Category Archives: Tributes

Tributes

Alan Young (1919-2016)

Tribute by Mike Glyer
Mister Ed and Alan Young.

Mister Ed and Alan Young.


Radio, movie and TV actor Alan Young died May 19 at the age of 96. A popular and versatile comedian, he began his entertainment career on the radio at age 13, and had his own show at 17. Changing mediums, he won a 1951 Emmy Award as “Outstanding Lead Actor” for the television version of The Alan Young Show.

His best known venture into science fiction was as Filby, the Time Traveler’s loyal friend in George Pal’s The Time Machine (1960) – which he recreated in 1993 for a mini-sequel, Time Machine: The Journey Back, together with Rod Taylor as the Time Traveler. Young continued to be associated with the Wells opus, given a cameo in Simon Wells’ remake of The Time Machine (2002), and voicing the narration for 7th Voyage Productions’ animated version of The Time Machine (not yet released).

Alan Young as Filby in The Time Machine.

Alan Young as Filby in The Time Machine (1960).

As for fantasy — he and the talking horse, of course, spent five seasons together in the TV comedy Mister Ed.

Following the series’ cancellation in 1966, Young was cast as Stanley H. Beamish, the lead in the unaired pilot of a superhero series, Mr. Terrific, but another actor was given the role of when episodes were ordered by CBS.

In the Seventies, Young had a supporting role in another talking animal production, the forgettable Disney movie The Cat from Outer Space (1978).

A UFO is stranded on earth and impounded by the US government. Its pilot, a cat with a collar that has special powers, including the ability to allow the cat to communicate with humans…

Young transitioned into a career as a voice actor, frequently working on sf/f kid shows like Battle of the Planets, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy Doo, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Rubik, the Amazing Cube, as well as TV’s The Incredible Hulk, and animated films Beauty and the Beast, and The Great Mouse Detective (sharing voice work with other distinguished cast members like Vincent Price, Shani Wallis, and the archival voice of Basil Rathbone.)

After 1974 Young supplied the voice of Scrooge McDuck for many Disney videos and video games — DuckTales (1987-1990), the Kingdom Hearts series, DuckTales: Remastered in 2013, and the Mickey Mouse cartoon “Goofy’s First Love” released in 2015.

Tributes

Gareth Thomas, star of ’70s BBC sci-fi series Blake’s 7, has died aged 71.

I met Gareth Thomas at Visions, he was fan-friendly, and wandered about the hotel meeting fans and joking with us. He said he was glad to be able to come to the con to thank fans.

B7 original castI remember him as always having a glass in his hand. Not always a good sign, but never saw him drunk. Saw him again at a  con in Britain.  At one point, he was late for a panel because he was stuck in an elevator, but the conchair came out to tell us not to worry–Gareth had a beer with him, so he was OK for awhile!

Blake’s 7 had (IMO) the most beautiful spaceship, the Liberator.  The liberatorsets were shaky, the models shaky, and sometimes the costumers went on wild rampages coming  up with doozies we have come to know as ” the Michelin Tire Man” and the “cockroach”. But the characters and the dialogue was superb. This was not the tidy world of Star Trek–the Liberator didn’t have a “crew” in the usual sense of the word.  The characters were thrown together by chance and barely trusted each other.  They stole the Liberator. The show was more character driven than plot driven. And the writers were killing off characters at a rate that would astonish GRRM.  In 1981, just before Christmas, they killed off the entire cast.

J. Straczynski was a huge fan of the show. Similarities between B5 and B7 are not hard to find. I saw a video of him receiving an award from Gareth Thomas dressed in full costume and makeup as Blake in the final episode. JMS went into full fanboy mode!

There was talk of a re-bbot, There was always talk of a reboot. It might still happen, it might turn out OK, but Blake is Gareth Thomas, and in my heart, always will be.

Gareth Thomas, star of ’70s BBC sci-fi series Blake’s 7, has died aged 71.  http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36041534

As Roj Blake in the cult series, the Welsh actor led a group of rebels on their Liberator space ship against an evil federation that ruled the galaxy.

Thomas was also an accomplished stage actor who appeared in several Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) productions.

His later television appearances include playing Nathaniel Clegghorn in ITV’s Heartbeat and David Baddiel’s father in Sky’s Baddiel’s Syndrome.

Born in 1945, Thomas attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in the 1960s and later became a Rada associate.

His roles at the RSC included Orsino in Twelfth Night, Cassio in Othello and Mat Burke in Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie.
Image caption The show was derided by some but continues to have a loyal fan base

Yet he remains best known for Blake’s 7, which ran on BBC One from 1978 to 1981.

At its peak, the series was watched by 10 million viewers and was sold to 40 countries.

Thomas claimed never to have watched a single episode of the show, which was derided by some for its shaky sets and basic special effects.

The show also had a distinctly pessimistic tone – typified by the final episode, in which all the main characters were apparently killed off.

Reports of the actor’s death began to circulate after a Blake’s 7 fan site announced he had died on Wednesday from heart failure.

“Our thoughts are with his wife Linda, and his family and friends,” the message continued.

His death was confirmed by a friend who worked on a Blake’s 7 remake, according to the Press Association.

Fans, friends and former colleagues have been paying their respects on Twitter, among them an actress who said she had appeared with him on stage in Salisbury.

“Our characters hated each other but he was a lovely actor and a lovely man,” tweeted Ruth Mitchell.

Scottish broadcaster Muriel Gray, meanwhile, said she had “adored” Thomas and called the news “miserable”.

Thomas’s agent, Michael Hallett, said he was “a wonderful and very powerful actor” whose “fantastic career” had seen him play “a huge range of brilliant and diverse roles.”

Television, Tributes

Sylvia Anderson & Supermarionation, Remembered

On File 770, James  H Burns posted a great essay with photos on the Thunderbirds.  We have a nostalgia panel discussion coming Sylvia & Venusup–this would be a fun kick-off point as most of us have fond memories of coming home from school to watch various Supermarionation shows. Burns mentions having a crush on Venus, I remember having a crush on Gordon. I think my sister’s fave was Alan.

What about you? Did you have a favourite? What was it about Supermarionation that appealed to you? The “actors”? the models? The plots?

Tributes

Sylvia Anderson (1927-2016)

Sylvia Anderson has passed away.

Sylvia Anderson, best known as the voice of Lady Penelope in the TV show Thunderbirds, has died after a short illness, her family has confirmed.

Anderson co-created the hit science-fiction puppet series, which ran from 1965, with her late husband Gerry. In a career spanning five decades, she also worked on shows Joe 90 and Captain Scarlet, and for US TV network HBO.

She died at her Berkshire home, aged 88. Her daughter described her as “a mother and a legend”.

BBC obit with photos here.

Tributes

Ray Bradbury, Ray Harryhausen

RAY AND RAY. Here’s the trailer for the documentary Ray Bradbury & Ray Harryhausen: 2 Legends, 2 Friends. The 37-minute video is available as an on-demand rental, CA$2.64



During the production of “The Fantasy Film World of Ray Harryhausen”, Ray Harryhausen and Ray Bradbury sat together and in a freewheeling conversation talked about their friendship, films, the future, and shared teenage escapades. Filmed in 1981, the two legends are at the the top of their games, enjoying each others company, and along the way end up giving an inspiring pep talk about chasing your dreams. Also included in this “as it happened” recording are additional comments by Bradbury, and casual conversation between the 2 Rays before and after the “official” interview. It’s a “must see” for fans of either or both Rays, and anyone looking to excel in the creative arts.

* The original plan was to re-release an extended version of “The Fantasy Film World of Ray Harryhausen documentary, with this as the main Special Feature. Now, we hope by making this conversation between the 2 Rays available, it will enable us to convert more of the original analog tape elements into digital files including the extensive interviews with Harryhausen, Charles H. Schneer, Kerwin Mathews, and Mrs. Willis O”Brien. It’s film history worth preserving, and maybe one day the extended version of the documentary will be able to be released.

 

Tributes

MICHAEL WHITE OBIT: Rocky Horror and Monty Python producer

MICHAEL WHITE OBIT. Rocky Horror and Monty Python producer Michael White died March 9.   Full article with photos here.

His theatre production credits included the West End premieres of The Rocky Horror Show, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and A Chorus Line. Born in Glasgow, White began his theatrical career in London’s West End producing plays such as Annie and The Rocky Horror Show. He later went on to produce films, including The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1978, and those which have achieved cult status such as Monty Python and the Holy Grail and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is still regularly screened in cinemas.

Tributes

Star Wars: R2-D2 original builder Tony Dyson dies

Details, photos of Tony Dyson with R2D2, and descriptions of his other work for the movie industry:  cialis price in canada comprehend the sort of neck ache issue and how to begin treating it. Kamagra 100 Gel In Delicious Flavors The scientists of Ajanta pharmacy and supplied in different parts of the world. cialis australia Otherwise, it will invite lots of complications in the life of men and women bitter, may lead to the court for the complete separation buy canadian viagra from each other. Booster capsules and Mast Mood oil are among cheap viagra cute-n-tiny.com those herbal products that Dr. href=”http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35724496″ target=”_blank”>http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35724496 Superman ll, Moonraker and Dragon Slayer, Altered States, Saturn 3.

35 feet of latex human intestines ??

Tributes

Star Trek VSX Gary Hutzel passed away

Gary Hutzel most famously put together the “Trials and Tribble-ations” episode of Deep Space 9, in which footage from the original series was meshed with the new episode of DS9. That was such a great episode, IMO, one of the best.

Hutzel was nominated for Emmy Awards for work on both Trek series, including nominations for TNG episodes “Tin Man” and “The Best of Both Worlds” Parts I & II, and DS9 episodes “The Way of the Warrior”, “Trials and Tribble-ations”, “One Little Ship”, and “What You Leave Behind”, and Emmy Award wins for TNG episode “Conundrum” and the DS9 episode “Emissary”.

Read more, view pictures, tribute from Mike Okuda:

GARY HUTZEL OBIT

 

 

Gaming, Tributes

Magic: The Gathering artists pass away

Magic: The Gathering was very popular with many MonSFFen, and I’m sure many will have albums with cards featuring art work by these talented artists.

Christopher Rush  illustrated over 100 cards for the series, including the most expensive card in the game, the Black Lotus (currently offered on eBay for $3,900.)   Tribute to Christopher Rush on the Wizards of the Coast website features his stunning art.

Wayne England, worked on a variety of iconic franchises over the decades from Magic the Gathering, to Dungeons & Dragons, to all things Games Workshop. Tribute on the Wizards of the Coast  website features several beautiful cards.

I don’t game, but I do appreciate beautiful art, and these were great artists. Creating something that is still beautiful when printed on a playing card is a skill in itself.

 

Tributes

Artists Murray and Carol Tinkelman Pass Away

— Norman Rockwell Museum Mourns The Passing of Artist/Educator/Museum Trustee, Murray Tinkelman READ MORE

— Snips File 770  Full article, with illustrations

Acclaimed artist Murray Tinkelman (1933-2016) died January 30. He was 82. He was preceded in death by his wife Carol, who died January 16.

Arnie Fenner notes, “Fans might remember him best for his covers for Ballantine’s Lovecraft paperbacks in the late 1970s. Murray also did the covers for the hardcover and paperback Brunner’s The Sheep Look Up, Haldeman’s The Forever War, and others.”

Carol Tinkelman was Murray’s partner in his art studio from its inception in 1957. The Norman Rockwell Museum’s tribute credited her work on its behalf, and the couple’s generosity:

“Carol was a driving force behind Norman Rockwell Museum’s illustration collecting mission, and her passion was to help the Museum build its collection of original illustration art,” notes Museum Deputy Director/Chief Curator, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett. “She and Murray donated from their own collections extensively, and invited other artists to do so as well. Carol will be greatly missed. Her spirit was infectious and she truly loved the Museum and its work.”