KORG: 70,000 B.C.
(ABC, September 7, 1974-January 18, 1975)
Hanna-Barbera
Productions
(ABC, September 7, 1974-January 18, 1975)
MAIN CAST:
Jim Malinda
– Korg
Bill Ewing
– Bok
Naomi Pollack
– Mara
Christopher
Man – Tane
Charles
Morteo – Tor
Janelle
Pransky – Ree
Burgess
Meredith – Narrator
Korg:
70,000 B.C. was one of three “serious” programs made for ABC by Hanna-Barbera, as well
as one of the studio’s rare live-action efforts. Created by Fred Freiberger, the series was
meant to be an educational dramatization of Neanderthal life based on what
science currently knew at the time. The American
Museum of Natural History and The Los Angeles
County Museum of Natural History served as consultants.
The
Neanderthals in question were the family of the titular Korg (Jim Malinda),
comprised of his mate, Mara (Naomi Pollack), his brother, Bok (Bill Ewing), and
children Tane (Christopher Man), Tor (Charles Morteo) and Ree (Janelle
Pransky). They were followed on their adventures foraging for food to survive,
making sense of the world through their limited understanding, and dealing with
other people they might encounter. Burgess Meredith provided occasional
narration to set the scene and give an educational explanation into the
characters’ thinking. Despite all the attempts at authenticity, the characters
did speak regular English to each other for the audience’s benefit.
Korg:
70,000 B.C. debuted on ABC on September 7, 1974. The series was written by Freidberger,
Willie Gilbert,
Bernard M. Kahn, Maurice Tombragel, Oliver Crawford, Peter Dixon, David Dworski, Len Janson, Ian Martin, Chuck Menville, Dick Robbins and Henry Sharp,
with Freidberger and Myles
Wilder serving as consultants. Hoyt Curtin and Paul DeKorte composed the music
with Pat
Abbott, John
Norin and Bob
Westmoreland handling the special make-up and hair. Unfortunately, Korg fared
as poorly in the ratings as the other “serious” shows, Devlin and These
are the Days; especially in light of the fact that more action-oriented
prehistoric fare debuted in the forms of Valley of the Dinosaurs and Land
of the Lost. It was cancelled after its sole season, although it
remained on the network schedule until August.
Two board
games were released based on the show; one by Milton Bradley
in the United
States, and the other by John Sands Pty,
ltd. in Australia.
A ViewMaster reel
set was released with stills from “The Picture Maker”. A tin
lunchbox was released by Thermos
depicting the family fighting off a wooly mammoth and fleeing a volcano in the
distance. Charlton
Comics published a 9-issue
comic book series that ran from 1975-76. In 2012, Warner Archive released
the series
to DVD; however, despite being labelled “the complete series” it only
contained 16 of the 19 episodes.
EPISODE GUIDE:
“The Blind Hunter” (9/7/74) – Tor is forced to lead a blind
hunter that captured him back to his tribe.
“The Exile” (9/14/74) – Korg believes he’s cursed when he
accidentally kills a woodpecker.
“The Big Water” (9/21/74) – Migrating for a new food source,
Korg’s family discovers the ocean and Mara’s ankle becomes trapped as the tide
begins to come in.
“The Eclipse of the Sun” (9/28/74) – Tane and Tor believe
they angered the sun god when an eclipse happens after they enter a forbidden
valley.
“Trapped” (10/5/74) – Ree and Tor must fend for themselves
when the rest of the family ends up trapped in a cave because of an earthquake.
“The Story of Lumi” (10/12/74) – Korg’s family takes in a
lost girl during a drought, but when her relatives arrive to retrieve her they
decide to also take Korg’s water supply.
“The Running Fight” (10/19/74) – A snake bite causes Bok to
hallucinate and believe his family are enemies.
“The Beach People” (10/26/74) – A local tribe watches in
amusement as Korg’s family struggles to survive in their new environment.
“The Ancient One” (11/2/74) – Korg, Bok and Tane meet a
tired old man who waits in his own grave for death.
“Tor’s First Hunt” (11/9/74) – Korg and Bok decide that Tor
is now old enough to join them on the hunt.
“Magic Claws” (11/16/74) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.
“The Hill People” (11/23/74) – When a neighboring tribe
loses one of their hunters, Bok finds himself competing against the brother for
his widow.
“The River” (11/30/74) – Mara is afraid to cross a wide
river with the rest of the family after two failed attempts.
“The Web” (12/7/74) – A spider’s web gives Korg an idea on
how to defeat the bear that trapped his family in a cave.
“The Picture Maker” (12/14/74) – Korg’s family meets a mute
boy who communicates by drawing with pictures.
“Ree and the Wolf” (12/21/74) – The family is uneasy about
the wolf Ree frees and befriends.
“Bok Loses Courage” (12/28/74) – Korg devises a sneaky plan
to restore Bok’s confidence in hunting after he’s wounded by a bear.
“Moving Rock” (1/4/75) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.
“The Guide” (1/18/75) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.
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