Issuu

September 2024 No. 34 $10.95

Tiptoe through the tulips with me!

TINY TIM

Take a ride with CHiPs’

PL ASTIC MAN

s t r e t c he s into animation

The Weird-Oh art of BILL CAMPBELL Movie Hercules STEVE REEVES

ERIK ESTRADA & LARRY WILCOX By Herbie J Pilato

John Candy • Remo Williams • A family’s search for a Disney artist & more! Featuring Andy Mangels • Will Murray • Scott Saavedra • Scott Shaw! • Mark Voger • Michael Eury Erik Estrada/Larry Wilcox photograph courtesy of the Classic TV Preservation Society. Plastic Man © DC Comics. Weird-Oh art © Round2 Corp., LLC. Hercules © Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

Satiate Your Sinister Side!

“Greetings, creep culturists! For my debut

All characters and properties TM & © their respective owners.

issue, I, the CRYPTOLOGIST (with the help of FROM THE TOMB editor PETER NORMANTON), have exhumed the worst Horror Comics excesses of the 1950s, Killer “B” movies to die for, and the creepiest, kookiest toys that crossed your boney little fingers as a child! But wait... do you dare enter the House of Usher, or choose sides in the skirmish between the Addams Family and The Munsters?! Can you stand to gaze at Warren magazine frontispieces by this issue’s cover artist BERNIE WRIGHTSON, or spend some Hammer Time with that studio’s most frightening films? And if Atlas pre-Code covers or terrifying science-fiction are more than you can take, stay away! All this, and more, is lurching toward you in TwoMorrows Publishing’s latest, and most decrepit, magazine—just for retro horror fans, and featuring my henchmen WILL MURRAY, MARK VOGER, BARRY FORSHAW, TIM LEESE, PETE VON SHOLLY, and STEVE and MICHAEL KRONENBERG!” (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

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CRYPTOLOGY #2

CRYPTOLOGY #3

CRYPTOLOGY #4

The Cryptologist and his ghastly little band have cooked up more grisly morsels, including: ROGER HILL’s conversation with our diabolical cover artist DON HECK, severed hand films, pre-Code comic book terrors, the otherworldly horrors of Hammer’s Quatermass, another Killer “B” movie classic, plus spooky old radio shows, and the horror-inspired covers of the Shadow’s own comic book. Start the ghoul-year with retro-horror done right by FORSHAW, the KRONENBERGS, LEESE, RICHARD HAND, VON SHOLLY, and editor PETER NORMANTON.

This third wretched issue inflicts the dread of MARS ATTACKS upon you—the banned cards, the model kits, the despicable comics, and a few words from the film’s deranged storyboard artist PETE VON SHOLLY! The chilling poster art of REYNOLD BROWN gets brought up from the Cryptologist’s vault, along with a host of terrifying puppets from film, and more comic books they’d prefer you forget! Plus, more Hammer Time, JUSTIN MARRIOT on obscure ’70s fear-filled paperbacks, another Killer “B” film, and more to satiate your sinister side!

Our fourth putrid tome treats you to ALEX ROSS’ gory lowdown on his Universal Monsters paintings! Hammer Time brings you face-to-face with the “Brides of Dracula”, and the Cryptologist resurrects 3-D horror movies and comics of the 1950s! Learn the origins of slasher films, and chill to the pre-Code artwork of Atlas’ BILL EVERETT and ACG’s 3-D maestro HARRY LAZARUS. Plus, another Killer “B” movie and more awaits retro horror fans, by NORMANTON, the KRONENBERGS, LEESE, VOGER, and VON SHOLLY!

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78 International 19 Digital Only

45 15 The Crazy Cool Culture We Grew Up With

Issue #34 September 2024

Columns and Special Features

Retro Television CHiPs

Voger’s Vault of Vintage Varieties Tiny Tim

Retro Toys The Art of Bill Campbell’s Weird-Ohs

Oddball World of Scott Shaw! My Friend, John Candy

Retro Hollywood Movie Hercules Steve Reeves

Will Murray’s 20th Century Panopticon On the set of Remo Williams: The Adventures Begin

Departments

Retrotorial

Too Much TV Quiz Hawaii Five-0 celebrity guest villains

RetroFanmail

ReJECTED

Scott Saavedra’s Secret Sanctum The Search for My Family’s Disney Artist

Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning Plastic Man

RetroFan™ issue 34, September 2024 (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. Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox photograph credit: Classic TV Preservation Society. CHiPs © NBCUniversal. Plastic Man © DC Comics. Weird-Ohs © Round2Corp, LLC. Hercules movie image © Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2024 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

BY MICHAEL EURY

Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow CONTRIBUTORS Mark Cantrell Michael Eury Rod Labbe Andy Mangels Will Murray Herbie J Pilato Scott Saavedra Scott Shaw! Mark Voger DESIGNER Scott Saavedra PROOFREADER Eric Nolen-Weathington SPECIAL THANKS The Classic TV Preservation Society Mark Evanier Julie M. Grizzle Hake’s Auctions Heritage Auctions Marc Tyler Nobleman Ruth McCue Saavedra VERY SPECIAL THANKS Erik Estrada Larry Wilcox

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RETROFAN

“All those hippies!” That was my dad’s remark about the hordes of tousle-topped flower children, many of them stoned and dancing provocatively in T-shirts and tattered denim (with some wearing much less!), that we were watching on one of the network nightly news programs. I was 11 years old and still giddy over having viewed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take their small steps for man on the lunar surface, just a few weeks earlier. But now, a different kind of alien invasion was occurring, right here on terra firma, in some faraway (for those of us in Concord, North Carolina) place which had become a Mecca for the counterculture. Welcome to Woodstock! Fifty-five years ago, from August 15 to 18, 1969, “an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music” was held at a dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Yet it was the name of the arts-centric town not far from Bethel—Woodstock, New York—that was appropriated to brand the counterculture event that, for most Baby Boomers, was The Rock Festival Of All Time. The town’s name was also borrowed by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, who, in the June 22, 1970 Peanuts installment, dubbed Snoopy’s cute little bird friend—who’d been an unnamed part of the comic strip since early 1966—“Woodstock,” clearly inspired by the rock fest that was also the subject of a documentary film. Over thirty top music acts performed at Woodstock before “all those hippies.” Were you one of the 460,000 in attendance? How many of you were there and told you had a good time but remember little if anything at all? (Don’t worry, we won’t tell your grandkids; what happens in Woodstock stays in Woodstock, man.) RetroFan salutes this music and pop culture milestone by wishing a Happy 55th to Woodstock! Slap a Jimi Hendrix or Blood, Sweat, and Tears LP onto your turntable and celebrate the anniversary while you dig into what’s in store for you in this issue. You won’t find Tiny Tim’s name listed among the music artists promoted on the Woodstock flier shown here (courtesy of Heritage Auctions). The stringy-haired uke NEXT ISSUE strummer might have looked like “all those hippies” to my dad, but Tiny Tim was one of a kind, as you’ll read in Mark Voger’s bio of the “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” crooner. Another celebrity—the late, and infinitely funny, John Candy—is profiled this issue by one of our own, Scott Shaw!, who worked with the actor on the Camp Candy animated series. Andy Mangels tunes in to DC Comics’ Pliable Pretzel—Plastic Man—in a look at Plas’ Saturday morning adventures (Baby Plas, anyone?), Will Murray goes behind the scenes during the filming of Remo Williams, and Scott Saavedra reveals his family’s investigation into the career of a family member who once was a Disney employee. Three talented guest writers—Herbie J Pilato, Mark Cantrell, and Rod Labbe—bring to our pages TV’s CHiPs, Weird-Ohs artist Bill Campbell, and movie Hercules Steve Reeves. So get ready for another groovy grab-bag of the crazy, cool culture we grew up with!

September 2024

RETRO TELEVISION

CHiPs Ahoy! BY HERBIE J PILATO

A Celebration of the Classic California Highway Patrol TV Series

Author’s log: During my inaugural visit to Los Angeles in the spring of 1977, CHiPs became the first television show or movie I observed in production, in person, on location. The police-[motorcycle] driven series, which originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977 to May 1, 1983, was filming one of its initial episodes, possibly its pilot. There I was, amid the show’s shining charismatic stars Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox, watching from afar a scene being filmed at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Doheny Street — next to the once No. 1 location of the famed Hamburger Hamlet restaurant chain. Just being near the CHiPs set was close to a dream come true. As a then-high school junior and aspiring actor, I envisioned one day performing on the show. Cheryl Ladd was eventually cast as Kris Munroe, younger sister to Farrah Fawcett’s Jill Munroe, on Charlie’s Angels. I fantasized about playing “Honch,” the younger brother to Estrada’s Officer Francis Llewelyn Poncherello, a.k.a. “Frank” or “Ponch,” alongside Wilcox as Officer Jonathan Baker, a.k.a. “Jon.” Decades later, in January 2023, at the Richard M. Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California, I hosted a CHiPs live event that reunited Eric Estrada and Larry Wilcox with Robert Pine, who portrayed Sgt. Joe Getraer, Ponch and Jon’s no-nonsense by-the-book supervisor; Lou

Wagner, who was cast as the show’s mechanic, Harlin Arliss; Brodie Greer, who played Officer Barry “Bear” Baricza; and Bruce Penhall, who was Cadet/Officer Bruce Nelson. A few years before that, I had interviewed and befriended Larry for my book, Dashing, Daring, and Debonair: TV’s Top Male Icons from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, portions of which are edited and excerpted within this article. In addition to the Nixon Library event, where I also finally had the chance to talk with Erik, Larry had participated in other live events I hosted over the years. Those included my Classic TV Throwback Thursday and Holiday celebrations at the Burbank Barnes & Noble in 2015, and an NBCUniversal Alumni Reunion in 2015. In the process of researching this retrospective, I learned that CHiPs creator/producer Rick Rosner began his career as an NBC page. Ditto that for me. “Some things are meant to be,” I thought, “…while some dreams eventually come true,” if not always as originally planned. I never got to play Honch on CHiPs, but not only was I honored to host a special live event that reunited the show’s stars, I’m now delighted to present this article, which I hope you’re equally delighted to read.

A MICRO-CHiPs HISTORY

Based on the real-life exploits of motorcycle policemen of the California Highway Patrol, thus the acrimonious-titled CHiPs series was created by producer Rick Rosner. He originally called the show Chippies, a descriptive reference to the officers which dated back to the Fifties and before. But NBC wasn’t all that crazy about the title,

(ABOVE) Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox in an early CHiPs promotional photo. CHiPs © NBCUniversal. Photo courtesy of the Classic TV Preservation Society (CTVPS). (LEFT) CHiPs incorporated: (FROM TOP LEFT) Michael Dorn (pre-Worf/ Star Trek: The Next Generation), Brodie Greer, Lou Wagner, Larry Wilcox, Randi Oakes (pre-marriage to Gregory Harrison), Erik Estrada, Paul Linke, Robert Pine. Courtesy of CTVPS.

RETROFAN

September 2024

retro television

so it was switched to CHiPs, the pilot episode of which, “Probation,” was directed by Paul Krasney, and written by Paul Playdon. While several other directors and writers would be hired on week-to-week basis, Playdon received a “Developed for Television by” credit for every other episode from Season One through Season Six. Another key behind-the-scenes player in the CHiPs universe is prolific producer/writer Cy Chermak, who died in 2021. Chermak’s credentials includes other notable weekly programs like ABC’s sadly-short-lived horror series, Kolchak: The Night Stalker (created by Dan “Dark Shadows” Curtis), and Ironside (Raymond Burr’s long-running hit NBC detective drama follow-up to his long-running hit CBS Perry Mason legal series). [Editor’s note: Stake out RetroFan #11 for our Kolchak coverage.] At its core, however, CHiPs is Rosner’s show, which aired on a network that provided his seemingly destined foray in the industry. Rosner became an NBC page while attending Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. He left Cornell, returned to NBC, and was eventually hired as a producer for Allen Funt’s Candid Camera series, one of TV’s first reality shows. He also wrote several other shows and movies of the week, worked as a location managing producer for The Mike Douglas Show, and as a Warner Bros. studio executive, just before NBC named him the Vice President of Variety Programming in 1975. Around that time, Rosner befriended members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department while enrolled in a scuba training seminar for original Tonight Show host Steve Allen. That’s when Rosner was inspired to create CHiPs, which premiered two years later. By the fall of 1982, the series had gone through several cast changes, with more to come. It was also enjoying its fifth season on NBC and first year in syndication. To help distinguish the two editions, MGM, the show’s distributor, renamed it CHiPs Patrol. Considering the “P” in its title already stood for “Patrol,” the syndicated name proved awkward. After CHiPs ended its original run, Rosner went on to create other action/adventure shows like ABC’s 240-Robert (1979–1981), which starred John Bennett Perry (father to future Friends star Matthew), a pre-NCIS, pre–St. Elsewhere Mark Harmon (not yet married to Mork & Mindy’s Paw Dawber), and a pre–Buffalo Bill Joanna Cassidy. Rosner also got into the game show business with NBC programs like Just Men (hosted by a pre–Golden Girls Betty White), a new version of Hollywood 4

RETROFAN

September 2024

Squares (1985–1989, hosted by John Davidson), and Caesars Challenge (produced in 1993 with the prolific Stephen J. Cannel, best known for NBC prime-time hits like The Rockford Files and The A-Team). In 1998, Rosner partnered with Morgan Gendal to write CHiPs ’99, a TNT reunion movie with Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada back in their gas-powered saddles. In the story, Ponch returns to the force after a 15-year absence to help Jon halt a car theft ring. The movie, which proved to be a hit, was filmed in 17 days. In 2017, Estrada and Wilcox were nowhere in sight for a big-screen edition of CHiPs, which proved to be a miss. Rosner served as an executive producer on the film, which he co-wrote with actor Dax Shepard, who starred as Jon opposite Michael Pena as Ponch (a role for which Wilmer Valderrama, of That ’70s Show, had initially rallied to play). Like the 2004 Starsky & Hutch feature film that preceded it (with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson poorly substituting for Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul, who passed away at 80 in early 2024), the CHiPs motion picture was a less-than-well-received satire, thus proving to leave well enough alone and not to mess with mythology when it comes to remaking classic TV shows for theatrical release.

THE ORIGINAL CHiPs ON THE BLOCK

Dynamic. That’s the best word to describe the duo of Erik Estrada as Ponch and Larry Wilcox as Jon on the original CHiPs TV series. They were the “two de force” of the show’s ever-expanding cast: Robert Pine’s Sgt. Getraer, Lou Wagner’s Harlan Arliss, Brodie Gear’s Officer Bear, Bruce Pennel’s Bruce Nelson; Lew Saunders as Officer Gene Fritz, Brianne Leary as Officer Sindy Cahill, Paul Linke as Officer Grossman, Randi Oakes as Officer Bonnie Clark, Michael Dorn as Officer Turner, Gwen Gilford as Betty Getraer, and a pre-Kaitlyn Bruce Jenner as Officer Steve McLeish, among others. The essence of what CHiPs evolved into, became, and ultimately represented was not found on other police or detective shows at the time. TV viewers were familiar with realistic “partners in crime” drama shows such as The Untouchables, two editions of Dragnet, The Mod Squad, The Rookies, Charlie’s Angels, and Starsky & Hutch. But CHiPs brought something extra to the mix: the unbeatable on-screen chemistry between Estrada and Wilcox. Separate and together, these two dynamos possessed and delivered an immeasurable dose of likability; a pertinent trait when performing within the intimate confines

Robert Pine played a central figure in CHiPs. Courtesy of CTVPS.

retro television

of a television show. No matter what’s going on between the characters on screen, despite the characters’ emotions or situations, the actors’ performances in their given roles must somehow still be charming even in the most torrid of circumstances. In the case of Estrada and Wilcox, their likability factor was off the charts. Virginia Reeser, a Los Angeles–based communications specialist, once explained it like this: “When I think back to watching CHiPs in the 1970s, I can only smile. That was really good television. Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada portrayed two brave, kind, charismatic California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers in the mythical land of Los Angeles, California. It was a place where you could drive around on impressive motorcycles in the sunshine, even in February. As a young girl growing up in the snowy Midwest, these sun-soaked adventure scenes in mid-winter seemed just as much fiction as Saturday-afternoon sci-fi television. “CHiPs was based in a real location,” Reeser continued. “Larry and Erik portrayed everyday heroes. Little did I know that in the future, I, too, would come to understand what it meant when they said someone lived in ‘The Valley’ or ‘the Foothills.’ “Beyond their characters working in incredible locations,” Reese observed, “…solving curious crimes, and performing heroic rescues, what I admired most about Larry and Erik’s portrayal of their

characters was their recipe for getting things done together — a fun combination of bravery, teamwork, and charm — all tossed together with charisma and humor. They each had different personalities, but that’s what made the team even better. It showcased the best lesson about working together: as long as you have the same goal, you can have different styles and personalities, and still be a strong, effective team.” With a flash-forward to the modern reality, Reeser, who lives in Los Angeles with her husband of over 30 years, graphic artist Steve Reeser, concluded: “I see the true, brave men and women who are our California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers. I’m impressed every time I see them flying down the highway, off to keep us safe and secure, working as part of an incredible team. And I’ve even had the honor of meeting Larry in person at a classic TV event. The strong, kind spirit of his character which shone through in the 1970s is still there in his real-life persona today. As a Vietnam War veteran, he’s the best kind of modern-day hero, a family man who cares deeply about his children and continues to serve his fellow war veterans and the men and women who serve us in the law enforcement fields.”

ERIK ‘IDOL’

It was nothing less than ground-breaking for Erik Estrada to portray Ponch. Years before, on Julia (NBC, 1968–1971), Diahann Carroll became the first African-American to star in a TV series. A pre-dethroned Bill Cosby shared the bill with Robert Culp on I Spy (NBC, 1965–1968, which was also later transformed into a less-than-stellar feature film in 2002 with Eddie Murphy and, yes, again, Owen Wilson). Nichelle Nichols was part of the original Star Trek series (NBC, 1966–1969). Carroll, however, was TV’s initial African-American singular lead, male or female, in a series, drama, comedy, or otherwise. In like manner, Estrada became the first Latino actor to star in a weekly police series. Estrada’s substantial first break as a fresh new face transpired opposite Pat Boone in the 1970 feature film, The Cross and the Switchblade, which was followed by performances in movies like Airport ’75, Midway, Trackdown, and The New Centurions. In the latter, Estrada worked with George C. Scott. “I co-starred in that movie,” he once said. “It was great working with him.”

(ABOVE) What does the best-dressed California Highway Patrolman sport on the job? This custom-made uniform shirt was worn by Ponch himself, Erik Estrada, for six seasons on CHiPs. Shirt courtesy of Heritage. (LEFT) At one point, Tina Gayle and Tom Reilly, seen here with Erik Estrada, joined the CHiPs fold. Courtesy of CTVPS. RETROFAN

September 2024

retro television

Subsequently, in 1974, Grizzle attained her license and required endorsement, and has been riding ever since. In addition to the Kawasaki, she owns a 2014 Indian Chieftan with a custom sidecar. Today, Grizzle is a retired Commercial Aviation Technician, who worked for Alaska Airlines for 33 years. She also just happens to be the first female aircraft mechanic in the history of Alaska Airlines. “I started with them in Anchorage and later transferred to Seattle,” she said. Grizzle’s present and past hobbies include rebuilding motorcycles, rescuing cats (she has a small animal rescue center in Chehalis), Cowboy Mounted Shooting, dog-sledding (in Alaska she was the Restart Coordinator for the Iditarod for 8 years), ATVs, skydiving, fishing, and as she said, “almost anything outdoors.” As to what she believes is the key to CHiPs unending popularity, Grizzle said, “The show has endured as a fan favorite because it was good clean TV with a positive message.” “Plus,” she added with a wink, “the guys were handsome and hot, and the bikes were incredible.” Grizzle tuned in every week to watch the show during its original run, and she now owns the entire series on DVD. “The classic TV shows were the best,” she noted, “and CHiPs ranks right up there at the top. For a young gal like I was in the Seventies, watching Jon and Ponch save the day on those fabulous bikes... was the best. Now, having the bike and getting to meet my childhood heroes and have them autograph my bike, is priceless.” “Long live CHiPs,” she chimed.️

Photo: Dan Holm.

Born in Rochester, New York, writer, producer, actor/performer, and TV personality HERBIE J PILATO graduated from Nazareth University in the spring of 1983, with a trimester in Television and Film at UCLA. One year later, began his career as an NBC page at the network’s facility in Burbank, California, and was cast in bit roles on General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful, Highway to Heaven, and The Golden Girls. In 1992, Pilato published his first book, The Bewitched Book, followed by other classic TV companions. He then began producing and appearing on retro media documentaries for Bravo, A&E, TLC, and the Reelz Channel, while he’s also done the same for several DVD and Blu-ray retro releases for Sony, Warner Bros., and Universal (including the award-winning Blu-rays for The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman). Pilato is also the Founder of the Classic TV Preservation Society (CTVPS), a nonprofit that advocates for the positive social effects of classic TV, and has hosted, co-created, and co-executive-produced his own TV talk show, Then Again with Herbie J Pilato (which is still streaming on Shout! TV and Amazon Prime). In addition to the “Special Commemorative Edition” of The Bionic Book, Pilato has authored Retro Active Television (which the Los Angeles Book Festival named 2023’s “Book of the Year,” and subsequently, Pilato, “Author of the Year”), Connery, Sean Connery, Mary: The Mary Tyler Moore Story, and more. His upcoming books include One Tough Dame: The Life and Career of Diana Rigg and Christmas TV Memories: Nostalgic Holiday Favorites of the Small Screen. For more information, visit www.HerbieJPilato.com.

(TOP) CHiPs fan Julie M. Grizzle receives a bear hug from Erik Estrada, alongside Robert Pine and Larry Wilcox. (CENTER) Erik signs Julie’s CHiPs motorcycle replica. (BOTTOM) Julie M. Grizzle in 2015 with her mother, Jewell Grizzle, 90 years old at the time. “She loved the bike,” Julie said of her mother, who died two weeks shy of her 93rd birthday. Photos courtesy of Julie M. Grizzle. 14

RETROFAN

September 2024

VOGER’S VAULT OF VINTAGE VARIETIES

God Bless Tiny Tim Was he for real? Meet the campy troubadour of the groovy Sixties BY MARK VOGER

“Wait’ll you see this, pal,” said Dan Rowan to Dick Martin in what sounded more like a threat than a kindness. It was January 22, 1968, a Monday evening. NBC was presenting the premiere installment of its super-groovy, anythinggoes comedy hour Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. With its maiden program, the norm-shattering Laugh-In threw a lot at the viewer: new faces, psychedelic sets, bloopers, double-entendre. But no one was ready for what Rowan was about to throw at Martin.

(LEFT) Tiny Tim is remembered for his weird look, mock-effeminate mannerisms and cringe-worthy vocals. Shown: A poster sold at “head shops” across America. Colorized. (CENTER) Tiny Tim favored garish jackets and was rarely without his ukulele. From the cover of his debut album God Bless Tiny Tim (1968). © Reprise Records. (RIGHT) Short-haired Herbert Buckingham Khaury struck a pose in this Fifties studio portrait.

“The toast of Greenwich Village in his first appearance anywhere: Tiny Tim!” announced Rowan, who soon skeedaddled from the stage. Out walked a gaunt figure with long, stringy hair, a beak-like nose, and a death-white face. The not-so-tiny Tiny Tim promptly produced a ukulele and began to sing the old Ella Fitzgerald hit “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” in a nails-on-blackboard falsetto, punctuated with the most peculiar facial expressions and gestures. Martin stood stage-right as he took in the jaw-dropping performance, reacting like someone who’d chugged spoiled milk. After Tiny’s likewise bewildering rendition of “On the Good Ship Lollipop,” he frantically blew kisses at the audience. “You searched high and low for that one, didn’t you?” Martin said to Rowan afterward. “Kept him out of the service,” replied Rowan. “I’ll bet the Army burned his draft card,” said Martin. Through all of his career struggles leading up to this moment, Tiny Tim had been told by seemingly everyone in his sphere—theater proprietors, audience members, his own parents—that he could never “make it.” The only person who believed in Tiny Tim was the only person who mattered: Tiny Tim himself. With that insane Laugh-In debut, a Pandora’s Box was opened. RETROFAN

September 2024

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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.

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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.

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Meet Mission: Impossible’s LYNDA DAY GEORGE in an exclusive interview! Celebrate Rambo’s 50th birthday with his creator, novelist DAVID MORRELL! Plus: TV faves WKRP IN CINCINNATI and SPACE: 1999, Fleisher’s and Filmation’s SUPERMAN cartoons, commercial jingles, JERRY LEWIS and BOB HOPE comic books, and more fun, fab features! 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.

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.

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RETRO TOYS

The Wacky, Wonderful World of

Bill Campbell and the

Weird-Ohs

BY MARK CANTRELL For an introverted kid like me growing up in the Sixties, model between patio stones until my fingers were raw, so I could “learn making was the perfect hobby. I could sit alone in my room for the value of a dollar.” hours, listening to the Beatles while gluing styrene models—and In those days, everyone I knew built models, and traded them occasionally, my fingers—together with polystyrene cement. back and forth. That’s how I acquired built-up Aurora models of Testors, the most popular brand, would eventually modify its Frankenstein and Dracula, which would otherwise have been out formula by adding horseradish during the big glue-sniffing scare in of my price range. When my fundamentalist parents saw them, the early part of the decade. Most modelers however, they told me considered people who filled paper bags (ABOVE) This ish of RetroFan needs a little estrogen I had to get rid of them with glue and huffed them to be… let’s say, so they wouldn’t “bring to balance out its he-man featured players like not very smart. demons into the house.” movie Hercules Steve Reeves, so meet “Drag Our mobile home overhung the banks of Crestfallen, I decided that Hag, the Bonny, Blastin’ Babe,” a “Weird-Oh” the Palm Beach Canal in West Palm Beach, if I had to dispose of them, illustrated by the extraordinary Bill Campbell! Florida, and with the nearest model shop they’d go out in a blaze of This was among a range of Weird-Ohs recreations at least two miles away, it was very difficult glory—literally. I brought Campbell produced in the mid-2000s to replace the to obtain model kits—until I got my first them out to the retaining original box art, which was lost or destroyed, for bike. But there was another problem: wall beside the house one these Sixties faves from Hawk Model Company. we were dirt poor, and my father didn’t night, poured glue on them Produced for Mark Cantrell’s 2014 book, A Weirdbelieve in allowances. I did odd jobs for our Oh World: The Art of Bill Campbell. Courtesy of Heritage. and set them on fire. It was neighbors, including pulling weeds from glorious. Dracula’s demise Weird-Ohs © Round2Corp., LLC. RETROFAN

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retro toys

The unproduced “Lenny Leadfoot and his Magenta Monster Jet Dragster” was deemed too complex a model. Courtesy of Mark Cantrell. Weird-Ohs © Round2Corp., LLC.

In addition, Bill created many more Weird-Ohs concepts that were deemed too expensive to produce. Just a few of them: f Kommandor Dunkvasser, a monstrous U-Boat captain f General Fritzgruber Luftwaffle, a crazed WWI pilot flying an Eindecker monoplane f Slap Shot Stosh, a hockey player in the midst of stick-checking an opponent f Lenny Leadfoot and his Magenta Monster, a Bonneville racer with a jet-powered ride f Draggin’ Drac, a vampire driving a casket

(RIGHT) Another unproduced WeirdOhs model: General Fritzgruber Luftwaff le in his Sturmgrupen Eindecker. (BELOW) The unproduced Tutti Amore, Bill’s updated version of Sling Rave Curvette. Courtesy of Mark Cantrell. Weird-Ohs © Round2Corp., LLC.

In the years to come, the Weird-Ohs were reborn time after time in various incarnations, and even became a short-lived computer-animated TV show. Unfortunately, the characters bore little resemblance to Bill’s original vision. In addition to the models, the Weird-Ohs line expanded into other merchandise: Halloween masks, puzzles, bubble gum cards, model paint, a board game, a record album, and a Digger helmet that became the Holy Grail of Weird-Ohs collectors. After his time at Hawk, Bill went back to the advertising industry, but he kept coming up with ideas for lines of model kits: f The Despicables, monster models with action features f Aer-O-Toons, a series of cartoon aircraft f Trackwhackys, in the same vein but with cars f The Spaced Outs, aliens flying bizarre contraptions 28

RETROFAN

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Bill was also a fine artist and editorial cartoonist, and spent years drawing incisive political illustrations for Global Outlook magazine. But he knew he’d be mostly remembered for the Weird-Ohs. “I guess I’m like the old veteran actor who hopes he’ll be remembered for his Hamlet, when my true fifteen minutes of fame is in those strange classics,” he said. “Who would have thought I’d be remembered for those funny, quizzical bug-eyed monsters after all this time?” Bill Campbell passed away on March 7, 2017 at the age of 97, leaving a legacy of outstanding achievements both personal and professional. I feel very lucky to have known him. MARK CANTRELL is a full-time freelance writer based in Wake Forest, North Carolina, who has authored several books and hundreds of magazine articles on healthcare, science, the military, travel, and lifestyle for publications as diverse as MAD magazine and Air & Space/Smithsonian. He is the author of the book A Weird-Oh World: The Art of Bill Campbell (Schiffer Books, 2014).

THE ODDBALL WORLD OF SCOTT SHAW!

'I 'm the Real Article-What You See Is What You Get' My Friend, John Candy BY SCOTT SHAW! Kids tend to identify with fictional characters and actual celebrities of all types with whom they feel have things in common. The connections could be cultural, vocal accents, or specific talents, among other elements. In my case, I grew up as a fat kid and I loved overweight comedians like Jack E. Leonard, Totie Fields, and especially Jackie (The Honeymooners) Gleason, who was the direct basis of my favorite cartoon character (then and now), Fred Flintstone. And when I first saw John Candy on NBC’s SCTV Network 90 in 1981, I was immediately a fan of his, due to his humor much more than his weight, but I never expected that my weight would determine winding up as the producer of his animated network cartoon series almost a decade later.

YOUNG JOHN CANDY

John Franklin Candy was born on October 31, 1950 in New Market, Ontario, Canada. The younger brother of Jim Candy (Mar. 24, 1947– Apr. 16, 2011), John spent his earliest years in King City, Ontario, with their parents, Sidney and Evangeline Candy. The senior Candy was a WWII veteran who returned from Europe to be a car salesman. When John was five, Sidney suddenly died from a heart attack at only 35 years old. It was a medical vulnerability that had plagued the Candy family for generations and an emotional issue for John his entire life. Evangeline, now Sidney’s widow, along with Jim and John, relocated from King City to East York, a borough that at the time, was primarily composed of neat, tiny, low-cost bungalows filled with working-class families. East York’s Donlands Theater was a favorite place for John to escape reality, soaking up Hollywood films as well as British comedies starring Peter Sellers, Alec Guiness, Alastair Sim and others. “I think that I may have become an actor to hide from

(ABOVE) I want Candy! Tom Hanks smooching mermaid Daryl Hannah might’ve been the big draw behind Splash, but as this lobby card from the delightful 1983 comedy reminds us, the wonderful John Candy, who played Hanks’ brother in the film, also made a splash with audiences. Splash © 1983 Touchstone Pictures. Signed lobby card courtesy of Heritage.

myself,” John once explained. “You can escape into a character. You can get lost and take up another life.” As a first-generation television viewer, John also absorbed hours of comedic series that are now considered classic. John once told Playboy, “I loved watching Jack Benny, Jack Paar, The Honeymooners, Burns and Allen, George Gobel, The Munsters, Rocky and His Friends, Howdy Doody, Rin Tin Tin, and Lassie. I wasn’t influenced by any one show, I was influenced by the medium.” As a student, John was merely adequate, better known and liked for his warm personality than good grades. Becoming a class clown was inevitable, but surprisingly, John avoided appearing in school stage productions due to his severe shyness. John preferred to entertain his friends with games and shows in someone’s garage. In ninth grade, John was sent to Neil McNeil, a Catholic high school that was located an hour away from his home. His grades were mediocre because he focused on other activities. After his father had died, John became the family “dad,” not Jim. That extended to his friends, mostly kids who needed the help that John was happy to provide. But the loss of his father also made him feel like an outsider even among his friends, although John never revealed it to them. John had grown into a tall kid by the time he entered high school, but his self-consciousness about his increasing weight was becoming evident. He applied the extra pounds to playing offensive tackle on the school’s football team. While on the gridiron, John was formidable, intimidating, and massive, but when the RETROFAN

September 2024

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IT ROSE FROM THE TOMB

WORKING WITH DITKO

JACK KIRBY’S DINGBAT LOVE

BEST OF SIMON & KIRBY’S

MAINLINE COMICS

CHRISTOPHER IRVING explores the superhero serials (1941-1952) of Superman, Captain America, Spy Smasher, Captain Marvel, and others, and the comic creators and film-makers who brought them to life! (160-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-119-6

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JACK C. HARRIS recalls collaborating with STEVE DITKO on The Creeper, Shade, Demon, Wonder Woman, The Fly, & more, plus Ditko’s unused Batman design!

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!

Collects JOE SIMON & JACK KIRBY’s 1954-56 series BULLSEYE (the complete run), plus all the Kirby FOXHOLE, POLICE TRAP, and IN LOVE stories, fully restored!

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IT CREPT FROM THE TOMB

TEAM-UP COMPANION

KIRBY & LEE: STUF’ SAID

AMERICAN TV COMICS

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!

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!

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REED CRANDALL

Illustrator of the Comics

HERO-A-GO-GO!

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

JOHN SEVERIN

TWO-FISTED COMIC ARTIST

(1940s-1980s)

THE LIFE & ART OF

DAVE COCKRUM

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!

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ALTER EGO COLLECTORS' ITEM CLASSICS

Master of the Comics

MAC RABOY

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

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

Biography of the EC, MARVEL and MAD mainstay, co-creator of American Eagle, and 40+ year CRACKED magazine contributor.

Compiles the sold-out DITKO, KIRBY, and LEE issues, plus new material on each!

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

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RETRO HOLLYWOOD

Man or Myth The

Steve Reeves Story

Mr. America, Mr. World, Mr. Universe BY ROD LABBE SETTING THE STAGE: HOW STEVE AND I MET

By early 1960—thanks to my big sister, Sue—I was already a battle-scarred veteran of the monster movie matinee wars. Each weekend, I’d accompany her to the latest horror or science fiction thriller from American International Pictures, Universal, Allied Artists, or Britain’s Hammer Studios, served up hot and steaming at either the State Theater, Opera House, or Haines (an “old timey” movie palladium). We ate popcorn drenched in real butter, guzzled gallons of Coca-Cola, chewed, chomped, and consumed Junior Mints, Jujubes, Pom-Poms, Peanut Butter cups, Dots, Charms, and other assorted sugary confections, and didn’t give a fig about cavities, type 2 diabetes, or artery-clogging cholesterol. We were no different from millions of late-Fifties kids. Neighbors constructed backyard bomb shelters (“just in case”), Ike golfed at the White House, and Wagon Train, The Twilight Zone, and Bonanza entertained us for free on TV. Sue spun a Hula Hoop, wore pedal pushers, and raced her sleek Firestone bike rocket (with horn, light, rainbow-hued handlebar tassels, and a (RIGHT) From Mr. America to Mr. International Box Office! Hercules, starring Steve Reeves, muscled its way into theaters across the globe in the late Fifties and early Sixties. Courtesy of Heritage. Hercules © Embassy Pictures/Warner Bros.

RETROFAN

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ANDY MANGELS’ RETRO SATURDAY MORNING Welcome back to “Andy Mangels’ Retro Saturday Morning,” your constant guide to the shows that thrilled us from yesteryear, exciting our imaginations and capturing our memories. Grab some milk and cereal, sit cross-legged leaning against the couch, and dig in to Retro Saturday Morning! This issue, we’re taking you on a Funtastic journey through the wacky and wild Saturday morning adventures of… Plastic Man! One of the oldest comic book heroes—and certainly the bounciest—is Plastic Man, a wacky crook-turned-super-hero who has amused fans since his debut in 1941. “Plas” (as fans and friends call him) was created by cartoonist Jack Cole, and although the character was popular from the start, few could have ever guessed that he would become a recurring animated guest-star, or that he would headline his own animated series, have a super-powered son, and sproing back and forth from cartoons to live-action! Read on for the stretchable history of a red-suited maniac who might just pop up anywhere…

PLASTIC MAN

STRETCHING FROM THE COMICS TO TELEVISION

After working for Centaur Publishing and Lev Gleason Publications, young cartoonist Jack Cole was brought to the fold of Quality Comics in mid-1941. Owner Everett Arnold asked Cole to come up with a hero similar to the Spirit, BY a Will Eisner character that ran in comic books and ANDY newspapers. Cole decided to combine detective work MANGELS with super-heroics, creating Eel O’Brian, a safe-cracking thief who is accidentally doused with chemicals. As he healed from near-mortal injuries, O’Brien decided to reform, especially after discovering that he could now stretch his body into any shape he could conceive. Wearing a red leotard and sunglasses and dubbing himself Plastic Man, the new crimefighter first appeared in Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941). With a weird mix of humor and heroics, Plastic Man proved a hit, and he soon got his own sidekick, a chubby polka-dot-shirtwearing mostly-reformed crook named Woozy Winks. Plastic Man was soon not only headlining Police Comics through #102 (Oct. 1950), but he also appeared in 64 issues of his own series, Plastic Man, from 1944–1956! Quality Comics was sold to National Comics Publications (now called DC Comics) in 1956, and they revived Plastic Man for a 20-issue series from 1966–1968 and 1976–1977. Unlike some later stretchable heroes, Plastic Man had a few unique properties. He could mimic the faces and features of others, making him an effective doppelgänger. When he took the shape of other objects, whether they were chairs, airplanes, animals, or clothing, the items would retain the red-black-and-yellow colors of (TOP) Plastic Man in the Game of Death (Vital his costume! He was essentially bulletproof and mostly indestrucPublications, with material from Quality Comics, 1943) tible, though heat would melt him, and cold would stiffen him. And was a wartime one-shot comic but is considered the through all his stories, Plas kept a manic sense of humor, pinballing first issue of the Plastic Man series. Art by Jack Cole. through stories filled with adventures and slapstick. (ABOVE) Promotional cel for The Plastic Man Comedy/ Beginning in 1966, television networks were growing hip to the Adventure Show featuring (LEFT TO RIGHT) Penny, popularity of super-heroes, as the ABC Batman series became a Plastic Man, and Hula-Hula. It was just one of Plastic campy live-action hit, and new cartoon studio Filmation premiered Man’s television adventures. Plastic Man TM & © DC Comics. The New Adventures of Superman on Saturday mornings (see RetroFan Cel courtesy of Heritage. RETROFAN

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andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

#25). On weekday afternoons on syndicated stations, fans could watch Grantray-Lawrence’s Marvel Super-Heroes series (see RetroFan #15), featuring: Captain America, Thor, Sub-Mariner, Iron Man, and Hulk. National made a deal with Hal Seeger Animation Productions in 1966 to try to sell Plastic Man as an animated series. Seeger was working on ABC’s Milton the Monster Show (1965–1966) and the syndicated Batfink (1966–1967), the latter of which was already a parody of super-heroes. Comic scribe Arnold Drake wrote a Plastic Man pilot script, which was referenced in the letters column of Plastic Man vol. 2 #2 (Feb. 1967): “The pilot film was written by amiable Arnie Drake and made by Hal Seegar Productions, which has racked up a raft of television triumphs. Negotiations with networks and sponsors are now under way, so there’s every indication that PM will be aired on prime time early next year.” Unfortunately, nothing ever became of this pilot, and no artwork or indication that it was ever animated has surfaced.

Plastic Man guest-starred on Season One of Super Friends and is seen here with Superman. © DC Comics. guest-appearances of the Flash, Green Arrow, and Plastic Man. The voice of Plas was Norman Alden, who already voiced Aquaman for the Super Friends show. Whether Hanna-Barbera ever planned to do anything further with those three heroes is unknown, although the Flash did eventually appear in future Super Friends seasons.

A PLASTIC LAWSUIT

(LEFT) Plastic Man #1 (DC, Nov.–Dec. 1966). Art by Gil Kane. (RIGHT) Plastic Man #11 (DC, Feb.–Mar. 1976). Art by Ramona Fradon. © DC Comics. Soon, most of DC’s other heroes were being developed by Filmation, which planned to include them as part of The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure on CBS in the fall of 1967. Filmation developed concepts to bring to the screens Green Lantern, Green Arrow, the Flash, Hawkman, Doom Patrol, B’wana Beast, the Atom, Wonder Woman, Metamorpho, Blackhawks, Teen Titans, the Justice League, and Plastic Man, among others. A few of those concepts did make it onto the screen as guest-hero segments on the series, but most never went beyond their initial development. Plastic Man would finally make his animated debut on ABC’s Super Friends, debuting on September 8, 1973 (see RetroFan #26). That first season of stories saw one-episode

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In early 1977, Filmation announced that they would be producing a 90-minute live-action Plastic Man movie for NBC, and they began shopping an animated series as well. Nobody seemed interested, though, and Filmation gave up on the idea. The following year, though, Filmation produced Tarzan and the Super 7 for CBS (see RetroFan #15), and one of its segments was titled Superstretch and Microwoman. That segment was a first for Saturday mornings: it starred a pair of married African-American crime-fighters! They were Chris Cross, who could stretch his body into any shape, and Christy Cross, who could shrink down to tiny sizes. Another segment on the series was Manta and Moray, which featured two aquatic-themed characters.

andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

DC Comics took umbrage to the two segments, and in 1978 filed a lawsuit against Filmation, which detailed more about the relationship between the companies and how Plastic Man was entangled in the mess. The court documents state: Since 1967, plaintiff has marketed comic books using the Plastic Man character. Plastic Man, a crime-fighter, has the ability to stretch and assume the shape of inanimate objects that retain the color and design of his costume. Since September 1979, plaintiff has exhibited a Plastic Man animated series over the ABC television network. Defendant, a Nevada corporation having its principal place of business in California, makes live and animated television film series, sometimes for its own account and sometimes for others, including plaintiff. In 1967, defendant created the Aquaman series for plaintiff under a contract. In 1976, plaintiff granted defendant an option to produce a live or animated Plastic Man show, but defendant never exercised the option. In September 1978, defendant began exhibiting over the CBS television network two animated series which are the subject of this lawsuit— Manta and Moray and Superstretch, both as part of the Tarzan and Super Seven show. Exhibition continues today. Defendant also licenses others to market toys and games based on the Manta and Moray and Superstretch series. Manta is an underwater hero. Moray is his female companion. Whiskers is their walrus-like companion. Superstretch has essentially the same abilities as Plastic Man. In addition he has a wife, Microwoman, and a pet dog, both of whom often accompany him on his adventures. Initially, Filmation appeared to lose in the resulting trial, with verdicts finding special compensatory damages on the Aquaman claims in the amount of $389,091.75, and special compensatory damages on the Plastic Man claims in the amount of $817,765.50. “Because we had licensed and tried to sell a Plastic Man show prior to creating Superstretch and Microwoman, and had not succeeded, our actions became suspect,” said Filmation head Lou Scheimer in our joint book for TwoMorrows, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation. “We had sold Superstretch to CBS during the time we had an option on Plastic Man, and then DC had sold—through Ruby-Spears—their own 1979 Plastic Man series to ABC. The jury and judge found that DC might have sold their show earlier had we not done Superstretch. This meant that we were found to owe damages in two claims: breach of contract and breach of confidential relationship. Damages were based on lost television profits and potential negative effects on licensing revenue; no damages were incurred by the declining sales of the Plastic Man comic book series, though.” When a judge reconsidered the verdict, DC’s wins were almost entirely wiped out. The damages of $389,091.75 for the Aquaman claims were thrown out completely, and only two claims for Plastic Man versus Superstretch were upheld. The damage awards issued to DC for those two claims went from $817,765.50 to $221,339. DC was not given attorney’s fees, an accounting, or destruction of the Filmation films and underlying materials. DC was granted an injunction, that Filmation would not make any further Manta and

Detail from a DC house ad promising an animated Plastic Man cartoon for 1966 that never happened. (The Wonder Woman and Metamorpho toons were also scuttled.) © DC Comics.

Moray or Superstretch and Microwoman cartoons. Although the case did bring about major changes in intellectual and copyright law, it barely benefitted DC Comics at all, probably costing them more in attorney fees than they gained (see RetroFan #15 for far more on this lawsuit). So, what of the ABC Plastic Man show we’ve now mentioned a few times? Glad you asked!

BOUNCING HIS WAY ONTO TV SCREENS

Through the early days of Saturday morning animation, two studios had dominated the market: Filmation Associates and Hanna-Barbera Productions. Working side-by-side at HannaBarbera were Joseph Ruby (film editor) and Kenneth Spears (track reader). In 1959, the pair began to write episodes of series such as Space Ghost and Herculoids together and develop shows. Their first big hit was Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, which they co-created, but they left shortly after all the new episodes for the series were completed, frustrated that they couldn’t move up on the ladder to the role of associate producers. After a period of time at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, Ruby and Spears began working for Fred Silverman at CBS—and then ABC—taking West Coast pitches for the New York–based executive. Because networks worked closely with studios on content at that time, Silverman asked them to help supervise the Saturday morning shows, and in 1977, they founded Ruby-Spears Productions, a direct animation competitor to Hanna-Barbera and Filmation. Their first series was 1978’s

Plastic Man battles a giant squid to save his friends Penny and Hula-Hula in this promotional cel from The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show. © DC Comics. RETROFAN

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andy mangels’ retro saturday morning

voicing Plas, but that never went anywhere. In 2018, another new film project was announced, with Robert Shaye producing and a script by Amanda Odoko. In 2020, Cat Vasko was hired to rewrite the script, turning the Plastic Man film into Plastic Woman instead. Current rumors from Warner’s James Gunn era are that director Darren Aronofsky could now be circling a Plastic Man film project…

THE MELTED PLASTIC LEGACY OF THE SHOW

With the popularity of Plastic Man, the lack of home media for the character is mystifying. At least one VHS tape was released in America in 1986, with at least one British and one Australian release as well, all licensed through Worldvision. In March 2005, when this author was working with the production team at BCI Eclipse—where I produced about 36 DVD sets of Saturday morning cartoons—we attempted to get the rights to release The Plastic Man Comedy Adventure Show. The plan was for these to have been the entire syndicated show as aired, showcasing all of the Ruby-Spears segments and featuring all of the live-action intros and extras. Speaking of extras, there would have been rare footage and photos of filming for Mark Taylor, as well as interviews with Taylor, producer Whiting, and voice actors and show writers for the various Ruby-Spears programs. For reasons only clear to the legal and budget-minded “bean counters” at BCI, The Plastic Man Comedy Adventure Show deal did not proceed. Four years later, on October 20, 2009, Warner Home Video released many of the Plastic Man segments to DVD in The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show: The Complete Collection. Although 35 of the short adventures are on the two-disc set, it is far from complete: missing are any of the “Plastic Family” or “Baby Plas” stories, as well as the rare “Louse of Wax” pilot episode. Even worse: the Plastic Man Consumer Tips were gone! Today, Michael Bell and Melendy Britt still occasionally do conventions, and are not shy about signing Plastic Man memorabilia. Neither is Mark Taylor, who even had some specialty jackets made up by Angel’s Wrestling Wear for special appearances; one 70

RETROFAN

September 2024

looks like his old costume with an eight-foot stretched arm looped up in the air. He doesn’t appear often at conventions, though, spending most of his time now as a physical therapist, helping others rehabilitate from injuries or other medical complications. As anticipation builds for whatever James Gunn has cooked up for his future DC plans—and with his past interest in Plastic Man, one can expect that to rear its head again—fans can reasonably expect that they may see new material. Sadly, whether fans will ever get to officially see the old material—whether it is the Ruby-Spears shows, the live show intros, or even the more modern shorts for DC Nation—is unknown. Keep an eye out, though… if you see something bright red with yellow and black trim, and a suspicious pair of white sunglasses, it could be a sign that Plastic Man is about to bounce back into the spotlight! We’ll see you in the next issue of RetroFan as we take on the Jackson 5, the Beatles, and other real rockers of Saturday morning! Unless otherwise credited, artwork and photos are courtesy the collection of Andy Mangels. Some photos are from Heritage Auctions. Marc Tyler Nobleman’s website quoted with permission above is at www. noblemania.com ANDY MANGELS is the USA Today best-selling author and co-author of 30 books, including the TwoMorrows book Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, as well as Star Trek and Star Wars tomes, Iron Man: Beneath the Armor, and a lot of comic books. He recently wrote the 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, as well as Bookazine projects (available at any grocery store checkout) on Ant-Man, Iron Man, The Little Mermaid. He is currently working on a series of graphic novels for the online game Planet Xolo, Kickstarter graphic novels for The Patchwork Girl of Oz and Born with the Devil In Me: The Life and Deaths of H.H. Holmes, and a book about the stage productions of Stephen King. Additionally, he has scripted, directed, and produced Special Features and documentaries for over 40 DVD releases. His moustache is infamous. Follow him on multiple sites at https://linktr. ee/andymangels

WILL MURRAY’S 20TH CENTURY PANOPTICON

Remo Williams and the

BY WILL MURRAY

Secret of Sinanju

You never know where your freelance writing career is going to take you. In 1985, it carried me to my first movie shooting location, Mexico City. The project was Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. This was not a direction I ever expected. I had just a few books to my name at that time. One, The Assassin’s Handbook, was devoted to the bestselling Destroyer paperback series that debuted in 1971. I had also ghostwritten a single novel in the series. Encounter Group had come out the previous year. I had interviewed series creators Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir for a small-press mystery magazine called Skullduggery. But it folded before the story saw print. Jim Steranko’s Prevue had it under consideration, but the interview was never published there. When Sapir and Murphy read my piece, they asked to use it as the nucleus of a non-fiction book on their series. More importantly, they hired me to assemble it. This became The Assassin’s Handbook. In 1982, Prevue managing editor David McDonnell left for Starlog magazine. Before long, he was editing Starlog. I had written a couple of minor pieces for Starlog. Although I loved science fiction movies, I was no film expert and did not expect to ever contribute much. When the Destroyer movie was announced in 1984, Dave asked me to interview Sapir and Murphy for a short news piece. Thanks to my access to the creators, I got some wonderful quotes regarding

(ABOVE) The adventure begins! And then it ends! Poster for Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, starring Fred Ward as the title star, a transplant from the Destroyer series of action novels. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins © 1985 Orion Pictures. Courtesy of Heritage.

their opinions of Lorenzo Semple’s original script, their own unsuccessful attempt, and the Christopher Wood shooting script. Imagine my surprise when Dave called me a year later to ask if I wanted to fly to Mexico City to cover Remo Williams and the Secret of Sinanju, as they were calling it then. All expenses paid. I’ll admit that I was hesitant. I had only interviewed a handful of writers RETROFAN

The first, fifth, and tenth entries in the Destroyer series.

September 2024