1970s

September 20, 2019

The Flashback Interview: Elizabeth Shepherd

Johnny Caps 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, A Streetcar Named Desire, Amelia, Animation, Buddenbrooks, Cartoons, convention, Conventions, Damien: Omen II, Elizabeth Shepherd, Frost In May, Henry VIII, Ligeia, Shakespeare, Silver Surfer, Tartuffe, The Tomb Of Ligeia, Theater 0

My newest interview subject, Elizabeth Shepherd, was introduced to me by my friend Matt Beckoff, who books talents for conventions and recently collaborated with Ms. Shepherd on a CD with her performance of Edgar Allan Poe’s story Ligeia, a story which provided the basis for the 1964 Vincent Price movie The Tomb Of Ligeia, which costarred Ms. Shepherd. Elizabeth has worked in a diverse array of projects over the course of these past few decades, and on Wednesday, September 4th, I interviewed her about them. I hope you all enjoy getting to know her. Say hello to Elizabeth Shepherd! Johnny: Hello, Ms. Shepherd. Elizabeth: Oh, hello, Johnny Caps. Johnny: How are you? Elizabeth: I’m very well. How are you today? Johnny: I’m doing good. I have my questions ready to go… Elizabeth: Okay. Very good. Johnny: …Starting with this: The Tomb Of Ligeia celebrates its’ 55th anniversary this year. What are your favorite memories of shooting the movie? Elizabeth: Oh, I have very happy memories of it. In 1964, before

August 26, 2019

The Flashback Interview: Larry Hankin

Johnny Caps 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Chiller Theatre, Conventions, Dracula's Women, Emmett Deemus, Escape From Alcatraz, friends, Janet Jackson, Larry Hankin, Lucifer's Women, Planes Trains And Automobiles, Seinfeld, Solly's Diner, The Committee, The Phynx, What Have You Done For Me Lately? 0

My newest interview subject, Larry Hankin, has been in the entertainment business since the 1960s. My first exposure to him came when I saw the movie Home Alone, where he played the role of Officer Balzak. As I grew older, I would become more familiar with Larry via films like Annie and Running Scared. Larry has done a lot of amazing work over the years, and when I met him at the Chiller Theatre convention in April of 2019, I knew he would make for a fascinating interview subject. We spoke on August 15th, 2019, and I hope you all enjoy getting to know him and his work. Say hello to Larry Hankin! Larry: What’s up? Johnny: I have my questions ready to go, starting with this: You first came to prominence as a member of The Committee, the noted 60s comedy troupe. As that was a fertile time period for comedy, did you view other troupes as competition, or did you all see yourselves on the same

July 1, 2019

The Flashback Interview: Sarah Kernochan

Johnny Caps 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 9 1/2 Weeks, Academy Awards, All I Wanna Do, Beat Around The Bush, Dancers, House Of Pain, Impromptu, Jane Was Here, Marjoe, Oscars, Sarah Kernochan, Sommersby, strike, Thoth 0

My first exposure to my newest interview subject, Sarah Kernochan, came when my mom allowed me to rent the movie 9 1/2 Weeks, which Sarah helped write, on New Years’ Eve in 2001. Although my mom wasn’t aware of most 80s pop culture, she had heard of that film, and was reluctant to let me see it, but she eventually let me, and I liked what I saw. A few months later, I watched the 74th Academy Awards and saw Sarah Kernochan onstage accepting an Oscar for Best Documentary Short for Thoth. Years later, I looked up Sarah Kernochan’s official website, and was impressed by the depths of her talents. She’s been a screenwriter, a director and a musician. I knew I’d want to interview her someday, and that day came on June 17th, 2019. I hope you all enjoy getting to know her. Say hello to Sarah Kernochan! Johnny: One of your earliest jobs was working as a ghostwriter at The Village Voice. What was it like to be

June 12, 2019

The Flashback Interview: Donna Mills

Johnny Caps 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Alice In Wonderland (1985), Battle Of The Network Stars, Bob Hope, Carol Of The Bells, Donna Mills, Donna Mills: The Eyes Have It, Knots Landing, Mood Swings, Play Misty For Me, Turnover 0

My newest interview subject, Donna Mills, made an impression on viewers as Abby Cunningham on the classic prime time soap Knots Landing. With her wonderful acting skills and her piercing eyes, the care of which was showcased in a 1986 video called Donna Mills: The Eyes Have It, she captivated audiences, and still does so to this day. We talked on Tuesday, May 28th, about works of her’s from the 70s to the modern day, and I hope you all enjoy getting to know her. Say hello to Donna Mills! Donna: How are you? Johnny: I’m doing good. Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to do this. Donna: That’s okay. My pleasure. Johnny: Alright. I have my questions ready to go, starting with this: In the upcoming movie Carol Of The Bells, you play Helen Harris. How did you get involved in that film? Donna: Well, they just made an offer to me, you know? I didn’t really know anything about the production company or the

February 18, 2019

The Flashback Interview: Melanie Kinnaman

Johnny Caps 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Chiller Theatre, convention, Conventions, Friday the 13th, Friday The 13th: A New Beginning, Melanie Kinnaman, Saturday Night Live, Thunder Alley 0

I started my 2019 interview season on Thursday, January 10th when I spoke to actress Melanie Kinnaman. Melanie is the 2nd actress from Friday The 13th: Part V that I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing, the first being Deborah Voorhees last year. In addition to Friday The 13th: Part V, Melanie Kinnaman has worked on movies like Thunder Alley and TV shows like Saturday Night Live. She’s also an accomplished dancer and a former model, and we discussed all that and more in this conversation. Say hello to Melanie Kinnaman! Johnny: Hi, Melanie. How are you? Melanie: Good. How are you? Johnny: I’m good. I have my questions ready to go, starting with this: Before you were an actress, you were a dancer. What kind of dancing did you do? Melanie: I did everything. I started at an early age, and I started with ballet and tap. I then did jazz and modern dance, and started performing professionally at the age of 13. Johnny: Alright. Did you dance on any

January 2, 2019

The Flashback Interview: Aki Aleong

Johnny Caps 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Aki Aleong, Braddock: Missing In Action 3, Cannon Films, Farewell To The King, Never So Few, No Down Payment, Railroad To Hell: A Chinaman's Chance, Teahouse Of The August Moon, The Cable Guy, The Outer Limits, The Three Stooges Go Around The World In A Daze, Trade Winds, V: The Series 1

My newest interview subject, Aki Aleong, was introduced to me by Joe Williamson, who previously set up my interviews with Mel Novak, Laurene Landon and Donald F. Glut. Aki Aleong has worked alongside all three of them in this decade, but his career goes back to the 1950s, whether performing onstage in Teahouse Of The August Moon or on the big screen in No Down Payment, an interesting movie that deconstructed the white picket fence image of the 1950s IN the 1950s. Throughout the decades, Aki Aleong has not only been an actor, but a singer, a record label executive, a director, a writer and an activist. As he’s getting ready to wind things down, he agreed to an interview with me, and we spoke on Monday, December 10th. I hope you all enjoy getting to know him. Say hello to Aki Aleong! Aki: Hello. Johnny: Hello, Mr. Aleong. It’s Johnny Caps. Aki: Yes. How are you, sir? Johnny: I’m doing good. Thank you for taking the time out of

December 17, 2018

The Flashback Interview: Loretta Swit

Johnny Caps 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Animal activism, Batman: The Animated Series, Cagney & Lacey, Chiller Theatre, convention, Conventions, Loretta Swit, mash, S.O.B, Switheart: The Watercolour Artistry And Animal Activism Of Loretta Swit, The Muppet Show, vegan 1

I had the great pleasure of meeting my newest interview subject, Loretta Swit, at the Chiller Theatre convention in October of 2018. She was a very kind woman to meet, and was even okay with taking multiple pictures to make sure we looked good. I mentioned to her that I knew her publicist Harlan Boll, who set up my interviews in 2017 with Rip Taylor and Judy Tenuta and my interview earlier this year with Dee Wallace. I knew that Loretta Swit would make for a fascinating interview subject, and we spoke on Monday, November 26th about not only her acting, but her artwork and animal activism as well. We covered a lot of ground, so let’s jump right in. Say hello to Loretta Swit! Loretta: Hello. Johnny: Hello, Loretta. Johnny Caps here, calling for our interview. Loretta: Yes. Johnny: Hello, there. How are you? Loretta: I’m fine. Thanks. Johnny: Alright. I have my questions ready to go, starting with this: You’ve recently released the book Switheart: The Watercolour Artistry

December 13, 2018

10 Talents I Never Got The Chance To Interview

Johnny Caps 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Charles Rocket, Chyna, Darlanne Fluegel, Dorothy Malone, Gregory Hines, Herschell Gordon Lewis, interview, interviews, Julie Strain, Laura Branigan, R.I.P, Rick James, Roddy Piper 0

As we enter the final weeks of 2018, I find myself reflecting on the milestones I hit in 2018 with Pop Geeks. I reached my 100th article for the site with my Pleasant Gehman interview, which was also the 100th unique interview I’ve done. I also made a dream come true this year by interviewing Sherri Stoner, my biggest influence as a writer. Coming up soon will be interviews with Loretta Swit and Aki Aleong. As I hit these milestones, though, I thought of the talents I never had the chance to interview. There’s so many, but these 10 Talents I Never Got The Chance To Interview really stood out for me. Why did I never have the chance to interview these 10 talents? There’s a variety of reasons. In at least three cases, it’s because they died years before I started doing interviews. In another case, I had their contact info, but had a lot on my plate and couldn’t reach out until it was too late. In still

November 5, 2018

The Flashback Interview: Donald F. Glut

Johnny Caps 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Animation, convention, Conventions, Dinosaur Tracks, Diplodocus At Large, Donald F. Glut, Fan Films, Monster Rumble, Penny Arkade, Tales Of Frankenstein, The Teenage Frankenstein Meets The Teenage Werewolf, Von Ryan's Express 0

My newest interview subject, Donald F. Glut, was introduced to me by Joe Williamson, who set up my 2015 interview with Mel Novak and my 2016 interview with Laurene Landon. Donald is a man after many of our own hearts on here. His earliest efforts included monster movies and comic book fan films. He detoured into cartoon writing in the 70s and 80s, and had some rather interesting experiences on that front. More recently, he wrote and directed the horror anthology Tales Of Frankenstein. We discussed these projects and many more on Tuesday, October 23rd, and I hope you all enjoy getting to know him. Say hello to Donald F. Glut! Johnny; You started making movies at an age when most kids are primarily concentrating on going to school as your first short, Diplodocus at Large, was made when you were 9 years old. As a monster kid, did you find making your first movie to be easy or hard? Donald: Well, the hard part at the time was raising

July 11, 2018

The Flashback Interview: Robert Short

Johnny Caps 1941, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2010s, Academy Award, Academy Awards, Ace Venture: Pet Detective, Beetlejuice, Chopping Mall, E.T The Extra-Terrerstrial, E.T., Legion, Looney Tunes: Back In Action, Oscar, Oscars, Programmed To Kill, Punisher: War Zone, Robert Short, Splash, the flash, The Flash 1990, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, The Retaliator 1

In 2018, Beetlejuice celebrates its’ 30th anniversary. The movie won an Oscar for Best Makeup, and one of the winners of that award was my next interview subject, Robert Short. Robert Short is an acclaimed visual effects artist who has worked on a wide variety of projects, from the Spielberg movies 1941 and E.T The Extra-Terrestrial to Splash and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. We discussed those projects and many more on Wednesday, June 27th, and I hope you all enjoy getting to know him. Say hello to Robert Short! Robert: Right on time. Johnny: Hello, Mr. Short. Johnny Caps here. How are you? Robert: Hi. How are you? I’m doing fine. Johnny: Alright. I have my questions ready to go. Robert: Okay. I don’t know if I’ll have my answers ready to go, but I’ll give it a shot. Johnny: Alright. What inspired you towards a career in the entertainment industry? Robert: As a kid, I was a big monster fan. I was one of those classic monster kids, bought

December 26, 2017

The Flashback Interview: Mickie McGowan

Johnny Caps 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, A Bug's Life, Animation, Beauty and the Beast, Cartoons, disney, hanna-barbera, Hard To Kill, Illumination, Marked For Death, Moscow On The Hudson, Pixar, Spirited Away, Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, The Little Mermaid, The New Scooby And Scrappy-Doo Show, The Thief And The Cobbler, toy story, Transylvania 6-5000, Wall-E 0

The name Mickie McGowan may not be familiar to you, but you’ve certainly heard her voice before, or at least those of the talents she’s gathered together when doing ADR casting for films from the 80s to the modern day. I first came to know of Mickie McGowan via seeing her posts on the Facebook walls of some of my other friends, and when I looked up her filmography, I was stunned. Name an animated movie of the past 30 years, and she was most likely involved, either as a voice-over talent or ADR coordinator. Her live-action resume is rather impressive as well. I interviewed Mickie McGowan on Tuesday, December 5th, about her long and varied career, and I hope you all enjoy getting to know this unique talent. Say hello to Mickie McGowan! Johnny: Hi, Mickie. Mickie: Hey, Johnny. How are ya? Johnny: I’m doing good. Thank you for taking the time to speak to me. I have my questions ready to go, starting with this: What were your

December 6, 2017

The Flashback Interview: Leah Ayres

Johnny Caps 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 1st And 10, 2000s, 2010s, 3 Hearts Family Contellations, All That Jazz, Bloodsport, convention, Conventions, Darci Cover Girl Doll, Hot Child In The City, Imaginazium, Leah Ayres, The Brady Bunch, The Bradys, The Burning, The Player, Velvet 0

My first exposure to my next interview subject came via the 1988 movie Bloodsport. Leah Ayres played Janice Kent, the movie’s female lead. She made an impression on me with her beauty and her talent, and as I delved further into her career, I became impressed not only by her work on-screen, but her work off-screen as well, helping out children and families. I met Leah at Chiller Theatre in October of 2017, and I knew she would make for a fascinating interview subject. We spoke on Tuesday, November 21st, and I hope you all enjoy getting to know her. Say hello to Leah Ayres! Leah: Hey, Johnny! Johnny: Hi, Leah. How are you? Leah: I’m fine, thanks. Johnny: First off, thank you for agreeing to do this interview. Leah: Thank you for inviting me. Johnny: Alright. I have my questions ready to go. Here we go: What were your pop-cultural likes growing up, like favorite movies and music? Leah: You know, I thought about that, and I have to

The Flashback Interview: Elizabeth Shepherd

The Flashback Interview: Larry Hankin

The Flashback Interview: Sarah Kernochan

The Flashback Interview: Donna Mills

The Flashback Interview: Melanie Kinnaman

The Flashback Interview: Aki Aleong

The Flashback Interview: Loretta Swit

10 Talents I Never Got The Chance To Interview

The Flashback Interview: Donald F. Glut

The Flashback Interview: Robert Short

The Flashback Interview: Mickie McGowan

The Flashback Interview: Leah Ayres

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