Monday, January 28, 2013

THE ALIENS ARE COMING (1980)

I have very little memory of this Quinn Martin-produced (one of his last, I believe) TV movie/pilot film from March of 1980, but I did watch it, and clipped this TV Guide ad for my scrapbook. The eclectic cast which includes Melinda Fee from The Invisible Man and Escape from The Planet Of the Apes' Eric Braeden, certainly looks intriguing. Any other Star Kids remember this one? Hopefully better than I do?

Oddly, The Aliens Are Coming did get a VHS release from budget label Goodtimes in the 80s, and I'm thinking I might try and get my hands on a copy one of these days so I can review it for Space: 1970.
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11 comments:

  1. MarkJanuary 28, 2013 at 7:19 PM

    Pretty sure the aliens used a meteor shower to sneak by the radar that was looking for them. One of them takes over Max Gail's body. After that, I got nuthin'

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  2. Spawn of EndraJanuary 28, 2013 at 7:37 PM

    I have no recollection of this pilot, but I always associate Laborteaux with the "socially -relevant" (as it were) episodes of Little House on the Prairie where he becomes a morphine junky and they show him robbing folks and puking up white goo behind a barn as he goes through withdrawals. Not appropriate white Protestant behaviors, Sir! Especially not on the prairie!

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  3. jasonJanuary 28, 2013 at 7:39 PM

    Man, that feels really familiar but I can't... quite... pull it up. If you do track down a copy, I'd really like to hear what it's about...

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  4. shintokamikazeJanuary 28, 2013 at 9:15 PM

    I rented this on VHS in the early 80s, i think ii watched it again on you tube some time back

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 29, 2013 at 11:15 AM

    I watched this in 1980 as a boy. The TV Guide ad posted brought all my memories back.

    SGB

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  6. DrkMatterJanuary 29, 2013 at 2:51 PM

    Wow, I have no memory of that. Would love to see it.

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  7. Christopher MillsJanuary 29, 2013 at 2:57 PM

    Though I prefer not to post a link here, it is available to view on YouTube.

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  8. GWJanuary 30, 2013 at 2:49 AM

    I remember seeing this a couple of times when I was in my early teens,I remember that the aliens were some kind of energy being able to take over humans and control them,when the hero is being attacked by one he electrocutes himself which drives the alien out.I saw this before I saw the invaders so I never noticed the quinn martin name or the similarities in plot,I did remember mathew Laborteaux both from little house and whiz kids I think the last thing I saw him in was wes cravens deadly friend

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  9. gazhackJanuary 30, 2013 at 5:58 AM

    I remember watching this on ITV back in the eary 80's. In fact TV Times (the listings magazine of ITV) ran an accompanying article about famous SF monsters which I've still got in a scrapbook, I'll try and seek it out. I'd love to see it again, I remember the aliens were like giant catepilars but we saw very little of them and their UFO. Mostly it was an 80's Invaders as you say.

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  10. TimFebruary 2, 2013 at 11:05 AM

    I saw part of this on TV sometime in the early '80s, but all I remember was the guy from Barney Miller being taken over by some pretty chintzy-looking aliens.

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  11. AnonymousDecember 8, 2013 at 6:33 PM

    The movie is now being serialized on YouTube.
    Always got a kick out of this TV pilot, both for its weird aliens (glowing green energy beings with light bulb eyes who traveled around their spaceship in machines that looked like reptilian Daleks & talked in evil Optimus Prime voices when not possessing human bodies) & it's wonderfully eccentric hero (a fast-talking scientist/investigator who had designed the perfect hamburger... & was more than happy to draw the blueprint on a napkin so his waitress could take it back to the cook!).
    Great fun!

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