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SPECIMEN UNKNOWN
Stephen McNally, Richard Jaeckel, Russell Johnson, Gail
Kobe, John Kellogg, and Peter Baldwin.
U.S. astronauts bring deadly spores with them when they return to Earth
from outer space.
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QUICK SCAN...
Richard Jaeckel (The Dark) is good as a John Glenn-type, can
do astronaut. Russell Johnson (Gilligan's Island) fans may enjoy
seeing him before he played that castaway professor.
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SYNOPSIS...
Astronauts orbit Earth in a space station. An alien spore begins
to sprout plants.
The astronauts head for Earth. On their way, the space plants shoot
seed pods and gas at them, causing some of the astronauts to fall
ill.
On the ground, the astronauts are removed from their capsule. The
alien plants sprout on the Earth at an alarming rate, rapidly filling
up a nearby meadow. When it rains, the plants die.
REVIEW...
Director Gerd Oswald's, SPECIMEN: UNKNOWN,
is a marginally interesting Sci-Fi effort.
Richard Jaeckel delivers the goods as a "can do" astronaut.
With his blonde hair and boyish good looks, he brings to mind the
real life, former astronaut, John Glenn.
This episode does not have Director Oswald's characteristic "look".
I guess it was hard to work long, atmospherically lit hallways into
an episode set, primarily in space.
Russell Johnson does what he can with a stiff, head astronaut role.
He was soon to have a great deal more fun, playing 'The Professor,"
on "Gilligan's Island"
The Teleplay, by Stephen Lord, owes a great deal to the film,"The
Day of the Triffids". In "Triffids," however, the plants
were mobile, which made them more visually interesting.
The episode's FX, which involve an Earth orbiting space station, as
well as a space walk by an astronaut, are rather good. The Special
Photographic Effects are courtesy of Project Unlimited, Inc.
Director of Photography, Conrad Hall, delivers creative screen imagery.
Particularly good is a shot of the spore plants, through the window
of a space capsule compartment, shooting spores everywhere.
The music is "spacey," using harps for emphasis. Dominic
Frontiere unsurprisingly, gets the composing credit.
SPECIMEN: UNKNOWN may be slightly watchable for some Sci-Fi viewers.
"Gilligan's Island" fans may enjoy seeing "The Professor"
as an astronaut. Others may wish to blast clear of this episode.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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