Conference noted::sf

    And it was even better than I remembered it...
    
    Jeff

    It couldn't be better than _I_ remembered it...!
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr
    

    It was on a couple of weeks ago here in AZ. Dug patricia Neal as
    Billy's mom. Would've liked to see Gort cut loose, tho. Michael
    Rennie had the perfect patrician face; empathetic AND superior.
    
    Too bad we (the U.S.) paid no attention to its disarmament message.
    
    In the Talking Head's song 'Burnin' Down the House', there's a line:
    
    'Our President's crazy, did you hear what he said?' sometimes the
    media is the only outlet for sanity; movies, music, evencartoons;
    been reading Doonesbury's parody- Brownsville TX is only a 2 day
    drive from Managua !
    
    Karl Moeller SWS Tucson AZ
    

    re .3:
    
    >Too bad we (the U.S.) paid no attention to its disarmament message.
    
    I don't think this is precisely the place to get into a long, drawn-out
    discussion of international politics, particularly armament/disarmament
    politics.  The message, however, was for an enforced-from-outside
    (the Earth), fully policed disarmament of all parties.  Provided
    someone could produce incorruptable Martian robots, it's still a
    good idea.  But only then.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    

    I've always thought this was (and is) the best SF movie ever made.
    I remember seeing it sometime around 1957 when I was just a kid
    and I never forgot it. I've seen it a number of times since and
    never get tired of it.
    
                                            T...
    

    And we can only hope there will never be a remake....
    
    							Don

    This was the FIRST science fiction film I ever saw- had a terrific
    impact on me: "This is really good stuff!" Got me started reading
    science fiction when I was thirteen.
    
    I'm sure glad my first movie wasn't "Them" or "The Monolith Monsters".
    I probably would have read westerns the rest of my life.... :^)
    
    I think TDTESS draws a lot of its appeal from a common human longing:
    Someone (alien) who will solve our problem (by telling us what to
    do or doing it for us) by being interested, benign, and unshakably
    powerful. The perfect parent- M. Renee(?) was perfect for it.
    
    Well, back to the less-than-perfect world- sigh...
    
    
    John O.

    Re .7, et al:
    
    You really ought to read the original story the film was loosely
    adapted from: "Farewell to the Master," by Harry Bates (once editor
    of _Astounding/Analog_).  It is a far cry from the film, but in
    some ways even more powerful.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    

    Well said.  Really brings home human conceit and pompousness.  A
    whole new perspective.
    
    							Don

    Re: .7, .8
    
    Ummmm, I did read "Farewell to the Master" many years ago. I was
    very disappointed, even knowing ahead of time that it was nothing
    like "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Bates does a nice twist on
    the rather common (to this day....) "humans over all" story. But
    it comes as a sort of "tomato suprise" at the end of the story,
    rather than seem like an intrinsic thread. Also, stories concerned
    with who is "master" strike me as  nationalistic and chauvanistic
    whether they are pro-humanity or not.
    
    One of the more profound lessons available in quality science fiction
    is that while there are differences between species, races, and
    individuals, there can be equality of respect and opportunity. Does
    there have to be a "master" at all? There are robots who have life-
    and-death power over humans ("CC" in "The Phantom of Kansas" comes
    to mind) without being regarded as "master" or "slave".
    
    John Osborne
    

    re .10:
    
    One must also consider when a story was written.  At that time
    automation was new.  You got a smug satisfaction that a humanoid
    built Gort, even if it has "complete authority".  After all, a
    law-abiding species programmed it.  "Stuff right, get right", a?
    
    But, when the "invincible" robot says it is in charge and you 
    *will* do what it tells you; ah, *that's* different.  I'm sure you
    read Williamson's "With Folded Hands".  Conceit says the Human
    can not be ruled by the Machine.        
    
    						Don
    

    I don't remember reading "With Folded Hands", so I can't reply to
    that. I guess the key word to me is "ruled", not "machine". I think
    if something is going to be "master" to humans, it seems just as
    repulsive if it's a Southern plantation owner in 1860 or a machine
    in 2160. I think I would prefer, as the lesser of evils, a benign
    or at least impartial computer/alien over a tyranical and capricious
    human.
    
    There's a story called "The Puppet Show", I remember, though I cannot
    remember the author, where a small group of humans fall into exactly
    this trap- not so much being concerned about whether the "master"
    is humanoid or not, but being concerned that there IS a "master".
    That's a deadly trap- as long as one group/species/race continues
    to see itself as rightfully capable of being "master" of another,
    there will not be peace and freedom for all. Whether there is an
    evolutionary stage at which we leave this desire behind, or whether
    beings/machines capable of building machines (wherever the dividing
    line of life/machine is) will have the wisdom to leave the need
    to dominate out of the programming, only time will tell.
    
    John Osborne

    Then you really must read Jack Williamson's "With Folded Hands".
    (Ask Jerry which anthologies it appears in.)  It will give you a
    different perspective on man vs. machine control.  (Stay away from
    THE HUMANOID TOUCH until you read "WFH"; don't want to deaden the
    impact.
    
    Also, when a machine says no, try talking your way out of it.  You
    would stand a better chance with human emotions (ignoring the fact
    the emotions probably got you into the mess in the first place :-).)
                                                                       
    						Don

    re .13 - Don's comment about talking your way around a machine that
    says no reminds me of an story about a computer/robot guarding some
    kind of treasure trove.  It would ask you three questions, and if
    it liked the answers, let you by (you had to pass it both on the
    way in and out).  Problem - so far it liked nobody's answers and
    had blown all contenders away.  Some guy finally figures out it
    wants nonsense answers, gets in, then blows it on the way out.
    Anybody remember the story?
    
    len.
    

    re .14:
    
    Don't remember the story, but all but the O. Henry twist sounds
    like the first part of the Oedipus story, with the robot taking
    the part of the Sphynx.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    

    re:.14
    
    Let's see if I can guess what questions the robot asked:
    
    (1) What is your name?
    
    (2) What is your quest?
    
    (3) What is the air speed velocity [sic] of a laden swallow?
    
    --- jerry
    
    P.S. "With Folded Hands" appeared in lots of places. The best place
    to look for it is in THE SCIENCE FICTION HALL OF FAME, VOL. 2A (ed.
    by Ben Bova).

    re .14
    
    I can't remember the name of the story either, but I believe the
    question Our Hero "blew it" on was something along the lines of:
    
    "Are you happy with your treasure?"
    
    Of course, like a dummy, he answered yes.
    
    David.

    Right!  I know I've got a copy of it in some anthology buried on some
    pile of books somewhere in my apartment.  Is there a "thematic"
    or "idea" index to science fiction anywhere.
    
    I hadn't notice the Oedipal connection, but then a lot of science
    fiction takes classic themes and reinterprets or re-presents them
    in a new context.  One of the most blatant was the "High Noon" ripoff
    in Outland.

    len.
    

    
    Since I haven't seen anybody say anything yet:  The latest issue
    of STARLOG has it that there's a project afoot to do a sequel. 
    The only details are that it will involve Klaatu's daughter and
    Bobby Benson.  Can't remember if they gave a time after the original.
    
    Now, where is Gort going to land the shiop this time?  There aren't
    any baseball fields on the Mall anymore.
    
    	'...Such power exsists.'
    
    	Klaes
    

    Strange; I thought the field was still there.  It was only a corner
    of the ellipse area.  In fact, there were a couple of diamonds...
    
    Ah home...
    
    Failing that, land after 5:30 on the Library; it's no longer in
    use after that anyway. ;^)

    
    	Maybe I've got my geography messed up?  They've done so much
    to the Mall I'm not sure what's left from the original area.
    
	If they still use the Mall, maybe the Smithsonian will make
    them an offer for the ship.  But how do you keep something like
    Gort in a display case?
    
    	Here's hoping they don't botch it!
    
    
    	Klaes
    

    re .21:
    
    > ... But how do you keep something like
    >Gort in a display case?
    
    In both the film _and_ the original story (where the robot was named
    Gnut -- probably of Viking manufacture [:-)]) they _tried_ to!
    
    Answer:  You can't.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    

    re.22's re'ing of .21:
            
    Sir, I think that's what he meant.  
    
    						Don

    How do you spell "klaatu verada nictu"?  Or is it "Klaatu verada
    nikto"?  I've seen both.  And what did it mean - I've forgotten.

    len.
    

    Gee, I always thought it was "barada" with a B.  I don't know that
    we are ever given a straight translation, but "Klaatu" is the
    character's name.  Since Gort's response is to march straight to
    Klaatu, pick him up, and pop him in the autodoc (or whatever), it
    presumablly meant something like, "Klaatu just croaked," or "Klaatu
    needs reviving," or "Klaatu says `Fetch-me!'"
                 
    Earl Wajenberg

re: Gort

We must remember that Klaatu didn't have a whole lot of time in the back 
seat of that taxi cab to think of a clever message.

I think it means "Klaatu and I had relations, and I'm pregnant."  Certainly 
made Gort stop what he was doing, and go off to find Klaatu to find out if 
this foul accusation could possibly be true.  (The revivification was 
because Gort wasn't going to let Klaatu get off *that* easily!)

Ray      8^)

    I always had the idea that the phrase was a verbal equivalent of,
    say, Chinese ideographs, so that one word can translate into a
    very complex phrase or concept. For all we know, "Klaatu barada
    nikto" (the official spelling*) contained a detailed plot synopsis
    of the movie up til that point.
    
    --- jerry
    
    * According to various sources (including an issue of CINEFANTASTIQUE
    that contained a retrospective of the film), this is the way the
    phrase was written in the script.

    Thank you --- jerry, I was looking for an "authoritative" source
    and that looks as close as I'm likely to get.  BTW, I've seen an
    ad hawking old movie scripts.  Think they might have the script
    in question?
    
    len.
    

    re .28: .27 is how I've seen it written.  Have not seen a translation
    & i doubt if their was one.  Since she was instructed to say only
    2 words to Gort, I suspect the "language" was similar in content
    to the "language" used in Heinlein's "Gulf".  (I don't think the
    robot was too bright, anyway.  She had to *repeat* it! :-)  Either
    that or lousy pronounciation.)
                          
    						Don

    RE:.27,.28,.29, etc
    
    In the film, after Gort carries Patricia Neal into the ship, he
    activates some controls and appears to be receiving some instructions.
    If an alien were to travel to a backwater planet, alone, s/he would
    want to take care of any eventuality.  The phrase could have set
    off a whole string of instructions in Gort's "brain", such as protect
    this messanger, look in such-and-such a datafile for additional
    instructions, scan police/military transmissions to discover the
    whereabouts of Klaatu, rescue and revive him.
    
    					- Jim Garm

    Or:  "Pack baggage, go to ship, and hit 'Panic button'."  It had
    to be short & sweet for emergencies.  What if, in the excitement,
    she misprounced a word?  She might've ended up in an alien version
    of a ham & swiss on rye.
    
    						Don

    Re .30

   > In the film, after Gort carries Patricia Neal into the ship, he
   > activates some controls and appears to be receiving some instructions.
   > If an alien were to travel to a backwater planet, alone, s/he would
   > want to take care of any eventuality.  The phrase could have set
   > off a whole string of instructions in Gort's "brain...
    
    When I read the line about "setting off a whole string of
    instructions," it suddenly occurred to me --
    
    "I betcha I know what "Klaatu...' translates into:"
    
    
    		@SYS$SYSTEM:PANIC.COM

    
    					Tongue very definitely in cheek,
    						(-: andrew :-)