“Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn” opened on this date 40 years ago, as did Steven Spielberg’s “Poltergeist.” Even so, it was really “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” released the following week, I was most looking forward to. 1982 was, truly, the Summer of Fun.
On Thursday, Roy and I got to reminisce a little bit about our theatrical “Trek” and treks that summer, which bloomed gloriously during a brief, halcyon span between our sophomore and junior years of high school, when summers were still very much summer, full of possibility, laughter, and adventure.
Enjoy the full Khan-versation here. And be sure to stick around for the end, when we acknowledge my second anniversary on the show and join in a group “KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!”
When next we convene, the subject will indeed be “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” That should give your tear ducts time to replenish after a poignant farewell to Spock. Turn on your heartlights in the comments section, when we livestream on Facebook. Our celebration of the Summer of Fun continues IN TWO WEEKS, FRIDAY, JUNE 17, at 7 PM EDT, on Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner!
The LOTUS Project will team with the New Jersey Capital Philharmonic Orchestra to present a benefit concert for Ukraine, next Saturday, June 11, at 6 pm, at St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church Trenton NJ, on the corner of Grand and Malone.
The program will feature Ukrainian music and a new work, “Requiem for the Homeless,” by Frank La Rocca. La Rocca is the grandson of Ukrainian immigrants who settled locally.
The Queen’s gone platinum! Elizabeth was crowned Queen of England on this date in 1953. In 2015, she became England’s longest-reigning monarch. Celebrations of her 70th year on the throne are underway.
Regardless of what one personally thinks of monarchy, the royals have been responsible for commissioning a rich diadem of music, from some of England’s most respected composers.
Here’s an Elizabeth miscellany. In the coronation marches, especially, you will hear a lot of John Williams. Vivat Regina Elizabetha!
Sir Edward Elgar, “Nursery Suite” (1930), dedicated to Princesses Margaret (newly born) and Elizabeth, and also to their mother, the Duchess of York. (Incidentally, today is also Elgar’s birthday!)
Eric Coates, “The Three Elizabeths” (1944): “Halcyon Days” (Elizabeth I), “Springtime in Angus” (The Queen Mother), and “Youth of Britain – The Princess Elizabeth”
Sir Arnold Bax, “Morning Song: Maytime in Sussex” (1946), for Princess Elizabeth’s 21st birthday
Sir Arthur Bliss, “Processional” (1953), performed before the Coronation Service
Sir William Walton, “Orb and Sceptre” (1953), also before the Coronation Service
Ralph Vaughan Williams, “O Taste and See” (1953), for the Coronation Service
Herbert Howells, “Behold O God Our Defender” (composed on Christmas Day, 1952), for the Coronation Service
Sir William Walton, “Coronation Anthem” (1953)
Sir Arnold Bax, “Coronation March” (1953), after the Coronation Service
In the summer of ’82, it seems it was just a matter of course that when you bought a movie ticket, you were in for an enjoyable two hours of escapism. “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” “The Road Warrior.” “Poltergeist.” “Blade Runner.” “The Thing.” “Tron.” “Conan the Barbarian.”
I’m not sure that I had particularly high hopes for “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” I remember I was concerned that, by making it not only a follow-up to the elephantine “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” but also a sequel to one of the original series’ television episodes, it would be too esoteric for wider acceptance and too “villain-of-the-week” for a suitably resonant theatrical experience, in a franchise that was in danger of tanking when it had scarcely left drydock.
But “Star Trek II” exceeded all expectations, with uncluttered storytelling, good character development, moments of genuine reflection and poignancy between the swashbuckling space battles, state-of-the-art special effects, a nautical tone that was a throwback to the monumental sea pictures of 20 and 30 years earlier, a career-defining score by James Horner, and Ricardo Montalban as (with apologies to Christopher Plummer) the most enjoyable of the “Star Trek” movie antagonists.
Montalban fought Zorro and Gilbert Roland, danced with Esther Williams and Cyd Charisse, and wore white with sophistication on TV’s “Fantasy Island,” but he will always be remembered for his silver mullet, glistening pecs, and theatrical relish with which he delivered his Melvillian soliloquies in “The Wrath of Khan.”
On the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner, we’ll slingshot back in time to the 20th century to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” Join us for a banquet of cold revenge and Ceti eels in the comments section, when we livestream on Facebook, this week at a special time, THURSDAY EVENING AT 7:00 EDT!
In common with many American composers, William Grant Still turned to patriotic themes during World War II. Only in his case, there is an added poignancy in his choice of subject matter, “In Memoriam, The Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy” (1943), since the black soldiers to whom the work is dedicated not only fought in segregated units, but also experienced inequality at home.
By nature, Still was not a political person, but because of the simple fact of his skin color, the association of race – of what it meant to live in and serve a country that wasn’t always fair to its minorities – is inescapable. The piece is about democracy and war, but the subtext, whether or not the composer intended it as such, is one of racial inequality, even for those who served with honor and gave everything for this country.
Still himself served in the U.S. Navy during World War I.
George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra perform “In Memoriam, The Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy” in Kyiv in 1965:
Charles Ives was inspired by the Memorial to Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the earliest African American units in the American Civil War, when he composed “Saint-Gaudens on Boston Common,” the first movement of his “Three Places in New England” (1915). The 54th was also the subject of the film “Glory.”
