SUMMARY Opening:   No backpacks.   Burke:  No waistcoat. Closing:  No backpacks.   Burke:  Waistcoat. NOTES As the saga begins, our human heroes arrive on the Planet of the Apes with all manner of goodies: a starship, some stylish flight suits… but no backpacks. (Not even the ones seen in the original 1967 feature film).   Burke acquires his waistcoat, together with the rest of his contemporary human attire, during the course of the story—in the same way that Virdon obtains his—and is still wearing it as events draw to a close.   There are no signs of any backpacks at this stage. After the destruction of the starship, as the two astronauts and their simian companion make their way through the forest, we can clearly see they have only the clothes they are standing up in, and are unencumbered by any baggage—apart from one Magnetic Flight Recording Disc and a 1980 portrait of the Virdon family, of course.   In the very last instant, however, as our point of view switches to a long shot of the trio strolling past a picturesque lake, we can see that they have suddenly acquired backpacks. This is because we are seeing stock footage from “The Good Seeds”, and so it doesn’t count.   Not really. SUMMARY Opening:   Backpacks!   Burke:  Waistcoat! Closing:  Backpacks.   Burke:  Waistcoat. NOTES “The Good Seeds” was the first episode of the “Apes” TV series to be filmed, and in the first scene featuring the three fugitives, as they reach the summit of a large hill, we see they are bearing their respective backpacks.   We are never offered any explanation of where the luggage came from, but each is distinctive in appearance, and for as long as our heroes have them, each character carries the same pack.   Virdon and Burke’s are quite sophisticated, with adjustable metal clasps on the shoulder straps. It’s conspicuous that, of the two, the senior astronaut’s is the most elaborate—with an additional pocket—and is always augmented by the only canteen the trio possess. Galen’s is notable for the thong-like stitching, and for the four cords which hang from the underside—clearly intended to facilitate the attachment of a bedroll.   I can’t help but feel they are “found objects”—in both their fictional context and in terms of the show’s production—and had been manufactured for previous Fox Studio projects.   In “The Good Seeds”, the backpacks actually play a role in the story that exposes the high level of creativity invested in the “Apes” series. After the scene in which Galen falls and the astronauts tend to his injuries, we move forward in time to find the group stumbling across Polar’s farm. The injured chimpanzee is now being carried on an improvised stretcher.   Burke is still wearing his backpack. Galen is using his as a pillow. Of Virdon’s there is no sign—until we are given a low angle medium shot of our heroes picking up the stretcher and moving forward—at which point we see that Virdon’s backpack has been built into the stretcher itself, and is supporting the small of Galen’s back. No attention is drawn to this—but it’s there, and demonstrates just how seriously the “Apes” team were taking their work. SUMMARY Opening:   Backpacks.   Burke:  Waistcoat. Closing:  No backpacks.   Burke:  No waistcoat. NOTES When we encounter our heroes at the beginning of “The Gladiators”, they are moving towards a large lake, with their backpacks in place, and are preparing to take a few moments respite. Throughout all the events that follow: the investigation of the sounds of combat, the fight with the humans Tolar and Dalton, the journey to Kaymak… the three fugitives retain possession of their luggage—and Burke his waistcoat—up until the moment where Virdon and Burke are arrested after an abortive attempt at horse thievery, and Galen is offered a hut for the night by Barlow, the Chimpanzee prefect of the community fate has brought them to.   After this turn of events, however, the fugitives’ luggage is never seen again.   When we rejoin the astronauts on the morning after their apprehension, and find them sleeping on the floor of a cage, their backpacks are noticable by their absence. This makes perfect sense. It is logical to assume their belongings would have been confiscated by Barlow’s guards. We also see that both Virdon and Burke have removed their waistcoats and are using them as pillows. Although Virdon is later seen wearing his once more, Burke remains waistcoat-free for the duration of the astronauts’ stay in Kaymak.   Presumably, Galen stores his backpack in the “rather nice hut” Barlow finds for him—and is denied the opportunity to return for it by the arrival of Urko’s Lieutenant, Jason… SUMMARY Opening:  Backpacks!   Burke:  Waistcoat. Closing:  No backpacks.   Burke:  Waistcoat. NOTES As “The Legacy” dawns, we find the fugitives unknowingly making their way through the hills surrounding the ruins of Oakland. Once again, they are carrying their backpacks, and Burke is wearing his waistcoat. In view of the fact that the respective parties were bereft of these items at the conclusion of the preceding tale (in production order) we can only assume they must have returned to Kaymak to reclaim them, despite the air of finality to “The Gladiators” closing scenes…   Our heroes relieve themselevs of their burdens in order to begin an assault on the pile of rubble masking the vault door in the lobby of the Oakland Science Institute. Virdon and Galen’s luggage then remains absent for the remainder of the yarn, but Burke keeps his close at hand during the time he is excercising his battery-manufacturing skills.   While he is working, the dark-haired astronaut sheds his waistcoat for a time, but then dons it again when retiring for the night.   Curiously, when Burke and Galen leave the Science Institute for the “Mid-Town Railway Station”, and the vault containing the sum of mankind’s knowledge, they do not appear to take their backpacks with them. Nor do they leave them behind; when Urko enters the lobby of their former residence, there is no evidence that the fugitives were ever there.   This represents, I think, a disappointing oversight on the part of the “Apes” production team. The backpacks contain our heroes’ essentials for day-to-day living: their blankets, for instance. We see Burke extract a knife from his earlier in the story. There is no suggestion in the story that, when the astronaut and the chimpanzee leave the Science Institute, they are being pursued, or are under any immediate pressure—although Urko’s search parties are close by. The two fugitives take the time to rebuilt the mountain of debris in front of the vault door, for example. There is no reason, therefore, for them not to take their bags and baggage—and Virdon’s—with them. As it is, the backpacks are nowhere to be seen in the latter half of the story. SUMMARY Opening:  Backpacks!   Burke:  Waistcoat. Closing:  No backpacks.   Burke:  No waistcoat. NOTES To a deluded obsessive like myself, “The Trap” offers all manner of intriguing waistcoat and backpack-related shinannegins. When we first see Burke, he is hiding in some undergrowth, alongside Virdon and Galen. The fugitives are watching a gorilla heliographer forwarding a report concerning their whereabouts to Urko. Although we only see the dark-haired astronaut in extreme close-up, enough of him is on view to tell us that he is not wearing his waistcoat…   He is also waistcoat-free when Virdon and he assault and incapacitate the luckless signalman—or, rather, signal-ape, in order to enable Galen to transmit a misleading message to their pursuers, with the intention of sending them on a wild renegade chase.   With their respective tasks complete, the three fugitives approach an area where their belongings have been assembled. On top of the three steepled backpacks is Burke’s waistcoat. We see him pick the garment up and, as the trio descend the hillside, he is holding it in his hand. This is the final appearance the garment makes in the series.   The intriguing aspect to all this is: why was it on top of the pile of gear? The implication is that Burke removed it in order to be unencumbered when he and Virdon attacked the heliographer—and yet he wasn’t wearing it to begin with. A continuity error?   On the subject of the backpacks, the fugitives were clearly sans luggage at the conclusion of the preceeding episode, “The Legacy”, but they are once again in possession of it as this one opens. We can only assume, therefore, that they returned to Oakland to retrieve it after dropping Arn and Kraik off at Derlin’s farm. As to where they had left it in the first place, well… Maybe Burke and Galen stashed their belongings somewhere “safe” during their journey from the Science Institute to the Railway Station.   The backpacks are abandoned yet again in “The Trap”, while our heroes are attempting to evade capture by Urko, Zako and company.   Burke slips free of his and casts it aside when running from a horse-bound Urko through the ruins of a San Franciscan alleyway. Virdon sheds his while in hiding: we see him enter a building with it on, then later watch as he slips it from his shoulders before re-emerging pack-less. Galen likewise has his in place when he takes refuge in the ruins, but when we see him later he no longer has it. We can only assume that, like Virdon, he removed it to improve his mobility. As it is, at the story’s conclusion, as our heroes take their leave of Sutter Street and find somewhere to catch their breath, the backpacks are nowhere to be seen. SUMMARY Opening:  Backpacks.   Burke:  No waistcoat. Closing:  Backpacks!   Burke:  No waistcoat. NOTES Our heroes’ next adventure, “The Cure”, begins with what should have been the conclusion of an unseen chapter in their lives, as they prepare to leave the village of Trion, where they have taken refuge for a time. We see Burke and Galen assisting each other in adjusting their backpacks—which is interesting because in the preceding story, of course, they had left the ruins of San Francisco without them.   Clearly they must have returned to the remains of “Bahgdad By The Bay” to recover their belongings some time after the earthquake dust had settled…   One noteworthy aspect of “The Cure” is that it gives us the only “normal” campfire scene in the series, providing us with a glimpse of how the fugitives spend one of their more mundane evenings.   We learn that the backpacks contain blankets, and see Burke eating some food that has been wrapped in a cloth. It’s a wonderful moment that lends credibility to the characters and their situation, and sets the scene for the adventure to follow. SUMMARY Opening:  Backpacks.   Burke:  No waistcoat. Closing:  No backpacks.   Burke:  No waistcoat. NOTES Our first sight of the fugitives in “The Liberator” is a wonderfully insightful, tranquil moment in which the trio are making their way slowly along the remains of an ancient pre-holocaust road, sharing memories and discussing their differing attitudes to their situation.   Inevitably, the peace and quiet is shattered—violently—but this time the threat to the lives and liberty of our heroes comes from the human inhabitants of the planet of the apes. The people of the village of Borak reward an act of kindness on the part of the astronauts and their simian companion by taking Virdon and Burke prisoner.   At the moment of their capture, the three fugitives are in full possession of their backpacks.   We next see the two astronauts after they have been placed in a cage, and their luggage is nowhere to be seen. Presumably, it has been confiscated by their captors.   Initially, Galen fares a little better. He is treated as a guest, and is provided with the best accomodation the dwellers of Borak can offer—his own hut. It makes perfect sense that the renegade chimpanzee would decide to store his backpack there—except that he appears without it before he has been shown to his room!   Shortly after the astronauts are incarcerated, the renegade Chimpanzee is granted an audience with Brun—the spiritual and political leader of Borak—and during their exchange, it is noticable that Galen is free of all physical burdens. It’s always possible, of course, that he still has his backpack with him (where else could it be?) and that it is out of our line of sight. Maybe he’s removed it, and placed it on a chair, or the floor, while he has his chat…   Less easy to explain is the fact that Galen doesn’t take the backpack with him when he subsequently attempts to free the two astronauts. Surely he was planning to leave Borak as quickly as possible and, having liberated Virdon and Burke, would not want to lose time returning to his hut to collect his gear?   Our first sight of the interior of the hut allocated to Galen occurs after his abortive rescue attempt, when he too becomes a captive. His pack is nowhere to be seen. It is always possible, of course, that the Chimpanzee’s personal belongings have been removed by his human hosts because of his bad behaviour.   In any event, the fugitives’ luggage fails to return to the stage even when Brun’s son and heir, Miro, decides to help Virdon and Burke escape. In view of the fact that the young huntsman is freeing them as part of a plan to save the life of his partner, Talia, it would have been logical for him to have restored the astronauts’ possessions to them, to ensure they had everything they needed to make a swift and successful departure—but he doesn’t.   Even after Brun dies while attempting to save his gas bombs, and Miro—now the leader of Borak—grants our heroes their freedom, they remain bereft of bags and baggage. It would be easy to suggest, of course, that at the conclusion of the story—as Virdon, Burke and Galen walk out of frame after attending the funeral of Brun—our heroes are on their way to retrieve their possessions before resuming their journey.   Unfortunately, however, the backpacks are still absent at the start of the following adventure…