CUE Magazine (1975) - SPACE: 1999 vs STAR TREK

This made me smile. New York area entertainment magazine, Cue ("Seven Leisure Magazines in One"), from December of 1975. Artist unknown (to me, anyway). I particularly like Barbara Bain with the space bazooka....

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...?

Behind-The-Scenes Pix #32: THE BLACK HOLE

With the help of a pair of technicians, professional mime Tommy McLoughlin is encased in the black fiberglass body of the Cygnus' gunslinging Sentry robot S.T.A.R., for Disney's 1979 interstellar epic, The Black Hole. His mouth and chin are blackened as a precaution against his skin showing through breathing holes/slits in the mask.

STAR TREK - THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) Coca-Cola Premium Poster

It only just occurred to me that it was 33 years ago today that the only new, live-action Star Trek of the 1970s premiered in U.S. cinemas. A glorious, big screen reunion of the original television crew in a then-unprecedented, big-budgeted theatrical feature film.

My own opinion of The Motion Picture has evolved over the years - from my initial awestruck experience 33 years ago, to my vague dissatisfaction with it during the 80s and pan & scan TV/VHS home viewings, to a more positive re-evaluation as both I and the film grew older. I still think The Wrath Of Khan is the best of the Trek films, but I really love this first widescreen adventure as well, and appreciate it much more now than I used to.

I honestly don't know much about this poster; I don't know the artist, nor exactly where/how it was available. I only know that it was some sort of premium offered by the Coca-Cola company. I'd welcome any information about its provenance - if you know something about it, post in the comments below.

ADDENDUM: According to a commenter below, this poster was actually an in-theater concession stand premium that you could acquire with the appropriate purchase of a Coca-Cola soft drink. Cool! Thanks!

Happy Anniversary, ST-TMP!

AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1976) Theatrical Posters

Today we have a few of the International theatrical posters for the 1976 John Dark production of At The Earth's Core. Based on the novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs and directed by Kevin Connor, Core starred the ubiquitous Doug McClure (The Land That Time Forgot, Warlords Of Atlantis) and co-starred the great Peter Cushing (Star Wars) and the stunning Caroline Munro (Starcrash), in a tale of cliffhanging adventures in the savage inner world of Pellucidar.

Despite of - or perhaps because of - its primitive special effects and man-in-suit monstrosities, I have a great affection for this movie, and have ever since catching it on network television back around 1977. It's actually fairly faithful to the Burroughs novel (abridged, of course), even if it presents truly fanciful monsters rather than the paleontologically accurate prehistoric beasties of the book. Cushing is a joy as Prof. Abner Perry, the brilliant but absent-minded inventor of the "Iron Mole," and Caroline is a perfect primeval princess. McClure is decent, too.

Sure, I wish it had a bigger budget and Ray Harryhausen-animated creatures, but it's a fun - and favorite - 70s Lost World flick.

STAR WARS Graphic Novel Giveaway

Thanks to a donation from a generous Space: 1970 reader, I have extra copies of three Dark Horse Star Wars graphic novels/collections that I'm going to give away to some lucky Star Kid this holiday season. If it all goes smoothly, I may do more of these giveaways in the future.

For this first Space: 1970 Giveaway, I have the 1997 graphic novel adaptation of the first Star Wars movie by writer Bruce Jones and artists Eduardo Barreto and Al Williamson, the 1997 trade paperback of the original Marvel Comics adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back by Archie Goodwin & Al Williamson, and the Star Wars Omnibus Volume Two, which collects issues #28 through #49 of the original Marvel Comics Star Wars comic book series from the 70s-80s. These are not mint condition collectibles, but very good reading copies.

To simplify things, I'll be picking only one winner for all three books.

All you have to do to qualify for the random drawing is a.) be a U.S. resident (sorry!) and b.) send an e-mail containing your name and mailing address to chris@atomicpulp.com with the words "SPACE:1970 GIVEAWAY" in the subject line. One entry will be chosen at random, and I'll mail the graphic novels to the lucky winner. Entries must be received before midnight, Friday, December 14, 2012. The winner will be announced here on Monday the 17th. Good luck!

One entry per person, please. Double entries will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the above instructions precisely will be disqualified and discarded. A winner will be drawn at random and announced on December 17, 2012. The winner's name will be posted here at space1970.blogspot.com and they will be notified via email. All entries will be deleted immediately after the contest’s close, and no personal information will be retained or transmitted to any third parties. The contest is open to U.S. residents only. Prizes will be shipped via media mail. Unfortunately, Space: 1970 cannot assume responsibility for items lost or damaged in transit.

ADDENDUM: I'm having to discard almost half the entries because people aren't reading the directions closely. You must include your full name and mailing address in your e-mail, or I chuck it. Period. 

ADDENDUM II: Sorry for sounding so grumpy above; I was frustrated.

News: Cathy Lee Crosby WONDER WOMAN (1974) Coming To DVD... Next Week

Not too long ago, I wrote about the 1974 Wonder Woman television movie/pilot that starred Cathy Lee Crosby as DC Comics' star-spangled Amazon princess from Paradise Island. At the time I actually mentioned that I thought it would make a good candidate for DVD release by Warner Brothers' manufacture-on-demand Warner Archive Collection.

Well, apparently, someone was listening.

On December 11th, Warner Archive will be releasing Wonder Woman on burned-to-order disc:

Before Lynda Carter took the heroine back to World War 2 for her “New, Original” incarnation in 1975, statuesque tennis pro-turned-performer Cathy Lee Crosby swung the magic lasso in a very different TV incarnation of Wonder Woman. As developed by scribe John D.F. Black (Star Trek), and seemingly influenced by her recent turn as a mod, cat-suited crime-fighter in the pages of her DC Comics home, this Amazon Princess was more superspy than superhero. Still, many of the expected wondrous elements from bracelets and lassos to Paradise Island and invisible jets all make an appearance, albeit with a sleek, seventies espionage super-action refit. Three years before taking up residence on Fantasy Island, Ricardo Montalban (Star Trek II: The wrath Of Khan) plays laconic lothario Abner Smith, who lurks at the top of the conspiracy to make off with ultra-secret code books – leading Agent Prince to discover an Amazon sister-in-exile (Anitra Ford).

Although not a 70s show, fans of superhero television may be interested to know that Warner Archive will be releasing the second season of the 80s syndicated Superboy series on the same day. (I happen to be a fan of that show, so I'm excited by this news, as well.)

Neither title appears to be available at the Warner Archive site as yet, but I'm sure they'll be listed shortly. Needless to say, I'll be trying to get my hands on a copy as soon as I can, and when I do, I'll post a full review here on the site.

Maren Jensen/Athena Gallery

Here's a Space Babes "Extra" - a gallery of Battlestar Galactica publicity stills I've been collecting, featuring the gorgeous and exotic Maren Jensen as Athena - possibly my favorite 70s Space Babe of them all (or at least tied with Erin Gray).

Maren was the Space: 1970 Space Babe on December 12, 2009. Enjoy!

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) Premiere Promo

Set the WABAC Machine for the September 17, 1978 3-hour World Television Premiere of the Battlestar Galactica pilot on ABC's Sunday Night Movie. Narrated by the great Ernie Anderson.

French BLACKSTAR (1981) Comic Book

Apparently, Filmation's 1981 animated series, Blackstar, had a lot more merchandising than most of their (pre-He-Man) shows - and certainly considerably more stuff than I was aware of. Much of it appears to have been European, with a wide variety of action figures and other toys. As far as I know, there weren't any English language Blackstar comic books, but there was at least one French one, as the scan above illustrates!

I still have a lot of affection for this show, despite those annoying "kid friendly" Trobbits. I think it's pretty much the only American sci-fi television show - cartoon or live action - that actually represented the "sword & planet" subgenre, and I've always dug that kind of story. Sure, it owed a debt to Flash Gordon, but it also owed quite a lot to the interplanetary swashbucklers of Edgar Rice Burroughs and his imitators.

BUCK ROGERS (1979) U.K. Annuals

Here are the covers of the four British hardcover annuals (1981-84) devoted to the 1979 NBC television series, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, starring Gil Gerard and Erin Gray. These volumes contained reprints from the Gold Key/Whitman Buck Rogers comics along with new material. If any Star kids from across the Pond can identify the cover artists (1981 and '83 appear to be by the same hand) or can provide more details of the contents, I'd appreciate it if you'd post the info in the comments.

As I've mentioned, growing up in the U.S., I never owned any of these distinctly British collectibles, but they fascinate me. Someday I may have to start trying to hunt down copies of these books, particularly the Buck, Logan's Run and Space: 1999 volumes.

The Space: 1970 Holiday Wishbook

It's the first of December! Time to crack open the family Sears or J.C. Penney Holiday Wishbook catalog and start planning your list for Santa. Lots of Mego action figures, maybe a model kit or two, a radio-controlled TWIKI... and a "Space Case" to carry your figures around in.

Here are some of the most eagerly-desired holiday gifts of the 1970s.... which ones did you have under the tree?

You can find more Space: 1970 Wishbook memories HERE and HERE.