Battle for the Planet of the Apes and The Planet of the Apes TV series (1973-74)

0:03 Callaroga Shark Media. Welcome back to TV in the Basement, your fallout shelter for all things post apocalyptic Primate. I'm your host, Journey Joe Mitchell, and today we're concluding our original Planet of the Apes retrospective with Battle for the Planet of the Apes, plus a look at the short lived TV series that followed. Battle for the Planet of the Apes is a strange and somewhat anti climactic end to the original Apes Saga. Released in nineteen seventy three. It's a more quiet and contemplative film than its predecessors, focusing on the uneasy coexistence between apes and humans in the aftermath of the events of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. While it has some interesting ideas and performances, it's widely considered the weakest of the original five films. The story takes place a decade after the Ape Revolution, with Caesar, once again played by Roddy McDowell, leading a peaceful community of apes and humans. When the guerrilla general Aldo played by Claude Kins, threatens to upset the balance by stirring up anti human sentiment, Caesar journeys to the ruined city to seek guidance from recordings of his late parents, Zira and Cornelius. Meanwhile, a group of irradiated human mutants who worship an unexploded nuclear bomb plot to destroy the Apes. Caesar must navigate the tensions within his own community while preventing all out war with the mutants. In the end, Caesar manages to brok her a fragile piece, but the specter

1:33 of future conflict looms. One of the more interesting aspects of Battle is the return of the character of MacDonald, now played by Austin Stoker. In Conquest, MacDonald was Governor Breck's conflicted aid who sympathized with the Apes. Here, he's revealed to be the brother of that character, serving as Caesar's trusted human adviser. It's a neat bit of continuity that adds some depth to the human ape dynamic. However, much of Battle feels like a retread of ideas and themes from the previous films, without the same impact or urgency. The plot line with the mutants feels particularly half baked and anti climactic, lacking the punch of the earlier film. Social commentary and the budget limitations are more apparent with extensive use of stock footage and a smaller scale. Overall, that said, there are still some strong elements. Roddy McDowell once again anchors the film with his soulful performance as Caesar, now a wise but weary leader trying to hold his fragile society together. The makeups are still impressive, particularly the expressive orangutan characters like Caesar's advisor Virgil played by Paul Williams, and there are some poignant moments, like Caesar's final speech about the future of the planet. But overall, Battle for the Planet of the Apes feels like a series running out of steam without the bold ideas or daring execution of its predecessors. It brings the original Apes saga to a conclusion, but not a wholly satisfying one. Perhaps sensing that the film series had run its course, twentieth Century Fox decided to bring Planet of the Apes to television. In nineteen seventy four, CBS aired

3:07 a live action series that served as a sort of alternate sequel to the original film. The show starred Roddy McDowell as Galen, a chimpanzee scientist who teams up with two human astronauts played by Ron Harper and James Naughton to explore a future Earth ruled by apes. The trio traveled from place to place in a stolen spaceship, encountering different ape societies and helping oppressed humans along the way. The Planet of the Apes TV series had some interesting ideas and a strong cast, but it was hampered by a limited budget and the constraints of network television. The ape makeups were simpler and less expressive than the film versions, relying more on masks than prosthetics, and the stories often fell into a formulaic fugitive of the weak pattern, with the heroes helping downtrodden humans rebel against their ape overlords. Still, there were some standout episodes that tried to do something different, like the pilot, which depicted a more technologically advanced ape society, or the episode where Galen is put on trial for heresy against the Ape religion, and McDowell brought his usual depth and humanity to the role of Galen, elevating the material. Unfortunately, the ratings weren't strong enough to justify the show's high production costs, and it was canceled after only fourteen episodes. It remains an interesting footnote in the Apes franchise a glimpse at what might have been if the series had continued on television. The Apes franchise would lie dormant for a while after the cancelation of the live action series, but it did inspire one more

4:39 short lived TV adaptation in nineteen seventy five. Return to the Planet of the Apes, was an animated series that loosely adapted elements from the films and live action show, with a new astronaut hero named Bill Hudson joining forces with the chimp scientist Cornelius to fight against the militaristic guerrillas led by General Urko. The animation was limited even by nineteen seventy standards, and the stories were often simplistic, but Return to the Planet of the Apes had its charms. The voice cast included many veteran character actors like Henry Cordon and Richard Blackburn, and the show could be more playful and fantastical than its live action counterparts, with science fiction elements like laser guns and hovercraft. Like the live action series, Returned to the Planet of the Apes only lasted one season before cancelation, but it kept the Apes franchise alive in the popular imagination and paved the way for future adaptations in film, television, comics, and more. Looking back on the original Planet of the Apes series as a whole, it's remarkable how it evolved from a standalone sci fi parable into a sprawling multimedia franchise. Each film tried to do something different with the premise, whether it was exploring the or origins of the Ape society, transplanting the characters to modern day, or grappling with the aftermath of the Ape Revolution. Through it all, the series managed to

6:09 tackle weighty themes of prejudice, power, and it gave us some truly iconic characters and performances, particularly Roddy McDowell's indelible work as Cornelius and Caesar. While Battle for the Planet of the Apes may have been a somewhat disappointing conclusion to the original film series, it didn't mark the end of the franchise by any means. Planet of the Apes would eventually return to the big screen with Tim Burton's two thousand and one remake and the acclaimed reboot trilogy that kicked off in twenty eleven. The Planet of the Apes has proven to be a remarkably durable and adaptable concept that continues to capture the imaginations of new generations. So while Battle for the Planet of the Apes and the subsequent TV shows may not reach the heights of the earlier films, they're still an important part of the Apes's legacy. They demonstrate the enduring appeal of this strange, provocative, and powerful franchise, one that continues to evolve and find new ways to explore its central ideas. As we bring our original Planet of the Apes retrospective to a close, I want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on Battle for the Planet of the Apes and the TV series that followed. Do you think they are underrated gems or forgettable footnotes? And what's your favorite entry in the original Apes saga overall? Share your thoughts in the comments if you'd like to receive episodes of this podcast commercial free, as well as the other programs from Calaroga Shark Media, including a show I Think You'd love called Monsters, Sharks and Dinosaurs, alongside daily comedy news, five good news stories, five daily

7:42 trivia questions, and a whole lot more. Open up the Apple Podcasts app and find this show and hit subscribe. It's just four ninety nine a month and you can test drive it for thirty days for free. Thank you for joining me on this journey through the planet of the Apes. It's been a wild ride, but an endlessly fascinating one. Until next time, keep watching the skies and the screens for TV in the basement. This is journey. Joe Mitchell signing off.