Model Kit of the Week: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (Monogram)

Trading Cards of the Week: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (Topps)

Buck Rogers Galactic Playset (HG Toys)

By the time Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979 - 1981) aired on NBC, I suppose you could state I was primed to love the show.  I had "grown up" through Star Wars (1977) and Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) and had seen The Black Hole (1979), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and Moonraker (1979).  

But the nice thing about Buck Rogers was that the series, unlike many of those other titles, didn't take itself too seriously.  The program, starring Gil Gerard and Erin Gray, boasted a great sense of humor, at least during the first season.

Mego released a good-sized line of Buck Rogers toys and vehicles back in the day, but HG Toys also got into the act, recycling and retro-fitting a pre-existing play set as the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Galactic Play Set.  It came complete with "over 35 pieces" and a nice diorama/backdrop.  

This HG Toy set included a "space station with movable ladder, 2 Draconian marauders, 2 starfighters, 8 space commandos, 10 aliens," and "fully detailed figures of Buck Rogers, Wilma Deering, Killer Kane, Dr. Huer, Tigerman, Draco, Twiki and Princess Ardala."

Also present: "a colorful diorama set-up and assembly instructions."

I have fond memories of playing with this particular play set, because I took it on a cross-country vacation with me.  My family traveled (in our new Ford van) from New Jersey to California and back over the span of six weeks.  Space was tight since we were traveling for such a duration and this one of the few toys I was allowed to bring along.  I set it up in camp sites from Lake Michigan to Lake Tahoe.   On days where we seemed to be endlessly driving through desert terrain, I also set up the Galactic Play Set in the back of the van and played with it, though the bumps in the road could occasionally wreak havoc.

Board Game of the Week: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (Milton Bradley)

Lunch Box of the Week: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (Aladdin)

Theme Song of the Week: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Movie Trailer: The Babadook (2014)

Ask JKM a Question: Science Fiction Films of the 1980s?

A reader named Craig writes:

“I am an art history teacher at a public boarding school for the arts in Minnesota.  I loved your book on Science Fiction films of the 1970s! 

Could you recommend a book on the same topic for the 80s and 90s?  Thanks for considering my question…”

Craig: thank you for the question, and for the kind words about Science Fiction and Fantasy Films of the 1970s. That’s a book I absolutely loved writing.  

I am working on a follow-up volume currently, to feature the films of the 1980s. The subject is so huge, however, that I may have to split the book in two (one for Sci-Fi, one for fantasy).

Unfortunately, I could find no books devoted exclusively to science fiction films of the 1980s, or the 1990s, on Amazon, when I did a recent search.

However, there is a reference resource that I absolutely love and appreciate, and would highly recommend: Phil Hardy’s The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction. The book covers the decades from the 1910s to the 1990s (1995, I believe, is the cut-off date of the last edition). The chapter on 1980s is called Science Fiction Triumphant. The reviews are capsules, but brilliantly-written, informative capsules.

I am also a long-time fan of Douglas Melville’s Futurevisions: The New Golden Age of the Science Fiction Film. The book only goes through 1985, but does a fantastic job of covering the first half of the decade, as well as the latter-half of the 1970s.  This book is one of my prized possessions, and I often go back to read it just for enjoyment. It’s very well-written.

Similarly, SF-2: A Pictorial History of Science Fiction Films from Rollerball to Return of the Jedi by film scholar Richard Meyers is another valuable genre reference text that holds an honored place on my book shelf, and has been there for over two-decades.

I’m certain I’m forgetting some important title, and I don’t mean to leave any book out.  But these books will get you started on the 1980s cinema, and I hope you’ll look for my follow-up to Science Fiction and Fantasy Films of the 1970s in the next twelve months…

Cult-TV Theme Watch: News Anchors

A news anchor or news-caster presents the nightly news on television, is often the most prominent journalist on a team of TV reporters. 

In cult-television history, the news anchor has long been a staple of the genre, appearing to deliver the news -- terrifying and amazing -- in a variety of beloved series.

In the pilot episode of Irwin Allen’s Lost in Space (1965), “The Reluctant Stowaway,” for instance, we see a news anchor at his desk (and on TV) explaining to the American populace the mission and importance of the Jupiter 2 mission to Alpha Centauri.

In “Breakaway,” the first episode of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Space: 1999 (1975 – 1977), Moonbase Alpha’s 311 resident astronauts and scientists receive a final transmission from Earth, and it happens to be a major news broadcast.  The news anchor (Don Fellows) there discusses the terrible devastation caused on Earth by the explosion on the moon and its subsequent rip from orbit. He broadcasts on the network GTV (Global TV?).

In V: The Series (1985), real-life news-man Howard K. Smith played himself in several episodes, but as the news anchor for the Freedom Network. At the start of each episode of V (in the first half of the season) Smith would appear on-screen to tell the latest stories of human courage against the Visitor occupation of Earth.

In the V remake of 2009, another news anchor played a crucial role.  Scott Wolf portrayed Chad Decker, a nightly news anchor who was co-opted by the Visitors when they offered to cure his cancer.  He eventually turned against his benefactors, however, and joined the Fifth Column.

In sci-fi TV history, we have also met many humorous or funny news anchors, who poke fun at the idea of a “Voice of God” news broadcaster.  Since 1975, Saturday Night Live has aired “Weekend Update,” a mock news show in which sometimes one or more anchor sounds off about the news. 

Over the years, this role has been played by Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Christopher Guest, Dennis Miller, Kevin Nealon, Norm MacDonald, Colin Quinn, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Horatio Sanz, Seth Meyers, Cecily Strongt, Colin Jost, and Michael Che.

And on The Simpsons, Kent Brockman (Harry Shearer) is Springfield’s beloved news-caster (for channel 6), welcoming new alien overlords to Earth and otherwise parodying -- or skewering -- modern newscasts.

The Cult-TV Faces of: Newscasters or News Anchors

Identified by Pierre Fontaine: Lost in Space: "The Reluctant Stowaway"

Identified by Pierre Fontaine: Space:1999 "Breakaway"

Identified by Hugh: Saturday Night Live.

Identified by Hugh: Battlestar Galactica: "The Man with Nine Lives"

Identified by SGB: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: "Olympiad"

Identified by Pierre Fontaine: V: The Series.

7

Identified by Hugh: The Simpsons.

Identified by Pierre Fontaine: Babylon 5

Identified by Hugh: Futurama.

Identified by Hugh: South Park

Identified by SGB: V (2009 Remake)

13

Identified by Hugh: Doctor Who: "The Wedding of River Song."

Television and Cinema Verities: Buck Rogers Edition

"Actually I was offered it three times and turned it down. I didn’t want to do a cartoon character. I wouldn’t even read the script."

- Actor Gil Gerard on accepting the role of Buck Rogers in the 1979-1981 TV series. From an interview at the Collector's Club of Great Britain.