She-Wolf of London
| She-Wolf of London | |
|---|---|
 Series intro |
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| Also known as | Love and Curses |
| Genre | Horror |
| Starring | Kate Hodge Neil Dickson |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original run | October 9, 1990 – April 10, 1991 |
She-Wolf of London was a short-lived television series that aired was distributed in first-run syndication in the USA from October 1990 to April 1991. The first 14 episodes were filmed in England and aired under the She-Wolf title, while a second season of 6 episodes was filmed in Los Angeles and aired under the title Love and Curses, with a drastically reduced cast.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
American actress Kate Hodge played graduate student Randi Wallace. Working on her masters thesis, Randi meets Mythology professor Ian Matheson, played by English actor Neil Dickson. The two develop an unspoken attraction to each other, which only increases when Randi looks to him for help after surviving a werewolf attack on the Moors. While searching for a cure, Ian becomes Randi's keeper during the full moon phases, with the mismatched duo somehow always seeming to find themselves in hot water with various supernatural creatures along the way which end up clashing with Randi's werewolf form (portrayed by Diane Youdale). However, Randi would not 'wolf out' in every episode, as the series' producers tried to keep in mind the fact that there's only a full moon every four weeks, or 13 times a year.
Mid-way through the first season, the European producers of the series pulled their financial backing, and the lower budget forced production to move to Los Angeles for the final six episodes. The series was retitled Love and Curses, with Neil Dickson's character dismissed from his position as a British professor and moved to L.A. to become a talk-show host eager to investigate the paranormal (his changing circumstances being explained by the success one of his books had achieved after it was issued with a trashy mass market title). The joint UK/US production ended after its first season, along with the cancellation of two other Hollywood Premiere Network shows (Shades of LA and They Came from Outer Space).[1]
[edit] Characters
Kate Hodge - As a graduate student Randi Wallace, who after surviving a werewolf attack, fears what she will become every time there's a full moon.
Neil Dickson - As mythology professor Ian Matheson, who helps Randi (Kate Hodge), search for a cure.
[edit] Background
Episodes of the series ran on the Sci-Fi Channel for a short time following its cancellation. For these airings, the Love and Curses episodes were retitled She-Wolf of London, despite the obvious contradiction. The opening sequence for these episodes were replaced by the show's original opening. These episodes were also retitled when run in Britain on Sky One, with the opening moments of the She-Wolf titles used to establish the series' title logo, before the titles cut to the Love and Curses sequence.
On August 1, 1999 The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Beings by Brad Steiger was published. Steiger makes a brief one-sentence mention of She-Wolf in the book's Forward section, stating only that the 1946 movie of the same name did not actually feature a werewolf, but the 1990s television series did. Later in the book the TV series Werewolf is highlighted, and is said to have been the only television show to feature a werewolf as its lead character.
She-Wolf of London was part of the Hollywood Premiere Network, an early attempt by Universal Television to create an "ad-hoc" syndication network. Although not a "real" network with affiliates and the like, they were ahead of their time and would have better success with the Universal Action Pack later in the 1990s. The series aired in many of the stations that would later become either UPN or WB affiliates. The series premiered along with two other shows, Shades of L.A. and They Came from Outer Space on October 9, 1990.
The She-Wolf series explored new ground by airing female nudity in various episodes, something not uncommon to air on European television, but something considered taboo for U.S. non-cable television programming.[2]
[edit] Episodes
[edit] As "She-Wolf of London"
Episode One: She Wolf of London. Director: Dennis Abey / Writers: Mick Garris & Tom McLoughlin
Episode Two: The Bog Man of Letchmoor Heath. Director: Roger Cheveley / Writer: Anthony Adams
Episode Three: The Juggler. Director: Gerry Mill / Writer: Jim Henshaw
Episode Four: Moonlight Becomes You. Director: Brian Grant / Writer: Valerie West
Episode Five: Nice Girls Don't. Director: Roger Cheveley / Writers: Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin, story Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin and Abbie Bernstein
Episode Six: Little Bookshop of Horrors. Director: Gerry Mill / Writers: Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin
Episode Seven: The Wild Hunt. Director: Brian Grant / Writers: Diana Ayers & Susan Sebastian
Episode Eight: What's Got Into Them? Director: Dennis Abey / Writers: Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin
Episode Nine: Can't Keep a Dead Man Down - Part 1. Director: Roger Cheveley / Writers: Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin
Episode Ten: Can't Keep a Dead Man Down - Part 2. Director: Roger Cheveley / Writers: Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin
Episode Eleven: Big Top She-Wolf. Director: Brian Grant / Writer: Kate Boutilier
Episode Twelve: She-Devil. Director: Dennis Abey / Writer: Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin
Episode Thirteen: Voodoo Child. Director: Roger Cheveley/ Writer: Terry Erwin
Episode Fourteen: Beyond the Beyond. Director: Brian Grant / Writers: Lee Goldberg, William Rabkin, story Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin and Arthur Sellers
[edit] As "Love & Curses"
Episode One: Curiosity Killed the Kravitz. Director: Brian Grant / Writers: Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin
Episode Two: Habeas Corpses. Director: Chuck Bowman / Writers: Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin
Episode Three: Bride of the Wolfman. Director: Bruce Seth Green / Writer: Kate Boutillier
Episode Four: Heart Attack. Director: Chuck Bowman / Writers: Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin
Episode Five: Mystical Pizza. Director: Bruce Seth Green / Writers: Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin
Episode Six: Eclipse. Director: Gary Walkow / Writers: Richard Manning & Hans Beimler
[edit] DVD release
It was announced November 18, 2009 that all 20 episodes would be released in a complete series box set from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.[3] Included are the six episodes from the 2nd season that was retitled "Love and Curses". She-Wolf of London: Love and Curses was released on February 2, 2010 as a 4-disc set.[4] The boxed set contains no extras and the opening credits of the series were changed. While originally, the "She-wolf of London" episodes had a different theme from the L.A.-based "Love and Curses" episodes, all episodes in the boxed set begin with the "Love and Curses" theme.
