THE 'V' ENEMY VISITOR ACTION FIGURE

Remember these?  The 'V' VISITOR ACTION FIGURE (with action features) was a mainstay of the STARLOG TRADING POST for years (along with a lot of other goodies) and was one of the few pieces of merchandise relatively easy to find (at least via mail order.... I never saw one in a store) once the show closed.

Now, of course, people would go nuts for these.  But they didn't seem to be a fast seller at the time.  They were the only 'V' action figure to actually go into production (except for some not-very-bendy bendy toys which went on sale in some overseas markets).  There had been plans to launch a whole line of STAR WARS-scale figures and vehicles but it was abandoned as soon as it became clear that NBC weren't scoring high numbers with the weekly series and the chances of it becoming a break out (ho-hum) hit - or even staying on the air - was diminishing by the week.

1988: DUNCAN REGEHR TALKS V: THE SERIES WITH STARLOG MAGAZINE

From 1988: Actor Duncan Regehr discusses his brief stint on V; THE SERIES (four episodes, a wedding and a murder), the movie MONSTER SQUAD, the blink-and-you-missed-it fantasy show WIZARDS AND WARRIORS and the even more fleeting EARTH*STAR VOYAGER.

His four weeks on V:THE SERIES, playing the charismatic Charles, was one of the highlights of the erratic series and came mid-run, just as the show was transitioning from the A-TEAM/ Soap hybrid of the early episodes (something akin to the successful format of the two mini-series, especially THE FINAL BATTLE) into the bargain-basement campery of the show's final months on the air.

What I find interesting in this interview, and it is something that does not appear to have been picked up elsewhere, is that the twin-brother-with-the-same-fake-face plotline, eventually given to Frank Ashmore all but reprising his role as Martin from the mini-series and first hour of the weekly series, was originally devised to allow Regehr to step back into the show.  It would have been a lot more interesting to have seen 'Charles II' as the traitor in the midst of the alien ranks.

Regehr was one of those prolific actors of the period who never quite became a star.  Maybe it was a succession of poor choices (none of his TV work seemed to go very far for very long) or because he seldom seems to look like the same person in any two productions.  I still find it hard to spot him... even when i know the character he is playing.

The interview is from STARLOG MAGAZINE.

1988: JANE BADLER TALKS 'V' AND THE HIGHWAYMAN IN STARLOG MAGAZINE

From 1988: the lovely Jane Badler discusses 'V', Larson's THE HIGHWAYMAN (behind-the-scenes punch-up alert!) and her other 1980s projects with STARLOG MAGAZINE.

1985: JUNE CHADWICK DISCUSSES V: THE SERIES WITH STARLOG MAGAZINE

From 1985: The STARLOG MAGAZINE with JUNE CHADWICK during the (brief) production of V: THE SERIES.

Including some stills from the classic lizard-on-lizard grudge match: 'I've never been defeated in mortal combat'

1985: MICHAEL IRONSIDE DISCUSSES V: THE SERIES IN STARLOG MAGAZINE

From January 1985 (but on-sale in late '84): Genre legend Michael Ironside talks to STARLOG MAGAZINE about his stint on V: THE FINAL BATTLE and V: THE SERIES.

The interview clearly took place during the early days of the weekly series and it is interesting that he notes the problems of balancing a sprawling cast with an action-adventure format.  The producers addressed this issue mid-season... by chopping half the cast.... including Ironside.

I doubt that the mid-season purge was welcomed by everyone who got the chop (and some of the choices were - ahem - odd) but I think Ironside was happy to move on... to the movie TOP GUN.

1983: STARLOG MAGAZINE COVERS THE FIRST 'V' MINI-SERIES

From June 1983: STARLOG MAGAZINE covers the making of the original 'V' mini-series, aired on NBC in 1983 and a year later here in the UK.

It's interesting to see that thoughts were already turning to a weekly series version.

1984: THE 'V' STORYBOOK

From 1984: The 'V' STORYBOOK, published in the UK.

This is a softcover storybook which I found recently, completely by chance, stuffed into a dealer's box. I snapped it up. Of course.

Publishing informatiin is frustratingly sparse but it appears to be from the same outfit that also packaged and published the hardback 'V' STORYBOOK, sold only through the BHS retail chain, and the one-and-only UK annual.

What I find most interesting about this is how well illustrates how Warner Brothers and NBC were actively trying to reposition the show for a much broader (read: younger) audience.

The two mini-series had very clearly, on both sides of the Atlantic, been pitched and produced as adult shows. Both contained scenes of (mild) terror that - although tame now - were pretty much at the edge of what TV Standards & Practices would allow on broadcast TV at the time. And they delivered some of the most memorable small screen genre moments of the decade. 

But network and studio clearly concluded that the weekly series - a bad idea from the start - could broaden its reach by quietly dumping or reinterpreting some of the more adult elements of the mini-series in favour of a mix of SF, very mild scares (what will Diana eat this week?), largely consequence-free (unless the cast needed to be trimmed) violence and - increasingly (because talking heads are cheap to shoot) campy soap opera theatrics. 

This partly reflected the show's new Friday @ 8pm timeslot (a bit of scheduling which saw the third episode, Breakout, initially 'banned' by NBC as it was deemed unsuitable for the hour) and also reflected the studios plans to shift as much merchandise as possible. 

The 1984 debut was accompanied by a tsunami of stuff, much of it pitched at a younger buyer: comics, toys (although plans for a range of figures and vehicles never went into production once it became clear that the show was unlikely to make it into a second season), lunch boxes and trading cards all hit US stores.

Warner Brothers planned to repeat the same trick in the UK but were hampered by ITV's decision to keep the show out of primetime (I don't think any of the regional companies aired it in evening peak) and confine it to late evening slots. This was partly because the programme buyers had believed they were snapping up a continuation-in-tone of the mini-series that had delivered such good numbers for the network (10 million plus, despite a late start and strong competition from the BBC's Olympic coverage) rather than a perspective replacement for THE A-TEAM.

The strategy failed and NBC were forced to shuffle the show back an hour where it was exposed to strong competition from the other nets. The show shuttered after only 19 episodes (talk of a 20th being on the verge of going into production seems like little more than writers collecting a final paycheque and the studio half-heartedly trying to demonstrate how the show could be retooled to stay in business) and - despite early talk of another mini-series or TVM to wrap up the cliffhanger and reboot the failed franchise - interest waned fast and merchandising ended (the DC Comic shuttered after only 18 months... The more adult novels continued longer).

Below is a sample page from inside the book. 

1991: 'V' in TV ZONE MAGAZINE (VISUAL IMAGINATIION)

From December 1991: 'V' gets the cover treatment in TV ZONE issue 25, published by Visual Imagination.

The still is part of a set of widely circulated publicity photos especially shot for the launch of the 1984-85 weekly series. They popped up in various magazines and merchandise including the trading card collection.

1987: "V" FAN CLUBS PUBLISHED IN STARLOG MAGAZINE

From September 1987: a STARLOG MAGAZINE round-up of the various fan clubs and publications devoted to the recently defunct "V" television series.

Remember: Save your stamps! This list is almost thirty years old!

1987: "V" MERCHANDISE ADVERT FROM STARLOG MAGAZINE

From 1987: a selection of "V" merchandise, as advertised in an issue of STARLOG MAGAZINE.

I've published the VISITORS TECHNICAL INFORMATION MANUAL (purchased from a London Comic Mart back in the Eighties) on STARLOGGED in the past but I've never stumbled across a physical copy of the Writers/ Directors Guide... although I think I read a copy online at some point and found it less than illuminating. 

Ordering a copy of the TO SERVE MAN COOKBOOK would probably get you investigated by the appropriate authorities. 

Despite being offered by Starlog Press, I suspect all these items were fan produced and not officially licensed or endorsed by the studio (who ran their own officially sanctioned ad, starring Jane Baddler, to shift their own wares... see STARLOGGED past). Naughty naughty. 

1984: LANE SMITH "V" INTERVIEW in ENTERPRISE INCIDENTS

From March 1985: A V: THE SERIES interview with Lane (Nathan Bates) Smith from ENTERPRISE INCIDENTS. 

Smith was a venerable TV and movie trouper, often cast as unsavory or unscrupulous business or political leaders (indeed, I was watching the original RED DAWN over the weekend and there he was as the town mayor... also an untrustworthy collaborator name of Bates. It's easy to believe the movie influenced the thinking of the weekly series, especially episodes like The Wildcats). His others great genre TV contribution, playing somewhat against type, was as Daily Planet editor Perry White in LOUS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTUTUES OF SUPERMAN the next decade.

This interview must have been carried out early in his run as manipulating businessman Nathan Bates in the ill-judged weekly incarnation of the NBC invasion franchise. He was one of a number of cast members (arguably all the most interesting characters... Or expensive talent) jettisoned in the mid-season purge which coincided with a hefty budget cut and simplified (LA as an "Open City" governed by Bates becomes a all-out war zone, albeit with a budget too small to realistically realise it) format. The writing was on the wall. 

The show was cancelled the following year. 

He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Nixon in the 1989 ABC teleflick THE FINAL DAYS. 

Smith died, aged 69, in 2005. 

The now-professional EI, having jettisoned its origins as a TREK fanzine was already tranisioning into SF MOVIELAND by running both logos. 

1985: SFTV MAGAZINE Issue 4

From March 1985: At last, after three duffers, a decent cover adorns the fourth issue of SFTV magazine.

Of course, the predictable demise of V: THE SERIES after one bargain-basement season turned out to be far from the end of small screen science fiction.  The likes of STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION and MAX HEADROOM (the drama rather than the talk show or pop videos) were all just around the corner.  And they, in turn, spawned others (like Paramount's WAR OF THE WORLDS) before the end of the decade.  

The magazine itself apparently notched up another three issues but this is the last one that resides in the STARLOGGED vaults. 

1985: SFTV MAGAZINE Issue 3

From February 1985: The cover of SFTV magazine issue 3, boasting a ludicrous looking Faye Grant publicity still from "V".

 Grant hit the headlines again recently when she leaked a recording, made covertly several years earlier in a therapy session, of her then husband Stephen Collins confessing to inappropriate sexual activity with children.  As recounted on the documentary that's part of the DVD set, she met Collins whilst appearing as a guest star on an episode of the really rather good TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY which mustered a single solitary season in 1982-83. 

1985: SFTV Issue 2

From January 1985: SFTV magazine issue 2, published in the States.

The line-up is pretty similar to the first issue but the cover, utilizing one of the specially-shot "V" publicity stills, is an improvement on the could-have-been-done-by-anyone first issue.  

The decision to run a blue background clearly created some scalpel-wielding action... which wasn't entirely successful. 

1984: V: THE SERIES in SPACE VOYAGER Magazine

From December 1984: an extensive article on "V" from the pages of the oft-overlooked (and, in my experience, largely forgotten) UK magazine SPACE VOYAGER issue 12.

The Jane Badler (who I had the pleasure of briefly meeting a couple of years ago... she was really lovely and, I can honestly say, it was a dream come true) picture was the double-page spread.  Rewatching the first mini-series, it's amazing to see how little she appears, and how understated her performance is, compared to the camporama of the later weekly series.  It's a testament to her performance that she does both so well. 

She spoke enthusiastically about her time on the ABC remake although I think she was utterly squandered on the show.  She seemed to be confined to one murky CGI set throughout the second season.  And, even after two seasons, I was far from clear as to what the Visitors motives and plans were... the writers seemed to be making it up as they went along... and desperately trying to avoid too many parallels with the original series.  The episode where the alien masterplan seemed to consist of kidnapping people and bundling them into the back of an old van seemed to sum things up perfectly....

The SFX shot of the Visitor shuttle appeared on the magazine's back cover.  

SPACE VOYAGER, as the issue's cover suggests, was one of those hybrid entertainment/ science mags (like Starlog's late-seventies FUTURE/ FUTURE LIFE) that tried to mix the serious brain-expanding stuff with TV and film coverage.  That was never a good mix for me... I'm too superficial... but I'm sure there was a contingent of model-making, TV-watching scientists out there to keep the mag afloat. 

1985: THE V STORYBOOK (BHS)

THE V STORYBOOK was an A4 one-off book, which looked pretty much identical to a British hardback annual,  published (to coincide with the weekly series) back in 1985.  It was sold exclusively through branches of the BHS (British Home Stores for the old skool) although it doesn't seem to be a particularly rare piece of merchandise with copies often turning up.

The contents were firmly pitched at kids, matching the tone of the ill-fated weekly series but somewhat at odds with ITV's decision to schedule the franchise-killer in late night slots.  

The (uncredited) stories and art are pretty crude and aren't going to hold the attention of an adult for more than a moment... but it's still something cool to own.

1985: V: THE VISITOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION MANUAL (fanzine)

This is the third (and final part) of the fan-produced THE VISITORS: A TECHNICAL INFORMATION MANUAL, based on the TV show, published sometime after 1985.

Please see my previous posts for more background information.