FIRTH@TL-20B.ARPA (08/05/85)
From: FIRTH@TL-20B.ARPA
The above topics all involve British events of one
kind or another, so here is my information on them ...
(1) The film with 'Hobbs End' was originally called
Quatermass and the Pit
the awful title 5 Million Years to Earth was a US atrocity. The
film stars Peter Cushing as Prof. Quatermass, and involves the
discovery, during part of the (seemingly perpetual) construction
of more London Underground lines (that's "subway" over here) of
a Martian spaceship and some peculiar humanoid skeletons...
The film was the subject of one of the better late Goon Show
satires, called Seagoon and the Pit:
"Good grief, Seagoon, this skull is two million years old!"
"Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear sku-ul..."
Like the two previous Quatermass stories, it was written by Nigel
Kneale.
(2) Moorcock's "Jerry Cornelius" stories were published in New Worlds
in 1969-70. The first, A Cure For Cancer, was published in March
1969, and so mush have been written no later than 1968, which ties
in well with 'Hawkwind'
(3) The Giant Hogweed, marching inexorably up the Thames Valley spreading
chaos in its wake, was about 98% silly-season news reporting and 2%
genuine plant. It is indeed large, and about as nasty as, say, poison
ivy here.
Where the wild ones came from I don't know, but specimens had been
kept at the Royal Botanical Gardens, at Kew, for quite a long time.
I saw them there in the early '70s, carefully cordoned off. The
old gardener/attendant said that, as far as he could recall, nobody
had paid them any attention before the newspaper stories, "though
that novelist Mr Wells used to come and look at them sometimes".
They didn't walk, and certainly didn't bite people's heads off
(but then Wyndham's triffids didn't do the latter)
Robert Firth
-------ayers@convexs.UUCP (08/07/85)
/* ---------- "Hobbs, Hawkwind, Hogweed..." ---------- */
From: FIRTH@TL-20B.ARPA
(1) The film with 'Hobbs End' was originally called
Quatermass and the Pit
the awful title 5 Million Years to Earth was a US atrocity. The
film stars Peter Cushing as Prof. Quatermass, and involves the
discovery, during part of the (seemingly perpetual) construction
of more London Underground lines (that's "subway" over here) of
a Martian spaceship and some peculiar humanoid skeletons...
/* End of text from convexs:net.sf-lovers */
The US must have done other atrocities to the film as well, since the
one shown under the name "Five Million Years to Earth" did NOT star
Peter Cushing...
blues, II
world's leading exopsychologist
(If Carl can do it, I can do it)ayers@convexs.UUCP (08/08/85)
/* Written 3:00 am Aug 13, 1985 by leeper@mtgzz.UUCP in convexs:net.sf-lovers */ And the one that followed many years later THE QUATERMASS CONCLUSION. QUATERMASS AND THE PIT is the best of the series, though... /* End of text from convexs:net.sf-lovers */ Sequel? Wait a minute, Mark, didn't Quatermass ride the crane into the "Electric Force" (doo dah doo dah) and die in "5 Mil..."????? Well, that's one mystery less... blues, II
leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (08/13/85)
From: FIRTH@TL-20B.ARPA >(1) The film with 'Hobbs End' was originally called > >Quatermass and the Pit Right. > >the awful title 5 Million Years to Earth was a US atrocity. Right. >The film stars Peter Cushing as Prof. Quatermass, Andrew Kier. And James Donald played Roney. Cushing was not in the film and never played Quatermass. > >The film was the subject of one of the better late Goon Show >satires, called Seagoon and the Pit: Actually, it was called "The Scarlet Capsule." It is in one of the collections of Goon Show Plays. >Like the two previous Quatermass stories, it was written by >Nigel Kneale. And the one that followed many years later THE QUATERMASS CONCLUSION. QUATERMASS AND THE PIT is the best of the series, though. People who have been on the net for a while know that I consider this to be the best science fiction film I have ever seen. Mark Leeper ...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper