THE IMMORTAL (1970) Coming To DVD In 2016

According to TV Shows On DVD, the short-lived, 1970 science fiction adventure series, The Immortal, starring Christopher George, will be coming to DVD in 2016 from Canadian company, VEI.  The great Christopher George played Ben Richards, a race car driver with a unique blood type containing immunity to all known diseases... and even old age. When an elderly billionaire discovers Richard's secret, he decides to abduct Richards, and keep him captive as a personal blood bank. In tried-and-true genre TV fashion, Richards goes on the run, pursued by the billionaire's hired mercenaries.

Details on the DVD release are sparse at this point, as it was one of about a dozen titles announced last week by VEI (which also released the David McCallum Invisible Man on disc a few years back). Among those other titles, one that might be of some interest to Star Kids is the 1973 series, The Magician, starring Bill Bixby, of The Incredible Hulk.

News: Gerry Anderson's JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN (1969) Coming To Blu-Ray

Space: 1999 creators Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's 1968 feature film, Journey To The Far Side Of the Sun (a/k/a Doppleganger), starring Roy Thinnes (The Invaders), is coming to Blu-ray disc in the U.S. on April 7th from Universal.

From the Press Release:

Classic sci-fi adventure and suspense has never been more exciting as when you Journey to the Far Side of the Sun! One hundred years in the future, two astronauts are sent to uncover the secrets of a “duplicate” Earth on the other side of the sun. When they crash land three weeks earlier than they had planned, they must embark on a life-or-death mission to determine whether they have arrived back home or on the strange mirror world. This imaginative space adventure offers a journey few will ever forget! 

It's an interesting movie, with a dark tone and overall aesthetic that is very similar to Anderson's subsequent TV series, UFO. In fact, a number of the props, costumes and musical cues from the film (most notably the "futuristic" automobiles) showed up on UFO a year or two later, along with a few cast members.

So far, no word on any extras, but I wouldn't really expect any from a Universal catalog title. The Journey To The Far Side Of the Sun Blu-ray is already available for pre-order at Amazon.

R.I.P. Neil Armstrong. "We Come In Peace For All Mankind."

Behind-The-Scenes Pix #20: ALIEN

You know, I haven't seen Prometheus yet. The trailer looked cool, and I was initially intrigued that director Ridley Scott was supposedly returning to the Alien universe, but the reviews and word-of-mouth really made me lose interest. I guess I'll wait and rent it from Netflix when it becomes available.What did you other Star Kids think?

Coming Attractions: JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN (1969) Theatrical Trailer

And today, for your weekend viewing pleasure, we present the theatrical trailer for Journey To The Far Side Of the Sun (a/k/a Doppelganger), the 1969 feature film produced by Gerry Anderson (Space: 1999). It's an interesting movie, with a dark tone and overall aesthetic that is very similar to Anderson's subsequent TV series, UFO.

In fact, a number of the props, costumes and musical cues from the film (most notably the "futuristic" automobiles) showed up on that series a year or two later, along with a few cast members.

News: MOON ZERO TWO (1969) Re-released on DVD

Warner Archive, the manufacture-on-demand arm of Warner Home Entertainment has just re-released the 1969 Hammer Films "Space Western," Moon Zero Two on DVD.

Previously-issued on a Best Buy exclusive double feature disc with Hammer's prehistoric romp, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, it was reportedly withdrawn from distribution because the packaging failed to inform buyers of the little bit of cavewoman nudity in the dinosaur flick. I bought that edition when it came out, but I have noticed that it's commanding fairly high prices on the online resale sites since.

Presumably, the new MOD disc uses the same near-pristine, anamorphic widescreen transfer from the Best Buy DVD.

In any case, Moon Zero Two, which stars James Olson and Space: 1970 siren Catherine Schell, and features some groovy future-mod costuming and set design, goes on sale today at the WB Shop. Retail is $19.95 plus shipping.

Catherine Schell in MOON ZERO TWO (1969)

Here are a couple of nice publicity shots of gorgeous Catherine Schell (Space: 1999's Maya) in the 1969 Hammer space Western, Moon Zero Two, which I wrote about a few days ago.

Consider this a Space Babes "extra," as the stunning Ms. Schell was our Space Babe for June, 2010!

MOON ZERO TWO (1969) Theatrical Posters

Moon Zero Two was produced by England's Hammer Films - a studio better known for gothic horrors like Taste The Blood Of Dracula and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed - in 1969, as the world's first overt "Space Western." Lots of B-movie space operas of the 50s and early 60s were little more than disguised cowboy flix, but Moon Zero Two was the first one to not only admit it, but make it part of its advertising campaign.

The plot was cribbed from a half-dozen standard Western B-movie scenarios, just transplanted to the moon. Unfortunately, director Roy Ward Baker, a Hammer veteran, who could be excellent when working within his element, was way out of his comfort zone with this offbeat sci-fi flick. What should be a fast-paced, tongue in cheek Lunar frontier romp is, instead, an unfortunate, plodding misfire.

The movie does have a lot going for it, though, especially for Space: 1970 aficionados. The female lead is Catherine Schell (Space: 1999), looking gorgeous in a variety of futuristic (circa 1969) space fashions, and the overall production design is delightfully "mod" - very much in line with Gerry Anderson's UFO and Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun. Someday soon, I'll try to write up an full review of the film. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these colorful one-sheets and quad posters from the movie's original international release.

It's interesting to me that the U.S. poster (top) portrays the film more along the lines of something like 2001 or Marooned (i.e.a  more "reality-based" space adventure), while the British and other international posters play up the more comic strip (literally in the case of poster #3), sixguns 'n spacesuits intent of the filmmakers.

2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY Art by Bob McCall

Here are just a few of the marvelous promotional and concept paintings from renowned space artist Robert McCall done for Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey.

McCall also did design and conceptual illustrations for Star Trek - The Motion Picture, The Black Hole, and the aborted, pre-Glen Larson version of Universal's 70s Buck Rogers television series. McCall's work was not only dynamic and dramatic, but rooted in genuine space science and technology. His illustrations can be found on U.S. postage stamps, NASA mission patches, and his murals grace the walls of the National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art, The Pentagon, EPCOT Center, and Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

Captain's bLog 0208.11

•  As mentioned in my last Captain's bLog entry, I've been out straight with freelance writing commitments for the last few months. So, for a while, anyway, you're likely to see a lot more image-centric posts here at Space: 1970, at least until I clear some stuff off my desk and have time to write (and finish writing) some more substantive posts for this site (including the long-teased Omega Man and Space: 1999 "War Games" articles). I usually feel like posting just pictures or videos is a bit of a "cheat," but the truth is, I generally get as many - or more - comments/feedback on those posts as the ones that I labor over for hours....

•  A couple weeks ago, I went ahead and ordered a copy of the Hunter Prey DVD from an online retailer, and in the same order, I purchased a copy of the 1969, Gerry/Sylvia Anderson-produced feature, Journey To The Far Side of The Sun (a/k/a Doppelganger). Hopefully, they'll get here this week.

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I've never seen Journey - a serious oversight for the proprietor of a blog like this one - but I've wanted to for a long time. Aside from the Anderson connection and the associated fine miniature effects & FAB production design, I'm a big fan of star Roy Thinnes, so I'm eager to finally sit down and watch the film.

•  I also picked up the Rollerball DVD the other night, used, for about $5. Unlike Journey, this movie is one I've seen several times, but I never owned a copy, and I'm pleased to finally add the disc to my 70s sci-fi library. Now all I need to do is pick up a copy of Silent Running (another glaring hole in my collection)....

• Stats: We're up to 467 "likes' over on the Space: 1970 Facebook page and 220 "followers" here on Blogger. As always, thanks for your support. It's pleasant to work on something that other people seem to get so much enjoyment from.

Captain's bLog 0118.11

•  Still haven't had time to finish up those "End of the World" posts. This winter so far has just been far busier than expected on the "real work" front. So much for a theme "week." >Sigh.< I'll get them completed and posted just as soon as I can. Thanks for your patience.

•   Time-Life is currently offering the pilot films & first season of The Six Million Dollar Man as a standalone DVD release. I don't know how long it will be available, or if they'll be making the other seasons available individually, but if, like me, you can't afford the complete series set with its fancy packaging, you can click over to their site and check it out.

Thanks to donations from some generous Space: 1970 readers around New Year's, I was able to order this first season release - and I can't wait to pop the discs into my player. I never saw the original pilot films, and I'm looking forward to finally getting to watch them. Hopefully, it will arrive this week, although each day when I check the tracking number, the estimated delivery date is moved an additional 24 hours later. Right now, it's supposed to get here on Friday. (And yet, it's supposedly at a FedEx depot less than three hours' drive from here.)

•  Sunday night, I picked up the Blu-Ray edition of Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey at my local WalMart for $10.

While it's not my favorite science fiction film of the era, I'm thrilled to have it in HD. The special effects and production design were groundbreaking and hugely influential on the SF of the subsequent decade (especially in the case of Space: 1999), and seeing them in high def is eye-opening. The enhanced audio is nice, too.

I haven't had time to sit down and watch it through, nor delve into the fairly extensive supplemental features, but I'm eager to do so.

•  "Gilligan" over at Retrospace just posted a really cool round-up - complete with audio files embedded - of his top 17 sci-fi TV themes and intros. My list would have been slightly different, but he's got all the classics there, and it's a fun collection. Check it out HERE.