Science Fiction talk for Satudays
The mid Sixties had a plethora of independent and international sci-fi films. Just watch your typical episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 for evidence. One such cheesefest was 1964’s Attack From Space. Ardent Japanese sci-fi fans know that the film is actually a re-editing of two episodes of a sci-fi TV series called Super Giant, but here it is presented in how Americans saw it in B-Movie drive-ins.
What do you get when you cross Star Wars with one of its biggest inspirations, then mix in John-Boy and Banacek?
This week’s Sci-Fi Saturday looks at the Roger Corman classic (?) Battle Beyond The Stars. Released in the fall of 1980, just in time for Oscar Season, to a lukewarm reception both critically and monetarily. It tells the story of Shad (played by Richard Thomas of The Waltons fame) a young farmer who seeks the help of seven mercenaries to protect his home from an evil force bent on its oppressive plundering.
If you know your film history, you may be thinking this sounds suspiciously like The Seven Samurai. You would be right! But fear not, this is not a mere ripoff, but an adaption because Akira Kurosawa is actually given story credit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XkqXxzqY9s
When Star Wars quite literally changed the art of filmmaking, many ripoffs and wannabes were made in the following years. Producer Roger Corman, whose prolific works were usually made on miniscule budgets, decided to cash in on the craze. It was no secret that George Lucas was inspired by Akira Kurosawa. Screenwriter John Sayles looked to the Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai, which itself had been made into a western The Magnificent Seven two decades earlier. A young aspiring props and model maker names James Cameron was hired to help make the sets and ships. Another up and coming name was composer James Horner. You may have heard his music in several Star Trek films, and most James Cameron productions.
Allegedly, much of the film’s $2 million dollar budget went to the salaries of co-stars George Peppard and Robert Vaughn. Most of the other cast were TV or character actors, including a young pre-Newhart Julia Duffy and sex symbol Sybil Danning.
If you know Roger Corman, you know what to expect. If you don’t know, let’s just say you’ve probably seen some of his work on Mystery Science Theater 3000. In fact, this movie is probably ripe for a Rifftrax treatment. However, if you’re a fan of enjoyable, if a bit silly, B movies this one is worth picking up. Corman’s trademark use of young talent on the rise behind the scenes is probably why he was able to make so many profitable films on microscopic budgets.
In a trivial note, Peppard and Vaughn would later co-star together in the final season of The A-Team.
Battle Beyond The Stars is currently available Amazon in both DVD and streaming video. It holds a 5.4 rating at IMDB.
HEY KIDS! It’s Saturday! Time for another edition of Sci-Fi Saturday. Each week we will take a look at a certain possibly lesser-known piece of Sci-Fi lore. It could be a movie, TV show, book, video game, or even a specific character. The goal, as usual, is to educate and hopefully entertain.
This week, 1983’s ABC TV show Automan
In 1982, Disney released the groundbreaking film Tron. As with many innovations in entertainment, it inspired many similarities or “knock offs”. One such inspiration was the TV show Automan, which ran for only a half season on ABC. Premiering in December of 1983, it was in simple terms an inverse of Tron. Instead of a human entering the computer world like Jeff Bridges did, it was a computer creation existing in the real world.
Automan told the story of Walter Nebicher, who inexplicably was both a computer programmer and police officer. His best creation was Automan, a humanoid shaped hologram that could exist in the real world. Automan’s best tool was Cursor, which could create holographic objects such as vehicles and equipment. Kind of like a Green Lantern. Only Blue. And without a ring…
In most cases, Automan and Walter would use a Cursor created car that resembled a Lamborghini Countach with neon lights. It would travel at ridiculous speeds with precision handling. Somehow the physics and G-Forces were nonexistent when inside the car, because anybody riding in the car seemed unaffected by high speed turns.
Cursor could also create flying vehicles such as helicopters and planes. Really, Cursor was the MacGuffin that could just make whatever was needed for a cool scene.
When in danger, Automan could “combine” with Walter, essentially making himself into a forcefield forWalter’s protection. Automan and Walter would share conscience during this time, though it was unclear if this was any limit to how long this could be done.
Like most 80s action shows, episodes dwelled around crime fighting, solving murder plots, or exposing corruption. The villains were usually mere mortals, so it was difficult to truly believe the heroes were in peril when they had a device that could create anything. But hey, it was the 80s. Computers were a relatively new and exciting world that the average kid didn’t really understand yet. If you were able to suspend disbelief for the sake of sci-fi silliness, Automan was an enjoyable romp.
The entire series of Automan is available on DVD.
When Star Wars hit the scene in 1977, it revolutionized the entertainment industry. Suddenly, everybody was enthralled with space opera and the sweeping stories that can be told in outer space. Not only did it inspire several other series and TV shows, it also inspired creators to look to the past and remake sci-fi classics.
One such remake is the 1979 TV series Flash Gordon. Ardent sci-fi fans may know that George Lucas sought to remake Flash Gordon as a film, but failed to get rights. So he made something called Star Wars, which did OK…
Continue reading SCI-FI SATURDAY: Flash Gordon – The Greatest Adventure Of All (1979)
