BONUS BOB LARKIN: The Archer, Fugitive From Our TV Screens

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Bob Larkin painted this TV Guide advertisement in 1981 for a proposed NBC television sword & sorcery series titled Archer Strikes Back. The series never materialized but a lengthy pilot was made and it aired on April 12, 1981. After some editing the pilot was released theatrically in Europe in December, 1981 as Archer and the Sorceress, where it had a brief but relatively successful movie run. Here in the U.S. it was released only on VHS home videotape in 1987, and again in 1999, as The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire.

VHS blurb: "Deadly creatures, mysterious wizards and beautiful enchantresses abound in this fantastic sword and sorcery adventure. Set in a strange and dark world filled with magic and mystery, a rugged young warrior seeks out a legendary sorcerer who can help him find the real murderer of his bloodsire. Aided only by his mystical Heart Bow and a verbose swordsman, the brave youth must overcome horrendous monsters and the evil wizard to save his people. Incredible action and special effects highlight this adventure that has an unerring aim for excitement."

Archer preceded a slew of fantasy and sword & sorcery movies that followed in its wake, including Dragonslayer by two months, and Conan the Barbarian by one full year. It's also the first movie to have a 100 percent completely synthesized score, which I found weirdly compatible with the action and fantasy tropes on display. 

The film was headlined by television soap opera star Lane Caudell and actors Victor Campos and Belinda Bauer. Other actors included Kabir Bedi, George Innes, Marc Alaimo, Allan Rich, John Hancock, Priscilla Pointer, and George Kennedy. It was written, produced and directed by Nicholas J. Corea (1943-1999). Corea, who also wrote the crime novel The Cleaner Breed (Avon, 1974, cover artist unknown), was adamant on seeking out people for the project that were familiar with fantasy in order to insure that the TV show would please fantasy fans. He, and they, presumably, pretty much pulled it off, as most viewers then and even now seem to have a genuine fondness towards the whole silly shebang. I certainly do, even though many aspects of the film and its processes are now dated.

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The first VHS tape was issued by MCA, and it was released in 1987. I rented a copy from Screenplay, a local video store where I had earned two-for-one rental privileges for life by purchasing from them a Quasar High-Fidelty VCR (the cost, a mere $843.00!). Little did I realize that life meant the life of the store. Ha! But having those privileges meant being able to rent two of anything for the price of one with each visit; one grade A movie with perhaps one grade B movie, or all A's, or all B's, or in some instances, two grade Z movies. Ha! Good-gawd-almighty did I ever watch a lot of crap back in the Eighties.

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This second VHS tape was issued by Universal in 1999. I borrowed it from my local library and watched it a couple of times before returning it.

Although never released on DVD in the United States, Archer was eventually issued as Der Zauberbogen on Region 2 DVD in Germany by Koch Media in 2011. It's English translation is "Magic Bow."

This is the poster that was widely circulated in Europe to advertise Archer and the Sorceress when it was released theatrically there. The art was produced by British horror illustrator Les Edwards.

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The same poster art by Edwards (an oil on hardboard) was featured on the first European VHS tape release in 1983, from CIC Video.

VHS blurb: "In this classic tale of sword and sorcery, a handsome young wanderer Toran (Lane Caudell) sets out to find the legendary sorcerer, Lazar-Sa (Larry Douglas), the only person who can help him reclaim his rightful title and avenge the death of his father (George Kennedy). Having encountered many perils on his journey, he meets Estra (Belinda Bauer), a beautiful sorceress from whom he inherits magical powers. Battle can now commence..."

Toran (Lane Caudell) and his the magic bow.

Toran takes aim.

Gar (Kabir Bedi), the Draikian Empire's supreme ruler.

Estra the Enchantress (Belinda Bauer). I'm still enchanted to this day.

Strength in numbers: Slant (Victor Campos), Toran, and Estra.

 A closer look at our heroes.

Robert E. Howard's 1929 short story The Shadow Kingdom is arguably the origin of both the sword & sorcery subgenre of fantasy fiction and the snake conspiracy theory, which has been a recurring theme in science fiction and fantasy ever since. The theory maintains that a hidden species of advanced reptilian beings are covertly controlling the levers of power, sort of like how in the United States oil companies, large corporations, 1-percenters, the wealthy, and evangelicals are controlling, or literally own, most of our politicians (primarily Republicans though as well as some Supreme Court judges). In Archer the serpent people are represented as warriors of the Draikian Empire, and their masks are easily the best aspect of the film.

All's well that ends well, except the story actually leaves us hoping for more, as any good pilot episode should.
 

 

TO MY knowledge The Archer, Fugitive from the Empire has never played on any of the free television stations that I currently receive but maybe it can be gotten through streaming, or cable/satellite. Though I wouldn't know about that because I don't subscribe to those services, but I do know the film has never been released on DVD or BD on Region 1 format (pirating aside), so if you did not hang on to your old VHS tape you probably won't ever see it again except perhaps on youtube, in small-vision. I imagine for many of you that brings a big sigh of relief, going both ways of course, ha ha.

[© November, 2018, Jeffersen]