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I know, I know, I know: I've mentioned to regular readers of SciFiHistory.Net many, many, many times before that I grew up in the somewhat rural pocket of the American Midwest where -- I kid you not -- I was lucky to have six or maybe seven or eight television channels on a good day. I lived 'in-town' -- as they say -- and that gave me access to the big three networks in America (ABC, NBC, and CBS) but I also had WGN (out of Chicago) along with the occasional handful of other very small broadcast stations out of only God knows where. As so many small channels back in those days did, they were part of a syndicated group that would purchase older shows and foreign imports to run as part of their daily rotation. This is how I grew up watching programs like the United Kingdom's Thunderbirds or Japan's Johnny Sokko And His Giant Robot, The Space Giants, and a few other goofy things whose names I just don't recall. Some were anime, but the majority of them that I watched were live action.
In any event ...
When the rest of you were getting (cough cough) some artistic and measured programming to stunt your growth, I was getting a bit of healthy schlock that wound up making me laugh half of the time but kept my interest all of it. Much like the Godzilla and/or Gamera movies, these shows featured giant lumbering monsters that were clearly being played by men and women in horrifically padded suits; and these villains were crafted and played on the small screen in such a way to suggest that they were never really ever going to overpower the show's central warriors but instead be a bit of a nagging infestation that momentarily required some heroic intervention by the good guys. So, yes, I call it schlock, but it was all delivered in such a good-natured and wholesome way that a child like me couldn't find any harm in any of it ... no matter if I tried.
If you do a bit of research, then you'll find out that shows like this still exist to this day. Though I imagine their viewership is probably quite small, theirs is a kind of programming that endures, much in the same way that Star Trek, Star Wars, and the like do ... creators have a fondness for them, so they seek to keep them alive ... even if that means lampooning them.
Fast forward to today: I recently received a notice from one of my industry insiders alerting me to a little something-something called Ginormo! Rather than have me give you the details -- which, honestly, I'd probably mess up a wee bit here and there as I haven't watched this one yet -- I'm going to do the obligatory cut-and-paste below ... but I will pipe in to suggest that this very much resembles one of those programs of my vast and distant youth. Basically, you get a stable of heroes who each episode have to face-off against some potential menace-to-end-all-menaces; and -- unlike those shows of old -- this one satirizes the whole affair to the delight of the audience.
Keep your eyes peeled! If I get the chance to give this pilot episode a screening (I believe it drops on YouTube today), then I'll be all-too-happy to pen a review.
In any event ...
When the rest of you were getting (cough cough) some artistic and measured programming to stunt your growth, I was getting a bit of healthy schlock that wound up making me laugh half of the time but kept my interest all of it. Much like the Godzilla and/or Gamera movies, these shows featured giant lumbering monsters that were clearly being played by men and women in horrifically padded suits; and these villains were crafted and played on the small screen in such a way to suggest that they were never really ever going to overpower the show's central warriors but instead be a bit of a nagging infestation that momentarily required some heroic intervention by the good guys. So, yes, I call it schlock, but it was all delivered in such a good-natured and wholesome way that a child like me couldn't find any harm in any of it ... no matter if I tried.
If you do a bit of research, then you'll find out that shows like this still exist to this day. Though I imagine their viewership is probably quite small, theirs is a kind of programming that endures, much in the same way that Star Trek, Star Wars, and the like do ... creators have a fondness for them, so they seek to keep them alive ... even if that means lampooning them.
Fast forward to today: I recently received a notice from one of my industry insiders alerting me to a little something-something called Ginormo! Rather than have me give you the details -- which, honestly, I'd probably mess up a wee bit here and there as I haven't watched this one yet -- I'm going to do the obligatory cut-and-paste below ... but I will pipe in to suggest that this very much resembles one of those programs of my vast and distant youth. Basically, you get a stable of heroes who each episode have to face-off against some potential menace-to-end-all-menaces; and -- unlike those shows of old -- this one satirizes the whole affair to the delight of the audience.
Keep your eyes peeled! If I get the chance to give this pilot episode a screening (I believe it drops on YouTube today), then I'll be all-too-happy to pen a review.
Ginormo! Going Big For Laughs
Created in the early 1970’s, Ginormo! follows the Super Protection Force (SPF) as they protect the world from the evil organization, Beast Advanced Artillery Division (BAAD), which seeks to take over the world using the most terrifying monsters ever created. Unfortunately, due to the shoe-string budget and the incompetence of the production team, the show was so badly done, it never aired.
Recently discovered by Steven He, we will be airing it for the first time as an unintentional comedy masterpiece.
From the show's IMDB.com page citation:
Ginormo is a sci-fi comedy series satirizing Japanese monster movies and TV shows of the 1960s and 1970s. Using only effects from that time period - bad rubber monster suits, spaceships on strings, miniatures and hokey scripts and dialogue - Ginormo pays homage to a period of craftsmanship before CGI came onto the scene. Presented as a lost science fiction series from 1972 that was never aired because it was so bad, Ginormo lovingly and humorously pays tribute to a by-gone era in the form of a ridiculous meta comedy that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Created by two AAPI writer/producer/directors - Ken Mok (Joy, Invincible, America's Next Top Model) and Youtube star Steven He, Ginormo also showcases a primarily AAPI cast - a talent base that's historically been under-represented in film and television.
About Ginormo!
The Cast
Recently discovered by Steven He, we will be airing it for the first time as an unintentional comedy masterpiece.
From the show's IMDB.com page citation:
Ginormo is a sci-fi comedy series satirizing Japanese monster movies and TV shows of the 1960s and 1970s. Using only effects from that time period - bad rubber monster suits, spaceships on strings, miniatures and hokey scripts and dialogue - Ginormo pays homage to a period of craftsmanship before CGI came onto the scene. Presented as a lost science fiction series from 1972 that was never aired because it was so bad, Ginormo lovingly and humorously pays tribute to a by-gone era in the form of a ridiculous meta comedy that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Created by two AAPI writer/producer/directors - Ken Mok (Joy, Invincible, America's Next Top Model) and Youtube star Steven He, Ginormo also showcases a primarily AAPI cast - a talent base that's historically been under-represented in film and television.
About Ginormo!
- 6 episode series
- Premieres May 12, 2023
- New episode released each Friday on Steven He’s Youtube
- Episode 1: A Show So Bad It never AIRED | Ginormo! Ep.1
- Created by Ken Mok and Steven He
The Cast
- Steven He as Mikko
- Alan Chikin Chow as Lord Metagon
- Jeenie Weenie sa Kimmie
- Nathan Doan as Munchie
- Kris Collins as Lady Spigh
- Joma as Jazzypus
- Steven Ho as Uniclop
- Ian Boggs as Major Boba
- Jennings Brower as Ginormo! and Hunky Guy
- Introducing Jay Lee and Lauren Kim
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