The Case for Kiddie Nostalgia - Part 3

Well, I realise I have not posted for a while (not that I am deluding myself that there are people out there hanging on my every word - are there?), so as I have not seen many movies recently, I thought I would go back to the vault of memory and retrieve some more shows from the past...

7. Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers

Perhaps an obvious choice really, for someone as keen on the genre as I. It had the lot - big space battles, corny humour (they had alien races called the Gerkhins and the Kiwi!), cool spaceships, great theme song full of cliches (click the link to a weird DJ mix), some early CGI and featuring the voice talents of the fabulous Jerry Orbach. Who could ask for anything more - besides more than two series perhaps?

Influences: I think my love of Sci-Fi was well and truly established by this point, but it was very good to have it reinforced by such a totally cool show.

DVD: Two series, both at Amazon. So, so tempting...


8. Dungeon & Dragons

It took me a long time before I actually started to play the game itself, and I don't think I ever really abandoned myself to it as much as some others have (perhaps the lapsed Catholic in me keeping Satan at bay), but the TV series of Dungeons & Dragons (that came up on the Amazon search for Galaxy Rangers, oddly enough) was something I really loved. I remember Steve Parr and the rest of the "dawn years" of What Now getting in the way of this show, as TVNZ broke up the cartoon in installments throughout What Now's two hour running time, and sometimes across Saturdays (yes, What Now used to be on a Saturday, once upon a time). The resulting confusion on my young brain meant that I either missed crucial episodes, or else just forgot the story line, meaning I was left with hints of greatness but never really "got" the overarching story (if there was one of course). It is only by the miracle of YouTube that I even know what the opening credits look like.

Influences: It started my obsession with recording TV methinks - not wanting to miss an unmissable moment!

DVD: Note sure why, but Dungeons & Dragons is more expensive than Galaxy Rangers - though it does have an awesome cover. Very keen to buy it and finally see an entire episode in all its glory, but perhaps not for over NZ$100.

9. Fangface

And finally for this one, more from a memory of an old Olly Olsen song than anything else. Fangface - back before vampires became "the thing", it was Werewolves (or is it more correct to call them Lycans, these days?). The image that comes up on Amazon makes the show look like it was drawn on an incredibly small, probably Hanna Barbera cartoon budget, and quite possibly its humour bears a striking resemblance to Scooby Doo of the same era (in that it appealed at the time, but probably not any more). For some reason, I seem to recall they were even lumbered with a Scrappy Doo-ish character too. Perhaps.

Influences: Well, Olly Olsen was the coolest, and he made it cool. The show itself though? Phfah

DVD: No. And no.

Verdict: The memories keep coming - and soon, I will be into double digits...