January 21 – January 28 (2024)

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

One of the earliest memories I have from childhood are the times I spent with my folks at the drive-in movie theater. My mom and dad would make up a little bed for me in the back of the car, cook their own popcorn and go to the movies. One early memory I have is hearing the song “Michelle” by the Beatles on the speaker before the movie started. I remember liking the song quite a bit. Another “less pleasant” memory I have is seeing a very scary scene on the screen that has haunted me since I was 3 years old. I’ve always carried the image with me of a woman taking a bath on the left side of the screen (facing the camera), while a green Frankenstein stood in a doorway behind her on the right side of the screen. I remember feeling that she was so vulnerable and had no idea he was behind her. I always wondered what movie that mental image was from. But a few weeks ago Svengoolie on ME-TV ran the 1964 movie “The Evil of Frankenstein” starring Peter Cushing. When I saw clips from that movie I realized that this might be the movie! The Frankenstein monster was large and green. I’m sure my folks didn’t see the actual movie at the drive-in, but the trailer could very possibly have run before the main feature. And that’s what I might have seen. Plus, the film’s 1964 release date would have definitely coincided with my early 3 year old memory. I got curious, so I looked at the trailer for the film on YouTube. VOILA! At about a minute into the trailer there’s a shot very similar to the one I remembered! Except the girl is not in a bathtub, but rather in bed. But she IS on the left side of the screen looking very vulnerable. On the right side of the screen a giant green Frankenstein monster crashes through her bedroom door. This could be the very shot I’ve been remembering, and I think it most likely is. I’m glad to have finally found it after all these years, so I ordered the film on Blu Ray and I’ll be watching the whole thing soon!

Led Zeppelin was a very versatile band, and when they broke out the acoustic guitar and mandolin for “Going to California” it sounded quite different from their harder rock sound. I love this song!

Monday the 22nd – RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY! – Since it was a rainy day I slept most of the day. Meanwhile, my pal Brittney Powell was holed up in the Puppet Room studying her materials for the convention she’d be appearing at over the weekend. Once I finally got up we decided to go to Panera to get lunch. By then the rain had subsided, and it was a gorgeous day; sunny in the western half of the sky, and still dark and cloudy in the eastern part of the sky. I got some groceries and then headed back home to put them away. I did some work around the house, recorded my auditions, typed out Wally’s Week, did my nightly WOG (walk/jog), made a salad and watched another episode of “Boris Karloff’s Thriller.” I’m really liking this show!

Tuesday the 23rd – REUNION! – Since the rain has gone, cue the wind. It was pretty windy all day, and I was feeling pretty lazy. I did a few auditions, did some work around the house, and then later Brittney and I went to Miceli’s to meet with friends Sara Raftery, Edi Lurie, and Daniel Roebuck. It was lots of fun seeing everyone and eating some fine food. We came back to Planet Wallywood and Brittney headed to the Puppet Room to retire for the night. I did my nightly WOG and spent some quality time in the anti-grav chair observing a mostly-full moon in a clear sky. As I was sitting there relaxing and meditating, I heard someone approaching. It was a guy with a skateboard (who was cutting through our complex) and my presence scared the daylights out of him. Maybe he’ll find a different route to take next time. I went inside to do some work and then hit the hay.

Wednesday the 24th – REUNION 2! – For most of the day I hung out around the house. Brittney was out to dinner with her ex-husband Kevin and his wife Marilyn. Later they came by for a tour of Planet Wallywood and we got involved in some serious (and fun!) nerd talk. After they left I recorded my nightly auditions, and then my friend Amanda came by to visit and say hi to Brittney. After we got caught up on all the goings-on I set out on my nightly WOG. It was a stunning, beautiful, overcast night. After my exercise I sat in the anti-grav chair enjoying the silence. The layer of overcast helps deaden the sounds of the city and the freeway and makes for a silence that’s delicious and deafening. Then a light misting of rain started, which was delightful.

Thursday the 25th – PRETTY MUCH THE PERFECT DAY! – Today was one of those amazing days where everything is perfect. It started with some last-minute auditions, and then Brittney and I went over to a restaurant called Tocaya to meet with my pal Rob Klein. He wanted to meet Jim Pierson, who’s the expert in all things pertaining to the show “Dark Shadows.” As a collector, Rob had a lot of questions about where a lot of the props and costumes from the show ended up. It was a wonderful 2.5 hour meeting that seemed like it was a half hour. Time flies when you’re enjoying nerd talk with friends! Brittney sat back and ate her lunch and just observed, and said later that she wished a camera would have been running. It was a show in itself! I stopped by my box to get my mail, and then we stopped by CVS so Brittney could pick up some crazy hair coloring for a first-night party at the convention she would be hosting. I drove her to the host hotel for the convention, helped her carry in her bags, and helped her check in. We said our goodbyes and I headed over to the studios of Alex in Wonderland to pick up my finished Count Von Count 2.0 replica Muppet. While Alex finished the overlaps on his mouth we sat and chatted about a crazy project she had just finished involving a 30 foot dragon! Watching her work her magic with his mouth overlaps made me glad I didn’t do it myself! I sped home and my buddy Drew Massey arrived to sculpt the Count’s fangs out of foam rubber. It literally took him about 20 minutes to create two beautiful, perfectly symmetrical fangs for the Count. Again, I’m glad I didn’t do these myself as it would have taken me a long time. I’m loving the fact that my “final” Muppet replica will essentially be a “family affair.” A lot of friends of mine had a hand in his creation. Steve Troop made the foam head, Sergio Lopez put all the hair on, Drew Massey sculpted the fangs, Maggie Roberge did the sewing on his face, and Alex in Wonderland did the entire costume. I did all the rest of the stuff, including making his nose and eyebrows, the eyepieces, the mouth plate, his ears, and tongue. I’m very happy with how he turned out. My perfect day ended with a sumptuous dinner at Chin Chin with a beautiful lady. Angi stopped over so we could go to dinner. Delicious! I got back home and did my auditions, and then took my WOG. It was too cold outside for relaxation time in the anti-grav chair, so I came inside to lock down for a few days of rest. I needed to not talk for a few days to try and get my voice back. I’ve been having trouble with it since I caught the “Con Crud” after I came back from Florida a few weeks ago. Oddly enough, other people I know who also had gotten sick were suffering from recurring voice problems too. I made a salad and watched another episode of “Boris Karloff’s Thriller.”

Friday the 26th – I “FANGED” IT UP! – It sure was nice to have a day off! I slept most of the day, and even though I rested my voice it still wasn’t back 100% yet. Later I made a pattern for a tongue for the Count. The first version was too big, the second version was too small, but the third version was just right. I layered two pieces of felt together with spray glue, and then cut the tongue out of the fabric. It looked great. I measured for “dead center” in his mouth, and glued the tongue in accordingly. I put stick pins on the front of his face where I thought the fangs should go, and then I took my nightly WOG. I wanted to spend some time thinking about it before I actually attached them to the puppet. I came back inside after my exercise and glued the fangs in. But after about an hour I started looking at them repeatedly and realized that they were just a little too close together. RATS! I thought about the possibility of just living with them the way they were. But I couldn’t rationalize it. Like I always say, in puppet building sometimes 1/32 of an inch can make all the difference. So I tore them out of the mouth before they got too set in the mouth, and remounted them. PERFECT! I’m sure glad I redid them. In the spot where the fang were sat two little tiny glue spots, which were easily covered up by matte black paint. It’s important that the fangs be placed in the exact spot to look authentic. Each fang sits perfectly on either side of the widest post of his nose. Together, the fangs perfectly frame the Count’s tongue! Correct placement of the fangs is very precise if you’re going to achieve the proper look. When I was done with the puppet I got busy making his support stand. By the time I finished everything the sun was coming up. I made a “Saturday Night Super Saint Salad” even though it was Friday night. Because I would have to be up early on Sunday morning for the Pasadena Comic Con I wouldn’t be able to do my usual viewing of “The Saint” on Saturday night. So I moved it up one night instead. I took my salad upstairs and watched an amazing two-part episode of “The Saint” that was amazing. It was fun staying quiet and working on stuff all night, and my voice was sounding much better because of all the voice rest.

Saturday the 27th – DANNY, DINNER & DRESSING UP! – By late evening I phoned my pal Dan Roebuck and asked him if he wanted to grab dinner at Paty’s. He drove over and joined me and we had a delightful dinner on the patio. He doesn’t spend that much time in L.A. anymore, so it was great to see him. He’s in town through the month of February working on a TV show. After dinner I came home to finalize the Count for his appearance at the Pasadena Comic Con on Sunday. I took a lint roller to his tuxedo, because it had a lot of residue on it. I got some safety pins out and attached his right hand to his “skirt” (the section of fabric on the bottom of the puppet under his jacket). A while back I stuffed his right hand with armature hands made from foam rubber and armature wire. This allowed me to pose his hand in any way I prefer. Then I took a large garbage bag and masked him off entirely, save for the hair on the top of his head. I “shellacked” it down pretty good, and then I masked off the puppet again so only his goatee was exposed. I sprayed that down very well so it wouldn’t frizz out. Then I went to the garage and picked out the perfect box to carry him around in. It would have been cool to make it look like a coffin, but I didn’t have time. Then I prepped some clothes and items for the convention the next day and hit the hay.

Sunday the 28th – PASADENA COMIC CON! – After getting up fairly early to get ready I got completely prepared for the day. Though the convention started at 9am I didn’t feel the need to be there until about 11 or so. Adam West always told me that he liked to arrive a little late to a convention to let a little crowd build up. Nothing’s worse than going in and sitting there at your table alone for a while. My pal Officer Mark came over in his brand new SUV and we packed it up with my stuff. We had a great drive to Pasadena, got parked and went into the convention around 11 on the dot. One of the first people I saw after I checked in was my pal Maggie, who guided me to my table to help me get set up. My assistant for the day Kraig was all ready to help out and get us going. There was a small line already formed and we hit the ground running. After about an hour I met a nice couple, and I commented on how much I loved his girlfriend’s mode of dress; very gothic. She was dressed all in black with a batwing purse! I just knew that was the perfect opportunity to bring out Count Von Count 2.0! We got some fun pictures and goofed around with some of the people in line. My gal Angi arrived at the convention and sat in our area to observe. My pals Alex and Mike from Alex in Wonderland arrived with a special gift that we were going to present to Sid Krofft later. Sid helped to create many of the Saturday morning shows I loved as a kid, and most of them involved puppets. Some friends of Officer Mark’s arrived, and their son is an avid Kermit and Muppet fan. He brought Kermit up to my table to chat with me. Then I brought out Count Von Count and the two chatted like the old pals they were. It was great fun, and it’s especially wonderful to see a young, aspiring puppeteer. When there was a break in my line I texted Mike and met him at Sid Krofft’s table. Mike has the molds for one of the original Sleestak headpieces that were used in the show that Sid co-created called “Land of the Lost.” We made up a copy for him and put it on a really neat base. Sid was absolutely blown away! I saw a lot of my favorite people at the convention; both Voice Actors and con-goers alike. It was a marvelous day! Angi and I got a chance to walk around and do a little shopping. The con ended at 5 and I stayed until the very end. Then Officer Mark and I headed to Paty’s, followed by Angi in her car. We had a fantastic dinner on the patio as we all “came down” from a very hectic, but FUN day. Angi brought me home and I went inside to relax, unwind and unpack. Later I did some auditions, and took my nightly WOG. Afterwards I sat in the anti-grav chair and marveled at the gorgeous, clear night. The weather was still pretty nice and I enjoyed some beautiful meditation time out in the peace and quiet. I came back inside and made some tomato soup and a sandwich and watched another episode of “Boris Karloff’s Thriller.” What a fantastic week filled with friends, food and fun!

And how was YOUR week??!!

PIX FROM THE WEEK

My dad’s 89th birthday is coming up next week, so I bought him two new caps from his alma mater college Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota! He loves them!

Fun food and friends – Dan Roebuck, Sara Raftery, Brittney Powell, Edi Lurie, and myself.

When I saw this shot in the episode of “The Saint” last Friday I literally clapped in admiration. Roger Moore as Simon Templar aka The Saint is perfectly framed in the halo of a Mary statue. Brilliant shot!

Since I’ve done a lot of con appearances in the L.A. area within the past few years, I’ve decided to take a break from L.A. area shows for a while . The Pasadena Comic Con last Sunday was the last one I’ll be doing in the Los Angeles area for the immediate future, but it sure was fun. And I met a lot of great folks at the show. And my assistant Kraig and I were ready to hit it!

Alas poor Silver Psycho Ranger, I knew him well!

One fan had an amazing “Bleach” poster signed by most everybody!

This young lady was wearing a custom-made dress that was a nod to Tallest Purple from “Invader Zim.” She promised me she’d make a custom-made dress after MY character Tallest Red in the future.

Count Von Count leapt out of his coffin when he saw this gothic young lady!

Young puppeteer and Kermit fan Elijah delighted the crowd with his puppet prowess, and even The Count was impressed!

Elija’s family proudly watched him entertain the crowd with his Kermit the Frog puppet!

It’s always fun when fans get into doing goofy photo ops…like Brandon here.

Mike McGee presents Sid Krofft with a copy of an original Sleestak headpiece from Sid’s show “Land of the Lost.” Sid LOVED it!

It’s always fun to perform a puppet with Sid Krofft…the master!

Sid and I goof around with The Count while Butch Patrick of “The Munsters” looks on and laughs.

Maggie Roberge and Hunter pose with the Count, whom she helped fabricate.

It’s always great to see my pal Tom Kenny! The Count stopped counting all of Tom’s voices at 1,000. He got exhausted!

I will never get tired of looking at the sense of wonderment in the eyes of a child when I bring out a puppet. Look at that face!

I also will never tire of seeing all of the great merchandise that fans bring to the table from the shows I’ve worked on and the characters I’ve voiced!