Souvenir Magazine
by Dena Vaughan

Originally, this "V" Convention Souvenir Magazine was to be printed, but Dena decided to post it online instead!  This magazine is NOT affiliated with any past, present or future "V" conventions.

Read Dena's exclusive Marin May interview!.

Read Dena's exclusive Blair Tefkin interview!.

TidBit: Buy Marc Singer's Taming of the Shrew Video: TAMING OF THE SHREW

Marc Singer

V convention 2000 stage appearance by Theresa Krakauskas for souvenir magazine

I remember seeing Marc Singer in person for the first time in 1991.  It was a convention in Manhattan honoring the 25th anniversary of Star Trek with a variety of guests, and Beastmaster 2 had just been released.  I'd received a flyer about the convention months before and laughed as I opened it, saying to my husband, "I don't know why I'm bothering to look at this.  Marc is never at these things," and nearly choked when I saw him listed.  We had enjoyed Marc's movies for so long, it was like he was part of the family.  And now we would get to meet him.
 
It was crowded and noisy and exciting.  Marc was to do a Q&A session on stage and then sign autographs afterward.  After a comic entrance due to an overzealous fog machine, he began to speak.  I looked at my husband and said, "It's him.  He's so Marc!"

Those of you who are his fans will know what I mean.  There's something about Marc that's very appealing, and I don't mean his looks.  No, I'm not blind, but there is more to Marc than meets the eye.  There is a friendliness about him that jumps from both the big and small screen.  His sense of humor is apparent in the twinkle of his eyes; his smile is genuine and warm.  When seeing him on a convention stage or speaking with him one on one, he comes across as down-to-earth with a sincere interest in people.

Time hadn't changed Marc when I saw him at V: The Convention in Los Angeles nearly ten years later.  He was still the same charming guy I remembered, and it felt like old home week.  As before, a lot of Marc's time on stage was spent answering questions from the audience, and interspersed between his responses were stories of on set injuries and shenanigans.

There couldn't have been a more perfect choice to play Mike Donovan, and to hear Marc tell it, he enjoyed his time playing the character as well.  A physically demanding series, the downside of Marc doing his own stunts on V caused him to go limping home on more than one occasion.  Remember when the visitor pulls Mike from the air duct in the Mothership and slams him against the wall?  Well, that one hurt!  He also explained how dangerous it could be if an actor didn't follow the choreography in a fight scene correctly.  There were stories of praise as well, for both his co-stars and director/creator Ken Johnson.  Marc called Ken, a "brilliant filmmaker and storyteller," and said the entire cast was awestruck when they saw the mini-series for the first time.  He said he was not surprised to find that it is still being aired over a decade later.  Marc's command of the stage was matchless, leaving no part of the audience overlooked and fielding awkward questions with ease, his energy and enthusiasm electrifying the room.

Having just finished two films, the hardest working man in show business shared glimpses into his many projects, both past and present.  Not one to gossip, a less than flattering account always involved "an actor who shall remain nameless."  It seems that one nameless actor was somewhat belligerent toward the tiger (Kipling) who co-starred with Marc in The Beastmaster.  The tiger, Marc was happy to tell us, got his own back by embarrassing said actor during a publicity shoot.  Marc's obvious fondness for animals is one of the things that makes him special, and he told us how fortunate he was to work with the cat, and how gratifying their scenes were.  (Just don't ask him to work with an orangutan!)

Marc seems to have left no stone unturned when it comes to his craft, even doing the occasional cartoon voice-over.  When an audience member asked him about which ones he had done, yours truly promptly piped up about the one he had missed, feeling immediately ridiculous.  While he seemed startled at this bit of trivia being shouted at him, he kindly acknowledged my "help."

In the autograph room, he was gracious with both his signature and his time, posing for photos with anyone who asked.  He kindly signed both a still from Beastmaster 2 (my personal favorite) and one from his Twilight Zone episode "Extra Innings" (classic Marc).  Although there is not much time for personal chat at an autograph session, I managed to squeeze in an anecdote about my own (house) cat, Kipling.  Marc also asked me where I'd gotten the Twilight Zone picture, remarking, "Even I don't have that one!"  Since I missed a photo op the first time -- and not knowing if I'd ever get another -- I didn't pass up the chance again. 

When talking about what it was like for him to come to the convention, Marc said that it was "a rare and wonderful experience [to share] special moments in our lives."  I couldn't have put it better.  In many ways, his screen presence has influenced me, as both an inspiration and an encouragement.  I have laughed and cried with the Beastmaster, been heartened by the fortitude of Mike Donovan, uplifted by other characters too numerous to mention, and prompted to get back to my fitness routine on more than one occasion.  I've distracted myself from bad news by watching Something for Joey , waxed nostalgic for the drive-in movie theater while viewing Watchers 2, and introduced Shakespeare to my husband with The Taming of the Shrew.  Marc truly has shared many moments in my life.  I'd like to think that by being a part of such a unique weekend, I've made a difference in his as well.