Retrogram – theLogBook.com
39 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 months ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThe Official Site of What Tomorrow Looked Like Yesterday
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Episodes
Retrogram #7718: B.S.W.
May 28, 2023 12:00 - 34 MBThe week of May 2, 1977: Before the Dark Times, before the Empire – well, approximately three weeks before the Dark Times and before the Empire – television sci-fi is just doing its thing on both sides of the Atlantic, unaware that audience expectations are about to change drastically. Retrogram examines five shows that were on the air during one of the last few weeks before a little movie called Star Wars took the world by storm. (1:06:06) Right-click here and “save as” to download the p...
Retrogram #9060: What Did You Do During The Syndication Wars?
February 09, 2023 12:30 - 25.1 MBOh No, It’s The ’90s!: Ah, the ’90s – a decade that turned the broadcast industry upside-down. You know, just like every previous decade since broadcasting was invented. But Retrogram is about to start going there, so it seemed like a good time to talk about why so much ’90s genre TV was syndicated. And why the ’90s syndication landscape looks an awful lot like the ’20s streaming landscape. Why aren’t your favorite ’90s shows out on Blu-Ray? How far into the ’90s will Retrogram go? The an...
Retrogram #8347: The Day After The Day Of The Doctor
November 29, 2022 15:00 - 32.2 MBThe week of November 20, 1983: A world on the brink of what would likely be its last war. Instead of fighting that war, let’s dramatize it! Let’s also thwart evil plans to take over Earth by everything from cubes to evil warlords, and try to figure out if Doctor Who’s 20th anniversary had more intrigue on screen or behind the scenes. Hopefully this massive trivia bomb is the only one you have to worry about today. (1:08:55) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to a radia...
Retrogram #7152: 72 @ 50, Part 1
July 10, 2022 12:00 - 26 MBThe week of December 27, 1971: It’s been over 50 years since these episodes premiered. Was the world a better place? Was genre TV a better place? What color does a Dalek really need to be? And where’s Joe Corvin with my money? (55:23) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast so you can listen to it in your hearse that happens to have a handy human-sized secret compartment. Links: Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi! December 1971 in theLogBook’s Histor...
Retrogram #2214: The Little Black Bags
April 08, 2022 08:00 - 22.4 MBOne story, three times: Meet Cyril Kornbluth and his amazing Little Black Bag from the future – one of the best short stories in the history of science fiction, and a story that merited being told three times across three decades. (47:36) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to your little black bag. Links: Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi! February 1969 in theLogBook’s History Timeline December 1970 in theLogBook’s History Timeline Night Gall...
Retrogram #7342b: One More Survivor of the Saturday Night Massacre
November 09, 2021 08:04 - 7.48 MBThe week of October 14th, 1973: Wait, isn’t this the road we came in on? In honor of the late, great Dean Stockwell, it’s time for this short episode (previously a Patreon-only bonus show from the end of 2020) to get a wide release, taking a look at a Stockwell performance that has gone unseen by many for over 40 years. (14:55) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to your audio device, which probably bears more than a slight resemblance to Ziggy. Links: Feel free to...
Retrogram #8160: Blake’s 7 – A User’s Guide
August 23, 2021 08:18 - 22.5 MB1978-1981: With Britbox (and Forces TV in the UK) bringing Blake’s 7 back to everyone’s screens, Retrogram presents a unique, “focus episode” to provide the show’s historical context, its literary and pop culture inspirations, its influence on what came after it, and an even-handed look at the pros and cons of the show…all without spoiling all of the show’s big surprises (and they are legion). Also, find out which Babylon 5 regular cast member had a role in a Terry Nation project! (47:38)...
Retrogram #2130: This & That Episode
August 02, 2021 04:50 - 17.2 MBThe week of July 26th, 2021: Commander Koenig and Dr. Russell sound completely different. Travis sounds the same (but which one?). Kolchak is about to be clearer than ever. Moonbase Alpha’s Eagles and little color TVs are getting smaller. It’s a very different kind of Retrogram. (35:58) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to something that hopefully has a better speaker than those tiny TV things. Links: Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi! Jul...
Retrogram #7913: Three Shows, Three Mile Island
July 16, 2021 08:00 - 23.7 MBThe week of March 26th, 1979: Wales is finally exporting the works of one of its finest storytellers to the small screen. Britain is exporting interconnected space operas, complete with space Vikings. And the U.S.? It’s exporting superheroes and a rare appearance by a genuine comics legend…but it’s keeping the nuclear fear to itself. (50:16) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to a communications device that’s hopefully smaller than a shoebox. Links: Feel free to ...
Retrogram #7725 – Actually, It’s All About Disappearances
July 01, 2021 09:26 - 19.9 MBThe week of June 20th, 1977: We’ve had Watergate, we’ve the Pentagon Papers, we’ve had a whole decade of conspiratorial thinking. And here in the middle of the summer of 1977, we have a whole week full of inexplicable disappearances – at least until Mark Harris and the plucky crew from Science Report show up. (42:04) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to the 1974 car stereo built into your Mars colony escape rocket Links: Feel free to help support the show at Patreo...
Retrogram #7723/7724 – The Love Child of Darth Vader and the Kool-Aid Man
June 20, 2021 09:13 - 20.6 MBThe weeks of June 6th & 13th, 1977: Star Wars is in, Elvis is on his way out, and so are the intrepid adventurers on The Fantastic Journey. But never fear, Exo-Man is here! This, surely, heralds the arrival of a hero for the future and for all time, a television icon whose exploits we’ll be following for years to come! (43:32) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to the audio system built into your walking tank…suit…thing. Links: Feel free to help support the show a...
Retrogram #8103: The Hawkman Cometh
April 12, 2021 06:55 - 32.4 MBThe week of January 12th, 1981: Hitchhikers, Hulk, Hawk, and Who, oh my! Buck Rogers returns with a new feathered friend, the Doctor has a new furry friend, and the stories from behind the scenes reveal what a miracle it was that any of these shows made it to our screens. (1:02:19) Right-click here and “save as” to download the K-9’s memory, which will only work in an alternate universe where, if you’re extremely lucky, it might be read by Peter Jones instead of me. Links: Feel free t...
Retrogram #8350: Automanimal!: When Glen A. Larson Ruled The World
March 15, 2021 04:54 - 31.6 MBThe week of December 11th, 1983: Every so often, a TV producer/creator comes along, so prolific that his output spans two studios, every network, and a sizeable chunk of the prime time schedule. But are they actually the same show? And what’s going on with this other thing with the puppets? (1:08:30) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to a computer that can play this podcast through your car stereo on command…oh, wait, that’s something that actually does happen now. ...
Retrogram #7636: Things To Watch While Landing On Mars
February 24, 2021 10:42 - 25 MBThe week of August 29th, 1976: Let’s say you’re heading for a landing on Mars, getting ready to do science stuff. You’re probably not thinking about the fact that you’re going to miss shows about alien men escaping the yoke of female oppression, treacherous shape-shifters, and big Helix energy. It’s a good thing Retrogram is here to help. (54:12) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to an organic computer powered by energy harvested from other beings’ minds. You know,...
Retrogram #6960: 2020 Gunn Salute
January 17, 2021 07:44 - 10.8 MB1969!?: An oft-unsung luminary of taking sci-fi seriously left us just before the end of 2020 – so Retrogram is turning back the clock further than usual to delve into the origins of one of his very few screen credits. The Immortal lives…again. (23:04) [player id=7204] Right-click here and “save as” to download this podcast. Show notes page: https://www.thelogbook.com/retrogram/show-6960/ Links: Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi! Get theLogBook & Retrogram swag a...
Retrogram #7601: Beginning The Bicentennial With The Brits
December 21, 2020 11:32 - 18.4 MBThe week of December 29th, 1975: A heavy metal giant is born, a future pro golf legend is born…and airports and airplanes are becoming unusually dangerous places to be. Sitting in front of the TV is much safer – but just because the U.S. is hurtling toward the big 2-0-0 doesn’t mean it has a lock on the fantastic. (39:45) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to a disembodied brain that we’re going to jam into Tom Baker’s head. Links: Feel free to help support the sho...
Retrogram #7060: The Case For Doctor Who Season 7
December 02, 2020 11:19 - 37.2 MB1970: The Doctor’s back. With a new face. In color! But his first story was being made by the last of the black & white era’s production team, and a new team would be taking over with an aim toward building social messages into their story. What were the expectations of the new Doctor and his new behind-the-scenes crew…and how were those expectations promptly defied? (1:19:10) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to your audio device of choice, which may be confiscat...
Retrogram #2033: Updates In Progress…
August 10, 2020 06:31 - 3.51 MBWhere did Retrogram go? Into its chrysalis, to grow some sweet-ass butterfly wings. Please stand by. (7:19) Right-click here and “save as” to download this podcast. Links: Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi! Music by Jahzzar If you like Retrogram, you’ll also enjoy Earl’s books about Doctor Who – VWORP!1 and VWORP!2 – and his first volume of a guide to Star Trek, WARP!1 – they’re in theLogBook.com Store!
Retrogram #9039: Leap, Creep, Sleep, Data, Sleep
July 06, 2020 13:07 - 17.3 MBThe week of September 24th, 1990: The nineties are here. The world’s getting complicated. Someone’s de-sliming Slimer. Sam’s finally made that leap hope… sort of. And the Borg have Captain Picard. It’s not lookin’ good…or is it? (37:23) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to Borg network. It’ll probably put ’em to sleep. Links: Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi! September 1990 in theLogBook’s History Timeline Star Trek: The Next Generation DVDs ...
Retrogram #7348: Saturday Morning Spectacular
June 06, 2020 09:01 - 17 MBThe week of November 25, 1973: It’s Saturday morning! Grab a bowl of cereal, curl up on the shag carpet in front of the TV, and get ready for a Saturday morning spectacular with Kirk, Spock, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Orson Welles, robots, extortionists, and…the guy from 2001, now with a moustache! (36:29) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to the robot of your choice. Links: Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi! November 1973 in th...
Retrogram #8810: Writers On Strike!
May 26, 2020 06:01 - 22.6 MBThe week of March 6th, 1988: Hollywood’s writers are about to hit the picket lines, leaving America’s couch potatoes with a much longer rerun season than usual. Just a page from the past, or a glimpse of our future? Ponder that as we revisit Alf, Captain Power, Probe, and The Highwayman, back in the spring of ’88 when these were going to be some of the last new shows we got for a while. (48:52) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to CROSSOVER, which will then probably...
Retrogram #7147: A Bunch Of Shows D.B. Cooper Missed
May 13, 2020 10:33 - 25.8 MBThe week of November 22nd, 1971: Somewhere in the world, a media tycoon is turning murderous to cover his tracks, a teacher is learning one of her students has spectral needs, a man is dying to meet the woman of his dreams, and a whole new country is happening in orbit. But all of this might just take a back seat to a guy jumping out of an airplane in mid-flight with a lot of money and a parachute. (56:00) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to the space station compute...
Retrogram #7516: Going Viral
March 27, 2020 20:09 - 29.7 MBThe week of April 14th, 1975: Pestilence, Cybermen, angry vegetation, and death – it was a week in 1975 that saw Doctor Who come up against a new show created by one of the writers most directly responsible for Doctor Who’s success, while a couple of genre shows for kids got pretty weird. Join us for a thoroughly British Retrogram…or avoid it like the plague. (63:14) [player id=6856] Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to a medium that will someday be interpreted by unsu...
Retrogram #7516
March 27, 2020 15:09 - 29.7 MBThe week of April 14th, 1975: Pestilence, Cybermen, angry vegetation, and death – it was a week in 1975 that saw Doctor Who come up against a new show created by one of the writers most directly responsible for Doctor Who’s success, while a couple of genre shows for kids got pretty weird. Join us […]
Retrogram #7001: Welcome To The 1970s
December 29, 2019 05:39 - 22 MBThe week of December 28th, 1969: The last days of the 1960s. The first days of the 1970s. It’s been fifty years since these shows premiered. Did our sci-fi and our spy-fi predict the future? Was any of it actually ahead of its time, or was it still just amazing that all three of these shows were being broadcast in color? Let’s rewind half a century and find out. (47:30) [player id=6826] Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to something that won’t self-destruct in five sec...
Retrogram #8644: Halloween LXXXVI
October 29, 2019 07:00 - 30 MBThe week of October 26th, 1986: 1986 A.T. (after “Thriller”) is upon us again, with spooky foes and even spookier friends, unearthly threats and the unexplained, and so many shows no one could complain. Join us now to watch aliens on the run, a shrinking family, Ewoks not having fun, travel through time, though time’s standing still, it might be Halloween forever, so feel the chill! (65:18) [player id=6799] Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast to your device, or any glow...
Retrogram #7130/7131: Apollo 15, Part 2
September 28, 2019 10:20 - 11.6 MBThe weeks of July 25th and August 1st, 1971: As Apollo 15’s crew unfurls the first lunar rover on the surface of the moon, the opening story of the UK telefantasy series Ace Of Wands is being broadcast for the first – and maybe last – time. This Retrogram recaps and reviews these two “orphaned” episodes – the only genre shows that aired in their respective weeks – and completes the story whose first part was examined in Retrogram #7129. (25:08) This Retrogram first appeared in July 2019 as ...
Retrogram #7436: Canyon Jumping
September 08, 2019 00:14 - 21.2 MBThe week of September 1st, 1974: A man prepares to fire himself across a quarter-mile-wide canyon in a rocket-powered motorcycle. A man and his children dodge dinosaurs. A man lies dying in sick bay, his only chance for survival hijacked by space pirates. A young man out joy-riding with friends in a stolen car could be driven to his death. One of these stories is true. The rest…are the stuff of Saturday morning TV legends. (46:00) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast befor...
Retrogram #8001: Welcome To The 1980s
August 29, 2019 14:46 - 32.7 MBThe week of December 30th, 1979: For a podcast that covers genre TV from 1970-1990, this is the exact midpoint: the first week of 1980. A week of classic space heroes, mistaken identities, and people in tights wearing bull heads…and maybe a tip-of-the-iceberg sighting of Hollywood’s propensity for recycling. (71:16) Right-click here and “save as”; store a backup copy on your robot and maybe Twiki can recover it later. Before it melts down. That time when both Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon ...
Retrogram #8828: Summer Scares
August 09, 2019 12:34 - 17.7 MBThe week of July 10th, 1988: The shuttle’s still grounded, the climate is changing, the needles are washing up on the Jersey shore, and the scares are syndicated. Retrogram delivers a double dose of televised terror from the blistering summer of 1988. Just don’t make a sound. Or smoke. (38:28) Right-click here and “save as”; and keep it down out there, you don’t want to attract the attention of your friendly local noise-eater. Links: July 1988 in theLogBook’s History Timeline Tales Fro...
Retrogram 7250: Would The Last Man On The Moon Please Turn Out The Lights?
July 29, 2019 16:20 - 27.2 MBThe week of December 10th, 1974: As the moon hangs over the horizon, and the crew of Apollo 17 hangs out at the moon – the last time humans would go there in the 20th century – gather around the TV campfire for three terrifying tales of levitating furniture, vicious dogs, and petrifying premonitions of things yet to come. As the final Apollo crew walked on the surface of the moon…this is what our imaginations fixated on. (53:10) Right-click here and “save as”; there might also be a copy in ...
Retrogram 7409: Houston, We Have Quite A Large Number Of Problems
July 19, 2019 13:53 - 38.1 MBThe week of February 24th, 1974: Daleks, telekinesis, nukes, O. Henry, and overwrought mission controllers, oh my! There wasn’t a mission to the moon in progress during this week in 1974…but there were a lot of shows…and a few of them were good. There was also the first-ever attempt to dramatize the Apollo 13 mission for television…which was less good. Warning: listeners will be subjected to double doses of Gary Collins and Harve Bennett in this Retrogram. (83:02) Right-click here and “save...
Retrogram #7129: Apollo 15
July 12, 2019 08:04 - 22.2 MBThe week of July 18th, 1971: As the crew of Apollo 15 prepared to go to the moon, it was a dead week for American genre TV…but still a lively one across the pond. Meet a magician named Tarot, and an alien-fighter named Colonel Ed Straker. One will face a new foe whose magic may be even stronger than his…and the other will face “you-foes” who have already made a backup copy of him. Oh, and one of these shows can’t be seen anymore, anywhere – it might as well be on the moon. (48:13) Right-cli...
Retrogram #8728: The Summer Of ’87
July 03, 2019 06:47 - 34.8 MBThe week of July 5th, 1987: A week picked by followers of theLogBook.com’s Facebook page! A week of orbital law enforcement, lycanthropy, astro-archaeology, and maybe even the devil himself. Travel back in prime time with us to the summer of ’87. (75:43) This episode has dropped early so it’s available for your holiday weekend road trip! Right-click here and “save as”; if anyone burns a CD of this show, make sure to leave it in a portable CD player for future astro-archaeologists to discov...
Retrogram Special: Life Lessons From Kerr Avon
June 21, 2019 07:13 - 42.8 MBA Great Big Fan Love Letter To Paul Darrow: Breaking the normal “one week” format of the show already seemed like a thing that had to be done to bid a fond farewell to one of the stars of Blake’s 7, and a memorable presence in so many other genre shows. Whether you’re a longtime fan or have never heard of the man, raise a glass to the man (and his utterly unmistakable voice) who was Kerr Avon on our screens. (93:11) Right-click here and “save as”; you can’t just have Orac intercept and dec...
Retrogram #8311: Nothin’ But Time Travel
June 07, 2019 07:22 - 32.8 MBThe week of March 13th, 1983: A quiet week of a busy year…so why all the time travelers? The Doctor drops in on King John, the Voyagers(!) drop in on “Wild Frank” Roosevelt, and Prince Erik Greystone drops into a whole haunted castle of trouble in the wrong month. Who’s the best time traveler? And who wound up in the best medieval castle? Do lutes really work well with analog synthesizers? And what’s the unlikely Simpsons connection in one of these shows? (71:20) Right-click here and “save...
Retrogram #7342: Saturday Morning Cartoons, Saturday Night Massacre
May 24, 2019 17:50 - 32.2 MBThe week of October 14th, 1973: Nixon fires the special counsel investigating him, the Earth gets yanked out of its orbit, there’s a giant Spock running around, the Six Million Dollar Man is running from nukes on foot, a bunch of children are running everything, aaaaaand…I think we just blew up the Earth. Sorry about that. Welcome to Retrogram, a retro genre TV podcast that travels back in prime time…one week at a time. (70:08) Right-click here and “save as”; 8-track tapes are not availabl...
Retrogram #1921: Rules Of The Retrogram
May 24, 2019 15:01 - 4.68 MBThe week of May 19th, 2019: What is a Retrogram? How does it come together? And how can I, as a listener, you may be asking, actually change the direction of the show? We’re so glad you asked. Show host Earl Green answers these questions and others…and invites you to take the controls and guide future Retrograms to TV destinations either phenomenal or painful! (10:00) (Player not working? Right-click here and “save as”; 8-track tapes are not available.) Links: Future episodes will feat...
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May 20, 2019 18:10 application/rss+xml; charset=UTF-8Subscribe to Retrogram via any of these feeds! RSS – Apple Podcasts – Feedburner – Google Podcasts – Spotify