Two Old Farts Talk Sci-Fi
Return to when you first fell in love with SF-F-H.

David Clink is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: The Big 75th Episode Bash: LIVE SHOW, presented by Two Old Farts Talk Sci-Fi
Time: Sep 18, 2024 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://yorku.zoom.us/j/91362749145?pwd=s9xqq3bvbAaVJ3gw1aaKETGWtfGSpu.1

Meeting ID: 913 6274 9145
Passcode: 2012

--- One tap mobile

+14388097799,,91362749145#,,,,*2012# Canada
+15873281099,,91362749145#,,,,*2012# Canada

--- Dial by your location •
+1 438 809 7799 Canada •
+1 587 328 1099 Canada •
+1 647 374 4685 Canada •
+1 647 558 0588 Canada •
+1 778 907 2071 Canada

Meeting ID: 913 6274 9145
Passcode: 2012

Find your local number: https://yorku.zoom.us/u/adFOm5Lotc

Podcasts, Season 7

Season 7, Episode 07—Poltergeist PT.1
March 31, 2026
Poltergeist Collection (1982 – 2015) Icon Pack by ChinaKernow on deviantart.com
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Reverend Henry Kane /Poltergeist – 2024 Wall Calendar
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
CC BY-NC 4.0 – Deed
File:Baulmonje.jpg – Wikimedia Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
CC BY-SA 4.0 – Deed
Reverend Henry Kane /Poltergeist – 2024 Wall Calendar
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
CC BY-NC 4.0 – Deed

Troy and David talk about the film that David somehow missed in his childhood. Troy invited David to his man cave, and he got to see what all the hubbub was about. For the recording of the episode, they are joined by Sandra Kasturi.

This two-part episode does a deep dive on:

Poltergeist (1982)

PT. 1 Troy and David and Sandra discuss any paranormal or psychic experiences they have had, and then turn to the film Poltergeist, and talk about their first experiences viewing it, and then on to the film itself.

PT. 2 The discussion on the film Poltergeist concludes. There is also talk about the curse, the use of skeletons that were not mock-ups but actual skeletons of people.

PART 1: Poltergeist
In our first episode we introduce Sandra Kasturi, who has been a guest for three previous two-part shows:

“Something Wicked This Way Comes”
[S.1 Eps 13-14; Sept 18 + Oct 2, 2021]

”Folk Horror”
[pt. 1 – The Wicker Man; pt. 2 – MidSommar]
[S.3 Eps 2-3; May 14 + May 28, 2022]

“The Thing”
[S.4 Eps 11-12; May 27 + Jun 10, 2023]

Poltergeist won the Saturn Award for Best Horror or Thriller Film.

It was nominated for three Oscars.
Jerry Goldsmith was up for Best Score. John Williams won for E.T.
Poltergeist was nominated for Best Visual Effects. E.T. won.
Poltergeist was nominated for Best Sound Effects. E.T. won.

We hope you enjoyed the two shows!

Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!

2of-S07-E07-Poltergeist-FINAL-EDITDownload

Podcasts, Season 7

Season 7, Episode 06—Gremlins, Back to the Future, and Howard the Duck, PT.2
February 28, 2026
Back to the Future DeLorean | Original DeLorean from Back to the Future
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 – Deed
Howard the Duck Concept Art by FrankBusterLaw on DeviantArt
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 – Deed
Lea Thompson
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
CC BY-SA 2.0 – Deed
Custom Lego UPDATED Howard The Duck | I updated him with a…
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
CC BY-SA 2.0 – Deed
File:DeLorean DMC-12 – Back to the Future – CeBIT 2016 15.jpg
Attribution 4.0 International
CC BY 4.0 – Deed

Troy and David talk about three movies in this two-part episode:

Gremlins (1984)
Back to the Future (1985)
Howard the Duck (1986)

PT. 1 looks at Gremlins, and begins the discussion on Back to the Future.

PT. 2 finishes the discussion on Back to the Future, and then moves on to Howard the Duck.

PART 2: Back to the Future & Howard the Duck
Our second episode continues our discussion about Back to the Future, and concludes with Howard the Duck.

Troy talks about his love/hate relationship with Back to the Future. He described it as having “a glorified Brady Bunch plot but with some weird incest running through it.” Marty has a weird family, with a pervy dad, and he likes to hang out with an older, eccentric man. There are also musical nitpicks that are concerning, especially the Johnny B. Good scene and its cultural appropriation.

David goes into how the opening 5-10 minutes sets up the entire film, where things mentioned or shown are then referred to later, like the term, “Chekhov’s Gun” which means if a gun is shown in act one, it must be used by act three. David also refers to this as “Sulu’s Phaser” and “Peltzer’s Sword.”

David shares his favorite quote from the movie, where Doc Brown lets Marty know how important he has been to him:

  • Dr. Emmett Brown: You know, Marty, I’m gonna be very sad to see you go. You’ve really made a difference in my life. You’ve given me something to shoot for. Just knowing that I’m going to be around to see 1985. That I’m gonna succeed in this!
  • [gestures at time machine]
  • Dr. Emmett Brown: That I’m gonna have a chance to travel through time!

Troy and David then move on to Howard the Duck.
Many consider this a terrible movie. There was an episode on it by the webcast: TMS: This Movie Sucks. It did horribly at the box office, mainly through word of mouth and reviews. Troy mentions that one of the people working in the theatre warned Troy not to watch it.

Howard the Duck was #54 in the box office in 1986. But there were notable films that did worse that year!: 57 = Legend; 63 = Little Shop of Horrors; 68 = Labyrinth; 72 = Big Trouble in Little China; 75 = Brazil; 80 = Blue Velvet; 92 = Maximum Overdrive.

Troy and David go into the many reasons why the film failed, but also at its endearing qualities. They also summarize the triple bill, the connections between the three films they looked at in this two-episode show.

We hope you enjoyed the two shows!

Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!

2of-S07-E06-Gremlins-Back-to-the-Future-and-Howard-the-Duck-PT2-FINAL-AUDIODownload

Podcasts, Season 7

Season 7, Episode 05—Gremlins, Back to the Future, and Howard the Duck, PT.1
January 31, 2026
Gizmo
Attribution 4.0 International CC BY 4.0 – Deed
Gizmo
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed
Keye Luke, ”Gremlins” 1984 | John Irving | Flickr
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 – Deed
Courthouse Square | Taken on February 9, 2012 on the Univers…
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 – Deed
Lea Thompson Lorraine Baines Back to the Future
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 – Deed

Troy and David talk about three movies in this two-part episode:

Gremlins (1984)
Back to the Future (1985)
Howard the Duck (1986)

PT. 1 looks at Gremlins, and begins the discussion on Back to the Future.

PT. 2 finishes the discussion on Back to the Future, and then moves on to Howard the Duck.

PART 1: Gremlins & Back to the Future
Our first episode does cover how the three films are connected, in both screen talent, locations, producers, and directors. Each of the three films were expected to be box office smashes, following on the success of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, E.T. in 1982, and The Return of the Jedi in 1983.

Amblin Entertainment produced Gremlins & Back to the Future.

In Gremlins, we see Mogwai playing mini-Donkey Kong. The films do not take themselves too seriously.

We know, when the rules are mentioned, that these will be broken, and in imaginative, funny ways…

Chinese Boy: Look Mister, there’s three rules you’ve got to follow.

Rand Peltzer: Yeah, what kind of rules?

Chinese Boy: Keep him out of the light, he hates bright light, especially sunlight, it’ll kill him. And, keep him away from water, don’t get him wet. But the most important rule, the rule you can never forget, no matter how much he cries, no matter how much he begs, never, never feed him after midnight. You got it?

Rand Peltzer: Sure kid, whatever you say. Hey, listen, thanks! And have a Merry Christmas!

Troy and David then move on to Back to the Future, which was originally cast with Eric Stoltz in the lead, and had a working title: Spaceman from Pluto. Stoltz was removed, and the title changed.

A connection between the two films, is that both Back to the Future and Gremlins used the “Universal Studios Courthouse Square” backlot.

Troy recommends the book Future Boy, penned by Michael J. Fox. In it, Fox mentions that his replacing Stoltz was not welcomed by everyone, especially by Lea Thompson, but that changed.

More discussion in part 2

Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!

2of-S07-E05-Gremlins-Back-to-the-Future-and-Howard-the-Duck-PT1-FINAL-AUDIODownload

Podcasts, Season 7

Season 7, Episode 04—Troy and David’s Top Ten SFFH TV Shows of the 21st Century
December 31, 2025
LOST
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed
The Expanse
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed

Troy and David come up with their top ten SFFH TV Shows of the 21st century (3rd Millennium). TV shows from the years 2001 – 2025 are considered.

How many TV shows will be on both lists? How many will be Science Fiction? Fantasy? Horror? How many will belong to more than one genre?

And, will Troy be able to sneak in a Beatles reference?

Listen to find out.

Season 7 is our ALL MOVIE season. New episodes usually the last day of the month.

Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!

2of-S07-E04-Troy-and-David’s-Top-Ten-SFFH-TV-Shows-of-the-21st-Century-FINAL-EDITDownload

Podcasts, Season 7

Season 7, Episode 03—Troy and David’s Top Ten SFFH Movies of the 21st Century
December 25, 2025
PAN’S LABYRINTH
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed
Alfonso Cuarón y Clive Owen (Children of men) | zinemaldi.dv…
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
CC BY-SA 2.0 = Deed

Troy and David come up with their top ten SFFH films of the 21st century (3rd Millennium). Films from the years 2001 – 2025 are considered.

How many films will be on both lists? How many will be Science Fiction? Fantasy? Horror? How many will belong to more than one genre?

And, will Troy be able to sneak in a Beatles reference?

Listen to find out.

Season 7 is our ALL MOVIE season. New episodes usually the last day of the month.

Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!

2of-S07-E03-Troy-and-David’s-Top-Ten-SFFH-Movies-of-the-21st-Century-FINAL-EDITDownload

Podcasts, Season 7

Season 7, Episode 02—Yellow Submarine
November 30, 2025
Yellow Submarine | ODC-Movie Soundtrack The Fab Four
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 = Deed
File:Penny Lane Wonderwall – Penny Lane Development Trust –
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
CC BY-SA 2.0 = Deed
[square image]
Yellow Submarine | ODC-Movie Soundtrack The Fab Four
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 = Deed
Paul McCartney 2329 | Yellow Submarine metal Corgi vehicle B
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 = Deed

Yellow Submarine was an animated film featuring The Beatles. It was released in 1968, to fulfill a 3-picture deal, that included A Hard Days Night (1964); Help! (1965).

And like the first two films, this was, in essence, a music-delivery device. It was agreed that the band would supply 4 new songs – All Together Now, Hey Bulldog, It’s All Too Much, and Only A Northern Song – for the film. These new songs would be heard in the film along with 12 other recently released songs, including Nowhere Man, Eleanor Rigby, Yellow Submarine, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, When I’m 64, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, With A Little Help From My Friends, and All You Need Is Love . Beatles producer George Martin would provide the score.

“And what was that story? In a nut shell, Pepperland, an open, peace-loving land, comes under attack by a fascist, militaristic group known as the Blue Meanies. Fred, is sent by the Lord Mayor, in the Yellow Submarine to enlist help. The Sub ends up in Liverpool England where Fred finds Ringo and the other Beatles. After travelling over various psychedelic lands and seas The Band returns to Pepperland (with Jeremy, a Boob they’ve picked up along the way) to confront the Blue Meanies.

All told, over 200 animators worked on the film in the TVC offices in Soho.”

Please listen to hear the rest of the story, and Troy and David’s reactions to their latest re-watch.

Season 7 is our ALL MOVIE season. New episodes usually the last day of the month.

Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!

2of-S07-E02-The-Yellow-Submarine-FINAL-EDITDownload

Podcasts, Season 7

Season 7, Episode 01—Evil Dead Rise
October 31, 2025
The Evil Dead Folder Icon Pack by ChinaKernow on DeviantArt
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 Deed
Ellie / Evil Dead Rise by Dandy-Jon on DeviantArt
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 Deed

The Evil Dead movie franchise is near and dear to the hearts of many horror aficionados. And, you do not have to be a horror fan to like the movies. You can like humour, slapstick, comedy, magic realism and surrealism, abstraction, irrationality, and cabins. And woods. And things in the basement. And in the case of Evil Dead Rise, an urban landscape where people like to park woodchippers in parking garages, you know, just in case. You never know, right.

Our Halloween episode is our first episode of season 7, our first episode since our Wonder Woman episode, back in the Spring of 2025. Season 7 is our ALL MOVIE season. And what better movie franchise to begin with than the Evil Dead franchise.

Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!

2of-S07-E01-Evil-Dead-Rise-FINAL-AUDIODownload

Podcasts, Season 6

Season 6, Episode 14—Wonder Woman (TV Series)
March 1, 2025
PurplePlanetMaster User Profile | DeviantArt
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 – Deed
Wonder Woman Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner – PICRYL – Public…
Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal – PDM 1.0 – Deed
Lynda Carter; TV’s Wonder Woman (c. 1977) | John Irving | Flickr
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 – Deed
plummerfan User Profile | DeviantArt
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 – Deed
TV Guide #1244 | January 29, 1977. Lynda Carter of ABC’s “Wo… | Flickr
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC 2.0 – Deed

Wonder Woman introduced Lynda Carter as the comic-book heroine. This live-action series ran for three years, and changed from Season 1 to Season 2, when the show switched networks, and was brought to current day, instead of WWII.

Here is the cast (and the description we used in the episode):

Wonder Woman
(Lynda Carter)
Carter was just 23 years old at the time she was cast for the role. Though she had done almost no acting she was working professionally as a singer, and had done very well competing in beauty pageants. She won the title of Miss World USA 1972.

Major Steve Trevor (season 1)
Steve Trevor Jr (seasons 2 & 3)
(Lyle Waggoner)
In Stanley Ralph Ross’s casting notes on Steve Trevor he wrote: “Get a Lyle Waggoner type.” Douglas Cramer did him one better by getting the actual Lyle Waggoner. Waggoner had been a regular on The Carol Burnett Show. He did a screen test for the 1966 Batman series. He was the first nude centerfold for Playgirl magazine in 1973. He was also elected the mayor of Encino, California in 1976. Waggoner had many guest appearances on television shows such as Fantasy Island, Love Boat, Charlie’s Angels, Happy Days, and Mork & Mindy.

Queen Hippolyta
(Cloris Leachman in the original pilot)
(Carolyn Jones in 3 episodes)
(Beatrice Straight in 2 episodes)
Straight was a Tony and Oscar award-winning actress who played one of the ghostbusters in the original Poltergeist.

General Blankenship
(John Randolph in The New Original Wonder Woman pilot)
(Richard Eastham throughout season 1)

Etta Candy, General Blankenship’s secretary
(Beatrice Colen)
Beatrice Colen had formerly been on Happy Days as one of the carhops at Arnold’s.

The TV Series had a stellar list of Guest Stars, including:
Red Buttons, Stella Stevens, POTA alum Roddy McDowall, Eric Braedon and Severn Darden. Debra Winger, John Saxon, John Hillerman, Robert Reed, Eve Plumb, and Tiger the Dog of the Brady Bunch, Roy Rogers, Wolfman Jack, Lance Kerwin, Bubba Smith, Rick Springfield, Leif Garrett, Craig T Nelson, Gary Burghoff, Frank Gorshin, René Auberjonois, and Robby the Robot!

Troy and David present their, “How it all ends”, by coming up with an ending to the show, as if the show, like MASH, knew it was ending, and had time to be able to end it properly, wrap everything (or most things) up.

Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!

2of-S06-E14-Wonder Woman-TV-Series-FINAL-EDITDownload

Podcasts, Season 6

Season 6, Episode 13—Kolchak: The Night Stalker (TV Series)
February 15, 2025
Carl Kolchak Shirt Kolchak The Night Stalker T-Shirt The Night
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
CC BY-NC 4.0 – Deed
Night Stalker Vampire 3006 | Flickr
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 – Deed
greatbigfan on DeviantArt
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 – Deed
1972 Carl Kolchak The Original Night Stalker Vampire 2977 | Flickr
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 – Deed

Kolchak: The Night Stalker was a series that lasted only one season, the 1974-75 season. Just 20 episodes. Troy and David look at the series, its pilot episode and others, and briefly talk about the two made for TV movies that preceded the TV series: The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler. The TV series, and the two TV movies, influenced a generation of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror fans, including Chris Carter, who brought us The X-Files.

Troy and David open the episode with a short tribute to David Lynch, who had passed away recently.

Back to Kolchak: The Night Stalker (TV Series)
Here is the cast (and the description we used in the episode):

Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak, 20 episodes.
The intrepid investigative reporter. McGavin had a long career in film and television working steadily from the 1940s onward. Other than Kolchak he is remembered for his roles in The Natural, A Christmas Story, Millennium and The X-Files.

Simon Oakland as Tony Vincenzo, 20 episodes.
Kolchak’s crotchety ulcer-ridden editor. Oakland appeared on both The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. He was also in Hitchcock’s Psycho, and West Side Story.

Jack Grinnage as Ron Updyke, 18 episodes.
Another journalist at INS (Carl sometimes calls him “Uptight” instead of Updyke. Updyke looks A LOT like Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, doesn’t he? Although this was his biggest recurring role, Grinnage also appeared in Rebel Without A Cause, the Elvis film Kid Creole, as well as on The Twilight Zone.

Ruth McDevitt as Emily Cowles, 12 episodes.
Although Ruth McDevitt was born in 1895 (!!!) her first on-screen role did not come until 1949. Among her long list of film and TV roles, McDevitt appeared in The Birds, The Shakiest Gun in the West, Mame, and on Room 222, Kojack, McCloud and Gunsmoke, before going on to Kolchak: The Night Stalker. She passed away in 1975 at the age of 80.

The TV Series had a stellar list of Guest Stars, including:
Carolyn Jones, Scatman Crothers, Phil Silvers, Stella Stevens, Jim Backus, Jamie Farr, Antonio Fargus, Tom Skerrit, Kathy Lee Crosby and Tom Bosley.

Troy and David present their, “How it all ends”, by coming up with an ending to the show, as if the show, like MASH, knew it was ending, and had time to be able to end it properly, wrap everything (or most things) up.

Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!

2of-S06-E13-2025-Kolchak-The-Night-Stalker-TV-Series-FINAL-EDITDownload

Podcasts, Season 6

Season 6, Episode 12—The Planet of the Apes TV Series
February 1, 2025
Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal
PDM 1.0 – Deed
Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal
PDM 1.0 – Deed
2024 Planet of the Apes ReAction Super7 General Aldo 4840 | Flickr
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Deed

The Planet of the Apes TV Series premiered in 1974. After the success of the Planet of the Apes movies, a TV series was given the go-ahead. The series lasted one year, and just 14 episodes.

Roddy McDowell was signed on, but playing a different character, Galen. Here is the cast:

Roddy McDowall … Galen = 14 episodes, 1974
Ron Harper … Alan Virdon = 14 episodes, 1974
James Naughton … Pete Burke = 14 episodes, 1974
Mark Lenard … Urko = 11 episodes, 1974
Booth Colman … Zaius = 6 episodes, 1974
Ron Stein … Gorilla Guard / … = 4 episodes, 1974

One of the concerns with the series, and most POTA fans were not happy with, was the appearance of a dog at the beginning of the first episode. From the Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) there was an interstellar disease that eliminated dogs and cats, and that was when humanity started to have apes as pets.

Troy and David look at the pilot episode, and discuss some of the differences in it and the movies, and what are considered its best episodes.

Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!

2of-S06-E12-2025-The-Planet-of-the-Apes-TV-Series-FINAL-EDITDownload

Next Page »

Image Credits

OpenClipart-Vectors
8385
OpenClipart-Vectors
succo
Powered by Wordpress. Redesign Theme by RT