Author Richard Matheson dies at age 87

You might not immediately recognize the name, but you almost certainly know his work. Author and screenwriter Richard Matheson passed away earlier this week on June 23, 2013 at age of 87.

He's probably best known for his novel I am Legend, which was adapted to film no less than 3 times - Last Man on Earth (1964) with Vincent Price,  The Omega Man (1971) with Charlton Heston, and finally in 2007 as I Am Legend with Will Smith.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg, Matheson wrote 14 episodes of the original Twilight Zone series including the classic "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" staring William Shatner as the passenger who sees a gremlin on the wing of the plane. He is also credited for writing Rod Serling's opening monologue on the show.

His film credits and novels are too many to list here, but you'd be surprised how many films and tv shows he's had a hand in. You can check out his Wikipedia entry here - Richard Matheson - Wikipedia Entry.

Of course time travel fans will know his 1973 novel "Bid Time Return" which was made into the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for the film.

A very busy and prolific author and story teller who touched many people.

Obituary at the CBC - http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2013/06/25/obit-matheson-richard-author.html

Obituary at the Hollywood Reporter - http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/iconic-sci-fi-author-richard-574197

Time Travel Related Commercials (Pt. 2)

Advertisers and marketing departments love using Time Travel in commercials. Back in 2009 I posted another entry on Time Travel in Commercials  - that looked at a 1986 Pepsi commercial and a more contemporary Bacardi commercial that used Time Travel to sell a product.

Recently on TV there have been two commercials that play on the notion of time travel.

The first is a Pizza Hut spot that is hyping how their low price is a blast from the plast so to speak and the hapless guy buying pizza wonders if he hasn't accidently travelled back in time. The spot takes it one step further when he meets a young look alike that he urges to "invest in the internet".


Pizza Hut "Price from the Past" Commercial.

The second commercial actually involves a time machine comes to us from Dodge and the re-introduction of the DART as an econo replacement to the Dodge Neon. Bragging that tech so futuristic must have involved a Time Machine it reminds me a bit about the Toyota commercial from a few years back.



How to Make the Most Hi-Tech Car (Dodge Dart)


The Toyota  commercial was bragging about things that are reinvented including of course their Toyota Camry. One included a baby that didn't poop and for no particular reason, other than it was funny, was also a time machine. Personally I am holding out for the rain that makes you skinny.


Toyota Camry 2012 Reinvented.

15 Years of Andy's Anachronisms

You might have noticed that there hasn't been much activity on Andy's Anachronisms in a while. Doesn't mean the website or the blog is dead. Far from it.

It's bee a busy year personally and I have been working on drafting up a new design for the website, now heading in to its 15th year. Yes, in one form or another Andy's Anachronisms has been on the internet since February of 1999. Hard to believe.

From its humble beginnings its been a one man show with the ocassional guest contribution. Speaking of which I am always looking for interesting Time Travel and Alternate History references and reviews. If you see something during your travels on the web, don't hesitate to send it my way.

You can leave it here or find me on Twitter @SooGuy68. (see link below)

If there is something you'd like to see a review for or have a question feel free to drop me a line.

Here's to 2013 and a new year of time travel fun.