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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 5:15 pm Post subject: The Questor Tapes (1974 TV movie) |
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This was an unsold pilot for a Gene Rodenberry project, but I've heard friends say it was pretty good. Robert Foxworth portrays an android who feels driven to solve the mystery of his missing creator's whereabouts and true identity, as well as the recovery of certain areas of his memory which have been inexplicably erased.
Anybody remember this one? Is it worth getting if i get the chance?
Bud _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:38 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Bongopete Interstellar Explorer

Joined: 17 Dec 2013 Posts: 75 Location: Dallas
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Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:59 am Post subject: |
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I havent seen this in many many years......but I think the last time I DID see it, was disappointed. That might have been of course due to reseeing it at a time of so many better visual quality scifi series were on.
I watched this when it first came out and enjoyed it though.
Today, I am a bit tired of the stranger in a strange land scenario and the stranger being our salvation. |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3739 Location: New York
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:37 am Post subject: |
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I enjoyed Questor. It was an intelligently done pilot & had great potential as a weekly show.
The Q concept was resurrected for Star Trek: TNG & became data. Data asked all the profound questions that Q asked. What does it mean to be human, what do we owe one another, & so forth?
So to reboot Q now would seem to me to simply be a rehash of 7-years worth of Data.
Last edited by Pow on Wed Sep 04, 2024 1:23 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3739 Location: New York
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Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 12:37 pm Post subject: |
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Gene Roddenberry said in an interview that the network wanted to alter too much of Questor for a weekly series.
Firstly, they wanted to eliminate Q's human companion.
Secondly, they were going to turn it into a Fugitive-like premise with Q on the run from the government all the time.
GR was disgusted at these "improvements" & said that he would not produce the series had a network picked it up insisting on these plot devices.
Last edited by Pow on Wed Sep 04, 2024 1:24 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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larryfoster Space Ranger

Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 104
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 3:48 am Post subject: |
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If Roddenberry had done Star Trek correctly... he would have had many Questor androids wearing 'red shirts' aboard the TOS Enterprise. But he chose to denigrate all such android creations in that series.
I'll take a serious "Questor", over a buffoonish "Data" - any day! _________________ Tired of waiting on NASA to adopt Flying Saucer technology! Sick of human political-representative government! I want 1970: COLOSSUS (The Forbin Project) A.I. - as World Control government! Providing flying saucer tech, "For the betterment of man." |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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___________________________
Good job, Larry!
I'm still waiting to run across a good copy of this so I can finally watch it!
Stagevu had one, but the picture was bad, so I decided to wait. (* sigh *) Someday I'll get to see it. _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:31 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3739 Location: New York
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 11:16 am Post subject: |
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Since Data was essentially Questor for seven seasons on ST:TNG, I would prefer a reboot of the ST:TOS episode Assignment: Earth. This tv-pilot also had a lot of potential.
It would cover the exact same ground as the Q premise: Save humankind from itself. However, we would now have a human being who has been trained & armed with high-tech gadgets.
And with the caliber if Special & Visual FX available today, as well as nifty gizmos, this would make for a fine new sf TV show.
Last edited by Pow on Wed Sep 04, 2024 1:27 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Robert (Butch) Day Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1377 Location: Arlington, WA USA
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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The music when they were going into the college campus buildings became the main theme for Kolchak: The Night Stalker (ABC September 13, 1974 — March 28, 1975) TV series. _________________ Common Sense ISN'T Common |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:28 am Post subject: |
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Pow wrote: | GeneRoddenberry said in an interview that the network wanted to alter too much of Questor for a weekly series.
Firstly they wanted to eliminate Q's human companion.
Secondly they were going to turn it into a Fugitive-like premise with Q on the run from the government all the time. |
Oh brother, if we had a tribble for every time this happened with those network meddlers, there wouldn't a grain of quadrotriticale in the whole galaxy!
 _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3739 Location: New York
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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Bud, I've rarely...if ever...recall reading about the ''network suits'' interfering in the production of a sci-fi TV show & improving it.
The FOX executives ruined Sliders with their demands & changes to the show.
I've read that execs, in order to earn their pay & be promoted, figure they have to write up critiques of a TV series. Even if they really believe its unwarranted & the show is fine the way it is. These folks just want to keep their jobs.
The only way any TV series gets left alone is that they are a top hit in the ratings.
Anything else is fare game by the network.
Another sad reality are shows that are doing well but get cancelled anyway. This happens when a new regime sweeps into a network. They want to promote their own ideas & agendas for shows & get rid of the previous regime's TV series.
Incredibly, that can even apply to shows that are doing very well at the time. However, if the new regime had nothing to do with the current shows on & performing well, they have a target on 'em.
Irwin Allen's Time Tunnel (1966-'67) fell under the axe even though it was doing well in the ratings at the time.
ABC was intending to renew it & only cancelled the show at the very last minute.
An exec at ABC did a full court press for the show he wanted to get on the air which was the western "Custer."
He convinced the network that "Custer" had "big hit" written all over the show.
He then pointed out how expensive -- & it was-- that the TTT was to produce every week.
TTT was canned & "Custer" was on the ABC fall schedule for 1967 instead. The "big hit" lasted one season.
Last edited by Pow on Wed Sep 04, 2024 1:27 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Krel Guest
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 2:34 pm Post subject: |
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Pow wrote: | Irwin Allen's Time Tunnel(1966-'67)fell under the axe even though it was doing well in the ratings at the time.
ABC was intending to renew it & only cancelled the show at the very last minute.
A exec at ABC did a full court press for the show he wanted to get on the air which was the western Custer.
He convinced the network that Custer had "big hit"written all over the show.
He then pointed out how expensive--& it was--that the TT was to produce every week.
TTT was canned & Custer was on the ABC fall schedule for 1967 instead.The "big hit"lasted one season. |
Irwin Allen said in interviews, that "Time Tunnel" was canceled because they ran out of historical stock footage to use.
Shows do get canceled because the network wants another more costly show. "Almost Human" was canceled because the network wanted "Gotham", a more expensive show. The Stargate people said that they were responsible for the demise of "Farscape", because of how much the sci-fi channel had to pay for the Stargate show.
David. |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:19 pm Post subject: |
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________________________________
Wow, it must be nerve-racking to work in Hollywood! If your show is good, but the audience doesn't respond well to it, you get cancelled.
If your show is good, but the new regime wants to have something on which THEY can take credit for, your show gets cancelled.
If your show is good, but the powers-that-be want to axe it to funnel the budget money into a new show THEY favor . . . your show gets cancelled.
It's just like . . . well . . . Washington D.C.!  _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3739 Location: New York
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 11:20 am Post subject: |
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I remember that the head of CBS, Paley, did a massive purge once upon a time.
CBS was known as the "Tiffany Network" due to its high level, intelligent programs.
CBS was also the home to a bunch of TV shows with a small town, rural premise. They all had very good ratings.
Mayberry R.F.D., Green Acres, Petticoat Junction & The Beverley Hillbillies were all cancelled in one fell swoop.
Hogan's Heroes was caught up in this purge even though it was hardly a rural comedy.
The reasoning was that the demographics were not what the advertisers wanted. These shows played to an older audience.
The ad people always want the sacred 18-49 years of age viewers because they purchase more than the older viewers.
It won't matter if the show has terrific ratings & is well written. They're gone.
The other story was that Paley was embarrassed by these corny & unsophisticated TV shows.
Last edited by Pow on Wed Sep 04, 2024 1:27 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Krel Guest
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:25 pm Post subject: |
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Pow wrote: | I remember that the head of CBS, Paley, did a massive purge once upon a time.
CBS was known as the "Tiffany Network" due to its high level, intelligent programs.
CBS was also the home to a bunch of TV shows with a small town, rural premise. They all had very good ratings.
Mayberry R.F.D., Green Acres, Petticoat Junction & The Beverley Hillbillies were all cancelled in one fell swoop.
Hogan's Heroes was caught up in this purge even though it was hardy a rural comedy.
The reasoning was that the demographics were not what the advertisers wanted.These shows played to an older audience.
The ad people always want the sacred 18-49 years of age viewers because they purchase more than the older viewers.
It won't matter if the show has terrific ratings & is well written. They're gone.
The other story was that Paley was embarrassed by these corny & unsophisticated TV shows. |
Yes, CBS was tired of it's rural image. One comment was that if it had a tree, it got canceled.
They also canceled the Red Skelton show, which was very popular. It really soured Mr. Skelton on TV for a time.
The shows may have been corney, but they sometimes had some sly humor. Most of these shows were done so that people could relax after a long day working. I don't watch sitcoms now, because I don't like the political and social indoctrination they stuff them with at the expense of the humor. Plus, I don't find them funny, the humor seems secondary, or vulgar.
Innuendo or outright vulgarity, does not make up for unfunny writing.
David. |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3739 Location: New York
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:18 am Post subject: |
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I can understand Red's being upset with the cancellation of his TV show when it delivered strong ratings if not the demographics that CBS desired.
On the other hand, he had a 20-year run between the 2 networks he appeared on, fame & fortune. So he should have appreciated all that since few folks ever achieve these things.
Last edited by Pow on Wed Sep 04, 2024 1:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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