"Wrath Of Khan" Cable TV Premiere

This local Telecable cable guide comes from the WV/PA area, and came out in April of 1983 when "The Wrath Of Khan" (notwithstanding the TMP photo used on the cover) was premiering on pay TV for the first time. The nice interview with Shatner is the highlight of the issue, but there were a number of other items scattered throughout the digest-sized magazine that I also included.

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"Spock..." "Yes, Jim?" "You're... standing in my way."

Don't forget to visit my new blog devoted to the other Star Trek shows that came after TOS: www.MyStarTrekScrapbook2.blogspot.com!

Star Trek Giant Poster Magazine #3

There were two publications that came out in the 70's that really were incredible to find back then... the Star Trek Fotonovels (which came out in 1977, and which we'll tackle soon) and the Giant Poster Magazine. Finding a new edition of either of these on the newstand was a major event in my little world!

I've posted the complete scans of issues #1 and #2 of the poster magazine, and will continue to feature them occasionally until they are all covered. This time we look at issue #3, (published in October of 1976) devoted to covering the more humorous aspects of the show. First, the cover... unusual for the fact that his uniform tunic appears purple rather than blue. This is probably because a colored gel was being used on one of the lights illuminating the scene.

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As always, I scan these pages in sections and then photoshop them back together, which is why the posts of the various issues are spaced apart as they are. It's a big job! If you had these issues, but don't any more, these posts will restore them to you, in a manner of speaking, and refresh your memories of them. If you missed them, they will be new to you! And if you still have them, but haven't looked at them in awhile, the posts will save wear and tear on your issues.

Next, the two pages that it opened up to first; one featuring images from the blooper reel, and the other the rules for playing the game Fizzbin, made up by the captain on the spot to confuse and distract the guards in "A Piece of the Action."

Next, page three, which was twice as large as the previous page, when the magazine was opened up further. A nice writeup on the most famous episode, "The Trouble With Tribbles."

Below, page 4, from the opposite side of the page above; on the inside fold. A nice look at the humor of Star Trek, much of which came from Dr. McCoy.

And then there's the back cover, interesting because of the ads for the two exciting items, the Tech Manual and the Blueprints. Take the trivia quiz if you think you know Star Trek! Answers given next issue.

Bonus: Below, a contributed item from a reader! Although I primarily featured material from my own collection (hence the "my" in "My Star Trek Scrapbook") I have decided to share material sent in by readers, if, of course, I don't already have that item. This time, we have a real rarity; a movie magazine page featuring DeForest Kelly way before his role on Star Trek. Contributor Kristie pointed out that since it mentions his involvement in the then-current film "Variety Girl", that this dates the article to 1947. Bet some of you didn't know his career went back that far! Kristie is an active contributor to a blog dedicated to Kelly, which you should visit! There are some awesome and rare photos of De posted there.

Note: I have begun a Twitter account for those that would like to use it to stay informed when I make posts here. Subscribe at www.Twitter.com/fredtrekker!

Kelly Freas Scotty Portrait

We've recently been looking in detail at the individual paintings that Kelly Freas did in 1976 as part of a set called "Officers of The Bridge." (You can see all the posts, once they are done, by using the "Kelly Freas Art" tag on the right side of the page.) They were originally created for the program booklet (pictured below) for the New York Star Trek convention at the New York Hilton, held Jan 23-25 in 1976, which, besides the portraits, contained cast and crew bios by Ralph and Valerie Carnes.

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This time we are looking at Mr. Scott's portrait, which is one of the most interesting paintings in the set, in that Scotty is decked out in his dress uniform and traditional kilt. He's holding (what is probably) a basket-hilted Claymore, and the face appears to be based on a picture of James Doohan as he appeared at the time, beard and all. The background depicts Montgomery Scott's Scottish heritage, ranging from the ancient Celtic castle to an early pulp sci-fi-style rocket.

There Can Be Only One.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and I'll run ye through."

And below we take a closer look at the chiseled visage of our Scotch-loving Scottish engineer, who looks as if a Klingon just insulted his beloved ship. Seriously, you do not want to mess with a man who is holding a sword and has an expression like that. A great piece of artwork, and one of my favorites in the set. I'm betting that this hangs somewhere in the Doohan household.

"Gr-r-r-r-r! The haggis is in th' fire now, fer su-r-r-re."

Update: Reader Rob Bignell submitted a comment with a link to this photo he found online, of Doohan at a convention in 1975. This confirms that the portrait was based on photos of Jimmy at the time, and it's very accurate! Thanks, Rob!

The fan in the photo still has scars from cigarette ash burns on her arm, which she treasures to this day and proudly shows her grandkids.

Below, a scan of a photo from one of my scrapbooks showing the wearin' o' th' kilt, which gives new meaning to the term "dress uniform."

"Mr. Chekov, if you keep insisting that the kilt was "inwented in Russia," Mr. Scott here is most certainly going to deck you."

Bonus: (Updated on 1-13-10) Here is the salute to Doohan from Starlog issue #112, which celebrated Trek's 20th anniversary in October of 1986.

Bonus #2: Below, a writeup from the same issue of Starlog on the location filming of "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," which shows Jimmy turning on the legendary charm for a bonnie lass visiting the set.

Update: here's a link to a video found online where James Doohan talks about his encounter with a suicidal fan. Quite touching!

Next: the best legs in Starfleet! You know who I'm talking about.

1969 Star Trek Critique Article

Via a trip through the Guardian of Forever, from out of the dim past of the year 1969 (near the end of the show's first run) comes this article from issue #14 of the terrific magazine "Castle of Frankenstein." (Read an earlier post of the CoF #11 Star Trek article here.)

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"Castle of Frankenstein" was a monster/genre mag written on a more mature level than any of the other such publications of the time, and the graphic layout was bold and exciting. Covering science fiction as well as horror, and TV as well as film, the magazine was a real treat.

Above is a detail of the cover photo, corrected for the picture's reversed state.

Now, before you dig into the article, expecting to read details not seen since 1969, a word of caution; it's not a pro-Trek article. In fact, it's a printing of a letter sent to the editors by someone with not just a bone to pick with the show, but a whole skeleton. Reading the diatribe, one truly wonders if they are talking about the same show we know and love. But hey, the pictures printed with it are good!

I think you'll be amazed as you read the things they write about some of the episodes, several of which are now regarded as among the best. His insults of the various facets of the show, calling DeForest Kelley 'a hack," for example, and the makeup artists efforts "abominable," are laughable to me. His example of the "failure" by the makeup artists by "having to bring in John Chambers" to get Mr. Spock's ears right is wrong as far as I can determine; Fred Philips saved the day from another makeup artist's poor efforts by working many late hours making the ears as we saw them in "the Cage." Although John Chamber's contribution of the ears is a popular bit of trivia, neither the "Making of Star Trek" nor Nimoy's books "I Am Not Spock" and "I Am Spock" mention him as being involved in the difficult process. (This is backed up here.) The book "Inside Star Trek" does mention that Fred Phillips designed them and had them made in John Chamber's makeup lab; but the results that came back were still too crude, and Phillips had them sent to someone else at MGM to do them. Be that as it may, right or wrong, it has little impact on the sweeping charges brought by the irate writer that "the makeup is beyond belief, it is so bad."

Calling the ground-breaking exterior design of the Enterprise "lacking in grace and sleek beauty," (whu-u-u-u-t?) and the interiors "disgustingly bad," on the level of the old "Flash Gordon" serials, he compares the art design unfavorably to three of Irwin Allens' shows. That particular statement boggles the mind, because most of Allen's sets consisted of blinking lights and reel-to-reel computers against a black background. His criticism of the show's legendary, memorable musical scores is the final straw. I think it must have been Irwin Allen himself writing under an assumed name.

The photo above represents the writer's attack on the show.

Mr. Spock prepares to launch a counter-attack against the illogical critic and open up a can of well-deserved Tal-shaya.

Well, it was interesting to learn in historical hindsight that some saw this outstanding effort at bringing believable science fiction to the tube as greatly lacking; but as Captain Kirk said, "there's no accounting for taste." The editor's weak "rebuttal" at the end did nothing to argue against some of the more ridiculous statements, but the show itself is the strongest argument. It has stood the test of time and then some! If I had been the editor I would have filed this letter under "crank" and wrote something worthy of the magazine.

Update: The name of the writer is Craig Reardon, and I wonder if he is the same Craig Reardon that became a movie makeup artist? If so (and it seems likely since they are both from Inglewood, CA), this might explain his extreme criticism of that facet of the show's production (which was way off-base in my opinion, in any event). It would be ironic if this were the case, since he went on to do the makeup on one of the Star Trek spinoffs, Deep Space Nine! He would have been close to 16 at the time of the letter... so it's possible. I wonder if he still feels the same way about the original series now? It would be interesting to find out.

Below is a small writeup about the looming cancellation of the show from the same issue, which makes for fascinating reading. Too bad some other network didn't pick it up, give it a bigger budget and restore Roddenberry to producer status.

Bonus: below, the next in the series of four TOS coasters referenced in the last post. I never used these four to hold my drinks; I reserved that for the four Voyager ones.

Bonus: Lastly, another of the Random House Star Trek greeting cards from 1976. The inside text says "Let's keep in touch!"

"Oh, man... dude, it's like, it's like, I can totally feel the color of this paint! Seriously, you gotta come feel it! And bring the Fritos."

Consider that card's sentiment of "let's stay in touch" to be an invitation to comment about this post! I truly do enjoy hearing from my readers.

ST:TWOK local newspaper review

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Above, a local Beckley, WV newspaper review for "The Wrath of Khan" that was published in early June, 1982. Giving the second movie only three stars ("average") the cynical reviewer admits he doesn't understand the appeal of Trek. So I suppose the lukewarm review he gives the film is still a backhanded compliment considering the disdain he obviously held for the fans and the franchise. (When I clipped the article I added the extra stars to show my own regard for the movie.) Perhaps the critic's name was left off the article to avoid imagined reprisal from the fans, or simply because it was penned by someone on staff too unimportant to warrent a byline.

Below, a photo clipped from the entertainment section of a Charleston WV paper.

Next, a clipping from TV Guide the week that the movie premiered on pay TV in March of 1983.

Below, the cover of a July 1982 Jet magazine. I wasn't able to clip tha actual article, all I could get was the cover. I think someone else gave it to me who knew of my interest, but they didn't bring the whole magazine. I suppose they thought I only liked to look at pictures.

"I'm a doctor, not an actor!"

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Above: This first article comes from "Star Trek: Four Generations," a special collector's edition magazine produced by TV Guide, published in spring of 1995.
Although (by the second season, at least) listed in the credits as one of the leads, and his crusty country-doctor one of the show's most beloved characters, Deforrest Kelley was one of the least-interviewed of the cast members. Hence the relative lack of articles in my scrapbook about him, compared to the rest; who were pretty vocal and had plenty of exposure. Kelly seemed a very private individual who was not seeking the limelight as many stars usually do.
Below is a character/actor page from the Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Poster Magazine.

Below, a small item from one of the movie star magazines published at the time of the series' first run. It attests to the fact of his preference for privacy.

Next, a bumper sticker that was part of a set including all the characters and their famous phrases. This one used the line that Kelley laughingly said he hoped didn't end up on his tombstone. Seeing it connected with him now on such items, made years before his passing, seems a bit sad; but no sarcasm or dark humor is intended.

Below, one of the awesome photo covers on "Trek: The Magazine For Star Trek Fans." If all you have are the "best of" books, you missed out on the truly best stuff. These were like finding an oasis in the Trek wasteland of the time, in the mid-70's.

"I wonder what the commissary is serving for lunch today... fried chicken, I hope."

"Pointy-eared hobgoblin thinks he can get the best of me, he's barkin' up the wrong tree."

Below, one of the ads for McCoy's Hamilton Collection commemorative plate, made for the show's 25th anniversary in 1991. Very nice painting by Thomas Blackshear!

Nice publicity photo below, scanned from one of the better calendars of recent years past.

"Hello, Mr. Spock! Over here, it's Christine! Hello?
Oh... he must not have heard me."

Below we see one of the images from the first set of official publicity photos taken of the cast of the new movie for public release.

"Closer to the camera, you say? How's this?"

Here's to De; a true Southern gentleman, and one of the few cast members beloved and admired by everyone else on the show. One never heard the complaints and sniping, either about him or by him, that characterized some of the other cast. We lift a cold mint julep to you, sir!

Nimoy's Now A Sci-fi Expert

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I'm unsure of the origin newspaper and date of the article above, but it came out sometime around 1975, I believe. I didn't always make a note of such things back then, sadly.

Bonus: The picture below was one of the very first I ever clipped out a magazine about Star Trek, and the first one ever saved of Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock. It's from about 1971. The lines evident in it are from the photo album I had it in, which was of the sticky-back type that made it nearly impossible to remove a photo from once it was in it a few years.

"Fascinating... This 'Gritty Kitty' is not only absorbent, but delicious!"

Bonus: The colorful (but over-saturated) photo below was one of the earlier color pictures I got, probably only about the second or so. It was from the inside back cover of Famous Monsters, and I was so excited to find it that I almost walked on air for the trip back home from the convenience store where I found it in Ft. Lauderdale, in 1975. It's really hard to explain or express the excitement something like this would bring to my teenage self, but it truly was the highlight of my week! Looking at it now brings back good recollections of the thrill that I felt on finding it, and I treasure those times when such a simple thing could make me so incredibly happy.

Privately, Spock was amused at the crew's efforts to get him to admit to emotion.

Below, a shot from one of the very unusual pictures used on the 1967 Leaf bubblegum cards. Apparently, most of them were candid photos taken on the set by the card company, because they are unlike any others seen anywhere else. And the captions are not only unrelated to the images in most cases, but often are completely inexplicable and seemingly weed-inspired. I'll be posting more of these hilarious images in the future!

"Why, yes, Jim... it is new eye shadow. Do you like it?"

Below, Fred Phillips applies Leonard's makeup before shooting.
Mr. Spock actually enjoyed the gossip provided by the barber when he went for his haircuts.

Special Announcement: I'm starting (another) New Blog: "Fantastic Flashbacks!"

My scrapbooks were not only packed with Star Trek stuff; no, I also collected items on many science fiction movies, TV shows, comics, books and more. So, I'm starting a new blog to share them with you, at http://www.fantasticflashbacks.blogspot.com/. Hope you enjoy these trips back in time to when the future was fun!