THE MT VOID
02/23/24 -- Vol. 42, No. 34, Whole Number 2316

Co-Editor: Mark Leeper, mleeper@optonline.net
Co-Editor: Evelyn Leeper, eleeper@optonline.net
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Topics:
Middletown (NJ) Public Library Science Fiction Discussion
Group
Mark's Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March
(comments by Mark R. Leeper and Evelyn C. Leeper)
The Hugo Awards Controversy (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Terry Bisson (letter of comment by Peter Rubinstein)
WONKA (letters of comment by Gary McGath and Paul Dormer)
This Week's Reading (podcasts)
(book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)

===================================================================

TOPIC: Middletown (NJ) Public Library Science Fiction Discussion
Group

The only local meetings left are in Middletown, and they are
in-person. The best way to get the latest information is to be on
the mailing list for it.

Mar 7, 2024 ROLLERBALL (1975) & short story "Roller Ball Murder"
(1974) by William Harrison

<https://instruct.uwo.ca/kinesiology/378/files/essays/roller.pdf>

===================================================================

TOPIC: Mark's Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March (comments
by Mark R. Leeper and Evelyn C. Leeper)

During the daytime on Wednesday, March 20, TCM is running an entire
slate of horror/suspense films from what is known as the "Pre-Code
Era", that period before the enforcement of the Motion Picture
Production Code (popularly known as the Hays Code) in 1934.
Pre-Code Era films had more sexual references, more violence, more
drugs, stronger female characters, and generally stronger social
commentary than those that came after this period. (Although none
of them were as unrestrained as the films that have come after the
end of the Production Code--just watch the original 1932 SCARFACE
along with the 1983 remake.)

So here are the films they are running March 20, with TCM's
descriptions and our comments:

6:30 AM The Mad Genius (1931)
"A deranged ballet teacher will stop at nothing to keep control of
his protegee." We have not seen this yet, so have no additional
comments. Directed by Michael Curtiz and starring John Barrymore
and Marian Marsh.

8:00 AM Doctor X (1932)
"A reporter investigates a series of cannibalistic murders at a
medical college." This film has a very early use of both
Technicolor and Lionel Atwill, who went on to become a horror film
staple. Directed by Michael Curtiz, and also starring Fay Wray and
Lee Tracy (in a supposedly comedic role).

9:30 AM Svengali (1931)
"A hypnotist falls in love with a girl using his powers to turn her
into a great singer." Directed by Archie Mayo, with John
Barrymore and Marian Marsh reunited as the stars.

11:30 AM M (1931)
"The mob sets out to catch a child killer whose crimes are
attracting too much police attention." One of the classics of
cinema, it made Peter Lorre a star. Director Fritz Lang had
previously done DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER; DIE NIBELUNGEN: SIEGFRIED;
METROPOLIS; and WOMAN IN THE MOON, and after fleeing to Paris (in
1933) and later Hollywood (in 1934), became one of the great film
noir directors.

1:30 PM Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
"Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of a scientist who unleashes
the beast within." Directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring
Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, and Rose Hobart. When MGM made a
remake with Spencer Tracy in 1941, they tried to buy up all the
prints and suppress this version by Paramount, but most people
agree that the Frederic March version is superior.

3:15 PM The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
"A big game hunter decides to stalk human prey." It features Fay
Wray, Robert Armstrong, James Flavin, and Noble Johnson, who all
also appeared in KING KONG the following year, and which used the
same sets. In fact, director Ernest B. Schoedsack was the producer
(and uncredited co-director) of KING KONG as well.

4:30 PM Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
"True story of the mad monk who plotted to rule Russia." Directed
by Richard Boleslavsky, with a cast from a theatrical dynasty: John
Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore, and Lionel Barrymore. The same story
was made by Hammer Films in 1966 as RASPUTIN: THE MAD MONK, with
Christopher Lee as the title character.

6:45 PM Thirteen Women (1932)
"A mysterious Eurasian tries to murder the 12 boarding school
roommates who treated her like an outsider." We have not seen this
yet, so have no additional comments. Directed by George
Archainbaud, with Irene Dunne and Ricardo Cortez (that great Latin
lover, who was born Jacob Krantz and was the son of Austrian Jewish
immigrants--welcome to Hollywood!). (Okay, I guess that was an
additional comment.)

[-mrl/ecl]

Other films of interest include:

SATURDAY, March 2
4:00 AM Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
6:00 AM The Great Dictator (1940)

TUESDAY, March 5
8:00 AM A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

WEDNESDAY, March 6
5:00 PM America America (1963)

THURSDAY, March 7
3:00 AM Hamlet (1948)

TUESDAY, March 12
10:30 AM Transatlantic Tunnel (1935)
12:30 PM Things to Come (1936)
2:30 PM The Time Machine (1960)

THURSDAY, March 14
5:15 AM The Wasp Woman (1960)
5:30 PM Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982)

FRIDAY, March 15
12:00 AM The China Syndrome (1979)
2:15 AM Network (1976)

SUNDAY, March 17
5:30 PM Finian's Rainbow (1968)

THURSDAY, March 21
5:45 PM The Haunting (1963)

FRIDAY, March 22
6:15 PM Blithe Spirit (1945)

SATURDAY, March 23
12:00 AM Duel (1971)

TUESDAY, March 26
9:45 AM Green Mansions (1959)

WEDNESDAY, March 27
9:00 AM Tarzan and His Mate (1934)
11:00 AM King Solomon's Mines (1937)

SUNDAY, March 31
6:15 AM The Green Pastures (1936)
10:00 PM King of Kings (1961)

MONDAY, April 1
2:30 AM A Slightly Pregnant Man (1973)

===================================================================

TOPIC: The Hugo Awards Controversy (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)

The 2023 Hugo Awards given at Chengdu have been the subject of much
discussion, even in the mainstream media, when it was discovered
that the Hugo administrators had decided to proactively rule
ineligible any works or people who might offend the Chinese
government. This included BABEL by R. F. Kuang, which had won both
the Nebula and the Locus Award, and was considered the front-runner
for the Hugo.

If you want to read more about this, here are some links:

<https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/feb/15/authors-
excluded-from-hugo-awards-over-china-concerns>

<https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/17/books/booksupdate/
hugo-awards-china.html?unlocked_article_code=
1.W00.F5Uu.sK7pDvPrrZ1t&smid=url-share>

<https://www.vulture.com/article/
hugo-awards-china-censorship-controversy.html>

<https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a46612912/
science-fiction-hugo-awards-2024/>

<https://www.salon.com/2024/02/16/
hugo-awards-scandal-china-censorship/>

<https://gizmodo.com/hugo-awards-2023-eligibility-controversy-
apology-china-1851261196>

<https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/4474312-neil-gaiman-paul-
weimar-writers-excluded-hugo-awards-fear-offending-china-report/>

<https://www.facebook.com/share/oaznm7WrBLZQZxPQ/?mibextid=WC7FNe>

[-ecl]

===================================================================

TOPIC: Terry Bisson (letter of comment by Peter Rubinstein)

In response to Evelyn's comments on "England Underway" and THE
STONE RAFT in the 02/16/24 issue of the MT VOID, Peter Rubinstein
writes:

Is it possible that Terry Bisson spoke Portuguese? [-pir]

===================================================================

TOPIC: WONKA (letters of comment by Gary McGath and Paul Dormer)

In response to Evelyn's comments on WONKA in the 02/16/24 issue of
the MT VOID, Gary McGath writes:

Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY has some highly
disturbing features, yet somehow he gets a pass. A few days ago I
was struck by an item that crossed over elements of Harry Potter
and Charlie, and the former was presented as the one people might
not want to touch.

In the original version of Charlie, the Oompa Loompas were Africans
who were brought over and kept in isolation. They were slaves or
close to it. As I understand it, the new WONKA totally rewrites
this story.

Dahl's reaction to Khomeini's murder contract on Salman Rushdie was
to heap contempt upon Rushdie: "This kind of sensationalism does
indeed get an indifferent book on the top of the best-seller
list--but to my mind it is a cheap way of doing so." On another
occasion he said, "There is a trait in the Jewish character that
does provoke animosity."