The badge. The shotguns. The swinging saloon doors. The righteous marshal, bound by duty and honor to stand alone against the anticipated arrival of armed assassins – the tension heightened by countdown clocks everywhere. Why, it’s “High Noon” in space!
Roy and I discuss “Outland” (1981), Peter Hyams’ western transplant to one of Jupiter’s moons, with plenty of characteristic digressions – some of them predictable (as when Roy pauses to give entire synopses of classic-though-tangentially-related television shows) and some not so much so (almost anything out of my mouth). Digressions upon digressions. You know you’re in trouble when the first 20 minutes of the show is taken up by us palavering about westerns, spaghetti westerns, and the unscrupulous Italian film industry.
The countdown clock may sputter to two hours, but don’t forsake us, oh my darlings. You can watch it if you care to, here:
I’ll leave Roy to stand alone on Sunday night against the arrival of three special guests: Warren Friedrich (organizer) Robert Wood (author) and David Hirsch (author/columnist: Starlog Magazine). They’ll be talking “Space: 1999,” so I’ll be on the first coach out of there. More specifically, the topic will be Calgary: 1999, a celebration of the sci-fi cult television series starring Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, and Nick Tate. The convention will be held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, April 28-May 1.
Enjoy the exchange, opposite the Oscars, and share your questions and comments when they livestream on Facebook, YouTube, etc., on the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner, at a special time, this Sunday evening at 7:00 EDT!
https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner
And don’t forget to change your clocks!
More about Calgary: 1999 here:
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