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BLOG OF THE GIANTS
Sunday, 18 March 2007
Updates to begin pouring in (Part 3)-Bert I Gordon's interview is now up.
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: Plus, Quentin Tarantino brings Nitzsche back.
Greetings,

I apologize as it has been awhile. But as they say: good things are worth waiting for. Today, I have finally posted my Q&A with Village of the Giants creator, Bert I Gordon. You will find it in the Interviews section of our Information page.

In mid-February, I journeyed out to California, and did an interview with Bert during the Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show. It was a pleasant experience, and was great to finally meet Bert I Gordon, and his daughter, Susan.

While I was there, I also asked a few questions to Joe Turkel. Joe's Q&A session will be coming soon as well.

On another note, I found some interesting news, from Solace in Cinema.

To some of us, Jack Nitzsche's music was a staple of Village of the Giants, and none moreso than his deep-bass rhythms that accompanied the shimmying and shaking of the giant teenagers as they danced in the Hainesville park. The track was titled The Last Race, and has been chosen as one of several tracks from the 60's and 70's that Quentin Tarantino will be using in the soundtrack to his next film.

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are combining forces to produce a double-feature film titled Grindhouse, which will open on April 6. The film is an homage to the double-features of the 70's and 80's. Tarantino's half of the double-bill will focus on a film titled Death Proof, in which an insane stuntman stalks and kills beautiful women with his car. Given that summary, it makes perfect sense for Nitzsche's song The Last Race to be included in the soundtrack.

The soundtrack will be released on April 3, with a total of 16 music tracks.

Posted by weird2/villageoftheg at 2:25 PM CDT
Updated: Sunday, 18 March 2007 9:28 PM CDT
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Saturday, 3 March 2007
Come and compare the Final Draft to the Finished film!
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: My observations on Alan Caillou's script are now available.
It's been a little while since my last update. To make a long story short, let's just say that work and some intense pain at home have kept me at bay for a little while.

But tonight, I've finally completed another little update. If you access the 'Comparison' link in the 'Information' section of our site, you will find the script-to-film comparison for Village of the Giants. This page was one of the three reasons I made my pilgrimage to California in February. What I found in the screenplay was quite interesting, and made you wonder what could have been done if technology had been a bit more advanced in the mid 60's to pull off several sequences. In the page, you'll find new characters, scenes that were shortened, others that were used, and much more.

The other two reasons for my California trip will be coming shortly. I am right now transcribing my Q&A with Bert I Gordon, and once I am finished, I will then be posting a short Q&A I had with Joe Turkel.

Posted by weird2/villageoftheg at 11:52 PM CST
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Monday, 19 February 2007
Updates to begin pouring in (Part 2)-the first of our 3 interviews is now up!
Now Playing: The long awaited interview with Vicki London has arrived!
Greetings to all! As of today, an event that I have been dangling over everyone's heads for the past several months has finally come to pass. As of today, The long-awaited Q&A with Vicki London (now Victoria Feldman) is now available in the 'Interviews' section of our 'Information' page.

Vicki shares her experiences on the film, and answers the biggest question of all: where did she go during 3/4 of the film?

Plus, stay tuned to our site over the next 2 weeks, as we will be adding several other updates as well. We will also be adding a new interview next week and the week after. Next week will feature the Q&A I held with Mr Bert I Gordon at the Hollywood Autograph and Collector's show, and the week after will feature a Q&A I held with Mr. Joseph Turkel.

For being such a short month, February is going to prove to be a 'big' event for our webpage.

Posted by weird2/villageoftheg at 7:04 PM CST
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Sunday, 18 February 2007
Updates to begin pouring in (Part 1)-and a big ol' WHOOPSIE!
Mood:  on fire
Well, the last 48 hours have been a whirlwind for me, that I had been building up to over the past month.

On Friday, I set off for Burbank, CA, to attend the Hollywood Autograph and Collector's show. I was planning to try and get in some words with Mr Bert I Gordon, as well as Joe Turkel. However, that was my routine for Saturday. On Friday, I was on another mission.

After winding through Burbank and into Beverly Hills, I made my way to the Merriam Herrick Library. The reason? Well, according to fellow VOTG fan D.C. Letcher, this library contained a copy of the film's script.

After getting my library pass and checking out the script, I felt like the reporter in the beginning of 'Citizen Kane,' when he sits down to read Mr Thatcher's memoirs. I had been looking forward to this moment for over a year.

The script was hardbound in a goldenrod-yellow color. The script was stamped with the name 'Frank Caffey,' who was the Production Manager on the film. The script was dated as a 'Final Draft on April 13, 1965. The final draft was printed on white pages. Throughout the script, there were several revised pages, printed in blue and dated April 19, 1965.

While I would have loved to have photocopied every single page of the 135 page piece, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences prohibited the photocopying of unpublished material (and unfortunately, I didn't have a laptop and at least 5 days to copy it all down).

However, I will be posting an article in the coming weeks about the differences between the final draft and the finished film.

And for a grand example of getting egg on my face, our very own Vicki London pointed out a major error that even passed me by. For years, I had wondered why I couldn't find much information on Kevin O'Neil. What made this problematic, was that Kevin's last name was actually spelled O'Neal! Kevin has actually had a pretty big career, and the O'Neals seem to be a pretty good-sized acting family (Kevin is actually Tatum O'Neal's uncle). Once again, we applaud Vicki for helping us out. Who knows what she'll find next (hopefully not the myriad spelling errors that we've been meaning to correct since day 56).

Posted by weird2/villageoftheg at 4:17 PM CST
Updated: Monday, 19 February 2007 2:23 AM CST
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Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Vicki London's biography updated in 'Biographies' section
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: (with special thanks to Victoria Feldman)

Well, today a promise I made quite some time ago has come to pass. As of today, our webpage has the first informative biography of Georgette herself, Vicki London (or Victoria Feldman, as she is known by today). What makes this such a heart-poundingly wonderful event, is that Victoria herself served as the editor of her biography (you couldn't ask for a more thorough fact-checker).

From the first time I talked with Victoria by email, she has proven to be a wonderful and gracious person, filled with a wonderful treasure trove of knowledge. She was also kind enough to send me a photograph. The young woman next to Victoria is her daughter, Candace.

Thanks again for all your help, Victoria.

Posted by weird2/villageoftheg at 9:14 PM CST
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Sunday, 28 January 2007
New 'Merchandise' section added in 'Information' link
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: The Products that we wish could have been made

Village of the Giants was released with a very minimal marketing campaign. But some of us have to wonder what would have happened if the film had reached popularity. If so, we can only imagine what kinds of merchandise could have been created.

Ever since I started this website, I've done little Photoshop projects, creating mock products. We could probably imagine Embassy Pictures creating basic items, such as T-shirts, mugs and towels. But what of other items, such as trading cards, dolls and (gasp)a Special B.I.G. Edition iPod?

Of course, these are just a few of the items that came through my mind. If you have any dream products for Village of the Giants, email me at uruseiranma@yahoo.com. I just might be able to cobble something together.

Posted by weird2/villageoftheg at 12:57 PM CST
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Saturday, 27 January 2007
Remembering Tim Rooney
Mood:  a-ok


It's been almost 4 months, and in that time, all manner of famous persons have passed away and been noted online and in the news media. But one name that has meaning to Village of the Giants fans, may not have reached all corners of the internet.

I speak of Tim Rooney, the son of famous child star Mickey Rooney. On September 23, 2006, Tim's 5 year battle against dermatomyositis came to an end. Tim's career included appearances on television shows such as Adam-12, and Dragnet. During the last 2 decades, Tim was notable for going into voice-over work for television ads, as well as animated television shows, including Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Special thanks goes to Tim Brand, who sent me the following link. It gives some insight into Tim's career, as well as someone who knew him well: In Memoriam: Tim Rooney.

Posted by weird2/villageoftheg at 4:35 PM CST
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Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Bert I Gordon & Joe Turkel will attend Hollywood Collector's & Celebrities Show
Mood:  cool

On February 16th & 17th, The Hollywood Collector's & Celebrities Show will be holding their next gathering at The Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel & Convention Center. Along with all manner of celebrities, two names that stand out in the minds of 'Village of the Giants' fans will be in attendance.

Both Bert I Gordon & Joe Turkel will be attending the show. They will also be signing autographs for a fee as well. There will also be numerous vendors with all sorts of movie paraphernalia. It's a pretty good bet that if you're looking for rare stills or posters, you just might find it at the show, with all manner of vendors in attendance.

You can find more information about the show at The Hollywood Collector's & Celebrities Show's website. Keep your eyes out if you're attending. I will be in attendance to try and chat with both Gordon and Turkel.

Posted by weird2/villageoftheg at 8:16 PM CST
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Tuesday, 23 January 2007
Gail Gerber's cameo in 'The Magic Christian'
Mood:  lazy
I was talking to Tom Lisanti the other day (Tom's the swell guy who is the author of 'Drive-In Dream Girls,' and 'Fantasy Femmes of 60's Cinema'), and he mentioned that Gail Gerber said she had a small cameo in the 1969 film, 'The Magic Christian' (which was based on the book written by Gail's friend, Terry Southern). Needless to say, I had to run out and see this for myself. Well, trying to find the film was almost impossible, so I had Netflix do the running around for me.

Gail's cameo is very brief. She is sitting in the bar of the ship, The Magic Christian, watching the performance of an older blonde woman, crooning 'Mad About the Boy.' In this cropped image, you can see Gail has grown her hair out since her beach movie days (the film was shot in the early part of 1969, and released in the winter of that year).

And who is that guy sitting across from her on the left side of the frame? Why, that's none other than famed Director Roman Polanski! (Thanks to Tom Lisanti for pointing out this cameo appearance)

Some more images of Gail in the film can be found in her 'Fan Gallery' on the main page, as well as a brief description of the film.

Posted by weird2/villageoftheg at 8:51 PM CST
Updated: Wednesday, 24 January 2007 10:33 PM CST
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Monday, 22 January 2007
Welcome to the Blog of the Giants
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: Small talk, some information, yadda yadda yadda
Greetings to all who come to my webpage! If this is your first time here, welcome. If you are a returning viewer, I also bid you welcome...that is, to the new 'Blog of the Giants.'

It took quite a bit of time for me to do this (for some reason, my creative juices flow between the hours of midnight and 5 in the morning). Basically, I realized that with an influx of fans asking for information, as well as some rather obscure news references, most of the knowledge on 'Village of the Giants' has become very hard to find. I hope this blog will clear up communications between many fans out there.

Finally, I'll leave you with a tidbit for February. In February, The Unofficial Village of the Giants page will have been online for 3 years. And it is this month that I have chosen to add to the site, what will probably be one of the most anticipated interviews of the site so far: my interview with Vicki London. Vicki was an enigma that had captured many imaginations of the fans in the years following the film. I've heard all manner of questions about the film, and the one that was on everyone's mind (myself included) was: why did she disappear for almost 3/4 of the film? So, stay tuned fellow followers, and all shall be revealed (well, not all, but as much as is humanly possible).

Posted by weird2/villageoftheg at 4:00 AM CST
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