The Beauty of the Beast

[puppetmaker]

Back in the late 1980s a TV show came on the air that was really not given a snowballs chance in a very hot place of last more than a couple of episodes and became a cult phenomenon. No one could every really put their finger on why it worked but it did. I think a lion's share of the credit goes to the actor who played the male lead who really had an uphill slog to get his emotions to read on TV.

I am of course talking about Beauty and the Beast. A fun little tale of star crossed lovers in New York City. The casting was magnificent. The underground realm was well thought out as was the politics of the place. The writing was top notch. For me it was love at first episode. It was really the first show in a long time that brought a serious romance onto the small screen.

Ron Perlman was at the time known for one film called Quest for Fire where he had been cast as a caveman because of his visage. He really didn't get to say much in the film. In the TV series he was able to use that magnificent voice of his to its fullest potential. Between that and his eyes, he conveyed so much of the character and became, much to both him and his wife, a sex symbol.

An entire fandom was formed overnight and a number of the groups still exist. Beauty and the Beast fans would speculate as to what was going to happen next in the story of our star crossed lovers. We waited for that kiss only to be informed that it was not going to happen (but they were very huggy). Then there was the episode that we were informed might have that kiss that we were anticipating but then maybe not. The show could be a tease.

Then Terminator hit and Linda Hamilton decided that film was more her thing so she wanted out or she wanted to spend more time with her child depending on who is telling the story. The last season of the series was either loved or hated by the fans and a number of groups split up over this point. It was my first experience with what I now know are called Flame Wars. Personally I didn't mind the later half of the episodes. I even saw a couple that many fans missed during a really crazy summer rotation where they were burning off some episodes. I call them the "Father Episodes" so as not to be spoilery about them.

Since then I have met most of the actors on the series through both conventions and my professional work and a number of the writers again through the same means. Most if not all have pretty fond memories of that series. Ron Perlman jokes that Vincent got him ready to play Hellboy at least for the make-up chair time. The fans still exist as do the groups. There is still plenty of fanfic on the series to this day. The last convention that was run by fans was back in 2003 but that convention had been around for 14 years which is not bad for a 3 season TV show that is not science fiction based. There were even a couple of comic books and books based on the series. (Funny story about the painting that they used that Wendy Pini did for the cover of her graphic novel. She did the painting and they loved it so much that they did a story based on it even though it kind of gave the cover to the issue a different meaning since the public had seen it in the episode before the comic came out ....Got all that?)

Personally this series for me cemented a couple of friendships that I have to this day. It was a costume that I went for the win with at a convention and then spent the evening talking to George R.R. Martin about the series. He really loved how we did the make-up. We did the entire costume based on two episodes and a Starlog cover which was of course shot through that GD gauze which made it very hard to see detail. I was and am very proud of that costume. Today's Icon is me in Vincent II.

I am grateful that this series finally made it to DVD.

Comments

[bainidhe-dub.livejournal.com]

I vaguely remember that show - it was on.. USA? right?

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Maybe in repeats. The original series was shown on CBS but the time slot jumped around like a mexican jumping bean at times.

[jenny_evergreen]

Awesome costume!

I always want to see lovers united; that series drove me crazy. :) Thanks for letting me know it's out on DVD!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Then you know about the episode I am alluding to about the "kiss" which almost sparked as much controversey as when Linda Hamilton bowed out.

[jenny_evergreen]

Yep, although my memory is vague after all these years!

[wandereringray.livejournal.com]

Boy there's a memory. *sighs happily* I loved that show. My sister even more so. I think it was one of the first really good TV shows I ever saw.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I rewatched the first episode this morning. I had forgotten that we don't see Vincent's face until Catherine see him.

[bayarts.livejournal.com]

I was always amazed by the whole "Beauty and the Beast" fan base. I had an acquaintance in New Mexico who was part of the big fan club thing. She would spend hour after hour writing imaginary scenes that would never run nor be published. I never understood it, but the friendships that were forged through that club were global and still exist today.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Yep. I still have a couple of friends I might see every other year at best but we found each other through our BatB connections.

[tru2myart.livejournal.com]

I loved, loved, LOVED that series!!! I was a hopelessly romantic teenager when the show was on and I even bought the tape with the music from the show as well as the tape of poetry that Ron Perlman read "as the Beast". :D

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Funny story about that tape of poetry. When Ron went in to read it the first time, the technician couldn't figure out what sounded "wrong" or "off" and had Ron listen to it to see what he thought. Ron immediately figured out what was wrong and came back the next day to record with the Beast's teeth wear while he was recording.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

That should read

Beast's teeth to wear

Grrr

[tru2myart.livejournal.com]

:laughs: That's awesome! Do you think he enjoyed his role as the Beast? I know that makeup and padded clothing he wore must have gotten hot.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Well it got people to take him more seriously as an actor. He has never regretted doing the series but I find that he likes to talk about what he is doing and getting ready to do more than what he has done.

[auryn29a.livejournal.com]

I missed most of the series when it was on the air. Maybe I didn't care or something. Maybe I was busy. I dunno. But when Sci-Fi picked it up when I was in college, I watched pretty much the whole thing. I remember thinking, "Hey, didn't Marvel do this idea already?"

I liked the series mostly because the main character shares my name and I've always felt rather feline. Rowr!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

A number of versions of this tale existed before the TV series including a plethora of fairy tales but still this worked very well and acctually holds up as long as you remember that this is the late 80s early 90s so things like cellphones don't exist in the form we are use to.

[auryn29a.livejournal.com]

That's a very interesting point about cell phones. Cell phones are changing television drama. Writers don't know what to do with them. I'm amused at how often cell phones have no signal or no power in tvland. Somehow it takes away from the story when the protagonist can contact anyone else at any time. Writers have tried to ignore them for some time, but now I suppose it's impossible.

[susan-wright.livejournal.com]

I have to get the DVD - I can't wait to see if it's as good the second time around.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I can tell you that so far it has held up for me.

[fufaraw]

I just ripped "Of Love and Hope" to my nano, I've had the DVD preordered since it first hit Amazon. Finally, I can throw away those mouldering off-air VHS tapes that have grown too fragile in 20 years to risk watching--but they were my last link to B&tB.

Our younger son, who was a huge fan, whose adult voice is a deep and resonant baritone, will deliver Sonnet 29 in Vincent's cadences if asked. And we used an idea from the season two episode, "Ashes, Ashes" to commemorate our elder son's birthday, the first one we had to get through after his death last summer.

I cannot wait for the DVDs.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I have a set of video tapes in just about as good as condition since I use to watch and rewatch the episodes a lot.

There are not really any extras to the set but for me that didn't matter. It was great to see a clean clear copy of the episodes again.

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

I pre-ordered my DVDs a couple of months back; I've been waiting for the series on DVD for years now. I was a huge fan. And now I'm watching my mailbox daily.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I may have gotten mine before the release date now that I consider who I got them from but I believe it is either this week or next week (I think next right before Valentine's Day)

[querldox.livejournal.com]

Next week's the official release date.

[beltainelady.livejournal.com]

OOOhhh...I used to LOVE this series!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

It holds up which is really nice for a TV show that is about 20 years old.

[readinggeek451]

You got them early. The official release date is next Tuesday (Feb 13--someone has an excellent sense of timing). I can't wait!

I hope they release the other two seasons soon.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

From what I can gather they are looking at this two ways Plan A is once a year at Valentines Plan b is about a 6 month gap.

Personally I like plan B.

And it still works as a series. I have been grooving on it all day.

[readinggeek451]

Cool! I could live with once a year, but I like Plan B even better.

[vysion-of-books.livejournal.com]

I loved that show and I'm not even the demographic for it. I had completely forgotten about it until your post. What a series.. romance, action and of all things to see on television, poetry readings. Glorious!