ZEN on PBS

by Kimberly Lindbergs | July 18, 2011

Categories | Giallo, Italian Cinema, Actresses, Television

Actress Catherine Spaak in 1966

I rarely write about modern films or new television shows but if you happen to follow me on Twitter or Facebook you’ve probably noticed that I occasionally mention movies and TV shows that don’t warrant a full post on Cinebeats. My latest obsession is the BBC import currently playing on PBS titled, ZEN (2011).

ZEN is a modern day cop show starring the handsome & talented Rufus Sewell, who should be a household name by now. Sewell’s character is a Venetian detective named Aurelio Zen and he gets to wear expensive Italian suits while solving crimes in Italy. ZEN takes full advantage of the beautiful setting and there’s lots of show stopping shots of the Italian countryside. In ZEN Sewell’s character lives alone with his mother who happens to be played by the beautiful 66-year-old actress, Catherine Spaak and Spaak’s name should be familiar to fans of Italian films like Pasquale Festa Campanile’s The Libertine (1968), Dario Argento’s The Cat O’ Nine Tails (1971) and Antonio Margheriti’s Take a Hard Ride (1975). The show is based on a series of books by British author, Michael Dibdin and if I had to guess I’d say that the directors, writers & casting agents are fans of Italian Poliziotteschi films and possibly Italian horror/giallo films. From the groovy soundtrack to the Gothic settings, ZEN is a show that should appeal to some fans of Italian exploitation films, but be forewarned! It’s slow-moving and takes awhile to get going. And the proceedings have naturally been “softened up” for the BBC television audience. And although it’s set in Italy, ZEN is a BBC production so almost all the actors involved are British performers pretending to be Italian and they don’t bother with fake accents. But if you’re looking for something new to watch on TV, you could do a lot worse than ZEN. The first episode is currently available to watch on the PBS website in case you missed it. Just follow the link posted below to find more information about the show:

- ZEN : Masterpiece Mystery : PBS

As I’ve mentioned before in various places, PBS is currently running some of the best shows on television including SHERLOCK and DOWNTON ABBEY. You can add ZEN to the list of great shows on Public Television right now.

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Comic Book of the Week: Land of the Giants

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 16, 2011

Categories | Television, Science Fiction, Comic Books, Irwin Allen

Land of the Giants was a short-lived comic book series published between 1968-1969 by Gold Key Comics. I’m not sure who the artist and writer were because there are no credits in the comic but it was based on the television show of the same name. The series only lasted two seasons and I think it was one of Irwin Allen’s most interesting creations. It’s sort of a strange hybrid between Gulliver’s Travels, Lost in Space, Planet of the Apes and the 1965 film Village of the Giants, which Allen undoubtedly borrowed his title from. I wrote a little bit about the show a few years back when it was released on DVD so if you’d like to know more about Land of the Giants you can find information here.

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Mini Monday #4

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 25, 2011

Categories | Spies & Secret Agents, Television, Mini Mondays, Patrick McGoohan

Patrick McGoohan drives a Mini Moke in The Prisoner (1967-68)

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Comic Book of the Week: Logan’s Run (1976)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 22, 2011

Categories | Television, Science Fiction, Comic Books

Logan’s Run was originally a movie tie-in comic published by Marvel Comics between 1976-1977 and illustrated by the great George Perez. One of the best things about the comic series was the fact that it followed the original script and included scenes that were cut from the film but it also censored a few scenes that Marvel thought were inappropriate for kids. The first five issues of Logan’s Run adapted the film pretty faithfully but by issue #6 Marvel was free to take the material in a creative new directions and they did. The series was extremely popular at the time that it was published but due to a sudden licensing disagreement Marvel was forced to cancel the comic after issue #7 and MGM decided to turn Logan’s Run into a television series.

I actually tried to follow the Logan’s Run comic books series when I was a kid but the only place you could buy comics in my hometown was at the local 7-11 and their spin rack was always half empty. They seemed to get random issues so I’d be stuck reading issue #2 followed by issue #5 and have no idea what I was missing. I loved the series though and Logan’s Run (Michael Anderson; 1976) is still one of my favorite science fiction films. These pages are from Logan’s Run #2 but I’ve also included an ad that ran in this issue for toy tie-ins with The Six Million Dollar Man television series, which was one of the best shows on TV in the ’70s.

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Before They Were Stars Part II

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 31, 2011

Categories | Actresses, Television, Movie Morlocks, TCM

Hotpoint Television ad (1956)

Can you guess who that cute model is trying to sell you a portable television? If you said Millie Perkins, the star of The Diary of Anne Frank (1958) you’d be right. When I first spotted this ad last year in an old magazine I had no idea who it was but after a little investigating I discovered that Millie Perkins had worked as model for years before she started making movies and Millie isn’t alone. Many classic Hollywood stars started their careers in modeling before they became actors. Want to know more? You’ll find lots more info and images of Millie Perkins as well as Sandra Dee, Elsa Martinelli and Candice Bergen at the Movie Morlocks this week.
- Before They Were Stars: Part II @ Tcm’s Classic Movie Blog

If you’d like to keep track of the latest Movie Morlocks news and updates please follow us on Twitter.

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Comic Book of the Week: Space Family Robinson - Lost in Space (1969)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 4, 2011

Categories | Television, Comic Books, Irwin Allen

Today I bring you Space Family Robinson: Lost In Space #33 published by Gold Key in 1969. It features art by Dan Spiegle and a story by Gaylord Du Bois.

Space Family Robinson debuted in 1962 and told the story of the Robinson family, which consisted of a couple of scientists (father Craig and mother June) and their two teenage children (Tam and Tim). The family lived on a large space craft called Space Station One that was “lost in space” after an enormous cosmic storm. In subsequent issues the Robinson family try to find their way back to earth and have many adventures in space along the way. Sound familiar? I bet it does! In 1965 Irwin Allen created the popular television show Lost In Space, which ran on CBS between (1965-68). It seemed to borrow many of its ideas from the Gold Key comic series but Irwin Allen claimed that he never saw the comic. Gold Key Comic publisher Western Publishing Company wasn’t buying it and they threatened legal action but a settlement was struck between CBS, Irwin Allen and the Western Publishing Company. Undisclosed amounts of money were given to the publisher and they were also allowed to add “Lost In Space” to the title of their comic so in 1966 Space Family Robinson became Space Family Robinson: Lost in Space. Both parties benefited from the name change. Gold Key got to advertise their comic book series as a tie-in with the popular television show and Lost In Space got free publicity by having the name of the show on the cover of a comic book but few people remember Gold Key’s comic today.

Lost in Space is one of my favorite television shows and I used to watch reruns of it religiously when I was a kid. It ran on KBHK-TV 44 in the San Francisco Bay Area during the ’70s and I rarely missed an episode. The comic is a fun read if you happen to be a fan of the show and I really like Dan Spiegle’s art. Below are some pages from the comic book including an advertisement for another one of my favorite TV shows, The Banana Splits (1968-70) as well as a few clips from both shows.

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Comic Book of the Week: Bobby Sherman (1972)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | February 11, 2011

Categories | Television, Comic Books

Bobby Sherman #2 (1972)

Over the years I managed to amass a large collection of comic books. I’m currently whittling down my collection and I plan to sell a lot of them soon but I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites published before 1980 that might hold some interest for film and TV fans or pop culture addicts. This week I’ll be sharing pages from Bobby Sherman #2.

Bobby Sherman was a singer, songwriter, occasional actor and popular teen idol during the ’60s and early ’70s. During his popularity Sherman regularly appeared on Shindig! and the TV show Here Come The Brides (based on the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). He also made guest appearances on The Monkees and The Partridge Family. In 1971 he was asked to star in his own television series called Getting Together, which was about a song-writing team supposedly based the real-life songwriters Boyce and Hart. It was shown opposite of the hugely successful television show All in the Family and canceled after just 14 episodes. During that time Charlton Comics published a Bobby Sherman comic book that was based on his TV show. Here’s a few sample pages from it along with a video clip of Sherman performing one of his hit song . . .

Bobby Sherman sings “Little Woman”(1969) in this unusual video

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Musings On Mad Men

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 12, 2010

Categories | Television, Movie Morlocks, TCM, Oliver Reed

The talented cast of Mad Men (2010)
If you’re a fan of the AMC series Mad Men you’re probably missing the show as much as I am. Season four left me wanting more and I’m eager for season five to start. I know I’m not alone because I often get asked to recommend films that have a “Mad Men feel” or “Mad Men qualities.” A lot of people seem especially eager and willing to watch older movies that they may have overlooked in the past or had no interest in seeing. Mad Men has become an unexpected gift to this film buff.

In the past when I’d recommend a movie like Michael Winner’s I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname (1967) I’d have to try and explain that it’s a “sixties film” and that the male lead (the wonderful Oliver Reed!) is a womanizer who is unhappy with his job as well as his wife and mistresses. Naturally people would just look at me confused and express no interest in seeing it. What did the sixties mean to them? Hippies? The Beatles? Protests? Drugs? Political Assassinations? Hard to say. I just know that I’ve had a hard time convincing people that the ’60s was much more than that. Now? All I have to say is Oliver Reed plays a “Don Draper type” and people seem to know exactly what I’m talking about and they actually express interest - you read that right - they express interest in seeing I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname. And you know what’s even more exciting? Once they actually watch the movie some of them can appreciate aspects of it that would have been completely misunderstood if Mad Men hadn’t paved the way for a better understanding of history and popular culture. Do I sound crazy? A bit far reaching? Maybe I am, but I honestly think Mad Men is helping some people better understand what life was like for my parents and grandparents in the ’60s and I value the series for that reason as well as many others. It’s quite simply one of the best written shows that’s ever been on television and I think it’s changing the way people view the past and experience the future. A lot of old films suddenly don’t seem so old anymore and people are watching them with new eyes.

I’d love to write in-depth about my deep appreciation of Mad Men some day but in the meantime I decided to compile a brief list of films that might appeal to Mad Men fans who are looking for something else to watch on Sunday nights. You can find my list over at the Movie Morlocks Blog: Missing Mad Men?

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Goodbye Childhood

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 25, 2009

Categories | News, Rants & Raves, Television

Top: Farrah Fawcett Doll (Mego), The Jackson 5 Toon (Rankin/Bass)
Bottom: David Carradine Kung Fu Lunchbox and little me in the ’70s

Lately it feels like whatever remains of my childhood is slowly being flushed down the pop culture toilet. I couldn’t find the words for David Carradine’s death because I was deeply saddened by the news and everyone else in the world seemed to have something to say about it. As I’ve mentioned before, Kung Fu (1972-1975) was one of my favorite television shows when I was a kid, as was Charlie’s Angels (1976-1981) and the Rankin and Bass Jackson 5ive (1971-1973) cartoon. I saw some of these shows in reruns, but that didn’t lessen the impact they had on me. Like a lot of little preteen girls who grew up in the ’70s, I fondly remember that one of my first crushes was on a very young and incredibly cute Michael Jackson and for years I wanted to be a private detective thanks to the influence of Charlie’s Angels.

When I think about being a kid in the ’70s my memories are filled with Kung Fu lunchboxes, Charlie’s Angels’ dolls and Jackson Five records (or The Jacksons as they were called at the time) that my mom ordered from the Columbia Records mail-order club. David Carradine, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were truly iconic figures of the ’70s (as well as the ’80s in Michael’s case) and thousands of writers will be eulogizing Michael Jackson for years to come. Whatever I have to say today really means nothing in the big scheme of things, but if you grew up with these people on your television, on your lunchboxes and in your toybox, they sort of take on an almost mythological status through the years that’s hard to explain. And yet, here I am trying to explain how their deaths make me feel, but frankly I can’t. It sort of feels like the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus all died within weeks of one another. This feeling isn’t helped by the fact that I recently experienced another death in my own family. June has been a cruel month.

I realize that the ’70s officially came to an end 30 years ago, but today it feels like they’re finally and forever over. At least for the little girl in me who still owns her original Farrah Fawcett doll.

. . . Earlier this year: Bob Wilkins 1932-2009

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