Falling out of the Scrapbook this time are:
The "Go Ape" Marathon ads
(Click for larger images.)
The ads asks, "Can you take it...will you really Go Ape," but the real question is "Can your butt take it?"
How well I remember the excitement I felt that summer in 1973 when these ads came out. At 15 years old, I was a little late getting into the Apes thing, it was only after "Battle" that I started becoming aware of them very much and was getting interested, even though I had never seen any of them. When they were all played back-t0-back in these Ape-o-thons, I was wishing I could go, but didn't bother to ask my parents. It gave my stepdad too much pleasure to say no, and I'd just get ridiculed for it.
Below is a little article I clipped from the Macon Herald (GA), like all of the ads above, about the marathon showings. In some future posts I'll revisit the Apes from time to time, including the ads about the series from TV Guide.
And here is the Go Ape! poster in all it's colorful glory.
Wow, I don't remember that marathon at all. And I was huge APES fan back then. Though, the only one that I actually saw theatrically was the first one.
ReplyDeleteI can still fairly vividly recall watching it at the drive in with my parents when I was six.
For some reason all the rest we watched as they made their network television debuts.
I was big on the Marvel APES comics magazine too. Especially those stories that featured the artwork of Mike Ploog.
Of course, I was into all the other APES stuff as well. The model kits, cards, action figures etc..
Jim,
ReplyDeleteAnother similarity! I have all of the POTA mags except for the last few. The big thick ones from the first part of the run were the best. I ate them up! I also have all the POTA TV series cards. I went through a lot of that cheek-piercing gum to get those!
I saw none of the Apes movies theatrically, so you are lucky! I had to wait til I caught them on TV away from home.
And I envied Taylor when he kissed Zira! Am I crazy, or what? She was engaged, for cripes sake! :)
P.S., I'll finally have time to answer those emails this weekend. Killer week at work!
I'm new to your site (thanks to Arbogast for the link). My oldest brother took me to this in 1974 at the late, lamented Gables Theater in Merrick, NY. We sat the entire afternoon, drank too much Coke, ate too much popcorn and both came home to massive headcolds. But we'll never forget the thrill of seeing all 5 in a row. The funny thing is that as much I loved the Apes movies, even the 10 year old me was painfully aware of the declining budgets and production values of each subsequent film (the increasingly stretched logic). Yet, I still love them to this day. That marathon was my first exposure to only Beneath and Battle (I'd seen the original, Escape and Conquest in theaters during first run), but it didn't diminish the enjoyment. My brother and I still talk about that day spent/wasted Going Ape. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteFred,
ReplyDeleteFrom one Fred to another, welcome!
Thanks for stopping by and for leaving your cool personal memory. That's the kind of thing I like to read!
-Fred
That's a fantastic ad.
ReplyDeleteSummer of 1974 I think? The Moonlite Drive Inn. Santa Clara, CA. 1961 Rambler American 440 2Door Convertible. Me and two buddies. Started strong. Lasted until the end of Conquest. Battle always did suck.. except for John Huston. One of my finer memories. It was during Escape, I think, that I decided on becoming a Time Traveler..
ReplyDelete