Catacombs Reference LibraryUK Press
Out of this world
Catacombs Reference LibraryHartlepool Northern Daily Mail
Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, Saturday 4 October 1975 p19
British television has finally produced a spectacular science fiction series beating Star Trek - and that's Space 1999 filmed at Pinewood Studios under the creative eye of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.
It's not just another Thunderbirds with actors, or an updated version of UFO. Space 1999 will no doubt carve itself a place in the hearts of fantasy devotees all over the country.
To start with the plot is refreshingly different. A whole scientific society is exiled to wander through space because of a nuclear accident.
Unlike crew members of the Enterprise from Star Trek, these pioneers are not there by choice, as their home drifts through eternity.
The scope for storylines is unlimited, as the programme's script consultant Christopher Penfold explained
"When we began, we were in very much the same situation as the characters. We had the basic premise of colony stranded on the runaway moon, without any means of controlling its movements
"Obviously, there was a limit to the dramas that could take place on the moon itself, and it was only as the writing of the series developed that ever-widening potentialities presented themselves.
He went on: "But as fresh ideas were tossed around, we realized more and more that there are mysteries in outer space which are beyond man's understanding and that we could dramatise these
Time, as we know means nothing. Distance, as we know it, is incomprehensible. We assume that there's life on other planets, with civilizations and mental developments millions of years older than on earth."
Mr Penfold concluded: "The possibilities are as limitless as space itself. Space 1999 therefore swings right out of any conventional sci-fi dimensions, at the same time taking advantage of all the scientific facts that are known."
In one episode Moon Base Alpha encounters a "Black Sun," which is a mass of gaseous substance developing into an impenetrable ball from a burned-out asteroid.
Said the script consultant: "Anything near it disappears. It upsets the theories of existence, even time. This provides the background to one episode. Time ceases to have any meaning.
"The players find themselves in eternity, with the sudden conviction that the whole universe is a living thought."
The cast is headed by husband and wife team, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, much remembered for their team effort in Mission Impossible.
Landau plays Commander John Koenig, the man who controls Moon Base Alpha. He's portrayed as a cool logical-thinking man, with long streak of compassion. His aim is to keep the base going, while looking for a planet to colonize.
The undoubted hero of the series, Landau projects an efficient commander who is not too far removed from the present day.
One scene comes to mind where Koenig is speaking to a pilot in a moment of extreme danger. Contact lost and tears stream down Koenig's face.
The scene was handled with sincerity and was utterly convincing in my opinion. And that's what acting is all about - conviction.
Off-screen wife Barbara Bain takes the role of Dr Helena Russell, chief of Moon Base Alpha's Medical Section. She is a widow who has plunged herself into her work. But as the series progresses, a strong bond grows between her and Commander Koenig
On the face of it, she seems a cold character, her emotions dulled with grief. Will she fall in love with Koenig? No doubt we will have to wait until episode 24 to find that one out.
Professor Bergman is interpreted through Barry Morse, who is described as a father-figure of the key personnel on Moon Base Alpha.
Bergman has the fine quality of not panicking, but there's a special reason for that - he has a mechanical heart. So when a high stress situation occurs his heart reacts more slowly than a normal organ and his reactions are reduced.
Full marks go to the special effects men who are responsible for creating much of the programme's imagery. Particular recognition goes to Brian Johnson, designer and director of the special effects department, and special effects director, Nick Allder.
One can only sit back and admire the high quality of the miniatures used in the show and larger than life model settings.
Space 1999 is produced in association R.A.I. (Italian State Television) and A.T.V.
John Park
Caption: Husband and wife team Barbara Bain and Martin Landau in the latest TV science fiction series Space 1999. They play two key personnel from Moon Base Alpha.
Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, Saturday 3rd April 1976, p19
By John Park
It was incredible really. At 10 am. I was in the heart of London, and within 60 minutes I was walking round Moon Base Alpha.
The answer wasn't with Space Age science. Most of the help came from Davidson Dalling Associates at Pinewood Studios. And for two days I spent my time in Studio 'M' watching an episode from the second series of Space 1999 being filmed.
There are a few changes on the way for the show's second series. Professor Bergerman - played by Barry Morse - has left the series. But in comes Catherine Schell, star of the hilariously funny The Return of the Pink Panther with the zany Peter Sellers.
Of course, when you see her you'll probably not recognize her. For she plays Maya, an alien who joins the Alphans in their quest for a planet to colonize. Maya also has one or two extraordinary characteristics - she can transform herself into anything living, plant or animal.
Fred Freiberger -producer of Star Trek's third season - steps in to take the honours as producer of Space 1999. And leading the production is executive producer Gerry Anderson.
I was present on the set during the filming of "One Second of Humanity," with guest star Billie Whitelaw and Leigh Lawson . In one sequence the script calls for Doctor Helena Russell - again played by the beautiful Barbara Bain - to dance with one of the inhabitants the of planet Vegan.
Lionel Blair was called in to choreograph the routine - not the scene you normally expect to see in a sci-fi series, But Space 1999 is not a normal seres, and that's why it's so successful.
In another scene Tony Anholt - playing an Alphan - is asked by one of the Vegans, to eat a piece of fruit. it looks normal. but is supposed to taste bad. At the insistence of Dr Russell the Alphan put on a brave face, and describes the fruit as different.
Before the scene was shot, I saw crew members sprinkling salt over the fruit- probably in the interests of realism. Who says an actors life is an easy one?
The special effects team from nearby Bray Studios - Hammer's old home - were at the studios for a two-day shooting schedule. They were led by Brian Johnson and Nicky Allder. And their task was, as usual, most unusual.
The script dictated that a number of insects be filmed making their way under a forcefield protecting the alien's nerve centre. That just happened to be a masterpiece of perspex, plastic and polystyrene.
The sequence sounds simple enough, but it created a few problems. One major head- ache was trying to find the correct camera position to shoot the insects a few inches from the floor.
Eventually a number of wooden blocks helped solve the problem, and lift the small camera dolly. After some trial and error the shot was filmed.
The new series will be be shown probably on American television about September, but when it will be seen in this country is not certain.
Caption: A technician quickly goes through an instrument check before receiving the green light for lift off from Moon Base Alpha. [Cellini on the Ultra Probe in Dragon's Domain]