We've talked about Gilbert toys a few times this summer, largely to do with Honey West and their other agents.
Well here's another Sixties TV character that Gilbert got a licence for, My Favourite Martion.
I have yo admit it's not a show I recall here in the UK but it spawned a few neat toys and games.
I'm a fan of big boxed sets and here's The Martian Magic Tricks set I saw on Worthpoint.
Its choc-ful of tricks like the Rebellious Rocket, the Space Visitor and the Penetrating Meteorite! I can't imagine what any of those are but it sounds like fun!
This set must be hard to find complete. All those trick parts will have got seperated and lost under the fridge the day after Christmas!
Anyone got this set or anything connected to My Favourite Martian?
I've never seen this one before, Woodsy. There wasn't a lot of merchandise for this show. It was a good show I watched as a kid, and sort of launched Bill Bixby's career. As with a lot of shows Hollywood remade it in 2003, with Jeff Daniels and Christopher Lloyd. Still like the original series!
ReplyDeleteJim
Henderson Nevada
Never knew they remade it Jim! I love this sort of toy and dream of finding mint boxed examples at flea markets: big, full of bits and great cover art. Its not a show I recall seeing though. In my VHS collection I have a cartoon called My Favourite Martian and it looks completely different!
DeleteThe cartoon series of 16 episodes was done in the early seventies and Uncle Martin was voiced by Jonathan Harris of Lost in Space fame.
DeleteMy Favourite Martian (1963-66) was a half-hour comedy series. In it, a Martian crashes his ship on Earth, and spends the rest of the series trying to repair it, so he can go home. He is helped by a young newspaper reporter played by Bill Bixby, who would later appear in The Incredible Hulk. Under the cover name Uncle Martin, he stays with reporter Tim O'Hara. Uncle Martin (Ray Walston) can do amazing things, and has two retractable antenna on top of his head - these are shown on the box top. Early episodes were in black and white, later moving to colour. The series is available on DVD. I am not sure if the series screened in NZ in the 1960s or not, but it was certainly on later.
ReplyDeleteRay Walston appeared in the film version from 1999, as a Martian who had been stranded on Earth for decades, meaning he was playing his original TV character. The main Martian in the film being a newer arrival.
Good TV series.
Thanks for that summary Paul. Bill Bixby was great in the Incredible Hulk and along with the Six Million Dollar Man it was essential telly watching when I was a young teenager. Oddly enough I saw Lou Ferrigno in something on TV this year. He's someone's next door neighbour. Hmmm.
DeleteThis show was transmitted in the UK, as I watched it myself, but maybe not all the seasons.
ReplyDeleteDon't remember any toys, but think it featured as a comic strip in TV Comic or TV21.
MISH.
I watched the series on TV as a youngster. It was featured in TV21. It ran from issue 1 until issue 104. Uncle Martin is on the front cover of the first TV21 annual.
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