Prisoners of Gravity?

[morkys]

Does anybody remember the TVO program called Prisoners of Gravity? I haven't read a whole lot of sci-fi novels, but this TV show really made me interested in reading. I remember grabbing scraps of paper while I was watching the show so that I could write down the titles and authors of books they discussed. The guy interviewed the authors. Really good show. Refering to Bill Smith, the main character of the show:

Starting in 1989, he wrote 139 episodes of Prisoners of Gravity, and hosted as Commander Rick. This quirky literary series garnered Aurora Awards, a New York Festival Award, and several Gemini Award nominations during its five season run on TVOntario.

 

[beenorthern]

We loved <Prisoner of Gravity>! Commander Rick interviewed the best, the brightest (and the most articulate) in SF. There just isn't any current show on SF and/or comics that's half as intelligent. You may have already read this article by Mark Askwith (one of the PoG writers) ... http://www.geocities.com/canadian_sf/pages/media/askwitharticle.htm

I first saw Rick Green on Canadian TV in "The Frantics", a team of four comedians. Googling, I find that he wrote for <Smith & Smith>, another comedy show I enjoyed in the previous century ...

Some time later there he was as Commander Rick ... Why Commander Rick? I figure that Mark (like any other Toronto protofan in the mid-60's) got home from school in time to watch <The Commander Tom Show> broadcast from Buffalo NY, 4:30 every weekday afternoon. Cmdr. Tom showed us old Flash Gordon and Superman serials from his secret hideout. The frame in PoG is a lot more polished, and Cmdr. Rick is much more erudite, but the influence is unmistakable.

While PoG was still running, Rick Green and Steve Smith Smith got together again to create <The Red Green Show>. Green appeared in 173 episodes as "Bill" (compared to 139 episodes of PoG).

After PoG was cancelled, Rick Green wrote and hosted <History Bites>. Each episode of this strange (but clever) show was set around some historical event, and the view flicked from one channel to another (yes! TV has always existed!) so I got bits of contempory news, talk shows, sportscasters, home decorating, soap operas, games shows ... It re-runs on both the History and Comedy channels.

 

[beenorthern]

We loved <Prisoner of Gravity>! Commander Rick interviewed the best, the brightest (and the most articulate) in SF. There just isn't any current show on SF and/or comics that's half as intelligent. You may have already read this article by Mark Askwith (one of the PoG writers) ... http://www.geocities.com/canadian_sf/pages/media/askwitharticle.htm

I first saw Rick Green on Canadian TV in "The Frantics", a team of four comedians. Googling, I find that he wrote for <Smith & Smith>, another comedy show I enjoyed in the previous century ...

Some time later there he was as Commander Rick ... Why Commander Rick? I figure that Mark (like any other Toronto protofan in the mid-60's) got home from school in time to watch <The Commander Tom Show> broadcast from Buffalo NY, 4:30 every weekday afternoon. Cmdr. Tom showed us old Flash Gordon and Superman serials from his secret hideout. The frame in PoG is a lot more polished, and Cmdr. Rick is much more erudite, but the influence is unmistakable.

While PoG was still running, Rick Green and Steve Smith Smith got together again to create <The Red Green Show>. Green appeared in 173 episodes as "Bill" (compared to 139 episodes of PoG).

After PoG was cancelled, Rick Green wrote and hosted <History Bites>. Each episode of this strange (but clever) show was set around some historical event, and the view flicked from one channel to another (yes! TV has always existed!) so I got bits of contempory news, talk shows, sportscasters, home decorating, soap operas, games shows ... It re-runs on both the History and Comedy channels.

 

[beenorthern]

We loved <Prisoner of Gravity>! Commander Rick interviewed the best, the brightest (and the most articulate) in SF. There just isn't any current show on SF and/or comics that's half as intelligent. You may have already read this article by Mark Askwith (one of the PoG writers) ... http://www.geocities.com/canadian_sf/pages/media/askwitharticle.htm

I first saw Rick Green on Canadian TV in "The Frantics", a team of four comedians. Googling, I find that he wrote for <Smith & Smith>, another comedy show I enjoyed in the previous century ...

Some time later there he was as Commander Rick ... Why Commander Rick? I figure that Mark (like any other Toronto protofan in the mid-60's) got home from school in time to watch <The Commander Tom Show> broadcast from Buffalo NY, 4:30 every weekday afternoon. Cmdr. Tom showed us old Flash Gordon and Superman serials from his secret hideout. The frame in PoG is a lot more polished, and Cmdr. Rick is much more erudite, but the influence is unmistakable.

While PoG was still running, Rick Green and Steve Smith Smith got together again to create <The Red Green Show>. Green appeared in 173 episodes as "Bill" (compared to 139 episodes of PoG).

After PoG was cancelled, Rick Green wrote and hosted <History Bites>. Each episode of this strange (but clever) show was set around some historical event, and the view flicked from one channel to another (yes! TV has always existed!) so I got bits of contempory news, talk shows, sportscasters, home decorating, soap operas, games shows ... It re-runs on both the History and Comedy channels.