LUCANIO, Patrick 1949-

PERSONAL:

Surname pronounced "Lu-CAN-io"; born April 9, 1949, in Dallas, TX; son of Ralph J. and Patricia C. (Erickson) Lucanio; married Barbara K. Crowell, December 26, 1977; children: Christopher L., Elizabeth D. Lucanio Mayfield. Ethnicity: "White." Education: Western Oregon University, B.S., 1972, M.A.T., 1977; University of Oregon, M.S., 1980, Ph. D., 1983. Hobbies and other interests: Film, playwriting, radio drama, graphic design.

ADDRESSES:

Home—1097 Janus St., Springfield, OR 97477-3531; fax: 541-726-3017. Office—Humanities Program, Western Oregon University, Monmouth, OR 97361. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Capital Journal (now Statesman-Journal), Salem, OR, news correspondent, 1971-72; high school teacher of English, speech, theater arts, and journalism, Willamina, OR, 1972-78; Western Oregon University, Monmouth, adjunct assistant professor of humanities, 1988—, director of student media and director of campus interview program Dialog, broadcast by WSTV-Television, 1998-2000. University of Oregon, visiting instructor, 1981, visiting assistant professor, 1983, 1985, 1989. Director of stage plays; producer of short films; producer, director, and editor of videotapes; and member of production team for radio presentations; also production editor of local periodicals. Springfield Police Planning Task Force, vice chair, 1994-98, chair, 1998—; Springfield special citizens advisory committee, member, 2000.

AWARDS, HONORS:

President's Award, Society to Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Comedy, and Variety, 2002.

WRITINGS:

Them or Us: Archetypal Interpretations of Fifties Alien Invasion Films, Indiana University Press (Bloomington, IN), 1988.

With Fire and Sword: Italian Spectacles on American Screens, 1958-1968, Scarecrow Press (Metuchen, NJ), 1994.

(With Gary Coville) American Science-Fiction Television Series of the 1950s: Episode Guides and Casts and Credits for Twenty Shows, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 1998.

(With Gary Coville) Jack the Ripper: His Life and Crimes in Popular Entertainment, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 1999.

(With Gary Coville) Smokin' Rocket: The Romance of Technology in American Film, Radio, and Television, 1945-1962, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 2002.

Contributor to periodicals, including Remember, Film-fax, and Antique Week. Editor-in-chief, Radiogram, 1999—.

PLAYS

(And director) Tales from beyond the Crypt, produced in Willamina, OR, at Willamina High School, 1973.

(With Gerald Paine) The Son of the Sound of Hollywood; or, I Was a Teenage Oscar, produced in Willamina, OR, at Willamina High School, 1974.

(And director) Radio Ramble, produced in Willamina, OR, at Willamina High School, 1974.

(With Gary Coville; and director) The Mystery of the Thirteenth Guest, produced in Willamina, OR, at Willamina High School, 1974.

(And director) Carry On, Kate, produced in Willamina, OR, at Willamina High School, 1975.

(With Gary Coville; and director) The Restless Hours, produced in Willamina, OR, at Willamina High School, 1975.

(With Gary Coville; and director) An Evening with Sherlock Holmes (based on short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle), produced in Willamina, OR, at Willamina High School, 1975.

(With Gerald Paine) The Sound of '76, produced in Willamina, OR, at Willamina High School, 1976.

(And director) Dracula (based on the novel by Bram Stoker), produced in Willamina, OR, at Willamina High School, 1977.

(And director) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (based on the novel by L. Frank Baum), produced in Willamina, OR, at Willamina High School, 1977.

(And director) A Christmas Carol, produced by Radio-Active Players, in Springfield, OR, at Springfield Free Methodist Church, 1998.

Author and director of shorter works produced by RadioActive Players in Springfield, OR, including Pontius Pilate, 1986; The Tomb, 1987; The Way to the Sun, 1988; and A Remembrance of Christmas Past, 1993.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

A history of anti-communist films, television programs, and radio programs in the 1950s; research on film history prior to 1970 and on the television and radio offerings of the 1950s.

SIDELIGHTS:

Patrick Lucanio told CA: "I enjoy writing for the sake of writing. I like language and how language works. I enjoy exploring the value of language as it imparts both fiction and nonfiction images. As one who appreciates literary theory and criticism, I am also always aware of the importance of metaphor.

"I have a great interest in diverse subjects but, as my writing shows, I am especially interested in 1950s American culture. With my colleague, Gary Coville, a research librarian and historian, I have been able to collaborate on numerous subjects relative to the American popular entertainment of the 1950s. Since I enjoy learning about my subject matter, I naturally wish to extend that joy to others of similar mind.

"Since writing is my second job, I do not have a regimen as a writing process. I write when I can. I spend a lot of time in research, always seeking primary sources, and once I'm satisfied with my research I begin free-writing, often writing an entire article or book chapter in one sitting. Once the initial draft is done, the actual process of writing begins. A good writer must be a critical reader of his own work. I believe a good writer, then, is more of an editor than merely an individual who drops words on pages. The real task is to intelligently rearrange words, phrases, and sentences into a coherent and meaningful whole."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 1998, review of American Science-Fiction Television Series of the 1950s: Episode Guides and Casts and Credits for Twenty Shows, p. 354; April 15, 2000, John Doherty, review of American Science Fiction Television Series of the 1950s, p. 1572.

Collecting Hollywood, October-November, 1994, J. J. Johnson, interview with Lucanio.