ALL SCI-FI

Bud Brewster · Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 1:19 pm Post subject: Gargoyles (1972 TV movie)

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While on vacation in Mexico, anthropologist Cornel Wilde and daughter Jennifer Salt find a unusual skeleton, the remains of a winged creature that resembles a gargoyle. Later they find the cave where a hidden society of the creatures live. The gargoyles are intelligent and determined to keep their existence a secret.

The makeup and body suits used to portray the monsters are well designed, and they won an Emmy for Ellis Burmand and Stan Winston, partly because each gargoyle is distinctly different from the others.

"Gargoyles" begins well with a genuinely eerie mood (a scientist on the trail of something strange), but it looses most of this atmosphere when the gargoyles start flying around on semi-concealed wires.

Also starring Bernie Casey ("Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde") as the chief gargoyle. Directed by W. L. Norton.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Pow · Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 2:23 pm Post subject:

I recall being extremely impressed with the design of the bodysuits for the Gargoyles in this TV-movie.

Years later the fantastic Farscape sf series would also stun me with their astonishing bodysuit designs throughout their show. And dang near everything else about the show!!!

Rocky Jones · Posted: Thu May 14, 2015 2:25 pm Post subject:

This was one of my favorite films from the great ABC Movie of the Week series. This was possibly the first time a network had tried to produce film-quality productions on a weekly basis and run them as something of an anthology series. I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. In some ways it's in the style of many of those low-budget 50s-60s monster sci-fi drive-in flicks, but with the great costumes and a fairly intelligent storyline.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Thu May 14, 2015 9:53 pm Post subject:

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And by gum, Youtube has got a copy of this one, free for the askin', folks!

I'm downloading it now, and I'll watch it this weekend!
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________________________ Gargoyles 1972

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

scotpens · Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 12:07 am Post subject: Re: Gargoyles (1972 TV movie)

Brent Gair · Mission Specialist Joined: 21 Nov 2014 Posts: 466

I'm a proud owner of the original VCI DVD of GARGOYLES. It's hard to find these days and it's usually pretty pricey.

alltare · Quantum Engineer Joined: 17 Jul 2015 Posts: 349

It's $20 at Amazon, Brent.
I watched the Youtube download this PM. It was OK, but there is quite a bit of "filler".

Brent Gair · Mission Specialist Joined: 21 Nov 2014 Posts: 466

alltare · Quantum Engineer Joined: 17 Jul 2015 Posts: 349

I looked for some kind of "not available" notice, but didn't see anything. I just checked again, and had to go all the way through checkout before I saw the OUT OF STOCK notification. Doesn't Amazon usually put that info right up front with the pricing info? Anyway, they DO (apparently) have used copies for as little as $20.

The Youtube video is of acceptable quality, so I'm not going to worry too much about purchasing the disc.

alltare · Quantum Engineer Joined: 17 Jul 2015 Posts: 349

Bud Brewster · Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2020 12:54 pm Post subject:

Bud Brewster · Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2022 2:09 pm Post subject:

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IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production. Very Happy

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~ Grayson Hall came up with the idea for her character to hold a drink in her hand in every scene in which she appears.

Note from me: Maybe this was Miss Hall's clever way of insuring that she got to stay plastered. Wink

~ The scenes with the gargoyles running and moving were slowed down to give the gargoyles an unnatural jerky quality

Note from me: I just looked at a part of the YouTube video to see if this effect was as annoying as I thought it would . . . and it is. Sad

~ The hotel in the film was an old out-of-business hotel near Carlsbad, New Mexico. It was actually burned down for the film. The ruins were later recorded as a historical archaeological site with the New Mexico Department of Historic Preservation.

Note from me: Okay, wait a second. An old hotel that was no longer being used and which burned down . . .was designated as a protected site by the Department of Historic Preservation?

They're preserving the ashes of an old hotel? Shocked

Yes, sir — your tax dollars at work, folks! Rolling Eyes

~ Bernie Casey's voice was replaced by Vic Perrin's voice in post-production because his natural speaking voice didn't fit the character of the head gargoyle.

Note from me: "There is nothing wrong with your television. It's being controlled by us Gargoyles. Hey, we couldn't do any worse than the TV studies, eh?" :roll;

~ The temperature often peaked at one hundred plus degrees Fahrenheit (thirty-eight plus degrees Celsius) throughout the filming of the entire movie.

Note from me: Ah-ha, but Gargoyles were filmed in Carlsbad Caverns, and Google said the temperature there is a constant 56°. But of course, some scenes were filmed outside.

~ One of the stuntmen who plays a biker also portrayed one of the gargoyles.

Note from me: Ironically, "The Gargoyles" sounds like the name of a biker gang. A real horny one! Laughing

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)