Star Wolf (TV series)
Star Wolf | |
---|---|
Created by | Tsuburaya Productions |
Based on | Starwolf by Edmond Hamilton |
Developed by | Keiichi Abe (season 1) Shukei Nagasaka (season 2) |
Directed by | Kiyosumi Fukazawa |
Starring | Tatsuya Azuma Jô Shishido Miyuki Tanigawa |
Composer | Norio Maeda |
Country of origin | Japan |
No. of episodes | 24 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes (per episode) |
Original release | |
Network | NNS (YTV) |
Release | April 2 September 24, 1978 | –
Star Wolf (Japanese: スターウルフ, Hepburn: Sutā Urufu) is a Japanese science fiction TV series inspired by the novel series of the same name, by American writer Edmond Hamilton. It was produced in 1978 by Tsuburaya Productions.
Series concept
The show is loosely based on the three books in the Star Wolf series by American science fiction novelist Edmond Hamilton: The Weapon from Beyond[1] (published in 1967), The Closed Worlds[2] and World of the Starwolves[3] (both published in 1968). The name of the main character, an Earthman who was raised on the high gravity planet Varna and developed super-human strength and reflexes, was changed from Morgan Chane to Ken Shinsei. Starting with episode 14, the series was retitled Space Hero Star Wolf (宇宙の勇者 スターウルフ Uchû no Yûsha Sutâurufu).
American adaptation
The Japanese series was edited into two feature-length films for American television under the titles Fugitive Alien and Star Force: Fugitive Alien II.[4] They were released directly to television by King Features Entertainment, the first film in 1986, running for 102 minutes, and the sequel in 1987, running for 75 minutes.[4] Both films were featured on Season 3 of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Fugitive Alien in episode 10, first shown on August 17, 1991, and Star Force: Fugitive Alien II in episode 18, first shown on November 16, 1991.[5] Of note, both movies had also featured in the early KTMA era of MST3K, appearing out of order in episodes K12 and K03 respectively, before being revamped for the Comedy Channel era.
Cast
Source: [4]
- Tatsuya Azuma, Joe Shishido, Miyuki Tanigawa, Chôei Takahashi, Tsutomu Yukawa, Hiro Tateyama, Akihiko Hirata
Staff
Planning
- NOBORU & AKIRA TSUBURAYA, JUSHICHI SANO
Supervision
- HIDEO ITOKAWA
Created by
Published in
- ACE BOOKS, HAYAKAWA BUNKO
Translation by
- MASAHIRO NODA
Producers
- KOZO KATO, MASUNOSUKE OHASHI, AKIRA TSUBURAYA, NORIKO SHISHIKURA
Screenplay
- KEIICHI ABE, BUNZO WAKATSUKI, HIROYASU YAMAURA, YOSHIHISA ARAKI, HIDEKA NAGASAKA, TOYOHIRO ANDO
Music
VFX Director
- KAZUO SAGAWA
Directed by
- KIYOSUMI FUKASAWA, MINORU KANAYA
Also Starring
- YASUFUMI MORISAWA, KEIKO YAMAMOTO, YUKIHIRO ABO
- YUKO TAKAISHI, SHINYA KASHIMA, AYA ORIGUCHI
- MAYO SUZUKI, SABURO KADOWAKI
- Dai Nagasawa, Makoto Ogami
- AKIHIKO HIRATA, MOJIJIRO SATO, EIICHI KIKUCHI
- KENJI TAMIYA, YUKIO TOYONAGA, KOICHI NARA
- TETSUO KUBOTA, MASAKI YAMANAKA
- DAIGO KUSANO, KATSUNO UMINO, TETSUO TOMIKAWA
- HIROSHI OGASAWARA, SHOICHI SAWAMURA, JIICHI KITAMI
- MIKIO MURAKAMI, HIROKI ARASE
- KOSHIRO & TADAYOSHI TANAKA, HIROKO SAITO
- MIEI TACHIBANA, RYOJI NAKAMURA, GEN TAKASUGI
- SUSUKE IKEDA, YOSHIAKI WAKAO, YUZO OGURA
- JOE YAMAGUCHI, MITSUE NOMURA, TAKEO OGIWARA
- GOICHI NAGATANI, ISAMU ISHII, HIROYUKI INOZUKA
- NOBUYO OYAMA, AKIRA SAKAI
- TOMOKO ISHIKAWA, XIE YONG, HITOMI UMEMOTO
- CHIAKI SUMIYOSHI, KIYOMI OTSU, KAORU ICHINOSE
- TAKAO KOIKE, MITSUHIRO SANO
- TAIKO RIN, NORIKO SHIRAISHI, YOICHIRO KITAGAWA
- TETSURO TSUNO, MASAYOSHI ANAHARA, ASAGIRI KAWAI
- MICHIO KIDA, YOSHIAKI NAKABAYASHI
- KATSUSHI KURATOMI, SHINPEI ASANUMA
- MICHIYO HOZOIN, KOTARO TOMITA, ETSUKO UEKI
- YUJI YUSHIZAWA, TOYOJI SADA, JOJI ITO
Action Coordinators
- HIDENOBU OTSUKA, YASUAKI WATANABE, WORLD ACTION
Con 8's Voice
- KAZUE TAKAHASHI
Narrated by
- GORO NAYA
Staff
Photography
- RYUKICHI MORI, GORO UCHIYAMA
Lighting
- KUNIO KISHIDA
Sound
- TAKESHI HONDA
SFX
- YOZO KATAOKA
Continuity
- NOBUE MIYAZAKI, SUMIKO FUJIWARA, KYOKO HIJIMI, MAYUMI ISHIYAMA
Assistant Directors
- KIYOHIKO MIYASAKA, TAKASHI KASAKURA
Production Designer
- OSAMU YAMAGUCHI
Special Effects Staff
VFX Cameramen
- MITSUO FUSAMAE, JOE AIZAWA, SADAO SATO
Lighting
- FUMIYOSHI HARA
Continuity
- YOSHIKO HORI, SANAE KITAYAMA
Assistant Directors
- HISAO MARU, ISAO YOSHIHARA
Wire Operator
- KAME OGASAWARA
Art Designers
- OSAMU YAMAGUCHI, NAOTAKE SATSUMOTO, AKIHIKO IGUCHI, SHINICHI KANZAWA, SUMIO TAKIMOTO
Color Measurement
- ISAO KOJIMA, KENJI SUZUKI
Assistant Designer
- SUMIO TAKIMOTO
Makeup
- BEAUTY EYELIP, AIKO HIGASHISAKA & ISHIZUKA
Costumes
- TOHO COSTUMES, NAOMI NISHIYAMA
Editing by
- UME & MIKIO TAKEDA
Production Managers
- SATORU SAKAMOTO, YU IWATSUBO, MASAHIRO TANIGUCHI
Optical Photography
- TORU ISHIDA
Visual Effects
- MINORU NAKANO
In Charge of Production
- HIROSHI FUJIKURA
VFX Produced by
- DEN FILM EFFECTS
Recorded at
- CENTRAL SOUND
Film Processing by
- TOKYO LABORATORIES
UNIVAC by
- SPERRY Corporation
Special Thanks
- MIZUNO, MISAWA HOME, FUJI SPORTS
Practical Effects
- NUMARI PLANNING
Filming Co-operation
- YOKOHAMA DREAMLAND
Theme Songs
- "Youth Departure"
- "Starwolf The Wanderer"
Lyrics by
- HARUO HAYASHI
Theme Music by
- KOICHI MORITA
- NORIO MAEDA
Performed by
- YUKI HIDE
A Production of
MST3K Host Segments & Audio Commentary (1991)
Production Crew
- JIM MALLON, JOEL HODGSON, TRACE BEAULIEU, KEVIN MURPHY, MICHAEL J. NELSON, ALEXANDRA B. CARR, TIMOTHY SCOTT, JANN L. JOHNSON, JEF MAYNARD
Co-Written by
- FRANK CONNIFF, PAUL CHAPLIN
Contributing Writers
- BRIDGET JONES, PAUL CHAPLIN, COLEEN HENJUM
Manager of Business Affairs
- HEIDE LeCLERC
Post Production Facilities
- IVL POST
Video Provided by
- FOURNELLE PRODUCTION SERVICES
Audio by
- FRED STREET, BRIAN WRIGHT
Online Editors
- TIM PAULSON, KAREN LINDSAY
Lighting by
- KEN FOURNELLE
Hair and Makeup
- FAYE BURKHOLDER, CLAYTON JAMES
Special Makeup
- CRIST BALLAS, GLENN GRIFFIN
Interns
- THOMAS ALPHONSO, CYN ELLS, TOM HENDERSON, CHRISTOPHER WURST, CINDY HANSEN
Love Theme From MST3K
- THE BRAINS, CHARLIE ERICKSON
Mastered at
- BLUE LIGHT MUSIC
Special Thanks to
- BRYAN BEAULIEU, SKYLINE DISPLAYS, TEACHERS OF AMERICA, BILL W.
This Programme was Taped at
- BEST BRAINS STUDIOS
Filmed in
- SHADOWRAMA
Mystery Science Theater 3000
- "Mystery Science Theater 3000" Star Force: Fugitive Alien 2 (TV episode 1988) at IMDb
- "Mystery Science Theater 3000" Fugitive Alien (TV episode 1989) at IMDb
- "Mystery Science Theater 3000" Fugitive Alien (TV episode 1991) at IMDb
- "Mystery Science Theater 3000" Star Force: Fugitive Alien 2 (TV episode 1991) at IMDb
- Episode guide: K12- Fugitive Alien
- Episode guide: 310- Fugitive Alien
- Episode guide: 318- Star Force: Fugitive Alien II
References
Footnotes
Sources
- Galbraith IV, Stuart (1996). The Japanese Filmography: 1900 through 1994. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0032-3.
External links
- Sutâurufu (Star Wolf), the original series at IMDb
- Fugitive Alien at IMDb
- Star Force: Fugitive Alien II at IMDb
- Japanese Wikipedia page relating to both the Edmond Hamilton series of books and the Japanese TV Series
- (in Japanese) Five-minute preview of the first episode of Star Wolf on Veoh (video)
- Star Wolf opening sequence on Dailymotion (video)