ALL SCI-FI

[Pow]

You could well be correct about that, David.

My info comes from the Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook published in October 1977 by Starlog Magazine.

The materials were provided ATV, ITC, and Gerry Anderson Productions.

[Gord Green]

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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Pow]

Thank you for the confirmation GG.

[Krel]

I always like the first season LASER selector switch over the later one. It was neat, simple and sleek, unlike the later silver block that you could see sliding back and forth as the actor moved their hand.

David.

[johnnybear]

The kiddie squiggle that appears briefly over anyone hit by an Alphan laser has always been of momentous interest to me. Would it actually be like that if real? I doubt it and it does look very odd despite my loving this show!
JB

[Krel]

They have tried to remake the show a few times over the past few years, but all have failed.

I don't know if this is from one of the attempts, but someone redesigned the LASER pistol.





It was later turned into an actual prop kit by prop master Ken Palkow.

David.

[Bud Brewster]

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I love the design of the weapon . . . but how did they make a holster it would fit into?
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

[johnnybear]

Space 1999 the only sci-fi ITC show to get a second series! It must have been popular in one sense then...
JB

[Krel]

It was popular, but they cut the budget for the second series, and moved to much smaller soundstages. This resulted in smaller, less impressive sets. Bringing in Fred Freiberger to make it more "Americanized" didn't help.

The Starlog Moonbase Alpha manual was put together in three months! An extremely short time, which resulted in some mistakes. But impressive nevertheless.

David.

[johnnybear]

Martin Landau himself was not a fan of the second series. He said it was more like a kiddie show and had lost a lot of it's realism and science fiction and replaced it with too much adventure for younger viewers. Never the less there were a few good episodes in this run it has to be said!
JB

[Pow]

Just watched an old interview with Sylvia Anderson and boy, Martin Landau & Barbara Bain come off poorly.

Sylvia opposed the Landaus being hired for their show but was forced to do so by uber-producer Lord Lew Grade.

The Landaus immediately demanded a substantial increase to their previously agreed upon salary...and other demands followed including being driven in a Rolls Royce 24/7.

Italian actor Giancarlo Prete was hired in what would become the Nick Tate role. Landau sulked over Prete feeling the actor would upstage him.

When Nick Tate was hired, Landau pushed him as far into the background as possible. He and Barbara did that with all the supporting cast with the exception of Barry Morse.

Landau demanded that Commander Koenig must dominate all the scripts. Any interesting dialogue written for any of the supporting cast had to be given to Landau due to his insistence.

Disappointing to read this about the Landaus.

I enjoyed them greatly when they were cast members on "Mission: Impossible." The M:I cast and crew liked both Martin & Barbara during the three seasons the Landaus were with the series.

So this ugly turnaround when they were on Space: 1999 seems surprising.

However, I have read interviews with the cast of Space: 1999 that support Sylvia's observations regarding the Landaus.

As I have written before, British actors have the reputation of being all in a production together and supporting each other. True teamwork.

American actors do not have this reputation at all. Me, myself, and I would be their motto.

The British actors ask how do their characters serve the script? American actors ask how does the script serve me?

And as much as I have enjoyed Landau's acting, I never saw him as a leading man in film or television. Terrific supporting member as he was on M:I but naw, not a lead.

But even with the "right" actors in the lead roles on Space: 1999, the series just never had the strong scripting it needed to become a classic.

A shame as their production values with their sets, wardrobe, model-work, and visual effects were all first rate.

[johnnybear]

This is true as I have read too, and Martin Landau also removed Nick Tate from the leading role in the classic episode Dragon's Domain!

Landau insisted that the role of the spaceship Captain should go to a guest of the week actor, this time being Gianni Garko. The script was adapted from Christopher Penfold's original story by Landau, Gerry Anderson etc, and there was some moaning about it at the time, and Landau ultimately kills the Dragon in Captain Kirk fashion.

I think he was probably right in this moment anyhow, as Nick Tate's Alan Carter would have been killed off in this show, upsetting the screening order of the entire first series! Plus Martin and Nick went on to remain friends for the next forty odd years anyway!
JB

[ralfy]

Thanks. It's in the 6-min mark here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohyE-BljdJs

[ralfy]

"Space: 1999: Gerry Anderson’s greatest series or his biggest folly?"