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Retro Fan #13 March 2021 (magazine review).

The latest issue of ‘Retro Fan’ starts running with interviews by Mike Eury with Mark Goddard and Marta Kristen about their time on ‘Lost In Space’ and both being told that it wasn’t likely to get beyond a pilot episode otherwise they might not have done it. Ultimately, it only got cancelled because Irwin Allen was focusing more on ‘The Time Tunnel’ for a different TV channel and not providing CBS with plots for the next season.

I don’t know what these two are taking but they both look pretty spry for their ages in 2019.

I did find Ernest Farino’s look at ‘The Twilight Zone’, ‘Outer Limits’, ‘Thriller’, ‘One Step Beyond’ and ‘Way Out’ as a collective rather odd, mostly because its covering so much ground. Hopefully, each series might have more space another time. What does make this section worth looking at is the number of photographs give in so few pages. Of particular note, you can get to see two voice artists together, Vic Perrin as the voice from ‘The Outer Limits’ and Bob Johnson who was the voice on the tape for ‘Mission: Impossible’ in case you didn’t know what they looked like.

Mike Eury’s look at Lava Lamps should stir memories for a lot of you people out there. I didn’t realise that it was a trade secret even to this day what substances they were using. I just assumed it was hot wax in oil.

Douglas R. Kelly’s look at Frisbees explores how they developed from throwing thin metal pie trays to plastic. I would add that the reason why the curved disk is aerodynamic is because like a wing surface, the base is flat and the top curved which would provide the necessary lift for it to fly through the air even before it does a leisurely spin.

Andy Mangels continues his examination of Saturday Morning American TV with ‘Dynomutt And Blue Falcon’ or should it be the other way around. I was beyond the age where we might have had it in the UK but, if it had, I’m sure the merchandise would have followed. If you are after their complete adventures with extras on DVD, heed Andy’s advice as to which one to buy.

You’ll notice I’ve been noting the article writers throughout this review but its only because the article on generic foodstuffs used in TV series and films to avoid free advertising is written by ‘A Writer’, ‘The’ to his generic friends.

Will Murray’s piece on the creation of Archie Andrews shows much came from the early life of co-creator Bob Montana, although there were many hands in the pie in breaking new ground in comicbooks in the 1950s that wasn’t super-hero. About the only thing that isn’t mentioned is why is Jughead called Jughead? Am I missing something in American logic of why he insists on wearing a crown.

I only knew Bob Crane (1928-1978) from his starring role on ‘Hogan’s Heroes’ and only saw a few episodes when young. His biographer Carol M. Ford relates his life as a drummer and zany radio DJ that tore up the radio rulebook in America before moving into acting.

We get another look into Scott Shaw!’s childhood and the time he spent at the San Diego Zoo, not as an inmate but some of the perks of getting behind the scenes when his Dad was a security officer there.

Finally, Ernest Votto shows us something about his Partridge Family trading cards, of which there were three sets. The third is the rarest simply because fewer cards were made, not because they were better.

I don’t know if it was the balance of material or subject matter this time, but ‘Retro Fan’ looks like it’s come of age with this issue, kicking on a lot more slots that wasn’t merchandise orientated.

Please be aware that because of the lockdown, the normal shop outlets for ‘Retro-Fan’ have been sharply curtailed in the USA, so get it straight from them or by their subscription service.

GF Willmetts

February 2021

(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page magazine. Price: $ 9.95. (US). ISSN: 2576-7224. Direct from them, you can get it for $ 9.95 (US))

check out website: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_152&products_id=1564

UncleGeoff

Geoff Willmetts has been editor at SFCrowsnest for some 21 plus years now, showing a versatility and knowledge in not only Science Fiction, but also the sciences and arts, all of which has been displayed here through editorials, reviews, articles and stories. With the latter, he has been running a short story series under the title of ‘Psi-Kicks’ If you want to contribute to SFCrowsnest, read the guidelines and show him what you can do. If it isn’t usable, he spends as much time telling you what the problems is as he would with material he accepts. This is largely how he got called an Uncle, as in Dutch Uncle. He’s not actually Dutch but hails from the west country in the UK.

2 thoughts on “Retro Fan #13 March 2021 (magazine review).

  • Re: Jughead – the name is a bit of a running gag in the comics. No idea where it comes from…

    He wears a crown beanie, not a crown per se. According to Wikipedia these were common in the 40s and 50s, often made from a fedora with the brim cut to shape and then turned up. There are other examples – and a photo of Goober Pyle wearing one. (I really need to get out more… )

    Reply
    • Hello Julian
      Still looks more like a crown than a beanie, considering he’s got the centre cut out as well.
      So what is the running gag??
      Geoff

      Reply

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