"The Space Giants" (1967) TV series

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Writers:

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Be on the lookout for Lugo activities!

Cast

Toshio Egi	...	Mikko Mura (American Version) Mamoru Murakami (Japan)
Hideki Ninomiya	...	Gam
Masumi Okada	...	Ito Mura
Edith Hanson	...	Liz
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Fernandez	...	(voice)
Earl Hammond	...	Voices
Paulette Rubinstein	...	Voices

Also Known As:

"Captain Magma"
"Monsters from Outer Space"

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Kamuima Productions

Movie Connections:

Alternate language version of "Maguma taishi" (1966)

Schlock or not beauty is in the eye of the syndicator! A fun show!

SPACE GIANTS was a tv series which lasted 52 episodes, among the fans were SQUEEKY FROMME. SPACE GIANTS was a action adventure show on the TOHO pattern. The series was science fiction, horror, espionage with the standard fights over a city consiting of robots and aliens (usually actors in suits). This series was prior to shows which became popular in the 1990's like POWER RANGERS. SPACE GIANTS seemingly draws on black magic mythology in a tounge and cheek tale of a alien invasion bent on taking over the world. The black magic motifs of this series are tame and alluded to seemingly. Instead of rampaging hordes of demons from old woods/chrisitan spiritualism we have aliens bent on world conquest with starships and mind powers! The series will appeal to fans of SONNY CHIBA films and japanese cinema and television. In the 1970's men like TED TURNER who was a advertiser started tv outfits like WTBS. Turner was at that time a cable tv marketing whiz with a top notch sales staff in georgia got the rights to air this show. WTBS aired this program up until about 1983 and it was a ratings success in the time slots following getting out of school. SPACE GIANTS hit america in a era when second run shows of this nature could garner a audience and thus advertiser revenue. Afternoon kids programming today is ancient history thanks to 1990's government regulations impositioning huge finesfor over advertising, and station abuse of FCC guidelines. TV stations would like to air "safe shows" like OPRAH which are not subject to these rules. This show was released in a era which no such FCC restrictions existed and as a boy was fuel for a young imagination. The series strength was the mixture of martial arts, supernatural battles and science fiction espionage in a tale of alien attack. SPACE GIANTS was played alot in the USA due to the marketability and it's tie to a tried and true broadcast format; the GODZILLA/RODAN genre or style progamming. Hugely popular it was aired on cable by WTBS and in other markets in the 1970's and 1980's. The shows detractors have called this "jap crap" or "dubbed cheese" as a kid you don't long for Andie McDowell in HARRISONS FLOWERS..you longed for EDITH HANSON in this robot adventure show! Children and some college students were attracted to the theme of robots, invasion, and "buster crabbish" daring do.