Sonnets & Sunspots: “Dr. Research” Baxter and the Bell Science Films
About this audiobook
Sonnets & Sunspots tells the story of one of the most beloved popular science series of all time and the charismatic educator who became an icon to several generations of students. The book is also a fascinating history of popular science programming in television and film, from its primitive beginnings to the twenty-first century. Along the way there are entertaining behind-the-scenes stories of each production and the personalities that were involved with them. Dr. Frank Baxter, a professor of English literature at the University of Southern California, became a science hero to millions thanks to his alter-ego, “Dr. Research.” Many students even became scientists because of Baxter and the Bell films, some of the most entertaining and informative shows ever made.
As the tale unfolds we meet such people as famed Hollywood director Frank Capra, Walt Disney, legendary voice actor June Foray, Eddie Albert, Richard Carlson, movie mogul Jack Warner, James Burke of Connections fame, Carl Sagan of Cosmos, and a score of others. The book also chronicles the story of public television from its earliest beginnings, including the struggles of such pioneering stations as Houston’s KUHT and San Francisco’s KQED.
About the author
Eric Niderost, born in New York, grew up in California and continues to live there. Even as a youngster he loved history, the movies, and popular science; some of his most cherished memories took place in the seventh and eighth grade, circa 1962, when some of the Bell Science films were shown. After obtaining a master’s degree in history, he began teaching that subject, but writing was also a passion. Since the 1980s Niderost has been a freelance writer and journalist for a score of publications, chiefly popular history magazines. His work has appeared in such varied publications as Military Heritage, Wild West, World War II, and History magazine. He has also written for a number of film and nostalgia magazines, including Starlog, and has interviewed such celebrities as Vincent Price, Janet Leigh, George Takei, and Glenn Close. His publishing record to date includes four books and some three hundred articles.
James Burke, the BBC’s chief reporter on the Apollo missions to the moon, was awarded the Royal Television Society silver medal in 1973 and the gold medal in 1974. The PBS series Connections was over two years in the making, the research and filming taking the author to twenty-three countries. James Burke lives in London.
Joe Bevilacqua, also known as Joe Bev, is a public radio producer and radio theater dramatist. However, his career has taken him into every aspect of show business, including stage, film, and television as a producer, director, writer, author, actor, journalist, documentarian, and even cartoonist. He is also a member of the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York City.
Nat Segaloff covered the motion picture business for the Boston Herald, CBS Radio, and Group W. He has also been a studio publicist, college teacher, playwright, and author. In 1996 he formed the multimedia production company Alien Voices® with actors Leonard Nimoy and John de Lancie and produced five bestselling, fully dramatized audio plays.
