Dick Smith Update – 01- We Visit Bob and Cathy Burns

(Above) Dick standing in front of the original George Pal’s Time Machine from the 1960 classic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine_%281960_film%29

Last weekend, Dick and I dropped in to visit Bob and Cathy Burns at their home\museum in the San Fernando Valley.  I was aghast that Dick had never visited the science fiction\horror and fantasy Mecca, and delighted to be the one to introduce him to it.  It goes without saying that Bob and Cathy were thrilled to have the makeup master visit them. We had a wonderful afternoon hob knobbing and reminiscing.

By the way, you may remember an early entry where I recount Mike Okuda’s 40th birthday bash held at Bob and Cathy’s house. If not, check it out – http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/mikes-40th-b-day-spectacular/

Story behind The Time Machine – In the early 1970’s, MGM had an auction of their props. Bob attended with $1000 he’s scraped together, with every intention of going home with the Holy Grail, the Time Machine. The price shot up to $4000, way out of his league. Bob was heartsick, and left before the final bid. He later heard it was sold to a traveling show for between 8-10 thousand dollars. In 1975, a friend of Bob’s was in an Orange County thrift shop looking for interesting items when he caught sight of the familiar big dish in the back of the store. The machine was in rough condition, and was missing the chair. Bob made an offer, and finally had the Time Machine. George Pal had given Bob a set of plans of the machine years earlier, and with the help of Dennis Muren, Tom Scherman, Mike Minor, Dorothy Fontana, TV producer Mark Richards, and Lynn Barker, the machine was restored.

(Below) Kindred spirits,  Dick and Bob,  smile for Doug’s drex files roving eye.

Andy And His fabled Delorean Time Machine – On A Mission.

Roads? We don’t need roads, but we could use a helping hand fighting Parkinson’s disease.

One morning, designer Andy Probert woke to find the fabled DeLorean Time Machine in the driveway of his home…

Meet Terry and Oliver Holler who are traveling  through all 50 states to raise awareness and funding for Parkinson’s Research. Their mission is called, ‘To The Future’ and they need our help to find a cure for Parkinson’s disese. 100% of the donations collected will benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, through Team Fox. Six years ago, a doctor gave Oliver six months to live, with a diagnosis of terminal cancer. As he tells it, “The news inspired me to accelerate my “bucket list” and within a very short time (and Terry’s support), we did something crazy and impractical. We built our dream car: A DeLorean Time Machine from the movie “Back To The Future.” I’m happy to say that the doctor’s time table was incorrect, (I’m still around, and quite blessed) and we’re sharing the joy the car has brought us with the rest of America and helping cure a disease along the way.”

http://www.tothefuture.org

http://www.michaeljfox.org/

(Below) Terry and Oliver have taken their time machine, and their cause, to the streets.

Jayne – The Hero of Canton.

Dea kept on me until I finally watched Joss Wedon’s “Firefly”. I admit, I kicked and screamed, and squirmed all the way! Cowboys and horses! Bah! Now I am hopelessly hooked. One of the funnest episodes is “Jaynestown”.  Here, Adam Baldwin (Jayne) sings the Ballad of “A Man Called Jayne”. Note the “cunning” hat.

Rest In Peace Ellie Frazetta

Frank Frazetta was known for the raw energy of his work, which defined the field of fantasy art. Ellie Frazetta was his muse. (Above right) Frank and Ellie – Brooklyn, 1954.

I can barely hold a tear back writing this. I am sad and crushed to report that Ellie Frazetta passed away on July 17th after a year long battle with cancer. Ellie was Frank’s life long love. She was as much a part of what made Frank’s work volcanic as Frank himself.

Eleanor Kelly was born in Massachusetts and moved to New York where she married Frank in November, 1956. She acted as his business partner as well as his lifelong companion. Known for her feisty personality as well as her intuitive business acumen, she was instrumental in successfully establishing record prices for Frank’s work throughout her life.

I met Ellie in Stroudsberg, Pennsylvania at a showing of Frank’s work. I couldn’t believe my good fortune to be invited back to the house to meet the master. Although it was life changing to sit and talk with Frazetta himself, Ellie  left an even bigger impression. Strong and beautiful, I knew that this was Frank’s muse. 

She is survived by her husband Frank, her four children, Frank Jr.,Billy, Holly and Heidi, numerous grandchildren, and many friends.

(Below) Ellie painted by Frank, and posing for one of his paintings. 

Fallen Art

Pacal just sent this to me. Mind bendingly strange, disturbing, and amazing. Watch at your own risk.

Movie Magic, Models, and Miniatures

Sent in by denizen Kip!

A Certain Location In The San Fernando Valley

I stay pretty far from Star Wars, but this is when it was still grassroots. Go look at this before George Lucas makes them take it down. This is film history right here (takes a bit to load so be patient!).

http://www.vimeo.com/5494280

Thanks to our buddy John Ellis for this. Show your appreciation by ordering his awesome Steve Canyon DVD : ) 

http://stevecanyondvd.blogspot.com/

Keep In Delorean

Click for a better look.

The BSG CIC

The Combat Information Center.

Here is a change of pace. You’re looking at Galactica’s Combat Information Center, or CIC. What an impressive set to explore with it’s many levels and stations! It is a  sexy conglomeration of newly fabricated items and cleverly implemented WWII-ish surplus, and It really took my breath away the first time that I stood there.

I’ll never forget getting the bad news about Enterprise. We had just gotten the word it had been cancelled. It had been a remarkable run for me.  Constant employment for nearly 17 years! Unheard of in this business. I drove home thinking that maybe this was it. That maybe I wouldn’t work again for years… maybe never. Who knows in this game?

Mike Okuda, The Phaeton, and Nuclear Pulse Propulsion

NASA concept for a nuclear pulse spacecraft. A nuclear pellet is fired from the aft end of the craft and detonated, yielding far more thrust than conventional chemical rockets.

Last week I had mentioned the upcoming Ron Moore pilot “Virtuality”, set to air on June 26th, just a few short weeks away. That thread lead to a spirited discussion as to what might be the propulsion system of the show’s spacecraft, the Phaeton, a NASA style interstellar craft. In fact the Phaeton uses nuclear pulse propulsion, and I’ve asked my good friend Mike if he would explain how it works. Mr. Okuda has seen the Phaeton and witnessed the ship’s propulsion system in action, and he is delighted to elaborate on it for us. Take it away Mike…

Zefram Cochrane notwithstanding, most fans know that real scientists have very little idea how faster-than-light “warp drive” or “hyperdrive,” could actually work, or even if they’re possible.   A lot of slower-than-light technologies seen in stories and films for reaching the stars are more grounded in scientific reality, like lightsails, ramscoops, and generation ships.  Unfortunately, most of them involve extremely long travel times, miniscule payloads, or near-magical breakthroughs in engineering.  (Sometimes all three!)  Present-day rockets are amazing machines, but they have only a tiny fraction of the performance that would be needed to travel to the stars on anything approaching a human timescale.

But there was one incredibly audacious proposal for a propulsion system, using (relatively) off-the-shelf technology that would have been able to send massive payloads to the outer planets, and maybe even to nearby stars.  Nuclear pulse propulsion.

Red Dwarf – Dave Teaches Kryten to Lie

 

Kryten – Oh sir! Don’t you think I’d love to be deceitful, unpleasant and offensive? Those are the human qualities I admire the most!

On one of the other threads we got into talking about the BBC series Red Dwarf. It came to my attention that many of you have never seen the “Small Rouge One”. I’m a Red Dwarf fanatic. Back when I was on DS9, RD was not available in the U.S., and Greg Jein was my source. They found their way to Greg through the RD underground of fans. Some of the funniest moments in science fiction are Red Dwarf moments. I’ve embedded a clip of one of my favorite routines. Enjoy!

Wally Wood’s “My World”

Many of you may not be aware, but MAD Magazine used to be part of a line of comic books in the 1950’s, known as EC. They were among the best comics ever illustrated, and IMO they’ve never been equaled.

When comic books came under fire in the 1950’s during the communist witch hunts, EC’s publisher William M Gaines refused to allow his company’s work to be censored. He discontinued his popular line of comic books… except for one… MAD. Gaines then turned Mad into a magazine so that it would not fall under the jurisdiction of the comics code censorship board. EC fights for freedom of speech! In the 30 odd years Bill published MAD magazine, there was never a single outside advertisement in it. MAD magazine would not be influenced by advertisers in any way shape or form, and it went on to become one of the most hilariously revolutionary publications ever, and with some of the best humorists, and artists in the world. 

Of the EC line, the science fiction comics were my favorites… incredible art, and incredible stories. Ray Bradbury was such a fan of EC, that he allowed the boys to illustrate his stories for something like 50 bucks a pop. He was just delighted to see his work so beautifully realized. What I’ve been dying to show you folks for weeks is one of my all time favorite EC comics drawn by the supernaturally talented Wally Wood. Wally’s name became synonymous with 50’s sci-fi illustration. He was best known for his tenure as a staffer at EC. Some of you already know Wally for his classic Mad stories such as Superduperman, Little Orphan Melvin, and Batboy and Rubin.

Bill Gaines, and Al Feldstein wrote all of the EC science fiction comics. Bill was the “springboard” guy who would fire off ideas until Al got excited, then go off and write it in a matter of hours. Stories were written with specific artists in mind, and Wood was a natural for their science fiction line. “Woody”, as he was known by the EC staffers, would always knock it right out of the park. My all time Wood work is the all time iconic “My World”, written by Al and BIll for Wally.

“My World” has inspired me many, many, many times over the years, and I am delighted… nay, thrilled… to bring it to you. Welcome to ”My World”.