Berkley's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Paperback Novels

More books from my collection - the first four Battlestar Galactica novelizations by Robert Thurston ("and Glen Larson" - sure....) from Berkley Books. The first Galactica novel adapted the pilot, and sported the familiar Robert Tannenbaum poster artwork on its cover. I must have read this book a couple dozen times in Junior High....

I read book 2, Cylon Death Machine, (based on the two-part epic, "Gun On Ice Planet Zero") even more times. Thurston's adaptation is a terrific space adventure story that improves on the teleplay somewhat, and employs a truly neat narrative device that switches around between the viewpoints of various characters - including the hardboiled convicts that the Galactica crew conscripted from the Prison Ship for this "Dirty Dozen Against the Guns of Navarone at Ice Station Zebra" mission. Berkley chose to use Frazetta's TV advertising art for this cover - which I'm sure was a very wise commercial decision.

I remember that I received books 3 & 4 for Christmas, 1980. The Tombs Of Kobol adapted the two-part "Lost Planet of the Gods," while The Young Warriors adapted and slightly expanded upon the episode of the same name. Both of these books sported rather nice (and TV-accurate) wrap-around cover paintings by sci-fi artist David Shleinkofer.

Amazingly, this series outlived the television show by almost a decade - running all the way to 1988, and totaling 14 titles, the last few of which were original stories, and not adaptations of TV episodes. Somehow, I missed all of the later volumes (written by Thurston, Mike Resnick, Ron Goulart, and others), except for #13 - a Thurston original called Apollo's War. (Cover art by James Warhola.)

Oddly, I don't recall actually reading that one - I think I'll pull it out and add it to my "To Be Read" pile....

In the meantime, I think I'll start scouring online used booksellers for the volumes I'm missing. I'm especially interested in reading the later "originals" by Thurston.

ADDENDUM 2/5/12: I found a few of the ones I'm missing at some reasonable prices, and ordered four books from various online dealers: #7 War Of The Gods, #9 Experiment In Terra, #11 The Nightmare Machine, #12 Die, Chameleon!

Die, Chameleon arrived on Saturday in good shape. Hopefully, the others will also show up in decent condition. Turns out that I also already have a beat up copy of #5, Galactica Discovers Earth, though it's in such bad shape I may want to try and find a replacement copy. Then I think I'll only need the following books: #6 The Living Legend, #8 Greetings From Earth, #10 The Long Patrol, and the final volume, #14 Surrender The Galactica.

A Close Encounter You Can Wear!

"Through the science of LASER technology and recent advances in the art of holography - a new space age product - the hologram has been created for your pleasure and enjoyment!"

Check out this decidedly 70s piece of sci-fi memorabilia: a Close Encounters Of The Third Kind hologram pendant! This ad appeared in Starlog #15, back in the Spring/Summer of 1978. Cool.

My SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN Models

I didn't just build spaceship models as a kid. I also assembled at least three Six Million Dollar Man "action" diorama kits: "Jaws of Doom," "Bionic Bustout," and "Fight For Survival!" They were rather sophisticated snap-together kits, and fairly-well detailed, as I recall. I'm pretty sure that they all had detachable sleeve and pants leg pieces that could be removed to expose the bionic workings underneath, as well.

The Fundimensions company produced at least two other Steve Austin models (one where he's tackling a biker on a motorcycle and one of the bionic man on a laboratory table), but I only remember having these three. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the alligator from "Jaws Of Death" is still in a box of miscellaneous childhood debris in my parents' basement. My favorite, though, was "Bionic Bustout," because it portrayed Steve in mid-jump, and I thought that was way cool.

One thing - I don't think I ever painted my Six Million Dollar Man models. I would have been about eleven or twelve when I assembled these kits, and the sort of control and precision that would have been necessary to paint them properly was well beyond my skill. (And the last time I saw that alligator, he was still white.) Who else remembers having these cool kits?

STARSHIP INVASIONS (1978) TV Guide Ad

People seem to dig these vintage TV Guide ads - and why not? They're powerful memory triggers, especially for those of us who grew up in the pre-cable, pre-Internet Stone Age of the 1970s. This advertisement for the U.S. network television premiere of Ed Hunt's Starship Invasions is a great example. I was always the first one in my house to grab the new TV Guide when it showed up in the mail, and immediately pored over its pages, looking for cool stuff to watch, so I could plan my schedule accordingly. I remember being pretty damned excited when I came across this particular ad in my weekly review of the magazine.

I had already read a couple of articles about Hunt's UFO movie in Starlog, and its plot, with warring alien races, extraterrestrial abductions, undersea pyramids (in the Bermuda Triangle, no less!), and flying saucer space battles, pushed all the right buttons in my Star Kid brain.

Terrific descriptive copy, too, worthy of an Ace sci-fi paperback blurb: "Forced to seek a new home, the Legion Of The Winged Serpent has selected Planet Earth." Wow.

The Secrets of HANGAR 18 (1980)

Confession: I've never seen the 1980  Sunn Classics Pictures UFO conspiracy thriller Hangar 18. I remember the television commercials vividly, and I recall planning to go see it at the Waterville Cinema Center, but for some reason, I missed it. And while I'm willing to bet, based on stuff I've heard and read over the last thirty(!) years, that it's probably a pretty lousy movie, it does star Robert Vaughn and Darren McGavin, two of my personal favorites. So, as it's currently available on Netflix instant play, I'm going to have to watch it one of these nights....

Behind-The-Scenes Pix #14: LOGAN'S RUN TV Series

Gregory Harrison and Heather Menzies on location during the filming of the 1977 Logan's Run CBS television series - which will be released on DVD in April. I am eagerly anticipating having this series - one of my favorites from my childhood - on my DVD shelves! Can't wait!

Pre-Order: Logan's Run: Complete Series

A Blast For Buck!

Space: 1970 wishes a very happy birthday to Captain William "Buck" Rogers himself, TV astronaut and interstellar lothario, Gil Gerard!

McDonald's STAR TREK (1979) Kid's Meal - Klingon Ad

A while back, I posted a commercial for the McDonald's "Kid's Meal" fast food promotion that the famous burger chain did in conjunction with 1979's Star Trek - The Motion Picture. Here's another commercial for that same promotion - featuring a Klingon "dad!" 

Apparently, these were the very first McDonald's "Happy Meals"...

Gold Key BUCK ROGERS (1979) House Ad

When Gold Key Comics adapted the 1979 Universal version of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century into comic book form, they offered the movie adaptation in multiple formats - and touted that fact in this house ad, featuring what appears to be Al McWilliams artwork.

Is that Ardala sporting a turban?

 Interestingly, this Treasury-sized version of the Buck Rogers film adaptation was available under both the Whitman and Marvel Comics imprints....

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.

SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN/BIONIC WOMAN Comic Book Toy Ads

All the EXCITEMENT. All the REALISM. All the BIONIC™ ACTION! 

Any Star Kid who read comic books in the 70s (and I'm guessing that's pretty much all of us) will have these 4-color advertisements for Kenner's Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman action figures and accessories burned indelibly into their brain matter. Hell, I actually remember these ads better than the toys themselves!

Stella!

Here's wishing the glorious Caroline Munro, also known known throughout the Haunted Stars as the stunning interstellar siren Stella Star, the best of birthdays!

The lovely Ms Munro was Space: 1970's very first Space Babe.