Catacombs Reference LibraryMonster Times
Catacombs Reference LibraryMonster Times was a newspaper-format publication, one of many horror and fantasy themed titles of the time influenced by Forrest Ackerman's Famous Monsters of Filmland. It ran from 1972 to 1976. This was issue number 41, May 1975, page 27.
Inveterate terror tube-watcher Mark Carducci can recall only a very few really - fine sci-fi teleseries, even when he stops to think about it. No wonder then that his heartfelt hopes were hoisted following the announcement that a high-budgeted British sci-fi series, Space: 1999, was due to hit American airwaves soon. Mark was fortunate enough to see a few segments from the show in advance of its release and reports on his findings here.
By Mark Carducci
The medium of television has given science-fiction fans precious few series of significance in its short but prolific history. The fervent fan, hard-pressed to recall any really good shows, finds a very short list indeed. The losers come to mind more quickly, perhaps because there have been so many more of them. Remember Science Fiction Theatre, produced by the dean of sci-fi himself, Ivan (Flipper) Tors? or what about Lost In Space, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Time Tunnel, Land Of The Giants, ad nauseum?
Still, in spite of itself, television has offered us one or two truly outstanding shows. Twilight Zone, The Invaders and that unequalled brainchild of Joseph Stefano's, The Outer Limits, are a few that immediately come to mind. And for sheer audience appeal, no science-fiction series has yet matched Gene - Rodenberry's Star Trek. One of the things that made that series worthy of its following was its concept, one that allowed the Enterprise to "explore strange new universes and seek out new life and new civilizations." Within the limits of Roddenberry's budget, his scriptwriters could use the entire cosmos as a framing device for their plots. So with Space: 1999, a forthcoming sci-fi TV odyssey from England. Instead of having a starship to carry them through the galaxy, however, the people of Space: 1999 travel the solar system on a natural satellite known to us all- the moon itself! Just how they do this makes up the better part of the pilot film, a not-to-be-missed hour of far-out space opera.
Space: 1999 stars Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, the husband and wife of Mission Impossible fame. Almost as large as Star Trek's itself, the fan following of the Landaus should insure a built-in audience for this British-made series. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, the producers of U.F.O., Captain Scarlet, and The Protectors, are filming Space: 1999.
This ominous fact shouldn't worry anyone, though, because the Andersons have changed their tactics a bit this time, giving the new series room to breathe. The first and obvious change is their inclusion of heavy-weights Landau and Bain in the cast. With these two in the leads the acting won't have that wooden, puppet-like quality that characterized earlier live-action Anderson series (undoubtedly a bad habit picked up by producing too many puppet shows like Fireball-XL5 and Stingray).
For added space spice, each episode of Space: 1999 will feature guest stars, many of whom will be well-known to science-fiction and fantasy buffs. The series' first season promises an exciting episode starring Hammer veteran Christopher Lee, and another with Victor Frankenstein himself, Peter Cushing! And even more brilliant that the stars of Space: 1999 will be the elaborate special effects. Although special effects in past Anderson series have usually been quite good, they occasionally left something to be desired. It can be unequivocally stated, however, that the quality of the miniature and other effects work in Space: 1999 will be on such a high level that the show may be called a "2001 for the tube." The man responsible for the exacting realism of these marvellous visuals is Brian Johnson, himself a part of the effects team on Kubrick's outer-space epic, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Brian's apprenticeship under Doug Trumbull and Wally Veevers, as well as his work on other productions, has taught him many tricks, and he's had to use every one in order to fulfil the requirements of the more than 130 scripted special effects shots in the pilot show alone!
The premiere episode of Space: 1999 offered a great challenge to the ingenuity of Brian and his crew. Working with a far smaller budget than Star Trek had, they were expected to depict the developments leading up to and including the tearing away of the moon from its orbit around the Earth. The cause of this was the detonation of a stockpile of nuclear waste Oh the lunar surface. The inhabitants of a city, Moonbase Alpha, on the opposite side of the moon become the only human survivors in the universe after the moon's displacement destroys the Earth via tidal waves and earthquakes. Sent speeding through the heavens on a dead world, the lunar survivors encounter all manner of arch aliens and intergalactic altercations.
Designing the costumes and sets for Space: 1999 is Keith Wilson, a man whose undeniable talents have graced most of the Andersons' series. In conjunction with Brian Johnson, he has created some superb interiors- like the breathtakingly futuristic lunar command centre- as well as some awesome exteriors, like the sprawling modular Moonbase Alpha. His efforts have netted Space: 1999 sets worthy of a big-budget sci-fi feature of the first magnitude. From every standpoint, Space: 1999 shapes up as a real feast for the famished science-fiction fanatic. The producers are optimistic about its success, and with good reason: they've done their jobs well. It remains only for the airing of the first episode to see whether the general public, and not just the hard-core fans, take the series seriously.
Whether or not all of the 24 color episodes of Space: 1999 soon to be released to the American- syndication market live up to their advance notices remains to be seen. You'll be able to make up your own mind soon enough, though, when 1975 becomes Space: 1999, on the tube at least.
Captions:
The interstellar stars Of Space; 1999- Martin Landau (Commander John Koenig), Barbara Bain (Dr. Helena Russell) and Barry Morse (Professor Bergman) - should be no strangers to avid tube addicts. Husband and wife team Landau and Bain formerly starred in Mission: Impossible, and Barry Morse was better known as Lieutenant Gerard on The Fugitive a few years back.
Unidentified actress dons spicy outfit and spacey gaze for her chores in a soon-to-be-aired episode of ITC's Space: 1999. [Valerie Leon, who horror writers should have recognised from Hammer movies]
Fearful of an imminent explosion, lunar inhabitants investigate eerie danger signals at nuclear disposal area in Breakaway, the initial episode of Space: 1999. The series details the adventures of 311 (count 'em - 311) lunar [sic]stranded on a runaway moon.
Our old friend Christopher Lee guest stars in the Earthbound episode of Space: 1999. Chris plays Captain Zandor [Zantor], one of five surviving aliens from the dying planet Kaldor.
Martin Landau, as Commander Koenig, undergoes rapid ageing in Black Sun-the third episode of ITC's Space: 1999 series-a task that required the expert services of make up maven Basil Neval. [Basil Newall]
Landau relaxes as Neval goes to work...
...fitting the actor- with facial mold...
...etching in proper wrinkles and lines.
...and Landau's age doubles in next to no time.
Our old pal Peter Cushing puts in an appearance on the Guardian Of Piri episode. Peter plays one of several aliens on a machine-dominated pleasure planet called Piri. [Cushing is in another episode titled Missing Link, not Piri]