2023 Year End Review – Part 3: Never to Forget

January 1, 2024 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace, Year End Reviews and tagged Alan Frank, Andre Braugher, Bert I. Gordon, Betta St. John, Burt Young, David McCallum, Eugenio Martín, Gary Kent, Gayle Hunnicutt, George Wilbur, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Jeff Burr, Julian Sands, Lara Parker, Lisa Loring, Paul Reubens, Piper Laurie, Raquel Welch, Ray Stevenson, Richard Moll, Ricou Browning, William Friedkin | Leave a comment

As we start off 2024, always with the intent of making things better, doing more, and enjoying life more, it should always be a time of remembrance, especially of those that have affected your life in some sort of way. These people involved in the movie industry are a huge part of that for me. This is always the sad part of my recap of the year, because I’m reminded of the great talent that we’ve lost over the last 12 months. But then, I do think about them, and that is what is important, isn’t it? Not to just remember them, but the incredible work that they have left us, to forever enjoy, re-watching it over and over again. As film fans, I do feel it is our job to keep their memories alive by honoring them and their work. So, while we are sad that they are no longer with us here in the physical world, their legacy is and as long as we keep watching those films, reading their work, then they are still here.

To those that made a mark on the horror genre, no matter how big or small, Rest in Peace, and know that you will never be forgotten!

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David McCallum – Rest in Peace

September 26, 2023 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace and tagged David McCallum, Frankenstein: The True Story, Night Gallery, She Waits, The Invisible Man, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Outer Limits, The Watcher in the Woods | Leave a comment

We read the news last night that we had lost another icon, not only film, but especially television, the great David McCallum. Probably best known for two roles on a TV series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. from 1964 to 1968, and over 3 decades later, appearing in the hit TV show NCIS (2003-2023) for 2 decades! But to us horror fans, while he may not have appeared in a ton of shows, he was there. He appeared in a couple of episodes of The Outer Limits, on episode of Night Gallery, the made-for-TV movie She Waits (1972), the title character in the TV series The Invisible Man (1975-76), and Disney’s creepy film The Watcher in the Woods (1980).

But for me, he will always be remembered as Dr. Henry Clerval in the 1973 made-for-TV movie Frankenstein: The True Story. While it is far from the “true story”, it is childhood favorite that remains a favorite to this day.

McCallum passed away on Monday at the age of 90 from natural causes. Because of his work in TV and films, and the huge fan base his work has created, his memory will continue on to entertain and delight audiences to come. Thank you, Mr. McCallum for your hard work and dedication to your craft. Gone, but not forgotten. Our thoughts go out to you and your family during this difficult time.

Frankenstein: The True Story – THE BOOK!

June 11, 2023 by Jon Kitley in Book News and tagged Anne Rice, David McCallum, Don Machardy, Frankenstein: The True Story, Guillermo del Toro, Hunt Stromberg Jr., James Mason, Jane Seymour, Leonard Whiting, Little Shoppe of Horrors, Margaret Leighton, Michael Sarrazin, Nicola Pagett, Sam Irvin, The Epic Saga Behind Frankenstein: The True Story | 2 Comments

One of my earliest childhood horror memories is seeing the 2-part mini-series Frankenstein: The True Story when it first aired in 1973. While I had no idea how far from the “true story” it was, as a young, eager horror fan, I just loved it and remains a personal favorite of mine to this day.

Back in 2017, Little Shoppe of Horrors magazine did a huge special issue on the making of this film, with Sam Irving taking on this dream job, since he’d been a fan as well since the original premiere, writing about it and doing several interviews on it in his horror fanzine Bizarre that he put out in the ’70s. The new piece for LSoH was 120 pages, packed with 400 photos, new interviews with the cast and crew, with an amazing cover art by artist Mark Maddox. This would lead to a Blu-ray release of the film by Shout Factory with an incredible commentary as well as interviews with some of the cast.

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