Happy Birthday To Me!

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For those of you expecting this week’s column to be about the 1981 slasher film starring the dynamic duo of Melissa Sue Anderson and Glenn Ford, let me apologize up front and promise to put that on the back burner for a future entry. One year ago this week, Retrorama made its debut in the electronic pages of the Nolan’s Pop Culture Review webzine. True to my original goal, the fifty two weeks of full length columns that followed have upheld the pop culture balance of this website by covering films, television shows, toys, music, events, and personalities that most of the readers grew up with and/or admire in retrospect. This last year has been a most enjoyable ride for me and I appreciate the company of everyone who has joined me. On this first anniversary, I would like to throw out a few invitations that will hopefully make this an even better column in the future.

 

Nostalgia on Demand
In the very first installment of Retrorama, I pointed out that part of this column’s purpose was to provide information requested by readers of this website. Having been associated with the PCR since some time in 2000, I have seen many inquires to this site seeking details related to a particular movie, TV series, restaurant, store, person, or product. These requests seem to have tapered off in the past year, as the letter column itself has nearly dried up, but a few are still coming in and are addressed both in front of and behind the scenes. I would again like to welcome the regular readers and casual browsers of this site to send in any requests they have for items to be covered in this column. Also keep in mind that the Time Warp Toy Box will pop up again in December (if not sooner) so if anyone has some favorite Christmas items they would like to see mentioned here, just drop me an E-mail.

 

Forgotten Florida
One of the drawers of my electronic nostalgia file cabinet (ENFC for short) that has been threatening to explode lately is the one devoted to Florida theme parks and tourist attractions. While a few of these parks are still operational, the majority of them have been wiped off the face of the Earth by real estate development and the changing tastes of the public. In the near future, I will be digging into this drawer to cover some of this state’s lost attractions and I welcome any suggestions for ones you would like to see. I would also like to invite readers and contributors to this site to share their memories and photographs of these locations.

 

Calling All Collectors!
I have noted multiple times on this website that contributors have mentioned their collections of various ephemera. Now I would like to extend to everyone an opportunity to show off what they collect and tell us why. In the past, I have showcased items from my own collections but now I am offering space to anyone else who would like display theirs. Over the years, I have met people who collect everything from fine artwork to shower caps and every one of them has a story of why they enjoy doing what they do. This is your opportunity to tell your story of what makes collecting fun for you. This isn’t a contest to see who owns the most of whatever, but an opportunity for insight into what each of us enjoys. If there is enough interest, I will be happy to dedicate a future column or columns to the collecting habits of the PCR community.

 

One of the great advantages of writing an online column like Retrorama is its dynamic nature. I don’t use “Coming Soon” tags very often because I don’t normally plan that far in advance. With so much history to draw on, there are events happening every day that bring back memories and spark discussions on the past at a moment’s notice. I try to take advantage of these catalysts as much as possible, which means always remaining flexible. I have an ever-expanding list of topics to cover in future installments but very little is ever set in stone and there is ALWAYS room for more. To paraphrase the opening of the old Gerry Anderson series Stingray – anything can happen in the next seven days! See you next week!

 

For comments, suggestions, questions, or to participate in Retrorama in any way, please contact me in care of this website – Crazedfanboy1@aol.com, Attn: ED Tucker. Thanks!