Year: 1983

Categories
Classic Season 20 Doctor Who

The King’s Demons – Part 2

Doctor WhoWith the unmasking of the Master – posing as King John’s knight “champion” – the Doctor is now more certain than ever that an impostor is trying to prevent King John from singing the Magna Carta. The time travelers discover that his majesty is not all that he appears – King John has been replaced by an intelligent, shapeshifting android called Kamelion. But at the moment, Kamelion is merely a puppet, and his strings are held by the Master, who escaped from Xeriphas (bringing Kamelion, a Xeriphan invention, with him) and now hopes to unravel the entire history of western civilization.

Order the DVDwritten by Terence Dudley
directed by Tony Virgo
music by Jonathan Gibbs & Peter Howell

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), Mark Strickson (Turlough), Anthony Ainley (The Master), Frank Windsor (Ranulf), Gerald Flood (King John/voice of Kamelion), Isla Blair (Isabella), Christopher Villiers (Hugh), Michael J. Jackson (Sir Geoffrey), Peter Burroughs (Jester)

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

Categories
Wizards & Warriors

Night Of Terror

Wizards & WarriorsHaving survived life and death battles together, Greystone and Princess Ariel move on to something that the prince finds much more stressful: a simple picnic. Ariel has chosen to set up the picnic on the grounds of a haunted castle, and when her dog runs toward the castle, she and Greystone follow and become trapped inside. Naturally, it’s all a carefully laid trap that Vector has arranged, and the evil wizard is so certain that the happy couple is doomed that he begins bargaining with Prince Blackpool for his magical monocle. But with help on the way from Marko, Greystone isn’t ready to give up just yet.

written by Bill Richmond
directed by Bill Bixby
music by Lee Holdridge and Alf Clausen

Cast: Jeff Conaway (Prince Erik Greystone), Walter Olkewicz (Marko), Duncan Regehr (Prince Dirk Blackpool), Julia Duffy Wizards & Warriors(Princess Ariel), Clive Revill (Vector), Julie Payne (Queen Lattinia), Thomas Hill (King Baaldorf)

Notes: This was the first credited composing assignment for Alf Clausen, who would move on to provide music for such shows as Moonlighting and Alf before becoming the resident composer for The Simpsons, scoring all but a handful of that show’s episodes over its 20+ year run.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
National Public Radio Star Wars

Way Of The Jedi

The Empire Strikes Back NPR Radio DramaLuke arrives at the cloud-shrouded swamp world of Dagobah, where he loses control of his X-Wing and crashes it into a marsh. He and Artoo are able to swim to safety as their only means of escape sinks into the bog. As they recover what survival supplies they can and try to figure out what to do next, Luke senses a presence nearby – and draws his blaster on a small green humanoid creature who has been watching him for some time. The strange being, who seems to be amused by everything from Luke’s presence to his predicament, invites him to share a meal. Only when Luke’s host reveals knowledge of Luke’s father does it become clear that Luke has found Yoda, the Jedi Master. Soon, his diminutive mentor is opening Luke’s mind to new ways of harnessing the Force – but when Luke ventures into a cave which Yoda warns is inhabited by the energy of the dark side, he encounters an image of Darth Vader. In the ensuing lightsaber battle, Luke cuts his foe down – only to be shocked when Vader’s mask is cut away to reveal Luke’s own face within.

Order this CDwritten by Brian Daley
based on the screenplay Star Wars by George Lucas
directed by John Madden
music by John Williams

See the first episode for cast information.

Categories
TV Movies

Special Bulletin

Special BulletinAn armed anti-nuclear fringe group docks a rented tugboat at the port in Charleston, South Carolina; at the first sign of a Coast Guard inspection of the boat, fire is exchanged, and a local news crew reporting another story at the port is taken hostage. The terrorists aboard the boat demand that the news crew’s network give them access to the airwaves, or the hostages will be shot. RBN reluctantly allows the terrorists to broadcast their demands across the nation: the U.S. government will either deliver the remote detonation controls for its entire nuclear arsenal to the boat, or a low-yield nuke will be detonated in Charleston. After speculation arises that the demand is a bluff, a real nuclear device is shown on the air, though the government seems slow to respond, other than ordering a “limited” evacuation of Charleston. As RBN profiles the terrorists’ pasts, it becomes apparent that one of them has already contracted radiation poisoning from handling nuclear material…and a man with nothing to lose is the most dangerous man in the world.

teleplay by Marshall Herskovitz
story by Edward Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz
directed by Edward Zwick
music by Ferdinand Jay Smith

Special BulletinCast: Ed Flanders (John Woodley), Kathryn Walker (Susan Myles), Roxanne Hart (Meg Barclay), Christopher Allport (Steven Levitt), David Clennon (Dr. Bruce Lyman), David Rasche (Dr. David McKeeson), Rosalind Cash (Frieda Barton), Ebbe Roe Smith (Jim Seaver), Roberta Maxwell (Diane Silverman), Robert Kay (George Takashima), J. Wesley Huston (Bernard Frost), Frank Dent (Dr. Jason Halpern), Charles Lanyer (Merritt Cunningham), Mie Hunt (Ellen Stevens), Bruce Fields (Walter Letteau), Lane Smith (Morton Sanders), Jim Jansen (Arlen Surrey), Peter Hobbs (Jonathan E. Herman), Mary Armstrong (Interviewee), Bernard Behrens (Dr. Neils Johanssen), Ivan Bonar (Interviewee), Ron Frazier (Interviewee), Bruce Frank (Interviewee), Elizabeth Gill (Interviewee), June Kim (Hiroshima Interviewee), George Morfogen (Interviewee), Duncan Ross (Interviewee), Bill Saito (Hiroshima Interviewee), Kenneth Tigar (Dr. Abraham Sczrsma), John Walsh (Interviewee), Steve Arvin Interviewee(), Edwin Bernstein (Interviewee), Wanda Bowe (Interviewee), Robert Buckingham (Interviewee), Judie Carroll (Interviewee), Marian A. Carter (Interviewee), Kelly Condon (Interviewee), William A. Gimble Jr. Special Bulletin(Interviewee), William J. Ghinta (Interviewee), Liberty Godshall (Interviewee), Ray Godshall (Interviewee), Virginia Gourdin (Interviewee), Steven Ledford (Interviewee), Marc Levy (Interviewee), Michael Madsen (Jimmy Lenox), Robert Marks (Interviewee), Joe Mays (Interviewee), Arthur McDonald Interviewee(), David Moses (Interviewee), Arthur R. Nuzzo (Interviewee), Ellen Ren (Interviewee), Adrian Ricard (Interviewee), Steven M. Sawyer (Interviewee), Sadina H. Terry (Interviewee), Jack Thompson (Tennessee Senator), Celestine Turner (Interviewee), David VandeBrake (Interviewee), Elizabeth Young (Interviewee), Sam Youngblood (Interviewee), Randolph Hille (Politician), John Wesley (Bernard Frost)

LogBook entry and review by Earl Green

Categories
National Public Radio Star Wars

New Allies, New Enemy

The Empire Strikes Back NPR Radio DramaMaking a mad dash for safety through an asteroid belt, the Millennium Falcon sustains serious damage, disabling the hyperdrive. Han rushes a Star Destroyer head-on, tricking the Imperial ship’s crew by attaching the Falcon to its hull when the smaller ship is too close for sensors to detect it. When he admits that he lost track of the Falcon, Captain Needa is killed by Darth Vader, who then turns the hunt over to a motley gang of bounty hunters. Han manages to slip away from the Star Destroyer fleet by allowing the Falcon to drift away with garbage dumped before the fleet jumps to light speed, and then sets his course for Bespin and its floating Cloud City mining operation. Han believes his friend Lando Calrissian will help repair the Falcon and give the Rebels a temporary safe haven. But on Dagobah, while training with Yoda, Luke senses a darker turn of events on Cloud City – and abandons his Jedi training to save his friends, despite Yoda’s objections.

Order this CDwritten by Brian Daley
based on the screenplay Star Wars by George Lucas
directed by John Madden
music by John Williams

See the first episode for cast information.

Categories
National Public Radio Star Wars

Dark Lord’s Fury

The Empire Strikes Back NPR Radio DramaSuspicious things begin happening soon after Han and Leia arrive at Cloud City. Threepio is blasted to bits after wandering off on his own, and Leia is worried when repairs to the Falcon seem to be proceeding slowly. Lando Calrissian escorts Han, Chewie and Leia to dinner – where Darth Vader is waiting. Han and Chewie attempt to challenge Vader in hand-to-hand combat, but when the Sith Lord threatens to use the Force to kill Chewbacca, Han gives up the fight. As it turns out, Vader’s only motive for capturing the Rebels is to use them as bait to trap Luke Skywalker. But one of Vader’s captives won’t be so lucky: Han Solo is to be handed over to bounty hunter Boba Fett, to be taken back to Jabba the Hutt – for which Lando promises to kill Fett.

Order this CDwritten by Brian Daley
based on the screenplay Star Wars by George Lucas
directed by John Madden
music by John Williams

See the first episode for cast information.

Categories
Wizards & Warriors

Skies Of Death

Wizards & WarriorsPrince Blackpool’s sneak attacks have given away to something more aggressive: he has declared open war on Castle Baldorf. Greystone and Marko lead the defense from the front line, only to discover that Blackpool has added ballistic weaponry to his arsenal. Airborne explosives land at the feet of King Baldorf’s army, causing devastating damage, while Blackpool’s men don’t even have to advance. Worse yet, Blackpool’s cannon is sitting atop the Cliffs of Death, a climb that has killed many a man in peacetime. Greystone tries to lead a force of Baldorf’s best men to the cliff face, but Blackpool’s cannon fire drives them into retreat. Greystone and Marko set out to do the job themselves, with a little help from Greystone’s brother Justin – though Greystone worries about whether his brother will even show up. Greystone has a plan to make Blackpool’s cannon backfire, not only destroying the cannon but whatever force is amassed on the Cliffs of Death to fire it. Climbing the Cliffs will be a challenge. Getting back down alive will be nothing short of a miracle.

written by Don Reo
directed by Bill Bixby
music by Lee Holdridge and Alf Clausen

Wizards & WarriorsCast: Jeff Conaway (Prince Erik Greystone), Walter Olkewicz (Marko), Duncan Regehr (Prince Dirk Blackpool), Julia Duffy (Princess Ariel), Clive Revill (Vector), Jay Kerr (Justin), Julie Payne (Queen Lattinia), Thomas Hill (King Baaldorf), Robert Gray (Injured Soldier), Robert Carnegie (Guard #4), Chris Hendrie (Guard #3), Warren Munson (Peasant), Alex Daniels (Blackpool’s Soldier), George Marshall Ruge (Blackpool’s Soldier), Lonnie Wun (Blackpool’s Soldier)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
National Public Radio Star Wars

Gambler’s Choice

The Empire Strikes Back NPR Radio DramaLuke arrives in Cloud City, suspicious by the lack of any official greeting or acknowledgement of his arrival. He spots Boba Fett and an entourage of stormtroopers, giving chase until they drive him back – and even when he sees Leia and hears her warning that he’s walking into a trap, Luke presses on toward the carbon freezing chamber and an inevitable confrontation with Darth Vader. In the meantime, Lando turns the table on the Imperial troopers, freeing Leia and Chewbacca and leading them toward the Falcon. But he hasn’t quite gained Leia’s trust – a situation which isn’t helped by Boba Fett’s hasty departure with the frozen Han Solo aboard his ship.

Order this CDwritten by Brian Daley
based on the screenplay Star Wars by George Lucas
directed by John Madden
music by John Williams

See the first episode for cast information.

Categories
National Public Radio Radio & Audio Dramas Star Wars

The Clash Of Lightsabers

The Empire Strikes Back NPR Radio DramaThe battle between Luke and Darth Vader rages on in the bowels of Cloud City. Vader is impressed by Luke’s ability with the Force and a lightsaber, but is frustrated by the young warrior’s refusal to give in to hatred and fear. Even when Vader cuts his hand off, Luke announces that he will simply jump from the reactor gantry and throw himself into Cloud City’s hollow core – but the Sith Lord upsets his calm resignation by claiming to be Luke’s father and explains that Ben Kenobi lied about Vader’s origins. But even when Luke is convinced that he is indeed facing his father, he chooses a suicidal leap to joining the dark side.

Order this CDwritten by Brian Daley
based on the screenplay Star Wars by George Lucas
directed by John Madden
music by John Williams

See the first episode for cast information.

Categories
1980s Miniseries V

V – Part I

VTV journalist Mike Donovan and his soundman are risking life and limb to cover a rebel uprising in El Salvador when they stumble into the biggest story of the 20th century – gigantic flying saucers appear around the globe, hovering over major world capitols. The world – and the media – watches and waits nervously over several hours as the spacecraft simply sit there. After a long wait – long enough for Donovan to jet back to New York – the alien ships finally send a signal, requesting a meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations. Donovan is assigned to cover the meeting, which appears to go well – as does Donovan’s reunion with his old flame, reporter Kristine Walsh. The Visitors, as they call themselves, appear to be human, but they request Earth’s help to overcome an environmental disaster on their home planet. In exchange, they offer medical and technological advances, a deal that’s almost too good to be true. And as eager as the Visitors are to solicit humanity’s help, human scientists are just as eager to find out what makes the aliens tick. Dr. Julie Parrish learns that a colleague of hers has obtained a tissue sample from one of the Visitors, but when that colleague disappears and another is framed for involvement in an anti-Visitor conspiracy, Julie begins to suspect that something else is motivating the Visitors. Scientists around the world are to register their identities and whereabouts with the Visitors, and other scientists, including a colleague of anthropologist Robert Maxwell, simply disappear under mysterious circumstances. Donovan takes it upon himself to sneak aboard one of the Visitors’ ships to shoot video that hasn’t been approved by the media-savvy aliens – and there he discovers their true nature and their true plans for Earth. But when he tries to reveal what he’s discovered to the rest of the world, he becomes a marked man.

Order the DVDwritten by Kenneth Johnson
directed by Kenneth Johnson
music by Joe Harnell

Cast: Marc Singer (Mike Donovan), Faye Grant (Dr. Julie Parrish), Jane Badler (Diana), Michael Durrell (Robert Maxwell), Michael Wright (Elias Taylor), Blair Tefkin (Robin Maxwell), Neva Patterson (Eleanor Dupres), David Packer (Daniel Bernstein), Tommy Peterson (John Brooks), Peter Nelson (Brian), Bonnie Bartlett (Lynn Bernstein), Leonardo Cimino (Abraham Bernstein), Richard Herd (John), Evan Kim (Tony), Richard Lawson (Dr. Benjamin Taylor), George Morfogen (Stanley Bernstein), Andrew Prine (Steven), Hansford Rowe (Arthur Dupres), Jenny Sullivan (Kristine Walsh), Penelope Windust (Kathleen Maxwell), Michael Alldredge (Bill Graham), Camila Ashland (Ruby Engels), Frank Ashmore (Martin), Jason Bernard (Caleb Taylor), Michael Bond (role unknown), Rafael Campos (Sancho Gomez), Diane Civita (Harmony Moore), Viveka Davis (Polly Maxwell), Robert Englund (Willie), Ron Hajak (Denny), Mary-Alan Hokanson (Ruth Barnes), David Hooks (Dr. Metz), Joanna Kerns (Margie Donovan), Jenny Neumann (Barbara), William Russ (Brad), Michael Swan (Bob Briggs), Stephanie Faulkner (Assistant Director), Tom Fuccello (Burke), Wiley Harker (Secretary General of the U.N.), Dick Harwood (Director), Myron Healey (Arch Quinton), Bonnie Johns (role unknown), Eric Johnston (Sean Donovan), Curt Lowens (Dr. Maurice Jankowski), Marin May (Katie Maxwell), Mike Monahan (role unknown), Jennifer Perito (Resistance Member), Clete Roberts (Newscaster), Nathan Roberts (himself), Howard K. Smith (himself), Robert Vandenberg (Rebel Camp Leader), Momo Yashima (role unknown)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
1980s Miniseries V

V – Part II

VA widespread backlash against the Visitors has begun, and the Visitors have begun to strike back. Anticipating the need to coerce Donovan into remaining silent, or to lure him to his death, the aliens have kidnapped his young son Sean, and they’ve flattened an entire neighborhood to do it. The Visitors step up their efforts to integrate themselves into human society, and some of their methods have taken on a sinister tone, including the “Visitors’ Friends” youth group. Daniel Bernstein, a troubled teenager, joins up and turns in his own family when his grandfather – a Holocaust survivor – offers shelter to the Maxwells during the worldwide roundup of scientists. Julie Parrish, having narrowly escaped the Visitors herself, begins to assemble an organized resistance. Donovan and Tony’s attempt to rescue some of the humans being rounded up ends in disaster; Tony is killed and Donovan is captured. But once aboard the mothership, he discovers that he’s not on his own – the Visitors have a resistance within their own ranks, a fifth column quietly rising up against the conquest orders of the Visitors’ Supreme Leader, and more specifically against Diana and the pleasure she seems to take in executing those orders. The leader of the Visitors’ resistance, Martin, smuggles Donovan back to Earth, where a chance encounter brings Donovan into contact with Julie and the resistance. But just as there are traitors among the Visitors, the resistance has also been betrayed from within.

Order the DVDwritten by Kenneth Johnson
directed by Kenneth Johnson
music by Joe Harnell

Cast: Marc Singer (Mike Donovan), Faye Grant (Dr. Julie Parrish), Jane Badler (Diana), Michael Durrell (Robert Maxwell), Michael Wright (Elias Taylor), Blair Tefkin (Robin Maxwell), Neva Patterson (Eleanor Dupres), David Packer (Daniel Bernstein), Tommy Peterson (John Brooks), Peter Nelson (Brian), Bonnie Bartlett (Lynn Bernstein), Leonardo Cimino (Abraham Bernstein), Richard Herd (John), Evan Kim (Tony), Richard Lawson (Dr. Benjamin Taylor), George Morfogen (Stanley Bernstein), Andrew Prine (Steven), Hansford Rowe (Arthur Dupres), Jenny Sullivan (Kristine Walsh), Penelope Windust (Kathleen Maxwell), Michael Alldredge (Bill Graham), Camila Ashland (Ruby Engels), Frank Ashmore (Martin), Jason Bernard (Caleb Taylor), Michael Bond (role unknown), Rafael Campos (Sancho Gomez), Diane Civita (Harmony Moore), Viveka Davis (Polly Maxwell), Robert Englund (Willie), Ron Hajak (Denny), Mary-Alan Hokanson (Ruth Barnes), David Hooks (Dr. Metz), Joanna Kerns (Margie Donovan), Jenny Neumann (Barbara), William Russ (Brad), Michael Swan (Bob Briggs), Stephanie Faulkner (Assistant Director), Tom Fuccello (Burke), Wiley Harker (Secretary General of the U.N.), Dick Harwood (Director), Myron Healey (Arch Quinton), Bonnie Johns (role unknown), Eric Johnston (Sean Donovan), Curt Lowens (Dr. Maurice Jankowski), Marin May (Katie Maxwell), Mike Monahan (role unknown), Jennifer Perito (Resistance Member), Clete Roberts (Newscaster), Nathan Roberts (himself), Howard K. Smith (himself), Robert Vandenberg (Rebel Camp Leader), Momo Yashima (role unknown)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Original Trilogy Star Wars

Return of the Jedi

  • By Dave
  • May 21, 1983

Star WarsLuke sends R2-D2 and C-3PO to the palace of Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine, where R2 plays a recorded message presenting the two droids to Jabba as a gift. A bounty hunter soon arrives with Chewbacca in chains, and a thermal detonator in hand to bargain a higher sale price for the Wookiee. But all is not as it seems. The bounty hunter is Leia in disguise, but mere moments after releasing Han from captivity in carbonite, she is captured by Jabba. Luke soon arrives, telling Jabba in no uncertain terms that Han, Leia, and the droids will be handed over to him – or the Hutt will pay a fatal price. Jabba has Luke thrown into a pit with an enormous, ravenous creature, which Luke manages to kill. Enraged, Jabba now sentences the Jedi apprentice – along with Han and Chewie – to be fed to the sarlacc which lurks in the Dune Sea. However, with the help of Artoo and Lando – who had infiltrated Jabba’s operation as a bodyguard – Luke foils this plan as well, releasing his friends and ending Jabba’s reign over the underworld.

Returning to Dagobah to finish his Jedi training, Luke finds that Yoda is in very poor health. The dying Jedi Master tells Luke that only one task remains before the young apprentice truly becomes the last Jedi Knight – but that task is the defeat of Darth Vader. Obi-Wan appears to Luke, explaining the true fate of Anakin Skywalker and both of his children, who are strong with the Force. Luke knows he must defeat Vader – or win him back from the dark side – but doubts his ability to do so. But Vader is already busy constructing a new and more powerful Death Star, this time under the direct supervision of Emperor Palpatine. The Emperor has arranged for details of the new Death Star’s defenses to be leaked into the hands of the Rebel Alliance, hoping that they will commit their entire fleet to destroy the space station . . . which is already fully operational and well-defended, more than ready for a Rebel onslaught.

Luke joins a Rebel taskforce assigned to destroy the defense shield installation on the forest moon of Endor, which the Death Star orbits. Han almost fatally endangers the mission, but unexpected help arrives in the forms of Endor’s native life form, the Ewoks. Worrying that Vader will sense his presence and capture the entire Rebel team, Luke turns himself over to the Imperial troops as Han and Leia continue their risky gambit to lower the Death Star’s shield in time for a Rebel attack fleet to destroy the station. And aboard the Death Star, the Emperor, with Darth Vader’s help, attempts to lure a second generation of Jedi Knights named Skywalker into the dark side of the Force . . .

Order the DVDsstory by George Lucas
screenplay by Lawrence Kadsan and George Lucas
directed by Richard Marquand
music by John Williams

Cast: Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Sebastian Shaw (Anakin Skywalker), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine), Frank Oz (Yoda), James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader), David Prowse (Darth Vader), Alec Guiness (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Michael Pennington (Moff Jerjerrod), Admiral Piett (Kenneth Colley), Michael Carter (Bib Fortuna), Denis Lawson (Wedge), Tim Rose (Admiral Ackbar), Dermot Crowley (General Madine), Caroline Blakiston (Mon Mothma), Warwick Davis (Wicket), Kenny Baker (Paploo), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett), Femi Taylor (Oola), Annie Arbogast (Sy Snootles), Claire Davenport (Fat Dancer), Jack Purvis (Teebo), Mike Edmonds (Logray), Jane Busby (Chief Chirpa), Malcolm Dixon (Ewok warrior), Mike Cottrell (Ewok warrior), Nicki Reade (Nicki), Adam Bareham (Star Destroyer controller #1), Jonathan Oliver (Star Destroyer controller #2), Pip Miller (Star Destroyer captain #1), Tom Mannion (Star Destroyer captain #2), Tony Philpott, Mike Edmonds, David Barclay (Jabba the Hutt)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Blackadder Season 1

The Foretelling

Blackadder21st August, 1485. King Richard III’s victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field is ruined only by the unfortunate fact that his head was cut off by Edmund, second son of Prince Richard. Once his father is crowned King Richard IV, the newly ennobled Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh, begins his life as “The Black Adder”. But Edmund is haunted by the ghost of the slain King and finds he’s been unknowingly harboring the King’s enemy, Henry Tudor…

Season 1 Regular Cast: Rowan Atkinson (Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh, The Black Adder), Brian Blessed (King Richard IV), Robert East (Harry, Prince of Wales), Tim McInnerny (Percy, Duke of Northumberland), Elspet Gray (The Queen), Tony Robinson (Baldrick), Patrick Allen (Narrator)

Order the DVDswritten by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson
with additional dialogue by William Shakespeare
directed by Martin Shardlow
music by Howard Goodall

Guest Cast: Peter Cook (Richard III), Peter Benson (Henry VII), Jay Bura (Prince Edward), Tan Bura (Prince Richard), Stephen Tate (Lord Chiswick), Kathleen St. John (Goneril), Barbara Miller (Regan), Gretchen Franklin (Cordelia), Philip Kendall (Painter)

Season 1 Notes: Rowan Atkinson became a household name (especially in England) on the strength of his portrayal of the various Blackadders. He also found success with the title role in the TV series Bean and its spin-offs (a movie and an animated series). Genre work includes the “unofficial” James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), Scooby-Doo (2002) and a comedic portrayal of legendary BBC character The Doctor in the 1999 charity special Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death.

Brian Blessed is a veteran of stage and screen, appearing in countless plays, films and television productions. His first standout television appearance was as Emperor Augustus in the BBC series I, Claudius. Genre work includes Space: 1999, Blake’s 7, Doctor Who, Flash Gordon (1980) and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999).

Robert East has made appearances on several British television shows, including Rumpole of the Bailey, Yes, Prime Minister, ‘Allo ‘Allo! and The Canterbury Tales.

Elspet Gray began her career in the late 1940s and worked regularly for the next 50 years. Key work includes appearances on such shows as Fawlty Towers, Inspector Morse, Poirot and the Richard Curtis-penned film Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). Genre work has been minimal, but does include the role of Chancellor Thalia in the pivotal Doctor Who story Arc Of Infinity. Gray is one of only three cast members (along with Atkinson and Tim McInnerny) to survive The Black Adder’s transition from pilot to series.

Tim McInnerny was a regular cast member in all Blackadder series except Blackadder The Third (where he made a guest appearance). Other genre appearances include Erik The Viking (1989) and a guest appearance on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as Franz Kafka.

Tony Robinson has the distinction of being the only cast member besides Rowan Atkinson to appear in all full Blackadder productions (except the pilot). Other work includes the TV series Maid Marian And Her Merry Men, a comic look at the Robin Hood legend, and Blood and Honey, a narrative retelling of Biblical stories.

Notes: Although this episode clearly establishes the origin of the “Blackadder” name, later sources, notably Blackadder: Back & Forth and the script collection/historical overview “Blackadder: The Whole Damn Dynasty”, indicate the name is much older.

The portrayal here of King Henry VII as a liar who re-wrote history is in line with modern thinking that King Richard III’s reign was unfairly portrayed as a means of justifying the Tudors’ questionable hold on the English throne.

The three old women at the end of The Foretelling are based on the witches from Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, but are named after the daughters from “King Lear”.

Before his death in 1995, Peter Cook was acknowledged as one of the greats of British comedy, most notably for his longtime collaboration with Dudley Moore on such projects as the 1960s TV series Not Only… But Also… and the 1967 film Bedazzled. His genre work was minimal, but does include the dubious distinction of being a second-string bad guy in Supergirl (1984).

LogBook entry by Philip R. Frey

Categories
Blackadder Season 1

The Queen Of Spain’s Beard

Blackadder1492. The King, in need of a strategic alliance with Spain, decides to marry Edmund to the Spanish Infanta, since Harry is already engaged to several other young women. Initially excited by the notion, Edmund’s enthusiasm wanes quickly upon actually meeting the Infanta. After failing in his many attempts to evade the altar, it seems Edmund will be married whether he will or no…

Order the DVDswritten by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson
with additional dialogue by William Shakespeare
directed by Martin Shardlow
music by Howard Goodall

Guest Cast: Jim Broadbent (Don Speekingleesh), Miriam Margolyes (Infanta Maria Escolosa), Jane Freeman (Mrs. Applebottom), Howard Lew Lewis (Mr. Applebottom), John Rapley (Rev. Lloyd), David Nunn (Messenger), Stephen Tate (Lord Chiswick), Kenn Wells (Messenger), Richard Mitchley (Messenger), Willoughby Goddard (Archbishop), Natasha King (Princess Leia of Hungary), Harriet Keevil (Lady on Ramparts)

Notes: The Queen Of Spain’s Beard was originally transmitted out of order, switching places with Born To Be King.

Miriam Margolyes’ comic skill has been used in many diverse films, from wacky comedies such as Morons From Outer Space (1985) to full dramas like Romeo + Juliet (1996) to popcorn fare like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). Margolyes also appears in Blackadder II (Beer) and in Blackadder’s Christmas Carol.

Jim Broadbent is a highly regarded actor, known for his work in such films as Richard III (1995) and Iris (2001), for which he won an Academy Award. His only other Blackadder appearance is in Blackadder’s Christmas Carol. He also appeared with Rowan Atkinson in the Doctor Who charity special The Curse Of Fatal Death, portraying the 11th Doctor to Atkinson’s 9th Doctor.

Natasha King’s portrayal of Princess Leia would be seen only one more time, in the following episode, Witchsmeller Pursuivant.

LogBook entry by Philip R. Frey

Categories
Blackadder Season 1

The Archbishop

BlackadderNovember, 1487. The death of the Duke of Winchester heightens the rivalry between the Church and the Crown. After disposing of the current Archbishop of Canterbury, the King decides to name Edmund to the post in hopes of a more pliable Church leader. While Edmund proves at last to be of use to his father, forces are conspiring against his staying long in the job…

Order the DVDswritten by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson
with additional dialogue by William Shakespeare
directed by Martin Shardlow
music by Howard Goodall

Guest Cast: William Russell (Duke of Winchester), Arthur Hewlett (Godfrey, Archbishop of Canterbury / William, Bishop of London), David Nunn (Messenger), Leslie Sands (Lord Graveney), Joyce Grant (Mother Superior), Carolyn Colquhoun (Sister Sara), David Delve (Sir George de Boef), Bill Wallis (Sir Justin de Boinod), Bert Parnaby (Cain), Roy Evans (Abel)

Notes: William Russell is best known for his portrayal of Ian Chesterton, one of the original cast members of the long running BBC science fiction show Doctor Who. He was credited on this episode under his real name, “Russell Enoch.”

Bill Wallis’ long career includes genre appearances in The Avengers, Robin of Sherwood, and The Canterville Ghost (1986). He also appears in Blackadder II (Head) and Blackadder Goes Forth (General Hospital).

Bert Parnaby and Roy Evans (Cain & Abel) re-appear in Witchsmeller Pursuivant and The Black Seal.

LogBook entry by Philip R. Frey