Catacombs Reference Library
Press

Independent Press-Telegram and Evening News (Long Beach, California), Tele Vues supplement, Sunday 20 July, 1975, page 1. This was the second largest newspaper in the Los Angeles area, behind the Los Angeles Times. The Apollo-Soyuz craft launched on 15 July, docked on 17 July 1975, separating 2 days later (the day before publication of this article).

Landau and Bain out of this world in new TV series

By BOB MARTIN TV-Radio Editor

It was the week of the Apollo-Soyuz space mission, and Martin Landau and Barbara Bain were just getting their feet firmly planted on the good earth of Beverly Hills after spending 20 months in outer space themselves.

Well, not exactly.

They hadn't really been shooting around in space, at all. But the two stars had been in London for 20 months shooting a science fiction series, Space: 1999, that will bring them back to television on a regular basis for the first time since 1969 when they left the popular Mission: Impossible series after three years, in a dispute with Paramount Pictures.

At the moment that America's Apollo spacecraft lifted off for its historic rendezvous with Russia's Soyuz, Landau and wife Barbara were telling me of their latest mission during an interview at lunch in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel's El Padrino room.

Both were glad to be home. Even in outer space, nothing can match Beverly Hills.

Space: 1999 is a new British- made series that will start airing in the United States and in more than 100 other countries in the fall. It has been sold to TV stations in 140 U.S. cities, and will be seen in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area on KHJ-TV (Channel 9). The first episode will air here on Saturday evening, Aug. 23, from 7 to 8, in a preview showing. Channel 9 then will start telecasting Space: 1999 as a weekly series on Saturday, Sept. 20, also from 7 to 8 p.m.

KHJ-TV executives are optimistic that the science fiction series will be the most popular program in its time period.

"Of the stations in this country that have bought the series, all but four are affiliates of NBC, CBS or ABC," Landau pointed out. "And most of them plan to air it in prime time in place of shows from their own networks."

Added Landau: "It's a high-quality production. We made 24 episodes at a cost of about $275,000 each or more than $6 million. And costs are much less in England. Here, it probably would have amounted to $10 million.

"The special effects are great. They're the work of Brian Johnson, who did the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey."

LANDAU, who won a Golden Globe award as espionage agent Rollin Hand on Mission: Impossible, plays John Koenig, Commander of Moonbase Alpha, an American astrophysicist who has been a pilot and an astronaut.

Miss Bain, who won three Emmy Awards as a dramatic actress - one for each year she portrayed Cinnamon Carter, the modern Mata Hari, on the Mission series plays Dr. Helena Russell, chief medical officer on Moonbase Alpha.

Barry Morse also stars as Professor Bergman.

"We also have guest stars like Richard Johnson, Christopher Lee and Margaret Leighton," said Barbara, looking every bit as pretty as she did as the femme fatale on her earlier series.

In the first episode of Space: 1999, spectacular explosions of nuclear waste materials from earth on the dark side of the moon hurl the moon out of earth's orbit and off into uncharted space. The 311 men and women assembled on Moonbase Alpha from all the nations of earth lose all contact with earth as they sail off into space and face adventures with creatures from other planets.

"No doubt you expect to pick up all the Star Trek fans," I suggested.

"Of course, we hope to," said Landau. "But I think there is a big difference in our series. Whereas Star Trek was set in the distant future, ours is set in 1999, which isn't so many years away. Our series is rooted in the present. I would call it science truth and fiction rather than just science fiction.

"I think our series is more humanistic. We react to strange situations as humans would. My character is rooted in the present. As Commander Koenig, I'm 40 and can remember man's first flights to the moon. Barbara, as Dr. Russell, is younger she's in her early 30s."

At that remark, Barbara threw her husband of 18 years a kiss by hand.

"Is there any romance between you two in the series?" I wanted to know.

"Of course!" said Barbara. "Why not?"

There is a complication in one episode, though, she admitted. It seems that Helena's husband, who had disappeared on a space mission and was presumed dead, returns. He doesn't spoil the new romance for long, though, as he's in only one episode. Barbara didn't tell me what happens to him.

The famous husband-and-wife acting team was asked if working together makes for a good marriage. "It works for us, but that doesn't mean it would work for everyone," said Landau. "I'm sure it wouldn't for some. It's a matter of temperament. But we like it."

Barbara, who was raised in Chicago and holds a degree in sociology from the University of Illinois, and Brooklyn-born Martin, who started his professional career as an artist and cartoonist with the New York Daily News, met at an acting school in New York where Barbara was a student and Martin was one of the instructors. Earlier, she had been a high-fashion model in New York and studied dancing with Martha Graham, and he had studied at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio and acted on the stage and on television.

They were married in 1957 and spent their honeymoon touring in Paddy Chayefsky's play Middle of the Night. When it ended its run in Los Angeles, they remained in Hollywood and went their separate ways professionally, for the most part, until teaming up in Mission: Impossible with the start of that series in 1966. Landau appeared in a number of movies, as well as TV shows, and Barbara concentrated on television.

Landau also taught drama in Hollywood for three years. Among his pupils: Jack Nicholson, Warren Oates and Robert Towne, author of Chinatown.

The Landaus have two children, daughters Susan - "15 in August"" and Juliet, 10. The youngsters were with them during the 20 months in London and went to an American school there.

Martin and Barbara leased their Beverly Hills home to others while they were away.

The stars of Space: 1999" are friendly, down-to-earth people. And do they have any desire to actually make a space flight?

"No way," said Barbara.

Caption: Barbara Bain, Martin Landau... teamed again