Planet 8 Podcast

We hope you will enjoy this encore performance of "Planet 8 Goes Ape!" from August 22, 2019. Your Planet 8 crew is currently on hiatus. Unfortunately our dear Commander Larry and his family were victims of a house fire, and while everyone is alive, the damages to the house were severe. Larry and family are focusing on recovering from the fire and getting their lives back in order. Once he feels he has the space to record again, we'll put together a brand new episode. Right now, the podcast is not the top priority. Please keep him in your thoughts. If you are so inclined, you can donate to help Larry and his family recover here: https://gofund.me/e6bcc768

Welcome to a special episode here on Planet 8! This is one we've been wanting to do for a long time, and with the help of our special guest, the incomparable Lord Blood-Rah, we finally explore the 1968 classic, Planet of the Apes.

This is is one of our all-time favorite genre films. Planet of the Apes, or POTA as we like to refer to it, was a milestone in cinematic history. A serious, allegorical science fiction film that was only made possible through John Chambers' ground-breaking make-up techniques, POTA blew audiences away, especially with its shocking twist ending.

We focus on the first film only (we plan to devote later episodes to the sequels), discussing  every aspect - the amazing make-up, including the early make-up tests; the script and the many changes it went through in the hands of Rod Serling, Michael Wilson, and others; the brilliant Jerry Goldsmith score; and the memorable scenes and dialog.

The crew plus Lord Blood-Rah also take a look at each of the main characters and their complexities. Taylor, Zira, Cornelius, and of course, Dr. Zaius, all have their own agendas and the actors who portrayed them -Charlton Heston, Kim Hunter, Roddy McDowall, and Maurice Evans -did an incredible job.

We might also dip into some other areas of POTA, like the TV show or the cartoon, the comics and novels, but just briefly. And we have questions! Like - who made the scarecrows in the Forbidden Zone? What happened to the Moon? What did Zaius know, and when did he know it? We're getting deep into apedom here people! Even so, POTA seems like an inexhaustible subject, and we'll be back at it soon with another episode.

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast

Tidal waves, fires, earthquakes - the world is a dangerous place, full of natural disasters! And on this episode of Planet 8, we talk about three of our favorite disaster movies: The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Submersion of Japan, aka Tidal Wave (1973/1975), and The Towering Inferno (1974). All three are excellent examples of the disaster genre, which came into its own in the 1970s, but is still going strong today. Disaster films take the real world and flip it sideways -sometimes literally - turning a realistic situation into a frightening fantasy of survival. Like fantasy and science fiction films, these movies also rely on special effects to convince the audience that the characters are in peril.

Karen starts us off by remembering The Poseidon Adventure. The brainchild of producer Irwin Allen (you'll hear that name again), it was a big Hollywood epic at a time when the studios were putting out smaller, more intimate, and cheaper stories. Poseidon brought big name stars and spectacular thrills to the screen, even winning a special achievement in special effects award from the Academy Awards. It also ushered in the genre of disaster films.

Disaster films were not exclusive to the US, as we discover when Bob tells us about Submersion of Japan, later released in the US as Tidal Wave. This film depicted an apocalyptic vision of the entire island of Japan being wiped out by a massive tidal wave. It was a huge hit in Japan, and two years later, Roger Corman released a much-altered version which cut a bunch of footage and replaced it with footage of Lorne Greene! Bob wants to thank Oki Miyano for additional details on the film.

Larry brings us home with another Irwin Allen spectacular, The Towering Inferno. The backstory of how two books were combined and Allen finagled his way into making the film is pretty amazing. People had questioned if Allen could duplicate his success with Poseidon Adventure - with Towering Inferno, he succeeded, both at the box office and by winning a Best Picture award from the Academy.

We round out the episode with our Sensor Sweep, this time focusing on some of the latest things we are watching or reading, like The Last of Us on HBO. Maybe you're watching some of the same things!

We hope you enjoyed this episode. Let us know some of your favorite disaster films by reaching out to us on our various platforms: 

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast

In this episode, Larry, Bob, and Karen run down their favorite science fiction TV shows. In the past we've done top ten shows where we've named "the best" of something, and combined our individual lists, but this time, we went with our personal favorites. Although we had some picks in common, we wound up with 21 distinct series! So take a listen, see what we came up with, and then let us know your personal favorites.

For our Sensor Sweep, Commander Larry shares a truly humongous goodie: the WizKids Galactus Premium Colossal figure! This freakin' huge figure of Marvel's devourer of worlds is designed to be used in the Hero Clix game, but would make a great addition to any room. Be sure to check it out!

We want to throw out a plug to a great podcast by our friend Billy D! If you love monsters and comics (if you're listening to us, you probably do), you need to check out Magazines and Monsters! You can find it on many podcasts aps. Billy and his guests discuss horror films and monster comics. On the February 3 episode, our own Karen appears to discusss the Hammer film, The Devil Rides out! You can also find Billy on Twitter at @BiLLYd_licious.

That's all for this episode. Let us know what you think of our favorite shows, and what would be on your lists.

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast

On this episode, friends of Planet 8 Gail and Ray Orwig return to discuss their new book, Fantastic Serial Sites of California: Science Fiction, Horror, and  Fantasy Locations, 1919-1955. Once again, these intrepid investigators of film history have unearthed the real-life locations of many famous film sites from over 60 serials. We'll discuss how they found these notable sites, some of their more unusual adventures, and a whole lot more!

Our Sensor Sweep homes in on the Orwigs' two fabulous books: the new one, Fantastic Serial Sites of California: Science Fiction, Horror, and  Fantasy Locations, 1919-1955 and Where Monsters Walked: California Locations of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, 1925 -1965. Both books are chock full of information and photos of film sites and make for great guide books if you want to cruise around California and see where many of your favorite genre films were made. You can get these books from Amazon or also at https://mcfarlandbooks.com/.  If you're in the Bay Area in August, the Orwigs will be attending Creatures Con on August 13th at the Concord Plaza Hotel - be sure to stop by and say hi!

Many thanks again and continued success to our friends the Orwigs!

We'd love to hear if you've purchased the Orwigs books, or have questions about or for them. You can reach us at our many sites:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast

Another year is in the books, and before we dive into 2023, the Planet 8 crew is taking some time to review the year that just passed. What films and TV shows did we enjoy? What surprised us? And what was disappointing? Oh heck, let's just say it: what was crap?! We go over it all, as well as dip into the future a bit with some speculation and anticipation for coming projects.

For the Sensor Sweep, each of us -Larry, Karen, and Bob - will talk about something cool we got for Christmas! Larry describes the fabulous NIght Gallery After Hours book he received as a Creature Features kickstarter.

Karen talks about the marvelous Space:1999 Moonbase Alpha Technical Manual from the Anderson Store.

Bob has a trio of goodies: an X-Plus Gamera 1999 figure, an X-Plus Deforeal Godzilla 1973, and a Bioworld Godzilla mug.

Check out the pics here or on Twitter! Santa was very good indeed to the Planet 8 crew.

That's it for now. There's a lot to look forward to in 2023 -and not just movies or TV shows! We're grateful to have good friends and great listeners who have helped us keep the show going. We have a lot of plans for this year, and we hope you'll come along with us!

If you want to get in touch you can reach us at any of our social sites: 

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast

Another year has come and nearly gone, and your Planet 8 crew is sitting around the fusion reactor, sipping hot cocoa, and reminiscing about some of our favorite genre shows that feature Christmas as an element. Whether science fiction, fantasy, horror, or what have you, we'll cover a wide range of movies and TV shows that we've enjoyed in which the celebration of Noel plays a part. 

In our Sensor Sweep segment, Bob shares his excitement over the arrival of the new Shin Ultraman film from Fathom Events, coming January 11 and 12th. If you're a fan, or if you've always wondered what's the deal about Ultraman, this is your chance to find out! You can find more info here. 

We want to wish all our listeners a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and all the best as we head into 2023!

If you want to get in touch you can reach us at any of our social sites: 

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast

Welcome back listeners! This episode we have a twofer for you: we reminisce and remark on two films in one of our favorite film series, Escape from the Planet of the Apes AND Conquest of the Planet of the Apes! We also have one of our favorite people, special guest Lord Blood-Rah, with us! We do less of a review than a ramble through our favorite parts and some of the paradoxes that have kept us wondering for years. You may want to watch the films to refresh your memory before listening. But we'd love to hear your thoughts on both films, the Hasslein Theory of Time Travel, Baby Milo, the original vs theatrical version of Conquest, and anything else Apes.

Our Sensor Sweep locks on to Lord Blood-Rah and all the amazing things he's up to! While you can always go to his site, lordbloodrah.com, to get the latest info, our good friend has been busy creating some amazing programming over at YouTube! You can see shows like Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Theater, Lord Blood-Rah's Cathode Zone, Captain Paxar's Star Cadet hour, and more! Head over to YouTube.com/lordbloodrah and check it out! And if you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can catch Lord Blood-Rah hosting sci fi flicks every third Saturday of the month at the Orinda Theater!

Thanks for listening! If you want to get in touch you can reach us at any of our social sites: 

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast

We want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to our fellow US citizens, and a...pleasant autumn? to all the rest! It's a time for us to reflect on what we're grateful for, and on Planet 8, we are grateful for the work and life of Captain James T. Kirk himself, WIlliam Shatner. Although our admiration began with his Star Trek role, it certainly didn't end there. Through his many other  acting roles, and his other endeavors, such as his recording career, on to his amazing journey into space on Blue Origin, Shatner has spent his 91 years making the most of life. That's something we truly admire about him.

We hope you'll enjoy this episode as we share all the things we love about The Man, William Shatner!

For our Sensor Sweep, Commander Larry shares Shatner's newest book, Boldly Go, which shares Shatner's thoughts about life and the universe. You can get it from your local bookseller now!

We also want to note some memorable passings: Kazuki Omori, director of Godzilla films; Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman from Batman the Animated Series and Justice League; and Robert Clary, who played LeBeau on Hogan's Heroes. May they rest in peace.

Thanks for stopping by! Please let us know your thoughts on Mr. Shatner, or anything else! You can find us at:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast

It's November, and here in the States, that means we're getting ready for Turkey Day! But on Planet 8, with our love of all things sci fi, fantasy, and horror, we have a love of a different kind of turkey: those films that many, especially those in the mainstream, consider to be bad films. And truth be told, a lot of these films might not be the greatest films. The production values might be poor, or the acting might not be spectacular, but for us, for the fans, we find something about them that we enjoy.

Your Planet 8 crew will take turns discussing some of our favorite turkeys. We'll cover films from far and wide, including Japanese monster films, a Star Trek movie (which one could it be??), several super-hero films, and of course, the requisite B-movie monster flicks. It's a nice mix of genres, as well as films from the 60s to recent years. Some of these films we consider misjudged, while others may indeed be turkeys, but we love 'em just the same!

For our Sensor Sweep, Chief Engineer Bob describes his amazing Spirit Halloween store score, four six-foot tall bubble tubes! He snagged these after Halloween, and now has added them to his monster garage, tiki bar, and Creature from the Black Lagoon corner! It's some great bling.

Thanks once again for tuning in to the show! We appreciate your support. We'd love to hear about your favorite turkeys. Share yours with us at our social sites:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast

Can you prove it didn't happen??

In this Halloween episode, we take a look at the scary animation, films, and park attractions of Walt Disney. Typically we think of Walt Disney features as being funny  family-fare, but there were quite a few memorable frightening moments or characters in Disney features. We're fortunate to be joined by the hosts of the Walt Disney Family Museum official podcast, Bri Bertolaccini and Chris Mullens, who share a ton of amazing stories and details with us! So get comfy as we take you on a tour of Disney frights, from the Skeleton Dance to Pinocchio, from Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent to Dr. Syn, all the way to Disneyland's famed Haunted Mansion. You'll be covered in goose bumps when we're done!

You'll also be itching to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum! Our two guests Bri and Chris not only host the WD-FM podcast, but they are also part of the team at the museum too. So for the Sensor Sweep, they share what's going on at the museum, which is located at the Presidio in San Francisco. Currently, the museum is featuring a special program, Walt Disney's The Jungle Book: Making a Masterpiece (link) through January 8, 2023. Coming soon is Spirit of the Season, a community art exhibition (link) opening November 17th which runs through the holiday season. And don't forget to tune into the Walt Disney Family Museum official podcast, where you can hear more from Chris and Bri on a range of Disney-related topics! You can find WD-FM on most podcast aps, at https://www.waltdisney.org/podcast, or at their YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/c/WDFMuseum.

That's it for us. We hope you enjoyed this special Halloween episode. Please share your thoughts with us at any of our social outlets below:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast

Happy Halloween!