W. R. Miller
I've worked primarily in the entertainment industry as an animator, writer and storyboard artist, with two Emmy honors on The Simpsons. My articles have been published in Starlog, Comics Scene, Comics Buyer’s Guide, Animation Magazine, Animato! and the online Animation World Magazine. I have just completed the five-volume Batman: The Animated Interviews, published by BearManor Media. Works-in-progress: The Justice Dragon; The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook. Further details are presented at my webpage, https://wrmilleronline.com/about/
The Hall of Hush
So what could be funnier than the Cone of Silence? The Hall of Hush, from Get Smart, Again!
The Cone of Silence
A popular recurring gag for Get Smart! was the use of The Cone of Silence — which never worked. Hear for yourself:
Get Smart!
Here’s the fun opening to a popular 1960s comedy spy show, Get Smart!, starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon. This is from the first season: Third season opening: Fifth season opening: Get Smart, Again!: And this really cool theme from the movie remake:
Sir Mike of Breakfast visits Merlin
To call attention to the new season of Merlin, BBC One’s Breakfast program sent presenter Mike Bushell, in Camelot garb, to interact with the cast on location in France. Interesting way to promote a show. Here it is: http://youtu.be/y6MbfFchK9o
Making Return of the Jedi
Jamie Benning does it again. In his analysis of Return of the Jedi, he reveals the desire by Lawrence Kasdan and Harrison Ford to see Han Solo die, and why George Lucas opposed it. Find out the origin of the Ewoks and how they’re related to Wookiees. See deleted scenes. Fascinating anecdotes galore! All this […]
Building Empire: The Making of The Empire Strikes Back
Jamie Benning’s meticulously-researched documentary, Building Empire, is a delight. Featuring audio commentaries by Irvin Kershner, Gary Kurtz, George Lucas and the cast and crew, it reveals many interesting anecdotes and several scenes that didn’t make it to the final film. Available on Vimeo here.
The Loss of Earl Kress
I had a huge shock today. I learned, through Facebook, about the passing of one of the great writer-historians in the animation industry, Earl Kress. Jerry Beck at Cartoon Brew, Mark Evanier at Newsfromme.com and Steve Hulett at The Animation Guild pay tribute to a man who will sorely be missed. Here’s one of my […]
The Tax Collector from Space!
With the exception of about a dozen copies of Return of the Jedi Weekly, today I finished cataloging the Marvel Comics issues of Star Wars in both the U.S. and in the United Kingdom, for my Star Wars Reference Guide. In acquiring Star Wars comics, I’ve had to purchase sets to fill in the holes […]
“Head-Hopping” in Fiction
Author/editor Ray Rhamey objects to authors “head-hopping,” that is, obtrusively changing the point-of-view from one character to another in the narrative. For his blog, “Flogging the Quill,” he asked an executive editor of a New York publisher what he thought about the matter, here. Further comments from executive editor “Mad Max” Perkins, an unnamed “top […]
Darth Vader: Just Say “No”
Since today, September 16, 2011, marks the North American release (September 12 international) of the Blu-Ray editions of the Star Wars saga, it’s opportune to present one of George Lucas’s updates in Return of the Jedi. The first clip demonstrates Darth Vader’s disposal of the Emperor, without dialogue. The second clip is the new, “improved” […]
