"Frankly, my favorite shows are all those we did in the first season. Those had a lot of integrity; they were uniformly well written, I thought, and for the most part very thought-provoking. We tried hard to come up with stories that, despite their futuristic, outer-space setting, would have some relevance. In fact, we used to take items from the newspapers and adapt them to our storyline. I'm very proud of Space 1999. It was something I enjoyed doing, and its success paved the way for other sci-fi shows to follow.."
Martin Landau discusses Space:1999 (1975 - 1977)
I agree with Martin Landau's thoughts on Space:1999 season 1 (versus season 2). It is some of the greatest science-fiction television ever produced.
ReplyDeleteSGB
I'm one of those weirdos who accepts both seasons. Mr. Landau has long flip-flopped on whether he likes the show. Remember, his own copies of the scripts were graffiti'd with comments like "this makes no sense!"... and "let's get some real writers on this show". (Both years, not just Yr 2.)
ReplyDeleteHe may be mellowing.
The comment about 'paving the way' is kind of odd. Space: 1999 did "okay" in the success department, as any knowledgeable fan would tell you. The series was rarely given a clean run as far as scheduling went. The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) was one of the few broadcasters to stick with the goods in a network run... second year, that is. The first season was picked up here in southern Ontario by several stations. One could watch it twice on the weekends: CKVR at 10:30am on Saturdays, and CHCH at 6pm on Sundays. (Older British fans reading this are probably dyin' right now. lol.)
Good memories.