Who came to Earth in Atlanta? - It's Dr. Who, fresh from outer space!
- Publication: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Date: 1986-09-19
- Author: Gerry Yandel
- Page: C/1
- Language: English
He's best known for his wide-brimmed hat and 20-foot scarf, although other incarnations of him have used celery as a poison indicator - if it turns purple, he eats it - and the most recent version wears a button with a cat on it adorning his violently-colored clothing and spouts quotes from Earthling fiction.
Like the poster says, "Watch out America: Who is here!"
Dr. Who, that is.
About 300 fans of the 23-year-old British science-fiction series came to the Hyatt Regency ballroom and paid $10-$16 a ticket to pay homage to the erstwhile doctor - or at least two of his six selves. There were Dr. Who coffee mugs, posters, books, photos, buttons and T-shirts for sale.
"He has an interesting variety of personalities," said Kim Hankla of the droll, galactic hobo who has been played by six different actors since the show began in 1963.
In Atlanta, Dr. Who travels around the universe saving humanity Saturdays at 5 p.m. and again at 9 p.m. on Channel 8. The show has been broadcast on PBS since the mid-70s.
"I like what he wears; it's sort of strange," said 11-year-old Charles Hankla who was decked out like the doctor in a wide-brimmed hat and two tri-color scarves.
Most of the audience waiting to hear Tom Baker and Colin Baker, related only by the fact that they both played the character, was below the legal driving age. Colin Baker is the new Dr. Who who hasn't been seen yet in the United States, but most of the audience was dressed in hats and scarves like the fourth doctor, Tom Baker.
Twenty-five-year-old Ray Townley drove all the way from Oxford, Ga., with his friend Cheri Yount of Conyers and a working model of Dr. Who's robot dog, K-9. "His batteries are kind of dead, but his ears still work," said Townley of the model that had a laser eye, a calculator in his back, a radio antenna tail and spinning satellite ears. Townley won first prize in the Dr. Who category at the Atlanta Fantasy Fair in August and said driving from Conyers made him a "true Whovian."
But the person who summed up the good doctor's allure the best was probably 13-year-old Jonathon Cory of Rockdale County who said, "I think it's really interesting. He saves the universe."
"Yeah, let's go buy some more junk," said his friend Mark Buttrick.
Caption: Photo: 11-year-old Charles Hankla dressed the part for the gathering of Dr. Who fans at the Hyatt Regency./ Andy Sharp
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Yandel, Gerry (1986-09-19). Who came to Earth in Atlanta? - It's Dr. Who, fresh from outer space!. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution p. C/1.
- MLA 7th ed.: Yandel, Gerry. "Who came to Earth in Atlanta? - It's Dr. Who, fresh from outer space!." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution [add city] 1986-09-19, C/1. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Yandel, Gerry. "Who came to Earth in Atlanta? - It's Dr. Who, fresh from outer space!." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, edition, sec., 1986-09-19
- Turabian: Yandel, Gerry. "Who came to Earth in Atlanta? - It's Dr. Who, fresh from outer space!." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1986-09-19, section, C/1 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Who came to Earth in Atlanta? - It's Dr. Who, fresh from outer space! | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who_came_to_Earth_in_Atlanta%3F_-_It%27s_Dr._Who,_fresh_from_outer_space! | work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | pages=C/1 | date=1986-09-19 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=16 April 2024 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Who came to Earth in Atlanta? - It's Dr. Who, fresh from outer space! | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who_came_to_Earth_in_Atlanta%3F_-_It%27s_Dr._Who,_fresh_from_outer_space! | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=16 April 2024}}</ref>
