November 24, 2000

12:32 AM

Do the kids of today know about the greatness of Julius Sumner Miller? Why is it so? I love science thanks to him. Screw Mr. Wizard.
posted by gluechunk (8 comments total)

So, I don't know from under what rock you crawled to type your post, and I wonder how difficult such typing was without opposable thumbs, but don't you ever diss the glory that was Don Herbert, a.k.a Mr. Wizard, lest you find yourself dunked in a vat of liquid hydrogen and smashed to shards with a mallet.
posted by peterme at 6:18 AM on November 24, 2000

I remember Julius when I was a kid! Man that takes me back! But I also remember what a godawful show the rest of the House of Frightenstein was, I was always waiting for Billy Van to have a heart attack and shut the show down due to a 90% loss in cast...
posted by DiplomaticImmunity at 8:15 AM on November 24, 2000

Wow, I was just thinking about this show a couple of days ago, wondering if anyone remembered it. Dance, Wolfman, dance!
posted by cCranium at 9:16 AM on November 24, 2000

I remember Don Herbert using dry ice and alcohol to cast mercury into the shape of a hammer head, then before it melted using it to drive a nail through a board.

That was great stuff.
posted by Steven Den Beste at 11:08 AM on November 24, 2000

When I was in Beavers (Boy Scouts for 5 year olds), my dad was one of the leaders. Since he works in the Earth Sciences lab at the local University, he had ready access to all kinds of nifty chemicals. He brought in a big thing of liquid nitrogen, and the whole night had a bunch of kids throwing everything from elastics to apples into it.

He'd fish 'em out for us, put it on the floor and give us a hammer. I don't think the hall's janitorial staff were terribly impressed, but goodness it was fun.

Liquid nitrogen's by far my most favoritest state of my most favoritest chemical.
posted by cCranium at 12:14 PM on November 24, 2000

I apologize for dissin' Mr. Wizard. I liked him too and always watched his Nickelodeon show when it was on.

But Mr. Wizard seemed too scripted and predictable. Julius Sumner was just nuts, an unleashed enthusiasm for physics. Have you listened to those sounds clips of him? Long live JSM!
posted by gluechunk at 4:27 PM on November 24, 2000

Gluechunk, you watched the late version of Mr. Wizard. I was watching him in about 1958. LOT different. In 1958, TV was either live or on film, and Mr. Wizard was live.
posted by Steven Den Beste at 5:14 PM on November 24, 2000

Julius Sumner Miller spent most of his career in Australian TV "The Professor and the Enquiring Minds", "Why is it so?". We were very surprised to see him show up with Vincent Price on American TV. Even though he was actually American. He finished up doing trick experiments on Cadbury commercials (full of norishment and enjoyment). Which they continued to play here long after his death, which was a little sad and weird.
posted by lagado at 4:35 AM on November 25, 2000