Retrogram – theLogBook.com

Retrogram Podcast Feeds

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Mon, 20 May 2019 18:10:26 +0000

Subscribe to Retrogram via any of these feeds!

RSS – Apple Podcasts – Feedburner – Google Podcasts – Spotify

Retrogram #1921: Rules Of The Retrogram

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Fri, 24 May 2019 15:01:13 +0000

The week of May 19th, 2019: What is a Retrogram? How does it come together? And how can I, as a listener, you may be asking, actually change the direction of the show? We’re so glad you asked. Show host Earl Green answers these questions and others…and invites you to take the controls and guide future Retrograms to TV destinations either phenomenal or painful! (10:00)

(Player not working? Right-click here and “save as”; 8-track tapes are not available.)

Links:

Future episodes will feature show-specific links here.
Music by Jahzzar
theLogBook.com’s Patreon

How it all works:

Retrogram #7342: Saturday Morning Cartoons, Saturday Night Massacre

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Fri, 24 May 2019 17:50:32 +0000

The week of October 14th, 1973: Nixon fires the special counsel investigating him, the Earth gets yanked out of its orbit, there’s a giant Spock running around, the Six Million Dollar Man is running from nukes on foot, a bunch of children are running everything, aaaaaand…I think we just blew up the Earth. Sorry about that. Welcome to Retrogram, a retro genre TV podcast that travels back in prime time…one week at a time. (70:08)

Right-click here and “save as”; 8-track tapes are not available.

Links:

Trailers:

In the news:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Lift Off” by Jahzzar from the album Galaxy
“Random Sanity” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity
“Exiliado de su Razón” by Sumeritae from the album Belleza Anatomia
“Dancing” by Jahzzar from the album 1974
“League Of Mice” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity
“Nine Stones” by Andrew Howes from the album Nine Stones Close

Retrogram #8311: Nothin’ But Time Travel

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 07:22:05 +0000

The week of March 13th, 1983: A quiet week of a busy year…so why all the time travelers? The Doctor drops in on King John, the Voyagers(!) drop in on “Wild Frank” Roosevelt, and Prince Erik Greystone drops into a whole haunted castle of trouble in the wrong month. Who’s the best time traveler? And who wound up in the best medieval castle? Do lutes really work well with analog synthesizers? And what’s the unlikely Simpsons connection in one of these shows? (71:20)

Right-click here and “save as”; 8-track tapes are not available.

Links:

Trailers:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Birthday Cake” by Jahzzar from the album Wake Up
“Freaks” by Jahzzar from the album Wake Up
“Shine” by Jahzzar from the album Wake Up
“Pearl” by Phillip Gross from the album Katerstimmung

Retrogram Special: Life Lessons From Kerr Avon

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 07:13:28 +0000

A Great Big Fan Love Letter To Paul Darrow: Breaking the normal “one week” format of the show already seemed like a thing that had to be done to bid a fond farewell to one of the stars of Blake’s 7, and a memorable presence in so many other genre shows. Whether you’re a longtime fan or have never heard of the man, raise a glass to the man (and his utterly unmistakable voice) who was Kerr Avon on our screens. (93:11)

Right-click here and “save as”; you can’t just have Orac intercept and decode this one.

Links:

Trailers:

Elvira presents:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“AVV Revisited” by Hermelin from the album Hermelin
“New Civilizations” by Dee Zee from the album C3 And The Juhla Journey
“Memory Guitars” by Phillip Gross from the album Katzenmusik
“Explore” by Timo Komulainen from the album Biographical

Retrogram #8728: The Summer Of ’87

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 06:47:04 +0000

The week of July 5th, 1987: A week picked by followers of theLogBook.com’s Facebook page! A week of orbital law enforcement, lycanthropy, astro-archaeology, and maybe even the devil himself. Travel back in prime time with us to the summer of ’87. (75:43) This episode has dropped early so it’s available for your holiday weekend road trip!

Right-click here and “save as”; if anyone burns a CD of this show, make sure to leave it in a portable CD player for future astro-archaeologists to discover in an abandoned building.

Links:

July 1987 on theLogBook’s Timeline
Star Cops: An Instinct For Murder in the LogBook / watch it on YouTube
Get a free Star Cops audio drama excerpt from Big Finish Productions
Twilight Zone: Time And Teresa Golowitz / Voices In The Earth in the LogBook
Twilight Zone DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Werewolf: Pilot in the LogBook
Want to rent the set pieces from Voices In The Earth? You can! Still available from Modern Props: the main bridge station (see, Knowles didn’t beat it up too badly), another bridge control station, the giant five-foot-wide radar screen from the bridge, a slightly smaller radar console from the bridge, the wall panel from Knowles’ quarters, and – as seen in so many sci-fi shows and movies over the past 40 years – that tall vertical wall panel with a row of flashing horizontal lights. You know you want to.
Werewolf Pilot in the LogBook / watch it on YouTube
That Fort Smith, Arkansas Fox station actually has a fairly extensive Wikipedia entry, even if it showed up too late to air Werewolf. And yes, my very ’90s low-budget production work from that station can still be seen now.
What was the #1 song this week?
Music by Jahzzar
If you like Retrogram, you’ll dig Earl’s books about Doctor Who – VWORP!1 and VWORP!2 – and his first volume of a guide to Star Trek, WARP!1 – they’re in theLogBook.com Store!

Trailers:

Commercial break from WBAL-TV, Baltimore, from the end of the July 10th Twilight Zone episodes:

Complete, unedited theme from Star Cops:

Werewolf Pilot Playlist!

Retrogram #7129: Apollo 15

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 08:04:42 +0000

The week of July 18th, 1971: As the crew of Apollo 15 prepared to go to the moon, it was a dead week for American genre TV…but still a lively one across the pond. Meet a magician named Tarot, and an alien-fighter named Colonel Ed Straker. One will face a new foe whose magic may be even stronger than his…and the other will face “you-foes” who have already made a backup copy of him. Oh, and one of these shows can’t be seen anymore, anywhere – it might as well be on the moon. (48:13)

Right-click here and “save as”; any taped copies left in the Thames Television archives may wind up being erased.

Links:

Trailers:

Apollo 15 in the news:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Upper Ground” by Andrew Howes from the album Nine Stones Close
“Luxe” by Jahzzar from the album Servants
“(Jamming On The) King Kong Beat” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity
“Tarot” by Andrew Bown from the TV series Ace Of Wands

Retrogram 7409: Houston, We Have Quite A Large Number Of Problems

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 13:53:51 +0000

The week of February 24th, 1974: Daleks, telekinesis, nukes, O. Henry, and overwrought mission controllers, oh my! There wasn’t a mission to the moon in progress during this week in 1974…but there were a lot of shows…and a few of them were good. There was also the first-ever attempt to dramatize the Apollo 13 mission for television…which was less good. Warning: listeners will be subjected to double doses of Gary Collins and Harve Bennett in this Retrogram. (83:02)

Right-click here and “save as”; if you don’t, you’ll just have to hope that Tim has a copy on file.

Links:

Trailers:

Tomorrow People in yesterday’s top ten:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Enceladus” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Hancock” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Seas Of Mars” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“An Autumn Afternoon” by Dee Zee from the album C3 and the Juhla Journey
“Suburban Outlaw” by Forget the Whale from the album What I Tell Myself, Vol. 1

Retrogram 7250: Would The Last Man On The Moon Please Turn Out The Lights?

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 16:20:49 +0000

The week of December 10th, 1974: As the moon hangs over the horizon, and the crew of Apollo 17 hangs out at the moon – the last time humans would go there in the 20th century – gather around the TV campfire for three terrifying tales of levitating furniture, vicious dogs, and petrifying premonitions of things yet to come. As the final Apollo crew walked on the surface of the moon…this is what our imaginations fixated on. (53:10)

Right-click here and “save as”; there might also be a copy in Cousin Zachariah’s bookshelf.

Links:

Trailers:

Episodes:

The Sixth Sense, Night-Gallery-ized – an example of one of Serling’s Sixth Sense intros (but not for Gallows In The Wind):

The New! Fall! Season! (’72 edition):

Apollo 17 in the news:

And now, some commercials:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Lift Off” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Dancing” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album 1973

Retrogram #8828: Summer Scares

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 12:34:07 +0000

The week of July 10th, 1988: The shuttle’s still grounded, the climate is changing, the needles are washing up on the Jersey shore, and the scares are syndicated. Retrogram delivers a double dose of televised terror from the blistering summer of 1988. Just don’t make a sound. Or smoke. (38:28)

Right-click here and “save as”; and keep it down out there, you don’t want to attract the attention of your friendly local noise-eater.

Links:

Trailers:

Why, Robey, why?

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Marrakesch” by Phillip Gross from the album Morocco
“Neon Twin” by Phillip Gross from the album Katzenmusik

Retrogram #8001: Welcome To The 1980s

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 14:46:32 +0000

The week of December 30th, 1979: For a podcast that covers genre TV from 1970-1990, this is the exact midpoint: the first week of 1980. A week of classic space heroes, mistaken identities, and people in tights wearing bull heads…and maybe a tip-of-the-iceberg sighting of Hollywood’s propensity for recycling. (71:16)

Right-click here and “save as”; store a backup copy on your robot and maybe Twiki can recover it later. Before it melts down.

That time when both Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon had action figure lines at the same time in the 1980 JCPenney Christmas catalog. (Wishbookweb.com) (who among us isn’t a Space Case?)Links:

Checkmate, ~~atheists~~ MAME: the arcade lives on in the 25th century.Trailers:

Episodes:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Luxe” by Jahzzar from the album Servants
“Power Of Ten” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity
“Pearl” by Phillip Gross from the album Katerstimmung
“Traffic” by Jahzzar from the album Sunlight

Retrogram #7436: Canyon Jumping

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Sun, 08 Sep 2019 00:14:13 +0000

The week of September 1st, 1974: A man prepares to fire himself across a quarter-mile-wide canyon in a rocket-powered motorcycle. A man and his children dodge dinosaurs. A man lies dying in sick bay, his only chance for survival hijacked by space pirates. A young man out joy-riding with friends in a stolen car could be driven to his death. One of these stories is true. The rest…are the stuff of Saturday morning TV legends. (46:00)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast before rafting through a time portal.

Sure, just eat it, whatever.Links:

Do asteroids get more colorful as they become more explosive?Trailers:

Episodes:

Canyon Jumping:

Mentor’s sweet ride.Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“(Jamming On The) King Kong Beat” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity
“Dancing” by Jahzzar from the album 1973
“An Autumn Afternoon” by Dee Zee from the album C3 and the Juhla Journey

Retrogram #7130/7131: Apollo 15, Part 2

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 10:20:33 +0000

The weeks of July 25th and August 1st, 1971: As Apollo 15’s crew unfurls the first lunar rover on the surface of the moon, the opening story of the UK telefantasy series Ace Of Wands is being broadcast for the first – and maybe last – time. This Retrogram recaps and reviews these two “orphaned” episodes – the only genre shows that aired in their respective weeks – and completes the story whose first part was examined in Retrogram #7129. (25:08) This Retrogram first appeared in July 2019 as a patron exclusive. I had planned to keep it on hold until early 2020, but my recording schedule has been thrown off by some real-life demands, so consider it a taster of one of the show’s Patreon perks. Retrogram will be back on schedule soon!

Right-click here and “save as”; please don’t sell any physical copies to broadcasters in former British colonies.

Links:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Towers Open Fire” by Andrew Howes from the album Nine Stones Close
“League Of Mice” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity
“Lulli Rides Again” by Andrew Bown from the TV series Ace Of Wands

Retrogram #8644: Halloween LXXXVI

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 07:00:36 +0000

The week of October 26th, 1986: 1986 A.T. (after “Thriller”) is upon us again, with spooky foes and even spookier friends, unearthly threats and the unexplained, and so many shows no one could complain. Join us now to watch aliens on the run, a shrinking family, Ewoks not having fun, travel through time, though time’s standing still, it might be Halloween forever, so feel the chill! (65:18)

[player id=6799]
Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to your device, or any glowing blue spheres you have handy.

Links:

Trailers:

Episodes:

Homestar Runner a la Bob Carrau:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Pearl” by Phillip Gross from the album Katerstimmung
“Marrakesch” by Phillip Gross from the album Morocco
“Die Mit Dem Kontrabass” by Phillip Gross from the album Quart
“Casablanca” by Phillip Gross from the album Morocco
“Fès” by Phillip Gross from the album Morocco

Retrogram #7001: Welcome To The 1970s

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 05:39:27 +0000

The week of December 28th, 1969: The last days of the 1960s. The first days of the 1970s. It’s been fifty years since these shows premiered. Did our sci-fi and our spy-fi predict the future? Was any of it actually ahead of its time, or was it still just amazing that all three of these shows were being broadcast in color? Let’s rewind half a century and find out. (47:30)

[player id=6826]
Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to something that won’t self-destruct in five seconds.

Links:

Excerpts:

News of the day:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Luxe” by Jahzzar from the album Servants
“League Of Mice” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity
“Upper Ground” by Andrew Howes from the album Nine Stones Close
“AVV Revisited” by Hermelin from the album Hermelin

Retrogram #7516: Going Viral

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 20:09:18 +0000

The week of April 14th, 1975: Pestilence, Cybermen, angry vegetation, and death – it was a week in 1975 that saw Doctor Who come up against a new show created by one of the writers most directly responsible for Doctor Who’s success, while a couple of genre shows for kids got pretty weird. Join us for a thoroughly British Retrogram…or avoid it like the plague. (63:14)

[player id=6856]
Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to a medium that will someday be interpreted by unsuspecting aliens as a snapshot of life on Earth.

GAAAAAAHHHHHHH! What the hell is this, and why would you put credits over it!??!?Links:

Episodes:

Excerpts:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

Retrogram #7147: A Bunch Of Shows D.B. Cooper Missed

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Wed, 13 May 2020 10:33:04 +0000

The week of November 22nd, 1971: Somewhere in the world, a media tycoon is turning murderous to cover his tracks, a teacher is learning one of her students has spectral needs, a man is dying to meet the woman of his dreams, and a whole new country is happening in orbit. But all of this might just take a back seat to a guy jumping out of an airplane in mid-flight with a lot of money and a parachute. (56:00)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to the space station computer, which will tell you if it’s factual or opinionated.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
November 1971 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Night Gallery DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Mission: Impossible DVDs in theLogBook.com Store

The recuperative power of disco lights in a box. Is someone in this scene about to become a color organ donor?

The disturbing question becomes: even if we had Earth II’s amazing instantaneous fact-checking technology…would anyone pay attention to it?

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Luxe” by Jahzzar from the album Servants

“League Of Mice” and “Autumn Afternoon” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity

“Nine Stones Close” by Andrew Howes from the album Nine Stones Close

Retrogram #8810: Writers On Strike!

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Tue, 26 May 2020 06:01:44 +0000

The week of March 6th, 1988: Hollywood’s writers are about to hit the picket lines, leaving America’s couch potatoes with a much longer rerun season than usual. Just a page from the past, or a glimpse of our future? Ponder that as we revisit Alf, Captain Power, Probe, and The Highwayman, back in the spring of ’88 when these were going to be some of the last new shows we got for a while. (48:52)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to CROSSOVER, which will then probably try to kill you.

Links:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Marrakesch” by Phillip Gross from the album Morocco

“Pearl” by Phillip Gross from the album Katerstimmung

“Memory Guitars” by Phillip Gross from the album Katzenmusik

“Casablanca” by Phillip Gross from the album Morocco

“Fès” by Phillip Gross from the album Morocco

Retrogram #7348: Saturday Morning Spectacular

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Sat, 06 Jun 2020 09:01:11 +0000

The week of November 25, 1973: It’s Saturday morning! Grab a bowl of cereal, curl up on the shag carpet in front of the TV, and get ready for a Saturday morning spectacular with Kirk, Spock, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Orson Welles, robots, extortionists, and…the guy from 2001, now with a moustache! (36:29)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to the robot of your choice.

Links:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Dancing” by Jahzzar from the album 1973

“Suburban Outlaw” by Forget the Whale from the album What I Tell Myself, Vol. 1

“The Slowness Of Sloths” by Dee Zee from the album C3 and the Juhla Journey

Retrogram #9039: Leap, Creep, Sleep, Data, Sleep

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 13:07:25 +0000

The week of September 24th, 1990: The nineties are here. The world’s getting complicated. Someone’s de-sliming Slimer. Sam’s finally made that leap hope… sort of. And the Borg have Captain Picard. It’s not lookin’ good…or is it? (37:23)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to Borg network. It’ll probably put ’em to sleep.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
September 1990 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Star Trek: The Next Generation DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Quantum Leap DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
The Real Ghostbusters DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Quantum Leap: The Leap Home in the LogBook
Star Trek: TNG: The Best Of Both Worlds Part II in the LogBook
What was the #1 song this week?
Music by Jahzzar
Also visit Pop Culture Retrorama (I’ve written a few articles there)
If you like Retrogram, you’ll also enjoy Earl’s books about Doctor Who – VWORP!1 and VWORP!2 – and Star Trek – WARP!1 – in theLogBook.com Store!

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Memory Guitars” by Philip Gross from the album Katzenmusik
“Pearl” by Philip Gross from the album Katerstimmung
“Casablanca” by Philip Gross from the album Morocco

Retrogram #2033: Updates In Progress…

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 06:31:12 +0000

Where did Retrogram go? Into its chrysalis, to grow some sweet-ass butterfly wings. Please stand by. (7:19)

Right-click here and “save as” to download this podcast.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
Music by Jahzzar
If you like Retrogram, you’ll also enjoy Earl’s books about Doctor Who – VWORP!1 and VWORP!2 – and his first volume of a guide to Star Trek, WARP!1 – they’re in theLogBook.com Store!

Retrogram #7060: The Case For Doctor Who Season 7

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 11:19:02 +0000

1970: The Doctor’s back. With a new face. In color! But his first story was being made by the last of the black & white era’s production team, and a new team would be taking over with an aim toward building social messages into their story. What were the expectations of the new Doctor and his new behind-the-scenes crew…and how were those expectations promptly defied? (1:19:10)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to your audio device of choice, which may be confiscated if you accidentally wind up in a fascist alternate universe.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
1970 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Jon Pertwee-era Doctor Who DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Music by Jahzzar
Also visit Pop Culture Retrorama (I’ve written a few articles there)
If you like Retrogram, you’ll also enjoy Earl’s books about Doctor Who – VWORP!1 and VWORP!2 – in theLogBook.com Store!

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“League Of Mice” and “Autumn Afternoon” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity

Retrogram #7601: Beginning The Bicentennial With The Brits

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 11:32:22 +0000

The week of December 29th, 1975: A heavy metal giant is born, a future pro golf legend is born…and airports and airplanes are becoming unusually dangerous places to be. Sitting in front of the TV is much safer – but just because the U.S. is hurtling toward the big 2-0-0 doesn’t mean it has a lock on the fantastic. (39:45)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to a disembodied brain that we’re going to jam into Tom Baker’s head.

Links:

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Traffic” by Jahzzar from the album Sunlight

“Power Of Ten” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity

Retrogram #6960: 2020 Gunn Salute

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 07:44:02 +0000

1969!?: An oft-unsung luminary of taking sci-fi seriously left us just before the end of 2020 – so Retrogram is turning back the clock further than usual to delve into the origins of one of his very few screen credits. The Immortal lives…again. (23:04)

[player id=7204]
Right-click here and “save as” to download this podcast.

Show notes page: https://www.thelogbook.com/retrogram/show-6960/

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
Get theLogBook & Retrogram swag at redbubble.thelogbook.com
Music by Jahzzar
You can also hear Earl on the Sci-Fi 5 Podcast from Roddenberry Entertainment!

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy
“Nine Stones” by Andrew Howes from the album Nine Stones Close

Retrogram #7636: Things To Watch While Landing On Mars

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 10:42:06 +0000

The week of August 29th, 1976: Let’s say you’re heading for a landing on Mars, getting ready to do science stuff. You’re probably not thinking about the fact that you’re going to miss shows about alien men escaping the yoke of female oppression, treacherous shape-shifters, and big Helix energy. It’s a good thing Retrogram is here to help. (54:12)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to an organic computer powered by energy harvested from other beings’ minds.

You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
September 1976 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Space: 1999 DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Doctor Who (Tom Baker-era) DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
theLogBook’s Redbubble Store
Sci-Fi 5 from Roddenberry Podcasts
What was the #1 song this week?
Music by Jahzzar
Also visit Pop Culture Retrorama (I’ve written a few articles there)

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Power Of Ten” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity

“Suburban Outlaw” and “Ghost” by Forget the Whale from the album What I Tell Myself, Vol. 1

Sponsor break music: “Post Yes” by Soft And Furious from the album The Merfolk I Should Turn To Be

Retrogram #8350: Automanimal!: When Glen A. Larson Ruled The World

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 04:54:09 +0000

The week of December 11th, 1983: Every so often, a TV producer/creator comes along, so prolific that his output spans two studios, every network, and a sizeable chunk of the prime time schedule. But are they actually the same show? And what’s going on with this other thing with the puppets? (1:08:30)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to a computer that can play this podcast through your car stereo on command…oh, wait, that’s something that actually does happen now.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
December 1983 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Knight Rider DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Automan DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
What was the #1 song this week?
Music by Jahzzar
Earl can also be heard on Sci-Fi 5 from the Roddenberry Podcast Network
Also visit Pop Culture Retrorama (I’ve written a few articles there)

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Birthday Cake”, “Haunted”, and “Shine” by Jahzzar from the album Wake Up

Retrogram #8103: The Hawkman Cometh

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 06:55:13 +0000

The week of January 12th, 1981: Hitchhikers, Hulk, Hawk, and Who, oh my! Buck Rogers returns with a new feathered friend, the Doctor has a new furry friend, and the stories from behind the scenes reveal what a miracle it was that any of these shows made it to our screens. (1:02:19)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the K-9’s memory, which will only work in an alternate universe where, if you’re extremely lucky, it might be read by Peter Jones instead of me.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi, or get merch at Redbubble.
January 1981 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Incredible Hulk DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Doctor Who (Tom Baker era) DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
What was the #1 song this week?
Music by Jahzzar
Also visit Pop Culture Retrorama (I’ve written a few articles there)

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Luxe” by Jahzzar from the album Servants

“Fès” by Phillip Gross from the album Morocco

Commercial break:
“Queen” by Soft and Furious from the album The Man I’m Not

“Pearl” by Philip Gross from the album Katerstimmung

“Random Sanity” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity

Retrogram #7723/7724 – The Love Child of Darth Vader and the Kool-Aid Man

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 09:13:31 +0000

The weeks of June 6th & 13th, 1977: Star Wars is in, Elvis is on his way out, and so are the intrepid adventurers on The Fantastic Journey. But never fear, Exo-Man is here! This, surely, heralds the arrival of a hero for the future and for all time, a television icon whose exploits we’ll be following for years to come! (43:32)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to the audio system built into your walking tank…suit…thing.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
June 1977 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Fantastic Journey DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
The Fantastic Journey in the LogBook episode guides
Exo-Man in the LogBook episode guides
Music by Jahzzar
Earl can also be heard on Roddenberry Podcast Network’s Sci-Fi 5
If you like Retrogram, you’ll also enjoy Earl’s books in theLogBook.com Store.

The #1 songs of both weeks…

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“(Jamming On The) King Kong Beat” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity

“Nine Stones Close” by Andrew Howes from the album Nine Stones Close

Retrogram #7725 – Actually, It’s All About Disappearances

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 09:26:40 +0000

The week of June 20th, 1977: We’ve had Watergate, we’ve the Pentagon Papers, we’ve had a whole decade of conspiratorial thinking. And here in the middle of the summer of 1977, we have a whole week full of inexplicable disappearances – at least until Mark Harris and the plucky crew from Science Report show up. (42:04)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to the 1974 car stereo built into your Mars colony escape rocket

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
June 1977 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Man From Atlantis DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Science Report: Alternative 3 in the LogBook episode guides
Man From Atlantis in the LogBook episode guides
Music by Jahzzar
Earl can also be heard on Roddenberry Podcast Network’s Sci-Fi 5
If you like Retrogram, you’ll also enjoy Earl’s books in theLogBook.com Store.

The #1 and #2 songs this week…

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” and “Black Hole” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Theme from Man From Atlantis” by Fred Karlin
(edited and remastered by Earl Green)

Retrogram #7913: Three Shows, Three Mile Island

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 08:00:48 +0000

The week of March 26th, 1979: Wales is finally exporting the works of one of its finest storytellers to the small screen. Britain is exporting interconnected space operas, complete with space Vikings. And the U.S.? It’s exporting superheroes and a rare appearance by a genuine comics legend…but it’s keeping the nuclear fear to itself. (50:16)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to a communications device that’s hopefully smaller than a shoebox.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
March 1979 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Blake’s 7 DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
The Incredible Hulk DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Tales Of The Unexpected DVDs in theLogBook.com Store
Blake’s 7 in the LogBook episode guides
The Incredible Hulk in the LogBook Episode Guides
Music by Jahzzar
Earl can also be heard on Roddenberry Podcast Network’s Sci-Fi 5

The #1 songs from this week…

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Luxe” by Jahzzar from the album Servants

“League Of Mice” and “Autumn Afternoon” by Dee Zee from the album Random Sanity

“Nine Stones Close” by Andrew Howes from the album Nine Stones Close

Retrogram #2130: This & That Episode

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 04:50:39 +0000

The week of July 26th, 2021: Commander Koenig and Dr. Russell sound completely different. Travis sounds the same (but which one?). Kolchak is about to be clearer than ever. Moonbase Alpha’s Eagles and little color TVs are getting smaller. It’s a very different kind of Retrogram. (35:58)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to something that hopefully has a better speaker than those tiny TV things.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
July 2021 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Space: 1999 Audio Dramas at Big Finish
Worlds of Blake’s 7 Audio Dramas at Big Finish
Music by Jahzzar
Visit Pop Culture Retrorama at its new home
Roddenberry Podcasts
If you like Retrogram, you’ll also enjoy Earl’s books in theLogBook.com Store.

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

Retrogram #8160: Blake’s 7 – A User’s Guide

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 08:18:51 +0000

1978-1981: With Britbox (and Forces TV in the UK) bringing Blake’s 7 back to everyone’s screens, Retrogram presents a unique, “focus episode” to provide the show’s historical context, its literary and pop culture inspirations, its influence on what came after it, and an even-handed look at the pros and cons of the show…all without spoiling all of the show’s big surprises (and they are legion). Also, find out which Babylon 5 regular cast member had a role in a Terry Nation project! (47:38)

Content warning: brief plot-relevant mention of sexual assault, assault on minors

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast so you can listen during the ride to Cygnus Alpha.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
September 1975 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
January 1978 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Blake’s 7 in the LogBook episode guides
Music by Jahzzar
Blake’s 7 at Big Finish Productions
theLogBook’s Redbubble Store
If you like Retrogram, you’ll also enjoy Earl’s books in theLogBook.com Store.

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Retour” by Jahzzar from the album Ashes

Retrogram #7342b: One More Survivor of the Saturday Night Massacre

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 08:04:16 +0000

The week of October 14th, 1973: Wait, isn’t this the road we came in on? In honor of the late, great Dean Stockwell, it’s time for this short episode (previously a Patreon-only bonus show from the end of 2020) to get a wide release, taking a look at a Stockwell performance that has gone unseen by many for over 40 years. (14:55)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to your audio device, which probably bears more than a slight resemblance to Ziggy.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
Music by Jahzzar

This episode is an “add-on” to an earlier installment of Retrogram; you can find the original show covering this week here.

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Dancing” by Jahzzar from the album 1973

Retrogram #2214: The Little Black Bags

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 08:00:36 +0000

One story, three times: Meet Cyril Kornbluth and his amazing Little Black Bag from the future – one of the best short stories in the history of science fiction, and a story that merited being told three times across three decades. (47:36)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to your little black bag.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
February 1969 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
December 1970 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Night Gallery Episode 2 in theLogBook episode guides
Music by Jahzzar
Also visit Pop Culture Retrorama
If you like Retrogram, you’ll also enjoy Earl’s books in theLogBook.com Store.

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“O Cerebro do Morto” by Dr. Frankenstein from the album The Cursed Tapes

“Exiliado de so Razon” by Sumeritae from the album Belleza Anatomia

“Nine Stones Close” by Andrew Howes from the album Nine Stones Close

“Explore” by Timo Komulainen from the album Biographical

Retrogram #7152: 72 @ 50, Part 1

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Sun, 10 Jul 2022 12:00:32 +0000

The week of December 27, 1971: It’s been over 50 years since these episodes premiered. Was the world a better place? Was genre TV a better place? What color does a Dalek really need to be? And where’s Joe Corvin with my money? (55:23)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast so you can listen to it in your hearse that happens to have a handy human-sized secret compartment.

Links:

Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
December 1971 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
January 1972 in theLogBook’s History Timeline

Earl can also be heard on Roddenberry’s daily Sci-Fi 5 podcast
Music by Jahzzar
Support Retrogram at Redbubble or by purchasing through links and search boxes in theLogBook.com Store.

The #1 song of that week…

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA from the album Galaxy

“Lift Off” by Jahzzar from the album Galaxy

“Dancing” by Jahzzar from the album 1973

“Traffic” by Jahzzar from the album Sunlight

Retrogram #8347: The Day After The Day Of The Doctor

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 15:00:55 +0000

The week of November 20, 1983: A world on the brink of what would likely be its last war. Instead of fighting that war, let’s dramatize it! Let’s also thwart evil plans to take over Earth by everything from cubes to evil warlords, and try to figure out if Doctor Who’s 20th anniversary had more intrigue on screen or behind the scenes. Hopefully this massive trivia bomb is the only one you have to worry about today. (1:08:55)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to a radiation-hardened media device that you keep in a Faraday cage. You might just be able to listen to it again after the war.

Links:
Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
November 1983 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Earl can also be heard on Roddenberry’s daily Sci-Fi 5 podcast

Music by Jahzzar, Andrew Howes & Dee Zee

Support Retrogram at Redbubble or by purchasing through links and search boxes in theLogBook.com Store.

The #1 song of that week…

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot”, “Heartbreaker”, “Haunted”, and “Shine” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA
“Towers Open Fire” by Andrew Howes (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA
“New Civilizations” by Dee Zee (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA
“Saint Wave” by Soft and Furious (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA (break music)

Retrogram #9060: What Did You Do During The Syndication Wars?

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 12:30:00 +0000

Oh No, It’s The ’90s!: Ah, the ’90s – a decade that turned the broadcast industry upside-down. You know, just like every previous decade since broadcasting was invented. But Retrogram is about to start going there, so it seemed like a good time to talk about why so much ’90s genre TV was syndicated. And why the ’90s syndication landscape looks an awful lot like the ’20s streaming landscape. Why aren’t your favorite ’90s shows out on Blu-Ray? How far into the ’90s will Retrogram go? The answers to these questions and probably two or three others are in this show. (53:12)

Special thanks to theLogBook.com’s Discord community for suggesting this topic and sending me down a real research rabbit hole.

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to the listening gadget of your choice.

Links:
Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
The episode of Don’t Give This Tape To Earl mentioned in this show: “How To Make A Uniquely Wisconsin Sci-Fi Channel”
Strongly recommended reading: “Season Finale: The Unexpected Rise and Fall of the WB and UPN” by Susanne Daniels & Cynthia Littleton
Earl can also be heard on Roddenberry’s daily Sci-Fi 5 podcast

Music by Jahzzar

Support Retrogram at Redbubble or by purchasing through links and search boxes in theLogBook.com Store.

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot”, “F.O.”, “Weatherman”, and “She Loves” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA
“Rumbling Roof” by Soft and Furious (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA (break music)

Here’s an actual promo I once put together that would never have existed without the Prime Time Access Rule. It is a thing of beauty.

Retrogram #7718: B.S.W.

earl@thelogbook.com (Earl Green) — Sun, 28 May 2023 12:00:59 +0000

The week of May 2, 1977: Before the Dark Times, before the Empire – well, approximately three weeks before the Dark Times and before the Empire – television sci-fi is just doing its thing on both sides of the Atlantic, unaware that audience expectations are about to change drastically. Retrogram examines five shows that were on the air during one of the last few weeks before a little movie called Star Wars took the world by storm. (1:06:06)

Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast – trust me, it sounds better this way than it does on 8-track.

Links:
Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi!
November 1983 in theLogBook’s History Timeline
Special thanks to Ashley Thomas – The Nerdy Blogger (and all of our other Patreon supporters)

Support Retrogram by purchasing through links and search boxes in theLogBook.com Store.

The #1 song of that week…

Music (in order):
“Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA
“O Crebro do Morto” by Dr. Frankenstein (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA
“Queen” by Soft and Furious (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA (break music)
“League Of Mice” by Dee Zee (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA
“Nine Stones” by Andrew Howes (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA
“Theme from Man From Atlantis” by Fred Karlin
“AVV Revisited” by Hermelin (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA