hanks.
There was no other actor, other than Dabbs, who could
have captured his essence. Just think of old time actors
James Stewart and Spencer Tracey, who were not sexy or
macho, but “real.” This film is oh too real and
signifies that we all walk our own Green Mile in our own
lifetime. We just have to follow our own path.
May 2007
BEHIND
THE CRIMSON CAPE: THE CINEMA OF GEORGE REEVES
Susan Schnitzer -
Commentary
Jan Alan Henderson and Steve Randisi's background
history on the career of George Reeves is more than just
hunky eye candy photos of our George in his 71 films (7
of which are from the SUPERMAN TV show). Until recently,
I never knew that George had such an extensive movie
career. It's always wonderful to be pleasantly
enlightened and educated.
Upon pursuing the 337 pages, I first read up on the
films that I have seen, reviewed and plan to review
shortly (for this purpose, the well organized time table
of contents is broken down into years). Under the title
of each film, is a brief George character blurb (ex:
1939 Ride, Cowboy, Ride - Bandito Reeves; 1953
Forever Female, The Blink of a Broadway Footlight)
that informs us just how much film time and importance
George had in a particular film. The last paragraph of
each film description sums up that either George was:
merely wallpaper, cut from the scene, now you see
him—now you don’t, a waste of his talent, window
dressing, a disappointment for hard-core Reeves fans, a
showcasing Reeves’ mastery of dialect, all Reeves fans
should catch this flick, a terrific showcase of George’s
ability to handle all types of acting in one film, a
thoroughly forgettable entry in George’s film catalog,
etc. Unfortunately, it seems that in most of George’s
talents were wasted, too brief or cut from totally
unmemorable films. The memorable films (Gone with the
Wind, Blue, White and Perfect, The Sainted Sister, So
Proudly We Hail, and Champagne for Two) were
more than Best Supporting Actor Oscar worthy—but that
was never to be. In many of his films along the way, one
will note that George never forgot a character actor
friend when he put them in SUPERMAN years later.
The
year 1940 seems to be have been George’s banner film
year (19 films); followed by 1941 (7 films) and 1943 (9
films). Sadly, World War II deeply cut into his
career—never to return to its peak by the 1950s. It was
the combination of the limited film opportunities due to
the growing TV media and because of George’s best
remembered work on SUPERMAN.
Now it’s time to mention George’s ever changing looks on
the screen. In Calling Philo Vance he could have
easily excelled Errol Flynn; in Ride, Cowboy Ride
he looked like the Frito Bandito; in The Mad
Martindales he looked like a dapper gentleman of the
1890’s; in Jungle Goddess he was the cool and
sophisticated bounty hunter; in Thunder in the Pines
he was a complete dufus; in The Blue Gardenia he
was the sneering detective, and in Forever Female
he was a buzz cut snobby, rich Clark Kent type.
It
was most interesting to note the book comment that Toni
Mannix promised to make George a star if he hooked up
with her. Well, she must have had a strange sense of
humor if her influence put her George in such films as
Thunder in the Pines and The Adventures of Sir
Galahad (‘nuff said!!!).
Not that I’ll ever be perfect in researching and
proofreading my own works, but please take note of Some
Things Fall Through the Cracks Like Elephants, but the
Weasels Stole the Cheese ; OOPS, Too; How to be an
Author and make yourself look more foolish than nature
intended; OOPS - WE’RE NOT SUPERHUMAN!
http://www.glasshousepresents.com/jan_alan_henderson_page2.htm.
I
did notice some other minor typos, but I had to reread
passages several times before I took notice of them.
Jan and Steve’s long overdue tribute to the film career
of George Reeves deserves two thumbs up and a big cheer!
May 2007
THE
BUDDY HOLLY STORY
By Susan Schnitzer
BUDDY
is the world’s most
successful rock & roll musical of our time. It is a
musical celebration of the young legendary
singer/songwriter, Texan born Buddy Holly (Charles
Hardin Holley), who shot to stardom in 1957 only to die
tragically in a plane crash 2 years later, February 3,
1959, at the age of 22. Also in the plane on that
fateful day were dynamic talents 17 year old Ritchie
Valens and J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper.) THE
BUDDY HOLLY STORY is a celebration of his all too
brief life that catches the innocence, drive, humor and
charm that was Buddy Holly.
Starting as a Country & Western singer in Lubbock,
Texas, Buddy and his two friends formed the 'The
Crickets' and with the support of a local radio DJ,
Hipockets Duncan, they started to carve out a career in
music.
After an inauspicious start at Decca Records in
Nashville, Buddy & The Crickets signed contracts with an
up and coming innovative record producer Norman Petty.
Within hours of meeting they started to record Buddy's
biggest hit, "That'll Be The Day", which rocketed up the
chart and reached number one within two weeks. Buddy
Holly & the Crickets suddenly became the hottest act in
the country.
On
February 3rd 1959, after a concert at the Surf Ballroom
in Clear Lake, Iowa, Buddy broke his promise to his
pregnant wife not to fly as he and the other two
head-liners boarded a small plane and flew off into the
night for Moorhead only to crash an hour later into a
ploughed field. There were no survivors.
BUDDY
introduced the concept
of the rock ‘n roll musical to the east end of London
open as co-written by Alan Janes and Rob Bettinson ,
directed by Bettinson and produced by Janes. BUDDY
opened in London in l989 and has been seen, by
over 20 million people in over 16,000 performances on
Broadway, throughout America, Canada, Australia, Japan,
New Zealand, Germany, Scandanavia, South America, the
Netherlands and Singapore. Since BUDDY
first began, there have been 14 actors playing the title
role in the West End, on tour and on Broadway. To date,
BUDDY is the recipient of 18 awards and
nominations worldwide and received RAVE ON reviews
worldwide.
In the late 1950s, Liverpool, England and the entire UK
were in love with Buddy. Buddy Holly was the inspiration
for Don McLean’s 1971 ballad “American Pie.” Beatles
John Lennon and Paul McCartney cited Holly as the roll
model of their beginning style and took the names THE
BEATLES to pay homage to Buddy Holly’s backup group THE
CRICKETS. THE BEATLES did a cover of Holly and the
Crickets’ hit WORDS OF LOVE and the ROLLING
STONES covered the hit NOT FADE AWAY. Buddy’s
protégé Waylon Jennings, became a major country western
star.
Actually, it took until 1969 when the music of Buddy
Holly settled down when his unissued hit LOVE IS
STRANGE was spliced together from a short vocal
guitar recording and played. Many DJs were unaware that
Holly had died ten years earlier.
The appeal of THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY is
everlasting to audiences of all ages. The Buddy Holly
Story is a celebration of that legend and catches that
unique mixture of innocence, determination, humor and
charm that was Buddy Holly and wraps it all into a
package that truly deserves the billing. This was a
tragedy that shocked the world. In Buddy Holly, Ritchie
Valens and the Big Bopper, this tragic accident snatched
away three of the most dynamic talents the world had
known, and as the legend says: "It was the day the music
died."
May 2007
Sue's
View:
WESTWARD HO THE WAGON
By Susan Schnitzer
George Reeves' (Wagon master James
Stephen) list film, Disney's 1956 Westward Ho the
Wagon, features a stellar cast with connections to
Superman, The Mickey Mouse Club and other popular
TV shows of the 1950s-70s.
Though
the winsome singing folk song host of the Mickey
Mouse Club, Jimmie Dodd ("The Mickey Mouse Club
March"), wasn't in this film, he was briefly in
Superman's 1952 Double Trouble episode as Jake
the fingerprint man. He sang to his MICKEY MOUSE
costars, several starring in WHTW: Young Mouseketeers
Karen Pendleton (Myra Thompson) and Cubby O'Brien'
Mouseketeers (Jerry Stephen); Doreen Tracey (Bobo
Stephen); Tommy Cole (Jim Stephen); and David Stollery
(Dan Thompson) was also Marty in the Spin and Marty
episodes of the MMC. In addition, David was also
in several episodes of I Love Lucy and
Checkmate.
The adult cast was headed off by
Fess Parker (John 'Doc' Grayson). Parker is best known
for his roles playing real life frontiersmen
Davy Crockett
and Daniel Boone,
as well as starting the children's fad of wearing
coonskin caps.
Fess appeared in other Disney movies dealing with the
early years of Davy Crockett and also in non-Crockett
parts such as Old Yeller (1957) His last attempt
in television was in the unsuccessful series Mr.
Smith Goes to Washington (1962).
Sebastian Cabot's (Bissonette)
sonorous voice was used To Narrate Several Winnie The
Pooh cartoons, The Jungle Book, The Sword In The
Stone (all Disney productions), acted in Johnny
Tremaine and in George Pal's The Time Machine
(my personal favorite all time movie). On the small
screen, Cabot made an unforgettable appearance in The
Twilight Zone's episode "A Nice Place to Visit" as
Mr. Pip—the devil; the suspenseful Checkmate and
regal gentleman's gentleman Mr. Giles French in
Family Affair.
Though the cast was stellar,
unfortunately, the storyline wasn't. It took numerous
viewings to determine who was related to whom and what
was what in the film. To put it bluntly, it was BORING!
Thank you Behind the Crimson Cape: the Cinema of
George Reeves for setting my sights on a straighter
path (and to Green Ink Girl who loaned me the VHS). The
color visuals were very dark (even on different TV sets
and settings). The film seemed to begin and end
abruptly. Though George's role as the wagon master
leading his wagon train group to Oregon through Indian
Territory would thought to be a lead pivotal role, he
didn't have much film time invested in it at all. His
voice and manner were firm yet commanding and loving. He
was unrecognizable at first. He was a fatherly figure
not only to his group but also to his family. He
appeared heavy and bloated with a moustache, goatee, and
sporting his own silver locks. On page 285 of Crimson,
taken around the time of filming, a mustached George is
his usual trim smiling self. This proved that George was
set to break his TV image and willing to appear
unglamorous.
Finally,
I realized that George had a wife with a blue dress on
and three children (Cubby, Doreen and Tommy). The young
Disney stars are merely cute but didn't add or act with
any kind of substance. Fess Parker gets most of the
screen time as the entertaining and easy going doctor
who saves the day when he heals a young Pawnee warrior.
Karen and David have a much, much older sister (Kathleen
Crowley) who I thought was their widowed mom. I knew
that she set her cap for the shy Dr., but again, nothing
was clearly explained. Sebastian Cabot had a charming
French accent and ways as the cunning traitor/mediator
with the Indians.
If George
Reeves was to be around as the wagon master in WAGON
TRAIN, this itty bitty part may not have been enough
of a test to prove his worth.
May 2007
EVERYWHERE I GO …..
By Susan Schnitzer
Ever since I joined the
The Friendly Adventure of Superman Discussion Board
the beginning of ‘07, the smiling countenance of George
Reeves seems to be beaming down upon me. Perhaps these
things have been happening to me for years, would have
happened to me anyway or are happening to me for a
reason.
On the morning that I
visited with Noel Neill and Larry Ward at the NYC
Gotham City Collectors Show on Saturday, March 31,
2007, in the very wee hours of the morn, I rode into the
Big Apple with hubby en route to his job at one of the
remaining smaller financial buildings of the World Trade
Center. He introduced me to his fellow electricians who
were helping him with the fire alarm system in the
building. One of his “best, best, best laborers ever”
was a guy by the name of George. As hubby and the
guys set up their tools and ladders for work, I plunked
myself in one of the office cubicles (yes, I sat in a
chair) and began to read my Quo Vadis college newspaper.
It was only 7 am and not time yet to venture forth for
my Noel and Larry adventure. For some reason, I pivoted
in my chair to the right and saw on the wall behind me,
a picture of an anchor banker man dressed in his
business suit while ALSO wearing a Superman cape in that
all familiar hands on hip pose. The caption mentioned
something about coming to the aid and rescue of their
clients. When hubby came by during break time to tell me
what train to take, I pointed to the picture and asked
him if he had sat me down there on purpose. He looked
up, smiled and remarked that he didn’t realize it and
only sat me down in the section where he’d be working.
So, of course, I knew that I would be having a great
time with great people on that day.
When I go to yoga and body
sculpting classes (which is off of Hamilton Rd), why
does it seem that the instructors are concentrating more
and more on the “Superman” pose that has me lying on my
belly while putting my arms in front (then by my side)
and my legs in back as I try to balance? What is Georgie
boy trying to tell me --- that I’m imbalanced or that I
should take flight with him?
In my weekly travels to my
vocal coach, why is it that I never noticed until
recently that I drive by a Susan Street immediately
followed by a Kent Ave. and then a Clark Street followed
by a Clarke Place? In New Jersey, there are numerous
St. Georges Avenues and intersections by the same name.
Everyone in the neighborhood talks about the great food
at the St. Georges Diner.
In my recent trip to Spain,
I befriended a young student who has goals and
aspirations of being a teacher for students with special
needs. This special person’s name is George.
In January, I had
pre-surgery tests at JFK medical center. As I was
filling out the paperwork, the loudspeaker announced
“Paging Dr. Brewer.” Looking up in shock, I noticed, at
the end of the hallway, a bulletin board with the names
of doctors on it. Several first names were …… GEORGE.
I took it as a sign that my surgery would be the success
that it was.
George is a solid, down to
earth name, but I’m convinced that there is also a
heavenly connection shining from above. Maybe The
Twilight Zone’s Rod Serling will come down and explain
it to me.
April 2007
TRUTH, JUSTICE AND
THE
SUPERMAN TV FAMILY
By Susan Schnitzer
Glass
House Presents
SUPER
TREATMENT
At
the top of the aisle wall were two large Lois Lane, Clark
Kent/Superman posters, so I knew that I was in the right place
at the right time. There was adorable, petite and perky Noel
Neill along with her dapper publicist Larry Thomas Ward. All I
had to say was that Carl Glass from the Schultz Website sent us
and we all became first friends. I purchased Noel’s book
TRUTH, JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY and bought a signed
Clark Kent/Lois Lane poster. But, I’m sure that I wasn’t charged
for the two extra posters that Larry threw in for me. I also
thanked Gail for buying me the Rod Serling (host and writer of
THE TWILIGHT ZONE) poster that I had admired at another
table. Noel’s leaps and bounds of energy allowed us to take
several individual and group pictures (consisting of Bill, Gail,
Lou K., Steve R. Brian P., Eddie C., etc.) In between, we had
several other photo opportunities involving Gail’s gift to Noel
…a Teddy Bear…and another fan toting around his “Super Dog.” 