I worked for Julie at DC in the 70s--I loved him--what a great guy---Harlan equally is a great mind---I had many conversations over the years, and miss going to SF cons to see him--I also wrote the first review of TERMINATOR that mentioned that it looked like they ripped off Harlan's SOLDIER-----
Dr. Isaac Asimov has done it for years! "The man has no tack whatsoever!" Robert Bloch once described Harlan as "The only life form on Earth whose natural element is hot water!" Remember that these men, like Julie, were among his closest friends! RIP Julie
I noticed that too, Julius stood his ground in a very kind, humble and nice way against the overtly bossy and highly caffeinated, motor-mouthing, Harlan Ellison. Harlan Ellison has an excess of confidence that is his strength, but when the dust settles, he is a modern Salieri; eclipsed by those he bettered in interviews, conversation and awards... but never in actual impact in the genre - given the fact his audience, world-wide, declines and his staunch money-grabbing tactics render what he has written too expensive for hollywood to bother. I find the guy a puzzle.
I think I might be one of the few fans ever to dress up as the Joker (before the Burton film) and find myself in the same elevator as Julie Schwartz (at a ConClave in MI). I grinned and said "Bet you never thought you'd find yourself in an elevator with ME."- and he asked "Young man, do you know who I am?" We both had a laugh over that. Very nice man.
What a wonderful interview with Julie Schwartz. What always gets me now is how guys like Schwartz had this very down-to-earth, market share understanding of a medium that completely dominated my creative imagination when I was growing up. Gives me an adult respect for the industry. In a way, while the superhero positioned him (or her)self in a fictional four color universe, the comic title had to keep a market share just to stay afloat (or fly, as it were). These editorials are like time capsules. Thanks very much for sharing.
My favorite cartoons as a kid state side were the Timm/Dini superhero cartoons... I learned later in my Fandom how important Shrwartz was in terms of influence for those shows!
Wish there were more of these interviews from these legendary comic figures. Are there any more of these interviews from Harlan Ellison Watching? The entire archive of this show should be available on DVD. These interviews and commentaries are of a historic importance.
One of the perks of these videos is hearing How Things Work in the real world. Without working at it, a person winds up learning as they go through life. The really great people figure out ways to share what they've learned. So, thank you - again - Mr. Ellison.
That's it... My next vacation must be to the Maldives and I'm taking my complete Ereads collection to enlighten the scuttlefish. Is there such a thing as a godless missionary? Can I be the first?
Very interesting guy. I probably read a tremendous amount of stuff he was involved in creatively, in some way, and never knew he was part of the team. Sad to see he's gone.
(Borscht Belt, and I love it.) This is either terminally Geeky, or terminally Cool. (Being a terminal Geek, I opt for the latter.) Major Geek moment: Finding out that Julie Schwartz and Edmond Hamilton were friends and roommates. Almost as Geeky-cool: Finding out that Julie was Ray Bradbury's first agent. Close third: Finding out that Alfred Bester started out (sort of) writing "Green Lantern." Awe-inspiring "Cool," without a hint of "Geek:" Who knew that Ellison was this great an interviewer, and why the hell did he never get his own show on TV or Radio?
Maybe Marvel comics will have a Julius schwartz to rebuild something great from the ashes when all the 300 pound reprehensibles are done turning the comics into radical propaganda rags. Or maybe they'll just go bust, which wouldn't be a terrible thing at all.
