5 Facts about 1971's Escape from the Planet of the Apes, the third film in the series starring Kim Hunter, Roddy McDowall and Ricardo Montalban
ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES (1971)​
Directed by Don Taylor.

The third installment of the Planet of the Apes franchise sees three ape astronauts (played by Kim Hunter, Roddy McDowall and Sal Mineo) arrive in 1970s Earth after the destruction of their home sends them back through time. How will 20th century America deal with sentient apes from the future? Co-starring Natalie Trundy and Ricardo Montalban, leave life behind for 5 minutes and discover 5 fast film facts on Escape from the Planet of the Apes. ​
​5 FAST FILM FACTS​

​5. Since the previous film had done so well at the box office producer Arthur P. Jacobs wanted a sequel, despite the fact that the last movie had concluded with the end of the world. He sent a telegram to writer Paul Dehn which simply stated ‘Apes exist. Sequel required’.

4. In Hungary the film was titled Planet of the Apes III: The Escape.

3. Although he would work for several more years in television, this would be Dr Milo actor Sal Mineo’s last ever film. He found playing a chimpanzee an uncomfortable experience, suffering from claustrophobia-based panic attacks under the make-up.

2. A scene from the scripted version of the film suggests that the audience might have seen the apes witnessing the destruction of Earth. Since a new internal spaceship set was constructed for this movie but doesn’t appear in any of the scenes, many fans believe the sequence was shot but discarded.

1. Producer Arthur P. Jacobs was pleased with the $12.3 million return of the film but disappointed it didn’t make as much as the previous one, especially since it is the only one of the sequels to receive generally positive reviews. Analysing it, he put this down to the small $2.5 million budget, the lack of promotion by Fox, audience disappointment with the previous film and the minor role science fiction played, losing the interest of some of the younger viewers. 
​