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Starstruck

StarstruckThe final frontier is the new wild frontier. The exploration of space has given way to settlement and mining, and occasionally lawlessness. Ben McCallister runs a space station “halfway between Earth and Pluto” where he fixes and fuels patrons’ spacecraft as they enjoy the amenities on board before moving on to their next destination. His children are exposed to a wide and wild variety of aliens and humans alike, though he does his best to shield them from the seedier side of things, with the help of the housekeeping robots, “Mrs. Douglas” and “Mr. Hudson”. Talent agent Max, always trying to get McCallister to book his comedy and music acts, tries to get Ben to consider a singer named Amber LaRue, only to be turned down. In need of work, Amber offers to do odd jobs around the station, even if they don’t involve singing. Orthwaite Frodo, a dazzlingly rich space mining magnate, drops by with his handsome pilot, Chance, to sample the McCallisters’ legendary apple pie (using real Earth-grown apples), which leads him to offer to buy out Ben McCallister’s establishment. Ben politely refuses, but Amber lets him in on a secret: Orthwaite Frodo won’t take “no” for an answer, and has brought a hired assassin with him to eliminate any “no” that he might encounter.

written by Arthur Kopit
directed by Al Viola
music by Allan Alper / title song by Mitch Johnson, Kerry Chater & Patricia Goode

StarstruckCast: Beeson Carroll (Ben McCallister), Lynne Lipton (Amber LaRue), Guy Raymond (Ezra McCallister), Meegan King (Mark McCallister), Tania Myren (Kate McCallister), Elvia Allman (Abigail McCallister), Kevin Brando (Rupert McCallister), Robin Strand (Chance), Sarah Kennedy (Delight), Joe Silver (Max), Roy Brocksmith (Orthwaite Frodo), Herb Kaplowitz (Dart), Robert Short (Mr. Hudson), Buddy Douglas (Mrs. Douglas), J.C. Wells (Tashko), Cynthia Latham (Madame Dumont), Forrest J. Ackerman (Alien Astronaut), Jackie O’Brien (Waitress), Billy Scudder (Wolflike Alien)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Jason Of Star Command Season 2

Mission To The Stars

Jason Of Star CommandJason picks an inopportune time to kick the tires and light the fire on Professor Parsafoot’s new and improved Starfire: a new commander is arriving to take over Star Command, and he’s rumored to be strictly by-the-book. Commander Stone is less than impressed with Jason’s “antics”. A derelict spaceship with no life signs drifts into Star Command’s vicinity, but a robot probe sent to inspect it is blown out of the sky. Jason goes to investigate and finds a woman named Samantha frozen in suspended animation. She claims to be one of the last survivors of an invasion of her planet by Dragos. And while Jason is away, a distress call lures Star Command into a trap set by Dragos.

Order this series on DVDwritten by Ted Pedersen
directed by Arthur H. Nadel
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael

Jason Of Star CommandCast: Craig Littler (Jason), Charlie Dell (Professor E.J. Parsafoot), John Russell (The Commander), Sid Haig (Dragos), Tamara Dobson (Samantha)

Notes: Drago has built a new Dragonship since his escape in season 1’s finale. Commander Stone is from a planet in the “Alpha Centauri cluster”. W1K1 now has a voice. In one of the first (and only) onscreen acknowledgement’s of season one’s voiceover description of Jason as a “soldier of fortune”, Jason points out that he is “not under the direct jurisdiction of Star Command”. Jason’s exact relationship to Star Command and/or Space Academy is left unclear.

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Jason Of Star Command Season 2

Frozen In Space

Jason Of Star CommandAs Star Command slowly freezes in a temperature-lowering force field erected around it by Dragos, Jason and Samantha visit the source of that force field, meeting Drago’s savage new underlings in the process. But Samantha turns against Jason, claiming to be bringing him to Drago as a prisoner. As Star Command plunges toward a dwarf star, its controls frozen, Commander Stone and Professor Parsafoot are unable to help Jason.

Order this series on DVDwritten by Margaret Armen
directed by Arthur H. Nadel
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael

Jason Of Star CommandCast: Craig Littler (Jason), Charlie Dell (Professor E.J. Parsafoot), John Russell (The Commander), Sid Haig (Dragos), Tamara Dobson (Samantha), John Berwick (Tehor)

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Captain America

Captain America II: Death Too Soon

Captain AmericaSteve Rogers lives the life of a wayward artist, finding that his alter ego, Captain America, is still needed wherever he goes. The disappearance of a scientist known for his research into countering aging draws Steve to an out-of-the-way town, where he finds the locals tight-lipped or openly hostile. After she sees him single-handedly fight off a group of thugs, local ranch owner Helen Moore offers Steve shelter. When an international terrorist known only as Miguel claims to have the mission scientist, and threatens to use his research to age the population of a major city to death unless the U.S. government pays a massive ransom, it seems odd for Captain America to continue focusing all of his efforts on a small town, but he’s certain that the secrets behind Miguel’s grab for power and wealth are there.

written by Wilton Schiller and Patricia Payne
directed by Ivan Nagy
music by Mike Post & Pete Carpenter

Captain AmericaCast: Reb Brown (Steve Rogers / Captain America), Connie Sellecca (Dr. Wendy Day), Len Birman (Dr. Simon Mills), Christopher Lee (Miguel), Katherine Justice (Helen Moore), Christopher Cary (Professor Ilson), William Lucking (Stader), Stanley Kamel (Kramer), Ken Swofford (Everett Bliss), Lana Wood (Yolanda), Arthur Rosenberg (Doctor), Bill Mims (Dr. J. Brenner), Alex Hyde-White (Young Man), Lachelle Chamberlain (Young Girl), Susan French (Mrs. Shaw), John Waldron (Peter Moore)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Incredible Hulk Season 3

Broken Image

The Incredible HulkUnder the assumed name “David Bowman”, Banner takes up residence in an inner-city apartment, also taking a job there as the apartment’s janitor. But another resident there, a man named Mike Cassidy, bears a striking resemblence to Banner, and as Cassidy is already a con man, he sees an opportunity to use Banner as a decoy to throw off a group of men trying to recover thousands of dollars from him. When Banner is drawn into this sordid scheme and beaten up, the Hulk naturally emerges, complicating Cassidy’s plan (and Banner’s life). Worse yet, Jack McGee follows the latest reports of the Hulk’s appearance right to Banner’s apartment door.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Karen Harris & Jill Sherman
directed by John McPherson
music by Joe Harnell

Cast: Bill Bixby (David Bruce Banner), Jack Colvin (Jack McGee), Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk), Karen Carlson (Lorraine), John Reilly (Steve), Jed Mills (Teddy), Chris Wallace (Danny), Erica Yohn (Woman with dog), George Caldwell (Pete), Enrique Castillo (Larry), Donald W. Carter (Police Lieutenant), Al White (Police Sergeant), Sally Sommer (Miriam)

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Beyond Westworld Westworld

Westworld Destroyed

Beyond WestworldWestworld has fallen. Security consultant John Moore, who set up security measures for Westworld before it opened, is brought in to help Delos Corporation account for all of the robots left over from Westworld. Simon Quaid, a brilliant but twisted cyberneticist who helped Joseph Oppenheimer create the Westworld robots, is fully capable of reprogramming any of them to do his bidding – including infiltrating the crew of a Navy nuclear submarine. Moore gets a crash course in how the robots work, and how there’s no one handy way to shut them all down: different robots have different programs, hardware and abilities for different tasks, and a different way must be found to shut down each one. Moore and a member of Delos, Laura Garvey, get special clearance to be aboard the sub before it ships out to sea…and once there, even if the robot is found, Moore will have to improvise quickly to keep it from nuking the mainland United States.

written by Lou Shaw
directed by Ted Post
music by George Romanis

Beyond WestworldCast: Jim McMullan (John Moore), James Wainwright (Simon Quaid), Judith Chapman (Laura Garvey), William Jordan (Joseph Oppenheimer), Stewart Moss (Foley), Dennis Holahan (Captain Farrell), Morgan Paull (Parker), John Kirby (Dudley), Paul Henry Itkin (Horton), Mo Lauren (Jan), Nancy McCurry (Roberta), Nicholas Guest (Sailor), Larry Levine (Technician), Cassandra Peterson (Dance Hall Girl), Edward A. Coch Jr. (Chubby Gunman), Alex Kubik (Gunfighter)

Notes: Produced by Star Trek veterans John Meredyth Lucas and Fred Freiberger, Beyond Westworld actually has very little to do with Westworld itself; it uses Westworld as a “home base” for its recurring villain, and features “control room” footage from the 1973 movie. Perhaps most curiously of all, where Westworld took place in an unspecified future era where hovercraft travel is the norm, Beyond Westworld curiously rewinds things and places it in a setting much closer to the modern day. And yes, that is a pre-Elvira Cassandra Beyond WestworldPeterson in a background part, and you do hear the familiar Enterprise bridge background sound effects in the Westworld control room – just the latest of a long string of appearances in other series since Star Trek had gone off the air in 1969. Somewhat unenviably stepping into the shoes of Yul Brynner for the small screen is actor Alex Kubik in an early TV role; he went on to appear in CHiPS, Airwolf, The Dukes Of Hazzard and Knight Rider.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Beyond Westworld Westworld

My Brother’s Keeper

Beyond WestworldWeighed down by gambling debts, Nick Stoner is a rarity: an heir to an oil fortune who’s out of money. His sober-minded brother Dean runs the family business, and has bailed Nick out of trouble repeatedly. But someone else knows about this dynamic: Quaid zeroes in on Nick, offering to clear all of his debts permanently. All Rick has to do is sign over the entire oil operation to Quaid, and he happily signs his name since, as only half-heir, the family fortune isn’t his to give away – the agreement is invalid. It’s not until later that he realizes that a hit will now be out on Dean; if his brother dies mysteriously, Nick really has handed Stoner Oil over to Quaid. John Moore and Delos are contacted, since Quaid almost certainly has robots in place to carry out the hit on Dean. With Special Agent Pam Williams helping undercover, Moore has to figure out which member of a pro football team owned by Dean Stoner is the killer.

teleplay by Lou Shaw
story by Howard Dimsdale
directed by Rod Holcomb
music by George Romanis

Beyond WestworldCast: Jim McMullan (John Moore), James Wainwright (Simon Quaid), Connie Sellecca (Pamela Williams), William Jordan (Joseph Oppenheimer), Christopher Connelly (Nick Stoner), Jeff Cooper (Dean Stoner), Denny Miller (Earl Case), John Shearn (Jason), Jack Carter (Charles Vincent), Delvin Williams (End), Anthony A.D. Davis (Mike Roth), Bobby Van (Danny), Severn Darden (Foley), Ann McCurry (Roberta), Greg Lewis (Stickman), Inga Nielsen (Woman), William Elliott (Police Offier), Ben Fuhrman (Security Guard), David Bedell (Reporter)

Notes: Replacing the female lead in this first post-pilot episode is future Greatest American Hero co-star Connie Sellecca. Her character has a past with Moore (apparently both a working and a romantic past) and a past with Quaid (from prior work at Delos). Former Dobie Gillis star and game show host Bobby Beyond WestworldVan makes one of his final appearances here, shortly before his death of a malignant brain tumor in July 1980 (he had been diagnosed in 1979 and continued working). One of the former stars of Wagon Train, Denny Miller (1934-2014) also appeared in Voyagers!, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, Quark, The Six Million Dollar Man, Battlestar Galactica, and the original V miniseries. Real football players Anthony Davis (formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the L.A. Rams and the Houston Oilers) and Delvin Williams (San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins) appear as members of Dean Stoner’s unspecified (but presumably pro) football team.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Beyond Westworld Westworld

Sound Of Terror

Beyond WestworldThe rock band Power & Ruth has a loyal following and a social conscience, stopping to play an impromptu anti-nuke protest concert just outside of a nuclear power plant. But during that gig, someone breaks into the plant and steals uranium. A robot replica is suspected, and Delos once again puts Moore and Pam on the case. Posing as Power & Ruth’s new PR agents, the two get to know each member of the band, trying to work out which member of the band or its road crew is most likely a uranium-stealing robot. In the meantime, Quaid awaits delivery of the uranium, which he plans to hand over to an unscrupulous Middle Eastern dictator who will have no qualms about using it as a weapon.

written by Martin Roth
directed by Paul Stanley
music by George Romanis
songs written and performed by Ronee Blakley

Beyond WestworldCast: Jim McMullan (John Moore), James Wainwright (Simon Quaid), Connie Sellecca (Pamela Williams), William Jordan (Joseph Oppenheimer), Ronee Blakley (Ruth Avery), Lawrence Casey (Ryder), Dirk Blocker (Mace), Ed Bernard (Doctor), Rene Auberjonois (Power), Severn Darden (Foley), Ann McCurry (Roberta), Louis Welch (Bobby Lee), Robert Ayers (Spooner), Dewayne Jessie (Lingo), Sirri Murad (Hakim Fadar), Mary Carver (Head Nurse)

Notes: This was the final episode of Beyond Westworld aired by CBS; the show’s dismal ratings were a threat to the remainder of CBS’ Wednesday night schedule in spring 1980 (taken up by the CBS Wednesday night movie), and the series was yanked with only two additional unaired episodes (The Lion and Takeover) having been produced. Beyond WestworldRene Auberjonois shapeshifted into the role of a rock star here, mere months before starting a regular stint on the sitcom Benson (and many years before starring in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Odo). Ronnie Sue Blakley had risen to stardom in the movie Nashville (1975), for which she was nominated for an Oscar; she later starred in A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984), and in between made numerous TV guest appearances in the likes of Highway To Heaven, The Love Boat, Vega$ and Tales From The Darkside. She had a very real recording career in addition to her acting career, releasing several albums between 1972 and 2012, and wrote and performed her own songs in this episode. Like her character here, she often played in support of political causes, including the presidential campaigns of Walter Mondale and Jerry Brown; unlike her character, she probably didn’t run into any killer nuke robots.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Wizards & Warriors

The Unicorn Of Death

Wizards & WarriorsThe wizard Vector presents the evil Prince Blackpool with a gift: a sculpture of a unicorn made from a substance that, when activated, will create an explosion large enough to wipe out a country. Blackpool decides to use this terrible weapon to win the affections of Princess Ariel… by holding her father’s kingdom hostage with the threat of fiery destruction. But Ariel is betrothed to Prince Erik Greystone, who is immediately given the task of recovering the key that will deactivate the explosive. With his squire, Marko, Greystone convinces one of Blackpool’s flunkies to talk and makes his way toward Blackpool’s citadel.

It never occurs to him that the key he’s risking life and limb to retrieve might be the wrong one.

written by Bill Richmond
directed by Bill Bixby
music by Lee Holdridge

Cast: Jeff Conaway (Prince Erik Greystone), Walter Olkewicz (Marko), Duncan Regehr (Prince Dirk Blackpool), Julia Duffy Wizards & Warriors(Princess Ariel), Clive Revill (Vector), Ian Wolfe (Wizard Traquill), Randi Brooks (Bethel), Tim Dunigan (Geoffrey Blackpool), Joseph Robert Sicari (Goz Dunder), Thomas Hill (King Baaldorf), Christine de Lisle (Belldonna), Phyllis Katz (Cassandra), Ken Hixon (Ariel’s Suitor), Brent Huff (Man in Bar), Lonnie Wun (Baaldorf’s Subject), Kathleen McIntyre (Lady In Waiting), Mark Douglas Sebastian, Steven Strong (Grox), Nancy Thiesen (Lady In Waiting)

Notes: Director Bill Bixby is the same actor who starred as the alter ego of The Incredible Hulk throughout that series’ run; even before he was Hulking out, Bixby was in demand as a director. He teamed up with Wizards & Warriors creator Don Reo on his later (and arguably more successful) series Blossom, directing 30 episodes (presumably Very Special ones) of that show. Bixby died in 1993 after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Wizards & Warriors

The Kidnap

Wizards & WarriorsWar has broken out between the kingdom of Camarand and Karteia. Prince Erik Greystone and his squire Marko visit King Baaldorf and offers his help in battle; the King sends him to the front lines. Upon hearing that Greystone will be joining the fight, the evil Prince Dirk Blackpool steals a magical monocle from his court wizard, Vector, and holds it hostage. Despite the wizards’ code of honor, which prevents practitioners of magic from killing, Vector is left with no choice but to dispatch a deadly demon at Blackpool’s request. Marko overcomes the demon and bests Blackpool’s younger brother in hand-to-hand combat. But Greystone forgets the cryptic warning given to him by Belldonna, a ghostly image of a beautiful woman that only he can see or hear, and is unable to prevent Blackpool from walking into Castle Baaldorf and kidnapping the Princess Ariel.

written by Don Reo
directed by Richard Colla
music by Lee Holdridge

Wizards & WarriorsCast: Jeff Conaway (Prince Erik Greystone), Walter Olkewicz (Marko), Duncan Regehr (Prince Dirk Blackpool), Julia Duffy (Princess Ariel), Clive Revill (Vector), Ian Wolfe (Wizard Traquill), Julie Payne (Queen Lattinia), Randi Brooks (Bethel), Tim Dunigan (Geoffrey Blackpool), Jay Kerr (Justin Greystone), Thomas Hill (King Baaldorf), Christine de Lisle (Belldonna), George McDaniel (Hook), Robert Alan Browne (General), Phyllis Katz (Cassandra), David Ankrum (Robber), Michael Crabtree (Robber), Elyse Donalson (Woman), M.C. Gainey (Robber), Emerson Hall (Robber), Chuck Hicks, Fred Lerner,
George Marshall Ruge, Steven Strong, Steven Williams

Notes: The Kidnap and The Rescue – originally written as a single script titled The Wizards & WarriorsRescue and then broken up into a two-episode cliffhanger at the request of CBS – were two halves of the pilot episode of Wizards & Warriors, which is the reason for the numerous elements that make little sense when The Unicorn Of Death aired the week before: The Kidnap depicts Prince Erik’s first visit to Castle Baaldorf and his first meeting with Princess Ariel. It also shows Blackpool confiscating Vector’s magical monocle, which he is missing in Unicorn. The Kidnap and The Rescue are also much darker than most of the rest of the series. Battle scenes seen at the beginning of The Kidnap were unused battle footage from the movie Excalibur, which was – handily enough – also produced by Warner Bros. Also be on the lookout for a young M.C. Gainey, who would later play the recurring role of “Mr. Friendly”, one of the Others ruling over the island in Lost.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Wizards & Warriors

The Rescue

Wizards & WarriorsGreystone’s quest to recover the kidnapped Princess Ariel from Dirk Blackpool isn’t going to plan. And that’s assuming that he even has a plan. Worse yet, the increasingly impatient King Baaldorf is becoming as much of a threat to their health as anything Blackpool has up his sleeve. En route to Blackpool’s castle, by way of Marko’s home town, Greystone discovers that the evil wizard Vector has deployed every trick in the book to stop them from rescuing Ariel. But Vector and Blackpool aren’t counting on Greystone’s sheer determination (or Marko’s ability to strangle a slime monster). And Greystone isn’t counting on Ariel’s sheer indifference at being rescued.

written by Don Reo
directed by James Frawley
music by Lee Holdridge

Wizards & WarriorsCast: Jeff Conaway (Prince Erik Greystone), Walter Olkewicz (Marko), Duncan Regehr (Prince Dirk Blackpool), Julia Duffy (Princess Ariel), Clive Revill (Vector), Ian Wolfe (Wizard Traquill), Thomas Hill (King Baaldorf), Art LaFleur (Michael), Piper Perry (Lucille), Tara Perry (Margaret), Bobby Porter (Lendar), Toru Tanaka (Baaldorf’s Aide)

Notes: Ian Wolfe was always seated in his appearances as the wizard Traquill due to health issues at the time of filming. Bobby Porter, who has a long history as a stunt coordinator working on such shows as The A-Team, Tales From The Crypt, the American version of The Office and both TV episodes and movies in the Planet Of The Apes franchise, had a recurring role in the 1991 remake of Land Of The Lost and wore the metal suit of Andy the robot in the ’70s SF spoof Quark. There’s not a man alive who could strangle a slime monster.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Wizards & Warriors

Night Of Terror

Wizards & WarriorsHaving survived life and death battles together, Greystone and Princess Ariel move on to something that the prince finds much more stressful: a simple picnic. Ariel has chosen to set up the picnic on the grounds of a haunted castle, and when her dog runs toward the castle, she and Greystone follow and become trapped inside. Naturally, it’s all a carefully laid trap that Vector has arranged, and the evil wizard is so certain that the happy couple is doomed that he begins bargaining with Prince Blackpool for his magical monocle. But with help on the way from Marko, Greystone isn’t ready to give up just yet.

written by Bill Richmond
directed by Bill Bixby
music by Lee Holdridge and Alf Clausen

Cast: Jeff Conaway (Prince Erik Greystone), Walter Olkewicz (Marko), Duncan Regehr (Prince Dirk Blackpool), Julia Duffy Wizards & Warriors(Princess Ariel), Clive Revill (Vector), Julie Payne (Queen Lattinia), Thomas Hill (King Baaldorf)

Notes: This was the first credited composing assignment for Alf Clausen, who would move on to provide music for such shows as Moonlighting and Alf before becoming the resident composer for The Simpsons, scoring all but a handful of that show’s episodes over its 20+ year run.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Wizards & Warriors

Skies Of Death

Wizards & WarriorsPrince Blackpool’s sneak attacks have given away to something more aggressive: he has declared open war on Castle Baldorf. Greystone and Marko lead the defense from the front line, only to discover that Blackpool has added ballistic weaponry to his arsenal. Airborne explosives land at the feet of King Baldorf’s army, causing devastating damage, while Blackpool’s men don’t even have to advance. Worse yet, Blackpool’s cannon is sitting atop the Cliffs of Death, a climb that has killed many a man in peacetime. Greystone tries to lead a force of Baldorf’s best men to the cliff face, but Blackpool’s cannon fire drives them into retreat. Greystone and Marko set out to do the job themselves, with a little help from Greystone’s brother Justin – though Greystone worries about whether his brother will even show up. Greystone has a plan to make Blackpool’s cannon backfire, not only destroying the cannon but whatever force is amassed on the Cliffs of Death to fire it. Climbing the Cliffs will be a challenge. Getting back down alive will be nothing short of a miracle.

written by Don Reo
directed by Bill Bixby
music by Lee Holdridge and Alf Clausen

Wizards & WarriorsCast: Jeff Conaway (Prince Erik Greystone), Walter Olkewicz (Marko), Duncan Regehr (Prince Dirk Blackpool), Julia Duffy (Princess Ariel), Clive Revill (Vector), Jay Kerr (Justin), Julie Payne (Queen Lattinia), Thomas Hill (King Baaldorf), Robert Gray (Injured Soldier), Robert Carnegie (Guard #4), Chris Hendrie (Guard #3), Warren Munson (Peasant), Alex Daniels (Blackpool’s Soldier), George Marshall Ruge (Blackpool’s Soldier), Lonnie Wun (Blackpool’s Soldier)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Otherworld

Rules Of Attraction

OtherworldHal Sterling’s latest job overseeing hydroelectric power plant construction has brought him, and his reluctant family, to Egypt. They’re so ready to return to California that even a newspaper headline about a once-in-10,000-years alignment of the planets doesn’t excite anyone. As their time abroad is drawing to a close, they take a local up on an offer of a guided tour of the pyramids…only to be abandoned when they don’t fork over his asking fee a second time. They stumble into what seems like an endless drop, and emerge from a lake in unfamiliar surroundings. A chance encounter with a futuristic vehicle piloted by some kind of soldier proves that they’re no longer in Egypt, and possibly not even on Earth. They make their way to an equally futuristic city called Sarlex, and Hal bluffs his way through an indoctrination session for new residents to secure a home for them, at least for now. The Sterlings are assigned to unfamiliar jobs and schools, and their oldest son, Trace, falls for a local girl, only to discover that the locals are all androids. Commander Kroll, the soldier whose vehicle the Sterlings “borrowed” to reach Sarlex, comes to town, determined to find the “dangerous terrorists” who attacked him. Upon learning from their neighbors that Sarlex is innundated with radiation that is harmful to humans, the Sterlings get ready to go on the run, having worn out their welcome in this other world.

written by Roderick Taylor
directed by William A. Graham
music by Sylvester LeVay

OtherworldCast: Sam Groom (Hal Sterling), Gretchen Corbett (June Sterling), Tony O’Dell (Trace Sterling), Jonna Lee (Gina Sterling), Brandon Crane (Smith Sterling), Jonathan Banks (Kroll), Amanda Wyss (Nova), Peter Bromilow (Praetor), Gokul (Ahmed), James Costy (Professor Kroyd), Conrad Bachmann (Litten), Michael Rider (Officer), James Hampton (Fred Roach), Barbara Stuart (Mrs. Roach), Ray Walston (Bureaucrat), Michael Sharrett (Stock Clerk), Wayne Alexander (Lieutenant), Gary Pagett (Monitor), Barbara Beckley (Mr. Mob), Anita Jesse (Miss Wanda), Dan Lewk (Fabrique), Rodger LaRue (Corporal), Janet Rasak (Woman), Robert Vinson (Student), Zachary Baker (Bo)

Notes: Otherworld was scheduled immediately before Airwolf on CBS’ Saturday prime time schedule, meaning that audiences who stuck with the network throughout the night got a double-shot of Sylvester LeVay theme music.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Otherworld

The Zone Troopers Build Men

OtherworldThe “Hardins” have fled to the agricultural town of Tarka, trying to shake off Kroll’s pursuit. But with his life as he knew it a relic of the past, Trace finds it difficult to concentrate on school. His grades continue falling until he is drafted into the uniformed Zone Troopers at nearby Camp Triangula. The merciless 13-week program promises to turn Trace and his fellow trainees into ruthless killing machines serving the state. Trace realizes that the only way he can survive this boot camp is to angle for an officer commission, otherwise he’ll be a Zone Trooper until the day he dies. He works hard to reach officer rank, but on graduation day, he learns that his final test will be to hunt down and kill fugitives like his own family.

teleplay by Coleman Luck
story by Roderick Taylor & Bruce A. Taylor
directed by Richard Compton
music by Sylvester LeVay

OtherworldCast: Sam Groom (Hal Sterling), Gretchen Corbett (June Sterling), Tony O’Dell (Trace Sterling), Jonna Lee (Gina Sterling), Chris Hebert (Smith Sterling), Jonathan Banks (Kroll), Mark Lenard (Commander Perel Sightings), Dominick Brascia (Hobert Racks), Robert O’Reilly (Drill Instructor), Kevin Scott Allen (Brindle), Bryan McGuire (Sergeant), Wayne Alexander (Aid), Nadine van der Velde (Girl), Michael McGrady (Zone Trooper), Robert L. Gibson (Teacher), Greg Elliot (Christopher), Kay Tornborg (Map Instructor), Bill Covert (Brax), Dale Butcher (Instructor), Brian Thompson (D.I. #2), Steven Whiteford (Flight Instructor)

OtherworldNotes: The Sterlings are now the Hardins (presumably the Sterlings are having to adopt aliases as they travel). It’s all-star Major Recurring Star Trek Actors week at Otherworld: Mark Lenard played Spock’s father Sarek in the classic Star Trek series (both live-action and animated) and movies, while Robert O’Reilly played Klingon Chancellor Gorwon in numerous episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine from 1990 through 1999. Brian Thompson also played numerous alien characters in various Trek episodes, and Otherworld’s unit production manager (in its post-pilot weekly series format) is one David Livingston, who served as a line producer on Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise, as well as directing several episodes of each.

LogBook entry by Earl Green