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Doctor Who's Dalek Designer Dies At 84
SchrodingerZ writes "Raymond Cusick, a production designer for the BBC show Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966, has died from illness. 'Terry Nation, who died in 1997, wrote the 1963 story The Daleks, in which the "satanic pepperpots" first appeared, but it was Cusick who came up with the machines' distinctive look, including the bobble-like sensors, eyestalk, sucker and exterminator weapons.' His horrid creation has remained a prime enemy in Doctor Who for over 50 years, and have remained relatively unchanged. His tireless work however was never fully awarded, as his only pay for the project was about £100. Cusick also worked on such shows as Z Cars, Dr Finlay's Casebook and The Forsyte Saga to The Duchess of Duke Street, When the Boat Comes In and Rentaghost. He officially retired in 1987. Claire Heawood, Cusick's daughter, has said that her father was 'suffering from an illness and died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday.'"
He was ex-term-inat-ed.
Donte Alistair Anderson Roberts - hi son!
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...was in part mimicking the Nazis. Extermination .... Supreme race..... and the Daleks look a bit like panzer tanks. I can imagine that 50 years ago, with WWII not such a distant memory, the Daleks would have been personally terrifying to a lot of Brits.
I love Doctor Who and the series has entertained me for decades.
Always thought the Daleks had a great look, even if going up/down stairs was a problem. But thanks to the Daleks, I got Davros, and my namesake, Nyder.
Of course, we can't forget the picture of Jo Grant (Katy Manning) posing with a Dalek: https://www.google.com/search?q=jo+grant+doctor+who+dalek+nude+picture&hl=en&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=iBYrUYz4OuKXiQLN74DoCQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1133&bih=844
Anyways, thanks for the Daleks and may you not come back as a zombie.
Be seeing you...
If they remained relatively unchanged, how was his work on them "tireless", and how can you assume it was never "fully" rewarded? Kids today think if they make something famous they automatically get rich? No, that's not how it works, and I don't recall Cusick ever complaining, so let's not pepper his memory with our own assumptions about what he would/should have wanted, eh?
he died in unimaginably agonising pain. But in this case she could've gotten away with it.
Most of the shows from the late 70's had the same plot: capitalists gone bad. They needed to mix it up: more general sci fi plots.
Table-ized A.I.
Come on, pay a little respect anyway. I tried to watch it a few times and my impressions match yours although.
Now, that he is dead, I might try to watch it again and maybe I will get the message. Who knows?
Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
I'm not the OP, but you know, I don't know why I keep trying. I've liked a lot of silly scifi, but I just can't make myself enjoy Doctor Who. Everything about it is so campy it's unbearable. That's coming from someone that thinks stuff like Evil Dead movies are hugely entertaining and loved all the Stargate series.
A few times I've thought I just need to watch newer seasons and give up on the older ones, but even those are really, really terrible. The acting is terrible, the aliens are all dumb, costumes and effects are horrible, and the stories are boring. I guess I'm ashamed to admit that I just can't make myself like it, and can't help but wonder if its popularity is somehow fake.
His tireless work however was never fully awarded, as his only pay for the project was about £100.
So how does that compare to the going rate for monster design in 1963?
>>> Now, that he is dead, I might try to watch it again and maybe I will get the message. Who knows?
Some random "new series" messages:
1. Beware the Daleks. They are capable of feats such as the destruction of all of Creation (averted by a hair), or fighting Time Lords to a standstill on Gallifrey. Like cockroaches, some ALWAYS escape.
2. Beware the Daleks, but be afraid of the Weeping Angels. Be very, very afraid. Whatever you do, if there are stone statues around, DON'T BLINK.
3. Both good Time Lords and insane/evil Time Lords think alike when it comes to disposing of giant, unrepentant, carnivorous, humanoid-devouring spiders.
Ah, a troll. I don't think they've had any of them in Doctor Who.
:D
You don't like it. So what?
I disagree with your opinion, but why is your comment so venomous? Did somebody rape you with a toy sonic screwdriver?
Here's something interesting for you to try, compare the Doctor Who episodes from a particular year with that years episodes of another sci-fi.
Anyhow, happy trolling to you, and just remember, a majority of the sci-fi fans disagree with your opinion.
I, along with many other children, hid behind a sofa because of this guy. An interesting legacy. Both creative and terrifying and I cannot think of anyone who has does similar and touched so many in the process. Cusick had a good innings and, as reformed juvenile sofa dweller, thanks for the memorable scares.
Not Terry Nation, who made millions as the writer.
http://nathanlindsell.blogspot.com/
His horrid creation has remained a prime enemy in Doctor Who for over 50 years
That's quite a trick, considering the 50th anniversary is in November this year. Timey wimey, wibbly wobbly...
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Fuck off.
If you are looking for an entry point into Doctor Who, watch the episode Blink, it's incredible well done and probably the most fun take on time travel since Back to the Future. If you don't like that one, then yeah, Doctor Who ain't for you, as it doesn't get better then that, but that episode it worth a try either way.
Thanks for the advice.
Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
Thanks for the advice.
(take 2)
Slashfilter otherwise refuses it as:
"This exact comment has already been posted. Try to be more original..."
Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
What's 50 years for a time lord?
You'd think some rich Dr Who fans would have wanted to compensate him a lot of money, and probably get themselves a bit famous at the same time (as the kindness would make the papers)
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The Daleks were always my favourite. As a kid they didn't seem that scary, not like some of the other monsters. I used to put a washing basket upside down over my head (the basket was a bit taller than me) when I was little and run around the house saying "exterminate"... fun times :)
"Cheap" means "low budget" so you don't need to repeat yourself. Quality is not a function of cost, though, as many prime-time US series prove. If you want BSG, go watch BSG.
I mean cheap, as the burping trash can in the first episode, and all the other gags that would fit better in a high school theatre. I do enjoy Red Dwarf, for instance, because it doesn't try to be "quirky" (the new word for shows that aren't up to snuff) , it just was that way, before 'quirky' was cool. British humour are top class, don't get me wrong. But this is not funny. And don't get me started on US prime time shows, it is the benchmark of fail. (the sitcoms anyway). If any of your favourite shows has a laughter box in it, you are fail too.
Can I light a sig ?
Someone linked somewhere on the Internet, that has NAKED people!?
CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT!
British humour are top class, don't get me wrong.
British grammar are even better.
But this is not funny.
FYI: You are not everyone.
If any of your favourite shows has a laughter box in it, you are fail too.
Whereas believing your opinion to be worth more than everyone else's makes you such a win?
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
"Cheap" means "low budget" so you don't need to repeat yourself.
Not necessarily; Dr Who and Red Dwarf are both low budget, but Dr Who is cheaper, in my opinion, because it uses a half an hour of material to fill an hour of airtime. Although there are certainly other factors at play, I find Red Dwarf to be very entertaining, while Dr Who is rather tedious and predictable.
Thank you, Edward Snowden.
"Arguments from authority are worthless." —Carl Sagan
Ooh, we do like that Karma bonus, don't we? Cheeky whore...
Have you actually seen the first Episode??? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0562828/
Opps meant here... Have you actually seen the first Episode??? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0562828/ [imdb.com]
But the war correspondents who would, don't.
"A new tank is coming from the German Army, but our plucky lads in their spiffing new Churchil MkVIs are giving them a good 'what for'!".
Despite them being written after their appearance.
Panzers weren't designed after pepper pots, despite having been invented after the pepper pot.
Is that you Mr. Murdoch?
Firstly, my condolences to the family. RIP Mr Cusick. We are all thankful for your worthy and enduring legacy. Secondly, are there any actual journalists at the guardian? "...suffering from an illness..." can you be a little more specific? Not too impertinent a question, even for a grieving daughter. The rest of the article I could easily have harvested from Whozines or wiki-whatevers. They've lost their balls since the NoTW went to the wall.
That's cute. Too bad for you the good Dr. will still be on the air long, long after you're dead.
There is a war going on for your mind.
Perhaps you should consider relaxing with this video.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
I like Dr. Who. However, the early ones are *cheap*. They were making a sci fi show on the budget of a sit-com and it showed. The newer ones are way better but that is because BBC finally 1 gave it a decent budget and 2 they can use computer to gen up a bad ass look on a green screen. So instead of a styrofoam bolder and the actors saying 'look at the amazing planet we are on'. They show you the amazing planet.
I think a couple of the doctors spent most of their time roaming around abandoned coal/rock mines (as they were cheap and close locations). Some of the shows were obvious filler (usually them hiding out in some shed/room/set and running quite a bit) shows as they just needed the money for the other episodes of a story usually the monster and/or particular set. The shows would start off cracking along then suddenly stop to a plodding pace then pick up again. Heck one of the shows was nothing more than them standing around in a 'museum' and a bunch of old props on boxes.
It is a brilliant show. However, lets not make it out for more than it was. A cheap production (they did not have the budget/time for anything more) which sometimes had decent stories.
Ah, a troll. [..] why is your comment so venomous?
Er... that'd be because he's a troll. Talk about answering your own question!
I'm not even sure why you went on to pander to him by dignifying that with a response.
Concur. Blink is the episode everyone talks about. Great time travel and humor. And also some very suspenseful horror elements. Those angels are plain creepy.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
Mr. Cusick, you were brilliant man, and you shall live on forever in my nightmares. Rest in peace.
lol. I love that episode, but picking an episode to get someone into Doctor Who that barely has the Doctor in it does seem a bit odd. I would recommend just about any of the newer Matt Smith episodes if campyness was the problem. Better acting, cinematography, writing, etc. I love them all, but I don't really have a problem with the campy stuff.
Really, the tightly constrained budget probably improved the show. They couldn't fall back on stunning effects or even visually stunning locations. The show had to sink or swim on the strength of the writing and acting alone.
Right. So we have this doctor, who is apparently a "Dalek designer" (jaysus effing christ, guys, grammar please!) and he is dead at 84. Now I have to ask: who is that doctor we are talking about?
"Panzer" is the word Germans use for "tank".
;-)
And you're also right, "Panzer" means armor.
I don't know if the German military uses PKW as an abbreviation for Panzer, but I think it's highly unlikely because most Germans will definitely NOT think of a Panzer when they hear "PKW".
PKW is the very, very common abbreviation for "Personenkraftwagen", i.e. it refers to ordinary passenger cars.
A somewhat literal translation of PKW would be "people motor vehicle".
The most common and general way to classify cars in German is to distinguish between PKW and LKW - with LKW being an abbreviation referring to (heavy) freight trucks ("Lastkraftwagen" or short "Lastwagen" or "Laster" - see "Panzer" instead of "Panzerkampfwagen)
Disclaimer: IAAG
Btw: according to German wikipedia, the abbreviation for "Panzerkampfwagen" is "PzKpfw".
I agree.
Plus "Silence in the Library" ("I'm the Doctor, this is the largest library in the Universe. LOOK. ME. UP")
Or "Girl in the Fireplace" (Rennet - "What do monsters have nightmares about", the Doctor "Me...").
Yes, I've been re-watching a lot of Doctor Who recently....
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
I actually thought they were kind of funny with their plunger, laser, and implied wheels. Not to mention the voice sounds like an
electronic old man. Yet I know that deep down, this old man robot hates me more than I can ever imagine. Then I learned that they are based off of world war 2 tanks.