Book Reviews

As an author and researcher with credentials, it comes as no surprise that I get solicited with a number of books from other authors, asking for testimonials. I rarely do it unless the testimonial is for the back of a book. I’m touched when someone asks me to write a foreword, a request I get from someone in what appears to be every month. I suspect the reason for this request is to help sell books -- my foreword would be considered some form of endorsement that graces the front cover. But in almost every case I have to decline either because I know nothing about the subject or never got to review the book in advance to write some praise. After all, why endorse a book I have never seen?

Getting back to reviews, I received a package the other week from Bear Manor Media, containing half a dozen new books. I just spent the past week and a half reading and skimming through each tome. Some are quite impressive. Bear Manor Media, for those who haven’t been keeping in touch with the hobby, has become a force of thunder in the publishing industry. Before Bear Manor, the only companies specializing in reference books about vintage movies, television and radio programs were McFarland, Scarecrow and Midnight Marquee -- the latter of which primarily dealt with classic horror and science fiction movies. The first two, regrettably, cater to the college and university market and are dreadfully expensive. Like McFarland, Bear Manor Media has successfully published books about my favorite subjects, with varying degrees of quality and comprehensiveness -- all depending on the authors. (Hey folks, no publishing company can have a successful track record all the time. There’s always going to be  a few winners and a few losers.)

Author Michael Hayde standing behind Bear Manor Media's table at the 5th Annual Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.

Before I offer my reviews, I’d like to make mention of a few things. As a researcher with vast connections and sources, I am in the rare position of finding room for improvement when I know of an archive that features valuable information and discover that the author did not consult those sources. The general public wouldn't know of this and therefore not be as critical. My expectations are higher than most, but I try to take this into account before typing my opinions. Second, with some name status I find myself the victim of poison pen e-mails from people such as “so you reviewed his book but you didn’t review mine?” Remember that these books were sent to me with a request to review them. It doesn’t mean I’m trying to shun someone else.

RAWHIDE: A History of Television’s Longest Cattle Drive

by David R. Greenland

This was a pleasant surprise. While I saddled up for what appears to be the first fill-length account of the television Western, I’m still surprised someone has not done so prior. The history of the program was an enjoyable read. The photographs are reproduced and easy on the eyes. There’s a good interview with Gregory Walcott, who was a frequent guest on the program. My only complaint is the author did not do much legwork. He did interview a few of the actors such as L.Q. Jones, Warren Stevens and the late Richard Devon, and it would have been nice to see a lot more recollections from the cast. (I’m not referring to Clint Eastwood. We all know he doesn’t like looking back on his past.) There’s certainly many actors still around and many were interviewed in the past in magazines and they did comment about their appearances on Wagon Train. I would have liked to have read more of those. The only flaw of the book is the episode guide. I’m sorry, but when the author listed the episode number, title, broadcast date, teleplay credits, director, cast and plot, there isn’t anything here that makes the book stand out above the internet. Heck, the closing credits list more information. Imdb.com (as much as we know how inaccurate that site is) lists more detail such as the names of the fictional characters each actor played. In short, I could add more information to the episode guide myself simply by watching the episodes. But ignore that criticism. The history of the series along is worth the cover price. 

I, RED SKELTON, EXIT LAUGHING or, A Man, His Movies, and Sometimes His Monkeys
by Wes D. Gehring

 I don’t know what to make of this. I’ve never seen a book like this before. In what the author describes as “the creative fruits of an academic haunting,” it’s an autobiography of Red Skelton, written by someone else. The author, Wes D. Gehring, met, interviewed and sometimes hung out with Red Skelton during his performing visits to Ball State University. He even gave the keynote address at the BSU ceremony in which Skelton received an honorary doctorate. Since then, Gehring has written 30 film books, generally about comic personalities, including two biographies about Red Skelton. So putting himself into the mindset of Skelton, sat behind the keyboard and typed an autobiography through Skelton’s lips, as Skelton would have done so if he was alive today. At first I thought was this is a disaster. And a bit confusing for the first few minutes as I tried to envision Skelton’s voice beginning with the opening lines, “I was born four days late….” But as I continued to read through the pages, I began devouring everything. And it works. If the author had wanted to commit fraud and claim he found Skelton’s long-long autobiography, he would have fooled me. Gehring did a great job, and you can tell the man did his homework. 

My only concern is how many people might be confused and begin quoting from this book in future reference guides (and magazine articles), quoting what they think is Skelton’s own words. Or worse, they quote from the book and then someone else sees that quote and makes the mistake, thus starting a long-time problem of deciphering what is and is not really Skelton’s own words.

YOU’D BE SO NICE TO COME HOME TO

edited by Ben Ohmart

This book was meant to be a supplement to Ben Ohmart’s biography on Paul Frees, Welcome Foolish Mortals: The Life and Voices of Paul Frees, but never came to be. Perhaps it was just as well. The biography would have been too thick and these letters are more personal than professional, and would not have been of interest to most readers. So a separate book about two war-time lovers works by itself. For the most part, these are love letters to and from Paul Frees’ first wife, Annelle, during their heartbreaking years of separation during World War II. While the horrors of the war are only hinted at, we might say that on the plus side, because of the war, there’ a more permanent record of Frees’ early years, before he became a showbiz professional, than we otherwise would have had. The letters are featured chronological from 1943 to 1945, and even if you don’t know who Paul Frees is (but I’ll wager you money you’ve heard his voice), it’s a collection of love letters during World War II that is welcome anytime. While it’s not a documentary or reference guide, if you enjoy this kind of thing, it comes recommended.

A number of years ago, my mother, a friend of mine (Arlene) and myself typed hundreds of love letters from a man who was stationed overseas during World War II. While they never got published, we succeeded in preserving part of our past which I encourage anyone to do because paper ages and one day most of the WWII love letters won’t be easily available.

JEFFREY HUNTER AND TEMPLE HOUSTON: A Story of Network Television

by Glenn A. Mosley 

When NBC-TV abruptly pulled The Robert Taylor Show from its fall primetime schedule in the middle of July 1963, Jeffrey Hunter’s Temple Houston Western series was rushed into production and into the spotlight. The cast and crew had just a few chaotic weeks to get their one-hour weekly dramatic series underway. Hunter described the series as “a different kind of Western, a whodunit on horseback.” Well, the real mystery is why the series has not yet been released on DVD. Television westerns are popular and thanks to companies like Timeless Media Group, they’ve been coming out on DVD faster than cattle drives. At this point in time, it’s probably the last major television Western that hasn’t been made available yet.

This book isn’t very big. 139 pages, and that includes three appendixes, the bibliography and the index. But the author proved that sometimes thin books are great when they are able to compile everything. I don’t think the author overlooked anything. My favorite books are those that are so comprehensive, you know that you won’t ever have to buy another book on the same subject. The author interviewed a ton of actors, even those who did not appear on the program but did work or know Jeffrey Hunter, the star of Temple Houston. The author also did his legwork and toured archives to ensure the most comprehensive and accurate information possible. Example? The episode guide cites the exact dates of when each episode was filmed, Hunter’s salary for each episode, behind the scenes trivia and working titles. Titles and authors for unused plot proposals are also listed.

My only complaint is that while Mosley lists the complete cast list, he doesn’t list the corresponding fictional characters for all of them. One episode features Ben Wright in the cast. I know what he looks like and if I saw the episode, I could tell you what character he plays. Sadly, that’s lacking. But that’s a minor gripe. Seriously, I wish a lot of books about television Westerns were like this one.

YOU WOULDN’T LIKE ME WHEN I’M ANGRY!
A Hulk Companion

by Patrick A. Jankiewicz

“Doctor David Banner, physician, scientist, searching for a way to tap into the hidden strength that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of Gamma Radiation alters his body chemistry. And now, when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs…”
With Marvel’s heroes now among Hollywood’s biggest stars, it seems fitting to revisit The Incredible Hulk, the television series that was their first live action success. For five seasons, David Banner traveled the back roads of America (which resemble the Universal Studios back lot) on his quest for a cure. With over 500 pages of Gamma-powered goodness, including exclusive interviews, rare photos and a foreword by Lou Ferrigno, this book documents the history of the television program in detail. Almost every episode has two or three comments, recollections and anecdotes from actors, writers and directors who were involved with the series, offering behind-the-scenes stories. That means the author did a lot of work to get the facts.

While reading the book, I was reminded of how fun the series was when I was growing up. I personally enjoyed the episode, “The Antowuk Horror” which was a salute to old horror movies, including characters named Bates and featured the clock tower from the Universal Studios back lot, to name a few surprises. “Married,“ the second season opener, was the only episode in which Banner confronted his raging alter ego on the program. “My Favorite Magician” featured Ray Walston in a fun episode that brings the viewers back to the days of the comedy sitcom that needs to introduction. “Homecoming” was the episode in which Banner went back home to confront his father and learned what motivated him. Remember the two-parter when Banner was fused into a Demi-Hulk and left him stuck in mid-Transfusion? Or the episode when Banner finally finds a cure and is forced to use it on the duplicate Hulk running around, ruining his chances for a self-made cure?

I enjoyed an early chapter about the comic books, explaining the difference between the comics and the television program, and which plots were borrowed for the series. I have all of the comics and always felt that those first six (the first run of comics) with Jack Kirby’s Frankenstein impression of The Hulk was some of the best art ever created for comic books. I still rave about them today. As much fun as it was to revisit the series, some of the trivia was troubling. What made me sad was knowing that Ang Lee’s Hulk received the highest ratings of any movie debut on USA Cable and the SyFy Channel in over a year. How can that be? The movie sucked. I mean, c’mon. Hulk dogs? A villain that vaporizes into nothing? The second movie, The Incredible Hulk, starring Ed Norton, was much better and very enjoyable. (I also liked the fact that the second movie retold the origin of The Hulk through the opening credits, so we wouldn’t waste half the movie revisiting what we already know.) Until I read this book, I never knew they created a She-Hulk television pilot, which now tempts me to find a bootleg and watch it for sheer enjoyment.

There are plenty of behind-the-scenes photos, but sadly, a couple appear pixeled as they were blown up too big. This is no fault of the author or the publisher -- just technology. In the introduction, the author states that The Fugitive template had been used many times over the years, for many different shows. He is correct. I’ve been saying that for years. “It’s another Incredible Hulk” is the terminology I’ve been using for years. Thankfully, this book stands out as a fantastic reference guide and if you love the television program (or the comics), it deserves a place on your bookshelf.

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY: The Unauthorized but True Story of Radio and TV’s Adventures of Superman
By Michael J. HaydeSmall disclaimer: Mike is a friend of mine. But even shelving friendship aside to do an honest book review, with or without this disclosure, I’d like to state that this is a great book. With so many books about Superman out there, it’s pleasing to know that one book has everything you’d want to know under one cover. Trivia, background production and numerous behind-the-scenes stories make this a must-have for everyone’s shelf.

The subtitle speaks for itself. This is not a history of the character in the comics, but rather a history of the radio program and television program. Mike not only covers the history of the programs, he also explores various aspects such as racial intolerance (did you know that Superman battled the KKK on the radio program?), the origin of Kryptonite (which appeared on radio before the comic books), the lack of continuity in the later years (circa 1947 to 1949), and why the television producer created the Stamp Day for Superman film short that has soared across the internet (including YouTube).

The episode guide for the television program reveals bloopers, in-jokes, which episodes were adapted from radio scripts and script dialogue from deleted scenes taken right from the scripts. The complete storylines for two unproduced TV episodes are included. George Reeves’ personal appearances are also documented throughout. My only alarm is why the curator of the a museum in New Jersey allowed Mike a personal tour of the archives, which contained all of the radio scripts, but never granted the author a chance to browse or read the scripts to gather plot summaries. What’s the point of owning a museum in your basement (no joke) and allowing researchers the opportunity of touring the archives for show-and-tell, but not allow them to do any serious research? I know the curator of the museum personally and it’s not surprising.

When someone writes a bad book, it leaves room for improvement and encourages others to out-do the first attempt. For the author that doesn’t do a superb job, this fact becomes front door reality one day in the future and the fault belongs to no one but the author. When good books like this are well-researched and the ego of a museum curator is the only thing that prevents the book from being “definitive,” it’s a damn shame. But ignore my complaint -- the first paragraph of this review speaks for itself. There’s no room for improvements and if you love The Adventures of Superman (radio and/or TV) and have always wanted to write a book about the series, forget it. Mike did it justice.

All of these books are available at www.BearManorMedia.com

Bruce Lee on The Green Hornet

In early March of 1966, The Herald Tribune in New York reported news of The Green Hornet coming to television in the fall. Al Hodge, former radio actor and star of the radio series, having noticed a few discrepancies in the article, wrote to producer William Dozier in the hopes of correcting a few false statements. Dozier was aware the editor of the paper misspelled Kato with a “C.” Dozier told Hodge casting for the series would not begin for two to three weeks, and that the only person signed up definitely was the role of Kato. “We have a superb American-born Chinese actor named Bruce Lee to play Kato. He is a black belt karate and will be able to do all his own stunts in that area.” Dozier also assured Hodge that The Green Hornet would not be an imitation of Batman, which had been labeled by critics as “camp treatment.”

On YouTube you can find what everyone keeps labeling as Bruce Lee's screen test for The Green Hornet. The truth is, Lee's screen test was made for a proposed television program based on the fictional Charlie Chan character.

“Mike Axford and Lenore Case (Casey) will present no particular casting problem,” William Dozier said in a letter to George W. Trendle on November 16, 1965. “I have a superb Oriental in the bullpen for Kato and will be able to show you a piece of test film on him when you come out. He is actually an American-born Chinese, but can play any sort of Oriental or Filipino. I don’t think we should ever say what sort of nationality Kato is: just let him be what he looks like — an Oriental. The actor I have in mind for the role is a Black Belt Karate, incidentally, and can perform every trick in the Karate book.”

William Dozier in a promotional sales film.

Bruce Lee, born in San Francisco in 1940, was the “Oriental in the bullpen.” As a child, Lee had moved with his family back to Hong Kong and appeared in motion pictures there from the age of 6. He returned in 1959 to attend the University of Washington, where he met his wife. In early 1965, Lee went to Oakland, California, to appear in a screen test — though not for The Green Hornet — at the expense of Greenway Productions. What Dozier had in mind was Number One Son, in which Lee would portray the eldest son of Charlie Chan, the fictional Honolulu detective. Television’s Number One Son, in continuing the legacy of the famous — and now, departed — detective would be something of a cross with the James Bond formula proving so popular in movies at the time.

Lee gave a kung fu demonstration at the first International Karate Championships, which was organized by Ed Parker, a martial arts instructor whose most famous student was Elvis Presley. In the audience for the tournament was Ed Sebring, a Hollywood hairdresser, who passed along Lee’s name when Dozier mentioned he needed a Chinese actor. For the screen test, Lee sat before a camera to answer questions and also demonstrated powerful, yet controlled, leaping, kicking and punching.

In February, Lee’s father died, so the actor went to Hong Kong to handle family business. He returned to the States in mid-March. A couple of weeks later, Dozier assured Lee that plans for the Chan television series were underway, but it might take another three months until there was noticeable progress. In late April, the producer suggested Lee hire an agent: “I am taking the liberty of suggesting a reputable and honest agent to you, one William Belasco, President of Progressive Management Agency here in Hollywood.” After signing with Belasco, the agent also said that any action on Number One Son wouldn’t occur until July, so Lee took the opportunity to travel back to Hong Kong with his wife.

Van Williams, George W. Trendle, Bruce Lee

In the meantime, Lee offered Dozier several ideas of his own for Chan, writing that “I can establish an exciting characterization by supplementing cool and concise ‘small action’ to make every ‘ordinary’ action into something unusual.” Lee also watched many television programs to improve his speech. It must have worked. At least, Lee was able to joke with a Canadian journalist in 1971 that he got the role of Kato simply because he was the only Chinese actor who could pronounce the name Britt Reid. 

Finally, at the end of February 1966, Dozier had a first draft of a Number One Son script ready. A month later, the show itself was rejected by the network, but by this time Dozier had the TV rights to The Green Hornet. There was never any doubt about who would play the part of Kato. Lee was hired at a salary of $400 per episode ($800 per two-part episode), which rose to $550 per episode effective November 30, 1966. By the first week of April, Lee was learning from actor Jeff Corey about camera shots, lighting, placement, matching and other factors involved in television production. Corey sent his bill to Greenway Productions and Dozier charged it off specifically to The Green Hornet show. Corey also played the heavy in one of two test films that were made.

After only a few episodes Lee was unhappy with the depth of his role. “[It’s] true that Kato is a house boy of Britt, but as the crime fighter, Kato is an ‘active partner’ of the Green Hornet and not a mute follower,” he wrote to Dozier. “Jeff Corey agrees and I myself feel that at least an occasional dialogue would certainly make me feel more at home with the fellow players.”

He didn’t need to convince Dozier, who replied it was Trendle who insisted Kato remain in the background as an ally, not a companion. But Dozier said he would also ask the writers to incorporate more material involving Kato, hoping this would offer Lee some satisfaction.

Despite limited screen time, Kato proved a more popular character with children than did The Green Hornet, judging by the amount of fan mail sent to the actors. Many requested a copy of the mask worn by Lee, and Dozier complied, telling recipients that enclosed was “a genuine authentic Kato mask, and one which was actually worn by him in Green Hornet.” That was a stretch — Dozier had masks in his office that went straight from a box to an envelope for mailing, never having seen the light of a soundstage. Even so, maybe one of them was good enough to earn viewer Ricky McNeece of Clinton, Iowa, an “A” from his teacher — he said he wanted a Kato mask for a school project, hoping it would win him a high grade.

SALARIES
Van Williams (The Green Hornet) - $2,000 per half-hour episode
Bruce Lee (Kato) - $400 per half-hour episode
Lloyd Gough (Mike Axford) - $1,000 per half-hour episode
Wende Wagner (Miss Case) - $850 per half-hour episode
Walter Brooke (District Attorney) - $750 per half-hour episode

The procedure for writing a Green Hornet script was the same as for most television programs. The script writer would draft a plot synopsis of two to 30 pages. (The average was six pages.) If the producer liked the idea, he would then commission the writer to compose the first draft or pay an inexperienced author for the plot and then commission a seasoned script writer for the larger work. A number of plot summaries were proposed, but not all of them were feasible as television scripts. Among the reasons for rejection, besides a producer declaring the story unacceptable, would be cancellation of the series. The following is a plot summary following my review of Bruce Lee's 13-page plot proposal for an episode. To my knowledge, this was the only plot proposal submitted by Lee that never made it to production.

“The Cobra From the East” by Bruce Lee
Dated: October 28, 1966
There is an old saying in the rackets: “In the East there is The Cobra. In the West, The Green Hornet.” Dope racketeer deMarco survives a vicious attack by The Cobra and his men, and begs The Green Hornet for protection against the master criminal. The Hornet agrees, only to learn the whereabouts of The Cobra — who uses poisonous snakes for his murders-for-hire. A confrontation between the men results in Britt Reid bitten on the forearm. The Cobra makes a getaway as Kato rushes to The Hornet’s aid. Kato takes his friend back to Reid’s living room. A doctor explains to Casey and Scanlon that Reid’s system seems to be a strange mixture of various poisons. Angry, Kato starts a rampage across town to locate The Cobra, kicking doors down and beating up bodyguards. Stealing The Cobra’s luggage, he finds the antidote and rushes back in time to administer the serum. During a second confrontation, The Hornet uses his Hornet Sting to disarm The Cobra and, while Kato battles The Cobra’s henchmen, The Hornet forces The Cobra to fall on his own stick. A snake exits the cane and bites the criminal, taking his life. Bruce Lee’s plot proposal featured a number of details to display the artistic use of the fighting poses.

This blog consists of copyrighted excerpts from The Green Hornet: A History of Radio, Motion Pictures, Comics and Television. Reprinted with permission.

The Outer Limits: Was "Wolf 359" Stolen From Sci-Fi?

Reading a book the other day, I observed the author's take on an episode of The Outer Limits, "Wolf 359" (original telecast November 7, 1964), claiming it featured a premise stolen from a 1956 television episode of Science Fiction Theatre, titled "Living Lights." While I agree that years after this episode aired, The Outer Limits would feature a premise not too different from the 1956 production., I would like to clarify what is an apparent mis-conception: they were two separate original stories that (by coincidence) happened to contain a similar premise.

"Wolf 359" on The Outer Limits

The Outer Limits episode concerned a scientist’s efforts to speed the evolution of an alien culture under glass. Working on behalf of corporate interests, scientist Jonathan Meridith creates a miniature version of a remote planet in his laboratory. When a mysterious life form evolves along with the developing experiment, Meridith must weigh the value of his experiment versus the possible dangers. The Outer Limits version was based on an original story treatment by Richard Landau titled “Greenhouse.” I would also like to add that this same idea had been explored through numerous other science-fiction stories, including Theodore Sturgeon’s “Microcosmic God,” originally published in the April 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.

Since fans of The Outer Limits are no doubt familiar with "Wolf 359," it seems fitting that we explore the Science Fiction Theatre episode, "Living Lights," with more clarity. The plot concerns young college instructor Bob Lurie and his wife Grace, who steal a number of supplies from the college laboratories to create a synthesized atmosphere of the planet Venus in a bell jar. Their homemade science project was designed in the hopes of proving that living organisms can adapt themselves to such a hostile environment, as he grows a small crop of lichens in the bell jar. To his surprise late one evening, a ball of light appears in the jar. It moves about, consumes the lichen as though feeding on them, causing chemical changes in the atmosphere of the jar which seems to help the lichens grow. When the living light leaves the bell jar and travels around the lab, Bob realizes it is alive. This theory is confirmed with surprising repercussions in which mankind and all living inhabitants of the Earth are endangered. Bob and Grace call for the assistance of friends to help. Soon after the threat is discovered, the living lights decide to eliminate their existence before they can be studied. 

Science Fiction Theatre, for the benefit of those who never saw an episode of the television program, was produced by Ivan Tors, the same man responsible for such classics as Riders to the Stars (1954) and television's Sea Hunt. ZIV-TV, the same company responsible for Highway Patrol, Bat Masterson and Meet Corliss Archer, syndicated the program across the country from 1955 to 1959, on various stations coast-to-coast. The series placed a strong emphasis on science and little emphasis on fiction. This might be the reason why the series is considered by fans as one of the top ten science-fiction series ever produced for the boob tube. Today, the series is best remembered among fans of trivial pursuit as being referenced by Marty McFly's father in the 1985 classic, Back to the Future. 

Joan Sinclair panics in "The Living Lights"

“The stories retain an appealing human touch,” reviewed a critic for TV Guide. “For example, when a ship from outer space, trying to visit the Earth, is destroyed just short of its goal, is our Army elated at thus escaping a potential menace? Not at all. The authorities regret losing an opportunity to learn from an obviously superior species of life. This particular story dealt with extra-sensory perception. Others have told of a search for a new artificial foodstuff, a visit by residents of a future world, mankind’s first flight into outer space. The films, featuring well-known Hollywood actors, are well acted, directed and produced.” 

Further details about this particular Science Fiction Theatre episode are contained below for your amusement.

Episode #56 “LIVING LIGHTS”

Production #1056 / 56B
Dates of Production: May 25 and 28, 1956
Directed by Herbert L. Strock

SCRIPT & STORY
First draft by Ellis Marcus, circa April 25, 1956
Final draft by Ellis Marcus, May 14, 1956
Teleplay by Ellis Marcus, based on separate short stories by Ellis Marcus and Ivan Tors.

CAST
Darlene Albert (Elaine Foster, $200); Michael Garth (Charles Irwin, $80); Skip Homeier (Bob Lurie, $1,000); Jason Johnson (Prof. Adams, $200); Joan Sinclair (Grace Lurie, $200); and Robert Weston (Doctor Bane, $80). The talent fees (what the actors were paid) are listed respectfully for each actor.

PRODUCTION CREDITS
1ST ASST. CAMERAMAN: Jim Bell (un-credited)
1ST CO. GRIP: Carl Miksch (un-credited)
2ND ASST. DIRECTOR: Jay Sandrich (un-credited)
2ND CO. GRIP: Mel Bledsoe (un-credited)
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Donald Verk
ASST. PROP MAN: Ygnacio Speulveda (un-credited)
AUDIO SUPERVISOR: Quinn Martin (yes, that's the Quinn Martin!)
BEST BOY: Charles Stockwell (un-credited)
BOOM MAN: Elmer Haglund (un-credited)
CAMERA OPERATOR: Dick Rawlings
CONSTRUCTION CHIEF: Archie Hall (un-credited)
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Monroe Askins and Curt Fetters
ELECTRICIANS: Charles Hanger, Mike Hudson and Glen Knight (all un-credited)
FILM COORDINATOR: Donald Tait
FILM EDITOR: Duncan Mansfield, a.c.e.
GAFFER: Al Ronso (un-credited)
MAKE-UP ARTIST: George Gray (un-credited)
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Joe Wonder
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR: Barry Cohon
PROPERTY MASTER: Max Pittman
RECORDER: Lloyd Hanks (un-credited)
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR ON ELECTRONICS AND RADIATION: Maxwell Smith
SCRIPT SUPERVISOR: Jeanne Lippman (MAY 28) and Larry Lund (MAY 25)
SET DECORATOR: Bruce MacDonald
SET DESIGNER: Robert Kinoshita
SET LABOR: Bill Bentham (un-credited)
SOUND EDITOR: Sidney Sutherland
SOUND MIXER: Garry Harris
SPECIAL EFFECTS: Harry Redmond, Jr.
STILL MAN: Charles Rhodes (MAY 28, un-credited)
WARDROBE: Alfred Berke (un-credited)

NOTES

-- The stock footage of the college is the same featured in the episode “Who is This Man?”
-- The entire episode was filmed on Stage 5 at the studio.
-- On the afternoon of April 6, 1956, Ellis Marcus had a story conference with Ivan Tors and after working out the details of the story, agreed to change the title to “The Living Lights” and Marcus was assigned to do the teleplay based on the two original story outlines.
-- The female assisting Truman Bradley in the beginning of this episode is actress Bek Nelson, making her screen debut. Her credits immediately following this production included television commercials and background walk-ins until she appeared in an acting role in 1957 on Tales of the Texas Rangers. Afterwards, she appeared in supporting roles for dozens of television programs and would later play the recurring role of Dru Lemp on Lawman and Phyllis Sloan on television’s Peyton Place.

Herbert L. Strock directs an episode.

The August 8, 1956 issue of Variety reviewed this episode:

         “In the vicinity of Cal Tech this series must be avidly devoured. Surely where more beer is sold, on the East Side (not the brand of the sponsoring brew), they’d flee these excursions into biochemistry like a fallen meteor. Patently inspired by what narrator Truman Bradley called the ‘Lubbock Lights,’ which apparently created some stir among Texans and headline writers, this episode concerns a ball of light which breaks out of its glassed-in-confinement to befuddle the scientists and almost blind a girl student with its ultra violet intensity. What it proved is for more scholarly minds than those unscientifically inclined. Bradley did open his thesis on some such explanatory note as ‘The earth is the only place suitable for life’ and epilogged that ‘it’s a step forward into the unknown.’ The atmosphere of Venus is more like our own, the viewer is told, so it must be assumed that planet will receive the first caller from this could sod of ours. Skip Homeier, for a change, is cast in a sympathetic role and plays the experimenting young scientist as if he had come out of MIT. Joan Sinclair and Darlene Albert act their way through the esoteric fog with agreeable pretense, and the male supporters snap to their assigned auxiliaries. Ivan Tors and Herbert Strock knew what they were doing as producer-director team or so the impression prevailed. Narrator Bradley’s voice sounds much like that of KRCA’s top newscaster, Jack Latham.”

Reprinted below, for your review, are the two plot summaries that formed the basis of this Science Fiction Theatre episode. They are reprinted word for word, including any errors in grammar and typos you might observe.

“LIFE FORMS FROM VENUS”
DATED: APRIL 6, 1956
BY ELLIS MARCUS

Professor Arthur B. Lurie, astrophysics department of State University, has been devoting every moment of his spare time to his pet side interest . . . forms of life which exist on Earth without oxygen, light, etc. These include sea creatures which exist in the depths of the oceans. It has occurred to Lurie that these crystalline forms of life exist under conditions of temperature, pressure and lack of breathable atmosphere similar to those found on other planets. He compares their chemical components with chemical data obtained by spectroscope from Venus and discovers marked similarities. In a large bell jar he synthesizes the atmosphere of Venus complete with temperature and pressure conditions and introduces the deep-sea crystalline forms of primitive life into the bell jar. After a time he observes a strange glow in the bell jar. This glow behaves in a very odd way—it moves out of the bell jar, consumes leaves from a planet, floats around the lab. It generates a small amount of heat, which fluctuates arbitrarily from ten to ninety degrees centigrade. Periodically it returns to the ball jar and seems to “feed” on the atmosphere and chemicals there.

POSSIBLE PLOT LINE: Lurie calls in a colleague to show this Venusian beast, but the beast has disappeared. Later it returns to the lab and the bell jar to “feed” but to Lurie’s astonishment it brings three other fellow light blobs with it. Investigation reveals these light blobs came from the sea. Lurie’s original beast somehow propagated them there. There is a threat that these beasts will multiply uncontrolled on Earth.

Danger — they create a gas which is part of Venus’s atmosphere and which is poisonous to animal life on Earth. Lurie and colleague are in a sweat. They finally trap all beasts by placing the bell jar in a large, light absorbent box. The beasts go in there to feed and Lurie closes the box on them. Days later when the box is opened the beasts are gone. The atmosphere in the bell jar has been consumed and the black velvet lining of the box is encrusted with chemical deposits which turn out to be the “remains” of the beasts. Their light energy was “sucked” out of them. Now that he is able to control the light blobs, Lurie sets out to create and study more of them. He has proved that forms of life, not dependant on oxygen, can exist on other planets.

“LIFE FORM”
DATED: APRIL 2, 1956
BY IVAN TORS

         A young scientist refuses to believe that life can exist only in the presence of oxygen. He observes how life can exist under the most difficult conditions, like 30,000 feet under the sea. Crystals are life forms which do not require oxygen.
         He creates, in a bell jar, conditions which are identical to the surface of the planet Venus, by filling the jar with gases exactly like those which compose the atmosphere of that planet. After a period of waiting, new life forms appear. These are globes of light. Whether they can think is the question our story will tell.

 

Excerpts and material above was reprinted from the Science Fiction Theatre book, due for publication this November from Bear Manor Media.

Jean Harlow in the Tabloids

After moving to Los Angeles, a few of Jean Harlow's friends wagered that she would not have the nerve to try out for a role in the motion-picture business. She took that dare and ultimately accepted a few minor roles. When eccentric tycoon Howard Hughes signed her up for the female lead in his latest, lavish and most expensive Hollywood picture to date, the groundbreaking aviation drama Hell's Angels (1930), her role in cinematic history was cemented in stone.

The premiere of her first feature film, Hell's Angels, drew an estimated crowd of 50,000 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. The film also boasts an expensive eight-minute, two-color Technicolor sequence. To date, this is the only color footage of Harlow known to exist.

Her first role was as an extra in Honor Bound (1928), which she worked for only seven dollars a day. After her claim to fame from Hell's Angels, Howard Hughes sold her contract to MGM for $60,000. She spent much of her money supporting her mother, and ignorant step-father who was notoriously known for failed get-rich-quick schemes. 

The makers of the 1933 classic, King Kong, wanted Jean Harlow for the lead role. She turned them down, ultimately paving the way to Fay Wray's immortality. Just one year prior, Harlow turned down the lead in Tod Browning's Freaks (1932). Can you imagine Harlow as the duck woman? It certainly would have been a shock to the audience that Browning was looking for.

Harlow was considered the first "platinum blonde" of the silver screen. She was the first actress to be referred to as a "slut" in a talking picture. Her screen career was almost ruined when her husband, Paul Bern, committed suicide under mysterious circumstances (it was later revealed that he had been confronted by his common-law wife and wanted to avoid a scandal of his own). 

Harlow spent her Sundays having her ash-blonde hair bleached platinum with a mixture of peroxide, ammonia, Clorox and Lux flakes. The painful procedure wrecked such havoc on her hair that she was eventually forced to don a wig. After the Production Code was enforced in the summer of 1934, Harlow agreed to have her hair dyed brown and proved that it wasn't her hair color that attracted sexism. Heck, watch the scene in Hell's Angels where she starts taking her clothes off as she enters the bedroom, revealing her bare back... a scene that would never have been done on the screen after the Code.

As a sex symbol, Harlow was known to put ice on her nipples right before shooting a scene, in order to appear sexier. Along with Hedy Lamarr, Harlow's titular figure was the primary inspiration for Batman creator Bob Kane's Catwoman character.

MGM certainly knew how to capitalize on her "goods" by awarding her with scene-stealing roles in Dinner at Eight (1933) and Libeled Lady (1936). The latter of which she got to work with her dream man, William Powell, and confessed to her close friends that he had intentions of marrying him. They shared a romantic relationship lasting two years. It was while shooting Saratoga (1937) that she fell ill and died ten days later of uremic poisoning. She was twenty-six. Turns out she was suffering from kidney disease since she was in her teens and the alcohol at Hollywood parties helped contribute to her death.

For many years, it was a widely-believed that Harlow died because her mother, a member of Christian Science, refused to allow doctors operate on her. And that she allowed only the church nurse to assist with the ease of bed-side pain. This story was even reprinted in David Shipman's book, The Great Movie Stars. This has since been disproven, and nothing more than a popular myth.

Saratoga became the highest-grossing film of 1937 and set an all-time record for MGM, due almost entirely to her untimely death. History repeats itself every few years, with similar box office statistics in light of the recent Batman movie with Heath Ledger as the Joker. 

William Powell, who became a close friend and lover for two years, gave Jean Harlow an 85-carat star sapphire ring, which she hoped signified their engagement. However, he said nothing to confirm this, so she wore it on her right hand and rarely took it off -- even wearing it in her 1937 comedy, Personal Property. Don't you love Hollywood trivia? 

Assorted Trivia

Her career cut short, Jean Harlow set the standard for numerous other screen blondes including Marilyn Monroe, Diana Dors, Mamie Van Doren and many others. Days before her untimely passing, Marilyn Monroe scheduled a time to meet with producers on the possibility of playing Jean Harlow in a movie about her.

Jean Harlow was the very first film actress to grace the cover of Life magazine. She appears on the cover of the May 3, 1937 issue.

Jean Harlow has to leave her prints in cement outside of Grauman's Theatre not once, but twice. The first time was done inside in front of a paying audience. The slab accidentally broke before making its way to the front of the theatre. Harlow returned four days later, this time doing it outside. 

When she passed away in 1937, Harlow's estate was valued at over one million, left entirely to her mother. Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM Studios, paid in full for Harlow's funeral and burial. William Powell supposedly paid $25,000 for her private crypt. Mayer had Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy sing his favorite song, "Oh, Sweet Mystery of Life," in the church chapel, followed by a huge banquet with an orchestra. It was a Hollywood funeral fit for an actress of Harlow's stature.

Many Hollywood celebrities were treated to gossip columns dedicated to their personal eating habits, off-screen romances, and anything else the tabloids could dish up to sell copies of their magazines. While most of the stories were provided by the movie studios to help publicize their latest picture, others were the fairytale kind of gossip that American movie goers could never get enough of. You can get many of these vintage magazines for a variety of prices (depending on the condition of the magazine), with the cost ranging as high as a few hundred dollars. Featured below for your amusement are a number of direct scans from said magazines, devoted to Jean Harlow.