133-401: The Invaders is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasion of aliens from outer space —the aliens disguising themselves as humans and gradually infiltrating human institutions—tries to thwart the invasion despite
266-525: A NORAD officer and staff witness an alien UFO formation onscreen, and are left convinced. Each of these incidents is kept to just the individual episode, with hinted official backing of Vincent (or at least 'semi-backing' suggested in the episode "The Condemned"). Elsewhere, Vincent is shown as being publicly 'dismissed as a crank' by the authorities, while behind the scenes they apparently take him seriously—for example in "Doomsday Minus One", where Vincent has been invited by an Army intelligence official and then
399-492: A cold open , to help set up the plot of the episode to come. After the prologue, the main title appears, announced by Dick Wesson : The Invaders! A Quinn Martin Production. Starring Roy Thinnes as architect David Vincent. (A different shot of Thinnes' face was used for the second season.) This would be followed by the opening narration (by Bill Woodson ): The Invaders, alien beings from a dying planet. Their destination:
532-477: A film noir crime story with a good old-fashioned giant monster movie' and that ' Michael Moriarty turns in a brilliant performance as Jimmy Quinn [...]'. Horror author and movie critic, Kim Newman , praises Cohen's plot originality and canny use of characters in Empire , pointing out the director's use of an oddball as lead – Jimmy Quinn – who would ordinarily be a secondary character or warrant solely
665-591: A junk food mogul who assists Mo with his investigation. Cohen cast Moriarty in It's Alive 3: Island of the Alive (1987)—the third part of the Alive Trilogy —and again in A Return to Salem's Lot (1987), the unofficial sequel of Stephen King 's novel and TV miniseries Salem's Lot . Cohen finished the 1980s with Wicked Stepmother (1989), in which the late Bette Davis made her last appearance. Cohen began
798-569: A Doctor Thorne where X-ray scans show a fake bone structure. As Vincent discusses this with the Doctor's wife Mrs. Thorne (an X-ray technician), the alien wakes up and causes the doctor to have a stroke using a small disc-shaped device. David scuffles with the alien and kills him. Vincent then takes the X-ray scans to a prominent University in Illinois that has been getting funding for UFO research, but
931-406: A Dr. Kramer to advance the fight against the aliens by jamming their saucer's signals. As they are leaving Kramer's building at night they are attacked by two aliens. Vincent manages to overpower the aliens who are both killed in the scuffle, but Dr. Kramer is also killed. Kramer's briefcase with important material is taken by David just as the building's security guard arrives, whereupon Vincent tells
1064-638: A Foreign Delegation to the United Nations building in New York , an alien intruder Sanders ( Don Dubbins ) tries to rob a safe with security information on troop movements in Asia, but he is interrupted by UN security staff and shot but only injured in the scuffle. The internal doctor Dr. Katherina Serret ( Dana Wynter ) cannot find a pulse and pronounces the intruder dead, whereupon he soon recovers. After further medical examination Dr. Serret declares that he
1197-422: A New York detective investigates a spate of killings by apparently random people who say that God told them to commit the crimes. He concentrated his work predominantly within the horror genre throughout the 1970s and 1980s, often incorporating elements of crime, police procedural , and science fiction with scathing social commentary. Cohen's It's Alive tells of a couple, Frank and Lenore Davis, who give birth to
1330-523: A Seventies 'incoherent text' as Taxi Driver and a clear linchpin of The X-Files ." The Chicago Sun-Times sees Cohen's incoherent text in a different light, likening the film to a cinematic version of the card game 52 Pickup : "the movie does achieve greatness in another way: this is the most confused feature-length film [...] ever seen." But Time Out applauded Cohen for offering "the perfect existential anti-hero" in New York cop, Lo Bianco, in
1463-447: A balcony apparently running from delusional thoughts. He manages to call David Vincent before being committed to a psychiatric facility. Vincent calls on Julian's wife Dr. Pat Reed ( Joanne Linville ), who also works at the center. She invites Vincent to stay, but she is reluctant to discuss anything saying that she is just concerned for their young son, Frankie. Vincent then calls on Julian at the hospital, where Julian tells Vincent that he
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#17327944498051596-429: A brief return to the director's chair for Cohen. Josef Rusnak remade Cohen's It's Alive in 2009. Still awaiting a score on Rotten Tomatoes , the existing reviews are also very poor. Even Cohen admitted that the remake was dreadful and states: 'It's a terrible picture. It's just beyond awful'. Cohen offered his 1974 script but remarks that it was completely ignored: "I would advise anybody who likes my film to cross
1729-572: A cameo appearance; Newman also explains how Cohen has relegated all the usual plot devices – in movies such as King Kong – to the background. Alternatively, the Chicago Reader , although viewing Cohen's monster movie as 'cheesy' and 'fun', ultimately condemns the movie as being 'curiously disengaged and sloppy'. The New York Times , following the film's opening day at the Rivoli Theater , had just 'a few words – only
1862-463: A car, but he is chloroformed from the back seat by an alien. Vincent wakes up in what seems to be an underground alien prison camp where Vincent resists alien hypnosis, divulging only fake details about the group of believers. When that fails, the aliens stage a 'dummy' rescue attempt, but Vincent quickly sees through it. David is then put into general circulation in the alien prison where he is befriended by Elyse ( Carol Lynley ). Vincent believes that she
1995-474: A closed amusement park, so Vincent goes there to see what he might unearth. In a suspected saucer crash in New York, some alien debris has been recovered by a cargo vessel. At the behest of journalist Mike Calvin ( Chris Robinson ) David Vincent arrives to meet him at the docked vessel only to discover that the evidence has already been removed. Vincent and Calvin are attacked by two men who are looking for something else – narcotics, and while Calvin escapes Vincent
2128-676: A commercial spokesperson for the Shell Oil Company in the United States, known as The Shell Answer Man . "The Shell Answer Man" appeared in commercials from 1976 to 1982. Anderson was married to Carol Lee Ladd and Katharine Thalberg (daughter of movie producer Irving Thalberg and actress Norma Shearer ), with both marriages ending in divorce. He had three daughters with Thalberg. Anderson died on August 31, 2017, from natural causes in Beverly Hills, California . He
2261-422: A computer programmer. There, he is recognized by Major Stanhope ( Simon Scott ), the base's intelligence officer, who lets him investigate. In Arizona , John Carter ( Dabney Coleman ) has called the local sheriff multiple times after witnessing saucers landing nearby again and again. Each time, the saucers are already gone when the sheriff arrives. David Vincent shows up and tests Carter's claim that he can predict
2394-453: A device in Ted's head, with Martin's agreement, supposedly in the cause of research, but the device is causing Ted to be confused in his memory and actions. Martin is very protective of Ted, who happens to be an old friend of David Vincent's. As Ted recuperates at home after the lab incident he is cared for by Martin who wants to make sure to keep aliens away from Ted. David Vincent is working with
2527-480: A disbelieving world that the nightmare has already begun. Then, in a manner typical of Quinn Martin productions, Wesson would announce, "The guest stars in tonight's story...", and announce the name of each guest star (typically three or four) over a series of close-up clips of the guest stars. Wesson would then announce "Tonight's Episode", and say the title of the episode about to be viewed, which would also appear on screen. Also typical of Quinn Martin productions of
2660-450: A driver who picks up hitchhikers with the sole intent of killing them – and – Walker (Warren Kole), a hitchhiker who accepts lifts in order to find his victims. The two killers pair up and inventively murder all the passengers on the bus, save for Stacia (Balk), who has since gone her own way. Stacia eventually winds up in the middle of a serial killer turf war , a war over which killer will get her first. Pick Me Up signaled
2793-410: A film that "overflows with such perverse and subversive notions that no amount of shoddy editing and substandard camerawork can conceal [its] unusual qualities" and that by "[d]igging deep into the psyche of American manhood, it lays bare the guilt-ridden oppressions of a soulless society." TV movies TV series Richard Anderson Richard Norman Anderson (August 8, 1926 – August 31, 2017)
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#17327944498052926-436: A killing spree. The film – an initial commercial failure – was re-released with a new and sharper advertisement campaign; it went on to become a moderate success, earning over $ 7 million for Warner Bros. and spawning two sequels, It Lives Again (1978) and It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987). Cohen followed-up It's Alive with the science-fiction serial killer film God Told Me To (1976), in which
3059-416: A lack of A-List actors and special effects, It's Alive still manages to maintain the viewer's interest due to Cohen's "unique horror concept and a script rich in ideas." Black Hole nevertheless points out that "[w]hile the drama is consistent, it's less successful as a seventies monster movie, and especially lacking now." Whereas Jaws (1975) revealed the shark slowly, Cohen's film "barely ever shows us
3192-503: A major influence. Of course The Invaders was definitely in the same genre as The Fugitive : a man moving across America, in search of something, and in jeopardy. Really, to me, my idea was taken more from Alfred Hitchcock than it was taken from The Fugitive . I always liked the Hitchcock movie where the hero is in a situation where he's the only one that knows the spies are operating, and no one will believe him. And when he takes
3325-665: A man suffering from amnesia who was being pursued by a powerful group of people. All he could remember were the words "Coronet Blue". Another inspiration was the wave of "alien Doppelgänger " films which had come 10 years before in the 1950s, typified by Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and the British film Quatermass 2 (1957), known in America as Enemy from Space . While these paranoid tales of extraterrestrials who lived among us, posing as humans while planning
3458-587: A mutated baby that kills its prey when trapped or frightened, holds a rating of 67% on Rotten Tomatoes , one of the highest ratings for his films. Focusing on the social context of the film at the time, The Film Journal points out that It's Alive "carries a potent mix of both suspense and social critique [...] [i]nvoking such taboo subjects as abortion as early as 1974." As well as being apt at providing 'suspense,' The Film Journal acknowledges Cohen's ability "to impart an intelligent nature to his otherwise pulpy horror films." Black Hole magazine opines that despite
3591-499: A mutated baby. The doctors and nurses at the hospital attempt to end the life of the deformed child, but it instead kills them and escapes. A police manhunt ensues as the fleeing mutation leaves dead bodies in its wake. Frank sees the child just as Dr. Frankenstein saw his monster and assists the police. The emphasis in It's Alive is on the potential effects of chemicals to the ecosystem, and experimental prescription drugs that can be harmful to unborn babies. The score for It's Alive
3724-520: A nearby company warehouse is called Cavanaugh. Vincent sneaks into the warehouse, but is forced to hide in a locker. The locker is taken to a saucer. He subsequently blacks out under the tremendous acceleration of the ship's sudden takeoff. When he awakens, he discovers that he is alone and climbs down to a rocky desolate location, not sure if he is still on Earth. After wandering some distance, he encounters some student geologists with their professor Dr. John Devin ( William Sargent ), who tells Vincent that he
3857-429: A number of New York citizens embark on a killing spree because God Told Them To , is called "one of his most ambitious movies" that is "cemented in an interesting idea" by QNetwork Entertainment , who find Cohen's ideology of the existence of God interesting: "cynical at best" and "sacrilegious at worst." The magazine continues, however, to comment on Cohen's lack of patience and drive when completing his movies, regarding
3990-473: A piece of alien technology both as evidence and for examination by both his group and the authorities. The series depicted an undercurrent of at least partial credulity among authority figures regarding Vincent's claims, even in the first season, as in early episodes such as "The Mutation", where a security agent (Lin McCarthy) is keeping an eye on Vincent and ends up inclined to believe him. In "The Innocent",
4123-571: A place of rest and convalescence, Dr. Martin Willard ( Michael Constantine ) is working with the aliens and his brother Dr. Ted Willard ( Michael Tolan ) is also cooperating but is not fully committed. Ted breaks into a laboratory by night to try to get a particular file but is confronted by alien Adam Lane ( William Smithers ) who overcomes Ted after a struggle. Just as Adam is about to kill Ted with an alien disc weapon, his brother Martin appears and dissuades Adam from doing anything rash. Adam then plants
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4256-510: A police phone, but he then sees the woman rise and is himself killed by three aliens. David Vincent, having read in the newspaper that the woman was reported alive by her husband, NORAD Major Dan Keller ( Jason Evers ), suspects that she is an Invader: since the aliens have no pulse, an unconscious Invader could have been mistaken for dead. Under an assumed identity, he joins a tour of the NORAD base under Cheyenne Mountain where Dan Keller works as
4389-554: A prearranged meeting with Jeremy at night, Nivin and another alien come out and shoot at them, killing Ferrara. Vincent kills the alien but misses Nivin. Meanwhile, Jeremy has been taken to Lund's 'fishing lodge' and when June finds this out, she persuades Vincent to bring her there, but they must approach cautiously as Lund and his fellow aliens, including Nivin, are there also. At the Willard Sanitarium in New Mexico,
4522-435: A random police roadblock, the aliens panic and are chased by Sergeant Ernie Goldhaver ( John Randolph ). The aliens crash, but Jessup manages to hide the briefcase. Two of the aliens vaporize in front of the sergeant and Jessup. Jessup is taken before Police Chief Mattson ( Wayne Rogers ), but denies everything. Mattson, himself an alien, convinces Goldhaver that he was just imagining things. In California, an alien falls ill on
4655-403: A small number of people to help him fight the aliens. In many episodes, at least one individual, often a key figure such as a U.S. Air Force intelligence officer (in the episode "The Innocent"), a police officer (in "Genesis" and "The Spores"), a U.S. Army major ("Doomsday Minus One"), or a NASA official ("Moonshot") become aware of the alien threat and survive the episode in which he or she
4788-425: A spate of killings in the city. The cast is headed by Moriarty and co-stars David Carradine , Candy Clark , Richard Roundtree , and James Dixon (another Cohen regular). The Chrysler Building scenes were actually shot on location in and around the building, including the inside and outside of the cone atop the edifice. Cohen's next project with Moriarty was The Stuff (1985), in which an alien substance of sorts
4921-473: A storm, one of his passengers is injured. To Cahill's puzzlement, the "man" is not in pain or bleeding. The passengers take the pilot with them to their destination: Midlands Academy in New Mexico. The head of the institution, Dr. Reynard ( Murray Matheson ), offers him a great deal of money to forget what he has seen and keep on flying in new pupils. Cahill accepts. David Vincent, following a familiar Invader ( David Sheiner ) he has encountered by chance, ends up at
5054-427: A surgeon who had since lost an arm. The episode aired 2/9/1979.). He appeared in the television movie The Night Strangler as the villain, Dr. Richard Malcolm. Anderson was just as busy in the 1980s on Charlie's Angels , Matt Houston , Knight Rider , Remington Steele , Cover Up , The A-Team , The Fall Guy , Simon & Simon , and Murder, She Wrote . He played murder suspect Ken Braddock in
5187-437: A takeover, are usually linked with a Red Scare subtext, Martin simply wanted a premise that would keep the hero moving around and that would explain why he could not go to the authorities (i.e. not only had some aliens infiltrated human institutions already, but most humans would dismiss a claim of alien invasion as a paranoid delusion). However, as the series unfolded, the various 'disappearances' of people in episodes (killed by
5320-484: A very few – about Q , offering a brief neutral synopsis and a couple of quotes. Variety are more favourable, focusing on Cohen's 'wild' and 'bizarre' – albeit realistic – efforts: Q has great fun mixing realistic settings with political satire and a wild yarn'. They go on to say that the film belongs to both Moriarty and the Monster. It's Alive , the first part of Cohen's horror trilogy featuring
5453-560: A worldwide gross of $ 98 million. The film starred Colin Farrell , Katie Holmes , Kiefer Sutherland , and Forest Whitaker ; it was produced by David Zucker . His next film, another action-crime thriller titled Cellular (2004), also featured phones and, like Phone Booth , it was a modest commercial success with an estimated budget of $ 25 million and a gross worldwide return of $ 50 million. Cellular starred Kim Basinger , Chris Evans , William H. Macy , and Jason Statham . Cellular
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5586-490: Is a scuffle which ends with the aide's immolation. Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American filmmaker. He originally emerged as the writer of blaxploitation films such as Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem (both 1973), before becoming known as an author of horror and science fiction films — often containing police procedural and satirical elements — during
5719-420: Is also a 'captured' human and she explains that she is doing forced research for the aliens on crowd control. Together they plot an escape and when Elyse distracts a guard, they get out of the building through an air vent. In Vermont , David Vincent is summoned by a Bob Torin ( Anthony Eisley ) who has seen strange alien activity at an abandoned ski lodge. He and Vincent arrive to investigate and as they get near
5852-500: Is an alien and is well aware of the Invaders' presence on Earth. Halvorsen believes Alquist is humanity's savior from the global radiation. Ellie tells Vincent about a file held by Alquist, which details his murderous plans, but when Vincent enters the room of Alquist's "aides", he cannot find the file and has to kill one of the alien assistants to escape. Tressider meets with the military chief but has no success with convincing him as to
5985-463: Is an alien who swaps out his cigarette case for one with a listening device. David, however, isn't as looped as he looks and realizes what she has done. After pretending to be all washed-up, Vincent lets himself be taken by Lucien. At the highly secretive Slaton Research Center in New Jersey, Professor Julian Reed ( Charles Aidman ) appears to be paranoid about the presence of aliens and falls from
6118-430: Is briefly seen immersed in a tank of water. "The Enemy" has a dying, mutated Invader ( Richard Anderson ) revert to his true appearance. Unless they receive periodic treatments in what Vincent calls "regeneration chambers", which consume a great deal of electrical power, they revert to their alien form. One scene in the series showed an alien beginning to revert, filmed in soft focus and with pulsating red light. Most of
6251-427: Is called to the stand. She casts reasonable doubt on Wilk's being human and thereby creates a conundrum for the judge ( Malcolm Atterbury ). In rural Colorado , alien courier Tom Jessup ( Gene Hackman ) and his comrades take delivery from a saucer of a briefcase containing spores. These experimental organisms, properly nourished, will grow into more resilient aliens better able to tolerate life on Earth. On encountering
6384-453: Is captured and taken to an unknown location, where he is subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques. Scoville arrives to meet Calvin and to search for David who has been taken by Mob leader Peter Kalter ( J. D. Cannon ) who is just interested in recovering his shipment of narcotics. As Vincent claims that he knows nothing about the narcotics and is about to be executed along with Calvin, Kalter relents just as Scoville and some guards arrive on
6517-449: Is convinced that aliens are either observing or controlling research into 'dreams'. Vincent goes to see Dr. John Slaton ( Simon Scott ), but he debunks any talk of aliens and allows Vincent to ask his own questions at the 'dream machine' lab. At the lab Jeff Brower ( Donald Harron ) is testing some equipment which reads heartbeats and David jokingly tests Brower and is satisfied that Brower is human. Vincent and Pat then go to visit Julian at
6650-548: Is found bubbling out of the ground. The Stuff is marketed at the general public, which rapidly becomes addicted to it. David "Mo" Rutheford, an industrial saboteur, played by Moriarty, is hired to investigate the origins of the Stuff and decides to destroy the product. The film co-stars Danny Aiello , Brian Bloom , Scott Bloom , Andrea Marcovicci , Patrick O'Neal , and Paul Sorvino . Saturday Night Live regular Garrett Morris plays Charlie W. Hobbs a.k.a. Chocolate Chip Charlie,
6783-409: Is given classified information; in the two-part "Summit Meeting" where he is present at a top security meeting without any question; and in "Condition: Red" where he is allowed into NORAD without question. Thus, viewers were left to draw their own conclusions as to the situation regarding Vincent's actual standing. The emphasis of the series is on Vincent and his efforts, and unlike most science fiction
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#17327944498056916-496: Is in Bowman County , North Dakota . Vincent tells them about the saucer. Dr. Devin feels obliged to investigate, even though the saucer has disappeared. The aliens start to raise the radiation levels on earth. The only country unaffected is Premier Thor Halvorsen's ( Eduard Franz ). The aliens, under the guise of saviors, convince him that they have the antidote, "AR5". Halvorsen calls for a summit of world leaders to discuss
7049-435: Is indeed a part of another – later – Baby-Monster horror trilogy. In short, Filmcritic says that Cohen's film should not be confused with art; and yet, it is "pretty scary stuff" that "manages a few neat tricks." God Told Me To a.k.a. Demon (1976), Cohen's science fiction thriller , has a rating of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes , making it Cohen's most successful directorial effort, critically. The film, in which
7182-453: Is killed while running to warn him he is in danger tells him, "That's what happens to us when we die here on Earth." The type of spaceship by which the Invaders reach the Earth is a flying saucer of a design resembling early 1950s photographs of alleged UFOs produced by self-proclaimed UFO "contactee" George Adamski . They differ slightly from Adamski's images in not having three spheres on
7315-463: Is led away by fellow aliens under the watchful eye of Brother John ( Richard O'Brien ) to a regeneration van parked outside. Vincent is prevented from getting close by "security" guards. Vincent contacts local journalist Bill Shay ( Roger Perry ) who, unknown to Vincent, is an alien and who warns Brother John. Vincent also seeks to infiltrate the faithful by introducing himself to Sister Claire ( Zina Bethune ). David Vincent brings an unconscious alien to
7448-415: Is millionaire industrialist Edgar Scoville ( Kent Smith ), who became a semi-regular character as of December 1967, heading a small but influential group from the episode "The Believers". Later episodes had the military involved ("The Peacemaker"), as Vincent's claims were now clearly being taken more seriously. In "The Miracle" (guest star Barbara Hershey ), after an alien encounter, Vincent manages to retain
7581-459: Is not human, much to the shock of the delegation leader Deputy Ambassador Borke ( Fritz Weaver ). However, Dr. Serret, knowing something of David Vincent, sends for Vincent to get advice, but Borke is a paranoid man on the edge and is confused as to whether the intruder is an alien or just a 'home-grown' spy robot? Vincent pleads with Borke to turn the alien over to the military, but Borke has other ideas and instead imprisons David Vincent together with
7714-558: Is one of the group of seven believers, David is meeting publishing magnate William Mace ( Martin Wolfson ) and his secretary June Murray ( Nancy Kovack ) in New York City . Vincent and Edgar Scoville ( Kent Smith ) are keen to get Mace on their side, especially as Mace feels that his organization has been losing quite a number of its good top executives. Several of Mace's aides, including Mace's nephew Jeremy ( Linden Chiles ) scoff at
7847-439: Is required. The alien guard then alerts his cronies. As Vincent and Torin travel back to Washington they take a break at a motel and David calls Edgar Scoville ( Kent Smith ). Scoville tells Vincent to take the alien leader to Belding Army Base and to ask for Colonel Gentry ( John Graham ). Scoville sets out to meet Vincent at the army base. However, the aliens, desperate to rescue their leader, are following Vincent and Torin along
7980-509: The BBC , the lawsuit alleged 'that Mr. Cohen and Mr. Poll pitched the idea to Fox several times between 1993 and 1996, under the name Cast of Characters .' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was an adaptation of the 1999 published comic book series by Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill . In 2006, Cohen was included in the Masters of Horror TV anthology, which also included – but
8113-681: The Burt Reynolds series Dan August . Anderson first appeared as Oscar Goldman in the second episode of The Six Million Dollar Man ("Wine, Women, and War", 1973). He portrayed the character through the series' end in 1978, and on the spinoff series The Bionic Woman for its entire run from 1976 to 1978. Anderson was a guest-star on other TV series in the 1960s and 1970s, including Hawaii Five-O , Wanted Dead or Alive , Gunsmoke , Ironside , Columbo and The Love Boat (He appeared in S2 E18 as Dr. Akers, Dr. Bricker's former mentor,
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#17327944498058246-613: The Riverdale section of the Bronx in New York City at an early age. Cohen exhibited a voracious appetite for films as a child, visiting the movie theaters at least twice a week, and most of them being double features , the young Cohen managed to consume at least four movies a week. He was a fan of the hard-boiled and film noir movies that featured actors such as Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney ; films that were penned by
8379-670: The World War I drama Paths of Glory (1957) directed by Stanley Kubrick , in which Anderson played the prosecuting attorney. Anderson played Ricardo Del Amo in the second season of Zorro (1957 TV series) , a friend and rival of Diego de la Vega ( Guy Williams ). He was the object of the unrequited love of Clara Varner ( Joanne Woodward ) in The Long, Hot Summer (1958) and a suspicious military officer in Seven Days in May (1964). In
8512-482: The "AR5" will be launched aboard a missile, David Vincent and Michael Tressider ( William Windom ) arrive and catch up with Ellie ( Diana Hyland ). She warns Vincent that they may be under surveillance and arranges to meet him later in her room. They are in fact being shadowed by an alien who reports on their initial meeting. When Tressider and Vincent are granted an audience with Halvorsen, they are shocked to learn that Halvorsen already knows that Alquist ( Michael Rennie )
8645-541: The 1950s and 1960s included the fantasy-suspense anthologies Kraft Television Theatre (1958) and Kraft Suspense Theatre (1965), the espionage TV series Blue Light (1966) starring Robert Goulet and Coronet Blue (1967) starring Frank Converse , and the science-fiction TV series, The Invaders (1967–1968). In 1966, he wrote the screenplay to the Western film Return of the Seven (also known as Return of
8778-421: The 1958 film The Blob . It has a moderate fresh rating of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes . The Apollo Movie Guide remarks that The Stuff works on a purely visceral level, and that it further achieves a tongue-in-cheek social parody of a society that cannot help buying into the latest craze. Although Apollo praised the juxtaposition of Cohen's clever screenplay and Michael Moriarty 's performance, it states that
8911-484: The 1960s, Anderson made appearances in 23 episodes of Perry Mason during the series' final season (1965–66) as Police Lieutenant Steve Drumm, replacing the character of Lt. Tragg, played by Ray Collins , who died in 1965. Before he became a Perry Mason regular, he made guest appearances in two episodes: as defendant Edward Lewis in "The Case of the Accosted Accountant", and Jason Foster in "The Case of
9044-525: The 1970s and 1980s. His directorial works include It's Alive (1974) and its sequels, God Told Me To (1976), The Stuff (1985) and A Return to Salem's Lot (1987). Early in his career, Cohen was a prolific television writer, creating series such as Branded , Blue Light , Coronet Blue , and The Invaders . Later on he concentrated mainly on screenwriting, including Maniac Cop and its two sequels; Phone Booth (2002); Cellular ; (2004) and Captivity (2007). In 2006, he returned to
9177-421: The 1970s – such as Columbo – he further turned his hand to directing. His directorial debut was the 1972 comedy film Bone (aka Beverly Hills Nightmare) starring Yaphet Kotto . Cohen directed Dial Rat for Terror (1973) and Housewife (1973) before creating the It's Alive series in 1974. He wrote, produced and directed the horror film It's Alive , about a mutant monster baby that embarks on
9310-563: The 1980s, Cohen directed, produced, and scripted a number of low-budget horror films, many of which featured actor Michael Moriarty . The first was Q – a.k.a. Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) — about an Aztec god known as Quetzalcoatl (the Winged Serpent) resurrected and nesting atop the Chrysler Building . The film is set in New York City, as was typical for Cohen, and sees two police detectives investigating
9443-408: The 1990s was less prolific and concentrated solely on scriptwriting, except for a brief return to directing with the Masters of Horror episode " Pick Me Up " (2006). His first project, Phone Booth (2002), became involved in a Hollywood bidding war, the script eventually ending up in the hands of Joel Schumacher . Phone Booth was a commercial success with an estimated budget of $ 13 million and
9576-458: The 1990s with his film The Ambulance (1990) starring Eric Roberts . The film is set in New York City and is focused on Josh Baker (Roberts), an aspiring comic book artist, who investigates a string of disappearances: people who are picked up by a mysterious ambulance that never reaches the city hospital. The Ambulance features cameos by Stan Lee , Larry Hama and Jim Salicrup of Marvel Comics . He would direct only two other films during
9709-608: The 1990s, one being the Blaxploitation film Original Gangstas (1996), featuring Jim Brown , Pam Grier , and Fred Williamson . For most of the decade, Cohen concentrated on writing. He penned the remainder of the William Lustig Maniac Cop Trilogy ;– he had previously scripted Maniac Cop in 1988 – that features Robert Z'Dar as undead Maniac Cop, Matt Cordell, and B-Movie horror actor Bruce Campbell . He then provided
9842-919: The Bionic Woman (1989) and Bionic Ever After? (1994). Anderson was born in Long Branch, New Jersey , the son of Olga (née Lurie) and Harry Anderson. He appeared in high school plays after moving to Los Angeles. Anderson served in the United States Army during World War II . Before Anderson began his career in 1950 as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player, he studied at the Actors' Laboratory Theatre , which led to work in radio and stock theater . His many films at MGM included The Magnificent Yankee (1950) as Reynolds, The Student Prince (1954) as Lucas, and Forbidden Planet (1956), as Chief Engineer Quinn. Among his later films were
9975-448: The Earth. Their purpose: to make it their world. David Vincent has seen them. For him, it began one lost night on a lonely country road, looking for a shortcut that he never found. It began with a closed deserted diner, and a man too long without sleep to continue his journey. It began with the landing of a craft from another galaxy. Now David Vincent knows that the Invaders are here, that they have taken human form. Somehow he must convince
10108-460: The Invaders, such as Vincent's partner Alan Landers—played by James Daly—in the pilot, etc.), those installed alien figures revealed to be aliens by Vincent thus having to withdraw (such as Edward Andrews ' character in "The Mutation", etc.) plus the surviving one or two key human witnesses in most episodes (from the third episode onwards) did rather alter the basic premise of the show to something deeper and more thought-provoking early on. Season one
10241-710: The Magnificent Seven ), a sequel to the 1960 film The Magnificent Seven , which had the return of Yul Brynner as gunslinger Chris Adams. Four episodes he wrote for Blue Light were edited together to create the theatrical film I Deal in Danger , released in December 1966. He also created the Western TV series Branded (1965–1966) and was the co-creator with Walter Grauman of Blue Light . Although Cohen continued to write TV and film scripts during
10374-693: The Paper Bullets" (both 1964). He also appeared on Steve Canyon , The Untouchables , Wagon Train , The Rifleman , Daniel Boone , Thriller , The Eleventh Hour , Redigo , Combat! , Twelve O'Clock High , I Spy , The Man from U.N.C.L.E. , The Fugitive (as varied characters in several episodes; in the series' 1967 finale he played the brother-in-law to the protagonist Dr. Richard Kimble ), The Wild Wild West , Bonanza , The Green Hornet , The Invaders , and The Big Valley . In 1961–62, Anderson co-starred with Marilyn Maxwell in an ABC production of Bus Stop . He
10507-488: The TV series The Invaders and also scripted episodes of The Defenders and The Fugitive . Cohen began his career as a writer for well-known television series, concentrating his efforts on the crime and detective genres. He penned several episodes of The Defenders (1964) — which starred E.G. Marshall — one episode of Espionage (1964), and episodes of The Fugitive (1964–65). Other writing credits during
10640-514: The USAF officer ( Dabney Coleman ) guns down an alien who incinerates in front of him, tying in with Vincent's claims; while at the end of the episode after apparently disbelieving Vincent, he then phones USAF security to run a full background check on an officer whom Vincent claimed was an alien. In "Moonshot", the NASA official ( Peter Graves ) is fully expecting Vincent to arrive; and in "Condition: Red",
10773-402: The alien takeover. When aliens die, their bodies glow red and burn up along with their clothes and anything else they were touching, preventing the documenting of their existence. On several occasions, a dying alien would deliberately touch a piece of their technology to prevent it from falling into the hands of humans. In episode three ("The Mutation"), a female alien who falls for Vincent and
10906-428: The alien. The alien Sanders is well aware of Vincent's history and Sanders suspecting that the cell is bugged by Borke, tries to implicate Vincent in a plot by making out that Vincent is a comrade. Vincent finds the bugging device and rips it apart, at which point Sanders tells Vincent that it won't be long before 'his people' come to rescue him. David Vincent has finally gathered some serious support in his quest to stop
11039-442: The aliens set up a bogus meeting as imposters and acquire the scans quietly from him. When Vincent divulges that he has a backup set of scans he is brought to the airport next day by a bogus alien taxi driver who tries to swap David's luggage. Vincent thwarts this plan and then calls the professors Dr. Samuel Crowell ( Ed Begley ) and Dr. Harry Mills ( James T. Callahan ) again, after which he realizes he has been duped by imposters when
11172-424: The aliens' bidding, or (in most cases) imposes the complete loss of memory of previous events. According to producer Alan A. Armer, "The major thing that the show had going for it is the fact that we are all a little bit paranoid, and that it’s easy to identify with ... one person fighting the society, fighting the government, fighting an invisible force ...” Creator of the series Larry Cohen describes Hitchcock as
11305-470: The aliens' plans. Meanwhile, Alquist holds a press conference regarding the antidote AR5, during which Vincent grabs a briefcase belonging to Alquist. David Vincent arrives at an evangelical meeting in Bakersfield, California to investigate a "prophet" who apparently glows red in a fashion similar to that of dying aliens. The prophet Brother Avery ( Pat Hingle ) does indeed put on a glowing display, but
11438-444: The aliens' regeneration chambers in a disused outbuilding they are fired on by an alien guard. On getting inside they tussle with two more aliens and kill them, but a third alien leader ( Alfred Ryder ) calls on the guard to stop firing just as Torin gets injured. Vincent and Torin then capture the obviously important alien leader with the intention of bringing him to Washington and the alien leader only has seven hours before regeneration
11571-436: The aliens, in particular the lowest-ranking members or workers in green jumpsuits, are emotionless and have deformed little fingers that cannot move and are bent at an unnatural angle, although "deluxe models" could manipulate this finger. Black aliens' palms were not pale, like humans of African descent, but were the same shade as the rest of their skins. Some mutants experience emotions similar to those of humans and even oppose
11704-435: The back of the victim's head or neck to induce a seemingly natural death, which is usually diagnosed as a cerebral hemorrhage . They also employ weapons that disintegrate witnesses, vehicles, and when necessary members of their own race with some sort of ray. Also in their arsenal is a small device consisting of two spinning, transparent crystals joined at their corners which acts like a truth serum , forces human beings to do
11837-571: The back story of the aliens—their "dying" planet in "another galaxy" (or even their names)—is "a deliberate blank". They appear human except for a few telltale characteristics (they lack a pulse, the ability to bleed, or show emotion, and many have a deformed fourth finger). While the disguised aliens can be killed by humans, they glow red and disintegrate when this happens, eliminating evidence of their existence. The aliens are shown in their true form in only two episodes. In "Genesis" (season one, episode five), an ill alien researcher loses his human form and
11970-437: The body was just thrown into the incinerator. District Attorney Slater ( Harold Gould ) is determined to obtain a conviction. Local lawyer Barnard ( Russell Johnson ) is hired to defend Gilman, but he does not want any mention of aliens as it would discredit his defense. Vincent is convinced that Wilk was an alien and, if necessary, is prepared to use that in his friend's defense. Wilk's wife ( Lynda Day George ), Gilman's ex-lover,
12103-452: The crash site just as the one surviving alien Blake ( Richard Anderson ) vaporizes the saucer in a red glow. Fraser administers some life-saving injections and cares for the injured alien. In New Jersey , Charlie Gilman ( Don Gordon ), an old Korean War Army friend of Vincent's, stands accused of murdering Fred Wilk, whose body has vaporized following a fight between them near an open incinerator. The local sergeant ( Bill Zuckert ) thinks that
12236-615: The directing chair for Mick Garris 's anthology series Masters of Horror , directing the episode " Pick Me Up ". In 2017, Cohen was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fantasia International Film Festival . Lawrence George Cohen was born in Manhattan , New York City, on July 15, 1936. His family was of Jewish ancestry. His sister, Ronni Chasen , was a publicist who worked with him beginning early in his film career. He moved to
12369-458: The disbelief of officials and the general public, and the undermining of his efforts by the aliens. The series was a Quinn Martin production. The architect David Vincent accidentally learns of a secret alien invasion already underway and thereafter travels from place to place attempting to foil the aliens' plots and warn a skeptical populace of the danger. Other plot elements include Vincent's grim and lonely determination to find "tangible proof of
12502-478: The end products as being "hastily thrown-together" and "a mosaic of scenes, rather than a satisfying whole." In conclusion QNetwork give the film an even 2 1/2 stars for being the "clumsiest and most entertaining schlock of the last 20 years." CinePassion online magazine simply states: "[a] work of genius, in other words, possibly the Cohen joint that brims with the most all-pervasive invention and danger, as radical
12635-481: The film is not a classic. It does, however, award the film a modest Apollo Rating of 77/100. The Chicago Sun-Times , on the other hand, sees The Stuff as a widely ambitious movie that fails mainly due to distracting glitches and a lack of plausibility, specifically, "What we have here are a lot of nice touches in search of a movie." Chicago Sun-Times rating: 1 1/2 stars out of 5. Bloody Disgusting nevertheless awarded The Stuff 3 stars out of 5, pointing out both
12768-518: The first one ended. More mutated babies are appearing around the country. Frank has now joined a renegade mob who are attempting to stop the government from killing these strange mutations. The emphasis in It Lives Again is on accepting one's child, even if it is born with deformities or disabilities. The score is again provided by Bernard Herrmann . The cast includes John P. Ryan , James Dixon , Andrew Duggan , and Frederic Forrest . During
12901-428: The first two-hour episode of the revived Perry Mason , starring Raymond Burr , titled "Perry Mason Returns" (1985), Anderson had a recurring role as Senator Buck Fallmont on Dynasty from 1986 to 1987. He portrayed President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1987 miniseries Hoover vs. The Kennedys . In the 1990s, he served as narrator and a recurring guest star for Kung Fu: The Legend Continues . He served also as
13034-472: The good and the bad, "[I]t's smart, it's relevant and it has some bad acting. [It should be] enjoyed for all the wrong and some of the right reasons that it is not just a horror movie, but a very honest and important movie as well." His fantasy horror Q a.k.a. Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 61%. TV Guide praise Cohen for his intelligence, creativity and originality and further comment that '[Cohen] successfully combines
13167-561: The goods." The magazine does agree, however, that It's Alive was "a sufficiently powerful monster movie and [that] audiences wanted more." Filmcritic draws attention to the humour element, especially the scenes where the Baby-Monster is rustling in the bushes, unseen, comparing it to the scene in Basket Case (1982) when that film's Baby-Monster is stuffed into a garbage sack after being cut away from its human twin. Basket Case
13300-568: The guard to call for an ambulance. Vincent keeps one of the alien's guns. David is picked up by Edgar Scoville ( Kent Smith ) who learns of his friend Kramer's death. Scoville takes Vincent to a meeting of the believers where he is introduced to Colonel Archie Harmon ( Lin McCarthy ) a friend of Scoville's, but an alien skeptic and not a part of the group. At the meeting Scoville hands over the briefcase material to his chief engineer and group member Jim Bryce ( John Milford ) with instructions to advance
13433-503: The hospital, and when David tells Julian that Brower is not an alien, Julian has a relapse and accuses Vincent of being an alien. Vincent decides to leave town and to drop Pat back at the center. On arrival, however, they see a guard being attacked by a dog. The guard runs after being badly mauled but he subsequently dies and vaporizes. Pat is still reluctant to accept that her husband Julian has been right about aliens. Vincent then learns from Frankie that his father had been rooting around near
13566-538: The idea of aliens, but Mace calls Scoville saying that he is willing to let Vincent investigate. John Nivin ( John Stephenson ) is also a close aide of Mace's, but he is an alien reporting to Lund ( Frank Marth ). The aliens want control of the Publishing Organization so Lund starts by kidnapping Mace and his nephew Jeremy. Lund kills Mace and, knowing that Jeremy is having an affair with June, threatens to also eliminate June unless Jeremy (the new heir of
13699-539: The invaders in the form of industrialist Edgar Scoville ( Kent Smith ). As Vincent holds a secret meeting with his 'believers', Scoville (at another location) promises some heavyweight support and financial backing. However, the aliens are onto Vincent at his location in Singeiser Electronics and as Vincent exits the building with some believers, they are shot at and three of their number are killed including Mr. Singeiser. Vincent escapes with his briefcase to
13832-402: The invaders’ existence" despite having become a "quasi-famous object of public ridicule"; the aliens' success in hiding their plots, undermining Vincent's credibility and killing off those who also discover them in ways disguised as a natural death; and the constant tension over whether the individuals Vincent comes across are humans or aliens. As the series progresses, Vincent is able to convince
13965-616: The likes of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett . Cohen was especially a fan of director Michael Curtiz , whose films include The Adventures of Robin Hood , Casablanca , and Dodge City . He majored in film studies at the City College of New York . During the 1950s Cohen worked for the NBC television network, where he learned how to produce teleplays , and shortly afterward began writing his own television scripts. He created
14098-557: The material now that Kramer has died. Scoville's niece Joan ( Ahna Capri ) is another member of the group. Meanwhile detectives under lieutenant Connors ( Ken Lynch ) have arrived on the scene of Kramer's death and when they catch up with David decide to hold him for questioning. They baldly accuse Vincent of killing Kramer and taking his briefcase. They also find the alien's silenced revolver in David's car. The aliens under Lucien ( Donald Davis ), however, are closely monitoring Vincent even at
14231-401: The money, alerts the Invaders, unaware of their true nature. The aliens intercept and kill the policemen. Vincent warns Cahill by radio that the airport is now under their control; Cahill, realizing he has been betrayed by his own wife, crashes his airplane into Midlands Academy. Falling off a horse, Laurie Keller ( Antoinette Bower ) is pronounced dead by a physician. He reports the death using
14364-465: The past, summons Vincent from his work site to come to Washington, D.C. Tressider has learned of an upcoming summit, but has put his trust in the wrong man, American General Blaine ( Ford Rainey ). Blaine has sided with the aliens and traps Tressider at a secret alien installation to find out just how much he knows or might have told the President. As the summit commences in a Baltic state from where
14497-403: The police back to the locale where he saw their operation, everything has been removed, there's no more evidence, everybody lies and says that he was never there before. Such Hitchcock movies include The 39 Steps (1935) with Robert Donat, Saboteur (1942) with Robert Cummings, and North by Northwest (1959) with Cary Grant. The large numbers of UFO reports in the post-World War II era
14630-474: The police station. Joan visits David at the station and tells Vincent that Scoville is still upset over Kramer's death and that he is reluctant to help Vincent. When an unknown lawyer has David released, Vincent finds that he has been fired from a building project owing to the bad publicity surrounding the Kramer accusation. He goes to a bar to drown his sorrows where he is befriended by Louise ( Pamela Curran ). She
14763-406: The publishing organization) fully cooperates by putting Lund in control as chief executive. Lund, having killed Mace, fakes a car accident, after which David starts to tackle Jeremy for the truth. As the aliens take control, Vincent and Ferrara try to enlist the help of June to get through to Jeremy, knowing that Jeremy is weak and under pressure from the aliens. As Vincent, Ferrara and June approach
14896-408: The radiation that threatens all life on earth; the aliens plan to kill all the world leaders once they are in one place, thereby causing chaos to facilitate a coup d'état by the aliens. Halvorsen is unknowingly surrounded by aliens, including their murderous leader, Alquist ( Michael Rennie ). Industrialist Michael Tressider ( William Windom ) is a crusader like Vincent, and having worked with Vincent in
15029-430: The real professors claim that they haven't met Vincent yet and are expecting him. When Vincent arrives at the office again, he meets the real professors, but is immediately suspicious of Crowell's daughter Laura ( Sally Kellerman ) when he notices a suspicious-looking scar over her right fifth metacarpal. His suspicions are strengthened when he discovers that Dr. Crowell has only been reunited recently with his daughter. At
15162-444: The road and finally catch up with them at the motel. When the police also turn up at the motel, the aliens trick the police into leaving by labeling it a prank summons, but in the meantime Vincent and Torin and their alien captive get away on foot from the motel. Vincent sends Torin to Belding Army Base to meet Colonel Gentry. Meanwhile, Vincent takes the alien to a farmhouse to get help. At the behest of Bob Ferrara ( John Lasell ), who
15295-479: The same campus, and he finds it to be a training center where newcomers to Earth are trained to mimic humans and exploit their emotions. The charade goes so far as intelligently discussing salient political and cultural issues of the times. Vincent is spotted, but manages to get away. When he contacts Cahill, the pilot reluctantly agrees to bring his next batch of passengers to Vincent and waiting police. However, Cahill's much younger wife Stacy ( Susan Oliver ), eager for
15428-492: The scene. Kalter already knows Scoville as an eminent industrialist and is intrigued by the story of aliens having taken his shipment of narcotics. He offers to help Scoville but is rebuffed. Kalter comes under pressure from organization Boss Weller ( Larry Gates ), so Kalter finally persuades Vincent to cooperate in their mutual interest, much to Scoville's chagrin. When Kalter meets with his Boss Weller along with Vincent, Kalter finds out that one of his aides has been lying. There
15561-458: The story of the third adaptation of Jack Finney 's 1955 science-fiction novel The Body Snatchers , a tale of alien invasion and paranoia : Body Snatchers was directed by Abel Ferrara and starred Forest Whitaker . Throughout the decade Cohen was further involved in various TV projects including NYPD Blue and the Ed McBain -inspired 87th Precinct: Heatwave . Cohen's output after
15694-424: The street and an ambulance is called by a concerned woman. On the way to the hospital the alien keeps repeating "Cavanaugh". The ambulance is overtaken by two other aliens, who kill the medics and retrieve their comrade. David Vincent, on hearing that both medics died of a cerebral hemorrhage, arrives to investigate. On questioning the woman, he establishes that the alien was repeating the word "Cavanaugh" and also that
15827-657: The street and avoid seeing the new enchilada." Cohen was married twice: to Janelle Webb, until their divorce in 1980; and then to Cynthia Costas, from 1994 until his death. He had two daughters. His sister Ronni Chasen was murdered on November 16, 2010 in a drive-by shooting in Beverly Hills. On March 23, 2019, Cohen died from cancer at his home in Beverly Hills, California , at age 82. Cohen's science fiction horror film and satirical social commentary The Stuff (1985) garnered mixed reviews, often being compared to Jack Finney 's The Body Snatchers novel and
15960-454: The time of the next landing. When Carter's prediction proves correct, he and Vincent manage to capture the curiously unguarded saucer – proof at last! But one alien escapes and warns his comrades. An alien saucer crashes in the Utah hills and causes a huge fireball. Two aliens escape with a precious box. The fireball is seen by rancher and ex-nurse Gale Frazer ( Barbara Barrie ), who drives up to
16093-484: The time, the show was divided into "Acts" labeled by the Roman numerals I-IV, preceded by a cold open . A narration preceded Act I, and Act IV came before an Epilog with narration at the end. Dominic Frontiere , who had provided scores for Twelve O'Clock High and The Outer Limits , provided scores for The Invaders as well. When charter pilot Barney Cahill ( Jack Warden ) is forced to make an emergency landing in
16226-513: The underside, but instead five shallower protrusions. Numerous pieces of alien technology featured "penta" or five-sided designs. It was a principle of the production crew to show The Invaders' technology with set, prop designs, and control panels that were utterly alien from the conventional human ones (such as H. R. Giger would later present in Alien ). To kill humans they apply a small, handheld, disc-shaped weapon with five glowing white lights to
16359-618: Was a guest-star in the last episode of season 1 of Mission: Impossible (1966) as Judge Wilson Chase. In 1965, he played Judge Lander in the episode "Kate Melville and the Law" of the syndicated series Death Valley Days . He appeared in The Wild Wild West , S3 E17 "The Night of the Headless Woman" as the corrupt San Francisco shipping inspector James Jeffers (1968). In 1970–71, Anderson starred as Chief George Untermeyer in
16492-533: Was an American film and television actor. One of his best-known roles was his portrayal of Oscar Goldman , the boss of Steve Austin ( Lee Majors ) and Jaime Sommers ( Lindsay Wagner ) in both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman television series between 1974 and 1978 and their subsequent television movies : The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1987), Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and
16625-457: Was composed by Bernard Herrmann , known for his contributions to many Alfred Hitchcock films, including Psycho , North by Northwest , and Vertigo . The welling strings, horn arrangements and harp glissandos throughout the film prefigure the soundtrack to Herrmann's final film score two years later for Taxi Driver. The cast includes John P. Ryan , Sharon Farrell , James Dixon, and Andrew Duggan . It Lives Again (1978) picks up where
16758-496: Was created by Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network. Cohen's contribution was the segment Pick Me Up , based on a short story by David Schow , who also wrote the teleplay . It stars Fairuza Balk and Cohen regulars Laurene Landon and Michael Moriarty . Pick Me Up is the story of woman traveling on a bus that has broken down along a stretch of lonely two-lane blacktop . Enter two serial killers : Wheeler (Moriarty),
16891-503: Was introduced. In "The Leeches", a millionaire ( Arthur Hill ) survives an alien abduction after being rescued by Vincent, while in "Quantity: Unknown" a scientist ( Susan Strasberg ) is convinced of alien technology. In "The Saucer", guest stars Anne Francis and Charles Drake witness an alien saucer's landing. In the second season, larger groups of surviving witnesses were featured, as in episodes "Dark Outpost" and "The Pursued", and three scientists in "Labyrinth". Most significant of these
17024-476: Was later re-made as Connected (2008), Cohen being credited with the story. He then scripted the horror-thriller films Captivity (2007) and Messages Deleted (2009); however, both films fared poorly on a critical and commercial level. Cohen nevertheless received acclaim for the above-mentioned Pick Me Up , which he directed for the Mick Garris TV series Masters of Horror (2006). The episode
17157-558: Was not limited to – writers and directors as diverse as Dario Argento , Clive Barker , John Carpenter , Richard Chizmar , Don Coscarelli , Wes Craven , David Cronenberg , Joe Dante , Guillermo del Toro , Ernest Dickerson , Stuart Gordon , James Gunn , Sam Hamm , Tom Holland , Tobe Hooper , Lloyd Kaufman , Mary Lambert , John Landis , Joe R. Lansdale , Bentley Little , H.P. Lovecraft , Joe Lynch , William Lustig , Peter Medak , Lucky McKee , Kat O' Shea, Robert Rodriguez , Eli Roth , David Schow , and Tim Sullivan . It
17290-573: Was produced by Quinn Martin, who was looking for a show to replace the immensely popular The Fugitive , which was ending its run in 1967. Larry Cohen, the series' creator, had conceived two earlier series with similarities to The Invaders. Chuck Connors starred in Branded (1965) as a soldier court-martialed for cowardice, who traveled the West searching for witnesses and proof that he had acted valiantly, and Coronet Blue (1967) about Michael Alden,
17423-478: Was produced in association with the ABC Television Network or as it was listed in the end credits, "The American Broadcasting Company Television Networks". Before each episode, an "in color" promo bumper, typical of most ABC programs of the era, appears, as ABC was the last network to adopt color programming: Next... The Invaders, In Color! Then, following the bumper, each episode begins with
17556-549: Was the subject of paranoia and conspiracy, as scientists and authorities (the Condon Committee and the Robertson Panel ), and debunkers dismissed or downplayed the reports; and dedicated " ufologists " made sometimes-outlandish claims of alien presence on Earth and of earthly conspiracies to suppress evidence of it. Interest in the subject of UFOs became fringe, and "a punchline" in popular culture. The series
17689-551: Was written by splatterpunk - horror author David Schow , and starred Cohen regular Michael Moriarty . In 2003, Cohen, together with production partner Martin Poll , was at the center of a lawsuit against 20th Century Fox , claiming the company had intentionally plagiarized a script of theirs titled Cast of Characters in order to create the Sean Connery -starring League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003. According to
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