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| CLUB
NEWS
OH HECK…JUST READ THEM ALL TV NEWS
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MOVIE
NEWS
CAVIEZEL GETS FINAL CUT JOHN WILLIAMS – A BUSY CAMERON TAKES ON THE BATTLE FLYING THE KITE LIVE ACTION LONE WOLF AND CUB HULK SMASHING TIME ACTION FIGURE NEWS COLLECTIBLES CORNER MUST SEE MOVIES HULK, 28 DAYS LATER, SINBAD, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, XLG DVD NEWS THE ANIMATRIX – THIS IS THE ONE DIE ANOTHER DAY VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR GENESIS CLIMBER MOSPEADA FAREWELLS Robert Stack ICS CALENDER
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| MAY MEETING – FIRST - SKILLS
Our May 2003 meeting began with a rousing game of
ICS Academic; MC’d by Dave Willard. Tim Fleming, John Ward and John
Weber played on the winning team; THE BRAINS THAT WOULDN’T DIE and all
walked away with double vote cards! John Weber won the grand prize,
a 6 pack of DVDs. Congrats to the winners and a big thanks to all
whom played! Their opponents were Barry Murphy, Gary Roberson and
Blake Woodward-Sherbloom on THE BRAINS FROM PLANET AROUS team and Skip
Phillips, Steve Vaught and Troy Farwell on THE HEADLESS GHOSTS team.
THEN - THRILLS
FINALLY - CHILLS
NEWS OF OUR JUNE MEETING: THE BASICS
SPECIAL JUNE EVENT!
WELCOME TO THE CLUB - SIMON!
SPY MUSEUM FIELD TRIP– IT HAS SELF-DESTRUCTED
FANEX 17
A DRIVE IN MOVIE FIELD TRIP
“What sort of respectable mummy snuffs it without leaving a mother
curse on her tomb?”
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| BATTLESTAR GALACTICA RE CREATED
Fans are curious about the "reimagined" BATTLESTAR GALACTICA currently under production in Vancouver for the SCI FI Channel. A report at www.scifi.com indicates that the new series will be a mix of the original TV series with new designs. A few items will remain the same -- the Colonial coins -- cubits -- are modeled after the original props. The Galactica Vipers are identical to the original, but a new ship, the Raptor, has been added to the fleet. However, some old favorites are missing -- the fighter pilot Egyptian-style helmets will be more streamlined. The villainous Cylon appearance is still under wraps. Visual special effects supervisor Gary Hutzler said in a recent interview that the old-style Cylon has been renamed "the harbinger of doom" and will be on display as an example of what the Cylons looked like in the past. Battlestar Galactica will debut in December. BUFFY STAR TALKS OF THE SPIN OFF Former BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER star Anthony Stewart Head, who played Giles on the show, says he and creator Joss Whedon hope to make a TV movie in coming years called RIPPER. The project would focus on Head's frequently bemused character's darker side. Although the idea could become a TV series, he said, neither he nor Whedon want the character to get mired in a monster-of-the-week format. "He said he's more interested in the character of Giles and what happens to him alone, in his solitude," Head said. BLUE TO DEBUT The SCI FI Channel will premiere the original feature-length UFO documentary OUT OF THE BLUE as part of its Tuesday Declassified prime-time block, 9 p.m., June 24. Filmmakers James Fox, Tim Coleman and Boris Zubov produced the documentary, which takes a look at the legitimacy of the UFO phenomenon and features military and government personnel going on record for the first time saying that certain unidentified flying objects could be of extraterrestrial origin. Peter Coyote narrates. The documentary features former astronauts, including Apollo 14's Edgar Mitchell, disclosing knowledge of the covert effort to keep the subject matter classified. Military personnel also recall witnessing UFOs' disabling nuclear missiles during test flights. And former U.S. presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter come forward to offer accounts about their involvement with the UFO phenomenon. DOING THE ANGEL SHUFFLE
“WHHHIIINNNNEEEEYYYYY!!!!!”.......
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| June 13-15 BUFFYCON will be held at the Holiday Inn
in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. It is a fan-run convention for BUFFY THE VAMPIRE
SLAYER, Angel, and all the associated comics and novels.
Guests include Robin Sachs (Ethan Rayne) and Laura Ann Gilman. Pre-registered memberships are $30 prior to 4/28. Contact information is: BUFFYCON/P.O. Box 1935/New York, NY 10159-1935 or 617-776-3243 (Fax) or email info@buffycon.org. June 15-16 Asian Fantasy Film Expo! America's ultimate Japanese giant monster & sci-fi event kicks into its 3rd big year. It’s being held on at the Holiday Inn & Conference Center in Saddle Brook, New Jersey with an all new line-up of celebrity guests, professional presentations, exhibits, film screenings, a HUGE dealers room chock full of the latest Japanese sci-fi collectibles, a model kit building contest and lots more! Stay tuned to the web site for all the latest news and information as it develops. July 4-6 CastleCon 16 "The Washington area's most unique convention". Featuring Gaming, LARPing, dealers' Room, Music, Dancing, Poetry, Art Gallery (and Art Auction on Sunday), Discussions, Workshops, Movies, Miniatures-Painting. July 11-13 Shore Leave 25: The Ultimate Trek Con in the Baltimore
area!!!
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| JEANNES BOOKSHELF
by Jeanne Matcovich
This section will be short reviews on books new and old and all read in this month The Wee Free Men
When you have an author as good as Terry Pratchett, you expect that the result will be a novel of great invention, assured comic timing and a generally all-round highly readable fantasy. Readers of The Wee Free Men will not be disappointed. After winning the prestigious Carnegie Medal award for his previous story of Discworld, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, Pratchett has followed up with another irresistibly entertaining adventure. In this story we find a Miss Perspicacia Tick, a witch of some renown, worried about a ripple in the walls of the universe--probably another world making contact. As we know, this is not good. This errant activity is centered on some chalk country--where traditionally good witches simply do not grow well. Fortunately, Miss Tiffany Aching, who is nine years old, does want to be a witch and has just proved herself to be of great potential by whacking a big Green Monster from the river with a huge frying pan while using her annoying younger brother as bait. Seeing this, Miss Tick is impressed. So, after dispensing some stop gap advice to Tiffany (the new witch) about holding the fort until she gets back, Miss Tick is off. Tiffany realizes the seriousness of the situation when the Queen of the Fairies kidnaps her younger brother. The real adventure begins. With the help of a talking frog, loaned by Miss Tick, and an army of thieving, warmongering, nippy, boozy wee free men called the Nac Mac Feegle (who used to work for the Queen but rebelled), Tiffany sets off rescue her kin. There's humour at every turn, and the situations that follow are both wonderfully dramatic and preposterously unreal. Pratchett really is the master of his genre and it's difficult to imagine a more entertaining read. AND INTRODUCING – THE COMICS and GRAPHIC NOVELS HOUR This months feature - the ANIME Graphic novels coming out this summer.
“G-Gundam”, volume 1, by Koichi Tokita, english language version published
by Tokyopop. Release date, 06/17/03, $9.99, A total of 3 volumes to come
in all
“Pet Shop of Horrors”, volume 1 by Mari Akino, english language version
published by Tokyopop. Release date, 06/17/03, $9.99, total of ten books.
“Vampire Game" volume 1, by Judal, english language version published
by Tokyopop. Release date 06/17/03, $9.99. 12 volumes in all.
"Samurai Deeper Kyo" volume 1, by Kamijyo Akamine, english language
version published by Tokyopop.
If any ICS members would like to share their view on a recent book that they’ve read – fiction or non-fiction, please email it attn betsy at ICSBETSPOTS@aol.com. |
| SHORE WILL SCORE WITH KING KONG!
Academy Award-winning LORD OF THE RINGS composer Howard Shore will reportedly continue to work for director Peter Jackson after completion of the trilogy. "Peter has asked me to work with him on KING KONG and I am looking forward to our further collaboration", Howard said. KING KONG, to be written by Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, is aiming for a 2005 release date. TOSS HIM THE WHIP AND HAT AGAIN Harrison Ford has completed his script for a proposed fourth INDIANA JONES movie. "Steven [Spielberg]'s quite happy with it," Ford said "I'm expecting to see it in a couple of weeks." Ford added that he worked closely with director Spielberg, Darabont and executive producer George Lucas on the story. "The way the process works is that George and Frank work together, then Steven gets the script, then I get the script, and we all work together. We all met together and talked about it before they started writing." Ford said that he remains eager to reprise his most famous role because of fans' demands for a fourth installment in the franchise. "It pleases me to play a character that audiences want to see," he said. "I know that it's eagerly anticipated, and I want us to do a good job, make a film at least as good as the ones we've made before." The fourth as-yet-untitled Indy movie is slated to begin filming in the summer of 2004, with an eye to a July 2005 release. BOOK 3 – RETURN OF THE KING PREMIERES DOWN UNDER The Embassy Theatre in Wellington, New Zealand, will host the world premiere of LOTR: THE RETURN OF THE KING on December 1. Mayor Kerry Prendergast believes it could be the biggest event ever held in the capital, surpassing the premieres of the first two movies. Director Peter Jackson was unavailable for comment. He is currently filming additional scenes for ROTK in Wellington. The announcement follows a chaotic six weeks which saw the council meet three times to first agree to funding for the Embassy refurbishment, then rescind the decision, before finally this month agreeing to a $4.5 million underwrite. 6 MINUTES OF THE 28 DAYS Fox Searchlight wants to scare you a bit earlier than June 27, when Danny Boyle's 28 DAYS LATER is set for release here. The studio has made available the first six minutes from the creepy film at Apple! The movie follows like this, a powerful virus is unleashed on the British public following a raid on a primate research facility by animal rights activists. Transmitted in a drop of blood and devastating within seconds, the virus locks those infected into a permanent state of murderous rage. Within 28 days the country is overwhelmed and a handful of survivors begin their attempts to salvage a future, little realizing that the deadly virus is not the only thing that threatens them. VAMPIRE IN ULTRAVIOLET
ROSS MAY BE AT THE HELM OF BUTTON
"We knew we wanted to make a movie that, in essence,
paid real homage to "The Incredible Hulk" and also to Stan Lee and Jack
Kirby's original vision" said HULK producer James Schamus. "We also
knew that we wanted to create a movie that nobody had ever seen before,
both in terms of its language, the transitions and the multiple frames,
as well as the place it takes you emotionally in this comic book world."
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| COLLECTIBLES CORNER
So They Sit On My Closet Shelves For Some Future Time ROBERSON "Mrs. Peel... We're Needed!" If those words bring back pleasant memories of one of the most creative shows in television history, then you might want to look into getting the set of 12" John Steed and Emma Peel Action Figures from the BBC classic series, THE AVENGERS. These are strictly an import item from the U.K., and I personally ordered mine from www.amoktime.com, however some other outlets carry them....but... they're going fast! Steed comes resplendant in a light brown Edwardian suit with his bowler and umbrella, and Emma kicks butt in her black leather jumpsuit and carries her gold-plated revolver. The set even comes with a tiny champagne bottle and 2 glasses! The Disney classic 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA will be out on DVD shortly, and if you have a hankering for a 12'' replica of the Nautilus, complete with attacking Giant Squid(!), again, check out www.amoktime.com. This is an import item from Japan (you now know it's going to cost a lot of Yen...) which I haven't found on any other outlets. There's a hidden button on the sub that, when depressed, plays a recording of Kirk Douglas (as harpooner Ned Land) singing "Whale of a Tale" from the movie. This toy is made by the incredible company, X-Plus, who puts out all those great cold cast Ray Harryhausen figures! I have seen advanced photos of several dioramas from a little film called LORD OF THE RINGS that are intriguing. The sets are called Armies of Middle Earth with Environment, but I don't know who puts them out... One is Bridge at Khazad-Dun and features Gandalf fighting Balrog on the crumbling footbridge, with a goblin archer(?) Looks verrrryyyy cool, although it's not in scale. (I guesss if it was, with a 2" Gandalf, the set would be 5' long!) The other one I've seen is Sauraman's Chambers, and features Gandalf battling Saruman, and smacking Wormtongue around. (Brad Dourif has got to be the greatest actor, this side of Andy Robinson, at playing Weasal - Boys!) Again, it might sound like I'm getting a kickback, but these are orderable from, you guessed it!, www.amoktime.com This should get Hillbilly Jim's attention, if he doesn't already know. DAWN OF THE DEAD Set of 4 Action figures, including the Tom Savini "Biker" , "Bald Head", "Fly Boy Stephen" and "Hatchet Head"! Each comes with a "Carnage Strewn" base!!! A fold-up Pittsburgh Mall Carrying Case is probably in the works...At your favorite neighborhood toy store.. By the way, this set comes with a warning label: Small Children Should Be Aware That These Action Figures Might Eat THEM!!!! Coming soon from Toonami: A collectors set of figures from one of my favorite old Saturday morning cartoons: The Herculoids. For some reason, in the Philadelphia vicinity, this cartoon came on at like 6 in the morning, which, even for kids who got up early to watch the shows, was EARLY! Anyway, now I can watch it at 3 in the morning on Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. The set comes complete with King Zandor, his lovely mate Tara, son Dorno, dragon Zok, 8-legged rhino- thing Tundro, andddddd, those lovable. laughable sacks of goo, Gloop and Gleep! Be forewarned, however, this set goes for $150.00 + Well, that's all for now folks, so save up your pennies and maybe in a few years, you'll actually be able to afford one of these things! Just remember: COLLECTIBLES AREN'T CHEAP! (except, of course, at the world famous I.C.S. Auction! {shameless plug...] ) One last suggestion. Go in the web to the Sideshow Toys site, and sign up for their mailers. Several times a year they have fabulous sales on some of their superb figures - I've been able to collect alot of the CLASSIC UNIVERSAL MONSTERS 12" Action Figures at up to 50% Off!!!! If you've seen these figures, you know they're well worth the regular price! Now get out there and buy up all those discarded BATTLEFIELD EARTH toys, 'cause John Travolta's got another kid on the way and Baby needs a new pair of shoes! 'SIX Finger, SIX Finger, Man Alive!! How did I ever get along with FIVE? - TV ad shown in TOY STORY (1995) “I may not be a smart dog, but I know what roadkill is.” - Slinky Dog in TOY STORY 2 (1999) |
| THE HULK - Release Date: June 20th
Cast: Eric Bana (Dr. Bruce Banner), Jennifer Connelly (Betty Ross), SamElliott (General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross), Nick Nolte (Dr. David Banner) Premise: The story of Dr. Bruce Banner, exposed to Gamma Rays and transformed into the Hulk, a creature of incredible strength. Lots of CGI and fun with a comic favorite. 28 DAYS LATER - Release Date: June 27th Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Megan Burns, Christopher Eccleston Premise: A virus that locks those infected into a permanent state of killing rage, is accidentally released from a British research facility. Twenty-eight days later, a small group of survivors are trapped in London, caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. They find that their most deadly enemy is not the virus, but other survivors. SINBAD – LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS - Release Date July 2nd Cast: (voices) Brad Pitt (Sinbad the Sailor), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Marina), Joseph Fiennes (Proteus), Michelle Pfeiffer (Eris). Premise: The classic Arabic character that first appeared in Arabian. In that book, Sinbad the Sailor related the details of his seven voyages, but it appears this film may cover adventures that weren't in that book (since Proteus and Eris weren't in Arabian Nights). Sinbad has been adapted to film several times, but the most famous are the three films (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is one of them) produced by Ray Harryhausen, and 1947's Sinbad the Sailor, starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - Curse of the Black Pearl Release date July 9th, Cast: Johnny Depp (Jack Sparrow), Orlando Bloom (Will Turner), Geoffrey Rush (Captain Barbossa; AKA Captain Blackheart), Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann), Jonathan Pryce (Governor Swann), Lee Arenberg (Pintel), Jack Davenport (Norrington) Premise: This film is based upon the classic theme park attraction, The Pirates of the Caribbean, which features singing robotic mannequins. Set in the Caribbean Sea it is the story of a gentleman rogue of a pirate, Jack Sparrow (Depp), who teams up with the daughter (Knightley) of a governor to stop the evil plan of a ship of dangerous pirates (led by Rush) who are trying to reverse an ancient curse that has hit them. LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN Release date July 11th
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| THE ANIMATRIX – THIS IS THE ONE TO SEE
Released 6/3/03 Larry and Andy Wachowski have gathered up an impressive
creative to work on this new project, a set of nine films, all set in the
world of THE MATRIX. Seen in the movie THE ANIMATRIX are works from
animation studios and directors from the US, Japan and Korea, and several
notable names involved like Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Macross
Plus), Peter Cheung (Aeon Flux, Reign the Conqueror) and Andy Jones (Final
Fantasy -The Spirits Within). This film has gotten some awesome reviews
and is worth a see for any Matrix lovers.
DIE ANOTHER DAY
Bond, James Bond. Well, you can guess the story
- Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry meet, kick butt and conquer evil and save
the world. Invisible cars, ice palaces and a really big diamond…oh
and the laser, can’t forget the laser. All done well and with director
Tamohori giving some clever nods to previous 007 movies – Berry’s outfit
coming out of the ocean and such. Berry did such a great job in her
character that there is talk of her having a spin off with Brosnan as a
guest star.
And now thanks to Taylor, here are the new Anime DVD releases featured this month – VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR
GENESIS CLIMBER MOSPEADA
This is an anime sci-fi classic, made in the early
80's. This title is of particular signifigance to American anime
fans as it was one of the three shows that made up ROBOTECH, to be specific
it was used to make ROBOTECH: NEW GENERATION. However when it was
made into ROBOTECH, much was changed, to the point where it had little
resemblance to it's source material.
“Your questionable aesthetics have caused mass destruction in
the city!”
Its not the color of the dress that makes it special, it’s the
heart that is inside.
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| Robert Stack, best remembered as the straight ahead, no nonsense Eliot
Ness of TV’s UNTOUCHABLES, has died at his home in California. He was 84.
A Los Angeles native whose family socialized with Hollywood's elite, Stack played polo with Spencer Tracy and other Hollywood luminaries as a teenager in the 1930s, and later as a former national skeet-shooting champion gave lessons to stars like Clark Gable. It was Gable who urged him to take up acting and told him, “Look kid, if you ever become a celebrity, use it to help people. And if you kick people around, I’m going to kick you.” His big break came with his first role, starring with Deanna Durbin in FIRST LOVE in 1939, followed by parts in films like THE MORTAL STORM, LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN, EAGLE SQUADRON, and TO BE OR NOT TO BE. At this point, like many others, his career was interrupted by World War II. Struggling to regain his career after the war, Stack eased into grittier, more mature roles in movies such as BULLFIGHTER AND THE LADY, the 3-D BAWANA DEVIL, WAR PAINT, SABER JET and HOUSE OF BAMBOO. His movie making peaked during this period when he starred with John Wayne in THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY and received an Academy Award nomination for WRITTEN ON THE WIND. When parts got scarce in the late 1950’s he turned to television and landed the part of Eliot Ness in a two-part TV movie called THE UNTOUCHABLES. It was such a success that it became a series and in 1960 Robert Stack took home an Emmy for his efforts. His long and distinguished career in film and television prompted close friend Robert Wagner to comment, “He was admired by his fellow actors. You knew he was going to give you everything he could give you. He raised the standard in every way. As a human being, he was a true gentleman and a man of great integrity.” “This nut thinks he’s a vampire!” - Kolchak in NIGHT STALKER (1972) “Last night I went through another of my horrible experiences.” – Lon Chaney Jr as Wolfman in “ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948) “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” Anthony Perkins in PSYCHO (1960) |
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by John Ward There are several reasons for this choice, not the least of which was the fact that he was a wonderful actor. He had an “everyman” quality that, of all the actors working today, only Tom Hanks could hope to equal. Life was one of the first publications to notice this. Years ago, for a special Hollywood issue, the editors put together a portfolio of old Hollywood stars posed with representatives of the “New” Hollywood. Stewart and Hanks were smiling together in one of those shots. I have my favorite Jimmy Stewart movies, of course, and I’ll get to those in a moment. (After that opening paragraph, I guess a list becomes kind of obligatory.) But first, I wanted to talk about my other reason for picking Jimmy Stewart as my favorite old-time movie actor: we share the same hometown roots. Last weekend, our family made the 4-hour drive to Indiana, Pennsylvania, as we do nearly every Memorial Day, to visit my mother. The big difference this time was that we took the dog along, but that’s another column in itself (and not even fit for this newsletter). As we drove down Philadelphia Street, the main drag in town, I was struck yet again by how much it reminded me of the main street in Bedford Falls, the beloved locale of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. I do not believe this is a coincidence. I feel certain that director Frank Capra shared setting ideas for the film with his star, and I am equally sure that Stewart drew upon his own memories. The street is not nearly as quaint as it used to be, of course. Indiana is a college town, after all, so it has to cater to that demographic. Instead of the Bailey Bros. Building and Loan, there are pizza joints and coffee houses. There might even have been a cyber café on one corner, but I was driving through the intersection too quickly to be sure. Philadelphia Street is quiet, made even more so by the presence of the Wal-Mart SuperCenter outside of town. With every visit, this monstrosity of All-American capitalism has sucked just a little more life out of the downtown area. Right in the center of town sits the County Courthouse, which makes sense, since Indiana is the county seat of Indiana County. In front of the courthouse, bigger than life, is a gleaming bronze statue of the movie star himself. The likeness is not taken from one specific movie, but rather a period: that time of the early ‘50s, when Jimmy Stewart was one of the most bankable stars on the planet. Stewart stands simply, right hand in pocket, left hand gesturing to make a point, hat cocked slightly on his head. A lot like Elwood P. Dowd, but a bit more self-assured. Across the street from the courthouse sits a Savings & Trust bank, and in the plaza walkway next to the bank stands a solitary sundial, the only remaining piece of the original Stewart Hardware Store. The hardware store was a town landmark; a little bit of everything was sold there. It is a fact, not a legend, that when Jimmy Stewart won his Oscar for THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, he sent the statuette back home to Indiana, where it remained on display in the window of his father’s hardware store for years. The original Stewart home commands a great view above the center of town, at the top of a set of steps that remind me strangely of the steps below Regan’s window in THE EXORCIST. The area is known as Vinegar Hill, and the house is still in use. A family named Miller lives there now. I visited once; the family redesigned the basement to look like an old-time general store, the kind with candy, tobacco, and other assorted dry goods under glass. Finally, just down the block from the courthouse, one is drawn to the Indiana Free Library. It’s a three-story brick mansion, the first floor and basement given over to a perfectly ordinary assortment of books, magazines, and references. As libraries go, it’s not much. The college library makes it look puny. But the third floor of the building, if you’re a true movie fan, is where you really want to be. That’s where you’ll find the Jimmy Stewart Museum. It’s no joke, either. The Museum was opened in the spring of 1995, I believe, with as much hoopla as the town could muster without embarrassing its favorite son. There was some talk early on about a separate building to house all the memorabilia, but Stewart refused to authorize anything that flashy. So the planning committee was left with the third floor of the library. I’ve visited the Museum four times, including last weekend, and the biggest change from my previous visit was that you could no longer climb the stairs to the third floor; visitors must take an elevator from the basement. I imagine this is in deference to the average age of the Museum’s clientele (Sorry about that). When you exit the elevator, you could turn left or right immediately and enter the exhibit areas without being noticed; there’s no security guard. But this is small town America, where they still believe in the honor system, so your conscience guides you straight ahead to the ticket window. Five bucks gets you in. (The same price as 1995, by the way.) On the left, past the ticket window, are two large rooms of memorabilia. Okay, large is a relative term; we’re talking about 15 square feet apiece. The first of these rooms contains a wrap-around timeline of the Stewart family and the county itself. One corner has been refashioned to look like the Stewart hardware store, right down to the dust on the floor. It’s the only time I’ve ever been in a museum and thought the dust was placed deliberately. The second room focuses on Jimmy Stewart’s awards and other recognitions. There’s the American Film Institute award, awards from the Boy Scouts and the Air Force Reserve, certificates from the President, and the huge desk and upholstered chair from his study. Another corner of the room has been redesigned as a booth from Chasen’s, the famous L.A. eatery where Stewart was a regular. I remember seeing the Academy Award on a previous visit, but it must have been on loan from the family, because it wasn’t there this time. A few steps through the gift shop takes you to the Jimmy Stewart Theater, a walled-off room containing 50 chairs in front of a video screen about the size of our ICS screen. A life-size stuffed Harvey the Rabbit relaxes comfortably in the center row of seats. A different Stewart movie is screened here daily; DESTRY RIDES AGAIN was showing when we walked through. Ringing the theater is a corridor that traces Stewart’s film career, from the MGM shorts of his early days to the Technicolor extravaganzas of the ‘70s. Each film is represented by a still, a lobby card, a poster, a shooting script; you name it. The walls are covered. For such a small museum, there’s a lot to see. But even the most careful of browsers can get in and out of the place in about an hour and a half. Walking through the rooms last weekend, I was taken back to a culture that no longer exists, to a Hollywood that no longer exists, to an innocence that no longer exists. But the town is still there, thank goodness. Despite the fact that I have come to call Baltimore my home, it’s a comforting thought to know the place you grew up is still there, still breathing. I’m sure Jimmy Stewart used to think that very same thought. John Ward’s Top Five Jimmy Stewart Movies: 1. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) My very favorite Stewart film,
just edging out no. 2. Classic Americana. It should have won
the Best Picture Oscar, but it couldn’t top the GONE WITH THE WIND juggernaut.
Honorable Mention: VERTIGO (1958), THE MAN FROM LARAMIE (1955), THE CHEYENNE SOCIAL CLUB (1970), HARVEY (1950), CALL NORTHSIDE 777 (1947). |
| MAY CALENDAR
MARK THESE DATES JUNE 13 – BUFFY CON weekend JUNE 20 – HULK opens JUNE 27 - 28 DAYS LATER opens JUNE 28 – ICS meeting –
“To kill or not to kill that is the question…”
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