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Colonel Alan Virdon is the commander of the ANSA space mission that strands two astronauts
together ( a third did not survive) on Earth over 1000 years into the
future. Virdon, the consumate family man, is driven by the need to return
home to his wife and son. His sense of responsibility extends to his second-in-command,
Peter Burke, and their new-found simian friend, Galen. Virdon
is a born and bred farmboy, a compassionate man, a problem-solver and the
voice of reason within the trio. |
Ron Harper, who played Virdon, says that working "with Roddy was a delight" and tells
of an incident "I still smile about. Jim and I were trying to rescue
Roddy (it was his turn to be captured by the apes) and we had just broken into
the guard house and overpowered the two guards there. Jim had a simple warning
line to the guards, ‘No noise’, which he shouted at the top of his lungs,
causing me to collapse with laughter and telling him ‘Well, that might blow our
cover’." |
He goes on to relate that his favorite acting episode was "The Legacy", and his favorite
action episode was "The Horse Race", most especially "because for
once I didn't have to run all over the rocky ground on foot!!!!!" |
The other astronaut to survive the crash landing is Major Peter J. Burke. Endowed
with a dry wit and a practical, frequently pessimistic nature, the self-proclaimed
"ladies man" is impulsive and sarcastic, yet courageous in the face of danger.
Burke's hot-headed temperment frequently lands him into trouble but is balanced
by a sense of humor and an innate kindness buried beneath the bravado.
He follows Virdon on his quest out of fierce loyalty and a strong sense of
duty. |
James Naughton said of the show, "We all kind of became "The Fugitive," you know.
Each week we were caught and then we escaped… we were constantly whacking
some guy over the head with a stick, or drop-kicking a guy in a monkey suit.
We had apes falling out of the trees all over the place." * |
The nonhuman contingent of the trio is the chimpanzee Galen, son of a prominent council
member in Central City. Galen's sense of justice forced him to join the
two astronauts in flight after preventing their murder. Now an outlaw to
his own people, he roams the countryside with his human friends, aiding their quest
to discover a way back home. Galen's flair for play-acting and numerous contacts
in the ape world help the group to survive against all odds, while their
adventures provide the chimpanzee's insatiable curiosity with an never-ending
supply of new discoveries and experiences. |
Although Galen is frequently exasperated by Burke and Virdon's behavior, the deep
friendship shared by the three gives them hope that some day humans and apes may
live together in peace. Roddy McDowall's believable compassion and innocent
playfulness shine through the make-up to reveal the character of Galen as
radical who can no longer abide the lies perpetrated by ape society. |
Roddy said, "But my favorite character of the whole group to play was Galen in the
television series, because he had nothing to do at all with the other characters
(Cornelius and Caesar) and he was so larky – full of the devil and full of
invention. That was a great character to play and I loved the series... that
series was extremely good and on it's way in development to being terrific....
I loved it because I got to play a lot of different characters.... I said I
would love to do a theme that was a thinly disguised 'Scarlet Pimpernel' chimp
and we did it... one time, I remember, I was a chimp lady (laughs), and those
were wonderful fun to do and full of larkiness."* *Quoted from "Behind the Planet of the Apes" |
THANKS TO RON HARPER FOR THE QUOTE! Many thanks to Greg P., Rob Reading, Gryph, Uschi, Dave, Jules, Theresa,
Pat and Elaine for their writing skills, their photographs, time, effort
and support re: this site. Also, thanks to Mark and Ryan from "The
Zone" & to the POTA groups at Yahoo for info and photographs; to Michael
Whitty, Mike Cougar, James, & Jeff 'Goob'. Finally, the artists who
allowed me to post their work on this site: Chris Hight, Neil Foster, Jay, Glen
Scheetz and others. This site is dedicated to the Friends and Fugitives
Group, Mez, and to that most special of persons, Jane Just Jane. |
WELCOME! There's some great fan fiction here, screen grabs galore, an episode
guide, and of course, the collectibles (including the UK annuals with a page
of their own). Let's start with some character summaries and quotes
from the actors: |
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