Geeks Do Go to Heaven

Hello everyone! I am Christopher F. Benson and this is my first foray into this social media website. I hope in the future that I might be able to share with all of you the inner workings of my mind and the many vast and numerous experiences that I have had. One of which I would like to share with you now.

Heaven does exist for geeks like me and possibly you.

Having grown up in the seventies, I was a huge fan of superheroes and comic books. Does anyone remember Dedra Hall, of Days of Our Lives folklore, when she was on the Saturday morning Kroft Super Show titled Electro Woman and Dyna Girl? I do. Yeah, it’s that bad. Anyway, I digress.

Throughout that wonderful decade of the seventies, I watched a lot of television. Specter Man, Ultra Man, Space Giants, Godzilla (my all time favorite), War of the Gargantuas, Star Trek reruns, Speed Racer, Johnny Quest, etc… But at the time my most favorite networks shows were The Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman (I mean, come on, it was Lynda Carter), The Incredible Hulk, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. And two days ago I got to meet and talk to some of the icons from my childhood.

Last weekend there was an event in Shreveport, Louisiana, called Geek’d Con. It was advertised that Lou Ferrigno, aka TV’s Incredible Hulk, was gonna be there. That is the sole reason why I went. No matter who else was there or the other vendors, I wanted to meet Lou and talk to him. And I did just that.

I got there early; was one of the first handfuls of people through the door. I asked where he was and went right to his table straight away. When I saw him, I couldn’t believe it. This was not through a television screen, there he was right in front of me. The Hulk. The only man who could’ve done it. We talked for about ten minutes, while I was trying to select a photo for him to autograph. There were so many, some of which were shots of he and Bill Bixby together. I told him how I had read his book back in the seventies when I was in elementary school. In fact, it was a Scholastic Book, remember those? Anyway, he did acknowledge what I remembered about his history including how he used to challenge people to bend a 16 penny nail. But I did have one question for him.

I had seen Arnold Schwarzenegger on TV saying that he didn’t know why Lou Ferrigno quit competing in body building. Arnold claimed that he never would’ve beaten him. At the time and maybe to this day, I don’t know, but Lou Ferrigno was the tallest, heaviest, biggest man to compete in body building. I asked him if he was aware of those comments and he elaborated.

According to Lou, Schwarzenegger realizing that he was six years younger and would soon overtake him made that statement. Again, taller, heavier, bigger and younger. I had my answer. I was in heaven. Fifteen minutes into the convention and I could’ve left and gone home.

I also met two other of my childhood TV icons. One was of Flash Gordon fame, Sam Jones. He was kind of stand offish, a dick really. After talking to him, I got the impression that he really wasn’t enjoying his experience at the convention. But the other person I met was the great Gil Gerard from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

Mr. Gerard was amazing. The coolness and the genuine likability, the appreciation for his fans was unparalleled. Again, I spoke to him at length while I had to select a photo for him to autograph. There were so many. Some with Twiggy, whose voice was the great Mel Blanc, some were with Erin Gray. By the way, did I mention Erin Gray? Nuff said. Anyway, I told him how I saw the movie in the theatre at least twice, loved the show and even had the toys (which my father thought I was too old for but I still got them anyway. Must’ve been my mom's influence). But I did have one question for him.

Ever since 1979, I realized something. I was a huge Six Million Dollar Man fan. I was in the fan club. I had a picture of Col. Steve Austin on my wall and a little card for my kiddie wallet. I had the doll and toys, etc. But once Buck Rogers hit TV I realized that there only two men in Hollywood who could’ve played that role. So, I asked him if he had ever read for the part. Before I could finish asking the question, he cut in immediately. He told me about a back booth secret meeting in a restaurant where men from Universal asked him to replace Lee Majors during the run of the show. I’m not sure if he accepted the offer or not, but it’s irrelevant because we know it never happened. I was floored. Gil Gerard is still a stud. It was my utmost pleasure to meet him.

Yes, Geeks, there is a payoff or heaven for us. The people that I met were people that I had watched on TV in the seventies and eighties and idolized. In some way, they had an impact on my life. Their shows, thanks to DVD, Netflix, and Hulu are programs that I view even today. These were people that I never dreamt of meeting. But there they were. And I still can’t believe it. What a pleasure it was.