|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2020 16:15:04 GMT -5
The first Planet of the Apes film was set in 3978 AD. Roddy McDowell appeared it in as Cornelius, a chimpanzee who was sympathetic to the humans. Four sequels were produced, the final one being released in 1973. Then, in 1974, a TV series adaptation was produced, airing for one season. The series was set in 3085 AD. So, 893 years before the events of the film. Roddy McDowell was also in the series, playing Galen. Who, quite frankly, was akin to Cornelius. In many ways, despite it being nearly 900 years prior to the film, it feels like a reboot of the film series. It aired a year after the final POTA film. As stated, McDowell played a character who may as well have been Cornelius. There is practically no difference in personality between Cornelius and Galen. So, was this the first reboot before “reboot” was a fashionable word in the world of TV and movies? Plus, there are some other factors. In the series, Urko, the gorilla security chief, is played by Mark Lenard. In the second film ( Beneath the Planet of the Apes), the gorilla security chief is called Ursus (James Gregory). Different actors, but Urko and Ursus are pretty interchangeable. And then there’s Dr. Zaius. Played by different people (Maurice Evans in the films, Booth Coleman in the series), but, again, the same character! I suppose, with the TV series being set 893 years prior to the films, we could suspend disbelief and imagine that Dr. Zaius is an ancestor to Dr. Zaius.  How can I not view the TV show as a reboot? (A peculiar term, though, given the 893-year gap). Thoughts? |
|
|
|
Post by beccabear67 on Sept 10, 2020 17:02:02 GMT -5
I loved the tv series as a kid. That's about when there was a huge line of toys based on them as well. Logan's Run was kind of similar where the '70s tv series was not connected to the movie, and someone else played Logan, Francis and Jessica (at least some names were changed for Apes), plus added a new android character.
Putting on the thinking cap I expect the first of these restart things would've happened in taking a pulp or comic character to a radio series.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2020 17:28:35 GMT -5
I loved the tv series as a kid. That's about when there was a huge line of toys based on them as well. Logan's Run was kind of similar where the '70s tv series was not connected to the movie, and someone else played Logan, Francis and Jessica (at least some names were changed for Apes), plus added a new android character. Did the Logan’s Run series have any connection to the movie, e.g. even a tenuous or vague one? Or even an attempt at it? |
|
|
|
Post by beccabear67 on Sept 11, 2020 13:02:16 GMT -5
It was like a substitute for the movie, the movie had never happened is what it seemed like... using some elements of it, extending the basic plot of finding sanctuary into something unending and Francis not being killed (at least not that that I remember anyway), plus a new android main character guy having zero connection to the film. The Planet Of the Apes tv series was truer to the films with few if any conflicts, Logan's Run the tv series I spent a lot of time thing how this or that is wrong according to the world shown in the film. I really didn't like the tv series and even when i saw the complete box super-discounted I wasn't tempted. I'd rather see the simpler Saturday morning Ark II show again and I'm fairly indifferent to that. I have all the Apes tv series though, it gets to be just another formulaic tv series at times but then it didn't run all that long.
|
|
|
|
Post by brianf on Sept 11, 2020 13:21:58 GMT -5
As a kid I loved the POTAs movies, and Logans Run - but both tv shows stunk. I've never rewatched either so I'm just going on memory.
I also remember liking Ark II - and Jason of Star Command. Live action kids shows in the 70s were neato - viva la Sid and Marty Krofft!
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2020 13:34:01 GMT -5
I did like the TV series. I managed to watch every episode thanks to DVD a short while back. There was one where humans and apes were forced to work together to combat a disease, but the apes were too unbending to accept help from humans. There was also another one where Urko and Burke were trapped underground in an old subway station, forcing them to work together.
It taught me a lot about how different people should work together. In the above episodes, the intransigence of apes led to problems that would have been solved sooner had there been more understanding between the two species.
|
|
|
|
Post by brutalis on Sept 11, 2020 15:30:48 GMT -5
Love all the original POA movies (a must have DVD set fors fans) and have both the TV series and cartoon series Return to the Planet of Apes on DVD. That Apes and Star Trek and Flash Gordon were Saturday morning favorites for me. Happy Geekdom!
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2020 15:33:14 GMT -5
I have never seen the cartoon series.
I did like the crossover with Star Trek. I didn’t think it would work, but somehow they did (helped by the separate universes approach).
|
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Sept 11, 2020 21:39:08 GMT -5
The tv series isn't really a reboot, as it doesn't really negate anything that came before. Battle for the Planet of the Apes already set up a premise of Apes as lords and masters of intelligent and talking humans and ends with human and ape studying under the Lawgiver, but a hint that things were on a delicate balance.
The recent Tales from the Forbidden Zone anthology book posited, in one story, that each future is one of several possible ones.
The tv series suffered from a "sameness" in episodes, as well as a much lower budget. There are some good episodes in there; but, most had the humans jumping out of trees on gorilla soldiers, hiding from Urko and his police, and winning over some ape or rescuing a human, or both. After a few weeks, it was pretty boring.
Logan's Run uses the same premise and repurposed some shots from the movie, in the pilot episode; but, took it a different route. Logan runs with Jessica, outside the city, and finds another world, with settlements of people who know nothing of the city. Francis is recruited by a council of elders, who live in secret and rule the city. They are all middle aged to senior and offer Francis a place on the council, if he brings down Logan, to keep the secret. Logan and Jessica discover a lab, with REM, and android (played by Donald Moffet), who travels with them. Francis still hunts them and they deal with other problems.
In both cases, they used the template of the original Fugitive tv series (with David Jansen), where he traveled from town to town, helping people in need, while avoiding the inspector hunting for him. The same plot structure was used throughout the 70s, for sci-fi series, including The Incredible Hulk, Planet of the Apes, Logan's Run, Otherworld, The Phoenix and some others.
Logan's Run was actually not bad, as DC Fontana, of Star Trek, was the story editor and had some good ones. However, the plot structure and low budget hampered things and you could only do so much.
Return to the POTA was the cartoon, from DePatie-Freleng, who produced the Pink Panther cartoons and were later purchased by Marvel Comics and renamed Marvel Animation. It was another timeline, and presented an Ape civilization that the original novel described, but was too costly to show, in the films and tv. The apes have technology, vehicles, tv and radio, and advanced weapons. Three humans land there, in the Forbidden Zone and have to leave behind their capsule. One, Judy, disappears. The two males meet up with humans and get caught when the apes capture a bunch. They are taken to the city and meet Cornelius and Zira, who help them escape, along with Nova. They eventually return to their capsule and reclaim some equipment and then discover the underground city and the mutants, which is where Judy is. They aid them, when lava is headed for their power generator (using a laser drill) and Judy returns with them. They eventually move the humans to a safer area and build Hopi pueblo buildings, in a cliff face, to defend against the apes. Along the way, they meet Brent, from Beneath the POTA, who knows Nova. In a later episode, they steal a P-40 Warhawk that the apes have rebuilt. They also help Cornelius hid a book showing apes in a zoo, in a monastery, high on a mountain (complete with an ape yeti).
From a story standpoint, the cartoon was really good; but, because of budget, they reused footage and the voice direction was rather flat. The character designs were done by Doug Wildey, creator of Jonny Quest. They also used a lot of dumb in-jokes, like a movie called The Apefather (this was the mid-1970s). Cornelius, Zira, Dr Zaius, Urko and Nova are all in the story. Urko was voiced by Henry Corden, who took over as Fred Flintstone, after Alan Reed died, and also voiced many villains in Thundarr and various Hanna-Barbera series. Austin Stoker, who appeared in Battle for the POTA, voiced one of the astronauts, while the female was voiced by Claudette Nevins, a character actress who appeared in tv and movies, including All the Marbles, as a female wrestling promoter (the film is about a women's pro wrestling tag-team, managed by Peter Falk)
The original novel had an astronaut land on a planet with an advanced ape civilization, where he was held for study, before escaping. When he returns to Earth, he finds that apes are now the dominant species. The original film modified this into what we know, then the Tim Burton POS tried to use the novel's twist, which fell flat (as did the whole movie, if you ask me).
|
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Sept 11, 2020 21:47:20 GMT -5
As a kid I loved the POTAs movies, and Logans Run - but both tv shows stunk. I've never rewatched either so I'm just going on memory. I also remember liking Ark II - and Jason of Star Command. Live action kids shows in the 70s were neato - viva la Sid and Marty Krofft! In case anyone is confused, Ark II and Jason of Star Command (and the related Space Academy) were all live shows from Filmation. Sid & Marty Krofft did the live action puppet shows, including HR Puffinstuff, Liddsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Buggaloos, Land of the lost, and the Krofft Super Show, featuring Dr Shrinker and Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. Filmation was an animation studio, but had branched out into live action shows, in the 70s, with Shazam, Isis, Ark II, Space Academy, Jason of Star Command, Far Out Space Nuts and the original Ghost busters (which is why there were two different Ghostbusters cartoons, in the 80s). Filmation's animation included the DC cartoons, with Superman, Aquaman and Batman & Robin, with additional cartoons featuring the JLA and Teen Titans. They also did Star Trek, Flash Gordon, Zorro, Tarzan, the lone Ranger, the Archie cartoons, Fantastic Voyage, and Fat Albert. Hanna-Barbera also did a few live things; but, not many. There was the live Danger Island, on the Banana Splits Show and Korg 70,000 BC. |
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Sept 11, 2020 23:23:21 GMT -5
Here's the first episode of Return to the Planet of the Apes...
Here is a series preview, from 1977, for Logan's Run...
The opening titles for the series...
Gregory Harrison (later of Trapper John, MD), was Logan, while Heather Menzies (Sound of Music) was Jessica, with Randy Powell, as Francis. Morgan Woodward, who had appeared in Star Trek (Dagger of the Mind), was one of the Council of Elders, in the pilot. Series scripts included such writers as David Gerrold (Trouble with Tribbles), Harlan Ellison (City on the Edge of Forever) and Denny O'Neil.
|
|
|
|
Post by beccabear67 on Sept 12, 2020 0:20:04 GMT -5
In case anyone is confused, Ark II and Jason of Star Command (and the related Space Academy) were all live shows from Filmation. Sid & Marty Krofft did the live action puppet shows, including HR Puffinstuff, Liddsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Buggaloos, Land of the lost, and the Krofft Super Show, featuring Dr Shrinker and Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. Filmation was an animation studio, but had branched out into live action shows, in the 70s, with Shazam, Isis, Ark II, Space Academy, Jason of Star Command, Far Out Space Nuts and the original Ghost busters (which is why there were two different Ghostbusters cartoons, in the 80s). Filmation's animation included the DC cartoons, with Superman, Aquaman and Batman & Robin, with additional cartoons featuring the JLA and Teen Titans. They also did Star Trek, Flash Gordon, Zorro, Tarzan, the lone Ranger, the Archie cartoons, Fantastic Voyage, and Fat Albert. Hanna-Barbera also did a few live things; but, not many. There was the live Danger Island, on the Banana Splits Show and Korg 70,000 BC. Oh no, I have to correct a correction! Far Out Space Nuts was a Krofft show. Other Krofft series not mentioned were The Lost Saucer, Wonder Bug, Magic Mongo, and Bigfoot And Wildboy! Bigfoot And Wildboy opening (just because).... |
|
|
|
Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 12, 2020 3:55:18 GMT -5
Yeah, I know Far Out Space Nuts was a Krofft show without even having to look it up.
There were also quite a few live-action Saturday morning shows that were neither Krofft nor Filmation productions - which often had a more serious tone and didn't have a fantasy, SF or superhero premise. Two that I recall are Westwind:
Yep, that's what Britt Reid did after he retired from Green Horneting. Seriously, though, when I was a kid I thought it would be so cool to be in a family that lived on a yacht and sailed around the South Pacific having cool adventures.
And Run, Joe, Run, which is basically The Fugitive but starring a dog accused of a crime he didn't commit:
...I know I watched a few of those, but I don't remember any specifics about it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2020 4:41:21 GMT -5
I mean, the reboot comment was more about the fact that they cast Roddy McDowell as Galen who was pretty much Cornelius except in name - and the fact that Zaius appeared, plus Urko/Ursus.
It isn’t a reboot in a timeline sense. But it feels like a quasi-reboot, e.g. the movie series had ended, so instead of starting 100% anew, they hired Roddy McDowell, “transformed” Ursus into Urko, brought back Zaius, etc. And gave us something akin to the movies (and let’s be honest, in the pre-internet age, who would have really thought about the dates in the film and series?).
|
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Sept 12, 2020 7:41:26 GMT -5
I always mix up Far Out Space Nuts ("I said lunch, not launch!") with Lost Saucer (Bob Denver vs Jim Nabors).
|
|
