Ib Melchior: Man of Imagination (Biography) [Paperback]

Robert Skotak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2000

If you are only interested in reading about old science fiction movies, then this book is not for you. For this book contains a lot of dull stuff about a man who touched the beating heart of another; stepped into the cold of outer space; witnessed the horrors of Dachau; directed some of the first TV shows; called one of the most famous opera singers of the century “father”; became a war hero; was knighted; had himself arrested for drunk driving; worked with laser beams; jumped out of airplanes; “infiltrated” an American city; broke a 400 year-old cipher; wrestled lions; had the fangs of a leopard at his throat; picked up a prostitute; learned how to kill with a pencil; rode an African elephant; sorted 50,000 beetles; stage-managed ice shows; worked with rockets and the Rockettes. A man who was a spy and counterspy, an actor, stage manager, singer, set designer. He speaks six languages; is a novelist and has been a gourmet chef; helped sail a tall ship and... and—incidentally—wrote or directed a bunch of science fiction movies that many of us have enjoyed! Several of which have become both cult movies and earned a respectable place among mainstream viewers. So perhaps you’ll want to read this book after all.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Skotak is an Academy Award-winning special effects artist whose long admiration for Ib Melchior led him to pen this fascinating book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Midnight Marquee Press (July 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887664416
• ISBN-13: 978-1887664417
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,102,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Man of Imagination, November 2, 2000

By 

"cadet_ed" (Manassas, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ib Melchior: Man of Imagination (Biography) (Paperback)

IF one of your all time favorite SF movies of 1964 was ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS, or you remember the MAN IN SPACE television show with fond memories then you can thank Mr. Melchior. Robert Skotak's book, IB MELCHIOR MAN OF IMAGINATION, will enlighten you to Mr. Mechior's career from his early work on the Tom Corbett Space Cadet show to scripting some of the best SF TV and movies of the 1960's. The information is provided in an easy to read enjoyable format and is a valuable resource for SF movie and TV fans.

I was interested in the chapter dedicated to the Tom Corbett Space Cadet show, but found that the book is a wealth of information about one of the early pioneers of TV and movie SF. The man behind these early SF works is truly a fellow Science Fiction fan who has given us "a sense of wonder" and deserves the title of Man of Imagination. Thanks to Robert Skotak for the research into a career that has touched and delighted many of us as we grew up and thanks to Mr. Melchior for those wonderful childhood memories.