The Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention

Okay.

First, I'm not even going to try and act like I'll be getting back to regular posting any time soon. Every time I do that it seems to pretty much guarantee I'll disappear and now we're coming up on our busiest time of the year at work, so let's just forget that noise and I'll do what I can when I can.

Right now, I want to give a quick recap of my weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention.

I don't do conventions very often. Like ninety percent (it seems) of the internet, the more I'm not around groups of people, the better off we all are. I'm also poor, so there's that.

But then this con popped up with a "Bionic Reunion"- Lee Majors, Lindsay Wagner, and Richard Anderson all together. Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows how much I love THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN and THE BIONIC WOMAN (SMDM and BW going forward), so I had to suck it up and go. Fortunately, I kinda like Ramen noodles, so spending the cash for a flight and hotel was do-able.

The trip there on Thursday went well, aside from me working until midnight the night before and then having to get up at eight o'clock - in the morning - to catch my ride to the airport. It was only my second time flying in the last dozen or so years, but no troubles there. It was also my first time thru the infamous body scanners. My previous trip, to New York City of all places, I was able to just go thru the regular metal detectors.

The convention was held at the Hunt Valley Inn in Hunt Valley, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. After a light rail trip from the airport that was a bit longer than I'd originally heard - it was about as long as the flight itself, actually - and a short walk, I arrived at the hotel just after the three PM check-in time, which was what I was aiming for so yay, me.

I put my stuff in my room and made my way down to the convention, just in time for the four o'clock photo opportunity with the three bionic stars. I'd been unsure of exactly what to expect from that. I knew they were supposed to be posing together for photo ops, but details were sparse and it sounded like they could just be standing together somewhere for five minutes or so while we snapped pics. Instead, it was a full-blown chance to get photos taken with all three of them, i.e., my dream come true.

My very limited experience with professional photo opportunities had me expecting to be herded thru a line, plopped into position near the stars, quick snapshot, and then herded out of the way for the next person. They were letting people in one-at-a-time, so when my turn came, I headed to my spot behind where the three of them were sitting only to be stopped by Lee Majors in the first chair, turning to say 'Hi' and shake my hand. Richard Anderson and Lindsay Wagner did the same. I'd been at the convention for all of half an hour and it was already worth every penny I'd spent.

I came out of that a little giddy, and made my first pass of the convention layout. On the main floor of the hotel, dealers lined one hall outside an event room sectioned in halves and used for seminars and movies. On the lower level, the same floor plan with more dealers down the hall, along with tables where Lee, Lindsay, and Richard would be signing. The entire event room down here was taken over by more dealers and other celebrity guests.

Being the middle of the afternoon on a Thursday, once out of the photo op line the crowd thinned quite a bit. It was a breeze to check out the dealer's tables. Lots of old toys (many I had when I was a kid, many more I still want to this day) and movies and TV series on DVD. I was both happy and sad that I had very limited luggage space and, yes, money.

There was a five-thirty panel I wanted to see - Caroline Munro, Martine Beswick, Veronica Carlson, and Suzanna Leigh were doing a "Women of Hammer Films" talk. I'm ashamed to admit I'm not as up on my Hammer as I should be, but between THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD, STARCRASH, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, MANIAC, and her modelling work, as well as music videos for Meat Loaf and Adam Ant, I'm definitely a fan of Caroline Munro. I'm also aware of Martine Beswick, who I've seen in her two Bond films as well as  ONE MILLION YEARS B.C., DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE, two episodes of SMDM, and so on. The other two I'm less familiar with, but enjoyed hearing them, also, especially Suzanna Leigh's funny stories about working with Elvis Presley on PARADISE, HAWAIIAN STYLE.

Caroline Munro, Martine Beswick, Moderator (sorry, dude!) Suzanna Leigh, Veronica Carlson

Back out into the hall I realized Lindsay had just recently come back to her table from dinner and the line hadn't backed up yet, so I joined in and got a signed photo and had my picture taken with her. Aside from some asshat trying to bull his way to the front because he'd 'been in line for ninety minutes,' everything was grand. And if you were that asshat with the over-sized tennis ball I suppose you wanted her to sign - you're an asshat. I don't think that can be said enough.

Lee was also back signing by the time I was thru Lindsay's line, and again the line hadn't gotten too huge, so I went thru and got just a photo with him. Don't ask why I didn't get an autographed picture at the same time, because I don't know. I suppose it was just a combination of my usual introversion and being somewhat star-struck

By then it was around eight PM and I was well aware that I hadn't eaten much of anything in about twelve hours so I hoofed it down the street to a shopping center with a Subway, because I wasn't paying for hotel food.

Made a final pass thru the dealers room before things closed up, then tried to get to sleep at a 'normal' hour so I could be ready for Friday.

Friday morning started off on kind-of a downer, as I overheard someone saying Richard Anderson wasn't feeling well and might not do the rest of the show. Since I'd missed out on him the night before, I was royally bummed, but around eleven or so, he came out with the others to start signing. This time, the lines were going strong, but I still managed to get to Lee's line before they had to guide it out a side door because it was getting too long. Got my autographed photo this time, then circled back around to the line that started out as a combined Lindsay/Richard line until it got closer to them and split apart.

James Kuhoric, writer of THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN - SEASON SIX comics that I've praised here, had his table set up in line with the others, so I had a chance to introduce myself to him while waiting for my turn with Richard. After getting the third autograph from, and photo with, a bionic show star for the weekend I hit Subway again for lunch.

Back at the con, I worked up the nerve to go to Caroline Munro's table. That took a little while because she was such a sweetheart and took time with everyone. No one really seemed to mind standing and waiting for their turn, and it was certainly worth it.

I headed upstairs for the Bionic Reunion panel to find out the line was already huge and getting bigger. The convention staff seemed surprised but handled it well, shutting down the movie room and opening up the entire event room for the panel. They answered questions and told some fun stories. My favorite tidbit had to do with the reason why the Bionic Showdown reunion movie didn't lead to a spin-off series like they'd hoped - the studio just didn't see Sandra Bullock as a star. I guess they were partially right - she didn't make much of a mark on TV, at least.

 Richard Anderson, Lindsay Wagner, Lee Majors

After the panel, I did some more wandering around, buying up some old paperbacks and TV Guides and the like to stuff in my backpack for the flight home.

Broke down and went for a room service hamburger. Wasn't bad. 

Saturday morning, the last day of the convention, I had to get up and head back to the airport, but I made another pass thru and talked to James Kuhoric some more, getting an autographed copy of the trade collection of his SMDM series.

The trip home wasn't as smooth, with a half-hour/forty-five minute or so delay with the plane, but it all worked out.

As always, I wish I'd been able to do more, but I got what I needed to done. I told four people that have been a huge part of not just my childhood but my entire life how much I enjoyed their work and thanked them and they seemed to genuinely be listening (the cynic in me says of course they did, they're actors) and that's all I really wanted. Not to sound morbid, but none of us are getting any younger and the chance to catch all three of the bionic stars together again might not come around, at least not close enough for me to see them. Lee even stated at the end of the panel that it might be the last time they could get together. Considering how many other celebrities we've lost recently, I'm glad I got this chance.

And it makes up a little for dad not telling me they were filming BIONIC EVER AFTER? in Charleston, SC, in time for me to take leave and haunt the set.

I also thought that Caroline Munro stuck to the UK and maybe the bigger shows in New York and on the west coast so getting to see her too was a great treat.

Oh, man. I said "quick recap" at the top, didn't I?

TL;DR

Went to a convention, saw my heroes, survived on Subway sandwiches, came home. Ta-da!