Discovering the Planet of the Apes

James Franciscus in "Beneath the Planet of the Apes".

Source: https://3brothersfilm.com/blog/2014/07/planet-of-the-apes-1968-beneath-the-planet-of-the-apes-1970

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It is an iconic image in science fiction movies. Astronaut Charlton Heston has been hurled to a place he has never seen before, only to discover it is ruled by a race of intelligent, human-like apes. He is walking on the beach with a woman and is shocked to see – the Statue of Liberty sticking part way out of the sand. He has not been hurled to another planet, but his own far into the future.

Now, I have never actually seen that image myself in the original “Planet of the Apes”, but throughout my youth, I saw several installments of the movie series, all in rerun on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial.

Hearing, a new “Planet of the Apes” movie is coming out, made me think back to where it all began.

First contact
The first “Planet of the Apes” movie I saw was during one summer week day afternoon, and it was “Beneath the Planet of the Apes”, released in 1970. James Franciscus plays as astronaut Brent, who arrives in another spacecraft and searches for Taylor, played by Charlton Heston. Brent ultimately ends up in this vast underground world inhabited by telepathic humans who have obviously been damaged by radiation over time. They also worship a nuclear bomb. Franciscus ultimately finds Charlton Heston, who has a fairly brief appearance which left me wondering more about the first movie. “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” ends with the bomb detonated.

It was a strange movie, to say the least. As I read the synopsis, I realize I only saw about half of the movie.

Sequence of events
I was curious about “The Planet of the Apes” movies. My sister is nine years older than me. She knew a lot about the TV and movies from the ‘60s and early ‘70s that was just before my time – so she filled me in on the sequence of movies.

The third one was “Escape from the Planet of the Apes”, released in 1971, and reverses the scenario. This time two apes, Cornelius and Zira, who featured prominently in the first two movies, flee back through time to the 20th Century. At first treated with curiosity, that mutates into fear and suspicion as they are ultimately hunted down and killed. However, Zira gives birth before she dies. The baby is hidden in a circus run by Ricardo Montalban. In the last scene the young ape begins to talk.

I saw “Escape from the Planet of the Apes” on a summer afternoon with my cousins visiting from Brooks. I was sad with the ending, until the very last scene.

The fourth movie was “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes”, released in 1972, with Ricardo Montalban, and that was the last one I saw. The infant ape grows up to be Caesar. He lives in a world where apes are enslaved, and leads a rebellion against their human oppressors.

I never did see the fifth movie, “Battle for the Planet of the Apes”, which came out in 1973. In it, Caesar tries to keep the peace between humans and apes.

There was also a TV series that ran from September to December of 1974, lasting 14 episodes. I recall the faintest of memories of it being on TV, but I was like four years old at the time.

Monkey marathon
The three-channel universe of peasant vision was full of reruns and movies that were played over and over. When I was in junior high and high school in the early to mid-80s, Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial would run the “Planet of the Apes” movies at midnight for a week, in a sort of marathon. There were five movies so it fit a week perfectly.

Some day I will have to do my own marathon and watch these movies beginning to end, because I would like to understand the saga.

Back in the ‘80s, I learned it bit by bit, in fragments.

Parting thoughts
Not seeing every movie beginning to end, has left me with mixed memories of the “Planet of the Apes”.

“Beneath the Planet of the Apes” was the first time I ever saw James Franciscus in anything, and I really liked him. Yet, those mutants, using their telepathy and worshipping an ancient nuclear bomb just freaked me out.

“Escape from the Planet of the Apes” was my kind of movie. It involves time travel and how humans will initially embrace something, or someone new, but ultimately grow suspicious, maybe even jealous, and ultimately paranoid. “Escape from the Planet of the Apes” explores those themes. It kind of reminds me of an episode of the original “Twilight Zone” actually.

“Conquest for the Planet of the Apes” is also my kind of movie for a different reason. In this case, an oppressed group rebels against their enslavers. I love seeing it, in everything from “V: The Final Battle” to “Star Wars”. I have even written this story myself.

The whole “Planet of the Apes” franchise is imprinted on my early years. It was an interesting part of pop culture.

I find it interesting that it is being re-discovered again.