Beachhead

The Invaders is one's of my favorite Sci-Fi series, masterminded by the legendary writer and director Larry Cohen made a huge worldwide success, this pilot gives a hint how our hero David Vincent on struggles not just with the aliens invaders neither with mainstream media, authorities and the people's disbelief mostly, hereinafter he left his salesman job to chase these menacing aliens whereby have planning size planet Earth's power thru political means.

On entering in a shortcut on a dark night led him randomly meet a bright flying saucer in the middle of nowhere, soon he realizes that such entities have a small distinction over the earthlings, somehow their little finger don't bend, it eases recognition for Vincent's strife, whenever he goes stumble with them, he finds out their first earth base in a deactivated power plant where they have assembling those required chambers addressed for alien restoration on human bodies.

This first chapter many famous guest stars came along, the great Diane Baker, the stone face J. D. Cannon, the bleak John Milford and the veteran Vaughn Taylor and the battle just began!

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First watch: 2013 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

After driving for more than ten hours, architect David Vincent is lost after taking a shortcut and finds a place to have some coffee. However, Bud's Diner is derelict and closed, and Vincent decides to take a nap. Soon he wakes up with a glow and sees a spaceship landing on the nearby field. Vincent drives to the Sheriff Lou Carver's office and reports the events to the Sheriff and Police Lt. Ben Holman. His friend and partner Alan Landers also arrives at the station, and Vincent convinces them to go with him to the spot. However, the place now indicates "Kelly's Diner" and they find two campers, the couple Brandon in honeymoon, that contradict Vincent. He notes that their small finger is longer. The police discredit Vincent's statement and he returns to the place to question Brandon. They fight, Vincent is knocked out and awakes in a mental institution, where a group of nurses try to kill him. However, Lt. Holman and Landers arrive and take him home. When his house is arson, Vincent receives from Landers the address of the Brandons in Kinney. He heads to the small town with a hydro-electric plant, where he meets the widow hotel keeper Kathy Adams. Now he will search evidence of the alien invasion.

"Beachhead" is the pilot of "The Invaders" series, with the beginning of the saga of David Vincent to prove that the aliens are among us. I saw this series when I was a boy broadcast in black-and-white television, and I recall that the series was very engaging. Now I bought the DVD box to see the series again. The plot is a tale of obsession and paranoid of a man that searches for the truth about an alien invasion. Roy Thinnes makes the presentation of this first episode, and the show is in color. In this pilot, the architect David Vince travels to Kinney, where he finds evidence of the dangerous alien invasion. However, all apparatuses are removed, and his partner and friend Alan Landers die after witnessing the strange tubes in the hydro-electric plant. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Cabeça de Praia" ("Beachhead")

First seen on Romanian television (not yet free...), in black and white, when I was 9 years old. I was fascinated by the story, the direction, the acting of the actors, and especially the overwhelming music of Dominic Frontiere. I learned by heart (although I did not know English at that time...), all that the commentator in off is saying in the first few minutes... I fell in love with Diane Baker (she was only 29 years old...) I admired Roy Thinnes, who is very convincing. Reviewed, in color, on You-tube, me 59 years old. The film is impeccably fresh and current, I like it just as much like as a child. Diane Baker's same love, gorgeous woman, and Frontiere's music, just as charming. All the actors are top notch. "A Quinn Martin production!"

Empty city with power plant shut down--and alien contraptions inside.

"Beachhead" is the first episode of "The Invaders", a short-lived Quinn-Martin series about aliens who are among us. However, the description on IMDB doesn't exactly match the show I saw...and you really don't see much of the ship and it landing. Instead, most of the show is about the small town of Kinney...one which is depopulated and those left are part of the alien conspiracy.

The show is exciting and paranoid....and in many ways plays like another QM production, "The Fugitive" (with very similar narration)...but with aliens! Well written and never dull. My only complaint is some of the close up camerawork is a bit blurry....not the result of time degradation but just bad camerawork.

'Beachhead' is a pilot episode of classic science-fiction series 'The Invaders'. Not the best episode of the series, but it beautifully builds up the tension and mood for the rest of the series. Paranoid, sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere that creates the sense that anyone can be the enemy.

When architect David Vincent (Roy Thinnes) is too tired to drive on he takes a rest near closed down roadside diner. In the middle of the night he witnesses the landing of space ship. Nobody believes his story, but Vincent is relentless enough to make the police investigate the landing site. With no evidence found, his story is not taken seriously. Vincent starts to dig deeper himself and discovers that aliens can take human form.

Good episode that keeps viewer interested and curious enough to go and see the following episodes. As 'The Invaders' is TV show from the '60s one can't expect the special effects stand out much, but they are good enough to not laugh at them. The writing is good, story interesting and acting superb.