Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Birthdays birthdays birthdays...

Today is the birthday of a few luminaries in the field of Horror and Fantasy.




First, on this day in 1907, Robert A. Heinlein was born in Butler, Missouri.


Often called "the dean of science fiction writers," he is one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of the genre. He set a high standard for plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. He was one of the first writers to break into mainstream, general magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, in the late 1940s, with unvarnished science fiction. He was among the first authors of bestselling, novel-length science fiction in the modern, mass-market era. For many years, Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke were known as the "Big Three" of science fiction.

Heinlein won Hugo Awards for four of his novels, in addition, fifty years after publication, three of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos" — awards given retrospectively for years in which Hugo Awards had not been awarded. He also won the first Grand Master Award given by the Science Fiction Writers of America for his lifetime achievement. In his fiction, Heinlein coined words that have become part of the English language, including "grok" and "waldo," and popularized the terms "TANSTAAFL" and "Share Water."







On this day in 1913, Fred F. Sears was born in Boston, Mass.

Although he appeared in over 60 films and directed over 50, Fred is often overlooked when talking Hollywood history. Not here at Blood Radio though, as our life would not be complete without "The Giant Claw", "The Werewolf", or "Earth vs the Flying Saucers."




And last but not least, on this day in 1919, Jon Pertwee was born in Chelsea, England.

Not only was he the third Doctor of the legendary BBC series Doctor Who, but he also costarred with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in "The House That Dripped Blood".



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