The Bloody Pit #59 - DOCTOR WHO AND THE DALEKS (1965)

09/15/17 • 111 min

For nearly fifty-five years the British science fiction television show Doctor Who has been a staple of geek culture. Admired for it's imaginative stories, if not always for it's high budget, the show has managed over time to be so popular that it has reached a status that often surpasses other science fiction franchises. These days being a fan of Doctor Who is pretty mainstream, with the public at large now having a good idea of the show's premise and stars. Such was not the case decades ago when fans begged for the show's return and fandom had to sustain itself on repeated viewings of the episodes produced from 1963 to 1989. Re-watching the Doctor battle Cybermen, Ice Warriors, Sontarans, Silurians and a host of other villains became fan's comfort viewing as they hoped for new adventures. Even if the story was a well know one, it was still proper Doctor Who and therefore a fun time!

But there is a strange tributary that branches off from main river of classic Who that was, and still is, generally ignored by fans. In the mid-1960's a film production company saw the incredible popularity of the TV show and thought the time was right for the Doctor and his companions to make the leap to the big screen. Hammer Horror star Peter Cushing was cast in the lead role, huge sets were built and, before you could activate the Tardis controls, a pair of cinematic adventures appeared. These two films were successes on their own and are the first instance of a Who story being shot in color. Cushing is his usual excellent self but you might have noticed that when images of the character's various incarnations are assembled, his face is never included. Often referred to as the Forgotten Doctor, Peter Cushing should be better known for his entertaining turn in the role and so, we present this podcast.

Stephen Sullivan and I have decided to draw some much deserved attention to these movies and in this episode, we focus on the first of them as this alternate Doctor Who discovers the big daddy of Who villains - The Daleks! By the middle of the 1960's the television show had made the mutated, mechanical monsters a (British) household name so they were the natural choice for the move to theaters. With the addition of color and the widescreen imagery (not to mention a lot more money) the relentless bad guys were more formidable looking than ever and I'm sure caused more than a few nightmares for years afterward. And in the theater there was no couch to hide behind!

Join Stephen and I as we glide through this first cinematic Who tale. We talk about the story, compare it to the TV episodes it's adapted from, discuss the production, point out things missing from the finished picture and just generally geek out over how cool everything looks. We lament the fact that this Doctor isn't really the one we know and love from the television show while at the same time enjoying this separate version of a beloved hero.

The podcast can be reached for comment at [email protected] and Stephen and his work can be found at his website. Thank you for downloading and listening!

The podcast can be reached for comment at [email protected] and Stephen and his work can be found at his website. Thank you for downloading and listening!

Previous Episode

The Bloody Pit #58 - GAMERA (1965)

NOTICE - There is an audio glitch in the first couple of minutes of our conversation that pushes our voices into one channel. It clears up quickly and remains fine for the rest of the show. It is not you equipment - it was ours!

Having covered a number of Godzilla films over the past two years Troy and I finally move outside of the Toho stable of giant monsters to talk about GAMERA! The giant friend to children everywhere has gone through many iterations over the past fifty-two years but one thing remains the same - he's a flying turtle! How in the hell did that even become a thing?

Regardless, we dig into the genesis of everyone's favorite giant Testudine -(yeah, we're educated) and relate our history with Gamera as well as the strange ways in which we discovered his films. We delve into the two separate versions of the film with attention paid to the alterations and additions made when the film was brought to America. Originally a lean 75 minutes the film's extended US length adds much but is the extra time well used? We have much to say about that, let me tell you! We dig into the pathology of young Toshio as he endlessly seeks to end his own life and the lives of his countrymen by offering himself up as bait/sacrifice to the hideous turtle monster. Rarely has attempted suicide been presented in such a positive light, much less the desire for immolation by prehistoric sea-beast. Circa 1965, truly, the Japanese child-rearing standards were well overdue for an overhaul!

I try (and fail) to contain my hatred for small, precocious, turtle obsessed Japanese children named Toshio while Troy does his best to keep the show on an even keel. We marvel over the technical achievements of the film and it's audacious move to co-opt the younger audience of the Godzilla franchise. The more serious aspects of the story are discussed along with some of the fascinating behind the scenes tales that demonstrate the difficulty of producing movies at this level of complication. Always remember - Mr. Flame is not always your friend!

We can be reached at [email protected] or on the Bloody Pit FaceBook page. If you have any comments or suggestions please drop us a line. Thank you for downloading and listening to our little dog and turtle show.

Next Episode

The Bloody Pit #60 - SEVEN DEATHS IN A CAT'S EYE (1973)

Just in time for the creepy season John Hudson and I dive back into the films of Antonio Margheriti for a gothic horror that deserves to be better known. Set in a huge Scottish castle in which the ancestral family is both broke and (possibly) mad you just know that all kinds of shenanigans are going to be gotten up to! Adding to the complications are a mysterious black-gloved killer, a beautiful visiting cousin that is being pushed onto a handsome family member's...... member...uuuhhh...with an eye toward an heir, a gorgeous 'French' teacher that seems to lounge around the place waiting for sex, a family doctor with an eye to claiming some of the wealth tied up in the estate and an honest-to-God killer gorilla (called an orangutan throughout the film) running around the place occasionally scaring the hell out of people. Sounds like a couple of episodes of The Monkees, don't it?

Luckily, Margheriti knows what he's doing with all these bizarre elements so the film is entertaining and not confusing. Of course, with a black gloved killer roaming around the castle SEVEN DEATHS IN A CAT'S EYE has been called a giallo and we discuss my uncomfortable view the film's place in the genre. We also talk about the variability of the 'Scottish' accents; the beautiful Jane Birkin; the castle locations; the use of the titular cat; the very odd vampire legend the film posits; the tricks of doing gothic tales in color and bloody straight razor murders. We also speculate about the contributions of legendary English language dubber Ted Rusoff beyond voicing the Priest character. Rusoff must have been important because he gets an onscreen credit at the beginning of the movie.

The show can be reached for comments or suggestions at [email protected] where we love hearing how many more ways we can insert pointless 1970's pop culture references into each episode. I'm not sure Hudson needs any help in this effort but all notes will be happily read. The Bloody Pit has a FaceBook page where interesting things occasionally get posted if you would like to join up. This episode ends with a new song from Queens of the Stone Age called 'Head Like A Haunted House' and an outtake that has us talking about The Village People. We are strange fellows!