Written By Ken HulseyThe 1933 American classic "King Kong" had a profound influence on Asian filmmakers. As soon as the iconic monster movie hit the scene, Japanese studios began producing their own "Kong" adaptations, like "Wasei Kingu Kongu" and "Edo Ni Arawarita Kingu Kongu," both featuring actors in gorilla costumes. The film also left a lasting impact on two legends of Japanese cinema - director Ishiro Honda and special effects pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya. Years later, this duo combined their talents to create the cinematic monster icon "Gojira" (Godzilla). For Tsuburaya in particular, "King Kong" held a special place, as the young cameraman studied the film frame-by-frame to learn how its groundbreaking visual effects were achieved. This hands-on analysis would inspire Tsuburaya's own storied career in movie magic.
The Batman/Superman Hour was a Filmation animated series broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1969. Premiering on September 14, 1968, this 60-minute program featured new adventures of DC Comics superheroes like Batman, Robin, and Batgirl alongside shorts from The New Adventures of Superman and The Adventures of Superboy. This series marked the first animated Saturday morning cartoon for Batman and his classic enemies.
When the mischievous Dr. Shock, a villainous scientist with a striking resemblance to a mix of Fu Manchu and a vampire, unleashes his Master Mix Monster Machine to transform his servant Igor into the colossal, energy-sucking Shocking Electrical Monster, it’s time for Buzz Conroy and his amazing creation, Frankenstein Jr., to leap into action!
In 1966, Franklin J. Schaffner acquired the rights to an exciting project he believed would make a fantastic film: Pierre Boulle's novel "La Planète des singes." He took his idea, initially dubbed "Monkey Planet," and pitched it to nearly every studio in Hollywood. Unfortunately, the response was lukewarm; many studio executives doubted that a story about talking apes would resonate with audiences. However, Schaffner's luck turned when he presented his concept to Arthur P. Jacobs and Charlton Heston, both of whom jumped on board to produce and star in the film. With Heston’s star power and Jacobs' production support, Schaffner finally had the credibility to approach 20th Century Fox.
Written By Ken HulseyThe Avengers stands as a fascinating enigma in the realm of fantasy and science fiction television, a true testament to its evolution and lasting impact. Initially launched as a straightforward detective series, it featured the compelling duo of Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) and the charmingly quirky secret service agent John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Their mission? To seek justice for Keel’s sister, which cleverly frames the show's title—The Avengers. However, as time went on, this seemingly simple premise morphed into a dazzling spectacle inspired by the thrilling world of James Bond, complete with alternate realities, diabolical villains, and a rich tapestry of intrigue.
Cover pencils are by the legendary Jack Kirby, with inks by the talented Chic Stone. This thrilling adventure titled "Behold! A Distant Star!" is crafted by the brilliant scriptwriter Stan Lee, featuring iconic pencils by Kirby and inked with precision by Stone.
In an explosive mishap while testing his new power-ray, Reed inadvertently ignites Johnny, causing him to go up in flames and destroy his tuxedo in the process! Later, when Reed meets Sue, tensions rise as she expresses her anger over the fact that her father's killers remain at large. Determined to bring justice, Reed commissions a groundbreaking spacecraft from NASA, designed for an audacious journey through sub-space to the Skrull homeworld.
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour was a beloved Saturday morning cartoon staple that entertained generations of kids from 1960 until 2000. Hosted by the wisecracking Bugs Bunny himself, the show featured a delightful collection of classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated shorts from the Warner Bros. vault. While the earliest black and white cartoons couldn't be included due to copyright issues, there was still a treasure trove of hilarious, colorful adventures with iconic characters like Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, Pepé Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, the Tasmanian Devil, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. These legendary cartoons were bridged together with fun new animated linking sequences to create an hour-long block of nonstop laughter and entertainment. The Bugs Bunny / Road Runner Hour underwent many timeslot and title changes over its impressive 40 year run, hopping from prime time to Saturday mornings and from network to network, including stints on ABC, CBS, and in syndication. No matter what channel or time it aired, it remained appointment viewing for kids eager to spend their Saturday mornings giggling along with Bugs and all his loony pals. The Bugs Bunny / Road Runner Hour finally ended its epic run in 2000, when the classic Looney Tunes library moved to its new TV home on Cartoon Network. But for the millions who grew up watching, this timeless cartoon cavalcade will always have a special place in our hearts and memories.
"The Jetsons," an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, before moving to syndication. New episodes were later produced from 1985 to 1987 as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera block. The show served as Hanna-Barbera's Space Age counterpart to "The Flintstones." While the Flintstones lived in a comical version of the Stone Age with machines powered by birds and dinosaurs, the Jetsons inhabited a whimsical future filled with elaborate robotic contraptions, aliens, holograms, and fantastic inventions.
Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet may be the most interesting science fiction film produced in the 1960s’. Although the film in itself is very well done and features some excellent special effects shots, it’s the films origin and two different Americanized versions that may be of most interest to fans of this genre. You see the film was not an American product, but a film made in the former Soviet Union. Although scenes that starred Basil Rathbone and Faith Domergue filmed by Roger Corman were inserted into the film for American viewers the film is still basically “Planeta Bur” (Planet of Storms – 1962) in most respects. In this version almost all Soviet references were removed from both the film and its credits, although it was hard not to notice the Russian insignias on all the spacecraft. American International must have been very nervous about releasing a Soviet sci-fi film during the middle of the “Cold War.”
The weirdest version of the film was “Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women” which was directed by Peter Bogdanovich and featured pterosaur worshiping sirens that spend endless hours lounging around on the beach in see-through togas. Not even the casting of Mamie Van Doren as Moana the leader of this blonde coven of Venusians can save these poorly intercut scenes from dragging down what is essentially “Planeta Bur” with the Corman footage removed. It can only stand to reason that Bogdanovich just needed an excuse to film attractive women on a beach. It would seem unfathomable to believe that he thought this new footage could add anything to the original material. These new scenes only make a very good sci-fi film hard to follow and effectively ruin the films pacing. Trust me even good “eye-candy” couldn’t help this one from heading straight to B-movie hell.
But I have gotten off point.
On the other hand “Voyage to a Prehistoric Planet” is a surprisingly good sci-fi film. Even with the extra American footage added it still retains the maturity and charm of the original Russian production. The acting of Basil Rathbone and Faith Domergue is fairly “wooden” but those scenes are early in the film and are only used to establish an Americanized story line. In other words they are brief enough to be ignored. Also surprising are the quality of the films special effects. The miniature space ships and creative props are very convincing. In fact the movies human sized robot and hover-car really steal the show. It can only be fair to say that the effects are mostly on par with the quality of work seen on many American films from the same time period. Possibly better?
The story is very well thought out and well executed. A group of explores and scientists set out to land on Venus. A mysterious accident causes the two groups to land on two separate sides of the planet. While trying to link back up with each other they discover that Venus was once inhabited by a human-like race that destroyed itself in some form of nuclear holocaust. The planet has begun a new genesis that has reached a stage that resembles the prehistoric past of Earth complete with dinosaurs and lizard-men. All the while the adventurers are plagued by constant wails from the souls of the now extinct Venusians. Possibly trying to warn their human visitors not to follow down the same path of destruction they did. An anti-nuclear message in a Russian film in the middle of the “Cold War?” It would seem so. It would be interesting to note that fears of nuclear war were a reality on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Food for thought.
Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965)
AKA: Planeta Bur (1962), Planet of the Storms (1962), Planet of Storms (1962), The Storm Planet (1962), Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968), Voyage to a Prehistoric Planet (1965)
American International
Directed By: Curtis Harrington and Pavel Klushantsev
Written By: Curtis Harrington
Executive Producer: Roger Corman
Cast:
Basil Rathbone as Prof. Hartman
Faith Domergue as Dr. Marsha Evans
Marc Shannon as Uncredited Cast
Christopher Brand as Uncredited Cast
John Bix as John the Robot
Lewis Keane as Uncredited Cast
Gennadi Vernov as Andre Ferneau
Georgi Zhzhyonov as Hans Walters
Yuri Sarantsev as Allen Sherman
Georgi Tejkh as Dr. Kern
Vladimir Yemelyanov as Cmdr. Brendan Lockhart
Runtime: 74 Minutes
Color: Color
Sound: Mono
Released: August 1, 1965 (USA)
Frankenstein, Jr. and The Impossibles is an American Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1966. It premiered September 10, 1966, on CBS, and ran for two seasons.
Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles is an animated television show, produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS in 1966. Each half-hour consisted of one Frankenstein Jr. story and two with the Impossibles. It ran for two seasons before complaints about violence in children's television led to the series' cancellation.
Frankenstein Jr.
Frankenstein Jr. is a giant flying humanoid robot. He and his young master, Buzz Conroy, battle monsters and confront mad scientists. Buzz and Frankenstein Jr. later made a cameo appearance in an episode of Yogi's Space Race.
The Impossibles
The Impossibles are a trio of rock 'n' roll guitarists who are secretly superheroes. Coil Man has springs for arms and legs, Fluid Man can change his body into water, and Multi Man can duplicate himself as many times as needed. Their powers were later given to three of the Super Globetrotters.
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And now a great outside review from Horror Buzz
And so the Impossibles, ordinary singing group, become the Impossibles crime fighters in the war against crime…
There is a joy and beauty in the timelessness of cartoons to a child. By the time I was growing up in the 70’s, I had no idea that so many of the programs I loved and treasured had actually come and gone before I was even born. One such cartoon treasure is Hanna Barbera’s Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles. The beauty of these Saturday morning cartoons is that they made the transition to afternoon cartoon series seamlessly. And these were beautiful cartoons that walked the line between horror, hero, and humor so very well.
Frankenstein Jr. was the story of a father and son scientist team who create a super crime fighting robot. The boy Buzz Conroy (Dick Beals) would control and “energize” the powerful robot (Frankie, played by Ted Cassidy) with the use of his energizer ring, while his father Professor Conroy (John Stephenson) would monitor their “demon detector” and remotely figure out how to fight and defeat the demon du jour. Yes folks there were monsters on Saturday morning all the time for our action hero’s to fight. No wonder I love them so much today.
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