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Cavalcade of Comics

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Yesterday my wife and I drove up to Jacksonville to spend the day at the Cavalcade of Comics 2nd Annual Bennefit to fight Tourette’s Syndrome. Comic’s legend Don Perlin and his wife spearhead the event and this year looked to be even bigger and better.

The show had been moved to an elementary school because it had grown so large. Outside a children’s chorus was starting to line up, there were games for kids, people in costume, and the artists were setting up.

We headed into the artist’s room and the first person that we saw was Don Perlin. Don came over and thanked us for coming and for posting info about the benefit here at the ZONE. How cool is that?

Doralaya and I were checking out the art that was up for auction, and we ran into Robert Smith. Robert‘s an old buddy (and one of the guest artists) and he said that he wanted to do a Cobra piece for my gallery. Cool! The con hadn’t even officially started and things were already going great!

Jason Sobel was set up with Alex Saviuk, Bob Layton and Don Perlin. I met Jason at last year’s event and he did a Judge Dredd piece for me so I’ve kept an eye on his work. The sketches Jason was turning out yesterday were leaps and bounds ahead of last year. Keep an eye out for this guy!

Alex Saviuk is not only a great guy but also a very talented artist. Before he was even seated he had a list of eight or ten sketch requests. Bob Layton‘s list was swamped as well. Since I didn’t have a Stallone from either Alex or Bob, I asked if they’d put me on their lists. They agreed.

Doralya and I went back to check out more of the auction art. My prediction was that the Kubert “Sgt. Rock” would get the highest amount, but the piece with the most buzz was the Neal Adams’ Batman and Robin piece?! My favorites were a Wrightson pencil sketch called The Reaper and a print by Lee Ames called The Magician.

Doralya bought several raffle tickets then it was lunch outside with music from a middle school jazz band. As we settled down with some Mexican food we watched a karate presentation and several Jedi sword battles.
; ) The food was good and the jazz was even better.

When we went back into the artist’s room we hooked up with some fans and spent time sharing art and stories. Robert Smith came over and gave me my Cobra sketch!

Bob Layton‘s wife came over and asked if I would mind if Bob did my Stallone piece at home.

Bob was getting tons of requests and it’s take longer to draw Sly (for the first time) than Iron Man or Spider-Man for the 1,000th time. By doing my piece at home more fans would get a piece of art and the benefit would raise more money.

How could I argue? I told her that would be no problem.

I’m just excited to be getting a Stallone piece from Bob!

Robert Smith taught a wonderful session with little kids who want to be artists. While that was running I had a chance to speak with Ed Hall and thank him again for the Stallone piece he did for me last year. Ed was sitting with Dana Sumers [Politcal Cartoonist for the Orlando Sentinal] and Tom Armstrong [Marvin]. I asked Dana if he’d like to do a Stallone piece for my gallery. Tom said he’d give it a shot. I thanked him and headed back to catch the rest of Robert‘s sketch session.

After the session I headed over to put in my donation for my Bob Layton piece. Alex said that he’d also like to do my piece at home so I kicked in that donation as well.After a bit of visiting I headed back to get my Stallone piece from Dana Sumers. Dana said that after five or six false starts he came up with one that worked. I agreed with him; it does work! Dana said that Tom Armstrong also did a Sly drawing. As Tom was signing it for me, he added a little Marvin peeking over Sly. How cool is that?

The show was starting to wind down.

It’d been a great day. We made our way around and said our good-byes (and although it looks like Alex is begging us not to go, that’s just an illusion).

Then it was back on the road home.

Hopefully, the benefit made even more money than last year. It seemed to be better attended. I know that everyone I talked to had a super time and are planning to attend again next year.

I know, I’ll be there!

Cavalcade of Comics Benefit

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On Saturday, October 9th, the 2nd annual Cavalcade of Comics‘ benefit to support the Tourette Syndrome Association will be held in Jacksonville, Florida.

I had a blast last year and am looking forward to more fun this time around.

Dick Giordano (DC Comics), Bob Layton (Marvel, Acclaim & Future Comics), Don Perlin (Marvel & Acclaim Comics), Alex Saviuk (Marvel), Howard Perlin (artist, caricatures & storyboards), Tom Armstrong (creator & artist, MARVIN), Don Edwing (MAD Magazine) , Ed Hall (political cartoonist), Robert Smith, Jr. (political cartoonist and caricatures) and Jason Sobol (comics artist & writer) are just a few of the artists who will be on hand sketching for fans.

There will be an auction of original rare comic and cartoon art, live music, entertainment, raffles, door prizes, and many other exciting events. Heck, Big John Beatty may even be there sketching and kickin things up a notch! Click HERE for full details.

And if you can make it, be sure and look me up. I’ll be the guy in the StalloneZone shirt looking to score more art for my Stallone Gallery!

Heroes Con 2004 Report

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Shelton Drum‘s Heroes Con 2004 was a blast.  I arrived at the Westin, [truly one of the finest and most reasonably priced hotels anywhere thanks to the Heroes Con rate] at 10:30AM on Friday. The show opened at 11 and I was anxious to get in.

 

As we were unloading the car I saw Cully Hamner and Casey Jones who were also getting ready to head over.

Big John Beatty was able to get me a guest pass since I was helping him with his art and thanks to Shelton, my son, Mike and I were able to get right in. John‘s table was next to tables occupied by Craig Hamilton, Neil Vokes, Michael Avon Oeming, Arron Lopestri and Andy Smith. We were in good company.

 

Mike and I took a quick trip around the con to get our bearings and ran into several fans including Steven Lee [who was wearing a StalloneZone t-shirt! Thanks Steven!], James Howell, Hal, Robert Jewell, Kwan, The ComicDude and others. I saw that Tony Harris was setting up and took him a StalloneZone shirt since I ran out before he completed my sketch at AtlantaCon. Gus Vasquez told me that he’d have my Stallone piece on Saturday.

I then made my way to Jason Pearson‘s table. Only two other people were ahead of me so I felt pretty confident that I’d get a sketch if Jason didn’t mind drawing Stallone. Jason was running late, but luckily “The Big Man” had his portable dvd player and entertained us with a history channel dvd on comics. Jason arrived and when it was my turn I asked him about doing a Stallone piece. Jason said that he wasn’t real good at likenesses, but I explained that I wanted HIS take on Sly. He said he’d give it a try and that I should bring back my reference material at the end of the day since he wanted to work on it in his hotel room. Cool!

Next was Michael Avon Oeming‘s table. I picked up his sketchbook [a bargain at five bucks]. Michael had already turned out a couple of cool sketches and I asked if I could get on his list. He said that he wasn’t real good at likenesses [where had I heard that before?] and I told him that I wanted HIS take on Sly. He looked at my portfolio of Stallone sketches and said he’d like to give “Nighthawks” a shot and that I should check back in an hour or so.

Then it was back to Beatty‘s table where he was working on a Punisher commission. Craig Hamilton had arrived with his lovely lady,and he was sketching. Craig‘s amazing. Not only is he a super talented artist, but he puts a lot of thought into his work. For each of his convention sketches Craig draws roughs and really thinks about the character. Not just what the character looks like or what kind of costume he/she wears, but how they would sit or stand and what kind of attitude they would project. I loved hearing Craig talk to fans and having the opportunity to watch him sketch all weekend. Craig has a broad knowledge and appreciation for all types of art. You just know I had to ask to get on his list! Craig said that he’d like to draw Sly from “Oscar” since he has a real affinity for the time period [and he really liked the movie]!

As Friday was winding down I picked up my sketch from Michael Avon Oeming who did a great job [and I think that it does look like Sly] and dropped off my reference material for Jason Pearson.

Several of us, actually about 20, had decided to walk over to Uno’s for dinner. My wife and two sons, Big Beatty, James Howell, Steven Lee, Robert Jewell, Gary McGee, Jason WalkerGary and Big Beatty… and believe it or not Gary was wilder. It was about 10:30 when we finished up with dinner so it was back to the hotel for a little visiting and then to the room for some sleep. and others made the trip. Because our group was so large it took a while for them to get us in and even then we were split into two groups. And of course my group was the rowdy one thanks to

As the con was gettting ready to open on Saturday I found myself in line for some breakfast at the concession stand with Michael Avon Oeming. He said that he met several StalloneZone fans on Friday [they saw him working on the Sly sketch]. Michael offered to buy me breakfast! I thanked him, and instead offered to buy his breakfast! As it ended up, we both bought our own eats, but what a cool guy. I’d heard good things about Michael and he lived up to his rep of being “one of the good guys.”

I spent Saturday alternating between Beatty‘s table and walking around the show to talk to fans and pros. I was able to spend a bit of time with or at least say hi to Kelsey Shannon [Beatty‘s son!], Cully Hamner, Brian Stelfreeze, Jeff Parker, Adam Hughes and Allison Sohn, Phil Noto, Tony Harris, Eric Powell, Casey Jones, Tommy Lee Edwards and so many others.

Gus Vasquez was able to get me my sketch before he had to fly out to the set of Sin City! He gave me two characters [Rocky nailing Clubber Lang] and it was definitely worth the wait

Neil Vokes and I had fun conversations about movies [horror flicks, re-makes, B-movies], comics, and more. Neil is a cool guy and I had a blast hanging with him. Neil’s project The Wicked West has the tagline “What would happen if Josey Wales rode into Salem’s Lot”… it’s a great concept and the art is right on. It’s going to rock! In the meantime you might want to check out Neil’s Parliment of Justice [with Michael Avon Oeming] or Black Forest. It was also cool to see Neil‘s apppreciation for other artists. Neil keeps a sketchbook and was excited when Eric Powell contributed a killer piece! [Michael Oeming also keeps a Lord of the Rings sketchbook from other artists!]

I checked in with Jason Pearson. He had sketched out my Stallone piece and had decided to do Rocky hitting the meat. It was looking great. The big beefy Rocky punching the beef! LOL!

Dinner Saturday night was at Fuel for some pizza or subs. This time it was Beatty, James Howell, Steven Lee, Hal and others. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and spent an hour or so in the lobby talking with fans and pros. Then a bunch of us headed up to James and Hal‘s room to look at their portfolios and latest acquisitions.

On Sunday Jason had my Stallone piece ready. Several people came up to me and told me it was done and looked great. When I picked it up I saw that they were right. Jason Pearson is such a talented guy.

Craig Hamilton was not going to be able to get to my piece before the end of the show. He offered to do a take home piece but part of the joy of Craig‘s work is watching his process so I decided to wait… I may be able to up to DragonCon later this year.

As you can see from this picture Craig and Big Beatty hit it off pretty well!

I had been by Tommy Lee Edwards‘ table. He was doing some really cool sketches and I hoped that I’d be able to get on his list. Luckily he could fit me in. Tommy and I talked about which character he would do… he wasn’t sure and so I suggested Jack Carter if he couldn’t decide on one. I went back to Beatty’s table and told him I had the hook-up with Tommy.

Beatty was stoked. He’s a big Tommy Lee fan and so we walked over. It turns out that Tommy likes Beatty‘s work as well. We all talked for a bit and then Tommy said I should check back in a little while. When I did, I found that Tommy had started to do Deke from “Nighthawks” but then remembered that I suggested Jack Carter and so he changed it to Carter. Man, I can’t tell you how much I love this piece. The energy and colors and… just look at it! Beautiful!

The auction was a lot of fun. So many artists donated work to help support the con. Some of the highlights included Phil Noto‘s painting of “The Bride” from “Kill Bill,” Brian Stelfreeze‘s painting of Mary Jane, Mike Wieringo‘s huge Fantastic Four piece, Craig Hamilton‘s Fairey [done in crayon — you’d have to see it to belive how nice it was!], Alison Sohn‘s Harliquinn, and many others.

Believe it or not Big Beatty was even recruited to serve as one of the auctioneers with Tim Townsend!

As you can probably tell, if you’ve read this far, it was another great show.  We make Heroes Con part of our annua; family vacation — it’s that much fun. If you haven’t ever attended you should give it some thought. Next year Heroes will be on June 24-26, 2005.

Maybe I’ll see you there!

Random Movie Thoughts 2004

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Here are some random thoughts on Movies Coming Out This Year…

  • “Alien vs Predator” could be like when the two baddest guys in school fought… it wasn’t pretty but ya just had to go watch.

  • “Catwoman” starring Halle Berry should have been a winner. The buzz on it is terrible and looking at her outfit you can see why.
  • “The Stepford Wives” doesn’t do much for me, but then again neither did the original. Maybe it will surprise me but I’m not counting on it.
  • M. Knight Shyamalan‘s “The Village” is getting a mixed reception so far, but it’s still early and Shyamalan‘s past track record is excellent. I hoping for really good things.
  • “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of…” –– I’ve yet to see the others, so this one is below my radar.
  • “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is the movie I’m most anticipating at this point. [Well, except for “Shade”… and “The Chronicles of Riddick”]. This could be the surprise hit of the season.
  • “Collateral” teams Michael Mann and Tom Cruise. This should be excellent, but the story doesn’t thrill me… or maybe it’s the casting of Jamie Fox.
  • “I, Robot” has potential… Will Smith in a movie based on an Issac Assimov story directed by Alex [“Dark City” and “The Crow”] Proyas? Yeah, count me in.
  • “Kill Bill, Volume 2” is said to be more like the Tarantino of old. I’ll be there hoping that’s true.
  • “Troy” is hoping to live up to “Gladiator” [not to mention Homer’s “The IIiad”] and Brad Pitt is leading the way. Ya just gotta support the gladiator revivial. ; )
  • “Ladykillers” teams the Cohen Brothers and Tom Hanks. This one looks strange. Well, what’d ya expect?
  • “The Chronicles of Riddick” is the movie I’m most anticipating at this point [Well, except for “Shade”… and “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow“]. Hmmm… where have you heard that before.
  • “The Incredibles” is from Brad [“The Iron Giant”] Bird and Pixar. You just know it’s going to be fun.
  • “Starsky and Hutch” looks like fun, but I bet I’ll wait for a rental.
  • “Spider-Man 2” looks to be the box office champ. The buzz is even better than the first.
  • “The Manchurian Candidate” is an updating of the cold war thriller and stars Denzel Washington and Meryl Strepp. When was the last time I was looking forward to a Meryl Streep movie?
  • “Shrek 2” – I guess I should see the first one first.
  • “Alexander” -[Ya just gotta support the gladiator revivial. ; ) ] and this one stars Colin Farrell and is directed by Oliver Stone!
  • “King Arthur” – remember what I said about gladiator movies? Well, this one isn’t one!
  • “Dawn of the Dead” is a retelling of the George Romero classic. I’ll be there, but still wonder why Romero isn’t doing another…
  • “Hellboy” is the movie I’m most anticipating at this point [Well, except for “Shade”… and “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow“.. and… aw… nevermind…]
  • “Van Helsing” will be out soon. It has sooo much potential…. but then again so did Halle Berry in “Catwoman.”

Halloween Fun!

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Man, I love Halloween!

As we get closer to the big night, I find myself drawn to scary books and movies. For some reason even more so than usual this year. Maybe it’s because there are so many good ones available.

I just finished reading Steve Niles’ Dial M for Monster. Dial M is a book of short stories featuring his monster hunter, Cal McDonald. You’ve heard me praise Niles’ work before and this book is no exception. I love everything about the world Niles has created for Cal [and I’m especially glad I can safely visit without fear of vampires, werewolves, fiends or other creatures coming after me!]. I’d suggest that you start with Guns, Drugs and Monsters [the first novel in the series] and then follow it up with Savage Membrane [the second].

If you’d like to get a taste of Niles’ work before commiting to a novel, then by all means check out 30 Days of Night. This award winning comic series [with art by the extremely talented Ben Templesmith] is being developed into a feature film produced by none other than Sam Raimi! Why wait for the film? The graphic novel is available now and well worth every penny!

Changing gears just a bit… on Tuesday, one of my two favorite movies so far this year, becomes available! That’s right 28 Days Later is available Tuesday! Man, I can’t wait!

If you’ve read this far, then you’re probably a real horror fan. You probably already know that a Dawn of the Dead remake starring Ving Rhames is coming out next March. But did you know that the trailer is available now? At first I didn’t think that a re-make of Dawn of the Dead was a good idea since the original trilogy [Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead] by George Romero are considered cult classics. But I did like the remake of Night of the Living Dead ]… plus Ving Rhames is starring… so why not? Plus, it’ll give me one more thing to love about Halloween!

As We Head into Halloween How About These Books, Graphic Novels and Movies

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Man, I love Halloween!

As we get closer to the big night, I find myself drawn to scary books and movies. For some reason even more so this year. Maybe it’s because there are so many good ones available.

I just finished reading Steve Niles‘ Dial M for Monster. Dial M is a book of short stories featuring his monster hunter, Cal McDonald. You’ve heard me praise Niles‘ work before and this book is no exception. I love everything about the world Niles has created for Cal [and I’m especially glad I can safely visit without fear of vampires, werewolves, fiends or other creatures coming after me!]. I’d suggest that you start with Guns, Drugs and Monsters [the first novel in the series] and then follow it up with Savage Membrane [the second].

If you’d like to get a taste of Niles‘ work before commiting to a novel, then by all means check out 30 Days of Night. This award winning comic series [with art by the extremely talented Ben Templesmith] is being developed into a feature film produced by none other than Sam Raimi! Why wait for the film? The graphic novel is available now and well worth every penny!

Changing gears just a bit… on Tuesday, one of my two favorite movies so far this year, becomes available! That’s right 28 Days Later is available Tuesday! Man, I can’t wait!

If you’ve read this far, then you’re probably a real horror fan. You probably already know that a Dawn of the Dead remake starring Ving Rhames is coming out next March. But did you know that the trailer is available now? At first I didn’t think that a re-make of Dawn of the Dead was a good idea since the original trilogy [Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead] by George Romero are considered cult classics. But I did like the remake of Night of the Living Dead ]… and Ving Rhames is starring… so why not?

Plus, it’ll give me one more thing to love about Halloween!

J-Ville Trip Report

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Last Saturday, John Higashi, John Beatty and I drove up to Jacksonville, Florida to attend a benefit for the Tourette Syndrome Association sponsored by Big City Comics. Several comics pros were to be on hand signing autographs and sketching. There were a lot of other activities scheduled and John Higashi had his eye on a couple of pieces in the art auction.

The drive up was great. John H. was at the wheel, Beatty was in the back seat doggin’ John H’s amazing collection, and I got to ride shotgun, laughing at all of the nonsense. We made it up in record time, or maybe time just flew by because we were laughing so much.

When we arrived things were just getting set up. A couple of tables had been set up inside, so we joined Don Perlin (Marvel Comics), Duck Edwing (MAD Magazine), Ed Hall (political cartoonist), and Jason Sobel (Fuzzy Dice Studios). Robert Smith was out in the crowd set up to do caricatures.

John H. wanted to speak to Mr. Perlin about a Star Wars commission, but told me that I should try to commission him up for a Stallone sketch first. Unfortunately for both of us, Mr. Perlin had a line already. But sitting directly in front of me was Ed Hall. I really enjoy his work and so I approached him about doing a Stallone piece. He agreed and the result was really cool. I’ll post it with next weekend’s update. Ed was amazing in that he was able to draw so many caricatures of famous people without any reference.

Seeing that I had popped for a piece, John H. approached Duck for a Spy vs Spy commission. John asked for a panel gag and offered four times the going rate for a sketch. Duck agreed and then to our surprise said, “You know I’m the writer for the strip, not the artist, right?” To John‘s credit, he said, “that’s cool” and went ahead with the commission. Duck drew him a funny seven panel Spy vs Spy strip. John then kicked in an extra $20 toward the charity so Duck came back and drew him a large executioner!

The crowd was constant throughout the day. “Soft Spike” jokes were flying from everyone. Big Beatty did some really nice sketches. He started off with a nice Captain America and Deathlock. He also did cool sketches of Iron Man, Green Goblin, and others!

Jason Sobol was sitting in front of me with his portfolio and a great sense of humor [especially when I called him Josh a couple of times]. At any rate, he didn’t soft spike me [you’d had to have been there] and drew me a cool Sly as a young Judge Dredd. I’ll post that this weekend.

As the show wound down it was time for the auction. John H. had his eye on two pieces, the Kubert “Sgt. Rock” and a Beetle Bailey Sunday page. It came down to the wire between John and another guy for the Kubert piece, but I’m happy to say that John won! Man, the Sgt. Rock is even more impressive in person. It could be the cornerstone of ANY collection! [John also won the Beetle Bailey page!]

I was happy that I had been able to get two new sketches for my Stallone theme, and John H. had won the two pieces in the auction that he was after… but we weren’t done yet. After a short discussion, we approached Mr. Perlin about doing commissions for us. He agreed! So in two weeks John and I plan to drive back up to J-ville and pick up our Don Perlin originals! [We’d go next weekend but John H. will be in Baltimore getting even more art!]

All in all it was a great little event that raised a fair amount of money for a very good cause. I hope that they’re able to put it on again next year. If they do and you live within driving distance, you should plan to attend… you’ll get to meet some really nice people, possibly pick up a sketch or original art and maybe, just maybe, find out what it means to be soft spiked!

One Day Show at Jacksonville’s Big City Comics is Coming!

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If you live within driving distance of Jacksonville, Florida, you may want to take a trip this coming Saturday. Big City Comics! [10131 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida, phone 904-268-9006] is hosting a fundraiser from 11am – 5pm to benefit the Tourette Syndrome Association. Musical entertainment, door prizes, and many other exciting events are planned.

Don Perlin (Marvel Comics and Acclaim Comics, artist), Duck Edwing (MAD Magazine, artist and writer), Ed Hall (political cartoonist), Robert Smith Jr. (cartoonist and caricaturist) are going to be on hand signing autographs and sketching. There’s going to be an auction of rare, original comic art featuring characters such as Superman, Popeye, Beetle Bailey, and many others, all drawn by their respective artists.

It looks to be a fun time. I’m planning to attend. Where else can I get Sylvester Stallone sketches and help out a good cause at the same time?

BB2, Riddick & More

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  • I saw “Bad Boys” in a theater when it was first released. I enjoyed the direction and some of the interplay between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence but overall rated the movie as less than average. With that said, “Bad Boys II” looks like it might be a lot of fun!
  • Dark Horizons reports that principal photography has started on “Riddick” the “Pitch Black” sequel. Man, I can’t wait for this one!
  • NEW YORK (Reuters) – It may be illegal, immoral and certainly ill-advised, but selling every usable part of your body could fetch upward of $45 million, according to a survey in the August issue of Wired magazine. The Six Million Dollar Man ain’t got nothin’ on me!
  • HELSINKI (Reuters) – A Finnish man killed his wife and cut the corpse in half so it would fit into a single plastic bag. He turned up for work on Monday but left early to confess to police. Cut her in half so she would fit in ONE bag… and showed up to work on Monday… this guy is every efficient [and crazy].
  • OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – An Oklahoma man arrested on suspicion of beating his wife faced year in prison and a fine. But when he spit in an arresting officer’s face, he got a life sentence instead. I can see it now… “I’m in for a triple murder. What about you?” “Uh, I spit on a cop.”
  • BOSTON (Reuters) – A New Hampshire man has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend after flying into a violent rage when she beat him in an arm-wrestling match and called him a “wimp.” Good thing he didn’t spit on anyone.
  • BERLIN (Reuters) – A German man woke up to find himself stark naked in the middle of a street after sleepwalking from home. That happened to Big Beatty once, but at least he was, uh, pointed in the right direction.
  • LONDON (Reuters) – Archaeologists have identified the first Ice Age cave art ever discovered in Britain, a series of drawings dating back 12,000 years. This kind of stuff just amazes me.
  • BERLIN (Reuters) – An escaped circus monkey dropped into a pizzeria in a small German town and vandalised the ladies toilet even though the owner had tried to pacify the animal with salad and rolls. C’mon, everyone knows that you can’t pacify a crazed monkey with salad and rolls! Break out the pizza and giant subs if ya wanna tame the beast!
  • SINGAPORE – The number of Singaporeans with foul-smelling, fungus-covered feet is rising and health authorities want to tackle the problem. I know a certain guy in Daytona who won’t have that problem… his nails look shiny too!

RIP – Kenneth Tobey

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I really wasn’t planning an update on Christmas, but I just read that Kenneth Tobey died on December 22nd at the age of 85. Mr. Tobey appeared in 100 movies and nearly as many tv shows usually playing a cop or soldier. He is probably best known for his role as Captain Patrick Hendry in the original “The Thing From Another World.”  Reading that Mr. Tobey had passed, reminded me of just how many times he entertained me.

Some of Kenneth Tobey’s feature film appearances include: He Walked by Night; Twelve 0’Clock High; The Gunfighter;  The Thing From Another World; The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms; It Came from Beneath the Sea; The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit; Gunfight at the O.K. Corral; Marlowe; Billy Jack; The Candidate; Walking Tall; Dirty Mary Crazy Larry; Baby Blue Marine; Airplane; The Howling; Strange Invaders; Innerspace; Big Top Pee-wee; and Single White Female.

Some of Kenneth Tobey’s television appearances include: The Lone Ranger; Rawhide; Dragnet; Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier; Father Knows Best; The Magical World of Disney (5 episodes); Wanted: Dead or Alive; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Bat Masterson; The Rebel; 77 Sunset Strip; Bronco; Death Valley Days; The Danny Thomas Show; Have Gun – Will Travel; Sea Hunt; Perry Mason (3 episodes); Our Private World (10 episodes); Daniel Boone; Daktari (2 episodes); I Spy (7 episodes); Judd for the Defense; Family Affair; It Takes a Thief; The Virginian (4 episodes); The F.B.I.; Lassie (6 episodes); Bonanza (2 episodes); Longstreet; Cade’s County; Cannon; Gunsmoke (4 episodes); Night Gallery; Alias Smith & Jones (2 episodes); Kung Fu; Mannix (3 episodes); Adam-12 (3 episodes); Ironside (2 episodes); The Rookies (3 episodes); McMillan & Wife; Police Story (2 episodes); Get Christie Love (2 episodes); Columbo; Starsky & Hutch; Little House on the Prairie; The Streets of San Francisco (3 episodes); Days of Our Lives (4 episodes); The Rockford Files (2 episodes); Emergency! (4 episodes); Barnaby Jones (3 episodes); Falcon Crest; The Twilight Zone (1986); Hunter; Night Court (2 episodes); LA Law (2 episodes) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

I’m not sure where I first saw Kenneth Toby.  He appeared on so many favorite television shows and movies of my youth.  I’ll always remember him best from The Thing From Another Planet.  Any production that he appeared in was better for him being part of it.  If any actor had just his movie or just his television resume, they would have a fulfilled career.  Kenneth Toby had both and that speaks to his level of talent and professionalism.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Kenneth Toby’s family, friends and fans.
– Revised 5/14/23

The Good Old Wild Wild West

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When I was a kid I loved The Wild, Wild West.  Everything about this show was flat out cool.

James West [played by Robert Conrad] and Artemus Gordon [Ross Martin] were a team of Secret Service agents protecting our country from all sorts of evil. Think James Bond in the Wild West.

Did I say that everything about the show was cool? Good. Because everything about it was cool. And I mean everything.

Conrad and Martin were perfectly cast as West and Gordon. They had a rapport that seemed real. Although the series was set in the time period following the Civil War, a science fiction element was involved in many of the episodes. West was given cool gadgets a la James Bond… and the fight / action scenes were the best on tv.

The show title sequence featured an animated cowboy in four different scenes with great theme music. Each commercial break ended with a cliffhanger and the scene would freeze, change into a line drawing and then replace a drawing on a title card.

The series was definitely ahead of it’s time. It spawned two tv movies [not nearly as good] and a big screen movie staring Will Smith and Kevin Kline as West and Gordon which was really bad. I’d like to have seen Tom Cruise as West but the script was so bad, that I doubt that he’d have done much better with the project.

 When I was a kid, I loved the television show “The Wild, Wild West.”

I still do.