Monday, April 8, 2013

1977 Article: "James T. Kirk: Exorcist?"

Hitting the pages of another issue of Media Spotlight, a magazine that only lasted five issues, sadly... it was neat, since it was essentially a magazine-format version of "The Monster Times." In this case it even re-ran an article that had appeared in the pages of one of the issues of TMT; a write-up from the final issue of Media Spotlight (published October 1977) called "James T. Kirk: Exorcist?" It's a fun piece, and easier to scan in this format, that's for sure.
(Click on images to enlarge; once open, you may have to click it again to view full size.)



Below, definite proof that this was the same as TMT, running the same merchandise ads in the back. I always loved these ads, building an imaginary wish list as I gazed at the items. You know, it's funny... but when I look at these pages, I still get a residual tingle of excitement, as the old feelings surface that I felt looking at them way back when.
Note the ad for a "Spock Pop," an item that would satisfy any desire one might have to know what a Vulcan tasted like.

Bonus: from the inside cover of this same issue, a candid shot of Nichelle on stage during a convention.


Bonus: a neat photo of Kirk and Spock, the one that adorned the cover of the TV Guide during the series first run. How I would love to have that issue!

Bonus: from the "Official USS Enterprise Officer's Date Book" for 1980 is this photo from the un-used scene where two security officers are zapped by the probe from V'Ger. They should have left it in, to add a little more action... at LEAST we would have got to see a phaser fired, if only once in the movie.
Proving the the red-shirt curse had more to do with the position than the color of the uniform.

UPDATE: recent readers may have seen the post about the Phaser Rifle prop being found. I have updated that post with a video that was made promoting the prop for the auction, that includes the maker of this piece of TV history! Watch the great video below, or watch it on Youtube! http://youtu.be/oWGNDoXG9R8



Update 4-9-13: The Phaser Rifle sold for $231,000! Here's a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR7XbMXBVHI

4 comments:

Rob Bignell said...

In a way, the reprint of the ads was cooler than the article! In 1977, I would have been salivating over all of that Star Trek merchandise, which was difficult to find, to say the least! BTW, glad to see that you have the correct UFP seal on your the blog!

Anonymous said...

fancy excluding the phaser shot scene in TMP! (it isnt even in the DC). denying us the chance to see those awesome lethal badass Wrath of Khan Starfleet phasers early in 79 instead of 82!

then again maybe it for the best as they had such a BADASS shock introduction in Trek II - the scientist being vaporized by Capt Terrell - disintegrations happened loads of times in TOS but that was 60s tv budget - here it was in big budget big screen Trek never seen before (nice one TMP!) it felt totally real as if that’s what super advanced ‘ray guns’ 200 years in the future would do to a person (it also helped that TWOK felt totally real so the danger/threat felt real) - the horrible scream the scientist does as hes destroyed feels like something out of a Cronenberg SF film (in fact the whole scene is like something out of an 18 rated 80s Cronenberg tech thriller)

Frederick said...

Rob,
Thanks, although never screen-used as far as I can tell, (although the one designed for the movies was obviously inspired by this one), I have always like the Franz Joseph version since it was the first we ever saw... human-centric though it may be. I have a button of it that I bought in the 70's that I used to wear to work to identify me to other trekkers.

Frederick said...

Anon,
you are right about the first movie we saw of a phaser disintegration was chilling, in it's depiction of a slower, more painful death that just a glow and a vanish effect. You could see the person being eaten away and it was scary. Even more so in TSFS where it took longer, but TWOK was more shocking.