Even more films and TV series I half recall, can't recall or have never seen but should have done. Ring any bells readers?
1. Firefox. I had this as a hardback book with a jet plane on the cover. Was it a TV series too?
2. Banshee Chapter. Never seen this modern horror but some folk rave about it. Do you? I get it mixed up with Blue Thunder and Airwolf.
3. Star Crash. I think its a Star wars rip-off. Any good?
4. Warlords from Atlantis. Never seen this either. Versatile Doug McClure maybe in it.
5. Humanoids of the Deep. I have this on VHS but never watched it.
6. Chimera. I really enjoyed this sci-fi TV series back in the day but I've never seen it since. You?
7. King Arthur and the Knights of the Square Table. This cartoon was brilliant but I've not seen it in donkeys' years. You?
8. Double Deckers. I loved this as a kid but can't recall a thing about it except for a cute kid and a London bus.
9. The Impossibles and Frankenstein Jr. I had annuals for these two cartoons as a kid but did I see them on the telly? Can't remember when they were on.
10. The Belly or Mark of the Beast. A film I've heard of byt never seen. About a beast on the Lancashire moors during the Thatcher years. Know it?
Firefox was a 1982 movie starring Clint Eastward. He has to go into the USSR to steal the Firefox, a super-jet that can out perform anything the West has. Based on a book from 1977, which I have not read. I do not recall it being a TV series. Here is the movie trailer, from You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5W4MiBuEnY
ReplyDeleteYes, I had the book. A hardback with a blue cover and the firefox illustrated on the top. I used to buy books I thought were TV or film related for my old vintage toy stall in the 90's and 00's. I liked to have a variety of stuff. Didn't know the Clint Eastwood connection Paul or the USSR bit. Thanks for that.
Delete7. King Arthur and the Square Knights of the round table was a cartoon i watched as a kid in England. When I emigrated to Australia in the early 70s, I saw original cels for sale at a trash and treasure market. It was an Australian production, who'd have thought?
ReplyDeletehttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur!_and_the_Square_Knights_of_the_Round_Table
BTW, Arthur was voiced by John Mellion, a stock Aussie actor, seen in 633 Squadron, Walkabout and many other films. I worked with him once on Crocodile Dundee 2.
DeleteAnd John Mellion was, of course, the voice over on the TV commercials for Victoria Bitter beer commercials here in Australia. His voice over was so iconic the adverts continued to use his voice for many years after he died.
DeleteCheers, Tony P
I loved this show as a kid. I may even have some King Arthur VHS tapes. They were being sold in discount stores here in the UK in the 90's. My favourite character I think was the Morticia type. Morgana? I didn't know it was from Oz. Great cartoon! What did you do on Crocodile Dundee 2 Looey?
DeleteI was part of a very small special props team that made anything and everything from fake termite mounds to fruit bats!
DeleteFirefox suffers from dated effects, and a plot that's a lot like the Joe 90 pilot episode.
ReplyDeleteStar Crash is a cult classic. It's a 'so bad it's good' film that I saw at the cinema at time. The space models in it use Airfix Eagle parts and even the spray cans that painted them. The Hoff is the star, but Caroline Munro as Stella Star really shines.
I've got Warlords if Atlantis on DVD, although it's on one of the film channels all the time at the moment. I chatted to Shane Rimmer about the film, at the last Fanderson con he attended.
I remember watching King Arthur... and the Impossibles when I was a kid, but haven't bothered watching them since then.
I've got Here come the Double Deckers on DVD,and occasionally watch the odd episode, especially the Invaders from Outer Space episode. The series is a lot like The Magnificent 61/2 cinema series.
Interesting Scoop. I see Shane Rimmer in the occasional film myself. His voice is instantly recognisable for obvious reasons to our generation! I managed to pick up a nice Impossibles Annual at a car boot in the 90's to replace the one I had as a kid. I still knew all the stories in it. Just don't recall the show on the telly. I certainly didn't have any Impossibles toys, but I bet some toys and games and colouring books exist. Don't know the Magnificent 61/2 series I'm afraid.
DeleteSo, 'The Double Deckers' spawned three future stars.
ReplyDelete1. Peter Firth.
Starred in 'The Flip Side Of Dominic Hyde', a sci fi from the early 80s, the well known movies 'Lifeforce' and 'The Hunt For Red October' and most famously in the TV series 'Spooks'.
2. Melvyn Hayes.
He had previously been in Cliff Richard's movie 'Summer Holidays', and went on to star as the 'camp' character Gloria in the popular BBC comedy 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum'.
3. Brinsley Ford.
The talented black British child actor (a real ground breaker, at that time) went on to be a member of the internationally successful reggae music band Aswad.
Just looked up some images of the DD's Mish and the memories came flooding back. the whole cast was instantly recognisable to me especially the little kid girl, who was clearly the youngest. Even the theme tune has entered my head for the first time in years. A great show. Were there cartoons within the show? Looking at images I realise I saw Melvyn Hayes at a Memorabilia event at the NEC about 20 years ago. He was signing stuff. Brinsley et al are in this shot I found of a few DD's staring at toys in a toy shop window. What's that toy on the upper left [ours]? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0599905/mediaviewer/rm1354315776/
DeleteWell theres definitely a Dinky SPV lurking there. Hopefully Scarlet's about to zap them annoying kids.
DeleteI've got King Arthur and his Square Knights on DVD. When I was a kid I used to draw the character! Indeed at my Grans house one year we redecorated, stripping all the wallpaper off the wall. And with permission I drew a life size illustration in pencil on the plaster wall in the living room before it was repapered. I remember my mother joking that like cave paintings it might be rediscovered in the far future with archeologists speculating if this character was essentially some sort of deity!
ReplyDeleteAlso got the Double Deckers on DVD, great series, must watch it again. Also went to see Warlords of Atlantis in the local Cinema.
And the Double Deckers connnection in Life Force wasnt lost on me along with Reg Hills wonderful special effects.
A lovely memory that Bill. We all seem to have liked the Square Knights cartoon! I wonder if we like everything from back then or was there kids programmes that weren't that good? Life Force was just ace and it reminds me completely of an older story in Creepy/ Eerie comics about space vampires. Great effects I agree.
DeleteChimaera was based on a book and was about creating a human/ape hybrid. Dont think I ever saw it. How about the Nightmare Man about a soviet spyplane pilot cybernetically wired in to a miniature sub/plane. Crashes somewhere up norf and goes bezerk due to his injuries and temporary separation from the Vodunoy craft, recovered by the army. Or hows about Lancelot Link, Superchimp ? A live action show with money actors, not unlike PG Tips ads of the early seventies, on tv immediately after Captain Scarlet on Friday nights?
ReplyDeleteChimera was a great series but I haven't found a decent re-run of it either on TV or online. Genetic engineering was one of the 80's fears, like nuclear war. Nightmare Man sounds amazing!
DeleteMonkey actors sorry
ReplyDeleteArthue and his Square knights of the round table, was ace, loved the theme tune - hes a ring a ding a ling of a king!
ReplyDeleteDon't recall the theme tune. Wasn't there lots of puffs of smoke?
DeleteDidn't Star Crash have Caroline Munro in it? One of a number of low budget films that felt that having a pretty woman fronting it would be enough to sell the idea. Galaxina with the italian supermodel in was anothe. Probably inspired by Corman's wonderfully kitch Barbarella
ReplyDeleteBarbarella was simply wunderbra. Never heard of Galaxina Wote.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3LRLeuEWEM
DeleteArthue and his Square knights of the round table, was ace, loved the theme tune - hes a ring a ding a ling of a king!
ReplyDeleteGet On Board With The Double Deckers..... Oh please noooooo, I didn't like it. Looking it up I couldnt believe its 50 years old (first aired uk bbc1 4.55 pm fri jan 1 1971 , taking over the timeslot from Basil Brush). It seemed far too infantile to an ancient 7 and 3/4 year old me, but I was stuck watching it as my sisters and brother liked it. The only character I liked was Tiger (with her toy Tiger). Best place for it is to be buried in a very deep hole, and all memories of it erased...
ReplyDeleteTiger, of course, the cheeky little girl. I recall her the most. Basil Brush was always fun although his larf could be irksome after a while. Was there a Basil Brush Dinky car? I can tell you didn't like the Double Deckers Timmy! Harsh indeed!
Deletetotally with you on that one Timmy - DD was apallingly cheesy and sickly - the only redeeming features were the cut in cartoons and Banana Splits segments. Dancing, gurning kids were enough to make me bring up my sugar smacks!
DeleteThink Corgi made a Basil Brush car, there was a phase when any and all cartoon charactes got shoehorned into an existing mould! bloody awful.
DeleteI liked those character die-casts. Think I had quite a few.
DeleteSlight correction, it was Lancelot Link Secret Chimp. He was a sort of James Bond/Get Smart character, a chimpanzee secret agent. Everyone was a chimp. This series aired in New Zealand long before the PG Tips tea commercials did, it was a great show.
ReplyDeleteNo recollection of this at all. I must have slept!
DeleteSecret Chimp! of course!
DeletePaul - did you get this classic stinker in New Zealand ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8BPEeEVzKg
ReplyDeleteI personally have never heard of the Pheonix Five Wote.
DeleteI think the film you mentioned last was The Haverston Beast - kid hears tales of big cat on the Moors and sets off with his air rifle to bag it (set to a backdrop of 80s Northern industrial decline and strikes).
ReplyDeleteI remember Frankenstein Jr as a comic but not a cartoon.
Saw Warlords of Atlantis at St Albans Odeon in 1978 I think ? TPTV regularly show it now.
Didn't think much of Firefox but I remember playing the arcade game.
Less said of Double Deckers the better...
Fenton
That's bang on Fenton, thanks. Haverston took me to The Nature of the Beast. That's it! https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0272747/?ref_=ttrel_rel_tt I bet its not been on telly often, if ever! Filmed in Accrington, Lancs, not too far from where I grew up in Preston.
DeleteI watched it on C4 in the 80s and think I may still have it on VHS (probably with the advert breaks lol)
DeleteFenton
Double Deckers was undoubtedly cheesy, but the production values were high end (all shot on 35mm colour film stock, just like movies). It was a great, fun, feelgood American style kids series, not unlike 'The Monkees' or 'H R Puffnstuff', with all the positivity I felt of being a kid in the late 60s. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteIf you compare the show to the truly dreadful 'Why Dont You ...', there's no competition. The latter, all shot on Video Tape, was a lame attempt to cheaply get kids to front a naff version of Blue Peter.
I loved The Monkees too Mish. Hopeful, breezy, young. Like I used to be! I saw them live about 20 years ago! There's some HR PuffnStuff toys on the blog somewhere, even a Century 21 Toys train! The Monkees were a C21 licence as well, for Annuals and the like. With City Magazines.
DeleteThe funny thing about Why Don’t You, was when that crap came on I did exactly as they suggested - turned off the tv and did something less boring instead!
ReplyDeleteAren't we too old for Why Don't You? When was it on?
DeleteMe too, although I probably just turned over to 'Magpie' on ITV most of the time.
ReplyDeleteAh, Magpie. Now youre talkin Mish!
DeleteHappy birthday, belatedly, Bill, by the way.
ReplyDeletePhoenix Five, just had a look at the clip - this one never screened in New Zealand, I would certainly remember it if it had. Looks like a low budget Star Trek ? Must watch it in full.
ReplyDeleteYes, Corgi did do a Basil Brush car. It was based on their Corgi Classic model of the 1910 Renault 12/16. Available 1971-73. Not a model I have. Like Woodsy, I love these character cars, with their large plastic figures of the main character. I always loved Basil Brush, he was Terry Thomas with a tail.
Oops, sorry, hit the wrong button again. The Unknown reply above regarding Phoenix Five and Basil Brush is mine.
ReplyDeleteWow,Woodsy, I've never seen the comments lit up like this before.Do watch Humanoids from the Deep.Its a fave late Summer watch of mine,a bit gory and a little bit sleazy.Pizza and beer optional but highly recommended.Warlords of Atlantis is also a campy good time,from that run of Doug McClure films of the 70s including The Land/People that Time Forgot and At the Earths Core.Frankenstein Junior was paired up with Space Ghost here in the States.Seemed a little mismatched,being a little bit comical compared to Space Ghost's more somber tone.
ReplyDeleteThat pizza beer summer home cinema gig sounds so damn good at this moment in time Brian! Its freezing outside and snow is gathering in the skies. I shall raid my VHS pile in the loft and grab those Humaniods in the summer!
DeleteHow come Phoenix Five never screened in New Zealand ?
ReplyDeleteIt was made only a stones throw away in Aus !?
Warlords of Atlantis is on at 6am one day this week on Talking Pictures TV!
ReplyDeleteToo early for toads! If you like The Land That Time Forgot, its definitely worth watching. Certainly much better than At The Earth's Core or The People That Time Forgot. If you've never seen Sole Survivor (1970), plonk that on your list too.
DeleteWasn't there a nod to Warlords of Atlantis in Sky Captain?- MJ
ReplyDeleteI've been watching the ending! They saved the cat!
Delete