Her candid responses enable him to convince the Commission that Cornelius and Zira must be subjected to more rigorous questioning. Fearing for the future of the human race, he offers her champagne (which she has developed a taste for) to loosen her inhibitions and questions her further. Otto Hasslein (Eric Braeden), who discovers Zira is pregnant. They come to the attention of the President's Science Advisor Dr. The apes become celebrities, and are lavished with gifts and media attention. They tell Cornelius and Zira to keep this information secret until they can gauge the potential reaction of their hosts. Stephanie and Lewis are shocked, but they are sympathetic. Cornelius and Zira secretly tell Stephanie and Lewis that they did know about Taylor, explain how humans are treated in the ape-dominated future, and about the Earth's destruction. They are welcomed as guests of the government. They reveal that they came from the future and escaped Earth when war broke out. The council asks them about Taylor, but Cornelius and Zira tell them that they know nothing about him. The apes are brought before the Commission, where they publicly reveal their ability to speak. Branton.Ī Presidential Commission is formed to investigate the return of Taylor's spaceship and determine how atypically intelligent apes came to be aboard it. Lewis tries to communicate with the apes that he is peaceful and he wishes to treat them as equals, and Cornelius and Zira form a friendship with him and Dr.
Soon after, Milo is killed by a zoo gorilla who becomes agitated during an argument amongst the three chimpanzees. Later, the apes' power of speech is revealed when Zira becomes impatient during an experiment. They also agree not to let them know that Earth will be destroyed because of the Ape War. The apes decide not to let the humans know that they can speak. They are transported to a secluded ward of the Los Angeles Zoo, under the observation of scientists Stephanie Branton (Natalie Trundy) and Lewis Dixon (Bradford Dillman). The apes arrive on Earth in 1973, splashing down off the Pacific coast of the United States. The salvage, repair and launch all happen off-camera during the final act of the previous film. Milo (Sal Mineo)-escaped the Earth's destruction by salvaging and repairing Taylor's spaceship and piloting it through the shock wave of Earth's destruction, sending the ship through a time warp. The preceding film, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, ends with the apes' future Earth being destroyed by a nuclear weapon.Įscape from the Planet of the Apes begins by establishing that three apes-Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), Zira (Kim Hunter), and Dr.