Listen
to/download the POTA TV series theme music
The Planet of the Apes TV series ran in 1974 after the
five movies (POTA, Beneath the POTA,
Escape From the POTA, Conquest of the POTA,
Welcome to the site where we celebrate those fourteen episodes!
There's some great fan fiction here, screen grabs, an episode guide,
collectibles, books and much more. Let's start with some character summaries
and quotes from the actors:
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 consummate 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 farm boy, a leader and a compassionate man and problem-solver.
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 its 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."*
Recommended links:
POTA wiki (TV
series page link)
Hunter's POTA
site –easily navigated site chock-full of POTA
information and media
POTA
Media Archive – another large site with lots of POTA-related media
Stories
From Chalo – POTA TV site
*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, and forever
and always to that most special of persons, Jane, Just Jane.