Season's Greetings!

Best wishes from R2-D2, C-3PO and all of the busy droids and robots here at Space: 1970. Have fun, stay safe, and we'll see you all here again after the holidays - whichever holidays you celebrate!

William Shatner For Commodore Computers

Star Trek's William Shatner shills for Commodore Computers' VIC-20 - "The wonder computer of the 1980s" - in this vintage commercial from around 1981. Gotta love the cutting-edge video "transporter" effect!

Behind-The-Scenes Pix #12: STARCRASH

Here's a cool shot of a modeler (perhaps Armando Valcauda?) detailing the special effects miniature of Stella Star's spaceship for Luigi Cozzi's Starcrash. Personally, while there are plenty of valid criticisms one can lob at the movie's model work and effects, I must admit that I truly love the funky spacecraft from this flick!

Space: 1970 wants you!

I've always welcomed contributions and ideas for the site from the readers of this blog. More than once I've featured artwork that was sent to me or brought to my attention by a faithful Space: 1970 Star Kid, and I'm always grateful when someone sends something cool my way. In the case of pictures/images, I don't currently have a functioning scanner, so lately, I'm kinda at the mercy of what I can find during my periodic Google safaris.

I do try to credit stuff sent to me. I may forget once in a while, but that's just because I'm a doofus. Recently, I was able to feature a couple of vintage Season 2 Buck Rogers ads from TV Guide thanks to reader "Bishop37."

I'm always looking for cool "Behind-the-Scenes" pix, rare promotional artwork, newspaper/magazine ads, or memorabilia, and especially, good-quality pix of our "Space Babes." Specifically, I'm still looking for good pix of Tamara Dobson from Jason Of Star Command, Jean Marie Hon from Ark II and Man From Atlantis, Katie Saylor from The Fantastic Journey, and Maggie Cooper from Space Academy.

Additionally, I'm open to suggestions for articles, reviews or features. Suggestions for "Space Babes," topics for essays, Polls or "Fave Five" lists - are all welcome. Constructive criticisms are appreciated, as well.

Space: 1970 recently celebrated its second anniversary. The site now has over 340 "followers" here on Blogger, and the Facebook fan page is up to 750(!) "likes." My sincere appreciation to everyone for their moral support!

I also want to thank everyone who have used the Amazon links on this site to make purchases (and the few who've expressed their appreciation for the site through generous Paypal donations - if you'd like to contribute, there's a link in the right-hand sidebar). Every little bit helps - if I can manage to buy a new scanner, I've got a lot more TV Guide and newspaper ads to share, and tons of magazines and other memorabilia to cull material from.

If anyone has material to contribute - or suggestions/general comments regarding Space: 1970 - feel free to drop me a line via e-mail.

SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN (1978) Pinball Machine Flyer

Yet another vintage pinball machine flyer, this time for Bally's Six Million Dollar Man table from 1978. Can't say I'm particularly impressed by the backglass art - seriously, is that supposed to be Lee Majors and Richard Anderson? - but I do love the photo of the 70s swingers cheering on their goofy friend, who appears to be so pleased with his score that he's doing a Fonzie-styled, double thumbs up!

Disco Space!

Another disco album inspired by John Williams' Star Wars themes and melodies, this one by "Blue Galaxy & his Orchestra." I'm posting this mostly because I like the album art - and the misspelling of "Star Treck" - or is that how it's spelled in France...?

News: LOGAN'S RUN (1977) TV Series DVD Art

To follow-up on the last post, here's Warner Home Video's artwork for the Logan's Run - The Complete Series DVD set, due in April of 2012.

Pre-Order Logan's Run: The Complete Series

News: LOGAN'S RUN (1977) TV Series Coming to DVD in April 2012

One of the most popular posts on this site - at least in terms of hits - is the one I posted back in January, when TV Shows On DVD announced that Warner Archive had the 1977 Logan's Run television series in the works for a 2011 release. I've also received tons of e-mails and queries asking whether I had any more information on the projected release, especially as the end of 2011 drew closer without any sign of the popular  program actually showing up on disc.

A couple of months ago, I was actually talking to a fellow who works for Warner Archive, and I asked him what the status of the title was, mentioning how many inquiries I get here at Space: 1970. I wasn't allowed to pass it along at the time, but I was told that Warner Home Video was considering offering it as a traditional retail package instead of as a manufacture-on-demand Archive product. They just hadn't decided yet which format was the most economical.

Well, apparently it's now been decided, since the aforementioned TV Shows On DVD site posted a report today that Logan's Run - The Complete Series will be released wide in stores and to other retail outlets (like Amazon) on April 10, 2012. The 3-DVD set, containing all 14 episodes (including the feature-length pilot episode), is priced at $39.98 SRP. No extras have yet been announced.

I'm a huge fan of the series, which starred Gregory Harrison, Heather Menzies and Donald Moffat, and am very excited by this news. With this much-desired and highly-anticipated video release, I'll now have virtually all of my favorite childhood shows on my DVD shelves.

Pre-Order Logan's Run: The Complete Series

News: THE INVISIBLE MAN (1975) Coming To U.S. DVD/Blu-ray in 2012

According to an article a couple weeks ago (sorry it's taken me so long to report it here) at the TV Shows On DVD website, VEI of Canada will be releasing both DVD and Blu-ray editions of the complete 1975 The Invisible Man television series, starring David McCallum, Melinda Fee and Craig Stevens, in the U.S. on May 1st, 2012.

The 12-episode series was originally scheduled to be available in Canada on DVD & Blu-ray in October, but that release has been delayed until February, 2012.

The show, which was a variation on the Six Million Dollar Man formula by way of H.G. Wells (co-produced by the bionic franchise's own Harve Bennett), cast McCallum as Dr. Daniel Westin, a researcher who is permanently rendered invisible in a lab accident. This makes him an ideal covert agent, and he's soon going off on secret missions with his supportive wife, Kate (Melinda Fee) for a private think tank called KLAE.

As a kid, I really enjoyed the show, and am looking forward to revisiting it on disc.

Pre-Order The Invisible Man - The Complete Series DVD

Pre-Order The Invisible Man - The Complete Series Blu-ray

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1979-80) Marvel Comics Cover Gallery - Part 3

Walt Simonson

Walt Simonson

Walt Simonson

Bill Sienkiewicz/Klaus Janson

Michael Golden

Walt Simonson

Walt Simonson

Brent Anderson/Klaus Janson

Walt Simonson

Walt Simonson

Here's the final batch of cover scans from Marvel Comics' terrific Battlestar Galactica monthly comic book series. As I stated in previous installments, I think Marvel did a great job with the property, especially any story that involved artist/writer Walt Simonson. It's a shame that it didn't continue on, like other Marvel licensed comics that outlived the properties they were based on, like ROM and The Micronauts...

Additional Battlestar Galactica comics would be published in the 90s by Rob Liefield's Maximum Press and Realm Press, and again recently by Dynamite Comics, which released comics based on the SciFi/SyFy Channel revival show, as well as the original ABC incarnation - and even Galactica: 1980! I hated the Maximum books, liked some of the Realm issues, and have never laid eyes on any of the Dynamite comics. 

Still trying to catch up with overdue assignments (like my DVD Late Show reviews), and get back in a blogging mood. With luck, regular posting will resume shortly. I still need to select December's "Space Babe!"

BUCK ROGERS (1979) TV GUIDE Preview

While I try and get myself back into a blogging mode, here's a look at the snarky original TV Guide preview for Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, which dutifully name-checks both Galactica and Salvage 1 (!), and appeared in the September 8, 1979 issue of that esteemed periodical.

Captain's bLog: 1129.11

My apologies for the lack of posts here over the last couple of weeks. Right about the time that I was able to clear up the technical issues that were affecting the site, my wife and I suffered a personal loss that really knocked me down, emotionally. I simply haven't felt up to doing much of anything for weeks, including blogging about old sci-fi TV shows and movies.

I am starting to get myself together now, and hope to resume regular posting here shortly. Thank you for your patience.

Behind-The-Scenes Pix #11: THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL (1978)

Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew reprise their Star Wars characters Han Solo & Chewbacca on a cheap mock-up of the Millennium Falcon cockpit (notice that it has no floor!) for the infamous 1978 television spectacular, The Star Wars Holiday Special - which aired on CBS 33 years ago today.

MAN FROM ATLANTIS (1977) Promo Art

Here's an unusual bit of promotional art for the Man from Atlantis television series. I'm not sure where it was used (although I'm guessing it was a magazine cover or interior illustration), nor can I quite make out the signature. Still, it's pretty cool!

If anyone has more information on this piece, please post it in the comments - I always like to know where this stuff comes from!

FLASH GORDON (1980) International Posters

Click for larger view

Here are a few foreign theatrical posters for Mike Hodges' 1980 Flash Gordon that I haven't shown here before. The two variations above are (I believe) from Thailand, and each feature somewhat different artwork from the U.S. and U.K. posters... while the Japanese variant below features a unique collage of painted art and publicity photographs.

As I've said many times, Flash Gordon is one of my favorite movies from the Space: 1970 era, and I love discovering new "artifacts" like these from the film.

Oh, and by the way - when I was replacing missing photos here on the site the other night, I added a new pic of Ornelia Muti's Princess Aura to her "Space Babes" post. Check it out!

Coming Attractions: THE BLACK HOLE (1979) TV Spot

Here's a fun, 30 second TV spot for Disney's 1979 space epic, The Black Hole. Enjoy!

SPACE: 1999 (1977) Original Comic Art By Pat Boyette

Here's the very nice cover painting by veteran comics artist Pat Boyette for the 7th - and final - issue of Charlton Comics' Space: 1999 color comic book, obviously based on the Second Season premiere, "The Metamorph."

Boyette was a Charlton workhorse, drawing countless pages for the Derby, CT publisher for over twenty years. He created the Peacemaker character for the company, and also drew several adventures of the Phantom and Flash Gordon - among dozens of other characters/titles. In addition to being a fine cartoonist, Boyette was also an actor, writer and filmmaker. He passed away in 2000.

LOGAN'S RUN (1977) UK TV Show Tie-Ins

This hardcover Logan's Run "Annual" was released in 1978 by UK publisher Brown Watson, and contained - as these uniquely British publications usually did (Do? Do they still publish these things?) - articles and photographs from the short-lived 1977 television series, as well as a handful of newly-created comic book-styled adventures. I have a couple of these "annual" books from other shows, but I don't have this one.

Another British Logan's Run tie-in from '78 was this issue of Look-In, which sported this attractive cover painting of Gregory Harrison and Heather Menzies as Logan & Jessica, and also contained a two-page Logan's Run comic story. This is yet another treasure from across the Pond that has eluded me, but on the rare occasions that I actually get to attend comic book conventions, I always keep an eye out for it - especially as the cover copy promises "picture strips" for the Man From Atlantis, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Bionic Woman, as well!

New Poll!

I've posted a new poll question in the right-hand sidebar. This Space: 1970 Poll is a little different from previous ones: instead of asking you to choose a favorite program, character, etc., I'm giving you an opportunity to help shape the direction of the blog.

"Should Space: 1970 cover the superhero shows/films of the 1970s, as well as sci-fi?"

For the last year or so, I've been considering this question. There's no doubt that television shows like Wonder Woman, Shazam!, Isis, The Incredible Hulk, and feature films like Superman: The Movie, were big parts of my 70s sci-fi childhood. But I'm also not sure that I want to open up the blog to discussing these titles on a regular basis. It seems like it might be straying a bit too far off topic (or opening a Pandora's Box!). Admittedly, shows like The Six Million Dollar Man and Man From Atlantis are on the cusp anyway; essentially superheroes without capes. And something like The Incredible Hulk was, in its TV incarnation, more sci-fi than superhero. So, I'm looking for some input.

As always, feel free to discuss your your choice - or make your arguments, pro or con - in the comments!

STAR WARS (1977) Italian Poster

I can't believe I never saw this gorgeous Italian Star Wars one-sheet before today. I truly love this comic book-styled artwork by Michelangelo Papuzza. It reminds me somewhat of Russ Manning's work on the early Star Wars newspaper strips... and that's a very good thing. Enjoy!

THE STARLOST (1973) TV Guide Ads

More vintage TV Guide ads! Here are a couple of advertisements for the syndicated, Canadian-produced 1973 series, The Starlost, starring 2001: A Space Odyssey's Keir Dullea and Gay Rowan. One of the most derided genre series of the Space: 1970 era, I'll admit that it's not a very good show. Still, I find the characters likable and the premise is certainly intriguing - even if rather poorly executed on a microscopic budget.

In fact, I may have to pull the DVD set down off the shelf again someday soon....

November's Space Babe: Grace Lee Whitney

November's Space Babe is the lovely Grace Lee Whitney as Captain's Yeoman Janice Rand from the original, classic Star Trek. Beautiful in a beehive and short skirt, competent and professional, Janice Rand's tenure on the U.S.S. Enterprise was comparatively brief, but undeniably memorable.

Born Mary Ann Chase in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1930, Whitney was a talented singer and actress who brought some sex appeal and glamor to the first season of the seminal sci-fi series. She left the show during the first year, but returned to the franchise several times, appearing in most of the "classic cast" films, including Star Trek - The Motion Picture. She also appeared on the spin-off series Star Trek: Voyager, reprising the Rand role. 

In 1998, she published her autobiography, and she appears regularly at Star Trek conventions and autograph show.

Captain's bLog: Supplemental

I spent four and a half hours early this morning going through each and every Space: 1970 post from the last two years, replacing images that were lost in last month's hacker attack on one of my online accounts. In the early days of this blog, I hosted most of my pix on that server, because I thought it would be more secure than uploading them directly to Blogger.

Silly me.

Anyway, it looks like everything was recoverable, thank goodness, and I'm pretty sure I found everything. I did notice that a number of YouTube videos have gone dead because the accounts associated with them have disabled embedding or have simply disappeared. Not much I can do about that, unfortunately. If I get some spare time, I may go through those and see if I can replace the missing vids, but I don't hold out much hope for many of them.

Anyway, now that I've gotten the repairs and maintenance out of the way, I can start focusing on putting some new stuff together, beginning with November's "Space Babe" - and get back to work finishing up some long-promised reviews and features. Stay tuned!

SPACE: 1970 - Year Three Begins

Today marks the second anniversary of the Space: 1970 blog. Over the past two years, I've written around 450 posts (give or take a few) about the science fiction films and television shows - and related memorabilia - of the 1970s and early 80s. It's been an interesting experience - especially discovering so many other people out there with the same sort of affection and nostalgia for those programs.

I'm also amazed at how many 70s sci-fi treasures have been unearthed since I launched this blog. Starcrash and Battle Beyond The Stars on Blu-ray disc. The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman on DVD. The Gene Roddenberry "Pax" pilots, the Man From Atlantis, Message From Space, Thundarr the Barbarian - all of these have only just become available in the last couple of years on authorized DVDs. When I started this site, I only wished that I could see most of those again, and now I have them on my shelves.

I've wondered, on occasion, just how long I could keep this site going. But, as there are still so many topics I want to discuss, articles and reviews that I want to write - and so many new (to me) 70s genre artifacts that I keep stumbling upon - I'm sure I'll be able to keep it going for a good while yet.

Well, at least another year, anyway.

So, thanks to everyone who stops by Space: 1970 on a regular basis, for your enthusiasm, encouragement, and good manners. It's nice to have a place on the 'net where material like Far Out Space Nuts, Quark, Jason Of Star Command, Buck Rogers and even Starcrash, can be discussed without condescension and snark. I greatly appreciate it.

(Now, I'll be spending the night hunting down and replacing - if possible - each of the missing images from early blog posts that were lost in last month's hacker assault. Sigh.)

Behind-The-Scenes Pix #10: LOGAN'S RUN

Here's a cool "Behind-The-Scenes" shot of technicians working on the huge cityscape "miniature" for the feature film Logan's Run. Before I saw this photo I had no idea that the "City of Domes" model was that large!

PLANET OF THE APES (1974) - Roddy McDowell TV Movie Epilogues

When 20th Century Fox television repackaged episodes of the 1974 Planet Of The Apes television series into two-hour TV movies for syndication in 1981, they apparently shot original wraparound footage for each of the new "features" with Roddy McDowell as an aged Galen, who would wrap up the loose ends of the plot and tie the flicks together. According to what I've read, these short bits were only used once, during the original airings of these "movies" and only in the New York market. Here are two of those rare clips from the fifth and final flick, Farewell To The Planet Of The Apes:

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1979-80) Marvel Comics Cover Gallery - Part 2

Rich Buckler/Klaus Janson

Pat Broderick/Terry Austin

Pat Broderick/Terry Austin

Walt Simonson/Klaus Janson

Walt Simonson

Walt Simonson

Here's the second batch of covers from Marvel Comics' Battlestar Galactica series. As I mentioned before, this franchise really worked in comics, and the writers and artists really ran with the material, free of budget concerns and expensive special effects. With the unlimited scope of the comic book page, the Battlestar Galactica comic could include a slew of alien races and planets, as well as devote subplots and storylines to some of the supporting characters. It was - and remains - a great comic; one of my all-time favorites.

The third - and final - batch of covers will be posted soon.