For 36 years, a group devoted to yesteryear has held the torch.  For one weekend every year, they met to celebrate a bygone golden age – where families would gather around a radio set and embrace the theater of the mind.  For decades, radio was the form of entertainment for Americans, a means by which even the most isolated of homes could hear the opera, get news from around the world, and take part in engrossing mysteries, heart-felt dramas, and comedies to enlighten the soul.  Without visuals to paint a complete picture for the audience, radio programs of this era both entertained and excited the imagination.  There were westerns and scifi, horror anthologies and children shows, soap-operas and slap-stick — the child of theater and the foster parent of television, Old Time Radio represents a period of legendary Americana.

Celebration of this classic art form and period is the reason why The Friends of Old Time Radio will meet October 20-23, 2011, in Newark, NJ, much as they have done the past three decades or so – to relive their youth and remember a seemingly simpler day.  Guests, voice-over talents, actors, and, amazingly, live performances will be par for the course this weekend, as fans gather together to share their a fascinating hobby.  Sadly, however, this will be the last year that the FOTR will be meeting in a convention; sighting the endless march of time as reason to end the tradition on a high note.  Committee members and guests are aging, and by now the convention seems to draw those who were quite young when the medium was already experiencing the beginning of the end.

But is it really over?

Strangely, I can trace back my love of OTR to a different, yet somehow equally distant and dreamlike period of history: The Early Days of the Internet.  Wait now, hold your laughter!  Before YouTube made it feasible for anyone to have their own TV channel, we had to make due with audio productions, and even they were a modern marvel.  Much like with the advent of radio, the spread of audio on the internet was a revolution, and much like the far more publicized rise of music sharing, there was a sizable revival of “Old Time Radio” style content – audio dramas meant only for the mind’s eye.  Many, if not all, of these took the form of scifi and horror tales, as genre supporters are ever loyal, but in these seeds we can find the rise of the podcaster – and in many ways the birth of the modern internet.  We are all now the content producers.  This is the golden age of the citizen broadcaster.

I still love OTR, and NewTR, and the Golden Age – no matter what form it takes.  We should celebrate yesteryear, and we should adapt it for today.  I can’t wait to go to the FOTR convention and meet old friends and make new ones, and together, I hope, we can all celebrate, reminisce, discover, and most of all, prepare for the next broadcast day.

For more from Non-Productive.com on Old Time Radio, please see…

“It Came From Studio B!”

returning this Fall!

or our original production of new audio drama of a classic comic book…

Midnight Theater: Santa Claws

[Show as slideshow]

When Samantha Little told us she had something special in store for her first dance with her new hubby, I had no idea it would be something as truly staggering as this. 

Earlier this summer we challenged all of your to join the NonPro Book Club as we re-read a classic of science fiction and adventure, “The Mysterious Island” by Jules Vern. For many of you, this was a first foray into reading Vern or period scifi in general, and to bridge the gap we tried to draw attention to the many elements of steam-punk and the strange similarities between The Mysterious Island and another tale of castaways in peril, LOST.

As we mentioned in our first write-up about the book, The Mysterious Island is fairly typical of what pulp scifi stories would become. Memorable stock characters, rich world-building, and sense of urgency tempered with a desire to provide minute detail of a setting the reader would find exotic – all are present, and indeed, many of these tropes were first developed by Vern himself.

Twists and Turns!

No matter how well off and ingenious our castaways seem, Vern is never completely at a loss for obstacles to hurl at them. While half the novel is dedicated to showing how they managed to produce nitro from manatee fat (not an exaggeration), the rest of the novel shows them battling against entropy, as the course of their luck turns foul. There are pirates and volcanoes and a mysterious (and somewhat ominous) benefactor for our heroes to contend with, and in the second half of the story we really do wonder if they will all get out all right.

More annoying LOST comparisons

• The others attack!
• Their make-shift vessel is destroyed!
• A mysterious cable is found!
• A powerful force within the island is at work!

What amazes me most about the similarities between The Mysterious Island and Lost are actually how the two stories tackle dramatic resolution differently. In each tale, we have a cast of characters that are the central focus of the story, thrust into an isolated locale with some mysterious properties. There are benefits to being there (like not drowning) but the isolation of being “saved” and separated from their old lives introduces conflict. Added to this interpersonal conflict, our characters must survive in the hostile natural environment, and struggle to comprehend the strange secret nature of the island that is their new home.

The Mysterious Island wonderfully shows man versus nature, which makes sense given the time period in which this was written. Whereas modern desert island survival stories tend to gloss over how their characters managed to live, we get a truly science fiction approach by Vern, who not only details how his characters survive, but how they thrive.  There is little hand-waving here – by the end you believe that you too can train an orangutan to farm goats (or at very least, you believe that a waterfall powered saw is a reasonable DIY project).

With the character of Ayrton, we see how our novel deals the emotional redemption characteristic of the show LOST. Here again, we see how the period colors the work, as Ayrton’s past life as a criminal is almost regarded as a disease to which he must be purged. Even as he rejoins society as a civilized human being, is seems as if he’ll always live under the burden of what he once was.

But most of all, The Mysterious Island does something far better than LOST ever could; uphold the sense of purpose behind the wonder.

As the island’s mysteries finally break, Vern’s sentences grow shorter, the anticipation is higher. All the strangeness of their time on the island builds to a crescendo as they trace the route left to them to the heart of the mystery. The reveal is astonishing, and extremely gratifying to the reader. Imagine if you were a fan of Vern’s work at the time, and noticed all the tie-ins and call-backs and world-building that went into the novel. J.J. Abrams is pretty famous for the inter-connectivity of his productions. Once again, Vern was first.

It was a better twist than slusho.

Well, that about wraps it up for our first delve into classic scifi with our re-reading of Jules Vern’s “The Mysterious Island” What were your thoughts?

And stay tuned in to Non-Productive.com for our next session of the NonPro Book Club!

This weekend at Saturday Nightmares, Ken and I were lucky enough to get to hang in the VIP room with cast and crew members of “The Return of the Living Dead”.

Now, I’m not a really a fanboy sort of guy.  I don’t tend to ooze or geek out over meeting celebrities – sure these people may be talented or even gifted, but as they’re usually the first to say, they are just normal people like you and me.  What’s cool/creepy about celebrity is that you reach a hell of a lot more people with your body of work than that bus driver that always makes excellent time or the postman that successfully manages to not creep our the neighbor kids might.  Everyone who does their job well deserves praise, it’s just that movie people do their jobs for a much wider audience – and that praise probably seems a bit disconcerting to the average onlooker.

That’s why I always feel weird when I meet a person whose work I admire, but whom I don’t directly know.  You hate to be that guy that can quote every line of theirs back at them (I’m not – my memory is too… ugh, what’s the word… not good?) and I honestly just don’t want to bother people who don’t want to be bothered.  I can imagine how being celebrated for work you did years ago might be annoying if you are a jobbing actor – but that’s not the point, of course.  You do your job, and you entertain.  You are lucky and talented enough to have done your job, at least on a few occasions, so well that people like to take time out of their day to let you know that they are still impressed.  If you were in another profession, you’d be floored that your hard work was recognized, but here, at least occasionally, you get the acknowledgment you deserve.  Congratulations filmmaker, you just won the day!  You deserve it.

So, basically, that’s how I see celebrity; a means to which we can thank a few people that have worked hard and well to provide us with entertainment we find worthy.  With that in mind, I was thrilled by the way this VIP party for the “Return of the Living Dead” went down.  The night began with a public Q&A from the fans, which worked the way most of these things tend to; some insightful questions to and reveals from the cast mixed liberally with some really bonker fans.  The cast and crew were great – they made genuine attempts to answer even the most banal of questions in a way that kept the conversation going.  Special thanks to Brian Peck (Scuz) whose own geekiness made it seems as if one of us was sitting right there alongside everyone else on the panel (I’m with you on that Doctor Zaius trade, bro).  Thom Mathews (Freddy) advised the struggling actors.  Linnea Quigley (Trash) schooled us on punk music.  Jewel Shepard  (Casie) was proposed to at least twice, by my reckoning.  John Philbin (Chuck) revealed something that made even Jewel blush.  Yeah, I’m as shocked as you.

After the Q&A, the VIP party began.  Those lucky enough to afford the ticket got invited back to a quartered off section of the hotel’s restaurant/bar where cast and crew alike were relaxing after a long first day at the con.  Beverly Randolph (Tina) who was the definitive cheerleader of the night, even organizing our high school group picture.

Ken schmoozed with the lovely ladies (and gents) on one side of the bar, while I spent most of the night sitting with Don Calfa (Ernie), William Stout (Production Design), and Allan Trautman (Tarman), talking about some of our favorite movies and movie-makers.  These guys were absolutely amazing to talk to.  I tell you, it’s a special treat hearing some of your favorite filmmakers talking about their favorite films – it’s a great perspective to get if you can get it.  I just wish I could have called up that youtube video of the music from “Inception” so that Bill, Don, and Allan could have heard that awesome easter-egg in the soundtrack for themselves.  Ah, maybe next time!

It was a memorable evening that ended up feeling more like a great night out with friends.  My humblist thanks for everyone there that night – not only for the party, but for the years of entertainment thus far.

We have plenty more stories to share about the weekend in general, and we’ll be posting podcasts soon!

- Frank Hablawi

Greetings all and welcome to the first session of the NonPro Book Club!  This month we’ll be taking a look at a classic scifi novel, “The Mysterious Island” by Jules Verne.  As always, you are invited to pick up the book and read along, and join us in weekly discussions in the comments below as we post about what we’ve read thus far.

As this is our first assignment, let’s take a look at the first five chapters of the book and discuss our initial thoughts.

A word on Verne

Whenever I read any “period” author, I try to read the book from the perspective of a contemporary reader of the time the work first came out.  I’m not saying that I dress in chaps and monocles and cosplay a Victorian (I do, but that’s not why I do) I simply attempt to enjoy the work on its own merits, divorced from the evolution of the genre, language, and social mores.  In the age of From Dusk to Dawn and Underworld it is easy to say that Dracula and Nosferatu didn’t have nearly as much “cool stuff,” but I think you do yourself a disservice not acknowledging our roots.

This is especially true when it comes to science-fiction, and one of the earliest masters, Jules Verne.  As soon as the book opens, we see some of what Verne is famous for: detailed description of advanced technology (the air balloon), strong essential characters pulling us through a genre-heavy narrative, and a scientific outlook on natural and para-natural phenomena.  Immediately, our heroes are sinking in their new-fangled air ship, descending ever closer to a treacherous foreign sea, and we are being told about a storm that all us readers should remember, complete with dates and ranges, as if Verne were recounting an actual historical weather pattern or as if he set his island adventure story during a recent well-reported typhoon.  Authors today sometime call this “world building” or “layering” and it is meant to add a sense of realism and depth to a otherwise fictional tale – and Verne does this so well you can’t be certain that it wasn’t set during an actual storm.

Our Castaways

We mentioned before that the elements of “The Mysterious Island” strangely parallel things that occurred in another famous work set on a… well, mysterious island; the TV show Lost.  Hopefully, we won’t annoy you guys too much by constantly harping on these imagined similarities, and we don’t want to create a bar to the discussion by referencing a series that not all of us have watched, but it is well worth the occasional reference.

Verne starts the story off mid-crash, as we find one of our main characters (the hero, in fact) hurled off as everyone else becomes stranded on the beach of a strange island.  In the second chapter, Verne is already introducing us to our cast of castaways by way of a flashback to before their fateful flight.  Yes.  A flashback.

What I love most about this is Verne’s use of language;  his laments, how he nearly makes reference to the fates and the gods and providence and mercy and the deus ex machina!  It’s like listening to a Victorian-age Greek-chorus narrating the unwritten intro to a Lost flashback.  It’s great because modern storytelling techniques are all about the abrupt cut and the “you-didn’t-know-what-you-were-reading-or-watching-was-set-twenty-years-in-the-past” thing, but at this time in literature Verne was explaining to his audience that he was taking them back to a time before all this tragedy happened.

For the steam-punk lovers out there, we do not disappoint.  Our castaways are a hardened crew of honorable Northern soldiers from the American Civil War and range from a man of letters to a wise sailor to a brilliant genius.  Rounding out our cast we have a young and adventurous boy (soon to become typical in genre novels aimed at youths) and a stock character whose use has somewhat declined in recent “more enlightened” times, the loyal negro servant/equal-despite-somehow-seeming-a-lesser.

Oh, and did I mention that there was a dog?  Nope.  No more Lost references from me.  I promise.

Adventure Novels and Learning to Build a Fortress from Coconuts

What I absolutely love in adventure novels, specifically ones set on strange islands with castaways lost to the world, is how our heroes learn to make due with the basics that the island provides them.  It sings to my Do-It-Yourself nature and desire to runaway from it all and start my own military-industrial complex forged from palm trees and indigenous monkeys.  From the harrowing survival journey of Robinson Crusoe to the crazy Rube Goldberg tree in The Swiss Family Robinson man versus nature is a staple in these stories (see also, Surviverman and related reality shows).  In these first few chapters, we get the initial glimpse of how our heroes will attempt to bring civilization to their island home, and for the record… this novel is not vegan friendly.

“Then let us eat some lithodomes. And by that I mean let’s devour this species off the hell-damn planet.”

Oh brother!

Still, a solid exciting start to our story filled with island survival, daring escapes, and a hot-air balloon crash!  Fun stuff!

But what do you think?  Join the discussion in the comments below, and remember to read the next five chapters for next week!

A year ago today, the landmark series LOST came to a climatic (perhaps, anti-climatic?) close, ending an era in television history and forcing a horde of people to forever ponder the deeper mysteries of the island while simultaneously dodging god awful jokes about why the fat guy never lost any weight.

Seriously people, that was dealt with in, like, the third episode.

When the final season was announced, I went on an intense research binge, delving into legendary and literary examples of mysterious islands in the hopes of finding a narrative source of the power behind the show, and that was how I discovered a novel by Jules Verne, that pioneer of science fiction and inverse-namesake of Doc Emmit Brown’s two kids.

“Île mystérieuse” or “The Mysterious Island” is 50% adventure-survival tale, 50% wonder-mystery, and 100% the spiritual forefather of LOST.  It has survivors from an air-vessel crash with shady histories, an uncharted island with surreal properties, secret caves, strange monsters, a treasure trove of hidden equipment, “others”, mid-season cast changes, and a dog.  Best of all, no one can claim that ol’ Verne was just making things up as he went along.  I mean, it’s not as if his books were published in episodic installments or anything! (*cough cough*).

As such, I am proud to announce that the first installment of the NonPro Book Club, a new project where we all get together and read a novel, chiming in once a week to discuss it in our forums.  Since “The Mysterious Island” is in the public domain, you can get a cheap copy just about anywhere, check it out of your local library, or get a free digital copy off of the wonderful Project Gutenberg website here.

So download, rent, or buy it today, and check back here and on Non-Productive.com for our weekly delve into…. The Mysterious Island…

- Frank

How did your favorite show handle Round Three of NonPro’s legendary Cult TV March Madness competition?  Well…

Doctor Who vs. Dukes of Hazzard

Winner: Doctor Who

Why:

This was likely the clash of the thematic titans here: The Duke Boys had mass appeal working for them, their show was a huge hit in the 80s across a wide spectrum of fans, but ultimately, this is a test of Cult Fandom, and you will be hard pressed to find anyone as completely obsessed by their passion as a Who-fan… er… the show, not the band.

Firefly vs. Sliders

Winner: Firefly

Why:

Firefly‘s endless appeal is a testament to the old adage that it’s better to leave them wanting more. Sliders had season after season of sub-par episodes until now the highs of the series are tainted by its lows.  Including the parallel universe where magic exists and all the movie-rip-off worlds.

Knight Rider vs. Quantum Leap

Winner: Quantum Leap

Why:

This could have something to do with Quantum Leap having had episodes that actually made you cry, the amazing quality of its finale, or the fact that Scott wasn’t posing naked with a puppy. You be the judge, judgey!

The Incredible Hulk vs. Buffy

Winner: The Incredible Hulk

Why:

Ho-ly crap.

So, keeping up with the long history Buffy has had of just barely squeaking by right up to the last minute, The Hulk and Buffy were neck-and-neck by the time voting was meant to be wrapped up.  So, we put it to a vote with a very basic poll, and we found that… the two shows were still tied!

But we didn’t give up there.  We tweeted for more votes.  We actually invited people to come and vote on our facebook page.  We solicited bums to fight.  Admittedly, I’m not sure how that last one was meant to help.

And still, the fencing went on.  Hulk was in the lead for a time, then Buffy, then Hulk again.  Soon, however, Buffy felt the fatigue all opponents of the big green juggernaut must face, and she succumbed.

By. One. Vote.

Yes.  Buffy lost to the Hulk by one vote.  Was this calculated reprisal by Star Trek fans upset after Round 2?  Was this odds fixing by Vegas bookies??  Clearly yes to both those questions, but shocking none-the-less!

Thought this was asinine? Look out for Round 4!

How did your favorite show handle Round Two of NonPro’s legendary Cult TV March Madness competition?  Well…

A-Team vs. The Incredible Hulk

Winner: The Incredible Hulk

Why:

The big green behemoth just barely made it past Mr. T and his wrecking crew.  In fact, we even had some “voter” irregularities that may have allowed some of our audience to Vote Green more than once.  Still, this is a challenge involving cult fandom, so we say it was fair game.  Anyways, at least the Hulk never got floored thanks to drugged milk.

Buffy vs. Star Trek

Tie Breaker Goes To: Buffy

Why:

Despite intense voting up to the very last minute, Buffy beat Star Trek by as few as three votes.  This, my friends, is incredible news.  Let’s analyze: Star Trek basically put the idea of fandom on the map.  When most normals think of nerds, geeks, dweebs, and the obsessive-compulsive; they are picturing Star Trek fans (or him).  But Buffy changed all that.  Now, fans aren’t just obsessed nerds sitting in their basements pouring over amassed data about their favorite characters while writing elaborate fanfic further detailing their exploits – now they’re doing that while singing along with the musical episode.  What a world!

Knight Rider vs. Magnum PI

Winner: Knight Rider

Why:

This came closer than I had expected, but thankfully, the better show one.  We all love Magnum PI, don’t get me wrong, but KITT could beat the hell out of that Lamborghini any day of the week.  Hell, KARR could beat the hell out of that little red gas guzzler.  In this case, the better ride won.

Quantum Leap vs. V

Winner: Quantum Leap

Why:

I distinctly remember what I distinctly remember from the V miniseries of my youth:

1. Someone I knew had a V: lunchbox that contained spoilers.
2. People ate white mice whole.
3. The Beast Master was in it.

Quantum Leap, on the otherhand, opened up scifi to a whole host of normals out there that otherwise would have never given a show about time travel a chance.

X-Files vs. Firefly

Winner: Firefly

Why:

Generation X just got flipped off by Generation Y.

Sliders vs. Angel

Winner: Sliders

Why:

Ok, I have three ideas on how this came to pass.  First, people may have forgotten all about the later, dumber seasons of Sliders, or just plain decided to focus on the classic first season.  Second, people may be playing the Whedon card and are simply choosing to focus on Buffy over Angel as the leader in that conference.  But, I also suspect a third, darker option: members of the Dr. Who camp are rigging the results to better their odds!

Doctor Who vs. Miami Vice

Winner: Doctor Who

Why:

Doctor Who was a powerhouse coming into this challenge, and as much of a phenomenon as Miami Vice was in the 80s, who the hell is still wearing pastel colored shirts??  Super long scarves and bow-ties, however, are still cool…

Dukes of Hazzard vs. Airwolf

Winner: Dukes of Hazzard

Why:

Did you picture the General Lee soaring through the air to attack the Airwolf??!  That’s your answer.

Thought this was asinine? Look out for Round 3!

How did your favorite show handle Round Two of NonPro’s legendary Cult TV March Madness competition?  Well…

A-Team vs. The Incredible Hulk

Winner: The Incredible Hulk

Why:

The big green behemoth just barely made it past Mr. T and his wrecking crew.  In fact, we even had some “voter” irregularities that may have allowed some of our audience to Vote Green more than once.  Still, this is a challenge involving cult fandom, so we say it was fair game.  Anyways, at least the Hulk never got floored thanks to drugged milk.

Buffy vs. Star Trek

Tie Breaker Goes To: Buffy

Why:

Despite intense voting up to the very last minute, Buffy beat Star Trek by as few as three votes.  This, my friends, is incredible news.  Let’s analyze: Star Trek basically put the idea of fandom on the map.  When most normals think of nerds, geeks, dweebs, and the obsessive-compulsive; they are picturing Star Trek fans (or him).  But Buffy changed all that.  Now, fans aren’t just obsessed nerds sitting in their basements pouring over amassed data about their favorite characters while writing elaborate fanfic further detailing their exploits – now they’re doing that while singing along with the musical episode.  What a world!

Knight Rider vs. Magnum PI

Winner: Knight Rider

Why:

This came closer than I had expected, but thankfully, the better show one.  We all love Magnum PI, don’t get me wrong, but KITT could beat the hell out of that Lamborghini any day of the week.  Hell, KARR could beat the hell out of that little red gas guzzler.  In this case, the better ride won.

Quantum Leap vs. V

Winner: Quantum Leap

Why:

I distinctly remember what I distinctly remember from the V miniseries of my youth:

1. Someone I knew had a V: lunchbox that contained spoilers.
2. People ate white mice whole.
3. The Beast Master was in it.

Quantum Leap, on the otherhand, opened up scifi to a whole host of normals out there that otherwise would have never given a show about time travel a chance.

X-Files vs. Firefly

Winner: Firefly

Why:

Generation X just got flipped off by Generation Y.

Sliders vs. Angel

Winner: Sliders

Why:

Ok, I have three ideas on how this came to pass.  First, people may have forgotten all about the later, dumber seasons of Sliders, or just plain decided to focus on the classic first season.  Second, people may be playing the Whedon card and are simply choosing to focus on Buffy over Angel as the leader in that conference.  But, I also suspect a third, darker option: members of the Dr. Who camp are rigging the results to better their odds!

Doctor Who vs. Miami Vice

Winner: Doctor Who

Why:

Doctor Who was a powerhouse coming into this challenge, and as much of a phenomenon as Miami Vice was in the 80s, who the hell is still wearing pastel colored shirts??  Super long scarves and bow-ties, however, are still cool…

Dukes of Hazzard vs. Airwolf

Winner: Dukes of Hazzard

Why:

Did you picture the General Lee soaring through the air to attack the Airwolf??!  That’s your answer.

Thought this was asinine? Look out for Round 3!