Cult Favorite Rankin/Bass-Tsuburaya Co-production Available March 22nd
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Warner Archive Collection
Special Thanks to Gabriel Vicuna and Ed Godziszewski
“It eats meat! Us!!” It is a Tyrannosaurus, ruler of a lost world hidden within a dormant polar volcano. Us are members of expedition led by a big game hunter and überzillionaire (Richard Boone). And eats – well, you get the idea, tyrant lizard fans! Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, who charmed families with THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS and more animated and stop-motion holiday heartwarmers, relied on dinomight for THE LAST DINOSAUR, the sort of thrill-a-minute popcorn-seller that gives bad movies a good name. Join the adventurers as they encounter a perilous array of prehistoric beasts, a tribe of savage cavemen and a T. rex who, despite its less-than-special effect appearance, can kick some serious Triceratops butt. -synopsis courtesy of Warner Archive The 1977 cult classic THE LAST DINOSAUR— one of three movies produced by the American studio Rankin/Bass in association with Tsuburaya Productions in Japan— is coming to DVD from the Warner Archive Collection.
Rankin/Bass Productions was founded in 1960 by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass and is best known for their popular holiday television specials RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (1964), THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY (1968), FROSTY THE SNOWMAN (1969), SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN` TO TOWN (1970), `TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1974), and THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS (1974). The company also produced the cartoon TV series KING KONG (1966), THE JACKSON FIVE (1971), THUNDERCATS (1985), and SILVERHAWKS (1986), and the animated films MAD MONSTER PARTY? (1967), THE HOBBIT (1977) THE RETURN OF THE KING (1980), and THE LAST UNICORN (1982).
The majority of Rankin/Bass` projects were animated by Japanese studios like Toei Animation, Pacific Animation Corporation, and Tadahito Mochinaga`s stop-motion company MOM Productions. They also partnered with Japanese companies for their occasional forays into live-action productions such as the feature film KING KONG ESCAPES (Kingu Kongu no Gyakushu, 1967), a co-production with Toho Co. Ltd and based on the Rankin/Bass KING KONG cartoon show. In the late 1970s,
Rankin/Bass and Tsuburaya Productions (ULTRAMAN) teamed-up for a trio of English language, live-action movies; THE LAST DINOSAUR (1977), THE BERMUDA DEPTHS (1978), and THE IVORY APE (1980). The three films were primarily made by the same crew; producers Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, and Benni Korzen; director Tsugunobu "Tom" Kotani (THE PINK LADIES MOTION PICTURE, WHITE LOVE, THE BUSHIDO BLADE), screenwriter William Overgard (Rudy, THUNDERCATS, SILVERHAWKS); music composer Maury Laws (MAD MONSTER PARTY?, THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS); special effects director Kazuo "Mark" Sagawa (MIGHTY JACK, ULTRAMAN: GREAT MONSTER BATTLE, ULTRAMAN COSMOS: THE FIRST CONTACT); and associate producer Masaki Iizuka (THE HOBBIT, THUNDERCATS) among them.
Writer William Overgard originally developed THE LAST DINOSAUR as a time travel story about a hunter traveling back to the Cretaceous Period to stalk the last tyrannosaur. With hype building for Dino DeLaurentiis` big budget KING KONG remake (1976), Rankin/Bass saw the potential in Overgard`s story and hired him to rework THE LAST DINOSAUR into a "lost world" tale set in the modern day.
The film starred Richard Boone as Masten Thrust, a bored billionaire, womanizer, and big game hunter who sees himself as the last of his kind. Boone was a popular star of westerns, best known for the lead role of `Paladin` in the television series HAVE GUN- WILL TRAVEL (1957-1963) and for co-starring in the John Wayne films THE ALAMO (1960), BIG JAKE (1971), and THE SHOOTIST (1976). The same year THE LAST DINOSAUR was released, Boone also provided the voice of Smaug the dragon in Rankin/Bass` animated version of THE HOBBIT.
The female lead, Francesca "Frankie" Banks, was played by Joan Van Ark, who would go on to star in the long running DALLAS spin-off, KNOT`S LANDING (1979-1993). Co-star Steven Keats played scientist Chuck Wade. Keats was an Emmy-nominated actor who appeared in theatrical features such as DEATH WISH (1972) and television productions like THE EXECUTIONER`S SONG (1982) and Rankin/Bass`s THE IVORY APE. Cast in the role of Dr Kawamoto was Tetsu Nakamura, who starred in THE MANSTER (1959) and was a supporting player in numerous Toho FX films (THE MYSTERIANS, THE H-MAN, THE HUMAN VAPOR, MOTHRA, ATRAGON, LATITUDE ZERO, SPACE AMOEBA).
While released theatrically overseas, in the United States each Rankin/Bass films premiered as a primetime "Movie of the Week" on the ABC television network. THE LAST DINOSAUR debuted February 11, 1977 on the ABC Friday Night Movie, where it earned an impressive 25.2% rating with 41% of television sets running during its time slot tuned in to the film. After its broadcast on network TV, THE LAST DINOSAUR went on to air in syndication for many years. Long unavailable in the United States,
THE LAST DINOSAUR is finally coming to DVD from Warner Bros` online distribution service, the Warner Archive Collection, which uses a "manufacturing on demand (MOD)" system to sell older and more obscure films and television programs that would otherwise likely not be released. The Warner Archive Collection individually burns NTSC format, Region 0 DVD-Rs that are sourced from materials from the studio`s vaults and shrink wrapped in hard plastic Amaray cases. The average cost per title is $19.95 plus shipping. Digital downloads of most Archive Collection films can per purchased for $14.95 each.
The Warner Archive Collection DVD of THE LAST DINOSAUR can be ordered from the Warner Bros online store WBShop.com. The title is currently $16.56, a 17% discount off the standard retail price.
Studio: Warner Bros.
Screen Aspect: 16x9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
Run Time: 106 minutes
Packaging Type: Amaray Case
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Available Date: 3/22/11