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Judging from the number of times we've been invaded from outer space in the last hundred years, Earth must be prime real estate. Beginning with H.G.Wells' The War of the Worlds (1898), hundreds of alien species have attempted to take over our planet. (Must be the water.) Remember the pod-people in Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Ray Harryhausen's saucermen in Earth vs. The Flying Saucers? The vermin-munchers in television's V? And today's X-Files is just the latest entry in the look-who-wants-to-take-over-us-now genre.
But how many of you remember a Quinn Martin production called (what else?) The Invaders? Originally airing from January 1967 to March 1968, the series revolved around a man named David Vincent (played by Roy Thinnes) who accidentally witnesses an alien landing. He discovers that beings from another planet are assuming human form with evil intent, and he spends his time trying to convince his fellow homo-sapiens that they are in danger. (And how do you identify an alien? No emotions; no pulse; mutated fourth finger.)
Unlike some other sci-fi series, The Invaders is unlikely to be resuscitated soon on either the big or little screen, but it has its coteries of fans. I, myself, recall it fondly, though my heart belonged to Star Trek at the time (and still does.)
There was a disappointing Fox/Spelling mini-series remake in 1995 that missed the spirit of the original almost entirely. And by the way, if the name Roy Thinnes rings a bell with those too young to have seen The Invaders, it may be because Roy has had a recurring role on The X-Files as "Jeremiah Smith," a rebel alien.
Though the series did not spawn a huge number of collectibles-mainly books and comics-the UFO model kit is highly sought after. A search of completed auctions (eBay, 03.30.01) revealed that a partially assembled kit sold for $51; a box alone (and damaged!) sold for 16.05; and an Aurora 1968 original MIB went for $225! (The mid-90's Monogram reissue is not as valuable, and has been selling generally in the $25-$40 range.)
For more information on The Invaders, check out the following Web sites:
http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Contrib/SciFi/invaders
The Unofficial Web Site and Episode Guide
Informative and fun British site. I consider this one of the best.
http://miraclefilms.com/thinnes.htm
The Authorized Unofficial Web Site for Roy Thinnes and The Invaders
Great site! Lots of pics, information, descriptions of collectibles, news.
http://www.theinvaders.com.ar
Argentinean site (yes, it's available in English). Very nicely designed, informative: episode guide, clips, pics and collectibles.
And for information on sci-fi in general (including The Invaders), I recommend http://www.pazsaz.com/scifan.html The TV Sci-Fi and Fantasy Database has info on just about any sci-fi or fantasy program ever aired!
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