ZZZZZZ
STARRING:
Philip Abbott, Marsha Hunt, Joanna Frank, Booth Colman.
A queen bee transforms into a woman, with the intent of mating with a male scientist.
QUICK SCAN…
The “buzz” on this episode is pretty good. Check out Joanna Frank, who is impressive as the queen bee who becomes a woman. Fans of TV’s, “The FBI,” will appreciate Philip Abbott’s solid performance as a bee expert.
SYNOPSIS…
A Queen bee transforms into a beautiful, young woman who mysteriously appears in the garden of a bee scientist. The scientist is quite pleased, as he needs an assistant in his work. His wife, on the other hand, is not thrilled, since the new assistant will be living in their house.
The bee woman wants to mate with the scientist. His wife gets jealous.
The scientist’s wife dies from multiple bee stings. In a struggle with the husband, the bee woman accidentally falls off a balcony. She transforms back into a bee and flies away.
REVIEW…
Director John Brahm’s, “Z Z Z Z Z, ” is a hummdinger of a Sci-Fi episode.
Philip Abbott (“The FBI”) is persuasive as the dedicated bee man. His sincerity and credibility helps sell what could have been a thoroughly silly episode.
Joanna Frank is dazzling as Regina, the queen bee/human. Her delivery on lines like, “You have an orderly, organized mind. That compensates for your tie and fingernails”, is tart and teasing.
Marsha Hunt lends strong support as Abbott’s wife. The shocked look on her face, when she sees Regina (Frank) transform into a bee in the garden late at night, is quite convincing.
An early scene, depicting Frank’s transformation from a bee into human form, is not done very well. Project Unlimited Inc., and the Optical Effects Unit take the blame.
My favorite scene depicts Regina/Frank in the garden at night, going from flower to flower, licking off pollen. The scene is both bizarre and sensuous.
Director of Photography, Conrad Hall, does strong work here. Particularly good is a shot of Frank, her reflection seen on a glass-walled bee enclosure as they swarm about.
The music, primarily utilizing violin and harp, is an effective mood builder. Dominic Frontiere is the responsible party.
Z Z Z Z Z should be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. Bee enthusiasts will get a real buzzzz out of this one! Z Z Z Z Z won’t put you to sleep!
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