IMDB

Today's incoherent rambling stems from a question I was asked the other day: "Are you a Trekkie?"

This may surprise you, but I don't really think I am.

Oh sure, I am a fan of Star Trek, and I recognize how much it has meant to me personally, and to the world in general. I greatly admire the talents that brought the United Federation of Planets into being.

However -- I have never attended a convention, nor undergone surgery to attach Vulcan ears to my head. I have not attempted to learn Klingon (though I did take a stab at Esperanto once), nor have I searched eBay to find one of those techno-lute thingies that Spock played when he jammed with the space hippies.

But despite my denial of Trekkiehood, the question made me think. I have since spent a few moments pondering the path that brought me to the point where I feel compelled to pontificate on the Internet about TV, movies, science, space travel, and aliens, etc.

The first book I remember as an influence was called "Harold and His Purple Crayon." It was about a kid who drew things that would become capable of interaction. His activities foreshadowed the invention of the virtual world of computers and the Internet.

As all kids do, I went through the "dinosaur obsession" phase. But for me, this happened concurrently with John Glenn orbiting the Earth -- which created an eternal fascination with both space travel and monstrous creatures. My afternoons featured the Major Astro television program, which covered those topics, and added the appeal of animation, as well.

And then came Star Trek.

My relationship with television was firmly established. But it wasn't until I got to college that the final element fell into place. My best friend and I were roommates in the dorm. Mickey brought his TV with him, and it became the centerpiece of our collegiate experience.

Mickey was a movie enthusiast. Though he was a shallow and simple fellow in most ways, Mickey surprised me with the depth of his understanding and enthusiasm for the cinematic arts -- which included the ability to enjoy and appreciate films from every era. I learned to do the same. And that's when I came up with the idea for IMDB.

Every time I watched a movie, I would write down the title, year, director, actors, and a synopsis. Because this was before personal computers, I was forced to write my "database" onto 3 x 5 cards, which made information retrieval somewhat less than instantaneous. But I had the data, and could begin to see patterns of relationships that would eventually result in the invention of Kevin Bacon.

Unfortunately, I can't sue the IMDB guys...because I never told anyone about my database, and never recognized the potential the Internet offered. I'm sure a zillion other guys had the same idea. And IMDB got it right. My hat is off to them.

So here is the epilog: Last night, I made my first official contribution to IMDB. I was channel surfing, and noticed a guy on "I Dream of Jeannie" that I should know. He was in a million shows in the 60s, and I knew I knew him. (No, it was NOT the guy pictured here -- that's obviously Lon Chaney, Jr. Everybody knows him. I just thought his photo provided a good representation of the wonders of IMDB.)

A few years ago, my mind would've instantly retrieved the correct name. But last night, I struggled. John Froome? No. He was a newscaster on KAKE TV in Wichita, Kansas. Ethan Frome? No, I think he was a Jedi Knight or something. But I knew I was close enough -- IMDB could provide the complete answer.

I located the "Jeannie" episode...but it didn't show a credit for the guy I had recognized. Hmm. Time for Google.

Ah! Milton Frome.

He played a lot of salesman or government official types, usually to comic effect. I was surprised that his IMDB bio didn't mention the "Jeannie" episode. Well, that's why they have the "submit changes" button, isn't it?

So...I sent the suggested addition to the IMDB staff for review. I have no idea how they perform such a review, unless they have rooms full of actor trivia geeks where they walk in and say "Hey! Does anybody remember if Milton Frome played a produce clerk on the 'My Incredible Shrinking Master' episode of 'I Dream of Jeannie'?" That would actually surprise me less than learning that they had access to every movie and TV episode and could go right to the source.

Or maybe they just receive such updates and recognize that Terry's profile suggests that he's enough of a trivia geek to be trusted with such pronouncements. It's certainly plausible -- given the timeframe and Frome's career arc. Anyway, I intend to check IMDB in a couple of days to see if they actually added the listing. I'll let you know.

Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing if you have ever identified the influences that led to your current personality. Who were your Harold, John Glenn, Major Astro, and Mickey Canaday? And where, exactly, does the threshold lie between being a Trekkie vs. just being a dork? Let me know, and have a great day!