sixties

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CHILLED OUT

I am pissed off to no end that my publisher backed out of the upcoming Chiller Theatre convention to take place on Oct. 5-7. I received an email from them saying it wasn’t worth the expense as the state of New Jersey has levied higher taxes on outside vendors and made it more difficult for them to sell merchandise at conventions. Though the guest list for Chiller sucks I was looking forward to going and selling some books.

It is real tough these days for authors to promote their books…even more so for authors like me who have a small niche audience. Barnes & Noble could care less of having me do a reading from any of my works. You really have to have the drive and determination (and balls) to knock on every book store’s door but that is a quality I lack. The few signings I do are with the publisher as they pick up all the convention costs while I have to pay my travel and accommodations. I wind up losing money but it is nice once in awhile to meet in person fans of your work who appreciate your writing and actually read the books. And from writing this Blog I have been contacted by many nice people including one of my fave 80s hunks, Gregory Harrison!

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Tonight at 4:00am, TCM is show a rare airing of Gaily, Gaily (1969) co-starring Melodie Johnson whom I interviewed for my new book, Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood. Excerpt below:

Melodie played the beautiful duplicitous niece and ward of George Kennedy’s crooked politician in the lavish turn-of-the century comedy Gaily, Gaily (1969) starring Beau Bridges as “Bible-toting country boy” Ben Harvey who comes to Chicago in quest of fame and fortune. Based on the life of writer Ben Hecht, the film was directed by Norman Jewison and co-produced by Hal Ashby. With this much talent behind the scenes, Gaily, Gaily was predicted to be a hit. Unfortunately, movie audiences didn’t find it very gaily and it flopped.

Not available on DVD, this lost comedy is worth checking out.

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Irwin Allen

Before he became known as the “Master of Disaster,” producer Irwin Allen was known for his ’60s TV sci-fi series. I am very excited that I was able to purchase the two season boxed set of his last series Land of the Giants (marked down from $200 to $100 on Amazon for one day only) that comes with a host of extras including a cool case, bubblegum cards, comic books, etc.

In conjunction with that I wish to give kudos to author Jon Abbott for his fabulous book Irwin Allen Television Productions, 1964-1970. This meticulously produced publication chronicles Allen’s 4 popular series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants. Each chapter includes a richly detailed production history, a complete episode guide with synopsis, guest stars, and comments from actors or crew members. Though more of a critical study, it is easy and enjoyable to read and features a fair number of photographs. Highly recommended. Click here to purchase a copy.

I always preferred Allen’s series, especially Land of the Giants (my favorite show as a youngun) and the wacky mod 3rd season of Lost in Space (I am a sucker for a starlet in a mini-dress and none looked finer than Marta Kristen as Judy Robinson), over Star Trek. And Abbott’s book makes a great companion piece to the recent DVD releases of all 4 TV shows.

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ALL ABOUT EVE

In September 1968, with much fanfare, Carol Lynley headlined the debut of the spooky (albeit short-lived) anthology series Journey to the Unknown, produced by Hammer Films, on ABC. She played “Eve” a department store mannequin who comes alive in swinging London and leads unassuming boutique assistant Dennis Waterman into danger when she is marked for destruction and he tries to save her. Check out this tribute promo on YouTube. (Ignore Karen Carpenter singing the grating song “Eve” and enjoy the clips from the TV show.)

Trivia note: Carol Lynley, living in London, had her beautiful blonde locks sheared off into the very short fashionable Vidal Sassoon cut (think Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby). It is one of her few appearances at this time where Carol was required to wear a “fall” keeping her hair long.