GALAXINA (1980) Lobby Cards

I continue to have a soft spot in my heart (and head) for the 1980 Crown International comedy Galaxina. I honestly don't know why, except that it's part of the post-Star Wars space opera boom, and that, as awful as it is, I can't help but enjoy the damned thing. Anyway, here's a selection of Galaxina lobby cards that showcase the film's more interesting visuals, including Chris Walas' alien "rockbiter," the funky spaceship miniatures... and the admittedly stellar Dorothy Stratten as the titular android.

Coming Attractions: GALAXINA (1980) Theatrical Trailer

The theatrical trailer for the 1980 Crown-International (alleged) comedy, Galaxina, starring the late Dorothy Stratten.

GALAXINA (1980) Advertising Art

It's been a while since I've posted anything here relating to the 1980 Dorothy Stratten vehicle, Galaxina, a decidedly underwhelming intergalactic comedy from Crown International Pictures. But I recently came across the cool foreign one-sheet above, and thought it'd be fun to share. For other Galaxina posters, go HERE.

And, while Galaxina is an undeniably bad movie... I enjoy revisiting it every once in a while. The screenplay is sophomoric and the direction leaden, and any movie that features Avery Schrieber in a major role demands a certain amount of derision, but it does possess those 70s miniature space effects that I enjoy, the late Ms. Stratten is delicious eye candy, there are a couple of decent Chris Walas-designed alien creatures (both featured in the art above) and... well, actually, that's about all this movie has going for it.

For those who might be wondering, I did pick up the Galaxina / Crater Lake Monster  Double Feature  Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment several months ago, and must report that while the film is presented in widescreen and HD, it's derived from an inferior print and appears to be a simple standard-def up-convert, with no evident remastering done on the transfer. There are no extras, either. If you should happen to be a fan of the movie, you're better off hanging onto - or picking up - the Galaxina special edition DVD that BCI Entertainment put out a few years back. The transfer is better, and there are plenty of extras. Although technically out of print, it's still available for under $20.

News: GALAXINA (1980) Coming to Blu-Ray

The 1980 Crown International Pictures space opera spoof, Galaxina, will be coming out on Blu-Ray disc next week (according to Amazon) from Mill Creek Entertainment. The movie stars the late Dorothy Stratten (Buck Rogers' "Miss Cosmos") as the titular Galaxina, the sexy android navigator of a space patrol ship crewed by idiots.

No confirmed info on how it compares technically to the BCI Eclipse Special Edition DVD of a few years ago (review HERE) although the Amazon listing has it labeled as being 1.33:1 pan & scan instead of the correct widescreen ratio, and no extras are listed. It is paired with another Crown International drive-in "favorite," The Crater Lake Monster (1977), which is pretty boring, but does feature some stop-motion monster sequences by the late David Allen.

Neither movie is what you'd call "good," but if you're a B-movie buff, it makes an interesting double-bill, and the price (SRP $14.95) is pretty reasonable. I don't know if I'll be picking it up - the Galaxina DVD is perfectly satisfactory - and in the proper aspect ratio w/extras - but I would like to have a copy of Monster, bad as it is.... hmmm....

If you must have it, you can order it at a discount from Amazon here: Galaxina / Crater Lake Monster- Double Feature- [Blu-ray]

Now, if I could just find some actual release information about Shout! Factory's long-promised Battle Beyond The Stars Blu-Ray... if anyone comes across any news, please send it along.

GALAXINA (1980) Theatrical Posters

I reviewed the movie a while back. Here are two of the original theatrical one-sheets for the sci-fi spoof Galaxina, starring the late Dorothy Stratten (who also appeared as "Miss Cosmos" in the Buck Rogers episode "Cruise Ship to the Stars.")

The poster at top was painted by Robert Tanenbaum, who also painted posters for Battlestar Galactica.

Space Babe: Dorothy Stratten

Dorothy Stratten as the titular character from Galaxina. Since I wrote about the sci-fi spoof earlier this week, it seemed appropriate to spotlight its late star, the lovely Dorothy Stratten, as this week's "Space Babe." In addition to her role in the 1980 film, she also appeared on an episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as a futuristic beauty queen.

Stratten was Playboy magazine's "Playmate of the Year" for 1980, and was just starting a career as a film actress when she was tragically murdered by her estranged husband shortly before the release of Galaxina. The story of her life and death was actually filmed twice, once as a TV movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis, and as a theatrical film starring Muriel Hemingway.

Dorothy Stratten Tribute site.

GALAXINA (1980)

I first read about the movie Galaxina – as with many others – in Starlog magazine when I was a teen, and ended up waiting 26 years to actually see it. The movie is known (by those who know of it at all) as being one of the very few film vehicles for actress Dorothy R. Stratten, the lovely Playboy Playmate and Bogdanovich protégé who was murdered by her husband shortly before the movie was released.

Unfortunately, Galaxina is terrible (even by my arguably undemanding standards); a remarkably unfunny comedy from William Sachs, the director of The Incredible Melting Man (another movie I only know about from old Starlogs) and good old Crown International Pictures.

Stratten portrays the title character, the shapely android pilot of the intergalactic police cruiser Infinity. While she’s both beautiful and competent at her job, the rest of the crew are neither. Captain Cornelius Butt (former Doritos pitchman Avery Schreiber, Caveman) is an idiot, and his officers Thor (Stephan Macht, The Monster Squad) and Buzz (J.D. Hinton) are almost as bad. But Galaxina and Thor nonetheless have feelings for one another, feelings they cannot act upon, because physical contact causes the android to short circuit. After a visit to an alien brothel, the crew of the Infinity is assigned to find a magical artifact, the Blue Star, and keep it out of the hands of the resident Darth Vader clone.

While there’s some potential in here, it’s almost completely squandered by director Sachs, who has no apparent sense of comedy timing whatsoever. The production values are low, the characters and humor are crude, the gags are cliché, and while Stratten is undeniably beautiful to look at, her role as a robot seems to stretch her limited emoting abilities. There are a couple of decent alien designs by Chris Walas (in particular, the "Rock Biter"), some of the spaceship sets are kinda cool, and there are a few jokes that almost work, but overall, the film remains notable only for its association with its tragic leading lady.

BCI’s classy 25th Anniversary Special Edition DVD from a few years ago treats the film like a comedy masterpiece, however, with a sharp, clean 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. There’s also a boatload of bonus features. There’s a commentary track by director Sachs and actor Stephen Macht (God love ‘em, they actually think this movie is funny!), another audio interview with Sachs, additional footage from the international version, the theatrical trailer, and four still galleries. DVD ROM features include the original script and shooting script, as well as pdf reprints of the above-mentioned Starlog articles. Finally, there’s a 6-page booklet with stills and a biography of Stratten.

Once again, we’ve got a bad movie in a fantastic DVD package. Recommended only for people interested in the late Dorothy Stratten… or fans of Avery Schreiber. If there are any.

• TRIVIA: Dorothy Stratten also appeared in the "Cruise Ship to the Stars" episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century the year before as "Miss Cosmos, the most genetically perfect woman in the universe."

Check out this 1980 Galaxina TV Spot: