A friend, a sitcom, and a museum, or, what I did on my summer vacation

It had been over a year since we'd had anything like a "vacation," which I understand is an extended period of time away from work and home, usually doing something enjoyable; and it had been nearly four years since we'd last done the convention circuit, which I'd started to miss, vaguely. During all that time, the closest we'd come to anything remotely fitting this description was the week we spent last year scouting areas for our move last November, and while that was fun, it was also work. (Paid off, though.)

Clearly, it was time for a change. And while we spent less than 36 hours away from home last weekend, it did include a night in a hotel, so I think that counts. More important than that, it was an occasion to visit an old friend and a new destination. The old friend was Carol Ford, author of Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography, and the new destination was the Liberty Aviation Museum, in Port Clinton, Ohio.

Carol was at the museum for her annual presentation on Bob Crane's life and career. Why Port Clinton, you may ask? Well, as it turns out, the Liberty Aviation Museum has the world's premier collection of Hogan's Heroes memorabilia, a wonderful mixture of artifacts, uniforms, photographs, and other items that would cause any classic television historian, let alone any Hogan fan, to start drooling. (Carefully, though, since if you got anything on Colonel Hogan's shirt or Colonel Klink's pants, Carol would have killed you.) You can learn more about the link between Hogan's Heroes and the Museum here.  

We live close enough to the Museum that we could see this display more or less any time, so for us the obvious draw was the chance to get together with Carol for the first time in—well, in almost four years, which is a disgustingly long time to go between visits with a bestie. But then again, there was the virus. I've got Carol's book on Bob Crane (here's my interview with Carol), but it's a pleasure listening to her talk about Bob in front of an inquisitive audience; combine an in-depth knowledge of a subject and a genuine enthusiasm for it, and you have an unbeatable combination. You can get an idea of it from this virtual presentation but trust me—it's much better in person. And while I'm sure someone out there will say I'm biased, my opinions on the book and Carol's presentation are objective. But I am biased; Carol's a sweetheart and a wonderful person and a dear friend, and my wife loves her too. I mean, how much more can one man ask for? And it won't be another four years before we get together again.

In the meantime, the Liberty Aviation Museum is a trip well worth your time, whether you're a Hogan's Heroes fan or not, with historic aircraft, military artifacts—everything aviation from old-time mail routes to modern airliners, and a great, friendly staff as well. I found myself fascinated by things I didn't even know I was interested in, and suddenly I have this great desire to go to YouTube looking for vintage Cleveland air races. It's one thing to find more about what you already know; it's something else to create an interest you didn't have. If that's the test of a great museum, Liberty fits the bill.

Here are more highlights from our weekend living the high life.

TV  

Around the dial

We'll get the week started with a look at bare-bones e-zine and Jack's Hitchcock Project review of Arthur A. Ross's tenth-season story "Thanatos Palace Hotel." Again, I haven't seen many of the Hitchcock Hour episodes so I'm not going to read ahead, but nobody does an episode recap better than Jack.

Night Gallery, Rod Serling's follow-up to The Twilight Zone, has its share of fans, but Serling himself was frustrated by his lack of control over the show, and only a handful of them can be considered anywhere near classics. One that is unquestionably a classic by any standards is Serling's bittersweet "They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar," which David looks at over at Comfort TV.

Apparently 'tis the week for episode recaps, and good ones at that—Cult TV Blog flashes back to a wonderful Steed-King episode of The Avengers, "Take Me to Your Leader." John coins a great word in his review: "Avengersification," the act of taking a relatively normal situation and transferring it into the world of The Avengers. Works for me!

At The Twilight Zone Vortex, Jordan gives a very candid review of the underwhelming fourth-season episode, "I Dream of Genie," which to its credit features a funny performance from the always-reliable Howard Morris. 

Our friend Carol Ford, author of Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography, is quoted in this week's Entertainment Weekly article on Crane's unsolved murder. "Tragic" can be an overused word, but I've always thought it appropriate for this sad story.

Do you remember the controversial Oprah cover of TV Guide back in 1989? That's the issue up for review this week at Television Obscurities, along with the programming highlights of the week, and a lot more.

I saw a half-hour or so of Twelve Angry Men on TCM the other night; it's a terrific movie, based on an original play by Reginald Rose for Studio One. At The Lucky Strike Papers, Andrew kindly refers back to a piece I'd written about that TV version (which featured what I thought was a compelling performance by Bob Cummings in the Henry Fonda role), and shares some thoughts of his own.

You should be back here tomorrow for the TV Guide review, but if not, enjoy the long Labor Day weekend, and let's be careful out there! TV  

The real Bob Crane: An interview with Carol M. Ford, author of Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography

For Carol M. Ford, a youthful interest in Hogan's Heroes and it's star, Bob Crane, developed over time into a desire to know more about him and, after his murder, a determination to set the record straight regarding the public's perception of his lifestyle and other facets of his personal life. Her "nagging drive," as she puts it, was to find the answer to the question: Who was Bob Crane?

As both a fan of Hogan's Heroes and an admirer of Crane, I was instantly interested in what she had to say, and so I was glad to have the chance recently to talk with this charming lady about these things and more, as we discussed her new book, Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography.