Intl. Notebook

June 8 2024

THE EDGE OF FOREVER

A timeless show's most timeless episode.

Was Star Trek the greatest sci-fi series ever aired? We think so, though there have been other great ones. But even if Star Trek wasn’t the best, it was the most topical and groundbreaking, with its anti-war and anti-racism allegories, diverse crew, and costumes that pushed the bounds of censorship. The two shots above are from the 1967 episode “City on the Edge of Forever,” written by Harlan Ellison and considered by many fans to be the pinnacle of the series. In the photo are Enterprise crew members looking at the Guardian of Forever, an eternal being that records all of history and acts as a gateway for those who wish to observe the past firsthand.

When Doctor McCoy suffers an accidental drug overdose that makes him psychotic he leaps through the gateway to a past Earth. At that moment the Enterprise, which is in orbit, disappears. Somehow McCoy has changed Earth’s past, and caused the ship—possibly all of humanity—to wink out of existence. The crew members have no choice but to follow McCoy into the past to try and stop him from doing whatever altered history. Spock refers to that past—the 1920s—as “a rather barbaric time.” We wonder what he would think if he came from the future to the 2020s? We have a feeling the word “barbaric” wouldn’t suffice.

Star Trek, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, Harlan Ellison, television, sci-fi

Femmes Fatales

July 24 2022

THE SMOKING GUN

It isn't conclusive proof she's responsible for the guy on the floor with a bullet hole in him. But it's highly suggestive.

We were thrilled when we found this photo of Jane Wyatt with a gun because she’s one of those actresses that usually played good girls. But in 1951’s The Man Who Cheated Himself, which is where this photo comes from, she’s pretty bad. We won’t say more because we plan to discuss the film, but we haven’t spoiled it—she’s bad early on, and her escapade with the smoking gun is the premise for what follows. Wyatt later became a veteran television actress and earned a special place in the hearts of Star Trek fans for playing Spock’s mom in the 1967 episode “Journey to Babel.” In that episode her name was—we love this—Amanda. You’d expect something, maybe, spacier. But nope. She was plain old Amanda. But she was never a plain old Jane.

The Man Who Cheated Himself, Star Trek, Jane Wyatt, television, sci-fi

Femmes Fatales

October 2 2021

NATURE GIRL

This frolic has been sponsored by Off! bug repellent and Nasonex hay fever tablets.

In this centerfold image from the Belgian magazine Ciné-Revue published in September 1972, Barbara Bouchet finds herself in a field of wildflowers and high grasses, and does what comes naturally—sneezes like a maniac until the medication kicks in. Then she frolics, and what a lovely frolic it is. We’ve featured Bouchet before, which means you already know she’s a famously beautiful model-turned-actress who appeared in films like Non si sevizia un paperino, aka Don’t Torture a Duckling, Gangs of New York, Casino Royale, and television’s Star Trek. Also—and we didn’t mention this the other times we wrote about her—she’s another celeb who benefitted from a name change. She was born in 1943 in Sudentenland, a part of Czechoslovakia that was occupied by Germany at the time, and grew up as Bärbel Gutscher. That name simply doesn’t roll off the tongue, so when she went to Hollywood she chose something that sounded French and the rest is history. These days she lives in Rome, where she still occasionally acts, though probably does a bit less frolicking. See a couple more shots of her here and here.

Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Rome, Ciné-Revue, Non si sevizia un paperino, Don't Torture a Duckling, Casino Royale, Star Trek, Barbara Bouchet, television

Hollywoodland

January 29 2021

WHAT AN AIRHEAD

Always be careful what you say to a tabloid.

This National Enquirer published today in 1963 features the free-floating head of U.S. actress Shirley Bonne with a quote where she calls herself a “dimwit.” Enquirer often splashed shocking, sexual, or confessional quotes from stars across its covers. We have little doubt Bonne was just joshing around, if she ever said it, which we tend to doubt. She isn’t well known today. Though she amassed hundreds of magazine covers, as an actress she had zero credited cinematic roles. All her credits, including movies, were on television, where she appeared on shows such as Bonanza, That Girl, Medical Center, starred in the sitcom My Sister Eileen, and was in the all-time dog of a television horror flick It’s Alive. Her zenith, at least in terms being appreciated by a fandom, is having guest starred in one of the best Star Trek episodes ever—1966’s “Shore Leave.” That’s the one where the Enterprise crew land on a planet that makes anything they think about come true. Kirk thinks about a long lost love and Shirley Bonne appears—head, body, and all. Pretty smart thinking.

National Enquirer, Star Trek, Bonanza, That Girl, Medical Center, My Sister Eileen, It's Alive, Shirley Bonne, television, tabloid

Vintage Pulp

November 15 2020

STRAIGHT OUTTA THE JUNGLE

She's tougher than Tarzan, meaner than Sheena, and lustier than Gungala.

You can look at this cover and correctly assume that we’ve shared it because it was painted by Frank Frazetta, considered by many to be the master of sword and sorcery art. It’s a beautiful piece, rightly famous. Alan Dean Foster is a master too. He isn’t what you’d call a significant author in the sense that he’s produced lauded original material, but he may be the king of movie novelizations. Among his output: The Black Hole, Clash of the Titans, Outland, Starman, Pale Rider, and The Chronicles of Riddick, as well as novelized series based on Star Wars, Star Trek, and Alien. We love Foster for his Star Wars sequel Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, which came out before The Empire Strikes Back (notice we don’t bother with that Episode nonsense) and followed Luke and Leia—not siblings in Foster’s universe—as they adventured on strange worlds and discovered their love for each other. We still think the film series should have followed Foster’s lead, but whatever.

His Luana is a novelization of the 1968 movie of the same name starring Mei Chen Chalais, which we talked about a while back. Sometimes novelizations are published before the film, sometimes after. Foster published Luana six years after the film in 1974 for reasons that are obscure. It was among his first published books. While template for a novelization is provided by the filmmakers, the author is who gives it color and life. Foster fulfills that duty with obvious relish, mining literary and cinematic antecedents like Tarzan, Tarzana, Gungala, Sheena, Shuna, and Ka-Zar for familiar tropes. A kilometer long pit filled with army ants? A lion and panther, both larger than any ever seen before, working in tandem with a huge chimp? A pitched battle between blowgun wielding Tanzanian tribesmen and an expedition of white explorers? A secret city of solid gold buildings? As lost world tales go, by standing on the shoulders of his predecessors, Foster crafts something better than average. And far better than the movie too.

Tanzania, Luana, The Black Hole, Clash of the Titans, Outland, Starman, Pale Rider, The Chronicles of Riddick, Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, Alan Dean Foster, Frank Frazetta, cover art, literature, sci-fi

Musiquarium

February 15 2019

TREK AND TREAT

Nichols returns from beyond Antares to grace fans with a few Earthly classics.

Above is a more complete version of an image from our collection of actresses on polar bear rugs—an album sleeve featuring Star Trek icon Nichelle Nichols. The photo we used in the earlier post was just a close-up of this cover. Nichols sings standards on this 1967 platter, making passes at “Feelin’ Good,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “That’s Life,” among other tunes. Yes, we listened to it. We once called her a Renaissance woman in deep space, and she certainly does nothing to harm that reputation here. As she once demonstrated on Star Trek with a rendition of the 23rd century classic “Beyond Antares,” her voice is beautiful. Well, actually it’s spectacular, a great instrument with good range and a tone as pristine as a violin. Hers is not the type of muscular singing that has taken over American pop music, a style that uses technique to bludgeon listeners into thinking something substantial is going on. It’s a more delicate, more purely heartfelt approach. She’s backed by a full orchestra, where we’d prefer to hear her with a jazz trio or quartet, but even so, damn—this woman really had it going on. Check out her version of “Tenderly” here.

Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols

Femmes Fatales

January 3 2019

FLOWER DROMM SONG

You have to know when it's time to branch out.

Andrea Dromm is wearing a jumpsuit, which is fitting because she’s going to have to jump if she ever wants to get out of this tree. A model and actress, she had one of the shorter careers, appearing in two movies and one television show. But one of the movies was the hit comedy The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! and the television show was Star Trek, so she’s better remembered than someone with such a small filmography normally would be. After acting she went on to devote her time to modeling, and has been stuck in this tree since posing there in 1966.

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!, Star Trek, Andrea Dromm, television, sci-fi

Femmes Fatales

September 29 2017

VIVE LA FRANCE

Nguyen proves to be an Enterprising star.

French born, half Vietnamese actress France Nguyen has had quite a few film and television appearances, but our favorite of her roles—of course—is that of Elaan of Troyius in the original Star Trek series in 1968.

That character, a sort of deep space Asian and Egyptian ethnic mash-up who boards the U.S.S. Enterprise as part of a diplomatic mission, had tears laced with a powerful chemical that worked like a love potion. Kirk, of course, touched those and more, and ended up losing his head over her.

In our opinion she didn’t need magic tears to make that happen—Elaan of Troyius was one of the most mysterious and beautiful in a long line of beautiful and mysterious guest aliens featured on Star Trek. The top photo captures all the qualities that made Nguyen perfect for the role, and in the second shot you see her in costume as Elaan.

France, Vietnam, Star Trek, France Nguyen

Intl. Notebook

April 21 2016

SHIP SHAPE

Enterprise goes into dry dock for repairs.

The eleven-foot model of the U.S.S. Enterprise used to shoot television’s Star Trek that has been housed in Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian Institution since 1974 is receiving an overdue restoration. The Smithsonian requested photos from fans or studio staff who could help them return the metal ship to its exact condition from August 1967, when the episode “The Trouble with Tribbles” aired. Why that episode? We don’t know. In any case, the Enterprise has been modified eight times over the years, and the museum was looking specifically for interior photos or shots of the ship disassembled so they could see how the interior structure was originally arranged. Photos emerged and the Smithsonian is now busily at work rehabbing the starship to its full luster. Since the original framework was wood, the two engines tend to sag over time, so one change being made is to reinforce the interior with a metal collar designed to keep the engines properly aligned. Repainting the exterior is also on the agenda. When finished the Enterprise will be displayed in the museum’s new Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall, which opens in July. The timing is of course no coincidence. This year—September 8 to be exact—will mark the 50-year anniversary of the Star Trek‘s premiere on NBC.

Washington D.C., Smithsonian Institution, NBC, Star Trek, sci-fi, television

Intl. Notebook

February 27 2016

RETURN TO TOMORROW

Spock beamed up a year ago today.

Star Trek icon Leonard Nimoy died a year ago today, an event we noted at the time with a brief tribute and a photo, though of Nimoy in human form rather than as Spock. Today, for the anniversary, we’re going full Spock because we stumbled across this rare promo poster of Nimoy in character holding a model of the Enterprise. While the poster is similar to a widely circulated image available on the Memory Alpha website, as far as we know this particular item has never been posted online without a watermark. So that’s our achievement for today.

Star Trek, Leonard Nimoy, television, sci-fi

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

September 6

1901—McKinley Fatally Shot

Polish-born anarchist Leon Czolgosz shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley dies September 12, and Czolgosz is later executed.

September 5

1939—U.S. Declares Neutrality in WW II

The Neutrality Acts, which had been passed in the 1930s when the United States considered foreign conflicts undesirable, prompts the nation to declare neutrality in World War II. The policy ended with the Lend-Lease Act of March 1941, which allowed the U.S. to sell, lend or give war materials to allied nations.

September 5

1972—Munich Massacre

During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, a paramilitary group calling itself Black September takes members of the Israeli olympic team hostage. Eventually the group, which represents the first glimpse of terrorists for most people in the Western world, kill eleven of the hostages along with one West German police officer during a rescue attempt by West German police that devolves into a firefight. Five of the eight members of Black September are also killed.

September 4

1957—U.S. National Guard Used Against Students

The governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, mobilizes the National Guard to prevent nine African-American students known as the Little Rock Nine from enrolling in high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.

September 3

1941—Auschwitz Begins Gassing Prisoners

Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps, becomes an extermination camp when it begins using poison gas to kill prisoners en masse. The camp commandant, Rudolf HÃ¶ss, later testifies at the Nuremberg Trials that he believes perhaps 3 million people died at Auschwitz, but the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum revises the figure to about 1 million.