So, less than a year after STAR WARS was released, NBC bought a science fiction comedy show created by Buck Henry. It was called QUARK and it was about trash collectors in outer space. There ... I've ruined the first joke in the pilot for you! Sorry about that, chief!It lasted 8 episodes. But the Web, in all its infinite diversity in infinite combinations, has some QUARK Web sites where people recall this show, whose pedigree was that it was produced by the GET SMART producer.
There's a site that explains all here. And there are some episodes you can choose to view or download there.
It was silly, but if you liked SPACEBALLS, you might like to watch this -- even though it looks like an aged third generation video dub. Until the series is released on DVD, this is your only chance to see it. The cast is appealing, but the pace is a little poky. Hearing a laughtrack again is off-putting. (I've heard that the M*A*S*H DVDs allow you the option to watch episodes without their original laughtrack. A nice feature!) I like Richard Benjamin -- it's too bad that he's underused since he's basically a straight man for the oddballs here. I have to admit I laughed at some of the robot gags.
How is it that I've never ever heard of this show before?!
ReplyDeleteAlso, how do you find this stuff?
Finally, someone who appreciates my site. Go to http://markshields.com/ to find out about my other hobbies when I'm not publishing oddball television shows from the 70s. My next target is getting a copy of a short-lived show called Beyond Westworld. Notsomuch funny, but people with wires hanging out of their arms are cool!
ReplyDeleteAnd while we're all chatting, why not add THE STARLOST, FANTASTIC JOURNEY, MAN FROM ATLANTIS, the Roddenberry post-TREK pilots (QUESTOR TAPES, GENESIS II, PLANET EARTH, BRAVE NEW WORLD, SPECTRE) and the "NBC Special Treat" one-shot THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (produced by Gerry Anderson) to this list of lost SF vid.
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