PeterDavid.net

Interesting coincidence: A recent issue of the little Disney Adventures digest available at checkouts everywhere featured a team-up of Jack Sparrow and Dr. Syn. It was drawn by former Marvel artist Bret Blevins; I don't recall who wrote it.

Steve Leavell

Nitpick corner: Dymchurch with a Y, not Dimchurch with an I.

Only because it's about 25 miles away from where I'm sitting (it's Dave McKean's neck of the woods)

Great book, fun movie. Own a copy of the book (which was second in a series, starring Dr. Syn... the others he just wasn't the scarecrow)
and I second that: if disney released it on DVD I would add it to my collection instantly.

Travis

Disney was supposed to release it this past fall on DVD but delayed it into 2005 for reasons unknown. Hopefully, it's to include the longer, three-part version.

Rush is tremendously versatile. I highly recommend the Peter Sellers bio film he recently did (I think it's on HBO); his range is staggering.

Is this a blog about politics or comic books or both?

whatthe?:

>Is this a blog about politics or comic books or both?

Both.... and everything in between.

DR SYN was supposed to be released August 14, 2004; I had it circled on my calendar. Disney pulled it in favor of...what? Hilary Duff? Lindsay Lohan? Groan...

Ha! I remember that movie (and I have only seen it about twice in my lifetime). I can even recall 90% of the theme song (strange what stays in your memory).

From what I remember, it always struck me as a 'revolutionary war' era Batman-esque character. Didn't he even have a kid sidekick? He also wasn't above pulling cruel mind tricks on his opponents to get information. I also agree, now would be a good time for a re-make (although, as I remember, neither The Shadow, The Phantom, or 'League' did very well at the theatres).

"I also agree, now would be a good time for a re-make (although, as I remember, neither The Shadow, The Phantom, or 'League' did very well at the theatres)."

Neither the Shadow nor League were, honestly, very good movies. "Phantom" was terrific, remaining one of my favorite comic book movies of all time, but was horribly marketed. "Slam Evil?" Good lord.

PAD

>Neither the Shadow nor League were, honestly, >very good movies. "Phantom" was terrific, >remaining one of my favorite comic book movies >of all time, but was horribly marketed. "Slam >Evil?" Good lord.

Holy crap, someone else who liked this movie. I thought it was very true to the Lee Falk comics, and it was a blast. Sorta Indiana Jones lite.

Travis

Neither the Shadow nor League were, honestly, very good movies. "Phantom" was terrific, remaining one of my favorite comic book movies of all time, but was horribly marketed. "Slam Evil?" Good lord.

I don't claim The Shadow was a good movie, but I did like it better than the Phantom. In fact, I have the video and the original score for the Shadow. I thought it could have been far better, but I enjoyed it none the less. But being a fan of the radio shows with Orson Wells and others probably biased my opinion.

Jim in Iowa

At a VHS version of the entire three-parter exists - see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055929/alternateversions.

I also prefer the Shadow to the Phantom, but I understand the sentiment.

I just couldn't get past a plane running ut of gas and then exploding upon impacting the cliff.

Why would it explode?
It was out of gas!

Hey PAD, I thought after Geoffrey Rush's Vincent Price homage in the House on Haunted Hill remake, he would be perfect for The Leader in a Hulk movie.

The Scarecrow movies I remember from growing up watching matinee movies on TV, with other old Disney classics like Swamp Fox and Zorro.

"I don't claim The Shadow was a good movie, but I did like it better than the Phantom. In fact, I have the video and the original score for the Shadow. I thought it could have been far better, but I enjoyed it none the less. But being a fan of the radio shows with Orson Wells and others probably biased my opinion"

Well, I'm a fan of the radio series as well (and, hey, I can even spell "Orson Welles" correctly), except the radio show had little-to-nothing to do with the pulp version. The movie tried to blend the pulp and radio show and it was an uneasy mix at best. When it worked, as in the sequence on the bridge, it was pretty impressive. Much of the time, though, it just didn't hang together.

Phantom, on the other hand, was terrific.

PAD

I think people were scared away by Phantom because it had a superhero in a purple costume. I know I was. Sure, its not as horrific as Bat-nipples, but ain't nobody can pull of purple.

Well aside from The Joker.

Or Barney the Dinosaur.

Or Purple Man.

...

Goddamnit.

...

HE'S WEARING PURPLE, FOR GOD'S SAKE!`

Well, I'm a fan of the radio series as well (and, hey, I can even spell "Orson Welles" correctly), except the radio show had little-to-nothing to do with the pulp version.

My only exposure to The Shadow before the movie was the old time radio shows.

Why do you feel the Phantom was terrific? My only exposure to it was the newspaper comics version and the Saturday morning updated (sci-fi) version (which I thought was actually better written than many cartoons). You have me curious to go back and watch it again to see what I missed.

Jim in Iowa

I haven't heard that many good things about The Shadow film (starring Alec Baldwin), but I personally enjoyed The Phantom film.

It was a very brave move on the part of the film makers to keep it in the mid-30's where the original comic strip started instead of attempting to make it a contemporary epic like the Batman films, this time with a 400-plus year legacy attached to it instead of a 30-plus year one.

I believe that The Scarecrow three-parter was aired on the Disney channel several times last year. A friend of mine was kind enough to tape it for me(I don't have cable). Compared to other superhero/action/adventure film projects, it still holds up. Incidentally, Dr. Syn had TWO sidekicks, Hellspite(the subaltern of Dymchurch) and Curlew(the altar boy/Squire's son). They even used Zorro's underground stable! I wonder why they didn't make THAT a series?

Welp, on the "why no Scarecrow series" question: you might have heard of this small show, "Danger Man" (aka "Secret Agent/Man"). He made "Dr. Syn", then "The 3 Lives of Thomasina", then "Danger Man" (which was the 2nd series for this show). Damn, I am such an uber-nerd!!!
Anyway, I have the 3 parter on tape (it ran on Vault Disney a bunch, then that cool show went away) and the edited movie too. Man, I want that show on DVD so bad! Bootlegs and the old VHS pre-recorded tapes go from $25 to $80s on ebay. And yep, Rush would be great as Dr. Syn, whoa, yes!!!

Yes, McGoohan did star in "Danger Man," then "Secret Agent," and then...The Prisoner! See, I'm acquainted with Mr. McGoohan's work!
My question was regarding the concept and the character. With hundreds of Zorro clones and James Bond successors (McGoohan was approached TWICE for THAT part) why didn't anyone explore the possibility of a Scarecrow series, with or WITHOUT McGoohan? Just a rhetorical question.

The Scarecrow was one of the Disney films that truly terrified me...yet, I still watched all three parts when it ran on Wonderful World of Disney in the 60s (albeit through my fingers!). I taped it years ago when WWofD was syndicated on saturday afternoons during the mid-80s.
There were 3 issues of a Gold Key comic based on the series in the 60s, one reprint later in GK Walt Disney Showcase #53...and in the current (NOW ON-SALE) Disney Comic Zone Digest, the Scarecrow returns unannounced to teamup with the Pirates of the Carribean's Jack Sparrow. Sadly, like the rest of these great PofC stories, this one is only a short 5-6 page comic adventure, and the rest of the Digest is the typical Disney Channel crap like Freaky Friday. Why isn't there a CLASSIC Disney Channel? I used to stay up 'til all hours of the night just to catch reruns of Zorro, Vault Disney, Mickey Mouse Club w/ Spin & Marty...but it's no longer on it seems, gone to be replaced with more Raven & endless series featuring Spears & Duff sisters.

I remember reading along time ago that The Scarecrow was supposed to be a series and this was the pilot - but - as it was in the case of Zorro (which caused its cancellation) - it was just too darn expensive to do. Whoever wrote that could have been wrong but it seems like that was the “Disney thing” to do at the time. It was one of my favorite memories as a kid and a few years ago, when the Disney cable station was playing "Classic" Disney, they ran all the Scarecrow episodes three nights in a row. I taped it, enjoyed it just as much and still would pay good money to see that on DVD (especially in those silver tin case editions). I have the 1938 version and the 1962 version with Peter Cushing but the McGoohan one just outshines them all.

And as far as The Shadow and The Phantom goes - I enjoyed both movies. The actors and the production were superb but the scripts, really, were just silly. If Khan could hypnotize a whole city into not seeing a building (as in the Tibet building in the beginning of the film) - why didn't he just hypnotize them not to see HIM. And Treat Williams (who I think is a wonderful actor) just reminded me of a campy Batman villain without the costume.

But - damned if I didn't run out and buy them on VHS and then DVD as soon as they came out....you know I did!!

Take care...

Peter, do you think Geoffrey Rush would make for a cool Leader if a Hulk sequel was ever made?

Re: "Dr. Syn/The Scarecrow." I saw it (or at least one of the three parts) at some point in my childhood on TV. I'm assuming it was "The Wonderful World of Disney." I'd love to see it/them again.

Regarding "The Shadow" and "The Phantom." I was writing a weekly movie review column when the former came out. I gave it a C. I wanted to give it a higher grade because I was and am a fan of the radio show (and have read some of the pulp novels), but had to be honest with myself. It didn't deserve a higher grade.

Didn't see "The Phantom" in theatres (That "Slam Evil" idiocy probably had something to do with it) but did rent it a few years ago. My local paper publishes the newspaper strip (which is only two panels, unfortunately), and I enjoy it. That's probably what prompted me to take a chance on renting the film.

There is, by the way, a "Scarecrow"/"Phantom" connection. Patrick McGoohan appears in both. He's the current Phantom's father in the latter film (or to be more accurate the ghost and/or memory of his father.).

But McGoohan's appearance in that film rasise an interesting question. The film came out in 1996. McGoohan was 68 that year. Assuming his character was at least the same age, was he still Phantoming when he died, or had he stepped down in favor of his son, the current phantom, some years before? If the latter, did he sit around Skull Cave and grouse, "In my day, we caught the bad guy in two hours, not two days."?

For that matter, did any of the Phantoms in the original Lee Falk strip retire, or did they all "die in office", as it were?

And if a Phantom only had daughters, what then? would the current Phantom decide that the "Ghost Who Walks" will skip a generation, with his daughter(s) possibly pulling a Chance Falconer on him, or would the line, for one generation at least, go from father-in-law to son-in-law?

Or for that matter, would he adopt a son?

Finally, to return to Dr. Syn, St. Clements Caves in Hastings, England has a statue of Dr. Syn. I was there in the summer of 1988, while going to school in London. At some point in the past, the nose was somehow removed (and is anyone else flashing to the "Far Side" of the two guys working on the Sphinx?) and subsequently replaced with one made of concrete. As both the tour guide, and the photograph I took point out, water seeping in and dripping down from the pourous concete nose, has resulted in Dr. Syn having an "embarrassing stain on his trousers."

Those same caves, for the record, have a statue of the Duke of Wellington. According to the tale the guide told, smugglers or other criminals hid some loot behind the statue's head. On retrieving it, they accidently knocked the head off. A substitute head for the statue was found (presumably to make use of that hiding place again). Whether they were aware of the irony or not, I don't know, but the new head for the statue was that of.... Napoleon Bonaparte.

Be seeing you.

Rick

But McGoohan's appearance in that film rasise an interesting question. The film came out in 1996. McGoohan was 68 that year. Assuming his character was at least the same age, was he still Phantoming when he died,

Yes, he was still Phantoming. He died in action when James Remar's character stabbed him and took his belt.

And if a Phantom only had daughters, what then? would the current Phantom decide that the "Ghost Who Walks" will skip a generation, with his daughter(s) possibly pulling a Chance Falconer on him, or would the line, for one generation at least, go from father-in-law to son-in-law?

Depends on the writer.

-Joe

There was a Girl Phantom awhile back in a few of the Charlton books, but if I remember correctly, she was a sister to the then Current Male Phantom. Anyone familar with that?

Peter David,

For that matter, do you think Patrick McGoohan would make a good Thanos? (Voice only. I'm assuming if Thanos ever appeared in a film, he'd be computer-generated.)

Just check out BRAVEHEART some time, and tell me if McGoohan's malevolent King Edward doesn't practically SCREAM Thanos.

In response to my Phantom query, Joe Frietze said, "Yes, he was still Phantoming. He died in action when James Remar's character stabbed him and took his belt."

Thanks. Now that you mention it, I do vaguely remember that detail. If I recall correctly, retrieving the belt was one of the reasons the current Phantom journeyed to the U.S. Right?

As to what would happen if a Phantom had daughters, I agree it would depend on the writer, but looking at it from within the fictional universe of the Phantom, I wonder how the _character_ would deal with the situation. If, for example, whomever owns the character hired me to write the Phantom with the caveat that he had daughters, my first question to myself would be how would this guy keep the illusion of one immortal man going after his death without a male heir? Even though he's a fictional character, I'd still try to get into his head, as it were.

I tend to look at things from what the_character_ would do in a given situation. Maybe that comes from being a writer, maybe from reading a lot. Maybe both.

Rick

In regards to the Shadow and Phantom films, I definately enjoyed The Phantom more than The Shadow. Throughout The Shadow I was cringing at, well, pretty much everything. It looked good, but that was about it. By the time they played 'follow the bouncing bomb' at the end, it was already a lost cause.

I was able to get a Shadow action figure for a female friend who was a big fan of the pulps, at least, so it helped me score some points there.

By contrast, I was grinning ear-to-ear during The Phantom. Much like The Rocketeer, it just felt right. I do very much wish there had been no actual 'magic' in it, but everything else was just too cool to let it bring me down. I left the theater in a better mood than I had been in after a movie in ages, and felt I'd really seen a film about a Hero.

Of course, fan of the 30s-era pulp stories that I am, I picked up both on laserdisc and the only reason I haven't grabbed The Shadow yet on DVD (I have The Phantom, of course) is my displeasure at not having a widescreen version available.

Chris

I have all of Thorndyke's Dr. Syn Books. The first one written, in 1916, is the seventh (and last) in the series. In the twenty years between when the first/last was written, and the series started in 1936, Thorndyke had become a much better writer.

When the Disney version was re-run, I audiotaped
all three episodes (it was all I had at the time).

I have a movie poster of the initial release, and would love to see the DVD come out.

Now, if we want to figure out where McGoohan SHOULD be cast, I maintain that he should have been the new Dumbledore.

I've been a fan of Russell Thorndike's original Doctor Syn novels for years, after having been introduced to the character in the Disney trilogy (which had the misfortune of debuting opposite two of the Beatles legendary appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show") and Hammer's NIGHT CREATURES. Dr. Syn appeared as the Scarecrow in all of Throndike's novels except DOCTOR SYN ON THE HIGH SEAS, which chronicled his earlier days as the pirate Captain Clegg. In 1979, 1981 and 1983, I attended the biannual "Day of Syn" in Dymchurch, where the good vicar's exploits were re-enacted as the townsfok dressed in period costumes.
Personallly, I've always wished that Boris Karloff had played Syn in the 1936 film instead of the then-feeble George Arliss. Karloff would have been superb as both the kindly country parson and as the pirate/smuggler leader.
I attended the world premier of 1994 film THE SHADOW, accompanied by Margot Stevenson (Orson Welles' "lovely Margot Lane") and SHADOW-pulp artist Edd Cartier. Overall, I thought the filmmakers did a good job of combining the very different radio and pulp versions. While I personally prefer my dearly-missed friend Walter Gibson's pulp crimefighter, I realize that the pulp sold 300,000 copies per issue at its peak, while the radio show was heard each week by tens of millions. I disliked the new opium lord origin story (inspired by Howard Chaykin's miniseries), and felt it was a big mistake to place it at the beginning of the movie, rather than reveal it gradually to the audience through Cranston's nightmares. I think the movie would have been far stronger if it had begun with the battle on the bridge, and had not played the climax for laughs. (Follow the bouncing atomic bomb.) Still, I think that Walter would have been delighted at how many scenes were lifted directly from his original novels, especially considering how little of his pulp character made it the the screen in the 1930s and 1940s movies.