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From
the Inner Mind to the Outer Limits...
Two of my three favorite topics with
the third being science. I love the old early
sci-fi  shows and
movies from the 50's, 60's and 70's. Classic
movies include "Forbidden Planet",
"Destination Moon", "The Day the
Earth Stood Still", "Marooned",
"The Final Countdown", and "2001:
A Space Odyssey". TV shows include
"Twilight Zone", "Star Trek",
"Lost in Space", "Dark
Shadows","The Invaders",
"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea",
"Outer Limits", "The
Immortal", "Time Tunnel",
"Journey into the Unknown",
Stingray", "Battlestar Galactica",
"UFO", "Space 1999" ,
"Rocky Jones, Space Ranger" and so many
others. So many greats writers have given us
classic pieces of science fictions that have
materialized into science fact among them Jules
Verne, Arthur C. Clarke, H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury
and Issac Asimov to name a few. In addition to
these classics writers and their books was a
lesser known, but still impactful set of books of
fantasy the Tom Swift series by Victor Appleton,
Jr. A set of classics that appealed to all young
boys that dreamed of science, technology,
adventure and space.
 Some of
these shows have now themselves been "Lost
in Time". Time Tunnel makes an occasional
appearance on the cable network Starz, Star Trek
and Twilight Zone will be on forever, but the
rest can only be found on DVD. Some like the
Outer Limits, Battlestar Galactica, Dark Shadows
and Twilight Zone have been remade, but lost the
feeling of the original and the era from which
they came. The Invaders, The Immortal, Journey
into the Unknown and UFO are shows that I haven't
seen or heard of since the originals left the
air. UFO, created by Gerry Anderson (Space 1999,
Stingray, Thunderbirds) is now available in a
complete DVD set as are Dark Shadows and Space
1999.
All of those are great shows and
it's hard to select one among so many unique  classics. A
part of what made them special was the era in
which they were made. A time when the Cold War
was raging and a period in which the space race
was a fierce competition. It was also a time
where technology and budgets limited what could
be done on film which contributed the look and
feel of these classics. One that bucked the trend
and set itself apart from the rest is 2001: A
Space Odyssey by far and away an impressive movie
by today's standards, but even more back in 1968.
Watching it on the big screen in that time was as
close to space as anyone could be.
 I'm
fascinated with so many periods of history, but
the period which I find the most fascinating is
World War II. I've collected numerous books from
that time as well as many documentaries and more
recent films and min-series. Of course, that era
gave rise to the space race and I wonder if some
decisions had been different what would the world
look like today? A lesson for us all  that a
small country like Germany could rise to dominate
so much of Europe. A key to that rise was the use
of groundbreaking technologies. While based
largely on fact, but shown through the eyes of a
fictional character my favorite portrayal of the
era on file is the mini-series "Winds of
War" and the sequel "War and
Remembrance". An incredible portrayal of all
sides of the War as seen and experienced by the
Henry family. The series was based on the novels
of the same name by Herman Wouk.
I'm working on combining my
interests in science fiction and World War II
history into a novel/screenplay. I have the plot
and characters outlined beginning to end, but
have only managed to find the time to write a
part of it over the past three years since I
conceived the idea. I think it's unique and will
keep the interest of all by mixing fact and
fiction to create a story that could be either.
Stay tuned for more details on that project.
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