Here’s another mixed bag of a tape, although not quite as emblematic as yesterday’s.
First up, is The Roseanne Barr Show, which opens with a family scene which, presumably, pre-figures her sitcom family, and features a mystifying cameo from Freddie Krueger.
After this, recording switches to BBC2 and a Late Show special on Batman. It’s a look back at the history of the character to coincide with the release of Tim Burton’s 1989 feature.
Let’s see who’s being interviewed. Obviously, here’s Frank Miller, writer/artist of The Dark Knight Returns.
Harlan Ellison, noted science fiction writer.
Token academic Frederic Smoler
Artist Jerry Robinson
Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit and all-round comic book deity (who I met once at a book signing).
Fred Finger, son of Bill Finger, commonly accepted as the co-creator of Batman.
There’s a stagey re-enactment of Frederick Wertham, the man behind the moral panic over comics, with his book Seduction of the Innocent. Wertham is played by John Bird.
Artist Trina Robbins
Writer Denny O’Neill
Producer of the TV Series William Dozier
Stanley Ralph Ross, one of the writers on the TV Series.
Anton Furst, the designer of Tim Burton’s movie, who died tragically young.
BBC Genome: BBC Two – 15th June 1989 – 23:15
After this, another switch, and an episode of Whose Line is it Anyway? featuring Archie Hahn
Josie Lawrence
Paul Merton
and John Sessions
After this episode, recording stops, and there’s a fragment of an older recording of After Dark talking (topically) about Europe, including Edward Heath, Peter Ustinov, and Shirley Williams. Recording stops during this.
Adverts:
- Sunkist
- Andrews Answer
- Gold Blend – Either Anthony Head’s subsequent career is unduly influencing me, or I’m going a bit mad, bit I’m finding these ads strangely moving.
- Walkers Snacks
- trail: thirtysomething/Absolutely
- Thames Water
- Kaliber
- Friskies Buffet
- Grand Marnier
- Rover
- Milka
- British Telecom
- Ski Cool
VHiStory 