Review Logan's Run (1977)

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
1 "Logan's Run"

Robert Day Saul David,
Leonard Katzman,
William F. Nolan September 16, 1977
75-minute pilot episode: In the 23rd century, survivors of a nuclear war live in a domed city where they are allowed to stay alive only until age 30. "Runners," who refuse to die in the extermination ceremony known as Carousel, are hunted down and killed by enforcers called Sandmen. Logan is a Sandman who's begun to question the system, and he and a woman named Jessica leave the city to look for a mysterious place called Sanctuary. Along the way they meet an android named Rem, who joins them in their quest. The three of them are being pursued by a Sandman named Francis.

2 "The Collectors"

Alexander Singer James Schmerer September 23, 1977
Logan and Jessica are abducted by John the Protector and Joanna, aliens from another planet who are manipulating their minds, making them believe that they have found Sanctuary. But they are not alone in their captivity.

3 "Capture"

Irving J. Moore Michael Edwards September 30, 1977
A hunter named James Borden (Horst Buchholz) and his wife capture the Runners and Francis. Now all of them have to run from the new hunters, who enjoy the chase.

4 "The Innocent"

Michael Preece Ray Brenner,
D. C. Fontana October 10, 1977
Logan, Jessica and Rem encounter a young woman named Lisa, whose parents left her alone with only two robots for company. Lisa has a crush on Logan and plans to get rid of Jessica so she can have him for herself.

5 "Man Out of Time"

Nicholas Colasanto Noah Ward October 17, 1977
Scientist David Eakins time-travels 200 years into the future, where he encounters Logan, Jessica and Rem. He then plans to change history and prevent the nuclear war, but in the process he could erase the Runner world's existence.

6 "Half Life"

Steven Hilliard Stern Shimon Wincelberg October 31, 1977
Logan, Jessica and Rem are attacked by two bands of duplicate humans with vastly different temperaments: one group is kind and gentle while the other is violent and vicious. Jessica is captured and split into two different persons with completely opposite temperaments.

7 "Crypt"

Michael Caffey Harlan Ellison (story),
Alfred Hayes(screenplay) November 7, 1977
The Runners find an underground room with six selected survivors of the nuclear holocaust, chosen to rebuild civilization, cryogenically preserved. They need a cure for a plague from the past, but there is not enough medicine for all of them.

8 "Fear Factor"

Gerald Mayer John Sherlock November 14, 1977
The Runners are captured by scientists of an authoritarian, concealed city who plan to use Logan in their experiments, in order to remove all human fears and to create a powerful army.

9 "The Judas Goat"

Paul Krasny John Meredyth Lucas December 19, 1977
A Sandman is given plastic surgery so as to appear identical to one of Jessica's friends. He is sent on a covert mission to try to persuade Logan and Jessica to return to the City to supposedly help other Runners escape to the outside world.

10 "Futurepast"

Michael O'Herlihy Katharyn Powers January 2, 1978
Logan and Jessica are accidentally put to sleep by a dream analysis machine controlled by a female android named Ariana. Logan dreams he is back in the City of Domes being interrogated by the Sandmen about how he found Sanctuary, and Jessica dreams she is being forced to take part in Carousel.

11 "Carousel"

Irving J. Moore Richard L. Breen Jr.,
D. C. Fontana January 16, 1978
Strangers shoot Logan with a dart containing a serum that erases his memory. Francis then takes him back to the City to testify against Sanctuary and to be terminated via Carousel. Jessica and Rem try to save Logan and retrieve his memory.

12 "Night Visitors"

Paul Krasny Leonard Katzman January 23, 1978
The Runners stop at a house haunted by spirits from another time. Jessica is captured so that one of the spirits can use her as the receptacle for his dead wife's spirit.

13 "Turnabout"

Paul Krasny Alfred Hayes,
Michael Michaelian January 30, 1978
The Runners are captured by backward desert dwellers and condemned to death. Francis attempts to rescue Logan and Jessica.

14 "Stargate"

Curtis Harrington Dennis O'Neil February 6, 1978
The Runners encounter aliens from a much hotter planet who need parts from Rem to bring others of their kind to Earth.
 
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alpha128

Member: Rank 3
Until I watched the videos you posted, I'd hadn't seen anything from this series in ages.

I didn't remember the opening theme song, but it's horrible! What's with those annoying "woo woo woo" sound effects?

The preview however actually makes the series look pretty good.
 

Amyghost

Member: Rank 3
I recall seeing the original film in the theater, but I never really got into the series. I wasn't aware Harlan Ellison had written an episode.
 

The Seeker

Member: Rank 6
I remember "Half Life"! That was an amazing episode. The show had some fantastic writers, it sounds like. I never watched it regularly though.
 

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
I remember seeing this show on Sunday afternoons on ATV back in 78 I believe! I'd never seen the film or knew anything much about it but after I learned exactly what a Sandman was I became a fan from that day to this! I waited patiently for the series to come out on DVD although I had recorded the soundtracks of all 14 episodes back in the seventies and it was well worth the wait!
JB
 

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
It was a great series, Alex! Groundcars for The Sandmen and The Solar Craft for Logan, Jessica and Rem to escape to each and every week! Sadly it wasn't a hit in the US and quickly cancelled!
JB
 

michaellevenson

Moderator
Staff member
This series is a bit cheesy, and primetime American fodder, nothing too risky or risqué, but has an interesting premise. Also well acted and written and moves along nicely, and has a good android character as one of the heroes in REM. Worth checking out.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Yep, I loved this show when it was on, in very much the same way I enjoyed FANTASTIC JOURNEY, PLANET OF THE APES, THE INVISIBLE MAN and THE GEMINI MAN.

The saddest thing was how these shows started, got you interested, then were taken into a barn and shot.

The networks seemed clueless.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Remember When Logan's Run Was Adapted for Television


A year after the movie, Logan's Run, debuted on the silver screen, a television adaptation of the show premiered on CBS. While the show only ran for 14 episodes, here are my thoughts about why a fan of science fiction may want to go back and revisit the world of Logan 5 and his companion, Jessica.


 

The Seeker

Member: Rank 6
I saw one episode of the show and liked it. I didn’t know what show it was though, I just turned to it one day. That was before you could look up what show it was on cable.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
One thing I do not miss about those days is the way series could be strangled in the crib before they had the chance to show their potential. Or sometimes they changed the format for the second season, sacking characters with little rhyme or reason.

No way would TNG have got to seven seasons back then after that lacklustre first season or two. So that was a good change in the way shows were made.

I realise that stupid decisions are still made with shows, but more often than not they now seem to get more of a fair chance to strut their stuff before the axe descends.

On the other hand - and though I should be more sophisticated, I kinda miss the simplistic, compartmentalised "have a complete adventure in one location per episode, then move on" - non-arc - form of storytelling of those days.

No Dominion arcs, Xindi weapons, Bad Wolfs or Hybrids back then!

Arc-shmarc!! :emoji_alien:
 

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
Logan's Run the series has to be one of my favourites! I knew about the film although had never seen it back in 1978 and eventually saw the second episode on a Sunday afternoon! I knew about the premise that people had to die at thirty but little else and this show was going on about aliens, androids, Sandmen (whatever they were?) and Angela Cartwright but not as Penny! The following week it was another guy dressed like Logan who seemed to be his pal and both trying to escape from a professional killer in the forests! The next one revealed all that I'd missed! The Sandmen were policemen from a place called the City of Domes and were pursuing Logan and Jessica to bring them back to face Carousel, the death ceremony! But it wasn't until The Judas Goat that I discovered that Rem wasn't from the Dome City and that they had met him on their travels! I started to record the soundtracks on ATV but too late as sadly the show ended three weeks later and although I was able to record a few other episodes on another channel, LWT, which was behind it would be another year before I could get the entire series on audio when Anglia TV started the show in 1979 on a Sunday! I kept the recordings for thirty odd years and every now and then got them out and my wife secured me a bootleg set of the shows to varying quality but in 2012 they released the series on DVD after all those years and I was in seventh heaven! This and the Planet of The Apes were two of the very best shows ended long before their time, but at least I can rewatch them over and over in this day and age now!
JB
 
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