Good morning, gentle readers, and welcome to On This Day In Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror History!
How's your Thursday goin' thus far? Mine is off to a pretty decent start. Got a reasonable night's sleep. Feeling a bit sore from my visit to the health club yesterday. Now I'm turning my sights to the blog, and I wanted to get something up in celebration of the day. So I hope you're here and ready to jump right in because that's what we're going to do.
Last night, I watched a little something-something on the Netflix called Troll (2022). (It's one that a reader had recommended to me a little while back.) It was ... erm ... interesting. I'm putting together my thoughts on it for a review on the site, so keep your eyes peeled for that. The short skinny is that it was pretty good -- not a fabulous flick but definitely had its own sense of fun. Have you seen it? Apparently, it was a bit of a sensation globally, but I'm not sure it experienced any real breakout here in the U.S. Maybe amongst diehard Netflix enthusiasts. Whatever the case is, I'll have something up on it reasonably soon.
How's your Thursday goin' thus far? Mine is off to a pretty decent start. Got a reasonable night's sleep. Feeling a bit sore from my visit to the health club yesterday. Now I'm turning my sights to the blog, and I wanted to get something up in celebration of the day. So I hope you're here and ready to jump right in because that's what we're going to do.
Last night, I watched a little something-something on the Netflix called Troll (2022). (It's one that a reader had recommended to me a little while back.) It was ... erm ... interesting. I'm putting together my thoughts on it for a review on the site, so keep your eyes peeled for that. The short skinny is that it was pretty good -- not a fabulous flick but definitely had its own sense of fun. Have you seen it? Apparently, it was a bit of a sensation globally, but I'm not sure it experienced any real breakout here in the U.S. Maybe amongst diehard Netflix enthusiasts. Whatever the case is, I'll have something up on it reasonably soon.
Sigh.
I know, I know, I know. "But but but but but ... Flash Gordon? That was done in the 1930's! It had garbage special effects! It had garbage costumes! It had garbage this and garbage that!"
Oh, you folks have no respect for your elders.
Folks, take note: if we didn't have the Flash Gordon serials, then there's a very solid chance that we might not have Science Fiction and Fantasy on the silver screen as prevalently as we do today. These serials -- the good, the bad, and the ugly of them -- served as inspiration to a whole generation of storytellers, and it's the resulting love and respect for them that brought a great many other feature films to life. George Lucas has credited them as inspirations. Steven Spielberg has credited them as inspirations. Need I mention any other directors who've pursued their respective careers to provide the same?
Sigh.
In any event, yes, I've seen the original Gordon serials -- saw them in my youth, and I revisit them whenever I find them on Turner Classic Movies -- and they delight me to my core. Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars was the second one, and it first launched into outer space theatrically on this day all the way back in 1938.
I know, I know, I know. "But but but but but ... Flash Gordon? That was done in the 1930's! It had garbage special effects! It had garbage costumes! It had garbage this and garbage that!"
Oh, you folks have no respect for your elders.
Folks, take note: if we didn't have the Flash Gordon serials, then there's a very solid chance that we might not have Science Fiction and Fantasy on the silver screen as prevalently as we do today. These serials -- the good, the bad, and the ugly of them -- served as inspiration to a whole generation of storytellers, and it's the resulting love and respect for them that brought a great many other feature films to life. George Lucas has credited them as inspirations. Steven Spielberg has credited them as inspirations. Need I mention any other directors who've pursued their respective careers to provide the same?
Sigh.
In any event, yes, I've seen the original Gordon serials -- saw them in my youth, and I revisit them whenever I find them on Turner Classic Movies -- and they delight me to my core. Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars was the second one, and it first launched into outer space theatrically on this day all the way back in 1938.
And while we're on the topic of Flash Gordon?
Yes, yes, and yes: you can happily count me amongst the contingent of fans who worship the 1980 theatrical incarnation of the great space hero. I realize that it isn't everyone's cup o'tea, but for those of us who got it the film remains a camp sensation, one that deserves to be rediscovered every so often by audiences who can appreciate Science Fiction and Fantasy for what it is in its purest form: unadulterated pulp.
Actor Timothy Dalton -- as 'Prince Baron' -- was an incredible addition to the cast, giving the space saga a bit of gravitas with his performance as one of Ming the Merciless' closest foils. He rather begrudgingly sided with the earthman Gordon only after the hero proved himself, and it made for some rather delightful screen magic to the colorful interpretation, indeed.
Plus ... dare I forget that Dalton himself cleaned up nicely only a few years later to take one of the screen's most coveted jobs ever, that of Secret Agent 007 serving on her Majesty's Secret Service? Granted, the man's turn in the role may not have been as celebrated as others were -- what with the state of that franchise in the 1980's -- but he rather forcefully made his presence known in two cinematic outings. I've read online some fan speculation that suggests future Bond films might even bring him aboard -- not as the singular agent -- as the next player for M. While I don't put a lot of credence into web rumors, I'll concede that -- snicker snicker -- that might be fun for purists who can't wait for Bond to return to the screen again.
Happy birthday, Mr. Dalton!
Yes, yes, and yes: you can happily count me amongst the contingent of fans who worship the 1980 theatrical incarnation of the great space hero. I realize that it isn't everyone's cup o'tea, but for those of us who got it the film remains a camp sensation, one that deserves to be rediscovered every so often by audiences who can appreciate Science Fiction and Fantasy for what it is in its purest form: unadulterated pulp.
Actor Timothy Dalton -- as 'Prince Baron' -- was an incredible addition to the cast, giving the space saga a bit of gravitas with his performance as one of Ming the Merciless' closest foils. He rather begrudgingly sided with the earthman Gordon only after the hero proved himself, and it made for some rather delightful screen magic to the colorful interpretation, indeed.
Plus ... dare I forget that Dalton himself cleaned up nicely only a few years later to take one of the screen's most coveted jobs ever, that of Secret Agent 007 serving on her Majesty's Secret Service? Granted, the man's turn in the role may not have been as celebrated as others were -- what with the state of that franchise in the 1980's -- but he rather forcefully made his presence known in two cinematic outings. I've read online some fan speculation that suggests future Bond films might even bring him aboard -- not as the singular agent -- as the next player for M. While I don't put a lot of credence into web rumors, I'll concede that -- snicker snicker -- that might be fun for purists who can't wait for Bond to return to the screen again.
Happy birthday, Mr. Dalton!
But as long as we're still on the subject of Flash ...
How about we celebrate the birthday of famed illustrator Al Williamson?
Born on this day all the way back in 1931, Williamson really shot to the forefront of the illustration business in the 1960's when he went to work in helping to bring to colorful life on Alex Raymond's creation -- Flash -- for a whole new generation of readers. A decade or so later, he was tapped to bring yet one other huge star saga to illustrated life when Marvel Comics hired him to work on their licensed releases of Star Wars. But the artist's work wasn't limited to just Science Fiction and Fantasy: a quick reading of his Wikipedia.org summation shows that he also worked on such properties as Superman, Swamp Thing, and Daredevil.
Granted, his name might not be as well known today as are some of this contemporaries, but anyone who has followed the comics scene knows just how much influence the talented man's style had on others along the way. The fact that he's inspired so many others with his drawings and professional acumen speaks volumes, and I, for one, will always appreciate him for being just one more artist who brought Flash into the mainstream of entertainment.
Happy birthday, Mr. Williamson.
How about we celebrate the birthday of famed illustrator Al Williamson?
Born on this day all the way back in 1931, Williamson really shot to the forefront of the illustration business in the 1960's when he went to work in helping to bring to colorful life on Alex Raymond's creation -- Flash -- for a whole new generation of readers. A decade or so later, he was tapped to bring yet one other huge star saga to illustrated life when Marvel Comics hired him to work on their licensed releases of Star Wars. But the artist's work wasn't limited to just Science Fiction and Fantasy: a quick reading of his Wikipedia.org summation shows that he also worked on such properties as Superman, Swamp Thing, and Daredevil.
Granted, his name might not be as well known today as are some of this contemporaries, but anyone who has followed the comics scene knows just how much influence the talented man's style had on others along the way. The fact that he's inspired so many others with his drawings and professional acumen speaks volumes, and I, for one, will always appreciate him for being just one more artist who brought Flash into the mainstream of entertainment.
Happy birthday, Mr. Williamson.
Lo and behold, readers, we've reached that point in the daily blog post wherein I encourage each of you to head on over to the Daily Citation Page for March 21 and perform your own bit of research ... well, research into my research, that is ... and find something worthy of tickling your fancy. There's plenty there for you to rummage through, and it deserves a bit of attention.
So don't delay, folks. I promise that there's something in there for everyone -- not just the most faithful fans of Flash -- and I encourage you to step into the realms of the Fantastic because adventure awaits.
As always, thank you for reading ... thank you for sharing ... thank you for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
As always, thank you for reading ... thank you for sharing ... thank you for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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