STAR WARS (1977) Burger King Premium Posters

It's amazing to think that back in January of 1978, you could score one of these gorgeous, Del Nichols Star Wars posters - and a matching, collectible drinking glass - for the price of a regular soft drink at your local Burger King (or Burger Chef) restaurant. These much-desired premiums were sponsored by Coca-Cola, and are highly prized today. Personally, I think they're probably my  favorite Star Wars related premiums ever. Here are the best scans I've ever come across of these stunning posters - enjoy!

Sorry for posting two art gallery-style posts in a row. I try to avoid that, but I didn't have anything else ready for today. However, I'm working on a bunch of more substantial entries (including November's Anniversary Space Babe) that should appear shortly. Stay tuned!

SPACE WARS (1977-1980) Cover Gallery - Part 1

Issue #1

Once again, we're braving the downscale genre mags of sleazy publishing mogul Myron Fass' Stories Layouts and Press Inc., purveyors of cheap newstand fodder. A while back, we reviewed the short-lived sci-fi mag, Star Encounters, but this time around, we're looking at his company's longest-running cheapo Starlog imitator - Space Wars.

Like its companion magazines, Space Wars was printed on the cheapest possible newsprint, with little-to-no interior color, and ugly, cluttered layouts. Still, for young genre fans back in those pre-home video/pre-Internet dark ages, Fass' 'zines helped sate the appetite for behind-the-scenes stories and sci-fi news between issues of Starlog and Fantastic Films.

Here's a gallery of some of the lurid cover layouts that caught our eyes from the newsstand racks and lured our meager allowances out of our pockets...

Issue #2

Issue #3

Issue #4

Issue #5

Issue #6

Issue #7

One of these days, I'll post the remaining Space War covers. How many of these did you have?

Warren CLOSE ENCOUNTERS (1977) Official Magazine

During the late Seventies, Jim Warren's Warren Magazines (publishers of Creepy, Eerie, Vampirella and Famous Monsters of Filmland) put out a number of "Official" tie-in mags for a variety of genre films, from Star Wars and Alien to Moonraker and Meteor.

Here's the cover of their Close Encounters Of The Third Kind magazine, with a striking close-up of Carlo Rambaldi's featured animatronic alien.

As I've said before, these publications were basically full-issue, Famous Monsters-styled "filmbooks," featuring detailed plot summaries, actor profiles and behind-the-scenes articles, all written for 13 to 15 year-olds. And... then there were the pages of "Captain Company" mail order ads in the back....

LOGAN'S RUN (1977) Look-in Cover

Another terrific Logan's Run cover, this time from the January 1978 issue of the British children's magazine, Look-in. I don't know for sure who the artist is, but it looks like it could be by Arnaldo Putzu, an acclaimed movie poster artist who did many covers for the magazine. If any of my readers from across the pond can confirm or correct that attribution, I'll happily update this post. Whoever painted it, I love it.

Plus Top Bionic Action!

ADDENDUM: Several Star Kids - both here and over on the Space: 1970 Facebook page - have confirmed my suspicion that the art was by the great Arnaldo Putzu - and passed along the sad news of the artist's recent passing. I didn't grow up with Look-in, but since I've been scouring the Internet for cool stuff to share on this blog, I've come to really appreciate Putzu's impressive cover renditions of so many of my childhood favorites, and, of course, as a film buff, I really dig his many iconic movie posters.

R.I.P., sir.

Defend Your Galaxy With....The Force Beam!

I received this in my e-mail today from a friend: a British magazine ad for one of the very first Star Wars knock-off toys - the "Force Beam!" Basically a flashlight attached to a long plastic tube, this was the closest thing to a lightsaber an aspiring Jedi Knight could buy... at least, for a while. The manufacturers took advantage of Lucasfilm & Kenner's slowness in getting licensed product on the consumer market, and rushed these to K-Marts and chain toy stores months before an official lightsaber toy had appeared. In fact, I'm pretty sure I got one of these (or some other, similar unauthorized lightsaber knock-off) for Christmas in '77!

(A quick Google search found this ad - and some shots of the toy itself - on a site called The Star Wars Collector's Archive.)

What amazes me about the advertisement above isn't the obvious Star Wars-inspired graphics, but the fact that they actually use the Star Wars name (and facsimile logo) in an ad for what was clearly an unofficial product! Like the makers of the Warrior's Battlejacket, these guys had stones!

STAR WARS (1977) Public Service Poster

Gotta say this for those Star Wars droids - they were certainly community minded... even if they were from a galaxy far, far away. When not addressing the perils of smoking, they were making sure that kids were up to date on their shots...

August's Space Babe: Lea Brodie

 

Beautiful brunette Lea Brodie as Delphine, in the John Dark/Kevin Connor production of Warlords Of Atlantis (1977). This month's Space Babe comes from inner space in the fine form of an Atlantean slave girl who comes to the aid of stranded 19th Century mariners led by stalwart Doug McClure (The Land That Time Forgot, At The Earth's Core) in this fun, Saturday matinee lost world adventure.

I admit it - Lea was not my original choice for August, but I just received and watched my new imported-from-the-UK Warlords Of Atlantis DVD and was struck by the beauty of the young actress, whom I immediately recognized from her role in the Roger Moore film, ffolkes. And since this is my blog, she gets this month's nod for Space Babe!

The lovely Lea (also known as Lea Dregorn) had a very brief acting career in the Seventies, appearing on British television programs (including a first year episode of Space: 1999, "Force of Life"), stage, and in a handful of feature films. She retired from acting in the 80s, and is now a spiritual and holistic healer.

Her website.

THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER (1977) Theatrical Poster

Pretty much the only good thing about Crown International Pictures' 1977 drive-in fodder, The Crater Lake Monster, is the evocative theatrical one-sheet pictured here. (I'm sure someone out there knows who the artist is.) Unfortunately, the movie itself is an ultra-cheapo bore with a no-star cast that only sparks to life during the all-too-brief instances where the titular monster is on screen.

Of course, the film's creature looks nothing like the Tyrannosaur-like beastie on the poster, instead resembling some sort of mutant plesiosaur/salamander hybrid. To be fair, the stop-motion animation in the movie, executed by David Allen, is actually pretty good - there's just not enough of it.

Surprisingly, The Crater Lake Monster is actually available on Blu-ray disc, paired up with Crown International's space spoof Galaxina. And... yeah, I own it.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) Theatrical Posters

There wasn't a lot of variations to Columbia Pictures' ad campaign for Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Basically, the night time road into the glowing hills and/or the Devil's Tower silhouette featured in pretty much in all of the advertising in the U.S. and abroad. But why not? They're striking, memorable images, and have become iconic in the minds of those of us who grew up in the late 70s. (Actually, I'm not 100% certain that second poster was actually used in theaters; I can't help but think that it looks like a consumer poster. Anyone know for sure?)

When the 1980 Special Edition came around, Columbia went for something a little less iconic, but certainly effective...

STAR HUNTERS (1977-78) DC Comics Cover Gallery

Rich Buckler & Bob Layton

Rich Buckler & Bob Layton

Rich Buckler & Bob Layton

Rich Buckler & Bob Layton

Rich Buckler & Bob Layton

Rich Buckler & Bob Layton

Rich Buckler & Bob Layton

For your viewing pleasure, here are the covers to all seven issues of DC Comics' 1977-78 bi-monthly Star Hunters comic book. Written by David Micheline, with art by Don Newton, Larry Hama, Mike Netzer, Rich Buckler and Bob Layton, Star Hunters was the company's "answer" to Marvel's authorized Star Wars comic. I read this series pretty avidly back in the day, and remember it being a great deal of interstellar swashbuckling fun.

As a bonus, here's the original art for Issue #6's cover, by the regular team of Buckler & Layton. Enjoy.

THE WAR IN SPACE (1977) Promo Art & Posters

I really like Toho Studios' entry in the post-Star Wars space opera sweepstakes, The War In Space. While it owes much to earlier Toho sci-fi films of the 60s (like Battle In Outer Space and Atragon), it has a distinctly 70s look and flavor (not to mention the inexplicable horned Wookiee henchcreature, officially known as "Space Beastman").

Anyway, the main spaceship, The Gohten, follows that particular Japanese trend of interstellar vehicles that resemble Earthly naval vessels, with the addition of an Atragon-esque drill bit in the bow. I recently stumbled across this cool promotional poster with cutaway diagram of the distinctive spaceship. Enjoy.

If you haven't seen the movie, I'd suggest checking it out. It's not quite as much giddy, goofy fun as Toei's Message From Space, but it's an enjoyable space adventure film. Here are a few of the theatrical posters and other promo art:

DC Comics' STAR HUNTERS (1977-78)

"Exiled from Earth by the all-powerful corporation now ruling that planet, they scour the galaxy for the one secret that will enable them to return-- the origin of man in the universe! Led by the roguish soldier of fortune, Donovan Flint, they sail the fabulous starship Sunrider on a cosmic quest of danger, discovery, and unparalleled adventure." 

Cover Art by Don Newton & Bob Layton

I was looking through a stack of old comics recently, and came across a couple lone issues of DC Comics 1977-78 space opera series, Star Hunters. The book was the company's attempt to ride the Star Wars comet, premiering in the Fall of 1977. Written by David Micheline, it chronicled the adventures of an Errol Flynn-inspired space rogue named Donovan Flint and his crew of renegades as they battled an oppressive regime.

Like the Ron Goulart/Gil Kane/Archie Goodwin newspaper strip of the same era, Star Hawks, DC's Star Hunters tried to emulate the high adventure and cosmic scope of George Lucas' blockbuster film, hoping that Star Wars fans would find Donovan Flint's adventures a worthy substitute while waiting for the big screen sequels. Apparently those fans just bought the licensed Star Wars adventures from Marvel Comics instead, because Hunters lasted a mere 7 issues before cancellation.

 The characters were first seen in issue #16 of the company's catch-all title, DC Super Stars, which alternated as a reprint book and a showcase vehicle. That first appearance benefited from the classically-styled adventure art of Don Newton, who also drew the first issue of the subsequent bi-monthly series. Other issues were illustrated by a variety of pencilers, including Larry Hama, Mike Netzer, and Rich Buckler, who penciled four of the seven issues - and all of the regular series covers.  I liked Rich Buckler's art on the series okay, but it lacked the gracefulness of Newton's work. Bob Layton was the regular inker on the series, and maintained artistic continuity throughout the title's short run.

DC's "Who's Who" Entry - Click to Enlarge

As far as I know, the story material hasn't ever been reprinted/collected... and I don't even think that the characters ever showed up again in the DC "universe" (though I could be wrong - I may have missed it. A lot of DC comics have been published since '78). As a Star Kid with a voracious appetite for space adventure - in any medium - I was a big fan of this book back in the day, and would like to someday re-assemble the run.

July's Space Babe: Yûko Asano

July's Space Babe is pretty Japanese actress Yûko Asano, plucky astronette of Toho Studios' 1977 space opera, The War In Space. As Jun Takigawa, the token female crewmember aboard the Earth spaceship Gohten, she was pretty much destined to be kidnapped by the evil Supreme Commander Hell of the alien space battleship Daimakan ,and his Wookiee-like, battle axe-wielding, "Space Beastman." Also inevitable, of course, was the alien leader forcing her to wear a skimpy leather slave outfit.

An award-winning actress and singer,Yûko Asano was born on July 9th (coincidentally, my own birthday!) in 1960, and has had a prolific career in film and television in Japan.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1977) TV Guide Ads

Here's a handful of vintage TV Guide Ads for CBS' 1977 Amazing Spider-Man series, which starred Nicholas Hammond as the web-shooting wall-crawler.As with all of the super-hero shows of the Seventies, I really enjoyed the show (although admittedly, I haven't seen any of the episodes since).

As we've said here many times - these shows (and movies) didn't have the slick computer special effects and gargantuan budgets of today's genre productions (the total cost of all of these episodes probably wouldn't cover the craft services on this Summer's Amazing Spider-Man feature film), but that gutsy determination to try and put wall-crawling superheroes and star-spanning spaceships on the screen - crude as the results may look to today's jaded eyes - was a large part of their charm and appeal. We didn't see the flaws and technical weaknesses back then - our imaginations stepped up to fill in where the limitations of technology failed.

STARSHIP INVASIONS (1977) International Theatrical Posters

Starship Invasions is another Space: 1970 oddball favorite - a Canadian tax shelter sci-fi mash-up of Star Wars space opera and Close Encounters UFOlogy from director Ed Hunt that has to be seen to be (dis)believed. That acknowledged, I absolutely ate it up when I saw it on TV as a fourteen year-old, and would still love for a cult DVD label to release it on disc. (It was released in the U.S. by Warner Brothers - I wonder if they still have the distribution rights? Maybe Warner Archive could dig it out of the vaults for a widescreen MOD release?)

Anyway, here are a couple of colorful movie posters for the flick from around the world - both of them more exciting and attractive than the bland, two-color U.S. one-sheet below.

ADDENDUM: Dammit. According to my contact at Warner Archive, the rights to the film no longer rest with Warners, so there's no chance of a disc - manufactured-on-demand or other wise - from the studio. Oh well. I know that there are illegal versions floating around the web, but I still hold out hope that an authorized edition will show up one of these days....