Talk:The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/Archive 1

message: DO NOT EDIT OR POST REPLIES TO THIS PAGE. THIS PAGE IS AN ARCHIVE.
This archive page covers approximately the dates between 25 February 2002 and 3 July 2005.
Post replies to the main talk page, copying the section you are
replying to if necessary.  (See Wikipedia:How to archive a talk page.)
Please add new archivals to Talk:The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/Archive03. Thank you. JohnDBuell | Talk 01:26, 12 July 2005 (UTC)

message: Regarding the recent revisions "there and back again" on the spelling
of "Hitchhiker's", my quick and dirty research this morning shows me that
there has been quite a bit of inconsistency in the way it is spelled when
you look at the radio transcript publications, the British book covers and the American book covers.   The Douglas Adams website is even inconsistent in the spelling when you drill down to the underlying pages.    What may be appropriate is to explicitly acknowledge these various spellings within the text of this article.   That way we can eventually find a reference spelling for most of the text of the article, yet bring notice to the existance of other variations on the theme.   Bevo 18:15, 3 Dec 2003 (UTC)
thread_title:  talk about the spelling of "Hitchhiker's" 

message: What do you think of making separate pages for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy", and having only the information about the first book on this page? Ausir 21:35, 20 Feb 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: I would suggest keeping this page as an overview of the whole "trilogy", and putting book 1 at "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (book)" - then in the future there could be pages for "HHGttG (radio)", "HHGttG (television)", "HHGttG (film)", "HHGttG (game)" and "HHGttG (rollercoaster)" ;) Sjorford 21:47, 20 Feb 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Done: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (book). Ausir 22:54, 20 Feb 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: The pages for the TV and radio series are works in progress. Would anyone like to tackle creation of a page for the stage shows? Did anyone SEE any of the stage shows (like the Ken Campbell ones from the late 1970s mentioned in Neil Gaiman's Don't Panic)? --JohnDBuell 03:19, 13 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Separate page for the series

message: The second paragraph of Introduction begins, "The series was originally going to be called 'The Ends of the Earth'".  Since this paragraph talks about changing the most basic conception of the Hitchhiker's universe, I assume this refers to the radio series, but it's not specified.  In fact, following on from the first paragraph, it would most logically apply to the book series.  Could someone please clarify? Binabik80 06:00, 18 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Introduction 

message: I am just curious where there was a PBS showing that was seven episodes. I experienced this series in its intial PBS showing in Denver, Colorado. Later repeats, either weekly or all episodes at once during pledge time, in Denver, Portland, Oregon, or Ketchikan, Alaska, were always in the six episode format. It may have happened where the Wikipedia contributer saw this series, but it was not an overall PBS occurance.MarnetteD | Talk 06:52, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  PBS Showings 

message: I'm not so sure the description of the Dopefish as the second stupidest creature is actually a nod to Hitchhiker's, since IIRC Commander Keen also lists those bouncing mushroom things as the only thing stupider than a dopefish. Radix 23:34, 11 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dopefish 

message: "In 1989 it lost two games to the then World Chess Champion, Gary Kasparov. In 1986 one of its successors, [.. ]" - isn't a successor expected to come AFTERWARDS? (clem 09:39, 5 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: A typo.  I'll correct it to 1996.  Thanks. --Tony Sidaway|Talk 11:19, 5 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Chess computer - contradicting info 

message: It's not considered unusual for a successful BBC radio series to migrate to television.  Little Britain and The League of Gentlemen are more recent examples of this, another famous transfer was Hancock's Half Hour, while radio versions of popular TV series were not unknown (Steptoe and Son).  Adams had of course written for TV, for Doctor Who, and the radio series had a huge cult following in the late seventies and early eighties, when there really was almost nothing else similar either on TV or in print, but TV executives were beginning to take SF more seriously after the success of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. --Tony Sidaway|Talk 01:15, 13 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Don't forget Dead Ringers. --JohnDBuell 01:25, 13 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Radio series, TV transfer

message: As I stated above, I'd love to see information about the H2G2 stage shows. There are also possibilities of adding more information about the LPs (specifically cast changes between the radio series and the LPs, and their subsequent US releases by Simon & Shuster Audioworks). Then there are the comic book adaptations.... And I guess the towel is still counted as an official 'adaptation'? Am I missing any others? --JohnDBuell 02:52, 14 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: M.J. Simpson's Pocket Companion does have some info on several of the stage shows and a bit on the LP recordings. Nick Webb's Wish You Were Here also had a note or two. I'm waiting on my copy of Simpson's Hitchhiker bio of Adams, and I should be able to add appropriate cast lists/other material. --JohnDBuell 12:28, 26 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Requests

message: Twice in the article the books are cited as being either the most popular version OR the most accessible version. Granted, the original radio episodes have not been available in America from an American (read: USA) distributor for some time, due to copyright clearances required for the music in the first six episodes, but there was a question submitted to the recent chat with Simon Jones and Geoffrey McGivern, where the questioner suggested that those two actors would be, to them, the definitive Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect. Does anyone have a quote or other citation to back the popularity claim? --JohnDBuell 20:00, 30 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Neither wording is great, and certainly there's no justification for calling them 'definitive', but the books certainly are - by far - the best-known version; large numbers of people, if they know about the radio and television series at all, assume that they're unfaithful adaptations of the books rather than the original version of the story. They're also the most readily-available; libraries and bookstores everywhere have many copies and editions, while the radio and television recordings are, even now, less common. David Arthur 23:42, May 30, 2005 (UTC)
Yes, the books are often assumed to be definitive--but only by those who don't know that the radio scripts came first. I hope we can find a wording that gives primacy to the scripts. --Tony Sidaway|Talk 23:53, 30 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  The books are the most popular version? 

message: I presume the LP versions were only made due to rights issues in the first place.    Do we know when the first LP/tape releases of the original series were made?
:Going from Don't Panic, Pocket Companion: Hitchhiker's and Wish You Were Here it was more of a matter that there was a demand for a home release, even though Radio 4 repeated the episodes many MANY times over (as opposed to purely being a rights issue). But BBC Enterprises could not be convinced that a triple LP would be a good investment (and cassettes weren't that widespread yet), so they went to Original Records, and the LPs were released in 1979 and 1980. BBC Enterprises weren't convinced to do a novelization either, which is why THAT went to Pan Books, also in 1979. It's hard to say when the American tapes were first printed, the first holds a 1982 Hannibal Records copyright, the second has a 1980 DNA copyright (as noted in the article). --JohnDBuell | Talk 13:46, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: So when was the first release of the actual radio series made?  Morwen - Talk 15:54, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: On cassette? No idea. The only info I have is the first RE-release of the cassettes was in the early 1990s, which is when DNA suggested the names "the Primary Phase" and "the Secondary Phase." --JohnDBuell | Talk 18:08, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Ah HA! I found it, it's in Pocket Essentials: Hitchhiker's Guide. The complete run of 12 episodes was first released by the BBC in September 1988 on six cassettes or six CDs, and that was the first ever BBC Radio Collection release on CD. Now, where do we insert this into the article? --JohnDBuell | Talk 02:28, 7 Jun 2005 (UTC)

text: I did finally get my copy of Hitchhiker, and hope to read it and review the Omnibus and "Life the Universe and Douglas Adams" documentaries, and make any appropriate revisions. --JohnDBuell | Talk 21:37, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Stuff to add

message: I think we need to clarify that the introduction deals with the fictional guide. Origin or origins worked better, being about the origin of the whole idea - I don't mind that it focuses on the idea of the fictional guide, but with the first heading being "The Book" it makes it seem like the novel came first, which it didn't. Perhaps go back to "Origin of the Guide" or "Origin of the fictional Guide" or something less ambiguous? --JohnDBuell | Talk 04:07, 4 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Section Headings

message: The new radio series appears to have retconned the original radio series to be set in the present day with talk of novelty ringtones and DVDs of Casablanca.  Is there anything in the original radio series to contradict this (apart from the "what, from a fiver?" line)?  Morwen - Talk 12:50, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: No, that's it. The first episode was the only one in any series to be set on Earth, and there's a lovely onscreen note that comes on when that line is spoken on the DVD: "Pure nostalgia, 1980's prices!" --JohnDBuell | Talk 21:24, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Setting

message: Do we want to possibly squeeze in a section about Adams's popular "live" readings of the H2G2 books in Germany, or the German or Finnish adaptations of the books into their own radio series (and the French adaptation of the original 12 episodes)? Also, should we say anything in the main article (or perhaps the movie article) about the $21 million opening US weekend, Disney's positive reaction to the film opening in first place, and the fact that the film DID manage to stay in the US top ten for four weeks? I can back up the first part from the Pocket Essentials book, and the second part with information from imdb.com. --JohnDBuell | Talk 23:19, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Also going with this, Hitchhiker (the biography) discusses several convention appearances by Adams in the early 1980s: Hitchercon I, Glasgow, Scotland, 26-28 September 1980, Terracon (a Star Trek convention) the weekend before Hitchercon I, Panopticon III, and ChiCon IV, Chicago, IL, USA, 2-6 September 1982 (his last con appearance). --JohnDBuell | Talk 20:27, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)

text: We certainly want (some, if not all) of this.  Would want definitely the movie stuff, and mentions of translations of the books.  And we need the info about the french/german/finnish  radio series somewhere.  It's getting harder and harder to squeeze stuff in without removing important stuff.  Morwen - Talk 22:19, 12 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Sub-article? The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy overseas as a title perhaps? I was also reading about the BIG tour DNA did to promote the Infocom game AND the fourth book in the USA in 1984. Probably part of the reason the game sold 400,000 copies. --JohnDBuell | Talk 12:13, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Revised proposal: paragraph in the article in a section titled International Phenomenon and main article titled The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as international phenomenon. We can start with the Worldcon in 1979 where H2G2 was nominated as the first radio series ever for a Hugo, lost to the original Superman movie, but that was the first exposure (other than shortwave radio) that many people from outside the UK had to the series, then go with the tours, and the other info I've touched on here. --JohnDBuell | Talk 15:59, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  That sounds good.  Morwen - Talk 16:05, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Paragraph in main article done. Need to start the "international phenomenon" article, but I also need to scan a couple more book covers. --JohnDBuell | Talk 00:39, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: New article done! Or at least it has a GOOD head start! I included information from the USA, France, Finland and Germany, but if anyone has anything to add (Canada, Australia, New Zealand? Other nations and other translations?) PLEASE feel free to do so in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as international phenomenon article! --JohnDBuell | Talk 03:48, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: H2G2 the international phenomenon

message: Apparently some new versions of the Marvin songs popped up on iTunes and suchforth for the movie? Could do with adding a sentence or two about (seem to recall that Fry sung them not Rickman??) Morwen - Talk 14:45, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Yep. "The Marvin Mixes" and "Guide Entries" - ALL done by Fry, in third person (for the Marvin songs). I've never been able to confirm who wrote the new guide entries but I suspect those were Fry as well. Should I drop track list info somewhere? I've got them downloaded on my home PC. --JohnDBuell | Talk 17:07, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Ok, added a sentence about this. Morwen - Talk 17:19, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Re-recorded Marvin songs

message: Right. I went to Waterstones's today and looked at various editions of the book.  Both forms are still in use "Hitch Hiker's" and "Hitchhiker's".  However, in the text of the books themselves I was only able to find "Hitch Hiker's" used, even in the editions which actually have it Hitchhiker's on the spine. Morwen - Talk 12:56, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, if you'd like to change the template to reflect this, go ahead. But I'm inclined to leave what we have alone, since that was arranged at per a vote, and also following DNA's 2000 instructions (which is exactly what all of his biographers are doing, and even the script book changed all of the spellings to "Hitchhiker" retroactively). --JohnDBuell | Talk 22:46, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Don't think we should add, just noting here for information.  Morwen - Talk 10:30, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  More spelling

message: Since I expanded the notes section, we've actually hit 42KB. --JohnDBuell | Talk 20:59, 19 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Article length