Catacombs Reference LibraryPress
Space: 1999 Celebrity
Catacombs Reference Libraryby Benerly Linet
Celebrity Vol.2 No.4, April 1976, p32-34
Celebrity was published by Magazine Management, which also had a comics division, called Marvel. One of the comics editors, Stan Lee, was the editor of this title. Celebrity possibly published an earlier Landau profile, Taking A Ride On The Moon by Sherry Romeo, and the May 1977 issue (Volume 3 Number 5) had an article "Catherine Schell A View From the Moon" (p46-47)
This is Martin Landau's personal copy of the magazine, with his writing.
There were Joanne and Paul Newman and Liz and Richard Burton (with short time out for bad behaviour)- and now there's Barbara Bain and Martin Landau to paraphrase the Old adage that "The couple who plays together - stays together."
In every way, the Landaus are "the ultimate couple." In longevity of relationship, they fall somewhere between the Newmans (who met in '53 and wed in '58) and the Burtons (who fell in love in '61 and wed in '64). The delays caused by the necessity to eliminate one or two then-current spouses.
Martin and Barbara met in November 1955, and wed January 31. 1957.
No previous or current spouses- just a mutual decision to go through a solid "getting t@know you" period for 15 months to confirm their belief that they were, indeed, meant for each other. There was no rush. Martin was only 26 at the time; Barbara a few years younger.
"l have told the story a thousand times." Martin laughs, "but if anyone still cares to know, I was teaching classes at Curt Conway's acting school when in walks this over-dressed. over-made-up, sophisticated walking magazine cover-wired for sound. She was too perfect. There I was. wrapped up with a class of hard workers, dedicated to learning their craft-not to what they wore- but people who lived and breathed acting, I felt a great deal of resentment and hostility.
"But a week later we both attended the same party, struck up a conversation and never ran out of words since. From that night on, we both knew we'd marry. I never even officially proposed. One rainy Thursday we went to City Hall-and that was that.
"What special qualities does my wife have? I adore her intuitive sense, her changeability, her understanding about things, her wisdom, her beauty, her magnificence as a mother, and her ability to laugh at life, no matter what. I think our humour, the humorous aspect toward life, is essential. From the beginning we've always been able to see the funny side of things-the good side."
For the first six months of the marriage-they needed all the laughter they could find. Things were tight financially, jobs hard to come by. Then both were signed for the road company of the play The Middle of the Night. The job, and a delayed honeymoon ... straight to LA.
They decided to stay a couple of weeks "and see if anything would happen." Lots of freelance TV happened-then in late '58 and early '59 excellent supporting roles for Martin in Pork Chop Hill and North By Northwest. Casting directors saw him as the perfect menace and his future was secure enough to give serious thought to having children. Susan was born. then Julie Rose.
In 1963 the Landaus fell in love with and bought an English style country home built around a court-yard in Beverly Hills. It's the kind of house they hate to be away from- and when they are. they try to find living quarters as similar as possible.
In 1966 Barbara, now anxious to resume her career on a full-time basis, signed for the role of Cinnamon Carter in the pilot of Mission Impossible.
"I was asked to do a guest spot as Rollin Hand, master Of disguise," Martin recalls. "It was tantamount to playing five different roles. I agreed because Bruce Geller, the producer was a good friend and, I hadn't worked with Barbara since Middle of the Night. I said "just the one episode." Eight shows later I was still playing the role."
Mission Impossible took two very talented performers and turned them into superstars, a team to be reckoned with-the ultimate couple indeed. When they left the show in 1969. so did the magic. Professionally, the Landaus went their separate ways.
In 1972, they signed with CBS for a pilot centring on the adventures of a TV news commentator (a la Walter Cronkite.) "As it was originally conceived and presented to us, it was a wonderful, provocative show, dealing with a mature and intelligent theme," Martin says. "What appeared on the air as the pilot was something else again. The network ran scared and tried to play it safe. It didn't sell."
Which was a blessing in disguise for it left Martin and Barbara free to accept ITC's Space: 1999. Without assurance of either network or sponsor affiliation guaranteed, the Landaus had such faith in the format presented by Sir Lew Grade and Abe Mandell. guiding geniuses behind ITC, that they rented their home, packed bags and kids, and took off for six months of shooting in London. By the time the fall season began Space: 1999 had been sold to 101 world markets and 155 cities in the U.S. Barbara and Martin were back home to gloat over the phenomenal success of the series - a success which they knew would have them taking the 6,000 miles trip to start shooting the episodes for the second season.
CELEBRITY caught up with Martin, a few days before his departure for London and he was anxious to return. "It's an exciting, oddly civilized city in spite of its current difficulties. And the people are marvellous- charming and incredibly polite. Even the taxi drivers are friendly. It's a total city and as you know, Barbara and I are both city people. (Martin was born in Brooklyn N.Y., Barbara in Chicago.) And it's been great for the children - it's been the first time they lived in a big city, and they thrived. We considered putting them in an English school, but decided on The American School so their education wouldn't be disrupted as we travel back and forth."
Martin glows as he talks about his two teenage beauties. "Susie looks like Barbara, blondish and blue-eyed. Juliet is dark-haired, blue- eyed and looks like me. Both girls are very independent. Barbara is a fabulous mother - and always has been dispensing love and discipline in equal amounts. She obviously had the perfect formula. We get so many compliments on our kids! Oddly enough, in spite of our profession, neither one is a television buff. Both prefer to read. In fact, both read an enormous amount - I'd say about three books a week. They're really awfully good kids.
"I write, take pictures, and of course, having started out as a painter, I'm still painting. Let's say it's my therapy."
His writing, however, has him most excited. "I've completed a screenplay people are responding to," he says modestly. "A personal story about someone I knew. I didn't write a part in it for myself or one for Barbara. But I want to direct it. I want to be active."
With Space: 1999 appearing all over the world, he and Barbara can't go anywhere without the accompanying recognition and hysteria.
"On a recent holiday we went to Holland, Belgium and Provence for the first time, and it's peculiar to go to places you've never been and have everyone know you. It's pleasant but it doesn't give you the sense of first-time experience. We look upon the show as work - hard work - and do the best we can. Some recognition is just one of those things."
Then returning to the subject of his beautiful wife. he smiles: "Life would have been hell without Barbara. Together with her, my life has been full and we were able to progress and find sustenance each in the other.
"However, we are not Barbara- Martin. Barbara has her identity and I have mine. If we melded into one we'd be kind of a blob, wouldn't we?"
That's the Landaus. That's their attitude. Maybe they're right.