Retr-O-Rama – Sunday August 10, Collectibles Show Will Feature “The Creature” Himself

Event: Retr-O-Rama Collectibles Show Location: Ramada Conference Center in Mandarin, 3130 Hartley Road
Date: August 10, 10am-4pm, early 9am-10am
Tickets: $5 advance, $10 general (includes 1 child), additional children $2, early bird VIP $20
Contact: jaxretrorama.com

It’s been almost sixty years since The Creature from the Black Lagoon first visited the shores of the First Coast to take his Revenge, but the fearless promoters of the Retr-O-Rama Collectibles Show have finally been able to track him down and bring him back! The Ramada Conference Center in Mandarin isn’t as steamy as the Black Lagoon, but on Sunday, August 10th, it will be swamped with fans eager to meet Ricou Browning, the actor who played the famous Gill Man in the underwater scenes for all three Creature movies. This includes 1955’s Revenge of the Creature, which was filmed in Jacksonville and Marineland and will celebrate the 60th anniversary of its release next year. According to show promoter Ed Tucker, “Ricou Browning has been a dream guest of ours for years, but there was always some conflict in his schedule which prevented us from having him at our events. On August 10th, we will finally be able to correct that situation and bring the last surviving monster star from the Golden Age of Universal horror films back to Jacksonville!”
Ricou Browning won’t be the only guest at the August Retr-O-Rama Show. He will be joined by actress Linda Haynes, who made her feature debut in 1970’s Latitude Zero. This film, one of the rare non-Godzilla entries Toho Studios of Japan made into the science fiction genre, also starred expat actors Joseph Cotton, Richard Jaeckel, Patricia Manning,[/p2p] and Caesar Romero. From there, Ms. Haynes spent the next fifteen years working alongside an A-list of Hollywood celebrities that included Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Ned Beatty, Jason Miller, Powers Boothe, and Tommy Lee Jones. Among these many top movies is 1977’s Rolling Thunder, which Oscar-winning director Quentin Tarantino has dubbed the greatest cult film of all time.
The guest list doesn’t stop there. Local author Ron Kivett, best known as the screenwriter and special effects coordinator on the cult film ZAAT (1970), will be debuting the print edition of his first fiction novel, Knights of the Karrien Moon. Tim Lawrence, special effects engineer on major Hollywood productions like Ghostbusters 2, Jaws 3D, Beetlejuice, Harry and the Hendersons, and the Shrek film series, will be showing off props and discussing his fabulous career in fantasy films. We even have the return of Florida-born actor David Polk, who appeared opposite Burt Reynolds in 1993’s Cop and a Half before embarking on a career in cult films.
The Retr-O-Rama Collectibles Show takes place on Sunday, August 10th at the Ramada Conference Center in Mandarin located at 3130 Hartley Road. Show hours are from 10am to 4pm, with a special early bird preview from 9am to 10am. This is an event suitable for the entire family. General adult admission is $10 and includes admission for one child age 12 or younger. Additional child admissions are available for $2 each. The early bird VIP admission is $20. Get more info at jaxretrorama.com.