RetroFan #25

March/April 2023 No. 25 $10.95

Great Krypton!

EARLY SUPERMAN CARTOONS

GONNA PARTY LIKE IT’S

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’S

LYNDA DAY GEORGE

RAMBO IN AN

WKRP in Cincinnati • Jerry Lewis & Bob Hope comic books • Commercial jingles & more!

1

82658 00488

0

Featuring Andy Mangels • Will Murray • Scott Saavedra • Scott Shaw! • Mark Voger • Michael Eury Superman © DC Comics. Space: 1999 © ITC. All Rights Reserved.

New from TwoMorrows!

ALTER EGO #182

BACK ISSUE #142

BACK ISSUE #143

BACK ISSUE #144

An FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) special, behind a breathtaking JERRY ORDWAY cover! Features on Uncle Marvel and the Fawcett Family by P.C. HAMERLINCK, ACG artist KENNETH LANDAU (Commander Battle and The Atomic Sub), and writer LEE GOLDSMITH (Golden Age Green Lantern, Flash, and others). Plus Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt by MICHAEL T. GILBERT, and more!

SUPER ISSUE! Superboy’s Bronze Age adventures, and interviews with GERARD CHRISTOPHER and STACY HAIDUK of the Superboy live-action TV series. Plus: Super Goof, Super Richie (Rich), Super-Dagwood, Super Mario Bros., Frank Thorne’s Far Out Green Super Cool, NICK MEGLIN and JACK DAVIS’ Superfan, and more! Featuring a Superboy and Krypto cover by DAVE COCKRUM! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

A special tribute issue to NEAL ADAMS (1941–2022), celebrating his Bronze Age DC Comics contributions! In-depth Batman and Superman interviews, ‘Green Lantern/Green Arrow’—Fifty Years Later, Neal Adams—Under the Radar, Continuity Associates, a ‘Rough Stuff’ pencil art gallery, Power Records, and more! Re-presenting Adams’ iconic cover art to BATMAN #227.

(Plus: See ALTER EGO #181!)

BRONZE AGE SAVAGE LANDS, starring Ka-Zar in the 1970s! Plus: Turok—Dinosaur Hunter, DON GLUT’s Dagar and Tragg, Annihilus and the Negative Zone, Planet of Vampires, Pat Mills’s Flesh (from 2000AD), and WALTER SIMONSON and MIKE MIGNOLA’s Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure. With CONWAY, GULACY, HAMA, NICIEZA, SEARS, THOMAS, and more! JOHN BUSCEMA cover!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships April 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships June 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships March 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships May 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships June 2023

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #30

KIRBY COLLECTOR #86

RETROFAN #27

BRICKJOURNAL #79

Canadian comic book artist, illustrator, and graphic novelist MICHAEL CHO in a career-spanning interview and art gallery, a 1974 look at JACK ADLER and the DC Comics production department’s process of reprinting Golden Age material, color newspaper tabloid THE FUNNY PAGES examined in depth by its editor RON BARRETT, plus CBC’s usual columns and features, including HEMBECK! Edited by JON B. COOKE.

VISUAL COMPARISONS! Analysis of unused vs. known Kirby covers and art, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH on his stylizations in Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles, Kirby’s incorporation of real-life images in his work, WILL MURRAY’s conversations with top pros just after Jack’s passing, unused Mister Miracle cover inked

by WALTER SIMONSON, and more! Edited

by JOHN MORROW.

Interview with Captain Kangaroo BOB KEESHAN, The ROCKFORD FILES, teen monster movies, the Kung Fu and BRUCE LEE crazes, JACK KIRBY’s comedy comics, DON DRYSDALE’s TV drop-ins, outrageous toys, Challenge of the Super Friends, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns

by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Create Brick Art with builders ANDREAS LELANDER and JACK ENGLAND! Learn how to build mosaics and sculptures with DEEP SHEN and some of the best Lego builders around the world! Plus: AFOLs by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, step-by step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Spring 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Spring 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships June 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships April 2023

2023 RATES

SUBSCRIPTION RATES

Print subscribers get the digital edition free!

Alter Ego (Six print issues) Back Issue (Eight print issues) BrickJournal (Six print issues) Comic Book Creator (Four print issues) Jack Kirby Collector (Four print issues) RetroFan (Six print issues)

ECONOMY US

PREMIUM US

BRITMANIA

Explores when America went wild in the ’60s for All Things British! MOVIES (A Hard Day’s Night, Having a Wild Weekend), TV (The Ed Sullivan Show), COLLECTIBLES (toys, games, trading cards, lunch boxes), COMICS (real-life Brits in DC and Marvel Universes) MUSIC (features interviews with members of the BEATLES, the ROLLING STONES, THE WHO, HERMAN’S HERMITS, the YARDBIRDS, the ANIMALS, the HOLLIES), & more! By MARK VOGER. (192-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $43.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN 978-1-60549-115-8 • Now shipping!

Poly mailer, backing board

Faster delivery, rigid mailer

Non-US orders, rigid mailer

INTERNATIONAL

DIGITAL ONLY

$73 $97 $73 $53 $53 $73

$100 $130 $100 $70 $70 $100

$111 $147 $111 $78 $78 $111

$29 $39 $29 $19 $19 $29

TwoMorrows.

The Future of Comics History.

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

No print issue

Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com Don’t miss exclusive sales, limited editions, and new releases! Sign up for our mailing list:

https://groups.io/g/twomorrows

Download our Free Catalog of all our available books and back issues! https://www.twomorrows.com/media/TwoMorrowsCatalog.pdf

All characters TM & © their respective owners.

ALTER EGO #181

Special NEAL ADAMS ISSUE, featuring in-depth interviews with Neal by HOWARD CHAYKIN, BRYAN STROUD, and RICHARD ARNDT. Also: a “lost” ADAMS BRAVE & THE BOLD COVER with Batman and Green Arrow, and unseen Adams art and artifacts.

Plus FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America), MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and more! Edited by ROY THOMAS. (Plus: See BACK ISSUE #143!)

47

33

The Crazy Cool Culture We Grew Up With

Issue #25 March/April 2023

55

3 41 13

Oddball World of Scott Shaw!

WKRP in Cincinnati

68

Retro Heroes Rambo at Fifty with First Blood author David Morrell

23 Columns and Special Features

3

Interview Mission: Impossible’s Lynda Day George

13

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon Max Fleischer’s Superman

23

Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning Filmation Studios’ Superman

55

68

33

Voger’s Vault of Vintage Varieties Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis comic books

41

Scott Saavedra’s Secret Sanctum TV Commercial Jingles

47

Retro Sci-Fi Space: 1999

Departments

2

Retrotorial

10

Too Much TV Quiz Instrumental TV theme composers

40

RetroFad Telephone Booth Stuffing

67

Celebrity Crushes Andy Gibb

76

Super Collector Why I Love The Monkees

78

RetroFanmail

80

ReJECTED

RetroFan™ issue 25, March/April 2023 (ISSN 2576-7224) is published bi-monthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RetroFan, c/o TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614.

Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: RetroFan, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 112 Fairmount Way, New Bern, NC 28562. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Six-issue subscriptions: $73 Economy US, $111 International, $29 Digital Only. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Superman TM & © DC Comics. Space: 1999 © ITC. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2023 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

BY MICHAEL EURY

Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow CONTRIBUTORS Michael Eury Kit Frascella Robert Greenberger Lucy Hall Shaqui LeVesconte Andy Mangels Will Murray Scott Saavedra Scott Shaw!

Don Vaughan Mark Voger DESIGNER Scott Saavedra PROOFREADER David Baldy SPECIAL THANKS Hake’s Auctions Heritage Auctions Mary McLaren Ray Pointer VERY SPECIAL THANKS Lynda Day George David Morrell

Don’t STEAL our Digital Editions!

C’mon citizen, DO THE RIGHT THING! A Mom & Pop publisher like us needs every sale just to survive! DON’T DOWNLOAD OR READ ILLEGAL COPIES ONLINE! Buy affordable, legal downloads only at

www.twomorrows.com or through our Apple and Google Apps!

& DON’T SHARE THEM WITH FRIENDS OR POST THEM ONLINE. Help us keep producing great publications like this one!

2

RETROFAN

The oldest thing you’ll usually find in an issue of RetroFan is me.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Two of our columnists have a few years on me.

But what I actually meant to write was, the oldest thing you’ll usually find in an issue of RetroFan is Sixties nostalgia. When we launched RetroFan back in mid-2018, we elected to focus on the pop culture of the Sixties through the Eighties. From this mag’s point of view, those decades are “the RetroFan Era.” Back then, in the days before cable, most regions’ TV markets had only three broadcast-over-the-air stations, one for each of the major networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC). Four, if you were lucky enough pick up the signal of a PBS station (or its forerunner, NET). And maybe five or six, if an independent station was in your neck of the woods.

When now-classics like The Beverly Hillbillies and Star Trek were first-run series in active production, the “backlist” of programming was limited. Stations needed filler for the hours where the networks didn’t provide content. So kids who grew up back then were fed a steady diet of old movies, classic cartoons and theatrical shorts, and programs from the Golden Age of Television, airing in early or mid-morning, afternoon, weekend matinee, and late night programming blocks. Joining our “modern” TV favorite characters like Napoleon Solo and J. J. “Dy-no-mite!” Evans were crowd-pleasers from previous generations, like Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein Monster, the Three Stooges, and I Love Lucy.

Television syndication is how RetroFan writer Will Murray (one of our two columnists older than me) discovered the Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons of the Forties—the subject of Will’s article this issue. Even though those toons predate the RetroFan Era, their reruns during our childhood—plus Will’s penchant for digging up vintage interview quotes—make this now-iconic interpretation of the Man of Steel a good fit for our pages.

Older programming would often find a new audience on television in regionally produced shows starring a local celebrity character. Many TV markets had their own kooky clowns, crooning cowboys, neighborhood super-heroes, or late night horror hosts, fronting locally produced shows that rebroadcast syndicated shorts as well as classic horror movies.

My childhood TV market—Charlotte, North Carolina—was home to several such programs with local stars, my favorite being singing cowboy Fred Kirby (see inset). Kirby was a Country Western performer and recording artist and the resident celebrity of western North Carolina’s tourist attraction Tweetsie Railroad. But Charlotte-area kids remember his WBTV Sunday-broadcast show where he strummed his guitar and belted out his prairie hits (“Give Me My Boots and My Saddle” was his signature tune), cut up with cohorts (like WBTV’s on-air personality Jim Patterson as “Uncle Jim”), and hosted Our Gang (a.k.a. The Little Rascals) black-and-white comedy shorts that our parents had watched when they were children. Kirby even sang a theme song about Hollywood’s Depression-era imps: “How we love the Little Rascals, Little Rascals, Little Rascals. How we love the Little Rascals, little rascals are they…”

RetroFan columnist Mark Voger (who’s younger than me, but not by much) recently recommended that we should occasionally spotlight those homegrown TV personalities in our magazine. I’m fascinated by these stories, and a few regional celebs have already been profiled in our pages, such as Shrimpentstein! in our last issue and SoCal horror hostess Moona Lisa coming up in issue #28.

And so I ask you, RetroFan reader, would you like to read about Sally Starr, Joey the Clown, and other such homegrown hosts in occasional articles? Or is that too narrow a subject for our broader, international audience? Write me at euryman@gmail.com to let me know.

Back to this issue’s content: joining our look at the Forties Superman cartoons Superman created by is an examination of the Sixties Superman animated series, plus Lynda Day Jerry Siegel and George, Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis comic books, TV commercial jingles (forgive Joe Shuster.

By special arrangement the resulting earworms), Rambo’s 50th anniversary with First Blood author David with the Morrell, histories of TV series Space: 1999 and WKRP in Cincinnati, and lots more.

Jerry Siegel family.

So get ready for another groovy grab-bag of the crazy, cool culture we grew up with!

March/April 2023

RETRO INTERVIEW

Lynda

Day George Her Missions Were Possible

BY ROBERT GREENBERGER

There is a serenity that surrounds Lynda Day George, the 77-year-old actress who is hopeful of a return to performing after a long hiatus. Best known as Casey on Mission: Impossible, the attractive actress has a long résumé of television and film credits, but her beginnings were far more modest ones.

Born Linda Louise Day on December 11, 1944, she was raised in San Marcos, Texas, by her mother Betty and father Claude, an Air Force officer. Soon after her brother Richard was born, Claude was transferred to Joplin, Missouri, bringing the family with him. At one point, her mother remarried Del Whitehead, and in 1957 the entire family relocated to Phoenix, Arizona. There, she found herself amidst budding talents who would intersect with her later career.

Her mother, Betty Louise Avey Day-Whitehead, taught poise and charm at a modeling school, which proved influential on the young child. Initially, Lynda was thinking about becoming a surgeon, but her good looks and mother’s influence had her thinking in new directions. When she was 12, Lynda began entering beauty contests, and was handing out flyers for the modeling school where she also met Lynda Carter (yes, that Lynda Carter).

One day, as they handed out flyers, Wayne Newton and his brother Jerry came across the street from a guitar store and introduced

Your mission, RetroFan reader, should you choose to accept it—and who wouldn’t??—is to enjoy this profile of the fabulous Lynda Day George. (ABOVE) One of our favorites of her roles is as Casey, from television’s coolest, smartest espionage show, Mission: Impossible. Her castmates were Peter Graves, Greg Morris, and Peter Lupus. © Paramount Pictures Television.

themselves. Wayne eventually asked her to an eighth-grade dance.

She attended West High School, while Wayne and Jerry were across town at North High School; they kept up their friendship and she was present when Wayne debuted in Las Vegas, becoming an iconic mainstay.

While in high school, she represented her school in the Maid of Cotton competition, the first of many such accolades. From a friend’s ranch in Montana, George wistfully looked back on those days. She explained that her mother’s influence got her to model, and it was not long after, at 15, that she was scouted to work for the famous Eileen Ford Modeling Agency in New York City. A former Ford model had opened her own agency in Phoenix and spotted RETROFAN

March/April 2023

3

retro interview

the attractive 5'10" redhead, recommending her. Day spent the summer working in the city, taken under Ford’s wing. On that first trip, she recalls, her mother accompanied her and they took in the sights including a taping of The Tonight Show with host Johnny Carson.

By this time, the Ford Agency had risen, within a decade of its being created, to being the number one agency in America. At the time Lynda was modeling for them, she worked alongside Martha Stewart, Wilhelmina Cooper, Candice Bergen, Ali McGraw, Ann Turkel, and a handsome young man named Christopher George.

She and George got to work together on catalogs, recalling he was this appealing figure, and she noticed him noticing her. She was “blown over” by his appearance and they struck up a friendship. On that fateful day, she was shooting in a bridal gown with George, 13 years older, as the groom. They wound up sharing a dressing room, with just a blanket between them which made her uncomfortable at the time, insisting another woman be in there with her.

Lynda did print work, starting with Chanel No. 5, before moving to television where she spent five years as the Dove Soap girl. She recorded over 100 commercials for the brand, never losing her effervescence.

EARLY SCREEN ROLES

Occasionally, she had a chance to expand beyond modeling, beginning with an uncredited bit part in the 1961 film The Outsider, which starred Tony Curtis in a biopic based on the life of Native-American Ira Hayes, who helped raise the flag at Iwo Jima. After this, she auditioned for the film version of Bye Bye Birdie but was not cast, so returned to modeling.

Looking back, she admits to RetroFan that these were exciting times, juggling school and modeling. She enjoyed the cosmopolitan adventures, but always looked forward to returning home to her parents, brother, and friends. She couldn’t entirely recall how she wound up in California a year later shooting one of several episodes of Route 66, an ABC series [which we covered back in RetroFan #20, you dig?—ed.]. She made a second appearance, as a different character, as was so common back then, in 1963. At 16, she played Maid Marian in NBC Children’s Theater production of “Robin Hood” in 1964 and filmed an episode of Flipper.

By the time she turned 18, she had fallen in love with Joseph Pantano, marrying him in 1963. They had one child, Nicholas, known as Nicky, but as her career progressed, the relationship didn’t last.

4

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

She was sent to Brazil to make her screen debut in The Gentle Rain. She called being the star daunting, but loved shooting in South America. “I had the most wonderful time,” she tells RetroFan. “The people were so wonderful to meet.” She found Christopher George in the production, and they renewed their friendship while playing lovers in the drama. Apart from her husband during the shoot, she and George would meet for coffee and a deep, abiding friendship developed over the months of shooting. “He was older than me and just so easy to talk to,” she says of that time.

She didn’t have a long-range plan at the time and was intrigued at the notion of doing more acting when she was given a chance to audition for a Broadway production of The Devils, based on Aldous Huxley’s “The Devils of Loudun.” It originated in London in 1961 before coming to America four years later.

By then, Lynda was ready for something different, so the audition opportunity was fortuitous. She won the part of Phillippe, which had been originated by Diana Rigg, and worked alongside legends Anne Bancroft, Jason Robards, James Coco, and John Colicos. She couldn’t believe her luck and reveals to RetroFan that being mentored in how to work the stage by the likes of Bancroft was an incredible learning experience.

“I had to learn how to breathe so I could project to the back of the stage,” George explains. “She was so gracious to someone like me.”

The play lasted a mere 63 performances, but it changed her life, setting her on a path west and to Hollywood. Once the show closed in January 1966, she made the decision to pursue Lynda Day lathers up for this 1964 Dove Soap magazine ad. additional acting roles.

She acquired an agent and © 2023 Unilever. began being sent out on auditions and very quickly landed work on primetime television series, beginning years of guest-star roles. In 1966 alone, her first year full-time in Hollywood, the 22-year-old was seen on Felony Squad, T.H.E. Cat, The Green Hornet, Hawk, and Seaway.

Of her work on the ABC drama The Green Hornet [see RetroFan #14—ed.], based on the radio series, Lynda was impressed by the charisma and speed of Bruce Lee, legendary as the series’ Kato. “He was mobbed by people and everything he did, he did quickly,” she recalls.

retro interview

PILOTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

Her track record suggests she was well regarded given the steadiness of her career along with her versatility, allowing her to excel in sitcoms and dramas. In The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier, director Gerald Mayer recounted an incident when he was helming an episode of The Fugitive. “At the last moment an actress who was to play a very strong emotional part bowed out, and they replaced her with Lynda Day, whom I’d never heard of. She was just marvelous in a very dramatic part, absolutely terrific.”

Apparently, watching series star David Janssen was influential on her, as he made a point to know the name of every member of the cast and crew, including personal details. He was also good

Among those roles, she did four episodes of The FBI, including one just after she and George married. They began frequently working together on series, films, and even game shows. It helped that they shared an agent who knew they liked working with one another so they often got cast on the same episode of a series together.

She recalls seeing FBI star Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. frequently on the set whether he was needed or not and despite not sharing a lot of screen time with him, they had several fruitful conversations.

Across the years, she worked with some of the greatest names in Hollywood. Asked to name which ones stood out, she demurs, saying, “Oh, you know, I was so blessed to be working with all these actors.

Lynda Day George in a pensive moment from the 1969 pilot Fear No Evil, eventally released as a television movie-of-the-week.

friends with Christopher George, and she recalls seeing them having many deep conversations.

She was popular enough to consistently be cast for pilots, only one of which went to series. For Universal in 1969, she shot Fear No Evil, a movie-of-the-week/pilot, opposite Louis Jourdan, who was a psychiatrist with a healthy skepticism over the supernatural, but whose cases often had him questioning that belief. It performed well enough to commission a second telefilm, this one sans Lynda, and it never went to series. She had tremendous respect for Jourdan, who she saw as unique, very sophisticated in bearing.

“I was blown away” by working in television, which was rapidly evolving from mere entertainment to stories with more dramatic themes.

Many of her guest appearances were on Quinn Martin Productions, followed by many Aaron Spelling series. She notes how both men had “strong visions for what could be done on television” and she was happy to be working with both legendary producers.

(TOP) Lynda Day was part of the stellar cast of the 1970 movie Western, Chisum. (BOTTOM) A Chisum lobby card, showing Day as Sue McSween with John Wayne as the titular hero. © Warner Bros. All, courtesy of Heritage.

There would be a very long list of the best I worked with. There were so many great productions.”

She said that being the visiting cast member was thrilling since every show had its own vibe. “Everyone on the crew couldn’t have made me feel more welcome,” she says.

In 1969, she thought a lucky break came when she was cast in Chisum, a feature film mounted by John Wayne at Warner Bros.

Her part was a small one, but it brought a feature film salary and a chance to be seen on the big screen. The movie, adapted by Andrew J. Fenady from his short story “Chisum and the Lincoln County Cattle War,” was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Shot in Durango, RETROFAN

March/April 2023

5

retro interview

(LEFT) Promotional photo for the short-lived, M:I-like The Silent Force (1970–1971). (FRONT) Lynda Day as Amelia Cole. (BACK, LEFT TO RIGHT) Ed Nelson as Ward Fuller and Percy Rodriguez as Jason Hart. © CBS Studios, Inc.

Mexico, it had a large cast including Wayne, Forrest Tucker (coming off F-Troop), Ben Johnson, and Christopher George. Day was reunited with her friend and this time their romance heated up.

As 1970 dawned, Lynda Day divorced Pantano, who she has little to say about, and on May 15, married Christopher George. Their film opened to rave reviews just a month later. Later, they petitioned the courts to have Nicky recognized as his natural son.

Over the course of her career, she shot a total of nine pilots, starting with the only one to go to series, The Silent Force. Others of note included Cannon and The Barbary Coast. She laughs at the notion she was either a good luck charm for studios or a curse given her one-for-nine record.

Still, the half-season Silent Force proved providential on several fronts. First, it was shot on the Paramount lot in 1970, where Christopher was shooting his ABC series The Immortal. This allowed them to travel together and visit whenever they weren’t needed on set.

6

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

(RIGHT) Lynda Day George as part of the Mission: Impossible cast, on the January 22–28, 1972 cover of TV Guide. Mission: Impossible © Paramount Pictures Television. TV Guide © TV Guide. (INSET) What a handsome couple! Lynda Day George and Christopher George.

The series was about three U.S. Government agents who went undercover to fight organized crime. Lynda was partnered with Percy Rodriguez and Ed Nelson. If the premise sounds familiar, it should; it was clearly patterned after the success of CBS’ juggernaut, Mission: Impossible.

Silent Force was created by Luther Davis, a prolific award-winning playwright and screenwriter; this was his sole foray into television. An Aaron Spelling production, it was critically panned and was cancelled in January 1971, airing a mere 15 episodes. The half-hour drama could never match the draw of NBC’s Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In or CBS’s Here’s Lucy. George is dismissive of it, given its short running time, and feels, to her, it was filler prior to Monday Night Football.

Still, Lynda loved having a regular role at long last. She grew to bond with her costars and really enjoyed getting to know the crew.

She didn’t have much to say about her character, Amelia Cole, who wasn’t given much personality or background.

retro interview

REVITALIZING ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’

its serious tenor and direct approach to the issues. She saw her predecessor Warren as more of a flower child, someone who didn’t fit in that world and chafed against it.

The cast and crew gushed about her to White, clearly appreciating the humanity she brought to the somewhat sterile cadre of government agents. While waiting for her calls to the set, she would doodle on her scripts, including some poetry. She retained these scripts and has posted images on her Facebook and Instagram pages.

Her Mission: Impossible filming began in spring 1971, and she was delighted to be working, stretching as an actress playing a lock-pick agent or drug-addled mark. Her first episode had her working with William Shatner, who she would appear opposite in the Barbary Coast pilot a few years later. Her debut merely had her present for the briefing, with no introduction or explanation of where characters Paris (Nimoy) or Dana (Warren) had gone.

The cast changes and new focus, along with a Saturday night at 10 p.m. slot, injected fresh interest in the series, with improved ratings.

Lynda was thrilled at being welcomed and respected. Better yet, for the episode “Nerves,” she got to work with guest star Christopher George. This seemed to be a return favor after Lynda guested on the “Man on a Punched Card” episode of George’s Immortal series a year earlier. Her best first-season performance, though, was probably “Committed,” where she had to play a psychotic well enough to be placed in isolation, not the general ward.

The season’s final episode was “Trapped,” where Lynda got to sing “A Gentle Rain,” the title track to the 1966 film she made with her now-husband.

Across the lot, producer Bruce Gellar was getting the sense that his Mission: Impossible show was in need of fresh energy. Unintentionally borrowing from its imitator, he shifted the narrative from international drama to the IM Force tackling America’s organized crime, dubbed for convenience “The Syndicate.” After five seasons, ratings were a little soft and Emmy Award recognition was dwindling. Leonard Nimoy, who transitioned from Star Trek to the show, replacing Martin Landau, was leaving. Replacing Landau’s wife, Barbara Bain, had been ingénue Lesley Ann Warren, who looked uncomfortable making the series. The show had also added young Sam Elliot as the heartthrob figure, Danny Ryan, but he wasn’t working out either.

Gellar decided to combine the Landau and Bain parts into one: Casey, master of disguise and the team’s regular female.

His producing partner Doug Cramer had known the Georges and thought Lynda had warmth from which the series would benefit.

He cast Lynda, now billing herself as Lynda Day George, before departing the series and Paramount for Screen Gems.

“There was no real discussion about [Casey’s] background,” Lynda says. “She just was, and I was fine with that after so many guest roles.” She had previously told reporters that when she settled into Hollywood, she most wanted to guest on Star Trek and Mission: Impossible, never dreaming she’d be a regular on the latter.

She remembers being welcomed with open arms by M:I veterans Peter Graves, Greg Morris, and Peter Lupus. Her first episode was also Elliot’s last, and she now laughs at how far that gravelly voiced actor has come. “I knew he had star quality, but wow!”

(LEFT) Day George Dossier author Patrick J. White noted that as Fausta, “The Nazi Lynda played her parts straight making her “the Wonder Woman.” most underrated and underappreciated of the (RIGHT) Will the Mission ladies, an unfair tag considering the real Wonder Woman disparate parts she would play…” please stand up? © Warner Bros. Television/DC Lynda always saw the series as one created Comics. from a conservative Republican point of view,

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

7

retro interview

Once the season wrapped, Lynda was delighted to learn she had been nominated for a Golden Globe Award, confirming how her work was being received. She admits to having been stunned by the news, but it was quickly overshadowed once she learned she was pregnant. She dutifully informed the production team and they quickly went into action, reducing her workload in the first four episodes and then shooting ten more without her.

“They couldn’t have been nicer about it,” she says. “There was nothing I could do about it, so we shot around it then I went home.”

Between the hiatus and the non-Casey episodes, Lynda had enough time to rest, and then introduced the world to her daughter, Krisinda Casey, born July 22, 1972. The child’s name clearly acknowledged Lynda’s husband and her new role. “We named her from Christopher and Lynda,” she says. “I wanted to spell [Krisinda] with a ‘y,’ but thought it might prove difficult for her later on.”

Around then, her brother died from cancer, a shock to her and the family. She still mourns him.

(LEFT) Lynda Day guest-starred in an episode of McCloud with Dennis Weaver. © NBC Universal. (RIGHT) Lynda Day as Casey on a perilous mission with her friend and mentor actor Peter Graves in Mission: Impossible. Mission: Impossible © Paramount Pictures Television.

working with him. And yes, I was the victim of some pranks, not that I can remember any.”

NEW MISSIONS FOR LYNDA

RETURNING TO THE SERIES

Most of Lynda’s Mission: Impossible roles were taken over by Barbara Anderson, late of Ironside, and she later declared it some of the best work she’d ever done. Tall and elegant, she was different than Casey, but fulfilled the same function. Lynda missed the work but enjoyed watching Anderson’s performances. “She did a terrific job, and I didn’t really mind it.”

She returned to work and was thrilled, even if it meant the long hours and caring for a newborn along with a son was stressful.

Along the way, Mission: Impossible star Peter Graves became first a friend, and then a mentor. “He was someone I could always talk with,” she says. “I could ask him anything about the show, about the characters, about life. He was able to share his experience and perspective, which I truly appreciated.”

She returned to work in time for the series’ sole sequel episode, “Kidnap,” carrying a lot of the load, getting to use her native Texas accent. It was also noteworthy for being directed by her mentor, Peter Graves.

Looking back, she notes how much she enjoyed working with the regular cast, despite Greg Morris being the series’ practical joker. “Oh, he was a delight. Such a lovely man. I had great fun 8

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

The season wrapped in Spring 1973, and Lynda was nominated for Best Actress at the Emmy Awards. The production team was at work on stories for the eighth season, including some that would have tested Lynda’s skills, but a dispute between Paramount president Frank Yablans and CBS President Robert Wood led to the series’ cancellation. “It was sad, but it’s also a business,” she reflects to RetroFan. As early as 1978, talks began about reviving Mission: Impossible as a film, television film, or new series. At one point, Leonard Nimoy was approached to direct, and he declined. It wasn’t until the 1988 Writers’ Strike before the series returned to television. Thirteen previous episodes were revised, with Graves leading a new, younger cast of agents, and production headed to Australia. Oddly, all the original characters were renamed, so Cinnamon became Casey Randall, even though the IMF already had a Casey. When it was decided to bring Lynda down under to reprise her role, a first name for the character suddenly appeared: Lisa. Apparently, she had been called by her last name all through the original series. Now a stage director, Lisa Casey agreed to become bait when someone was targeting former agents.

“I loved it,” Lynda says of shooting the new series. “I got to be with Peter again, and slipped right back into the part.” Accompanying her for the shoot was actor/producer Douglas Cronin, who she had begun to date.

Between missions, Lynda continued to work in television, and increasingly in film. She broadened her sights to include numerous game shows, enjoying her friendship with perennial host Bert Convy. Of the many guest appearances she made, several stand out for her, including working with Bill Bixby at the legendary Magic Castle to shoot an episode of his series, The Magician. Bixby,

retro interview

universally adored by all he worked with, played a magician/ detective in that series. Lynda describes him as “the most delightful person.” He was incredibly knowledgeable, and shared much of what fascinated him.

However, the most interesting opportunity arose in 1973, when Bob Fosse considered Lynda Day George for the role of Honey in Lennie, the film based on comedian Lennie Bruce’s life. “It just wasn’t a part I could see myself doing,” she reflects. It was a major dramatic role, but the film’s nudity and harsh subject matter gave her pause. She ultimately passed, with the role going to Valerie Perrine.

Instead, she returned to the stage in 1974, touring the “straw hat circuit” with husband Christopher George and Desi Arnaz, Jr. in Sunday in New York.

A highlight for fans and Lynda was appearing as Fausta Grables alongside fellow model Lynda Carter in the 1976 Wonder Woman episode, “The Nazi Wonder Woman.” “It was such fun,” George remembers. “I got to play the German version of Wonder Woman and put on the costume, and then we had to go save the world. [Carter] was really great fun to be with, and we asked for many pictures of us together.” Unlike many others, putting on the outfit did not make her feel empowered or superheroic. “It was fine, though.” That said, she recalls how she and Carter kidded about partnering in perpetuity, taking the show on the road as it was.

Soon after, she had roles in two of the more significant television miniseries of the era: Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots. “Oh, I had a wonderful time making that. I love period shows and the costumes that go with them. We had a great cast to work with,” she said of both series.

Lynda did a spate of horror films in the late 1970s, making her a bit of a Scream Queen, despite a lack of youth and nudity. To her,

Lynda Day George today.

Photo courtesy of Mary McLaren.

these were fun larks including Ants (1977), Day of the Animals (1977), Beyond Evil (1980), Pieces (1982), and Mortuary (1983), which proved significant. She’d been intrigued with horror starting with her Fear No Evil telefilm earlier. Her horror oeuvre could be found on television or in low-budget features. For her, these were great fun, enjoying working with the cast and crew more than caring about the content.

Day of the Animals turns out to be the best of the lot, and best remembered from the list. For Day George, it helped that there was an ecological message within the horror. At the time it was made, the public had been warned about the depletion of the ozone layer, so for her, this was a message movie, and she used it as a platform to be outspoken on the matter.

She remembers that shooting Day of the Animals was a hoot, and her cast, including Leslie Nielsen, Michael Ansara, and Richard Jaeckel, could not stop breaking into laughter during production. She considers Nielsen the funniest performer she ever worked with.

Mortuary featured Lynda as a widow seeking answers regarding her husband’s death. In addition to her real husband, the film also starred a young Bill Paxton. Tragically, George died from a heart attack on November 28, 1983, just weeks after the movie’s release, shattering her world. She cut back on performing, her heart no longer fully committed. Her last film work was Young Warriors; she did sporadic TV appearances until the new Mission: Impossible, and then retired from acting.

‘AN AMAZING, WONDERFUL, BLESSED LIFE’

Since then, she raised her children, became an outspoken activist about the depletion of the ozone layer, and tended her garden in her California and Washington homes. Both Nicky and Krisinda display aspects of Christopher George, keeping his memory alive.

She married Douglas Cronin in 1990, and they enjoyed a quiet life together until his death from cancer on December 4, 2010. Peter Graves also died that year, leaving a further void in her life.

Her mother became an artist until Alzheimer’s overtook her in the Nineties. When her mom finally died at 81 in October 2007, Lynda was by her side, singing to her.

Lynda decided, at 76, she was ready to get back before the cameras. “I have an experience that I think will inform my performance,” she said. At press time, no roles have been announced.

Instead, she’s focused on amassing materials for her forthcoming book, Lynda Day George: A Hollywood Memoir. Her coauthor, James Zirk, died in the fall of 2021, and her agent is working on finding another author to finish the book and then a publisher, but she insists it will eventually appear. For now, there is a Facebook page under the book’s title and she posts regularly, usually focused on causes near to her heart, such as Idaho’s endangered wolves.

A result of such work has her looking back over her life and career and she declares she has come to realize how “fortunate and grateful” she has become for the opportunities and love she has been given.

“That’s right. I’ve lived an amazing, wonderful, blessed life. After all, here I am, living in the United States of America, and there are all these opportunities.”

Follow writer, editor, pop culture historian, and educator ROBERT GREENBERGER at bobgreenberger.com.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

9

Too Much TV COLUMN ONE

1) My Three Sons 2) My Favorite Martian 3) Peter Gunn 4) Julia 5) The Time Tunnel 6) Perry Mason theme (a.k.a.

“Park Avenue Beat”) 7) Sanford and Son 8) Hawaii Five-0 9) Mannix 10) The Six Million Dollar Man 10

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

If your old man used to gripe that you’d never learn anything with your nose glued to the boob tube, here’s your chance to prove him wrong.

(Father doesn’t always know best.)

The instrumental theme music for each TV show in Column One corresponds to a composer in Column Two. Match ’em up, then see how you rate!

RetroFan Ratings 10 correct: Fine-Tuned RetroFan Sock it to me, baby! I bet you know theme song lyrics too!

Compose yourselves, RetroFans!

This one’s tough!

7–9 correct: Rabbit-Eared RetroFan Dy-no-mite! You wasted your childhood with the rest of us!

4–6 correct: Fuzzy-Receptioned RetroFan Up your nose with a rubber hose ’til you spend more tube time!

0–3 correct: Tuned-Out RetroFan Ya big dummy! Put down that book and go watch some classic TV!

COLUMN TWO

A) Elmer Bernstein B) Quincy Jones C) Oliver Nelson D) George Greeley E) Fred Steiner F) Frank De Vol G) Lalo Schifrin H) Johnny (John) Williams I) Morton Stevens J) Henry Mancini Hawaii Five-0, Mannix, My Three Sons, Perry Mason © CBS Television Distribution. Julia © 20th Century Television.

My Favorite Martian © Warner Bros. Television. Peter Gunn © Spartan Productions. Sanford and Son © Sony Pictures Television. The Six Million Dollar Man © NBC Universal Television. The Time Tunnel © Irwin Allen Productions/20th Century Television. All Rights Reserved.

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

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

11

BOOKS NOW SHIPPING FROM TWOMORROWS

CHARLTON COMPANION

TEAM-UP COMPANION OUR ARTISTS AT WAR AMERICAN TV COMICS (1940s-1980s)

THE LIFE & ART OF

DAVE COCKRUM

JON B. COOKE’s all-new history of the notorious all-in-one comics company, from the 1940s to the ’70s, with GIORDANO, DITKO, STATON, BYRNE and more!

MICHAEL EURY examines team-up comic books of the Silver and Bronze Ages of Comics in a lushly illustrated selection of informative essays, special features, and trivia-loaded issue-by-issue indexes!

Examines US War comics from EC, DC COMICS, WARREN PUBLISHING, CHARLTON, and more! Featuring KURTZMAN, SEVERIN, DAVIS, WOOD, KUBERT, GLANZMAN, KIRBY, and others!

History of over 300 TV shows and 2000+ comic book adaptations, from well-known series (STAR TREK, PARTRIDGE FAMILY, THE MUNSTERS) to lesser-known shows.

GLEN CADIGAN’s bio of the artist who redesigned the Legion of Super-Heroes and introduced X-Men characters Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Logan!

(272-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $43.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-111-0

(256-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-112-7

(160-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $27.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-108-0

(192-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $29.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-107-3

(160-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $27.95 HC: $36.95 • (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-113-4

COMIC BOOK ARTIST BULLPEN

TWO-FISTED COMIC ARTIST

JOHN SEVERIN

Collects all seven issues of JON B. COOKE’s A spirited biography of the EC COMICS and little-seen self-published zine, produced just MAD mainstay, co-creator of Western strip American Eagle, 40+ year CRACKED magaafter the original COMIC BOOK ARTIST zine contributor, and Marvel Comics artist. ended its TwoMorrows run in 2003!

IT CREPT FROM THE TOMB

Digs up the best of FROM THE TOMB (the UK’s preeminent horror comics history magazine), with early RICHARD CORBEN art, HP LOVECRAFT, and more!

JACK KIRBY’S DINGBAT LOVE

The final complete, unpublished Jack Kirby stories in existence: Two unused 1970s DC DINGBATS OF DANGER STREET tales, plus TRUE-LIFE DIVORCE & SOUL LOVE mags!

Documents the genesis of JACK KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD series, his gods in THOR and other strips, how those influenced his DC epic, and affected later series like ETERNALS and CAPTAIN VICTORY!

(176-page paperback with COLOR) $24.95 (Digital Edition) $8.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-105-9

(160-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-106-6

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

(176-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $43.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-091-5

(160-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $26.95 (Digital Edition) $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-098-4

HERO-A-GO-GO!

KIRBY & LEE: STUF’ SAID

REED CRANDALL

Illustrator of the Comics

MAC RABOY

Master of the Comics

MIKE GRELL

LIFE IS DRAWING WITHOUT AN ERASER

Presents JACK KIRBY and STAN LEE’s own words to examine the complicated relationship of the creators of the Marvel Universe!

(176-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $26.95 (Digital Edition) $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-094-6

History of Crandall’s life and career, from Golden Age Quality Comics, to Warren war and horror, Flash Gordon, and beyond!

Documents the life and career of the master Golden Age artist of Captain Marvel Jr. and other classic characters!

Career-spanning tribute to the Legion of Super-Heroes & Warlord comics art legend!

Looks at comics' 1960s CAMP AGE, when spies liked their wars cold and their women warm, and TV's Batman shook a mean cape!

(256-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $13.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-102-8

(160-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-090-8

(160-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $27.95 (Digital Edition) $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-088-5

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

AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES

FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER SERIES

documents each decade of comics history!

8 Volumes covering the 1940s-1990s

OLD GODS & NEW

TwoMorrows.

The Future of Comics History.

Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

WILL MURRAY’S 20TH CENTURY PANOPTICON

Max Fleischer’s

Superman

BY WILL MURRAY I still remember the first time I laid eyes on the Man of Steel. I was very, very young. I don’t remember where I lived, but I remember that the scenes came from the Adventures of Superman TV series starring George Reeves. “The Clown Who Cried” was the name of the episode.

I don’t know why I retained fragmentary memories of that episode. It’s the only Superman experience I could remember having before I purchased my first Superman comic book late in

Sibling animators Max Fleischer (LEFT) and Dave Fleischer. Dave Fleischer photo courtesy of Popeye the Sailorpedia.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… a cartoon series! Title and sample images from the Fleischer Studios Superman animated shorts from the Forties. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

Courtesy of Heritage.

1961. It was probably a rerun, since the original episode first aired when I was approximately three years old.

After my comic-collecting career began, I caught Superman on TV again. This wasn’t George Reeves in the flesh, but an even older, animated incarnation.

One Saturday morning cartoon show—probably the local Bozo the Clown—in the very early Sixties included in the line-up a wartime episode of the Forties Max Fleischer Technicolor Superman cartoons. Destruction, Inc. was the title. It involved the Man of Steel battling saboteurs at the defense plant.

I don’t think we had a color TV set then, although we might have. My family was the first in our neighborhood to purchase one. But that episode was mesmerizing. I was especially enthralled because this version of Superman had to work at being the Man of Steel. He could shrug off bullets like his DC Comics descendent, all right. But in one memorable scene where he’s buried in a massive pile of steel girders, he had to struggle. It didn’t take him long to shrug them off. But just those few moments of suspense really grabbed me.

I don’t think I saw another episode until the Seventies, when the larger comic-book conventions began showing them in 16-millimeter projection. They were as much a thrill then as they are now, a half a century later.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

13

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

Eventually, the Fleischer Superman cartoons were released on video and then posted on YouTube, so anyone could watch them, at any time. If you’ve never seen one, they are an absolute joy.

So I thought for this column I would look into the circumstances behind which Superman first appeared on the silver screen, way back in 1940.

SLOWER (DEVELOPMENT) THAN A SPEEDING BULLET

The Man of Steel took America by storm in 1938–1939.

A newspaper comic strip and radio program appeared before the character was much more than a year old.

Hollywood noticed.

Republic Pictures envisioned producing a 15-chapter Superman live-action serial in 1939, and acquired an option to do so. But the project was slow to get off the ground.

According to DC Comics publisher Harry Donenfeld, a Republic contract arrived on a Monday. Donenfeld was superstitious about signing contracts on the first day of the business week. So he put it aside.

The next day, a better offer came from Paramount Pictures, for a series of Superman animated cartoons. Donenfeld made that deal, leaving Republic to make do with Captain Marvel.

At the time, Donenfeld boasted, “Because I always thought Superman was too fantastic a character to be played by a real man, I jumped at the chance. We expect to gross about ten times as much money on the cartoons.”

14

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

(TOP) This pressbook was presented to movie theaters in 1941 to help promote the Fleischer Studios’ new Superman cartoon shorts. Superman TM & © DC Comics. Courtesy of Heritage.

(LEFT) Move over, Jor-El and Pa Kent! Superman’s real fathers were his co-creators, writer Jerry Siegel (STANDING) and artist Joe Shuster.

That was the story Harry Donenfeld told the press in 1940.

However, as Ray Pointer revealed in his book, The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer, that was a publicity yarn. The truth was that Fleischer Studios made the cartoon offer, not Paramount, which was only the distributor. Republic later unsuccessfully sued Donenfeld for breach of contract.

The Fleischer Studios’ plan called for a series of Superman cartoons, which would be released by Paramount. For a hero who could vault skyscrapers and outrace locomotives, animation made perfect sense. Fleischer was a self-contained operation located in Miami, Florida, owned by two brothers, Max and Dave.

Max, the older brother, was the driving force. He had long wanted to produce more realistic cartoons, and the science fiction

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

premise of Superman especially appealed to him. Dave was more comfortable with traditional cartoony subjects. Fearing the technical complications of animating realistic characters, he was against the project.

“I didn’t want to make Superman,” Dave Fleischer confessed.

“Paramount wanted it. They called me over and asked why I didn’t want to make it. I told them because it was too expensive, they wouldn’t make any money back on it. The average short cost nine or $10,000, some ran up to 15: they varied. I couldn’t figure how to make Superman look right without spending a lot of money. I told them they’d have to spend $90,000 on each one… They spent the $90,000. But they were great.”

Actually, the cost was $50,000 for the first episode, and $30,000 after that, but it was still tremendously expensive. When the deal was announced in the summer of 1940, Paramount promised a Christmas release. But they were overconfident. Technical issues stalled the project, pushing the release deep into the following year.

The first entry took seven months to produce—twice as long as the usual cartoon short. Approximately 90 artists—most uncredited and many of them women—produced an estimated 1,000,000 illustrations in order to bring the acclaimed character to life.

“Superman,” promised Dave Fleischer in 1941, “will be the first animated short to tell a straight dramatic story, using humor only

where it would normally occur; the first cartoon short employing quick emotional close-ups of the human head, and the first cartoon short to utilize ‘quick cut-backs,’ which are flash shots of extreme brevity used for their cumulative affect to show the reaction of groups of people to a single decisive event.”

Superman pitted the Man of Steel against the depredations of a mad scientist and his destructive Electrothanasia-ray. It premiered in September 1941 and set the tone for most of what followed, with only necessary variations in the formula. Typically, Lois Lane would follow a news story into peril, which required Clark Kent to dramatically doff his blue business suit for his trademark blue tights, rescue Lois, and defeat the cartoon’s menace.

Superman’s cartoon debut was nominated for an Academy Award, and is today considered one of the greatest examples of theatrical animation ever produced.

FINESSED BY FLEISCHER

Much of the modern Superman mythos was pioneered in the Fleischer Studio. In the comics, the Man of Steel could only leap long distances, but the Fleischer animators realized this made him look like a blue grasshopper, so they gave him the power of true flight. The comics adopted this innovation in 1943. The trope of Clark Kent ducking into a phone booth in order to change into the Man of Steel originated with these cartoons.

Fleischer Studios’ interpretation of the Man of Steel streamlined the hypermuscular comic-book version rendered by Superman co-creator Joe Shuster. Shown here are a Superman color model sheet and head model sheet, plus a Lois Lane model sheet. Superman TM &© DC Comics.

Courtesy of Heritage.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

15

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

So seriously did the animators take this project, they elected to devise different model sheets for Superman and Clark Kent, effectively casting them as separate and distinct personalities.

Surprisingly, the original Superman artist, Joe Shuster, worked on early concept designs.

“It was purely accidental,” he recalled. “I was just down in Miami for a visit, and somebody who knew me said, ‘How would you like to come down and visit the studios?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’d love to see them doing Superman.’ They were just starting on it. I went down there, and I was fascinated with it. And I suggested, ‘I wouldn’t mind drawing some shots for you showing how Superman looks in side view, front view, three-quarter view; how Clark Kent would look, and Lois Lane would look.’ They said, ‘Fine’; they’d love to have me do it. So I just sat down and spent a couple of days there drawing model sheets. I loved doing it, and I loved being involved in it. And we were lucky enough to receive a credit line on the cartoon afterwards.”

Shuster’s intercession was a blessing. Animator Gordon Sheehan recalled that Fleischer artists initially struggled with adapting their cartoony skills to the challenge.

“When we came to animating Superman,” Sheehan revealed, “it was discovered that a lot of the ace animators who could do a wonderful job animating Popeye or Betty Boop, or any of the other cartoon characters, when it came to animating Superman, they were a little off their expertise. Max got around that by having a sketch class for the animators and the assistant animators, and the drawing of Superman improved tremendously after that.”

For animation, the character was necessarily reinterpreted. His costume was modified, particularly in his insignia. According to one newspaper account, so was his physique: “Superman’s animated cartoon figure is a little more svelte and soigné (streamlined to you) than the comic strip person. Max Fleischer… found Superman’s many muscles weren’t quite as photogenic in film, so he amputated a few. He still bulges. Well, anyhow, the kids like him that way.”

Dave Fleischer, presumably with tongue in cheek, explained, “We discovered that the vast number of muscles possessed by Superman in the comic strip made him appear muscle-bound on the screen. We found we had to amputate exactly 73 muscles and diminish 142 others to make Superman to look like a bright lad who could comb his own hair.”

DC Comics editor-in-chief Whitney “Whit” Ellsworth was also involved. “I was with the company at the time the Superman cartoons were made. That was a long way back. Max Fleischer’s studios were in Miami, and I purchased a few rail tickets south [from DC’s Manhattan headquarters] to keep tabs on the production.”

‘AHEAD OF THEIR TIME’

The series broke new ground in animation in that it depicted the fantastic super-hero in realistic, not cartoony, terms, which challenged all concerned and led directly to employing new technology.

“Max was a brilliant man,” praised animator Myron Waldman.

“He invented the rotoscope. That’s why the Superman cartoons are so real—when people walk, their bodies look like they have weight.

16

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

They were as tightly choreographed as a stage production. No one could afford to do animation the way we did it, nowadays.” [Editor’s note: Rotoscoping is a technique where cartoons are drawn over frames of live-action footage to create more realistic animation.]

Unlike most movie cartoons, these were extensively penciltested during production. According to Waldman, this is what created a superior cartoon.

“Our secret was the amount of drawings we used; the more drawings we put in, the more dense and real it became, so we just kept drawing.”

Scripter Jay Morton explained, “We didn’t really do 80,000 brand new drawings. For example, when you sit there talking with me, your legs are crossed and your body is in a fixed position. You may be moving just your head and one hand. So those are the only parts that have to be redrawn. It’s done by using transparencies… overlays. And you do a lot of repetition. You might have a scene of rain where you have Superman going through a blinding storm.

There’s a crack of thunder and a slash of lightning. Well, you might Animator Gordon Sheehan. ArchHistory1/Wikimedia Commons. (INSET) Animator Myron Waldman. Photo from Robert Waldman, via LifePosts.com.

show that same slash three or four times. And that rain scene will show up later, a couple stories down the line.”

It appears that the studio initially produced test scenes of the Man of Steel hopping gracefully from rooftop to rooftop like a blue ballerina out of Swan Lake because such a sequence appears in the fourth episode, The Arctic Giant. This dynamic was deemed “silly looking.” No doubt the unsatisfactory footage was salvaged as a cost-saving measure.

In order to more easily animate a flying Superman, the Man of Steel often zipped around with his arms compressed tightly against his sides, forming a streaking multi-colored bullet configuration.

This was Max’s idea.

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

“They were very carefully laid out ahead of time,” remembered Myron Waldman, “because the cost was so tremendous. The stories were very complete. Then we had to keep the tempo going and pick it up for the climax.… Each scene had to have a dramatic look about it. That required quite a bit of thought. In the settings, you’ll notice, there’s a lot of foreground stuff, to get different depths of perspective. We got an extra dimension that we didn’t worry about too much in the other cartoons.”

Animator Vince Fago recalled, “Whoever worked on it felt they were doing something beyond the call of duty. I was an assistant animator on it, and I remember helping draw a train that Superman was pushing. Doc Ellison animated Superman, and he would push out his jaw in an exaggerated way for effect.”

That bravura sequence appeared in the third cartoon, Billion Dollar Limited.

Other talent involved in bringing Superman to life included Steve Muffatti; Nicolas Tafari; Dave Tendlar; Stan Quackenbush, who handled the destruction of Manhattan sequences in the premier cartoon; and head animator Seymour Kneitel, who scripted the first three installments with Isadore “Izzy” Sparber.

“Some animators fell right into it,” noted Waldman, “and others couldn’t do it, they couldn’t draw that well. But we had some very good assistants; they weren’t good animators, but they were good figure men. They would follow up and clean up these drawings.”

ABLE TO INTRODUCE SUPERMAN IN A SINGLE INTRO

One of the most significant contributors was writer Jay Morton, who had played “Stinky” in the Our Gang comedies as a child. He was scripting for Paramount in Hollywood, when everything changed.

“I was writing Westerns, black hat, white hat, Blazing Guns, The Rogue Valley,” Morton explained.

“Paramount Pictures President Barney Balaban called me into the office one day and gave me an airplane ticket to a place called Miami. He told me I was leaving the following morning.

“I said, ‘What am I going to do there?’ He said, ‘We signed a contract with a fellow named Harry Donenfeld, who owns a character called Superman.’”

The cartoon’s famous opening lines—“Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!”—was Morton’s work.

“How else were we supposed to introduce him?” he commented.

“There had to be a capsule explanation of his capabilities. Are you going to tell the whole story about Krypton and his otherworld strength and powers again and again in a 12-minute cartoon? You can’t, so you do it in similes—‘faster than a speeding bullet’ to explain how he travels through the sky, and so forth.”

Morton wrote numerous variations, including this rejected version: “More powerful than a bolt of lightning, scaling tremendous heights in a single leap, faster than time itself, this amazing ally from the planet Krypton, mighty man of steel, Superman!”

“It took a few tries to get it right,” he admitted. “It evolved over time.”

A signed and numbered (#390 of 500) limited edition cel of the mighty Man of Tomorrow from the opening of the Forties Superman cartoons. Signed by animator Myron Waldman and produced in 1995 in a collaboration between Fleischer Studios, DC Comics, and Tooniversal Co. (INSET) Real-world muscleman Karol Krauser, a stand-in for the animated Man of Steel.

Superman TM & © DC Comics. Courtesy of Heritage.

Even the simple phrase “able to leap tall buildings” was a struggle.

“I had omitted the word tall,” Morton said, “but in reading it over and over again, I felt there was a bad meter to it. I kept fooling around with high buildings and big buildings before I finally arrived at tall buildings.”

Those famous lines—along with “Up in the sky, look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!”—soon migrated over to the radio program and were ultimately recycled for the Adventures of Superman TV show starring George Reeves, which Morton also worked on.

THIS LOOKS LIKE A JOB… FOR BUD COLLYER

It took six weeks to script a cartoon, with the artists grabbing each scene as it was completed in order to execute the “key” drawings, called story sketches. “Inbetweeners” filled the gaps with poses connecting the beginning of an action sequence with RETROFAN

March/April 2023

17

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

its conclusion. By this breakneck assembly-line approach, the Fleischer team managed to finish a new Superman cartoon almost every month over the first year of release.

One anonymous employee credited this feat to the fact that almost everything was produced under one roof.

“I was a sound engineer at the Fleischer Studio back in the days prior to World War II,” he said, “when we turned out to animated feature pictures and Lord knows how many short cartoons, Betty Boop, Popeye, and the like. Our studio at the time was in Miami—at the corner of North West 17th Street and 30th Avenue. We did total production of the Fleischer films there—music, animation, everything related to the pre-print stages of each picture.”

Storylines, while appropriately incredible, were more down-toA setup cel of an airborne Last Son of Krypton, from the Mad Scientist episode.

Earth compared to some of the Man Superman TM & © DC Comics. Courtesy of Heritage. of Steel’s interplanetary exploits in Action Comics and Superman.

“You’ve got to keep in mind the atmosphere of the times,” “I thought the character was going to be nothing but an embarreflected Morton some 40 years later. “That was 1938, and you rassment, both personally and professionally,” admitted Collyer, didn’t hear much about outer space. There were no rockets, no who initially refused the role. “Of course, it grew into a magnificent orbiting of the Moon. The scripts were absurd for those times. They career-within-a-career.”

The actor later boasted, “The greatest fun I ever had in radio were dealing with ugly monsters from other planets, like the Star Wars stuff you see today. But this… well, the rubber band was being was playing Superman for 14 years. I could be as hammy as I stretched too far. I thought there was enough for Superman to do right here on this planet.”

Although he was uncredited, Clayton “Bud” Collyer voiced both Superman and Clark Kent, using the same voice transition technique he employed on the long-running Adventures of Superman radio program. Collyer played Clark as a high tenor, then switched to a bass register during his signature line, “This looks like a job… for Superman!”

Superman vs. robots!

A layout from the Mechanical Monsters segment, and (OPPOSITE PAGE) a publicity cel from that same episode.

Superman TM & © DC Comics.

Courtesy of Heritage.

18

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

wanted and nobody objected.” No doubt the same was true for his Superman voiceovers.

Joan Alexander played girl reporter, Lois Lane, just as she did in radio. Most episodes were narrated by Jackson Beck, later to join the Adventures of Superman radio show cast as Perry White.

FAMOUS STUDIOS

Over time, the popularity of the Superman cartoons convinced Dave Fleischer that realistic subject matter was a significant new direction for animation.

“There is actually no reason why the animated cartoon can’t tell a solidly dramatic story of today just as any other medium of the motion-picture field,” he said in 1941. “The time is come to move from the era of ‘the novelty of it all’ to a mature basis in the film industry. The story is what’s important. Solidly constructed screen stories can be produced with pen and ink characters just as well as with human characters.”

Unfortunately, after the box-office failure of the Fleischers’ 1942 feature-length animated film Mr. Bug Goes to Town, Dave Fleischer quit and Max was forced out of his own company. The renamed Famous Studios continued in the hands of Paramount Pictures, which relocated the operation New York City.

“It was a damn shame how Paramount strangled Max, financially,” lamented a former Fleischer employee, who spoke off the record. “We made some great films—as good as Disney was turning out back then—but we were sold down the river by certain Paramount officials. Hollywood big shots against one lone film pioneer. And the pioneer lost, as you know.”

The transition came after the ninth and final Fleischer Superman release, Terror on the Midway. Famous’ initial entry, Japoteurs, was the first to focus on Superman taking on the wartime Axis enemy head-on. Famous halved the number of drawings used to animate many sequences, resulting in a noticeable drop in quality. Yet they remained atmospheric and compelling.

Reports in 1942 credited actor Lee Royce, who voiced Bluto on Fleischer’s Popeye cartoons, with being both the voice and rotoscope model for the Man of Steel. This was the case during the Famous Studios period of cost-cutting, but physical culture expert and future wrestler Karol Krauser was the original stand-in.

Bud Collyer ceased voicing the character with the final Fleischer cartoon because Famous wanted him to record in a New Jersey studio, and he was too busy with New York City radio commitments to travel.

Joan Alexander also declined to continue as Lois Lane, replaced

by University of Miami dramatics senior Barbara Willock, who beat a dozen other contenders during auditions with her distinctive Lois Lane scream.

After her initial recording session, Willock recalled, “I had to struggle 20 times, I bet, before I could scream the way I did the first time.”

Like Royce, Willock took the microphone at a Famous Studios recording booth. “I’m always told what she’s doing and act accordingly,” she said in 1942. “For a brave young lady, I must say, she doesn’t talk much!”

The final eight releases, such as Eleventh Hour, The Mummy Strikes, and The Underground World, took on a grimmer, more horrific tone that set them apart from the first group, as Superman battled Nazi and Japanese combatants on one hand and revived giant Egyptian mummies and underground Hawk Men on the other.

The dramatic opening sequence was completely redone for this group of releases, although the stirring Sammy Timberg music was retained.

“I remember Steve Muffatti’s opening shot for Superman,” said Vince Fago. “He had that down to an art. When Paramount took over and we redid the beginning, Steve was ready to do it again. He had it mapped out in his head. He was a real artist with a terrific background.”

For this final set of cartoons, the opening lines were changed to: “Faster than a streak of lightning! More powerful than the pounding surf! Mightier than a roaring hurricane!”

SIBLING RELATONS

Early episodes opened with the destruction of the doomed planet, Krypton, with the baby-bearing rocket escaping to Earth. Press releases at the time boasted that the Fleischers devised two new but unnamed colors—never before seen on the screen—for Krypton and the nameless mad scientist’s death ray.

This was probably hype, for Krypton looks blue-green, while the death ray was a mustard color. A steak sizzling was used for the ray’s sinister sound.

The Fleischer brothers struggled with the sound effects for the planetary detonation.

One newspaper reported that “Max Fleischer thinks it ought to be very, very loud; Dave Fleischer thinks it ought to be a combination of heavy gunfire, earthquake—and an apple breaking in two, much multiplied.

Unless somebody thinks of something more satisfactory, the apple wins.”

The apple won. To achieve the desired effect, it was wrenched apart by hand.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

19

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

20

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

Gordon Sheehan remembered that the challenge of Superman went beyond the Man of Steel himself.

“There was so much action in the Superman cartoons—effects animation—that a separate department had to be made special for animators to animate things like volcanoes and bridges collapsing, buildings toppling over, floods and all sorts of disasters, besides these mysterious rays that melted buildings. That was all done by the effects department, a special group of artists. They were more artists than they were animators. But they were really gifted.”

For one 1941 episode, a planned scene where Superman ate a meal gave Dave, who directed several episodes, fits.

“But what in heaven’s name does he eat?” he wondered in print.

One journalist described the Fleischer brothers as opposites: “Dave sees things in terms of laughter; Max, in terms of fantasy.

Max is shy and retiring, avoiding publicity. Dave, on the other hand, will enter a restaurant and start clowning with the orchestra leader.

As the production head of the studio, Dave supplies a lot of the comedy ideas.”

Myron Waldman observed, “It was strange how they worked together, Max and Dave; they didn’t get along really well.”

In 1940, they ceased speaking to one other, communicating by passing notes. Yet it was a golden experience for many who worked for the brothers.

“I was fortunate,” noted Waldman. “I worked on Superman when they still took time to do it right. We

called them the ‘good ones,’ because they were elaborate and expensive. Later on, they stopped putting the work into them because they were limited by budget, and they kept changing him.”

“Fleischer Studios was quite a big organization,” explained William Hudson, “and there was a lot of muckety-muck, if you’ll pardon my language.

Sometimes you’d deliberately draw badly so one guy could point his finger and say, ‘That part’s not right.’ Then he would have done his duty.”

TIMELESS TOONS

In total, only 17 Superman cartoons were created. Their innovative use of Max Fleischer’s patented rotoscoping process, dramatic use of camera angles, lighting, and other then-cutting-edge animation techniques made them superior for their day and timeless in our era.

“A lot of the things that they did in the effects of the old Superman comics in those days have been copied year after year by other animators,” noted Gordon Sheehan. “I don’t think they have improved too much. They did some brilliant things.”

Despite its success, the series was killed prematurely, according to Whit Ellsworth. “Paramount Studios took a considerable financial bath on the deal, and we abrogated the contract by mutual

(OPPOSITE AND TOP OF THIS PAGE) Courtesy of Ray Pointer, author of the book The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer, pencil studies for various Superman scenes.

(RIGHT) Forty years after Fleischers’ Superman, Myron Waldman was still called upon to illustrate the Action Ace, as in this Eighties-vintage specialty drawing. Superman TM & © DC Comics. Waldman sketch courtesy of Heritage.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

21

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon

consent long before the full projected numbers of cartoons had been made.”

Yet early reports stated that 12 episodes were envisioned.

Apparently, a second dozen would have followed, but it was not to be. Unused scripts were reportedly salvaged for the Superman radio program. Jay Morton claimed to have created the Atom Man for radio, a villain who was reimagined for the 1950 serial, Atom Man vs. Superman. Decades later, he consulted on the Christopher Reeve Superman films.

Secret Agent was the final episode. It was released to theaters on July 30, 1943. Omitted for the first time, Lois Lane was replaced by a blonde federal agent whom Nazi spies are trying to prevent from reaching Washington with her secret report. Clark Kent is held captive for most of the story and there are an awful lot of car chases for a Superman story. But the Man of Steel swoops in at the climax to rescue this new damsel in distress, patriotically saluting the American flag before vanishing forever.

Fleischer Superman cartoons later became a staple of various local TV shows during the Fifties, but their impact was diminished by black-and-white transmission.

Strangely, the Fleischer Superman returned 20 years later, after the demise of the original series, but in a roundabout way.

In 1966, a fledgling animation studio called Filmation wanted to break out of the pack and license a major property. Filmation president Lou Scheimer set his sights on Superman. But when DC Comics wanted to see his operation first, Scheimer was in a fix. His staff was tiny.

“I called everybody I knew,” he later revealed, “and we filled the place up with people doing fake drawings.”

The risky gamble worked. DC granted Filmation the option.

Out of this came The New Adventures of Superman, which was produced for CBS’ Saturday morning cartoon line-up in 1966.

While it ran for only a single season, the show returned in 1969 for another one-year run. During that hiatus, the Man of Steel popped up in Filmation’s Superman-Aquaman Hour of Adventure and The Batman-Superman Hour of Adventure. Radio’s original Superman and Lois Lane, Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander, reprised their roles for the new series. And that’s how the Fleischer incarnation of the character came back for a television reprise. [Editor’s note: Columnist Andy Mangels goes behind the scenes of the Filmation Superman series in the article following!]

The simplified TV animation, of course, did not compare to the originals, which remain unsurpassed to this day. Which is why when I want a solid Superman fix, I watch a bunch of Max Fleischer cartoons. I will accept no substitutes.

WILL MURRAY is the writer of the Wild Adventures (www.adventuresinbronze. com) series of novels, which stars Doc Savage, The Shadow, King Kong, The Spider, and Tarzan of the Apes. He also created the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl with legendary artist Steve Ditko.

Get yours today at NCPBooks.com Autographed Copies Available Too!

22

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

ANDY MANGELS’ RETRO SATURDAY MORNING

Filmation’s The New Adventures of Superman

BY ANDY MANGELS (RIGHT) Superman faces off against “The Force Phantom” in the first The New Adventures of Superman show. (INSET) Clark Kent from a Filmation model sheet used to aid animators.

TM & © DC Comics.

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning, your constant guide to the shows that thrilled us from yesteryear, exciting our imaginations and capturing our memories. This issue, you get a double-dip into two parts of the Man of Steel’s animated history: look elsewhere for the spotlight on the tremendous Fleischer theatrical shorts, but stay tuned for a look at TV’s exciting The New Adventures of Superman!

STRANGE VISITATIONS

Following his debut in Action Comics #1 (June 1938), the Kryptonian super-hero shone brighter than all other comic characters, and media of the time soon followed. A Superman newspaper strip came first, in January 1939, and actor Ray Middleton portrayed Superman at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Beyond the printed page, the first adaptation of Superman was a radio show titled The Adventures of Superman. The syndicated show began on February 12, 1940 as a 15-minute serialized story, airing from three to five times per week.

The series was sponsored by Kellogg’s Pep cereal.

Announcer and narrator Jackson Beck gave the opening of the series, which thrilled young viewers: Up in the sky, look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!

It’s Superman! Yes, it’s Superman— strange visitor from the planet Krypton who came to Earth with powers and

abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, race a speeding bullet to its target, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great Metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice!

Although uncredited initially to maintain secret-identity mystique, Bud Collyer played both Clark Kent and Superman (except for some final-year shows that featured Michael Fitzmaurice), while Rolly Bester, Helen Choate, and Joan Alexander portrayed Lois Lane. The series introduced not only the concept of kryptonite to the mythos, but also the characters of Daily Planet editor Perry White (voiced by Julian Noa), copyboy Jimmy Olsen (voiced by Jackie Kelk and Jack Grimes), and Police Inspector Bill Henderson (voiced by Matt Crowley and Earl George). All of these characters quickly transitioned into the comics as well.

With no repeats aired, The Adventures of Superman lasted for an amazing 2,088 original episodes, finally ending its 11-year run on March 1, 1951. By that time,

The Adventures of Superman radio show voice actors: (LEFT TO RIGHT) announcer and narrator Jackson Beck, Lois Lane Joan Alexander, and Superman Bud Collyer.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

23

andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

producer Robert Maxwell was already working on a new format for Superman to conquer… television!

The new Adventures of Superman series was a syndicated half-hour live-action show debuting around September 19, 1952 (actual airdates are contested due to the syndicated nature of the program). As with the radio series, Kellogg’s sponsored the TV show, which starred George Reeves as Clark Kent/Superman, Phyllis Coates and Noel Neill as Lois Lane, Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen, John Hamilton as Perry White, and Robert Shayne as Inspector Henderson. The series was originally filmed in black-and-white for the first two seasons of 26 episodes each, but filming switched to color for seasons three through six, which added an additional 13 episodes for each year. [Editor’s note: See RetroFan #11—still available at www.twomorrows. com—for our lavishly illustrated look back at Adventures of Superman.] In all, 104 episodes were produced, plus a short-form episode made for the U.S. Treasury Department titled “Stamp Day for Superman.”

Voiced by Bill Kennedy, the show’s opening narration was a variation on the radio show: Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound! Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman! Yes, it’s Superman… strange visitor from another planet, who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men! Superman... who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!

The final episode of Adventures of Superman aired around April 28, 1958, although pilot episodes for both a Superboy and Superpup spin-off series were shot later. The producers made plans to make two more years of episodes, but the 1958 death of John Hamilton threw one monkey wrench into the gears. Plans were completely shut down after the unexpected and mysterious death of star George Reeves on June 16, 1959.

Because it was already in syndication, Adventures of Superman basically never left the air for several decades after its cancellation.

But in 1965, plans were put into place for a new media incarnation for the Man of Steel…

AND WHO, DISGUISED AS AN ANIMATION COMPANY…

In the early Sixties, having worked for animation houses including Kling Studios, Walter Lantz, Ray Patton Productions, Warner Bros., and others, animator Lou Scheimer founded Filmation Associates with fellow animator Hal Sutherland and disc-jockey-turned-producer Norm Prescott. Filmation was a scrappy young company that brokered outside animation jobs and commercials, but they really needed some way to make their mark, or they would disappear.

“It was 1965, and after only a few years in business it looked like Filmation Associates was going to have to close its doors,” said Scheimer in my interviews with him for the 2012 TwoMorrows book, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation. “The studio was now down to two employees—myself and Hal—and a shutdown was imminent. Norm was doing his best to try to raise money from someone, somewhere, somehow… We had 24 empty desks and some equipment gathering dust. We didn’t have a Moviola to sell, or it would have probably been gone already.” Filmation’s offices 24

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

(TOP) Early Filmation studio location. (BOTTOM) Filmation’s top brass circa the Sixties: (LEFT TO RIGHT) Norm Prescott, Hal Sutherland, and Lou Scheimer.

(INSET) Legendary Superman comics editor, Mort Weisinger. did have one other “person” in the office, but she didn’t say much; at the front desk was a mannequin wearing glasses and a dress from Lou’s wife. Visitors would sometimes talk to the “receptionist” before realizing she wasn’t real. It was a sign of things to come…

“One day the phone rang, and Hal answered it,” Scheimer continued. “A moment or so later his eyes got wide, and he said, ‘Louie, maybe you’d better talk to them!’… He had a peculiar look on his face, ‘He says his name is Superman Weisinger calling from DC. He’s looking for Prescott! … I got on the phone and said, ‘Hello, Mr. Superman, are you calling from a phone booth?’ I figured it was a prank call. The voice on the other end said, ‘Mort Weisinger here. I’m the story editor on Superman, and I’d like to talk to Norm Prescott.’ I said, ‘Well, Norm’s not here right now. Is there anything I can do to help?’ He said, ‘No, I’ve got to talk to Prescott!’ I explained to him that Prescott was in a hotel on Sunset Boulevard and was going to leave for New York the next day and told him to call him shortly. I hung up and quickly called Norm and said, ‘There’s some

andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

guy going to call you, and his name is Mort Weisinger. He’s got something to do with Superman, but I don’t know what in the hell is going on. It may be some kind of work for us. I won’t close up the company until I hear from you.’ He said, ‘Well, I know who the guy is! He’s the story editor at DC Comics.’”

The reason for Weisinger’s call was that Fred Silverman, who had just started at CBS, had decided that he could turn around the Saturday morning schedule by buying new shows specifically made for Saturday mornings, rather than using repackaged syndicated material or advertiser-created shows. Silverman had gotten in touch with National Periodical Publications—the name of DC Comics at that time—and told them he wanted to buy Superman as an animated show. The live-action program Adventures of

(LEFT) Whitney Ellsworth. (CENTER) Fred Silverman.

(RIGHT) Ted Knight.

Superman was a syndication hit, and Silverman felt a new version could work in animation. Weisinger knew Prescott from previous dealings, and thought he might be able to help them get Superman animated somewhere, perhaps overseas.

Scheimer said, “I got a phone call from Norm, and he said, ‘Lou, do you think we could do this series ourselves?’ I said, ‘How much are they offering?’ He said, ‘$36,000 a half hour.’ Well, I knew then that Hanna-Barbera was getting about $45,000 a half-hour for animation. I said, ‘Sure, we can do it. What the hell? We’re out of work anyway. What’s the worst that can happen? We can’t do it?’ I had no idea what we could do it for, but I knew that was better than we were getting.”

Then Prescott dropped the bomb. He said National wanted to send a guy named Whitney Ellsworth to come see the studio.

Scheimer asked, “What studio? There’s me, there’s Hal, there’s 24 desks!” Scheimer thought quickly, and started calling friends in the animation business. Anyone who could reasonably fill a seat behind one of the animation desks for the day was fair game.

Scheimer passed out scenes from the feature film they were working on slowly, Journey Back to Oz. And then, they waited for Ellsworth to arrive.

One of the people Scheimer brought in was an actor friend of his named Ted Knight (later much more famous for his role on The Mary Tyler Moore show, among others). Scheimer said, “He knew nothing about animation except having done the voice work for us, and he wasn’t famous yet, though he had been working in Hollywood since the late Fifties. We borrowed a Moviola to make it look like we really had an editorial department, and I told Ted, ‘If the guy asks you any questions, just tell him there’s (LEFT) Cel setup with trouble at the lab, and you can’t background painting talk to him right now because for The New Adventures you don’t know what you’re of Superman. (ABOVE) talking about!’ Ted always had Pencil drawing on a tendency to overact. He said, animation paper with ‘Yeah, don’t worry, Lou.’” color paint notations. TM & Ellsworth arrived for his © DC Comics. tour of Filmation, and Lou had packed the place. Only one desk was empty—ironically, the person who had been planned to fill it and hadn’t shown was a CPA who knew Ellsworth, and who would have blown the whole plan! “Don Peters, who did gorgeous backgrounds, was in there pretending to paint backgrounds,” said Scheimer. “Some of the guys were already animators, like George Reilly, Eddie Friedman, Lou Kachivas, Rudy Larriva, and Eddie Green... The studio was humming. I think we even had the mannequin out there, but the mannequin looked okay. We may have passed that off as a joke. We had, like, 20 people in there, everybody furiously at work, but it was 12 o’clock, and half of these guys had to take off and get back to work! So, we showed Ellsworth some of the stuff from Oz that was sitting there in our little office that Hal and I had.”

Scheimer explained to Ellsworth that they normally didn’t allow visitors in the office except for one hour on Wednesdays, and hoped that the executive would be impressed enough by what he saw that day to not need to come back again. “Everything was going fine, and Ellsworth seemed impressed… I had ‘padded’ out my staff to make us look bigger and more successful than we were…

All of a sudden we heard, ‘There’s trouble at the lab! Trouble at the lab!’—in 20 different voices. Ted Knight was out there running around, pretending he was a lot of different guys, yelling that there was trouble at the lab. He had apparently gotten bored or wanted some attention or thought he was helping. Ellsworth said, ‘What the hell’s going on? You guys must have an awful lot of work. There can’t be that many guys involved with trouble at the lab!’

Ellsworth finally left, and called Jack Liebowitz at National Periodical Publications in New York, telling him, “They have a little RETROFAN

March/April 2023

25

andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

The stalwart staff of the Daily Planet, a great metropolitan newspaper: (LEFT TO RIGHT) Perry White, editor-in-chief; Lois Lane, top reporter; Jimmy Olsen, copyboy/photographer; Clark Kent, reporter and, unknown to his friends, the mighty Man of Steel. TM & © DC Comics.

studio, but they run a tight ship.” Liebowitz trusted Ellsworth’s opinion and signed a deal with Filmation, without even a completion bond for insurance! Norm Prescott flew to New York to meet with Jack Liebowitz. “Norm told me that Liebowitz pulled a gun out of his desk drawer,” said Scheimer. “Norm thought he was threatening to kill him if we did anything wrong! But Liebowitz said, ‘You know, Norm, if anything happens and you guys don’t deliver on this thing right… I’m going to have to shoot myself.’ Well, nothing went wrong, and we ended up with a relationship that lasted for years.”

Filmation now had their first network show, with a budget of $36,000 per episode! Now, Scheimer could actually afford to hire some of the same people who had been his fake staff for the Ellsworth tour, and move to a larger building, across the street from rival studio Hanna-Barbera. And in November 1965, work on the new show for Superman began!

IT’S SUPER, SUPER SUPERMAN!

The format for The New Adventures of Superman, as the series was to be called, was three seven-minute stories per half-hour.

The format was two Superman adventures, bookending a tale with Superboy and his dog Krypto in the middle. “The network liked the seven-minute format for the show because the stories weren’t interrupted by the commercial breaks,” said Scheimer. “Also, National Periodicals didn’t have the writers who really were used to working for half-hours.” National provided the writers and scripts, to retain control over the stories; many of them had previously written for the radio show. The two writers used most were Oscar Bensol and George Kashdan, the latter of whom was actually a writer and editor up at DC. Working for National as their press agent was Allen

“Duke” Ducovny, who had been the developer on the radio version of Superman back in 1940. Ducovny became Filmation’s main point of contact, and with Scheimer, went over every script and storyboard.

The vocal tracks for the first season were recorded in New York, at the same radio studio in which they had recorded the Superman radio show. Clayton “Bud” Collyer was again the voice of Clark Kent and Superman, lending his deep voice for Superman and a higher tone for the mild-mannered persona of Clark Kent. Radio star Joan Alexander was Lois Lane, and Jackson Beck returned as the announcer and the voice of Perry White. Jack Grimes, who was one of the radio Jimmy Olsen voices, reprised that role. The Superboy voices were, however, recorded in Burbank, with Bob Hastings as Superboy, Janet Waldo as Lana Lang… and Ted “There’s trouble at the lab” Knight as the announcer! Norm Prescott directed the voice actors in Burbank, then expanded his role in later seasons as all vocal recording moved to California.

The Superman intro was a truncated version of the TV series: Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound! “Look! Up in the sky!” “It’s a bird!”

“It’s a plane!” “It’s Superman!” Superman, the Man of Steel, Superman!

Superman, rocketed to Earth as an infant when the distant planet Krypton exploded, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and freedom, with super-powers far beyond those of ordinary mortals! It’s Superman, Super, Super, Superman!

Superboy got his own intro: The Adventures of Superboy! Exciting stories of Superman when he was a boy, who, even as an infant, demonstrated powers and abilities

Iconic scenes from the opening to Filmation’s The New Adventures of Superman. TM & © DC Comics.

26

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

(LEFT TO RIGHT) Title card for The Adventures of Superboy segment, Superboy flies to the rescue with his super-pet Krypto, and Clark Kent with his adoptive parents Jonathan and Martha Kent. TM & © DC Comics. far beyond the capabilities of Earthlings. Superboy, who as Clark Kent, mild-mannered foster son of Martha and Jonathan Kent, preserves the secret of his true identity, and devotes his super-powers to the prevention of crime, the preservation of peace, and the pursuit of truth!

It was on Superman that Filmation began to develop what would be known as a “stock system,” wherein sequences that occurred regularly would be reused, whether it was characters running, Clark changing into Superman, or Superman flying, lifting, or punching. One reason it worked on Superman was practicality; if an episode needed a few more seconds added or subtracted, extra or shorter scenes of Superman in flight could be added or taken away.

Another reason was that young viewers like repetitive sequences.

Thirdly, it was cheaper to reuse good animation of a scene than to create new versions of the same scene.

“We also began to document and chart the scenes and do storyboards that utilized the previous material,” Scheimer said. “The storyboard artists would literally break a script down and create a comic-book sort of version of the script, with scene numbers and background numbers, and they would ask for various previously viewed scenes. That all started with Superman, and, when we started doing a lot of other stuff, it became a very organized system. It really saved us all kinds of time and money.

“Nobody in the business could really afford to put full animation into characters for television because of the budgets and the delivery speed, but I think we really solved the problem first,” said Scheimer. “After a while, over the years, we got to the place where

we did stock material for almost everything we did. Eventually, we even began to create the stock material before we even wrote the stories: close-ups, long shots, running, walking, talking, flying, swimming…. Aquaman [see RetroFan #3—ed.] had a lot of stock material added too. No one had ever done that before, but it was a matter of necessity, and, actually, we ended up with a better show because we could afford to do that stuff extraordinarily well. I’ve read people who critique our shows and complain about the stock material, but the audience really grew to enjoy it because they knew what the characters acted like and moved like. And our stock stuff looked great! We didn’t hide it from anybody. It worked.” It certainly worked better than some of their competitor’s television animation, which could veer into stilted movement and off-model characters.

Superman offered one particular problem for stock. It was common in animation that when repeating something, an image might be flopped, so a character running left would instead run right. This is why most characters are designed symmetrically.

Superman, however, had an “S” emblem on both his chest and cape, meaning that all right-facing stock had to be done a second time as left-facing stock! “A lot of fans are pretty happy with how close the Superman animation was to the comic books at the time,” said Scheimer. “We took our models directly from the comics. I think eventually that we may have even gotten some Curt Swan model sheets to work from. Superman’s co-creator, Jerry Siegel, came out to the studio once to meet everyone. It

The show featured some of Superman’s best-known foes: (LEFT TO RIGHT) The Toyman, Brainiac, and Lex Luthor. TM & © DC Comics.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

27

andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

Show on ABC and Cool McCool on NBC. “We slaughtered them,” said Scheimer. “There was nobody even close to our ratings for Superman… It made CBS a big winner!

As for the impact the show had on us, simply put, it made us… And once the other networks saw the ratings, it started a rash of imitations. Super-heroes were all over the networks within two or three years.

But Superman was unique and so potent that some of the imitators really screwed it up. Some of them led to the problem of violence on Saturday morning television.

Whereas Superman was done, I think, with some degree of sensitivity toward the audience, other programs that were sold later just increased the tempo.”

Filmation was suddenly successful, but due to their financial problems when we started out, even with the Superman show, Up, up, and away! The New Adventures of Superman was a sky-high they were poor. The low budget National success that put Filmation on the map. TM & © DC Comics. had given them meant that money was going out as quickly as it came in. Still, they was sort of a sad thing. Those guys were so young when they were able to move to another larger studio in Toluca Lake, and the created Superman and signed over the rights to the comic people. money for Superman allowed them to develop some other short And these poor guys only ended up with an honorarium for this seven-minute pilots for original properties. famous character.”

Scheimer recalled one funny moment on a Superboy episode he (AQUA)FISH GOTTA SWIM, (SUPER)BIRDS was reviewing before it left the studio. “One day, we were working GOTTA FLY on mixing the sound into the finished footage on Superboy, and In late December 1966, Filmation made a deal with National to there was a scene where Krypto flew over a forest fire or something develop even more DC heroes for animation. “DC actually asked like that, and all of the sudden I saw him lift his leg and he peed on us to do Aquaman, but I wasn’t convinced the network would buy the fire to put it out. It hissed and everything! I said, ‘Whoa, whoa, it without seeing a pilot,” said Scheimer. “He wasn’t as famous as whoa! Wait a minute!’ Thankfully, I caught that!” The animators Superman or Batman.” A pilot short was produced though, and had worked a bit of overtime to put the gag in, knowing that it Fred Silverman bought it for CBS. Announced to the industry trade would never make it onto the air. newspapers in early January was a companion show to Superman Fred Silverman at CBS liked working with Filmation, and evenwith Aquaman, to begin on CBS in September 1967, and Batman, to tually would hire Allen Ducovny away from National/DC to work begin animation whenever the live-action show went off the air at for CBS as well, in children’s programming. “Freddie was in charge ABC. “We didn’t reveal anything about which network Batman was of all daytime programming, but he couldn’t do very much with it going to be on, as we were talking with ABC about another show, because the soap operas had been done years before he started. and yet CBS had our other DC heroes,” said Scheimer. “It was kind of There was very little he could change or do except on Saturday a touchy situation because ratings were already going down on the morning, and he found this area that allowed him to do something live-action Batman series, and the network had not yet ordered a that had not been done before: He created a whole batch of new third season for 1967–1968.” shows for Saturday morning… Freddie saw what could happen with In March 1967, The New York Times did a piece on Saturday Saturday mornings, and he created the Saturday morning phenom- morning animation in which it was Hanna-Barbera, not enon. As a result of his decisions, all three networks ended up doing Filmation, that had to take a beating over limited animation, and children’s programming... Fred Silverman programmed Saturday DePatie-Freleng who were attacked over content. The other studios morning, and he was a success. He spent $8 million in revamping blamed the networks, saying, “Right now they want the blood, that schedule, and it paid off. He eventually ended up as president guts, and gore that are inherent in the ‘supers.’” It was hyperbole of CBS, then later ABC and NBC. Freddie was brilliant.” because, of course, there was no blood, nor guts, allowed on For the first season of The New Adventures of Superman, Filmation television at the time, much less on Saturday morning animation, but super-heroes were definitely hot. In that same article, Norm produced 18 half-hours, with 36 Superman shows and 18 Superboy Prescott revealed that the Fall show would now be 60 minutes and episodes. The number was based on the fact that a network titled The Superman Hour of Adventure. The Aquaman show would be could rerun the series three to four times a year. If they bought an two per half-hour, paired with other DC guest-stars. Contenders additional eight shows for the second season, they could use them for the guest hero spots included Green Lantern, Green Arrow, the to introduce the season and then mix in reruns for a minimal cost.

Flash, Hawkman, Doom Patrol, B’wana Beast, the Atom, Wonder The New Adventures of Superman premiered on September 10, Woman, Metamorpho, Blackhawks, Teen Titans, and the Justice 1966, at 11:00 a.m. The show was up against The New Casper Cartoon 28

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

League, among others. Basically, if National/DC published it, they wanted Filmation to animate it.

As Filmation began working on new projects and a second season of Superman episodes, more public backlash was coming down against action shows. “We were totally aware of that and worked hard to make sure our stories were appropriate,” Scheimer revealed. “The networks considered the base audience to be six years old and thus more impressionable. We included lines in Superman that real people couldn’t actually fly, and we also tried to make sure that children weren’t kidnapped or exposed to great danger in the stories. We changed one Superboy story in which he was going to stop a truck with his bare hands; we didn’t want any kids to do the same thing. But, as I told Variety, we could have kids help adults: ‘Animated adults can be exposed to danger because somehow kids think adults can take care of themselves. They like it when kids help adults out of danger.’ There were other things we had to be careful on with Superman and Superboy especially.

We did not want kids jumping off of roofs trying to fly, and there had been stories about that. So, we basically showed Superman jumping up in the air. And then, the next thing you knew, they were up in the air. We didn’t show them jumping off a wall or off a roof.

We’d see a guy go straight up in the air and then cut to him flying.

There’s no way a kid could do that. We tried not to do things that could be duplicated. The people working with kids talk about such things as ‘imitatable behavior.’ Kids love to imitate things, so we had to make sure they didn’t imitate anything harmful. We did that same thing on any of our super-hero shows, even live shows later on like Shazam! and Isis.”

The second season of Superman was again story-edited by Mort Weisinger, and National/DC provided all of the scripts. “We also got a small percentage of the profits for the DC shows that year, and they upped our budgets for these and the second run of Supermans from $36,000 per episode to around $50,000 per show,” Scheimer revealed. The title of the series was changed again to The Superman/ Aquaman Hour of Adventure, and Filmation added in extra things to keep young viewers engaged, such as secret codes as bumpers around the commercial breaks, so that the kids would keep watching during the commercials and so that they had an activity to take part in.

All the networks debuted their new Saturday morning line-ups on September 9, 1967. ABC tried to counter Filmation’s DC heroes with Marvel heroes, debuting both The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure aired on CBS from 11:30– 12:30, up against a new show called George of the Jungle and The New Beatles.

Superman/Aquaman was soon certified by both Arbitron and Nielsen as being the highest-rated show on Saturdays, with an 8.9 rating! Filmation produced 16 new Superman shorts, eight new Superboy shorts, 36 Aquaman shorts, and 18 guest hero segments (three Justice League of America shorts also featured Superman).

Although many fans think that the first half-hour was just Superman and the second was Aquaman and guests, the reality was that the shows were all mixed together for variety. Later, when the shows were split up for syndication, the segments were matched to each other, but the series did not begin that way.

(TOP) Bumper image for Filmation’s Justice League episodes. (CENTER) Superman and Batman. (BELOW) Lois Lane in a car and in a pickle. (INSET) Secret codes were used as commercial bumpers to keep kids from changing the channel during ads. TM & © DC Comics.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

29

andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

In early 1968, CBS’ new fall schedule was announced, and on it was now another comic-book property, Archie [see RetroFan’s sister magazine Back Issue #107 for more about this series—ed.].

Additionally, Batman would now be joining Superman, with new animated adventures that fell in line with the live-action series.

CBS was going to rerun Aquaman, now as its own half-hour show, on Sunday mornings. With Batman, Archie, Fantastic Voyage, and an order for eight more Superman half-hours—16 Superman shorts and 8 Superboy—Filmation’s workload shot up dramatically. In under two years, they had gone from failing studio with no television work to being one of the top studios with 59 new half-hours to produce for the season. National/DC moved the budget up again, to around $60,000 per episode!

CBS’ fall season debut was September 14, 1968. A victim of its own success, from 10:30–11:30 a.m. Filmation saw its own Fantastic Voyage and Journey to the Center of the Earth, on ABC, up against The Batman/Superman Hour, on CBS. The retitled The Adventures of Aquaman debuted at 9:30 a.m. on the following Sunday. On both days the majority of the content was now being provided by either Hanna-Barbera or Filmation, with a handful of other studios providing packages of old theatrical stuff or some new content. As expected Superman/Batman was a hit, and Fantastic Voyage did all

FAST FACTS f No. of seasons: Three f No. of episodes: 68 Superman episodes, 34 Superboy episodes f Original run: The New Adventures of Superman: September 10, 1966–September 2, 1967; The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure: September 9, 1967–September 4, 1968; The Batman/Superman Hour: September 14, 1968–September 6, 1969 f Reruns: The New Adventures of Superman: September 13, 1969– September 5, 1970 f Studio: Filmation f Network: CBS

PRIMARY VOICE PERFORMER CAST (SUPERMAN SEGMENTS)

f Bud Collyer: Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman f Jackson Beck: Narrator, Perry White, Beany Martin f Joan Alexander: Lois Lane (1966–1967 and 1969– 1970) f Julie Bennett: Lois Lane (1967–1969) f Ray Owens: Lex Luthor, Warlock f Jack Grimes: Jimmy Olsen f Gilbert Mack: Mr. Mxyzptlk, Brainiac

PRIMARY VOICE PERFORMER CAST (SUPERBOY SEGMENTS) f Ted Knight: Narrator f Bob Hastings: Young Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superboy f Janet Waldo: Lana Lang 30

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

TM & © DC Comics.

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN

right, but the real surprise was The Archie Show, which became a huge success.

But the writing was on the wall for super-heroes. So-called “moral watchdogs” like Action for Children’s Television were making their voices heard, and panel discussions and critical editorials were held about the debate on Saturday morning violence. On October 4th, the trade papers reported that both ABC and CBS were making pacts to eliminate violent programming for the 1969–1970 season.

Fred Silverman noted that only Superman and Batman would be retained—he knew what ratings juggernauts they were—and that comedy would rule the airwaves.

When the new fall season debuted on September 13, 1969, the retitled The New Adventures of Superman aired on CBS at 1:00 p.m.

The retitled The Adventures of Batman and Robin got moved to its own Sunday slot the following day. And Aquaman swam away. By Fall 1970, all traces of super-heroes had been wiped from Saturday morning schedules.

SUPER CINDY AND SUPER SYNDICATION

Filmation wasn’t quite finished with Superman yet. Children’s Television Workshop’s Sesame Street began in the fall of 1969, underwritten by the U.S. Office of Education, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Ford Foundation. Filmation produced two new Superman spots and three new Batman spots for early Sesame Street episodes, expounding on the meanings of letters, talking about concepts such as up and down, or cautioning youngsters about proper street-crossing safety. Reused footage made up the first Superman segment, while Lennie Weinrib voiced Superman for the all-new second segment; these are viewable on YouTube.

In Fall 1970, Superman, Batman, and Aquaman entered into daily syndication in non-network television markets, represented by Television Programs International, meaning that in most of America, viewers could see Filmation super-heroes five days a week, and the studio’s comedy and music shows on the weekends! In August 1972, Warner Bros. TV made a deal to retain perpetually the worldwide syndication rights to all 69 half-hours of the Superman/Batman/Aquaman shows created by Filmation. It was an obvious move on Warner Bros.’ part, and one that let them profit significantly more from the very popular series.

For the Fall 1972 season, Filmation debuted a new series called The Brady Kids, spinning off from the popular The Brady Bunch live-action series. The ABC series debuted on September 9, 1972, and featured some of the original cast reprising their voices. Three episodes of the series guest-starred other characters: the Lone Ranger [see RetroFan #20—ed.], Wonder Woman, and Superman!

In “Cindy’s Super Friend,” airing September 30, 1972 (Wikipedia has the incorrect date), the Brady Kids had an adventure with Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and helped Superman stop bank robbers who used invisible paint to steal a bank! Lennie Weinrib again voiced the character. “I think we wanted to see if Superman could be revitalized as a series and if action could make a return,” said Scheimer.

Although Superman was soon licensed to Hanna-Barbera for the 1973 series Super Friends, Filmation enjoyed a long—although sometimes contentious—relationship with DC Comics. Later shows

(ABOVE) The Brady Kids meet Superman. The Brady Kids © Paramount Television.

(LEFT) Seven episodes from The New Adventures of Superman as part of the Super Powers video series.

(BELOW) Promotional art.

TM & © DC Comics.

included Shazam! and The Shazam!/Isis Hour in 1974–1977 on CBS [see RetroFan #4—ed.], The New Adventures of Batman from 1977–1981 on CBS and NBC, and The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! in 1981–1982 on NBC. Other projects almost materialized, but by the Eighties, Filmation was concentrating more on toy-based and self-created properties.

The New Adventures of Superman stayed in worldwide syndication for decades, and the Superman and Superboy stories were first released on VHS tapes in 1985 as part of a Super Powers line of home entertainment videos, then rereleased in 1996. Eventually, the shows were also aired on USA Network and other cable networks.

A two-disc DVD box set of The New Adventures of Superman was released by Warner Bros. on June 26, 2007. It featured all 36 episodes from the first season, but The Adventures of Superboy shorts were omitted from the release, due to a legal battle between Warner and the estate of Jerry Siegel over the rights to the Superboy name. Warner Bros. waited until June 3, 2014 to release a two-disc set of The New Adventures of Superman Seasons Two and Three on DVD. The set featured the remaining 32 episodes of the series, but again, did not include the Superboys. Paramount, meanwhile, released The Brady Kids: The Complete Animated Series, on DVD on February 16, 2016, including the Superman episode.

In 2018, Warner debuted the DC Universe subscription video-on-demand service, and Superman was one of the series contained on it. Again, the Superboy shows were omitted. However, Amazon Prime and other platforms eventually began offering the near-complete The New Adventures of Superman—with Superboy episodes included for Seasons Two and Three. The Season One Superboys were reportedly not included on any platforms, including YouTube, iTunes, GooglePlay, or Vudu. However, the digital version of the show had been remastered for superior picture and sound quality, and looked better than it ever had. Whether or not The New Adventures of Superman will ever be seen in its fully complete form—with all the Superboys intact, as well as proper intros and secret code segments—remains to be seen.

Since the Filmation days, Superman has rarely not been on television in some form. Super Friends ran in some incarnation from 1973–1986, and will be covered in the next several issues of RetroFan. Ruby-Spears produced a 1988–1989 animated Superman series, and Warner Bros. created Superman: The Animated Series from 1996–2000, then featured Superman in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited from 2001–2006. Superman has also had animated appearances on television in episodes of Batman Beyond, Static Shock, The Batman, Justice League Action, Krypto the Superdog, Legion of Super Heroes, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice, Super Best Friends Forever, DC Super Hero Girls, Teen Titans Go!, and Harley Quinn, among others.

And, the Man of Steel has starred in dozens of direct-to-video films for Warner.

Looking back, it’s ironic that a character that stood for “Truth” would have experienced a rebirth on Saturday mornings due to Filmation’s artful subterfuge in 1965. But without fast thinking by Lou Scheimer, and a dedicated crew of animators who sat behind desks at Filmation faking work, The New Adventures of Superman might never have happened, and the Saturday morning television landscape that followed might never have been the same!

TM & © DC Comics.

andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

Unless otherwise credited, the quotes from Lou Scheimer are from the autobiography he wrote with Andy Mangels, for Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation. Artwork and photos are courtesy the collection of Andy Mangels.

ANDY MANGELS is the USA Today bestselling author and co-author of 20 books, including the TwoMorrows book Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, as well as Star Trek and Star Wars tomes, Iron Man: Beneath the Armor, and a lot of comic books. He wrote the bestselling Wonder Woman ’77 Meets the Bionic Woman series for Dynamite and DC Comics, and has written six Fractured Fairy Tales graphic novels for Junior High audiences, released

by Abdo Books in 2021. He is currently working on a book about the stage productions of Stephen King and other projects. Additionally, he has scripted, directed, and produced Special Features and documentaries for over forty DVD releases. His moustache is infamous. www.

AndyMangels.com and www.WonderWomanMuseum.com RETROFAN

March/April 2023

31

Now shipping at www.twomorrows.com!

BRITMANIA

by RetroFan’s MARK VOGER

Remember when long-haired British rock ’n’ rollers made teenage girls swoon — and their parents go crazy? BRITMANIA plunges into the period when suddenly, America went wild for All Things British. This profusely illustrated full-color hardback, subtitled “The British Invasion of the Sixties in Pop Culture,” explores the movies (A HARD DAY’S NIGHT, HAVING A WILD WEEKEND), TV (THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR), collectibles (TOYS, GAMES, TRADING CARDS, LUNCH BOXES), comics (real-life Brits in the DC and MARVEL UNIVERSES) and, of course, the music!

Written and designed by MARK VOGER (MONSTER MASH, GROOVY, HOLLY JOLLY), BRITMANIA features interviews with members of THE BEATLES, THE ROLLING STONES, THE WHO, THE KINKS, HERMAN’S HERMITS, THE YARDBIRDS, THE ANIMALS, THE HOLLIES & more. It’s a gas, gas, gas!

(192-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $43.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-115-8 • NOW SHIPPING!

GROOVY also by MARK VOGER

From Woodstock, “The Banana Splits,” and “Sgt. Pepper” to “H.R. Pufnstuf,” Altamont, and “The Partridge Family,” GROOVY is a far-out trip to the era of lava lamps and love beads. This profusely illustrated hardcover book, in psychedelic color, features interviews with icons of grooviness such as PETER MAX, BRIAN WILSON, PETER FONDA, MELANIE, DAVID CASSIDY, members of the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, CREAM, THE DOORS, THE COWSILLS and VANILLA FUDGE; and cast members of groovy TV shows like “The Monkees,” “Laugh-In” and “The Brady Bunch.” Revisit the era’s rock festivals, movies, art, comics and cartoons in this color-saturated pop-culture history!

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

IT CREPT FROM THE TOMB

Since 2000, FROM THE TOMB has terrified readers worldwide. This second “Best of” collection of the UK’s preeminent magazine on the history of horror comics uncovers Atomic Comics lost to the Cold War, rarely seen (and censored) British horror comics, the early art of RICHARD CORBEN, GOOD GIRLS of a bygone age, TOM SUTTON, DON HECK, LOU MORALES, AL EADEH, BRUCE JONES’ Alien Worlds, HP LOVECRAFT in HEAVY METAL, and a myriad of terrors from beyond the stars and the shadows of our own world! It features comics they tried to ban, from ATLAS, CHARLTON, COMIC MEDIA, DC, EC, HARVEY, HOUSE OF HAMMER, KITCHEN SINK, LAST GASP, PACIFIC, SKYWALD, WARREN, and more! Edited by PETER NORMANTON. (192-page Trade Paperback) $29.95 ISBN: 9781605490816 (Digital Edition) $10.99

HERO-A-GO-GO!

HERO-A-GO-GO! celebrates the camp craze of the Swinging Sixties, when just about everyone—the teens of Riverdale, an ant and a squirrel, even the President of the United States—was a super-hero or a secret agent. RETROFAN magazine and former DC Comics editor MICHAEL EURY takes you through that coolest cultural phenomenon with this all-new collection of nostalgic essays, histories, and theme song lyrics of classic 1960s characters like CAPTAIN ACTION, HERBIE THE FAT FURY, CAPTAIN NICE, ATOM ANT, SCOOTER, ACG’s NEMESIS, DELL’S SUPER-FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA, the “Split!”

CAPTAIN MARVEL, and others! Featuring interviews with BILL MUMY (Lost in Space), BOB HOLIDAY (It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman), RALPH BAKSHI (The Mighty Heroes, Spider-Man), DEAN TORRENCE (Jan and Dean Meet Batman), RAMONA FRADON (Metamorpho), DICK DeBARTOLO (Captain Klutz), TONY TALLARICO (The Great Society Comic Book), VINCE GARGIULO (Palisades Park historian), JOE SINNOTT (The Beatles comic book), JOSE DELBO (The Monkees comic book), and more!

(272-page FULL-COLOR TRADE PAPERBACK) $36.95 ISBN: 9781605490731 (Digital Edition) $13.99

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s) From The Small Screen To The Printed Page

A fascinating and detailed year-by-year history of over 300 television shows and their 2000+ comic book adaptations across five decades. Author PETER BOSCH has spent years researching and documenting this amazing area of comics history, tracking down the well-known series (STAR TREK, THE MUNSTERS) and the lesser-known shows (CAPTAIN GALLANT, PINKY LEE) to present the finest look ever taken at this unique genre of comic books. Included are hundreds of full-color covers and images, plus profiles of the artists who drew TV comics: GENE COLAN, ALEX TOTH, DAN SPIEGLE, RUSS MANNING, JOHN BUSCEMA, RUSS HEATH, and many more giants of the comic book world. If you loved watching The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, The Andy Griffith Show, The Monkees, The Mod Squad, Adam-12, Battlestar Galactica, The Bionic Woman, Alf, Fraggle Rock, and “V”—there’s something here for fans of TV and comics alike.

(192-page FULL-COLOR TRADE PAPERBACK) $29.95 ISBN: 9781605491073 (Digital Edition) $15.99

THE BEST OF FROM THE TOMB This first collection compiles features from its ten years of terror, along with new material meant for the NEVER-PUBLISHED #29 • (192-page Digital Edition) $10.99

LOU SCHEIMER

CREATING THE FILMATION GENERATION

Biography of the co-founder of Filmation Studios, which created the first DC cartoons with Superman, Batman, and Aquaman, ruled the song charts with The Archies, kept Trekkie hope alive with the Emmy-winning Star Trek: The Animated Series, taught morals with Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, and swung into high adventure with Tarzan, The Lone Ranger, Zorro, live-action shows Shazam! and The Secrets of Isis, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Written by LOU SCHEIMER, with RetroFan’s ANDY MANGELS. (288-page Digital Edition) $14.99

TwoMorrows.

The Future of Pop History.

Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614

VOGER’S VAULT OF VINTAGE VARIETIES

SEND

IN THE

S N W CLO is w e L y r r e J d n a Bob Hope rse e v i n U C D e h t in

BY MARK VOGER How does one become a comic-book hero? Offhand, I can think of at least three ways: be born on Krypton; get bitten by a radioactive spider; or become a funnyman in the movies.

At least, that’s how it was in the olden days.

When you’re a little squirt, you just accept things. Like, if you were a kid in the Sixties who bought DC comic books at the corner drugstore, you didn’t question your options: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, The Adventures of Bob Hope, The Adventures of Jerry Lewis…

Wait, what?

Can you imagine a child in the Sixties who’d want to read a comic book about Bob Hope? The movie comedian’s onscreen persona was the opposite of kid-friendly: a balding flimflammer in a suit who broke the fourth wall referencing show-biz pals—Hope’s constant name-dropping of Bing Crosby could be a drinking game—and who, when in the presence of pretty ladies, acted all flustered. (Cant’cha just hear Hope doing his trademark guttural snarl?)

Jerry Lewis, at least, did slapstick—always a hit with the kiddies—and his movie persona had a six-year-old mentality. But as the Sixties got their groove on, Lewis’ onscreen antics began to sour (in lackluster films like Hook, Line & Sinker and Don’t Raise the Bridge, Lower the River). Meanwhile, his comic-book counterpart was still making like the vital, Brylcreemed Jerry of the early days. Time warp!

Still, we urchins bought, read, and dug the Hope and Lewis books. The creative teams’ secret sauce for holding our interest? Cram the books with lots of hip, or at least faux hip, supporting characters. This distracted us from the woeful un-hipness of the titular comedians.

What we pre-teen punks didn’t realize was that in the previous decade, Hope and Lewis were “hired” by DC to help sustain the comics industry at a time when super-heroes were out of fashion—temporarily, it turned out.

I once broached the subject of the Hope and Lewis books being an odd cultural fit with writer Arnold Drake, who scripted many issues of both titles for DC. The urbane, introspective Drake (1924–2007) told me something I’d never heard before—not in comics history books, the comics press, or anecdotally: that in the middle-Sixties, there had been a plan afoot, a slow-moving coup, RETROFAN

It remains a mystery from the olden days of the medium how DC Comics published books “starring” movie comedians Bob Hope (LEFT) and Jerry Lewis (RIGHT), that were bought and read by children.

Both the Hope and the Lewis books exceeded 100 issues, something that will never happen again. © DC Comics.

March/April 2023

33

Voger’s vault of vintage varieties

against Hope. (Cue needle-scratch on 33-RPM record.) DC was plotting to remove Bob Hope from his own comic book.

Et tu, DC? But before we get into the “Bag Bob” conspiracy, as I’ll call it, a bit of contextualization is in order.

BRINGING THE FUNNY

Screen comedians were depicted in comics from the early days of both the “moving pictures” and the “funny papers.” It seems safe to say that the first such instance was Charlie Chaplin’s Comic Capers, a syndicated strip that debuted in 1915 from the Chicago-based J. Keeley Syndicate. Chaplin was depicted as the “Little Tramp” character—bowler, cane, Hitler mustache—from his Essanay films of the era, such as The Champion, His New Job, and In the Park (all from 1915).

But many early depictions of movie comedians in the comics were largely unseen in America. Amalgamated Press of London published Film Fun between 1920 and 1962. Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and an upstart comedy team called Martin and Lewis (more on them later) were graphically depicted alongside British comedians virtually unknown here.

From the Thirties through the Fifties, the so-called “Tijuana bibles”—unauthorized pornographic comics illustrated by pros, but not publicly sold—depicted W. C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, Jimmy Durante, and Joe E. Brown in compromising situations. (Trust me on this: It’s even skeevier than it sounds.)

In 1945, Rural House brought Red Skelton to the comics in their teen-genre title Patches, in issue #11. (A cartoon Skelton is seen uttering his catchphrase “I dood it!” on the cover.)

In 1947, Fiction House featured Skelton in Movie Comics #4, with their adaptation of “Merton of the Movies.” Film Fun ran Skelton comics in its 1957 annual. (For the following, I leaned heavily on Robert M. Overstreet’s Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, as any fellow comic-book freak should have no trouble recognizing.)

In the late Forties, St. John rolled the dice on comic books featuring three comedy teams. In 1948, St. John launched its Abbott and Costello series, which ran for 40 issues through 1956, often with artwork by MAD caricaturist Mort Drucker. (The publisher also depicted A&C in Giant Comics Edition #16 in 1950.) St. John brought out its Laurel and Hardy series in 1949, which ran for six issues through 1956, albeit with an erratic publishing schedule. That same year, St. John’s Jubilee imprint kicked off its

(LEFT) Charlie Chaplin’s Comic Capers (1915) is likely the first instance of a movie comedian depicted in the comics. © J. Keeley Syndicate. (TOP) Cartoon versions of Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Joe E. Brown, and British comedians Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane, and Frank Randle frolic on the cover of Film Fun’s 1950 annual. © Amalgamated Press. (RIGHT) Bob drives the jeep on the cover of True Comics #59 (1947). © Parents Magazine Press

34

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

six-issue series The Three Stooges, illustrated by Norman Maurer and Joe Kubert.

We should also note appearances by movie comedians in K.K. Publications’ long-running March of Comics (1946–1982). These weren’t comic books per se, but commercially sponsored giveaways. Characters depicted include Our Gang, Laurel and Hardy, and the Stooges.

Owing to the TV popularity of the Our Gang shorts, Dell’s long-running anthology title Four Color brought Spanky, Alfalfa, and friends to the funnybooks with 12 issues of The Little Rascals beginning with Four Color #674 in 1956. A TV resurgence was also behind Dell/Gold Key’s later 55-issue revival of The Three Stooges (1959–1966); Charlton’s 22-issue revival of Abbott and Costello (1968–1971); and Dell/Gold Key’s six-issue revival of Laurel and Hardy (1962–1967).

No one was safe. Woody Allen met the fictional rockers the Maniaks in DC’s Showcase #71 (1967), illustrated by Mike Sekowsky.

For the life of me, I can’t determine whether this was an authorized use of Allen’s name and likeness. Somehow, I doubt it.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

If being a movie comedian is a way to become a comic-book hero, how does one become a movie comedian?

Bob Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope in London in 1903, and lived to be 100. Well, he was an inveterate golfer, a ladies man (to put it politely), and a proponent of the health benefits of daily massage.

Hope made his film debut in the 1934 short Going Spanish, and finished his career in a 1997 K-Mart commercial that also featured Martha Stewart and Big Bird.

Anyone over 70 can tell you four things about Hope: His theme song was “Thanks for

Voger’s vault of vintage varieties

(LEFT) The Little Rascals were another movie comedy team adapted to the comics. Shown is their debut in Four Color #674. © Dell Publishing. (CENTER) Woody Allen meets the Maniaks in Showcase #71 (1967). Cover art by Mike Sekowsky and Mike Esposito. (RIGHT) A photo cover reinforced the movie angle for The Adventures of Bob Hope #1 (1950). © DC Comics. the Memories.” He entertained U.S. troops through six wars. He hosted the Oscars 19 times. And he made seven “Road” pictures with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.

Hope’s appeal is undeniably dated, so it takes a nostalgic person (like myself) to get through movies like I’ll Take Sweden; Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!; and How to Commit Marriage.

Jerry Lewis was born Jerome Levitch in 1926 in Newark, New Jersey, and entered the show-biz field by pantomiming records.

(You can see Lewis recreate the bit to Count Basie’s bouncy jazz instrumental “Cute” in his 1960 film Cinderfella.)

He initially won fame as the dimwitted sidekick of suave singer Dean Martin. The duo made their debut in Atlantic City on July 25, 1946. (The exact date is often noted because they broke up ten years later, to the day.) Their first film appearance was in My Friend Irma (1949)

starring Marie Wilson. For those ten years, Martin and Lewis were kings of the entertainment world in broadcasting, movies, and on the nightclub stage. They dissolved the union, not amicably, in 1956 (though Frank Sinatra brokered a live TV reunion 20 years later).

Lewis hosted marathons on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association from 1966 through 2010, and died at age 91.

Not everyone loved Lewis’ onscreen persona. Depending on your viewpoint, the comedian portrayed a hilarious and endearing, or unfunny and obnoxious, buffoon in dozens of films. Me? I’d call Lewis a comic genius that sometimes needed to be reeled in. That rarely happened, and his films would suffer. But when he was funny—boy, was this guy funny.

TROUBLE AT THE NEWSSTAND

When DC launched The Adventures of Bob Hope and The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (as the Lewis book was titled for its first 40 issues), the comics industry was going through an anxious time.

By the late Forties, super-hero characters waned in popularity, as Western, war, crime, horror, romance, teen, and “funny animal” comic books dominated newsstands.

Increasingly, publishers turned to movies

(LEFT) Rascally Bob is smothered in kisses in a panel from Bob Hope #26 (1954). © DC Comics. (RIGHT) Prior to their DC run, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis appeared in Movie Love #12 (1951). © Famous Funnies.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

35

Voger’s vault of vintage varieties

and television for fodder, er, inspiration.

Prior to their DC associations, both Hope and Lewis appeared in non-DC comic books. Hope was featured in Parents Magazine Press’ True Comics #59 (1947). Lewis and Martin appeared in Famous Funnies’ Movie Love #12 (1951).

Things finally got official when DC kicked off the Hope series in 1950, and the Lewis series in 1952. While with DC, Lewis moonlighted, you might say, with adaptations of his movies Don’t Give Up the Ship (1959) and The Nutty Professor (1961) in Dell’s Four Color #1049 and 1199, respectively.

DC’s Hope and Lewis series stood out from the pack in one significant way: Both exceeded 100 issues of continuous publishing, a number undreamed of for any other movie comedian depicted in the medium. This will never happen again.

When Martin and Lewis parted ways in real life in 1956, it presented DC with a dilemma. So what if the comedy team was kaput—they were still selling comic books. In fact, DC continued to publish its Martin and Lewis book for about a year following the breakup. But, with no new Martin and Lewis movies on the horizon, a reality check was overdue for DC. “Well, we went and changed the title to Adventures of Jerry Lewis,” said artist Bob Oksner (1916–2007) when we spoke in 1992. “Because Dean Martin was going out on his own as a singer, primarily, not as a comic. He wasn’t a comic, he was a straight man.

So we decided that we’d go with the comic.”

Meanwhile, the comic-book industry itself was due for another shake-up—this time, in a good way.

A super-hero resurgence was triggered in 1956 with the newsstand success of DC’s Showcase #4, which featured a revamped Flash with a new costume and backstory. This was the beginning of a crucial, pivotal, and apparently indelible period known as the “Silver Age” of comics. Hope and Lewis were regularly seen in house ads alongside DC’s super-characters. To us little kids back then, it all seemed like One Big Happy.

DYNAMIC DUO

The dream team on the Hope and Lewis books, and the creatives most often associated with them, were artist Oksner and writer Drake.

There are many reasons to love the artwork of Oksner. He was a master caricaturist, and his take on super-heroes was accessible and classic.

But when Oksner’s name comes up, many think of his penchant for drawing—no sexism intended—pretty girls. Oksner was never lewd, never all out “pinup-y.” But, man, did his female characters help a lot of us get through adolescence.

36

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

(TOP LEFT) Dean shrugs as Jerry gets the girls on the cover of their DC Comics debut, The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis #1 (1952). (TOP RIGHT) Dean and Jerry’s final panel together in their final comic book, The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis #40 (1957). (LEFT) This cover by Oksner has it all—Bob, Tadwallader, the monsters, plus a go-go dancer in a hanging cage. From Bob Hope #102 (1966). (INSET) Bob scores without even trying in Bob Hope #55 (1959). © DC

The Paterson, New Jersey, native illustrated DC’s Hope and Lewis books for much of their runs. He also drew “Stanley and His Monster,” the fanciful back-up feature in The Comics.

Fox and the Crow about a boy with a bedroom full of secret beasties. “Stanley” was so popular, it eventually took over Fox and Crow outright. Add to that treasures from the long past (the syndicated I Love Lucy strip, the original Leave It to Binky) and the late Silver Age (Angel and the Ape), and you’ve got one heckuva resume there.

Oksner considered his collaboration with influential DC editor-artist Sheldon Mayer on the original Leave It to Binky to be a big break. “Binky was the one that I really feel got my feet on the ground at DC,” the artist told me. “I did that one from the very beginning until it ended (in 1958). The drawing was created by me, but the characters and the concept were created by Shelly Mayer.

“This was, I’d say, 1947 or ’48. In those days, the concept of a ‘teenager’—which had never existed before World War II— suddenly came into being. There were quite a few teenage strips on the market, syndicated strips. The whole market opened up for the teenagers, kids who were in their adolescence. Archie was another adolescent feature. And I guess Binky was the DC version. Shelly was brilliant and had done (the kiddie character) Scribbly. Binky was a little older version of Scribbly, more of a teenage focus of a Scribbly.”

Oksner recalled that he illustrated Jerry Lewis from issue #5 until the series ended. He began on Bob Hope with, reportedly, #61 and

Voger’s vault of vintage varieties

was replaced by, of all artists, Neal Adams with #106, one of only four issues remaining in the series. Adams paid tribute to the older artist by consciously “aping” his style in illustrating female characters.

Oksner said he had no problem staying fresh on the lengthy Hope and Lewis runs. “I enjoyed it so much, I would have paid them to allow me to do it,” the cartoonist said. “It was fun.

Absolutely wonderful. I used to write some of those. I wrote quite a few of the Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis stories. We never got credit in those days.”

Oksner was fast developing a specialty in the celebrity subgenre of comics.

“For DC, most of my work in those years were comic-book versions of TV comedies,” the artist said. “For example, Sgt. Bilko, Dobie Gillis, Bob Hope. Then I did a Pat Boone book that ran for a couple of years at least. Later on, I did Welcome Back, Kotter.

“In each instance, we submitted the caricatures to the studios for approval. As a matter of fact, at the beginning for Sgt. Bilko, Dobie Gillis, and the others, DC Comics would invite various cartoonists to submit caricatures. It was like a little competition among the cartoonists at DC. Then DC would choose, and submit the winners to the studios. From that point on, once the caricatures were approved, we went ahead.”

Had Oksner ever encountered any of the celebrities he depicted?

“I met Pat Boone when I was doing the Pat Boone book because he lived in my hometown of Teaneck [New Jersey],” the cartoonist said. “I did his Christmas card for his family as well, for which he invited us to his show. He was doing a TV show at that time, a series, and he presented me with a watch on the show. Totally unexpected. I was very happy. It was a very nice occasion.

“And for King Features, I did I Love Lucy from 1953 until it ended.

There, I met both Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Lucille Ball was wonderful. Fantastic. She was great to my children. She met my kids.

“Desi Arnaz was a businessman. He invited me to lunch at [the nightclub] 21. Whenever he was in New York, he would invite me to lunch at 21. He was interested in improving the strip by making him handsomer. He would say, ‘You make Lucy so beautiful. What can you do with me?’”

‘THE BOOKS WERE DYING’

Oksner’s longtime collaborator Drake was quite the renaissance man. Besides scripting the Hope and Lewis series, he wrote the novel The Steel Noose (1954, Ace Books); co-created Doom Patrol and

(LEFT) Super-Hip is all that, and then some, in Bob Hope #100 (1966). © DC Comics. (RIGHT) Jerry meets movie monsters in Jerry Lewis #83 (1964). © DC Comics. (ABOVE) Bob Oksner’s spot-on liknesses of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz graced the I Love Lucy syndicated comic strip (1954). © King Features Syndicate.

(INSET) Jerry’s bratty nephew Renfrew, from Jerry Lewis #114 (1969). © DC Comics.

Deadman for DC; and produced, wrote, acted in, and composed music for the 1965 sci-fi cult classic The Flesh Eaters. The writer said he drew on movies in his comic-book work.

“There has always been an interrelation,” he told me in 2004.

“Movies inspired comics and comics inspired movies. I think Alfred Hitchcock read more than one comic book. And (Batman co-creator) Bill Finger was a great movie fan. Bill was particularly into what we then called the ‘art’ film—the English films that were coming out in the late Thirties, the German films going back to the silent period, the French films of the Thirties. He was thoroughly into that, as I was as well.

“I don’t think we were totally conscious of the impact that our work was having on films. We knew what impact the films were having on us. But it was a busy, busy circle. Now you see one of the products of it—all of these films that are coming out of the graphic novel.”

In writing comics, Drake visualized his stories in addition to providing text. “I had grown used to doing storyboards for the comics, to explain clearly to the artist,” the writer said. “Especially the ‘animateds,’ the funny books, Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope, Little Lulu. I did storyboards on all that stuff.

“Oksner was marvelous. I always knew, when I did a script for Bob, that he was going to give me back more than I gave him.”

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

37

Voger’s vault of vintage varieties

Said Arnold of writing the Hope and Lewis books: “I did enjoy them very much. I loved being able to make comedy an adventure.

I put a lot of comedy into my adventure stories, and when I got to Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis, I put a lot of adventure into my comedy stories. So we had Bob involved with spies and that kind of thing. So I always really enjoyed that form. I liked it in the movies. I liked the Bob Hope movies in which he was involved in an adventure of one sort or another.”

But both series were ailing, so Drake transformed them by building up colorful supporting “casts.” Originally, the Hope books followed a predictable formula: Bob the stunt flyer; Bob the brain surgeon; Bob the Navy recruit; Bob the caveman; Bob the Mountie. Meanwhile, in the Lewis book, it was Jerry the explorer; Jerry the private eye; Jerry the astronaut; Jerry the magician; Jerry the archeologist.

To Bob Hope, Drake added Bob’s nerdy ward Tadwallader Jutefruce; Tad’s alter ego, the guitar-strumming, lace dickey-wearing rocker Super-Hip; the talking dog Harvard; and monstrous Benedict Arnold High faculty members Dr. Van Pyre, Frank N. Stein, Heinrich Von Wolfmann, and the pale-skinned, red-lipped, Morticia-like Miss Ghastly. To Jerry Lewis, Drake added Jerry’s bratty nephew Renfrew; his spell-casting housekeeper Witchy; and sadistic Camp Wack-a-Boy counselor Uncle Hal (who looked more than a little like a German SS officer, which is extremely odd). Lewis, too, interacted with monsters, though they didn’t become permanent fixtures.

This infusion of new characters had an effect. Drake’s mid-Sixties scripts were like Marx Brothers movies in print, especially as illustrated by Oksner.

But Arnold said he wasn’t following a directive.

“I just wanted to do it,” he said. “I knew the kids were involved with that. The Hope and Lewis books were both dying when I took them over. I knew that the reason for this was that the kids couldn’t relate to these characters. (Hope and Lewis) were not of their time.

What the kids were relating to then was science fiction and horror.

So I determined to inject science fiction and horror into Hope and Lewis. And it worked.”

For a while, anyway. Then came that Bag Bob conspiracy.

“They were getting ready to pull the plug on Bob Hope,” Drake revealed. “You’ll notice that toward the end of the run, you saw less and less of Bob. Those characters like Super-Hip and the monsters and the kids at school were becoming more prominent. The plan 38

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

was that eventually, we would take Hope’s name off the book and continue it without him as a character. But it never came to that.”

I asked Drake what the “new” book might have been titled. “Super-Hip,” he said with a laugh.

The Adventures of Bob Hope wrapped with #109 in 1968, saving Hope the indignity of being “fired” by DC. The Adventures of Jerry Lewis wrapped with #124 in 1971. Alas, the Hope and Lewis books remain largely forgotten by comics aficionados who didn’t live through them in real time.

“When the funny comic books died, when there was no longer a market for that, I switched to adventure, super-heroes,” recalled Oksner. “I inked Curt Swan’s pencils, which were wonderful, and then I did my own covers, complete covers, for

(ABOVE LEFT) Comedian Don Rickles gets the Jack Kirby treatment in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #139 (1971). © DC Comics. (ABOVE RIGHT) Wearing a Bizarro costume (!), Bob Hope makes a cameo in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #64 (1962). © DC Comics. (LEFT) Aquaman makes a comedic cameo in Bob Hope #94 (1965). © DC Comics.

Superman and for other Superman features, Jimmy Olsen, Supergirl. Later on, I pencilled and inked Lois Lane books. I restyled Lois Lane. I did the first book in which Lois and Clark actually kissed.

I remember a reproduction of that panel appeared in the [New York] Daily News. This was in the middle-Seventies.”

CONTINUITY QUANDARIES

The marriage of comedians and comic books had a good run, but ultimately, it was an unsustainable union. There was a bizarre last gasp: Don Rickles’ appearances in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen in 1971 (as it happens, the same year Jerry Lewis was cancelled).

Jimmy Olsen #139 and 141 were written and illustrated by Jack Kirby not long after his defection from Marvel to DC. As if the Olsen series wasn’t already wacky enough, Kirby concocted cosmic conflicts involving new incarnations of the Guardian and the Bowery Boys–like Newsboy Legion, with malevolent media magnate Morgan Edge plotting on the periphery. The non-consecutive two-issue arc also presented Rickles’ doppelgänger, lookalike

Voger’s vault of vintage varieties

and Edge employee Goody Rickels. (Um, it’s difficult to summarize.) [Editor’s note: I’m not asleep at the wheel—their names are spelled Don Rickles and Goody Rickels.]

In real life, Rickles authorized the usage, though the comedian reportedly regretted giving his okay for something he assumed would be a brief, one-shot cameo.

What are the lasting effects of the phenomenon? The fact that real-life comedians Hope and Lewis once existed in the DC Comics Universe (DCU) is, to borrow from Al Gore, an inconvenient truth, one that presents some intriguing quandaries for continuity nerds—in other words, every single comic-book reader.

How so? Once “Batmania” took the country by storm in 1966, super-hero crossovers kind of became Lewis’ thing in the comicbook series. Lewis, the character, had Brave and the Bold–style team-ups with Batman in issue #97 (1966); Superman in #105 (1967); the Flash in #112 (1969); and Wonder Woman in #117 (1970).

(TOP LEFT) Jerry meets Superman in Jerry Lewis #105 (1968). © DC Comics. (TOP RIGHT) During the height of the “Batmania” triggered by the TV show starring Adam West, DC had some fun with Batman and Robin in Jerry Lewis #97 (1966). © Greenway Productions. (LEFT) Jerry meets the Flash, not to mention Captain Cold, in Jerry Lewis #112 (1969). © DC Comics.

(RIGHT) Jerry meets the “New” Wonder Woman in Jerry Lewis #117 (1970). © DC Comics.

Interestingly, Jerry crossed over with the groovy “New” Wonder Woman reimagined by Sekowsky in the late Sixties and early Seventies—the one who wore go-go boots instead of star-emblazoned booty shorts. In the Jerry Lewis story, Diana Prince (alias WW) even goes back to Paradise Island and reunites with her mother Queen Hippolyta, a significant liberty in the WW continuity at that time.

Granted, these crossover stories were comedic, but three of the four super-hero characters were played absolutely straight. (The exception was Batman, who was written in a “meta” style, 1966 being the height of the Adam West TV craze.)

For Hope’s part, he made a cameo—wearing a Bizarro costume, no less—in Jimmy Olsen #64 (1962), in the celebrity-packed story “Jimmy Olsen, Hollywood Star!” (with cameos by Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Groucho Marx, Boris Karloff, and, oh the irony, Dean Martin). Aquaman and Batman made cameos in Bob Hope #94 (1965) and 103 (1967) respectively.

And here’s something: Super-Hip, the zany rocker from DC’s Bob Hope books, was present at the wedding of Elasti-Girl and Mento in Doom Patrol #104 (1966). He even had a line of dialogue—courtesy of Drake, of course. Also in attendance were Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and the Teen Titans. Just saying.

Continuity nerds know that, like it or not, these crossovers place Hope and Lewis in the DC Universe. One could argue a comedy exemption, but that’s a slippery slope considering that goofy characters like Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bat-Mite, the Sixties Plastic Man, the Inferior Five, and Angel and the Ape have recurred in the DCU. What are ya gonna do, deny that the entire Silver Age—with all of its sublime weirdness—ever happened? Pretend Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen never existed?

As for the fact that Hope and Lewis were actual people living on Earth-Prime: So was Muhammad Ali, who boxed Superman in 1978.

Slippery slope!

And yet, neither Hope nor Lewis can be found in a single panel of artist George Pérez’s sprawling, continuity-correcting Eighties miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. Not even on the famous two-page spread in Crisis #5, which presents a single, gigundo panel crammed with more than 150 characters. It’s an oversight, I tell you. Are you listening, DC? MARK VOGER is the author and designer of six books for TwoMorrows Publishing, including Monster Mash (a Rondo Award winner), Groovy, Holly Jolly, and Britmania.

It was Voger, not Quaker Oats, who invented Cap’n Crunch’s Oops! All Berries cereal. This occurred in 1967 when Voger, then eight, dumped out a box of a then-new product, Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries, to fix himself a bowl of all Crunch Berries. You’re welcome. Please visit him at MarkVoger.com.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

39

RETROFAD

Telephone Booth Stuffing

BY MICHAEL EURY

Our RetroFad topics generally spotlight the product, fashion, or dance crazes that drove us wild during the halcyon days of our youth, in the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties. This issue, we stretch back to the Fifties to prove that our elders—who tsk-tsked the streaking and Valley Girls of later generations—could succumb to mass hysteria just like their kids would one day.

When the Russians zipped ahead of the Americans in the Space Race by becoming the first nation to launch an artificial satellite—the legendary Sputnik, rocketed into orbit on October 4, 1957— one of the ways the U.S. responded was to pump up our egghead population.

Incentives were offered to encourage our youth to study science in college. Some heeded the call. Others did what many college students do—something stupid. And thus the fad of telephone booth stuffing was born.

Covid-19 and other pandemics have primed modern culture to keep our distance from each other.

And so it might be hard to fathom a time when young people willingly became human sardines, cramming themselves into a glass-enclosed steel box until there was no more room to fit in anyone else. How much flesh was chafed against razor-sharp metal edges during this madness? How many ribs were cracked amid this crush of writhing bodies? How many obscene odors were inhaled?

This was a fad you can’t blame on the U.S.A. It started in Durban, South Africa, in 1959. There, 25 students shoehorned their bodies into a phone booth and submitted a photograph of their “achievement” to the Guinness Book of World Records, that great 40

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

keeper of esoteric and idiotic lore (which would make a good tagline for this magazine, don’tcha think?). This might have been just a one-time harmless college prank had a challenge not been issued. Nyah nyah nyah, betcha can’t beat that!

And thus a global competition sprang forth. According to Ripley’s.com, British students called it the “phone booth squash.”

Canadian students soon piled on, with one group bragging that they crammed 40 people into a phone booth! (It turns out it was a frat house’s telephone room they’d filled, those hosers!)

The fad rapidly spread to the States, starting with Southern California universities then sweeping east. Students skipped class to deposit not ten cents, but themselves into the nearest phone booth. College girls dieted to squeeze their bobbysoxed bodies into booths. Two formerly ostracized college types, freshmen and brainiacs, became Big Men on Campus, as smaller first-year students were recruited for phone booth jam-ins while math whizzes calculated geometric formulas in an effort to insert more bodies.

The problem was, without a central operator dialing up consistent rules for these competitions, the totals were disputed.

Some students had the nerve to count a shoved-in foot as an entire person—sorry, wrong number!—and the competition quickly ended. By 1960, the phone booth stuffing fad was passé, with a variation involving heaping students into Volkswagen Beetles being a quick, and equally short-lived, successor.

Outside of nostalgic 50th anniversary recreations in 2009, phone booth stuffing is a fad that is unlikely to make a comeback. The first strike against it: When was the last time you actually saw a phone booth?

Even director Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie—released way back in 1978—portended the demise of the phone booth in a delightful scene where Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve), searching for a place to switch clothes to the Man of Steel, rolled his eyes upon spying that era’s evolution of the phone booth, the public phone kiosk. The second strike: The average American has become, well, super-sized since 1959, and fewer of us can now be packed into such a confined space. However, from our current addiction to our smartphones to no end of social media “challenges,” the spirit of the phone booth stuffing fad is far from out of order.

SCOTT SAAVEDRA’S SECRET SANCTUM

Commercial Jingles

BY SCOTT SAAVEDRA Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener That is what I’d truly like to be ’Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener Everyone would be in love with me.

Richard Trentlage is likely the first person to write a tune I couldn’t get out of my head. Most people don’t know his name, but when he died in 2016 at the age of 87, his obituary appeared in places as diverse as the New York Times, National Public Radio, AdWeek, the Hollywood Reporter, and Rolling Stone magazine. Trentlage wrote commercial jingles professionally and the big one, the one most of us Retronauts can still recall word for word, is “The Oscar Mayer Wiener Song.”

Popular culture origin stories often have multiple versions in the historical record, but the creation of this particular little ditty is pretty consistent. The Wiener Song came about thanks to a jingle contest organized by Oscar Mayer’s ad agency, J. Walter Thompson, and open only to advertising professionals. At the time Oscar Mayer & Co. was a family-owned business and not yet national. It was the final day of the contest when Trentlage heard about it and decided to take a shot. He wrote the jingle in an hour after coming up with the “Oh, I wish…” line (based on a wistful statement from his son who wanted to be a “dirt-bike hot dog”). Recording his son and daughter (she had a cold and it was felt that this would appeal to the moms) singing the tune took about 20 minutes. He composed the music on a ukulele and banjo. His wife played the standup bass.

And then… it took a year before the public heard—and then was unable to forget—“The Oscar Mayer Wiener Song,” which debuted

Animated “The Oscar Mayer Wiener Song” commercial, a first for the company, in 1965. © 2023 Kraft Foods. All Rights Reserved.

in an animated commercial. Once more, Trentlage’s son and daughter (with a cold again) recorded the song in a studio presumably more advanced than the one in the family’s living room.

Former Oscar Mayer V.P. of Marketing Jerry Ringlien was quoted in Rolling Stone as admitting, “It was the commercial that carried Oscar Mayer to national distribution.” The Wiener Song was finally retired in 2010. Jerry Ringlien would himself create the “My Bologna Has a First Name” campaign. The commercial with little four-year-old Andy Lambros fishing and eating a bologna sandwich appeared in 1974 and was also a hit for the company.

My bologna has a first name It’s O-S-C-A-R My bologna has a second name It’s M-A-Y-E-R Oh, I love to eat it every day And if you ask me why I’ll say ’Cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A!!!!

Ringlien would admit that selling bologna was a lot harder than selling hot dogs, but at least the tune pushed the brand name.

Adorable actor Andy Lambros fishin’ and eatin’ his bologna sandwich (1974). © Kraft Foods. All Rights Reserved.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

41

scott saavedra’s secret sanctum

This one is not a favorite of mine—though the tune has stuck with me—because I’m terrible at spelling and sweat when forced to spell out loud. Also, bologna is spelled B-A-L-O-N-E-Y, that’s just what’s good and right.

By now you’ve got these short tunes repeating in your head if they stir up memories. Those bits of music that haunt us are called earworms. The more you watched television commercials (and they were hard to avoid) as a kid during the RetroFan Years. the more likely this article will work its way into your brain. So… yeah. This may end up being an unforgettable essay. And not in a good way.

It’s very important to note that the earworm is not a disease. Or even a worm. At least for humans. The first use of the term goes back in 1802 (according to the good people at Merriam-Webster) to describe the noctuid moth’s larvae, which has a taste for corn and tomatoes among other plants. If you don’t have a tomato for a head, then you should be fine.

For the sake of pop-culture clarity, the earworm has nothing to do with the Ceti eel (the last native life form on the planet Ceti Alpha V) as seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, whose larva will crawl up into your ear and drive you mad enough to blast your head off with a Star Fleet phaser pistol.

Another term for the earworm is Stuck Song Syndrome. This sounds worse than it is. The condition affects nearly the entire population of the Western world and is only of concern for those with an obsessive-compulsive disorder (this can be serious).

‘HAVE YOU TRIED WHEATIES?’

This 1948 Ajax cleanser animated ad was a first for television. © Colgate-Palmolive Company. All rights reserved.

(BELOW) Artist Bill Elder, a founding member of MAD, obviously had an Ajax earworm when putting in the details of the last panel of “Bomb Run!” from Frontline Combat #4 (EC, Jan.–Feb. 1952). Image from a Gemstone reprint (May 1996). © William M. Gaines, Agent Inc. (INSET) Wheaties cereal box from 1950. © Wheaties.

Courtesy of Heritage.

The very first commercial product jingle debuted via WCCO radio in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area on Christmas Eve, 1926. Hired to sing the song were an undertaker, a court bailiff, a fellow in printing, and one in the grain business who performed as a barbershop quartet. The product was Wheaties cereal that would not be known as “The Breakfast of Champions” until 1933.

The quartet sang live, a standard practice in the day due to technology limitations. They were paid $15 a week and sang the following live for three years.

Have you tried Wheaties?

They’re whole wheat with all of the bran Won’t you try Wheaties?

For wheat is the best food of man They’re crispy and crunchy the whole year through The kiddies never tire of them and neither will you So just buy Wheaties The best breakfast food in the land Sales went up for Wheaties in the WCCO broadcast market and nowhere else. It took a while for this to sink in, but by 1929 the ad went national and sales rose, despite the Great Depression.

Wheaties were originally known as Washburn’s Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes (try putting that in a song), but thankfully got the name change about a year before the jingle appeared.

Jingles were definitely part of the advertiser’s tool kit by the time television began to appear in American homes. The first TV commercial jingle appeared in an animated spot for Ajax 42

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

cleanser in 1948. Animator Shamus Culhane’s shop produced the ad featuring product spokes-cartoon characters, in this case cleaning elves (and who wouldn’t want some of those?), another television first.

Use Ajax (boom boom) The foaming cleanser (bubba bubba bubba bum bum) Gets things clean just like a whiz (bubba bubba bubba bubba bubba bum) You’ll stop paying the elbow tax When you start cleaning with Ajax!

So use Ajax (boom boom) The foaming cleanser (bubba bubba bubba bum bum) Floats the dirt right down the drain (bubba bubba bubba bum bum) So use Ajax (boom boom) The foaming cleanser (bubba bubba bubba bum bum) Floats the dirt right down the drain (bubba bubba bubba bum bum) So use Ajax

scott saavedra’s secret sanctum

power of a great jingle. You can (and I do) find imported Bounty bars in British or international themed markets. Peter Paul is now owned by Cadbury Schweppes.

‘MEOW, MEOW, MEOW, MEOW’

Meow Mix, a cat food that at one time came with “flavor sprinkles” (yum?), had a genius slogan, “the cat food cat’s ask for by name.”

Their 1974 commercial jingle was a clever addition and proof that a catchy tune and an alarming amount of simple repetition can produce a hit.

Almond Joy and Mounds were successfully advertised together in this 1977 television commercial. © 2023 The Hershey Company. All rights reserved.

(BELOW) A 1976 print ad for Meow Mix. Each piece has one of three different flavors with each flavored piece in a different color: Red (tuna), brown (liver), and yellow (chicken). © & TM Big Heart Pet, Inc.

‘SOMETIMES YOU FEEL LIKE A NUT’

A commercial jingle doesn’t have to be long to be effective. The Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company put two complimentary confections, Mounds (dark chocolate around shredded coconut) and Almond Joy (milk chocolate around shredded coconut and two almonds) together in a single ad campaign.

Sometimes you feel like a nut Sometimes you don’t Almond Joy has nuts Mounds don’t The Almond Joy/Mounds jingle was written by Leon Carr (who also wrote popular songs like “Bell Bottom Blues” and “Hey There Lonely Girl”) and Leo Corday (who wrote, in 1942, “Let’s Put the Axe to the Axis”).

The jingle’s first airing was in 1977. However, the candies have been around for a long time.

Mounds was created in 1920 and Almond Joy in 1946 (though the current U.S. distribution rights holder, Hersheys, claims the year was 1948). Both candies were purchased by the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company (the creation of six Armenian immigrants in 1919). Mars, Inc. (makers of M&M’s) attempted a similar pair of candies, the Bounty bar, in milk chocolate and dark chocolate varieties. I think the Bounty bar is superior (I guess that makes me a nut), but it’s not made in the U.S. anymore. Such is the

Meow, meow, meow, meow Meow, meow, meow, meow Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow Meow, meow, meow, meow Meow, meow, meow, meow Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow Meow, meow, meow Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow I will never be able to forget watching this commercial over and over again with a counter in my hand clicking away trying to get the exact number of “meows” so that I could feel like I had done my due diligence. Never. Again.

YouTube was, of course, a valuable resource for viewing every commercial (and until we can put out a Super 8 Sound version of RetroFan, that’s the place to go to see and hear these ads). It was there that I noticed that a commenter shared a story about how their grandfather had dementia and the Meow Mix jingle was one of the last tunes he could remember. He sang it to the grandkids’ dog on the day he died. And you know what? Grandfather was not alone. The biography of Thomas G. McFaul, who composed “Singing Cat” (it has a name!), notes that an industry group claimed the jingle had the highest recall awareness in advertising (as of 2011).

‘I WRITE THE SONGS’

For the most part in the Retro Years, the people who wrote the melodies and words to the commercial jingles we can’t get out of our head were not well known to the general public. Steve Karmen, sometimes referred to as the “King of the Jingle,” has had hit tunes that are measured by how much product they move and not by their placement on the Billboard charts. An original commercial jingle charting, well, that was pretty rare, but it happened to Steve Karmen. Twice.

Karmen wrote jingles for a wide variety of top-tier clients including Pontiac, Nationwide Insurance (“’Cause Nationwide Is On Your Side” is still heard), Purina, TWA, and the not-missed-by-me Farrell’s Ice Cream (a birthday party there with a dozen kids eating melting ice cream out of a trough put me off the stuff for years—not kidding).

He wrote a number of jingles for Anheuser-Busch. His material for Budweiser Beer was especially strong, and his “When You Say Budweiser, You’ve Said It All” (1970) actually had some life beyond commercials.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

43

scott saavedra’s secret sanctum

When you say Bud, You’ve said a lot of things nobody else can say. (bum-boom) When you say Bud, You’ve gone as far as you can go to get the very best! (bum-boom) When you say Bud You’ve said the word that means you like to do it all (bum-boom) When you say Bud It means you want the beer that’s got a taste that’s number one (bum-boom) When you say Bud You tell the world you know what makes it all the way (bum-boom) When you say Bud You say you care enough to only want the king of beers! (bum-boom) There is no other one There’s only something less Because the king of beers Is leading all the rest When you say Budweiser You’ve said it all (bum-boom) There is no other one There’s only something less Because the king of beers Is leading all the rest When you say Budweiser You’ve said it all (bum-boom) When you say Budweiser You’ve said it all

Manilow received a CLIO (an advertising industry award) in 2009 for his body of work (Steve Karmen has 16 CLIOs). He said at the time that he felt jingle writing was like his “music college.” It seems to have worked out well for him.

COCA-COLA

The first Coca-Cola television ad came at the beginning of an Edgar Bergen (a noted ventriloquist) and Charlie McCarthy (a noted ventriloquist’s doll) program on Thanksgiving Day 1950. The “commercial” was basically a sustained close-up of a model quietly holding a tray of six Coca-Cola bottles while the show’s title and credits spooled out over some generic music. Coca-Cola was also a sponsor of Bergen’s radio program, and I’ve never understood the

(LEFT) “When You Say Budweiser” (1970) was an extremely successful jingle. © A-B, Budweiser® Beer, St. Louis, MO. (BELOW) Coca-Cola’s “It’s the Real Thing” television commercials featured still photos of everyday people living their best life with Coke while the catchy jingle played over the images.

Both Coca-Cola and Budweiser liked to emphasize a shared and not surprisingly idealized joy of being Americans. © The Coca-Cola Company. All Rights Reserved.

I watched a couple of commercials with this tune and one in particular has a grand, marching-in-place, Lawrence Welk Show vibe that was maybe hokey by today’s standards, but certainly made it seem that Anheuser-Busch was proud of its beer product. I don’t get that from, say, the bro-larious “wassup” ads that created a cultural moment a while back, but, you know, didn’t make me want to drink the product (snob).

The Steve Karmen Orchestra put out a 45 with the shorter title “You’ve Said It All” (Audio Fidelity, 1971). One side has a groovy instrumental version and the other is a tuba interpretation (which, I have to admit, is pretty awesome). There is no mention of beer.

It apparently did well in the Chicago area. A couple of songwriters then swiped some of the “You’ve Said It All” tune and put in some new words providing a #6 spot Billboard Country hit for Bob Luman in 1972, and then Sonny and Cher’s final Top 40 hit the same year.

A lawsuit followed, with Steve Karmen the winner. His name now appears on all rereleases of the music.

Fun Maybe-Fact: The third Anheuser-Busch brewery is in California’s asphalt-ridden San Fernando Valley where I lived as a boy. I have the faintest memory of going to the brewery on a grade school field trip. Seems an odd place to take kids, but then, only a few years earlier Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble were shilling Winston cigarettes on television, so maybe not.

Barry Manilow (yes, Barry “Copacabana” Manilow) spent some of his early musical years writing and singing commercial jingles and is likely the best-known member of the jingle tribe. Among his best-known compositions are some classics. For Band-Aid: “I am stuck on Band-Aid, ’cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me.” And for State Farm Insurance: “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” He was paid $500 and no royalties for that last one.

44

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

appeal—or need—for a ventriloquist on radio, but he was popular.

And so was (and is) Coke.

Coca-Cola has vigorously advertised in all available media over the generations, but the “It’s the Real Thing” slogan of 1969 was especially memorable as was the jingle that grew out of it.

It’s the real thing Coke is That’s the way it should be Coca-Cola What the world wants to see It’s the real thing Coca-Cola That’s the way it is With a bottle of Coke And the way it will stay For the taste of your life What the world wants today It’s the real thing Coca-Cola is Coke!

In 1971, Coca-Cola debuted a radio ad performed by the New Seekers as part of the “It’s the Real Thing” campaign. A television commercial followed, since the New Seekers weren’t available, the tune was sung by the Hillside Singers, a folk group

scott saavedra’s secret sanctum

The Coca-Cola commercial “Hilltop” featuring the jingle “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” was an especially strong feel-good tune that really moved product. © The Coca-Cola Company. All Rights Reserved. put together by Coca-Cola’s advertising agency, McCann Erickson.

The ad is titled “Hilltop.”

I’d like to buy the world a home And furnish it with love Grow apple trees and honeybees And snow-white turtledoves I’d like to teach the world to sing In perfect harmony I’d like to buy the world a Coke And keep it company That’s the real thing

wrote “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” for the Hollies), and the music director for the Coca-Cola account, Billy Davis. Cook and Greenway then worked on possible melodies and recorded them with, surprise, a ukulele. The lyrics were developed not to sell the product’s refreshing qualities, but rather its ability to bring people together.

The song came together quickly and the British group the New Seekers (I have no idea what happened to the Old Seekers) recorded the tune, and it soon went out into the world as a radio ad. The response was mixed. Coca-Cola bottlers didn’t care for it, but radio disc jockeys wanted to play it as if it were a normal song.

Meanwhile, production on a television ad began for the jingle.

Filming on the white cliffs of Dover with hundreds of British school children was ready to go. Three days of rain killed the shoot.

On to Rome! Young people! Singing! Helicopter filming!

Downpour!!! The resulting film was unusable. The budget for the commercial was now totally blown, but it was too good an idea to let die. So a then-whopping $250,000 (or basically not enough money to buy any house with a roof in California now) resulted in the classic commercial that, with lyrics rewritten to remove Coke references, led to two musical hits for both the New Seekers and the Hillside Singers.

‘YOU DESERVE A BREAK TODAY’

McDonald’s fast-food product may not be healthy (says this guy who still eats there), but the company has long had a healthy respect for the value of advertising. In 1967, McDonald’s spent a bit over $2 million (almost $18 million in today’s dollars) on their first national ad campaign, a shocking amount for the day. For reference, McDonald’s spent over $1 billion to promote itself in 2020 (that’s over 1.145 billion in today’s dollars).

I’d like to teach the world to sing In perfect harmony I’d like to buy the world a Coke And keep it company It’s the real thing What the world wants today Is the real thing

A young boy struggles to get the Big Mac ingredient song right. © McDonald’s. All Rights Reserved.

What the world wants today Is the real thing Lyrics © Coca-Cola Music, Shada Music Inc.

“I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” had four writers including Bill Backer, who wrote “It’s the Real Thing” jingle. Backer was a creative director handling the Coca-Cola account for McCann-Erickson (and not Sterling Cooper & Partners as viewers of the last episode of Mad Men might guess). Backer’s flight to London had been sidetracked to Ireland due to weather conditions. While waiting for the new flight Backer noticed once-angry passengers grouped together laughing and… wait for it… drinking Coke in perfect harmony.

Once in London, Backer met with the other writers: Britons Roger Cook, Roger Greenway (who together and with Allan Clarke

McDonald’s is our kind of place [clap clap] It’s such a happy place [clap clap] Hap-hap-hap-happy place [clap clap] A clean and snappy place McDonald’s is our kind of place [clap clap] It’s such a happy place McDonald’s is our kind of place!

Your kind of place!

After the little tune is sung, the voiceover announcer shares the advantages of eating at McDonald’s such as promising to “get food to your kids before they get to each other” (wait, what?).

Another popular McDonald’s jingle focused on a specific product, the Big Mac, a double burger with extra bread that was introduced in 1968 (it was tested as “The Aristocrat,” which is about as bad a name for a fast-food hamburger as I can imagine). At the time I really lusted after the Big Mac, but my family rarely ate out.

Actually, to be fair, most families didn’t eat out much back then, and McDonald’s tried very hard to change that.

I was invited to join a friend’s family for dinner one time when I was around nine years old, and I thought this would be my chance to get a Big Mac, which was very new at that time. Unfortunately for me, it was a Friday night during Lent, and good Roman Catholics RETROFAN

March/April 2023

45

scott saavedra’s secret sanctum

did not have meat on that day. Actually, I wasn’t a good Catholic so much as I was good boy who did what his mother told him to do. So I had to get the Filet-O-Fish sandwich, which a McDonald’s franchisee had developed because he noticed that sales of burgers dipped on Fridays during Lent.

The Big Mac jingle was more of a lilting ingredient list than song: “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.” The fun of it was not the tune so much as the challenge to say it as fast as you could.

The all-time monster, huge, giant, super-duper jingle hit for McDonald’s was “You Deserve a Break Today,” a slogan the company would use for decades. The commercial that introduced the slogan had a real musical theatre flair with plenty of show-biz smiles, big stage gestures, and much tuneful marching around and over the McDonald’s restaurant set.

The crew in this commercial all look like adult managers rather than the then more common young folks behind the counter, but what a cast. So many familiar faces: Robert Ridgely (voice artist and the hangman in Robin Hood: Men in Tights), Johnny Haymer (M*A*S*H), John Amos (Good Times, Die Hard 2, etc., etc.), and Anson Williams (Happy Days, and at this writing he’s running for the mayor of Ojai, California, home of MAD’s Sergio Aragonés).

The industry publication Advertising Age in 1999 named it the Jingle of the Century.

Contrary to popular belief, the jingle was not written by Barry Manilow, but was the product of Keith Reinhard, an advertising creative director, and Sid Woloshin, a music producer. Manilow did sing in at least one of the commercials for that campaign and sings it live (it gives me the chills, actually) in a playful medley of his jingles which can be found on Barry Manilow Live. (I feel like I should also mention that Manilow didn’t write “I Write the Songs,” Bruce Johnston did.)

WE NOW END OUR BROADCAST DAY

Commercial jingles are largely gone these days, with advertisers preferring a musical “signature,” sonic brand, or audio logo (all pretty much the same thing, I imagine). The example that comes most quickly to my mind of an effective musical signature is United Airlines’ use of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” In 1987, it was initially licensed to the airline for $300,000 for one year. United 46

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

(ABOVE) At the time, “You Deserve a Break Today” (1971) was the most over-thetop and arguably best ever McDonald’s commercial.

(LEFT) A pre–Happy Days Anson Williams has a blinkor-you’ll-miss-it close-up in the commercial. © McDonald’s. All Rights Reserved.

continues to use the music even though Gershwin’s composition entered the public domain in 2020, meaning any old airline can use it. I should add that as far as earworms go, you could do a lot worse than some Gershwin.

Speaking of the dreaded earworm… How do you get rid of the beastly irritant? The Harvard Medical School Health Blog recommends a couple of things. One, don’t fight it. Listen to the tune in its entirety, or try “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club. Also, weirdly, chew gum. Any brand or type will do. Doublemint, for example, will work just fine.

Double your pleasure, double your fun with Doublemint, Doublemint, Doublemint Gum! You’re welcome.

© 2022 Mars, Incorporated and its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved

Grab a bucket and mop, Scrub the bottom and top.

There is nothing so clean As my burger machine!

With a broom—and a brush Clean it up for the rush Before you open the door, Put a shine on that floor!

When we’ve finished, what then?

Start all over again!

Tell me, what does it mean?

At McDonald’s it’s clean!

You deserve a break today!

So get up and get away!

To McDonald’s!

McDonald’s!

McDonald’s!

SCOTT SAAVEDRA is a Retro Explorer operating from his Southern California– based Secret Sanctum. He is a writer (more or less), artist (occasionally), and graphic designer (you’re soaking in it). Check out his Instagram thing, won’t you, at instagram/ scottsaav/

RETRO SCI-FI

Space: 1999

BY SHAQUI LE VESCONTE

(ABOVE) The cover and cast introduction from the 1975 pressbook touting the release of Space: 1999. © Incorporated Television Company (ITC). Courtesy of Heritage. (INSET) Sci-fi hardware was also a “star” of Space: 1999.

Noted model builder Martin Bower constructed this hand-painted miniature replica of the series’ transport vehicle, the Eagle. Space: 1999 © ITC. Courtesy of Heritage. Moon photo: NASA.

September thirteenth, nineteen ninety-nine. A massive nuclear explosion… cause—human error! The Moon is torn out of Earth orbit and hurled into outer space—doomed to travel forever through hostile galaxies. And for the beings on Moonbase Alpha, one over-riding purpose—survival.

– Original Space: 1999 opening narration, from early Year Two scripts In hindsight, Space: 1999 seems like an exercise in how not to create a series, let alone a science-fiction one. Star Trek was several years in its gestation, which Space: 1999 was and still is compared to.

Gene Roddenberry’s vision was a future where space travel was commonplace, on a realistically sized starship akin to modern navy vessels.

A large crew, headed by a smaller cast of regulars in command, gave rise to numerous spin-offs set in that same universe.

The genesis of Space: 1999 goes back with its producers, husband-and-wife team Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. They were behind the popular Supermarionation puppet series such as Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds [see RetroFan #4—ed.], and Captain Scarlet, which dominated the British airwaves through the Sixties. Each had an easy-to-understand format and, backed and distributed by Lew Grade’s ITC (Incorporated Television Company),

they spearheaded a wave of marketing and merchandise the likes of which had never been achieved in the U.K. before.

By the end of the Sixties, the Andersons had effectively shot themselves in the foot by saturating the British television market with their series, with local channels opting out of latter productions Joe 90 and The Secret Service. They had made a break into live-action with the feature film Doppelgänger (a.k.a.

Journey to the Far Side of the Sun) in 1968, which laid the foundations for doing so with a television series.

The result was UFO, first airing in the U.K. in 1970, and following suit stateside in late 1972.

The show was a ratings hit in New York, and interest in a second season was shown. Pre-production art and documents were commissioned. With the original cast and crew disbanded with the closure of the Andersons’ Century 21 Productions the previous year, ITC’s American president Abe Mandell mooted updating the format to 1999. New characters would operate from an expanded “Moon City,” as those episodes of UFO not set on Earth had been more popular with viewers. But fate can be fickle, and as surprising as the high ratings had been, they RETROFAN

March/April 2023

47

retro Sci-Fi

suddenly plummeted and American backing was withdrawn, leaving the Andersons with a massive outlay for no purpose.

All was not lost, and the art and format were used to pitch a new show. UFO was about aliens harvesting humans to sustain their own dying race, and perhaps other nefarious purposes. “UFO 1999” proposed the aliens neutralizing the Moon’s gravity and hurling it out of orbit, taking Moon City’s fight into deep space. For the new series, the separation of Earth and Moon would be retained but eliminating alien involvement. The accidental detonation of nuclear waste would be responsible for this odyssey into the unknown, and for the 311 occupants of the renamed Moonbase Alpha.

A NETWORK LAUNCH DERAILED

Space: 1999 was introduced to the press in the summer of 1973.

Grade gave the go-head with a budget of $6.5 million—$275,000 per episode—making it the most expensive television series at the time. A verbal agreement was given by CBS to purchase the series if the stars were American, in what would be the Andersons’ first network sale since Fireball XL5.

Another husband-and-wife team, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, were cast as Commander John Koenig and Doctor Helena Russell. Stars of the early seasons of Mission: Impossible, they were faces known to the all-important American market. British-Canadian actor Barry Morse, equally famous from his role as Lt. Gerard in The Fugitive and more recently in ITC’s The Adventurer, took the role of Professor Victor Bergman.

Filling out the cast were Australian Nick Tate as pilot Captain Alan Carter, Prentis Hancock as Koenig’s second-in-command Controller Paul Morrow, and Burmese-born actress Zienia Merton as data analyst Sandra Benes. Anton Phillips was Doctor Russell’s deputy medical officer Bob Mathias, with Clifton Jones as computer expert David Kano, replacing Lon Satton’s Ben Ouma after the opening episode.

It was planned that Space: 1999 would air for the 1974–1975 season, but fate dealt a blow. The threatened closure of MGM Elstree Studios meant the entire production was illicitly moved to those at Pinewood, resulting in union blacklisting. England was in the midst of economic turmoil, with strikes and power cuts which slowed down filming. CBS had purchased the Planet of the Apes television series for the 1974–1975 season instead, and cancelled its order for Space: 1999, now well into production. Neither of the other two networks wanted a series they had had no input to. Like the Moon in Space: 1999, the production was adrift in the mercurial television sales market.

International sales, helped by ITC’s marketing, were healthy enough, but America still counted for a major percentage of it.

Grade and Mandell started a drive to sell Space: 1999 to the States’ many local stations for the 1975–1976 season. By the time it made 48

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

Familiar faces: (TOP LEFT) Martin Landau and (TOP RIGHT) Barbara Bain in publicity photos from TV’s Mission: Impossible. © Paramount Pictures Television. Courtesy of Heritage.

(ABOVE) Screen capture of Barry Morse from TV’s The Fugitive. © Quinn Martin Productions/United Artists Television. its debut in the U.S.A., over 150 such stations had bought the series, with 90% of them being network affiliates. A brand new highbudget show gave them the opportunity to pre-empt the usual network offerings.

But what of the series itself?

When in a situation of retro-fitting a format to suit invariables imposed on you—that the Moon had to be separated from Earth was the main immutable factor—there were going to be compromises to scientific accuracy. One major flaw was the Moon being perceived as a solid whole which could be blasted out of orbit.

Critics commented that an explosion big enough to shift the Moon would more likely fragmentize it.

In the year 1999, at least in the establishing episode “Breakaway,” mankind had probably only got as far as Mars. Subsequent

retro Sci-Fi

episodes would reveal missions to Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, and a handful of other worlds beyond our solar system. One of them, an interstellar wanderer called Meta, was a crucial B-plot to that opening story. Even so, we are led to believe that the Moon is propelled into deep space at velocities which take it within reach of other stars and their planets within weeks. Even children with a meager grasp of astronomy would know the outer planets of our solar system were years or decades away, some in orbits that took centuries. As Douglas Adams famously said in The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “You may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that’s just peanuts to space!”

It was an idea that the third episode in production, “Black Sun,” would see the Moon propelled across the universe to a region where stars and planets were more numerous. At a time when such phenomenon as black holes were barely out of theoreticals and into practical astrophysics, this was either a bold or a misguided move. It would either destroy the Moon with its intense gravity or, if it rotated, act as a gateway across space, or even to other universes and dimensions. It may not be as easy a scientific fix as the USS Enterprise’s warp drive, but at least the writer addressed the format’s main problem.

GUIDED BY A ‘MYSTERIOUS UNKNOWN FORCE’?

If one ignores the main flaws in the format itself, were the episodes any good? Tastes are always going to be variable. Humans with a limited grasp of the unknown reaches of space may make for a

Show creators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (RIGHT) chat with stars Landau and Bain (LEFT) on the set. scifimojo.com. more realistic take than Star Trek’s all-knowing approach, but it can make for frustrating closure to certain episodes.

“Black Sun” is a typical example. Having ordered six crew to escape in an Eagle spacecraft from what seems certain doom, Koenig settles down with Bergman for a final brandy in the abandoned Main Mission control. Time distorts, aging them eternally, where they walk among the stars and converse with a voice who may be God—scriptwriter David Weir suggested “a woman’s

voice perhaps.” His first draft also implied a link between Helena, on-board the Eagle which miraculously returns to Alpha, and this “spirit” via a ring on her finger, to have been glimpsed during this vision. Almost literally a deus ex machina solution.

Such mysticism was a universe apart from Star Trek, a humanist vision of the future which had grown beyond immature needs for deities and blind religious faiths. More than once during its first year, Space: 1999 dipped into the highly improbable by suggesting the Alphans’ odyssey was pre-determined by powers beyond mankind’s comprehension. Some dubbed this collective prime mover of their fate the “Mysterious Unknown Force,” or MUF. Episodes such as “Another Time Another Place,” “Collision Course,” and “Space Brain” hinted broadly at this, while others like “Matter of Life and Death,” “Voyager’s Return,” “Death’s Other Dominion,” and “Dragon’s Domain” feature encounters with previous lost Earth missions—and conveniently placed gueststars— which make coincidence beyond impossible. The Year One finale “The Testament of Arkadia” jumped on the bandwagon of ancient astronauts, made popular by Erich von Däniken, by mooting that humanity originated from survivors from a dying planet who found Earth millennia ago. For those fortunate to watch the episodes in production order, it is a rather satisfying full turn of the wheel as two Alphans—a new Adam and Eve, perhaps— seek to bring that dead world back to the life it once had.

Stories that are markedly weaker include “Ring Around the Moon,” where an alien probe captures the Moon, believing the Alphans to be potentially hostile invaders. Koenig tries to do a Captain Kirk and use logic to defeat the biological computer, only with such inaccurate astronomical terms, it is a wonder it did not just die laughing. Another Kirk-esque escapade, “Missing Link,” sees Koenig abducted by Raan, an alien anthropologist. His 218-year-old daughter Vana, barely looking a day over 40, is intrigued by the Commander who seems to fall head-overmoonboots for her. The script and direction make it unclear if Koenig really is in love, or is simply using her to force Raan’s increasingly angered hand and release him.

“End of Eternity” begins with the discovery of a chamber on an asteroid, which explodes when opened, fatally injuring its trapped occupant. On Alpha, Helena is surprised to find his wounds have healed. Balor is immortal, exiled for his perverse experiments into life and death. The script is meager and may leave viewers dissatisfied. All three of these were directed by ex-stuntman Ray Austin, who attempted some of the more innovative and experimental camera work, for better or worse. Reined in somewhat for his last Year One episode “The Troubled Spirit,” this is one of the best stories, featuring a twist to the usual “ghost story” with an Alphan haunted by his future self seeking vengeance for his death. The use of Indian sitar music gives this tale a quite unique and chilling atmosphere.

Although previously mentioned among the “lost mission” episodes, “Death’s Other Dominion” is a superior script with another quite frightening twist at the end. Brian Blessed and John Shrapnel give superb performances in a story which, like some of the best Star Trek, has a futuristic Shakespearean tragedy feel RETROFAN

March/April 2023

49

retro Sci-Fi

(LEFT) Publicity photo of Martin Landau as Space: 1999’s Commander John Koenig. © ITC. Courtesy of Heritage. (BELOW LEFT) A change of pace role for screen Dracula and villain Christopher Lee, from the Space: 1999 episode “Earthbound.” © ITC. “Mission of the Darians” holds up a mirror to the Alphans’ own plight. A distress signal from an alien cityship leads Koenig and Bergman to a small group of survivors striving to keep their genetic legacy pure until they reach their planetary destination. The larger populace of the ship were irradiated nine centuries prior, leading to mutations. It is a sobering story, part-inspired by a 1972 air crash in the Andes which forced survivors to resort to cannibalism until rescued. It asks, who would do the same, in their position?

Despite its uneven quality at first, with stronger stories coming to the fore later, Gerry Anderson (in Fanderson’s The Space: 1999 Documentary, 1996) said, “We completed the first season. I was very happy with it. The Landaus were very happy with it. But the New York office weren’t happy with it.”

TV’S NEWEST SCI-FI TREK

to it. “Dragon’s Domain” riffs off the myth of “St. George and the Dragon,” with the sole survivor of a previous space mission finally confronting the hideous tentacled creature that killed his crew years earlier. The realization of the “octopoid,” sucking its victims into a fiery orifice and spitting out their steaming mummified corpses, is genuinely the stuff of nightmares.

“Earthbound” is an early classic, reversing the belief that the aliens are the bad guys. Marooned politician Simmonds sees a crashed alien ship programmed to reach Earth as his opportunity to escape Alpha. He holds the base to ransom, forcing the alien captain—the usually villainous Christopher Lee, breaking typecasting—to take him along. It delivers a twist ending with considerable panache.

50

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

As the series launched in America, the press was all over it and, as has been proven already, comparisons to Star Trek were inevitable. “It Will Turn On Trekkies,” wrote Stephen Earll in the San Antonio Express. “If the first episode of the new Space: 1999 series is an overall indication of quality, devoted Star Trek followers will probably make an enthusiastic switch.”

Dick Kleiner, in the Union Town Morning Herald, told readers, “A new series called Space 1999 is zapping our way, and it seems to be the stuff for old Star Trekkers. There’s a lot of Star Trek in it, as well as a touch of Lost in Space and some other sci-fi attempts.” Likewise, Jay Sharbutt, reporting from the Associated Press in New York, related, “Okay, Trekkies, the relief crew for the Enterprise is checking in, but they’re on Moonbase Alpha now… a new British-made science-fiction series called ‘Space: 1999’ is afoot. Its makers hope it’ll capture the rapture viewers have shown for the old ‘Star Trek’ series.”

But other more knowing minds were not convinced. None other than science-fiction author and luminary Isaac Asimov quite famously shot down the series in a two-part article in the New York Times and Cue magazine. “Is Space 1999 More Fi Than Sci?” he asked.

“There are three possible sources of scientific errors in a television show — errors made out of dramatic necessity, which one can be lenient with; errors made out of commercial necessity, which one can sigh over; and errors made out of ignorance, which are intolerable.” While heaping praise on some aspects, such as the special

retro Sci-Fi

effects and his remarks “I have never seen so precise a simulation of low gravity; I marvelled and enjoyed the sight,” Asimov tore into two episodes, the opener “Breakaway” and “Black Sun.” “The plots and characterization on Space: 1999 have been primitive,” he wrote. “All the events that take place are science-fiction clichés. Most of all there was a consistent streak of humor in Star Trek and an obvious affection of the characters for each other.

Neither humor, affection, nor any other human characteristic has so far been visible on Space: 1999.”

Award-winning author Mike Jahn, who was adapting The Six Million Dollar Man into tie-in novelizations, also weighed in.

His research is applaudable, getting figures and a wide range of quotes, including Star Trek story editor Dorothy C. Fontana.

“According to [Fontana],” Jahn related, “1999 suffers from the same problem its makers had with UFO. The technical effects are excellent, but they don’t create people you care about. They got caught up in what Gene Roddenberry is fond of calling ‘The Wonder of It All Syndrome.’ That is, all special effects and no story.” But even Jahn had to admit that the viewers were caught up, too. “Space: 1999 is lavish, fanciful, and popular. It too is winning for the independent stations on which it runs more than double the ratings to which they have become accustomed.”

YEAR TWO TROUBLES

Even with respectable American ratings amidst its international performance in over 100 countries, it was in the balance whether Space: 1999 would continue for a second year. If it did, then Mandell and the American division of ITC wanted input again. This had been the intention from the beginning, with American writers providing scripts, but this had not worked out. Christopher Penfold took on the role from departing story editor Edward di Lorenzo, and, with Johnny Byrne, they wrote over half of the episodes. “We had a great deal of pressure to have an American head writer,” Gerry Anderson recalled, “and then Fred Freiberger came along.”

With growing professional and personal tensions between the Andersons resulting in a separation, announced as production wrapped on Year One, Gerry listened to Freiberger’s ideas for Year Two of the series but decided the American should be the producer, as he was “…not going to put my name to a format that you’re going to bend round.”

Freiberger had been producer on the third and final season of Star Trek, but his tenure was contentious. Fans consider him to have downplayed the intelligent tone of the series. For Space: 1999 fans, his contributions to the second, and also final, year were equally divisive. Freiberger wanted the Alphans to be more human, unknowingly agreeing with Fontana that viewers did not care for the main characters. He ignored that Alpha was a closed isolated community, unlike Star Trek, where starbases and other ships could mean fresh faces. With an eye on keeping the budget and filming schedule under control, Freiberger chose not to rehire most of the cast beyond stars Landau and Bain. Those who returned were hired on an episode-by-episode basis, as opposed to series contracts previously. This made the actors uncertain about their futures. Anton Phillips left after two episodes, and Zienia Merton after three. She returned mid-season at the request of Barbara Bain, but opted out of the final episodes.

Nick Tate fared slightly better. Freiberger had wanted to replace him with a new pilot named Mark Macinlock until

(TOP) Critics couldn’t resist comparing Space: 1999 to its television predecessor, Star Trek, including this late 1975 cover-featured article in Cue magazine. Space: 1999 © ITC. Star Trek © CBS Studios. (ABOVE) Catherine Schell, as Maya (beside Captain Koenig in this illustration), joined the Space: 1999 cast in Season Two. Cover to the pressbook for the second season, from the Landau collection. © ITC. Courtesy of Heritage.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

51

retro Sci-Fi

Space: 1999 was heavily licensed for a variety of products, including these, during its two-season run.

The trading card collection shown here hails from the personal collection of star Martin Landau. Space: 1999 © ITC. Courtesy of Heritage.

Koenig’s new right-hand man. Anholt was a reasonable asset to fanmail made him realize that Carter was one of the most popular characters. Gerry Anderson stepped in, literally days before filming the show, and a relationship grew between himself and Maya, paralleling a more obvious intimacy between Koenig and Helena. started, to ask Tate back to reprise his role. Despite disliking Some episodes played heavily on this, such as “Brian the Brain,” Freiberger’s new direction, even if his character was expanded where a mobile computer from a past space mission holds them somewhat, Tate was absent for half a dozen episodes, but stuck it hostage, and “New Adam, New Eve,” with a god-like alien switching out to the Year Two finale “The Dorcons.” the relationships in a quest for the secret of life.

Barry Morse was offered his role as Bergman, but on a substanJohnny Byrne was contracted to write three new episodes, tially lower salary. Morse and his agent declined initially, but by the and said of Freiberger, “I got along very well with him. But it was time they considered accepting, the offer was withdrawn. Aware clear that we were in different universes as far as stories were this disappearance of a major character would confuse returning concerned.” Rewatching a selection of viewers, Johnny Byrne wrote in a scene Year Two episodes, Freiberger’s writing implying Bergman was the victim of a and story-editing seem more in line with faulty spacesuit, but this did not make it to FAST FACTS his three-year stint working for animation the final edit.

SPACE: 1999 company Hanna-Barbera. White is white, Replacing Bergman as Alpha’s scientist and black is black, with few if any nuances would be an alien character introduced in f No. of seasons: Two of characterization. The aliens encountered the Year Two opener: Maya, from the planet f No. of episodes: 48 previously had motives, but now they were Psychon. She had the power of molecular f Original run: September 4, for the most part just evil and up to no transformation, able to become any living 1975–November 12, 1977 good. being. As engaging as the elegant Catherine f Primary cast: Martin Landau, “The Rules of Luton” and “The Beta Schell was as Maya, the character seemed Barbara Bain, Barry Morse; Cloud,” two of Freiberger’s own scripts too much of a steal of Spock from Star Catherine Schell (Season Two) (under a pseudonym), fall in this category.

Trek, and her powers were a gimmick that f Network: ITV The first is almost a steal of Star Trek’s undermined Schell’s capable acting. f Created by: Gerry and Sylvia “Arena,” where alien trees force Koenig Tony Anholt was introduced as the Anderson and Maya to fight three opponents as a Italian security chief Tony Verdeschi, 52

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

retro Sci-Fi

(TOP) Space: 1999 was featured in numerous kids’ and sci-fi magazine articles. (RIGHT) Charlton Comics published Space: 1999 in two formats, a traditional color comic book and a black-and-white magazine. Space: 1999 © ITC.

judgment for the “murder” of some of their flora life. Sniggers abound from British viewers as Freiberger named the planet after a famous town, from a signpost. We kid you not.

Other episodes in this “aliens = bad” category are “The Exiles,” “Seed of Destruction,” “A Matter of Balance,” “The Bringers of Wonder,” “Dorzak,” and “The Dorcons.” The episode most usually derided is “All That Glisters,” where the Alphans detect a rare mineral they need. The living-rock inhabitants need water, and can control their environment—and a seemingly dead Tony Verdeschi—by use of energy rays. A non-humanoid threat was a refreshing change, but Martin Landau and the rest of the cast considered the script to be terrible. Short of bringing production to a screaming halt, they were forced to acquiesce.

“One Moment of Humanity” switches expectations between the beautiful Vegans and their automaton called Numbers, even if it mixes plot elements of Star Trek’s “The Mark of Gideon,” with Helena and Tony transported to a deserted Alpha, and “I, Mudd,” with androids immobilized by illogical input. Writer Tony Barwick was an experienced hand on Anderson productions, and also responsible for “The A B Chrysalis,” an intelligent episode where aliens nearly destroy Alpha with defensive shockwaves during their vulnerable chrysalid lifecycle. Koenig’s impassioned and seemingly futile plea to spare Alpha, and a concluding twist, provides a rare feel-good ending.

There was more feel-good factoring with Space: 1999’s only two-parter, “The Bringers of Wonder.” A rescue mission from Earth brings a crew of relatives and friends for a joyous reunion, in which

viewers can revel. Only Koenig, injured in an Eagle crash, sees them as repulsive jelloid beings, intent on detonating atomic waste to give them the life-giving radiation they crave.

But not all the threats were alien. “Catacombs of the Moon,” “The Séance Spectre,” and “The Lambda Factor,” like the earlier “Earthbound,” see the danger being from within the Alphan ranks. But the problem of one-note villainy was the same.

While promoted as “Bigger, Better, More Exciting than Before!,” Year Two did not have the same appeal as Year One. Nicola “Nick” Cuti, a writer-editor for Charlton Comics’ tie-in Space: 1999 publications [in two formats: a traditional color comic book and a black-and-white magazine—ed.], remarked, “I felt it had run out of steam. It is unfortunate, but when the fantastic becomes commonplace, then space opera becomes soap opera.” With interest dwindling, Charlton only produced a single issue each of their comic and magazine in the Year Two format, which was telling in itself.

People were no longer buying, and no Year Three was forthcoming (even though there had been plans to continue).

Belatedly, on September 13. 1999, fans attending the Breakaway convention in Los Angeles were given a short but satisfying closure to Space: 1999. A seven-minute film titled Message from Moonbase Alpha, written by Johnny Byrne and featuring Zienia Merton in her role as Sandra Benes, surprised those attending the closing ceremony. Zienia gave an emotive performance, enhanced with clips from the series, revealing the fate of the Alphans some 20 years on as they abandon their lunar home for a habitable world they call “Terra Alpha.” To bring events full circle, this coded message is revealed to have been the mysterious signals thought to originate from planet Meta in the opening episode.

Producer-director Tim Mallett of Kindred recalled, “Almost everyone involved in the production was at the screening. It was a very special moment and the audience reaction was amazing.

There was an outpouring of emotion not just for the film but for the series as a whole.”

And so, Sandra’s concluding message for humankind, and fans worldwide: “To you people of planet Earth, we say goodbye and ask but one thing: ‘Remember us.’ “‘Remember us.’”

SHAQUI LE VESCONTE is a lifelong fan of Space: 1999, and has had features published in the British magazines Comics International and Infinity. Shaqui is currently working for Anderson Entertainment, run by Gerry’s son Jamie, on their Comic Anthologies as Content Consultant and Features Writer.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

53

TwoMorrows.

The Future of Pop History.

Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

THE BEST OF SIMON & KIRBY’S

MAINLINE COMICS

by JOE SIMON & JACK KIRBY Introduction by JOHN MORROW

In 1954, industry legends JOE SIMON and JACK KIRBY founded MAINLINE PUBLICATIONS to publish their own comics during that turbulent era in comics history. The four titles—BULLSEYE, FOXHOLE, POLICE TRAP, and IN LOVE—looked to build off their reputation as hit makers in the Western, War, Crime, and Romance genres, but the 1950s backlash against comics killed any chance at success, and Mainline closed its doors just two years later. For the first time, TwoMorrows Publishing is compiling the best of Simon & Kirby’s Mainline comics work, including all of the stories with S&K art, as well as key tales with contributions

by MORT MESKIN and others. After the company’s dissolution, their partnership ended with Simon leaving comics for advertising, and Kirby taking unused Mainline concepts to both DC and Marvel. This collection bridges the gap between Simon & Kirby’s peak with their 1950s romance comics, and the lows that led to Kirby’s resurgence with CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN and the early MARVEL UNIVERSE. With loving art restoration by CHRIS FAMA, and an historical overview by JOHN MORROW to put it all into perspective, the BEST OF SIMON & KIRBY’S MAINLINE COMICS presents some of the final, and finest, work Joe and Jack ever produced. SHIPS SUMMER 2023!

(256-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $49.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-118-9

All characters TM & © their respective owners.

DESTROYER DUCK GRAPHITE EDITION

by JACK KIRBY & STEVE GERBER Introduction by MARK EVANIER

In the 1980s, writer STEVE GERBER was embroiled in a lawsuit against MARVEL COMICS over ownership of his creation HOWARD THE DUCK. To raise funds for legal fees, Gerber asked JACK KIRBY to contribute to a benefit comic titled DESTROYER DUCK. Without hesitation, Kirby (who was in his own dispute with Marvel at the time) donated his services for the first issue, and the duo took aim at their former employer in an outrageous five-issue run. With biting satire and guns blazing, Duke “Destroyer” Duck battled the thinly veiled Godcorp (whose infamous credo was “Grab it all! Own it all! Drain it all!”), its evil leader Ned Packer and the (literally) spineless Booster Cogburn, Medea (a parody of Daredevil’s Elektra), and more! Now, all five Gerber/Kirby issues are collected—but relettered and reproduced from JACK’S UNBRIDLED, UNINKED PENCIL ART! Also included are select examples of ALFREDO ALCALA’s unique inking style over Kirby on the original issues, Gerber’s script pages, an historical Introduction by MARK EVANIER (co-editor of the original 1980s issues), and an Afterword by BUZZ DIXON (who continued the series after Gerber)! Discover all the hidden jabs you missed when DESTROYER DUCK was first published, and experience page after page of Kirby’s raw pencil art! SHIPS SPRING 2023!

ALTER EGO COLLECTORS’ ITEM CLASSICS

(128-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $31.95 • (Digital Edition) $13.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-117-2

By overwhelming demand, editor ROY THOMAS has compiled all the material on the founders of the Marvel Bullpen from three SOLD-OUT ALTER EGO ISSUES—plus OVER 30 NEW PAGES OF CONTENT! There’s the STEVE DITKO ISSUE (#160 with a rare ’60s Ditko interview by RICHARD HOWELL, biographical notes by NICK CAPUTO, and Ditko tributes)! The STAN LEE ISSUE (#161 with ROY THOMAS on his 50+ year relationship with Stan, art by KIRBY, DITKO, MANEELY, EVERETT, SEVERIN, ROMITA, plus tributes from pros and fans)! And the JACK KIRBY ISSUE (#170 with WILL MURRAY on Kirby’s contributions to Iron Man’s creation, Jack’s Captain Marvel/Mr. Scarlet Fawcett work, Kirby in 1960s fanzines, plus STAN LEE and ROY THOMAS on Jack)! Whether you missed these issues, or can’t live without the extensive NEW MATERIAL on DITKO, LEE, and KIRBY, it’s sure to be an AMAZING, ASTONISHING, FANTASTIC tribute to the main men who made Marvel! SHIPS SPRING 2023!

(256-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $35.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-116-5

CLIFFHANGER!

CINEMATIC SUPERHEROES OF THE SERIALS: 1941–1952 by CHRISTOPHER IRVING

Hold on tight as historian CHRISTOPHER IRVING explores the origins of the first on-screen superheroes and the comic creators and film-makers who brought them to life. CLIFFHANGER! touches on the early days of the film serial, to its explosion as a juvenile medium of the 1930s and ‘40s. See how the creation of characters like SUPERMAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, SPY SMASHER, and CAPTAIN MARVEL dovetailed with the early film adaptations. Along the way, you’ll meet the stuntmen, directors (SPENCER BENNETT, WILLIAM WITNEY, producer SAM KATZMAN), comic book creators (SIEGEL & SHUSTER, SIMON & KIRBY, BOB KANE, C.C. BECK, FRANK FRAZETTA, WILL EISNER), and actors (BUSTER CRABBE, GEORGE REEVES, LORNA GRAY, KANE RICHMOND, KIRK ALYN, DAVE O’BRIEN) who brought them to the silver screen—and how that resonates with today’s cinematic superhero universe. SHIPS SUMMER 2023!

(160-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-119-6

THE ODDBALL WORLD OF SCOTT SHAW!

The Story of WKRP in Cincinnati Turkeys, Band-Aids, and Executroids

BY SCOTT SHAW! WKRP in Cincinnati was promoted as “America’s Favorite Radio Station”… and in many ways, it was and still is. It’s certainly my favorite primetime sitcom, primarily because of one of its breakout characters.

Every once in a while, a new character pops up in a television series that makes you think, “I’ve known people exactly like this character, but it’s the first time I’ve seen her/him in entertainment.” And that’s how some of TV’s most unique and oddly appealing characters—such as Leave It to Beaver’s insincere wiseass Eddie Haskell, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis’ devotedly unemployed beatnik Maynard G. Krebs, The Andy Griffith Show’s incompetent authoritarian Deputy Barney Fife, Taxi’s spaced-out burnout Reverend Jim Ignatowski, Happy Days’ tough-little-guy-with-a-lot-of-heart Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, The A-Team’s outrageous adventurer B. A. Baracus, and The Big Bang Theory’s obsessive self-absorbed genius Sheldon Cooper—have all become timeless icons of the tube. Here’s another...

I’ve often thought of myself as “the Dr. Johnny Fever of cartoonists” (and not just because we’re both survivors of Sixties/Seventies counterculture). He was the seasoned (by time, place, and substances) morning deejay of multiple air-names on WKRP in Cincinnati, as well as the character who attracted me—and many viewers—to the series. Johnny Caravella/Johnny Duke/Johnny Style/Johnny Cool/ Johnny Sunshine/Heavy Early/Rip Tide/Dr. Johnny Fever worked for all types of radio stations around the country… for a lo-o-ong time. I worked for all types of comic-book publishers around the country and animation studios around Hollywood… for a lo-o-ong time. Also, deejays and cartoonists have similar professions: We sit in a room by ourselves, making something entertaining out of almost nothing. I also understand how a career that makes you resilient, crafty, and thick-skinned is hard to leave. Why? Because we cartoonists love our job—and we’re mostly suckers to let the money-people know how to control us. But I digress…

SITCOMS GET ‘WITH IT’

A number of similarly unique characters were core cast members of WKRP in Cincinnati, a sitcom that subtly changed sitcoms forever. Among those were two standouts, Howard Hesseman’s seasoned-and-stoned deejay Dr. Johnny Fever, and Loni Anderson’s stunning-and-smart receptionist Jennifer Marlowe.

But they weren’t the only ones—the show’s cast represented a number of characters with that “I’ve known people exactly like this character” vibe. Although the creatively progressive mindset of WKRP in Cincinnati wasn’t obvious, it had a huge influence on a

The cast of WKRP in Cincinnati—“America’s Favorite Radio Station.” (FRONT ROW) Loni Anderson as Jennifer Marlowe, Howard Hesseman as Dr. Johnny Fever, and Jan Smithers as Bailey Quarters. (CENTER ROW) Frank Bonner as Herb Tartek and Gary Sandy as Andy Travis.

(BACK ROW) Richard Sanders as Les Nessman, Gordon Jump as Arthur Carlson, and Tim Reid as Venus Flytrap.

WKRP in Cincinnati © MTM Enterprises.

number of classic TV series that followed. But let’s look at the landscape of network-aired, primetime, live-action situation comedies that preceded WKRP in Cincinnati.

In the mid-to-late Sixties, standard TV sitcoms primarily featured hillbillies and rural communities (The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres), fantasy (The Addams Family, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, etc.), and domestic family shows that had flogged the same old plots for years. Their ratings were based on the total number of people who were watching a specific show. In the late Sixties and early Seventies, the ratings system changed, evaluating shows by using demographics. Ratings were broken down into age, gender, and social groupings, so that advertisers could learn what sort of people were watching what sort of shows.

Bob Wood, who became the president of CBS in 1970, advocated RETROFAN

March/April 2023

55

The oddball world of scott shaw!

that his network needed to reach the more upscale, purchase-oriented group to attract potential advertisers by airing more sophisticated material. [Editor’s note: See RetroFan #15 for columnist Scott Saavedra’s look back at this “Rural Sitcom Purge.”] The early Seventies brought on a wave of the new style of comedies, triggered by MTM Enterprises’ The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) and Norman Lear’s All in the Family (1971), which both aired on CBS. Although Lear’s show got higher ratings and more attention due to its controversial themes, MTM’s storylines were much more subtle with its progressive messaging and therefore, more palatable to a wider range of viewers. [You did catch our interview with Norman Lear in RetroFan #22, didn’t you? —ye buttinski ed.]

But after a few years, the era of “social issue comedies” seemed to wane, with lightweight sitcoms such as Gary Marshall’s Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy, all with the occasional moral for the young, but rarely with a social issue. Even Norman Lear’s output changed, with similar series like Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. MTM launched more dramas such as Lou Grant, The White Shadow, Hill Street Blues, and St. Elsewhere, series where “issue” storylines were a standard theme.

Then a TV series came along that was really different, thanks to an office copier salesman. Hugh Wilson (August 21, 1943–January 14, 2018) was born in Miami, Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1964 with a degree in journalism. After working as an office copier salesman, Wilson was a staff writer for a cork company’s trade magazine. There, he met Jay Tarses and Tom Patchett, who both would one day be major forces in TV situation comedies. They all moonlighted as stand-up comics in Miami, but Tarses and Patchett decided to move to Los Angeles to enter Hollywood’s entertainment industry. Wilson relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to enter the world of advertising in 1966 as a copywriter for the Burton-Campbell Agency. By 1970, he was the company’s creative director and in 1973, he became its president. But Wilson retained his interest in creating entertainment, keeping in touch with Tarses and Patchett. In 1975, Jay and Tom set up an interview between their old friend Hugh and Grant Tinker, the then-current head of MTM Enterprises. It led to Hugh Wilson writing for The Bob Newhart Show, and all three of them, along with Gary David Goldberg, writing for The Tony Randall Show.

RADIO DAZE

In 1977, Tinker asked Wilson and Goldberg to each pitch show concepts for the upcoming fall season. Wilson delved into his past and pitched a workplace sitcom set at a radio station based on stories from his friend at Atlanta’s WQXI. (Goldberg’s was rejected, but he went on to create such shows as Family Ties and Spin City.)

Clark Brown was the advertising salesman for WQXI who spent a lot of time at Harrison’s, a watering hole for the locals in advertising and media. There, Hugh Wilson met a number of people who worked for WQXI and other Atlanta stations. Their stories and 56

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

(INSET) What’s in a name? Dr. Johnny Fever’s coffee mug. Courtesy of Scott Shaw! (LEFT) WKRP creator Hugh Wilson. Legacy.com. (RIGHT) WKRP in Cincinnati’s breakout characters, Dr. Johnny Fever (Hesseman) and Jennifer Marlowe (Anderson), in a behindthe-scenes photo from the personal collection of Loni Anderson. © MTM Enterprises. Courtesy of Heritage. attitude about their profession provided lots of legitimate valuable input for what would become Wilson’s first and best-known television series.

Interested in the show’s potential, a week later, Tinker took Wilson to meet with Andrew Siegel, CBS’ Vice President for Comedy Development. Impressed by the concept, Siegel gave the okay for Wilson to write a pilot script for the still-nameless project.

Before developing the pilot’s cast of characters, Wilson returned to Atlanta to hang out at WQXI for a day with his pal Clark Brown.

This was very fruitful for Hugh, whose concept began to jell. One aspect that paid off was that Clark dressed in loud polyester clothes that were typical of many salesmen in those days. That provided a unique visual label that inspired the fashion sense of WKRP’s Executive Sales Manager Herbert R. Tarlek. One of WQXI’s deejays was a sleepy guy who’d seen it all and done it all, sometimes even while sober, named “Skinny” Bobby Parker. Hugh has claimed that he was the inspiration for Dr. Johnny Fever, but Howard Hesseman never agreed with that. According to actor Gordon Jump, WKRP’s Arthur Carlson, Jr. was also based on an employee of WQXI, a radio executive who concocted the all-too-real “turkey drop” while working at a Texas station. He not only inspired the creation of Mr. Carlson, his disastrous stunt also became the basis for WKRP in Cincinnati’s bestknown episode, considered one of the funniest tales in the history of televised comedy. Wilson also drew from personal sources while filling out the cast of his evolving concept. Andy Travis, WKRP’s new station manager, was based on Hugh’s cousin, who was a Colorado

The oddball world of scott shaw!

policeman also named Andy Travis who liked to wear cowboy hats.

WKRP’s soft-spoken commercial scheduler Bailey Quarters was based on Hugh’s wife. The wildly dressed deejay from New Orleans, “Venus Flytrap”; the anal-retentive Commie-hatin’ newsman, Les Nessman; and the beautiful-but-wise blonde receptionist, Jennifer Marlowe, are entirely fictional.

While the pilot for WKRP in Cincinnati was being assembled, it was noted that, three years before, ABC had overtaken CBS in the Nielsen ratings by scheduling sitcoms aimed at younger audiences in the early-evening time slots. Despite the fact that Wilson’s concept played to both young people and adults, CBS was balking to commit to Wilson’s pilot. After Grant Tinker complained to CBS about this neglect, the network suddenly agreed to allow MTM to make the pilot, paying for most of its $300,000 budget.

As the show’s producer, Wilson’s first move was to assemble his writing/production crew. He first contacted an old friend who was a newspaperman in Atlanta, another regular at Harrison’s named Bill Dial. Wilson’s enticement was simple: “There’s money on the ground out here, come on out.” Wilson felt that hiring people who weren’t experienced sitcom writers was an advantage. “I wanted people who didn’t know all the old jokes and tricks.” He liked to work with his friends, also hiring Blake Hunter, an L.A. copywriter, and Tom Chehak, a production assistant he had gotten to know while working together on The Bob Newhart Show. Wilson said, “In script sessions, you have to feel you’re in a safe place so you can pitch the gawd-awfulest jokes without making a fool of yourself. If you start editing in your head, it kills the spontaneity.”

Now all that Hugh Wilson had to do—with the help of casting director Bob Manahan, Mary Tyler Moore, Grant Tinker, and other CBS “executroids” (a term that Dr. Johnny Fever used when referring to the “suits”)—was to cast his new show… in only three weeks.

THE ‘WKRP’ CAST

f Howard Hesseman (February 27, 1940–January 29, 2022) was born and raised in Lebanon, Oregon, although his parents divorced when he was five. He studied theater at the University of Oregon. Twice married, twice divorced, he already had something in common with John Caravella, a.k.a. Dr. Johnny Fever.

Eschewing study for employment, he began to get minor acting gigs in episodes of network TV series, including The Andy Griffith Show. Relocating to San Francisco in 1965, Howard became an essential element of the improvisational comedy troupe “The Committee.” In 1967, Hesseman worked part-time as a deejay at San Francisco’s KMPX as a favor to deejay Tom Donahue.

He went on to roles in Dragnet (as two different hippies, no surprise), Steelyard Blues, Mannix, Shampoo, Harry O, The Big Bus, Billy Jack, Laverne & Shirley, The Rockford

Hesseman (LEFT) in a previous counterculture role in an episode of Dragnet. © Universal Television.

Files, and many others. Howard was working on Soap, which was, at the time, directed by Jay Sandrich, who suggested Hesseman to Hugh Wilson. They had both worked on The Bob Newhart Show, but Hugh thought that Howard was the right man to portray Herb Tarlek, WKRP’s cheezy salesman. Howard went along with the reading, only to get an opportunity to make it clear to Hugh and his staff writer Bill Dial that he was only interested in playing dazed deejay Dr. Johnny Fever. The more they talked about the character, the more Hugh provided enough valuable ideas and recommendations that they realized that Howard was indeed the most qualified person to portray who would become one of the series’ breakout characters. Unfortunately, Wilson had already committed the role to another actor, Richard Libertini. Fortunately, Libertini was happy to be hired for a Movie of the Week, so Hesseman won the role. Wilson has said, “Hesseman… if there ever was a part written for someone—Hesseman dressed like Fever dressed, and Hesseman was kind of anti-social, the gadfly—it was the part of his life.” f Gordon Jump (April 1, 1932–September 22, 2003) was born and raised in Centerville, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. At Kansas State University, he studied broadcasting and communications.

His first job was “dabbling, producing and directing” —as a weatherman as well as playing “WIB the Clown,” a kids’ show host—at Topeka’s WIBW-TV. In 1963, while working at an Ohio radio station, Gordon decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting. His early gigs included Daniel Boone, Get Smart, Green Acres, The Partridge Family, The Rockford Files, Good Times, roles in instructional and educational films produced by the LDS Church, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Gordon’s first recurring role was as a chief of police on Soap, which also featured Howard Hesseman as a recurring lawyer. (The show had so many cast members that they never really had the opportunity to get to know each other then.) Jump’s friend, actor Eugene Roche, had already auditioned for WKRP’s Arthur Carlson, but he wasn’t physically built for the part and wanted more money than the pilot could afford. The opportunity to create a new character stayed on Gordon’s mind. Meanwhile, Jay Sandrich suggested to Hugh Wilson that he might want to audition Jump. When they first met face-to-face, Gordon looked so much like the Arthur “The Big Guy” Carlson he had imagined, Wilson broke out in laughter without Jump reading a single line. He was hired on the spot. Since “The Big Guy” was the station’s general manager, Hugh realized that whoever was chosen to play the newly hired program director, he and Gordon Jump would need to have a good chemistry between them.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

57

The oddball world of scott shaw!

Therefore, many of those who auditioned for the part of Andy Travis read lines with Gordon. And the one who Jump thought had the right vibe was a nice-looking young everyman with good hair (as Mama Carlson would note) named Gary Sandy.

Unfortunately, of the seven finalists for the role, Hugh Wilson, Grant Tinker, Mary Tyler Moore and four CBS casting executives each picked a different actor. f Gary Sandy was born and raised in Kettering, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, on December 25, 1945. In high school, he excelled in debate and harbored the hope of getting a scholarship to become a sportscaster. When that didn’t happen, his speech teacher entered Gary in a drama competition in which he earned a championship in drama and was named “All-State Actor.” He enrolled in Wilmington College to study theater for three years.

After moving to NYC, Gary attended the city’s Academy of Dramatic Arts. After graduating, he went without a single gig in the world of entertainment for an entire year. Then suddenly, this handsome fellow began getting hired for unsavory roles as drug dealers, rapists, and psychopathic killers in such daytime series as As the World Turns and The Secret Storm, and primetime series such as Medical Center, Starsky and Hutch, and Barnaby Jones.

While working on Norman Lear’s short-lived syndicated sitcom All That Glitters, Gary was noticed by CBS casting executroid Mike Olten, who suggested him to Hugh Wilson as a possible Andy Travis—“the main driver of the car, who has to be likable and sane, with all of the nuts hanging off of the fender.” Mary Tyler Moore was the person who decided, “It’s no contest. Gary Sandy’s the fellow we’ve been looking for.” Two days later, he was one of the cast and started filming the pilot episode.

f Loni Anderson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota on August 5, 1945. She had a full head of naturally black hair. Growing up in Roseville, she was voted the Valentine Queen of the Valentine’s Day Winter Formal of 1963. She won numerous beauty contests and held titles such as “Miss Thermo-Jac Clothing,” “Miss Country Style Ford,” “Miss Tom McCann Shoes,” “Miss No-Frost Eskimo,” and “Queen of the Hole-In-One.” After a very short teenage marriage, Loni found herself a divorced mother. Determined to make it in show business, Loni donned a blonde wig and performed in Midwestern repertory productions, road companies, and theater groups. During a production of Play It Again, Sam, she met and fell in love with another actor, but their marriage in 1974 lasted a mere six months.

While working in a play with actor Pat O’Brien—who later appeared with her on an episode of WKRP—he gave Loni some solid advice: “I think you should go to Hollywood.” That she did, and as a “real” blonde too, one who refused to accept roles as a “dumb blonde.” Loni had roles in the movie Nevada Smith (with Steve McQueen) and many TV series such as S.W.A.T., Phyllis, Police Woman, Harry O, Three’s Company (she auditioned for the role of Chrissy, but guest-starred on two episodes), and The Bob Newhart Show. Supposedly, Loni was contacted after the producers saw a poster of her in a red swimsuit similar to that worn by Farrah Fawcett in her famous 1976 poster. While working on an episode of The Incredible Hulk, she auditioned with Tinker and Wilson on a Saturday for the role of WKRP’s extremely competent and extremely attractive receptionist. According to Loni, she complained to them that the character of Jennifer Marlowe struck her as a stereotypical dumb blonde and suggested that she play her more like Lana Turner would have. But according to Wilson, the character was always intended to be smart and beautiful.

A third source reported that Hugh later said that Loni got the role because her body resembled Jayne Mansfield’s and she possessed the innocent sexuality of Marilyn Monroe. Whatever the truth is, Hugh Wilson certainly praised the results. “Loni…

God, she was good, I mean, she was good…

If you wrote the joke, sometimes the actor couldn’t do it… you’d have to throw it out or rewrite the joke or figure out another way to do it. Man, you gave Loni something, and she’d just—you pitch it, and she’d hit it… way out in the field somewhere. Home run.”

Don’t quit your day job! Playfulness on the set between takes as Anderson tries her hand at camerawork. From the Loni Anderson collection. © MTM Enterprises. Courtesy of Heritage.

58

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

The oddball world of scott shaw!

f Tim Reid was born on December 19, 1944 in Norfolk, Virginia, and was raised in Chesapeake, Baltimore, and Nashville. While in high school, he was on the track team, the student council, and the yearbook, which he edited. Tim attended Norfolk State College and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1968. It led to him getting hired by the Dupont Corporation, where he worked for three years. That same year, while at a Junior Chamber of Commerce meeting, he befriended Tom Dreesen. While working together on their humorous anti-drug program created for local grade schools, they decided to form the first biracial comedy team, “Tim and Tom.” Within six months, Tim and Tom started getting gigs on TV shows hosted by Merv Griffin, David Frost, and others. Eventually, while Tom remained in standup comedy, Tim struck out for Hollywood, soon appearing on Rhoda, Lou Grant, Maude, Fernwood 2-Night, What’s Happening!!, and a recurring role on The Richard Pryor Show. When he auditioned for the role of WKRP’s hip and colorful Venus Flytrap, he wasn’t the only one who showed up, but he may have been the only actor who wasn’t eager to portray “another stereotypical black character.” In fact, he told Hugh Wilson exactly that, who appreciated and valued Tim’s honest input. “I wanted to have a black DJ, and he hardly appears in the pilot, he just comes in at the end… I use him really as a stage device to scare the hell out of [Momma] Carlson,” said Hugh. “Then Timmy and I sat down and really talked the thing over, and he decided that he would rather play away from the street black. I immediately agreed with him on that. So his character—he shows up in a wild outfit—began to change quite rapidly.”

(LEFT) A young Jan Smithers represented the American teenager on the March 21, 1966 cover of Newsweek. © Newsweek.

(RIGHT) A Smithers publicity photo during her WKRP stardom.

f Jan Smithers, born on July 3, 1949, and grew up in Woodland Hills in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, not far from the movie and television studios a few miles east. While attending William Howard Taft High School, she was photographed for the cover of the March 2, 1966 issue of Newsweek magazine; its theme was “The Teenagers: A Newsweek Survey of What They’re Really Like.”

As Jan remembered, “One had long hair and cameras around his neck. They walked right up to me and said, ‘We’re doing an article on teens across the country, and we’re looking for a girl from California. We’re wondering if you’d be interested in doing the article.” One of the photographers, Julian Wasser, recalled seeing young Ms. Smithers for the first time. “How can I forget?

I was walking on the beach looking for someone and there was this incredibly beautiful girl. She was nobody then, just a high school kid. She thought [the article] was a big fake. She was a typical California raving beauty who didn’t know it.” Two weeks before the Newsweek issue hit the racks,

her parents got divorced. Racing home to show the magazine to her mom, Jan had a traffic accident that sent her to the hospital with a broken jaw. Then, not long after its publication, both her brother and her mother died unexpectedly, understandably leaving Jan feeling adrift and alone. To counter those feelings, she decided to accept some of the TV commercials she’d been offered as a result of the recent Newsweek cover. She also began studying at the California Institute of the Arts. At 19, Jan chose to become a professional actor. She achieved small roles in the films Where the Lilies Bloom, When the North Wind Blows, and Our Winning Season, as well as in the Love Story and Starsky and Hutch TV series. When Jan auditioned for the part of WKRP’s shy and smart advertisement scheduler Bailey Quarters, she matched many of the aspects of Hugh Wilson’s wife, the original inspiration of the character, who he felt was “very shy, but very smart— the sort of person people tend to dismiss as a jerk until they find out she’s got so much to offer.” Touched by her personality, he immediately gave Jan the role. “Other actresses read better for the part, but they were playing shy. Jan was shy.” f Richard Sanders was born on August 23, 1940 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas, where he dreamed about becoming an actor. Richard was always the class RETROFAN

March/April 2023

59

The oddball world of scott shaw!

clown who acted out scenes from movies with his older brother at home or onstage in high school productions. After graduating as valedictorian of his class, he attended Carnegie Tech, majoring in drama. Then Richard received a Fullbright scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After he returned to the U.S., he made a sharp left turn, and in 1966, he signed up for the Peace Corps in Brazil, where he taught acting and directed plays. “One of my students told me what a great teacher I was, then he pulled out a pistol, put it on the table, and said, ‘But if the revolution comes, you’ll be the first to go.” Returning to the U.S., Richard performed live entertainment in Washington D.C. and New York, but when he took a vacation in Southern California, he began to pick up work in television (McCloud, Lou Grant, Barnaby Jones, Kojak, and The Rockford Files) and film (Billy Jack Goes to Washington). While appearing as James Joyce in a Los Angeles production of Travesties, Sanders impressed WKRP’s newly christened casting director, who told Hugh Wilson that if the actor could do that role, he could do almost anything.

After reading for Wilson and the network executroids, Richard passed muster for the role, all while wearing the black-rimmed eyeglasses he had worn in high school… and that wasn’t the only physical addition he’d make to WKRP’s oddball newscaster. f Frank Bonner (February 28, 1942–June 16, 2021) was born as Frank Woodrow Boers, Jr. in Little Rock, Arkansas, and grew up in Malvern, Texas. His father was a sax player for top bands; his mom was a band singer; and Frank’s time in the U.S. Navy, stationed in San Diego, California, as a Radioman Second-Class, was almost as if he had prepared for his role on WKRP. After service, Frank moved north to Los Angeles, doing automobile rebuilding and paralegal work to cover the apartment living expenses in Hollywood. In his spare time, he’d audition for every play in town, playing a wide variety of characters to teach himself acting. With juicier roles in more legitimate productions, Frank received a few awards, which led to gigs in film and television.

His first gig was a role in the experimental 1967 monster movie The Equinox… A Journey into the Unknown, which was reshot and re-edited as the 1970 cult classic Equinox. Before long, Bonner was appearing in television shows like Mannix; The F.B.I.; Emergency!; Love, American Style; Cannon; Police Woman; and Fantasy Island, and more movies such as Little Cigars and Hearts of the West. While performing the lead in David Storey’s In Celebration at the Company of the Angeles Theater, Frank caught the attention of WKRP casting director Bob Manahan, who thought that Frank might be a good fit for garish ad salesman Herb Tarlek.

And when Howard Hesseman refused to perform the charac60

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

ter, the final candidates suddenly became Frank Bonner and his buddy, Rod McCary, a much more experienced actor who was handed the Tarlek role on WKRP and another pilot, Mother, Jugs and Speed. Having to make a decision, he flipped a coin and went with Mother, Jugs and Speed. “As Hollywood usually goes,” said Bonner, “there is a great deal of luck involved and that’s what was involved when I landed the role of Herb. I say that because I was, like, third choice in casting. Like I say, it’s all a crap shoot—you never know.” However, Herb Tarlek was only a “test character,” which meant that Frank Bonner was signed to appear as Herb in only seven of the 13 episodes that CBS ordered, so Bonner decided to make Herb more visually unique to attract more attention. Outrageously ugly threads, white belts with matching shoes, and a pinky finger did the trick. By the time the pilot was about to shoot, Herb was going to be a permanent, valuable part of the show.

THE SECRET LIFE OF BAND-AIDS

During this period, Hugh Wilson had to juggle his duties, which included fine-tuning the pilot’s script with Tom Chehak, Blake Hunter, and Bill Dial. In television, scripts are never considered to be completely “final” until each show has been aired to the public.

Since many of the show’s writers and actors had backgrounds in improvisation, new material was often injected into scripts. All of his writers felt that Wilson was definitely the primary force behind WKRP in Cincinnati’s scripts. During their work on the first one, they developed a loose but useful process under Wilson’s guidance.

Wilson liked to call his show “the bastard son of MTM” because WKRP in Cincinnati was a little louder and a little faster than its MTM siblings. Unlike MTM’s other series, WKRP wasn’t filmed, it was recorded on videotape, due to another budget necessity—the thinking was, since WKRP is a radio station, it’s gonna need lots of music. Contemporary music. Contemporary music with lyrics that often mirror or ironically work against what’s happening in the script. So it’s gotta be recognizable, specific music. And that takes a lot of money for music rights! The CBS executroids had a cost-cutting idea: sound-alike songs. (Of course, the fake rock muzak stunk.) Therefore, videotaping rather than filming was the only reasonable option to provide payment for the song royalties.

Dr. Johnny Fever is too cool to smile, but everyone else seems happy in this cast shot. © MTM Enterprises.

The oddball world of scott shaw!

During the show’s popularity in the late Seventies and early Eighties, members of the WKRP cast were frequent faces on entertainment magazines.

Unfortunately, the MTM studios weren’t yet equipped to deal with the new production system for videotaping. Therefore, the show would be taped in the heart of Hollywood in the Goldenwest Videotape Division at KTLA, a longtime Los Angeles TV station.

FAST FACTS WKRP IN CINCINNATI f No. of seasons: Four f No. of episodes: 90 f Original run: September 18, 1978–April 21, 1982 f Primary cast: Howard Hesseman, Loni Anderson, Gordon Jump, Gary Sandy, Tim Reid, Jan Smithers, Richard Sanders, Frank Bonner f Network: CBS f Created by: Hugh Wilson

REVIVAL: The New WKRP in Cincinnati (syndicated sitcom airing two seasons and 47 episodes, from September 7, 1991 through May 22, 1993; starring original cast members Gordon Jump, Frank Bonner, and Richard Sanders, plus occasional appearances by other original cast members, joined by new cast members including Myketi Williamson, Tawny Kitaen, and French Stewart)

Hugh Wilson considered it a good thing; with the MTM brass concentrating on the new (and unsuccessful) The Mary Tyler Moore Comedy Hour, no one was breathing down the neck of WKRP. Hugh referred to it as an “island unto itself.” And when some of the MTM executroids viewed the pilot, some were shocked at how un-MTM that WKRP looked and sounded. “Bastard son,” indeed.

After eight days of rehearsal, the pilot episode of WKRP in Cincinnati was taped at KTLA during March 1978. The first two characters we meet are Herb Tarlek (rather modestly dressed when compared to the dizzying outfits he’d sport later) and Jennifer Marlowe, whose costuming proved to be unintentionally provocative. The studio’s taping equipment generated heat, therefore, it was necessary for the air conditioner to constantly be running on its coldest setting. Loni may have explained it best: “We talk about blood and guts all the time, but nipples are much more natural. Someone once came by with the funniest idea I’d ever heard.

They thought I should wear a padded bra.” (Must have been an executroid.)

While trying to stare at Loni’s forehead, nervous Hugh Wilson was desperate to find a way to correct the problem or CBS’ Standards and Practices department would be all over him and every aspect of the pilot. They tried BandAids. Even though her nipples were still slightly apparent, Loni pressed on with RETROFAN

March/April 2023

61

The oddball world of scott shaw!

It’s “Sing along with Mike” time as TV icon Mike Douglas (4TH FROM LEFT) drops in on the WKRP set.

Joining in is show creator Hugh Wilson (2ND FROM RIGHT). From the Loni Anderson collection. © MTM Enterprises. Courtesy of Heritage.

no complaints from CBS. From then on, her wardrobe was more appropriately chosen.

Hugh Wilson and director Jay Sandrich employed a tried-andtrue storytelling gimmick to get things moving. After newcomer program director Andy Travis enters WKRP’s lobby, he’s escorted around the station. At the same time, the viewer is introduced to the rest of the show’s main characters.

When we first meet Les Nessman, he’s got a big bandage on his pate. Viewers saw it as a visual clue that he was somewhat incompetent or clumsy. That definitely applied, but the injury was real. About an hour before the pilot was shot, a stage light fell on Richard Sanders and gashed his head. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and asked to be dressed with a butterfly bandage.

Arriving back at KTLA, the make-up people put a bigger, more obvious bandage over it and throughout the episode, the bandage continues to get smaller. From then on, in every episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, Les has a bandage on some part of him (except for his nipples).

Arthur Carlson, Jr. is a 40-year-old eight-year-old in a Robert Hall suit, playing the boss while playing with toys. He’s a nice-ish fellow who’s scared of his mother, Lillian Carlson (effectively played by onetime movie star Sylvia Sydney), the owner of WKRP who is dubious and disgusted about Andy Travis’ plan to turn her quiet little station into a profit-making rock-and-roll station that’s known for the latest, loudest, and hippest tunes. The cast splits into two factions, with neutral Jennifer in the middle: the anti-rock Suits (both Carlsons, Les, and Herb) and the pro-rock Dungarees (Travis, Dr. Johnny Fever, and bashful Bailey Quarters). Venus Flytrap doesn’t have much to do in this busy pilot other than to walk in and freak out “Mama” Carlson… but we all knew which side he’d be on.

The pilot seems to have two potential breakout characters: Jennifer Marlowe and John Caravella/Dr. Johnny Fever, “TV’s First Primetime Pothead,” as Howard Hesseman often referred to Johnny.

As previously mentioned, Hugh Wilson visualized Dr. Johnny Fever as a fictitious version of Atlanta’s Skinny Bobby Parker. But Howard Hesseman had experienced a countercultural lifestyle in San Francisco and even spent time as a disc jockey, so he had his own ideas about who Fever was. He wasn’t intimidated by 62

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

authority, he was a rock music purist, he had a teenage daughter that he worried about… and he occasionally had acid flashbacks. Hesseman’s instincts were right—stoners immediately identified with Johnny, as did professional disc jockeys.

Fever was far from a one-note character— indeed, he was WKRP in Cincinnati’s most complex character, who immediately was recognized as the televised representative of the overlapping pothead and deejay communities. However, Hesseman’s naturally cynical, been-there-done-that persona was likely the element that made him a unique yet relatable character.

We all knew someone like Johnny—or were like him—yet we’d never seen anyone like him on television before.

The pilot’s director, the legendary Jay Sandrich, had a big hand in the show’s high quality. Gordon Jump felt that Sandrich “was honest and forthright and explicit in the direction that he gave every one of us. It was his direction, I think, in that first episode, that set the tone for the rest of the work that we would do. It was a tough week’s work, because we were all trying to portray

From the Loni Anderson collection, the WKRP cast decked out in their “fantasy life” outfits from Season Three’s Episode 56, “Daydreams.” © MTM Enterprises. Courtesy of Heritage.

The oddball world of scott shaw!

characters that none of us had played before and do it in such a way that the network would take a look at the show and say, ‘Hey, there’s chemistry here!’”

‘LIVING ON THE AIR IN CINCINNATI’

The WKRP in Cincinnati pilot was previewed and tested with reactive electronic response by a wide diversity of Los Angeles audiences, including people from the radio industry. It tested quite well in L.A. and even better when played before the Madison Avenue crowd.

Robert A. Daly, President of the CBS Entertainment Division, was very positive about WKRP in Cincinnati, especially after the testing got increasingly better. “I thought instantly after seeing it that the series would be on our schedule,” he said.

In May of 1978, CBS commissioned 12 more episodes, paying an average of $155,000 each. It was a rather low budget at the time, but since the series didn’t feature any well-known actors, it was an appropriate amount.

WKRP in Cincinnati had two musical themes, one opening and the other closing the show. Hugh Wilson and Tom Chehak had shot the footage for the show’s opening title sequence, then went to Atlanta to record WKRP’s theme song, which was composed by Tom Welles, with lyrics by series creator Hugh Wilson and performed by Steve Carlisle. An urban legend claimed that Richard Sanders had recorded the song, but Wilson has stated that this wasn’t true. A fulllength version of the original theme song was released in 1979 on a 45 RPM vinyl single on the MCA Records label.

It peaked at No. 65 on the Pop Singles chart in 1981 and at 29 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1982. The lyrics refer to the life of character Andy Travis.

funny to use lyrics that were deliberately gibberish, as a statement about how many rock songs are indecipherable. And because CBS usually had an announcer speaking over the closing credits, Wilson knew that no one would clearly hear the closing theme lyrics, although there have been dozens versions of these “lyrics” out there by people who think they’re on the inside track for WKRP. (The word “bartender” often pops up in these.)

EARLY RESPONSE

Production began on WKRP in Cincinnati on July 20, 1978 in Hollywood at KTLA. Originally scheduled to air at 8:30 Monday nights, the series’ time slot was changed to 8:00 before it aired. This was an ominous sign, for as its theme song mentions, WKRP in Cincinnati “got kind of tired packing and unpacking.” Unfortunately, as we’ll see, so did the viewership…

CBS’ first airing of WKRP in Cincinnati was on Monday, September 18, 1978 at 8:00 p.m., competing against ABC’s Welcome Back, Kotter and NBC’s Top 20 show Little House on the Prairie. It received a number of enthusiastic critiques from the press, including Variety and the Wall Street Journal. But the ultimate litmus test had to be the reaction of the Cincinnati Post: “Even Mayor Springer will have to take a backseat when the new First Family comes to Cincinnati tonight. The cast of the new CBS-TV comedy WKRP in Cincinnati is expected to become a familiar gang of characters in local households, according to predictions of success within the television industry.”

The movie FM, which seemed to have a few similarities (or vice versa) with WKRP in Cincinnati, premiered on April 20, 1978. Some have claimed that the TV series was a rip-off of the movie, but history indicates that WKRP in Cincinnati was in the works first. (Speaking of similarities, Cincinnati has an actual radio station with the call letters WKRC.) The WKRP pilot episode performed very well, despite being postponed for ten minutes due to Baby, if you’ve ever wondered, President Jimmy Carter’s address to Congress.

However, viewer ratings for the majority of the Wondered whatever became of me, I’m living on the air in Cincinnati, new show’s next seven episodes were far from Cincinnati, WKRP. “No static at all”? Despite that promising, especially the second episode, which Got kind of tired packing and unpacking, was Part Two of the pilot’s establishing story. The Steely Dan lyric from this exception was when it once aired before M*A*S*H Town to town and up and down the dial movie’s soundtrack, some in early October; “Turkeys Away,” WKRP’s bestMaybe you and me were never meant to be, critics charged that WKRP in But baby think of me once in awhile. known episode, originally aired six weeks into the Cincinnati pulled inspiration I’m at WKRP in Cincinnati... new series and was created long before the show from the 1978 movie FM… but our Oddball World columnist was on TV. After Welles and the rest of the musicians So, what were the changes? Mostly minor spins a different tale in this laid down their tracks, somebody said, “We ones.

There’s a moment in the pilot when Jennifer article. © Universal Pictures. Poster gotta have an end tick.” No one had thought reveals that she considers her boss, Mr. Carlson, courtesy of Heritage. about a tune to run over the end credits and to be a “jerk”; from then on, that attitude only Welles hadn’t prepared for this. According to applied to salesmen perched in WKRP’s lobby.

Chehak, “The singer who was there just started singing nonsense Stories re-introduced Lillian “Mean Momma” Carlson, recast as lyrics—‘blab-a-bla-a-bling-bang, blow-bling-blow.’ And we said, Carol Bruce, and added Carlson, Jr.’s wife, Allyn Ann McLerie, as a ‘That was great, let’s just use it and let everybody try to figure out semi-regular. what they’re saying.’ But there’s no words—nothing. That was just a The biggest change was that Andy Travis was no longer little spontaneous moment… we were sitting down and it just kind considered the show’s “star” and that WKRP in Cincinnati had of happened.” Wilson decided to use it, since he felt that it would be become a true ensemble. Jiggling Jennifer and stony Johnny were RETROFAN

March/April 2023

63

The oddball world of scott shaw!

encouraged women’s rights in a slightly different way.

Despite these positive signs that WKRP in Cincinnati was getting noticed, what the show really needed was a consistent and effective time slot on CBS’ primetime schedule so viewers would know how to find it.

DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL!

(LEFT) Loni Anderson gave Farrah Fawcett a run for her money with this popular poster released by Klaymax in 1978. Courtesy of Heritage. (RIGHT) Anderson in September 2019 at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention. With her is a creepy fan who should have a restraining order issued against him RetroFan editor Michael Eury. still its breakout characters, but now the series’ stories repeatedly focused on every character. That applied to the series’ actors as well, whose input into their characters and scripts altered TV’s standard process, as well as a major contribution to the show.

Some of them—Richard Sanders, Tim Reid, Gordon Jump, and Howard Hesseman—even pitched episodes okayed by Hugh Wilson that they would write and direct. And many of the show’s writers that Hugh hired were new to television; WKRP was his first series, and he wanted to work with talented people who didn’t rely on the same old tropes. Howard also recommended his co-performer friends from The Committee to Hugh, who cast them in appropriate roles. That’s unusual in entertainment, but it occasionally happens, thanks to guys like Hugh, and to the benefit of the show and its audience.

CBS promoted the show’s return, and the press listened.

By then, WKRP was also receiving positive reviews, loyal fan reactions, and, especially helpful, support from deejays across the country who praised its rather realistic POV of the radio industry and WKRP’s cool legitimacy in general. The show gained followers and ratings started crawling higher. Unfortunately, some of the new male viewers were there only so they could stare at Loni Anderson as Jennifer Marlowe in what was referred to as the “Jiggle Factor,” popularized by ABC’s Charlie’s Angels and Three’s Company as a reliable attraction to primetime TV series and a legitimate controversy among women. But if Loni Anderson’s physique was impressive, so was the mind and personality of Jennifer Marlowe, a point that frustrated many of her critics and 64

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

Once WKRP in Cincinnati was back on CBS’ schedule, it was given a new time slot, one of the best on the network, following M*A*S*H. This allowed creator Hugh Wilson to use less outrageous stories and more that were low-key and character-based, with contemporary themes. For the most part, it also describes the entire series ahead.

In 1979, WKRP in Cincinnati moved to Studio City in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. The writers and production crew enjoyed the roomy space and the occasional absence of meddling MTM executroids. To allow the ensemble cast to mingle, the set was expanded.

A communal office area—referred to as “The Bullpen”—was added for scenes with the entire cast.

Midway through the second season, the show was moved back to its original earlier time because CBS wanted to fill the shiny, post-M*A*S*H slot for House Calls (starring M*A*S*H’s Captain “Trapper John” McIntyre, Wayne Rogers). The network also misjudged that rock-and-roll and sexy Loni Anderson were more

WKRP’S UTTERLY CONFUSING TIME SLOTS f September to November 1978: Mondays at 8:00 p.m. f Off the air until January 1979 f January to December 1979: Mondays at 9:30 p.m. f December 1979 to July 1980: Mondays at 8:00 p.m. f July and August 1980: Mondays at 8:30 p.m. f Late August to mid-September 1980: Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. f Mid-September to October 1980: Mondays at 9:30 p.m. f November 1980 to May 1981: Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. f June to September 1981: Mondays at 8:00 p.m. f October 1981 to early January 1982: Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. f Mid-January to February 1982: Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. f March to April 1982: Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. f Off the air during May 1982 f June through mid-September 1982: Mondays at 8:30 p.m.

(Thanks to Stu Shostak for the list of WKRP time slots!)

The oddball world of scott shaw!

appropriate for the earlier slot, mostly aimed at youngsters. But the mid-season time slot change didn’t affect the show’s success; WKRP finished at No. 22 in the ratings for its second year.

Over the next two seasons, the writers and producers often fought with CBS over the show’s content in the so-called family hour. And yet, more and better “issue” stories dominated the show’s second season. Even better, WKRP’s now-familiar characters had backstories that began to reveal that they were much more complicated and interesting. New characters were added as well, with Carol Bruce replacing Syvia Sydney as Lillian “Mama” Carlson; Ian Wolfe as her snide butler, Hirsch; Allyn Ann McLerie as Arthur’s wife, Carmen; and Sparky Marcus as their dictatorial son, Arthur Carlson, Jr. We also met Edie McClurg as Herb’s wife, Lucille; writer Bill Dial as WKRP tech guy Bucky Dornster; and Gary Goodrow as desperate deejay Bob Burnat.

There were also a number of in-jokes based on elements of the neighborhood near the writers’ offices. WKRP’s “Flem Building” was inspired by North Hollywood’s Klump Building’s goofy name.

Around the time, Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens, Disney comics editor Bob Foster, and I all kept studios in that former dentist’s office building, which was destroyed by L.A.’s 1994 earthquake. The “King Kong Club” was based on a ramshackle bar of the same name on nearby Ventura Boulevard. (Dino De Laurentiis’ King Kong had just been released.)

In 1979, actor Frank Bonner was injured in a parasailing accident.

He was 20 feet in the air, suspended under a parachute pulled by a tow vehicle, when an unexpected gust of wind caused him to fall and suffer injuries. That explains why he appeared on crutches in the episode “A Family Affair” and in an “All-Star Special” WKRP episode of ABC’s Family Feud.

During the summer of 1980, the Screen Actors Guild went on strike against theatrical and primetime TV producers, which postponed most first-time programming until October. Due to her rising popularity in WKRP, Loni Anderson walked out on the sitcom during the 1980 summer hiatus, requesting a substantial salary increase. While she renegotiated her contract, she starred in the CBS made-for-television film The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980). When the network agreed to her requests, she returned to the series until it ended.

Starting with the second season, CBS began to change WKRP in Cincinnati’s primetime slots. First, it moved the show from its Monday 9:30 p.m. slot to 8:00 p.m., losing an average of 2,500,000 viewers. The show was relocated three more times in the 1979–1980 season, adding up to a loss of 10,000,000 viewers.

As 1980’s September Fall Season approached, CBS arranged for the WKRP in Cincinnati cast to promote the new season with appearances on radio stations across the country, Los Angeles TV news shows, and even hog contests, a Les Nessman specialty.

During this season, Howard Hesseman liked to wage an ethics war with CBS’ Standards and Practices hypocritical rep. He was a stoner who constantly removed doper humor from WKRP in Cincinnati’s scripts.

The previous season’s strike gave Richard Sanders and his friend Michael Fairman the opportunity to co-write their first script, a two-parter. This led to the first episode of the Season Three of WKRP in Cincinnati.

Another episode, “Real Families,” a parody of PBS’ The Loud Family, was so experimental in its unusual format that some viewers thought that WKRP in Cincinnati had been replaced by a

The staff of “America’s favorite radio station,” dressed to the nines. From the Loni Anderson collection. WKRP in Cincinnati © MTM Enterprises. Courtesy of Heritage.

new series. Tim Reid’s “Venus and the Man” was another “different” episode, convincing a likely dropout to stick with high school. Other episodes had themes about alcoholism, censorship, and treatment of the elderly.

WKRP’S CANCELLATION AND AFTERLIFE

WKRP in Cincinnati’s cancellation wasn’t unexpected. The ratings for Season Four were falling fast after so many time slots. Sitcoms were moving away from relevance. Tim Reid felt that the show’s attitude and content was against the grain of corporate Hollywood, Howard Hesseman thought that due to the way the show evolved, the suits didn’t feel that it was “their baby.” Even Hugh Wilson admitted that WKRP in Cincinnati had exhausted him to the point that its creator didn’t care if the series was cancelled or not. (It was.)

The show’s scripts were still funny, smart, and edgy, still mostly based on contemporary reality. Herb screws up a top client’s ad; Johnny has to pretend he’s gay to get out of a contract with a soulless condo corporation; Herb finally gets a “date” with Jennifer; Les gets a “date” with a hooker; Johnny and Bailey cohabitate without sex; Bailey doctors a scandal from another news source; Les goes to NYC to audition for the CBS Evening News; Venus gets jailed for a lookalike jewel thief’s crime; Johnny’s paranoia about “the Phone Cops”; and one of the most inside episodes ever, in which a coldhearted consultant sparks a brilliant scheme to make him seem incompetent in Mama Carlson’s eyes.

In 1982, Vanity Fair released a WKRP merchandising tie-in that was marketed to kids: the WKRP Center. This allowed fans to channel their inner Dr. Johnny Fever or Venus Flytrap and hone their DJ skills. The set included a “From the desk of Dr. Johnny Fever” memo pad and a set of flash cards featuring a series of canned RETROFAN

March/April 2023

65

The oddball world of scott shaw!

scripts for mock radio ads. (At least SatAM cartoon watchers never had to endure a WKRP-derived cartoon show that I worked on the development of, while at Hanna-Barbera Productions when WKRP was still airing on CBS. When I was told I’d be coming up with visual ideas for “WKRP in Cincinnati... with dogs,” the first thing I thought was, “They’ll need to license Elvis’ “You Ain’t Nothing But A Hound Dog!” Fortunately, the concept was sent to the pound.)

The final first-run episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, “Up A WKRP in Cincinnati and Down the Dial,” aired on April 21, 1982, and ranked “child-safe” turntable No. 7 in the weekly Nielsen ratings, though the series allowed kids—and had already been cancelled. However, in much of the maybe some mega-fan country, CBS actually pre-empted WKRP in Cincinnati’s adults—to “be” a DJ just two episodes leading up to the April 21, 1982 finale. “To like TV faves Dr. Johnny Fever and Venus Flytrap.

Err is Human” and “The Impossible Dream” wouldn’t WKRP in Cincinnati © MTM Enterprises. have their first airings until August 9 and September 20, respectively, making them the actual last episodes.

After WKRP in Cincinnati, Hugh Wilson continued to write, direct, From 1991 to 1993, 47 episodes of The New WKRP in Cincinnati and produce. Some of his post-WKRP projects were the television appeared in television syndication. Gordon Jump, Frank Bonner, series Frank’s Place and The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (both 1988) and Richard Sanders returned as regulars, with new regulars and The Famous Teddy Z (1989). He worked on films such as Police Mykelti Williamson, Tawny Kitaen, Marla Rubinoff, John Chappell, Academy (1984), Rustlers’ Rhapsody (1985), Guarding Tess (1994), The Kathleen Garrett, Michael Des Barres (of the original’ WKRP’s First Wives Club (1996), and Dudley Do-Right and Blast from the Past “Scum of the Earth”), Hope Alexander-Willis, French Stewart, and (both 1999). Similarly, the cast of WKRP in Cincinnati continued to Lightfield Lewis. Howard Hesseman, Loni Anderson, Tim Reid, and stay busy in a variety of screen and television projects for years Carol Bruce returned as occasional or one-time guest-stars. There to come. Unfortunately, at this writing, the surviving WKRP cast were a few great moments, but overall, it was a rather shoddy members have dwindled to Tim Reid, Gary Sandy, Loni Anderson, shadow of a much-smarter show.

Richard Sanders, and Jan Smithers.

In 2007, WKRP in Cincinnati was released on DVD. The music In 1991, WKRP in Cincinnati was syndicated for the first copyrights were a financial problem for its publisher Fox, so the time, although the episodes were edited to create more room company decided to replace many songs with generic music, for commercial breaks. The revival ran for two seasons from sometimes removing all of the music from episodes. The fans made September 1991 through early September of 1993. An unexpected it clear that they wouldn’t purchase them. In 2014, Shout Factory success, for the next decade, it WKRP in Cincinnati was one of reissued the entire WKRP series, with 90% of the original music the most popular sitcoms in syndication, outperforming many restored. programs that had been more successful in primetime, including WKRP didn’t represent Cincinnati as much as it represented the all the other MTM Enterprises comedy shows. usually invisible people who entertain you while you’re driving to work five days a week. Everyone in America had access to this radio show (if they could find it). Therefore, WKRP in Cincinnati truly was “America’s Favorite Radio Station.”

Howard Hesseman with a familiar face (and shirt!).

66

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

For 50 years (and counting), SCOTT SHAW! has written and drawn underground comix, mainstream comic books, comic strips, graphic novels, TV cartoons, toys, advertising, and video games. He has worked on such characters as Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew (which he co-created with Roy Thomas), Sonic the Hedgehog, the Flintstones, the Jetsons, the Simpsons, the Futurama gang, the Muppet Babies, Garfield, the Garbage Pail Kids, and yes, even Annoying Orange. His career has garnered him four Emmy Awards, an Eisner Award, and a Humanities Award. Scott is also known for his “Oddball Comics Live!” visual presentation of “the craziest comic books ever published” and for his regular participation in “Quick Draw!” with Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragonés. He was also one of the teenagers who co-created what is currently known as Comic-Con International: San Diego, America’s biggest annual fan event. He can be reached at shawcartoons.com.

CELEBRITY CRUSHES

‘An Everlasting Love’… for

Andy Gibb

BY LUCY HALL

Dear Tiger Beat, al groovy Andy Gibb is a re ink he dude! I mean, I th for the is terrific! Thanks u run. Every great pictures yo to sleep I night before I go r my put a picture unde pillow. This way I’m guaranteed to have sweet drea ms!

Sincerely, Shadow Dancer

Okay, so I never submitted a fan letter. But if I had been a teenager in the Seventies, I certainly would have written a letter like that.

Some people like Barry, some like Robin, while others prefer Maurice… but I tell you, baby brother’s got it over all of them.

How did this admiration begin? Was it the chest hair? The feathered Farrah ’do?

No, it wasn’t, because I knew there was something about him I liked that was deeper than the glossy photos on the covers of 16 or Tiger Beat. It was well before he donned his Bicentennial uniform of long, pointed-collared shirts; form-fitting, high-waist spandex disco pants; and big medallion necklaces. It was an early television appearance on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.

His style was stripped down to simple high-waisted jeans and a white jacket opened to reveal just the right amount of chest hair. He looked not only terribly handsome, but he had a certain presence about him; an innocence.

Throughout my life, Andy Gibb memorabilia has found a way to find me. While everybody was going crazy over The Osmonds or The Jackson Five, I found myself bypassing their albums in my sibling’s collection to find a really special pop star. Did I mention I

am an Eighties child? Shouldn’t I have been crushing on New Kids on the Block or some other Eighties teen sensation? Well, that wasn’t the case, because not only were my siblings a generation behind me, but Andy also had that certain “special something” that no other pop star ever possessed. As a preteen, I managed to steal away my sister’s Andy T-shirt. I wore it until it was so thin and faded that his face was no longer visible.

In college, my best friend surprised me with a random gift.

When the package opened, it revealed an Andy doll that still had the price tag attached.

At six dollars it was definitely a steal! I was very pleased with my gift and quickly displayed the doll beside a pin-up of the pop star from 16 Magazine. A few months later, another friend gave me the Andy Gibb/Victoria Principal 45 [their 1981 cover of “All I Have to Do Is Dream”—ed.].

People tend to want to give me Andy-inspired gifts, so since then I have acquired a few more collectibles.

Every holiday season, we’re faced with the task of picking out presents. Of course, we could buy simple gift cards, but we want to surprise our loved ones with something special.

So, I totally get why my nephew gave me a custom Andy Gibb blanket! While it may have been a tough task finding the perfect kitsch gift for his auntie, the end result was definitely worth it. We had a great laugh together, and he enjoyed the surprised look on my face upon opening this thoughtful gift.

Recently, I received a couple of packs of what I believed were Donruss Andy Gibb trading cards. They were still unopened, but due to age were loosely closed. So, of course, I opened them! I was surprised to see that they were actually mini-posters that came with a stick of gum.

What was it about Andy that made him so extraordinary? He was a handsome guy with a great voice! And his image makes for some campy gifts I adore. Andy rules!

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

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

67

RETRO HEROES

David Morrell’s

Rambo at 50

BY DON VAUGHAN

“His name was Rambo, and he was just some nothing kid for all anybody knew, standing by the pump of a gas station at the outskirts of Madison, Kentucky.”

So begins First Blood, David Morrell’s 1972 debut novel. Morrell’s story of troubled Vietnam veteran John Rambo and his bloody, violent battle with hippiehating police chief (and Korean War vet) Wilfred Teasle would go on to become one of the most influential novels of the latter 20th Century, literally reinventing the action story and introducing a character destined to become as recognizable as Tarzan, Superman, or Sherlock Holmes.

It didn’t take long for popular culture to make Rambo an iconic figure. Since his introduction, Rambo has appeared in an eclectic array of forms, media, and formats, including motion pictures, novelizations, action figures, toys, comic books, an animated television series, trading cards, and much, much more. Five decades out, Rambo remains as popular as ever.

THE BIRTH OF RAMBO

Morrell was a graduate student at Penn State from 1966 to 1970 as the Vietnam War escalated. The events of that period struck the Canadian transplant, causing him to fear that the United States was headed for a civil war.

“What I thought I would do was bring the Vietnam War to the United States and show the polar opposites that were happening in the country with all the riots and the police reaction, someone representing the establishment and someone representing the disaffected,” Morrell explained to this writer in a 2015 interview for Videoscope Magazine. “In this case, it would be someone who had been in the war and came back hating what it had done to him. So that was basically the concept of the novel. It took me three years to write the book because I was still learning how to write a novel, and because it took me a little while to figure out that the chapters would bounce back and 68

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

(LEFT) Author David Morrell introduced the world to Vietnam vet/ ultimate survivalist John Rambo in this 1972 novel, First Blood. © David Morrell.

Courtesy of Heritage. (BELOW) David Morrell. © Jennifer Esperanza.

forth between Rambo and the police chief. Their alternating viewpoints represent the way the country was alternating back and forth, the contrast of the two points of view.”

Morrell attended Penn State to study with Hemingway scholar Philip Young, and wrote his Master’s thesis on Hemingway’s style.

“What I noticed was the way Hemingway wrote about action as if no one had ever written about it before,” Morrell continued. “My goal in writing First Blood was two-fold. One was to dramatize the polar opposites that were dividing the country in the late Sixties, and also to write an action book that didn’t feel like a genre book.

To try to write it so it felt like a real novel and not something out of the pulp pages. My agent and I felt that because I was writing action in a different way, we might have some resistance from publishers who might think it was too realistic. But the novel was sold to a publisher within six weeks of being submitted to various places.”

The story of how First Blood became a motion picture is a long tale of false starts, sudden stops,

A montage of scenes from 1982’s Rambo-introducing First Blood, as illustrated by “The Irreverent” Billy Graham, the artist who helped popularize Marvel Comics’ Luke Cage and Black Panther in the early to mid-Seventies. © Anabasis Investments, N.V. Courtesy of Heritage.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

69

retro Heroes

(ABOVE) Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky box-office muscle attracted moviegoers’ attention when Rambo raided Hollywood in 1982’s Ted Kotcheff–directed hit, First Blood. (BELOW) This survival knife, along with its sheath, used by Stallone as Rambo in First Blood, netted $92,250 at a July 28, 2013 Heritage auction. Rambo’s brown canvas First Blood poncho fetched $60,000 at a December 18, 2015 Heritage auction. First Blood © Anabasis Investments, N.V. Movie poster and props courtesy of Heritage.

70

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

and a lot of frustration. According to Morrell, Hollywood expressed interest before the novel was even released, with director Stanley Kramer snagging the first option. Or so it was announced. “We waited and waited, but the contract never showed up, and it turned out he was lying to us,” Morrell revealed. “There were even print ads that talked about Stanley Kramer making the movie, or that it had been optioned to him at least, and the publisher was very upset.”

The book went through a lot of hands over the ensuing years, including Lawrence Turman, one of the producers for The Graduate.

Turman and director Richard Brooks went to Columbia Pictures, which purchased the book outright. Brooks worked on the script for a year, Morrell reported, only to have Columbia sell the book to Warner Bros.

“There was talk of Paul Newman playing the police chief with Martin Ritt directing, because they had worked together many times and Ritt had just finished a Southern picture called Sounder,” Morrell explained. “That did not work out. Then Steve McQueen was signed to play Rambo with Sidney Pollack directing. I talked with Sidney years later and he told me how they were all very excited until someone realized that the picture was going to be made in 1975. Steve McQueen was in his 40s and there were no 40-year-old Vietnam veterans in 1975. It was a young person’s war.

So they realized the picture couldn’t be made believably and they stopped production.”

All told, 26 scripts were produced for First Blood. The film finally became a reality with the involvement of Carolco, a production company owned by film distributors Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna. “They’d struck up a relationship with director Ted Kotcheff,” Morrell told Videoscope. “They said, we want you to make a movie for us, you can do whatever you want. And he said, I worked for a while on a movie called First Blood when I was at Warner Bros. and I’d like to make that movie.”

William Sackheim and Michael Kozoll pounded out yet another script, and the search was on for an actor with international appeal.

Someone recommended Sylvester Stallone, who had a hit with Rocky, but whose subsequent films weren’t as successful. “So there was a certain risk,” Morrell said. Stallone ran the script through his own typewriter, added some elements such as Rambo’s survival knife, and the film moved forward with a $17 million budget, funded by one of Kassar’s wealthy relatives.

The 97-minute film is a fairly faithful adaptation of Morrell’s novel, with one very important exception—Rambo survives at the end. In the novel, both Rambo and Teasle die as a result of their mutual violence, and in Sackheim and Kozoll’s initial shooting script, Rambo takes his own life with Col. Trautman’s gun.

Test audiences hated that ending, so it was quickly reshot with Rambo going to prison instead. “They had no intention of making a sequel,” according to Morrell. “And then the movie scored so well with Rambo alive. So for [the producers], it was a blessing.”

Rambo: First Blood Part II, a Vietnam rescue mission, and Rambo III, set in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan, followed three years apart, with Morrell agreeing to write the novelizations. James Cameron had written a script for Rambo: First Blood Part II (much of which was rewritten by Stallone), and Morrell incorporated numerous elements from Cameron’s contribution. “The shooting script was just 80 pages, and it was literally, ‘Rambo shoots this guy. Rambo shoots that guy,’” Morrell revealed. “I asked what else they had, and they said, well, we have this James

retro Heroes

Rambo creator David Morrell and actor Sylvester Stallone talk shop during the filming of First Blood. © Anabasis Investments, N.V. Courtesy of Carolco Pictures.

Cameron script, so they sent that to me and I knew then that I could write the novelization. I took the best of the Cameron stuff and the best of the shooting script, and then I added my own material. It’s a very unusual novelization.”

The Rambo films, of which there are now five, and the novelizations of the second and third films, were John Rambo’s introduction into popular culture. Included was a unique aspect of the character: his trusty survival knife. Created by Jimmy Lile, the knife quickly became a big deal among blade afficionados. In 1982, Lile produced 100 signed and numbered replicas for collectors at $1,000 each.

Rambo II and III each saw their own knives, with replicas again offered to collectors. Recent estimates for these knives are in the $45,000 range. Recalled Morrell: “In 2003, I was at a Blade Magazine banquet and they gave me an industry achievement award for that knife, which is ironic because it’s not in the novel. So that’s Sylvester’s contribution to the icon.”

RAMBO: MINT IN BOX

That was just the beginning. An action hero as internationally popular as John Rambo was ripe for pop-culture exploitation, and it came fast and furious. Among the earliest collectibles were Rambo action figures from a variety of manufacturers, most prominently Coleco and NECA. Most were themed on the various Rambo films, specifically Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III. In 1985–1986 Coleco released a series of action figures based on characters from Rambo: The Force of Freedom, a syndicated animated series that

we’ll discuss further in a moment. Online prices for Rambo action figures range from a few dollars to hundreds, depending on type and manufacturer.

“I had no involvement in the action figures,” Morrell tells RetroFan today. “But the original action figures, as well as those from Force of Freedom, do not really resemble Sylvester Stallone because he owns the rights to his likeness. So the original action figures had a kind of brawny look to them. You can say it’s like Stallone, but it really wasn’t.”

One of the most realistic—and pricey—Rambo action figures was recently, as of this writing, authorized by Stallone himself, a 1/6-scale figure that is part of the Sylvester Stallone Legacy Collection. It comes with an ultra-realistic hand-painted head sculpt; more than 28 points of articulation; eight posable hands; a weathered M65 Vietnam era field jacket and other clothing; a survival knife with detachable metal compass; knife holster; military sleeping bag; metal dog tags; and diorama stand. Price: $260. Remember, kids—this is for display, not for playing!

VIDEO GAME MAYHEM

Because Rambo films are action-driven, it was inevitable that Rambo would become a character in video games. Several Rambo games were released for home systems and arcades, most of them incorporating the storylines from Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III. The first game, titled Rambo, was released in 1985 for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64. Another game RETROFAN

March/April 2023

71

retro Heroes

based on the second Rambo film was released the following year for Master System. Rambo III, based on the third film, was released in 1989 for numerous home systems, and a separate game was also released that year for arcades. A two-player game based on Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III was released for Sega in 2008, and yet another, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, in 2014.

Fun fact: Rambo is also an unlockable character in the freemium video game Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff.

“When you think about it, Rambo is the perfect shoot-’em-up video game kind of character,” Morrell observes to RetroFan. “He has a lot of weapons at his disposal, and a lot of bad guys who need to be killed. It makes sense that his video games would be so popular.”

IT’S IN THE CARDS

In the Eighties and Nineties, motion picture and television trading cards were a very big thing. Most card sets featured all-ages fare such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and Planet of the Apes, so it may seem odd that in 1985, Topps released a 66-card set featuring images from the R-rated and extremely violent Rambo: First Blood Part II. “The main set is on the small side with just 66 cards. But there’s plenty of Sylvester Stallone and his iconic character,” reported trading card authority Ryan Cracknell on beckett.com. “There’s also crossbows, bazookas, big knives, massive explosions, looks of despair, and moments of victory. Needless to say, it’s not your typical set of [Eighties] trading cards.”

The cards are an attractive item, with crimson borders, a barbwire inner frame, and a photo of Rambo holding a rocket launcher at the lower left corner. The back of each card offers a short synopsis of the film’s plot, which involved saving American POWs still being held in Vietnam.

The collection also included a set of 22 stickers, with each pack containing one. Like the cards, the stickers are heavy on action, and the backs, when assembled in order, form a puzzle of Rambo holding a machine gun and gazing at the sky.

“Although not rare, 1985 Topps Rambo: First Blood Part II trading cards aren’t the most common set out there,” Crack-

Rambo for all ages!

(LEFT) 1985 Coleco action figure based upon the Force of Freedom animated series. (RIGHT) 2007 Hollywood Collectibles Rambo statuette featuring a spot-on Stallone likeness. © Anabasis Investments, N.V. Courtesy of Heritage.

72

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

nell noted on beckett.com. “You can find them today, particularly in set form, but not in huge numbers. Landing singles to fill gaps may be especially challenging.”

In 2013, as part of its 75th anniversary, trading card giant Topps dropped a number of autographed cards from various sets, including Rambo: First Blood Part II. Cards autographed by actress Julia Nickson, who portrayed Co in the film, are most common, but Cracknell reported that a small quantity of cards from the original 1985 set were signed by Stallone himself. They feature a special stamp and a 1/1 serial number.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF RAMBO

A year after the release of Rambo: First Blood Part II, a kinder, gentler Rambo was introduced as part of a syndicated animated series titled Rambo: The Force of Freedom. Produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises, the series debuted on April 14, 1986 as a five-part miniseries, and returned as a daily cartoon that September. It ran for 65 episodes. Neither David Morrell nor Sylvester Stallone was involved in the production.

Entirely eschewing the character’s violent book-and-movie past, the cartoon series has Rambo (voiced by Neil Ross) leading a special unit called the Force of Freedom against a global paramilitary terrorist organization known as S.A.V.A.G.E (Specialist-Administrators of Vengeance, Anarchy and Global Extortion). Other members of the racially and ethnically diverse Force include Col. Samuel Trautman (Alan Oppenheimer), Edward “Turbo” Hayes (James Avery), Katherine Anne “K.A.T.” Taylor (Mona Marshall), White Dragon (Robert Ito), T. D. “Touchdown” Jackson (George DiCenzo), and Chief (Alan Oppenheimer), a Native American.

Voicing the members of S.A.V.A.G.E were Michael Ansara (General Warhawk), Peter Cullen (Sergeant Havoc, Razor and

retro Heroes

Snakebite), Lennie Weinrib (Gripper and Max), Edmund Gilbert (Nomad, Jerkface and Dr. Hyde), Frank Welker (Mad Dog and Animal), James Avery (X-Ray), and Robert Ito (Black Dragon). The actors also voiced miscellaneous one-shot S.A.V.A.G.E. members too numerous to note here.

Rambo: The Force of Freedom was written by Michael Chain, head writer/story editor, with an assist from Jack Bornoff. According to Wikipedia, it was rumored that child psychologists were brought in to advise on how to make sure the series wouldn’t adversely impact children, such as avoiding all mention of Rambo’s experiences in the Vietnam War, or his related PTSD. However, Michael Chain refutes this, noting that his past experience producing children’s programming ensured that Rambo wouldn’t be turning young viewers into raging psychopaths.

Rambo: The Force of Freedom generated some interesting merchandising, including the line of action figures noted earlier.

The first series comprised 11 6.5-inch fully articulated figures, including two of Rambo, in addition to weapons, vehicles, and playsets that included a large S.A.V.A.G.E Strike Headquarters containing a variety of parts and weapons.

The second series, released in 1987, added seven figures to the set, in addition to a handful of new playsets. Wikipedia reported that the second series was only partially released in the United States, and the Action Figure Archive (action-figure. ca) confirmed that the character of X-Ray, the Swampdog, and the S.A.V.A.G.E. Stormbomber were released only in Argentina by a company called Josca.

The animated series also generated a series of books that adapted specific episodes. In 1987, Kid Stuff Records published a book-and-tape set titled Rambo: The Rescue, which adapted the five-part miniseries that launched the show. Another series of four book-and-tape sets was released by Rainbow Communications Ltd. between 1985 and 1986 as part of its Rainbow Theatre line. The book adaptations even reached across the pond, with two series published in the United Kingdom via World Distributors around the same time period. World Distributors also published two annuals, one in 1987 and another a year later, in addition to a Force of Freedom coloring book and activity book. In 1986, Modern Publishing also published four volumes of Force of Freedom coloring and activity books.

Grupo Editorial Vid, a Mexican comic and manga publisher, released a 15-issue comic book series based on Rambo: The Force of Freedom. And in 1986, Panini issued a sticker collection comprising 240 stickers plus a separate album in which to store them.

“The Force of Freedom series was professionally produced, but the big appeal was Jerry Goldsmith’s music,” Morrell tells RetroFan. “I have no knowledge of what Jerry’s contracts were, but the music was used liberally in the cartoon series, and I think that’s what improved the quality.” Goldsmith’s music was used as the opening and ending themes, with additional music provided by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Sylvester Stallone was not a fan of Rambo: The Force of Freedom, and expressed his frustration to film critic Gene Siskel in a 1986 Chicago Tribune interview.

“As for ‘Rambo,’ I can’t stop it,” the actor lamented. “They’re going to make this Saturday morning TV cartoon show for kids with what they tell me is a softened version of Rambo doing good deeds. First of all, that isn’t Rambo, but more

Eighties Rambo merchandise included an Acclaim video game, a series of Topps trading cards, and a lunch box. © Anabasis Investments, N.V.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

73

retro Heroes

important, they tell me I can’t stop them because it’s not me they’re using; it’s a likeness of a character I played and don’t own.”

In the same interview, Stallone expressed disgust at the array of children’s toys that were based on the notoriously violent cinematic Rambo. “At Christmastime, they brought a truckload of this stuff to my house and wanted me to give it away to some kids in a hospital or some ‘Toys for Tots’ program. I told ’em, ‘Get this the hell out of my driveway and burn it. Don’t give it away.’ It’s not for kids. The movie was not supposed to be for little kids, and I wouldn’t let my own children play with those toys.”

A kid-friendly Rambo?? (RIGHT) Title cel for Rambo: The Force of Freedom, an animated cartoon from Ruby-Spears. (BELOW) A video collecting two Rambo cartoons. © Ruby-Spears Enterprises Inc. and Carolco International N.V. Courtesy of Heritage.

74

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

SEE YOU IN THE FUNNYBOOKS!

One might think that John Rambo’s testosterone-fueled adventures would make great comic-book fodder, but the character’s four-color appearances have been somewhat minimal over the years. Even Marvel, which adapted a lot of movies in the Eighties and Nineties, apparently took a hard pass.

The Rambo comics that were published were an odd lot. One of the first, Rambo: Vietnam Hero #1, was published in 1986 by Pocketkomix, a Vietnamese publisher, according to gocollect.com. This book is a rarity and difficult to find on American collector sites. In the ensuing years, publishers in Italy, Argentina, Norway, and elsewhere also published comic books featuring Rambo.

Bladkompaniet A.S., a Norwegian publisher, even featured Rambo as a Smurf in Pyton Special #4, released in November 1990, according to the Grand Comic Database.

The only American Rambo comic books were published by Blackthorne Publishing.

The first, published in 1988, was an adaptation of Rambo III, with story by Bruce Jones and pencils by Charlie Baldorado. A 3-D variant was also published, according to gocollect.com. A year later, Rambo #1 was published, with story by Ron Fortier and art by Aaron Lopresti and Donnie Jupiter. The black-and-white comic featured an original story in which Rambo encounters a soldier from his past who now leads a group of mercenaries. In both books, Rambo looks nothing like Sylvester Stallone, likely because Stallone had no involvement.

Morrell informs RetroFan that he was unaware of the Rambo comic books and believes some may have been unauthorized. “I’m not happy about it,” he says, “but nobody adapted my novel. That would have been a copyright violation.”

As Rambo’s popularity skyrocketed with each new movie, it was inevitable that MAD Magazine would take some humorous pokes.

MAD #259 (Dec. 1985) featured a parody of Rambo: First Blood Part II (Dumbo: More Blood Part II, written by Dick DeBartolo and illustrated

by Mort Drucker), while MAD #264 (July 1986) riffed on “When the Rambo Influence Spreads Everywhere,” written by Lou Silverstone and John Prete, with art by Angelo Torres. This piece was reprinted in MAD Super Special #81 (May 1992). MAD’s third take on Rambo was in #283 (Dec. 1988), a parody of the third Rambo film, a spoof titled Rambull III, written by Stan Hart and again illustrated by Angelo Torres.

Cracked Magazine, MAD’s longest-running competitor, also took some comedic jabs at Rambo, first in #217 (Jan. 1986) with a five-page send-up of Rambo: First Blood Part II, illustrated by Kent Gamble (the author remains a mystery). Cracked #238 (Sept. 1988) featured a great John Severin cover of Sylvester P. Smythe, the

retro Heroes

Random Rambo comic books from the Eighties. © Carolco International N.V. MAD TM & © EC Publications, Inc. Cracked © Major Magazines.

magazine’s mascot, as Rambo in Rambo III, and the interior feature “If Rambo Fought Other Wars,” written by George Gladir and illustrated by Severin.

THE WEIRD AND THE WACKY

A few minutes on eBay reveals a varied and bizarre collection of Rambo merchandise and collectibles, much of it aimed at children.

In addition to the aforementioned action figures, I came across a Danish party centerpiece featuring Rambo holding a rocket launcher, a Rambo: First Blood Part II LED watch, a 1985 ARCO Rambo headband AM radio, a 1986 Rambo adjustable headlight with headband, and a Spanish language Rambo party supply box with invitations, plates, banner, and cups.

Rambo in popular culture has even trickled down to a form of fan fiction on the Internet, with fans creating their own stories about the character. Of special interest is the Rambo: Year One prequel series by Wallace Lee, which explores John Rambo’s life before the events of First Blood.

“I have no involvement in the series, but Lee told me what he was doing,” Morrell tells RetroFan. “I told him that he needed to be careful because of copyright issues, and if he copyrighted his books and sold them, I would consider him in violation of copyright law and I would use every means at my disposal to see he was stopped.

He told me he was writing them as fan fiction, which I can’t control, and put them on the Internet for free. There’s a disclaimer with the

series that I asked him to add. Every once in a while he will reach out to tell me that the books get a lot of response.”

Morrell owns a handful of Rambo merchandise, including some vintage toys and Rambo apparel, but does not consider himself a Rambo collector. There are a lot of collectors out there, however, and they often bring Rambo memorabilia for Morrell to autograph at book signings. “I get mostly film posters, but I also get people asking me to sign DVDs and things like that,” the author tells RetroFan. “If it’s something interesting, I’ll wave everyone forward to take a look because a lot of items are really cool. People appreciate that.”

John Rambo’s last cinematic mission was Rambo: Last Blood (2019), a cynical and unnecessary coda that adds nothing to the character’s legacy and contradicts character traits in the earlier films. There was little merchandising around the film, which very well could be the last in the franchise. But that doesn’t mean the world’s most famous troubled Green Beret will be going away.

Almost certainly he’ll return in one format or another, adding to his massive pop culture cred.

Not bad for a nothing kid, first seen standing by the pump of a gas station at the outskirts of Madison, Kentucky.

DON VAUGHAN’S writing has appeared in an eclectic array of publications, including Military Officer Magazine, Nursing Spectrum, Filmfax, The Weekly World News, and Back Issue.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

75

SUPER COLLECTOR

Listen to the Band! Why I My story starts with me growing up in a house that very much preserved the experiences and culture of yesterday. My parents have always introduced me to the traditions they grew up with during the Sixties and the Seventies. In doing so, they introduced me to the lifestyle that they experienced when they were young—the era’s toys, movies, magazines, clothing, and TV shows. I was fascinated by much of what my parents reminisced upon, and it encouraged me to investigate further, to branch out and educate myself.

Music was a major staple in their childhoods. My mother has been a record collector since her youth and often played the sounds of her generation, most particularly artists from the Sixties era, to me when I was young. Surprisingly, The Monkees did not come into my life until after I graduated high school in 2018 and started my first year at community college. I began to attend there in the hopes of becoming an animator and an illustrator.

I was on my way back from classes one day when I heard the Monkees song “Pleasant Valley Sunday” on the radio. While the band name of “The Monkees” sounded familiar, I could not recall where I had heard it before. I liked the song and decided to ask my mother about The Monkees. She said they were a Sixties

these boys gave me. Much of today’s music does not have the same soul or positive meaning. The Monkees themselves were true musical geniuses and were groundbreaking for their time.

Following my initiation to the TV show and music, I began to collect Monkees memorabilia: albums, 45s, vintage toys, fan club memorabilia, trading cards, magazines, various books and comics, a board game, promotional items, posters, and unusual items like a Monkees comb.

I do not have a collection of just Monkees memorabilia—I also have a grand collection dedicated to Monkee Mike Nesmith. I have collected Nesmith original photo negatives, books, laserdiscs, the original Elephant Parts [Nesmith’s 1981 musical comedy video] studio poster, VHS tapes, and toys. Most recently in my collection, I have finally acquired an original 45 that Nesmith did in his early music career under the stage name “Michael Blessing.” I had been hunting relentlessly for the scarce record, and finally found it, in excellent shape—a perfect addition to my “Nez” memorabilia collection!

There are many items within my collection I consider as favorites, as I am proud of all my memorabilia. However, the collectibles

Micksy Dolenz and super-fan Kit Frascella pose astride the iconic Monkeemobile. music group that had a great TV show that she used to watch when she was young. She was a part of the first generation of Monkees fans and bought the first three albums when they were originally released. My dad also watched the show and was a fan when he was a kid.

I quickly became a Monkees fan after listening to a selection of their music and watching some of their TV series that happened to be on MeTV during our Sunday dinners. The very first album I bought was The Monkees Headquarters in an antique store in Virginia, and the rest was true love.

I think the reason I was drawn to this boyish band was their childlike charm and the wholesome feeling that they gave to the audience in both the TV series and their music. The Monkees were not hung up on negative things, using insulting words. It was unlike anything that I had ever heard before.

Growing up in this modern generation, we have very few artists and songs that convey such an upbeat and whimsical feeling that 76

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

that stand out the most are my autographs. I have a unique story behind how I acquired each of them, and the amazing experiences upon receiving them.

There are two items that are of most significance in my collection that are special to me. I say “two” because one item helped me acquire the other one.

The Monkees’ farewell concert tour in 2021 was indeed a very special event. I was able to acquire second row tickets, and I knew this was going to be a very special time in my life. In preparation for this night, I spent about a month and a half working on a special present for Mike Nesmith that I would wear to the concert as a homage to him. I handcrafted the iconic “nudie suit” he wore in the 1969 Monkees TV special from scratch. I worked tirelessly, many days a week, and used all my spare time from college to focus on this heartfelt piece for the concert.

The concert was in Tarrytown, New York, on October 20, 2021… and what a concert it was!

Love The Monkees

I arrived at the Tarrytown Music Hall, where the concert was being held, and was dressed in my homemade suit. When the concert started, the most magical thing happened as Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith both came out onto the stage, to the applause of everyone. Just then, Micky pointed me out to Mike. When I saw this, I got up and started to come into the aisle and closer to them, Mike’s face immediately lit up when he saw me. He seemed to be filled with joy and surprise as he studied my homemade suit. He then made a bow seeming to express to me how happy he was of my homage to him. It made me so thrilled to be recognized

by Mike like that.

But things got even more magical! During the intermission, I was approached by the manager for the group, who presented me with a signed copy of The Mike and Micky Show album. He told me it was a gift to me from Mike and Micky.

I was astounded beyond belief that they both chose me, out of a whole crowded theater, to give this wonderful present to.

Throughout the night, I enjoyed the great music and watching the boys perform their wonderful songs. It was a dream come true for me. One of the moments that I will never forget is a wink that

BY KIT FRASCELLA

In the spring of 2022, I also had the privilege of personally meeting Micky Dolenz. In preparation for my meeting, I illustrated a portrait of Micky during his younger days wearing his famous poncho. I handed that to Micky as I told him about the Monkees cartoon series I have drawn. I also showed him some of my creations and spoke with him briefly. I was also fortunate to have Micky sign my sketchbook and have a photo taken with him next to the famous Monkeemobile.

There is a reason I treasure the Monkees so dearly. They have inspired me in my career path. My passion has led me to meet so many wonderful people. The band has changed the way I look at the modern music of today. They have brought so much joy into my life with their wholesome messages. And they are easily relatable boys you can get along with.

Today I have a burning passion for The Monkees. Collecting the memorabilia will probably be something I do for a pretty long time, until I get my own house and have a personal Monkees museum. I also feel that this passion for the band has led me to further pursue my dreams of becoming an animator and illustrator. As mentioned earlier, I have been working on a Monkees cartoon series for

Kit’s handmade replica of Mike Nesmith’s “nudie suit.”

Mike gave me at the end of his iconic song “Papa Gene’s Blues,” where he uttered, “Wow!” into the microphone. That night was beyond fantastic, like something out of a fairy tale, an incredible memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Upon Mike’s passing in the December of 2021, I was devastated. During my grieving period, I realized that I had been fortunate enough to see him. Though we never met in person, I was also fortunate to have a private Zoom meeting with Mike the year before he passed. I will say that Mike was an amazing person, and a master in his profession. He was so talented in his craft, a genius with poems, an innovative pioneer in so many ways, and a magician with a guitar. Not only was Mike a gifted rock and roll musician, what is often overlooked by many critics alike is that he was also a superb artist in the Country Rock genre. I feel that it is long past the time that he, and the boys, be recognized for the achievements and contribution to the music and media industry.

the past couple of years, following the exploits of Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Micky, Mike, Mike’s girlfriend Kitty, and their groovy misadventures in the city of Beachwood. My various Monkees creations have become loved by those who have seen my series and perhaps have touched the hearts of both Mike and Micky. The passion I hold for this band is indeed a heartfelt one, continuing to inspire me to chase my dreams and take a giant step each day.

The Monkees were more than a group of boys in a TV series, or a musical group. They were symbolic of their era, and versatile in many ways that are sometimes dismissed by most critics and music junkies alike. I feel that my journey with the Monkees has been a magical one. I have had the esteemed privilege to meet two of them and enjoy what they do. I am proud to have had these wonderful experiences which have made my enthusiasm for this band grow. I feel that the collecting of the merchandise is just another bridge to immersing myself within their culture, a culture that continues to keep me a daydream believer for years to come.

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

77

Okay, okay! I finally took the plunge! For the last couple of years I have been trying to avoid buying RetroFan because I was already backed up with other TwoMorrows mags like Alter Ego, Comic Book Creator, and your own Back Issue. But I was in a store the other day and they had a halfprice ish of RetroFan, so I bought it and knew in advance I’d read it cover to cover. I did. And have been going through back-issue boxes ever since trying to find more (I got about a dozen so far).

You got me hooked, okay? Satisfied?

Well, this is just a letter to say your mag is great, and to offer a couple ideas for future articles. I considered writing them myself, but quickly realized I wasn’t qualified as I know almost nothing about them or where to look for the backstory or original material. But maybe the likes of Will Murray or Scott Saavedra might be able to handle them.

I speak of Remco’s Monkey Division military toys [see inset] that me and my friends loved back in ’65 or so, and the Girders and Panels construction set for which I was never able to get enough to build the really extravagant projects they used to display in the set’s catalogue! I loved that toy! Where the heck is it today? I don’t understand how it could ever go out of favor with budding engineers.

Oh, yeah. I forgot… Lego.

It’s never too late to become a RetroFanatic, Pierre! Glad you took the plunge.

Those are dynamite (or, in the lexicon of the RetroFan Era, “dy-no-mite”) ideas for “Retro Toys” articles. We’ll see what we can do.

(And loyal TwoMorrows readers will recognize Pierre as the author of the Marvel Comics in the 1960s book, and its companion 1970s and 1980s editions, recommended for Marvelites and RetroFans anxious to discover issue-by-issue info about the House of Ideas’ glory years.)

never heard that Super Friends was developed to boost sales for the DC Mego figures. I wonder why the Flash and Green Lantern weren’t added to the Mego line-up when they were added to the Super Friends roster after the initial season?

Route 66: I watched the Naked City “pilot” episode “Four Sweet Corners” on one of Image Entertainment’s singular DVD releases of the series, but never saw an episode of Route 66 until the Decades cable channel binged a run of the episodes over a weekend, back when that channel was still broadcasting in NYC. I enjoyed it, and it definitely wasn’t the same when they cast Bob Conrad lookalike Glenn Corbett as Maharis’ replacement.

Contests You Wanted To Win… But Didn’t: I entered the Superman: The Movie contest and obviously didn’t win any of the prizes, but I did win 2nd Prize in the 1983 Post “Super Heroes Create A Villain” contest. If you watch the commercial on YouTube, you see the Super Friends, minus Aquaman, fighting a bargain basement Mr. Freeze–esque villain. Superman, voiced by Danny Dark, mentions that nine kids will win the grand prize of a week in Hollywood having breakfast with “these super heroes” Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and the villain they created. I figured the winners wouldn’t meet Superman, as they would’ve expected to meet Christopher Reeve. I wanted to see who they would’ve gotten to play the aforementioned three. I was one of the 1000 kids to win a bicycle, my first ten-speed bike!

The Lone Ranger: I was looking forward to this article, as the Format Films Lone Ranger animated series doesn’t get a lot of love. I’m disappointed it hasn’t been released on home video yet, though I’m beginning to think that won’t happen in my lifetime. Andy Mangels did his usual great job on the article. I look forward to his upcoming Super Friends articles!

B. J. Thomas: Sad that it’s a posthumous interview, but I learned a lot about him. You’d never know that the guy who sang “Down in the Boondocks” was the same who sang “Raindrops.”

Some RetroFan #20 memories: Moe’s Final Years: I never got into the Three Stooges, but I read this as it was interesting to see how they segued into the Sixties, and the way it all came to an end. Talk about the show must go on!

G.I. Joe: I got into the figures before the end (kung-fu grip, Bulletman, the Intruders), so I was curious about the genesis. What’s that expression…? Success has many fathers? I had

You won’t have long to wait for Andy’s Super Friends articles, Delmo, as they begin in our very next issue! Andy’s deep-dive into the long-running Saturday morning favorite will span four issues, each installment exploring the show’s different incarnations: Super Friends in RetroFan #26, Challenge of the Super Friends in #27, World’s Greatest Super Friends in #28, and Super Powers Team – Galactic Guardians in #29. If that’s not enough to activate your Wonder Twins powers, I don’t know what is!

PIERRE COMTOIS

78

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

I loved RetroFan #21! Especially Mr. Voger’s Julie Newmar article (great graphics), Mr. Mangels’ Saturday morning Tarzan piece (coulda left out the Disney version), Ms. Kerestman’s clever Celebrity Crush, and the too-short Monkeemobile article by Mr. Knight.

Hope upcoming Sixties Beach Movie article [issue #22] includes the proto-feminist It’s a Bikini World with that irresistible bass-heavy instrumental theme by Bob Summers and the late great Sid Haig as “Daddy.” Also, Out of Sight with another catchy theme, “Malibu Run,” and a ton of George Barris–shop vehicles; real-life mechanical genius Norman Grabowski plays a troll named “Huh,” and various actresses play bikinied assassins named “Scuba,” “Tuff Bod,” and “Wipeout.” Or the band the Astronauts performing “Surf Party” in the film of the same name (with the lovely Jackie DeShannon). Safe bet these fun movies will outlive any number of award-winning “important” “socially relevant” films.

I’ve included a pic of a 1/6 Barbie “4 for Fun” car converted into the Monkeemobile (“Monkees cruise Sunset”) and a pic of “Night Drag” (featuring the Holy Tetrarchy of Sixties TV cars) display that won $50 (a whole tank of gas) at Toylanta 2022. These four cars reside at the Pop Culture intersection of “Surf Culture,” “Monster Culture,” and “Car Culture,” per the sign. Marilyn Munster holds a copy of the It’s Monster Surfing Time album—the greatest album cover ever, with a surprisingly risque back cover and some really good songs, especially the first rock opera, “Igor Goes Surfing.”

BIG SURF

DELMO (THE SAINT) WALTERS, JR.

Hey, big daddy—or Big Surf, thanks for sharing these outta site Polaroids!

Ye ed was also blown away with guest writers Katherine Kerestman and Michael Knight. They’ll both be back in our pages before long: Katherine with a Barbie history and Michael with another spin in a Hollywood car, this time Knight Rider’s KITT!

Batman and related characters TM & © DC Comics

Re Scott Shaw!’s Pebbles cereal history in RetroFan #21: In 1970, with a couple bucks and some box tops from either flavor of Pebbles cereal, you could get this two-piece Bedrock game set (the year was stamped underneath). The figures of Fred, Wilma, and Dino (I think that’s all that were offered), with ball bearings to slide them, were the toy prizes in boxes of the cereal. The gist of the game was to set each Bedrock piece at a distance from each other, and to slide the figures over to get them into certain structures to gain points. I have a green Wilma, a red Dino (see photo below), and I will soon have a blue Fred. Yellow was also an available color.

P.S. I drew this Catwoman artwork 25 years ago, when I was a teenager.

Chris, part of our RetroFan rite of passage into adulthood is the moment as a grown-up that you see TV’s Batman as more than the kids’ adventure show you thought it was when you were in grade school.

TODD “QUALITY” JAEGER

I grew up watching the classic Batman TV series in reruns. I had the Batman View-Master slides that featured images from the first season Batman episode “The Purr-fect Crime,” starring Julie Newmar. My interest in the Batman TV series was revived when I was in ninth grade in high school when a local channel was rerunning the episodes early in the morning as I got dressed for school; suddenly I discovered the show had a whole new dimension of subtle humor that I didn’t get when I was younger and watched the series.

Catwoman stole two golden cat statues that she had to place in the 69 position to reveal a map that led her to a treasure chest of gold. Adam West in his book seemed not to understand the joke about the 69 position of the cats when he mentioned she stole three golden cat statues… and you can actually see Burt Ward trying to contain his smile in the scene where Batman and Robin try and deduce the secret of the cat statues. So because of that particular episode and the View-Master reels of that particular episode, Julie Newmar as Catwoman really made an impression on me as a young adult.

When I was in the Navy in 2003, I wrote to Julie Newmar and told her I was a sailor on deployment in the Navy. She sent back an autographed photo of herself as Catwoman to me, and that was a real morale lifter to this sailor. I bet I was the only sailor on my ship that had an autographed photo of Catwoman in his locker!

Thanks for the great issue!

CHRISTOPHER KRIEG

I wouldn’t have imagined, 50-some years ago when I was playing with a Slinky, that it would be the focus of an article in the 21st Century.

Yet, here we are. Interesting that though it’s not high tech, nor the latest fad, it’s still entertaining kids. For me, I’m even more amazed I still have the song in my head (along with Beefaroni and Crackerjack).

I laughed at the Too Much TV Quiz with TV robots, featuring the Robot from Lost in Space atop the frame. What amused me is, because his body was gold, I could identify it as from the second season’s “Cave of the Wizards.” Sadly, that trivia doesn’t score me any points on your TV Quiz.

The Julie Newmar/Catwoman coverage was great fun. She was exceptional in the role.

So amusing… taunting and tempting Batman concurrently. Those are some of my favorites to re-watch on disc. She was especially given a big role in the second season where, at one point, she was carted off to jail and came back two weeks later. Hardly time enough to reform.

I thought it was kind of her to fondly compliment her replacements in the series: Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt. Yet, Lee was manipulating Bruce Wayne as Miss Kitka in the movie, not so much in character as Catwoman.

Eartha, so far as I could tell, had a nice purr but put no moves on Adam West in either identity.

The tension or playfulness wasn’t there. It was more about committing crimes than flirting.

Batman had any number of villainesses. But none had the chemistry or attraction that Julie’s Catwoman did. For that matter, not even fellow crimefighter Batgirl. It wasn’t mushy so much as enticing and playful; an additional level of struggle for Batman.

The Monkeemobile? I recall it from the opening theme to their show, Cool, like most Sixties TV cars, but impractical. A vehicle carrying a rock group should definitely have windows so adoring ladies couldn’t grab a handful of clothing or hair as a loving souvenir.

I’d heard of, but never seen, The Untouchables.

Yet, I very much enjoyed the article. TV shows of that era invariably have known guest-stars.

Here, you had a shot of pre-Bewitched Elizabeth Montgomery and a mention of pre–Dick Van Dyke Jerry Paris.

What I especially loved were the revelations of other actors considered for the Elliot Ness role. Jack Lord as a lawman? A decade ahead of its time. But Fred MacMurray? He’d be too busy raising his three sons to chase bad guys.

Finally, regarding the 1977 display of Russian objects, and the Soyuz being “crushingly claustrophobic,” I can believe it. I once saw a traveling Americana exhibit featuring, I believe, a retrieved Gemini space capsule. Seemed like an astronaut would be cramped in a fetal position for the duration of the flight. No amount of pay, Tang, or Space Food Sticks could prompt me to go. Maybe that’s why they sent dogs and monkeys initially? They couldn’t get on the microphone and scream, “Lemme outta here!”

JOE FRANK

Joe, Elizabeth Montgomery was one of ye ed’s earliest celebrity crushes (one I never quite outgrew, I admit), so I’ll spill the beans here that Herbie J Pilato (no punctuation after the middle initial, eagle-eyed reader), esteemed Bewitched and TV show historian, and the late Ms. Montgomery’s personal friend and biographer, will be an occasional RetroFan contributor starting with issue #31. And what better way to welcome him than with #31’s cover-featured retrospective of the bewitching career of lovely Liz?

Tell your friends about us, and share your comments about this issue by writing me at euryman@gmail.com.

MICHAEL EURY Editor-in-Chief

NEXT ISSUE

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

79

ReJECTED! Not every great idea is successful, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate the also-rans, the nearly-made-its, and the ReJECTED. It’s been said that music has charms that soothe the savage breast, well that’s news to these tunes…

Jingles You’ll Want to Forget

BY SCOTT SAAVEDRA

The tortured soul he has a name It’s R-A-M-B-O Don’t know the very second name So… R-A-M-B-O He doesn’t like to be harrassed If you see him just walk past Otherwise he’ll bring the war To you hard and good and fast

Sung to the tune of the Oscar Mayer Balogna song.

SPACE: 1999

Sometimes you feel like an ast’roid Sometimes you won’t Alpha Base has moon Earth don’t

Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever Fever, Fever, Fever Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever, Fever Sung to the tune of the Meow Mix song.

80

RETROFAN

March/April 2023

Sung to the tune of the Almond Joy/ Mounds song.

Fever’s Herbal Blend: The natural remedy Dr. Johnny Fever asks for by name. Tell them WKRP sent you!

Get RetroFan back issues!

Many early issues are close to selling out!

Order online, or by mail include $4 US postage for the first magazine, and $2 for each additional magazine on the same order.

See inside front cover for subscription rates.

RETROFAN #6

RETROFAN #1

RETROFAN #3

RETROFAN #4

RETROFAN #5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RETROFAN #7

RETROFAN #8

RETROFAN #9

RETROFAN #10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RETROFAN #11

RETROFAN #12

RETROFAN #13

RETROFAN #14

RETROFAN #15

HALLOWEEN ISSUE! Interviews with DARK SHADOWS’ DAVID SELBY, and the niece of movie Frankenstein GLENN STRANGE, JULIE ANN REAMS. Plus: KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER, ROD SERLING retrospective, CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST, TV’s Adventures of Superman, Superman’s pal JIMMY OLSEN, QUISP and QUAKE cereals, the DRAK PAK AND THE MONSTER SQUAD, scratch model customs, and more!

CHRIS MANN goes behind the scenes of TV’s sexy sitcom THREE’S COMPANY— and NANCY MORGAN RITTER, first wife of JOHN RITTER, shares stories about the TV funnyman. Plus: RICK GOLDSCHMIDT’s making of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, RONNIE SCHELL interview, Sheena Queen of the TV Jungle, Dr. Seuss toys, Popeye cartoons, DOCTOR WHO’s 1960s U.S. invasion, and more!

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

Holy backstage pass! See rare, behind-thescenes photos of many of your favorite Sixties TV shows! Plus: an unpublished interview with Green Hornet VAN WILLIAMS, Bigfoot on Saturday morning television, TV’s Zoorama and the San Diego Zoo, The Saint, the lean years of Star Trek fandom, the WrestleFest video game, TV tie-in toys no kid would want, and more fun, fab features!

Sixties teen idol RICKY NELSON remembered by his son MATTHEW NELSON, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., rural sitcom purge, EVEL KNIEVEL toys, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Saturday morning’s Super 7, The Muppet Show, behind-the-scenes photos of Sixties movies, an interview with The Sound of Music’s heartthrob-turnedbad guy DANIEL “Rolf” TRUHITTE, and more fun, fab features!

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

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

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

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

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

RETROFAN #16

RETROFAN #17

RETROFAN #18

RETROFAN #19

RETROFAN #20

An exclusive interview with Logan’s Run star MICHAEL YORK, plus Logan’s Run novelist WILLIAM F. NOLAN and vehicle customizer DEAN JEFFRIES. Plus: the Marvel Super Heroes cartoons of 1966, H. R. Pufnstuf, Leave It to Beaver’s SUE “Miss Landers” RANDALL, WOLFMAN JACK, drive-in theaters, My Weekly Reader, DAVID MANDEL’s super collection of comic book art, and more!

Dark Shadows’ Angelique, LARA PARKER, sinks her fangs into an exclusive interview.

Plus: Rankin-Bass’ Mad Monster Party, Aurora Monster model kits, a chat with Aurora painter JAMES BAMA, George of the Jungle, The Haunting, Jawsmania, Drak Pack, TV dads’ jobs, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns by FARINO, MANGELS, MURRAY, SAAVEDRA, SHAW, and MICHAEL EURY.

Our BARBARA EDEN interview will keep you forever dreaming of Jeannie! Plus: The Invaders, the BILLIE JEAN KING/BOBBY RIGGS tennis battle of the sexes, HANNABARBERA’s Saturday morning super-heroes of the Sixties, THE MONSTER TIMES fanzine, and more fun, fab features! Featuring ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW!, and MICHAEL EURY.

Interview with Bond Girl and Hammer Films actress CAROLINE MUNRO! Plus: WACKY PACKAGES, COURAGEOUS CAT AND MINUTE MOUSE, FILMATION’S GHOSTBUSTERS vs. the REAL GHOSTBUSTERS, Bandai’s rare PRO WRESTLER ERASERS, behind the scenes of Sixties movies, WATERGATE at Fifty, Go-Go Dancing, a visit to the Red Skelton Museum, and more fun, fab features!

MAD’s maddest artist, SERGIO ARAGONÉS, is profiled! Plus: TV’s Route 66 and an interview with star GEORGE MAHARIS, MOE HOWARD’s final years, singer B. J. THOMAS in one of his final interviews, LONE RANGER cartoons, G.I. JOE, and more! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

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

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

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

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

RETROFAN #21

RETROFAN #22

RETROFAN #23

RETROFAN #24

RETROFAN #26

Meet JULIE NEWMAR, the purr-fect Catwoman! Plus: ASTRO BOY, TARZAN Saturday morning cartoons, the true history of PEBBLES CEREAL, TV’s THE UNTOUCHABLES and SEARCH, the MONKEEMOBILE, SOVIET EXPO ’77, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns

by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Surf’s up as SIXTIES BEACH MOVIES make a RetroFan splash! Plus: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, ZORRO’s Saturday morning cartoon, TV’s THE WILD, WILD WEST, CARtoons and other drag-mags, VALSPEAK, and more fun, fab features!

Like, totally! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Meet the stars behind the Black Lagoon: RICOU BROWNING, BEN CHAPMAN, JULIE ADAMS, and LORI NELSON! Plus SHADOW CHASERS, featuring show creator KENNETH JOHNSON. Also: THE BEATLES’ YELLOW SUBMARINE, FLASH GORDON cartoons, TV’s cult classic THE PRISONER and kid’s show ZOOM, COLORFORMS, M&Ms, and more fun, fab features! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Interviews with Lost in Space’s ANGELA CARTWRIGHT and BILL MUMY, and Land of the Lost’s WESLEY EURE! Revisit Leave It to Beaver with JERRY MATHERS, TONY DOW, and KEN OSMOND! Plus: UNDERDOG, Rankin-Bass’ stop-motion classic THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, Christmas gifts you didn’t want, the CABBAGE PATCH KIDS fad, and more!

Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

The saga of Saturday morning’s Super Friends, Part One! Plus: A history of MR. T, TV’s AVENGERS (Steed and Mrs. Peel), Daktari’s CHERYL MILLER, Mexican movie monsters, John and Yoko’s nation of Nutopia, ELIZABETH SHEPHERD (the actress who almost played Emma Peel), and more! With ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, MARK VOGER, & MICHAEL EURY.

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships April 2023

TwoMorrows.

The Future of Pop History.

RETROFAN #27

RETROFAN #28

RETROFAN #29

RETROFAN #30

Interview with Captain Kangaroo BOB KEESHAN, The ROCKFORD FILES, teen monster movies, the Kung Fu and BRUCE LEE crazes, JACK KIRBY’s comedy comics, DON DRYSDALE’s TV drop-ins, outrageous toys, Challenge of the Super Friends, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns

by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

The BRITISH INVASION of the Sixties, interview with Bond Girl TRINA PARKS, The Mighty Hercules, Horror Hostess MOONA LISA, World’s Greatest Super Friends, TV Guide Fall Previews, the Frito Bandito, a Popeye Super Collector, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

The story behind BOB CLAMPETT’s Beany & Cecil, western queen DALE EVANS, an interview with Mr. Ed’s ALAN YOUNG, Miami Vice, The Sixties’ Wackiest Robots, Muscle-Maker CHARLES ATLAS, Super Powers Team—Galactic Guardians, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns

by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

The Brady Bunch’s FLORENCE HENDERSON, the UNKNOWN COMIC revealed, Hanna-Barbera’s Top Cat, a Barbie history, RANKIN/BASS’ Frosty the Snowman, Dell Comics’ Monster Super-Heroes, Slushy Drinks, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships June 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Aug. 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Oct. 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Dec. 2023

TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 USA 919-449-0344 E-mail:

store@twomorrows.com

Order at

www.twomorrows.com