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Space 1999 : Synopsis, Pictures, Photos, Trivia, Filming Locations

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Space 1999

Space 1999 Dates : 1975 - 1978
48 episodes of 47 min
First broadcasting : 13 DĂ©cembre 1975
Creator(s) : Gerry et Sylvia Anderson
Producer(s) : Sylvia Anderson puis Freddie Freiberger
Music : Barry Gray puis Dereck Wadsworth
Web surfers's rate : 8.7/10 for 42 rates - Rate

French Traduire

Synopsis

On September 13, 1999, violent electromagnetic radiation caused the emblaissment of radioactive waste stored on the hidden side of the moon, causing a gigantic nuclear explosion and deviating the lunar satile of its terrestrial orbit ...

The 311 inhabitants of the alpha lunar base observe helpless, the earth move away. Consequently, Commander John Koenig and his crew will do everything in their power to go back to earth or at least, find a welcoming planet and will actually have to face many situations: epidemics, extraterrestrial travelers, mysterious spatial phenomena , unknown planets ...

During the second season, a new member will integrate the crew: Maya the metamorph, survivor of the Psychon planet.

Thanks to the magazine des SĂ©ries for this text.

Cosmos 1999, also known by the title Space 1999, was a British and Italian television series produced in 1975 and 1976. The series tells the story of a lunar base called Alpha, located on the hidden side of the moon, which is accidentally propelled into distant space following a nuclear explosion. The members of the crew, led by Commander John Koenig, must face many challenges while trying to find a way to return to earth.

During their trip, the crew meets strange beings and worlds, such as planets populated by humanoids with psychic powers, gigantic creatures, hostile space vessels, and even a planet that strangely resembles the earth. They often have to face difficult decisions and be ingenuity to survive.

Despite the dangers and obstacles they encounter, the crew members remain united and continue to work together to find a way to go home. The series highlights the importance of team spirit and human ingenuity in the face of space challenges.

The Actors

Martin Landau - Commandant John Koenig

Martin Landau


(Commandant John Koenig)

Barbara Bain - Docteur Helena Russell

Barbara Bain


(Docteur Helena Russell)

Barry Morse - Professeur Victor Bergman

Barry Morse


(Professeur Victor Bergman)

Tony Anholt - Tony Verdeschi

Tony Anholt


(Tony Verdeschi)

Nick Tate - Alan Carter

Nick Tate


(Alan Carter)

Photos

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Trivia

In 1969 and 1970, Gerry Anderson embarked on the production of a program entitled "UFO", a series of 26 episodes performed by George Sewell and Ed Bishop and broadcast from September 16, 1970 to March 15, 1973 on ATV Midland, in the Kingdom- United. This program concerned the Shado, a secret organization which opposes the invasion of the earth by the extraterrestrials. (It should be noted that this series was the first production of Gerry Anderson played by real actors, Anderson who first became known thanks to his series using puppets throughout the 1960s).

In 1973, when the first season of "UFO" met with great success in the United States, preparations were righteous for a second season. However, in a few weeks, after a serious fall in the hearing indices, Lew Grade, senior ITC manager, the series’s financing and production house, decides to abandon it and move on. However, Gerry Anderson manages to convince him that the time and money used for the preparation of the second season were not in vain. This can constitute the starting point for a new series. (Small useful remark, Gerry Anderson had to go very quickly because the technicians of the Pinewood studios, in the suburbs of London, have the reputation of very quickly destroying the existing decorations for fear of no longer having a work later. .).

The producers plan to entrust the roles of John Koenig and Helena Russell to Robert Culp (whose great personal success are the "Trackdown" programs which saw the beginnings of Steve MC Queen and especially "spies" broadcast from September 15, 1965 to September 9 1968, on NBC, N.D.L.R.) and Katherine Ross. But, in the hope of conquering the American market more easily, and on the advice of ITC New York, it is Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, then very famous for their performances in "Mission Impossible", from 1966 to 1969, which are contacted and, after fierce financial negotiations, engaged.

The special effects are entrusted to Brian Johnson and Nick Allder, the first having worked on "2001, the space of space". It is Keith Wilson who supports the visual appearance of the show by creating all the sets: the interior of the vessels, the command post, the Koenig office, the corridors, etc ... To do this, he puts To the point a set of modular panels which he can disassemble and assemble as he pleases, according to the specific needs of each scenario, and thus make viewers discover new sections of the Lunar Alpha base. On the technical side, alphans use a portable communicator, Comlock, equipped with the smallest existing television screen in the world at the time. For the close -ups, it is connected to a cable hidden by the arms of the actors. The costumes are entrusted to Rudi Gernreich, a well -known designer who creates unisex uniforms.

The shooting of the pilot begins on November 11, 1973. While a pilot requires 8 to 11 working days, "Drive" occupies the production team for 6 weeks! It seems that this pilot made it possible to develop and test a lot of technical details which will become the trademark of the show, hence this unusual duration. One of the difficulties that will not cease to hinder filming is the size of the command post. The installation of lighting takes a long time. In addition, in this enormous decor, alone occupying an entire plateau of the Pinewood studios, the steps of the actors resonates strongly, which will require the use of foam carpets to alleviate the noise. On the side of the characters, Alan Carter is finally essential for the whole series, contrary to what was planned.

The realization of the episodes is executed in England but the capital comes from the USA. This is why, during the shooting, American officials often ask that the scenarios be reworked, to the chagrin of the writers, to include for example more pretty girls or to ask that the episodes are faster! As a result, many scripts are ready late and the rhythm of filming is affected. It will take more than a year to complete the boxing of the first 24 episodes since the last shots took place in April 1975. Barely this is finished that Gerry Anderson and his wife Sylvia separate. Sylvia Anderson therefore leaves her functions as a producer, which will have heavy repercussion on the content of the second season.

"Cosmos 1999" landed on American and British screens in September 1975 (in France, it will be in December 1975, in the legendary program "The UN East". Unfortunately, none of the three big networks wanted to buy the series Despite an exceptional promotion campaign. The producers were therefore obliged to sell it to a multitude of regional channels for dissemination according to the principle of syndication, which somewhat reduced the impact that a presentation would have given At the national level. Barbara Bain and Martin Landau then actively participated in the presentation of the show by recording, for some local channels, promotional messages.

Despite the disinterest of ABC, NBC and CBS, success is there, as in the whole world ("Cosmos 1999" is sold in more than a hundred countries), only the United Kingdom is an exception because the series is there Scheduled on ATV Midland at the most eccentric hours. Certainly no one is prophet in his country ... Obviously, "Cosmos 1999" is very quickly compared to "Star Trek" and certain criticisms, essentially American, believe that the actors are too frozen resembling the puppets that So well known Gerry Anderson in previous series, and that the scenarios have neither tail nor head, which is ridiculous especially for the first season. Perhaps the series suffers from being too British ...

In anticipation of a second season, the screenwriter Johnny Byrne writes new stories. It is "the biological spirit" and "the children of the gods" who are intended to be the first two episodes of this new season. A third script is also developed: "The face of Eden". After several months of waiting, the actors were sure to stack for a new year. Thus, at the end of 1975, ITC announced that it launched a second season whose filming begins in January 1976. Taking a good note of the criticisms formulated, the leaders strongly insisted with Gerry Anderson to go for a new producer . The appropriate man is responsible for orienting "Cosmos 1999" towards the tastes of the American public. It is Fred Freiberger (the producer of a few episodes from the series "Les Mysteres de l'Ouest" during the 65/66 season and especially that of the 3rd season, 66/69, of "Star Trek", that the trekkers consider Like the gravedigger of the legendary series, N.D.L.R.) which takes charge of the destinies of the Alpha base. Gerry Anderson reserving the position of executive producer. Freiberger creates the character of Maya who will definitively convince ITC to finance new episodes. He only views eight episodes, bows to the quality of special effects but deplores that the characters do not know how to smile and spend their time chatting instead of giving way to action.

The decides to remove the characters from Professor Bergman, David Kano and Paul Morrow (his interpreter Pretis Hancock will never be informed and will even ignore that a second series turned). They are replaced by the extraterrestrial polymorphic Maya and by Tony Verdeschi, the head of security (to embody Maya, the production calls on Catherine Schell already seen in episode 11: "The guys of Piri" led by Charles Chrichton, And for Tony Verdeschi in Tony Anholt whose previous success is called "Iron Handle and Seduction", a show produced by Gerry Anderson for the BBC and comprising 52 30 -minute episodes broadcast from September 29, 1975 until 1974) .

Freiberger also decides to end the pseudo-philosophical stories and to concentrate the scenarios on more action and humor. The main position disappears to make way for a more confined decor.

The superb credits pulsed by Barry Gray's music also disappears and is replaced by a composition of Derek Wadsworth, more in line with the new rhythm instilled in the program (another particularity, an introductory comment at the beginning of each episode that recalls The number of days since the moon left its orbit, accompanied by a brief description of the situation in the alpha base, Gimmick which is not without recalling the episodes of "Star Trek" where this scriptwriting technique had already been used , n.d.l.r.).

According to the testimonies collected years later with Gerry Anderson, ITC wanted to keep from the original distribution that Martin Landau. The character of Helena Russell will not be saved in extremis but Nick Tate, the fiery Alan Carter, confirms that only Koenig and Russell were to be present in the second season. Fred Freiberger will decide to reintegrate Alan Carter in the team after realizing that the character was extremely popular in the USA, and especially because his own children were fans! However Carter will remain a role of second plan. Like Sandra whose interpreter, Zenia Merton, has no hard enough words against Freiberger.

Indeed, during the first season, all the actors were under contract for 24 episodes. But Freiberger no longer wanted Zenia's presence in the show, and no longer hired him at the time, which reduced his salary by many. She then decided, after the 3rd episode, to leave the series, being replaced at her post by Yasuko Nagazumi, alias Yasko, and especially wife of director Ray Austin (former waterfall adjustment on the series "Melon hat and leather boots", Then became one of the most prolific directors of American television). It is Barbara Bain who will demand the recall of Zenia Merton several months later to play in the episode: "The recall that kills".

The shooting of the second season began at the end of January 1976 with the episode "La MĂ©tamorphose", according to the scenario of Johnny Byrne. The latter is obliged to rework its history to adapt to the new format and thus justify the arrival of Maya. As for the disappearances of Bergman, Morrow and Kano, they will never be explained. The pace is much more sustained, everything must be filmed in 11 months, which obliges production to sometimes turn two episodes at the same time. This explains why Koenig, at times with Maya, absent from certain adventures, the rest of the team being occupied by another scenario.

Fred Freiberger will refuse the scenario of Byrne entitled: "Children of the Gods" because he implies the death of a child from the future to observe his Alphans ancestors, an element considered too dark. Freiberger will express his scriptwriter talents under the pseudonym Charles Woodgrove by writing "the cloud that kills", "Luton guidelines" or "spatial deformation". This will lead the screenwriter Johnny Byrne, much later, to clarify that he and Freiberger lived on two different planets with regard to their respective approach to the show and his scriptwriting frames.

This second version of "Cosmos 1999" will delight those who had criticized the series, even if some people criticize him for having chosen a completely opposite style of the first year. But it derives more than one as much as the change of style is garish, especially fans of the first hour. Result: listening rates do not improve. At the same time, ITC decides to move towards film production. Thus, the series was canceled at the end of 1976. However, since that time, "Cosmos 1999" has definitively entered the golden legend of television.

Filming

Filming locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

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