"The Invaders" (1967) TV series 1967-1968

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Creator:

Larry Cohen

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

10 January 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The nightmare continues!

Plot:

David Vincent, an architect returning home after a hard, hard, day parks his car in an old ghost town...

Plot Keywords:

Dying Planet | Cult TV | Hurricane | Alien | UFO

Cast

Roy Thinnes	...	David Vincent (43 episodes, 1967-1968)
Hank Simms	...	Introductory Narrator / ... (43 episodes, 1967-1968)
William Woodson	...	Narrator (43 episodes, 1967-1968)
Kent Smith	...	Edgar Scoville / ... (13 episodes, 1967-1968)

Runtime:

51 min (43 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Rossmore Leisure World, Laguna Hills, California, USA

Company:

Quinn Martin Productions (QM)

Trivia:

Some Invaders could be identified by what David Vincent a "deformed fourth finger". Technically, the finger was not deformed, but immobile, always sticking out. This device was dropped toward the end of the second season.

Quotes:

[opening narration]
Narrator: The Invaders: alien beings from a dying planet. Their destination: 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...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Gamera vs. Zigra (#4.16)" (1991)

Hey, I want David Vincent's job.

For a guy supposedly on a lone (un-paid) crusade he seems to be doing incredibly well. Every single week he's out there in a crisp new suit, with a different gleaming car and limitless gas money. I wonder if there's a good dental plan too? But seriously, I love this series. One of my earliest memories of childhood was watching The Invaders on my parents' first TV set back in the late 1960s. This was just before the moon landings and we were all obsessed with Space; even little kids like me. It's really nice to see the show back on British Channel 5 - even if it is shown at 04:20. Basically, Architect David Vincent stumbles on an Alien plot to conquer Earth and each episode shows his lone struggle to fight the nasty aliens and convince fellow earthlings of the threat. I really don't know if this show will appeal to young people but to 40-somethings like myself it's delicious nostalgia & I'm hooked all over again. A really good example of '60s US television. What I particularly enjoy is seeing minor roles played by people who went on to become famous, even stars. Last week the lead "guest" alien was an obscure young actor called Gene Hackman. Several months later he won the role of Buck Barrow in Bonnie & Clyde, and the rest is history. It's quite fascinating to ponder on what made him SO much more successful than others who've long faded into oblivion, including (sadly) Roy Thinnes who played David Vincent so well. "That's Hollywood" I guess. All in all it's an excellent sci-fi series and to my mind it hasn't aged. The admittedly "formulaic" lay-put and 1960s feel to the show seems to be fashionable again. Well worth watching.