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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2022 18:05:21 GMT -5
Have to confess, I am not happy with the show ‘taking control of my TV set’.  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 21, 2022 21:35:36 GMT -5
The "Control" voice from the series was Vic Perrin, who also voiced Dr Zin, on Jonny Quest. Two episodes to watch: "The Soldier" and "Demon With a Glass Hand." Both were written by Harlan Ellison and are fantastic. the first finds a soldier from a future war (Michael Ansara), thrown back to the past, where he is arrested. A linguist ends up being brought in to try to communicate, and eventually is able to understand him. Meanwhile, an enemy soldier has also come through and they meet up again. "Demon" features a mysterious man (Robert Culp) on the run from pursuing assassins, who has a glass prosthetic hand, with a wire recording of the human race. He is trying to keep it away from aliens. Both of these stories were swiped by James Cameron to develop the plot of The Terminator. He admitted it to a journalist, during an on-set interview, who then alerted Ellison, who sicked his lawyers on Cameron and won a big settlement, which is why the end credits read "With an acknowledgement to the works of Harlan Ellison. Cameron, in commentary, tries to dismiss it as a money grab; but, he was caught dead-to-rights and had to pay. "Demon" was also partially filmed in the Bradbury Building, where JF Sebastian lived, in Blade Runner. That same story had more than a little influence on the film script for Blade Runner. Ansara, of course, was Kang, on Star Trek and appeared on I Dream of Jeannie, while he was married to Barbara Eden. He also has an excellent turn as Elric, the leader of the technomages, on Babylon 5.   Culp starred in I-Spy, with Bill Cosby, and The Greatest American Hero, as well as 3 or 4 episodes of Columbo (always the killer). |
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Post by berkley on Mar 21, 2022 22:01:23 GMT -5
The "Control" voice from the series was Vic Perrin, who also voiced Dr Zin, on Jonny Quest. Two episodes to watch: "The Soldier" and "Demon With a Glass Hand." Both were written by Harlan Ellison and are fantastic. the first finds a soldier from a future war (Michael Ansara), thrown back to the past, where he is arrested. A linguist ends up being brought in to try to communicate, and eventually is able to understand him. Meanwhile, an enemy soldier has also come through and they meet up again. "Demon" features a mysterious man (Robert Culp) on the run from pursuing assassins, who has a glass prosthetic hand, with a wire recording of the human race. He is trying to keep it away from aliens. Both of these stories were swiped by James Cameron to develop the plot of The Terminator. He admitted it to a journalist, during an on-set interview, who then alerted Ellison, who sicked his lawyers on Cameron and won a big settlement, which is why the end credits read "With an acknowledgement to the works of Harlan Ellison. Cameron, in commentary, tries to dismiss it as a money grab; but, he was caught dead-to-rights and had to pay. "Demon" was also partially filmed in the Bradbury Building, where JF Sebastian lived, in Blade Runner. That same story had more than a little influence on the film script for Blade Runner. Ansara, of course, was Kang, on Star Trek and appeared on I Dream of Jeannie, while he was married to Barbara Eden. He also has an excellent turn as Elric, the leader of the technomages, on Babylon 5. Culp starred in I-Spy, with Bill Cosby, and The Greatest American Hero, as well as 3 or 4 episodes of Columbo (always the killer).
Somehow or other these happen to be the only two episodes I've seen. I'm too young to remember when it was first aired and unlike the Twilight Zone it was never aired later as repeats on the stations in my area. I happened to find these at a video rental store back in the early 90s, that's how I got to see them. I do have the dvd set now and hope to start watching it pretty soon, once I get through some of the 1950s stuff I've been watching lately.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 21, 2022 22:10:52 GMT -5
The "Control" voice from the series was Vic Perrin, who also voiced Dr Zin, on Jonny Quest. Two episodes to watch: "The Soldier" and "Demon With a Glass Hand." Both were written by Harlan Ellison and are fantastic. the first finds a soldier from a future war (Michael Ansara), thrown back to the past, where he is arrested. A linguist ends up being brought in to try to communicate, and eventually is able to understand him. Meanwhile, an enemy soldier has also come through and they meet up again. "Demon" features a mysterious man (Robert Culp) on the run from pursuing assassins, who has a glass prosthetic hand, with a wire recording of the human race. He is trying to keep it away from aliens. Both of these stories were swiped by James Cameron to develop the plot of The Terminator. He admitted it to a journalist, during an on-set interview, who then alerted Ellison, who sicked his lawyers on Cameron and won a big settlement, which is why the end credits read "With an acknowledgement to the works of Harlan Ellison. Cameron, in commentary, tries to dismiss it as a money grab; but, he was caught dead-to-rights and had to pay. "Demon" was also partially filmed in the Bradbury Building, where JF Sebastian lived, in Blade Runner. That same story had more than a little influence on the film script for Blade Runner. Ansara, of course, was Kang, on Star Trek and appeared on I Dream of Jeannie, while he was married to Barbara Eden. He also has an excellent turn as Elric, the leader of the technomages, on Babylon 5. Culp starred in I-Spy, with Bill Cosby, and The Greatest American Hero, as well as 3 or 4 episodes of Columbo (always the killer).
Somehow or other these happen to be the only two episodes I've seen. I'm too young to remember when it was first aired and unlike the Twilight Zone it was never aired later as repeats on the stations in my area. I happened to find these at a video rental store back in the early 90s, that's how I got to see them. I do have the dvd set now and hope to start watching it pretty soon, once I get through some of the 1950s stuff I've been watching lately.
That's where I saw it, after reading references to them, in Starlog or something similar. |
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Post by chadwilliam on Mar 23, 2022 13:43:34 GMT -5
A few years ago I started getting into Agatha Christie's Poirot stories and shortly thereafter decided to check out the David Suchet TV series. What better place to start than with Murder on the Orient Express, thought I. As it turns out, I couldn't have made a worse decision. Poirot watches a woman be stoned to death for committing adultery, shrugs his shoulders, and decides that in his opinion, she should have obeyed the law. He's prone to angry outbursts and comes across as thoroughly unpleasant for the twenty or so minutes that I watched. It turned me off the TV series and made me wonder if perhaps it wouldn't be a good idea to avoid reading further novels since I believed that Suchet's performance was indicative of how Christie wrote Poirot (even though I knew from having read Murder on the Orient Express that the two Poirot's were wholly unalike from one another in this instance at least).
However, I came across a few sets on the cheap and after watching the first season am stunned at how much better the series was in the beginning from where it ended up. Anyone familiar with the series know what I should expect going ahead? Is there a steep decline at some point or was Murder just a sort of anonymous blip where the quality significantly dropped?
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Post by berkley on Mar 24, 2022 9:39:20 GMT -5
I read all the books as a kid and loved them but have never seen any of the movies or tv series.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2022 7:12:13 GMT -5
Watched the first episode of UFO last night, which, as I’m sure many of you know, is a live-action Gerry Anderson series that aired between 1970 and 1971.
In 1980, after ten years of investigation/suspicion about UFO activity on Earth, SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation), led by Colonel Straker (Ed Bishop), begins to fight back. Following a fire at Westbrook Electronics, Colonel Freeman (George Sewell) is assigned to watch over important anti-UFO equipment on a flight from Los Angeles. However, SID (Space Intruder Detector) detects an invading UFO that is planning to destroy Freeman’s aircraft.
I thought it was a great start to the series, which established the threat - and what an insidious and scary threat it is - in what was a rather chilling episode, which I’d wager might have slightly scared a 1970 audience.
It’s also a deep episode in many respects. Straker’s speech about the aliens’ survival instincts, as they harvest human organs, made me think. In our world, we don’t hesitate to utilise animals for experiments as we no doubt view them as lesser beings; Straker, while tasked with defending Earth, did understand the aliens need for survival rather than conquest.
The universe established in the pilot is one I look forward to becoming acquainted with properly over time. Good special effects and vehicles, too. I would say that this was a character-driven story with the action being the icing on the cake. The special effects also seemed very ahead of their time, this does not look like a cheap show.
All in all, a most ominous story - which doesn’t bode well for Earth’s future. On a final note, Straker comes across as a man carrying a heavy burden, and who cares about his people, but has to remain stoic and distant in order to perform his functions.
In retrospect, I don’t think some of Anderson’s puppet shows have aged well (in particular, Terrahawks, not yet 40 years old, is awful). Looking back, some are a little juvenile, and the flaws seem apparent. I’m not judging them by modern standards, necessarily. But I’ve heard a lot of criticisms of Joe 90 - from people old enough to have watched it in the 60s. Even Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons could have used some character development at times, the characters are pretty lifeleless.
So hopefully my viewing of Anderson’s live-action shows will be more positive. If the rest of UFO is as good as the pilot, I’ll be on board!
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Post by EdoBosnar on Apr 17, 2022 7:59:59 GMT -5
UFO is a pretty solid series, despite some odd details that never quite made sense to me (like why the women stationed in the moonbase had to wear purple wigs while on duty, or why a fighter craft that engaged in combat with alien vessels in outer space was launched from a fully submerged submarine). And yes, there are many really thought-provoking stories that sometimes take really dark turns (I'm thinking of one episode in particular, but I won't spoil it for you).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2022 10:23:11 GMT -5
Those are interesting questions. Purple wigs indeed. And, yes, not sure why that fighter craft had to be launched from a submerged submarine.
Here’s another one: SHADO’s HQ being underneath a pretend film studio. Now, James Bond’s agency had that whole Universal Exports ‘thing’ going on, but that made sense. No-one outside the agency is gonna know, and I doubt people passing by are going to think, ‘Oh, Universal Exports, eh? I shall see if I can knock on their door and export something.’ But if you’re gonna be an alien-fighting agency, a pretend film studio is a bit too much “draw attention to yourself”. I mean, what if a newspaper journalist suddenly wanted to know why this film studio wasn’t producing many films?
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Post by Roquefort Raider on May 11, 2022 10:37:05 GMT -5
Those are interesting questions. Purple wigs indeed. And, yes, not sure why that fighter craft had to be launched from a submerged submarine. Here’s another one: SHADO’s HQ being underneath a pretend film studio. Now, James Bond’s agency had that whole Universal Exports ‘thing’ going on, but that made sense. No-one outside the agency is gonna know, and I doubt people passing by are going to think, ‘Oh, Universal Exports, eh? I shall see if I can knock on their door and export something.’ But if you’re gonna be an alien-fighting agency, a pretend film studio is a bit too much “draw attention to yourself”. I mean, what if a newspaper journalist suddenly wanted to know why this film studio wasn’t producing many films?
There was a method to this madness! If push came to shove, SHADO would have claimed to be the studio in which the moon landing was filmed, which would have pleased the conspirationist crowd. Other people would then have said "hey! the moon landing was not shot in a studio!" To which SHADO would have said "well, if you don't believe in the fake moon landing comspiracy nonsense, why would you believe in UFO conspiracy nonsense?"
Obfuscation is the best defense!
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Post by Roquefort Raider on May 11, 2022 10:42:56 GMT -5
I rewatched an episode of Space: 1999 last weekend ("Dragon's domain"). Despite a few ridiculous concepts like the discovery of an extra planet in the solar system (Earth-like, too!) I'd say the episode had aged very well. The special effects, clearly inspired by Trumbull's 2001 more than Dykstra's Star Wars, were far more to my taste than the video-game CGI from recent TV shows. I wouldn't have noticed as a kid but Space: 1999 had very impressive sets; no wonder the first season cost so much.
That's what the future should have looked like, dammit! Down to the bell bottoms!  |
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2022 10:49:16 GMT -5
I rewatched an episode of Space: 1999 last weekend ("Dragon's domain"). Despite a few ridiculous concepts like the discovery of an extra planet in the solar system (Earth-like, too!) I'd say the episode had aged very well. The special effects, clearly inspired by Trumbull's 2001 more than Dykstra's Star Wars, were far more to my taste than the video-game CGI from recent TV shows. I wouldn't have noticed as a kid but Space: 1999 had very impressive sets; no wonder the first season cost so much.
That's what the future should have looked like, dammit! Down to the bell bottoms!  I have Space: 1999 on Blu-ray. I did see it on DVD (and BBC2 in the late 90s). Seasons One and Two are so different, eh? I consider Season 2 to be the “Earth-2 exploits” of Koenig and crew. Peculiar how some Season One folk disappear. Was Professor Bergman in his quarters for the whole of Season 2? And when one thinks of immortal killer Balor in Season One’s “End of Eternity”, well I’d like to know what Tony Verdeschi, responsible for security, was doing while Balor was threatening Moonbase Alpha? I should rewatch the show. Not really that many bad episodes, in my view. While I prefer Season One, I do like Season 2, particularly the episode “New Adam, New Eve”. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on May 11, 2022 10:59:07 GMT -5
I rewatched an episode of Space: 1999 last weekend ("Dragon's domain"). Despite a few ridiculous concepts like the discovery of an extra planet in the solar system (Earth-like, too!) I'd say the episode had aged very well. The special effects, clearly inspired by Trumbull's 2001 more than Dykstra's Star Wars, were far more to my taste than the video-game CGI from recent TV shows. I wouldn't have noticed as a kid but Space: 1999 had very impressive sets; no wonder the first season cost so much.
That's what the future should have looked like, dammit! Down to the bell bottoms! I have Space: 1999 on Blu-ray. I did see it on DVD (and BBC2 in the late 90s). Seasons One and Two are so different, eh? I consider Season 2 to be the “Earth-2 exploits” of Koenig and crew. Peculiar how some Season One folk disappear. Was Professor Bergman in his quarters for the whole of Season 2? And when one thinks of immortal killer Balor in Season One’s “End of Eternity”, well I’d like to know what Tony Verdeschi, responsible for security, was doing while Balor was threatening Moonbase Alpha? I should rewatch the show. Not really that many bad episodes, in my view. While I prefer Season One, I do like Season 2, particularly the episode “New Adam, New Eve”.
There are a few neat videos on Youtube explaining why Season 2 was so different. It boils down to two major things: a reduced budget, and an attempt to "americanize" the show so it would finally be picked up by an American network. I think everyone agrees that despite the understandable financial motivation, it wasn't the world's greatest idea!
Professor Bergman wasn't there at all in season 2. Fred Freiberger (producer and showrunner) decided to simply fire most of the crew, thinking that fans would simply not notice. The only ones that were to remain were Nick Tate (as Alan Carter) because he received a lot of fan mail, Zienia Merton (as Sandra Benes) on a part time basis, and Barry Morse (as Prof. Bergman) if he accepted a 1/3 pay cut. Morse refused at first, then relented, but his character had already been dropped! In a scene that was either cut or not filmed at all, a character is supposed to have explained that Prof. Bergman had died in between the two seasons, due to a malfunctioning space suit.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2022 11:10:21 GMT -5
Bergman’s absence was the most noticeable to me, although one might explain he was off-duty (conveniently) for all of the episodes of Season 2. Tony Verdeschi Is a different case. I know nothing can be done about the fact that Tony Anholt signed up for Season 2. They couldn’t exactly go and insert some scenes of him in the Season One episodes. But he was certainly an absent head of security during “End of Eternity”, the episode that most required a security chief. (I suppose one could say he got a promotion in Season 2 and was elsewhere on Moonbase Alpha during Season One). Why am I pedantic about this? Well, I think you can explain absences easier in shows that don’t take place in one location. I was sad that Officer Romano (Adrian Zmed) disappeared without explanation from T.J. Hooker, but at least one could explain something such as him getting promoted and moving to another precinct. It’s just a bit hard for anyone to appear on or leave Moonbase Alpha. Where did Bergman go? Where did Verdeschi come from?  |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on May 11, 2022 12:13:21 GMT -5
Bergman’s absence was the most noticeable to me, although one might explain he was off-duty (conveniently) for all of the episodes of Season 2.  Tony Verdeschi Is a different case. I know nothing can be done about the fact that Tony Anholt signed up for Season 2. They couldn’t exactly go and insert some scenes of him in the Season One episodes. But he was certainly an absent head of security during “End of Eternity”, the episode that most required a security chief. (I suppose one could say he got a promotion in Season 2 and was elsewhere on Moonbase Alpha during Season One). Why am I pedantic about this? Well, I think you can explain absences easier in shows that don’t take place in one location. I was sad that Officer Romano (Adrian Zmed) disappeared without explanation from T.J. Hooker, but at least one could explain something such as him getting promoted and moving to another precinct. It’s just a bit hard for anyone to appear on or leave Moonbase Alpha. Where did Bergman go? Where did Verdeschi come from? 
Back in the day, I retroactively justified the absence of Tony in season 1 by assuming he had been a junior officer, not important enough to be featured. Plus, the position of security chief didn't seem to exist in season 1. I thought that the position had been created in between seasons, and that Tony had gotten promoted after more senior characters (Paul Morrow and Kano, to name two) had been killed off-screen. Anything to win a no-prize! (oops, wrong medium and wrong company!) |
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