Father of Science Fiction & Fantasy - Oscar Winner George Pal Interview Preservation - GoFundMe

George Pal was as you may know is known as The Father of Science Fiction and Fantasy in Modern Film. In the annals of Hollywood, Academy Award winner George Pal will always be remembered as a titan, a brilliant visionary who profoundly shaped the art of motion pictures. As an animator, Pal was a pioneer of stop-motion animation known as Puppetoons ™ and a peer of Walt Disney. In the 1950's as a producer and director of live-action films, he brought to the screen such science fiction and fantasy classics as "The War of the Worlds", "The Time Machine", "When Worlds Collide", "Destination Moon", "Tom Thumb", "Houdini", "Atlantis the Lost Continent" "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm", "7 Faces of Dr. Lao", "The Power", "Doc Savage: Man of Bronze" and others. Pal's cinematic legacy can be traced in the works of Walt Disney, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Gene Roddenberry, Tim Burton, James Cameron, Peter Jackson and dozens of others.

Link to George Pal Tribute on this blog: 

The original 1 inch 'B' NTSC video format used in the production of The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal - the only film document ever done on Pal - are long out of use. To make matters worse, only 2 working 'B' NTSC 1 inch videotape machines exist that can aid in the digitization process. There is no telling how long these machines will last or their working parts as they are no longer in existence! 

It goes without saying, this is a severe race against time to preserve what represents the only film document ever made on George Pal and the beloved one of a kind icons that worked with him.... most of whom have sadly passed on.

The historical importance of preserving and digitizing these interviews cannot be understated!

Talent interviews to preserve includes: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Tony Randall, Tony Curtis, Ray Harryhausen, Ray Bradbury, Gene Roddenberry, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Russ Tamblyn, Barbara Eden, Ann Robinson, Roy E. Disney, Ward Kimball, Robert Wise, George Pal, Mrs. George Pal, David Pal, Gae Griffith, Walter Lantz, Gene Warren Sr., Wah Chang, Jim Danforth, Robert Bloch, Chesley Bonestell, Albert Nozaki, William Tuttle, Duke Goldstone, Bob Baker and Phil Kellison.

The digitizations will be used to upgrade existing productions. Eventually they will be find a home with film footage companies and possibly donated to an educational institution yet to be determined.

If you’d like to help with preserving these irreplaceable interviews about one of the most influential figures in the history of motion pictures and the science fiction/fantasy genre, please use the Link Below:

https://www.gofundme.com/fantasy-worlds-of-george-pal-film-preservation

A Tribute To Jack Arnold

Jack Arnold was one of the leading science fiction filmmakers of the 1950s whose films reflected his own genuine enthusiasm for the genre.

Jack Arnold was born on October 14, 1916 in New Haven, Connecticut. He was the son of Russian immigrants, who ran the concession counter for a local cinema. 

As a youngster, Jack read a lot of science fiction pulp magazines, which laid the foundations for his classic 1950s science fiction genre films. 

Arnold's parents relocated the family to New York City, where Arnold's father had some success as a stockbroker. Even though his parents intended Jack to pursue a professional career in law or medicine, he was more drawn to live theater. With the 1929 stock market crash and a downturn in family fortunes, Arnold had a successful audition with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts thereby granting him entre into the program.

Arnold acted in both on- and off-Broadway stage productions in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Plays he appeared in included, The Time of Your Life, Juke Box Jenny, Blind Alibi, China Passage and We're on the Jury.

During World War II, while serving in the Signal Corps. Arnold learned the techniques of film making from famous documentary filmmaker, Robert Flaherty.

Jack began making short films and documentaries after his war service with one short film, With These Hands (1950) being nominated for an Academy Award as Best Documentary Feature. His theatrical movie debut came with the B picture, Girls in the Night (1953). Arnold’s film output ranged from crime thrillers and westerns to melodramas and love stories.

Of particular relevance to the subject matter of this blog, Arnold directed a number of excellent 1950's science fiction films, including It Came from Outer Space, Tarantula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Monster on the Campus and The Space Children. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) has achieved cult popularity (featured in my previous post). The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) was possibly Arnold's greatest cinematic achievement.

Arnold also went to England to direct the Peter Sellers film, The Mouse That Roared. This early effort helped to establish Peter Sellers as an international star.

Jack Arnold’s television career began in 1955 with several episodes of Science Fiction Theatre. From this he went on to direct the long-running television series Perry Mason, Rawhide and Peter Gunn, as well as episodes of much loved television shows such as Alias Smith and Jones, The Fall Guy, The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island (yes, Gilligan’s Island!), Mod Squad, Wonder Woman, The Love Boat and The Bionic Woman.

“Skipper! Save me from the big hairy spider!”

Jack Arnold died at age 75 of arteriosclerosis in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California on March 17, 1992.

Jack Arnold’s films generally feature eerie, atmospheric and moody black and white cinematography, competent acting, thoughtful scripts and lively pacing.

As his career progressed, Arnold was spending most of his time directing for television where as a director he could not assert himself in the same way as he may have been used to when directing the sorts of 1950s sci-fi films he wanted to direct, and which tended to reflect his own distinctive character and passion for the genre.

As for the central character in his film, The Incredible Shrinking Man, there is something of him in most of us that we can identify with: Individuals who strive to play a meaningful role in a universe which seeks to dwarf our significance and stature. For Jack Arnold, his significance, legacy and stature is established as being one of the most skilled directors of B-movie, sci-fi films during the 1950s.

©Chris Christopoulos 2014

A Tribute To Roger Corman

A Tribute To Roger Corman

After all these years of movie viewing, one can almost watch a particular film of a particular genre and say, “Yep, that’s a Corman!” For me this is particularly true in the case of Roger Corman’s involvement and influence in the genre of science fiction film.

Roger William Corman

• Born: 5 April 1926, Detroit, Michigan, USA
• Studied engineering at Stanford.
• After working only three days as an engineer at U.S. Electrical Motors he quit.
• Corman took a job as a messenger for 20th-Century Fox.
• Rose to the position of story analyst.
• Studied modern English literature at Oxford and roamed around Europe for a year.
• Returned to the U.S. intending to become a screenwriter/producer.
• Corman sold his first script in 1953, "The House in the Sea," which was released under the title “Highway Dragnet” in 1954.
• Aware of the discrepancy between his initial intention or vision behind his film and what actually turned out on the screen, Corman turned to becoming a producer with the film, “Monster from the Ocean Floor” in 1954.
• Corman then struck a deal with a company called American Releasing which became the well-known American International Pictures (AIP). Corman was now part of one of the most successful independent studios.
• Lacking any real formal training, Corman took to directing and over a 15 year period directed about 53 films, mostly for AIP.
• Corman’s movie-making “trademark” was his uncanny ability to put together quick, cheap productions sometimes even several movies in his capacity as director or producer or both in just a single year! For example, nine movies in just 1957, not to mention the original version of The Little Shop of Horrors which he shot in just two days and a night in 1960!
• Both critical acclaim and commercial success came with a series of adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories, often starring (who else?) Vincent Price.
• Corman’s 1962 film, The Intruder concerning racial integration in the South won a prize at the Venice Film Festival, but it was not a commercial success. As a result, he shied away from making films containing overt or direct messages, in favour of films that were entertaining while leaving the social and political issues to filter through beneath the surface.
• Corman left AIP after it began re-editing his films without his knowledge or consent and he retired from directing to focus on production and distribution through his own newly-formed company New World Pictures. This company went on to deal with low budget films through to distributing the films of the likes of Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Federico Fellini and François Truffaut.
• After selling off New World in the 1980s, Corman was involved with various companies such as, Concorde Pictures, New Horizons, and Millenium Pictures.
• Corman has published his biography "How I Made A Hundred Movies in Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime,” and returned to directing with the film, Frankenstein Unbound in 1990.
• In 2009, Roger Corman was honoured with an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

It seems that Roger Corman could be viewed from a variety of stand points, among them being;

• A prolific producer
• Energetic
• Frenzied pace-setter
• Successful
• "The King of the Cult Film"
• "The Pope of Pop Cinema"
• Mentor of greats such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, James Cameron, Robert De Niro, Peter Bogdanovich, Joe Dante and Sandra Bullock

Whatever the case may be, Roger Corman has never pretended to have been a great director or producer. It seems clear that his intent has been to create profitable and successful films that people will enjoy watching, hopefully more than once. I know I have! And here are some of those films by the maestro, Roger Corman that will be featured in this blog;

• The Daythe World Ended 1956 (Director, Producer: Roger Corman's entree into the realm of science fiction.)
• It Conquered the World 1956 (Director, Producer)
• Attackof the Crab Monsters 1957 (Director, Producer)
• The Brain Eaters 1958 (Executive Producer)
• War ofthe Satellites  1958 (Director, Producer)
• Attack of the Giant Leeches 1959 (Executive Producer)
• The Man with X-Ray Eyes 1963 (Director, Producer)

Enjoy this film clip featuring Roger Corman;

Roger William Corman

 (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024)

Rest In Peace

&

Thank You, Roger

©Chris Christopoulos 2013

A Tribute To George Pal

"The next one" 

A Tribute To George Pal 

(February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980)

The Hungarian-born American animator, film producer and director, George Pal, is primarily associated with the science fiction film genre. Among the great productions of George Pal which will be featured in this blog are;

• Destination Moon (1950 - Oscar: Special Effects 1950)
• When Worlds Collide (1951 - Oscar: Special Effects 1951)
• The War of the Worlds (1953 - Oscar: Best Special Effects 1953)
• Conquest of Space (1955)
• The Time Machine (1960 - Oscar: Best Special Effects 1960)

George Pal’s Early Life and Career

• Born in Cegléd, Austria–Hungary.
• Pal’s stage-entertainer parents later divorced, and he was raised by his grandparents
• 1928: graduated from the Budapest Academy of Arts at age 20 with a degree in Architecture and he possessed highly developed drawing skills.
• 1928 to 1931: made films for Hunnia Films of Budapest, Hungary. At Hunna he quickly learned the craft of motion picture cartooning.
• 1931: at age 23 married Elisabeth "Zsoka" Grandjean.
• Moved to Berlin, a centre for film innovation, and founded Trickfilm-Studio Gmbh Pal und Wittke. Pal developed his own style of making inanimate objects move, using the developing art of stop-motion photography.
• Patented Pal-Doll (or Puppetoons in the USA).
• Working in Prague, Pal make ad shorts or animated advertising featuring cartoon "puppets" without strings such as cigarettes with faces, arms, and legs strutting and singing on theatre screens looking as if they had been drawn by a cartoonist.
• Pal left Germany as the Nazis were rising to power.
• 1940: Pal emigrated from Europe at age 32 and began work for Paramount Pictures and obtained American citizenship.
• In the 1940s, he made the Puppetoons series as an animator. As stated in the Ray Harryhausen tribute post, Ray Harryhausen was employed on staff by George Pal during the Puppetoons period.
• 1943: Pal was awarded an honorary Oscar for "the development of novel methods and techniques in the production of short subjects known as Puppetoons."
• 1950s and 1960s: produced several science fiction and fantasy films four of which were collaborations with director Byron Haskin.

You might ask why the addition to the title of the words “The next one?” When asked which of his films was his favorite  Pal would reply, “the next one.” Each of his films was apart of a vision that in some way contributed to;

• Opening up and extending our vision of the universe.
• Ushering in the era of the golden age of film science fiction with “Destination Moon.”
• Showing us how not only governments, but also groups of like-minded individuals with the vision, will and resources can send spaceships to the surface of other worlds.
• Our wonder and entertainment as we watch in horror the destruction of Los Angeles by forces powerful beyond our comprehension.
• Encouraging a belief in heroes we can look up to and emulate who possess ideals and courage and who dedicate themselves to the pursuit of science and truth.
• Our understanding of our place in the universe and the forces that shape our destiny.
• Fostering a belief in how we as individuals and collectively can meet any challenge to humanity and hope and strive for a better future.
• The development of talented artists, writers and filmmakers, as well as pioneering scientists and astronauts who were inspired by the grand visions of George Pal….

Watch and enjoy the following video clip, "George Pal: Discovering The Fantastic:

©Chris Christopoulos 2013