Wednesday Worlds of Wonder MONKEY PLANET Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

The diary of Ulysse Merou, journalist with an interstellar expedition from Earth, is found floating in space by other astronauts.

It recounts how the team landed on a planet in the Betelgeuse system discovering both primitive humans and a society of intelligent apes utilizing technology equal to late 20th Century Earth!

Captured by the simians, Merou manages to demonstrate his intelligence, becoming something of a curioisity and celebrity in Ape society...

Written and illustrated by Ernő Zórád, this 1981 Hungarian one-shot adaptation of the original French novel by Pierre Boule has never been officially-published in English.

But, thanks to the fine work of Kyriee (Scans), Swatura Od (translation) and Avoros (scripting), we're finally able to understand this tale in English.

In the 1966 first drafts (and pre-production) of the movie, the plan was to follow the book's premise closer...

 ...as seen in this 1966 promo reel with an early makeup test featuring Edward G Robinson as Zaius, James Brolin as Cornelius, and Linda Harrison (who played the mute Nova in the first two movies) as Zira!

The background music is John "Johnny" Williams' 1st season soundtrack from the Lost in Space TV series!
And, the makeup design from this test footage (slightly modified) was used on Lost in Space...

..."Fugitives in Space" (S3E20), shot around the same time as the revised makeup was being filmed for Planet of the Apes (1968)!
Talk about corporate (20th Century Fox) synergy!

Trivia: that's Michael Conrad (Sgt Phil "Let's be careful out there!" Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues) under the latex!

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Planet of the Apes

by Pierre Boulle

The novel (Monkey Planet) that the movie (and the graphic novel) were based upon!

There was never a novelization of the movie itself!

Holiday Theatre STAN LEE READS "NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS"

You thought the 1960s Batman and Robin meeting Santa Claus couldn't be topped for Yuletide weirdness?

Well, this comes pretty damn close...

All I can say is
"Excelsior!"

Friday Fun BATMAN "Bat-Climb featuring Santa Claus"

Let's kick off Friday Fun's Yuletide season with the ultimate team-up: Kris Kringle...

...and the legendary Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin!

One of the hallmarks of 1960s Batman series was the "Bat-Climb", where the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder would encounter celebrities or characters from other shows as they scaled the wall of a building with their Bat-Rope (using a set turned sideways so the actors were merely pretending to be climbing.)

In this second-season episode ("The Duo is Slumming", featuring the one-shot villain Puzzler), airing right before Christmas in 1966, the Dynamic Duo meet Kris Kringle, played by an uncredited Andy Devine.

(After all, the producers didn't want kids to think Santa wasn't real...)
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Batman
the Complete 1960s TV Series

Friday Fun A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1971)

The Definitive Animated Version...

...starring Alistair Sim as the Voice of Scrooge!

It won both the Oscar and Emmy for best animated short subject.
Based on the illustrations for the first edition of the book by John Leech, animator Richard (Pink Panther movies) Williams' film is a superb condensation of the novella into only 25 minutes!
And both Alistair Sim (as Scrooge) and Michael Hodern (as Marley) reprise their roles from the classic 1951 live-action movie!

Go "full screen" and enjoy!

AND...IT'S NOT AVAILABLE ON DVD or BLU-RAY!

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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: the Secret Saga!

You only think you know the story...

...but the truth is far different!

Yeah, you know the 1940s song and you've seen the 1960s animated TV special every Christmas for as long as you can remember.

But, it's not the original tale of the guy with the glowing nose!

Starting next Tuesday , we're re-presenting a special treat...the rarely-seen prose tale that inspired both the song and stop-motion tv special.

Here's a vintage 1940s cartoon by Max Fleischer that's somewhat closer to the "classic" version...

And be here next Tuesday for the actual illustrated prose tale!

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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Deluxe 50th-Anniversary Edition

(of the stop-motion animated TV special)

RAUMPATROUILLE "Dance"

While there are many similarities between Space Patrol and Star Trek...

...the one big difference I've seen commented upon over and over again is...

...the dance numbers that occur in almost every episode.

The closest thing I've ever seen on American sci-fi tv was in the pilots for Battlestar Galactica (1978) and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979).
However, Raumpatrouille had their own ongoing choreographer, William Milié, to compose the funky dance numbers that appeared in the background of each episode!

RAUMPATROUILLE "Invasion"

These guys are smiling right now...

...but not for long, as we reach the apocalyptic series finale (yes, finale)!

The energy-based aliens known as "Frogs" make their move against Earth, using traitors from within to disable Space Command!
It's all-out war, and you, space cadets have a ringside seat!
Enjoy!

Note: We've tried to embed the English subtitles, but if they don't come up automatically, go to the "gear" icon on the lower right of the video screen, and set them manually.)
We'll be back next week with a detailed look at some of the unique aspects of the series.

RAUMPATROUILLE "Die Raumfalle" (Space Trap)

Welcome to the penultimate episode of 1960s' Germany's counterpoint to Star Trek...

...as the crew of the Orion is assigned to attempt to prove the theory that life on Earth originated in outer space.

Sounds sedate, eh?

Mix in a passenger who happens to be a science-fiction writer seeking inspiration for his next novel, a stopover at a penal colony, plus a mad scientist who tries to hijack the ship, and you get a space opera episode jam-packed with thrills!

Note: We've tried to embed the English subtitles, but if they don't come up automatically, go to the "gear" icon on the lower right of the video screen, and set them manually.)

RAUMPATROUILLE "Kampf um die Sonne" (Battle for the Sun)

We've seen sci-fi tropes like evil aliens, psycho robots, and wandering planets,

...now we confront two topics once considerered sci-fi, but are now part of daily life in the 21st century: global warming (bad) and feminism/women's rights (good), but told from a 1960s perspective!

Note: We've tried to embed the English subtitles, but if they don't come up automatically, go to the "gear" icon on the lower right, and set them manually.)
More 1960s sci-fi next Monday!

RAUMPATROUILLE "Deserteure" (Deserters)

Buckle up, space cadets, as we rejoin the crew of the SpaceShip Orion!

McLane is given a super-weapon called "OverKill" that he's to install on Earth outposts, but the Frogs can now mind-control humans...including the Orion's crew.

Will the space fleet have to destroy the Orion to keep OverKill out of the Frogs' possession?

Note: We've tried to embed the English subtitles, but if they don't come up automtaically, go to the "gear" icon on the lower right, and set them manually.)
Be here next Friday for another astounding adventure!

RAUMPATROUILLE "Hüter des Gesetzes" (Guardians of the Law)

After twice defeating energy-based aliens known as "Frogs"...

...the crew of the Orion 7 encounter rebellious robots on an Earth colony!

(Note the story makes use of Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics!
 Kool!)

OK, let the comparisons to how Kirk and Spock would've handled it begin...

RAUMPATROUILLE "Planet ausser Kurs" (Planet Off Course)

We Have Already Seen...

After being demoted from front-line combat to local space patroling, Cliff McLane and his crew discover previously-unknown beings composed of pure energy have overrun a distant outpost.

(SPOILERS: the sharp-eyed among viewers may have noticed that certain members of the star fleet showed great reluctance to deal with the invaders.

Wonder why?)

Now, the aliens return with a plan to send a rogue planet hurtling on a collision course with Earth!

(Note: It's German with English subtitles.

I've tried to set them up before creating the link, but you may have to click on the "gear" icon to implement them manually.)

Be back next Friday for another retro-kool adventure!

RAUMPATROUILLE "Angriff aus dem All" (Attack from Outer Space)

Let's kick the tires and light the fires...

...as we present the first episode of Space Patrol!
(BTW, it's the third tv series to use the name, after the 1950s American broadcast-live show and the early 1960s British puppet series.)

Meet Commander McLane and his rowdy "gang" (as their commanding officer refers to them), learn why they're being disciplined (again), and see why, despite various infractions against both civilian and military authorities, they're not doing life sentences in an interplanetary brig.

Also witness the introduction of the series' main villains, "Frogs", sentient energy beings who want to conquer the universe.

There's a lot to cover, so click on the screen and dive in...

(Note: It's German with English subtitles.

I've tried to set them up before creating the link, but you may have to click on the "gear" icon to implement them manually.)

Coming January 1st...Raumpatrouille!

What if Captain Kirk and his crew were a bunch of rule-breaking, hard-partying jerks...

...who still managed to save the universe on a weekly basis?

Meet Major Cliff Alistair McLaine and his international crew on this blog every Friday from January 1st onward!

Here's a trailer from a theatrical feature film compiled from several episodes to give you a taste...

And here's the title sequence with its variation of the "Space: the final frontier.." narration...

The 1966 seven-episode series was never broadcast in the US, but matches its' contemporary, Star Trek, for high adventure, drama, and innovative special effects, plus a really kool jazz soundtrack!
NOTE: It's in German with English subtitles.

YouTube: Iron Man & the Mandarin: the Early Years!

Art by Jack Kirby and Sol Brodsky

It took almost 50 years, but Iron Man finally gets a crack on the big screen against The Mandarin.

But, the Golden Avenger battled his arch-enemy several times in his first screen appearances on the 1960s Marvel SuperHeroes Show, based on scripts by Stan Lee and art by Don Heck and Gene Colan (with a few inserts of Jack Kirby's art)

Art by Don Heck

(Yes, the subtitles are non-removable, but they're the cleanest copies I could find.)

Reading Room: ZORRO "Spaniard's Secret: Please Believe Me"

We Have Already Seen...

Fear not, Faithful one!
You haven't missed a post!
The first part of this tale appeared yesterday at our "brother" blog Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™!
...now we continue the adaptation of this three-episode arc of the classic 1950s Zorro tv series featuring guest star Annette Funicello!

Visit our "brother" blog Western Comics Adventures™, tomorrow, for the thrilling conclusion!

This never-reprinted tale from Dell's Four Color Comics #1037 (1959) was illustrated by Warren Tufts and Joe Giella, but the scripter of the adaptation is unknown.

Now, the episode itself...

Are the President's Kids MORE IMPORTANT than Ours? YES!

The National Rifle Association asks the question...

...in the following video ad currently running in major markets.

So, are the President's kids more important than yours (or mine)?
Let's be blunt...YES!
Their father is the head of the mightiest nation on the planet!
His finger is on the Nuclear Trigger, with the power to totally-annihilate all life on this world 25 times over!
If any member of his family (kids or wife) is taken hostage and threatened by terrorists, it would give them leverage over a man who could destroy any city or country on Earth (or the whole damn globe) with one command!
The ad is based on such a stupid concept that even the daughter of Republican icon, President Dwight D Eisenhower, has denounced it!
(And, as she points out, having huge, heavily-armed men who report directly to your dad constantly following you around does not make you the most popular kid in school.)
Oddly, I've never seen anyone begrudge these security measures for any other President's family!
Not Eisenhower (nor any of his predecessors  gooing back to McKinley)!
Not Kennedy!
Not Johnson!
Not Nixon!
Not Ford!
Not Carter!
Not Reagan!
Not Bush I!
Not Clinton!
Not Bush II!
But, curiously, according to the NRA, Obama's family isn't worthy of the same treatment!

All of us believe our own families are the most important people on Earth...and in terms of emotion, that's true (as it should be).
But, in terms of value as strategic assets that America must keep out of enemy hands, the President's family (no matter who the person holding the office is) has us all beat, hands-down!
If someone kidnapped my parents or wife and threatened to kill them if I didn't do what they wanted, the best I could do to save them from a fate worse than death is write and design a magazine or trading cards for the kidnappers!
President Obama could do a helluva lot more than that.

The Power Themes 90 Vids featuring Gerry Anderson

The remix album Power Themes 90 featured a lot of Gerry Anderson shows...

...as you can see from the following videos:

Thunderbirds Are Go!

(which features other Anderson shows' music)

Stingray MegaMix

Mysterons Rap (Captain Scarlet)

Gerry Anderson's UFO

Enjoy, and remember the guy behind the curtain!

YouTube Wednesday: Dark Shadows Past and Present

With a new film debuting on Friday, let's look at Dark Shadows...

The freaky-kool Japanese poster for House of Dark Shadows (1970)

...starting with Barnabas Collins' first appearance in 1967 on the already-year-old series...

Next, the trailer for the first Dark Shadows movie, House of Dark Shadows, done in 1970 while the show was still airing on ABC daily, and featuring the tv series' cast!

It's not a continuation, but a condensed adaptation of the first Barnabas plotline with a bigger budget (no cardboard tombstones!), location shooting, and more Hammer-style blood than daytime tv would allow!

Right after the show ended, a second feature, Night of Dark Shadows came out...

...but was nowhere near the quality of the first film.

When reruns in the 1980s and the release of the series on videotape brought a whole new audience to the show (including a young Johnny Depp), a prime-time revival was ordered in January 1991...

...but constant pre-empting due to the first Gulf War kept the ratings down, and it only lasted half a year!

The videos, however, kept selling, and a devoted audience kept growing.

A new pilot was commissioned by the WB in 2004, but didn't go to series.

(Ironically, the year before, the WB did a Lone Ranger pilot that didn't sell.

Now, Johnny Depp is filming a Lone Ranger movie...as Tonto!)

Depp, who loved the original tv series, acquired the film rights for his production company, contacted Tim Burton, and, this Friday, you'll see the results...

Take it in the same spirit as the JJ Abrams 2009 Star Trek reboot, and you'll have a great time!

Trivia: Show co-creator/story editor/writer Art Wallace also wrote episodes of the original Star Trek, Space: 1999, Planet of the Apes (TV), The Invaders, and Tom Corbett: Space Cadet!
He later served as story consultant on All My Children.
And, every version of Dark Shadows since has used his characters and concepts...

YouTube Wednesday Reux: IRON MAN "Enter Hawkeye" (& Black Widow)

While everyone's familiar with Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, and Captain America, most don't know...

Hawkeye and the Black Widow!
Hawkeye the Marksman first appeared as a misunderstood hero in Iron Man's series in Tales of Suspense #57, where he met the already-ongoing villainess (yes, villainess) Black Widow!
That story and it's follow-ups in Tales of Suspense #60 & 61...

...were the basis for the cartoon from the Marvel SuperHeroes Show (1966) below!

The previous episode in the Iron Man series had introduced the Black Widow in a tale adapted from Tales of Suspense #46 (the first Crimson Dynamo story)...

  ...and Tales of Suspense #52 (the sequel which featured the Black Widow's first appearance)!

The episode features one of the characters actually dying on screen (A rarity in 60s cartoons)!

Enjoy!