tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post5651895739029953445..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: Guest Post - In Appreciation of: CondormanDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-69887057003881553372015-04-16T14:09:42.771-05:002015-04-16T14:09:42.771-05:00I bet I'm spoiled by how far FX have come in t...I bet I'm spoiled by how far FX have come in the intervening 30 or so years. I happened to catch some bits of the first two Superman films on television recently, and my first reaction was how hokey the spec.effects seemed-- when I distinctly remember being floored by them in the theater at that time. I do like the hokey costume-- it definitely fits the context of being the artist's design for his comic-book character. There's a refreshing honesty to that, and it's funny w/out being painfully condescending.<br /><br />I'm trying to remember what Disney Studios were largely producing in the late 70's/early 80's. Were they somewhat adrift? It seems like it was a major dryspell for any quality animated features, certainly.<br /><br />HBHumanbellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-75417907233609680382015-04-16T13:47:51.614-05:002015-04-16T13:47:51.614-05:00HB, the production values are actually pretty high...HB, the production values are actually pretty high - by that I mean they correspond to those of the high-budget Bond films of the time. Remember, Disney shoveled a ton of money into this. And that costume is supposed to look ridiculous; it is, after all, essentially a satirical movie.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-51707907077887191362015-04-16T13:28:03.660-05:002015-04-16T13:28:03.660-05:00I saw this (on TV) when I was a kid, but I don'...I saw this (on TV) when I was a kid, but I don't remember much about it, except that it was pretty goofy...I'd agree that it was meant as a spoof of the spy genre more than the superhero genre.<br /><br />Mike WilsonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-77537304081739225482015-04-16T13:03:15.605-05:002015-04-16T13:03:15.605-05:00Shades of Greatest American Hero and Peter Frampto...Shades of Greatest American Hero and Peter Frampton-! That massive crown of permed hair is a delightful trip down memory lane all by itself! (I checked out the GCD link, edo-- many thanks--)<br /><br />The covers and photos do suggest a very "television" level of production, don't they? But that's not necessarily a harsh criticism. That was often part of the expected product with a lot of Disney live-action films from that era. It definitely casts its own charm.<br /><br />HBHumanbellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-29239907333188795732015-04-16T12:54:40.953-05:002015-04-16T12:54:40.953-05:00Yes, there was indeed a comic adaptation, publishe...Yes, there was indeed a comic adaptation, published by Whitman. The <a href="http://www.comics.org/series/2592/" rel="nofollow">GCD has some scant information on it</a>.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-92200114046433911842015-04-16T11:45:27.122-05:002015-04-16T11:45:27.122-05:00Here is the only record of it I could find.
But t...<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1604243.Condorman?from_search=true" rel="nofollow">Here</a> is the only record of it I could find.<br /><br />But there was also a comic adaptation, that now that I think of it, I think I also had.Dr. Oyolahttp://themiddlespaces.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-61646781958876421132015-04-16T11:34:18.714-05:002015-04-16T11:34:18.714-05:00Osvaldo, was there a separate novelization of the ...Osvaldo, was there a separate novelization of the film? Because to the best of my knowledge, the movie itself was apparently loosely adapted from a novel called "The Game of X" by Robert Sheckley (who's a really good writer, by the way).Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-39243758147167382292015-04-16T08:41:12.715-05:002015-04-16T08:41:12.715-05:00Thanks Colin-- I'd forgotten that he was a maj...Thanks Colin-- I'd forgotten that he was a major British television figure. My off-handed "poor guy" comment is certainly mis-applied, as he's had a very long, successful career-- just never made that one specific jump to full-fledged Hollywood movie star. Honestly, my initial familiarity with him (where I liked him quite a bit) was as young, comic/romantic supporting leads in a couple of late Hollywood Musical adaptations: Hero in FUNNY THING. . . FORUM, and Cornelius in HELLO DOLLY. <br /><br />Maybe he's lucky CONDORMAN didn't catch on, as it could very well have had a "Dean Jones" effect on his career-- and turned him into yet another Disney-fied leading man whose career got left at the side of the highway. . . <br /> The Wikipedia entry on the film surely makes it sound like it could almost have been re-worked (or salvaged from?) as a very late addition to the HERBIE THE LOVE BUG series.<br /><br />HBHumanbellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-69528800164279495302015-04-16T08:31:27.687-05:002015-04-16T08:31:27.687-05:00I've never seen it, but as a kid I read the no...I've never seen it, but as a kid I read the novelization, twice!Dr. Oyolahttp://themiddlespaces.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-58703489065285442582015-04-16T08:00:39.057-05:002015-04-16T08:00:39.057-05:00I vaguely remember it coming out, but as Edo sugge...I vaguely remember it coming out, but as Edo suggested, it would make for great light-weight viewing nowadays. <br /><br />I only remember Michael Crawford from 'How I Won The War' with John Lennon, but I knew he was a fairly-prolific actor in the 60s/70s.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-73375430037170251702015-04-16T07:33:32.029-05:002015-04-16T07:33:32.029-05:00I was one of those who basically ignored this film...I was one of those who basically ignored this film when it was released. Based upon your recommendation, Edo, I'll have to seek this out for a look. Thanks for the tipoff!Redartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08221459636234713619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-45892919394380755202015-04-16T07:20:57.826-05:002015-04-16T07:20:57.826-05:00HB, you may know him from 'Phantom' but in...HB, you may know him from 'Phantom' but in the '70s Michael Crawford was one of the biggest stars on British TV. He played a hapless character called Frank Spencer in 'Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em', a comedy show that was broadcast between 1973 and 1978. No impressionist was complete without doing a version of Frank Spencer dressed in his trademark raincoat and beret. Most of the episodes are on YouTube. But I'd never heard of this film before today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-47214987712125333922015-04-16T06:57:25.275-05:002015-04-16T06:57:25.275-05:00HB, yes, according to his Wikipedia entry, it is i...HB, yes, according to his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Crawford" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia</a> entry, it is indeed the same Michael Crawford. Again, not being familiar with the theater scene, I knew nothing of this.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-37138271181799691622015-04-16T06:10:41.591-05:002015-04-16T06:10:41.591-05:00Wait a minute-- Michael Crawford?? As in, "P...Wait a minute-- Michael Crawford?? As in, "Phantom of the Opera" Michael Crawford?? Biggest star (a couple of decades ago) of the London and Broadway stages- Michael Crawford?? Wow-- the poor guy just could neeeeever quite get that film career launched. And this would have been shortly before he hit it SO HUGE in that epic Andrew Lloyd Weber musical phenomenon. . . !<br /><br />HBHumanbellynoreply@blogger.com