Welcome to the newest feature in the
Mihmiverse Monthly where we talk to
YOU, the fans! Every month, we're choosing a random Mihmivite and ask them a few Mihmiverse-related questions in an attempt to get to know them better and find out what they
REALLY think about the films of Christopher R. Mihm!
This month, we interview Theresa Perkins!
Introduce yourself to the Mihmiverse!
To the Mihmiverse, my name is Theresa (also known as Ms. Theresa Perkins in half of the Mihmiverse movie's contributor credits). I have been here since the very beginning of the 'verse and have attended all but two of the Mihmiverse world premieres!
The Mihmiverse has found its way into my home, work, and heart. Working and leading activities at a care center, I have occasionally introduced elements of the Mihmiverse to the residents, including a book club where participants read Stephen D. Sullivan's Mihmiverse-inspired novel, "
Canoe Cops vs. the Mummy." At home, I have my own "Basement Jesus" decorating my light source (also known as a breaker box). And, the mere thought of turning on a flashlight (and turning it off and on again) makes me smile!
When and how did you discover the films of Christopher R. Mihm?
I was introduced to the films of Christopher R. Mihm in 2006 when my cousin invited my family to a midnight showing of the "
The Monster of Phantom Lake." A year later I was saddened to find out I was unable to attend the premiere of the second film, "
It Came From Another World!" Luckily, through my sister's diligence, we've only missed one other premiere.
Contributing has definitely made obtaining a ticket to the next premiere effortless!
If you had to pick just ONE, which of the Mihmiverse films would be your favorite?
Even though I like the song "
Paddlin' Along" in "
It Came From Another World!," I would have to say my favorite movie is "
House of Ghosts" (known to premiere attendees as "
House of Goats"). The style, the acting, and overall theme of the movie adds to it's greatnessnot to mention the lighting!
All of writer/director Christopher R. Mihm's movies must be watched with subtitles to get the full effect. For "
House of Ghosts," I make sure to use my Fear shield as well. It saved me during the premiere when a plastic spider jumped at me! I now use it while watching at home (for good measure), to make sure I don't expire during the film.
Tell us how you, in particular, show your "Mihmiverse pride!"
So many countless ways! I have a room devoted to the Mihmiverse, with posters, awards, and
contributor certificates. During the world premiere of "
Danny Johnson Saves the World," I won a silent auction for one of the guard puppets featured in the filmor as my family likes to call him: "Not Steve." He's featured in pictures every time I move, and every year, he helps me place my Mihmiverse ornaments on the Christmas tree.
The Mihmiverse and its uniqueness has now become a family affair.For instance, I have to look into a flashlight as I turn it on twice. If not, someone in my family will tell me I did it wrong! Family car trips are incomplete without a copy of "
The Monster of Phantom Lake: The Musical!" (don't forget the exclamation point!) soundtrack to sing along to. And, who knows what kind mischief will occur now that Bruce (another Mihmiverse "Steve People" puppet) has been added to the family?
Where would you like to see the Mihmiverse go in the future?
Everyone knows the mind of writer/director Christopher R. Mihm cannot be swayed. Instead, we must let him "do his thing." Each Mihmiverse film is different, yet similar. Perhaps, if we are lucky, one day we will finally see that beach party movie complete with singing and dancing 30+ year old high schoolers running from a sea monster! After all, Mr. Mihm has only been talking about the idea for years!
Want to be interviewed for a future edition of the
Mihmiverse Fan Focus? Send an email to
info@sainteuphoria.com and let us know! Maybe next month the subject will be
YOU!
CLASSIC MOVIE OF THE MONTH
The Fly (1958)
Directed by
Kurt NeumannStarring
Vincent Price,
Al Hedison and
Patricia Owens
Though remade extremely well in the 1980s as a graphic horror film starring Jeff Goldblum, the original is rightfully considered one of the best of the 1950s. The film is told mostly in flashbacks following the death of the main characterwhich doesn't give anything away since he dies within the first five minutes! The meat of the story revolves around ambitious scientist Andre Delambre as he discovers the secret to instantaneous teleportation. Numerous experiments with the technology go off without a hitch, prompting the scientist to hastily test it on himself. Unfortunately, during one of these tests, a common housefly ends up in the teleportation chamber with him. The device malfunctions and mixes the two creatures up, resulting in two distinct half-human, half-fly creaturesone possessing most of the body of the scientist (sans human head and hand). The full "fly-head mask" is kept hidden throughout most of the run time, but its reveal is exceedingly effective. Vincent Price gives a solid performance as the scientist's brother who tries desperately to figure out what happened. The film is surprisingly suspenseful with a very well crafted story. The special effects are perfect for the era, and none are so bad as to detract from the overall greatness of the movie. After seeing the original, you'll be surprised how much it has influenced popular culture since its release. If you've never seen it, you need to! I can't recommend this film enough!
Christopher R. Mihm
"
The Monster of Phantom Lake: The Musical!"
Trivia
The Mihmiverse recently celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the stage debut of "
The Monster of Phantom Lake: The Musical!" Let's look back on some not-so-trivial aspects of the show. (If you didn't see it in person, don't forget you can see the performance video now on Amazon Prime...or buy your own copy from
sainteuphoria.com!)
1. The debut took place at this venuenamed one of the 15 most beautiful theaters in the world by CNN-Travel.
2. The script was written by writer/director Christopher R. Mihm, of course, but most of the music and lyrics were written by this talented and clever composer.
3. This young lady turned 16 the week the show opened and dazzled audiences with her portrayal of
Elizabeth, not to mention her jaw-dropping vocal performance of "Afraid of Everything."
4. "Nothing Bad Can Happen When You __________!"
6. Mike Cook (yours truly) and Greg Kernkamp played the Canoe Cops (Gustav and Sven respectively),
but they also played spooky trees and these other characters from the original film.
7. Which of these actors were actually high school students at the time of the debut? Hannah Jones,
Kelan Smith, Christopher Sturz, Cassie Pearson.
8. Lobo was played by this actor who also holds a PhD in graphic design.
9. This Mihmiverse Bonfire Podcast co-host was not only in charge of lighting, but VERY instrumental in the overall
set and monster suit design.
10. The live orchestra was conducted by this Doctor of Music at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.
11. This actor has never seen the original film. He didn't want it to "color" his performance...and yet, he
nailed the part perfectly.
12. SUPER EXTRA HARD BONUS QUESTION: At the end of the "
The Monster of Phantom Lake: The Musical!" (just like in the film)...a
Canoe Cop crawls out of Phantom Lake as the next monster. For years, people have wondered
whether it was Sven or Gustav, but in the musical finale, both Mike Cook and Greg Kernkamp were
on stage as other characters, so we still don't know which one it was. But who was wearing the
monster suit? Hint: It was one of the crew...and
SHE was designated in the program as one cop or the other.
To answer this one, you'll have to watch the credits for crew members (or look at your saved program) and make a
guess.
Scroll to the bottom of the Mihmiverse Monthly for the answers.
Mike Cook
Roadside attractions and single-screen Main Street movie theaters are fun, kitchy day trips or overnight getaways that you and your family and friends can enjoy. They're also a great way to enjoy a little nostalgia and an opportunity to make some fun memories!
This month's road tripping adventure takes us "across the river" (in relation to where I live) to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A lovely college town located on the Fox River, Oshkosh is home to the famous
EAA Airventure, which runs an airplane museum and an incredible air show that typically occurs the last week in July.
Oshkosh is also home to the historic
Time Community Theater. The theater is an iconic part of Main Street in downtown Oshkosh and was originally opened in 1911 as the Superba Theater. Shortly thereafter, it was renamed the Rex Theater before closing in 1939 for renovations. It reopened several weeks later.
The theater was renamed again in 2007, this time to the
Time Community Theater and it is now run as a not-profit. Movies with a theme, classic films, and some independent works (like the films of the Mihmiverse!) are shown for a small fee or sometimes even free! Affordable refreshments and concessions are available in the lobby but, if you attend an event (like the upcoming screening of "
Demon with the Atomic Brain" on August 3rd!), make sure to bring cashthe theater doesn't take plastic!
On your way out of town or before seeing a flick, stop by M. Schettl Sales, Inc. where you can walk among weird statues and odd art, mostly made of fiberglass and metal. When I visited, I saw a giant, somewhat disturbing rabbit sculpture. A light drizzle hung in the air and the effect definitely heightened the "creepy" factor of the piece.
It's free to visit and walk around. If you like weird, amazingly cool and unique stuff, it is worth your timejust don't forget to take a few pictures for your scrapbook! The owner of the company sells the oddities found on his property, so make sure to visit often as things are always changing. Also, don't forget to stop in at a local pub or diner for a Wisconsin beer, burger, brat, or fish fry. No other place prepares these all-American delicacies like the people of my home state of Wisconsin!
Keep on road tripping!
Stephanie Mihm
IMPORTANT MOMENTS IN SCIENCE with DR. BOB TESLA
I'm going to present a very special person this month. I've talked about computers before, but I'm taking you back to the birth of computer programming and the woman who wrote the first program: Ada Lovelace. Sit back and buckle in because we're going way back this month!
First off, the person we commonly call "Ada Lovelace" actually has a completely different name! She was named Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace! She was also the only daughter of the famous British poet Lord Byron and his wife, Anne Isabella Milbanke, during their one-year marriage. Baby Ada was born December 10th, 1815. I'm not going to go into much detail about her childhood and family life, but I do encourage you to read up on it as she lead a strange, fascinating life. Suffice it to say, she was very sickly and had a strained relationship with her family, but above all that, she was a mathematical genius! This is what caught the attention of Charles Babbage and that is what we want to talk about!
Charles Babbage invented the "Difference Engine," which could be thought of as an early mechanical scientific calculator. He was so impressed by Lovelace's intelligence that he showed her an early prototype of this machine in June of 1833 when she was only 17 years old! She understood the workings of the machine and spent time with it as much as possible. Babbage began work on the successor to the Difference Engine immediately; his "Analytical Engine" would have been considered the first computer...if he had ever been able to get it built successfully. With it being a fully mechanical device with drums and gears, it would have been quite different from the digital computers of today, but it would have worked on the same principles of input, output, a central "processor" and, most importantly: a way to be programmed to do different things.
The complexity and cost of the mechanism meant Babbage never actually built it, but that didn't stop mathematicians from talking about it and what it could do. In 1842, Ada Lovelace was translating Luigi Federico Menabrea's paper on using the Engine and annotated it profusely with instructions on how to get the computer to calculate Bernoulli numbers. This is considered the first computer program. It's even more impressive considering Lovelace didn't actually have a working computer to test her code! This would be like looking at the schematics for the circuit board of a digital computer and being able to write a program for it!
Sadly, Ada Lovelace died of uterine cancer in 1852 at the age of only 36. She never got to see how much of an impact computers would have on the world, but she has been posthumously honored over the years: there is a computer language named for her, the Ada Initiative is a non-profit organization promoting women in open technology, and the Lovelace Medal is the top award for computing in the United Kingdom. She was a shining example of intelligence and when she wrote the first computer program ever, that was truly an Important Moment in SCIENCE!
THE MONSTER OF PHANTOM LAKE: THE MUSICAL!
Did you know that "
The Monter of Phantom Lake: The Musical!" is now available to be performed by schools and theatre companies nationwide?!
We offer carefully prepared materials of similar (or higher) quality than what you would receive from one of the big Broadway theatrical licensing companies. However, our independent licensing model allows us offer individualized service catered to your organization. When you decide to license a show with us, the success of your production becomes our number-one priority! Heck, the authors might even fly out to see one of your shows!
Production packages include scripts, orchestra books, and conductor/accompanist scores (condensed and full score options), all professionally printed in a beautiful and clean format. We even include rehearsal backing tracks that fully match the music printed in the libretto and on the cast recording CD! This is a great option for productions where using a live orchestra isn't possible, for "black box" style theaters, or when your group doesn't have a rehearsal accompanist regularly available.
We also include free logos for use in your advertising materials, and we can offer personalized graphic design as well as transpositions of vocal and orchestra parts on demand. Visit
monsterofphantomlake.com to hear songs from the show, learn more about the script, and request a quote, perusal script, or license agreement.

"
The Monster of Phantom Lake," "
It Came From Another World!," "
Cave Women on Mars," "
Terror from Beneath the Earth," "
Destination: Outer Space," "
Attack of the Moon Zombies," "
House of Ghosts," "
The Giant Spider," "
The Late Night Double Feature," "
Danny Johnson Saves The World," "
Weresquito: Nazi Hunter," "
The Monster of Phantom Lake: The Musical!," and "
Demon with the Atomic Brain" DVDs are now available at
SaintEuphoria.com, the online home of the films of Christopher R. Mihm.
In addition, exclusive movie posters, collectibles and other merchandise are now in stock. Everything is available in extremely limited quantities, so get yours today before they run out!
The Trivia Corner answers: 1. The Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie, WI, 2. Adam Boll, 3. Greta Kernkamp, 4. Sing!, 5. "Demon with the Atomic Brain," 6. Gruff & Toady (respectively), 7. Hannah and Kelan, 8. Dr. Seth Berrier, 9. Cherie "Rhuby" Gallinati, 10. Dr. Erica Svanoe, 11. Joel Breed (Professor Jackson), 12. Julia Lopez (If you got this one right, you made a lucky guess!)
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