Good morning, gentle readers, and welcome to 'On This Day In Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror History' for Tuesday, April 9, 2024!
How's your Tuesday shaping up, eh?
Well, mine is good, thank you very much for asking. Got a decent night's sleep. Hit the club this morning for a little workout. Now, I'm puttering here around the house, posted a review from my screening time yesterday, and just starting to do my own glance into what makes this day tick in genre history. I'm seeing some very, very, very interesting highlights, and I'll be giving a few of them some extra time in the limelight below.
You good and ready?
Then, let's blast-off, shall we?
How's your Tuesday shaping up, eh?
Well, mine is good, thank you very much for asking. Got a decent night's sleep. Hit the club this morning for a little workout. Now, I'm puttering here around the house, posted a review from my screening time yesterday, and just starting to do my own glance into what makes this day tick in genre history. I'm seeing some very, very, very interesting highlights, and I'll be giving a few of them some extra time in the limelight below.
You good and ready?
Then, let's blast-off, shall we?
Why, it's a shame that a little 'something-something' like Science Fiction Theatre -- which premiered on this day all the way back in 1955 -- is pretty much one of those forgotten shows of yesteryear so far as today's audiences are concerned. From what I've read about it, SFT pretty much paved the way for all of the great anthology series that would follow in its wake -- like Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, or even Alfred Hitchcock's foray into television -- but this one just kinda/sorta never gets any love. Weird.
Frankly, I've only seen an episode or two of it -- I believe it's up on YouTube.com or, at least, I'm pretty certain it was -- and it's fairly solid. Granted, it clearly didn't have any big budget -- not even for its day -- and the writing left a bit to the imagination here and there; but it's still the kind of thing that Science Fiction and Fantasy fans gravitate toward. Who knows? Maybe I'll make my own commitment to watching and reviewing a few of its episodes in the months ahead just to give it some time to shine for readers of this space. It certainly couldn't hurt, and I'm always willing to invest my time in older stuff as opposed to some of the newer schlock coming my way.
I've scanned some of the episode summaries as well as the list of guest stars, directors, etc.; and -- as I've said -- I'm at a loss to understand why this one still escapes so many. Of course, it likely has to do with being old and trafficking in some relatively outdated ideas, but stranger things have attracted folks for less. Lasting a few seasons should account for more 'round here, and I'll still encourage folks to seek out and explore it at their leisure.
Frankly, I've only seen an episode or two of it -- I believe it's up on YouTube.com or, at least, I'm pretty certain it was -- and it's fairly solid. Granted, it clearly didn't have any big budget -- not even for its day -- and the writing left a bit to the imagination here and there; but it's still the kind of thing that Science Fiction and Fantasy fans gravitate toward. Who knows? Maybe I'll make my own commitment to watching and reviewing a few of its episodes in the months ahead just to give it some time to shine for readers of this space. It certainly couldn't hurt, and I'm always willing to invest my time in older stuff as opposed to some of the newer schlock coming my way.
I've scanned some of the episode summaries as well as the list of guest stars, directors, etc.; and -- as I've said -- I'm at a loss to understand why this one still escapes so many. Of course, it likely has to do with being old and trafficking in some relatively outdated ideas, but stranger things have attracted folks for less. Lasting a few seasons should account for more 'round here, and I'll still encourage folks to seek out and explore it at their leisure.
Now ... don't take this the wrong way, readers, but the Saturday morning television landscape was a lot different when I was an urchin than it is today. And I do mean ... A LOT DIFFERENT.
In the Realms of the Fantastic -- for example -- me and those I grew up with had an assortment of shows -- animated and live action -- that sprang from the imaginations of Sid and Marty Krofft, imagineers of a (cough cough) very unique sort. Though I've never established this as perfectly true, I have read that the two got their professional start as puppeteers (not hard to imagine); and then their approach to storytelling dramatically evolved to the point wherein the embraced all kinds of oddball characters ... and it's damned hard to forget some of these bigger-than-life critters who brought some of the more bizarre stories to life in the bygone era.
In fairness, these shows aren't exactly revered these days. Though they aesthetically might have a lot in common with some of what serves as children's programming today, I'd still argue that they were still a bit ... erm ... macabre? Oh, don't get me wrong: the hearts of these characters were always in the right place, but that doesn't excuse how freakish a few of them looked on any number of shows. Names like H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmund And The Sea Monsters, and Land Of The Lost were still legendary on my school playground; and I'm forever thankful I found them on the TV dial when I did.
Though he's no longer with us, Marty Krofft was born on this day in 1937.
In the Realms of the Fantastic -- for example -- me and those I grew up with had an assortment of shows -- animated and live action -- that sprang from the imaginations of Sid and Marty Krofft, imagineers of a (cough cough) very unique sort. Though I've never established this as perfectly true, I have read that the two got their professional start as puppeteers (not hard to imagine); and then their approach to storytelling dramatically evolved to the point wherein the embraced all kinds of oddball characters ... and it's damned hard to forget some of these bigger-than-life critters who brought some of the more bizarre stories to life in the bygone era.
In fairness, these shows aren't exactly revered these days. Though they aesthetically might have a lot in common with some of what serves as children's programming today, I'd still argue that they were still a bit ... erm ... macabre? Oh, don't get me wrong: the hearts of these characters were always in the right place, but that doesn't excuse how freakish a few of them looked on any number of shows. Names like H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmund And The Sea Monsters, and Land Of The Lost were still legendary on my school playground; and I'm forever thankful I found them on the TV dial when I did.
Though he's no longer with us, Marty Krofft was born on this day in 1937.
1953's Invaders From Mars is one of those flicks that is honestly revered by directors of a certain generation of filmmaking. I've seen it -- reviewed it just last year as part of the flick's 70th anniversary, in fact -- and all I can say is that I don't agree with them.
Now, hang on a minute, haters: yes, everyone is allowed to love what they love -- that's one of my basic tenets here at SciFiHistory.Net. But to me, Invaders is the kind of film that really only speaks to those who grew up in that time and place; its narrative just doesn't translate as strongly to those of us who discovered it later in life. As a consequence, I'd argue that many who search it out for a screening now might, at best, find it a bit quaint but can literally see the seams (even on the costumes above, for Pete's sake!) of what's a bit of only mildly subversive schlock. Yes, it's worth a viewing ... but probably only one at that.
While I've seen it paired up with several other films from the 1950's that I hold in vastly higher esteem, it's still a solid effort. My issues with it is that -- unlike so many other genre classics from the era -- it's just so middling is so many ways. Never mind what it tried to do and maybe missed the mark a bit; accept it as an average experience made better solely by being a serviceable Fantasy and then move along once you're finished.
I know, I know ... "you're in the minority!" I always am, my friends. I always am.
Now, hang on a minute, haters: yes, everyone is allowed to love what they love -- that's one of my basic tenets here at SciFiHistory.Net. But to me, Invaders is the kind of film that really only speaks to those who grew up in that time and place; its narrative just doesn't translate as strongly to those of us who discovered it later in life. As a consequence, I'd argue that many who search it out for a screening now might, at best, find it a bit quaint but can literally see the seams (even on the costumes above, for Pete's sake!) of what's a bit of only mildly subversive schlock. Yes, it's worth a viewing ... but probably only one at that.
While I've seen it paired up with several other films from the 1950's that I hold in vastly higher esteem, it's still a solid effort. My issues with it is that -- unlike so many other genre classics from the era -- it's just so middling is so many ways. Never mind what it tried to do and maybe missed the mark a bit; accept it as an average experience made better solely by being a serviceable Fantasy and then move along once you're finished.
I know, I know ... "you're in the minority!" I always am, my friends. I always am.
Naturally, my friends, there's more to love ... and at an astonishing 72 different genre trivia citations spread across the magical realms of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror your deep dive is assured to bear a ridiculous amount of fruit. So don't delay. Head on over to today's citation page and boldly go ...
As always, thank you for reading ... thank you for sharing ... thank you for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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