THE MT VOID
Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
09/24/21 -- Vol. 40, No. 13, Whole Number 2190

Co-Editor: Mark Leeper, mleeper@optonline.net
Co-Editor: Evelyn Leeper, eleeper@optonline.net
Sending Address: evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com
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Topics:
Major Correction (and Apologies to Fred Lerner) (comments
by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Science Fiction (and Other) Discussion Groups, Films,
Lectures, etc. (NJ)
My Picks for Turner Classic Movies in October (comments
by Mark R. Leeper [and Evelyn C. Leeper])
Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
CAPTAIN VIDEO (comments by Gregory Frederick)
MOONRAKER (letters of comment by Gary McGath, Scott Dorsey,
Keith F. Lynch, Tim Merrigan, Dorothy J. Heydt,
and John Kerr-Mudd)
The "Foundation Trilogy" (letter of comment by Jim Susky)
The Hugo Awards, YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, and Complications
(letter of comment by John Hertz)
This Week's Reading (VERITAS) (book comments
by Evelyn C. Leeper)

===================================================================

TOPIC: Major Correction (and Apologies to Fred Lerner) (comments by
Evelyn C. Leeper)

Well, I managed to type in what he said completely backward!

Fred Lerner writes:

I'm afraid that you misquoted me in this issue. You have me saying
"However, Fred notes, 'neither the galleys ... nor the published
book itself lay claim to be other than straight fiction.'"

What I actually wrote was "straight history". My article makes
considerably more sense that way! [-fl]

ARGGH! [-ecl]

[Paul Dormer also pointed out that what I typed made no sense.]

===================================================================

TOPIC: Science Fiction (and Other) Discussion Groups, Films,
Lectures, etc. (NJ)

Both groups have returned to the B.C. (Before Covid) schedules, and
the films will be shown as part of the Middletown meetings.

October 7 (MTPL), 5:30PM: ANNIHILATION (2018) & novel
by Jeff VanderMeer (2014)
<https://readbooksnovel.com/annihilation/page-1-2885/>
November 4 (MTPL), 5:30PM: Halloween Horror TBD
November 18 (**NOTE DATE SHIFT**) (OBPL), 7:00PM: TBD

===================================================================

TOPIC: My Picks for Turner Classic Movies in October (comments by
Mark R. Leeper)

THE FLY (1958) is a film with a premise that really should not work
for 21st century viewers, but if one looks closely at it one sees
it is built on a framework of Oedipus Rex. A scientist has
everything he would want out of life. But, as Vincent Price tells
us, for one moment he, the scientist, was careless. He is turned
into a shocking monster. THE FLY was an unusual horror film with
no villains, only victims. It also has well-defined characters and
genuine pathos. 20th Century Fox expected THE FLY to be a
summertime adventure for the kids. But they gave it high
production values including beautiful color and script by James
Clavell who later wrote the novel SHOGUN.

The film was directed by Kurt Neumann who counted among his films
several low-budget Tarzan movies, ROCKETSHIP X-M, and more recently
for Fox SHE DEVIL and KRONOS. With the possible exception of
KRONOS, there is not much there to suggest that he could have been
responsible for how well THE FLY resonated with audiences. More
likely it is the mythic elements from the story. THE FLY is based
on a short story by George Langelaan that appeared in Playboy
magazine.

[THE FLY (1958), October 30, 6:15PM]

[-mrl]

Evelyn adds:

October is, as usual, a big month on TCM for horror films, and by
extension, science fiction films as well. Some of these have
horror elements (is CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN a science fiction film,
or a horror film?), but many are also just straight science
fiction. I'll also mention some non-fantastical films worth
seeing.

There is a Fay Wray festival (with a few non-Fay-Wray films; the
Fay Wray films are asterisked), with two of the films made at the
same time:
10/01/2021 06:00 AM King Kong (1933)*
10/01/2021 08:00 AM The Most Dangerous Game (1932)*
10/01/2021 09:15 AM The Vampire Bat (1933)*
10/01/2021 10:30 AM The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
10/01/2021 12:45 PM White Zombie (1932)
10/01/2021 02:00 PM Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
10/01/2021 03:45 PM Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)*
10/01/2021 05:15 PM Doctor X (1932)*
10/01/2021 06:45 PM Freaks (1932)

There is an entire evening devoted to the centenary of Fleischer
Brothers animation:
10/02/2021 08:00 PM Cartoon Carnival (2021)
10/02/2021 09:45 PM 100th Anniversary of Fleischer Animation
Part 1: The Silent Era (2021)
10/02/2021 10:45 PM 100th Anniversary of Fleischer Animation
Part 2: The Sound Era (2021)

There is a new documentary about Francis X. Bushman09/18/21 the
star of the silent BEN-HUR, followed by the silent BEN-HUR, which
in my opinion has a more exciting chariot race than the Charleton
Heston version:
10/04/2021 12:30 AM This Is Francis X. Bushman (2021)
10/04/2021 02:00 AM Ben-Hur (1925)

There are all the Val Lewton horror films except THE LEOPARD MAN
(which does show up twice later in the month):
10/04/2021 08:00 AM Bedlam (1946)
10/04/2021 09:30 AM The Body Snatcher (1945)
10/04/2021 11:00 AM Isle of the Dead (1945)
10/04/2021 12:30 PM The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
10/04/2021 02:00 PM The Ghost Ship (1943)
10/04/2021 03:15 PM I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
10/04/2021 04:30 PM The Seventh Victim (1943)
10/04/2021 06:00 PM Cat People (1942)

There is another evening of classic post-war Italian films:
10/05/2021 08:00 PM Open City (1946)
10/05/2021 10:00 PM La Strada (1954) (re-runs 10/25/2021
02:00 AM)
10/06/2021 12:00 AM The Sound of Trumpets (1961)
10/06/2021 01:45 AM Eclipse (1962)
10/06/2021 04:00 AM I Knew Her Well (1965)
10/06/2021 06:15 AM Mamma Roma (1962)

And later the French classic:
10/25/2021 06:00 PM The Rules of the Game (1939)

Another day of science fiction:
10/06/2021 08:15 AM 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
10/06/2021 10:45 AM 2010 (1984)
10/06/2021 12:45 PM Forbidden Planet (1956)
10/06/2021 02:30 PM The Invisible Boy (1957)
10/06/2021 04:15 PM The Terminal Man (1974)
10/06/2021 06:15 PM Deadly Friend (1986)

Then there is:
10/09/2021 08:00 PM Fantastic Voyage (1966)
10/09/2021 11:30 PM A Look at the World of "Soylent Green"
(1973)
but weirdly, they are not running the film SOYLENT GREEN.

An afternoon of horror films:
10/14/2021 11:00 AM M (1931)
10/14/2021 02:45 PM Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)
10/14/2021 04:45 PM Eyes Without a Face (1959)
10/14/2021 06:30 PM House of Wax (1953)

A vampire day:
10/21/2021 07:45 AM Dracula--Prince of Darkness (1965)
10/21/2021 09:30 AM Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)
10/21/2021 01:00 PM Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1970)
10/21/2021 02:45 PM Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)
10/21/2021 06:15 PM Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
10/22/2021 04:45 PM The Bat (1959)

A "day of the animals":
10/26/2021 06:30 AM Razorback (1984)
10/26/2021 08:30 AM The Swarm (1978)
10/26/2021 11:15 AM The Pack (1977)
10/26/2021 01:00 PM Rattlers (1976)
10/26/2021 02:45 PM Night of the Lepus (1972)
10/26/2021 04:30 PM The Killer Shrews (1959)
10/26/2021 06:15 PM Them! (1954)

A tribute to Universal horror films:
10/27/2021 08:00 PM Carl Laemmle (2019)
10/27/2021 09:45 PM Dracula (1931)
10/28/2021 01:45 AM Carl Laemmle (2019)
10/28/2021 03:30 AM The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
10/28/2021 05:00 AM Frankenstein (1931)

And starting on October 29, an almost non-stop horror fest:
10/29/2021 08:00 PM The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
10/29/2021 10:00 PM Night of the Living Dead (1968)
10/30/2021 12:00 AM Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
10/30/2021 03:45 AM Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
10/30/2021 05:45 AM Creature From the Haunted Sea (1961)
10/30/2021 06:45 AM The Hypnotic Eye (1960)
10/30/2021 08:15 AM Chamber of Horrors (1966)
10/30/2021 10:00 AM Spider Baby (1964)
10/30/2021 11:30 AM The Devil's Own (1966)
10/30/2021 01:15 PM The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
10/30/2021 02:45 PM The Haunting (1963)
10/30/2021 04:45 PM The Tomb of Ligeia (1965)
10/30/2021 06:15 PM The Fly (1958)
10/30/2021 08:00 PM Frankenstein (1931)
10/30/2021 09:30 PM Young Frankenstein (1974)
10/31/2021 12:00 AM Cat People (1942)
10/31/2021 01:30 AM The Leopard Man (1943)
10/31/2021 04:30 AM Carnival of Souls (1962)
10/31/2021 06:00 AM Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954)
10/31/2021 07:30 AM Macabre (1958)
10/31/2021 08:45 AM White Zombie (1932)
10/31/2021 10:00 AM Cat People (1942)
10/31/2021 11:30 AM The Leopard Man (1943)
10/31/2021 12:45 PM Mad Love (1935)
10/31/2021 03:30 PM The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
10/31/2021 05:00 PM Curse of the Demon (1958)
10/31/2021 06:30 PM Horror Hotel (1960)
11/01/2021 01:00 AM Metropolis (1926)
11/01/2021 03:45 AM Vampyr (1932)
11/01/2021 05:15 AM Haxan (1922)

In article <899bb0f7-815f-4e53-a84b-9ddc6522bcd4n@googlegroups.com>,
evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com () wrote:

>
> Mark's complaint (Issue 2181, 23 Jul) that the James Bond film YOU
> ONLY LIVE TWICE should have been entitled YOU LIVE ONLY TWICE
> disregards the poem Bond composes in the book (ch. 11). The poem
> says, not that a person has only two lives, but that there are only
> two moments when a person is really alive. In having Bond compose
> it the author well points to the ennui Bond is suffering from.

Reminds me of an exchange reported in a paper many years ago. When
examining some report in committee, the Labour MP Ian Mikardo pointed out
that the word "only" was in the wrong place. A Tory on the committee
(probably went to Eton and Oxford or Cambridge) suggest he should also
take Ben Jonson to task for "Drink to me only with thine eyes."

Mikardo (left school at an early age) pointed out that Jonson meant drink
to me with thine eyes and not with a pint of beer. Drink only to me
would me mean drink to me and not the barmaid at the Dog and Duck.

On 9/26/21 8:16 AM, eleeper@optonline.net wrote:
> TOPIC: Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
>
> On 26 September 1983, Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov probably
> averted nuclear war. Shortly after the Soviet military had shot
> down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, the Soviet nuclear early-warning
> system reported that a missile had been launched from the United
> States. As Wikipedia describes it, "Petrov judged the reports to
> be a false alarm, and his decision to disobey orders, against
> Soviet military protocol, is credited with having prevented an
> erroneous retaliatory nuclear attack on the United States and its
> NATO allies that could have resulted in a large-scale nuclear war."
>
> So on Sunday, raise a glass to Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov.

The notification Petrov got said there were five missiles. Even with
that number, the lack of any additional ones made him suspicious. I have
a song about him:

http://www.mcgath.com/songs/StanislavPetrov.pdf

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

On Sun, 26 Sep 2021 10:57:23 -0400, Gary McGath
<garym@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote:

>On 9/26/21 8:16 AM, eleeper@optonline.net wrote:
>> TOPIC: Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
>>
>> On 26 September 1983, Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov probably
>> averted nuclear war. Shortly after the Soviet military had shot
>> down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, the Soviet nuclear early-warning
>> system reported that a missile had been launched from the United
>> States. As Wikipedia describes it, "Petrov judged the reports to
>> be a false alarm, and his decision to disobey orders, against
>> Soviet military protocol, is credited with having prevented an
>> erroneous retaliatory nuclear attack on the United States and its
>> NATO allies that could have resulted in a large-scale nuclear war."
>>
>> So on Sunday, raise a glass to Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov.
>
>The notification Petrov got said there were five missiles. Even with
>that number, the lack of any additional ones made him suspicious. I have
>a song about him:
>
>http://www.mcgath.com/songs/StanislavPetrov.pdf

For which, he got both a reprimanded from his superiors in the
Kremlin, and a "Hero of the Soviet Union" medal (the highest me del
awarded in the Soviet Union).
--

Qualified immuninity = vertual impunity.

Tim Merrigan

--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

In article <2it1lgltfijhfo4tv5rfuj8e8qnlhhrm3u@4ax.com>,
Tim Merrigan <tppm@ca.rr.com> wrote:
>On Sun, 26 Sep 2021 10:57:23 -0400, Gary McGath
><garym@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote:
>
>>On 9/26/21 8:16 AM, eleeper@optonline.net wrote:
>>> TOPIC: Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
>>>
>>> On 26 September 1983, Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov probably
>>> averted nuclear war. Shortly after the Soviet military had shot
>>> down Korean Air Lines Flight 007, the Soviet nuclear early-warning
>>> system reported that a missile had been launched from the United
>>> States. As Wikipedia describes it, "Petrov judged the reports to
>>> be a false alarm, and his decision to disobey orders, against
>>> Soviet military protocol, is credited with having prevented an
>>> erroneous retaliatory nuclear attack on the United States and its
>>> NATO allies that could have resulted in a large-scale nuclear war."
>>>
>>> So on Sunday, raise a glass to Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov.
>>
>>The notification Petrov got said there were five missiles. Even with
>>that number, the lack of any additional ones made him suspicious. I have
>>a song about him:
>>
>>http://www.mcgath.com/songs/StanislavPetrov.pdf
>
>For which, he got both a reprimanded from his superiors in the
>Kremlin, and a "Hero of the Soviet Union" medal (the highest me del
>awarded in the Soviet Union).

Hey, it beat what Napoleon said to one of his marshals: "For
winning the battle, I'm giving you the Croix de Guerre. For
disobeying orders, I'm going to have you shot."

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/

On 9/26/21 6:42 PM, Tim Merrigan wrote:

> For which, he got both a reprimanded from his superiors in the
> Kremlin, and a "Hero of the Soviet Union" medal (the highest me del
> awarded in the Soviet Union).
>

Petrov got the Dresden Prize and the Future of Life Award, the latter
posthumously, but I can't find any reference to his getting an award
from the Soviet Union.

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

On Sun, 26 Sep 2021 19:44:39 -0400, Gary McGath
<garym@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote:

>On 9/26/21 6:42 PM, Tim Merrigan wrote:
>
>> For which, he got both a reprimanded from his superiors in the
>> Kremlin, and a "Hero of the Soviet Union" medal (the highest me del
>> awarded in the Soviet Union).
>>
>
>Petrov got the Dresden Prize and the Future of Life Award, the latter
>posthumously, but I can't find any reference to his getting an award
>from the Soviet Union.

One of the episodes of "Mysteries at the Museum" covered his medal, I
think it was at an American Museum, and explained why he got it, and
why it was on display in an American museum.
--

Qualified immuninity = vertual impunity.

Tim Merrigan

--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

On 9/27/21 12:02 AM, Tim Merrigan wrote:
> On Sun, 26 Sep 2021 19:44:39 -0400, Gary McGath
> <garym@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote:
>
>> On 9/26/21 6:42 PM, Tim Merrigan wrote:
>>
>>> For which, he got both a reprimanded from his superiors in the
>>> Kremlin, and a "Hero of the Soviet Union" medal (the highest me del
>>> awarded in the Soviet Union).
>>>
>>
>> Petrov got the Dresden Prize and the Future of Life Award, the latter
>> posthumously, but I can't find any reference to his getting an award
>>from the Soviet Union.
>
> One of the episodes of "Mysteries at the Museum" covered his medal, I
> think it was at an American Museum, and explained why he got it, and
> why it was on display in an American museum.
>

I once watched a few episodes of "Mysteries at the Museum." As reliable
sources of information go, it's somewhere between the National Enquirer
and Q.

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

On 9/26/21 7:25 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:

> Hey, it beat what Napoleon said to one of his marshals: "For
> winning the battle, I'm giving you the Croix de Guerre. For
> disobeying orders, I'm going to have you shot."
>

There's a similar bit in Hugo's novel _Ninety-three_. A man carelessly
lets a cannon get loose on the deck of a ship, where it rolls around
wrecking stuff and killing people. (After reading that, I understood
where "loose cannon" comes from.) He then restrains it at great personal
risk. The Marquis de Lantenac gives him a high commendation and then has
him executed.

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

On Monday, September 27, 2021 at 11:59:46 AM UTC-4, Gary McGath wrote:
> On 9/26/21 7:25 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
>
> > Hey, it beat what Napoleon said to one of his marshals: "For
> > winning the battle, I'm giving you the Croix de Guerre. For
> > disobeying orders, I'm going to have you shot."
> >
> There's a similar bit in Hugo's novel _Ninety-three_. A man carelessly
> lets a cannon get loose on the deck of a ship, where it rolls around
> wrecking stuff and killing people. (After reading that, I understood
> where "loose cannon" comes from.) He then restrains it at great personal
> risk. The Marquis de Lantenac gives him a high commendation and then has
> him executed.

I'm reminded of Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus, a 4th Century BC Roman
General, who executed his own adult son for disobeying military orders.
https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus_Manlius_Imperiosus_Torquatus

Pt

Dorothy J Heydt <djheydt@kithrup.com> wrote:
> Tim Merrigan <tppm@ca.rr.com> wrote:
>> For which, he got both a reprimanded from his superiors in the
>> Kremlin, and a "Hero of the Soviet Union" medal (the highest me del
>> awarded in the Soviet Union).

> Hey, it beat what Napoleon said to one of his marshals: "For
> winning the battle, I'm giving you the Croix de Guerre. For
> disobeying orders, I'm going to have you shot."

Pretty much the same thing happened to me, albeit on a somewhat
smaller scale. I had finished installing a new computer in a hospital
at an Army base. I finished early, as usual. Earlier, I had written
the software for it.

The person in charge asked if, in the time before my return flight,
I could get their card embosser to work with our system. That was
a device to create what looked like embossed credit cards, with the
patient's name and key details on it. I said I probably could if
they had the manual. They did. I did. They were pleased. I got
a commendation.

But I also got a condemnation. It turned out that my employer had bid
some large number of programmer-hours to develop that software, and I
had gone and done it for free. It's the most upset any employer had
ever been with me.

A few days later, an identical embosser arrived at our office for us
to develop the (already written) software on. I used it to print a few
novelty cards. Some of you may have seen my "United Individualist"
ID card. That's where it came from.
--
Keith F. Lynch - http://keithlynch.net/
Please see http://keithlynch.net/email.html before emailing me.

Gary McGath <garym@removemcgathremove.com> wrote:
> On 9/27/21 12:02 AM, Tim Merrigan wrote:
>> One of the episodes of "Mysteries at the Museum" covered his medal, I
>> think it was at an American Museum, and explained why he got it, and
>> why it was on display in an American museum.
>>
>
> I once watched a few episodes of "Mysteries at the Museum." As reliable
> sources of information go, it's somewhere between the National Enquirer
> and Q.

More importantly, the Russian language wikipedia (known for its
thoroughness and reliability, yeah right) does not mention any USSR
medals, and it has a section on his awards.

--
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| __..--^^^--..__ garabik @ kassiopeia.juls.savba.sk |
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