Wednesday, June 29, 2011

It was a dark and foggy night...

fog

Walking back home from seeing the animated movie, "Cars 2", last night, Penrith was becoming blanketed in an eerie fog.

By the way, the best things about "Cars 2" were the hilarious "Toy Story" vacation short that ran before the movie (Barbie and Ken are such dorks), and the closing credits. Not a good sign for "Cars 2".

Monday, June 20, 2011

Vale Max

#115
I had my "Magic Circle Club" photograph professionally
framed, along with Max Bartlett's autograph!


Dammit. I just tried to send Max Bartlett ("Magic Circle Club") an email update and it bounced back. I've just Googled him and uncovered the headline of a "Herald-Sun" obituary, so it seems Max passed away in July 2010, not too long after Tedd Dunn (Fredd Bear).

As a fan, one tries not to be too much of a pest, but the time goes so fast. And then... they're gone. Seems like only yesterday that Max and I met, and my memories of several phone calls are strong (eg. "I rang you because I thought it might give you more of a thrill than sending a text message"). I'm hoping to do something with the interview I conducted (April 2009). Several irons are still in the fire...

Vale Max!

Max in Magic Circle Club

Ian and Max
Ian & Max meet in April 2009

Ian in Class 1A, 1965
Me - when I first discovered
"Magic Circle Club!"

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Winter Magic Festival 2011

Winter Magic steam train
Steam Train at Katoomba Railway Station

Winter Magic dragon
A dragon leads a group from Katoomba Public School (pic courtesy of Maxine)

Winter Magic bad bunny
Bad bunny in the street parade

Winter Magic busker
A busker with his two puppets

Winter Magic wolf in Grandma's clothes
Wolf in Grandma's clothes

Winter Magic spiders
Shop window white spiders
More Winter Magic spiders

And my souvenir of the day:

Argon the dragon
Argon the dragon, bought from Rod and Eryn
of www.weefolkgardenart.com

Friday, June 17, 2011

Star Trot x 2

I'd seen "The Paul Hogan Show" version of "Star Trot", but this TV parody of "Star Trek" with the same name from the much earlier "Mavis Bramston Show" - another iconic Australian satirical sketch comedy series - and featuring Johnny Lockwood, later of "Number 96" fame. Very cool Youtube find!



Note that the captain calls one female officer "Number One", so it also drew from "The Menagerie" ("The Cage" being unknown in Australia in the 60s). The "Mavis Bramston Show" ran 1964-68, so it was sending up "Star Trek" as a then-current show.

Here's the "Paul Hogan Show" (late 70s/early 80s) version. It once received a write-up in "Starlog" magazine, long before Hogan became a household name in the USA. The skit uses the same Spock-in-the-elevator joke, not just the title of the old MBS skit:


Monday, June 13, 2011

Up to 3 hours free man parking

Man Lounge

Spotted at Westfield Plaza, Penrith, today: Man Lounge - Park your man here. Rest area for bored men. Up to 3 hours free man parking.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

ALF gains a chair, meets a dog

Alf's chair

This silvery spaceship chair is a repaint of a dolls' wooden high chair I found on the kerb a few days ago. Note the new green and red buttons on the throttles and gears. A perfect chair for...

ALF (Alien Life Form)

... my Mum's ALF doll, which used to sit an a rather substandard stool in her spare room.

Jack and ALF
ALF (Alien Life Form) meets Jack.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Double spike!

Grass tree

This year, the grass tree has developed a new spike - while last year's is still in the centre. Normally, it has only spiked every second year.

Saturday, June 04, 2011

A taste of Jam Sandwich

In 1983, I renewed my acquaintance with ABC-TV director, Virginia Lumsden, who had overseen an episode of "Mr Squiggle and Friends" I did in January 1980.

"Jam Sandwich" was a children's afternoon magazine show, quite similar to "Simon Townsend's Wonder World". The night they featured science fiction media fan clubs: including Astrex (the NSW Star Trek Fan Club) and the Australasian Doctor Who Club. Young reporter Rachel Enright was making her "Jam Sandwich" debut. Her more experienced host, Tim Grogan, who'd been with the show since its first episode in October 1982, even forgot her name at the end!

We were invited to gather, in costume, one evening at the original 106a Bathurst Street location of Galaxy Bookshop.

Opening1whiteOpening2
The show's opening credits resembled a "Space Invaders" computer game.

Rachel Enright and Tim Grogan presentingwhiteGalaxy Bookshop, 1983
Rachel Enright and Tim Grogan presenting; Rachel discovers Galaxy Bookshop - and K-9.

K-9whiteRachel discovers Galaxy's range

Ron Serduik morphs into...whiteRon Serduik morphs into Karsten John
Assistant Manager Ron Serduik morphs into "Doctor Who" fan, Karsten John.

Captain Therin beams downwhiteThe Empress beams down
Therin of Andor (Ian McLean) and the Empress of Traken (Carol Bott) beam down.

Rachel and Karsten witness a beam-down
Rachel and Karsten witness a beam-down!

Carol as the Empress of TrakenwhiteCaptain Therin's captioned alter ego

Rachel Enright interviews Captain Therinwhiteoooufp1
A non-commercial network helps to promote my fanzine!

oooufp2whiteoooufp3
Aliens from "USS Hood Orientation Manual: Races of the Federation".

oooufp4whiteSaurian in Races of the Federation fanzine

Vulcan in Races of the Federation fanzinewhiteZaranite in Races of the Federation fanzine

Therin on Jam Sandwich

Gary Armstrong's homemade K-9whiteGary Armstrong
Gary Armstrong explains how he built his K-9 robot.

K-9's control boxwhiteCaptain Therin and Empress of Traken browsing
K-9's control box (80s-style miniaturisation); Therin goes browsing.

Captain Therin browsingwhiteChristina Amphlett on Jam Sandwich
Chrissy Amphlett and the Divinyls accompany the episode's closing credits (above right).