Buck Rogers!!!

The Cast of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Over the past weekend, Ed and I trekked out to Cherry Hill, NJ for the Monster-Mania Con. It was mainly stars from Horror films, but there was some sci-fi stars there too...such as Gil Gerard who played Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which was a campy sci-fi show from the late 70s. This is one of those shows I thought went on forever, and I was shocked to learn it only ran two seasons...guess time moves much slower when you are young. I have to admit, the character of the little robot Twiki was incredibly annoying but the rest of the show was just campy 70s fun. Biddi-biddi-biddi-Buck!

Twiki with Gary Coleman

OK, back to Monster-Mania...Gil was very cordial and even shook Ed's hand to say hello. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have recognized him if it weren't for the name plate at his table. Afterwards, we read his bio and found out that at one point he weighed 350 pounds and had gastric bypass surgery! I'm glad we didn't see him before the surgery, that would have been a bit sad. One thing that surprised us was the fact that he was married to Connie Selleca for several years...I always thought that John Tesh was her only husband.

Gil Gerard and Connie Selleca during their marriage

Also at the show was Erin Gray who also starred on Buck Rogers. She looked older, but was easily recognizable and to be honest, she looked fantastic for someone who is in her 60s, hell, she looked great period.  Below is a picture of her from Buck Rogers...she is still in great shape and could easily fit into that catsuit today.

Erin Gray on the set of Buck Rogers

After Monster-Mania, Ed and I grabbed a bite to eat at the Cherry Hill Diner and all he could talk about was the fact that he shook Buck Rogers hand! He was a bit saddened by the fact that hardly anyone went up to his table to talk to him...guess folks who weren't around in the late 70s and early 80s even know about Buck Rogers or Gil Gerard which is a shame because this was 70s sci-fi camp at its best!  If you ever happen upon this show, I suggest you tune in for a good time!