Monday, September 8, 2014

8 September 2014

Birthdays
Jonathan Taylor Thomas b. 1981 (Smallville)
Larenz Tate b. 1975 (The Postman, The Twilight Zone [1985])
Martin Freeman b. 1971 (The Hobbit, The World’s End, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Shaun of the Dead)
Brian Huskey b. 1968 (This Is the End, Fright Night [2011], Meet Dave, Land of the Lost [2009])
Brad Silberling b. 1963 (director, Land of the Lost, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Casper)
Thomas Kretschmann b. 1962 (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dracula [TV], Dracula 3D, FlashForward, Bionic Woman, King Kong, Frankenstein [2004 TV], Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Blade II, Relic Hunter, Total Recall 2070, Total Reality)
David Knell b. 1961 (Grimm, The Invisible Man, Total Recall, ALF, Splash, The Devil and Max Devlin)
Sonja Smits b. 1958 (Odyssey 5, TekWar, Videodrome)
Heather Thomas b. 1957 (Swamp Thing [TV], Cyclone, Zapped!)
Julian Richings b. 1955 (Orphan Black, Supernatural, Man of Steel, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Survival of the Dead, Saw IV, X-Men: The Last Stand, Skinwalkers, Re-Generation, Prince Charming, My Best Friend is an Alien, Highlander: The Raven, Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, Cube, Mimic, RoboCop [TV], War of the Worlds [TV])
Mark Lindsay Chapman b. 1954 (Charmed, Poltergeist: The Legacy, NightMan, Legend of the Mummy, The Burning Zone, Lois & Clark, Weird Science [TV], The Langoliers, Swamp Thing [TV], Max Headroom)
Willard Huyck b. 1945 (writer/director, Howard the Duck, writer, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Archie Goodwin b. 1937 died 1 March 1988 (writer, Marvel Comics and Warren Publications)
Michael A. Hoey b. 1934 died 17 August 2014 (director, The Navy vs. the Night Monsters)
Joe Kubert b. 1926 died 12 August 2012 (artist)
Peter Sellers b. 1925 died 24 July 1980 (Alice in Wonderland [1972 and 1966])
Harry Harris b. 1922 died 19 March 2009 (director, Alice in Wonderland [1985], Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, Lost in Space)
Frank Cady b. 1915 died 8 June 2012 (Monster Squad [TV], 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, The Next Voice You Hear…)
Brian Morrow b. 1911 died 11 May 2006 (Beauty and the Beast, Freddie’s Nightmares, Otherworld, The Greatest American Hero, The Bionic Woman, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Colossus: The Forbin Project, Star Trek, Bewitched, Lost in Space, The Invaders, Captain Nice, I Dream of Jeannie, Cyborg 2087, Atlantis, the Lost Continent, Twilight Zone)
William Fawcett b. 1894 died 25 January 1974 (I Dream of Jeannie, Mr. Terrific, The Munsters, Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter, Twilight Zone, Commando Cody, Captain Video, Atom Man vs. Superman, Batman and Robin [1949])

There are two movie stars on the list, Martin Freeman and Peter Sellers, and Freeman's role in The Hobbit can be considered iconic. But as you can see, I was in an Oh That Guy mood today, and to honor the 48th anniversary of Star Trek on the air, I went with Brian Morrow as a Starfleet admiral. Morrow played a whole lot of White Guys In Charge, whether they were doctors or military men or politicians. The other late actors on the list are Frank Cady, best known from Green Acres, and William Fawcett, an actor with a face like a dried up apple who almost always played cranky old men. The oldest guy who isn't dead is Willard Huyck, but Howard the Duck killed his career but good.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.


TV shows first aired
Star Trek, 1966

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: The stately, massive outlines of lighter-than-air skyships should be in the skies within thirty years. These craft will be vaguely similar to the grand zeppelins, such and the Hindenburg and the Goodyear blimp, but much more sophisticated and varied. Large passenger-frieght liners will transport thousands of people and millions of tons through the air at extremely low cost. Longer than three football fields, they will land and take off with swiveling rotors, and then float through the air like dirigibles.

Reality: Well, they do exist, but they aren't used very much and I can't vouch for the extremely low cost. The most obvious problem is heavy winds, when they would be hard to fly and even difficult to keep moored to the ground.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Will we get another prediction from FM-2030? Will I once again call him a world-class prat?

For the answers, Join us... IN THE FUTURE!
 

4 comments:

  1. I like big blimps and I can not lie
    You other pilots can't deny
    That when a gherkin-shaped giant glides to ground
    All the shapes are soft and round
    You get floating, aerial show boating
    Lighter than air, don’t start gloating
    Deep in the frame its inflated
    Hydrogen isn’t that explosive, is it?

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's three straight days of a clear demarcation between living and dead and no o e younger than 77 is dead.

    Early September babies (Thanksgiving/Chanukah presents?) appear more durable than the rest of us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mr. Houghton, you noticed something I only brought up once, The Guy (or Gal) At The Door, when everyone dead was born before everyone alive. Yes, we've had three in a row and I don't want to jinx them.

      Delete

Traveler! Have you news... FROM THE FUTURE?