The Chronic Rift Network

“Vic and Sade” is the driest of domestic comedies.  We present two 15-minute visits to “the small house half-way up on the next block.”  Young Rush wants to host a party that will make you swallow your shoes (so to speak) and Sade gets the guys to move two tons of coal from a neighbor’s cellar to theirs.  Then, on the dramatic anthology show “Family Theater,” the cast of a radio crime drama are moving to television as part of a summer replacement experiment.

Episodes

Vic and Sade

March 3, 1938 

“Official Host”

July 5, 1939 

“Two Tons of Coal #1”

02:08

Family Theater

December 1, 1954 

“Summer Replacement”

28:42

Monty Woolley, the actor, writer, radio and movie star, is probably best known as the star of “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”  But he also headlined his own radio comedy, “The Magnificent Montague.”  He played Edwin Montague, once the leading light of the legitimate theatre, now reduced to acting in a radio melodrama.  In these two episodes Montague goes to Hollywood.  He’s supposed to star in a film version of “Macbeth,” but neither Tinseltown nor he are ready for each other.

Episodes

The Magnificent Montague

January 19, 1951

“Lost in Hollywood”

3:22

The Magnificent Montague

January 26, 1951

“The Screen Test”

34:21

Science fiction writer Scott Pearson talks with urban fantasy author Melissa F. Olson about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in part one of a two-part interview. Then his daughter Ella pops in for, among other things, a spoilery mini review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Segments

Intro :28

Who’s the Monster 1:30

Mary Shelley’s Complex Characters 6:20

Frankenstein: Reading and Teaching 8:27

Klinger’s Annotated Frankenstein and Multiple Texts 10:41

Mary’s Text versus Percy’s Text 13:50

Mary Wrote Frankenstein, Full Stop 16:32

Frankenstein Scholarship 17:57

Coincidence in Frankenstein 20:11

On Not Reading Mary’s Other Books 21:40

Nesting and Filtered Narratives 22:45

On Victor Being a Weasel 27:15

Mary and Percy’s Death 29:43

It’s Alive! 31:55

Victor Almost Never Learns 33:50

Sidebar: Dracula 2000 and Klinger’s Annotated Dracula 38:43

On Discovering Klinger and Collecting Frankenstein 43:44

Editing a Dream Frankenstein 45:57

Ella is SO Busy 47:45

The Star Trek Original Series Set Tour 49:22

Some Upcoming Fifth Season Shows 54:35

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 55:50

Recorded on Facebook Live

July 1, 2018

Longtime friend of the Rift (we're talking all the way back to 1990 and the first season of the public access show) Greg Cox returns to the podcast to talk about his career writing tie-in media fiction which has lead to his receiving the Faust Award (a lifetime achievement award) from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.  Greg points out the long history of media tie-in fiction (going back to the silent film era) and tells us about the various elements a media tie-in writer has to juggle in order to make an adaptation happen.

John also talks about the joy of "Tiny Arcade" games.  Pick up one of these by visiting our Amazon store and help support the network.

GREG COX is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels and short stories.  He wrote the official movie novelizations of  WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, GODZILLA, MAN OF STEEL,THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, DAREDEVIL, GHOST RIDER, DEATH DEFYING 
ACTS, and the first three UNDERWORLD films, as well 
the novelizations of four popular DC Comics miniseries, INFINITE CRISIS, 52,  COUNTDOWN and FINAL CRISIS.  
In addition, he has written books and short stories based on such popular series as ALIAS, THE AVENGERS, 
BATMAN, BUFFY, C.S.I., FARSCAPE, FANTASTIC FOUR, THE 4400, THE GREEN HORNET, IRON MAN, LEVERAGE, THE LIBRARIANS, THE PHANTOM, PLANET OF THE APES, ROSWELL, STAR TREK, TERMINATOR, UNDERWORLD, WAREHOUSE 13, XENA, THE X-FILES, X-MEN and ZORRO.  

He has received three Scribe Awards from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.

Greg also works as a Consulting Editor for Tor Books, where he has edited such authors as Richard Matheson, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Harry Harrison, Tony Daniel, Rosemary Edghill, Graham Joyce, Keith R. A. DeCandido, S.P. Somtow, Christopher Bennett, R.S. Belcher, and many others.

In addition, he has written more jacket and cover copy than he can possibly remember.  ("They stood alone against galactic peril . . . !")

He lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Visit Greg's website to learn more.

"Operation Firefly"
Airdate: February 1, 1974
Written by Sy Salkowitz
Directed by Reza Badiyi

Synopsis: Steve searches for the developer of a new laser weapon with the aid of the developer's daughter, gifted with ESP.

John is joined by artist Jerry Lange and podcaster Jim Arrowood to discuss the third episode of the first season.  This is a little gem of a story that is quickly forgotten for some reason.  

Join us Friday nights at 9:30EST as we discuss an episode of THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN's first season with two fans as well as featuring commentary from our viewers.  This audio will be available shortly after in the OSI Files feed.

OSI Operatives

Jerry Lange - Based in Buffalo, New York. My personal and client works are created using traditional media including pencil, ink and watercolor and digital software Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign. I try to bring a dramatic visual narrative to my work through a mix of loose and tight media application and mark making technique. Website

Jim Arrowood - Bio coming soon.

Recorded on Facebook Live

June 24, 2018

In 1978, Superman The Movie opened in theaters.  It starred Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, and an unknown named Christopher Reeve.   The tagline for the film was, "You will believe a man can fly."  And we did as the movie broke the mold in terms of how superheroes were portrayed on the screen and became the benchmark for movies to come.  This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the film and we've got a panel of fans to discuss it on the podcast.  We'll take a look at how this movie set the stage for the modern superhero film and how it still holds up to this day. Plus, we'll discuss how the late Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder were the perfect Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane.  We'll have a special tribute to Kidder in light of her recent passing.  Joining John to discuss is The Quick and the Dad's Ken Holtzhouser, writer/editor/critic Glenn Greenberg, and Comic Book Central's Joe Stuber.

Our Panel

Joe Stuber is an an Emmy® award-winning producer and lifelong comic book fan who writes, hosts, and produces Comic Book Central.  In his guise as Stuberman, Joe has created the world’s first podcast devoted exclusively to in-depth interviews with the legendary talents (actors, writers, producers, directors and more) who have brought comic book properties to life on TV, Broadway, film, video games, live events and beyond!

Joe’s love of comic books began with the superstars of Marvel and DC. Four color treasury-sized editions of Spidey, Superman, Hulk and Batman were all part of his expanding comic book collection…his favorite being the classic team-up, Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-Man. But something special happened when those comic book adventures were brought to life on the small screen. The Spider-Man animated series and Adam West’s Batman were after-school syndicated staples in the Stuber household. And when the Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve classic film, Superman: The Movie hit the Act I Theater in downtown Johnstown, PA – the game changed forever. For the first time, a comic book truly came to life…and we all believed a man could fly.

Comic Book Central is a celebration of comic books coming to life. In the modern era of big-budget blockbusters with lifelike digital effects, comic book movies and TV shows are here to stay, and they’ve become a genre unto themselves.

Broadcasting from the Comic Book Central Lair, Stuberman welcomes superheroes (and super craftsmen and craftswomen) to spend some time talking about our favorite subject – comic book adaptations. Comic Book Central premiered November 8, 2013, has been heard in over 130 countries and has been called “the Inside the Actors Studio of Comic Books”. One listen and you’ll realize…you’ve just heard the world’s greatest podcast!

Glenn Greenberg is an award-winning editor/writer whose work has appeared in numerous books, comic books, Web sites, and lifestyle and news magazines, published by top companies such as Time Inc., Simon and Schuster, Scholastic Inc., Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Time Out New York, Lockwood Publications, and TwoMorrows Publishing.

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Ken Holtzhouser's bio is forthcoming.  Pick up a copy of The Quick and the Dad by clicking on the link.

"Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" ran 15 minutes a day, five days a week.  The tales of the freelance insurance investigator, who had an action-packed expense account, were full of action, cleverness, and style.  In this binge-listen of a full week’s adventure, Dollar is hired to protect a very special laird, one with four legs and a tail.

April 9-13, 1956

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar

“The Laird Douglas-Douglas of Heatherscote Matter”

3:11

The Hornet is trying to broker a deal between two rival gangs, but the arrival of Mike Axford nearly threatens the whole thing.  A quick thinking Hornet makes it look like Axford's dead, when in reality he's holding him until the case is closed.  But one of the gangsters discovers Oxford's alive and that the Hornet is double crossing them.  If this sounds more like a comedy than a drama or adventure story, you might not be mistaken.  John postulates to Jim that this could be The Green Hornet's attempt at humor that didn't go over very well.  In addition, John and Jim talk about the different versions of Batman and The Green Hornet that we see over the course of their respective 1966-1967 seasons.  Are they the same characters in each episode we see them in? Or are we looking in at alternate Earths?

​

The Green Hornet: A History of Radio, Motion Pictures, Comics and Television by Martin Grams and Terry Salomonson is a reference work we're consulting as we move through the series.  Pick up your copy by clicking on the link and getting it today.

Take a listen and then let us know what you think of the episode by writing us here or at [email protected].

We take a look at another William Dozier pilot for another comic related property.  This time, it's Dick Tracy - He's a Good Cop.  This time though, Dozier went all out with a full length half-hour episode featuring Victor Buono as the villain, Mr. Memory - which starts the batter of questions about where this show was going.  

In "The Plot to Kill NATO", Mr. Memory kidnaps three NATO ambassadors at the request of Major Powers.  His method of operation seems interesting enough, but there is still something lacking in his character.  And yet, despite this, the pilot is an enjoyable viewing experience with a lot of recommend including Jan Shulman as Liz and the well choreographed fight scenes.

John is joined by his The Hornet's Sting co-host, Jim Beard, to pitch these questions.  Just how committed was Dozier to this property? What would a relationship with Chester Gould have been like had the show gone forward? Why wasn't one of the established villains used in the pilot?  And why did Dozier still build in little nods to Batman and The Green Hornet when both shows were on their last legs?

​

Any comments or questions on this episode, please post them here or by writing [email protected].

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Jim Beard was introduced to comic books at an early age by his father, who passed on to him a love for the medium and the pulp characters who preceded it. After decades of reading, collecting and dissecting comics, Jim became a published writer when he sold a story to DC Comics in 2002. Since that time he's written official Star Wars and Ghostbusters comic stories and contributed articles and essays to several volumes of comic book history.

His prose work includes GOTHAM CITY 14 MILES, a book of essays on the 1966 Batman TV series; SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER, a collection of pulp ghost stories featuring an Edwardian occult detective; MONSTER EARTH, a giant monster anthology; and CAPTAIN ACTION: RIDDLE OF THE GLOWING MEN, the first pulp prose novel based on the classic 1960s action figure.

Currently, Jim provides regular content for Marvel.com, the official Marvel Comics website, and is a regular columnist for Toledo Free Press.

Websites

http://www.facebook.com/thebeardjimbeard

http://www.sgtjanus.blogspot.com

Fred is upset that his science project failed to take first place at the science fair.  After nearly getting himself killed in an auto accident, he, Andrea, and science fair winner Dorothy decide to explore a nearby ghost town.  But the abandoned town is being used as a hideout for thieves. When Andrea loses the amulet, who will be able to save them?

Before getting into this week's review, John and Richard discuss the fifth issue of the DC Comics 1970s The Mighty Isis comic run.  It's the start of the radical change in direction for the series and Richard wonders if the change was what led to the cancellation of the series.  Next, it's a look at the episode, "No Drums, No Trumpets".  Among the topics discussed are the tropes of ghost towns on 70s television, how much Brian Cutler was convincing as a high school teacher, and what is it that actually activates her powers.

It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode.  Write us as [email protected].

Moral: "Not everyone can be a winner.  Learning from a loss is as important as the win itself. Learning from mistakes helps you grow as a person."

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Guest Cast

Mark Lambert as Fred Weiting

Christopher Norris as Dorothy Bieder

Michael Greene as Jim Danch

and

Albert Reed as Dr. Barnes