The Shows May Be Ended But The Fan Clubs Linger On
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- Publication: Press-Telegram
- Date: 1992-08-09
- Author: Mitchell Diggs
- Page: J7
- Language: English
Like a huge number of Americans, Isaac Turner pops a tape into his VCR several times each week. But unlike most of those folks, Turner generally watches the same program every time.
"At least three or four times a week, I'll pull out a tape and watch a couple of episodes, basically because there's not that much else on TV that I'm interested in," says Turner, an accountant.
On the second Monday of each month, he also gets together with other fans of the show to discuss the latest episodes of the series.
Some weekends he puts on the uniform of a Starfleet officer and help staff a convention dedicated to the program "Star Trek."
Turner, commander of a fan club chapter called Shuttle Yamato, is among thousands of "Star Trek" fans - "Trekkers" as they prefer to be called - who belong to organized chapters around the world. But "Star Trek" is not the only television series that has attracted such unwavering adoration from its fans.
Dozens of TV shows have spawned groups of loyal fans who continue to watch, discuss and collect memorabilia long after the programs leave the airwaves. Organized fan clubs exist for many of these so-called "cult shows," including the gothic soap "Dark Shadows," the campy sci-fi drama "Lost in Space" and the Korean War comedy "M*A*S*H."
"Perry Mason" also has a fan club. So does "The Bionic Woman," "Quantum Leap" and "The Honeymooners." The latter is called the Royal Association for the Longevity and Preservation of the Honeymooners (RALPH, for short).
"There are a lot of them out there," says Blanche Trinajstick, president of the National Association of Fan Clubs in Pueblo, Colo. "There are fan clubs for 'The Andy Griffith Show' and 'Gilligan's Island' and 'Mr. Ed.' Many of these shows are older ones, and the nostalgia interest is outstanding nowadays. Some of these cults and clubs have been going for a long time, but there are a few starting up around more recent shows."
One recent example is COOP, the "Twin Peaks" fan club. Although that moody series was canceled last season by ABC, fans are happily awaiting the release of "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" in theaters later this summer.
Trinajstick publishes an annual directory of fan clubs, and the current issue includes more than 1,500 clubs, including groups for rock stars and actors as well as television programs.
"Star Trek" has one of the largest fan club networks, but other shows with larger-than-average followings include "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Dr. Who."
"In the last year, Mayberry is going crazier than ever with people from all over wanting to join," says Jim Clark, presiding Goober of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. "The show has always been popular, but it seems like people from all over are finding out about our club and want to know more."
The club's members include more than 5,000 dues-paying households and some 700 chapters around the world.
Likewise, "Star Trek" has experienced a recent surge in interest, says Joe Motes, a sci-fi convention promoter.
"It has its ups and downs. In between movies, when there's nothing going on, I've noticed that the attendance at conventions dips a little. But when the movies are about to come out or have come out, the hype is there and attendance goes up. But in the past five years, the popularity of 'Star Trek' has really gone up, and we're getting many more new faces at the convention, mostly young people who have caught on through 'Star Trek: The Next Generation."'
Many fans of "The Andy Griffith Show" have watched the show since it started, but new fans - young and old - discover the show all the time, Clark says.
"I was born in 1960, the same year the show started, so I can't remember not watching it. I'm sure I didn't watch it that first year, but I've watched it virtually all my life. I get letters from people who say the same thing - that they've always been fans of the show."
Local chapters adopt names taken from the show's characters, locations and dialogue. Some examples include One-Bullet Barney, Citizen's Arrest and Floyd's Barbershop.
The reasons why some shows attract cult followings while others simply fade away are too diverse to categorize, says Jeremy Butler, an associate professor of film communications at the University of Alabama.
"It's a strange phenomenon of the subcultural that has to do with people's ability to define themselves within a group that exists on the margins of society. Nobody really knows why some things have a cult attached to them and others don't. But I think perhaps one thing is the idea of identifying oneself with a group that is outside the mainstream."
Science fiction shows attract a large percentage of fan clubs, but any show can spawn a cult-like following.
Many die-hard fans keep going back to their favorite shows because they believe the programs represent quality scriptwriting or particularly good entertainment. "Dr. Who" fans, for example, often cite intelligent scripts, solid characterizations and a creative concept as reasons why they enjoy the British science fiction-fantasy series.
"They didn't spend a whole lot of money on the costuming or the sets or the monsters," says Lorraine Walker, an officer with the Birmingham Chapter of the Dr. Who Fan Club. "Everything is kind of tacky looking. That's generally what catches peoples' attention.
"They're used to 'Star Trek' and shows like that, so they say, 'What is this?' The stories are what really hook them, though, once they watch the show."
The main character, Dr. Who, travels through space and time in a vehicle called a T.A.R.D.I.S., righting wrongs. He generally employs a non-violent approach to solving problems.
"The plots are a lot better than most American shows. You can't watch the beginning and know how it's going to turn out."
Fans of "The Andy Griffith Show" point to the show's enduring comedy, emphasis on good morals and easygoing philosophy.
"Families can watch the show together," says Clark. "It's a wholesome show. Kids might like it for different reasons; maybe they can relate to Opie because he's a kid, too. Then as they mature, they start liking it for different reasons. And when they become parents, they like it for the father-son relationships and that kind of thing."
Some fan clubs, including most "Star Trek" clubs, have well-defined structures. Others are just casual groups of fans who want to watch and discuss their favorite programs.
"We don't go out together and dress up or anything like that," says Walker. "We just like to have someone to talk with who understands what we're talking about; so many people don't know what we're talking about when we mention 'Dr. Who."'
Some clubs don't even have regular meetings. One Birmingham, Ala., chapter of "Andy Griffith" fans, known as the Citizen's Arrest chapter, rarely holds organized meetings, co-founder Dave Allen says.
"Typically, Mayberry fan clubs, in keeping with the pace of life in Mayberry, are loosely organized and get together only when they feel like it."
Some chapters have built replicas of Sheriff Andy Taylor's squad car, but few put as much effort into costumes or props that "Star Trek" fans often do. Tom McLane, Force Admiral of the Klingon Disruptor Force fan club in Hueytown, Ala., and a power company engineer, worked part-time for two years on his Klingon officer uniform.
The costume includes items such as napkin rings, half a belt buckle, tips off mechanical pencils, aircraft cable and even a pair of earrings pieced together to form a uniform that closely resembles those worn in the "Star Trek" television series and movies.
"I don't mind at all," he says. "It's fun."
Many fan clubs also participate in community service projects, including charity fund raisers and visits to children's hospitals.
"We want to have fun, but we want to live in the real world and help people out, too," says McLane.
For information
For information on fan clubs for your favorite program, write the National Association of Fan Clubs, P.O. Box 4559, Pueblo, Colo. 81003. For a copy of the Fan Club Directory, send $8 to the same address.
Caption: Thousands of "Star Trek" fans belong to organized clubs around the world. "The Andy Griffith Show" has a larger-than-average following.
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.: Diggs, Mitchell (1992-08-09). The Shows May Be Ended But The Fan Clubs Linger On. Press-Telegram p. J7.
- MLA 7th ed.: Diggs, Mitchell. "The Shows May Be Ended But The Fan Clubs Linger On." Press-Telegram [add city] 1992-08-09, J7. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Diggs, Mitchell. "The Shows May Be Ended But The Fan Clubs Linger On." Press-Telegram, edition, sec., 1992-08-09
- Turabian: Diggs, Mitchell. "The Shows May Be Ended But The Fan Clubs Linger On." Press-Telegram, 1992-08-09, section, J7 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=The Shows May Be Ended But The Fan Clubs Linger On | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/The_Shows_May_Be_Ended_But_The_Fan_Clubs_Linger_On | work=Press-Telegram | pages=J7 | date=1992-08-09 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 May 2024 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=The Shows May Be Ended But The Fan Clubs Linger On | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/The_Shows_May_Be_Ended_But_The_Fan_Clubs_Linger_On | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 May 2024}}</ref>
