Elvira’s Incredible Longevity

When approaching the Mistress of the Dark,
don't let the gargoyle bite off your toes!

I never cease to be fascinated by what captures and holds our interest.  Take police procedurals, for example.  These TV shows, featuring heroes who safeguard our neighborhoods, appeal to a large portion of the viewing audience.  They consistently score high in the rankings.  Yet, unless they are extraordinary in some way (such as “Miami Vice,” for example), they are typically forgotten.  Even the best are regarded as disposable items.  Who needs yesterday’s cop show, when you can watch the current version?

Sci-fi, Fantasy and Horror shows usually score lower, and appeal to a narrower portion of the viewership.  Yet something in them excites and inspires viewers in a way that more mainstream programming doesn’t.  You’ll find far more clubs, forums, and conventions held for these shows than you will for police procedurals, dramas, or comedies.  When was the last time you attended a “Miami Vice” convention, belonged to a Ricardo Tubbs fan club, or purchased any related merchandise?  And forget “Hunter,” the series I’ve been watching lately.  Why should anyone care about “Hunter?”  It was just another cop show, right?

Bounce an Elvira check today,
and you'll pay for it for eternity.

At Stan Lee’s Comikaze, an area of the main floor was devoted to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.  Examples of the many collectibles produced over the years were on display.  Two game stations had been set up so attendees could try out the latest Elvira video game.  People waited in line to approach Elvira, on her Victorian settee, and pay for her autograph.  Fans continue to seek out her books, videos, and a plethora of licensed products. 

In the last post, I wrote about the connection Elvira forged with me.  It’s obvious I was merely one among many.  “Elvira’s Movie Macabre,” a pleasant weekend comedy-horror show, with a likeable hostess, started on a small, independent TV station in Los Angeles and became a national phenomenon.  The police procedural “Hunter,” on the other hand, started on network TV, was seen by more people, and lasted far longer in its initial series run.  But who wants more “Hunter?”  How many even remember “Hunter?”  What do people want?  Who continues to fascinate children of all ages?  Who continues to win new fans, provoke discussion, and sell related merchandise?  Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.  That’s who.

That’s the power of Sci-fi, Fantasy, and yes, even Horror.  (Now, if someone could just explain this to the TV executives who consistently cancel these popular and enduring shows)!

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries

Fantasy World-building Insights from Police Dramas

Related Internet Links

List of “Elvira’s Movie Macabre” Episodes

Stan Lee’s Comikaze page on Elvira

Fantasy World-building Insights from Police Dramas

Crockett & Tubbs:
Two heroes indelibly burned into my brain.

Aspiring Science Fiction and Fantasy novelists tend to study the novels of their published counterparts when constructing their worlds.  Writing teachers often promote this as the best way to construct worlds that will draw readers in.  This view makes sense, as TV shows and movies involve a different working process than that of the traditional novelist.  Yet other mediums and genres offer insights into the intricacies that make a society not just function, but survive the constant, daily barrage of change.  In my opinion, would-be World-builders should study all mediums of art, as they seek to master the skills necessary to become published authors. 

Police Dramas portray the constant, necessary fight to protect society from the activities of groups and individuals that, if left unchecked, would lead to its collapse.  In the 1980s, two TV shows that portrayed this fight were “Miami Vice” and “Hunter.”  "Miami Vice" showed the insidious way that drugs can infect all levels of society and aspects of a culture, whether their source filters down from civic leadership or rises from street dealers.  “Hunter” displayed the vigilance necessary to protect citizens in all walks of life from predators who prey on the weak and the successful.  Both shows proved popular with viewers during their broadcast runs.  Yet each was as different from the other as baseball and cheese, and left vastly different legacies.   Why? 

“Miami Vice” initially won viewers with its looks, style, and sound, but the show faltered in later seasons, and completely fell apart during its fifth.  Meanwhile, “Hunter” slowly climbed the rankings to become a mainstay of NBC’s lineup.  From a dismal 65^th in the Nielsen rankings for Season One, the show reached the top thirty by its third, and lasted seven years.  An attempt to reboot "Miami Vice" in the cinemas failed. "Hunter" prompted several reunion movies, and nearly spawned a sequel series.  

Hunter & McCall:
Two heroes winning their way into my heart.

Despite the way “Miami Vice” wowed us, the show proved unsustainable once its novelty had worn off.  It also suffered from drastic changes in oversight.  After the first season of "Hunter," Steven J. Cannell kept a watchful eye on the series, but steered his mentor Roy Huggins into his former role as Executive Producer.  Huggins labored hard to refine his series' characters, style and identity.  Initially, Hunter's fellow police officers disliked his violent methods and disregard of the rules.  In later seasons, Hunter's character and actions were softened.  Nor did his fellow police trust him, as he came from a Mafia family.  Huggins dropped that aspect of Hunter’s history.  The catch phrase “Works for me” and the music video segments were also discarded.  Huggins replaced these discordant elements by building the chemistry between Hunter and his partner Dee Dee McCall.  What emerged was a traditional police drama, but one of the most memorable partnerships in TV history.

As a would-be SF and Fantasy writer, what "Hunter" teaches me is that I shouldn’t worry about delivering a groundbreaking novel the first time out.  What will prove more important, at least for the longevity of my career, is to continually build on my strengths while addressing (not hiding from) my weaknesses.  To seek to add substance to my worlds with each successive story, while not losing my unique voice or style.  Bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson says that, with each new book or series, he tries to evaluate the areas he needs to improve as a writer, and then address those issues in that story.  Coming from such a prolific and successful author, this sounds like good advice.

TV shows from other genres thus offer the aspiring author valuable insights.  “Miami Vice,” while a magnet for the latest music, fashion, and styles, was also an expensive show to produce.  When it fell in the Nielsen rankings, the series was dropped as quickly as Sci-Fi shows that also cost a lot to produce.  This suggests that stories built chiefly on style, regardless of how popular they initially seem, cannot endure.  In my own writing career, I hope to emulate authors like Kevin J. Anderson, Steven J. Cannell, and Roy Huggins.  I want to create substance: stories that will not just wow you, but will last.

Writing substantively (and, I hope, stylishly),

Dragon Dave

The "Hunter" of My Reality

Criminals: Beware!

Let’s face it: crafting a novel takes a long time.  As I write without detailed chapter outlines and comprehensive character charts, I’m exploring my characters, building my fantasy world, and discovering “what happens” with each sentence.  Another aspect of novel writing that drains my spirits is that my novel is always in process until it’s finished.  That’s why I write a daily blog: so I can initiate, develop, finish, and publish something each day.  The satisfaction I derive from those daily achievements buoy my spirits as I trudge on toward the completion of my novel. 

I also find it helpful to watch a TV show during lunch.  Without any mental exertion, I can explore character, study dialogue, and reflect on any issues raised.  In forty to fifty minutes, I fortify myself with the three essential acts of drama, remind myself of the need to arouse the reader’s curiosity in the beginning, sustain it during the middle, and hopefully, satisfy his or her interest with the ending. 

Of course, it goes without saying that all those elements play out, on a smaller scale, within each scene of a good novel.

As I mentioned in “The Hunter of My Memories,” I’ve been watching “Hunter” lately.  This police drama started the same year as the more popular and award-winning “Miami Vice.” In the first season, Hunter took some stylistic cues from “Miami Vice.” Long, music montages played out against action set on the backstreets of Los Angeles.  While “Vice” used the latest Pop music, “Hunter” often opted for Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. “Vice” offered viewers eye candy with beautiful Porsches, Ferraris, and Lamborghinis; “Hunter” offered us big-bodied American-made cars from the ‘70s and ‘80s.  When the action in “Vice” took place in a rundown neighborhood, the production team spruced up streets and painted ramshackle buildings.  “Hunter” portrayed the backstreets of Los Angeles at their grungy worst.

“Hunter” starts off as TV’s answer to "Dirty Harry."  He’s a hard-nosed cop whom no one in his department likes or trusts.  He grabs colleagues’ cases if they interest him.  He eats chili dogs and junk food.  He engages in high-speed car chases, which frequently end in spectacular crashes, in the busiest sectors of the city.  And of course, he’s not afraid to use his gun.

The guest actors provide additional sparkle to each episode.  Some of these allow the viewer to watch a famous actor before he or she became a household name.  Right now, I’m enjoying Season Three.  One episode featured a short but dramatic scene with Claudia Christian (in a bikini!), who would later star as Susan Ivanova in the Sci-Fi series “Babylon 5.”  Another episode offered Brent Spiner, who would go on to paint his face white and win our hearts as the android Data in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”  And then there’s Garrett Morris, who previously rose to prominence on “Saturday Night Live.”  He plays Sporty James, who drives a Cadillac, uses his friend’s shoeshine stop as his office, and trades in street-information for money and favors.  Not only does he make you laugh, but in one episode, when one of his deals goes wrong and his girlfriend dies, his grief is so palpable, so real, that he reminds us comedians can also rip our hearts out when given the right dramatic role.

Now seems the perfect time to (re)discover “Hunter.”  All seven season are available in one DVD box set, for what seems a reasonable price, when compared to better-known ‘80s shows like “Miami Vice.”  I think you’ll agree with me that the show grows more sophisticated, and thus more satisfying, as the series progresses.  It’s given me valuable insights, which have kept me writing, and perhaps even improved my stories.  But then again, that’s why I'm watching it.

That's also why I'm recommending it to you.

Taking inspiration wherever I find it,

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries

The Proper Role of Fiction

The “Hunter” of My Memories