OL Episode #14 – The Zanti Misfits
Original Airdate: December 30, 1963
Truly classic OL this time round. What a great 9th birthday present this was for me back in ‘63. Another of my favorite eps with some of the creepiest OL creations ever! The wonderful, stop-motion alien ants with human faces (some even with side-burns!). ZANTIS is a fan fav of many OL addicts, though it does have its critics as well. Besides the boffo title characters, the story, characters and dialogue again are superb. OL seems to soar artistically, sometimes unexpectedly, even when just the monsters would be enough reason to watch.
THE PLOT: The rulers of the planet Zanti, unable to dispose of their worst criminals, decide to exile them on Earth. We’re not exactly able to just say no, so the deal is set to let them land in the desert and to be quarantined from civilization. However, an unexpected psychopath happens upon their ship and really botches things, or does he? I really enjoy the ending twist. Kind of a ‘we gotchya, didn’t we?’
THE CHARACTERS: Zantis, Zantis, and more Zantis. The humans: Bruce Dern is great in an early psycho role as Ben Garth – “Pick up the money!” Michael Tolen is also quite good as Professor Grave, the historian sent to the ghost town of Morgue to record the events (love the bit of him flicking a tiny ant at the beginning). Also deserving mention are Robert F. Simon as General Hart (“We’ve let loose the dogs of war”), Claude Woolman as Major Hill, Olive Deering as Lisa Lawrence, and Bill Hart as Corporal Delano.
THE EFFECTS: The cool stop motion nasties were created by Jim Danforth, who also was one of the main animators of “JACK THE GIANT KILLER”. The animated ZANTIS hold up really well IMO. The ant up the pant-leg and soldier covered with attacking Zantis really scared the heck outta me as a kid. – Really creepy, especially for those with insect induced fears. The couple scenes of the ants coming down the wall near the end are mercifully quick, as they don’t hold up too well. It’s easy to tell they’re on strings, and it’s a shame they couldn’t have used stop motion for those scenes. But then again, at least the shots are quick. – The only spot where the effects are a bit lacking now and an easy target for critics.
THE ZANTIS: They’ve stood the test of time for 40 years now, and remain one of the most remembered monsters in TV history. They are included in a new set of OL collectible toys, which can be found all over the net. Man, if I only had the bucks, they’d be glaring at me from a top my computer desk right now!
Summing up, I love this episode and can watch it over and over. It’s very well written with some great dialogue ala, “If anyone gets through, it’ll be over someone’s dead body...” & “You are practiced executioners.”
“Lans trinzini lobo zan a mang lis lanz ob!”
Listen to the Zanti’s warning here => Zanti.wav