Gail's fan gallery gets a slight makeover
Mood:  cheeky

Well, it's so odd, that inspiration can strike at the least likely moment. When I got home tonight, I was looking over the publicity shot that Tom Lisanti sent me, which depicted Gail and two other girls from the Elvis Presley film, 'Girl Happy.'

However, I was faced with a strange problem-where to place this great color photo (one of the few actual color publicity stills I've seen of Gail) without ruining the design asthetic. And then it hit me: let's create a scrapbook! And so, the current images next to Gail's filmography have now been replaced with the cover to the newest feature to Gail's fan gallery.

I designed a nice little cover using Photoshop (btw, the dark pink and black colors are in homage to my high school's colors) , and some inner pages that can be accesed once you click on the book. The pages are layed out as if someone had saved the items in a scrapbook, and typed out the information, and then taped them to the pages. Having had a scrapbook, it's easy to build from experience.

And finally, I went through and added two more banners into the site, setting it up so that each page (that can) will have a unique banner. Each one of course, features a quote from Gail Gerber, Joy Harmon, and Tisha Sterling, that were featured in Tom Lisanti's books. But wait a minute, you may be thinking, what about our gal pal Vicki London? Well, Tom has finally completed the circle, and Vicki will be featured in an interview in Tom's upcoming book, Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood. Once I get a chance to review Tom's book, I figure Vicki will join our three other girls in the banner ads, and then all will be well.

The King Returns to DVD-and so does Gail Gerber
Mood:  cool

Hello,

I apologize as news has gotten relatively slow since my explosion of interviews earlier this year. However, for those who are fans of Gail Gerber, two of the films she starred in have been rereleased (one of them for the first time on Region 1 DVD).

Earlier this month, Warner Home Video released several major titles featuring the films of Elvis Presley. Gail Gerber starred in two of these titles: the 1965 film Girl Happy, and then later that year in Harum Scarum. Both are widely available, and can be found at local DVD stores, and online at places such as Amazon.com.

Special thanks to our good friend Tom Lisanti at Sixties Cinema for supplying this image of Gail. The full image will be added shortly to Gail's Fan Gallery.

Updates to begin pouring in (Part 4)-Joe Turkel's interview is now up.
Mood:  caffeinated
Hello again,

Today, I post the last of my (current) interviews to the site. When I attended the Hollywood Autograph & Collector's Show last month, I got to ask a few questions with Joe Turkel. Joe has appeared in 3 of Bert I Gordon's films, and it was nice to be able to ask him a few questions about his role in Village of the Giants. You can read Joe's Q&A in the 'Interviews' section of the 'Information' link.

I've also gone in and alphabetized the folder images in the 'Interviews' page. I plan to see if I can get ahold of several more people to interview in the coming weeks. If any new interviews come up, I'll post the info here in the Blog.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.