Leonard Maltin's Secret's Out-Dreams With Sharp Teeth

Leonard Maltin discusses the Harlan Ellison documentary, "Dreams With Sharp Teeth," for his series on the ReelZchannel, "Leonard Maltin's Secret's Out."

Dreams With Sharp Teeth Leonard Maltin's Secret's Out | Movie Trailers

Creating the Future

Nine legends in the genre explain the importance of science fiction as it relates to humanity and the effect of technology on human kind.




Science Fiction: Isaac Asimov comments on the Golden Age, the editors, television, and more.

James Sallis Speaks

I first became aware of James Sallis in March of 1999. Jim was introduced to the Glendale Community College audience by Harlan Ellison at a talk Ellison was giving in Arizona.

I read and enjoyed Sallis's series of mysteries about Lew Griffin, a New Orleans private detective. In the Fall of 2004, I attended a short story class Sallis was conducting at Phoenix Community College and I've attended his classes each semester since that time. I credit Jim with any improvement I've made in my writing ability and hold him blameless for any mediocre writing on my part.

Below is an interview Barbara Peters of Poisoned Pen Press and Bookstore, in Scottsdale, Arizona conducted with James Sallis. Each part is approximately 10 minutes in length.

Science Fiction vs. Sci Fi

On this 1997 segment of the SciFi Channel show, SF Vortex, Harlan Ellison, Joe Straczynski, Herb Solow, and Yvonne Fern Solow discuss Ellison's article for Newsweek, "Strangers in a Strange Land," which dealt with the difference between science fiction, "sci-fi," and the Rancho Santa Fe Comet Cultists.

Attention Must Be Paid: Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison and director, Erik Nelson, at South by South West speaking about the documentary, "Dreams With Sharp Teeth."


Harlan Ellison & Erik Nelson at SXSW - March 9th, 2008


Erik Nelson, director of "Dreams With Sharp Teeth", at SXSW - March 11th, 2008

Dark Dreamer: Harlan Ellison

Stanley Wiater interviews Harlan Ellison about being attacked by his heart, would-be-writers, and the craft of writing. For more info go to http://www.stanley-wiater.com/



Dark Dreamer - Harlan Ellison, part 1



Dark Dreamer - Harlan Ellison, part 2



Dark Dreamer - Harlan Ellison, part 3

The Chaotic Afternoon and Unruly Evening Hanging with Harlan Ellison: Part 2 of 2

---Correction: The photo used in ConNotations Vol.17, Issue 3 should have been credited to Rick Wyatt ©2007---


The clock read 6:15 p.m. and Harlan decided it was time to leave Pink’s Hot Dogs and head to the Writer’s Guild of America Theater for the premier of Erik Nelson’s documentary, Dreams with Sharp Teeth: a film about Harlan Ellison. The crowd dispersed to various vehicles and Rick Wyatt (HarlanEllison.Com) rode with me.





The very organized Steve Barber had handed out maps and even so, Rick and I found our way to the parking garage of the theater. Soon, David Loftus and the Richmonds arrived, little knowing that they would be helping Rick and me to schlep the many boxes of books into the theater for the autograph session after the event. I lead the parade of pack mules across the lobby, located Susan Ellison,

and asked her where she was setting up. Susan indicated a spot and we all laid our burdens down. After I came out of the event in the theater, I noticed that everything had been moved, presumably to allow more room for the attendees to belly up to the bar. I located some of the people from Pink’s, schmoozed a bit, and then headed into the theater to grab a seat.

I spotted the Richmonds, and accepted Andrea’s kind invitation to join them in the “Friend’s of Harlan Ellison” row. Sitting down, I glanced to my left, noticing a woman five seats away, her eyes narrowing, counting the seats. After deciding I was not sitting on one of her imaginary friends, the woman turned her attention elsewhere. However, her attention returned each time someone stopped to talk to Tim,

or Andrea, or Alexia and when the inevitable time came when someone stopped and raised a finger indicating the empty seats between myself and the woman, she called out, “They’re saved!” I shrugged and, dejected, the seat inquirer shambled off. This event seems to repeat itself endlessly. It was just as the lights were going down that the woman’s imaginary friends popped into reality and took their places. I wonder if they ever knew of the valiant battle waged by their friend to safeguard their seats.

I watched the documentary and a series of emotions washed over me. I felt the chagrin I’d felt when I’d been with Harlan and he’d pointed out to someone that they’d just littered, it was a bad thing, and they shouldn’t do it again. I felt the heart-in-my-throat feeling about my father as I viewed a much older Harlan watching a film-to-tape transfer of a much younger Harlan as his father put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. I felt a smirk break into a grin as Susan Ellison told the tale of Harlan locking her out of their home, while she was sans clothes. I felt myself smiling as Neil Gaiman, Peter David, Dan Simmons, the irrepressible Robin Williams, and other friends shared their thoughts and feelings on what Ron Moore had called, “…the small parade that is Harlan Ellison.”


After watching the documentary I whole-heartedly agree with screenwriter, Josh Olson (A History of Violence), when he said to Harlan, “It’s as close to the experience of hanging out with you as I can imagine on film.”

Following the film, Olson attempted to interview Ellison, but it was mostly a lost cause as Ellison spotted old friends in the audience he wanted to talk to, he was bribed into singing Shel Silverstein’s You Treat Me Like A D-O-G, he had stories he wanted to tell which were only tangentially related to the questions posed by Olson, most of which seemed to cause only a slight consternation on the part of Olson and all of which delighted the audience.

The crowd moved to a reception area in the lobby that included a dessert buffet, a no-host bar, and Harlan’s autograph table. I mingled, setting up a late breakfast with the Webderland Irregulars, speaking with Josh Olson, singing a bit of the Mickey Mouse Club theme with Len Wein (Swamp Thing), and chatting with Steven Barnes (Great Sky Woman). Eventually the crowd dispersed and at 1:00 A.M., the W.G.T. closed its doors and the only ones remaining on the sidewalk were the Ellisons, the Richmonds, Len Wein, Christine Valada, Rick Wyatt, and myself.


When the crew and passengers of the S.S. Grey Ghost went down with the ship (see part 1 of this article), six people needed transportation. Wein and Valada were transporting the Ellisons, so I loaded Wyatt and the Richmonds into my Saturn Vue, leaving Beverly Hills behind and headed to Sherman Oaks.



The trip was definitely a group effort, as I’d never been to Ellison Wonderland at night, nor from the South. We made it to the motel where they were staying, but it was only to drop off Wyatt.


The Richmonds’ rented car was parked in front of the Ellisons’ home. We pressed on. Stately Ellison Manor is near the top of a hill, bordering watershed land, with tortuous and winding roads. After nearly twenty minutes of driving back and forth up hairpin turns, we were just around the corner from the house when we spotted it: a deer in a hedge. We looked at the deer, the deer looked at us and then bounded into a lawn, over some shrubbery, and it was gone. I recovered, drove to the Ellisons’, said my goodbyes, and followed the Richmonds’ car back down the hill, past their motel, on to Laurel Canyon, and eventually back to my hotel and bed.

Four hours of sleep and a half hour of tossing-and-turning later, I gave up and got ready for the day. We’d had a great day with perfect weather, but that was yesterday and today it was raining. I called the Original Pantry Café (where I had arranged to meet the Webderlanders) and got a vague idea of its location from the very busy person who answered the phone. As I was checking out of the Best Western Beverly Pavilion, I asked the reception clerk if she knew where the Pantry Café was located. She looked it up and printed out a map. I was on my way.

I had given myself plenty of time which was fortunate as I had passed the Pantry without knowing it, went down a one-way street that forced you back onto the freeway, ended up parking in a mall a couple of blocks from the Pantry, and getting lost in the rain while on foot. I made it to the Original Pantry Café at 9:55 A.M.,


bypassed the line of people snaking out the door and down the sidewalk, and checked inside: no Webderlanders. I went back outside, got in line, and waited. The previous night Keith Cramer had asked for my cell number, but I’d forgotten the charger and didn’t turn on the phone unless I was making a call. Of course, if I’d gotten his number I could have called and found out that weather and traffic had conspired to delay the group, but I didn’t so I left the Original Pantry Café, alone and hungry on a solo journey.




The ride from L.A. to Phoenix was mostly uneventful, with one exception: gasoline. I hadn’t been too concerned about fueling up the Vue, so I passed Banning, Palm Springs, Indio, thinking I could make it to Blythe. Nope. So when I saw the “Desert Center: Gas Ahead” sign, I exited I-10, went north on Desert Center Rice Road, spotted the station, and pulled in. The attendant exited the office, unlocked the old gas pump, flipped the crank, and stood by while I pumped gas. I was almost hypnotized as I watched the numbers blur by, the sound coming from the pump reminding me of a one-armed bandit. I released the pump trigger, looked at the cost, and my jaw dropped: $10.57. I looked at the price-per-gallon and it read $4.39. Remember, this was on April 20th when the average gas price was $2.97. I did some rough calculations, pulled the trigger until I was at $12.23, paid the attendant and headed for Blythe and the relatively cheaper gas of $3.38 per gallon.

Despite some minor issues, I had a great time, met some new people, reestablished some friendships, and saw a great film. What more could I ask for?


Creative Differences Web Site (Warning: Music starts immediately)
IMDB - Dreams With Sharp Teeth: A Film About Harlan Ellison
Webderlanders at Pinks by Steve Barber
The Rod Searcey Gallery
Original Pantry Café
more about the Original Pantry Café
ABC's info about Masters of Science Fiction and "The Discarded"by Harlan Ellison with Josh Olson
HarlanEllison.Com

The Chaotic Afternoon and Unruly Evening Hanging with Harlan Ellison: Part 1 of 2

On April 19^th, I drove alone to spend some time with the most unique person I’ve ever met: Harlan Ellison.


I left Phoenix at about 7:00 AM and headed west, aiming for Beverly Hills. The trip was uneventful save for a rekindling of my appreciation of the mountains and deserts of Arizona and California and my disappointment in tasting a Hadley’s Date Shake. They’re not as good as I remembered they were. MapQuest/ Google Maps are okay, but not perfect. An up-to-date, handheld, foldout map is hard to beat. Maybe I should have bought one.

When a hotel says, "Under renovation" believe them. The exterior of the Beverly Pavilion Hotel was completely covered by scaffolding, but the appointments of my room were quite nice. I spent a total of six hours (four sleeping) in the room, so I hardly had a chance to enjoy the Dell plasma TV, the hardwood floors, or the clock/radio with the iPod dock. I had just enough time to check-in and head to the 3:00 PM meet-up at Pink’s.

Getting from the Pavilion to Pink's Hot Dogs (Prince Myshkin, and Hold the Relish) was no problem. Finding parking, (if you aren't driving a 1947 Packard) is nearly impossible. Meters on La Brea are limited to one hour. Meters on Melrose are limited to two hours. I know that . . . now! More about that later. I walked down the block to Pink’s, got in line behind about twenty people, and waited to order. It was 2:40. At around 2:55, the aforementioned ’47 Packard, smoke pouring from the right wheel-well, pulled up to the curb. Harlan Ellison had arrived.

Harlan & Susan Ellison, Rick (HarlanEllison.Com) Wyatt, Tim (Fingerprints on the Sky), Andrea, and Alexia Richmond emerged from the smoking Grey Ghost as Steve Barber placed orange safety cones front and rear. The party could begin.

The reason friends and fans of Ellison were meeting at Pink’s, located at 709 North La Brea Avenue, were twofold: The documentary, Dreams with Sharp Teeth: A Film about Harlan Ellison, was being shown at the not-too-far-off Writer’s Guild of America Theater and Pink’s Hot Dogs was the setting of Ellison’s short story, Prince Mishkin, and Hold the Relish (Angry Candy). The witty Ellison told quips, made observations, and exchanged repartee with the assembled individuals. One of the stories he told concerned a contestant on the TV game show, The Weakest Link. Harlan and Susan looked on as the host asked the following, “Who acted in the film, Lawrence of Arabia and wrote a syndicated newspaper bridge column for the Chicago Tribune?” The contestant thought about it for a minute and replied, “Naomi Campbell.” The answer was so bizarre, skewed, and off-the-wall it became the source of much humor around the Ellison household as the answer to all questions: “Who was the 37^th president? Naomi Campbell! Who discovered the islets of Langerhans? Naomi Campbell! Who is buried in Grant’s tomb? Naomi Campbell!”

We’ve all experienced time compression when we’re enjoying ourselves, but have you ever had that sinking feeling when you suddenly realize the parking meter has raised the red flag, you're heading back to feed the meter, you see the meter man from across La Brea, you inform said meter man that you are returning with funds for said meter, you weigh the value of your life against the flash of traffic and opt for the crosswalk, to run up and start pumping coins into the meter as (you’d swear) the meter man informs you that he's already ticketed you? I've had that feeling and that experience. I've also had the feeling of relief as the meter man is walking back to his car and says, "I didn't ticket you.” I finished pumping nickels, stood there for a second processing what I'd just heard, turned and thanked the meter man profusely.

If the evening with Harlan was to be unruly, the afternoon should be classified as chaotic: A select few pushed the ’47 Packard (aka, The Grey Ghost)


across Melrose to the Chevron Gas and Candy Bar Emporium where Harlan exchanges insults and pleasantries with A Made Man. If you don't know that phrase, think Sopranos. Then there was the 4 O'clock clearing of the streets by L.A.’s Finest. Yep, if you're parked along La Brea Blvd at 4 p.m. it's move it or lose it. I was the last car on the East side to get underway. Was that a tow truck I saw down the block? Yes it was, but this tow truck was a flat bed requested to rescue the ailing Grey Ghost. Ellison was seen stroking the bumper and whispering words of comfort to the beautiful car just before it disappeared into the southbound traffic on La Brea. The boxes of books for autographing later that evening were placed into my Saturn Vue and we all returned to Pink’s to continue the congregation.



Gloria Pink, daughter-in-law of the original owners, exchanged pleasantries with Harlan and Susan and greeted the rest of us warmly. She had four foot long dogs made stating, “Pink’s Loves Harlan Ellison” spelled out in mustard. After photographer, Steven Barber snapped a shot, the dogs were rearranged to state, “Harlan Ellison Loves Pink’s” and another photo was taken. The group found out later that Gloria Pink had been kind enough to host the event. When you hang with Harlan, you get the singular pleasure of meeting mensches. Gloria Pink is a mensch!

Around 5 o’clock,

photographer, M. Christine Valada and her husband, Len Wein (Swamp Thing) arrived, ordered food, and joined the group. Wein and Ellison traded quips between bites of hot dogs that have a certain snap to them. The jocularity continued until 6:15 p.m. It was time to head for the Writers Guild of America Theater. Just how unruly could the evening get?

Next time:
The event, after the event, Rick Wyatt and the Richmond's entrust me with their lives, the deer that got out of the road, Sunny California, HA!, the breakfast that didn't happen, the road ahead, the most I’ve spent for gas (to date), etc.

http://harlanellison.com

http://www.pinkshollywood.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink%27s_Hot_Dogs

http://www.creatvdiff.com/harlan_ellison.php,

http://harlanellison.com/heboard/archive/dreams.htm

http://mysite.verizon.net/res7n0zi/id30.html

http://mysite.verizon.net/res7n0zi/id32.html

http://mysite.verizon.net/res7n0zi/id31.html

http://www.documentaryfilms.net/index.php/dreams-with-sharp-teeth/

http://mcvalada.blogspot.com/2007/04/social-whirl.html

http://0wanderingattention.blogspot.com/search/label/Harlan%20Ellison

Dreams with Sharp Teeth - A Film about Harlan Ellison

I've read and enjoyed the works of Harlan Ellison for about thirty years. Ellison is a polarizing figure whose friends are legion and enemies, nearly so. I've had the honor and privilege of facilitating several appearances by Ellison in Arizona where he engaged, entertained, and enlightened audiences for hours on end. To learn more about those presentations go here and look for "Harlan at Glendale Community College, March 1999" and "Pictures from the Arizona University West Appearance."

You can get a sense of Ellison's charisma when you hear him perform readings of his own work and the work of others. Several audio recordings of Ellison have been available through Audible.Com and at bookstores such as Amazon.Com and Barnes and Noble.

I found an extensive list of Ellison recordings at the Islets of Langerhans. and there are some video clips of Ellison at Dark Carnival, but the most exciting news is concerning the documentary, Dreams with Sharp Teeth being shown April 19th in conjunction with an appearance by Harlan Ellison at the Writers Guild of America, more information can be found here with tickets available here. Clips of the documentary can be found here. Sweet dreams.