June 08 2010
Under the Mountain and other Choice NZ On Screen Links
posted by Steven Shaw at 5:04 pm
Our picks this month from NZ On Screen – New Zealand’s online showcase of TV, film and music video — the first episode from the 1981 TV adaptation of Under the Mountain, and an episode of Peppermint Twist called “Let’s Limbo Some More”. Check them out below…
The 1981 TV version of Maurice Gee’s classic NZ sci-fi novel Under the Mountain (recently remade as a feature film by Jonathan King) had kids hiding behind the couch like they’d only done before for Doctor Who. Yep, to Kiwi kids, the Wilberforces, who changed into slimy slug-like aliens, were as scary as the Daleks or the Cybermen. The show follows the adventures of psychic-powered twins Rachel and Theo Matheson (Kirsty Wilkinson, Lance Warren) as they battle the alien Wilberforces, aided by the kindly but mysterious Mr Jones. Laurie Dee and Annie Whittle play Mum and Dad Matheson – go here to view.
“Oh my giddy aunt.” A local show fashioned after the success of Happy Days and Grease, Peppermint Twist was set amongst a group of teens in small town NZ. It hit our screens in 1987, winning a following despite some terrible acting and set design. Fair enough, milk bars and dance halls did go for these licorice allsorts colour schemes back in the late 1950s and 1960s – but we can’t help thinking the pastel-drenched 1980s are a bigger influence here. This episode, ‘Let’s Limbo Some More’, features Peter Sinclair as the host of a limbo contest. Look out for the “Teal” brand orange soft drink – go here to view.