Schuster Star Trek Conventions/1978 (September) New York City Schuster Star Trek Convention
Star Trek America 1978 was held Sept 2-4, 1978 at the Statler Hilton Hotel in New York.
Cost was $15 before July, and $20 after July. You could get a "Non-Attending Membership" for $5 which purchased a "Souvenir Program Book and Convention Materials sent after the Convention."
Guests of Honor
Convention Staff
Tidbits and Anecdotes
From a 1978 flyer: "Featuring an exciting line-up of celebrities and events plus a surprise mystery guest. Name the Tribble Contest: What name would you give to your Pet Tribble? Enter your choice on the Registration Form below. The Most Original Name, selected by our judges, will win a $50.00 Cash Prize which will be presented by one of our Guests."
The Program Book
Flyers, Badges, and Other Ephemera
flyer for the 1978 convention
another 1978 flyer, this one printed in the February New York City Star Trek America program book:
Programming
Links to Photos and Videos
Articles and Further Reading
Con Reports
Here’s today’s flashback: I remember bringing a piece of my own Star Trek art to the convention, it was a white clay bust of Mr. Spock that I had made in my high school ceramic class. Unfortunately, after lugging it all the way to NYC, I found I couldn’t enter it into to Art Exhibit because I hadn’t pre-registered for it. (more lack of planning on our parts). I recall getting weepy over this, since I had worked so hard on it, and my Mom insisted on taking a picture of me with it in the art exhibit room, tears and all. Fortunately (for me at least) the crappy camera struck again, and that picture didn’t develop. however, one of my photos from the art exhibit did survive, albeit off center (I cropped the top of this image out because it was all gold wallpaper) — You can see a portrait of Leonard Nimoy, and a painting of Spock and McCoy, (this was eons before ‘DeviantArt’) That was the first time I was exposed to erotic Star Trek art too; I’ll never forget there was a nude pencil sketch of Spock, reclining on his right elbow, with his left arm modestly concealing his manhood. As I recall, the picture was titled “R&R”. Of course my Mom wasn’t too thrilled with it –‘That’s dirty!’ — But one could not deny the female fans their fantasies. In the end I was just forever grateful to my Mom for letting me go to this convention, and putting up with all the Trek mania around her. You can see some of her notes here. “I guess I’ll have to watch Star Trek now” she joked. Thanks Mom! (she’ll be 93 in February). [1]
Jimmy and Walter were there, and were good-natur edly tightlipped about the movie; they are really taking this secrecy bit seriously. They let out a few, inconse quential tidbits and some or two thought-provoking Items - let's see..Scotty will have a moustache- Chekov will wear a gray uniform; they all have several different uniforms. Kirk has a romantic interest in the bald-headed lady (big surprise) -, there will be Klingons but no Romulans.. Para mount is filming a documentary on the making of the movie; Spock will be the Science Officer but not the First offi cer (you should have heard the gasps after that proclama tion)...
The surprise guest turned out to be Arnold Moss --Kodos/Karldian. He was delightful, and the audience was considerate, plying him with questions about his career and even Shakespeare. He seemed surprised and visibly moved when he received a standlnn ovation. I believe he left with a very good impression of the character and Intellect of Trek fans, and we, In turn, had a very special hour of looking beyond our own world of Trek. The other guest who was special to me was, of course, Asimov -- how I love to listen to that man!
As usual, we made our own entertainment. There were a few scheduled "events" for K/S people, among them showing an Imaginative K/S movie starring the voices of our heroes and (are you ready?) the Mego Star Trek dolls! It was the funniest thing I've ever seen..the same woman did a lovely short film about Kirk and the women he's loved and lost. She used videotaped scenes from the episodes set to Leslie Fish's "The Eternal Loser". Very beautiful -- it almost made me a Kirk fan! Speaking of Kirk, STA was very much Kirk-oriented. Kirk fans abounded; even former all-Spock people are now Including Kirk In their love -- mostly because of K/S (you know, If Spock loves him...)
Leonard did have his followers, however, and we were especially in evidence at the special previews of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" sent by United Artists. UA provided a slide show about the movie and sent a narrator who's been taking the thing around to Trek and sf cons all over the country. Naturally we all gathered at the first showing of the preview. The third slide was. a beautiful shot of Leonard's, face. A sigh went up from the audience, and then someone yelled "$20!" Well, somebody else bid $25, I went $30, and then the bids started coming In from all over. The poor narrator, unaccustomed to events such as Trek auctions, just stood there with his mouth open —- as the audience dissolved in hysterics. It finally dawned on him what was going on when he realized whose face was on the screen.
Also invested (so to speak) in a couple of T-shirts. One was handprinted by Michael Verina ((ed. note -- see Michael's cover art on Turbolift Review 2))...the other new design first made available the second day of the con . It's black, and had a rendering of the new Enterprise with the words "Star Trek - The 'Motion Picture' Lovely!" [2]
References
- ^ The Daily Scrapbook: 11/23/12 Star Trek Art and The rest of the program., TrekkerScrapbook November 23, 2012
- ^ by Nan Lewis in WXYZine #2