Day: January 22, 1960

Categories
1960s Season 1 Twilight Zone

The Hitch-Hiker

The Twilight ZoneA highway blowout at high speed, which could be a fatal accident in the making, merely proves to be a good scare for young Nan Adams during her cross-country drive. As she waits for a new tire to be put on her car, she first spots him: a nondescript hitchhiker, beckoning to her from the highway. Even when she resumes her trip, she keeps seeing him, and fears losing her sanity. She’s afraid to stop for him, and yet he’s everywhere. Where does he want to go…or, more precisely, where does he want her to go?

Download this episode via Amazonteleplay by Rod Serling
based on the radio play by Lucille Fletcher
directed by Alvin Ganzer
music not credited

Cast: Inger Stevens (Nan Adams), Adam Williams (Sailor), Lew Gallo (Mechanic), Leonard Strong (The Hitch-Hiker), Russ Bender (Counterman), George Mitchell (Gas Station Man)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Classic Season 09 Doctor Who

Day Of The Daleks Part 4

Doctor WhoThe Controller convinces the Daleks to let him pressure the Doctor into revealing more about the human resistance, but this simply gives the Doctor and Jo an opportunity to escape and compare notes with their guerilla resistance fighters. In the 20th century, the Brigadier is left with no choice but to prepare Auderly House for Sir Reginald Styles’ imminent peace conference, unaware that one of the future guerillas is hiding in the basement with an explosive charge, attempting to avert Earth’s dark future by assassinating Styles, whose role in creating the future has been misinterpreted badly: it is Styles’ death that leads to a third World War, leaving future Earth vulnerable to the Daleks.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Louis Marks
directed by Paul Bernard
music by Dudley Simpson

Doctor WhoCast: Jon Pertwee (The Doctor), Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), John Levene (Sergeant Benton), Richard Franklin (Captain Yates), Jean McFarlane (Miss Paget), Wilfrid Carter (Sir Reginald Styles), Tim Condren (Guerilla), John Scott Martin (Chief Dalek), Oliver Gilbert, Peter Messaline (Dalek voices), Aubrey Woods (Controller), Deborah Brayshaw (Technician), Gypsie Kemp (Radio Operator), Anna Barry (Anat), Jimmy Winston (Shura), Scott Fredericks (Boaz), Valentine Palmer (Monia), Andrew Carr (Guard), Peter Hill (Manager), George Raistrick (Guard), Alex MacIntosh (TV Reporter), Rick Lester, Maurice Bush, Frank Menzies, Bruce Wells, Geoffrey Todd, David Joyce (Ogrons), Ricky Newby, Murphy Grumbar (Daleks)

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

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Season 1 Space: 1999

Missing Link

Space: 1999Koenig, Bergman, Alan Carter and Sandra Benes return from an aborted planetary excursion. Right after they report an unusual gravity phenomenon that almost caused their Eagle to crash on the planet, a similar force grips the Eagle and forces it down into a crash landing on the moon itself. But on Moonbase Alpha, medical scanners indicate that Commander Koenig didn’t survive the crash. And yet he’s alive and well, suited up and trying to wave the rescue Eagle down to the crash site – or is he? When Carter comes to, he sees the commander slumped over the controls, badly injured. But in his mind, Koenig has returned to Moonbase Alpha, though it’s darkened and seemingly abandoned. He makes his way to the main mission control center, activates the viewscreen…and sees an alien city. The environs of the moonbase melt away around Koenig, and he finds himself in an empty space with a humanoid being who introduces himself as Raan. Koenig is to be studied and subjected to experiments, as Raan believes that humans may be the missing evolutionary link in his own species. And yet, Koenig’s body is still in a comatose state, returned to the very-much-populated Moonbase Alpha. When Koenig is subjected to an elaborate illusion in which Bergman acts uncharacteristically emotional, he realizes that Raan is holding his mind captive – and doesn’t intend to release it.

Order the DVDswritten by Edward di Lorenzo
directed by Ray Austin
music by Barry Gray
additional music by Vic Elms

Guest Cast: Peter Cushing (Raan), Joanna Durham (Vana), Paul Morrow (Prentis Hancock), Clifton Jones (David Kano), Zienia Merton (Sandra Benes), Anton Phillips (Dr. Mathias), Nick Tate (Alan Carter)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Season 1 Wonder Woman

Formula 407

Wonder WomanMajor Trevor and Diana are assigned to fly to Buenos Aires on a top secret mission to meet with Professor Moreno, inventor of a chemical formula that makes rubber nearly impervious to physical attack. Despite Argentina’s official neutrality in the war, Moreno has quietly promised to hand the formula over to the United States. But German spies have also learned of the formula, and an undercover team of Nazis arrives in Buenos Aires at the same time – with intelligence that’s so up-to-date that they know Trevor is there for the same reason. Some of the Nazis quickly make their presence known, and Wonder Woman appears to fight them off. But other Nazi agents are already in Professor Moreno’s home, without announcing their true identities or intentions…and they’re more than happy to add Trevor and Wonder Woman to the list of prizes they hope to take back to Germany.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Elroy Schwartz
directed by Herb Wallerstein
music by Artie Kane

Wonder WomanCast: Lynda Carter (Diana Prince / Wonder Woman), Lyle Waggoner (Major Steve Trevor), Richard Eastham (General Blankenship), Beatrice Colen (Etta Candy), Nehemiah Persoff (Professor Moreno), Maris Pavan (Maria), John Devlin (Major Keller), Peter MacLean (Schmidt), Charles Macaulay (Ambassador McCauley), Maria Grimm (Lydia Moreno), Armando Silvestre (Antonio Cruz), Curt Lowens (S.S. General), Gary Cashdollar (Otto Dietrich)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Martian Chronicles, The

The Settlers

The Martian ChroniclesFebruary 2004: Even with the high cost in lives of the third manned mission to Mars, full-scale colonization of the red planet begins. Mankind is still unaware of the ongoing Martian presence. Mining begins on Mars, supporting the construction of buildings and roads. The invasion from Earth has begun.

The Martians stay hidden, observing and plotting, and occasionally trying to walk among the humans in disguise. One such disguise – the dead son of a couple who have moved to Mars – gives the secret away. A pair of monks nearly die in an avalanche, only to be saved by Martian intervention, though one of the monks is certain that it’s a sign of God, not a sign of alien life, and nearly goes mad trying to prove it. At a greasy spoon cafe established by one of Wilder’s former landing party members, a Martian appears in full ceremonial robes, only to be shot at point blank range. Another appear, seemingly surrendering any claim on nearly half of Mars. What no one on Mars realizes is that the red planet is soon to become humanity’s permanent home.

teleplay by Richard Matheson
based on the novel by Ray Bradbury
directed by Michael Anderson
music by Stanley Myers / electronic music by Richard Harvey

Cast: Rock Hudson (Colonel John Wilder), Gayle Hunnicutt (Ruth Wilder), Bernie Casey (Maj. Jeff Spender), Christopher Connelly (Ben Driscoll), Nicholas Hammond (Arthur Black), Roddy McDowall (Father Stone), Darren McGavin (Sam Parkhill), Bernadette Peters (Genevieve Seltzer), Maria Schell (Anna Lustig), Joyce Van Patten (Elma Parkhill), Fritz Weaver (Father Peregrine), Linda Lou Allen (Marilyn Becker), Michael Anderson Jr. (David Lustig), Robert Beatty (General Halstead), James Faulkner (Mr. K), John Finch (Christ), Terence Longdon (Wise Martian), Barry Morse (Peter Hathaway), The Martian ChroniclesNyree Dawn Porter (Alice Hathaway), Wolfgang Reichmann (Lafe Lustig), Maggie Wright (Ylla), John Cassady (Briggs), Alison Elliott (Lavinia Spaulding), Vadim Glowna (Sam Hinston), Richard Heffer (Capt. Conover), Derek Lamden (Sandship Martian), Peter Marinker (McClure), Richard Oldfield (Capt. York), Anthony Pullen-Shaw (Edward Black), Burnell Tucker (Bill Wilder)

Notes: Michael Anderson Jr. is the son of director Michael Anderson; he also appeared in Land Of The Giants, Psi Factor and an episode of the Highlander series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Radio Series

Episode 9 (Fit The Ninth)

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy: Secondary PhaseThough Zaphod has managed to escape the Total Perspective Vortex – at the cost, perhaps, of a bit of what’s left of his sanity – the Heart of Gold crew’s problems are only beginning. Ford notices that a Vogon fleet has been following the ship for some time now, but takes his time to notify Arthur or Zaphod of this fact. Though the Vogons are packing enough firepower to finish them off, they seem to be holding back for some reason. This is just as well, because Arthur as inadvertently set the Heart of Gold’s entire computer system onto the problem of why he should ask for real tea instead of synthesized tea, leaving the rest of the ship incapable of offering any kind of tactical or defensive help. When the Vogons do attack, however, Zaphod seeks help from the other side.

Order this CDwritten by Douglas Adams
directed by Alick Hale-Munro
music by Paddy Kingsland

Cast: Peter Jones (The Voice of the Book), Simon Jones (Arthur Dent), Geoffrey McGivern (Ford Prefect / Ventilation system), Mark Wing-Davey (Zaphod Beeblebrox), Stephen Moore (Marvin / Gag Halfrunt / Vogon guard), David Tate (Eddie / Vogon guard #2 / Vogon computer), Bill Wallis (Vogon Captain), Leueen Willoughby (Nutrimat machine), Richard Goolden (Zaphod Beeblebrox IV)

Categories
Buck Rogers Season 2

Journey To Oasis

Buck Rogers In The 25th CenturyThe Searcher is diverted from its exploration mission to ferry a Zykarian ambassador named Duvoe to a diplomatic summit on the barren planet R-4. In the neutral meeting place called Oasis, Duvoe hopes to prevent an interstellar war before the first shots can be fired. When Dr. Goodfellow craftily convinces Admiral Asimov to let him tag along to get a rare glimpse of R-4’s rumored abundance of mutant life forms, Hawk is assigned to protect him. The shuttle they depart aboard crashes in the wasteland far from Oasis, and Buck and the others escape just before the shuttle sinks into the ground. With no communications gear or power, and over Duvoe’s persistent protests, Buck’s party sets out for Oasis on foot – and Dr. Goodfellow has ample opportunity to witness the mutations of R-4 along the way. In orbit, Admiral Asimov and Zykarian Admiral Zeit grow increasingly suspicious of each other, as Earth is generally believed to be aligned with the Zykarians’ enemies. If word comes from Oasis that Ambassador Duvoe hasn’t reached the negotiations on time, war is inevitable – and Earth will find itself in the middle of the opening volley.

Order the DVDswritten by Robert & Esther Mitchell
directed by Daniel Haller
music by John Cacavas

Cast: Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers), Erin Gray (Colonel Wilma Deering), Thom Christopher (Hawk), Jay Garner (Admiral Asimov), Wilfred Hyde-White (Dr. Goodfellow), Felix Silla (Twiki), Jeff David (voice of Crichton), Mark Lenard (Ambassador Duvoe), Len Birman (Admiral Zeit), Paul Carr (Lt. Devlin), Donn Whyte (Raka), Felix Silla (Odee-X), Michael Stroka (Rolla), Alex Hyde-White (Technician)

Notes: The late Mark Lenard had already made his mark on SF TV as Spock’s father Sarek in the original Star Trek, and at the time of this episode’s production had recently donned the first lumpy-headed Klingon makeup to portray a member of that race in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Paul Carr, who begins a run as recurring character Lt. Devlin, appeared in the second Star Trek pilot, Where No Man Has Gone Before as Lt. Kelso; Devlin appears to be the nominal second-in-command of the Searcher after Admiral Asimov. Also, the character of Admiral Zeit may be an outcast from another SF TV franchise: he’s wearing Colonial Warrior insignia from Battlestar Galactica, which had been cancelled by this time. Judging by Odee-X’s voice, it would appear that Felix Silla was not only filling Twiki’s suit in the early part of the second season, but providing his voice too.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
KTMA Season Mystery Science Theater 3000

Experiment K10: Cosmic Princess

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The KTMA SeasonMST3K Story: Hoping to watch the Super Bowl, the Mads decide to send the movie (which is just two episodes of Space: 1999 stitched together) using an auxiliary transmitter they bought with the profits from the sale of “No-D” glasses. Later, Crow gives Joel a haircut and they engage in typical barbershop chit-chat. At a break, Crow cons Servo into testing the theory of evolution by trying to fly. Servo crashes, causing a disagreement between the Bots that lasts for some time. Crow and Servo begin to do Joel’s taxes, but are upset to learn that they are “business expenses”. When the movie finally ends, Joel, Gypsy and Crow play a little catch, culminating in Joel singing a horribly off-key rendition of “We Are The Champions” and the Bots getting into a tickle fight.

Cosmic Princess Story: A prologue tells us that in the year 1999, the moon was blasted out of its orbit around the Earth and hurtled off into space. Its only inhabitants, the crew of Moonbase Alpha, struggle for survival against terrible odds. First, the “Alphans” confront Mentor, an alien who is attempting to revitalize his dead planet Psychon by using the psychic energy of aliens who wander near. He captures an Alphan exploratory ship, feeding one of the crew’s minds into his “biological computer”, Psyche. Then he captures Moonbase Alpha’s leader, Commander John Koenig, along with Medical Officer Dr. Helen Russell and astronaut Alan Carter. Mentor plans to use the remaining Alphans to complete his goal. Mentor’s shape-shifting daughter Maya is unaware of the deadly affects of “helping” Mentor, believing her father’s methods to be benign. Koenig is able to convince her of the truth, allowing him to escape and defeat Mentor. With the destruction of his world imminent, Mentor pleads with Koenig to take Maya to safety. Later, Koenig and crew member Tony Verdeschi get trapped on the other side of a “space warp” that has sent the Moon millions of miles away from its previous position. Back on Moonbase Alpha, Maya is having hallucinations and is transforming into various deadly creatures in a delusional attempt to return to her father. She is eventually cured of her madness, just as Koenig and Tony find a way through the warp and rejoin Moonbase Alpha.

MST3K segments written by Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Josh Weinstein, Jim Mallon & Kevin Murphy
MST3K segments directed by Vince Rodriguez
Cosmic Princess written by Johnny Byrne & Fred Freiberger (as Charles Woodgrove)
Cosmic Princess directed by Charles Crichton & Peter Medak
Cosmic Princess music by Derek Wadsworth
additional music by Barry Gray

MST3K Guest Cast: none

Cosmic Princess Cast: Martin Landau (Koenig), Barbara Bain (Russell), Catherine Schell (Maya), Brian Blessed (Mentor), Tony Anholt (Verdeschi), Nick Tate (Carter), Zienia Merton (Sandra Benes), Anouska Hempel (Annette Fraser)

LogBook entry by Philip R. Frey

Categories
Season 02 Star Trek Voyager

Alliances

Star Trek: VoyagerStardate 49337.4: Under continuing attack from the Kazon, Voyager seeks an alliance. But when talks with the Kazon break down, Janeway opens talks with the Trabe, who are also trying to leave Kazon space. The Trabe once oppressed the Kazon, but they seem to embody Janeway’s ideas of Federation principles and they propose a meeting among all parties – including the Kazon. The meeting goes well until a ship opens fire upon the participants, exposing a new threat and dissolving the peace process.

Order the DVDswritten by Jeri Taylor
directed by Les Landau
music by Dennis McCarthy

Cast: Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway), Robert Beltran (Chakotay), Roxann Biggs-Dawson (B’Elanna Torres), Jennifer Lien (Kes), Robert Duncan McNeill (Tom Paris), Ethan Phillips (Neelix), Robert Picardo (The Doctor), Tim Russ (Tuvok), Garrett Wang (Ensign Harry Kim), Charles O. Lucia (Mabus), Anthony DeLongis (Jal Cullah), Martha Hackett (Seska), Raphael Sbarge (Ensign Hogan), Larry Cedar (Jal Tersa), John Geggenhuber (Jal Surat), Simon Billig (Crewman Jones)

LogBook entry by Paul Campbell

Categories
Season 1 Xena: Warrior Princess

Athens City Academy for Performing Bards

Xena: Warrior PrincessAfter telling stories in a tavern, Gabrielle meets a young man who tells her about a bard competition. The top four finishers in the competition will be accepted into the Athens City Academy For Performing Bards. The young man’s father tells Gabrielle that the competition isn’t for girls. Xena enters the tavern and informs her young friend about the people of Caramis having trouble with a cyclops. She’s surprised when Gabrielle wants to go to Athens. When the bard explains, the warrior offers her encouragement and leaves for Caramis. In Athens, Gabrielle runs into the young man she met at the tavern. He’s happy to see that she made it in time. Gabrielle introduces herself. But he hates his name and wants to be called Draco. But his new friend tells him about Xena fighting Draco. She thinks he should call himself Orion. At the first gathering of the competitors, a man suddenly runs forward and stabs the instructor, before leaping out a window. But the teacher isn’t dead. He had staged the attack as part of his lesson. But Gabrielle has ideas of her own about lessons and tells the story of Celesta’s capture by Sisyphus. The next day Gabrielle is giving pointers to Orion when one of the officials interrupts. They’ve discovered, with help from Orion’s father, that the young woman snuck into the competition and she is told to leave. Her new friends are unhappy about her having to go. Twickenam has an idea and tells the others about it. They ask Gabrielle to stay until the next day’s competition. To her surprise and that of the officials, the others refuse to compete unless she is allowed to stay. The great bard Gastacius is there for the judging and he wants to hear her tell a story. After her story, he insists that she remain in the competition.

Later when Orion has finished telling a story, his father appears backstage. He is disappointed in his son’s performance and demands that he start the story again for him. Orion becomes and angry and leaves. His father blames Gabrielle for his departure. She sets off to find her new friend to convince him to return.

Order the DVDswritten by R.J. Stewart and Steven L. Sears
directed by Jace Alexander
music by Joseph LoDuca

Guest Cast: Dean O’Gorman (Orion), Patrick Brunton (Stallonus), Alan De Malmanche (Docenius), Lori Dungey (Kellos), Joseph Manning (Euripedes), Grahame Moore (Polonius), Andrew Thurtell (Twickenham), David Weatherley (Gastacius), Bernard Moody (Drunk)

LogBook entry by Mary Terrell

Categories
Nowhere Man

Heart of Darkness

Nowhere ManContinuing to search through the information in a palmtop computer given to him by his ally within the conspiracy, Veil tracks down another person with a connection to the execution depicted in “Hidden Agenda” – a dangerous fanatic with radical views on political reform, and a militia-like cult whose members protect him with their lives. Veil may be able to get the information he seeks…if he can survive initiation into the so-called American Guard.

Order the DVDswritten by David Ehrman
directed by Stephen Stafford
music by Mark Snow

Cast: Bruce Greenwood (Thomas Veil), Scott Coffey (Gary), Patrick Kilpatrick (C.W. Knox), James Tolkan (Commander Quinn)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Season 02 SG-1 Stargate

The Fifth Race

Stargate SG-1SG-1 explores a destination where a remote probe recently discovered symbols matching a language that Daniel saw on the walls of the alien Rosetta stone discovered by Ernest Littlefield. But the stargate deposits them in a room with no visible exits. When O’Neill steps across a circle of similar runes on the room’s floor, a device suddenly erupts from one wall. Teal’c looks into it and sees only glowing lights, but when O’Neill peers into it, the device seems to grow until it envelops his head, and after he struggles to escape it, he falls to the ground, catatonic. Back at SGC, he seems to recover quickly, though his speech is increasingly peppered with words that no one can understand, until finally he loses the ability to speak or understand English. Daniel is convinced that O’Neill has somehow absorbed the knowledge of the Ancients, a race who he believes built the stargate network. But as O’Neill continues to lose his grasp of English, finally slipping into an entirely alien dialect (and hell-bent on building an alien device of unknown function), no one can figure out what he’s doing – or if it poses a threat to the SGC and Earth.

Order the DVDswritten by Robert C. Cooper
directed by David Warry-Smith
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Teryl Rothery (Dr. Fraiser), Tobias Mehler (Lt. Simmons), Dan Shea (Sergeant Siler), David Adams (Expert)

Notes: This episode introduces the concept of dailing a gate address with an eighth chevron to reach a location outside the Milky Way galaxy, as well as introducing the zero point module. Though the Asgard’s true form was glimpsed in Thor’s Chariot, this is the first time anyone from the SGC meets them in person; the Asgard’s claim that his race has studied humanity may be an allusion to the Asgard’s resemblance to the “Grays” of UFO lore.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Lexx Season 2

Love Grows

LexxStanley Tweedle takes the art of looking for love in all the wrong places to a new low. While monitoring communications frequencies, Stan sees a distress call from the women of the planet Orgasmo, claiming to need “assistance” from any available men in perpetuating their species. Stan nobly volunteers, tracing the source of the signal and setting Lexx on that course at top speed. However, the signal actually comes from a shipload of bored space truckers hauling a dangerous biological cargo. Lexx slams into their ship, and the toxic substance comes into contact with Lexx’s biosystems, which then ventilate it into the crew quarters. The space truckers themselves survive the crash and wind up inside the Lexx, but both they and those already aboard Lexx begin to experience an unsettling change – gender reversal. Suddenly, before he knows it, Stan can’t get away from Xev fast enough.

Order the DVDswritten by Jeffrey Hirschfield
directed by David MacLeod
music by Marty Simon

Guest Cast: Page Fletcher (Captain Jeben), Janet Wright (Lorca), Sam White (Rexel), Jeffrey Hirschfield (790), Tom Gallant (Lexx), C.J. Fidler (Nympho 1), Alison McMullin (Nympho 2), Sherry White (Nympho 3), Greg Cormier (Bound Man), Terry Nicholas (First Babe), Lisa Wong (Second Babe), Maury Chaykin (Pa)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Season 6 Xena: Warrior Princess

Dangerous Prey

Xena: Warrior PrincessAfter recieving an intivitation from Queen Marga, Xena and Gabrielle arrive in Amazon territory to find that she is missing. Varia isn’t happy to see them and thinks they should leave. Xena offers to hunt for the missing Queen. Gabrielle stays behind with the other Amazons. The warrior finds Marga, who has been seriously injured. The dying Queen asks Xena to look out for Varia. She thinks the young Amazon will be a good leader, but still has much to learn. Varia finds them just as the Queen dies. Xena notices that someone has carved a message into Marga’s leg. It seems that someone has decided to hunt the Amazons for sport.

Order the DVDswritten by Joel Metzger
directed by Renee O’Connor
music by Joseph LoDuca

Guest Cast: Tsianina Joelson (Varia), Sandy Winton (Prince Morloch), Craig Hall (Raczar), Sela Apera (Marga), Sara Whitman (Amazon #1)

LogBook entry by Mary Terrell

Categories
Season 06 SG-1 Stargate

Disclosure

Stargate SG-1The ambassadors of almost every major country are summoned to the United States for a top secret briefing. As the incredulous representatives listen, General Hammond reveals, at long last, the Stargate program, the existence of aggressive alien species known as the Goa’uld and the Replicators, and even the existence of allies such as the Asgard. General Hammond warns that an imminent Goa’uld attack may require international cooperation to defend Earth. But then Senator Kinsey arrives, trying to turn the ambassadors’ distrust of the SGC to his own advantage – on behalf of the NID. General Hammond is in the perilous position of losing what little support he has won by coming clean on the existence of the Stargate program, and has only one card left to play.

Order the DVDswritten by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
directed by William Gereghty
music by Joel Goldsmith and Kevin Kiner

Guest Cast: Francois Chau (Chinese Ambassador), Colin Cunningham (Maj. Davis), Garry Chalk (Colonel Chekov), Martin Evans (British Ambassador), Paul Batten (French Ambassador), Ronny Cox (Senator Kinsey),

Notes: Essentially a clip show with a framing story shot inexpensively with a small cast on a single set, Disclosure is notable for featuring only one regular cast member – Don S. Davis as General Hammond – in its new footage; the rest of the show’s stars appear only in clips from older episodes.

LogBook entry by Earl Green