I'm just going to put it out
there: these are TV shows that I can't believe got a green light. I'm not
trying to say that all - or even any - of these shows were bad. (In all honesty, I watched them all.) I'm just saying
that I can't believe some studio honcho gave the thumbs up to them, because on
paper I'd think they sounded wacko. That said, without further ado...
Bigfoot and Wildboy
Okay, this show always made me think that somebody wanted to make a Tarzan series, but with Tarzan being from the U.S. Since great apes are not indigenous to North America, and the boy-raised-by-wolves thing was being done on the show Lucan (read below), who did that leave? Bigfoot! Yes, Bigfoot gets to raise a kid!
Set in the Pacific
Northwest, Bigfoot and Wildboy is supposedly premised on the
concept of Bigfoot finding a lost kid and raising him. (And raising him right –
with morals and ethics and all that jazz. Pretty cool for a creature that
couldn’t speak!) To be frank, I’ve always wondered what was going through the
head of whoever said, “Yes” to this show. Of course, it was from Sid and Marty
Krofft, who practically owned Saturday morning television back in the '70s. Those guys
could get anything they wanted on television. (They never even bothered making
pilot episodes; they just went in with sketches of what they wanted to do, and
the bigwigs just seemed to always say, “Okay.”) Plus, I actually enjoyed the
show, although some of it is laughable – especially the intro. Still, if the
opportunity presents itself, you should check it out.
Lucan
This was a boy-raised-by-wolves
adventure series that aired during prime time in the ’70s. The premise of Lucan centered
on a boy found in the wilderness after having been raised by wolves the first
10 years of his life. He is brought back to “civilization” for study and
indoctrination into society. Although feral at first, he gradually – over the
course of the next 10 years – becomes civilized while living (and being
studied) at a research institute.
Source: http://ctva.biz/US/Adventure/Lucan_ad.jpg |
One of his doctors is basically a
father-figure to him, and when it seems that Lucan is in danger he encourages
the young man to leave and try to find his true identity. He becomes a David
Banner (Incredible Hulk) wanderer type, going from place to place and
helping people along the way. Lucan has certain wolf powers: his eyes turn red
when he’s angry, and he can see and smell with the senses of a wolf.
Basically, this was The
Jungle Book transplanted to America. (Notice how U.S. studios have to
Americanize everything?) The show only lasted a season, but again it’s one of
those that you wonder how it got the go-ahead in the ’70s disco era. (Hmmm,
maybe if Lucan occasionally cut loose in a club in a white bell-bottom suit –
or if they had the BeeGees write a theme song – the show would have lasted longer.)
Anyway, I’m probably making it
sound worse than it was, because it memory serves it was actually an okay show.
You can see the intro here.
Manimal
Manimal
In Manimal, wealthy Jonathan Chase supposedly learned the secrets of shapshifting in deepest, darkest Africa while he was a boy. Now, he uses his abilities to help the police solve crimes.
To be honest, I thought this was
a pretty cool series. I can only recall the guy shifting into one of three
animals – a hawk (nice), a panther (cool) and a slow-moving snake (huh? What’s
the purpose of that?). However, according to the promos, I think he was
supposed to be able to change into any animal he wanted. (Of course, this was
almost 30 years ago when the series aired, so maybe I just don’t remember.)
Anyway, it’s another series that didn’t go the distance – but it was fun while
it lasted!
The Man from Atlantis
Before he became a heartthrob on the mega-hit Dallas, Patrick Duffy was an amnesiac called Mark Harris, whom scientist believed to be from the lost city of Atlantis. He had webbed fingers and toes, and gills in addition to lungs so that he could breathe underwater.
Before he became a heartthrob on the mega-hit Dallas, Patrick Duffy was an amnesiac called Mark Harris, whom scientist believed to be from the lost city of Atlantis. He had webbed fingers and toes, and gills in addition to lungs so that he could breathe underwater.
To be frank, this was actually a
neat series. I just can’t believe anyone in Hollywood was gutsy enough to get
on board with it, because the premise was a little different. The lead
character gets found in the ocean (I think he gets caught in a fishing net or
something) and when they examine him they discover that he has all these marine
attributes.
Hmmm… Now that I think about it, this would probably make a great feature film. (Of course, I hear an Aquaman film is already in the works, but that hasn't kept Hollywood from releasing similarly-themed movies before - eg, in a few weeks I think we'll get the second "Hercules" movie of 2014.)
Hmmm… Now that I think about it, this would probably make a great feature film. (Of course, I hear an Aquaman film is already in the works, but that hasn't kept Hollywood from releasing similarly-themed movies before - eg, in a few weeks I think we'll get the second "Hercules" movie of 2014.)
Regardless of whether you think they were good or bad, I'm really happy to see that shows like this were actually being made. It showed (or at least makes me think) that someone in Hollywood had an imagination.
Okay, to be honest I didn't really read anything at all in this post, but I just finished you Sensation series today in one day. So.... WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING??? Dude, I'm totally hyped right now. PLEASE tell me there is a next one... And that it's coming SOON.
ReplyDeleteIn gonna start the Warden series now. Hope that's as breathtaking as Sensation!!
Am the best :)
*All
DeleteThanks for the compliments, and yes, there will be more Kid Sensation novels. I've already begun the next one - the working title is "Revelation" - but I can't say when it exactly when it will hit the street. (I've still got a day job, and it's starting to push my writing schedule around a little more than usual. Plus, there's another book in my head that's demanding to move to the front of the publishing queue.) That said, I will try to finish and publish the book as soon as possible, and hopefully it won't disappoint.
DeleteCan't wait *_*
DeleteMeanwhile, Wendigo is doing a pretty good job in keeping me occupied. Keep up the good work!
Will do, thanks.
DeleteI remember watching Manimal it was great, the other series, kind of ehhh. But another show I would have added in was M.A.N.T.I.S. which was basically a paralytic Batman merged with Iron Man
ReplyDeleteActually, I remember M.A.N.T.I.S. (although it was well after the shows in my post). The main character wore some type of body armor that made him ambulatory.
ReplyDelete