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The Giant Pacific Octopus

Planet of Dinosaurs

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May 3 09 9:30 PM

I was just watching the anniversary release of this DVD,

and I was just wondering a few things about this film. Did it get a theatrical release back in 78', or did it go straight to television?
Also (and I'm sure Aupperle could answer this, since I think he posts here), were there any scenes that were cut out, or trimmed for the final cut of the film. In other words any deleted scenes?

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Baradagi85

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May 3 09 10:20 PM

The Giant Pacific Octopus wrote:
Did it get a theatrical release back in 78', or did it go straight to television?

I own a theatrical pressbook to the film and have seen the U.S. one-sheet and a few black and white stills on ebay, so I assume it had a very limited release in this country. I don't think they even touched upon this aspect of the film in the audio commentary. It went straight to video in Japan, however.

The Giant Pacific Octopus wrote:
Also (and I'm sure Aupperle could answer this, since I think he posts here), were there any scenes that were cut out, or trimmed for the final cut of the film. In other words any deleted scenes?

Well, the original release and Japanese home video release had an opening title card giving copyright to DeathBeast Productions. This was omitted on the GoodTimes DVD and the Retromedia release (which I thought was godawful)...

The Giant Pacific Octopus

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May 3 09 10:45 PM

I own a theatrical pressbook to the film and have seen the U.S. one-sheet and a few black and white stills on ebay, so I assume it had a very limited release in this country.

I see. The reason I was asking was because I have never seen a theatrical trailer for this film. Only a couple of TV spots (which are on the DVD release). So I was assuming it was never released theatrically. I wonder if they even produced a trailer?

Well, the original release and Japanese home video release had an opening title card giving copyright to DeathBeast Productions. This was omitted on the GoodTimes DVD and the Retromedia release (which I thought was godawful).

Yeah, the Retromedia disc is a dissapointment. It seems like they added new effects(!), and added thier own copyright to the titlecard.

But this disc seems to be the only release that's in good shape (better then the Goodtimes release) that's out on home video, and in widescreen. (The Goodtimes one is full frame).

rvoyttbots

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May 4 09 1:10 AM

It was shown in theaters in the Philippines.

Buzz Dixon

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May 4 09 9:32 AM

I attended the world premiere (in a now defunct theater on Western, IIRC) as a guest of Jim Aupperle and Steve Czerkas.

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Aupperle

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May 4 09 8:27 PM

The Giant Pacific Octopus wrote:
I was just watching the anniversary release of this DVD,

and I was just wondering a few things about this film. Did it get a theatrical release back in 78', or did it go straight to television?
Also (and I'm sure Aupperle could answer this, since I think he posts here), were there any scenes that were cut out, or trimmed for the final cut of the film. In other words any deleted scenes?

I know PLANET played in a few theaters & I think there were about thirty 35mm prints made. We had several "preview" screenings around L.A. but I'm not sure when the first real release in the U.S. was... sometime in 1978 or 1979 I'd guess. PLANET played as a second feature to CAVEMAN in several drive-ins in the Los Angeles area and perhaps elsewhere and that would have been in 1981. We sold theatrical rights in a number of countries and I while have posters from Mexico and Italy I don't know that was actually shown in those countries. The only thing I can remember being cut was yet another talky scene that did at least have a matte painting by Jim Danforth of two moons in a night sky. If we ever put out our own "special edition" I want to reinstate Jim's painting and cut some of the other talk that we don't need. I don't know about a trailer, can't recall seeing one.

James Shea, who produced and directed PLANET, recently passed away. He was a good friend.

best wishes,
Jim Aupperle

Last Edited By: Aupperle Dec 1 09 12:11 PM. Edited 4 times.

The Giant Pacific Octopus

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May 4 09 11:50 PM

I think there were about thirty 35mm prints made.

Hmm. That would seem to gel with what Baradagi was saying in his post about a very limited release. I guess not having a trailer for such a small release seems logical.

We had several "preview" screenings around L.A. but I'm not sure when the first real release in the U.S. was... sometime in 1978 or 1979 I'd guess. PLANET played as a second feature to CAVEMAN in several drive-ins in the Los Angeles area and perhaps elsewhere and that would have been in 1981.

I was reading in an old monster movie book from Jeff Rovin that was published in the early 90's, where he mentions the date for this film as 1981. That would explain it.

Those were some great pics. Do you have any pics of the giant spider model?

Also a few questions if you don't mind.

1. Did footage of this film turn up in any other movies? I seem to recall seeing footage of POD in another Dinosaur movie from back in the day.
2. That dinosaur that eats that buxom blonde at the beginning of the film. Was that supposed to be an Icthysaur? You barely see the Dinosaur in that shot.
3. I was reading this at the Wikipedia
Planet of Dinosaurs was originally conceived by director James K. Shea and writers Jim Aupperle and Ralph Lucas as much different in tone and content. Much of the violence was planned as being explicitly gory, there were to be a few sex scenes, and the language was going to be much harsher. The tone and content were changed when they figured it would be a very low-budget production.

Is that true?

G Vallejo

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May 5 09 12:36 AM

I saw it in the theater as a kid. It played by itself, as I recall, but it couldn't have been in 78. I don't think I was that young. My dad thought he was taking us to see DINOSAURUS, but we ended up seeing this instead. I enjoyed it, especially the giant spider. That was the last time I saw it until last year's DVD rental. I thought it was still pretty fun, but the print used didn't seem to be of high quality.

A perfect Monster has no end...

hermanthegerm

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May 5 09 11:43 AM

I saw this in the Cinemas Gemelos Tijuana 70 sometime in 1978-79 (I think.) The theaters had been abandoned for quite a few years now, but only recently demolished to make way for the giant luxury mall being built right now.
It definitely played Mexico, I don't remember it playing in San Diego. I still remember the cheezy titles with the dino drawings, the busty chick getting killed first, the triceratops goring that one guy in the cliff, the line about Tarzan, and the crappy mud and brick house they build at the end.

This movie already has been mentioned in this board, but as a part of the "comedy" film salvaging the dino animation thread. Now, I don't know what the title of that monstrosity is.

"There is a lot of money tied up in this film and people expect to hear a boom when something blows up, so I'll give them a boom."

George Lucas as quoted by Harlan Ellison's WATCHING

Last Edited By: hermanthegerm May 5 09 1:10 PM. Edited 2 times.

M F Berry

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May 5 09 12:56 PM

Did footage of this film turn up in any other movies?

Yes, it certainly did! In fact, in my book I even offered up Planet of Dinosaurs as the modern successor to One Million B.C. for its role in providing dinosaur stock footage for other, even lower-budget productions. Although PoD scenes didn't turn up in nearly as many other pictures as did the One Million lizards, it did get around. Off the top of my head, I know that the PoD dinos were used in Phantom Empire, Wizards of the Demon Sword, Time Tracers, Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills, and Cave Girl Island. The very obscure Time Tracers probably went to the greatest lengths to make the most inspired use of the footage -- they even hired look-alike actors and dressed them in look-alike costumes so they could use PoD scenes with long shots of the human cast as well as the stop-motion dinos. They also went to the trouble of optically substituting one of their actors for the original actor who gets gored by the "Czerkasaurus" ceratopsian. To their credit, the makers of Time Tracers also acknowledged Planet of Dinosaurs director James K. Shea in the credits, the only one of the users of the footage to do so.

Buzz Dixon

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May 5 09 1:47 PM

re dino stock footage: For the record, VALLEY OF GWANGI footage ended up in some Warner Bros. TV productions (FANTASY ISLAND, is one I remember in particular, but there were others) and the 1960 LOST WORLD supplied lotsa stock shots of Irwin Allen and other 20th Century Fox TV shows (in fact, two episodes of Allen's VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA were virtually mini-remakes since they could use all of David Hedison's scenes!). I believe, but am not certain, DINOSAURUS! clips were used in IT'S ABOUT TIME.

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M F Berry

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May 5 09 2:10 PM

It's About Time may have used some Dinosaurus! footage, although the only four episodes I've seen (on a grey market DVD) incorporate Beast of Hollow Mountain footage for the dinosaur scenes. But, certainly, it wouldn't be surprising if there were also episodes with Dinosaurus! clips, because It's About Time was produced by the same folks as Gilligan's Island, which did in fact use two Dinosaurus! clips in a "cavemen-and-dinosaurs" spoof dream sequence.

Valley of Gwangi footage was used in a Fantasy Island episode? I didn't know that, but I'd love to see it!

Last Edited By: M F Berry May 5 09 2:15 PM. Edited 1 times.

rvoyttbots

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May 5 09 8:16 PM

I remember one episode of IT`S ABOUT TIME that used the scenes from DINOSAURS where the T-Rex is briefly set on fire. The IAT actors are chased into a cave and they throw burning sticks into the T-rex`s mouth and it leaves.

Last Edited By: rvoyttbots May 5 09 8:18 PM. Edited 1 times.

Aupperle

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May 5 09 8:45 PM

The Giant Pacific Octopus wrote:

. Those were some great pics. Do you have any pics of the giant spider model?

Also a few questions if you don't mind.

1. Did footage of this film turn up in any other movies? I seem to recall seeing footage of POD in another Dinosaur movie from back in the day.
2. That dinosaur that eats that buxom blonde at the beginning of the film. Was that supposed to be an Icthysaur? You barely see the Dinosaur in that shot.
3. I was reading this at the Wikipedia
Planet of Dinosaurs was originally conceived by director James K. Shea and writers Jim Aupperle and Ralph Lucas as much different in tone and content. Much of the violence was planned as being explicitly gory, there were to be a few sex scenes, and the language was going to be much harsher. The tone and content were changed when they figured it would be a very low-budget production.

Is that true?

I have several photos of the spider in my files but can't get copies from my computer to the internet just now.

Yes, the creature that kills the woman in the lake at the beginning of the film was an Ichthyosaur. It only existed as a large puppet head that we pushed through the water, no stop motion was intended for that creature. We filmed a few more shots showing it approaching and lunging but they didn't work out well enough to use and weren't really necessary to action anyway.

I don't know where Wikipedia got that information about intended blood, gore and sex but no, that was never part of the plan. There was another dinosaur story that we were interested in making before we settled on PLANET but we couldn't clear the rights to that one. The earlier story was better written but even it didn't go in for much for blood and sex. I think we "figured it would be a very low-budget production" from the very beginning with no illusions about that fact.

best wishes,
Jim Aupperle

Last Edited By: Aupperle Dec 1 09 11:46 AM. Edited 5 times.

The Giant Pacific Octopus

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May 5 09 11:42 PM

Great pic. Is that a deleted scene? I don't recall a giant man lunging over the T-Rex in the film?
Just kidding.

Thanks for all the info and pics.

Rakshasa

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May 6 09 5:39 PM

Are you guys aware that the Mystery Science Theater guys (RiffTrax - Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett) are doing a live RiffTrax broadcast using PLANET OF DINOSAURS as their movie to riff on?!

I just got the e-mail:

Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758

Aupperle

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May 6 09 6:00 PM

"...pay-per-view feature presentation, a LIVE riff of Planet of Dinosaurs, a stop-motion dinosaur movie that makes Gumby look fluid and life-like in comparison."

Hmmm, interesting....
They get to trash our work and keep the money at the same time.
Nice work if ya can get it.

Jim Aupperle

Buzz Dixon

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May 6 09 6:23 PM

There's a lot of fun that can be poked at PLANET OF THE DINOSAURS, but the quality of the special effects isn't one of 'em. They're nicely done and there's a lot of 'em.

www.SnokieStories.com
www.BuzzDixon.com
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Rakshasa

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May 6 09 6:37 PM

Is Planet Of Dinosaurs a public domain property at this point? Is that how they can show it on the net and sell the finished product (the film married with their RiffTrax performance)?

Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758

Last Edited By: Rakshasa May 6 09 9:07 PM. Edited 1 times.

SAM33

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May 6 09 8:56 PM

I'm one who has enjoyed the MST3K stuff on occasion, but the Gumby crack is unfair to the animation in POD AND Gumby. Both have their charms to be sure. POD reminds me very much of EQUINOX in that it's a low budget labor of love by some very talented newcomers. The film's faults have NOTHING to do with the effects, and these guys are smart enough to know it. Just a cheap-shot promotional copy line, they should be better than that.

SAM33

Aupperle

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May 7 09 10:48 AM

SAM33 wrote:
POD reminds me very much of EQUINOX in that it's a low budget labor of love by some very talented newcomers.

Thanks, that's how I feel about it. PLANET was indeed a labor of love for us. I first saw the original 16mm EQUINOX screened at David Allen's home before Jack Harris created his own release version. EQUINOX was a huge influence in those early years and still an amazing accomplishment for Dennis, David, Mark and everyone else involved. I'd love to have PLANET and EQUINOX show as a double feature someday if we could find a theater small enough to accommodate the crowd.* Anyway, I'd be proud to have PLANET grouped with EQUINOX any ol'day.

Buzz,
Thanks too for your kind words about the effects.

best to all
Jim Aupperle

*That's unfair to EQUINOX, it did have a nearly full house when it screened at the American Cinematheque a few years ago.

Last Edited By: Aupperle May 7 09 9:38 PM. Edited 12 times.

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