SEMINARS
There is more to enjoy at the Nostalgia Con than meeting Hollywood celebrities and shopping with vendors. The event room offers slide show seminars hosted by historians, authors, professors, magazine editors, and museum curators. You do not have to attend all of these events but we do recommend you take a moment and look over the schedule and plan to visit the seminar room sometime during your visit. Some of these events are so popular that the room fills pretty quickly!
THURSDAY
9:00 am EVE ARDEN AND OUR MISS BROOKS
To be announced.
10 am THE LIFE AND MANY CAREERS OF NELL O'DAY
She was a singer, a dancer, a vaudevillian, an actress in four venues [stage, theatrical films, industrial films, television], a model, a daring equestrienne, a scenarist, a playwright, a magazine author and editor, and a ghost writer, all wrapped up in her 5-foot-3-inch 105-pound frame. And for almost four decades, she entertained millions of all ages in all walks of life. For cowboy fans, she was known as Johnny Mack Brown’s unflinching, horse-riding leading lady in his B Westerns of the 1940s. She was the female lead in the 1942 cliffhanger serial, Perils of the Royal Mounted, supposedly ghost wrote The Monster Maker (1944), and was rescued by George O'Brien in Smoke Lightning (1933). Her story has never been told until now. Historian Merrill McCord wrote a book documenting her career and he will present us with a slide show presentation about her.
11:00 am HOW TO SPOT FAKE PREMIUMS
Larry Zdeb, to be announced.
12 noon MOVIE STILL IDENTIFICATION PRESENTATION
An extremely fascinating presentation about identifying the actors and actresses in old movie stills. Anyone who has read magazines, books, or even collected photos of old movie stars knows that there is a small hand-written white code scribbled on the bottom of most black and white photos from the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s. Believe it or not, those are codes. And two people made it their life-long project to crack the codes. Today, if you have a photograph and cannot identify what movie the photo is from, or who the actor or actress is, they can. For a fascinating full hour you can learn all about those codes and how you, too, can perform a small feat of magic.
4:00 pm THE GOTHAM RADIO PLAYERS
The Gotham Radio Players specialize in performing re-enactments of “lost” radio scripts from the Golden Age of Radio, programs for which no recording exists and which have probably not been heard since their original broadcast more than 60 years ago. This year the group will perform an episode of Dragnet from August 2, 1951, titled "The Big Cop," which does not exist in recorded form. A rare treat for those who love the series!
5:00 pm INTERVIEW WITH CELEBRITY GUESTS
To be announced.
6:00 pm DARWIN GOES HOLLYWOOD: EVOLUTION IN THE MOVIES
Hosted by Frank Dello Stritto. Movie-makers rush in where others fear to go. Controversy over Darwin’s theories surged in the 1920s with the Scopes Monkey Trial, and then came the first horror movies based on evolution. A rocky start and a long retreat, but Darwin came back strong with the science fiction craze of the 1950s. The movies’ love-hate relationship with evolution is a surprising tale.
9:00 pm SPECIAL SCREENING OF [TO BE ANNOUNCED]
To be announced.
FRIDAY
9:30 am CLAYTON MOORE AND THE LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER
In 1975, actor Clayton Moore, best known as The Lone Ranger on television during the 1950s, and who traveled across the country playing the role in costume for auto dealerships, shopping malls and other public appearances, received a letter from the copyright holders, requesting he cease wearing the black domino mask in public and cease representing himself as The Lone Ranger. A new movie was soon to go into production, The Legend of the Lone Ranger, starring Klinton Spilsbury, and the producers felt the general public might be confused as to who was The Lone Ranger on the new movie. Clayton Moore continued making public appearances, but honoring the request by wearing dark sunglasses instead. As a result, fans of Clayton Moore started national boycotts against the soon-to-be release big-screen motion-picture. A comic book was produced in an effort to "save the mask." A disco record was produced with Clayton Moore's voice in the soundtrack. For one season the Texas Rangers hired Clayton Moore to ride onto the field on a white stallion as the major league baseball team's official mascot. The court of public opinion was on the side of Clayton Moore. Behind-the-scenes, however, there was much more to the story. With archival photographs (never before published) the true story of a battle between the movie producers and a television actor made nationwide headlines will be presented in this fascinating slide show presentation.
10:30 am A HISTORY OF CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT
Larry Zdeb, to be announced.
12 noon OLD-TIME RADIO TRY-OUTS
Try your hand at playing a role on stage with script, sound effects and microphones. Open to anyone who attends the tryouts at 12:30 p.m. Win the role and you get to perform on stage!
3:00 pm OLD-TIME RADIO RE-ENACTMENT
Drama to be announced.
4:00 pm CHARITY AUCTION FOR THE ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
Have a few things about the house that you want to get rid of? Bring it to the convention on Friday and put them on the auction tables. All items will be accepted and every dollar raised during the sale of the auction items will help benefit children with treatable cancer. Bring your checkbook because you can make payment out to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, should you bid on items. (Please consult a CPA regarding tax deductions.) This year we are asking people NOT to donate audio cassettes or VHS videos, since no one is bidding on them during the auction. Thank you!
5:30 pm INTERVIEW WITH CELEBRITY GUESTS
To be announced.
8:00 pm OF MICE AND MEN: 1939's MOST HAUNTING FILM.
1939 was the Greatest Year of the Movies, and no film took on taboos more bravely and moved audiences more emotionally that year than did Of Mice and Men, starring Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney, Jr. This power-point presentation, based on Greg Mank's recent book Of Mice and Men: Mental Enfeeblement, Racism, and Mercy-Killing in 1939 Hollywood, accesses studio archives untouched for over 80 years to tell the fascinating saga behind the production, shooting, and reception of this 1939 Best Picture Oscar nominee. The presentation provides many rare pictures of the film-in-production. (Greg Mank will also be selling copies of his book on Of Mice and Men, as well as others of his books). After the presentation, there will be a special screening of the movie.
SATURDAY
9:00 am PRIME TIME TELEVISION AND THE 1960s.
Author and cultural historian David Krell takes you on a fun, interactive journey through the 1960s as he uncovers the power of TV and how it impacted and reflected American culture. Audience participation is encouraged. There will be a quiz with prizes!!
10:00 am A HISTORY OF QUINCY: THE TELEVISION SERIES
James Rosin, to be announced.
11:00 am RED SKELTON's COMEDY CENTENNIAL
Mark Kratzner, curator of the Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy, will host a slide show presentation featuring all stages of Red Skelton's career from performing as a young boy through his time on stage, radio, film and television. For more information about Mark Kratzner and the museum, visit here: https://redskeltonmuseum.org/team/mark-kratzner/
12 noon METRO WASHINGTON OLD-TIME RADIO CLUB
You do not have to be a member of the old-time radio club to attend their monthly meeting. The group gathers together for review of a classic old-time radio broadcast, demonstrate a brief sketch on stage complete with special effects, and other interactive activities. And, of course, you can sign up to become a member of the club after the meeting and get their bi-monthly newsletter. (Or you can visit the club website and sign up in advance at www.mwotrc.com)
1:30 am A CHRISTMAS CAROL ON RADIO
Craig Wichman, to be announced.
7:00 pm SATURDAY NIGHT DINNER BANQUET
(6:30 pm SEATING, 7:00 pm SERVING)
All you can eat buffet with live stage entertainment! Tickets always sell out for this event. This is a great way to close out the weekend. Details of this year’s entertainment to be announced. A great way to close the weekend of excitement. The dinner banquet is the only event that requires a separate fee and is not included with general admission. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance, sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. (Which is why we recommend you purchase your tickets in advance.)