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  • IMPORTANT: Susan Gordon passed away on December 11, 2011. Please read the tribute message at the bottom of her Home page.



    This page last updated May 17, 2013

    Susan Gordon's Appearances at Film Festivals, Autograph Shows, and Celebrity Events
    Recap written by Rich Braisted
    Longtime Web Designer for Susan

    Introduction:
    Susan Gordon appeared at 30 film festivals and autograph shows, beginning in April 2002 and ending in May 2011. A complete list of these appearances can be found at the bottom of this page. Susan Gordon also participated in charity events, and she appeared on stage and television a number of times in the years 2002 to 2011. I have attempted to chronicle on this page all of her celebrity activities. The videos embedded on this page are of people and performances which had tangential connections to Susan's life and career. For videos of Susan Gordon's acting performances, please visit her Television Appearances page and the individual pages dedicated to each of the 6 full-length films in which she appeared.
    Calendar Year 2002
    April 2002: Chiller Theatre Expo
    Susan Gordon at Chiller Theatre Expo - April 2002 Susan Gordon at Chiller Theatre Expo - April 2002 Susan's first ever visit to an autograph show was to the April 2002 Chiller Theatre Expo in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where she stopped in on Sunday, April 21, 2002. This visit was prompted when I mentioned to her that afternoon that an actor from my favorite film was in attendance: Joe Turkel from Blade Runner. While Mr. Turkel is well known for playing the role of Elden Tyrell in the iconic Sci-Fi Film Blade Runner, as well as for his appearances in three Stanley Kubrick films: The Shining, The Killing, and Paths of Glory, Mr. Turkel also appeared in two films (and one television episode) with Susan Gordon, as well as in Bert I. Gordon's Village of the Giants. Upon hearing that Joe Turkel was in attendance, Susan immediately wanted to go to the show, and excitedly sped us down the New Jersey Turnpike in a mad rush to see Joe Turkel at the Chiller Theatre Expo, late on that Sunday afternoon. We arrived just minutes before the weekend show came to conclusion.

    Susan Gordon, Bert I. Gordon and Joe Turkel DVDs Susan Gordon, Bert I. Gordon and Joe Turkel - Tormented Reunion interview About 5 years after our April 2002 meeting with Joe Turkel � Mr. Turkel, Susan Gordon, and Bert I. Gordon appeared together in an interview extra on a special edition DVD of the film Tormented (for the ignominious MST3K series). For the record, the two films which Joe Turkel and Susan Gordon appeared in together were Tormented and The Boy and the Pirates, and the TV episode they appeared in together was a Ben Casey episode: "One Nation Indivisible." The photo at left shows the various DVDs which Joe Turkel appeared on with Susan Gordon and Bert I. Gordon. (In taking this photo, I placed the DVDs in the same spot on our living room sofa where Susan customarily sat when she came for movie nights at our house. From July 2003 through December 2010, Susan would stop in often to watch movies, record voice-over demos, work on computer projects, rehearse her stand-up comedy, and to tell us stories about her real life in Teaneck or her surreal life as a celebrity.)

    Susan Gordon - Joe Turkel - Chiller Theatre Expo 2002 Susan Gordon - Joe Turkel - Chiller Theatre Expo 2002 After meeting with Joe Turkel in the giant tent outside of the Meadowlands Sheraton, Susan and I proceeded indoors to the ballroom where the memorabilia tables were set up. We encountered at one of the vendor tables an interesting man who was selling copies of a DVD of a film he had recently directed � a film about a caveman from West Virigina: Jan-Gel, the Beast from the East. As it turned out, the man we were talking to was Conrad Brooks, a cult-film celebrity who is especially known for his appearance in Plan 9 From Outer Space (and other Ed Wood films). Coincidentally, Mr. Brooks later appeared with Susan Gordon as a "celebrity waiter" at the SERVE Inc. event in Virginia, which is mentioned below. Conrad Brooks also appeared at many other film festivals at which Susan Gordon appeared.

    Here is a scene in which Joe Turkel was featured in Blade Runner:


    June 2002: Hollywood Collectors Show
    Jon Provost, Susan Gordon, Mary Badham, Stanley Livingston, Flip Mark The first autograph show which Susan Gordon appeared at as a celebrity guest was the Hollywood Collectors Show, held at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn in North Hollywood, California, the weekend of June 29-30, 2002. Laurie Jacobson arranged for her appearance at this event (and many other events). In addition to being owner of Living Legends Ltd., Laurie Jacobson is married to Jon Provost (Timmy from Lassie). Susan Gordon and Jon Provost had been friends in the early-1960s, when they were child actors, and Laurie Jacobson contacted Susan when she was co-authoring with Jon, Jon Provost's autobiography: Timmy's in the Well: The Jon Provost Story. It was in most part because of Jon and Laurie's input in December 2001 (and the early months of 2002) that Susan became serious about the prospect of appearing at celebrity events. (Note: Jon and Laurie were not the only friends suggesting to Susan that she appear at film festivals and autograph shows, but from the many conversations I had with Susan around this time I know that it was their input which made her secure in the belief that this would be a good experience for her.) A photo of Susan Gordon at Jon Provost's 13th birthday party can be seen on one of the "Recollections" pages on Jon Provost's website. During the weekend of the Hollywood Collectors Show, Susan attended a party hosted by Stanley Livingston. (Susan Gordon co-starred with Stanley Livingston four times on the hit TV show My Three Sons.) The photo above right was taken the night of that party, and has appeared on the "Recollections V" page on Jon Provost's website since 2002. Additionally, Jon and Laurie Provost posted a tribute message for Susan Gordon on the website A Minor Consideration, a website which promotes a charitable organization founded by Paul Petersen. Paul Petersen starred in The Donna Reed Show from 1958-1966, a show which Susan Gordon appeared on in 1962. Susan Gordon's episode was called "Aloha, Kimi," and first aired on January 25, 1962.

    Susan Gordon on Living Legends Ltd.
    (via archive.org's Wayback Machine - 10/12/04)

    Jon Provost interviewed by Harry Smith for The Early Show on CBS:


    August 2002: Twilight Zone Convention
    Susan Gordon at Twilight Zone Convention 2002 At the August 2002 Twilight Zone Convention in Los Angeles, in addition to being one of the many Twilight Zone stars meeting and greeting fans, Susan Gordon took part in a Twilight Zone discussion panel (August 24, 2002). The moderator for the event was Mr. Gary Shusett of the Sherwood Oak Experimental Acting College. Susan Gordon and actor Ben Cooper joined directors James Sheldon and Elliot Silverstein on the Directors Panel. (Susan Gordon and Ben Cooper filled in for directors Richard L. Bare and Bob Miller, respectively, both of whom were unable to attend the convention.) Later that night, George Clayton Johnson gave an inspiring keynote address at the special dinner which was held. Andrew Ramage did an exceptional job managing the 2002 and 2004 Twilight Zone Conventions. (Both of those conventions were held at The Beverly Garland Holiday Inn, in North Hollywood, California.)

    Twilight Zone Convention 2002 Official Website

    Here is George Clayton Johnson's keynote speech from the 2002 Twilight Zone Convention. (The video quality isn't the best, but the speech is first rate, so be sure to listen to it when you have time):


    Thank you to Andrew Ramage for providing this video!
    October 2002: Chiller Theatre Expo
    Susan Gordon at Chiller Theatre Expo - October 2002 Susan Gordon spent part of the weekend as a celebrity guest at the Chiller Theatre Expo, the weekend of October 25-27, 2002. This was the weekend Susan reconnected with Kenny Miller, an actor who'd starred in Susan's very first film: Attack of the Puppet People. An account of their meeting is in the second to last paragraph in the "Kenny Miller Remembers" blog entry. In later years, Susan Gordon and Kenny Miller made joint appearances at a number of film festivals, including appearances with Bert I. Gordon at a few Monster Bash events. Susan's appearance at the October 2002 Chiller Theatre Expo was a "last minute" decision, thus she did not appear on the official guest list which was published on the Chiller Theatre website. However, she definitely did appear at this particular Chiller Theare Expo. If you click the Chiller Theatre graphic at left, a list of most of the celebrities who appeared at the October 2002 Chiller Theatre Expo will appear.
    November 2002: Asheville Film Festival
    Susan Gordon at Asheville Film Festival
    From L-to-R are Johnny Meeks, Suzanne Lloyd, Barbara Stuart, Susan Gordon, Noel Neill, JoAnn Pflug, Erin Gray, Hank Garrett, and Betsy Palmer. Not pictured - Barbara McNair
    (This photo was originally posted here: https://www.cometwesterns.com/filmfes2.htm -
    Thank you to Tommy Hildreth for the permission to use this photo!)

    Susan Gordon appeared at the Asheville Film Festival in North Carolina the weekend of November 8-10, 2002. (The festival is also known as the Western North Carolina Film Festival.) Susan specifically mentioned to me that she had a wonderful time getting to know Noel Neill, the actress who had played the role of Lois Lane in the Superman TV series of the 1950s. Also in attendance at the film festival was Betsy Palmer. Susan and Betsy appeared at quite a few film festivals and autograph shows together, and if memory serves me correctly, it was Betsy Palmer's success as a voice-over performer which inspired Susan's interest in doing some voice-over work. Betsy is best known for the role of Jason Voorhees' mother in the Friday the 13th films.

    Here is an interesting interview which Betsy Palmer did at the Chiller Theatre Expo in October 2005. As you can see, the video was filmed in the expansive tent where the celebrity tables were arranged at some Chiller Theatre Expos. (When we met Joe Turkel in April 2002, his celebrity table was set up in this tent.)


    Calendar Year 2003
    January and March 2003: Susan Gordon at Son of Fanex 2003 Susan Gordon at Son of Fanex 2003 In the calendar year 2003, Susan Gordon appeared at 6 film festivals and autograph shows. This flurry of celebrity activity began with Fangoria Fest in Brooklyn, NY, in January 2003, and then moved on to Son of Fanex, held in Baltimore, Maryland, in March 2003. The photos at left and right were taken at Son of Fanex, where Susan Gordon appeared as one of the two featured celebrities at this 3-day event, alongside horror-film actor Edward de Sousa.
    April 2003: Chiller Theatre Expo
    Susan Gordon at Chiller Theatre Expo - April 2003 The weekend of April 25-27, 2003, Susan made her second celebrity appearance at the Chiller Theatre Expo (her third appearance there overall), and had the good fortune that weekend to meet Rob Craig. Mr. Craig conducted a wonderful interview with Susan Gordon which was featured on the Horror-wood.com webzine for many years. Susan Gordon was also afforded the opportunity to reunite with Angela Cartwright, an actress she had appeared with in a 1961 episode of Make Room for Daddy called "Danny and the Brownies." (Angela Cartwright appears in the aforementioned photo from Jon Provost's 13th birthday party.) Another noteworthy thing about this particular Chiller Theatre Expo was that Susan shared a celebrity room inside the Meadowlands Sheraton with the rock group The Misfits, whose fans tended to dominate the room for part of the weekend. The Misfits are a horror punk rock band founded in Lodi, New Jersey, which is just a few miles from where the Chiller Theatre Expo was held in April 2003, thus this show was like a homecoming for them, with many of their local fans showing up for the event. The chaotic state of Susan Gordon's celebrity room was apparent the times I spoke to her by phone that weekend.

    Here is an Angela Cartwright scene from one of Susan Gordon's favorite films � The Sound of Music:

    Here is a Veronica Cartwright (and Tom Skerritt) Q&A from Texas Frightmare Weekend (recorded: 05/04/13). Susan Gordon and Veronica Cartwright appeared together in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Summer Shade," which first aired on January 10, 1961:


    June 2003: Hollywood Collectors Show
    Susan's second appearance at the Hollywood Collectors Show took place the weekend of June 28-29, 2003. Susan Gordon would appear at the Hollywood Collectors Show only one more time after June 2003, appearing there again in February 2007.

    Here is the guest list from that event:

    Guest List for the June 2003 Hollywood Collectors Show

    The name immediately beneath Susan Gordon on the guest list is David Carradine. That reminds me of a story Susan told me. Later in 2003, Susan Gordon met David Carradine at the Super Megafest in Framingham, Massachusettes. (A short description of that autograph convention is further down this page.) When I spoke with Susan, late on the Sunday afternoon of the Framingham show, she was excited to tell me that David Carradine had just stopped at her table to say goodbye. Mr. Carradine mentioned to Susan that he remembered her from her Twilight Zone and Gunsmoke appearances, and complimented her on her performances in those shows. Susan was stunned that a "big star" like David Carradine stopped to talk to her, but not as stunned as she was the morning of June 4, 2009, when I informed her of the unsettling news of his death in Bangkok, Thailand. Anyhow, Susan encountered a lot of interesting characters at the celebrity events, and Mr. Carradine was one of them.

    October 2003: Chiller Theatre Expo
    Susan Gordon on Jeepers Creepers - Great Songs From Horror Films Album Art � 2003 Frank Dietz
    All Rights Reserved.
    Susan Gordon at Chiller Theatre Expo - October 2003 In October 2003, Susan made another appearance at the Chiller Theatre Expo. Among the many highlights of that weekend was that the event coincided with the release of a music CD that Susan Gordon appeared on: Jeepers Creepers - Great Songs from Horror Films. Susan spent a few hours alongside one of the executive producers of the album (Richard Valley of Scarlet Street Magazine), autographing copies of the music CD. Susan Gordon also performed live on stage at the October 2003 Chiller Theatre Expo � on November 1, 2003, Susan took to the stage to sing "You're My Living Doll" in front of a raucous crowd, in the crowded tent outside of the Meadowlands Sheraton. (NOTE: If anyone has video footage of Susan's performance, please contact us, as we would love to post that video here.)
    November 2003: Super Megafest
    Susan Gordon traveled to Framingham, Massachusetts, for the weekend of November 21-23, 2003, to appear at the Super Megafest. This fest took place at the Framingham Sheraton, just 1.5 miles from one of the primary filming locations for the 1959 film in which Susan Gordon appeared: The Man in the Net. It was while at Super Megafest on Sunday that Susan Gordon was informed by film-journalist Richard Finegan that he had found a copy of her Miracle on 34th Street performance in the archives at the Library of Congress. Mr. Finegan later wrote an article for Classic Images Magazine, in 2005, in which he detailed his quest to find this hard-to-find version of the Christmas classic. Subsequent to informing Susan Gordon of finding her Miracle on 34th Street, Mr. Finegan arranged for multiple screenings for Susan at the Library of Congress (see the "Special Note: December 20 and 21, 2005" below).
    Calendar Year 2004
    April 2004: Chiller Theatre Expo
    Susan Gordon at Rich Braisted house Susan Gordon at Chiller Theatre Expo - April 2004 Susan Gordon made an impromptu appearance at the Chiller Theatre Expo on Sunday, April 25, 2004, when she stopped in to say "hi" to one of her sister Patricia's friends who was in attendance in the celebrity tent. After chatting with Patricia's friend for a long while, Susan caught up with us chatting with actor Ron Harper. Mr. Harper seemed surprised that we had brought along a celebrity with us to a celebrity convention: Susan had coaxed our family (Rich and Mel's family, that is) into going along with her that day, as she wanted to show our children what an autograph show was like, since they'd been hearing her speak of these events often in her visits to our house the previous year. After meeting Ron Harper, we moved on to the Meadowlands Sheraton ballroom where Susan eventually took a seat at the Scarlet Street table for the afternoon. (The photo at above left was taken January 26, 2006. We did take some photographs at Chiller on April 24, 2004, but those are stored away in boxes. If I get one of those photos scanned, I'll insert it here later.) This impromptu trip to Chiller yielded some unexpected good fortune, as just prior to taking her place at the Scarlet Street table with Richard Valley, Susan Gordon met Ron Adams at one of his vendor tables. This was Susan's first meeting with Ron Adams who runs the very popular Monster Bash Convention near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In subsequent years, Susan Gordon appeared as a celebrity guest at the Monster Bash five times: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010.

    Here is a scene in which Ron Harper appeared, from an episode of the Planet of the Apes TV series. The boy in the scene is Jackie Earle Haley who starred in The Bad News Bears films. I will stretch a bit here to connect this to Susan Gordon's recent life by noting that Mr. Haley's co-star in the first two Bad News Bears films was Chris Barnes, who played the tenacious character named "Tanner" in those two films. Chris Barnes grew up in Oradell, NJ, and in this town is a theater group named Bergen County Players. Over the years, Susan enjoyed attending stage productions put on by this theater group, and a few years ago she actually joined their theater group, and had hoped to audition for productions. Unfortunately, time was working against her, thus she never did have an opportunity to perform there. (Their theater was located just 3 miles from her home.)


    August 2004: Twilight Zone Convention
    Susan Gordon at Twilight Zone Convention 2004 As was the case at the August 2002 convention, Susan said she had a great time meeting with many Twilight Zone fans at the August 2004 Twilight Zone Convention. While at the 2004 Twilight Zone Convention in North Hollywood, California, Susan reconnected with Michael McGreevey, who had co-starred with Susan in The Man in the Net, and her Route 66 episode: "Shoulder the Sky, My Lad." Coincidentally, also at the show were Martin Milner (the star of "Route 66") and H.M. Wynant, who had also appeared in Susan's episode of Route 66. For the four of them it was a reunion forty-four years after their episode was filmed in 1960. At that same convention, Susan was interviewed for a DVD extra to accompany a DVD set of the complete original Twilight Zone TV series. (I recently learned from Andrew Ramage that Susan Gordon's interview did not get included on this DVD set.) In January 2005, the latest issue of Twilight Zone trading cards was released, featuring Susan's personally autographed card from her Twilight Zone episode called "The Fugitive." Susan Gordon autographed 1,000 copies of her Twilight Zone trading card. While the official release of her card was in January 2005, I do believe that she brought along autographed copies of the card to the 2004 Twilight Zone Convention. Susan's trading card has been featured prominently on the home page of this website since October 2004, but it also seems to be very popular on the Internet, as it has been reposted on many blogs, tribute messages, and message boards.

    Twilight Zone Convention 2004 Official Website


    October 29-31, 2004: Chiller Theatre Expo
    Susan Gordon at Chiller Theatre Expo - October 2004 The October 2004 Chiller Theatre Expo was Susan's 4th appearance there as a celebrity guest, and the 6th time she had been to the show in just 30 months. Her frequent visits to Chiller resulted in most part from the fact that she lived only 20 minutes from the Meadowlands Sheraton venue in East Rutherford, New Jersey. When the show was later moved to Parsippany, New Jersey, it was slightly further from her home (approximately 40 minutes on Interstate-80). One of the highlights of the October 2004 Chiller Theatre Expo for Susan Gordon was that she spent part of the weekend seated next to actress/musician Lori Singer. Susan mentioned to us that night that she had a great time chatting with Ms. Singer during lulls in the day's activities in the celebrity tent. The years the Chiller Expos were held at the Meadowlands Sheraton, they would alternate, from convention to convention, between having the celebrity guests appear in a giant tent outdoors or in conference rooms inside the hotel. One of the advantages of having many celebrities in one enormous tent outdoors was that it resulted in a lot of fan traffic past each celebrity table. On the other hand, sometimes it resulted in an almost chaotic atmosphere (although, as already mentioned above, even when Susan appeared inside the Sheraton in a small conference room, things would sometimes get chaotic.) The Chiller Theatre Expo was (and still is) an extremely well-attended event with thousands of fans coming and going during the course of each weekend. The event is held in April and October each year, but early in the last decade there were some January shows, as well.
    Calendar Year 2005
    June 2005: SERVE Celebrity Waiters
    SERVE Celebrity Waiters - Susan Gordon While not an autograph show or film festival, it should be noted that Susan Gordon appeared as a "celebrity waitress" at a SERVE Inc. charity event held in Manassas, Virginia, on June 1 and 2, 2005. The event was called: SERVE Celebrity Waiters. Among the celebrities to appear at this event were two of Susan Gordon's childhood friends: Paul Petersen from The Donna Reed Show, and Jon Provost from Lassie. Also in attendance was Conrad Brooks, the man mentioned above in the description of our visit to the April 2002 Chiller Theatre Expo.

    Later that same year, in December 2005, Susan Gordon volunteered at another SERVE Inc. charity event; the second event took place the week leading up to Christmas Day � Susan helped to distribute Christmas gifts at a homeless shelter in the Washington D.C. area.

    June 2005: Monster Bash
    Susan Gordon at Monster Bash 2005 Susan Gordon at Monster Bash 2005 Susan Gordon appeared at the Monster Bash, in Butler, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), the weekend of June 24-26, 2005. The guest list included many legends of the Horror genre. Her appearance there was so well received by fans in attendance, and was so enjoyed by Susan, that she made an encore appearance at the 2006 Monster Bash, from June 23 to 25, 2006. (Susan later appeared at the 2007, 2008 and 2010 Monster Bash events, as well.) It was at the 2005 Monster Bash that Susan Gordon first presented her DVD � The Susan Gordon Scrapbook � playing it for fans from a laptop PC she had brought to the film festival. We made this DVD with Susan using her own collection of her films and TV appearances. While she did not have all of her past performances on videocassette and DVD, she had more than 20 of her approximately 40 film and TV performances. Since Susan Gordon's many TV appearances were scattered over nearly 2 dozen different TV series, many of which are now hard to find, we felt that the full extent of her success may not have been immediately apparent to fans attending film festivals and autograph conventions. We made the DVD documentary/videography in an attempt to bring together, in one place, as much of her career as could be put into a 30-minute presentation. I had known Susan Gordon for 8 and 1/2 years before I made this DVD for her, and to be perfectly honest, I was stunned to discover how extensive and impressive her acting career had been. It's one thing to read a list of credits on an IMDB page, but a whole other thing to watch the TV episodes and films.
    September 2005: Festival of Fantastic Films
    Susan Gordon at Festival of Fantastic Films 2005 The photo at left was taken at the Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester, England, September 2-4, 2005. Susan arrived in England a couple of days early so that she could spend time as a tourist in London. Eventually she journeyed north to Manchester for an enjoyable three days at the film festival. Susan's first film (Attack of the Puppet People) was screened, as was the 30-minute retrospective of her acting career. (The Susan Gordon Scrapbook was actually shown twice, by popular demand.)

    Here is what Susan had to say from England, in her message to fans (dated September 1, 2005):

    Dear Friends,

    I am writing this to you from England, where I will be a guest at the Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester this weekend. I've come to England early to spend two days in London first. It's been many many years since I've been here, and I'm finding many changes in the city.

    Except for the strikingly British architecture, and the fact that all the cars and buses are driving on the left side of the street, it's a bit of a challenge to remember I'm in England. Everywhere I go, I see America's influence and presence: MacDonnalds, Haggen Das, Starbucks, Duncan Donuts, Pizza Hut, and Burger King.

    I'm doing a lot of walking here, seeing all the well-known sights: Westminster Abby, Parliament, Big Ben, Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Circus, Soho, China Town. Of course, I do enjoy riding the tube (subway) and the double-decker red buses. A ticket costs �2 (about US$3.80) or an unlimited one-day pass can be had for �4.70, and it's good until the buses stop running at about 4:00 a.m.

    Gratefully, they have internet cafes, such as the one I'm at now, so I can write to you all. �1 for one hour. That, itself, is a great deal, compared to the outrageous prices I've encountered in other locales.

    That's all for now. I'll write again after the festival. I am really looking forward to it.

    Hope all is well with you.

    Warmest regards,

    :-)

    Susan

    October 2005: Friends of Old-Time Radio Convention
    Susan Gordon at 2005 Friends of Old-Time Radio Convention In October 2005, Susan appeared at the Friends of Old-Time Radio Convention in Newark, NJ (October 20-23, 2005), where she once again reconnected with childhood friend Jon Provost, and Noel Neill (whom she'd appeared with at the Asheville Film Festival in November 2002). One of the many highlights of the convention for Susan was participating in a re-creation of The Joe Franklin Show. Susan Gordon, Jon Provost, and Paul O'Keefe participated in an interview session hosted by radio and television legend Joe Franklin. To the delight of those in attendance, surprise guests Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, were also interviewed by Joe Franklin during this re-creation of The Joe Franklin Show.
    Special Note: December 20 and 21, 2005
    Susan Gordon with her mother Flora Gordon / Flora Lang As noted above, film-journalist Richard Finegan arranged for Susan Gordon to view her Miracle on 34th Street at the Library of Congress, doing so on three separate occasions. Susan Gordon's mother (Flora M. Lang � aka Flora M. Gordon) accompanied Susan on one of those occasions, but not on the first occasion. Susan's first opportunity to view the Miracle on 34th Street took place on December 21, 2005. (While in Washington D.C. that week, Susan Gordon volunteered with SERVE, Inc. to distribute Christmas presents at a homeless shelter.) Mr. Finegan wrote an article for Classic Images Magazine in which he detailed his quest to find this hard-to-find version of the Christmas classic. Additionally, Mr. Finegan wrote a retrospective article about Susan Gordon for the February 2012 issue of Classic Images Magazine. (The black-and-white photo at left is of Susan Gordon with her mother. This photo came from a batch of photo negatives I scanned on April 29 and 30, 2013. These film negatives were provided by Barbara Badham. Barbara was the president of the Susan Gordon Fan Club in the early-1960s.)

    Susan Gordon at Rich Braisted house The photo at right was taken in our dining room the night before Susan Gordon left for Washington D.C.. The Five Pennies had been officially released on DVD on December 13, 2005. On the night of December 20, 2005, Susan came to our house to autograph copies of The Five Pennies DVD for some of her fans. These were DVDs which she wanted delivered in time for Christmas, thus why she took the time to stop at our house even though she was busy (and frazzled) that night preparing to leave the next morning for her special visit to the Library of Congress. She did not return to New Jersey until December 26, so this was her last chance to get these discs I had ordered for her autographed before Christmas Day.

    While at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. to view her performance in Miracle on 34th Street, Susan Gordon was also able to view two hard-to-find episodes of television which in which she had appeared: Sam Benedict - "Where There's a Will"; and The Eleventh Hour - "Make Me a Place." Mr. Finegan had arranged for these two recordings also to be ready for Susan Gordon when she arrived at the Library of Congress on December 21, 2005. A video in which Susan Gordon describes her visit to the Library of Congress can be found in the "July 2010: Super Mega Show" section below.

    Calendar Year 2006
    Susan Gordon at Bert I. Gordon at 2006 Monster Bash Susan Gordon and Bert I. Gordon:
    Approximately midway through her tally of 30 film festivals and autograph conventions, Susan Gordon began appearing at these events with her father: Bert I. Gordon. The first film festival that Susan and Bert appeared at together was the 2006 Monster Bash in Butler, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). In total, from June 2006 through October 2010, Susan Gordon and Bert I. Gordon appeared at 8 film festivals or autograph conventions together: four times at Monster Bash, and once each at Hollywood Collectors Show, Ray Courts Chicago, Monsterpalooza, and Festival of Fantastic Films.
    June 2006: Monster Bash
    Susan Gordon at 2006 Monster Bash Susan Gordon appeared at the 2006 Monster Bash in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (June 23 to 25, 2006). Headlining the 2006 Monster Bash was Susan's dad, Bert I. Gordon, for what was at that time a rare (and first) film-festival appearance for "Mr. B.I.G.". (Subsequently, Mr. Gordon made many appearances at film festivals and autograph shows.) Kenny Miller was also in attendance for the 2006 Monster Bash, making for an Attack of the Puppet People reunion, as both Kenny and Susan had memorable roles in that Bert I. Gordon production. Also in attendance at the 2006 Monster Bash was Charles Herbert, who had starred in many films in his youth, including the Bert I. Gordon film, The Boy and the Pirates, a film in which Susan Gordon was featured. Monster Bash organizer Ron Adams has mentioned that the screening of The Boy and the Pirates at Monster Bash 2006, with Bert I. Gordon, Charlie Herbert, and Susan Gordon seated in the front row, was a major highlight of the convention for him.

    Susan Gordon and Rich Braisted DVD presented at 2006 Monster Bash Numerous Bert I. Gordon films were screened at the 2006 Monster Bash, and the filmography of Susan Gordon's acting career (The Susan Gordon Scrapbook) was also screened at the 2006 Monster Bash. Scarlet Street Magazine editors, Richard Valley and Tom Amorosi, were in attendance, and brought along with them the latest issue of Scarlet Street Magazine (issue #55), an issue which included features on Bert I. Gordon, Susan Gordon, and Kenny Miller. Sadly, this was the final edition of Scarlet Street Magazine to be published prior to Richard Valley's death on October 12, 2007.

    Susan Gordon and Ron Adams at 2006 Monster Bash Susan Gordon and Ursula Adams at 2006 Monster Bash Thank you to Ron Adams of Monster Bash for permission to use some photos from his Monster Bash website on Susan Gordon's website. Ron Adams has on his website an extensive collection of photos from each Monster Bash from 1997 until present: Monster Bash Photos. The photo at left is of Ron Adams with Susan Gordon; the photo at right is of Ron's wife, Ursula Adams, with Susan Gordon. As noted above, Susan Gordon and Ron Adams met for the first time at the Chiller Theatre Expo in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on April 25, 2004. My attention was divided between Susan and my three sons as that happened, but I do recall her looking at the table of DVDs in front of Ron and saying something like, "I'm in one of these." (I assumed they were Twilight Zone DVDs.) I was stunned by how quickly Ron Adams recognized Susan, as it seemed like he was immediately making a reference to The Boy and the Pirates. At that point I went off to another table to pay for a Planet of the Apes figure my son wanted. Fourteen months later, Susan Gordon made her first appearance at Monster Bash.

    The group photo below shows Susan Gordon with her hands on the shoulders of Richard Valley and Forrest J. Ackerman (AKA "Uncle Forry"). Charlie Herbert is to the far right (in a green/aqua shirt). Unfortunately, we only see the backs of the heads of Kenny Miller and Yvette Vickers in the forefront of the photo, and can only catch Bert I. Gordon's yellow sleeve (he's seated at the table). However, this is such a nice photo of Susan Gordon, Richard Valley, Uncle Forry, and many of the loyal Monster Bashers, it would be tragic not to post this photo here just because it's not quite perfect.

    Susan Gordon and Ron Adams at 2006 Monster Bash

    Here is an excerpt from a newsletter Susan Gordon sent to her Fan Club leading into the weekend of the 2006 Monster Bash:

    Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:59 am

    Dear Friends,

    I am writing to you from Pittsburgh, where I am a guest at the Monster Bash. It opens tonight and is really going to be an exciting convention. My father, Bert I. Gordon, is also a guest, the first time for him attending such a show. Kenny Miller (Attack of the Puppet People) and Charles Herbert (The Boy and the Pirates) are here, too. It'll be a great reunion.

    At long last! Boy and the Pirates, which has never been released on video, is being released on DVD this next week by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on their movies label. The Bash has secured a pre-release copy of the DVD and it will be shown here on Sunday morning.

    And here is an excerpt from a newsletter Susan Gordon sent to her Fan Club about six weeks after Monster Bash 2006:

    Tue Aug 8, 2006 2:09 am

    Dear Friends,

    I can't believe it's been almost six weeks since Monster Bash 2006 in Pittsburgh! It was such a grand convention! I wish more of you could have attended.

    As you may know, my dad, Bert I. Gordon was there. Although he's been honored at a few film festivals before, this was the first time for him to appear at such a convention. And he simply loved it!

    Charles Herbert was there, too. We worked together quite a lot �back then�, and hadn�t seen each other since. It was quite a reunion. You may remember Charlie from �The Fly� and �Houseboat� and, of course, �The Boy and The Pirates,� one of dad�s films which Charlie and I worked on together.

    And Kenny Miller was at the Bash. He appeared with me in �Attack of the Puppet People,� another of dad�s films.

    I guess you could say it was another Bert I. Gordon film festival and reunion.

    August 2006: Twilight Zone Convention

    Susan Gordon at 2006 Twilight Zone Convention

    Susan Gordon at 2006 Twilight Zone Convention Susan Gordon at 2006 Twilight Zone Convention In August 2006, the Twilight Zone Convention came to the East Coast, and was held in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, the weekend of August 12-13, 2006. The venue was just a few miles from Susan Gordon's home (virtually walking distance from Susan's house). This was the third of the four Twilight Zone Conventions that Susan attended. (Andrew Ramage managed the 2002 and 2004 conventions which took place in Los Angeles, California, and Herman Darvick managed the 2006 and 2007 conventions held in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.) According to Andrew Ramage (who attended the 2006 Twilight Zone Convention), George Clayton Johnson made his customary big impression at the celebrity dinner on Saturday night of that weekend, and Susan enjoyed reconnecting with Mary Badham and H.M. Wynant. Another actress who attended the Twilight Zone Conventions was Morgan Brittany. While Ms. Brittany is well known from appearing as a regular cast member on the TV series Dallas, as a young child she appeared in Twilight Zone episodes under her given name: Suzanne Cupito. I do believe that Susan Gordon and Suzanne Cupito were friends as children in the early-1960s. Interestingly, Suzanne Cupito landed a role in the only film or TV show which Susan Gordon did NOT get a part in after auditioning for: the Natalie Wood film, Gypsy. However, I don't believe that Suzanne and Susan were being considered for the same role in Gypsy

    Twilight Zone Convention 2006 Official Website

    Susan Gordon at 2006 Twilight Zone Convention


    Calendar Year 2007
    February 2007: Hollywood Collectors Show
    Susan Gordon appeared at the Hollywood Collectors Show, February 16-17, 2007, in Burbank, California, where she was billed, alongside Joe Turkel and her father, Bert I. Gordon, for a The Boy and the Pirates reunion. (Coincidentally, all three worked together on Tormented, as well.)

    Here is what Susan had to say about this show in advance of it taking place. She sent this to her fans on February 4, 2007:

    "I'm writing to let you know that I will be appearing at the Hollywood Collectors and Celebrity Show this coming February 16th and 17th in Burbank, California. My dad, Bert I. Gordon, will also be there. He had so much fun doing Monster Bash with me last June, that he's really looking forward to doing this show. If any of you will be in the Los Angeles area that weekend, please take this opportunity to stop by and say 'Hi.' I would love to see you there."

    Here's a recent video of Joe Turkel. This video is not from a show that Susan Gordon appeared at, but since Mr. Turkel has been mentioned so often on this page, it only seems appropriate to include this short video here:


    June 2007: Monster Bash
    Susan Gordon at Monster Bash 2007 Susan Gordon appeared at the June 2007 Monster Bash near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was the final Monster Bash that Scarlet Street Magazine editor, Richard Valley, appeared at with Susan, as he passed away from cancer just four months later.

    I have not been able to find any photos of Susan and Bert appearing at this particular Monster Bash, but here are a few blog entries or message-board postings which mentioned Susan Gordon and Bert I. Gordon appearing at the 2007 Monster Bash. (At the very end of the IMDB Review, the reviewer specifically references his meetings with Bert I. Gordon and Susan Gordon):

    IMDB Review: Bert I. Gordon 50's Atom Age Sci-Fi Masterpiece!

    Wonderful Wonderblog: Monster Bash 2007

    Monsterland Forums (May 17, 2007 post)


    August 2007: Twilight Zone Convention
    Susan Gordon at 2007 Twilight Zone Convention At the 2007 Twilight Zone Convention, held in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey (August 4 and 5, 2007), Susan appeared alongside many actors and actresses from the original Twilight Zone television series. This was the fourth time the convention was held (twice on the West Coast and twice on the East Coast). Susan appeared at each of the first four Twilight Zone conventions, and had hoped to appear at the fifth convention in California the weekend of October 10-11, 2009, but was unable to attend due to an important family event. As was her custom, Susan brought along with her to the 2007 Twilight Zone convention her Susan Gordon Scrapbook DVD presentation, and turned many heads with her 30-minute retrospective. Susan Gordon specifically mentioned that George Clayton Johnson was impressed by the manner in which her career was presented on the DVD. George Clayton Johnson wrote some of the most highly regarded Twilight Zone episodes, as well as the novel Logan's Run, which the film and TV series were based on.

    Here is what Susan Gordon had to say about the 2007 Twilight Zone Convention in the e-mail newsletter she sent to her fans on November 22, 2007:

    "This was the fourth TZ Convention and its following gets bigger every time. There was a good turnout of TZ stars to meet the fans, who enjoyed panel discussions with the stars and showings of all their episodes. Would that more of you could have made it out to the convention to say 'hello.' The next TZ Convention will be in Los Angeles in 2009 for the 50th anniversary of the series. I've been to all four of the conventions so far, and I intend to make it to the next one, as well. Perhaps I'll see some of you there?"

    Twilight Zone Convention Official Website


    2007 and 2008 Note: Celebrity Judge at IMTA
    On two occasions (in the summers of 2007 and 2008), Susan Gordon appeared as a celebrity judge at a modeling and talent competition in New York City. The name of the organization which ran the event was the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA), and the talent shows were held at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. This was an event (to quote Susan from a newsletter dated June 17, 2008): "where students from modeling, dancing, singing and drama schools from all over the world come to compete. I was a judge for the singing competition last year, as well, and really enjoyed hearing all the fresh new talent that was there to perform."
    Calendar Year 2008
    Susan Gordon's Film Festival Appearances for 2008:

    1) March 2008: Ray Courts Chicago Show

    2) June 2008: Monster Bash

    Rather than describe the two film festivals that Susan Gordon appeared at in 2008 myself, I am simply going to post the three newsletters Susan Gordon sent to her Fan Club in 2008, as she makes reference to the two film festivals a number of times in these newsletters. But first, here is an excerpt from an e-mail Susan sent to me the morning of June 19, 2008. You may find it amusing:

    "I'm on the plane and we're about to leave. It's a very small plane - one seat on the left side and two on the right, and going back probably not even 20 rows (60 seats in all.) Seated on the left as I am, I can honestly say I have a whole row to myself.
    ;-)
    Thanks so much to Mel for driving me ...
    I'll keep you updated of the weekend's events as they unfold."

    2008 Newsletter #1:

    Susan Gordon and Bert I. Gordon at 2008 Monster Bash Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:13 am

    Dear Friends,

    What a glorious week this is! With Daylight Savings Time well under way, I am enjoying the extra hour of sunshine each day. I hope all of you are well.

    I'd like to welcome newcomers to our happy family. Thank you for your emails. It's always nice to hear from you.

    This weekend, I will be attending the Ray Courts Hollywood Collectors Show in Chicago with my dad, Bert I. Gordon. If any of you are in the neighborhood, please do stop by to say 'hello.' I'd love to meet you.

    Then, coming up in June, I'll be returning, for the third time, to the MonsterBash in Pittsburgh, PA, again with my father. Charles Herbert will also be there. It will be great to see him again. Mark the dates, June 20-22, and come on by. It's really a great show.

    I invite you all to visit my website again. My webmaster, Media Imaging, has done a great job of keeping it updated with new information. Check out the great subpage on my dad, where you can view trailers from a number of his movies.

    That's all for now. I hope to see some of you this weekend. Until next time, take care.

    Warmest regards,

    Susan Gordon

    2008 Newsletter #2:

    Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:37 am

    Dear Friends,

    Wow! This year has really sped by! Here it is mid June already, and the long awaited Monster Bash Convention is this weekend! I can hardly believe it, and I can hardly wait! My dad will be there, as will my old friend and co-star Charles Herbert. It will be a great reunion! And there will be a screening of "Tormented" with a Q&A afterwards, with my dad and me. If you are in the neighborhood of Butler, PA (near Pittsburgh), do stop by to say "hello". It will be great to see you.

    Next month, I will once again be a judge at the IMTA (International Modeling and Talent Association) Contest where students from modeling, dancing, singing and drama schools from all over the world come to compete. I was a judge for the singing competition last year, as well, and really enjoyed hearing all the fresh new talent that was there to perform.

    I hope this finds you well. I wish you all a good summer, and hope to see some of you at the Bash.

    Warmest regards,

    Susan Gordon

    2008 Newsletter #3:

    Fri Dec 26, 2008 3:39 am

    My Dear Friends,

    As 2008 is drawing to a close, I want to take this opportunity to welcome those of you who have joined us this year, and to thank all of you for your emails. I so appreciate hearing from you.

    Looking back over the year, there was the Hollywood Celebrities Show in Chicago, and the MonsterBash in Pittsburgh. My dad was a guest at both shows, as well, and we had a great time together. Dad has just finished writing his autobiography: "The Amazing Colossal Worlds of Bert I. Gordon". It should be out in the Spring. I'll have more about it later.

    On a sad note, my dear friend Forrest J. Ackerman passed away earlier this month at the age of 92. Uncle Forry, as he was affectionately known to his huge following, helped shaped the world of science fiction with his fanzine, 'Famous Monsters of Filmdom . He is also responsible for coining the term 'sci-fi'. At his home in California, called the 'Ackermansion', he had an amazing collection of film memorabilia that he proudly displayed and always welcomed visitors. It was Forry who gave my dad his nickname of 'Mr. B.I.G.' Forry, we miss you already.

    I wish you all a happy holiday season. May 2009 be a year of good health, happiness, and prosperity for everyone..

    Warmest regards,

    Susan Gordon

    Calendar Year 2009
    December 16, 2009: Danny and Sylvia
    Susan Gordon on Broadway at Danny and Sylvia performance Susan Gordon did not appear at any film festivals or autograph shows in the 2009 calendar year, however, she did have one especially noteworthy public appearance in December 2009. On December 16, 2009, Susan Gordon got on stage and performed a song from The Five Pennies in the Broadway show: Danny and Sylvia.

    Here's how Susan Gordon described that event in advance of it taking place:

    Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:19 pm

    Dear Friends;

    I hope this finds you well and enjoying the holiday season.

    I wanted to let you know - well, those of you in the New York area - that I will be making a special appearance this Wednesday afternoon, December 16th, at the matinee performance of 'Danny and Sylvia' at the St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street. The show starts at 2 pm, and what a marvelous show it is! If you love Danny Kaye like I do, you'll appreciate what a great job Brian Childers does in the title role. And if you do make it to the show, please come up and say 'hello.' I'd love to see you there!

    Here's how Susan Gordon described that Broadway appearance in a draft version of a blog post she intended to post on the website of Barbara Sinclair, a blogger who had mentioned her love for The Five Pennies around the same time as Susan's appearance at Danny and Sylvia. This is the draft Susan e-mailed to me on December 21, 2009. (The content of this e-mail ultimately got split between Susan's blog comment under Barbara Sinclair's blog entry, and a short paragraph on Susan Gordon's home page):

    Barbara,

    Thank you for your lovely story. The Five Pennies has quite a significant place in my life, and I was quite touched to know that it is remembered so fondly by others, as well. Speaking of synchronicity, just last week I was in New York City to see the show, Danny and Sylvia, the lovely off-Broadway musical about the life of Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine, now playing at the St. Luke's Theater on 46th Street. And after the show, Brian Childers, who does an amazing job portraying Danny Kaye, announced that he and Kimberly Faye Greenberg, his co-star, would be singing a duet of two songs from The Five Pennies. He sang "Lullaby in Ragtime," and she sang "Good Night, Sleep Tight," and it was simply lovely. �Danny� then announced that those two songs were really part of a three-part medley in the movie, with The Five Pennies being the third part. He then invited me up onto the stage to sing with them and round off the medley. It was great being able to sing the song as an adult with �Danny� and �Sylvia.� Almost as much fun as it had been singing it with Danny Kaye and Louis Armstrong in the movie. Ahhh, such sweet memories!

    Warmest regards,

    Susan Gordon

    Calendar Year 2010
    April 2010: Monsterpalooza
    Susan After appearing at 4 autograph shows in Los Angeles in a relatively short span of time (from June 2002 to August 2004), Susan made only 2 other autograph show appearances on the West Coast in her final 7 years (the February 2007 Hollywood Collectors Show, and the April 2010 Monsterpalooza event). Susan Gordon's appearance at Monsterpalooza was specifically timed to coincide with the release of her father's autobiography. Susan had spent long hours in 2009 and early 2010 helping her dad to complete and edit his autobiography, and Susan really looked forward to attending the April 2010 Monsterpalooza event with her dad. (Thank you to Brett for letting us to use the photo at right. Here is the link to Brett's Monsterpalooza 2010 blog entry.)
    June 2010: Monster Bash
    Susan Gordon at Monster Bash 2005 Susan Gordon appeared at the 2010 Monster Bash. This was the fifth (and final) time that Susan appeared at Monster Bash, and the fourth time that she appeared with Bert I. Gordon at "The Bash." The photo of Susan Gordon at right was taken at an earlier Monster Bash (probably June 2005), but this is a screen capture from a wonderful music video which Mark Statler uploaded to YouTube in December 2010, thus how I justify including this image in this section related to the 2010 Monster Bash. You can watch that video at the bottom of this section.

    Here is an excerpt from the e-mail newsletter which Susan Gordon sent to her fans on July 1, 2010:

    Susan Gordon at Monster Bash 2010 "It was a great weekend, reconnecting with Monster Bashers from years past. This was my fourth Bash (Note: I believe it was actually Susan's 5th Bash; somehow we managed to lose track of the count), and it really felt like coming home. Dad was there, signing his autobiography, and it was great to see Charles Herbert and Kenny Miller again, too. Julie Adams was there. I had worked with her on an Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, 'Summer Shade', and hadn't seen her since, except for earlier this year at the Monsterpalooza. There was a sock hop on Friday night, with music from the '60's, and the mood was set for a rockin' weekend." By the way, the photo at left, of Susan Gordon dancing at the "sock hop" reminds me of something she told us only a few years ago. In a couple of scenes in My Three Sons "Now, In My Day," Susan had to dance. Later in life, Susan's love for dancing attained near-legendary status, but back in 1967 she was still a novice when it came to dancing. Susan actually took dance lessons specifically to improve her dancing ability for those two scenes in the My Three Sons episode.

    Here is that excellent Monster Bash music video from Mark Statler:

    There is one more mention related to Monster Bash that I'd like to include on this page. Many wonderful tribute messages were posted for Susan Gordon after she passed away, but few more accurately described the Susan that I knew than the tribute written by a man who met Susan at a few Monster Bash conventions. Here is a link to his tribute message:

    Michael Cornett's Tribute to Susan Gordon


    July 2010: Super Mega Show and Comic Book Fest
    Susan Gordon at Super Mega Show with DVD by Rich Braisted Susan Gordon attended the Super Mega Show in Fairfield, New Jersey, the weekend of July 9-11, 2010. She e-mailed me the photo at right to show me she had her Susan Gordon Scrapbook DVD on display on her table. (That is the menu screen appearing on her laptop PC.) In addition to having a good time meeting and greeting fans, Susan especially enjoyed meeting the man who does the voice for Big Bird: Caroll Spinney. (Mr. Spinney has also performed the voice of Oscar the Grouch for decades.) Another highlight of the Super Mega Show for Susan was the live music, as former members of a number of well known groups performed that weekend: The Monkees; Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons; The Beatles (Pete Best was there); and Denny Laine (former member of Wings, and the Moody Blues). Members of The Beau Brummels were also scheduled to appear. Coincidentally, The Beau Brummels were featured in Village of the Giants, a 1965-released film directed by Bert I. Gordon. I do not recall if Susan was aware of the connection between The Beau Brummels and her father's film at the time she attended this film festival.


    Susan Gordon Q&A Session (July 10, 2010 - Super Mega Show - Fairfield, NJ)


    In Susan's final weeks, my wife and I visited her a few times. After watching one of her favorite comedy films (Some Like it Hot) with her one night in October 2011, I decided to try to track down a couple of Susan's hard-to-find TV episodes to watch with her at our next "movie nite." I contacted Kate Thomas, the niece of Marlo Thomas, and asked her if she could get us a copy of the Make Room for Daddy (AKA The Danny Thomas Show) episode which Susan Gordon was featured in: "Danny and the Brownies." Kate was able to have a special copy of the episode mailed to us. Unfortunately, by the time the disc arrived, Susan was no longer well enough to watch the episode with us, but she was well enough to tell me on the phone that she was happy that the disc had arrived. After Susan passed away on December 11, 2011, I asked the man who had uploaded the Q&A video above if he had more footage of Susan Gordon, as I had noticed on his YouTube channel that he shoots footage at autograph shows. On December 16, 2011, he uploaded the short video below. It is video from the same Q&A session at the Super Mega Show. Oddly enough, Susan describes in this short video the very TV episode we did not get to watch with her.


    Susan Gordon Q&A Session (July 10, 2010 - Super Mega Show - Fairfield, NJ)


    October 2010: Festival of Fantastic Films
    Susan Gordon and Bert I. Gordon made the long journey to Manchester, England, in October 2010, to appear together at the Festival of Fantastic Films (October 15-17, 2010). Unfortunately, the weather was not good, thus there was no repeat of the successful "touristy" time Susan had in England at the Festival of Fantastic Films in September 2005 (described above). One of my clearest memories related to this event is of Susan running up our front steps when she came to pick up another copy of her Susan Gordon Scrapbook DVD, doing so just minutes before she was to leave for the airport.

    Here's a bit of what Susan said about Festival of Fantastic Films:

    "I'm not sure I've written you since the last show I did, last October, the Festival of Fantastic Films, in Manchester, England. My dad was there, too, promoting his autobiography. It was a fun show and having the quality time to spend with dad in Manchester was a real bonus. Dad is writing a new book, but more on that later."

    October 2010: Chiller Theatre Expo
    Susan Gordon at Chiller Theatre Expo - October 2010 Susan made a final impromptu appearance at the Chiller Theatre Expo on October 31, 2010, when she went to the show in Parsippany, New Jersey, to meet Patty Duke. Susan was determined to tell Patty Duke her story of how, when she was a child actress in Los Angeles, she nearly auditioned for the role of Helen Keller in the Broadway version of The Miracle Worker, and had later appeared in a high school production of The Miracle Worker. Of course, Patty Duke had appeared as Helen Keller in both the Broadway and film versions of The Miracle Worker, in 1959 and 1962, respectively. Patty Duke won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Helen Keller. (One of the other actresses nominated that year was Mary Badham, for her performance in To Kill a Mockingbird. Coincidentally, Susan Gordon and Mary Badham appeared together at many celebrity conventions, and were good friends.) Susan would often mention to people that she felt a special connection to The Miracle Worker, and on October 31, 2010, she added Patty Duke to the list of people she mentioned this to. Susan Gordon said she had a wonderful chat with Patty Duke at the Chiller Theatre Expo, and was especially excited to tell me that Patty Duke knew who she was. Despite Susan's long list of TV and film credits, she did not consider herself to be famous or a celebrity, and was genuinely surprised if anyone remembered her from her past performances as a child actress. I did not bolster her confidence level much, as I knew Susan Gordon for 14 months before she advised me to watch her "favorite Twilight Zone episode." I was stunned to learn that this woman who I had been working with extensively in 1997 and 1998 had once been a child star. I wasn't Susan Gordon's webmaster in 1997 and 1998, I was Susan Aviner's webmaster and Internet Marketing guy. I wasn't directing web traffic to a Susan Gordon celebrity website in those days � I was directing web traffic to a website I'd made for Susan's non-slip coatings business. For the first 5 years that I knew Susan, I knew more about the viscosity of the non-slip coatings her company distributed, than I knew about the resume of little Susan Gordon.

    Here is video someone shot at the 2010 Chiller Theatre Expo, October 31, 2010. Susan does not appear in this video, but Patty Duke is featured prominently. At the :34 mark of the video is Patty Duke chatting with her ex-husband, actor John Astin (Gomez Addams from The Addams Family TV series). John Astin's co-star on The Addam's Family, Carolyn Jones (Morticia Addams of The Addams Family), had starred in Susan Gordon's second full-length film: The Man in the Net. Barbara Eden appears at the 1:29 mark of this video. Susan mentioned this day, and while at one of the Hollywood Collectors Shows years earlier, that there were enormously long lines of fans at Barbara Eden's celebrity table. This made a big impression on Susan.


    Calendar Year 2011
    Here is the full text of Susan Gordon's final Fan Club Newsletter:

    Thu May 12, 2011 10:31 pm

    Dear Friends,

    I haven't written in a while, and I hope you'll forgive me. Life does seem to happen so quickly, I lose track of time.

    This weekend, May 14-15, I will be appearing at the "Your 2nd Childhood Memorabilia Show II" which is taking place at the Holiday Inn on West 57th Street in NYC. There's a link on the home page of my website with all the information. I do hope those of you in the area will be able to stop by to say hello. It looks like a fun show and, of course, a great chance to meet.

    I'm not sure I've written you since the last show I did, last October, the Festival of Fantastic Films, in Manchester, England. My dad was there, too, promoting his autobiography. It was a fun show and having the quality time to spend with dad in Manchester was a real bonus. Dad is writing a new book, but more on that later.

    My thanks to my webmaster, Media Imaging, Inc., for keeping my website updated with upcoming events. Be sure to visit my site from time to time to catch up on what's happening.

    I hope to see some of you this weekend!

    Warmest regards,

    Susan

    May 2011: Your 2nd Childhood Memorabilia Show II
    The final autograph show which Susan Gordon appeared at was Your 2nd Childhood Memorabilia Show II, held in midtown Manhattan the weekend of May 14-15, 2011.

    Susan Gordon scheduled to appear at World Con IV A couple of months after appearing at Your 2nd Childhood Memorabilia Show II, Susan Gordon was booked to appear at World Con IV in Manhattan. The event was originally scheduled to take place April 27-28, 2012, but was rescheduled for June 15-17, 2012. (I read on Facebook that it was later canceled due to lack of pre-show commitments from memorabilia vendors.) The only reason I mention it here is that it demonstrates how optimistic a person Susan was that she believed she would be able to attend an event in 2012. Susan's life was dotted with seemingly miraculous circumstances and events, and even in her final months she believed that a "miracle" would cure her.

    Various Projects From 2002 to 2011
    Other Susan Gordon Celebrity News:
    Susan Gordon TV interview on Jersey's Talking in January 2002 In addition to the personal appearances Susan Gordon made from 2002 to 2011, Susan also appeared in articles and/or interviews in: Fangoria Magazine (by John Wooley, issue #218); the Horror-wood.com webzine; Classic Images Magazine (2005 and 2012 articles by Richard Finegan; 2008 article/interview by Michael Barnum); in the UK publication TV Zone series on child actors of the 1960s/1970s called "The Children of Science Fiction"; and on the Jersey's Talking television show (hosted by Lee Leonard). Susan Gordon was featured in a book about Louis Armstrong, written by Scott Allen Nollen, titled, Louis Armstrong: The Life, Music, and Screen Career. Additionally, Susan Gordon contributed a tape-recorded interview while at the 2002 Twilight Zone convention, for the Twilight Zone archives. Beginning in 2005, Susan Gordon did some voice-over work for TV and radio, in both English and Japanese. Late in 2005, Susan Gordon appeared on broadcasts of Max Schmid's "The Golden Age of Radio" program on WBAI 99.5 FM (the shows were recorded at a radio studio on Wall Street in Manhattan.) Susan Gordon also contributed a recipe (and a short article) to a cookbook: It Came from the Kitchen: Monstrously Delicious Celebrity Recipes from Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, Assorted Aliens and Beyond! compiled by Geoff Isaac and Gordon Reid. In January and February 2002, Susan Gordon appeared in an off-Broadway play directed by Robert Armin. Mr. Armin also invited Susan Gordon to participate in play readings. In March 2002, Susan Gordon and Flora M. Lang contributed commentary (moderated by Bruce Kimmel) to a DVD release of Beginning of the End. Mr. Kimmel later produced the excellent music CD which Susan appeared on, the CD mentioned above: Jeepers Creepers: Great Songs From Horror Films. Susan Gordon, Joe Turkel, Bert I. Gordon Tormented ReunionAlso mentioned above, Susan got on stage to sing "You're My Living Doll," at the October 2003 Chiller Theatre Expo. In March 2004, Susan sang on stage in a talent show on a cruise, and in March 2005 she was the MC of the talent show on that annual cruise. Also, in 1997 or 1998, someone from The Montel Williams Show, randomly came to Susan's house while filming a segment on "good neighbors." Susan never found out if the footage shot at her house was aired. Last (but definitely not least), Susan Gordon, Bert I. Gordon, and Joe Turkel contributed "A 'Tormented' Reunion" interview to the 2007 release of the MST3K: Tormented DVD.
    One Final Note:
    Susan Gordon appeared at the Comedy Quarry In her final 6 or 7 years, Susan Gordon was developing a "One Woman Show" which she had hoped to perform at public venues. Her plan was to have a variety show in which she would tell stories about her career, present an abridged version of her Susan Gordon Scrapbook video presentation, sing songs (i.e. "You're My Living Doll" from Attack of the Puppet People), and tell jokes. Susan took singing, dancing, and acting lessons, as well as a comedy-writing course, during this time frame, thus was very serious about improving the quality of her variety show. Ultimately there was to be an autobiography she hoped to write, and I'm sure she'd have made copies of her autobiography available to all who attended her "One Woman Show." Anyhow, to hone her skills as a stand-up comedienne, Susan appeared many times at comedy clubs, and open-mic nights, at venues in northern New Jersey in 2006 and 2007 (I didn't keep track of how many times she performed, but it was probably 20 times or more.) The flyer at left is from a November 1, 2006 appearance at The Comedy Quarry. (As the flyer attests, Susan Gordon participated in the "Digging for Gold" segment dedicated to aspiring comics.) Susan used to rehearse her stand-up comedy in our living room (that's Rich and Mel's living room), and often times the venues she appeared at limited each performer to only 5 minutes on stage. The time constraint presented Susan with a dilemma, as she had a difficult time shortening her stand-up comedy routines, believing that each of her routines was "a story" which needed to be told in full. Eventually she asked me to help her edit her longest routine down to 5 minutes (it was originally an 11-minute routine). Even with her routines shortened, there were times when the MC would have to physically nudge Susan away from the microphone when she would go well beyond her allotted time. Mary Ellen (AKA "Mel") witnessed this happen on a couple of occasions.

    Susan Aviner, Susan Gordon, Rich Braisted, and Mary Ellen
    Susan Gordon (aka Susan Aviner), Rich Braisted, and Mary Ellen
    (Photo taken January 26, 2006)

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    Susan Gordon's Appearances at Filmfests & Autograph Shows
    (Special thanks to Laurie Jacobson and Jon Provost for managing many of Susan's appearances!)
    Note: Three corrections to this list were made on March 28, 2013: we added the October 2002 Chiller Expo
    and June 2007 Monster Bash, but deleted "Spring 2004" Hollywood Collectors Show.
    April 19-21, 2002 Chiller Theatre (attended as a fan 4/21) East Rutherford, NJ
    June 29-30, 2002 Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show Hollywood, CA
    August 24-25, 2002 Twilight Zone Convention Hollywood, CA
    October 25-27, 2002 Chiller Theatre (celebrity table 10/27) East Rutherford, NJ
    November 8-10, 2002 Asheville Film Festival Asheville, NC
    January 10-12, 2003 Fangoria Fest Brooklyn, NY
    April 11-13, 2003 Son of Fanex Baltimore, MD
    April 25-27, 2003 Chiller Theatre East Rutherford, NJ
    June 28-29, 2003 Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show Hollywood, CA
    Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2003 Chiller Theatre (plus Scarlet Street table 11/1-2) East Rutherford, NJ
    November 21-23, 2003 Super Megafest Framingham, Mass.
    April 23-25, 2004 Chiller Theatre (Scarlet Street table only: 4/25) East Rutherford, NJ
    August 21-22, 2004 Twilight Zone Convention Hollywood, CA
    October 29-31, 2004 Chiller Theatre East Rutherford, NJ
    June 24-26, 2005 Monster Bash Butler, Pennsylvania
    September 2-4, 2005 Festival of Fantastic Films Manchester, England
    October 20-23, 2005 Friends of Old-Time Radio Convention Newark, NJ
    June 23-25, 2006 Monster Bash Butler, Pennsylvania
    August 12-13, 2006 Twilight Zone Convention Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
    February 16-17, 2007 Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show Burbank, CA
    June 22-24, 2007 Monster Bash Butler, Pennsylvania
    August 4-5, 2007 Twilight Zone Convention Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
    March 15-16, 2008 Ray Courts Chicago Show Chicago, Illinois
    June 20-22, 2008 Monster Bash Butler, Pennsylvania
    April 9-11, 2010 Monsterpalooza Burbank, CA
    June 25-27, 2010 Monster Bash Butler, Pennsylvania
    July 9-11, 2010 Super Megashow & Comic Fest Fairfield, NJ
    October 15-17, 2010 Festival of Fantastic Films Manchester, England
    October 29-31, 2010 Chiller Theatre (attended as a fan 10/31) Parispanny, NJ
    May 14-15, 2011 Your 2nd Childhood Memorabilia Show II New York, NY
    Special thanks to Laurie Jacobson and Jon Provost for managing some of Susan's appearances!
    Susan Gordon's membership in Living Legends (Oct. 12, 2004 capture on archive.org)

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