Aucbvax.1870
fa.sf-lovers
utzoo!duke!decvax!ucbvax!JPM@MIT-ML
Tue Jun 23 06:11:03 1981
SF-LOVERS Digest V3 #153
SF-LOVERS AM Digest Thursday, 18 Jun 1981 Volume 3 : Issue 153
Today's Topics:
SF Books - Fantasticats & Cyber-SF,
SF Movies - Clash of the Titans, SF TV - Dark Shadows,
SF Topics - International Animation & Compu-fiction &
Children's TV (George of the Jungle and Dodo and Space Angels) &
Children's stories ("The Haunted Spacesuit") &
Science in Science Fiction
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1981 04:20:36-PDT
From: decvax!duke!unc!smb at Berkeley
Subject: SF Cat-tastrophes
Well, if you prefer i'm-purr-fect SF, I can think of one example sure
to give anyone claws-trophobia. It's a story called "Late Night
Final", and it's really about the morality of TV producers. A vicious
cat-like alien from an off-limits planet lands on earth, with the
intention of looting the poor weak inhabitants. She pulls all sorts
of vicious acts, such as killing the skid-row physician she forced to
surgically alter her appearance. Unknown to her, her progress has
been monitored by a TV network's hidden surveillance cameras. The
network broadcasts her depredations as a block-buster live feature,
without regard to the people killed, etc. The censorship board
permits this, as long as sexual or scatalogical scenes aren't shown;
they don't like it, but the public demands such fare. Finally, when
the police apply too much pressure, they close the episode by hiring a
man who has (apparently) killed several criminals whom he felt had
been wrongly acquitted. Said vigilante is, of course, a popular hero.
Anyway, the story has enough anti-cat propaganda to satisfy anyone's
evil felines. Hmm -- could the author have been Leigh Brackett? I
seem to remember several other
Wait a minute -- why am I trying hard to think of anti-cat stories.
Look at the bum raps have gotten for thousands of years... hell, just
a week or two ago, Ann Landers said she had to go along with all those
readers who claimed to know of cats who smothered babies. Me, I think
these folks have never heard of sudden infant death syndrome...
------------------------------
Date: 12 Jun 1981 at 0453-CDT
From: hjjh at UTEXAS-11
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CYBER-SF: Natural Cy-Devices ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The rarest TYPEs of 'cybernetic' devices are those which are "natural"
rather than constructed. Because we have found so few, all of them,
not just the robots, are reported on together here.
Laumer, K.: RETIEF'S WAR
has the alien Quoppina, life forms combining the biological and the
mechanical to form natural cyborgs. This is the basis of a lot of
the humor in the book. The tone of the other books with cybernetic
life forms, however, is not humorous.
The circumstances are not described, but robots "grown from seed" in
Kyle, D.A.: DRAGON LENSMAN
would seem to be "natural". Metallic robot-like life forms occur in
High, P.E.: NO TRUCE WITH TERRA
Anthony, P.: OX
In addition to the natural robotic life forms, "Machine Prime" in
Anthony, P.: OX
is a similar computer. And there are the alien purple flowers in
Simak, C.: ALL FLESH IS GRASS
which although biological rather than mechanical, have a root system
which is described as forming a computer.
'Problematical' is all we can say about the alien ship's denizens in
Clarke, A.C.: RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA
They \could/ be natural. Like the characters in the story, we just
don't have enough information to extrapolate reasonably from.
-----
Has anyone come across any other books with "natural" cy-devices?
------------------------------
Date: 17 Jun 1981 10:40:32-EDT
From: cjh at CCA-UNIX (Chip Hitchcock)
Subject: bad actors in CotT (CLoT?)
I'm curious about your statement that the actress(?) playing
Andromeda was so bad they had to hire a stand-in for the bath scene.
Certainly her proportions were extreme enough to satisfy most people;
was it that she refused to do a nude scene (which I find thoroughly
unlikely for an unknown in present-day filmmaking)? And do you think
that one mark of a good actress is willingness to strip for the
camera?
Aside from this, I completely agree with your review, except that I
didn't think much of the animated full shots of Pegasus---as with the
seagull at the beginning, too much contrast between stiff animation
and fluid life.
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1981 0853-PDT (Monday)
From: Mike at UCLA-SECURITY (Michael Urban)
Subject: Dark Shadows, Huzzah!
Ah yes. I remember Dark Shadows quite well. It ran back in the
late 60's and ended in 1970, or 1971, right? I only caught the last
couple of years of the program with any frequency. Thoroughly
bizarre, and even more fun when you were up on the things they were
stealing from (Dorian Gray, Frankenstein, Jekyll & Hyde, as well as
some more obscure stories). Even today, you can hear "Shadows of the
Night", which was "Quentin's Theme" on the show, played on the radio.
This may be unique--a bit of music introduced as incidental music in a
soap opera becoming a successful popular record.
Channel 9 here in LA (RKO General affiliate) ran Dark Shadows
reruns when MHMH started too. Clever people they were, they ran it at
11 PM, opposite MHMH. So it died from poor ratings, never to be seen
again in the LA market, sigh. Again, unique. I can't think of any
other soap operas that have gone into syndicated reruns!
Every now and then, you see Dark Shadows alumni acting in other
things. Notably Kate Jackson of "Charlie's Angels" (That's ANGEL, not
ANGLE). However, a DS fan I was talking to at a recent con says that
J. Frid (Barnabas) has retired from acting, and wants nothing to do
with DS fan activities, unlike the other former cast members. I have
the impression that Dark Shadows fans are actually fairly active and
well organized. However, more due to laziness than disinterest, I
haven't followed up any of the pointers. I assume that there are
those out there who can help? Maybe the UFO fan coordinator (whom I
know is also a DS fan) can supply information?
Mike
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1981 17:38 PDT
From: Pettit at PARC-MAXC
Subject: Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows was my favorite TV show next to Star Trek during most of
high school. In our neighborhood it came on at 3:00, which was the
main factor in my choice of going to school 1st thru 6th periods
(which let out at 2:20) instead of 2nd thru 7th (3:15). But I did
feel during the last season that the plots were getting too much away
from the central characters, and wished they would start over at the
beginning. Instead they cancelled it altogether.
If you decide to send that letter, I'll second it.
/Teri
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1981 10:36:10-PDT
From: CSVAX.upstill at Berkeley
Subject: SF-lovers; Animation show
I'm not sure about the animation series (the International Animation
Festival?) whose host was Jean Marsh, but more important, I can tell
you who produced it, if you want to badger your local PBS station into
reruns: KQED in San Francisco. And yes, it was really good (remember
"Self Service", Bruno Bozetto's story of a mosquito consumer society
run amok?), with much overlap with the (probably easier-to-obtain) Nth
Annual Torurnees of Animation (for N up to 14 I think now).
Steve
------------------------------
Date: 17 Jun 1981 1709-PDT
From: OR.TOVEY at SU-SCORE
Subject: animal robots, joint authorship
The book version of Clash of the Titans will have Bubo, the
robot owl (another robot bird).
Re joint authorship: there is a book called The Floating
Admiral, by Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, etc. -- one chapter per
author. To keep themselves honest, each mystery writer was required
to have a solution of the puzzle that was consistent with the clues in
her/his chapter and the preceding ones. The book works out pretty
well....It might be a good idea to do something like this, to keep the
story more coherent. (sounds interesting).
good reading,
--cat
------------------------------
Date: 17 Jun 1981 1720-PDT
From: Lynn Gold <G.FIGMO AT SU-SCORE>
Subject: Song from SA
George, George, George of the Jungle
Strong as he can be
AAOOHHHH (Tarzan-type yell)!
"Watch out for that tree!
"Watch out for that (AAOOHHHH -- followed by a loud crash) --
TREE!"
--Lynn
------------------------------
Date: 17 Jun 1981 1214-PDT (Wednesday)
From: Lauren at UCLA-SECURITY (Lauren Weinstein)
Subject: G of the J
Sigh... let's see if we can get the George of the Jungle theme RIGHT
(the version sent in by someone in a previous digest was somewhat
mangled).
George, George, George of the Jungle
Friend to you and me!
[Tarzan Yell]
Watch out for that tree!
George, George, George of the Jungle
Lives a life that's free!
[Tarzan Yell]
Watch out for that tree!
When he gets in a scrape
He makes his escape
With the help of his friend,
an A - P - E.
Then away he'll schlep,
On his elephant Shep
While Fella and Bersella stay in step!
With...
George, George, George of the Jungle
Friend to you and me!
[Tarzan Yell]
Watch out for that tree!
Watch out for that... [Yell terminated with SPLAT--ARRRGHHH]
Treeeeeeeeeeee...
George, George, George of the Jungle --
Friend to you and me!
---
--Lauren--
------------------------------
From: TRB@MIT-MC
Date: 06/15/81 10:12:20
Subject: SF-LOVERS Digest V3 #151
Dodo definitely exists, as real as you or I. Part of the theme song
went: "... with propellers on his heels, antennas on his ears, he's a
science fiction pixie from a strange atomic race, DODO, the kid from
outer space, DODO!" Dodo was pretty hip, there was an off the wall
ingenious scientist, if I correctly recall. The theme music really
got your toes tappin'. I watched this in NYC all the time.
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1981 14:02:17 EDT (Monday)
From: David Mankins <DM AT BBN-RSM>
Subject: space angel
I can remember watching Space Angel in my early childhood in Missouri
(circa 1960). As I recall it was Space Angel himself who had the
eye-patch. There was a heavy-set bearded fellow (with a Norse
accent?) and a woman on the crew (don't remember their roles).
There were some sort of baddies (a la Klingons) with skeletal
space-ships.
I only remember an episode which involved a race in space, including a
grizzled old prospector (Gabby Hayes-like) and his patched-together
spaceship (the most realistic space ship in films until the
Discovery... lots of lumps and struts...)
Sure seemed like fine stuff to a four-year old...
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1981 1217-PDT (Monday)
From: Lauren at UCLA-SECURITY (Lauren Weinstein)
Subject: Space Angles (sic)
Yeah! I remember the "Space Angles" show! It came on right after
"Pythagorian Planet!"
--Lauren--
P.S. If anyone believes this, may your keyboard melt beneath
your fingers...
--LW--
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 1981 10:49:23-EDT
From: cjh at CCA-UNIX (Chip Hitchcock)
Subject: kittens in a space suit
The story is Arthur Clarke's "The Haunted Spacesuit", a short-short
that has appeared in several places. It came out in a mundane magazine
as part of a series about life on the first space station. (I keep
thinking of the series as a whole being titled "Islands in the Sky",
but that's a juvenile novel.) I think "The Sentinel", which was the
inspiration for 2001:A SPACE ODYSSEY, came from a similar set of
short-shorts about the first flight to the moon (a fine fantasy:
U.S., British, and Russian spacecraft leave together from a thriving
space station).
------------------------------
Date: 14 Jun 1981 1108-PDT
Sender: LEAVITT at USC-ISI
Subject: HGWells and science fiction
From: Mike Leavitt <LEAVITT USC-ISI AT>
And even if we can conclude that Wells was in fact anti-science, that
has nothing to do with whether what he wrote was science fiction. As
someone recently said again (I think it was Baird Searles in IASFM) sf
is about people's reaction *to* science. Time Machine and War of the
Worlds qualify under that definition in any case.
Mike
------------------------------
Date: 12 Jun 1981 20:31:32-PDT
From: E.jeffc at Berkeley
Subject: No science in science fiction ?
Science fiction alone does not suffer from this gross distortion of
science. Science-fact shows on television are also guilty of the same
crime.
COSMOS: I know that I supported this show last November, but after
looking at it from this viewpoint, I have changed my mind. There is
not one ounce of science in this show. What this show overflows with
is MYSTICISM. Sagan's peculiar way of speaking adds to this effect.
The problem with Carl Sagan is that he cannot understand the universe,
and therefore the answer is to be sought in eastern religions, and
stuff like that. He has this obsession with THINGS, such as the
billions upon billions upon billions of stars in a galaxy, which the
psychodelic animation and music reinforces. As soon as he comes to
the frontiers of man's knowledge, he turns into a babbling idiot
claiming that anything is possible, and that there is no way for us to
know what is reality.
Connections: This highly acclaimed series by James Burke fails in task
it set out to do - show how science progresses to ever higher and
higher levels of understanding of the universe. If you listen to this
show, you come away with the impression that all advancements in
science come about through accident, luck, circumstances, greed,
everything but one - creativity. Nowhere in this series is creativity
credited as the cause of scientific advancement. However, it goes
deeper than that. The first episode dealt with the power blackout
that hit New York, and showed how one little device caused the entire
thing. What Burke emphasizes is this: we are at the mercy of our own
technology. Something can happen that is totally out of our control
and completely destroy everything. Technology has become a trap.
Sounds a bit like H.G. Wells. The last episode is not any better. He
goes through 4 alternatives that we can follow, everything from going
back to the caves to continuing on our present course. He chooses the
last one as the lesser of evils, but he does consider it an evil, for
we can continue our scientific progress only at the expense of making
todays breakneck speed seem like a snail's pace in the future. The
emphasis here is that science will outgrow man's ability to comprehend
it. In other words, there is a point at which man can no longer
understand the universe, a statement I totally disagree with.
In Search of: this show starring Leonard Nemoy of Star Trek fame can
be classified as "science-fact" only if you take a grain of salt. The
show specializes in providing "scientific" evidence that such things
as ESP, witchcraft, voodoo, UFO's, and other such things are real.
One major way of providing evidence is through a "reconstruction" of
what happened, as if by using a lot of special effects and losy actors
the "evidence" is made more "valid". The show claims that they are
only proposing A solution, and not THE solution, but if that is true,
why is the "solution" the show inevitably uses the most
anti-scientific possible, and why don't they do a show describing
another solution?
Jeff
------------------------------
End of SF-LOVERS Digest
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