Pod Stallions 53: The Black Hole

[Bruce Banner]

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.

[Falstaff13]

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?

[Bantha5]

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.

[Earth 2 Chris]

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

[Hedji]

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.

[enyawd72]

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.

[Boris71]

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

[RSS]

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.

Download the Show Here



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