Is “The People” (1972) actually the first part of an unofficial trilogy of William Shatner movies that also encompasses “Kingdom of the Spiders” and “The Devil’s Rain?” Just a theory of mine.
Plenty of ruminative digressions during last night’s discussion of “The People,” the Francis Ford Coppola-produced TV movie that aired just two months before “The Godfather” cemented his reputation as one of the leading filmmakers of the 1970s. A strange progression, to be sure.
Here Shatner somehow winds up playing second banana to Kim Darby. The circumstances were reversed when they worked together on a “Star Trek” episode, “Miri,” only a few years earlier. Darby would soon be lending trauma to our childhoods with the TV movie “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.” That’s the one where she’s attacked in the shower by little carrot goblins. Note to self for this Halloween!
Of course, you’ll be able to hear our reflections on all this and more in our chat about “The People,” now archived here:
Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner may be on hiatus next week, but that all hinges on whether or not somebody can find his passport. I’m guessing we’ll be back to livestream on Facebook next Friday evening at 7:00 EDT!
