Day: February 5, 1960

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1960s Season 1 Twilight Zone

The Last Flight

The Twilight ZoneSecond Lieutenant William Decker of the Royal Flying Corps lands his biplane on an American airstrip on French soil, but is astonished at the other planes nearby, and at the extraordinary reception he gets. Somehow he has traveled from 1917 to 1959, with no idea of how he came to be where and when he is. Now the question becomes: can he go back…and should he go back?

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Richard Matheson
directed by William Claxton
music not credited

The Twilight ZoneCast: Kenneth Haigh (William Decker), Alexander Scourby (General Harper), Simon Scott (Major Wilson), Robert Warwick (MacKaye), Harry Raybould (Corporal), Jerry Catron (Guard)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Classic Season 03 Doctor Who

The Massacre

Doctor WhoThe Doctor and Steven arrive in Paris, 1572. The Doctor is eager to visit apothecary and scientist Charles Preslin, whose early research into germs fascinates him, but doesn’t want to bring Steven along. Steven is loathe to stay in the TARDIS, and promises not to mingle with the locals, but is alarmed when he thinks he sees a man following the Doctor. Steven tries to follow, but runs afoul of the tavern keep (whom he has forgotten to pay). A man helps Steven out of his predicament and then brings him up to speed on the events into which the time travelers have emerged: the bloody fighting between Catholics and Protestants. Steven becomes very worried indeed when the Doctor vanishes, and is even more alarmed when a servant girl named Anne Chaplet bursts into the home of Admiral de Coligny, where he is staying. Anne claims to have overheard what could be a large-scale plot to rid Paris of all Protestants by any means necessary. Steven sees a man he believes to be the Doctor, but his new friends suddenly regard him coldly – they know this man as the Abbot of Amboise, one of the most fanatical Catholic crusaders in France. Not only does Steven not know whether the Doctor is safe, but he now has no backup. He’s a foreigner in a decidedly hostile situation, trapped between fanatical elements among both the Catholics and the Hugenots, and if he can’t find the Doctor, he’ll be stuck there.

Order this story on audio CDwritten by John Lucarotti
directed by Paddy Russell
music not credited

Guest Cast: Eric Thompson (Gaston), David Weston (Nicholas), John Tillinger (Simon), Edwin Fenn (Landlord), Christopher Tranchell (Roger), Eric Chitty (Preslin), Annette Robertson (Anne Chaplet), Clive Cazes (Captain), Reginald Jessup (Servant), William Hartnell (Abbot of Amboise), Andre Morell (Tavannes), Leonard Sachs (Admiral de Coligny), Cynthia Etherington (Old Lady), Barry Justice (Charles IX), Joan Young (Catherine de Medici)

Notes: The master tapes of this episode were destroyed by the BBC in the early 1970’s, and no video copies exist.

Broadcast from February 5 through 26, 1966

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

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Buck Rogers Season 2

Mark Of The Saurian

Buck Rogers In The 25th CenturyAliens with the ability to change their appearance to look human infiltrate one of Earth’s most critical strategic defense stations, killing the station’s command crew and taking over. On the Searcher, Buck is bedridden at an inopportune time – an Earth ambassador is about to board the ship before she heads out on a diplomatic assignment. Buck hobbles out of the Searcher’s sick bay to watch the welcoming ceremony, but he see someone other than Ambassador Cabot and his entourage; he later tells Wilma that he saw reptilian creatures instead. Everyone else, however, sees the Ambassador’s party as normal human beings. When Buck suspects that the Searcher’s mission is being compromised, possibly leading to the lizards’ infiltration of all of Earth space, he takes matters into his own hands even though he get his friends to believe his story.

Order the DVDswritten by Francis Moss
directed by Barry Crane
music by Herbert D. Woods

Cast: Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers), Erin Gray (Colonel Wilma Deering), Thom Christopher (Hawk), Jay Garner (Admiral Asimov), Wilfred Hyde-White (Dr. Goodfellow), Felix Silla (Twiki), Jeff David (voice of Crichton), Linden Chiles (Ambassador Cabot), Vernon Weddle (Dr. Moray), Kim Hamilton (Lt. Paulton), Paul Carr (Lt. Devlin), Frank Parker (Captain), Barry Cahill (Major Elif), Stacy Keach Sr. (General Kenton), Allan Hunt (Willie)

Notes: Apparently the Earth Defense Directorate has either given way to, or is a part of, a body called the Earth Alliance. The show’s plummeting budget was beginning to show clearly, with a barely-altered electronic zodiac game commonly available in 1980, and a Commodore PET computer, serving as very visible props. Guest star Kim Hamilton, a ubiquitous face of 70s TV, also appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Final Mission.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Blackadder Specials

Blackadder: The Cavalier Years

BlackadderNovember 1648. King Charles I is on the run from Oliver Cromwell and the Roundheads. He seeks shelter with his last supporter, Sir Edmund Blackadder and Edmund’s servant, Baldrick. When Baldrick reveals the King’s whereabouts to Cromwell himself, Edmund must find a way to save his Sovereign from the chopping block…

Order the DVDswritten by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton
director not credited
music by Howard Goodall

Cast: Rowan Atkinson (Sir Edmund Blackadder), Tony Robinson (Baldrick), Warren Clarke (Oliver Cromwell), Stephen Fry (King Charles I)

Notes: This approximately fifteen-minute mini-episode was created for the BBC’s Comic Relief telethon and was unavailable commercially until the release of the US Blackadder VHS box set. It is now available as bonus material on the US Blackadder the Third DVD and the UK Blackadder: Back & Forth DVD.

The young Prince Charles (portrayed here as a baby) was, in fact, 19 years old at the time his father was executed (and already safely in exile).

Stephen Fry is clearly impersonating Prince Charles (Windsor) in his portrayal of King Charles I.

Warren Clarke previously appeared in the Blackadder the Third episode Amy and Amiability.

LogBook entry by Philip R. Frey

Categories
KTMA Season Mystery Science Theater 3000

Experiment K12: Fugitive Alien

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The KTMA SeasonMST3K Story: Dr. Forrester is attending a Mad Scientist convention in Vegas (he’s staying at Caesar’s, room 666). Dr. Erhardt gives him a call, but is distressed to learn Dr. Forrester has been seeing one of the stars of “La Cage au Faux”. While Dr. Forrester tries to use Dr. Erhardt’s “system” to get more funding, Joel is beginning to get upset at being trapped in space. Despite disparaging remarks concerning the title of this week’s movie, Joel still thinks enough of it to perform “The Theme to Fugitive Alien“. When they go into the theater, Joel notices that Crow is missing and Servo is sitting in his seat. Servo has nothing to say on the matter. Only the threat of getting a voice like Punky Brewster gets even a reaction from him. Gypsy gives the game away, though, by coming in with Crow’s head. Joel doesn’t buy Servo’s excuse that they were just trying to install a popcorn popper for Joel’s birthday. Joel and Crow take some time to discuss celebrities who you never see together, like Michael Jackson and Diana Ross or Jim Bacchus and Richard Nixon. Joel holds a dance contest and Gypsy wins, despite getting a zero on her lip synch. Joel announces that an official fan club has been started and invites people to write in or call. The show ends abruptly with a “Let’s Go!” from Servo and an “All right” from Joel.

Fugitive Alien Story: The Wolf Raiders make a brutal attack on Earth in an attempt to conquer the planet. One Raider, Ken, finds himself unable to kill a child. When his partner attempts to kill the child himself, Ken attempts to restrain him, but accidentally causes his death. Now labeled a traitor, Ken goes on the run. After a long chase, Ken eludes the Raiders by exiting his ship just before blowing it up. An Earth starship, Bacchus 3, rescues him, unaware of who he is. The crew do not trust Ken, but his knowledge and skill allow the Bacchus 3 to escape the attacking Raiders. Back on Earth, Ken escapes from the authorities and attempts to get off planet. Sneaking aboard a starship, he is confronted by Captain Joe of the Bacchus 3. Captain Joe has just learned his whole family has been killed by the Raiders. Seeing Ken’s remorse, Captain Joe decides to take him on as a crew member. Meanwhile, back on Ken’s home planet of Valna, the evil ruler sends an assassin after Ken: Rita, Ken’s girlfriend and the sister of his partner. The Bacchus 3 is sent to the planet Carraro on a mission for the government. Ken is arrested while exploring the planet and imprisoned. He breaks out, frees a captive officer of the planet Cesar, and together they attempt to rendezvous with the Bacchus 3. They are rescued by Rita, who has tracked Ken to Carraro. After an emotional reunion, Rita finds herself unable to kill Ken. When they are ambushed, Rita is tragically killed. Ken and the Cesar officer finally meet the Bacchus 3, but Ken’s adventures are just beginning.

MST3K segments written by Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Josh Weinstein, Jim Mallon & Kevin Murphy
MST3K segments directed by Vince Rodriguez
Fugitive Alien written by Keiichi Abe, Bunkou Wakatsuki (as Bunzou Wakatsuki), Yoshihisa Araki, Hiroyasu Yamamura (as Hiroyasu Yamaura), Hideyoshi Nagasaki (as Hideyoshi Nagasaka) & Toyohiro Andô (as Toyohiro Andou)
Fugitive Alien directed by Minoru Kanaya & Kiyosumi Kuzakawa (as Kiyosumi Kukazawa)
Fugitive Alien music by Norio Maeda

MST3K Guest Cast: none

Fugitive Alien Cast: Tatsuya Azuma (Ken), Miyuki Tanigawa (Tammy), Joe Shishido (Captain Joe), Choei Takahashi (Rocky), Tsutomu Yukawa (Dan), Hiro Tateyama (Biri), Keiko Mari (Rita), Akihiko Hirata

LogBook entry by Philip R. Frey

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Season 03 Star Trek The Next Generation

Deja Q

Star Trek: The Next GenerationStardate 43539.1: Q returns once again to the starship Enterprise, but this time his immortality and his powers have been rescinded by the members of the Q Continuum, and he must help the crew contend with an asteroid that threatens to devastate an entire civilization, while the Calamarain, aliens who have been chastised by Q in the past seek revenge on the ex-immortal.

Order the DVDswritten by Richard Danus
directed by Les Landau
music by Dennis McCarthy

Guest Cast: John de Lancie (Q), Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan), Richard Cansino (Dr. Garin), Betty Muramoto (Scientist), Corbin Bernsen (Q 2)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Alien Nation Season 1

Eyewitness News

Alien NationGeorge and Sikes tackle the apparent murder of a Newcomer video phone sex model, only to find that the situation isn’t what it seems – or so they’re told. While they try to navigate L.A.’s adult filmmaking underworld, which has eagerly embraced struggling Newcomer actresses, the cameras are rolling on them as well: a TV news reporter is shooting a series of profiles about George, both at work and at home, and Sikes finds the ever-present camera crew more than a little distracting. When the series brings George newfound attention and adulation, even from the mayor, Sikes finds his partner’s swelling ego more than a little annoying as well. When the violence against Newcomer sex workers turns real, Sikes also finds that the news crew may be impeding the investigation, and that with George hob-nobbing with the city’s leaders, it’s an investigation that Sikes is increasingly taking on alone.

Order this episode on DVDDownload this episodewritten by Charles S. Kaufman & Larry B. Williams
directed by Lyndon Chubbuck
music by David Kurtz

Guest Cast: Angela Bassett (Renee Longstreet), Deborah Goodrich (Virginia Ham), Gene Butler (Arvin Kaufman), Hugh Maguire (Ernie Denton), Kelly Jean Peters (Mrs. Denton), Rob King (Louis Denton), John Mese (Roger Rose), Evelina Fernandez (Female Executive), Ian Patrick Williams (John), David Hoskins (Joe), Terry Nunn (Male Executive), Kerrigan Mahan (Cameraman), Jennifer Roach (Tilly), Joseph Graham (Bailey)

Notes: Angela Bassett may well be the highest-profile guest star in Alien Nation’s brief history; only a few years after this genre guest spot, she would play the part of rock icon Tina Turner in the career-making movie What’s Love Got To Do With It; other genre roles included guest stints on Alias, Strange Days, Contact, and the early ’90s TV adaptation of The Flash. She also guest starred in several episodes of A Man Called Hawk, alongside future Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Avery Brooks.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Deep Space Nine Season 04 Star Trek

Return To Grace

Star Trek: Deep Space NineStardate not given: Kira leaves for a Cardassian outpost to attend a conference, escorted by Gul Dukat, who, after bringing his half-Bajoran daughter Ziyal home, has been reduced to commanding a freighter. When they arrive at the outpost, they find it destroyed by a Klingon Bird of Prey, which ignores Dukat’s freighter. At Kira’s suggestion, Dukat adapts a disruptor from the outpost and goes after the Klingons. When he succeeds in capturing the Bird of Prey, Dukat has the choice of returning to his old position – or striking out as a freedom fighter against the Klingons.

Order the DVDsDownload this episode via Amazonteleplay by Hans Beimler
story by Tom Benko
directed by Jonathan West
music by Jay Chattaway

Star Trek: Deep Space NineGuest Cast: Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat), Cyia Batten (Tora Ziyal), Casey Biggs (Damar), John Kenton Shull (K’Temang)

LogBook entry by Tracy Hemenover

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Season 02 Star Trek Voyager

Meld

Star Trek: VoyagerStardate 49373.4: When Crewman Darwin turns up dead all signs point to Crewman Suder, a former Maquis and a Betazoid, as the murderer. Suder even confesses, but when Janeway is loathe to either imprison him for life or execute him, Tuvok tries to rehabilitate him using the Vulcan mind meld. But entering the mind of Suder means that the murderer also enters Tuvok’s mind.

Order the DVDsteleplay by Michael Piller
story by Michael Sussman
directed by Cliff Bole
music by Dennis McCarthy

Cast: Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway), Robert Beltran (Chakotay), Roxann Biggs-Dawson (B’Elanna Torres), Jennifer Lien (Kes), Robert Duncan McNeill (Tom Paris), Ethan Phillips (Neelix), Robert Picardo (The Doctor), Tim Russ (Tuvok), Garrett Wang (Ensign Harry Kim), Brad Dourif (Crewman Suder), Angela Dohrmann (Ricky), Simon Billig (Crewman Jones), Majel Barrett (Computer Voice)

LogBook entry by Paul Campbell

Categories
Season 1 Xena: Warrior Princess

Warrior…Princess

Xena: Warrior PrincessXena is summoned to Treaus to see the king. His daughter, Diana, is about to marry Minius of Liberium. But assassins are out to stop the wedding. If the marriage takes place, it will unite the two kingdoms under the Treaus constitution which forbids slavery. Lias wants Xena to pretend to be Diana since she looks exactly like his daughter, and stop the assassins. The warrior agrees and has him send Diana to meet Gabrielle so the princess will be safe. Philemon, Minius’ brother, arrives to take “Diana” on a walk. A group of masked assassins appear and Philemon with Xena’s help fights them off. As Gabrielle waits for Xena to return, a man approaches and demands that she hand over her bag. The bard refuses and the man grabs her. “Xena” appears on Argo and starts to offer her assistance until the man turns around. To Gabrielle’s surprise, she runs away and the younger woman is left to deal with the man. When he is gone, Diana comes out of her hiding place and gives Xena’s note to Gabrielle. The bard just thinks its some sort of test until Diana starts crying.

Xena is investigating the scene of the attack at the castle when a servant comes and tells her that Minius has arrived. She didn’t notice that Philemon has been watching her. At dinner, Xena learns more about the men that work for Lias. Her cover is almost blown when her fiance asks to hear her play the harp. Xena gets out of it when she breaks the strings. Philemon has figured out that the princess isn’t who she pretends to be. He’s stunned to learn that imposter is Xena. She explains that Diana was sent away for her own safety. As they are talking, there is another attempt on the princess’s life, but this time Xena catches the would be assassin. She learns from him that he was hired by the king’s general. But when they reach his chambers, they find that the man has been hanged. Believing that the threat is over, Lias goes after his daughter to bring her home.

Order the DVDswritten by Brenda Lily
directed by Michael Levine
music by Joseph LoDuca

Guest Cast: Lucy Lawless (Diana), Norman Forsey (Lias), Iain Rea (Philemon), Latham Gaines (Minius), Jonathan Acorn (Mirus), Jason Hoyte (Timus), Michele Huirama (Tesa), Patrick Smith (Glauce), Mia Koning (Waif), Ian Miller (Low Life), Chris Bohm (Guard)

LogBook entry by Mary Terrell

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Babylon 5 / Crusade Season 3

Dust to Dust

  • By Dave
  • February 5, 1996

Babylon 5 Bester asks to come aboard the station, trying to track down a source of the deadly, telepathy-inducing drug known as dust. Ivanova, afraid that Bester will eventually learn of their conspiracy against Clark, wants to simply kill the Psi Cop. When Bester hints that Talia Winters’ body has gone the way of her personality, Garibaldi isn’t so inclined to disagree. But with help from the Minbari, Sheridan manages to even the playing field and get Bester to agree to take telepathy-suppressing drugs. Once he does, he and Garibaldi discover that Bester is, maddeningly enough, correct – a major dust supplier is peddling his wares on Babylon 5. And unfortunately for Londo, that supplier has found an eager buyer in G’Kar. The Narn uses his brief burst of dust-induced telepathy to pry into the secrets surrounding the Centauri’s secret allies in the war against his homeworld. But at the end of G’Kar’s revenge lies a surprising epiphany.

Order now!Download this episodewritten by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by David J. Eagle
music by Christopher Franke

Cast: Bruce Boxleitner (Captain John Sheridan), Claudia Christian (Commander Susan Ivanova), Jerry Doyle (Security Chief Michael Garibaldi), Mira Furlan (Delenn), Richard Biggs (Dr. Stephen Franklin), Bill Mumy (Lennier), Jason Carter (Marcus Cole), Stephen Furst (Vir), Jeff Conaway (Zack Allan), Peter Jurasik (Londo Mollari), Andreas Katsulas (G’Kar), Walter Koenig (Bester), Julian Neil (Lindstrom), Jim Norton (Narn Image), Ardwight Chamberlain (Kosh), Harry Hutchinson (Security Guard #1), John-Frederick Jones (Centauri Diplomat), S. Marc Jordan (Shop Owner), Judy Levitt (Psi Cop), Gwen McGee (Med Tech), Philip Moon (Ashi), Walter O’Neil (Crazed Man), David Shark (Man), Kim Strauss (Vizak), Dani Thompson (Ombuds)

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

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Nowhere Man

Forever Jung

Nowhere ManOne address persistently shows up in the files of the palmtop computer and Veil finally goes there, discovering that it’s a nursing home in Minnesota. He lands a job as an orderly there, and at first suspects that the nursing home bears no relevance to his search for the truth, but then he discovers a far more sinister endeavor is being concealed. Elderly people are being subjected to an advanced virtual reality experiment where they can regain their lost youth – and the backers of this experiment gain access to their memories and their secrets.

Order the DVDswritten by Joel Surnow
directed by Stephen Stafford
music by Mark Snow

Cast: Bruce Greenwood (Thomas Veil), Leon Russom (Dr. Seymour), Melanie Smith (young Pauline), Edith Fields (old Pauline), Freda Foh Shen (Nurse Ellman), Paul Marin (Rudy)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Season 03 Star Trek Voyager

Blood Fever

Star Trek: VoyagerStardate 50537.2: Large deposits of gallicite draw Voyager to an abandoned planet for this material that will enable a refit of the warp coils. But while preparing for the expedition, Ensign Vorick comes under the influence of the Pon Farr and declares his intention to take B’Elanna as a mate, attempting to force his affections on her. Although this results in a dislocated jaw for Vorick, the physical contact seems to have caused a change in the chief engineer resulting from a mating bond. As the odd triangle (which includes Tom Paris) is resolved, the crew discovers that the planet is not abandoned after all, but is inhabited by the Sakari, a race which has developed camouflage to a high art to avoid their ancient enemies – the Borg.

Order the DVDswritten by Lisa Klink
directed by Andrew Robinson
music by Jay Chattaway

Guest Cast: Alexander Enberg (Vorik), Bruce Bohne (Sakari Leader), Deborah Levin (Ensign Lang)

LogBook entry by Paul Campbell

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Season 02 SG-1 Stargate

Holiday

Stargate SG-1In a seemingly abandoned, museum-like structure on another world, SG-1 encounters the eccentric Ma’chello, a frail old man who Teal’c says is renowned for creating weapons that have freed many from Goa’uld oppression. But the rambling man who stands before the team hardly seems like a threat now – until he asks Daniel to help him move a piece of his equipment, which sends an electrical charge through both of them. O’Neill orders them both brought back to the SGC, where Daniel begins to act strangely, and Ma’chello awakens and claims that he is Daniel. His teammates quiz him on knowledge that only Daniel would have, and it appears that his claim of a body switch is true. And to make matters worse, when SG-1 returns to Ma’chello’s planet to retrieve the device that he used to steal Daniel’s body, it performs the same procedure on Teal’c and O’Neill.

Order the DVDswritten by Tor Alexander Valenza
directed by David Warry-Smith
music by Joel Goldsmith, Richard Band and Kevin Kiner

Guest Cast: Teryl Rothery (Dr. Fraiser), Alvin Sanders (Fred), Melanie Skehar (Waitress), Darryl Scheelar (Cop)

Notes: Ma’chello was played by Michael Shanks in makeup, rather than by a guest actor.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Lexx Season 2

791

LexxHaving awakened just in time to rid the Lexx of Pa Guleen, Lyekka is hungry once again. Lexx receives a distress signal from a crashed ship on an uninhabited world, and Lyekka insists on accompanying Kai, Xev and 790 on their rescue mission – just in case any survivors happen to be tasty. While exploring the wrecked ship, they find preserved human hearts – and a decapitated cyborg body. 790 immediately fixates on the idea of attaching his head to the body and ravishing Xev, and sets about linking to the body via remote control. Kai discovers a chamber with frozen humanoids – all of them missing their hearts…and time is running out to match the hearts on the bridge with their owners before Lyekka feasts on the helpless prisoners. 790 succeeds in reviving the cyborg body and getting it to do the legwork to attach him, but the body’s residual programming has its own personality – a dangerous one which, with 790 attached, combines the robot head’s lust with a murderous bloodlust. It sends Stan a message to lure him down from the Lexx, and then proceeds to make Stan the unlikely object of its twisted desires.

Order the DVDswritten by Jeffrey Hirschfield and Paul Donovan
directed by Jorg Buttgereit
music by Marty Simon

Guest Cast: Louise Wischermann (Lyekka), Jeffrey Hirschfield (790), Tom Gallant (Lexx), Brian Carter (791 Cyborg), Amy Kerr (Desh), John Dunsworth (Berf), Mike Pellerin (Wern)

LogBook entry by Earl Green