In 1982, some people’s lives changed forever. A film was released about an outcast boy who
could talk to animals. Of course, from the title of this article, you know I’m talking
about The Beastmaster.
Starring Marc Singer (“V”) as Dar, the adult Beastmaster, and Tanya Roberts (“That 70’s
Show”) as the slave girl Kiri, this movie played on the viewers’ emotions. Emotions, the
use of animals and a great storyline prompted two sequels and more recently, a television
series on the WB network.
If it weren’t for the fans, there’d be no Beastmaster TV series today. You can post about
this on the newsgroup rec.arts.movies.past-films. You can also feel free to post about
The Beastmaster or this article on the newsgroup newsguy.writers.scificapsule .
Yipes! Don’t be shy!
After a short Beastmaster film flashback, I’m going to hop right into what the fans think
about the Beastmaster Saga.
Marc Singer mega-fan, Theresa Krakauskas, saw Marc at a science fiction convention in 1991
and again in year 2000. As quoted from her article in the “V” Souvenir Magazine: “Not one
to gossip, a less than flattering account always involved ‘an actor who shall remain
nameless.’ It seems that one nameless actor was somewhat belligerent toward the tiger
(Kipling) who co-starred with Marc in The Beastmaster. The tiger, Marc was happy to tell
us, got his own back by embarrassing said actor during a publicity shoot. Marc's obvious
fondness for animals is one of the things that makes him special, and he told us how
fortunate he was to work with the cat, and how gratifying their scenes were.”
This fondness poured off the screen and into the hearts of many. Let’s see what you have
to say!
Holly "PinkHearts" has never seen the movies, just the TV series. Her favorite
things about the show are the friendship between Dar and Tao and the action/adventure.
Favorite character? “Dar, I love how he protects the animals, his friends, and strangers.
If we in real life, were more like him, this world would be a uch better place. Not to
mention, Daniel Goddard ‘Dar’ is one of my favorite actors!” Yes indeed! Visit the
Daniel Goddard website at. If Holly was
going to choose a character to play on the show, she’d choose “Arina, she is an awesome
warrior!”
Julie Moncada’s favorite character was “Tao (TV series), but I am a sucker for the
sidekicks. In the movie, I really like John Amos' character Seth, who was a great
fighter.” What does Julie like the most about Beastmaster? “I like the element of the
fantastic, that we can get swept away by our imaginations in a story. The settings
themselves are great so it makes it all the more believable. Beyond that, there's the
universal elements of friendship, love, adventure, overcoming hardships, etc.” Changes to
the show? “I think the premise that was introduced with the first season still has some
possibilities that were forgotten. Plus, I want Curupira to come back. Emilie de Ravin did
a great job and it would be wonderful to have her and her character back on screen again.”
And of course, Julie’s Beastmaster website can be found at http://mydlands.fanspace.com.
Laurie Allen runs the Daniel Goddard's fan club and co-manages the BeastMaster Fan Club.
“I am a huge fan of the series, although I enjoyed the Beastmaster movie of 1982, but not
the 2nd or 3rd movie (too hokey). One day, while surfing the channels, I came across the
BeastMaster series and became instantly hooked,” Laurie says. Her favorite character is
“…Dar from the TV series. Daniel Goddard gives his 100+ percent in presenting the
character as a real person... not a super hero, but a man with faults, personality and
charm. The first season's scripts didn't give Daniel's character enough lines, but his
acting ability shined in those episodes that he did. Over the course of season 2 and 3,
Daniel's lines and air time have increased tenfold. I'm thrilled someone realized the gem
of an actor they have.” When asked what she would change about the show, Laurie chose a
route not dealing directly with the script itself: “I would change the marketing. Tribune
and Atlantis Alliance don't seem to advertise the show as much as they do their other
shows, especially those created by ‘Gene Roddenberry.’ If BeastMaster was shown during
prime time' like those shows, the popularity would increase.” Aside from being serious,
Laurie does have a silly side to her! Here’s her response to the question about which
character she’d like to play on the show: “I would love to be a demon or sorceress... all
that power and mischief at my fingertips!”
Blair is a fan of both the movies and the tv series. Her favorite character is “…Tao,
from the TV series. He is very smart and knows a lot of things about medicine and ancient
knowledge. He is also my favorite because he is very brave to help Dar on his journey
even though it has nothing to do with him.” Blair would make the series have longer
running plot lines and , if she had the opportunity, she would want to be a new character,
a girl named Talia Dawn, who would travel with Dar and Tao on their journeys.
Theresa Krakauskas, the above mentioned Marc Singer fan, would have Marc guest star more
often on the series. Now, how’d we know she was going to say that?! “The few episodes
I've seen of the series are pretty good,” Theresa continues, “but I find it weird to see
someone other than Marc Singer playing the Beastmaster.” As for her favorite character:
“While Dar tops the list [from the movies], I really enjoyed the detective team of Coberly
and Bandowski from ‘Beastmaster 2.’ The drastic difference in their appearances made for
good visual comedy and I loved Coberly's concern for Dar. I like that Dar continually
puts the needs of others before his own. While Dar is a man of few words (at least in the
films), his personality is multi-faceted and he can be very funny. His love for his
animals also is very sweet.” Theresa tricks us in her answer to the question “If you
could have a role on the show, either one that exists or a new character, which role would
you choose?” Theresa doesn’t pick Dar! Read on: “I would love to play a female
counterpart to Dar. Someone who is as brave and compassionate as he is, but can also help
him to get out of trouble.” I personally think Theresa would be the one in trouble if she
ever had a spot on the show .
So, whose lives have changed because of The Beastmaster? The fans, the actors, the
writers, producers and everyone else involved in bringing films back to life via
television. Let’s hope this show stays on for a while!
"The Beastmaster"
