I recently treated myself to the current DVD box set release of this film and have been enjoying watching again. I actually didn't get to see all that much of it first time around, age 12 at time time it premiered on a weekday evening (Thursday) in a household where - no kidding - television was not permitted after 7pm on school nights. An insane prospect by modern consideration but in a 1 television household not at all difficult to enforce as long as the parental crew were in the house. But the minute they left we always had a viewing rotation worked out before the set would even be switched on, and Thursday night was always choir night. At first babysitters bribed or charmed into silence. The best one agreed the rule was inhumane and promised to help us respectfully break it IF we were good, and we were. Terry, we owe you one.
By the time we were old enough to manage ourselves we used a Lookout system by which one of us would always keep an eye on the driveway. Just in time for "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" on Thursdays at 8pm. Brilliant! until the "Mork & Mindy" fad caught on and our older brother would usually use Pecking Order clout to change the channel. Thank God we were universal in despising "Laverne & Shirley" or I would have completely missed out on Erin Grey's Wilma Deering. Holy Mother of GOD ... Yes, that got through to me as a 12 year old. Big Time.
And in the end was the reason to score the box set: YouTube reluctantly allows the series in severely compromised uploads that deny one the ability to truly enjoy Erin's fashion trend setting Spandex space leggings, form fitting jumpsuits, space suits, shimmering leotard combos, and whatever else she was sewn into for a given episode. Literally, it turns out, and being able to enjoy Wima Deering updated for the Swimsuit Issue era worth whatever bother, cost, waiting and navigating the DVDs involves. What *ever*.
Now the good news is that while re-invigorating my libido the side effect has been a discovery of what was a pretty cool show that appears to have been ruined by its own success. I'd had the 90 minute theatrical version of the enjoyable pilot episode on VHS & know every line etc. But the rest of the show has been a vague memory involving Buck tossing back shots to Princess Ardalan's chagrin, a Space Vampire, some weird "Hawk" guy, and an increasing annoyance with Twiki which has been quickly set aside. Twiki is the soul of the show and Gil Gerard's fame it's undoing. Legend has it the show's success and free buffets went to Gerard's waistline and he insisted on the alterations which resulted in the confusing, overproduced and fun-lacking 2nd season. After which the series was mercifully cancelled, though by then I was watching "COSMOS" with Dr. Carl Sagan on Thursdays along with all the other cool kids.
I'll get with the party at some point, for now though it's been super fun to re-discover the often unfairly maligned first season. The show is dismissed as campy, cheap looking, and caught up in the fads of the day, which is what hit television shows are about. You want movies, go to the movies. You want offbeat casting, bizarre period costuming, formula scripting and cheeze, you watch television. Cult interest guest stars included Jack Palance, Roddy Mcdowall, Peter Graves, Sid Haig (!!), Frank Gorshin, Richard Moll, Buster Crabbe, Robert "Count Yorga" Quarry, Michael Ansara, Henry Silva, and Woody Strode. For twisted content we get an episode with both Gary Coleman *and* Ray Walston, another with doomed Dorothy Stratten, and the odd reference to OJ Simpson ... What a show! They even disco dance with roller skates and one episode about a rock band has characters named after songs by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.
What's there not to like about this show?? Unless you're some sort of malignant fun-wrecker with no sense of nostalgia. Go watch Doctor Who get gender-reassignment or something. Leave us alone.
By the time we were old enough to manage ourselves we used a Lookout system by which one of us would always keep an eye on the driveway. Just in time for "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" on Thursdays at 8pm. Brilliant! until the "Mork & Mindy" fad caught on and our older brother would usually use Pecking Order clout to change the channel. Thank God we were universal in despising "Laverne & Shirley" or I would have completely missed out on Erin Grey's Wilma Deering. Holy Mother of GOD ... Yes, that got through to me as a 12 year old. Big Time.
And in the end was the reason to score the box set: YouTube reluctantly allows the series in severely compromised uploads that deny one the ability to truly enjoy Erin's fashion trend setting Spandex space leggings, form fitting jumpsuits, space suits, shimmering leotard combos, and whatever else she was sewn into for a given episode. Literally, it turns out, and being able to enjoy Wima Deering updated for the Swimsuit Issue era worth whatever bother, cost, waiting and navigating the DVDs involves. What *ever*.
Now the good news is that while re-invigorating my libido the side effect has been a discovery of what was a pretty cool show that appears to have been ruined by its own success. I'd had the 90 minute theatrical version of the enjoyable pilot episode on VHS & know every line etc. But the rest of the show has been a vague memory involving Buck tossing back shots to Princess Ardalan's chagrin, a Space Vampire, some weird "Hawk" guy, and an increasing annoyance with Twiki which has been quickly set aside. Twiki is the soul of the show and Gil Gerard's fame it's undoing. Legend has it the show's success and free buffets went to Gerard's waistline and he insisted on the alterations which resulted in the confusing, overproduced and fun-lacking 2nd season. After which the series was mercifully cancelled, though by then I was watching "COSMOS" with Dr. Carl Sagan on Thursdays along with all the other cool kids.
I'll get with the party at some point, for now though it's been super fun to re-discover the often unfairly maligned first season. The show is dismissed as campy, cheap looking, and caught up in the fads of the day, which is what hit television shows are about. You want movies, go to the movies. You want offbeat casting, bizarre period costuming, formula scripting and cheeze, you watch television. Cult interest guest stars included Jack Palance, Roddy Mcdowall, Peter Graves, Sid Haig (!!), Frank Gorshin, Richard Moll, Buster Crabbe, Robert "Count Yorga" Quarry, Michael Ansara, Henry Silva, and Woody Strode. For twisted content we get an episode with both Gary Coleman *and* Ray Walston, another with doomed Dorothy Stratten, and the odd reference to OJ Simpson ... What a show! They even disco dance with roller skates and one episode about a rock band has characters named after songs by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.
What's there not to like about this show?? Unless you're some sort of malignant fun-wrecker with no sense of nostalgia. Go watch Doctor Who get gender-reassignment or something. Leave us alone.