by


OUT OF THE CLOSET

Two of my favorite TV shows will finally come out on DVD. As a kid in the early seventies I loved ABC’s Friday night lineup: Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, Room 222, Odd Couple, and Love, American Style. The latter comes to DVD in November. I used to sit there in anticipation to see what starlets would appear in the heart during the show’s opening. I’d get excited seeing Tina Louise or Julie Newmar or Yvonne Craig or Deanna Lund, etc. I know I was such a geek. The DVD will contain the first year’s season with the short vignettes shown in between episodes featuring Phyllis Davis and Lori Williams.

Time-Life will be releasing the complete 4 seasons of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on DVD. Not available from Amazon or Best Buy, it will be direct mail only. This is one of my favorite spy shows. I always loved the chemistry between debonair Robert Vaughn and sexy David McCallum. And the series is shock full of starlets including Carol Lynley, Diane McBain, Irene Tsu, Celeste Yarnall, Thordis Brandt, etc. I could go on and on. Read more about it on the Blog at CinemaRetro. Scroll down a bit to find it.

by

THAT GIRL

Check out this new web site called That 60s Girl. It is a great companion site to mine. The site salutes mostly the bigger names of the decade while mine of cause celebrates the lesser knowns. It has cool information, wonderful graphics, and lots of images. It is a work-in-progress so keep checking it out. Highly recommended!

by


R.I.P.

Though she wasn’t a ’60s starlet, I must pay tribute to comedienne Brett Somers who passed away this week. As a kid during the Seventies, she was such a part of my TV viewing. First as Oscar’s wisecracking, alimony-grabbing ex-wife Blanche on The Odd Couple and then as a regular on my favorite game show Match Game. Every day after school, I’d be glued to the TV at 3:30pm to see Brett exchange playful barbs with Charles Nelson Reilly, host Gene Rayburn, or the rest of the panel (usually consisting of Richard Dawson, Fannie Flagg, Patti Deutsche, Jo Ann Pflug, Bert Convy, Marcia Wallace, Ann Elder, etc.). Brett was caustic, witty, gruff, and always seemed to be enjoying herself. The chemistry she had with the flamboyant Reilly was brilliant. When the show ended, Brett slowly disappeared from TV. Strangely, she passed only a few months after Reilly. Their pairing has to go down in TV history as one of the best ever on a game show or any other TV program. We’ll miss you Brett!

by

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!