See also: Timelines
Planet of the Apes Timeline
| Continuity | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Colonel Tayor's ANSA spacecraft Liberty 1 is recovered from the ocean and found to contain Dr. Zira, Dr. Cornelius and Dr. Milo. All three die within a few months, but Zira and Cornelius' infant son is adopted by circus owner Armando. | Escape from the Planet of the Apes Battle for the Planet of the Apes[1] |
Production Timeline
- January 2: Filming of Battle for the Planet of the Apes begins at the Hyperion Water Treatment Plant on the outskirts of LA.
- January 5: The script is revised, reflecting the character of MacDonald from the previous film being replaced by his brother.
- January 26: Actor Edward G. Robinson passes away. Robinson played the role of Dr. Zaius in a March 1966 Planet of the Apes screen-test.
- February 14: Filming of Battle for the Planet of the Apes is completed.
- February: Spanish horror movie La Noche del Terror Ciego (Tombs of the Blind Dead) receives a US release, sometimes re-named Revenge From Planet Ape to exploit the success of the Planet of the Apes films.
- 1973?: An undated concept outline for a TV series is prepared, outlining two human astronaut characters - Alan Virdon and Stan Kovak - who crash-land on the Planet of Apes. Their adversaries are Ursus and Zaius, and Galen the chimpanzee is their only ape friend.
- 1973?: Rod Serling writes an undated script for a two-part pilot episode for an Apes TV series, based on the series concept outline.
- March 2: Cover date of the Apes TV series script "A Fallen God" by Anthony Lawrence. The production codes on the scripts seem to suggest this was written after Serling's treatment. There are no further TV series scripts written until April 1974.
- Casting agent Marvin Paige is involved in a presentation for a Planet of the Apes TV series to CBS. The network opts to make 'The New Adventures of Perry Mason' for the Fall season instead.
- June 15th: Battle for the Planet of the Apes is released in the United States.
- June 19: Actress Chelah Horsdal is born. Horsdal played the role of Irena in the 2011 movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
- June 27th: Producer Arthur P. Jacobs suffers a heart attack and passes away in Los Angeles, California. Jacobs produced the five original Planet of the Apes movies between 1968 and 1973. He is survived by his wife, actress Natalie Trundy.
- July 9: Actor Enrique Murciano is born. Murciano played Kemp in 2014's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
- A novelization of Escape from the Planet of the Apes written by Jerry Pournelle is published by Award Books.
- A novelization of Battle for the Planet of the Apes written by David Gerrold is published by Award Books.
- From September: The first three Planet of the Apes movies are aired in a row on CBS prime time to kickoff the 1973-4 season 'Friday Night Movie'. It registers a 33.6 Nielsen rating and a 57 per cent share of the audience to capture the number one spot in the ratings race for that week and the highest ratings in history for a sci-fi series up to that time. This starts the "Apemania" hype which ultimately spawns a magazine, TV series and a vast merchandising spree. The first toy company to exploit this new-found market is Addar, who produce model kits based on the central characters.
| Previous 1972 |
Years 1973 |
Next 1974 |