Retrogram #8347: The Day After The Day Of The Doctor
theLogBook.com releases the 33rd episode of the Retrogram podcast, hosted by Earl Green, covering the following shows from the week of November 20, 1983:
- TV movie: The Day After
- Terrahawks: The Gun
- Doctor Who: The Five Doctors
- Dungeons & Dragons: The Box
David Prowse, actor, dies
British-born actor and bodybuilder David Prowse, a towering figure who gained fame primarily as the physical embodiment of Darth Vader in the first three Star Wars films, dies after a brief illness at the age of 85. Sought after for movie roles – often non-speaking, and frequently in monster suits of one kind or another – Prowse had also played a Minotaur in Doctor Who (The Time Monster, 1972), a space creature in Space: 1999 (The Beta Cloud, 1976), and even after his sudden rise to fame via Star Wars, appeared in such roles as Hotblack Desiato’s bodyguard in the fifth episode of the BBC’s TV adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy in 1981, which offered him a rare speaking part. A favorite on the convention and autograph circuit, Prowse had only retired from a busy schedule of convention appearances a couple of years prior to his death. He was sought by George Lucas to play either Vader or Chewbacca after Lucas saw his brief appearance as a muscular bodyguard in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. Prowse had also appeared as a superhero in a series of public safety announcements and films in the UK, which won him much acclaim over the years.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 4
Streaming service Disney+ premieres the the fourth episode of Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian, the first live-action TV series set in the Star Wars universe, starring Pedro Pascal and Gina Carano (Deadpool). Julia Jones (Westworld, Goliath) guest stars.
The Flash: Invasion!
The CW airs the 54th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin. Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Stephen Amell (Arrow), and Caity Lotz (Legends Of Tomorrow) guest star in the first chapter of a crossover event encompassing all of the current DC Comics-based shows.
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Die Hard soundtrack
La-La Land Records releases a 2-CD set of Michael Kamen’s complete score from the 1988 action movie Die Hard. Despite a larger print run than the label’s usual limited edition soundtracks, this release sells out in 48 hours.
New Horizons to Pluto
NASA announces that the New Horizons mission, proposed by a group of scientists and engineers from the cancelled Pluto-Kuiper Express mission, will go ahead to preparation, construction and launch sometime in 2006. Part of NASA’s new New Frontiers mission class, New Horizons promises significant scientific return from a never-before-explored region of the solar system while adhering to the “faster, better, cheaper” philosophy NASA has rallied around since the 1990s. Though this is the official green light for New Horizons to proceed, budget cutbacks at the Congressional level will threaten the mission for several years to come.
E:FC: Boone’s Assassin
The 96th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Jayne Heitmeyer, Von Flores, Melinda Deines, Guylaine St. Onge, and Alan Van Sprang. Kevin Kilner guest stars as Boone.
More about Earth: Final Conflict in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
Earth: Final Conflict now streaming on Amazon Prime
George Harrison, Beatle, dies
The “Quiet Beatle,” George Harrison, succumbs after a long battle with cancer at the age of 58. Renowned for writing numerous Beatles hits including “Something” and “Here Comes The Sun”, Harrison was also the first to launch a solo career by releasing the triple album All Things Must Pass within a year of the group’s split, consisting of numerous songs that hadn’t made the cut with the rest of the Fab Four, which immediately became a best seller. Harrison also founded Handmade Films to help his friends in the Monty Python troupe complete production of the controversial Biblical spoof Monty Python’s Life Of Brian (which had met with major studio opposition due to its subject matter); Handmade Films later turned out Time Bandits and other cult classics under Harrison’s guidance. At the time of his death, Harrison was said to be working on a new solo album.
UPN airs the E:FC: In Memory
The 53rd episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Jayne Heitmeyer, Von Flores, and Richard Chevolleau. Lisa Howard (Highlander) guest stars.
More about Earth: Final Conflict in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
Earth: Final Conflict now streaming on Amazon Prime
The X-Files: Dreamland
The 121st episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Michael McKean guest stars.
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Sliders: Dead Man Sliding
Fox airs the 32nd episode of Tracy Torme’s alternate-universe science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, John Rhys Davies, Sabrina Lloyd, and Cleavant Derricks. Ed Wasser (Babylon 5) guest stars.
More about Sliders in the LogBook
Sliders now streaming on Amazon Prime
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Star Trek: TNG: Parallels
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 162nd episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
More about Star Trek: The Next Generation in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
Star Trek: The Next Generation now streaming on Paramount Plus
Highlander: Epitaph For Tommy
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 32nd episode of the fantasy series Highlander, starring Adrian Paul (War Of The Worlds), Stan Kirsch, Jim Byrne, and Philip Akin.
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The Flash: Shroud Of Death
The eighth episode of the superhero series The Flash, based on the DC Comics character, airs on CBS, starring John Wesley Shipp and Amanda Pays. Walter Olkewicz (Wizards And Warriors) guest stars.
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Doctor Who: Survival, Part 2
The 696th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Julian Holloway guest stars; Anthony Ainley makes his final appearance as the Master in the original series.
More about Doctor Who in the LogBook
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Quantum Leap: So Help Me God – July 29, 1957
NBC airs the 17th episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. Tyra Ferrell (Boyz n The Hood) guest stars.
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Knights Of God, Episode 12
UK regional broadcaster TVS airs the 12th episode of Richard Cooper’s alternate-history series Knights Of God, portraying a struggle between oppressive government and rugged resistance fighters in a post-civil-war UK.
Doctor Who: The Trial Of A Time Lord, Pt. 13
The 654th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Lynda Bellingham, Michael Jayston and Honor Blackman guest star; Anthony Ainley appears as the Master. This is Robert Holmes’ final Doctor Who script completed before his death, and the last episode of the season must be completed by other writers under trying circumstances, including the controversial sudden exit of current script editor Eric Saward.
More about Doctor Who in the LogBook
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Misfits Of Science: Steer Crazy
The seventh episode of James D. Parriott’s lighthearted sci-fi series, Misfits Of Science, airs on NBC, starring Dean Paul Martin, Kevin Peter Hall, and Courteney Cox. Ray Walston (My Favorite Martian) and Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years, From The Earth To The Moon) guest star.
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Twilight Zone: Episode 10
CBS airs the tenth episode of a revival of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. Jonathan Ward (Mac And Me) and Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Bettlejuice) star in an episode comprised of three short stories, including one directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins).
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More about The Twilight Zone in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
The Twilight Zone now streaming on Paramount Plus
Hammer House Of Horror: The Two Faces Of Evil
The 12th episode of the Hammer Studios-produced horror anthology series Hammer House Of Horror airs on ITV. Anna Calder-Marshall guest stars.
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Doctor Who: State Of Decay, Part 2
The 539th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This story, the second part of the E-space trilogy, introduces the “Time Lords vs. Vampires” mythos.
More about Doctor Who in the LogBook
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Buck Rogers: Escape From Wedded Bliss
NBC airs the tenth episode of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. Pamela Hensley and Michael Ansara guest star, reprising their roles from the pilot movie.
The Lost Saucer: Planet Of Lookalikes
ABC airs the 13th episode of Sid & Marty Krofft’s The Lost Saucer, starring Jim Nabors (The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle USMC) and Ruth Buzzi (Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In). R.G. Brown guest stars.
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More about The Lost Saucer in the LogBook
Doctor Who: The Android Invasion, Part 2
The 415th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Ian Marter and John Levene guest star.
More about Doctor Who in the LogBook
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Planet Of The Apes: The Cure
The 12th episode of the TV spinoff of Planet Of The Apes premieres on CBS. Sondra Locke guest stars.
Kolchak: Bad Medicine
ABC airs the eighth episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, based on the 1973 TV movie The Night Stalker and starring Darren McGavin. Richard Kiel guest stars.
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Kolchak: The Night Stalker now streaming on Amazon Prime
Six Million Dollar Man: Act Of Piracy
The 22nd episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Stephen McNally and Carlos Romero guest star.
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Pong
Atari releases its first product, the arcade game Pong. A more refined version of the basic video ping pong game introduced by the Magnavox Odyssey, it’s simpler than Nolan Bushnell’s earlier attempt to put video games in public spaces (the complicated Computer Space), and is an engineering trial-by-fire for its designer, engineer Al Alcorn. The game is implemented with analog logic rather than an expensive (at the time) microchip, and is a success, ushering in the coin-op video game era to stay.