Rainier Beer "Fresh Gordon" TV Spot (1978)

This 1978 commercial for Rainier Beer manages to "homage" 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars (dig that oh-so-close background music in the cantina) and Flash Gordon... and stars the original Flash, Buster Crabbe, as "Fresh Gordon."

Only in the 1970s.

STAR TREK Phaser Battle commercial

Here's a vintage commercial for Mego's Star Trek Phaser Battle electronic game, which the narrator assures us is "the most exciting game ever!" I never had this, but it looks, well, amazing.

Of course, from what I've read online, it appears that it was very difficult to play, took six (!) "D" batteries, and was not very well constructed, breaking easily. It also was very expensive, selling for around $70 in 1976 dollars! (According to an online inflation calculator, that would come to nearly $300 today!)

Still....

Kenner 12" Boba Fett!

"That's why you got the job!" I never had any of the large-sized Star Wars action figures - hell, I had very few of the small ones - but I would have loved to own this cool Boba Fett doll. And Darth Vader (sold seperately), for that matter....

Posting has been light here of late as I've been concentrating on other projects and, frankly, recharging the nostalgia batteries. About a month or so ago, I started to feel a bit exhausted trying to come up with material to maintain nigh-daily Space: 1970 updates, and although I didn't really plan it, I obviously needed a break.

Regular posting will resume shortly. Stay tuned....

Burger Chef STAR WARS (1977) Posters Commercial

One of the most popular posts on this blog has been the one about the Star Wars Burger Chef/Burger King posters painted by Del Nichols and offered by both restaurant chains back in the early months of 1978. Well, here's a vintage Burger Chef commercial for those highly collectible fast food premiums, starring pitchdroids C-3PO, R2-D2, and some of their galactic "pals."

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) Action Figures Commercial

Today we've got a 1978-vintage kid's TV ad for Mattel's new Battlestar Galactica "Colonial Warrior" and "Cylon Centurion" action figures. Have a great weekend!

Robby The Robot STARLOG 1978 TV Commercial

I've been looking for this clip for a long time, and thanks to a head's up from Jerome Wybon (of the Forgotten Silver blog), I can now share it here with the rest of you Star Kids!

I dimly recall that I saw this rare Starlog TV commercial just once, and I believe it was during the 1978 airing of the Saturn Awards show. Amazingly, the Saturn Sci-fi Movie Awards, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, actually aired on one of our local television stations (WCSH) for two years during the height of the Space: 1970 era - in 1978 and '79. If I recall correctly, the 1978 awards were co-hosted by Mark Hamill and Caroline Munro! (The '79 show was hosted by William Shatner, and his performance of "Rocket Man" has since become legendary!)

Anyway, here's the great Robby the Robot pitching a subscription to Starlog magazine - the periodic Star Kid bible - in its late 70s prime!

MORK Toys From Mattel

As I've mentioned before, I did watch Mork & Mindy regularly when it originally aired, although I've found it nearly impossible to sit through an episode as an adult. Still, it was a huge part of Star Kid culture, and was - or at least, Robin Williams was - quite a pop culture phenomenon in its time. Today's YouTube find is a vintage commercial for Mattel's line of Mork toys - action figures, plush dolls, and even a "Ork Egg" variation on their popular Slime product.

Milton Bradley STAR BIRD Commercial

As a follow-up to yesterday's insanely popular post - here's a vintage UK TV spot for Milton Bradley's Star Bird toy!

PLANET OF THE APES (1975) Fortress Playset

Here's another great Space: 1970 holiday "wishlist" gift - the Mego Planet Of The Apes Fortress Playset! Who wouldn't have loved to find that under the tree? Personally, I had a couple of the POTA figures, but I never had any of the cool accessories. Usually, I would just concoct backyard scenarios where Captain Kirk somehow ended up on the Ape-dominated world and would get chased by (and fight with) my gorilla soldier.

On a related note, has anyone else ever wondered why Mego (or their ad agency) decided to score most of the Apes toy spots with that weird version of Also sprach Zarathustra...?

ALIEN (1979) Action Figure Commercial

"Give up! Alien can't be beat!" Vintage TV spot for the Second Coolest Toy Ever!

Happy Halloween, Star Kids!

Here's a few other scary Space: 1970 posts you might enjoy today:

Galaxy Of Terror Review

Alien: The Illustrated Story

Saturn 3 Theatrical Trailer

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) ABC Network Promo

From January, 1979, the ABC network promo spot for the Battlestar Galactica episode, "War Of The Gods, Part 1" (with guest star Patrick Macnee as Count Iblis)... and the last new episode of Glen Larson's The Hardy Boys Mysteries... narrated by the "Voice of ABC," the late, great Ernie Anderson!

Coming Attractions: FLASH GORDON (1980) TV Spot

Another vintage TV commercial - in this case, a campy, 30-second spot for the theatrical release of Mike Hodges' Flash Gordon feature, from December, 1980.

Coming Attractions: BUCK ROGERS (1979) Theatrical Movie TV Spot

Here's another genuine rarity from that video treasure trove known as YouTube: a 30-second TV spot promoting the theatrical release (NOT the television premiere) of the original Buck Rogers In The 25th Century pilot movie in the Summer of '79. As I've recounted before, I saw this in the theaters accompanied by my mother and sister... needless to say, I'm the only one of us that actually remembers it.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) Mattel Viper Launch Station

Maybe it doesn't have a cool jingle like the Cylon Bubble Machine, but I really wish I had had one of these.

CLIFFHANGERS! (1979) Network Promo

Here's a real rarity! It's nearly impossible to find anything online relating to Kenneth Johnson's short-lived 1979 series, Cliffhangers!, so this vintage NBC promo clip is quite the find. The show was a modern "take" on the theatrical movie serials of the 30s and 40s, with three, 15-minute chapters of three different ongoing stories in each episode.

The one that most fit in with the Space: 1970 aesthetic was "The Secret Empire," an update/rip-off of the 1935 Gene Autry vehicle, The Phantom Empire. Both dealt with cowboys battling the inhabitants of secret underground scientific super-cities. In the Cliffhangers! version, the leader of the villains was portrayed by none other than Mark Lenard of Star Trek and the Planet Of the Apes television series.

Of course, the real gem was "The Curse of Dracula" with Michael Nouri as a very 70s undead Count...

STAR TREK Mego Enterprise Play Set (1975)

Star Trek was huge in the Seventies - far more of a phenomenon than it had ever been during its original late Sixties network run. That's why I don't hesitate to include The Original Series here at Space: 1970 alongside its legitimately 70s offspring, the Filmation Animated Series and 1979's Motion Picture.

Nowhere was that popularity more evident than in the sheer amount of merchandise - especially aimed at children - that lined store shelves throughout the decade. Of course, the most popular of all this stuff were the action figures and other Trek toys from Mego. And, probably the fondest-remembered of all their toys was the U.S.S. Enterprise play set, with "working transporter." Action figures sold separately....

Coming Attractions: THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE (1978) TV Spot

I was a bit too old for this Disney flick when it came out back in 1978, but my wife is a big fan of The Cat From Outer Space. We have the DVD in our library, but I haven't looked at it in ten years or so; the last time I tried to watch it, I fell asleep about halfway through. Now, to be fair, this was before I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, so it may not have entirely been the movie's fault. Maybe I should try again one of these days when I'm in the mood for some light cheese.

That said... I do like the critter's space ship.

The Cylon Bubble Machine

I have no memory of this product whatsoever. Wow. Love that jingle!

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1978) TV Promo

Here's a fun clip - a 1978 CBS promo for the debut of The Amazing Spider-Man starring Nicholas Hammond, and guest-starring the lovely Joanna Cameron (Isis). We even get a tantalizing glimpse of  Ms Cameron in a skimpy white bikini. And people wonder why I'm nostalgic for the 70s....

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!