ICFS.html

		A Report
		At Proctor's Theater, Schenectady, NY now It Came From Schenectady 24 Hour Sci-Fi Film Festival Copyright © 2008 by Barry B. Longyear

Book & Movie Emporium

The Write Stuff

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After an enjoyable drive from Maine in the fog, listening to Ransom's Andersonville Diary and arguing with our Garmin, we made it to Schenectady, checked into the Parker Inn next door to Proctor's Theater and were greeted by the two imps in the photo to my right. Peter Hughes (in the blue shirt and quasi beard) is the establishment's advertising director. The fellow in white is Richard Lovrich, who sent me the invitation. He is the art director. In the picture we are supposed to be aping the Yalta Conference, with me as Stalin. I don't think it worked. Peter and Richard then took Regina and me on a tour of the restored Proctor's theater.
			The theater entrance proper opens onto a mall which is part of the complex. Across the mall from this theater is the newer (and considerably less elegant) Proctor's GE theater, where most of the program was held.
Click on the image above to get some really neat wallpaper 1008 x 734, 328 KB		Kiss me, you fool.
A little before noon Regina and I said hello to the folks in line and signed a few things. Below is the entrance to the GE Theater and a shot of the initial wave of seat grabbers. Note the couches and easy chairs. Youth and enthusiasm notwithstanding, twenty-four hours is still twenty-four hours. In between, I am pleading my case.



		24 HOURS . . . AND JACK BAUER DIDN'T KILL ANYONE It was about as much fun as one can have without running afoul of the law. Twenty-four hours of science fiction films ranging from the good to the peculiar, but each one having it's own reason for being there (There was, in fact, always a bunch in there watching). It was terrific seeing Forbidden Planet on the big screen again, although the male-female relations in this flick reveal much about the 1950's that needs to be burned out of memory with a hot poker. Then came Enemy Mine. After my hasty introduction I beat it out of there to boil my old truss (amazing how many persons like that film. Aliens are among us, and they are citizens!) I came back for A Boy And His Dog, from the Harlan Ellison story, and I was amazed at how little I remembered of the film. Still love that ending, though. While the audience was pummeled with A Clockwork Orange, Richard took Regina (who won't watch the film) and me out to dinner at Parisi's Steakhouse where we all had religious experiences (good ones). There we were joined by Richard's spouse, the lovely Lynn, and Richard had an allergy attack. Most entertaining. After returning to the theater it was time for my appearance. I read the introduction to my collection, It Came From Schenectady, in which are gathered a bunch of my stories along with descriptions of from where the ideas for each story came. I also explained how, although the book was in part dedicated to Harlan Ellison, I had neglected to credit him with originating Schenectady as the source for writers' ideas when asked that eternal question "Where do you get your ideas?" Good that I did, too, for immediately after my bit, they showed Dreams With Electric Teeth, a kick-ass documentary on the life, career, attitudes, burdens, biases, and bullsh. . . Well, it was about my friend Harlan Ellison. In it he recounted once more that the mother lode of science-fiction ideas was that post-office box in Schenectady. (I wish he could have heard how he was cheered and applauded by that crowd. Stuff like that probably doesn't mean anything to Harlan, but it sure as hell beats running into the night like a cringing thief to avoid having to see Enemy Mine.) After that, I took questions and the town hall meeting filled the time until Electric Teeth went on. Then I went to bed, missing the one part of the program I really wanted to see: Blade Runner, the Director's Cut, presented in the restored theater. I did manage to see the 3-D version of The Creature From The Black Lagoon the next morning. It was introduced by guest and film critic Rick Belrosian of "Rick's Picks." The lights dimmed and the ensuing battle between my eyeware and the 3-D glasses, in addition to the migraine, reminded me why 3-D long ago went the way of the Dodo. I've put the main film program, as much of it as is available on DVD, up in Barry's Book & Movie Emporium. Any of the posters to the left will take you there. Look for Schenectady Film Fest Pix. At the end of this event, as the good-byes were going around, we all had the sense that this was something we all wanted to do again. Much planning, effort, and preparation went into putting on the film fest, and my thanks to one and all. It was announced that plans are in the works, folks, ideas are being kicked around, and if you would like to participate in the next It Came From Schenectady, get in touch with the Proctologists, er, the folks at Proctor's and respond to the blog. Let them know what you want to see and how you can become a part of the next It Came From Schenectady. Hope to see you there. Barry & Regina Longyear It Came From Schenectady 24 Hour SciFi Film Festival Under the heading of senior moments, it wasn't It Came From Schenectady that was partly dedicated to Harlan Ellison. Instead it was my satire Naked Came The Robot. I didn't check to make sure because I remembered it so clearly. Someone else, however, did check. Now that I think about it, I wonder if that post office box was in Poughkeepsie. Hmmm. Top of Page
	At Barry's Book & Movie Emporium: Most of the Film Festival program is available on DVD. See Schenectady Film Fest Pix in the Emporium (where you may also obtain your very own copy of It Came From Schenectady).

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