Categories
Classic Series Prisoner, The

Fall Out

The PrisonerHaving triumphed against Number Two, Number Six is finally on his way – so he thinks – to meet Number One. But first, he has one more trial to undergo, though he can’t tell if he is the defendant…or the judge. The impetuous Number 48 is brought before him, held in contempt for his youthfully rebellious attitude. Number Two is miraculously brought back from the dead, though he seems unaware that his reign has ended. Number Six finally embarks on the final leg of his quest, but he is unprepared for the revelation that he may, in fact, already be Number One.

written by Patrick McGoohan
directed by Patrick McGoohan
music by Ron Grainer and Albert Elms

Cast: Patrick McGoohan (Number Six), Leo McKern (Number Two), Kenneth Griffith (President), Peter Swanwick (Supervisor), Michael Miller (Delegate), Alexis Kanner (Number 48)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Original Series Season 03 Star Trek

Turnabout Intruder

Star Trek ClassicStardate 5298.5: Visiting Dr. Coleman and the ailing Dr. Lester, a colleague of Kirk’s from Starfleet Academy who has always envied him due to her inability to achieve a captaincy in a male-captains-only Starfleet, Kirk is rendered unconscious by Lester. It turns out to have been a trap, and Lester puts herself and Kirk into an unknown device that transfers their minds into one another’s bodies. Lester, in the form of Kirk, doesn’t have time to kill Kirk (now in the female body). Lester and Coleman make every attempt to leave Kirk on the planet, but must bring “her” aboard to save face. Kirk, still suffering a severe shock from the mind transfer, is unable to warn McCoy about Lester’s plan to command the Enterprise (especially when Lester keeps ordering Kirk sedated). Lester, however, is unable to conceal her lack of knowledge of command procedures and, more specifically, Kirk’s character, and when Spock learns the truth and attempts to help Kirk, Lester has him placed under arrest and tries to speed Spock’s court-martial toward a conclusion which would have Kirk and Spock executed.

Order this episode on DVDDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxteleplay by Arthur H. Singer
story by Gene Roddenberry
directed by Herb Wallerstein
music by Fred Steiner

Guest Cast: James Doohan (Mr. Scott), George Takei (Lt. Sulu), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), Walter Koenig (Chekov), Sandra Smith (Janice Lester), Harry Landers (Dr. Coleman), Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel), Barbara Baldavin (Communications Officer), David L. Ross (Lt. Galoway), John Boyer (Guard)

Notes: Only 47 days after the final episode of Star Trek aired, Apollo 11 landed on the moon.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Moonbase 3

View Of A Dead Planet

Moonbase 3Brilliant scientist Sir Benjamin Dyce arrives on Moonbase 3, having been dispatched to observe the activation of the Arctic Sun project – a project he helped to devise and then later disowned because he discovered that it represented a danger to the entire human race. Arctic Sun is a satellite poised over Antarctica, programmed to release and detonate a nuclear device close enough to the surface to melt the ice cap of the south pole, opening up habitable space for human development. But after proposing the idea, Dyce later discovered that the detonation also stood a good chance of causing global flooding on the other continents and, worse yet, would render the entire atmosphere inhabitable to all life. Despite his warnings, Arctic Sun is soon to be set into motion – and Dyce is only too happy to not be on Earth when that happens.

After the Arctic Sun detonation, Moonbase 3 loses all contact with Earth, and the planet’s atmosphere takes on an unusual tinge, eventually turning completely opaque. Whatever is happening there is preventing any communication with Earth, and the other international Moonbases are reporting similar observations. It appears that Sir Benjamin Dyce’s most nightmarish predictions are all coming true, leaving mere weeks of supplies for those isolated on the moon – and the thin veneer of civilization begins to wash off of the personnel of Moonbase 3. Caulder finds himself trying to fight down violence, insubordination and even some crew members’ suicidal urges, despite Caulder himself planning to flood the base’s ventilation system with carbon monoxide to provide his crew with a merciful death. He tries to order everyone to stay calm, but when there is no one to answer to for defying Caulder’s authority, what does anyone have to lose by disobeying and acting on their darkest impulses?

written by Arden Winch
directed by Christopher Barry
music by Dudley Simpson

Cast: Donald Houston (David Caulder), Ralph Bates (Michel Lebrun), Fiona Gaunt (Helen Smith), Barry Lowe (Tom Hill), Michael Gough (Sir Benjamin Dyce), Garrick Hagon (Bruno Bertoli), Magda Miller (Paula Renner), Ed Stewart (Disc Jockey), Robert McBain (Semyonov), Leonard Gregory (Quiz Master), Aubrey Danvers-Walker (Mr. Hopkirk), Anne Rosenfeld (Lisa), Joe Santo (José)

Notes: The final episode of Moonbase 3 to be aired (but the first script to be commissioned), View Of A Dead Planet mixes the show’s surprisingly good foresight (concerns of massive flooding should the polar ice caps melt – keep in mind that the series was written, filmed and aired in 1973) with some surprisingly fantastical “science” (Earth’s atmosphere burning up). Having appeared in several episodes prior to this one, recurring guest star Garrick Hagon is thrust into the limelight here, roughly a year after his appearance in the Doctor Who story The Mutants (also produced and script edited by Moonbase 3’s Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks), though his real claim to genre fame would come a few years later with the role of Biggs in Star Wars. Guest star Michael Gough would also later make the jump to Hollywood, playing Alfred in the string of ’80s and ’90s Batman movies. Despite the relatively lavish budget spent on Moonbase 3, including a full-scale moonscape at the BBC’s Ealing film studios, the show had not snared a loyal audience and wasn’t renewed. It was even wiped from the BBC’s archives, though complete copies of all six episodes were later recovered from the vaults of co-producer 20th Century Fox in the U.S. – which reportedly prompted Moonbase 3 script editor Terrance Dicks to blurt out an expletive when he found out about the find. Though some fans of cult British SF regard the show somewhat more kindly today, Dicks’ reaction isn’t far out of line with the general viewing public’s memories.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Starlost, The

Space Precinct

The StarlostHaving endured an endless series of life-or-death adventures alongside Devon and Rachel, during which he faced up against threats he could barely begin to comprehend, Garth decide’s he’s had enough: he’s leaving to return to Cypress Corners. Despite the others’ best attempts to convince him to remain with them, he parts company with them and goes his own way…and it seems like he’s barely out of their sight when Garth is accosted by a uniformed man claiming to be a member of a security force on the Ark, something Garth finds unlikely since no such force has ever intervened during the many crisis situations he’s personally seen. It turns out that this security force isn’t native to the Ark itself, but instead comes from outside; the chief of this squad is keen to recruit Garth for his instincts, his sense of order, and his local knowledge of the Ark. As soon as Garth dons his new uniform, however, he’s embroiled in a series of incidents including hijackings, political posturing and the threat of an imminent war – all with the Ark helpless in the middle.

Get this season on DVDwritten by Martin Lager
directed by Joseph L. Scanlan
music by Score Productions Ltd.

Guest Cast: Ivor Barry (Rafe), Nuala Fitzgerald (Reena), Richard Alden (Mike), Diane Dewey (Technician), William Osler (Computer Host)

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

Categories
Orson Welles' Great Mysteries

The Furnished Room

Orson Welles' Great MysteriesA man named John, looking for a room to rent in New York City, is also looking for a woman named Louise. He’s sure that the lady from whom he’s rented a room has seen her, though she denies it – New York is, after all, a big city. But everywhere he looks, John is sure he sees evidence of Louise. He’s certain she was there. And not being able to find out what happened to her might be the death of him.

teleplay by David Amrbose
based on the short story by O. Henry
directed by Alan Gibson
theme music by John Barry

Orson Welles' Great MysteriesCast: Clarence Williams III (John Cambridge), Irene Worth (Mrs. Purdy), Sally Travers (Mrs. McCool), Joan-Ann Maynard (Louise)

Notes: Clarence Williams III had just completed his run as Linc Hayes on the popular American series The Mod Squad when he starred in this episode. Among a great many other roles, he would later appear in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (To The Death, 1996).

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Original Series (Animated) Season 02 Star Trek

The Counter-Clock Incident

Star Trek ClassicStardate 6770.3: The Enterprise is en route to Babel on a fairly routine mission, ferrying Commodore Robert April (the Enterprise’s first captain) and his wife (the ship’s original medical officer) to a retirement ceremony on Babel. When an immensely powerful ship of unknown origins blasts past the Enterprise on an apparent death dive into a nearby supernova, Kirk tries to stop it with the tractor beam – which only has the effect of dragging the Enterprise into the exploding star with the other ship. Somehow, both ships survive, but find themselves in a different universe where the laws of time and space no longer apply. The crew of the other ship originate from this dimension, where time runs backward and instead of gaining knowledge, their race is losing knowledge as each generation regresses rapidly into infancy. This temporal effect also renders the Enterprise crew too young and inexperienced to find their way back home – and Commodore April must take the Enterprise’s captain’s chair one more time to save Kirk and the current crew.

Order the DVDswritten by John Culver (a.k.a. Fred Bronson)
directed by Hal Sutherland
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael

Guest Voice Cast: James Doohan (Commodore April), Majel Barrett (Mrs. April), Majel Barrett (Karla 5), James Doohan (Karl 4)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Planet Of The Apes Season 1

Up Above The World So High

Planet Of The ApesVirdon, Burke and Galen spot something unusually large flying overhead; the two humans immediately recognize it as a primitive hang glider, which would represent a huge step forward for humans. The glider has also attracted the interest of the apes, however: Dr. Zaius sees great potential to enforce ape law from the air, while General Urko dismisses the glider as a toy. Its inventor is determined to keep developing it regardless of the risk, but when Virdon and Burke demonstrate some knowledge of flight, he instantly regards them with suspicion. And there’s someone else involved too – someone who sees the glider as the perfect way to drop bombs on the apes.

Order the DVDsteleplay by S. Bar-David and Arthur Browne Jr.
story by S. Bar-David
directed by John Meredyth Lucas
music by Lalo Schifrin

Guest Cast: Joanna Barnes (Carsia), Frank Aletter (Leuric), Martin Brooks (Konag), Mark Lenard (Urko), Booth Colman (Zaius), William Beckley (Council Orang), Ron Stein (Gorilla Guard), Eldon Burke (2nd Trooper), Glenn Wilder (Human Driver)

Planet Of The ApesNotes: This was the final live-action Planet Of The Apes project until the 2001 remake movie directed by Tim Burton, and the last Planet Of The Apes media to feature Roddy McDowall (1928-1998). With declining ratings, and the show’s increasing tendency toward controversial subject matter (including an entire completed episode that CBS deemed unsuitable for air), CBS opted not to order further episodes of the series.

S. Bar-David is a pseudonym frequently used by writer Shimon Wincelberg; he also used this pseudonym on episodes of the original Star Trek. Director John Meredyth Lucas was a frequent writer and director on that show as well, and was a name often seen in one of those capacities in 1960s TV credits. He also wrote episodes of The Starlost and Logan’s Run.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Changes, The

The Cavern

The ChangesNicky and Jonathon sneak into the cavern and lock Mr. Furbelow out. They venture deeper, until a strange pulsating noise scares Nicky back out again. She gathers her strength and they go further into the caves until they find a tall, standing stone, from which Nicky hears a muffled voice. Jonathon hears nothing, but Nicky starts speaking to it, pleading the case for humanity and its machines with a primal force that, in seeking to restore balance to the world, has thrown things even further out of balance.

written by Anna Home
based on the novels by Peter Dickinson
The Changesdirected by John Prowse
music by Paddy Kingsland

Cast: Vicky Williams (Nicky), Keith Ashton (Jonathon), Oscar Quitak (Mr. Furbelow)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Sky

Chariot Of Fire

SearchThe Juganet is revealed: 20th century civilization knows it as Stonehenge. Sky steps into the stone circle and vanishes; a disbelieving Arby follows him, and finds himself in another time, among what he believes is Sky’s civilization, though they banish him to a “place of darkness” for being evil. Sky explains that these are the descendants of humanity, dedicated to harmony with nature – and that they may achieve more than 20th century civilization ever could. But none of that answers the question of whether or not Arby can safely return to his own time.

Order the DVDswritten by Bob Baker and Dave Martin
directed by Derek Clark
music by Eric Wetherell

SkyCast: Marc Harrison (Sky), Stuart Lock (Arby Vennor), Cherrald Butterfield (Jane Vennor), Richard Speight (Roy Briggs), Bernard Archard (Haril), Peter Copley (Revil), Robert Eddison (Goodchild)

Notes: The 2″ master videotape of this episode suffered critical damage in the 1990s, and is Skyrepresented on DVD by a VHS backup copy of noticeably lower quality. This is the final episode of the series, and its nature-over-technology message is strikingly similar to a BBC series, The Changes, aired the same year.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Invisible Man

An Attempt To Save Face

The Invisible ManDan Westin’s old friend, Dr. Nick Maggio, was the man who gave him a new face after Dan became invisible…and now he is summoning Dan and Kate to a hospital in Chicago under mysterious circumstances. When the Westins arrive, Maggio explains that he has been brought in to perform a secret facelift on the chairman of an Eastern Bloc country, but that members of the chairman’s entourage have now sequestered Maggio’s would-be patient away…and are keeping Maggio under round-the-clock guard. Dan goes on an invisible intelligence-gathering mission, learning that there are two rival factions among the chairman’s entourage: one faction wants him returned home without the facelift, and the other wants to assassinate him and blame his death on American doctors. Short on time, a plan is devised to put Dan’s face mask on the chairman to get him out of harm’s way…but the longer it takes to put the plan into action, the more goes wrong with it.

teleplay by James D. Parriott and Leslie Stevens
story by Leslie Stevens
directed by Don Henderson
music by Pete Rugolo

The Invisible ManCast: David McCallum (Dr. Daniel Westin), Melinda Fee (Dr. Kate Westin), Craig Stevens (Walter Carlson), Charles Aidman (Dr. Nick Maggio), Terry Kiser (Petra Kolchak), Oscar Homolka (Chairman), Ina Balin (Katrina Storoff), Gene Dynarski (Vasil), Julie Rogers (Wendy), Sid McCoy (Anestheseologist), W.T. Zacha (Sergei), Karen Cobb (Nurse)

Note: Though there are broad (and somewhat stereotypical) hints that the chairman is the leader of the Soviet Union, the script remains vague, not narrowing things down any more than “the Eastern Bloc”. This was the final episode of The Invisible Man to be produced or aired, but was far from the final outing for the concept of an invisible spy. The following year, NBC premiered Gemini Man, a virtually identical series The Invisible Manstarring Ben Murphy, though the method of invisibility was retooled to utilized cheaper special effects. Craig Stevens (1918-2000) continued on to a steady string of guest starring roles through the late 1980s, though he remained best known for having been Peter Gunn. Melinda O. Fee remained active through the early 1990s, and David McCallum is, at the time of this writing, still Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on NCIS, a role he has played since 2003; he has also appeared in Babylon 5, VR.5, and Jeremiah, and starred in the short-lived cult classic genre series Sapphire & Steel in the late 1970s. Far from being invisible, McCallum has been a fixture of the small screen on both sides of the Atlantic for more than 40 years.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Star Maidens

The Enemy

Star MaidensWith Adam and Shem captured, Earth and Medusa prepare to exchange prisoners. As arrangements are made, another signal is found in deep space, originating from somewhere other than Medusa; the Medusans suddenly accelerate the timetable for the prisoner exchange. When the signal is played back on Earth, it makes Shem violently ill, and Professor Evans is only able to get Fulvia to tell him that this is a matter between Medusa and its ancient enemy from another galaxy.

written by Otto Strang
directed by Freddie Francis
music by Berry Lipmann

Star MaidensCast: Judy Geeson (Fulvia), Lisa Harrow (Liz), Gareth Thomas (Shem), Pierre Brice (Adam), Christian Quadflieg (Rudi), Christiane Kruger (Octavia), Derek Farr (Evans), Dawn Addams (Clara), Uschi Mellin (Andrea)

Notes: This is the final episode of Star Maidens; the unnamed (and mostly unseen) enemy hails from Proxima Centauri, just like the planet Medusa, and they are said to have fed upon the Medusans during past clashes.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Ark II

Orkus

Ark IIRuth and Adam look for signs of toxic waste, but are warned away from a bubbling pond by a group of old men – who claim that they were young men only a day ago before they inhaled a toxic gas. Ruth and Adam begin to show signs of rapid aging as well. As Jonah and Samuel try to find an antidote to reverse this unnatural aging, something probes Ark II with a form of energy that simply passes through the Ark’s outer skin, and then addresses Jonah. Introducing itself as Orkus, the disembodied voice offers an antidote to help Ruth and Adam, but insists that Jonah bring Ark II to a specific location. Not trusting Orkus, Jonah goes to the specified coordinates via jet pack instead, finding a shielded amphitheater where Orkus holds court. None of Orkus’ people age or die, and suffer no hardships, thanks to a series of machines called the Providers. But the Providers themselves need something: the energy stores that keep the Ark moving. Jonah must decide between the lives of his friends, or the end of Ark II’s mission.

written by Robert Specht & Chuck Menville
directed by Henry J. Lange, Jr.
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael and Horta-Mahana

Cast: Terry Lester (Jonah), Jean Marie Hon (Ruth), Jose Flores (Samuel), Geoffrey Lewis (Orkus), William Benedict (Malcolm), Monie Ellis (Alicia), Lou Scheimer (voice of Adam)

Notes: Bearing more than a slight resemblance to a number of classic Star Trek episodes, Orkus wraps up the series. This Ark IIepisode reveals that Ark II has a self-destruct mechanism (an odd feature for “the last mobile storehouse of scientific knowledge”), and presumably it’d pack quite a wallop if allowed to explode. Depending on one’s interpretation, there’s a possibility that Orkus and his people played some role in the downfall of human civilization, which they claim to have witnessed in the early 21st century. Be on the lookout for a bunch of people in vaguely Greek-like robes, hanging around a simple gazebo fashioned out of ordinary garden lattice and glass globes, for they will be the death of us all.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Electra Woman & Dyna Girl

Return Of The Pharaoh – Part 2

Electra Woman & Dyna GirlThough Frank can only be of minimal help to Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, they manage to escape the Pharaoh’s latest trap. Just as he as within reach of the Coptic Eye, an ancient Egyptian relic of great power, the Pharaoh finds himself trapped, buried alive with an artifact that’s now useless. The catch? Electra Woman and Dyna Girl can’t escape either…and if they do, they risk releasing the Pharaoh’s evil upon the world again.

written by Greg Strangis
directed by Jack Regas
music not credited

Electra Woman & Dyna GirlCast: Deidre Hall (Lori / Electra Woman), Judy Strangis (Judy / Dyna Girl), Norman Alden (Frank Heflin), Peter Mark Richman (The Pharaoh), Jane Elliot (Cleopatra), Sterling Swanson (Mr. McLintock), Marvin Miller (Narrator)

Notes: This is the final episode of the series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Children Of The Stones

Full Circle

Children Of The StonesAdam and Matthew’s attempt to escape Millbury has failed, and they awaken in Hendrick’s home, presumably captives until their own dinner date with destiny. The father and son frantically brainstorm ways to avoid becoming brainwashed like everyone else they’ve met in Millbury, and devise a way to throw off Hendrick’s meticulous timing in order to avoid the stone circles lining up with the black hole Hendrick discovered. In the showdown between Brake’s astrophysical science and Hendrick’s strange brand of Pagan science, there’s only one uncertainty: whether or not Adam and Matthew Brake will survive with their free will intact.

written by Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray
directed by Peter Graham Scott
music by Sidney Sager

Children Of The StonesCast: Iain Cuthbertson (Hendrick), Gareth Thomas (Adam), Peter Demin (Matthew), Veronica Strong (Margaret), Katharine Levy (Sandra), Ruth Dunning (Mrs. Crabtree), John Woodnutt (Link)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Fantastic Journey, The

The Innocent Prey

The Fantastic JourneyVarian, Scott, Fred and Willaway are awakened at their campsite by a brilliant light in the sky which slams into the ground in the distance. They find a crashed space shuttle with several injured astronauts inside, and they help them to find shelter in a nearby village inhabited by otherworldly beings with incredible powers and no knowledge of humanity’s dark side. Rayat and his people know nothing of the human concept of committing a crime, preferring instead to use their telekinetic powers to pursue higher purposes. Astronaut York, supposedly the shuttle’s commander, tells a story that doesn’t quite add up, and seems to be actively trying to silence his fellow crewmembers. Varian and Willaway discover that the shuttle was a prison transport which had been taken over by the inmates. They go to warn Rayat, and confront York, only to find that the psychopath who took over the shuttle now has a hostage: Scott.

The Fantastic Journeywritten by Robert Hamilton
directed by Vincent McEveety
music by Robert Prince

Cast: Jared Martin (Varian), Carl Franklin (Fred Walters), Ike Eisenmann (Scott Jordan), Katie Saylor (Liana), Roddy McDowall (Willaway), Richard Jaeckel (York), Nicholas Hammond (Tye), Cheryl Ladd (Natica), Lew Ayres (Rayat), Gerald McRaney (The Co-Pilot), Burt Douglas (The Pilot), Jim Poyner (Roland)

Notes: In keeping with a previous episode’s depiction of a space shuttle as an alien spacecraft, this episode’s “mid-21st century space shuttle” returning to Cape Canaveral is shown to be a The Fantastic Journeyfamiliar flying saucer design. Willaway says he once worked for NASA. This is the second episode not to feature Katie Saylor; there’s no mention of Liana’s whereabouts, even though she remains in the opening credits. This was one of the last guest starring roles for Cheryl Ladd before she became one of the stars of Charlie’s Angels, while fellow guest star Gerald McRaney was still a few years away from gaining fame as one of the stars of Simon & Simon. The Innocent Prey is a rare example of The Fantastic Journey trying to step into Star Trek’s issue-based storytelling, in this case touching on the hot-button topic of capital punishment. This was the final episode produced, and it aired nearly two months after the rest of the series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green