THE SOLARNAUTS (1967) – It’s kind of a shame that this pilot for a science fiction series didn’t get picked up. The Solarnauts combined some of the best (and worst) elements of Star Trek and Doctor Who plus Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s countless “Supermarionation” programs like Thunderbirds, Supercar, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, etc.
This program featured a Star Fleet type organization of the future and its Continue reading
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Atom Squad
ATOM SQUAD – No relation to Atom 12 (rimshot). This fun and campy science fiction/ spy series hybrid ran 5 days a week from 1953 – 1954 and was one of the many 15 minute-long television shows of the era. Anyone who enjoyed my earlier Forgotten Television Treasure titled Captain Z-Ro will no doubt love Atom Squad.
Scientists Steve Elliot and Dave Fielding ( Robert Courtleigh and Bob Hastings) worked for the title organization and defended America from Commies, mad doctors and extraterrestrials. The Atom Squad specialized in cases involving radiation and atomic weapons so the
outdated science and social attitudes on display are a HUGE part of the fun in this relic from the”duck and cover” days.
Elliot and Fielding are Continue reading
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PSI Factor depicted a series of investigations into the paranormal conducted by the fictional Office of Scientific Investigation and Research, or OSIR. This Canadian-made series was often unfairly dismissed as “X-Files Light”, but that in no way does justice to a very entertaining program. The members of the OSIR’s various field teams went about their business in a much more convincing mock-scientific way than conspiracy kook Fox Mulder ever did, and that helped the audience suspend their disbelief.
Each episode featured Continue reading
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This French-produced (but English language) series about William Tell was the perfect antidote for fans of derring-do who were bored with the umpteen versions of the Robin Hood legend.
The series starred Will Lyman as the crossbow- wielding Tell and Jeremy Clyde (of Chad and Jeremy fame) as Gessler, the tyrant Tell opposed during the Swiss Uprising against the Austrians in the 14th Century. Each episode featured Continue reading
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COUNTERSTRIKE is a tragically forgotten British sci fi television series from 1969. Jon Finch (left) portrayed Simon King, an alien agent who worked for the Intergalactic Council. This council had sent him to Earth to protect it from a group of renegade aliens from a dying planet who wanted to conquer the Earth and make it their new home.
Not the most original of premises, but that inimitable British panache breathed life into the series, which Continue reading
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To paraphrase master satirist Stan Freberg’s ad line for Hogan’s Heroes let me just say “If you liked World War Two you’ll LOVE Heil Honey, I’m Home! The premise of this study in cosmic-level bad taste makes it sound like a comedy sketch lampooning the staggering callousness of television executives. Or maybe like a Springtime For Hitler– style moment from a satire on television’s desperation for getting ratings through calculated outrageousness.
Unfortunately this program was an honest-to-God attempt at launching a sitcom in the U.K. in 1990. Eight episodes were filmed but after the pilot aired for this failed attempt at dark comedy the ensuing outcry ensured the show’s immediate cancellation.
This one-shot wonder was a self-styled “Hitcom”, the producer’s technical term for “Hitler comedy” as opposed to “Sitcom” for Situation Comedy. Are you laughing yet? Heil Honey, I’m Home! depicted Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun as a typical apartment-dwelling couple in 1938 Berlin putting up with the standard sitcom trope of annoying neighbors … in the form of Jewish couple Arny and Rosa Goldenstein. Are you Continue reading
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With the flood of unimaginative new television programs, especially on various cable channels, I’m often surprised that some of the most entertaining shows in history don’t have their very own following of people who know waaaaay too much about them. As always here at Balladeer’s Blog I like to shine the spotlight on everything that is unjustly overlooked. Feel free to start holding conventions devoted to, and launching flame wars about, these six criminally neglected television programs.
Captain Z-Ro and Jet
6. CAPTAIN Z-RO – (1951-1960) Over a full decade before Great Britain’s ultimate cult show, Doctor Who, hit the airwaves this American show featured the titular Captain traveling in time and space with various sidekicks, including Jet, the young man pictured with Captain Z-Ro in the photo to the left.
In addition to adventures that saw the Captain dealing with a robot run amok in San Francisco and with a potentially fatal meteor collision, his “experiments in time and space” (the show’s oft-repeated tag line) found him helping out some of the exact same historical figures that Great Britain’s Time Lord from Gallifrey would go on to encounter, like Marco Polo, William the Conqueror and the Aztecs. As an added bonus Captain Z-Ro solved the mystery of the Great Pyramid itself!
This series is good, campy fun and a fringe benefit would be the laughs viewers can get from outdated social attitudes and special effects. The show’s pricelessly campy opening alone is worth the effort to track episodes down.
5. MASTERMIND (also known as Q.E.D.) (1981) – A young, bearded Sam Waterston starred in this incredibly charming series set in 1912 England. Waterston portrayed the title genius, American Ivy League scholar Dr Quentin E Deveril, whose initials were, of course, a cutesy play on the Latin expression “quod erat demonstrandum” (“what was to be demonstrated”), the famous Q.E.D. from academic exercises.
Deveril’s adventures could be best described as a cross between Indiana Jones and Continue reading
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“I wish I was dead, Jim!”
SUICIDE THEATRE, aka THE LITTLE THEATRE – When you spend your life happily wallowing in oddities like I do, you often get the mistaken impression that everybody must be as aware of the out of the way nuggets of joyous weirdness as you are.
I was assuming that the presence of future Star Trek star Deforest Kelley in the surviving footage of this incredible television rarity made Suicide Theatre as well-known as Mr Spock’s ears. Today I had a conversation with two very special ladies (and you know who you are – I’m kidding) who are usually pretty deeply immersed in the weirdass wonders of life but they had never heard of this show.
In a way it’s serendipity that a recognizable face like Kelley portrays the unfortunate man contemplating suicide in this playlet followed by psychological commentary on depression and suicide PLUS critical evaluation of the performers in the playlet.
If it was an unknown figure starring as the down-on-his- luck character in this one and only example of Suicide Theatre plenty of people (myself included) would probably be convinced the surviving footage must be a hoax with modern-day people dressed up in 1950s clothing and surrounded by 1950s-era furniture.
I first Continue reading
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Nelson … Barry Nelson
I would have imagined this television oddity from the old Climax anthology series was pretty well known to James Bond fans. However, during recent conversations with some hardcore 007 buffs I was told they never heard of it, so if such Bond devotees were unfamiliar with it, I’m assuming there are plenty of others.
Obviously this one-shot television special for the one hour long Climax program (yes, I just typed the words “one hour long climax”) came out long before the successfull James Bond film series. American Barry Nelson was therefore the first actor to play 007 on the small or big screen. Since this was adapted for an American television show, Bond (then a virtual unknown quantity) was Americanized as “Jimmy” Bond and Bond’s American contact became a British contact, Clarence (not Felix) Leiter. In addition our American Bond is said to work for the “Combined Intelligence” Agency instead of the Central Intelligence Agency.
The legendary Peter Lorre starred as the villain, Le Chiffre, who, at Casino Royale, loses a high-stakes game of baccarat to 007, putting him in a bind since he (Le Chiffre) has been gambling away enormous amounts of cash from his Soviet spymasters. Desperate to recover the funds he lost to “Jimmy”, Le Chiffre and his goons Continue reading
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Freddy’s Nightmares
FREDDY’S NIGHTMARES (1988 – 1990) – With Halloween just one week away what better time to examine this series! I’ve always been a Freddy Krueger over Jason Voorhees kind of guy. I found Voorhees a dull imitation of Michael Myers from the Halloween movies, plus it isn’t even Voorhees doing the killing in at least two of the Friday the Thirteenth films. Throw in a mention that the boring as hell slice and dice man didn’t even don his iconic hockey mask until the third movie. Now add the fact that no matter how bad some of the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels were NONE of them were as lame as so many of the FT13 flicks.
I always thought the Continue reading
Filed under Forgotten Television, Halloween Season
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