In 1976 , as an 11 year old boy, my entire world view was changed by the experience of first season of Space: 1999 .... the second season broke my heart!
You took the words right out of my mouth, although I was 8 when season one first aired. I'll never forget the anticipation of seeing the premiere of season 2 only to be let down by the changes in characters, set, feel and pacing of the show. It really was heartbreaking, especially after the grandness and eeriness of the first season. That being said, there are a few gem episodes in season 2 that have warmed me up to the series. But season 1 will always be the best of this show.
Couldn't agree more - we moved between broadcasting regions before season 2 was shown & by the time I viewed s2 ( the 1st episode watched was "A Matter of Balance ") I wondered wtf had happened...
I read many comments, suppositions, elaborations... OK, that's good... Thinking about Season One, now I only think one thing: THANK YOU! Thank you to Gerry A., Martin L., Barbara B., Barry M., Nick T., Zienia M., Prentis H., Anton P., guest artists and stars, Brian J., Martin B., Nick A., writers and directors, etc., etc. for making Space:1999. After almost 50 years we are still here talking about it and loving it. Space:1999!!!
Frank Watts, lighting cameraman was brilliant, great lighting in series 1. Great interviews incl Catherine, informative content, the 20 disc booxset is very good.
I grew up watching this show. I'll never forget it. I don't understand this "US audience" nonsense. I was the USA audience, and I loved the British style of shows. UFO and SPACE 1999 were fantastic.
It was in direct competition with Star Trek at the time and Trek was kicking posterior as it was surfacing again being on 2 different channels playing two different episodes at the same time of day! in NC at one point. America wanted victory, we had hostages in Iran, we were exhausted in Vietnam, so the powerful Star Trek Enterprise was far more attractive than a struggling moon base that couldn't control where it was going, security was a joke, I don't think they ever won one fight! Dr. Who was a bad title that made you think Dr. Who?, UFO wasn't realistic enough, would rather watch Benny Hill you wanna talk European shows. However I too liked 1999 over trek for other reasons.
I always doubted people’s claims about the quality drop between seasons one and two. When I was finally able to see the entire series, thanks to the late Network Distributing, I was actually amazed at how far the series had gone off track. What is really puzzling is Gerry’s willingness to let Fred Freiberger completely dismantle all of the good bits that were there. ITC may have foisted Freiberger’s involvement but making him the producer who called all the shots was all Gerry’s decision (if he is to be believed). There are some bright spots in season two, like The Metamorph from Johnny Byrne, Pip and Jane Baker’s A Matter of Balance, and Terrance Dicks’ The Lambda Factor, but the bad outweighs the good unfortunately. Although lots of people try to dismiss her contributions, was Sylvia Anderson’s function in season one basically that of what is now termed the “showrunner?” Things seem to fall apart in terms of writing once she is gone, not only with this show but subsequent productions as well. I think Gerry is great for coming up with the premise, assembling good crews, but not always running the shows. This is something even Space Precinct producer Tom Gutteridge has said in relation to that series and a possible second season. It would have been lovely if a strong producer like Barry Letts had come into Space: 1999 to strengthen the production and writing side of things.
Gerry was used to working in Britain with little American interference as Lew Grade was the one who had to deal with American networks. That changes when ITC New York basically canceled the otherwise successful U.F.O. The introduction of Freiberger was a decision dumped on Gerry and possibly a bit of a culture shock to him too. Freiburg made some notoriously poor decisions hence his nickname, however he did have his fans in the industry (William Shatner said that if it hadn't have been for Freiburgers involvement then there would have been no series 3 of Star Trek). Gerry and Sylvia were also going through a nasty messy divorce too so I can't blame them for wanting to take some time out. But I agree with you that there were better choices for producers to hand the show over too but ITC insisted on an American with experience. Freiburger obviously fancied himself as a scriptwriter too but he plainly wasn't a very good one. Gerry actually got on quite well with him as a person but found some of his decisions and choices hard to fathom. I wonder what Landau and Bain thought of him
Loved the first season as a kid when it first came out! Looking back, the first season neatly filled the gap that Star Trek left in some of the more thought-provoking stories. Dragon's Domain was truly a shocker too! How did that get past the censors?
I don’t think that Space 1999 wasn’t the best science fiction serie”s ever made?Star Trek was in an compititive mode.Of course,they were still doing:Star Trek re-runs,back in the late ⏰ 1970”s.And,to “each his own”,as to what kind of science 🧪 fiction that they like!I”m a:”Trekkie”,or:”Trekker”,as they call them.And,Star Trek has been around for a long time!I also,liked:Ufo!(from:the 1969,and 1970 serie”s season).There were better storyline”s in Ufo,too!
@@betsyelee4434I love Star Trek too, apparently as a baby sat on my Dad's knee watched the original UK showing in 1969, don't remember that but remember 3 years later on Dad's knee with the reruns on BBC1...
In 1976 I went to Selfridges, London, with my family, I wanted to see the set of Moonbase Alpha, a culture shock, a miniature model set no bigger than the floor of our living room, but it had structure, the focus of the mind, and the ability to transport you there. It was awesome.
As a child there were a few TV shows that completely expanded my mind and made me really think outside the box. Space 1999 (Season One) , Children Of The Stones, Sapphire And Steel, Toms Midnight Garden (1974 Production) and the completely out there King Of The Castle. Such wonderful thought provoking TV shows for a young searching mind…
She would not twist her neck but always moved her shoulders to avoid a diagonal (disfiguring to her) crease to appear….. Martin only liked his left profile so Eagles with him as pilot always flew left to right (making his storyboards easy to complete)😊👍🏻
Loved the series and looked forward to it every week. Season 1 was great however the story went down in season 2. Always have wondered how season 2 would have turned out if the team had been left alone.
I'm actually kind of amazed that no one has actually tried to build one -- even just a model of one -- that was capable of actual flight. That would be so cool to see.
Fred Freiberger killed my favorite childhood tv series just like what he did with Star Trek. Eventually, they resurrected the franchise but Space:1999 did not. Having Freiberger was a big mistake. At least I have it on dvd to relive the show I loved most back in the 70's. I still love Space:1999.
Back around 2013, J. Michael Straczinski [JMS] -- creator of the science fiction TV show *BABYLON 5* -- commented online that most television network executives do not *_understand_* science fiction. With exceptions like Gerry Anderson, Gene Roddenberry, JMS, Joss Wheaton and a few others, in my opinion JMS was absolutely correct. And these folks I mention were/are more 'production' than 'executives'.
@@thisiszaphod Actually the reviewer did go on to say that he couldn't tell any difference between the live actors and Puppets so Gerry needn't have bothered employing any. More than cruel, but you're right, Barbara did need to show more signs of life
@@thisiszaphod To be fair. It was how the character of Dr Helena Russel was written. She was remote and aloof. She had far more range in Mission: Impossible.
Martin Landau was a likable and engaging male lead in "Space: 1999". He was well cast and gave solid performances throughout the shows two-year run. Granted, he could overdo the "wild eyed, out of control" shtick from time to time but for the most part, he was even tempered and in control of his performance. Barbara Bain however is one that leaves viewers scratching the heads. Simply put, she frequently comes off emotionless. Her voice is monotone in its delivery, and her speech patterns and body movements are too mannequin like. In short, she lacks a natural rhythm and cadence. She seems to be on auto pilot is devoid of warmth. This is so strange when you consider how good she was and the array of emotions and undercover guises she displayed during her three years on "Mission: Impossible" which saw her win three consecutive Emmys for her work.
Typical, Britain makes a first class sci-fi series, the Americans see it and think "how can we mess this up?" Just like remakes of loads of great British shows.
It's a regular trope whenever two women are placed in a potentially competitive position. Those watching from the sidelines want to build it up as a battle of wills with the two women practically having catfights behind the scenes. To read between the lines of what Catherine said in her interview, there were situations where opportunities for Maya to shine were stymied by Barbara exerting influence behind the scenes. But Catherine wants to make it clear to anyone expecting "juicy gossip" that she's not going to bad-mouth a fellow professional, regardless of how she might feel about her personally.
Barbara was the leading lady of the series. She wasn't going to let Catherine have that same status on the show. Schell playing an alien was good enough for Barbara; she thought Schell would not upstage her in terms of looks. (Schell did anyway as she looked lovely even in her alien make-up and she was a very good actress, too.) Kinda like the bitchy Kate Mulgrew making life difficult for the younger, sexier, prettier and more dynamic actress Jeri Ryan when the latter joined ST Voyager.
Barbara Bain thought she was a star from the mission impossible days she was a diva and the deal I heard when they made Space 1999 which was made for US audiences was both actors would have to be cast otherwise Space 1999 would not be made!😀
But she DID badmouth Barabra - for a few minutes of attention here. Bain, had every right to defend her terf against the needless Maya character. Y1 is the year most of us still appreciate by far, not Y2's Maya series.... @@GusMcGuire
I loved this so much that I would watch the boring political discussion programme on Before it, just to make sure I didn't miss a minute of it !!! Very high production values made it a succes and a cast of top class actors.
It would seem bringing in the American worked so well the model builders who worked on Star Wars weren't aware the original design of the Millennium Falcon too closely resembled a craft from "Some scifi show in England..."
That's because they considerate upon Surviving Pilot's mental suffering and survivor's guilt. Too point when he decides want go out finally face his ultimate fear. Great writing and acting
Fascinating documentary, but it seems to end very abruptly without any analysis of why Freiburger's approach didn't work. (I enjoyed S1999 Series 1 but thought what I saw of S2 was awful.)
What this video is not telling you was that season 1 of Space: 1999 was cancelled due to bad ratings. That is all on Gerry as season 1 was completely his vision. He cut off Sylvia which was why she divorced him. Getting Fred Frieberger was the only way Space: 1999 would be brought back. There were plans for season 3 and a spinoff but Lord Lew Grade stopped caring about Space:1999 as his attention was elsewhere.
Mr. Freiberger gets a lot of grief because of his work on series 2. However it is worth noting that without him there would have been no series 2. The worst I can fault him for is his choice of stories, but it's also important to remember that those were being controlled and vetted by the front office. He managed to lower the cost of production and keep everything running, and while some of the sets looked a bit tatty the production values remained high. What he really needed was a good story editor. Also Gerry and Fred had a good working relationship after the series, even coming to the States to pitch a series idea they had jointly developed.
Bravo. To this day, can npt watch much of S2. The stupid music, cramped sets, needless 'humor... turtlenecks... blue and red denim jackets... bah. @@estoril4271
The moment he said "and I met Fred Freiberger" everything was clear: I am death destroyer of series! Nothing more to tell, turn off the lights no need to see the rest of the video. He was not a writer on the very first Star Trek: on the very last Star Trek season, you mean.
Lew Grade reportedly put what could have been the budget for Season 3 in the big screen movie Raise the Titanic, which promptly sunk in the box office. Bad decision. Poor investment. What a waste.
FF destroyed the show. I remember as a 10yo how much I loved it when it premiered here in the U.S. Then when the 2nd season came, even at that young age I was like WTF happened? Victor gone, as well as Paul, Kano and others. A downsized command center that could fit into my bedroom, and overall poor writing. His big mistake was trying to makeover the whole show just to try and fit into this stupid, more youthful Americanized version he had in his head when it was already loved the way it was here in the U.S.
Have you ever watched Space-1999 on blu-ray? It really shows the fine details of the set being made of wood and all the crude details that make it look like a sci-fi stage set instead of a hi-tech moon base.
i loved the series - but sadly season 1 was very expensive and didn't recoup enough money back, so season 2 was done cheaper and aimed at a different audience but wasn't successful enough either - i think the key failure in both the usa and uk was not getting networked tv slots just regional ones where the time and day varied (and it wasn't shown at all in many areas or only season 1 was) - where i lived season 1 was put up against top of the pops and season 2 was put in a kids tv slot.
Gerry's attitude to people is so odd. The things he focuses on are very strange. I read his book and I find him baffling. Tyrannical and avuncular. A genius. Fascinating
Fred Frieberger KILLED Space 1999. Series 2 is horrible. To this day I cringe when an episode comes on from that series. They are just difficult to watch.
In honesty, I think Fred Friedburger took blame for Gene Roddenberry and Gerry Anderson lack of interest in both series. He forced work with more limited budgets. And had make changes keep productions alive.
The only good thing out of season 2 was the Maya character. If only they had kept the S1 style and original cast, and just added her on instead of what S2 became. She would have been such a great counterpoint to Prof Bergman. Kinda like the EMH/SevenOfNine dynamic from ST:VOY.
I always heard that Star Trek fans were disappointed with Space:1999 - ST was optimistic and showed humans and aliens united in a Federation; S:1999 was gloomy and aliens were at best incomprehensible
I thought downsizing of Alpha sets made sense. Main mission with 5Oft high ceilings and surrounding windows made absolutely no sense. Who want look out upon bleak gray luner landscape. And also start thinking about long term energy conservation.
What gets me is just how well spoken and incredibly English Gerry Anderson is. He obviously didn't want to make many compromises for the US market (beyond the casting of Landau and Bain ) and when Freiburger got involved I think Gerry decided to back out of the show, and perhaps for good reasons. What's interesting is that Landau and Bain were so Hollywood that they were an awkward fit for an ensemble cast like this show. They clearly made little effort to fit in and I can well imagine the rest of the cast had little to do with them. From what I've heard Landau was less of a diva than Bain but he still tried to meddle in some aspects of production. Having said that, some of the scripts, especially in series 2, were quite poor so I don't particularly blame him for wanting improvements.
Lew Grade always demanded American actors in the lead roles of his live action shows. Didn't you notice Ed Bishop in UFO? Ted Shackelford and Rob Youngblood in Space Precinct? Or even Roy Thinnes in Journey to the Far Side of the Sun?
@@amightysailingman Yes I did and it made perfect sense if you are trying to sell the series to an American network. Gerry liked using certain actors, Ed Bishop being one. But the Landau's were sort of pushed upon him and I think he found Barbara Bain a particular thorn as she was very Hollywood and I don't think Anderson felt comfortable using people like that. I think it was the same thing with Roy Thinnes in that movie he made with him a couple of years previously.
Sorry, but Martin Landau never looked "tough" to me with his skinny arms and trademark slouch. As for Freiberger's reputation, it's been noted that that's undeserved. He was always brought in as the last resort, not when a series was riding high. So the shows were already dying. He didn't kill them.
My favorite episodes usually were those which Did NOT feature Alien Monster of the Week. Mainly because costumes were so terribly bad. You can even see zippers and where head masks attachments😂😂😂😂
Fred Friberger assumed the audience was stupid. Lets introduce a major character who was not seen in the first season Lets get rid of several first season characters and not say where they went
I do wonder how differently season two would have been under a different producer. This series, in my opinion, gets high marks for set design and practical effects (model making in particular), but the writing on both seasons (especially the second one) was hit or miss, with the ratio being about 30/70, respectively, in my opinion. I wish they had brought in some serious sci-fi writers (there were a few that wrote episodes).
It's too bad that the reboot of this series - Space:2099 - never made it off the drawing board. It has a lot of potential in the hands of a competent team, but they'd probably have to rethink the way they get ejected from Earth's orbit, like maybe being onboard an asteroid instead of the moon.
I watched it at the time. We were desperate. Star Trek was off the air. So was UFO. We really had no choices in terms of sci-fi television. Today, nostalgia helps color those memories. But the fanboys who claim it was a masterpiece are deluded.
Zenia Mertin(?), aka Sandra, gave an interview where he was horrid to her years later at a convention. Further, in Y2 1999 he chopped up her character so badly, as he did most, and then sadly Gerry didn't stop him. So, goodbye, even today. to bad rubbish. @@moretoknowshow1887
I admired Gerry Anderson. In retrospect, I find UFO to be somewhat better than Space 1999 and I wish the studio would have given the show additional seasons. In the states, the timeslots had an adverse effect on the ratings. I was a teen when both shows first aired and felt UFO focused on adult themes, stories and was better acted. Martin and Barbara were excellent together in "Mission Impossible", but were miscast in 1999 or perhaps it was the scripts. The almost endless supply of Eagles, half of Alpha blowing up on every episode, monsters as cheesy as an Irwin Allen production, very predictable scripts that seemed to merely change the names of the antagonists and an always angry Koenig make 1999 a hard watch in syndication. Gerry's comments allow me to better understand what went wrong. UFO holds up to time much better, despite the lower budget special effects. I'd love to see a remake and please, don't let Americans write it!
It wasn't a very good sci-fi show the thing that dragged it down the most was the two lead actors the only airplay over here in Canada was as a Sunday afternoon time slot filler.
I was 20 when this came out. I grew up on Supermarionation, Star Trek, LIS, even Space Patrol and loved all of it. A faster than light MOON? bugger that Space 1999 was crap on a stick.
In 1976 , as an 11 year old boy, my entire world view was changed by the experience of first season of Space: 1999 .... the second season broke my heart!
You took the words right out of my mouth, although I was 8 when season one first aired. I'll never forget the anticipation of seeing the premiere of season 2 only to be let down by the changes in characters, set, feel and pacing of the show. It really was heartbreaking, especially after the grandness and eeriness of the first season. That being said, there are a few gem episodes in season 2 that have warmed me up to the series. But season 1 will always be the best of this show.
Couldn't agree more - we moved between broadcasting regions before season 2 was shown & by the time I viewed s2 ( the 1st episode watched was "A Matter of Balance ") I wondered wtf had happened...
In total agreement with you.
Exactly.
The second season had potential, but the new leadership had other ideas. The First episode of season Two was good; it was downhill after that. 😮
I cannot imagine what my childhood would have been like without Anderson’s genius. Thankyou sir !
I read many comments, suppositions, elaborations... OK, that's good...
Thinking about Season One, now I only think one thing: THANK YOU!
Thank you to Gerry A., Martin L., Barbara B., Barry M., Nick T., Zienia M., Prentis H., Anton P., guest artists and stars, Brian J., Martin B., Nick A., writers and directors, etc., etc. for making Space:1999.
After almost 50 years we are still here talking about it and loving it.
Space:1999!!!
Frank Watts, lighting cameraman was brilliant, great lighting in series 1. Great interviews incl Catherine, informative content, the 20 disc booxset is very good.
I grew up watching this show. I'll never forget it. I don't understand this "US audience" nonsense. I was the USA audience, and I loved the British style of shows. UFO and SPACE 1999 were fantastic.
It was in direct competition with Star Trek at the time and Trek was kicking posterior as it was surfacing again being on 2 different channels playing two different episodes at the same time of day! in NC at one point. America wanted victory, we had hostages in Iran, we were exhausted in Vietnam, so the powerful Star Trek Enterprise was far more attractive than a struggling moon base that couldn't control where it was going, security was a joke, I don't think they ever won one fight! Dr. Who was a bad title that made you think Dr. Who?, UFO wasn't realistic enough, would rather watch Benny Hill you wanna talk European shows. However I too liked 1999 over trek for other reasons.
I always doubted people’s claims about the quality drop between seasons one and two. When I was finally able to see the entire series, thanks to the late Network Distributing, I was actually amazed at how far the series had gone off track. What is really puzzling is Gerry’s willingness to let Fred Freiberger completely dismantle all of the good bits that were there. ITC may have foisted Freiberger’s involvement but making him the producer who called all the shots was all Gerry’s decision (if he is to be believed). There are some bright spots in season two, like The Metamorph from Johnny Byrne, Pip and Jane Baker’s A Matter of Balance, and Terrance Dicks’ The Lambda Factor, but the bad outweighs the good unfortunately. Although lots of people try to dismiss her contributions, was Sylvia Anderson’s function in season one basically that of what is now termed the “showrunner?” Things seem to fall apart in terms of writing once she is gone, not only with this show but subsequent productions as well. I think Gerry is great for coming up with the premise, assembling good crews, but not always running the shows. This is something even Space Precinct producer Tom Gutteridge has said in relation to that series and a possible second season. It would have been lovely if a strong producer like Barry Letts had come into Space: 1999 to strengthen the production and writing side of things.
Gerry was used to working in Britain with little American interference as Lew Grade was the one who had to deal with American networks. That changes when ITC New York basically canceled the otherwise successful U.F.O.
The introduction of Freiberger was a decision dumped on Gerry and possibly a bit of a culture shock to him too. Freiburg made some notoriously poor decisions hence his nickname, however he did have his fans in the industry (William Shatner said that if it hadn't have been for Freiburgers involvement then there would have been no series 3 of Star Trek). Gerry and Sylvia were also going through a nasty messy divorce too so I can't blame them for wanting to take some time out. But I agree with you that there were better choices for producers to hand the show over too but ITC insisted on an American with experience. Freiburger obviously fancied himself as a scriptwriter too but he plainly wasn't a very good one. Gerry actually got on quite well with him as a person but found some of his decisions and choices hard to fathom. I wonder what Landau and Bain thought of him
Americanizing a show was a certain way to destroy it.
Thank Heavens Gerry lived long enough to reminisce about his magnum opus.
Best theme tune and opening sequence of any TV show in history.
Loved the first season as a kid when it first came out!
Looking back, the first season neatly filled the gap that Star Trek left in some of the more thought-provoking stories.
Dragon's Domain was truly a shocker too! How did that get past the censors?
Black Sun was my favourite episode, which funnily enough is a more accurate description of a black hole.
I don’t think that Space 1999 wasn’t the best science fiction serie”s ever made?Star Trek was in an compititive mode.Of course,they were still doing:Star Trek re-runs,back in the late ⏰ 1970”s.And,to “each his own”,as to what kind of science 🧪 fiction that they like!I”m a:”Trekkie”,or:”Trekker”,as they call them.And,Star Trek has been around for a long time!I also,liked:Ufo!(from:the 1969,and 1970 serie”s season).There were better storyline”s in Ufo,too!
@@betsyelee4434I love Star Trek too, apparently as a baby sat on my Dad's knee watched the original UK showing in 1969, don't remember that but remember 3 years later on Dad's knee with the reruns on BBC1...
Troubled is an overstatement. TV production is challenging but they did very well, on the whole.
In 1976 I went to Selfridges, London, with my family, I wanted to see the set of Moonbase Alpha, a culture shock, a miniature model set no bigger than the floor of our living room, but it had structure, the focus of the mind, and the ability to transport you there. It was awesome.
As a child there were a few TV shows that completely expanded my mind and made me really think outside the box. Space 1999 (Season One) , Children Of The Stones, Sapphire And Steel, Toms Midnight Garden (1974 Production) and the completely out there King Of The Castle. Such wonderful thought provoking TV shows for a young searching mind…
Fred Freiburger had the Medusa touch.
He not only killed series he killed entire careers.
@@Atlanta_Cyclist I don't know how he stays employed.
I am thankful for season one of space 1999 and UFO, which I thoroughly enjoyed as an adolescent and now as a retiree.
She would not twist her neck but always moved her shoulders to avoid a diagonal (disfiguring to her) crease to appear….. Martin only liked his left profile so Eagles with him as pilot always flew left to right (making his storyboards easy to complete)😊👍🏻
Always lovely to hear your insights.
Barbara is still alive aged 93 !!
And she was actually married to Martin Landau at one point...
Loved the series and looked forward to it every week. Season 1 was great however the story went down in season 2. Always have wondered how season 2 would have turned out if the team had been left alone.
On the plus side, season 2 had Myra.😍
@@roylennie8117 I agree and it was a big plus!!
@@richardcorwin1828 Not arf pop pickers!
@@roylennie8117 Maya! As portrayed by Catherine Schell, she was the best thing that happened in Season 2.
@@filomango69 Sorry, Maya. Her repertoire of shape-shifting was a bit limited tbh, a big cat or a couple of aliens . . but who cares?
This was the best show ever. I loved it!
I'm actually kind of amazed that no one has actually tried to build one -- even just a model of one -- that was capable of actual flight. That would be so cool to see.
"Lew" was Lord Grade, head of ITC Entertainment("Space:1999"'s production company). "Abe"was Abe Mandell, who ran ITC's U.S. office.
This was amazing. Thank you.
Fred Freiberger killed my favorite childhood tv series just like what he did with Star Trek. Eventually, they resurrected the franchise but Space:1999 did not. Having Freiberger was a big mistake. At least I have it on dvd to relive the show I loved most back in the 70's. I still love Space:1999.
As a member of the *_"American audience,"_* I can definitively say Fred Freiburger's changes to the show *DID NOT SATISFY ME...🙄🤦♂️*
Back around 2013, J. Michael Straczinski [JMS] -- creator of the science fiction TV show *BABYLON 5* -- commented online that most television network executives do not *_understand_* science fiction.
With exceptions like Gerry Anderson, Gene Roddenberry, JMS, Joss Wheaton and a few others, in my opinion JMS was absolutely correct. And these folks I mention were/are more 'production' than 'executives'.
Great info 😊
3:28 Gerry's ever optimistic hair parting always amuses me.
Like many here as a kid I loved the show. I didn’t really notice anything back then obviously but watching nowadays you can see what they mean.
Read The Making Of SPACE1999 By Tim Heald For In-Depth Details Of The History Of The Show Also.
I have my original bookstore bought edition in 1976 or '77!
I remember a reviewer of Space 1999, way back in 1975, rather cruelly described Barbara's face as being permanently frozen by cocaine.
Well, wooden could easily be applied to her acting skills, to be fair.
@@thisiszaphod Actually the reviewer did go on to say that he couldn't tell any difference between the live actors and Puppets so Gerry needn't have bothered employing any.
More than cruel, but you're right, Barbara did need to show more signs of life
@@ewaf88 - yeah, seen the whole documentary (from where these snippets have been posted) a couple or so times. Some very funny insights to be taken.
That opening credits with Barbara turning around, she looked too much like a wooden puppet!
@@thisiszaphod To be fair. It was how the character of Dr Helena Russel was written. She was remote and aloof. She had far more range in Mission: Impossible.
Martin Landau was a likable and engaging male lead in "Space: 1999". He was well cast and gave solid performances throughout the shows two-year run. Granted, he could overdo the "wild eyed, out of control" shtick from time to time but for the most part, he was even tempered and in control of his performance.
Barbara Bain however is one that leaves viewers scratching the heads. Simply put, she frequently comes off emotionless. Her voice is monotone in its delivery, and her speech patterns and body movements are too mannequin like. In short, she lacks a natural rhythm and cadence. She seems to be on auto pilot is devoid of warmth.
This is so strange when you consider how good she was and the array of emotions and undercover guises she displayed during her three years on "Mission: Impossible" which saw her win three consecutive Emmys for her work.
Also, should have kept Barry Morse. His character was a key element to the first season.
Typical, Britain makes a first class sci-fi series, the Americans see it and think "how can we mess this up?" Just like remakes of loads of great British shows.
2:20 - What was going on that made Ms. Schell say she knows people want to hear bad things about Barbara Bain?
It's a regular trope whenever two women are placed in a potentially competitive position. Those watching from the sidelines want to build it up as a battle of wills with the two women practically having catfights behind the scenes. To read between the lines of what Catherine said in her interview, there were situations where opportunities for Maya to shine were stymied by Barbara exerting influence behind the scenes. But Catherine wants to make it clear to anyone expecting "juicy gossip" that she's not going to bad-mouth a fellow professional, regardless of how she might feel about her personally.
Barbara was the leading lady of the series. She wasn't going to let Catherine have that same status on the show. Schell playing an alien was good enough for Barbara; she thought Schell would not upstage her in terms of looks. (Schell did anyway as she looked lovely even in her alien make-up and she was a very good actress, too.) Kinda like the bitchy Kate Mulgrew making life difficult for the younger, sexier, prettier and more dynamic actress Jeri Ryan when the latter joined ST Voyager.
Barbara Bain thought she was a star from the mission impossible days she was a diva and the deal I heard when they made Space 1999 which was made for US audiences was both actors would have to be cast otherwise Space 1999 would not be made!😀
But she DID badmouth Barabra - for a few minutes of attention here. Bain, had every right to defend her terf against the needless Maya character. Y1 is the year most of us still appreciate by far, not Y2's Maya series.... @@GusMcGuire
Go away troll Bain and Landau were perfect choices for the leads. To this day Y1 is vastly appreciated more than Y2. @@julianwalls1077
I Loved this series
I loved this so much that I would watch the boring political discussion programme on Before it, just to make sure I didn't miss a minute of it !!! Very high production values made it a succes and a cast of top class actors.
My Grandson was born on September 13th, although a few years after 1999.
Did you tell him about the moon Earth once had and what'd happened to it?...😉
THE SECOND SERIES DESTROYED THIS SERIES
THANKS FOOLS
100%
"September 13, 1999. Meta signals increasing. Yes, maybe there."
Should do new 2 hours special of Space 1999 version
It would seem bringing in the American worked so well the model builders who worked on Star Wars weren't aware the original design of the Millennium Falcon too closely resembled a craft from "Some scifi show in England..."
DID-U-KNOW? ... In the "Space : 1899" opening credits, they put Barbara Bain on a TURNTABLE! 🤣
She was more wooden than a Welsh dresser! 😂
Cake Woman!
Troll@@jamesgraham814
@@jamesgraham814😢 🤫 That is not very funny or nice. In fact so disrespectful !...
@@alancrisp1582
She looked a bit like a skull wearing a blonde wig, unfortunately...😞
"ATV" was Associated Television, ITC's parent company.
Dragons Domain still holds up today
That's because they considerate upon Surviving Pilot's mental suffering and survivor's guilt. Too point when he decides want go out finally face his ultimate fear. Great writing and acting
Fascinating documentary, but it seems to end very abruptly without any analysis of why Freiburger's approach didn't work. (I enjoyed S1999 Series 1 but thought what I saw of S2 was awful.)
Which is why I love season 1 and hardly ever watch season 2 though I have all the Blu-ray Discs.
Interesting show
What this video is not telling you was that season 1 of Space: 1999 was cancelled due to bad ratings. That is all on Gerry as season 1 was completely his vision. He cut off Sylvia which was why she divorced him. Getting Fred Frieberger was the only way Space: 1999 would be brought back. There were plans for season 3 and a spinoff but Lord Lew Grade stopped caring about Space:1999 as his attention was elsewhere.
Mr. Freiberger gets a lot of grief because of his work on series 2. However it is worth noting that without him there would have been no series 2. The worst I can fault him for is his choice of stories, but it's also important to remember that those were being controlled and vetted by the front office. He managed to lower the cost of production and keep everything running, and while some of the sets looked a bit tatty the production values remained high. What he really needed was a good story editor.
Also Gerry and Fred had a good working relationship after the series, even coming to the States to pitch a series idea they had jointly developed.
As far as I'm concerned, I wish there had never been a season 2. I hated everything about it and will forever cherish the memories of season 1.
Bravo. To this day, can npt watch much of S2. The stupid music, cramped sets, needless 'humor... turtlenecks... blue and red denim jackets... bah. @@estoril4271
BS. Another America instead of FF would have been found.
The moment he said "and I met Fred Freiberger" everything was clear: I am death destroyer of series! Nothing more to tell, turn off the lights no need to see the rest of the video. He was not a writer on the very first Star Trek: on the very last Star Trek season, you mean.
space:1999 season 1 was a classic Season two was different well a least their was a season two.
Lew Grade reportedly put what could have been the budget for Season 3 in the big screen movie Raise the Titanic, which promptly sunk in the box office. Bad decision. Poor investment. What a waste.
Lew's Legend of the Lone Ranger unfortunately also bombed at the box office.
I don't understand why such an exciting tv series cancelled in the US for just 2 years of running.
First series way better than the second. What a gyp.
Maybe in your opinion. I totally disagree......
@@alancrisp1582 Good grief... not "maybe"... it WAS an opinion karien. The GREAT majority of fans today, prefer Y1. Fact.
@@BillHosko Does your mom know that you are using her device again ?. 👦
FF destroyed the show. I remember as a 10yo how much I loved it when it premiered here in the U.S. Then when the 2nd season came, even at that young age I was like WTF happened? Victor gone, as well as Paul, Kano and others. A downsized command center that could fit into my bedroom, and overall poor writing. His big mistake was trying to makeover the whole show just to try and fit into this stupid, more youthful Americanized version he had in his head when it was already loved the way it was here in the U.S.
100%
I think S: 1999 had the potential for a third season.
Have you ever watched Space-1999 on blu-ray? It really shows the fine details of the set being made of wood and all the crude details that make it look like a sci-fi stage set instead of a hi-tech moon base.
i loved the series - but sadly season 1 was very expensive and didn't recoup enough money back, so season 2 was done cheaper and aimed at a different audience but wasn't successful enough either - i think the key failure in both the usa and uk was not getting networked tv slots just regional ones where the time and day varied (and it wasn't shown at all in many areas or only season 1 was) - where i lived season 1 was put up against top of the pops and season 2 was put in a kids tv slot.
I would of preferred a second series of UFO 🤷🏼♂️🇬🇧
Heartily agree.
The go away karien troll. Gessus, you people.
@@billhosko7723 ???
Same here. UFO was just hitting its stride when it was axed, and the ever-evolving story was becoming very interesting.
Sir Lew Grade was known in the business as "Low Grade."
Gerry's attitude to people is so odd. The things he focuses on are very strange. I read his book and I find him baffling. Tyrannical and avuncular. A genius. Fascinating
THE NAME FREDERICK FREIBERGER IS A DIRTY WORD ! ! !😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Fred Frieberger KILLED Space 1999. Series 2 is horrible. To this day I cringe when an episode comes on from that series. They are just difficult to watch.
🤔 That is your opinion, and you are entitled to it. I totally disagree 👎 with what you say !..
@@alancrisp1582 elderly troll alert
@@BillHosko 🤯 As Darth Vader from Star 🌟 Wars would say - The force is weak with this one !.
So Friedburger ruined Star Trek and Space :1999 ?
🤫 No he did not, a ridiculous thing to say !....
I wouldn't say ruined, but he certainly f*cked them both up a bit in their final seasons...😒
@@alancrisp1582 elderly troll
In honesty, I think Fred Friedburger took blame for Gene Roddenberry and Gerry Anderson lack of interest in both series. He forced work with more limited budgets. And had make changes keep productions alive.
The only good thing out of season 2 was the Maya character. If only they had kept the S1 style and original cast, and just added her on instead of what S2 became. She would have been such a great counterpoint to Prof Bergman. Kinda like the EMH/SevenOfNine dynamic from ST:VOY.
I always heard that Star Trek fans were disappointed with Space:1999 - ST was optimistic and showed humans and aliens united in a Federation; S:1999 was gloomy and aliens were at best incomprehensible
F THE AMERICAN WHO SCREWED UP SEASON 2!
I prefer season 1 over 2. But that's just me. I prefer slower shows, movies, stories - and I'm American!
Who has taste!!
Cheers
I thought downsizing of Alpha sets made sense. Main mission with 5Oft high ceilings and surrounding windows made absolutely no sense. Who want look out upon bleak gray luner landscape. And also start thinking about long term energy conservation.
What gets me is just how well spoken and incredibly English Gerry Anderson is. He obviously didn't want to make many compromises for the US market (beyond the casting of Landau and Bain ) and when Freiburger got involved I think Gerry decided to back out of the show, and perhaps for good reasons.
What's interesting is that Landau and Bain were so Hollywood that they were an awkward fit for an ensemble cast like this show. They clearly made little effort to fit in and I can well imagine the rest of the cast had little to do with them. From what I've heard Landau was less of a diva than Bain but he still tried to meddle in some aspects of production. Having said that, some of the scripts, especially in series 2, were quite poor so I don't particularly blame him for wanting improvements.
Lew Grade always demanded American actors in the lead roles of his live action shows. Didn't you notice Ed Bishop in UFO? Ted Shackelford and Rob Youngblood in Space Precinct? Or even Roy Thinnes in Journey to the Far Side of the Sun?
@@amightysailingman Yes I did and it made perfect sense if you are trying to sell the series to an American network. Gerry liked using certain actors, Ed Bishop being one. But the Landau's were sort of pushed upon him and I think he found Barbara Bain a particular thorn as she was very Hollywood and I don't think Anderson felt comfortable using people like that. I think it was the same thing with Roy Thinnes in that movie he made with him a couple of years previously.
Good grief. @@trevorbrown6654
Ohh go away you passive-aggressive Karien. Bain and Landau were perfect for these roles.
Another nasty elderly troll... they WERE asked, to be on the show. Perfection for their parts... Y1.
UFO always impressed. Space 1999 always disappointed. It was a difference in acting quality.
Sorry, but Martin Landau never looked "tough" to me with his skinny arms and trademark slouch. As for Freiberger's reputation, it's been noted that that's undeserved. He was always brought in as the last resort, not when a series was riding high. So the shows were already dying. He didn't kill them.
Kite !
My favorite episodes usually were those which Did NOT feature Alien Monster of the Week. Mainly because costumes were so terribly bad. You can even see zippers and where head masks attachments😂😂😂😂
Fred Friberger assumed the audience was stupid.
Lets introduce a major character who was not seen in the first season
Lets get rid of several first season characters and not say where they went
I do wonder how differently season two would have been under a different producer. This series, in my opinion, gets high marks for set design and practical effects (model making in particular), but the writing on both seasons (especially the second one) was hit or miss, with the ratio being about 30/70, respectively, in my opinion. I wish they had brought in some serious sci-fi writers (there were a few that wrote episodes).
"daren't is a contraction you don't often hear anymore.
It's too bad that the reboot of this series - Space:2099 - never made it off the drawing board. It has a lot of potential in the hands of a competent team, but they'd probably have to rethink the way they get ejected from Earth's orbit, like maybe being onboard an asteroid instead of the moon.
Not as bad as buck Rogers season 2
Barbera was that petty when it came to Catherine? Petty....
It was great ....but not as good as Fireball XL5.....!!
I liked watching this,tv show but I did not like the lead actors at all
I'm a massive fan of Gerry Anderson, but Space 1999 just didn't do it for me...
I watched it at the time. We were desperate. Star Trek was off the air. So was UFO. We really had no choices in terms of sci-fi television. Today, nostalgia helps color those memories. But the fanboys who claim it was a masterpiece are deluded.
so are kariens like you trolling here... @@amightysailingman
@@billhosko7723 What's a "karien?" And only idiots think that people who disagree with them have to be trolls. You have no idea what trolling is.
ten troll around on another story good grief.
@@BillHosko What?
The Day Fred Freiberger died was one of the best days in the entertainment industry. The guy was a cancer upon the business..
🤫 That is not a very nice thing to say. So disrespectful !.
No, its true@@alancrisp1582 , the guy destroyed Star Trek (TOS) and sank Space:1999.
Zenia Mertin(?), aka Sandra, gave an interview where he was horrid to her years later at a convention. Further, in Y2 1999 he chopped up her character so badly, as he did most, and then sadly Gerry didn't stop him. So, goodbye, even today. to bad rubbish. @@moretoknowshow1887
@@moretoknowshow1887 100%
I admired Gerry Anderson. In retrospect, I find UFO to be somewhat better than Space 1999 and I wish the studio would have given the show additional seasons. In the states, the timeslots had an adverse effect on the ratings. I was a teen when both shows first aired and felt UFO focused on adult themes, stories and was better acted. Martin and Barbara were excellent together in "Mission Impossible", but were miscast in 1999 or perhaps it was the scripts. The almost endless supply of Eagles, half of Alpha blowing up on every episode, monsters as cheesy as an Irwin Allen production, very predictable scripts that seemed to merely change the names of the antagonists and an always angry Koenig make 1999 a hard watch in syndication. Gerry's comments allow me to better understand what went wrong. UFO holds up to time much better, despite the lower budget special effects. I'd love to see a remake and please, don't let Americans write it!
Good grief. Another passive-aggressive Karien shows. Go complain elsewhere. THIS, video IS about S1999, NOT UFO. Geses.
gettagraip karien... 50 yrs later you are trolling around on a S1999 site... do so on a UFO site... good grief
Pfft... I know this is from Years ago, but Catherine Schell's bit early on - needless gossip.... Took away from this film very, much.
It wasn't a very good sci-fi show the thing that dragged it down the most was the two lead actors the only airplay over here in Canada was as a Sunday afternoon time slot filler.
here you kariens are 50 years later complaining about something you don't like... desperate for attention.
Who ever gave AF about Canada?...
another karien trolll... 50 years later
I was 20 when this came out. I grew up on Supermarionation, Star Trek, LIS, even Space Patrol and loved all of it.
A faster than light MOON? bugger that Space 1999 was crap on a stick.
Troll... Karien Troll.
another karine trolll... look folks... 50 yrs later too...
problems other than the scripts sucked and the show made no sense?