The Phoenix (1981)

Long before Ancient Aliens and similar shows became mainstays of cable TV programming, the 1968 book Chariots of the Gods? instigated a worldwide interest in subject matter that lasted over a decade. It postulated that ancient extraterrestrials visited Earth in the distant past and influenced early human culture, including ancient sites like the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge, and the Moai of Easter Island, and that intriguing places such as the Nazca lines in Peru were possibly landing sites for these visitors. The influence of this bestselling book on 1970s pop culture is hard to overstate. It inspired a 1970 film (which had a profitable 1974 domestic theatrical distribution picked up by none other than Sunn Classic Pictures even after it had been shown on U.S. television under a different title) which was even shown in schools. It spawned numerous sequel publications and copycat films such as 1977’s Mysteries of the Gods, hosted by William Shatner. On television, another Star Trek alum was also hosting investigations into the mysteries of the unknown. For six years Leonard Nimoy hosted In Search Of… and by the third episode were considering Chariots of the Gods type ideas. In Search Of… ran new episodes up to 1982.

It was in this zeitgeist that The Phoenix was born. The Phoenix aired as a TV movie airing April 26, 1981, on ABC; created by the husband and wife writing team Anthony and Nancy Lawrence. Anthony Lawrence, a prolific TV writer contributing to 60s/70s shows like The Outer Limits, Bonanza, The Rat Patrol, Hawaii Five-0, and many others, had previously created 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 in 1972, also dealing with paranormal concepts. That paranormal thriller featured Dr. Michael Rhodes (Gary Collins), a professor of parapsychology with ESP, and his assistant Nancy Murphy (Catherine Ferrar), as they investigate supernatural crimes and mysteries.

Dr. Michael Rhodes – leading authority in the investigation of psychic phenomena and the world of ESP.

The Sixth Sense series would follow Dr. Rhodes as he invariably would assist a beautiful, well-off woman dealing with some type of psychic weirdness. The one-hour series didn’t last all that long and is now remembered more for being packaged along with reruns of Night Gallery, resulting in butchered, unwatchable episodes. But instead of dealing with ghosts, possession, or people inexplicably having supernatural powers, The Phoenix would introduce an extraterrestrial reason for its protagonist to have such abilities.

The telefilm opened with the discovery at an archaeological dig in Peru of a mysterious sarcophagus with a relief image on the lid of a Phoenix rising from flames inside a triangle within a circle. Upon being taken to an advanced scientific lab for astro-archaeology, the sarcophagus is opened to reveal a what appears to be a humanoid man submerged in an amniotic-type liquid. The man is completely preserved and has a circular golden medallion hanging from a chain around his neck with the same relief image as on the sarcophagus lid. The man begins to display vital signs, and he leaves the facility unseen while the scientists are discussing things in another room.

Walking down a road, he appears to be glowing as he comes across a young woman in a car that gives him a ride. Shortly, they arrive at the ocean side where a family in a camper van is enjoying the beach with a young boy digging in the sand. The man removes his shirt and kneels to bask in the sun as the boy and his dog approaches him. The man seems at peace and does not interact with anyone. He then sheds his pants as well and disappears into the surf, au naturel.

He reveals himself to be Bennu of the Golden Light (played by Judson Scott) and seeks help from the woman who picked him up, photographer Noel Marshall (Shelly Smith) to locate Dr. Ward Frasier (E.G. Marshall), one of the scientists on the team that discovered him. He seeks minerals and elements he needs to counteract the negative effects of Earth’s modern, polluted environment. Viewers are treated to Bennu’s awakening in the modern world and his possession of numerous powers such as telepathy, levitation, pyrokinesis, and rapid healing, amplified by his Phoenix amulet, which draws power from the Sun. Along the way he helps Timmy, a boy suffering from selective mutism in the wake of a personal tragedy.

The telefilm was produced by Mark Carliner, who also produced a couple of theatrical films in the 80s, Crossroads and Heaven Help Us. He became known for producing Stephen King TV miniseries adaptations: The Shining, Storm of the Century, Rose Red, and Kingdom Hospital. The music theme was composed by Arthur B. Rubinstein. The Phoenix amulet worn by Bennu was designed by the Lawrence’s teenage son Tim Lawrence. This kicked off a Hollywood career as a concept artist and designer for film and TV, and “Fireball” Tim has racked up some 400 credits working in the industry over the last 35 years including such hits as Batman, Jurassic Park, Mars Attacks, Twister, Gone in 60 Seconds, and recent Marvel films. Check out his work at Fireball Tim Garage.

The core concept of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘹 creatively blended the ‘ancient astronauts’ concept with ancient mythologies of the Greek Phoenix and the Egyptian Bennu, a bird deity associated with creation, rebirth, and the sun. Bennu himself reminded me much of Cain on Kung Fu in more ways than one: compassionate, caring, benevolent, fighting only in self-defense or the defense of others. The Lawrences reportedly wrote the script for the telefilm in six and a half days after getting approval from ABC. The resulting film was almost exactly what they originally envisioned, a rarity for screenwriters.

But even though they aired it, ABC seemed uncomfortable with several aspects of the telefilm. The religious references and implications were certainly one of them. Another was the beach scene after Bennu fled the medical facility, intended to depict Bennu’s otherworldly innocence and enable him to recharge from the sun and elements. The original edit much more clearly showed Bennu disrobing and walking naked into the surf in silhouette in the presence of 10-year-old Timmy. According to Nancy Lawrence, ABC Network reps nearly had a stroke during the scene and demanded it be edited down. Still, they couldn’t ignore the 30 share the telefilm received, so ABC would be trying out a series. The Lawrences wrote an incredibly detailed backstory and mythology as part of a series bible (writers guide) as well as five episode scripts. However, a writers’ strike took place over the summer of 1981, which delayed the start of the fall season, and during this time, ABC had additional notes for the series, including a near-complete tonal change.

Wanting yet another series resembling The Fugitive (which by now had been seen in The Immortal, Kung Fu, The Incredible Hulk, and other shows), ABC discarded the Lawerence’s series bible and scripts and brought in different writers, headed by script supervisor Wilma Garscadden-Gahret. The four scripts that got filmed were thus completely new scripts by these writers, with the Lawrences receiving “created by” credits. The character of federal agent Justin Preminger (Richard Lynch) as a relentless pursuer was added, as was Bennu’s search for Mira (Bennu’s intended mate), and Yago (Bennu’s evil counterpart from his home planet Eldebran), all elements which were not present in the original concept. This was all introduced to viewers with the opening narration.

Long ago, in a remote corner of the world, ancient astronauts landed from a distant planet with a gift for mankind… the Phoenix. For a thousand years, he has waited… suspended in time. Now, he’s awakened to complete his mission. He searches for his partner, Mira. For only she knows his ultimate assignment on Earth. Dependent on the sun for his strength and survival, endowed with a superior intelligence, he has fully developed the powers of the human mind. Relentlessly pursued by those who seek to control him, he must stay free. The Phoenix.

While the resulting episodes airing in March and April 1982 were certainly passable Friday night entertainment, Nancy Lawrence stated they bore little resemblance to the original intended concept and tone. Ordering only a small four-episode run to test the waters, ABC (in their infinite wisdom) scheduled it against the number one show on TV, CBS ratings powerhouse Dallas in the 9/8pm Central timeslot, where many a sci-fi/fantasy genre show was sent to die. When it did not perform well enough, it was not picked up for the fall season.

Despite its brief run, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘹 garnered a dedicated following, inspiring fanzines in the 1980s and even a fan convention, PhoenixCon ’84. In attendance was Judson Scott, Richard Lynch, and Angelique Pettyjohn. Although never officially released on home video, the existence of recordings of a Sci-Fi Channel rerun and Facebook fan page The Phoenix (starring Judson Scott) indicate a continued niche interest in this incredibly short-lived series. A 2018 podcast from Forgotten TV is available that fully considers The Phoenix.