Every so often I like to watch all seventeen of the remarkable Fleischer/Famous Superman cartoons from 1941-1943. Considering the Fleischer studio was originally based in New York, it’s somewhat ironic that all the animation showing Superman leaping, and then flying, around Metropolis was produced in Florida.
The official DC release is the only DVD set currently available that’s worth getting.
I’ll include a few screen shots from the DC set, along with the first two cartoons from the DVD. They were upscaled and cleaned up by somebody using an AI video process.
“Gang of Outsiders”, Part 1 of Light & Magic on Disney+, is a fascinating delight to watch. The trailer is a bit over-hyped, as the history of a bunch of obsessed young guys finding each other and working their butts off to take on an impossible technical challenge doesn’t need “Don’t Stop Believing” for emphasis.
Much of the Spring, 1978 issue of Cinefantastique magazine was devoted to Star Wars. If it wasn’t the first coverage of Industrial Light & Magic, then it was certainly the most extensive at that time. I’ve scanned a few pages from the issue.
Cinefantastique, Spring 1978, page 12Cinefantastique, Spring 1978, page 13
One tidbit in the Disney+ documentary is something that I apparently knew from Cinefantastique, but had forgotten long ago. Richard Edlund created the original Pignose guitar amp. Still in business today, I remember seeing ads for the Pignose in Rolling Stone.
The costumes in Star Wars weren’t the responsibility of ILM, but this is the funniest picture in the magazine. Greedo’s trans secret is out!
Cinefantastique, Spring 1978, page 69
I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the series, although I expect my interest might start to taper off once they’re deeply into the digital era and everything turns orange and teal. *Blech!*
An early use of computers in film was the EditDroid, another Lucas technical initiative. I don’t know yet if the system gets mentioned later in the series. Built around programmable LaserDisc players, EditDroid was intended to take the drudgery out film editing.
More quality time spent with YouTube. It’s a favorite sci-fi flick from watching New York TV when I was a kid. Starring Jeff Morrow from This Island Earth, and dream girl Barbara Lawrence, it’s the terrifying menace of KRONOS!
