Word: scripted
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...about it grabs hold of our consciousness. Lucas comes to mind because so much of the Disney studio's The Black Hole-an overpowering score, squads of menacing heavies and, especially, two adorable robots-are straight Star Wars steals, and because, despite all this sincere flattery and a script and performances that are merely adequate, the fool thing works...
...good deal on deep-set, piercing blue eyes that seemed to transfix his viewers, and a burnished voice that would soar, pause theatrically or plunge to a hushed whisper. Wearing a cape and large pectoral cross, and with a blackboard as his only prop, he performed flawlessly without script or cue cards. He put something like 30 hours' preparation into each show, memorizing key points and the eloquent windup that would precede his famous "God love you" sign...
...submission. The dialogue is stilted, relegated to the role of filler between interminable shots of the Enterprise or "that...thing" which is threatening Earth. The actors are often mere props, going through the motions trying vainly to recapture long-lost glory, not given a chance to grow by a script that, sadly, never gets off the ground. And the ending...well, its been done before, better, on Star Trek, and for much, much less cash...
Within the confines of this problematic script, the three actors do not perform poorly. Richard Kavanaugh (Scooper) thrives on the satirical scenes, timing his funniest lines well, and delivering them in a booming baritone that reverbrates about the small theatre. He wears a sardonic frown that embodies his contempt for the culture he lives in. But he acts out his irrational moments less convincingly. The abrupt transition from penthouse humor to breakdown is ungraceful because he tries to express his disorder by physical rampaging rather than verbal interpretation. And the baritone he exploited earlier is over-exercised; like the play...
Lenka Peterson (Henny) succeeds in seeming 83 years old, which, under the garish light of a hospital room, is a feat. She's a forceful character, who makes her son's childlike infatuation with her fairly credible. Henny falters where the script does. She's got too many lines and knows it, so she gropes for a way to enrich her persona. The result is a character who's too self-consciously spunky, reminiscent, at times, of Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies. And when it comes time for that last dramatic soliloquoy, her part collapses altogether...