by Rod Barnett
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March 20, 2025
I may have bitten off more than I can chew! I am joined by a pair of Marks – Mark Maddox and Mark Clark – to discuss STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES. Since episodes with either of them alone can stretch to more than two hours, putting them together with a subject this big was clearly tempting fate. We survive the show but this is easily the longest episode of The Bloody Pit ever! It might be best to listen to it in chunks. We dig into the Star Trek Animated Series and talk a bit about all twenty-two episodes. After some confusion we use the original broadcast order and give our thoughts on each one. This takes time and I complicated things by rereading the Alan Dean Foster Log Books for several of the stories. This means I can’t stop myself from dropping in details that were used to flesh out the 22-minute shows until both Marks request that I stop. Rude! But then I bring up Spock Must Die by James Blish and Maddox gets reeled into the book-talk like the sucker he is! Before things are over we have chosen our favorite and least favorites from the series and pulled a couple of episodes apart looking for the tasty bits. If you listen carefully you will hear the moment we realize that this show will be far too long. You can also hear the individual moments when each of us gets our second wind and press on through the second season. You might also hear weeping. You have been warned. If you have any comments or sympathy for me [email protected] is the place to send them. The plan is to get another episode out in a few weeks so keep your fingers crossed. And thank you for listening!
February 17, 2025
We take a trip to Vienna to see what Boris Karloff looks like in color! Or is that colour? Troy and I discuss THE CLIMAX (1944), Universal’s attempt to craft a follow-up to their 1943 hit remake of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. They took a 1909 stage play, grafted on some Phantom elements and used the same sets from the previous year’s film to create a beautiful looking final product. They even carried over some of the cast in similar roles. But did they make a good movie? We dig into the things we like and dislike about this often overlooked entry in the horror films of the 1940’s. Both of us marvel at the opulent sets while being impressed by Susanna Foster’s singing talents while wondering about the movie’s running time. We examine some of our favorite cast members including Gale Sondergaard and Thomas Gomez. The multiple audiences that the film was trying to appeal to comes under scrutiny as we lament the fact that the horror portion of the mix seems to get little attention. Sometimes striving for broad appeal results in a work that pleases no one. As the episode goes on we give voice to our many questions about the story’s details that require an almost supernatural suspension of disbelief. If you have any comments about THE CLIMAX [email protected] is the address. If you want to hear me ramble on about movies and media even more my Patreon page is active. Thank you for listening!
January 29, 2025
At long last Mark Maddox returns as we wrap up our look at the first six Star Trek feature films with STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY. Since this is the last movie to showcase the entire original cast, we take the opportunity to mention how happy we are that VI was the film they went out on and that everyone gets chances to shine. I’m just thrilled we finally get Captain Sulu! We discuss the production push to get this into theaters to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the premiere of the TV show. We praise the return of Nicholas Meyer to the director’s chair and point out the many touches that seem to stem from his involvement. This includes the joy of having the Wold Newton family tree brought into onscreen Star Trek, which is probably peak geekiness. The intricate nature of the film’s plot comes under scrutiny with us listing the various elements that are woven together perfectly to move the story forward. We discuss the dialog with a few clips to give a taste of the intelligence of the script. Our admiration for the performances gets plenty of time and we single out Christopher Plummer’s fantastic turn as Klingon General Chang. Just how much Shakespeare can be wedged into a Trek film, anyway? And is Chang the series’ best villain? Others may disagree with us but we make our case. If you have anything to add to the show [email protected] is the place to write. We love hearing from you and if you want to work ahead it looks like we will be talking about the Star Trek animated series in the future. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon.
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