Writer Harlan Ellison passed away today. Born in the midwest in 1934, Ellison got his start in the early 1950s when his stories began to appear in EC Comics and in publications like Amazing Stories and Fantastic Science Fiction. His career became even more high profile after a move to California in the early 1960s. It was during this time Ellison wrote episodes for The Outer Limits (Demon With a Glass Hand and Soldier- which apparently inspired elements of The Terminator), The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (The Pieces of Fate Affair, The Sort-of-Do-It-Yourself Dreadful Affair, and contributed to others), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (The Price of Doom), Burke's Law, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and many others. Perhaps his most recognized piece from the period was City On the Edge of Forever, an emotionally powerful Star Trek story that explored themes of sacrifice and the consequences of tampering with time and events. Ellison's original version of the script was published in a beautiful graphic novel in 2015 by IDW (see Amazon). Today William Shatner tweeted: "Harlan was a very gifted writer. I am sorry to hear of his passing." In later years he worked on The Starlost, Logans Run (TV), Tales From the Darkside, The Hunger (TV), Babylon Five, The Phantom 2040, and later incarnations of The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone. In 1972 he wrote an unproduced pilot based on the 1960s Flint spy movies starring James Coburn (the story reemerged in 1987 as the unproduced script, Flintlock). Younger Spy Vibers might be familiar with Ellison's role as a fictional version of himself in the animated series Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated. Among his many books, Ellison wrote A Boy and His Dog, which has twice been adapted for film, in 1975 and in current pre-production. His work in comic books were equally prolific, with stories in The Avengers, Creepy, Daredevil, Incredible Hulk, Chamber of Chills, Justice League America, Epic, Batman, Haunt of Horror, Crazy, Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor, Conan, and may others. Ellison's prolific output garnered numerous awards, including an impressive 8 Hugo Awards, 4 Nebula Awards, 5 Bram Stoker Awards, 2 Edgar Awards, and many many others. Ellison could be controversial in his behavior and attitude at times, but there is no denying the scope of his talents nor his impact on the culture. He was 84. Many tributes have come in during the day. At the news of his death, author Stephen King tweeted: "There was no one quite like him in American letters, and never will be. Angry, funny, eloquent, hugely talented. If there's an afterlife, Harlan is already kicking ass and taking down names." Perhaps the rarest of tributes came from my friend, writer/cartoonist Trina Robbins, who posted a photograph from 1955 with her at age 16 and Ellison only 21. Below: Ellison's iconic vision of the Guardian of Forever as depicted in Star Trek, the cover of IDW's graphic novel of the original story, and the writer at work. Related posts: Star Trek 50th, Nimoy Tribute, Shatner at 84, Designer Gene Winfield, Dressed For Space.
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner has passed away. Hef grew up dreaming of becoming a cartoonist, but found that his greater talents lay in his ability to envision a personal view and approach to living that, as it turned out, many men could relate to. The would-be cartoonist and his creation, Playboy, became a major influence in the 1950s and 1960s, entertaining a way of life based on pleasure, curiosity, and a male aesthetic. He rebelled against the stifling Puritan traditions in the culture, calling out their hypocrisies, and rejected the post-war American ideal based on family and a suburban lifestyle. Instead, he championed what he believed to be a liberating outlook rooted in natural instincts (from a male-fantasy point of view) and his magazine sported gorgeous gals, cutting-edge humor and fiction (he said James Bond and Playboy were a natural pair), hi-tech gadgets, and images of modern pads that electrified the imaginations of men weary of caving to the nine-to-five paradigm of the grey flannel suit-set. History professor Elizabeth Fraterrigo has written a study of the magazine’s influence: “In the 1950s and 1960s, Playboy promoted a decidedly masculine vision for the realms of home, work, and leisure in its textual and literal construction of their spatial corollaries- the bachelor pad, the white-collar office, and the realm of urban nightlife- which served as counterpoints to the cultural emphasis on the suburban-situated nuclear-family home. Through its magazine, television programs, and key-clubs, Playboy identified spaces where men could craft and nurture a masculine identity based on style, leisure, and consumption” (Elizabeth Fraterrigo/UNLV). He was a well-known movie fan and he shared his passion through film preservation and conservation and regular screenings of classic movies at his mansion. Hef was also a patron of the arts and champion of free speech and civil rights. He used the Playboy banner to host an annual jazz festival, as well as to spotlight innovative and revolutionary thinkers and entertainers on his television programs, Playboy's Penthouse and Playboy After Dark (I recommend the Lenny Bruce and Pete Seeger episodes). One of his most controversial debates was with William F. Buckley Jr. in 1966 (watch it on Youtube). His political work continued into his final years, proclaiming that the fight for gay marriage was the continuing fight for the sexual revolution against our past, puritanical times. Hef was married five times and had four children. He finally hung up his velvet robe and left today at the age of ninety-one. Mark Hammill posted today on Twitter: "1st met him months B4 Star Wars opened- Expected stereotyped swinger/wildman not the kind-thoughtful loyal friend he always was to ML and me." Rest in peace. Related posts: Interview: Playboy Deana and Swinging London.
Elvis Presley passed away forty years ago today. He was the hillbilly cat of the mid-1950s, who brought a hybrid of Blues and Country called Rock and Roll to the mainstream. Our music history is filled with legends who credit his Heartbreak Hotel single as their baptism into the world of electric guitars and dreams of stardom. Both Paul McCartney and Terry Gilliam (Monty Python) listed the song on their BBC Desert Island Discs. McCartney called Elvis their "messiah" and George Harrison said the song was a Rock and Roll epiphany. John Lennon said, "When I first heard Heartbreak Hotel, I could hardly make out what was being said. It was just the experience of hearing it and having my hair stand on end." And Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) and Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) also sited the song as a turning point. I first discovered Presley about seventeen years after his rise to stardom. And even at that point, Heartbreak Hotel was the song that drove me to a life-long passion for playing electric guitar. Carefully picking out the riff and solo by ear, it was the first tune I learned. Neat family trivia: I learned recently that my maternal grandmother, a professional singer, was managed by Colonel Tom Parker in the early days! Despite Elvis' wide influence, however, I never really did become an Elvis fan per se. I was far more interested in The Beatles, the British Invasion, and the original Blues masters. But for many, he was the king of Rock and Roll. I suppose my distance as a kid might have been due to seeing him as a then-current cultural icon in the throws of his Las Vegas years of the 1970s. Where was that fiery young blues fan I heard in Heartbreak? His post-Army career (he served 1958-1960) in the 1960s was lucrative and filled with movie deals, but the years also marked the beginning of compromise. Like any powerful force that challenges the status quo, 1950s rebel-Elvis was acculturated and stripped of his potency by becoming a mascot to commercial and mainstream goals. It's interesting to note that even his final appearance on Ed Sullivan in 1957 had to be filmed from the waist up in order to censor his provocatively swinging hips. His string of films seemed to mark a trajectory from method-actor-wannabe in 1956 to posing onscreen with a fake guitar like a cartoon of himself by 1969. And by the time I saw him on television in the 1970s, that cartoon version had graduated to the full glitz of Vegas showbiz. Yet I've always found an interesting crossroads point in his 1968 Comeback Special. Although the program included some glitzy numbers, it also included segments of Elvis sitting around with jamming his band in intimate, "Unplugged" style. Elvis seemed to relax a bit and the rebel was allowed to reemerge. I loved their version of Jimmy Reed's Baby What You Want Me To Do. Elvis just seemed to throw himself into the guitar playing and the groove. My old guitar students will recognize the arrangement- this is where I got it, folks! Another highlight was when he did a take of One Night. The original lyrics, which lamented "one night of sin is what I'm now paying for" had been watered down early in his career to make the song more radio friendly to "one night with you is what I'm now praying for." But Elvis got carried away in the fun of the '68 jam and let slip some raunchier lines: "The things I did and I saw would make the earth stand still." Hey, this kind of personal confession was hot stuff in the old days! Even his guys shouted their encouragement when they hear what he'd done, just as they had, in fact, shouted, on the original recording. Watching the '68 Special, I always wondered if Elvis could have made a different decision about where to take his career after that. Maybe he could have reclaimed his edge and been a rebellious role model in the late 60s? Or at the very least, perhaps he could have enjoyed his days rocking out with Scotty Moore and his band, reminding us all that he could sing and play- and that he meant every word. He seemed to be at a crossroads. But Elvis didn't go down that road. Instead, the last scenes of his story were played out in Vegas rhinestone splendor, with his sad decline into addiction to prescription drugs, poor health, and an early death at forty-two. I believe Elvis had some good moments left in him after the '68 Special, and I don't want to take away from the enthusiasm his fans still felt for him, but this was the last time we'd see the leather-clad rebel who had started it all for so many fans and musicians back during the first wave of Rock. The '68 Special is currently out-of-print, but hopefully fans will be treated to a 50th anniversary edition next year? In the meantime, check out some clips below. In other news, my episodes of the Cocktail Nation radio show from Australia are now live: Episode #1(Danger Man) and Episode #2 (The 10th Victim), Epsiode #3 (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) Episode #4 (Roger Moore/The Saint), Episode #5 (The Avengers). And coming soon- Episode #6 (The Prisoner). Enjoy!
Breaking news: Adam West passed away last night after a short battle with leukemia. He is best remembered for embodying the role of Batman in the 1960s. West had been a struggling actor in television and film, his first big role was with Paul Newman in The Young Philadelphians, but his career went meteoric when he accepted the lead role in William Dozier's tongue-in-cheek production of Batman for 20th Century Fox (1966-1968). They assembled a perfect team to bring the comic book adventures to the small screen and their combined sensibilities resulted in one of the most influential and iconic creations of the decade. Between the comedic timing of the actors, the colorful sets, the Dutch angle camera work, and on-screen typeface (Pow! Biff!), Batman brought Pop Art to mainstream television. The success of the show's campy quality also reverberated, for better or for worse, throughout other programs, such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Lost In Space, which scrambled to compete for laughs and entertainment. But West's success also came at a cost. The actor found himself struggling once again to find work after Batman, which had typecast him forever in the industry as the caped crusader. West said that he eventually had to make peace with Batman and embrace the role and his loyal fans. He told Variety: "I decided that since so many people love Batman, I might as well love it too. Why not? So I began to reengage myself with Batman. And I saw the comedy. I saw the love people had for it, and I just embraced it." The spirit of this reconciliation was captured beautifully in a 1992 episode of Batman: The Animated Series, where West played a masked hero on TV and boyhood idol of young Bruce Wayne, The Gray Ghost (Beware the Gray Ghost). Fittingly, Bruce's faith in his hero is reaffirmed years later when the Gray Ghost comes to his aid during a mission. The interplay between the characters was quite moving. West's 1966 Batman saw a huge resurgence in the last few years. DC comics launched a new comic series based on the show's Pop Art style and humor, and a line of new toys were licensed. Spy Vibers were even treated to crossover titles with Batman paired with The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Avengers. Fans were once again seeing the familiar faces of West, Ward, Newmar, and the rest of the cast. And after decades of negotiations, the series was finally released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2014. The cast also reprised their roles for an animated Batman film, Return of the Caped Crusaders, in 2016. More below.
My first encounter with Adam West's Batman was in the late 1960s during the show's final season. Like most little kids, I was glued to the TV set to see Batman and Robin foil the fiendish plots of one of the greatest rogue's galleries of villains ever assembled: Catwoman (Julie Newmar), Joker (Cesar Romero), Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Riddler (Frank Gorshin), Egghead (Vincent Price), and many others. One of my earliest memories is sitting in my best friend's garage, where his parent's parked their long black Cadillac (with fins!). We'd pretend it was the Batmobile and turn the steering wheel and push buttons. Elements like the Batcave, the Batmobile, and all those marvelous gadgets were my introduction to the world of Spy-Fi. Sitting in the car, we were Batman and Robin, racing around Gotham City in high adventure. Batman was one of those shows that balanced humor and drama. While the adults may have been laughing, we kids were on the edge of our seats, worried about how our heroes would escape the death traps that famously ended every cliffhanger episode. For me there was a real sense of danger! Batman and Robin would be tied to a giant waffle iron, or some such contraption, and William Dozier's voice would come on to urge us to tune in again, "same Bat-time, same Bat-channel", to see if they would survive. They always did. I saw Adam West in person just about seven weeks ago at a large convention. He was riding on a mobility scooter and passed right by me toward a massive crowd of fans waiting to meet West and co-star Burt Ward. It was thrilling to see my boyhood idol. But the real highlight was that he drove toward the cheering crowd, then in almost Blake Edwards perfect timing, he did a U-turn and rode away for a second. He was grinning from ear to ear. The crowd erupted in laughter. We all loved him. Adam West's family released this statement today: "Our dad always saw himself as The Bright Knight, and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ lives. He was and always will be our hero." He was 88 years old. Related posts: Interview: Batman Celebration Book, Batman Anniversary, Interview: Batman Animated designer Shane Glines Interview, Interview: Ralph Garman and Ty Templeton, Interview: Ryan Heshka, Batman TV and Manga releases, Batman 66: The TV Stories Book, Batman in Swinging London,Julie Newmar, Batman 66 posters, Adam West Sings!, Adam West spy ad, Spy Vibe visits the Batcave, James Bond & Batman Robots, Andy Warhol Batman, Man From UNCLE & Batman Manga.
