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After MonsterVision and the 100% Weird Feature Presentation on TNT, stick around for this gentle monster-movie spoof about a Seattle family that accidentally hits Bigfoot out in the woods with the family stationwagen. Don Ameche of MonsterVision's Trading Places is an anthropologist who trails them back to suburbia when the family decides to adopt the friendly yeti and nurse it back to health after initially thinking it was dead and tying it to the car's roof to carry home.
Dad is played by John Lithgow, who played his own evil twin in MonsterVision's Raising Cain.David Suchet, who is currently playing Agatha Christie's detective "Hercule Poirot on TV, is a French rival of Don Ameche's character, and believes the only good bigfoot is a dead bigfoot; which he can then get rich by putting on display or selling to a museum. The story may be a bit slow, but the creature itself is excellent, thanks to the magic of special effects wizard Rick Baker (for which he won an Oscar). Co-writer William Dear is credited as Director, but rumor has it that Steven Spielberg was the (uncredited) co-producer. It certainly has that Batteries Not Included feel to it. Additional cast: Melinda Dillon, Margaret Langrick, Joshua Rudoy, Lainie Kazan, John Bloom * After "Harry & The Hendersons," watch the TNT exclusive Bigfoot: Man Or Beast? Harry & The Hendersons (1987) Rating: TV-PG "Harry & The Hendersons" availability on video and on DVD from Amazon.com There was also a first-run syndicated sitcom based on the movie (the SciFi Channel book of Sci-Fi TV Shows says it ran 72 episodes, first broadcast in January 1991), with a no-star cast, that ran until 1993 and still turns up in reruns occasionally. Harry himself (itself?) was played by three different actors on TV during the 3-year run: Kevin Peter Hall, Dawan Scott (1992) and Brian Steele (1993). Themesong for the series was "Your Feet's Too Big," written and performed by Leon Redbone. Hall had also played Harry in the original 1987 movie, but died in the Spring of 1991. Brian Steele had previously been Harry's stunt double. Note: The SYFY Channel and USA Network have run episodes, but I don't know if they still have it. If so, episodes could turn up on USA Network or one of the SYFY Channel's afternoon weekday marathons. The TV-series "Swamp Thing," based on the MonsterVision movie Swamp Thing, also ran 1990-93 (also 72 episodes) on SYFY, and has been seen on both USA Network and the SciFi Channel. It has most recently been on their British network, posted online as www.uk.scifi.com. Dick Durock portrayed Swampy in both movies and the USA Network tv-series, based on a popular 1970s comic book. Developed for TV by Joseph Stefano, of 1960s Outer Limits fame.
* Note: There are two people named John Bloom, one of whom is also known as Joe Bob Briggs. For a complete list of John Bloom's movies from "The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant" (1971) to Stephen King's "The Stand" goto the incredible Two Headed page |