Obit: Leonard Nimoy R.I.P.

"Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most human."

Actor Leonard Nimoy, who originated the role of half human-half Vulcan Science Officer Spock on the original Star Trek television series, has passed away at age 83, due to end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Nimoy reprised the role of Spock in the 1973 animated Trek series, eight feature films, beginning with 1979's Star Ttrek - The Motion Picture, and a couple of episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1991. (Not to mention countless cameos, videos and even some games.)  In 1973, he starred in the TV movie/pilot Baffled as a race car driver with ESP powers, and in '78 as Dr. David Kibner in Phillip Kaufman's remake of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. From 1977 to 1982, he was the host of the syndicated documentary series, In Search Of....

Obviously, I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Leonard Nimoy. Star Trek is not only my favorite television series of all time, but it has had a huge impact in how I think and perceive the world around me. The character of Spock, as delineated by the talented Mr. Nimoy, represented rationality and scientific curiosity. Logic - tempered with the best qualities of humanity. Loyalty... and sly, sharp wit. Qualities that I aspire to (and, admittedly, rarely achieve).

In the 1990s, I worked tangentially with Mr. Nimoy as the scripter of the comic book series Leonard Nimoy's Primortals. My direct interactions with the man were few - we spoke on the phone a couple of times and only met face-to-face on one occasion - but I have in my files a memo from him praising my writing on the series. Rarely have I been so honored by a compliment.

A fine actor, writer and artist, his legacy will live long... and prosper.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978) on the ABC Sunday Night Movie

Here's the ABC Sunday Night Movie intro for their repeat broadcast of Phillip Kaufman's 1978 remake of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, starring Leonard Nimoy and Donald Sutherland. For me, this was the scariest sci-fi flick of the Seventies, even edging out Alien. And, because (unlike Alien) Invasion was rated PG instead of R, I actually got to see it unaccompanied by parental units... which probably added to the fright factor. Of course, I also got to see Brooke Adams topless, so it balanced out.

Needless to say, the version that aired on ABC used an alternate, "clothed" take of that scene.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978) Lobby Cards

As I've mentioned before, the scariest sci-fi film I saw as a 70s Star Kid was Phillip Kaufman's 1978 remake of Invasion Of the Body Snatchers, starring Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum and Brooke Adams. I'm still not quite sure how I ended up in the theater without adult supervision for that afternoon matinee screening of Body Snatchers, but I do remember being utterly certain that I was somehow going to get in trouble for watching Brooke Adams walk around naked.

I really need to pick up the Blu-ray of this movie soon.

Anyway, today I've got a selection of lobby cards from this classic of pod-paranoia for you. Remember: they're here already!

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978) TV Guide Ad

Another outstanding movie on free television - take that, cable!

Here's the TV Guide advertisement for the network television premiere of Philip Kaufman's 1978 remake of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers on ABC. Of course, if you wanted to see the movie uncut - say, with Brooke Adams' nude scenes intact - you'd have to wait for the film to hit HBO....

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978) Art By Mike Saenz

This atmospheric rendering of the cast of Phillip Kaufman's 1978 remake of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, appeared in the sixth issue of Fantastic Films magazine, cover-dated April, 1979. The artist is Mike Saenz, an illustrator and graphic artist whose work has appeared in numerous comics, magazines, graphic novels and computer games.

In fact, in the 80s, Saenz pioneered the use of computer-generated art for comics with Shatter, a series published by First Comics, and the graphic novel, Iron Man: Crash.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978) Theatrical Posters

Without question, the scariest sci-fi film I saw in the 1970s was Phillip Kaufman's remake of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (I didn't see Alien until a few years later on home video). I had seen the original Fifties version of the film one Halloween on late night TV, and while that classic had definitely unnerved me, it didn't scare me, so I figured I could handle the new version.

Somehow - I really cannot recall how I pulled it off - I persuaded my folks to let me go see the PG-rated thriller in the theater by myself. What a trip. Creepy, suspenseful and chock full of gross alien "pod" effects, several times during that viewing I wondered just what I had gotten myself into -- but then Brooke Adams showed up naked, and then the only thing I was scared of was somebody coming in and dragging me out of the theater. Surely, 14 year-olds weren't allowed to see boobies! (But, in 70s, we were. Isn't that cool?)

Director Phillip Kaufman had been signed to direct the first Star Trek feature film, once Paramount decided they didn't want a new Trek TV series after all. But after months of waiting for Gene Roddenberry to turn in a script that met approval from the studio, Kaufman finally left the project and made Body Snatchers instead - and took Leonard Nimoy with him. Nimoy was great in the movie, as was the aforementioned Brooke Adams, Donald Sutherland and Veronica Cartwright (who would have a different kind of Alien encounter the next year, poor thing).

Anyway, here's a selection of some of the campaign art created by United Artists for the film's original theatrical release. Enjoy.