SwanCon 17: July 1991 PR p9

page 9 of the SwanCon 17 July 1991 progress report has two text sections, being ‘General Features’ and ‘Hotel Video System’. The white space left over is filled with a drawing of the eponymous character of My Neighbour Totoro. It isn’t obvious at first glance, but this is actually the second page of the information on the ‘Video Stream with a Japanese Flavour’ (see here for the first half). As ever, all typos faithfully reproduced.


General Features

The philosophy we’re using in the selection of the General Features for 17’s Video Stream is: significance, rarity and popularity. Though we’ll play what be believe is rarely seen and has been overlooked, if it’s not also likely to entertain, we won’t show it. Some of the things you can expect to see are:

Comic Book Confidential – the best and most entertaining comics doco ever made.
Earth vs the Flying Saucers – 1954 (and proud of it).
The Plague Dogs – Richard Adams’ classic adapted & animated ala Watershed Down.
Destroy all Monsters – Party Down with Godzilla and friends.
Forbidden Planet – The rare, uncut version.
Spike and Mike’s Festival of Animation – short gems, including “Bambi vs Godzilla”.
The Films of George A. Romero – a doco on Night of the Living Dead‘s director.
Meet the Feebles – Come and be amazed.
Thunderbirds Are Go! – by popular demand. FAB!
The Hobbit – NBC’s animated version of Tolkien’s groundbreaking fantasy.
Rocket Man – The original 1940s serial.
A Selection of the Best Sci-Fi Trailers ever assembled on one tape.
Forrest J. Ackerman’s Famous Monsters of Filmland – Forry’s reminiscences on popular SF, featuring interviews including Ray Bradbury.
Shada – The unfinished Dr. Who story by Douglas Adams that became Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Star Trek: The Next Generation – choice new-season episodes.


Hotel Video System –

There are 72 hours available here – we have complete access to the hotel’s in-house system (there is a TV in every room). We plan to program mini-festivals and marathons, special features to complement room parties and off-beat features which will naturally attract a smaller audience. Some of our ideas are:

Twin Peaks – David Lynch’s bizarre and disturbing counter-soap.
Red Dwarf – Popular British Hitchhiker Rip-off (including 3rd & 4th season!)
Black Adder – Stunningly amusing depiction of History as it should have been.
The Prisoner – Arguably the only cult series that deserves to be a cult series.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus – No comment required (spang).
A TV Dante – Peter Greenaway’s weird adaptation (Anyone got a good copy of this?)
Blake’s Seven – Arguably the only cult series that has truly cult followers.

British Comedy Series – The Young Ones, Ripping Yarns, Comic Strip Present etc.
Gerry Anderson Series – Wooden Men in Plastic Spaceships – UFO, Space 1999 etc.
Flash Gordon through the Ages – 1930s to 1980s (Flesh Gordon may appear).
Surrealist Oz SF – Razorback, Gremlins of the Clouds, Incident at Ravensgate etc.
Humorous Horror – House, Evil Dead I&II, Return of the Living Dead etc.

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