MY FAVORITE MARTIAN

Mars will be closest to the Earth in a decade and a half today, on the night of July 31, 2018. The Earth will have the Red Planet and the Sun on either side, with the three celestial bodies in a straight line. Though the two planets will be at closest distances to each other, they will still be 57.6 million km apart. This will be the closest distance between Mars and Earth until October 2020, but the Red Planet’s visibility as good as today's only every 15-17 years. 

Those facts are completely irrelevant to the actual reason for this post. One of my favorite shows when I was growing up in the 60s, was MY FAVORITE MARTIAN, which premiered on September 29, 1963, and lasted until May 1st, 1966. The show told the adventures of a Martian who crash-lands his spaceship on Earth and is taken in by a young newspaper reporter named Tim O'Hara. Disguising himself as Uncle Martin, the alien from space tries to repair his ship hidden in the garage, but Tim's nosy landlady, Mrs. Brown, takes a liking to Uncle Martin making it very difficult to keep his true identity a secret.

The show starred Ray Walston as the Martian and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara and also featured Pamela Britton as Mrs. Brown and Alan Hewitt as a suspicious police detective named Brennan.  The show seems quite mild and tame by today's standards and the comedy isn't that hilarious...but it has a distinctive charm and appeal all its own. 

So, here's my tribute to MY FAVORITE MARTIAN!

MY FAVORITE MARTIAN is available on DVD from Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/My-Favorite-Martian-Bill-Bixby/dp/B011MU9ZIY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1533055406&sr=8-4&keywords=my+favorite+martian

THE JOY OF PAINTING!

Arguments on the Internet

Nothing is as stupid as having a heated argument in the comments section of any webpage with complete strangers or even with known acquaintances! You'll always end up frustrated, angry and with a mild cardiac arrest in store! I have never engaged myself in such an activity but from what  I've seen, there are those who really thrive in doing so! Such a waste of time and energy!  And if you don't agree, tell me why in the comments section below, you moron!

July 21, 1969 : MAN WALKS ON THE MOON!

An old joke from 1969 but worth repeating on the 49th Anniversary of man's first steps on the moon...

The original 1969 MAN ON THE MOON souvenir booklet.

Movie Books!

Movie, TV, Comic Book Art and Music reference books have been a staple of my library and I frequently resort to them for information and material. My biggest source for acquiring media and entertainment literature before Amazon and the internet came into existence, had always been the fine cinema bookstores in the Hollywood area. Some of them are still in business and whenever possible, I drop by to check out the new releases. Visiting an actual bookstore is a unique experience, much more exciting and rewarding than simply shopping for books online!

Part of my book collection.

My favorite bookstores, apart from Amazon, where I have bought most of my cinema and other media books, are these:

The 2018 SONS OF THE DESERT Convention in Cincinnati gets underway today!

The DUX EPISCOP 49!

Back in the early 60s, when I was about twelve or thirteen years old, I got an opaque materials projector which allowed me to display photos, drawings, and any other printed material by shining a bright light onto the object from above and then send it to the screen. A system of mirrors and imaging lenses was used to focus the projected image.
All technical data aside, the projector allowed me to put together "movie shows" in my room, by closing the shades and setting up a screen. I used to project some of my comic books on the screen, panel by panel, reading the text, doing each character's voices, creating the sound effects and humming the music as I went along. My siblings' patience was tried and tested as they endured these shows. Many years later, after I got married and had a kid, I bought an ELMO Super 8mm sound projector and the movie shows then became REAL movie shows, with Flip the Frog cartoons and Laurel & Hardy shorts being the main presentations.  A far cry from today's movie watching experience where you can enjoy any film in your iPhone, iPad, Laptop or Widescreen HD system.
I recently found that old Dux Episcop Projector, among some discarded items inside old boxes from my late father's belongings. It's still in working order in spite of some missing parts. I don't think I will ever hold a screening again but it's nice to have the quaint device back, if only as a nostalgic piece of memorabilia!

AN OPTIMISTIC MESSAGE!

FOURTH OF JULY - 2018

"I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am." - Francis Bacon

BEGINNING THE MONTH OF JULY JUST RIGHT...