| abstract
| - In 1975, shortly after the Planet of the Apes TV series had been shown in the UK, Television Character Promotions (TVC) - a small and relatively inexperienced family-run PR and promotions company - secured rights from Twentieth Century Fox to arrange a string of personal appearances and public performances by Apes characters which occurred across the UK between 1975-1978. This live work was a lucrative proposition and the company excelled themselves. A deal was also reached to run a fan club endorsed by Marvel Comics, the publishers of the UK Planet of the Apes comic. Marvel's British Department (the comic was assembled in New York with only the letters page dealt with in London; it was only later that Marvel UK was set up as a separate entity) could barely process the sacks-full of Apes-related mail pouring into their offices each and every week from British kids, and the obvious solution was to make an arrangement with an officially-recognised fan club so that Marvel could offload all its fan mail to another company, and each could then promote the work of the other. The official Planet of the Apes Fan Club was launched in November 1975. Run from a tiny office in Piccadilly, London, Television Character Promotions concentrated solely on Planet of the Apes characters and comprised a staff of five: 'Big' Mike Caulfield ("6 feet 3 1/2 inches of pure ape-like muscle"), the man who started it all, thought up all the ideas and dealt with the financial side; his wife June Caulfield, who probably had the hardest job of all - keeping all the costumes clean and in good repair, and was also responsible for the make-up and authentic appearance of the Ape stars; Peter Caulfield - 'Big' Mike's smaller brother - who edited the Fan Club newsletter and answered queries; Fan Club Secretary Sally Skinner, who looked after the members' record-cards, etc.; and Mike McCarthy, who was recruited in 1976 as Technical Advisor and Fight Director for the Apes arena show appearances. Image:Ukcard.jpg Image:Tvccard.jpg Backed by full-page ads in the Marvel Apes comic, the Fan Club was claiming membership of 1200 by May 1976, from as far away as Brazil and Canada. Fans sending in their £1 annual subscription received an Apes Starter Pack – a selection of pens, car stickers, badges and prints – and the promise of a bi-monthly newsletter. Club member Martin Gainsford remembered: "I was a full-on Sci-Fi/Monster and comic book nut so when the POTA TV show was announced I was very excited. I bought the comic every week from Marvel and of course the gum cards. I begged for the Mego dolls for Christmas and Birthdays for a few years as well as the annuals at Christmas. I joined the fan club too and it was then that things took a new turn for me. The membership package included three badges along with a couple of almost A3-size heavy card pictures. One was the same as the 'Virdon and Burke' badge and one had the standard publicity shot of Galen. I think there may have been a pen but certainly a card and also a vinyl sticker. My dad went mental once as I ran up a huge phone bill during a school holiday talking to the guys at the club office." Image:Fan club form.jpg Image:Ukbadge1.jpg Image:Ukbadge2.jpg The highlight of the newsletters was always the reports of Ape appearances ‘in the flesh’. Television Character Promotions provided live Ape events of two types: (1) personal appearances by a couple of costumed characters, who would pose for photographs with fans and offer ape autographs, generally at supermarkets and shopping centres; and (2) a set-piece live show performed by a full cast. From advertisements in Marvel's UK comic, it appears the live shows were already being staged as early as July 1975. These shows from 1975 and early 1976 were usually part of a larger entertainment package at circuses, festivals and rodeos. After Mike McCarthy was hired, the outdoor arena shows he directed had an action sequence involving two astronauts, Galen, Urko, Dr. Zaius and gorilla guards Virgil, Plato and Nero, usually with horses and a lot of stunts but no actual script. A 'live synopsis' distributed to audiences at the live shows, introduced newcomers to the world of the Apes, and pledged: "Today you are seeing the first live show presentation of the Planet of the Apes. You are seeing authentic characters who will enact a specially prepared show with live action and an original soundtrack." A pre-recorded tape narrated the show with a voice-over and music. The astronauts were chased by the gorillas into the audience, captured, and tied up to face a firing squad. Galen then freed them before he too was chased into the crowd and caught. Then the astronauts fought the gorillas and set Galen free, but were again captured and put before a firing squad. Finally, Galen placed a bomb by the ape guards and all escaped, leaving Urko and his apes to be booed off. Mike Caulfield, with his imposing physique, often took on the role of Urko, but there was quite a bit of character rotation amongst the actors on the arena shows. Caulfield also acquired the costumes - consisting of green army denims, a black leather jerkin and jack-boots - which were then modified to a very authentic standard by his wife June. The pull-over rubber masks (possibly from a Fox-licensed Hollywood company such as Don Post Studios) were very tight-fitting and covered the entire head and neck, and black stage make-up was applied under the eye socket to blend the flesh with the mask. The guns were Lee Enfield .303 rifles converted to fire blanks. Right from the start these live shows attracted considerable interest.
* Note: If anyone knows any of those involved with the UK Live Shows, or can add any memories of the shows themselves, please leave a message via the 'Talk' tab at the top of the page.
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