Chapter #2
The Man of the Future: Calvin C.
Spotrunn
Calvin
C. ("C." is how he was know to practically everyone)
Spotrunn was born in Gilroy ("Garlic Capitol of the World!")
California on November 10, 1918 to Ron D. Spotrunn and Emma Goldman-Spotrunn,
itinerant vintners and freethinkers of the classical sort.
Little is known of the childhood of C., but it is known that
in September of 1937 he enrolled in architecture and urban design
classes at the University of California at Stanford. Feeling
academia too restrictive for his spirit, at the end of his first
year at Stanford C. headed south. In late fall 1938 he became
an illustrator for Titian and Sons Publishing in Los Angeles,
publishers of pulp fiction/science magazines Spicy Space Stories,
Fantastic Future Fables, Spicy Sea Stories and 
All-Man
Midnight Tales. All of these publications regularly featured
scantily clad women on the cvers, many painted by C.
C. found he had quite a talent at churning out stories for
the magazines as well and one of his stories, "Blond Bombshell
From Beyond The Stars" was purchased by Reliable Pictures
Corporation to be made into the 1940 13 part movie serial Space
Ranger Girls. It was re-made in 1977 as Space Ranger Girls:
Blond Bombshells From Beyond, a "camp" science
fiction/"nudie cutie" movie starring actress Kristine
DeBell.
C.'s career as an illustrator/writer seemed to be really getting
underway when, on December 7, 1941, America was plunged into
World War Two. A life-long sufferer of asthma, C. was disappointed
to find himself classified "4F" -- unfit for military
service. C. nevertheless "did his part" in defeating
the Axis. In the early months of the war he was instrumental
in organizing the very popular "Tinsel Town War Effort"
advertising campaign. C. also found his graphics talents useful
to the US Army Air Corps, for which he produced training materials
for pilots.
After the war, C. found himself growing restless in the magazine
business and while he had enjoyed his stint with the movies,
he saw how difficult it was for someone like himself to "break
in". What C. needed was a new and exciting venue in which
he could exercise his talents.
In 1947, the newspapers were filled with stories of a flying
saucer crashing in the New Mexico desert. Though these stories
were later "proven" to have been a hoax, they seemed
to have had a profound affect on C.'s imagination. For reasons
still not completely known, shortly after this C.'s attentions
turned to the issues of the future, technology.
Despite a growing nervousness regarding the technological
advances sweeping the world after World War II (as evidenced
in the popularity of giant insect 3D fear films of the time),
C. Spotrunn saw not fear and alienation, but the promise of the
benefits the future could bring.
Of course, in equal parts optimist and businessman, C. Spotrunn
also saw there was a good dollar to be made here. Why not
the future? Why not something to lift the spirit and advance
our thinking? Why not C. Spotrunn?
From this line of thinking came the earliest plans for The
World of the Future Exposition. Calling upon his many close
war-time contacts in science, entertainment, government, industry
and the military, C. Spotrunn succeeded in securing substantial
sponsorship for this project.
- © 2000 Kevin W. Whitaker
- The Recovered Entertainment Archives
The Recovered Entertainment Archives