Sunday, March 8, 2020

Episode 46: Those Creepy TV Movies!


via GIPHY

How many of you remember the movie of the week? Back before streaming or even cable, the network channels had their own special made for TV movies. During the 70s, it seemed like an awful lot of these were horror or monster focused. They varied in quality, but there were a number of really exciting and memorable ones, and that's what we're talking about in this episode! 

We have already covered two of the most famous - The Night Stalker and the Night Strangler, featuring our beloved Carl Kolchak - in episode 22 (check it out here, Night Stalker fans). But we'll look at some awesome...and maybe not so awesome!....made for TV productions.


Chief Engineer Bob uncovers a hidden Rankin-Bass and Tsubarya Japanese film connection, with a trio of films, The Last Dinosaur, The Bermuda Depths, and The Ivory Ape. Yep, we said Rankin-Bass, the company that gave you Rudolph! It's a fascinating story!


Then Karen tells us about Gene Roddenberry's post-Star Trek shift to a dystopian future, first with a movie called Genesis II, then a redo of this film called Planet Earth, and finally yet another version called Strange New World! Certainly not his best work, but interesting to behold.


But on the plus side, we have all time favorites, like Gargoyles, a 1972 film that caused some of us to have nightmares. This film is best remembered for the fantastic make-up on the gargoyles, which was some of the great Stan Winston's earliest work. It certainly scared your Planet 8 hosts as youngsters!


We all were absolutely petrified by the two-part presentation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot, with David Soul. It scared us to death as kids and really holds up today. And it even has a Star Trek connection!


But our piece de resistance, the film that really gets to everyone who has ever seen it, is Trilogy of Terror (1975), but really we're just talking about one segment, "Amelia," featuring Karen Black and a very frightening Zuni fetish doll. You may never look at your collectible figures the same way again.


 Speaking of collectible figures...Bob handles our Sensor Sweep for this episode. There are a couple of amazing robot toys available only at Walmart right now - walking, talking Iron Giant and Robby the Robot 12" figures for just $19.95! These are made by a company called Goldlok, and Bob's very impressed with the quality. But they are flying off the shelves! So hurry out and get yourself one. Bob also recommends the Funko Pops Speed Racer "Nightmare Speed" figure.


And before we go...we want to thank you listeners again for nominating Planet 8 for "Best Multimedia Site"  for the Rondo Awards. Also, Bob's other website, SciFi Japan, is nominated for "Best Website." We'd really appreciate it if you could vote for us before the March 29th deadline. You can find the ballot here. All you have to do is send an email to Taraco@aol.com.  We're so surprised and grateful to have been nominated. We hope that means we're doing something right!


And if you're in the San Francisco  Bay Area, Bay Area Film Events will be hosting an anime weekend -Animezing! -  at the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco on March 14th and 15th. For more information go to http://www.bayareafilmevents.com/animezing.

So let us know how we're doing, and be sure to tell us what your favorite made for TV movies were. You can leave a comment here, or hit us up at our other spots: 
And watch out for possessed action figures!

5 comments:

  1. Great show, and fun, fun topic.
    I remember watching The Last Dinosaur, but I don't remember many specifics about it - just the big drilling machine and the dino. Another one I recall that you didn't mention is Snowbeast, which involved a bloodthirsty Yeti terrorizing a ski resort in the Rockies. I remember it starred Bo Svenson, and it wasn't really that scary (I was all of 9 when I watched it, and I scared easily back then, but it didn't faze me at all).
    Thanks to YouTube, I've watched some of the others mentioned in your show that were a bit before my time, esp. the Roddenberry productions like Genesis II - I'd agree that they're not that great, and have some cringeworthy moments, but I get this rush of nostalgia when I watch them.

    Anyway, the main reason I'm leaving this comment is to share with Bob that I, too, was so completely freaked out by Trixie's nightmare in that episode of Speed Racer.
    -Edo Bosnar

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    1. Thanks for listening and commenting Edo! Glad you were able to watch some of the shows mentioned via YouTube. This was a fun episode to prep for and to record so I really am glad you enjoyed it. I’ll have to take a look at Snow Beast 👍🏽

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  2. I think I saw Snowbeast but I'm not sure if I saw it when it first came on or if it was a bit later. There were just so many of these tv movies. It's easy for me now to get them mixed up in my head!

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  3. Another cool episode folks!
    So many memories of these "Movies of the Week"
    I'm amazed that you did touch on "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" which was awesome! Probably the creepiest of these films, as a whole movie. Trilogy of Terror is only good, and creepy, because of the Karen Black Vignette. The other two stories are totally forgotten. I'm happy Larry mentioned "Where have all the People Gone", almost nobody remembers that one, and The Bermuda Depths, which I saw late one night while under the "in-flu-ence" of a flu bug. When I finally went back to school and told friends about it, and they all thought I made it up. It wasn't until many years later,that I re-told my story of being sick, and seeing this movie, that one lady said she saw this film, and she knew details of it that I didn't tell in my story. I finally found a person that saw this film too! I was so relieved that I wasn't the only one. Another movie of the week was Killdozer! Most people remember the comic adaptation. and retold memory hype than how boring, and stupid this movie was, and is more so now. There was also Colossus: The Forbin Project (Sentient Computer that knows Best), Duel, Stephen Spielberg's first movie, and "It Happened at Lake Wood Manor (Poisonous Ant Invasion of a resort). There was also a Killer Bee movie too, with a creepy old lady that controlled the bees. But of all those, I need to see "Where have all the People Gone" again.

    Thanks for the memories!
    Kevin

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    1. All good ones Kev! Perhaps we will revisit this subject again in the future??

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