Logans Run-The Crypt

1977

Logan, Jessica and Rem drive their rover into an old town until they notice a light on a building. They enter and trigger an old recording that details how a war had driven people into the building. Then a plague hit. They chose six people to be frozen until a cure could be found. The ones selected were picked based on their skills to be revived and start a new world. They were place down below in  a chamber. Meanwhile a cure was found and two containers were brought with enough to save the six people. However a mechanical problem with the elevator kept those above from getting to the six below. Thus this message was left for someone down the line to view and perhaps attempt to get below, revive the six and give them the antidote. Rem is able to fix the elevator so it works and they can get below and take the antidote. Down in a  hallway a tremor hits, the antidote falls from Logan’s hands and one of the containers is smashed is smashed- oopsy. They grab the remaining one and move on. Another tremor hits and revives the system holding the six. Logan and the others explain how much time has elapsed (lots) and how there is only enough antidote for three of them (bummer). It’s decided that Logan and Rem will hide the antidote and decide on which three will be cured. There is only two days before the virus revives and kills the six people. Meanwhile one of the six dies by accident, but later Rem reveals evidence that is was murder. Meanwhile our heroes decide that the way to pick who deserves it is to get to know them and decide that way. So Logan and Jessica do that. Rem begins checking tapes to learn more about them. Instead he finds a tape from someone involved with the project who says he has learned that one of the six is an imposter, but does not say who. Rem reveals this finding to everyone and poof the lights go out and pow the robotics scientist of the group has been killed by a gun left next to her. Logan gets the antidote and they all gather in a room. Rem plays Sherlock Holmes and addresses each of the suspects. It can’t be the doctor because she is obviously who she says because she has demonstrated medical knowledge. The ESP guy can’t be a fake because he levitated a vial out of Logan’s hand. The builder is sour but he says he built that building and could show them where every piece is. So that leaves the young computer person who turns out to have been a lower technician than the expert she set herself up as. She wanted to live and falsified her record to get a spot then killed two people in hopes to be cured. She grabs the container and threatens to smash it if she is not saved. Logan gets it from her, the other three use the cure and re-freeze the fake. Back to the ice, lady. Our heroes ride off and roll the credits.

The negatives-Not so much.

The positives-It’s a bit of a downer but it shows more background on what happened in the past. The main characters are thrown into a tough situation that none of them are comfortable with, but it makes for an interesting episode. Logan is pulled on by different people. Jessica finds that people from another time were looking for a better world long ago just like she and Logan are now doing. Rem faces some bigotry from the people the past who do not see him as an equal because there were no sophisticated androids in there days. Yet our heroes hang in there and try to help these people despite murder and some nasty attitudes.

Along with the Judas Goat and Man out of time I consider Crypt to be one of three best episodes of this oh too short lived series.

Logans Run-Judas Goat

1977

A runner gets killed back at the city of domes-oh, man. Then the sandman that killed him has surgery to look like the slain runner (he also looks like 70’s Peter Parker/Spiderman because he’s Nicholas Hammond). Then with a new face he is given a new mission which is to pretend to be the runner and go out into the wild, find Logan and Jessica, then bring them back for punishment. He must be the greatest tracker ever as he finds our heroes like right away. He is pretending to be Hal and as that runner he once knew Jessica. Logan and the others take him into their big metal rover and off they go. The fake Hal proposes that Jessica and Logan return to the city to tell that their is life beyond the city and that this would help lead a major revolt. Jessica thinks it’s a good idea, but Logan has doubts. Then kapow the rover is stopped by animation and people all wearing skirts even the dudes. They take our main characters to the headquarters to see their leader. The leader turns out to be Matthew (Lance LeGault who you may recognize from A-team, Magnum P.I., Werewolf, Coma or one of his other many roles) the first runner-oh wow can I have your autograph? Anyways Jessica knew him and respects him. However he has become a bit of a paranoid wacko and uses these former farmers as skirted security guards to protect him. Hal keeps pushing at Jessica and Logan and even Matthew to get them back to the city. Logan is becoming suspicious of Hal and his intentions. Rem meanwhile can make computer adjustments at the building to help Matthew and his followers. He decides to stay and do this while Logan, Jessica and Hal will go back to the city. However paranoid Matthew is setting them up and tries to kill them after they leave his area. Rem stops Matthew but has to kill him to do so. Rem fixes the computer. The followers now act lost without Matthew, but our heroes advise them to live and grow things and take their own direction. Their leader Garth (Spencer Milligan not far from removed from playing the dad on The Land of the lost at this point) agrees and seems hopeful. Now Logan, Jessica, Rem and shifty Hal head back to the city. Hal acts too eager and Logan knows something is up. Hal caves and tries to attack Logan, but has his weapon knocked away and flees with Logan in pursuit. They are within sight of the city and a patrol of two sandmen sees them and comes over. Remember Hal who is really a sandman is dressed as a runner and Logan who is a runner is dressed as a sandman. So who do the scouting sandmen shoot? Yes, take that evil Hal. Logan hides head knowing the sandmen may recognize him and he knocks out the scouts when they get close enough. Then he runs back to his friends and they high tail it away from the city. Roll the credits.

The negatives-The only one I can think of is that Hal was far too obvious is his effort to persuade Logan. It only seemed to work because Jessica had faith in the Hal she knew and thought this was still him.

The positives- I like this episode a lot. I think they took two main ideas – Hal’s plot and Matthew’s crazy transformation and blended them together fairly well in an episode that really tested our heroes. The fake Hal represented the ruling powers desire to crush out their opposition and Matthew showed how a once noble cause could go wrong if it became about protecting yourself instead of helping others. Rem’s guilt at going against his programming and taking a life was well played as well. The supporting cast was solid. The animated beams were lame, but the city shot was decent and they used an exterior of a real building with some futuristic qualities to serve as the headquarters.

Logans Run the series

I wanted to set this up before I get into reviewing two episodes from this show. The movie hit theaters in the summer of 1976 and it was a hit. It even spawned a comic from Marvel. However I think when Star Wars hit less than a year later in 1977 that kind of changed sci-fi films. Not just the spectacular effects of George Lucas’ creation, but the space opera action and the theme of hope went against the negative dystopian themes of so many sci-fi movies made between say 1968 and 1976. Anyways Star Wars did help boost sci-fi in general. So a Logans Run TV series was put together to go on in the fall of 1977. The Logan and Jessica characters would star just like in the film only played by different people. Logan was Gregory Harrison (from Trapper John M.D.), Jessica was played Heather Menzies  (The sound of music,Sssssss, Pirahna) and Donald Moffatt (The Thing, One life to live) was Rem They added an android Rem who Logan and Jessica would take with them when they left the city of domes to go in search of Sanctuary. The character of Francis the pursuing sandman was brought back as well despite the fact that the character was killed in the movie. In the debut episode they take the plot of the film and even borrow a lot of scenes from it, but put their actors and actresses in place of the originals. We see sandman Logan take up with runner Jessica and eventually leave the city to look for a better place called Sanctuary. The difference between the movie is that in the film Logan pretended to run as an assignment, but in the show he comes to believe in their being a better way than being killed when you hit thirty and that there needed to be a better place. They take the android REM on their journey and on occasion Francis and other sandmen give chase. Each episode our heroes run into a different situation or group of people while in pursuit of Sanctuary. Our heroes also have a land rover type vehicle that they ride around in. The surroundings may look familiar and is looks like they used some of the same locations used in the Planet of the apes show and Little house on the prairie. The special effects were lacking as they frequently used basic aniamtion for any kind of beam. However I think the scripts and the chemistry between the leads made up for the lack of budget. Some episodes were better than others, but largely I think they were on the right path.

D.C. Fontana (Star Trek) served as story editor for the show. The pilot episode went through numerous changes and re-shoots before getting the green light from CBS. The show initially had good ratings, but the network kept pre-empting it which likely caused it to lose some of it’s early audience. There was a time between mid November 1977 and early January 1978 where CBS showed only one episode in a six week span. Only 11 of the 14 episodes were shown on the West Coast, but all 14 are on the DVD set. I’m going to review two episodes between now and the end of the week. Enjoy!