JamesH Posted September 21, 2013 Being a child of the 50's my original sci-fi exposure was with monsters from outer space, radiation bug mutations and giant Japanese speaking demons from the deep. I got my drivers licenses by the mid sixties and my trips to the drive-ins became more frequent. Then in the summer of 65 I spotted one of my favorite TV actors in a film about germ warfare. I first saw George Maharis in the TV show "Route 66". He was the passenger in that Corvette Stingray with Martin Milner doing most of the driving. George left the show in 63 to my regret and it was nice to see in a movie no matter the subject. As a general rule, as a kid, I didn't much care about how the movie was crafted if it got me out of the house. But in the case of "The Satan Bug", I was totally blown out of the car on it's sheer assemblage by director John Sturges. With the cold war of the 60's, it seemed appropriate for the time, if not down right freaky scary. We all knew about the "bomb" but thermonuclear warfare was something you could see, viruses you can't and when we can't see something, then it becomes all the more scarier. Particularly, if you are a teenager. I tried to stay up to watch it last night on TCM but darn it, age and time has me. I caught the first 30 or 40 minutes then zonked out. But it still is a real treat of a movie which hasn't lost much of it's punch. Looking at it today through more mature eyes, it seems rather evident that it was made with a small budget and limited resources. If more had been put into the "Bug", who knows it could have been truly great if not the greatest science fiction or science factual movie ever. I will always be fond of it and rank it as one of the better works of Mr Sturges and Mr Maharis. Made at a time when the world was fearful of what may happen between the US and the USSR. It surely capitalized on that fear which resulted in a very persuasive relevance to the events that were unfolding. If Dr Strangelove can love the Bomb, I can certainly love the Bug... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kid Dabb Posted September 24, 2013 I caught pieces of The Satan Bug many years ago and have missed my last two opportunities to see this in it's entirety due to it's inconvenient time slot. This is on YouTube in 11 - 10 minute installments.. I won't do that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted October 5, 2018 Same here. I know more about the flick from reading about it than from actually having seen it. I should trust Sturges, he never fails--but every time I start to watch this one, after Act 1 the action wanes and it becomes a snooze-fest. Someday I'll get over that mid-narrative slump and make all the way through. 'Andromeda Strain' #1, for me... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted October 16, 2018 What I find unfathomable is that Dustin Hoffman at some point, apparently made some silly-looking germ flick 'Outbreak'. Why? He's the last actor I would take credibly portraying a doctor or scientist. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted October 18, 2018 On 10/15/2018 at 10:17 PM, Sgt_Markoff said: What I find unfathomable is that Dustin Hoffman at some point, apparently made some silly-looking germ flick 'Outbreak'. Why? He's the last actor I would take credibly portraying a doctor or scientist. Then you should check out Hoffman in "Sphere" (1998) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
