7.4 /10 1 Votes
7.5/10 TV No. of seasons 1 Final episode date 6 February 1978 | 7.3/10 IMDb Original language(s) English First episode date 16 September 1977 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Starring Gregory HarrisonHeather MenziesDonald MoffatRandy Powell Cast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Logans run tv series with theme song and more
Logan's Run is a 1977 American television series, a spin-off from the 1976 film of the same name. The series starred Gregory Harrison as title character Logan 5, and Heather Menzies as Jessica 6.
Contents
- Logans run tv series with theme song and more
- Cast
- Production
- Design props and effects
- Differences from the film
- Cancellation
- DVD release
- References
The series maintains the basic premise and visual style of the film in that Logan and Jessica have escaped from the "City of Domes" so that they will not have to die once they reach the age of 30. However, the series differs from the plot of the movie in various ways, and depicts Logan and Jessica on the run in each episode in various locations on future Earth as they search for the mythical place known as "Sanctuary". Logan and Jessica are also assisted in each episode by an android called Rem (Donald Moffat) who did not appear in the film version.
The series lasted only 14 episodes before it was cancelled.
Cast
Production
The series depicted Logan and Jessica escape from the City of Domes only to be pursued by Francis (Randolph Powell) and various other Sandmen. Traveling in a futuristic hovercraft-like vehicle which they find in an abandoned building in the remains of Washington DC, they embark on a trek through post-apocalyptic America in order to find Sanctuary. On their journey, they encounter strange human societies, robots, and even aliens. The domed city (including Carousel) was seen only in the pilot and two other episodes, using recycled footage from the film. In a change from the book and film, the television series had the city secretly run by a cabal of elderly citizens who promised Francis a life beyond the age of thirty as a city elder if he can bring back the fugitives. Logan and Jessica were joined on their journey by an android named Rem (played by Donald Moffat), whom they come across in a futuristic city run by robots.
D. C. Fontana served as story editor and worked alongside several other writers from Star Trek as well as one of the original novel's authors. Executive Producers of the TV show were Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, who had created Charlie's Angels the year before.
The pilot episode was written by William F. Nolan, co-author of the original novel, with Saul David, the original producer of the film and the TV series (until he was dismissed), and series producer Leonard Katzman. When the pilot was presented to the network, CBS asked to have part of the pilot re-shot with changes to the plot, including the introduction of a cabal of city elders who secretly ruled over the Domed city.
Goff and Roberts were brought on board by MGM when original producer of the TV show (and producer of the film) Saul David was fired from the project and the pilot episode went through reshoots, rewriting and re-editing prior to being green-lit for production as a series. The line producer for the series was Leonard Katzman.
Fontana commissioned Harlan Ellison to write a treatment for one episode ("Crypt" which was heavily revised) and David Gerrold to write a teleplay ("Man Out of Time"). Gerrold's script was rewritten by someone else, prompting Gerrold to use his nom de plume "Noah Ward" (a homonym of "no award") on the episode.
The series' main theme tune was composed by Laurence Rosenthal.
Design, props and effects
The series used the costume designs for the Sandman uniforms and recycled the guns used in the original film. Mort Rabinowitz worked as the art director on the film assisted by set decorator Linda De Scenna. The pilot episode also featured heavy use of the miniatures and visual effects from the movie.
The hovercraft vehicles used for the film were designed by Dean Jeffries Auto Styling. These vehicles were used in other TV shows after the cancellation of the series, including CHiPs, and were used in movies such as Spaceballs and Ice Pirates. The Ground Car was used in the music video for Tom Petty's "You Got Lucky." The vehicles were also rented out for use in a number of low-budget films.
The TV series was one of the earliest to use computer-generated imagery to create the visual effects used for the series. Roy Hayes Visual Effects did the visuals specific for the series.
Differences from the film
Although based on the 1976 film (itself based loosely on the 1967 novel), the series differed from the film in several ways:
Cancellation
The series initially had solid ratings but CBS made frequent changes to the scheduling, which disrupted the audience. Only 11 episodes of the series were broadcast on the West Coast during its original run.
Despite its brief run, the show was sold overseas. It was shown in the United Kingdom by the ITV network in early 1978, though times varied per region.
The Mego Corporation had planned to release a line of Logan's Run toys in conjunction with the series. Prototypes were made for several 9" action figures, but the cancellation of the show prompted Mego to change their minds and cancel production.
DVD release
The complete run of the series was released by Warner Home Video on Region 1 DVD on April 10, 2012.
Originally intended as a DVD-R "on demand" release, the DVD uses the menu and packaging designed for the DVD-R on demand release planned for 2011. The episodes come from a variety of sources and are of varying quality.