My 1000th post - Reflecting back over the past 15 years

Today is a bit of a milestone as this post is the 1000th of this blog. I started this blog October 26th, 2006. At that time I was actually restarting it, as I'd started a blog earlier that year and grown disenchanted with it and cancelled it. This was the second go-around, and this time it stuck.

Today is also an anniversary for me, as the premiere of my very first show, CHILLER CINEMA, made its debut on July 1, 1999! With that in mind, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic, so let's look back a bit at the past 15 years, shall we?

Many late night shoots followed that first fateful shoot. The first episode aired on Hendersonville, TN cable Access Channel 3, and then later on Nashville Access CH19.

From there it was a snowball effect - other access stations began reaching out to us, asking for content, and we eventually moved the show onto our local UPN station and then switched again to the WB, where we enjoyed a long run.

I was always amazed at the success of the show - not that I didn't work hard. In fact, I worked my butt off, spending thousands of hours writing, shooting, and editing the show. But it always made me chuckle a bit that this little show filmed in a shed behind my house was garnering such heaps of praise.




And it did - we went on to appear in USA Today, on Spike TV, to be named of the 20 Best Cable Access shows in the country by GEAR Magazine, to win 2 Rondo Awards, to be interviewed multiple times in the Tennessean Newspaper, to appear in Scary Monsters, Rue Morgue, Mondo Cult, Outre, and Horror Hound Magazines - to win a Best of Nashville Award from The Nashville Scene Magazine and appear on the cover years later.



We even were given a special award from the Governor of Tennessee, an official proclamation recognizing Dr. Gangrene and company for years of hard work...




Just last year I was approached by a group of super talented folks who made a Dr. Gangrene comic book. I was honored to be asked to be the host of that book, it turned out amazing!

I've had fans make action figures and Mego figures of Dr. Gangrene...





and even made an appearance in the official Dick Tracy comic strip!




It's been an amazing run, and I've had the privilege of working with some talented folks over the years, especially Chuck Angell and Cameron McCasland, without whom the show wouldn't have been possible, and Jeano Roid who provided me with a welcome boost in a time of need, and became a great friend and frequent collaborator/partner on the Horror Hootenanny shows.

I also have to thank Mike Hook, Program Director at WNAB for the opportunity to host movies on the WB - Ken Beck from the Tennessean for all the great coverage over the years - Jim Ridley at the Nashville Scene - Dan Johnson for all the writing talent - Brian Hickman for technical assistance, camera work, and musical genius - Keith Smith for the editing expertise - Steve Kaplan at Alpha Video - Dave Conover and the folks at Wonderfest - Ron Adams and the folks at Monster Bash - Dennis Druktennis at Scary Monsters Magazine - Scott Essman at Universal - Mike Curtis for the opportunity to appear in Dic Tracy, an amazing event I never could have forseen - Sam Thompson for the encouragement and technical assistance starting out - Trish Crist and the Nashville Cable Access Station - J. Sorrels, my drive-in partner in crime, for all the help on the live shows and being such a great friend - Derek Koch, who has been a true friend in times of need - Robert Taylor and Sara Waugh, my fellow Vincent Price fanatics - my horror host brothers in arms - all the many talented musicians who donated music and videos for the shows, especially The Creeping Cruds, The Exotic Ones, The Reverbians, Impaler, Ben Kaboom, Ghoultown, The 3D Invisibles - Jason and Stephanie Carmen - Mark Greenbaum for the help on the show and with Spookhand - Joe Badon for putting together the Dr. Gangrene Comic Book! - Bob Horne, for crafting the awesome Mego figures - all the talented artists and animators who donated work - the many cast and crew members who helped over the years, you all have contributed to the success of the show and I thank you all, Brandon Lunday, Linda Wylie, Ethen Black, and Paul Browning especially, as you all put in many late hours.

To all the interviewees and guests, and indy filmmakers we've featured, my thanks! You guys were all amazing, and it's been a treat to host this show the past 15 years. Over that time I've had my ups and downs, personally, and the show has reflected that. But through it all my friends supported me, and the show continues.

I know I am leaving off many deserving folks, as there are too many to thank, it's impossible to name them all. If I didn't mention you, just know I appreciate your support.

Thank you all - Here's to the future, whatever it may hold.
Stay Mad - Dr. Gangrene

WONDERFEST 2014 Roundup!

The 25^th annual Wonderfest  http://wonderfest.com/ convention took place this past weekend, May 31^st-June 1^st, and I’m happy to report it was a rousing good time!

Held annually in Louisville, KY, Wonderfest is THE premiere hobby expo in the country, with a main emphasis on model making. A giant ballroom is filled each year with hand-built models, from both kits and of the custom variety, all beautifully crafted and meticulously painted. These are entered into a huge contest with prizes in a number of categories and divisions. Top prize wins the MOST AMAZING MODEL award - sponsored appropriately enough by AMAZING FIGURE MODELER MAGAZINE http://www.amazingmodeler.com/ - and a cash prize of $300!

Here’s the full list of categories:

Senior Division
 1. SF / Fantasy Figures (includes robots)
 2. Horror Figures
 3. Vehicles
 4. Super Heroes & Super Villains
 5. Mecha (mobile suits)
 6. Anime Figures
 7. Dinosaurs
 8. Kaiju (giant monsters)
 9. Props *NEW*
10. Dioramas
11. Humor & Super Deformed
12. Original Sculpt / Scratchbuilt (any subject)

 
Teen Division
Includes all categories listed above; for modelers age 13-19.

Junior Division
Includes all categories listed above; for modelers age 12 and under.

Wonderfest began in 1990 as a little show in a single room with no guests, and has since grown like the blob into a massive event that completely fills the Crowne Plaza Hotel (formerly the Executive West Hotel), packed with vendors, guests, artists and attendees. It is usually held over Memorial Day weekend, but this year’s show moved back a week to the first weekend in June. Wonderfest has traditionally brought in a variety of guests from the makeup and special effects field, and this year was no exception. This actually makes a lot of sense when you consider special effects and models go hand-in-hand, dating back to the time-honored tradition of stop-motion pioneers like Willis O’Brien and Ray Harryhausen (a guest in 1996 and 2003).

This year’s guests included Production Designer/Director Joe Alves (JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KINDS, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK); Model and Makeup FX expert Carol Bauman (STAR WARS PREQUELS, TRANSFORMERS 2, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN); Designer/illustrator Rick Sternbach (STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE, THE LAST STARFIGHTER); Makeup artist John Goodwin (CSI, CSI NEW YORK, JOHN CARPENTER’S THE THING); Director Robert Tinnell (FRANKENSTEIN AND ME, BELIEVE), and many more – see the full list here: http://wonderfest.com/upcoming-show/guests

I arrived Saturday morning and made my way to my table in Dealer’s Room B – the show has grown so much in recent years that a second dealer’s room has been set up for many artists and vendors. Throughout the day I enjoyed chatting with old friends and fans that I haven’t seen in years, especially as I didn’t make the show in 2013. That was an especially rough year for me and I took some time off for personal reasons and to kind of regroup a bit. But it was good to be back and see familiar faces and new ones alike. My Director Cameron McCasland and his fiancee Jamie Easterland joined us later in the day, too, and spent a good deal of time at the table as well, giving my son Luke and I a chance to roam the convention somewhat.

David Colton, organizer of the annual Rondo Awards, stopped by the table and asked if I would speak on behalf of Penny Dreadful and Garou at the awards ceremony. Garou was given a special Rondo Award this year, the PURE OF HEART AWARD, and I was honored to say a few words on their behalf. For those who may have missed the news, Garou was the sidekick of horror host Penny Dreadful and her real-life husband, Magoo Gelehrter. He unfortunately passed away earlier this year of cancer, at the too-young age of 51. Everybody who ever met Magoo, or his alter-ego Garou, loved the guy, and it was a real blow to the horror community to lose someone so kind and genuine.

After the awards I caught the premiere screening of Robert Tinnel’s new documentary THAT $#!% WILL ROT YOUR BRAIN. It traces the history of the monster-kid explosion of memorabilia and merchandising that flooded the market in the 60s and 70s, focusing on the magazines, toys, and movies that shaped the impressionable young minds of generations of kids (many of who were in attendance in that packed theater). It's chock full of interviewees that include many famous faces talking about their love of horror movies and memorabilia. Robert spoke briefly before the film, and explained that it was still very much a work in progress, but he and his team of editors and fellow filmmakers needed some fresh perspective on it. The crowd loved it, despite it very much being a work-print, with black slugs in place where video clips would be inserted, and an unfinished third act to the film. Once it is completed, edited, and polished this is going to be one amazing documentary, and I’m glad Robert allowed the folks at Wonderfest to see it.

After the documentary was the annual Wonderfest late-show, hosted by yours truly. This was the 9^th live show I’ve hosted there, and something I’m pretty proud of. Over the years we’ve hosted a slew of great films, including:

2004 - THE SHE CREATURE
2005 - GHOSTBUSTERS/MAJOR MARS
2006 - THE TINGLER
2007 - MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS
2008 - ROBOT MONSTER
2010 - IT CONQUERED THE WORLD
2011 - THE DREADFUL HALLOWGREEN SPECIAL
2012 - MEGAFORCE

As mentioned before, I didn’t attend Wonderfest in 2013, so there was no show that year, and in 2009 I missed because my oldest son was graduating from High school that same weekend. This year, however, the show was a GO!, and the evening’s fright flick was the 1973 classic schlockfest  GODZILLA VS. MEGALON. I was fortunate enough to catch that one in the theater as a kid, and remember loving it back then. This time around was no exception. That is one fun film, and the convention billed the show as DR. GANGRENE’S KAIJU SMACKDOWN! Perfect! We dedicated the show to Garou right before having the crowd recite the mandatory Dr. Gangrene’s Horror Movie Maniac Code of Horror.

Every year I try to make the live shows something a little bit special, and this year I was thrilled to have John Goodwin and Beau Kealin to add to the festivities! John is a master makeup artist who works professionally in Hollywood on such shows as CSI as well as in feature-films like MEN IN BLACK and THE THING. He held a makeup exhibition earlier in the day where he had made up Beau Kealin as a Wolf Man. Beau is a Louisville resident, Wonderfest staff member, and Indy filmmaker, (and a helluva creative guy). In addition to the Wolf Man makeup John also brought along a Frankenstein’s Monster makeup and made himself up too, as IGORSTEIN – the monster from FRANKENSTEIN VS THE WOLFMAN that has had Igor’s brain transplanted into it. So just how exactly, you might ask, do two classic Universal monsters fit into a kaiju film?

Well, I simply told the audience that this film was all about monsters fighting, and that while I didn’t have any beasts of the giant Japanese variety, Wonderfest is all about classic monsters, and I did have a special guest or two on hand. The theater was packed, and the crowd loved seeing these two classic monsters square off against one another. We also had some crowd participation sing-a-long, with a karaoke version of the Jet Jaguar theme song from the film, and I gave away DVDs and t-shirts – all in all it was a really fun show.

Doc Gangrene's Director Cameron McCasland posing with the monsters

Jamie meets the monsters!

I also want to thank a few folks in particular for allowing us to appear as guests again this year and for providing a stage to play on. First and foremost is the crew and staff of Wonderfest that work so hard all weekend long to make it run smoothly, especially CEO Dave Hodge, COO Melinda Angstrom, Guest Coordinator Beau Kealin, and Programming Director Dave Conover. They are four of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and Dave in particular has always gone above and beyond to make Doc Gangrene and company feel right at home. I have to give a gigantic Godzilla sized shout-out to the tech crew, which is always especially awesome. Over the years I’ve made life a little difficult for that crew with some complicated setups at the live shows - but every time, without fail, the tech crew came through and made it happen, and this year it was Robert Gilmore to the rescue, rounding up additional DVD players and sticking around personally throughout the show to ensure that everything went smoothly.  Thanks again Robert!

Beau Kealin and John Goodwin are both amazingly talented and so fun to work with. I remember my favorite show we ever did, The Tingler, John appeared as a fellow mad scientist named Dr. Princent Vice, and did a spot-on imitation of Vincent Price in the process! So much fun. We missed working with our good buddy Bob Burns, who has been a staple of the late shows since we started them. Here’s hoping he can make it back out some future shows.

To everyone who stopped by the table and came to the late show – my Gangrenous thanks! You are all awesome. The very best part about going to shows like this is meeting all the great people and making lifelong friends. In that regard, mission accomplished. Superduper thanks to J. Sorrels for the hospitality and being such a great friend, and Cameron McCasland for being the best creative partner a guy could ask for.

So here’s to Wonderfest and hopefully many more years of good times and monstrous movies!!

Farewell Ray Harryhausen

 

Yesterday was a sad day for monster fandom, as pioneering stop-motion animator and fan favorite Ray Harryhausen passed away at the age of 92. Ray was a true inspiration and his films inspired a legion of fans worldwide. His work had an undeniable charm to it, a "look" that is instantly recognizable and synonymous to the process of stop motion animation itself. Talk with anyone about animation in a film and you're likely to hear the term "Harryhausen type" effects. His films are that powerful, impactful and unforgettable - his name becomes almost an adjective.

 

Among the list of his movies are some true sci-fi and fantasy classics:

Mighty Joe Young, The Beast from 20 Fathoms, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, Jason and the Argonauts, It Came from Beneath the Sea, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Clash of the Titans and many more!

I have fond memories of seeing both Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger and Clash of the Titans in the theater. They sparked my imagination and led me to read up on the Greek mythos and also to seek out more of Harryhausen's work. Years later it was my privilege to show these films to MY children, and watch the wonder in their eyes as these fantastic creatures played forth on the screen before them. There is a timeless quality to Harryhausen's work that stands the test of time - they'll never go out of style or look dated.

 

Below is a tribute my friend Dave Conover made for a Ray Harryhausen banquet at the Wonderfest convention a few years back when Ray was a guest. It is one of the most personal and touching tributes I've ever seen, a true love-letter from a fan to one of his heroes. Thanks Dave, for saying this so eloquently:

http://www.rayharryhausen.com/index.php

 

 

Happy Birthday Zacherley!

Today is the 94th birthday of the one and only Zacherley, the great horror host of all time. I was fortunate to meet Zacherley at Wonderfest a few years back, where he was a guest, and he is one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet. So friendly, energetic, and fun loving. I hope to make it to 94 and be as youthful as he is when I get there. This photo was taken by Eileen Colton and actually ran in USA Today, in an article about horror hosts.

Here's to you Zach - hope you have an awesome day!!

Movie Meltdown #126 - the Unmaking of an Epic

Check out the podcast Movie Meltdown, episode 126 - it features an interview with my buddy Dave Conover talking about his new Book, War Eagles, The Unmaking of an Epic. War Eagles was a planned movie by Merian C. Cooper and Willis O'Brien that almost got to shooting stage that would have featured a lost race of Viking warriors astride giant prehistoric eagles doing battle with Nazis over the skies of modern day Manhattan! Hell Yeah!

http://moviemeltdown.libsyn.com/


Here's Movie Meltdown's description of this episode:


  This week we interview author Dave Conover about his book: War Eagles - The Unmaking of an Epic. This is the amazing story of a film that never happened and the greatest story NEVER told…until now. 
 
And somewhere along the way, we mention…Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine, Merian C. Cooper, RoboTech, the world is on the brink of war, John Wayne, Peter Jackson, a secret weapon, a German P.O.W. camp, Flying Aces Magazine, a circumpolar flight, the Death Star of 1939, Clash of the Titans, calling Forry Ackerman at home, dinosaurs, Raiders of the Lost Ark, a giant zeppelin, MGM, John Ford, dropping a nuclear bomb on New York, the summer of ‘77, Hitler invades Poland, Willis O'Brien, King Kong Lives, the alternate script for Dracula’s Daughter, Ray Harryhausen, fighting Nazis, Mighty Joe Young, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, giant eagles, Technicolor, The Searchers, the death ray, tracking down clues, fighting allosauruses, copyrighting Mickey Mouse, a lost tribe of Vikings, controlling the Helium production, Sonny Bono, King Kong, The Flying Tigers, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth and…Buy War Bonds!

Spolier Alert: You will in fact hear the end of this movie…that never happened. Does that still count as a spoiler?

http://moviemeltdown.libsyn.com/

Tribute to Ray Harryhausen

This video is a loving tribute to Ray Harryhausen done by Dave Conover, convention organizer for Wonderfest. It is really, really well done. Check it out!!

Wonderfest Card

This is a Wonderfest exclusive freebie we gave away in 2006 during the live show. It was a mock "Mars Attacks" trading card featuring me and Bob Burns. The Wonderfest convention had these printed. We handed them out after the show while everyone was milling around listening to the band. Not sure who did the actual art but I intend to find out...think I'll give Conover a phone call tomorrow...