As I so often malign in this daily feature of mine, you young whippersnappers don't know how good you have it today what with a billion TV channels and countless hours of internet-based programming available to you. Back in the 1960's and '70's, all we had was what we could find on the boob tube, and sci-fi related stuff was extremely hard to find.
But actor Nicholas Hammond was one of the heroes of my youth. For example, he played Spider-man in an hourly TV program, and he did it without all of the bang and the whiz of CGI. He also had a terrific appearance in the made-for-TV adaptation of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. Neither program may've had the production standards you're used to nowadays, but they worked just fine for me.
Hammond was born on this day in 1950.
But actor Nicholas Hammond was one of the heroes of my youth. For example, he played Spider-man in an hourly TV program, and he did it without all of the bang and the whiz of CGI. He also had a terrific appearance in the made-for-TV adaptation of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. Neither program may've had the production standards you're used to nowadays, but they worked just fine for me.
Hammond was born on this day in 1950.
One of the finer SciFi "message" films to come out of the 1970's is Richard Fleischer's Soylent Green (1973), a feature that managed to attract a cast including Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, and the late Joseph Cotten. Though he's no longer with us, Cotten was born on this day in 1905.
The venerable James Mason (above left) starred as 'Captain Nemo' aboard Walt Disney's adaptation of the Jules Verne novel, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954). Though he's no longer with us, Mason was born on this day in 1909.
Cleavant Derricks found SciFi fame filling out the ensemble for the Cult(ish) hit, Sliders, in the guise of 'Rembrandt Brown.' Derricks was born on this day in 1953.
1982's The Sword and The Sorcerer is one of those films that gets bandied about quite a bit by fans who think it's one of the better Fantasy flicks to come out of the 80's. (It probably is, though I don't think it's aged well.) I recently had the chance to revisit the film via a DVD out of Germany (someone really needs to remaster it), and I wasn't all that impressed. Still, Lee Horsley in a lead did a capable job of shouldering the production along from start to finish, and Horsley was born on this day in 1955.
Director Rob Bowman has had the good fortune of taking a stab at crafting many terrific hours of television. He's worked on such franchises as Star Trek: The Next Generation, The X-Files, Quantum Leap, M.A.N.T.I.S., and Alien Nation. Bowman was born on this day in 1960.
Actress Brenda Bakke knows a thing or two about how to turn heads, and she even demonstrated she could do so with her comic timing in Hot Shots!: Part Deux. She starred in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation -- the one that saw Wesley Crusher getting the death sentence for tripping into a hedge -- but has worked sparingly since. Bakke was born on this day in 1963.
Aside from playing Gordon on ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Jamie Harris has enjoyed guest roles in such properties as No Ordinary Family, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and many other non-SciFi properties. Harris was born on this day in 1963.
Russell Hornsby did what he could to protect mankind from the things that go bump in the night as part of NBC's long-running Grimm. Hornsby was born on this day in 1974.
For those of you who missed NBC's crime drama Hannibal, shame on you! You missed out on seeing the lovely and talented Caroline Dhavernas, seen above from her work in the SciFi/Drama Mars et Avril (2012). Dhavernas was born on this day in 1978.
Serenity's David Krumholtz (pictured) also did some voice work for 2007's under-performing Battle For Terra. Krumholtz was born on this day in 1978.
Yummy Alexandra Breckenridge has a resume that only hints of genre greatness. She's appeared on CBS's lukewarm Extant and a few other similar programs ... but now superstardom is nipping at her heels with her role aboard AMC's Apocalypse juggernaut, The Walking Dead. Breckenridge was born on this day in 1982.
Listen up, kids: The Hunger Games may not have ripped its premise off of Battle Royale (2000), but I still don't believe its author who claims ignorance of the popular film franchise from Japan. Whatever the case, actor Tatsuya Fujiwara explored a much grittier version of the story, and Fujiwara was born on this day in 1982.
Samantha Noble played a small guest-starring role aboard Fox TV's stellar SciFi program Fringe. (FYI: her father was show regular John Noble, her father.) Noble was born on this day in 1984.
On this day in 1952, Red Planet Mars was sighted in theatres. The feature film starred Peter Graves and Andrea King, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"An American scientist is able to contact and communicate with Mars with shattering political, economic, and spiritual repercussions."
"An American scientist is able to contact and communicate with Mars with shattering political, economic, and spiritual repercussions."
On this day in 1959, Invisible Invaders appeared in theatres. The feature starred John Agar and Jean Byron, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Aliens, contacting scientist Adam Penner, inform him that they have been on the moon for twenty thousand years, undetected due to their invisibility, and have now decided to annihilate humanity unless all the nations of earth surrender immediately. Sequestered in an impregnable laboratory trying to find the aliens' weakness, Penner, his daughter, a no-nonsense army major and a squeamish scientist are attacked from outside by the aliens, who have occupied the bodies of the recently deceased."
"Aliens, contacting scientist Adam Penner, inform him that they have been on the moon for twenty thousand years, undetected due to their invisibility, and have now decided to annihilate humanity unless all the nations of earth surrender immediately. Sequestered in an impregnable laboratory trying to find the aliens' weakness, Penner, his daughter, a no-nonsense army major and a squeamish scientist are attacked from outside by the aliens, who have occupied the bodies of the recently deceased."
On this day in 1968, the SciFi-themed Battle Beneath The Earth roared into theatres. It starred Kerwin Mathews and Viviane Ventura, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"A Chinese general goes berserk and has a system of tunnels dug all the way from China to USA, under the Pacific Ocean! Wherever there is an important military base, he places atomic bombs. US Navy soldiers go underground to repel the invaders."
"A Chinese general goes berserk and has a system of tunnels dug all the way from China to USA, under the Pacific Ocean! Wherever there is an important military base, he places atomic bombs. US Navy soldiers go underground to repel the invaders."
For those of us who were there back at the start of the silver screen nihilism simmering beneath the entire Mad Max saga, it was certainly a long, long wait to see what Max was up to; and Mad Max: Fury Road certainly answered our prayers. The film premiered on this day in 2015, starred Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in postapocalyptic Australia in search for her home-land with the help of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshipper, and a drifter named Max."
"A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in postapocalyptic Australia in search for her home-land with the help of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshipper, and a drifter named Max."
On this day in 1964, The Twilight Zone aired "The Brain Center at Whipple's." This served as the thirty-third episode to the program's fifth (and final) season, and here's the plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"A heartless CEO completely automates his factory and lays off almost all of his workers over the objections of his employees."
"A heartless CEO completely automates his factory and lays off almost all of his workers over the objections of his employees."
On this day in 1989, War of the Worlds aired "The Angel of Death." This served as the twenty-third episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"A competing alien race sends an assassin to eliminate the invading force and to protect humanity."
"A competing alien race sends an assassin to eliminate the invading force and to protect humanity."
On this day in 1993, Star Trek: The Next Generation aired "Rightful Heir." This served as the twenty-third episode to the program's third season, and here's the plot summary as provided by TrekCore.com:
"Worf journeys to Boreth to meditate in hope of glimpsing a vision of Kahless. Worf and many of the others are surprised when Kahless actually appears and announces his intention to return to the throne and put the Empire back on a path toward honor."
"Worf journeys to Boreth to meditate in hope of glimpsing a vision of Kahless. Worf and many of the others are surprised when Kahless actually appears and announces his intention to return to the throne and put the Empire back on a path toward honor."
One of the things that genuinely bugged me about some of the writing talent behind-the-scenes on the later Trek shows is the fact that so many of them would openly lament in interviews about being "tied" to continuity. My point? Why look what terrific episodes you can churn out when you actually honor what's come before! One perfect example is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Crossover," the twenty-third episode of the second season which aired on this day in 1994. By respecting events that had been long ago established as canon in the original series, the writers were able to cook up a wonderful interpretation of what the current Mirror Universe look like ... and wasn't that a joy? Here's the plot summary as provided by TrekCore.com:
"Kira and Bashir are accidentally sent into an alternate universe where the station is headed by Intendant Kira Nerys with the help of XO Garak and her Klingon slaves. Bashir is immediately forced to labor in the ore processing facility, while Kira meets her tyrannical counterpart."
"Kira and Bashir are accidentally sent into an alternate universe where the station is headed by Intendant Kira Nerys with the help of XO Garak and her Klingon slaves. Bashir is immediately forced to labor in the ore processing facility, while Kira meets her tyrannical counterpart."
On this day in 1995, Star Trek: Voyager aired "Jetrel." This served as the fifteen episode to the program's first season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Neelix is diagnosed with a fatal illness by a Haakonian named Ma'Bor Jetrel. This man is the same one who developed a doomsday weapon that destroyed a Talaxian moon and killed Neelix's family."
"Neelix is diagnosed with a fatal illness by a Haakonian named Ma'Bor Jetrel. This man is the same one who developed a doomsday weapon that destroyed a Talaxian moon and killed Neelix's family."
On this day in 1995, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aired "Family Business." This served as the twenty-third episode of the program's third season, and here's the plot summary as provided by TrekCore.com:
"Quark is charged with negligence in taking care of his mother. As it happens, she has made profit on the Ferengi homeworld, a capital crime in the male-dominated society, so Quark and Rom head home to deal with the problem."
"Quark is charged with negligence in taking care of his mother. As it happens, she has made profit on the Ferengi homeworld, a capital crime in the male-dominated society, so Quark and Rom head home to deal with the problem."
On this day in 1999, Batman Beyond aired "A Touch of Curare." This served as the twelfth episode to the program's first season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Commissioner Barbara Gordon is determined to protect her DA husband from an elite assassin, and definitely does not want Batman, and especially Bruce Wayne's, help."
"Commissioner Barbara Gordon is determined to protect her DA husband from an elite assassin, and definitely does not want Batman, and especially Bruce Wayne's, help."
I genuinely miss the time travel program Seven Days. So far as I'm concerned, it's storytelling was just a bit ahead of its time, basically capitalizing week-by-week on some act of terror that needed to be averted with the use of a 'backstep' seven days into the past in order to put things right. On this day in 2001, the show aired "Sugar Mountain." This served as the twentieth episode to the adventure's third and final season, and here's the plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"When several people including the Canadian Trade Minister are killed in a mysterious fire. Bradley learns from the CIA that the fire was caused by a secret weapon which has fallen into the wrong hands. So Frank is sent back to get it back. He runs into the man who supposedly has it but all he has with him is a boy. Frank escapes with the boy and learns who the weapon is."
"When several people including the Canadian Trade Minister are killed in a mysterious fire. Bradley learns from the CIA that the fire was caused by a secret weapon which has fallen into the wrong hands. So Frank is sent back to get it back. He runs into the man who supposedly has it but all he has with him is a boy. Frank escapes with the boy and learns who the weapon is."
On this day in 2002, Star Trek: Enterprise aired "Two Days and Two Nights" as the twenty-fifth episode to the program's first season. According to our friends at TrekCore.com, here's what all of the fuss was about:
"Shore leave takes an interesting twist for the lucky few who are able to take some time off on Risa, the famous pleasure planet. Archer, Trip and Reed all have mysterious encounters with females who may not be all they appear. Meanwhile, Hoshi struggles with a new language."
"Shore leave takes an interesting twist for the lucky few who are able to take some time off on Risa, the famous pleasure planet. Archer, Trip and Reed all have mysterious encounters with females who may not be all they appear. Meanwhile, Hoshi struggles with a new language."
On this day in 2008 -- a fateful day indeed in this show's ongoing mythology -- ABC's Lost aired "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" in which some of the castaways were finally indeed rescued. (Or were they?!?!) This served as the twelfth episode in the popular (and confusing) program's fourth season, and here's the plot summary as detailed by IMDB.com:
"Ben, Locke, and Hurley go to The Orchid, but Keamy and his men beat them there. Jack and Kate go after the helicopter, and are later joined by Sawyer. Sayid comes back to the island with a rescue boat, and then goes after them too."
"Ben, Locke, and Hurley go to The Orchid, but Keamy and his men beat them there. Jack and Kate go after the helicopter, and are later joined by Sawyer. Sayid comes back to the island with a rescue boat, and then goes after them too."
