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Pod Stallions 53: The Black Hole

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    Museum Robot
    • May 9, 2007
    • 5782

    Pod Stallions 53: The Black Hole




    For our 53rd show, we are joined once again by former Famous Monsters editor and current host of "It Came From Blog" Mr David Weiner (@TikiAmbassador) for a rousing two hour discussion on Walt Disney's 1979 Science Fiction opus "The Black Hole".


    The conversation talks about the film itself, the it's origins and somewhat discordant tone, the interesting cast, what the ending might mean, the multitude of merchandise, it's trailer, the comic book sequels and of course, the attempted remake.

    We also touch on subjects like Star Wars, Shreddies cereal (blech), Salvage One, Starlog magazine and Buck Rogers. It's jam packed with late seventies science fiction goodness.






    Plenty more content on the PodStallions Facebook page!



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    For more Fashion Mockery and 70's toy love visit us at Plaid Stallions.com


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  • Boris71
    GeekBot' For Life
    • May 13, 2007
    • 712

    #2
    I liked the film as a kid and today, I think a lot of Sci-Fi films from that era got a bad wrap as they "weren't star wars" for me a lot of stuff was good because it reminded me of the stuff I grew up on watching in the 70's that came from the 50's and 60's on tv
    Check out my Electronic Mag here Psycho Styrene Modeling Magazine

    Comment

    • enyawd72
      Maker of Monsters!
      • Oct 1, 2009
      • 7904

      #3
      To me, The Black Hole was always every bit as much a horror movie as the original Alien. The Cygnus was just as dark and spooky as the Nostromo. An entire ship run by a madman, a killer robot and an entire crew of lobotomized walking dead. As if all that wasn't bad enough, there was the Black Hole itself...silently waiting to devour you.

      Comment

      • Hedji
        Citizen of Gotham
        • Nov 17, 2012
        • 7246

        #4
        YES!!!!! Can't wait to listen. Black Hole was disturbing. Maximillian shredding Anthony Perkins through the book was pretty graphic for a Disney PG, and immediately after being freaked out by the removal of the humanoid's mask. Nightmare stuff indeed.

        Comment

        • Earth 2 Chris
          Verbose Member
          • Mar 7, 2004
          • 32481

          #5
          I haven't seen this in many, many years, but that was a fun listen. I really need to get this and rewatch it through adult eyes. Disney was REALLY rambling about at this time, trying to find an identity, trying to stay relevant. Something Wicked This Way Comes and Watcher in the Woods are good, creepy films, but the company was clearly casting about. Even Black Cauldron can get lumped in with this overly dark misstep.

          Chris
          sigpic

          Comment

          • Bantha5
            Museum Super Collector
            • May 2, 2013
            • 182

            #6
            Saw it as a kid, didn't like it. Saw it as a grownup, still didn't like it. Listened to the pocast today, I liked it. I find the history of the toyline far more interesting than the movie. I remember seeing a wall of $1 black hole and Buck Rogers at Zayres back in the day.

            Comment

            • Falstaff13
              Persistent Member
              • May 28, 2008
              • 1251

              #7
              I always come away from these having learned some things and been given things to think about. I was three when The Black Hole came out, and, other than having one friend who had Maximilian among his toys, I was only somewhat aware of the film as one of many science fiction films in that post-Star Wars world. When I was in second grade, I checked out a book with the film's story from the school library and thought it sounded fascinating, and I somehow came across the book and record set that helped keep my interest up, but I did not actually see the film until I was an adult. I think I probably luck out in that regard, in that I would not have truly liked it as a child. I actually connect this film in my mind with Forbidden Planet--I see Dr. Reinhardt as a "next step" for Dr. Morbius. I've debated a couple of times getting a Reinhardt figure just out of a sort of nostalgic affection (if nostalgia works for a movie it took me so long to see).

              Was Disney truly looking to make sequels when they produced the film? Disney clearly knew how to market their films and develop their brand, but they really weren't making sequels until recent years. The few examples they had back then *were* the live-action films (like making the Herbie series), so I guess this could apply, and they did spend a good bit on the film as just a one-off, but was Black Hole to have been the film that launched a series?
              Hugh H. Davis

              Wanted: Legends of the West (Empire & Excel) and other western historically-based figures. Send me an offer.
              Also interested in figures based on literary characters.

              Comment

              • Bruce Banner
                HULK SMASH!
                • Apr 3, 2010
                • 4325

                #8
                Love the movie... always have. Always found it fascinating how the film, novelization, comic adaptation, and storybook all had somewhat different endings.
                Still have a few of the Mego figures, the book & tape set and the View-Master reels.
                And I collected the Shreddies pencil holders avidly.
                PUNY HUMANS!

                Comment

                • Hedji
                  Citizen of Gotham
                  • Nov 17, 2012
                  • 7246

                  #9
                  I always loved the sound of the lasers in Black Hole. They had more b-b-b-brrtt! than the Star Wars blaster sounds.

                  Yeah, I had both the 12" LP story record, and the small 7" story record, as well as the viewmasters too. Also the coloring book, the comics, and a handful of the small Mego figures. The film doesn't get the respect it really deserves. It really has some dark thematic material and adult concepts for a Disney film, and the score and atmosphere of the film make it seem more than it is. For modern, post 9/11 audiences who like their entertainment "dark", you would think this would be held aloft a little higher for being, in some ways, ahead of its time. (despite some moments of being a cutesy Star Wars follower).

                  Comment

                  • Jason73
                    Correctamundo!
                    • Jan 11, 2009
                    • 1133

                    #10
                    Great episode. Funny thing, my elementary school also showed The Black Hole in the gymnasium. It was on a Friday after school. I think it cost 50 cents to watch.
                    Happy Days-Mego Style

                    Comment

                    • 4NDR01D
                      Alpha Centauri....OR DIE!
                      • Jan 22, 2008
                      • 3266

                      #11
                      Surprisingly, I've still never seen it. Hopefully they add it to netflix at some point.

                      Comment

                      • Jason73
                        Correctamundo!
                        • Jan 11, 2009
                        • 1133

                        #12
                        Did I hear this correctly? There was a Dragos from "Jason Of Star Command" Halloween costume from Collegeville.

                        Would sure love to see this. One of my all time favorites.
                        Happy Days-Mego Style

                        Comment

                        • Bravestarr
                          Museum Super Collector
                          • Mar 26, 2017
                          • 185

                          #13
                          Love this film

                          Comment

                          • Allie Fox
                            Veteran Member
                            • Jun 1, 2009
                            • 297

                            #14
                            That might have been the best PodStallions yet. Such a great discussion especially given Jason's counter-opinion. I too, like him saw the Black Hole in that post Star Wars era when we were just starving for anything that remotely resembled it (Battelstar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Starcrash, et.al.) The Black Hole fit the mold and was a must see. I had seen it several times over the years and enjoyed it for the nostalgia. I even picked up a Black Hole sleeping bag/comforter that is spread out on the futon in my collection room.

                            I had not watched it in several years so before listening to this episode, I popped in the DVD and sat through it. . . twice. The first time I fell asleep. The second time I made it all the way through. I watched it from a purely entertainment perspective without any consideration for how much fun I had watching it as an 11 year old. It was tough. The story is all over the place, the action is sparsely integrated and the ending is just plain weird. I can only imagine my young self in early 1980 was more fascinated by the spectacle of the robots, lasers and spaceships than the whole picture.

                            The Black Hole is great if you enjoy the trees but it is a long walk through that forest.


                            By the way. . . WHAT is wrong with Salvage-1?
                            If I had only spent a tenth of the time studying Physics that I spent learning Star Wars and Baseball trivia, I would have won the Nobel Prize.

                            Comment

                            • acrovader
                              Career Member
                              • Jan 19, 2011
                              • 591

                              #15
                              Maybe Disney will release the movie on Blu-Ray for its 40th anniversary.. or maybe not. Until then I'm stuck with the crummy Anchor Bay DVD.
                              I am more than machine. More than man. More than a fusion of the two.

                              Comment

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