Retro Fan #34 September 2024 (magazine review).
This edition of ‘Retro Fan’ skips across the genres. First we have writer Herbie J. Pilato looking at the ‘CHiPs’ TV show. At last, a show was shown over here, although I’m not entirely sure we saw all six seasons. Although Pilato doesn’t cover it here, I can’t help but wonder if the 1973 film ‘Magnum Force’ had any influence on ‘CHiPs’ coming out 4 years later. It certainly put the police motorbike patrol in a better light.
If you’re of a certain age, you couldn’t not have heard of falsetto-voiced eccentric Tiny Tim. Writer Mark Voger goes over his history and his rise to fame.
Writer Mark Cantrell interviews Bill Campbell about how his model kit, designed ‘Weird-Ohs,’ changed the fortunes of the Hawk Model Company when their salesmen told them it would sell and did.
Writer Scott Shaw provides an account of the life and career of actor John Candy, spanning from 1950 to 1994. I only saw him in a couple of films, and he revealed the actor was quite shy in real life. Shaw!’s connection was designing the cartoon version of him for ‘Camp Candy’ and worked with him.
Another writer with a connection was Rod Labbe, who interviewed bodybuilder Steve Reeves (1929-2000) about his acting career, which he literally fell into. He became iconic, although I’ve yet to see any of his films.
Writer Scott Saavedra’s Aunt Betty Jane worked at the Disney Studios for a year back in the 1950s. He didn’t interview her, but his brother, Craig, did. The insight into how the company was run. The men were the artists, and any women in the ink and paint department were probably just the way, not only of Disney, but other companies as well. It gives an intriguing insight, not to mention dismiss some myths.
Considering how Plastic Man started off as a quality character, it wasn’t until the 1960s, under DC Comics, that Plas started his animation life. Writer Andy Mangels unravels his TV evolution and why Woozy Winks was never used; the animation companies had never heard of him.
Lastly, writer Will Murray takes us on his first film reporting assignment for ‘Starlog’ in 1985, more so as he had the inside track there as he wrote ‘The Assassin’s Handbook’ first. The film, ‘Remo: The Adventure Begins.’ I can’t disagree with anything he says here, although I’ve always been surprised why the producers didn’t use the book series name, ‘The Destroyer.’ Murray also ghosted 40 of the novels, so hope there’s a follow-up article on the novels themselves.
There is definitely a good mix here.
GF Willmetts
December 2024
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page magazine. Price: $10.95. (US). ISSN: 2576-7224. Direct from them, you can get it for $10.95 (US)).
check out website: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_152&products_id=1771
