Clip, review, notes: "Spirits of Jupiter" film
Walt Jaschek's scenes as Harold Pilgrain in the 1984 cult movie + an early review from the film's theatrical release + the studio's original, 23-page production document, available for download.
Yes, I was an actor in the obscure 1984 action/horror/comedy “Spirits of Jupiter,” and I lived to tell about it. (But spoiler: not on-screen!) In this post, I have a clip of my feature film debut scenes — plus bonuses: the original newspaper ad for the film; an early review of the film’s theatrical release in Colorado; and (big find) a PDF of the studio’s original production notes, complete with story synopsis.
"Spirits of Jupiter," also known as "Planet Gone Mad," was written and directed by Russell Kern, with cinematography by Steve Flanigan. Filmed in and around Canon City, Colorado, the film – with high production values for a low-budget indy – includes hundreds of locals as actors and extras. Leading man was Rex Cutter, also executive producer. The former Hollywood stuntman stars as Big Jim Drill, owner of Drill Mining, and seemingly the only sane man on a planet slowly going mad. In these clips, I’m Harold Pilgrain, supervisor of Big Jim's mine. Harold warns Big Jim that the miners are acting funny; that act might just cost his life. Here’s the scene.
Yep. That’s 29-year-old me as Harold Pilgrain, with Big Jim Drill in “The Spirits of Jupiter” (1984.) See me jump out of a moving plane and get killed with shovels by crazed mine workers as the planet goes mad. All in a day's work for a comedy actor in the 80s. And yes, I did my own stunts.
Here are the full IMDB credits for the film. And now, those bonuses!
Bonus #1: Original “Spirits of Jupiter” newspaper ad
Saved by me from the Colorado Springs Sun the week the movie came out in ‘84. Scanned by me and posted here for posterity!
Bonus #2: A review from the film’s theatrical release
Also saved by me from the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, 1984. Here’s a pic of the newspaper page, followed by text of the review itself.
"Jupiter Filled With Violence"
From the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, Friday, March 2, 1984
By Linda D. Smith
GT Features Writer
CANON CITY – The residents of this city turned our Thursday night for the premiere of "Spirits of Jupiter," a film starring many of their friends and neighbors.
Rocky Mountain Studios and Producers Group Ltd., a Colorado Springs production company, filmed the movie in Canon City and surrounding Fremont County last year, relying on the local residents for talent and local scenery for backdrops.
Written and directed by Russell S. Kern of Colorado Springs, "The Spirits of Jupiter" takes the predictions of 16th century philosopher Nostradamas and applies them to 1984. In particular, Kern has taken the idea if the planets Jupiter and Saturn were to align, the result would be a gravitational pull that would wreak havoc on the people of Earth.
The story line has given the film makers a great deal of latitude in creating a fill full of violence.
In one scene after another, viewers see a bloody headless corpse, a man's eyeball ripped from the socket by a crazed dog, and friends turning against neighbors with guns, knives and meat cleavers.
The story follows mine owner Big Jim Drill, played by Rex Cutter, who is spared the ravages of the gravitational pull. His first interest is in keeping his mine open, until things get so out of hands, he becomes more concerned about the survival of his family. The movie is filled with some very colorful and talented characters, including a modern-day Nostradamas, played by Richard Luna, Drill's airplane mechanic, portrayed by Cliff Willis, and the fidgety mine supervisor, played by Walter Jaschek.
The roles of Drill's son and daughter and filled by two Colorado Springs residents. Handsome Chopper Burnet, a drama student at Colorado College, portrays Drill's son Robert with a great deal of finesse. Carol Engel, a regular performer at the Iron Springs Chateau, plays Jennifer Drill.
And when it comes to villains, James Aerni's portrayal of police chief Julius Switcher rivals any melodrama house in the area. In the movie, when Switcher first succumbs to the gravitational pull, he gets the most sinister gleam in his eye when he takes off his boot and begins playing a game of Russian roulette with his toes.
Steven R. Flanigan of Colorado Springs, who is the director photography, has made tremendous use of the Canon City area in filming "Spirits of Jupiter." The action sequences are well done and use a variety of vehicles, from cars and motorcycles to airplanes and helicopters. But Flanigan is best in the aerial sequences, capturing the beautiful countryside on film. Thursday night's audience at the Skyline Theatre in Canon City seemed to relish seeing themselves and their friends on the big screen.
Colorado Springs residents will get to see and critique the film at its only performance here, at 4:30 p.m. March 9 at the Cooper Theatre. Tickets are $4 in advance from Budget Tapes and Records, Independent Records, big Apple Tapes and Records, or at the door.
[[End review]]
Bonus #3: Original “Spirits of Jupiter” Production Notes from the Studio
Yes, here is the original, 23-page “production notes” for the film, released by Rocky Mountain Studios and Producers Group, Colorado Springs, the studio behind “Spirits of Jupiter.” Subscribe to this Substack newsletter, and download the PDF for free!
From those production notes, some text about the story and the production.
THE STORY
A series of gruesome murders is occurring in Canon City, and Chief Julius Switcher (James Aerni) is powerless to stop himself from committing several of them. With a gleeful sort of precision, he has just executed two unnamed suspects in the local restaurant. Like the gunblasted glass on the cafe floor, Chief Switcher is cracking up.
The two men Switcher killed were employed by his old friend, rough-and-tumble mine owner Big Jim Drill (Rex Cutter.) The miners have been causing a lot of trouble lately, and resentment against them runs high among the locals.
Demands that Switcher do something about “the Drill miners” results in Switcher shutting down the mine operation. Drill is attempting to consolidate his family by asking son Robert (Chopper Bernet) and beautiful daughter Jenny (Carol Engels) to return home when he gets the bad news.
Meanwhile, scicnets report that recent worldwide surges in violence may be attributable to an unexplainable shift in the orbital patterns of several planets. Strange behavior is to be expected in man and animal alike.
When Big Jim attempts to fly his private plane to the mine, Chief Switcher appears at the end of the runway to block his path. Drill norrowly escapes, aided by Robert and his trusted mechanic Pappy (Cliff Willis.) Switcher becomes bent on revenge as Drill’s tiny, yellow airplan fights its way through the rugged mountains toward his mine.
Upon arrival, Jim’s hapless but well-meaning manager Harold Pilgrain (Walt Jaschek) informs him of a new dilemma. The miners complained of a strange sickness and became violent. They nearly ruined the entire operations. [Read more in the embedded production notes above.]
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
“The Spirits of Jupiter” was conceived as a co-production between Rocky Mountain Studios and Producers Group Ltd., both Colorado corporations. The screenplay was selected by the producers following a search for material which extended to the West Coast. It was spring of 1983, and by late May the cameras were ready to roll. [Read more in the embedded production notes above.]