tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post3112759885629739319..comments2024-03-27T10:27:59.266-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Ask JKM a Question: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson vs. Irwin Allen?John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-51441582512237312672015-04-08T10:59:19.934-04:002015-04-08T10:59:19.934-04:00Hi John,
I'm well aware that you love origina...Hi John,<br /><br />I'm well aware that you love original Trek, not that would matter if you didn't. Some would say that the show is one of the crappiest to have ever been run through an upright Movieola. Subjectivity is key, of course. Please be aware that <b>Star Trek</b> is so dear to me that I don't even have it on Home Video... yet, I do have <b>Space:1999</b> and the first season of <b>Lost in Space</b>.<br /><br />I also read your books on <b>Doctor Who</b> and <b>Blake's 7</b>, and I noticed how Exploring Space:1999 felt different in its 'temperament'. (For those of you who are reading this, and care about television SF history, I recommend these books.)<br /><br />Believe me when I say, John, that your blog is a standout -- which is why I revisit when I can. You are a fine writer, and possess analytical skills I can only dream of.Barry Smighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02464450751543573690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-35989911550072363862015-04-07T13:44:10.686-04:002015-04-07T13:44:10.686-04:00Barry -- also, did you see my article a few weeks ...Barry -- also, did you see my article a few weeks back about Lost in Space vs.Star Trek, wherein I noted that Trek was superior, and that I preferred it? John Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-30600152517487934052015-04-07T13:39:12.474-04:002015-04-07T13:39:12.474-04:00Hi Barry,
I am truly sorry to read that you were ...Hi Barry,<br /><br />I am truly sorry to read that you were put off by my answer here, or feel that I'm beating a dead horse.<br /><br />I do seem to recall you writing on Twitter that my Exploring Space:1999 book was fanboy nonsense, or some such thing. <br /><br />I never really brought it up during our back-and-forths here because, certainly, you are entitled to your opinion of my work, and furthermore, entitled to voice it, syndicate it, and so forth. <br /><br />So I must admit it is not a gigantic surprise to me to read your remarks about this topic, or that you feel I am unfairly biased in favor of Space:1999/against Star Trek.<br /><br />Maybe we're both being a little one-sided here? :)<br /><br />I do hope you will remember, at this juncture, that I have also written positive, hopefully illuminating reviews of Star Trek: The Motion Picture and even Star Trek V: The Final Frontier on the blog (as well as positive reviews of more widely appreciated Trek films such as Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, and The Undiscovered Country).<br /><br />I also devoted a week to Star Trek in 2013, and wrote several positive episode reviews of original series episodes. <br /><br />The fact is that I love and adore Star Trek.<br /><br />I just watched "Journey to Babel" with my son last night, and "Space Seed" with him last week.<br /><br />In fact, at some point on the blog, fairly early on, I noted that I have always been a Star Trek "kid," rather than a Star Wars one. (Because although I love Star Wars, I prefer the world-view and characters of Trek.) <br /><br />I'm also planning, at this point, to do a year long 50th anniversary retrospective on the original series in 2016, just like I'm looking at Lost in Space this year.<br /><br />I promise, no axe-grinding.<br /><br />I enjoy your comments and blog tremendously as well, and feel that you always raise good strong points about the work you cover, or the work I write about it. <br /><br />We won't always see eye to eye on everything, and that's okay too. <br /><br />I appreciate you writing me and telling me how you feel.<br /><br />Warmest regards,<br />John<br /><br />John Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-15235682260758978512015-04-07T12:26:43.522-04:002015-04-07T12:26:43.522-04:00Hi John,
While I enjoy your blog it's clear t...Hi John,<br /><br />While I enjoy your blog it's clear to me you have an axe to grind with original Star Trek. (I read your Exploring Space:1999 book and was put off by the constant grinding in question.)<br /><br />Your posting here is about the comparisons between Irwin Allen and Gerry Anderson and you again cannot resist trying to settle the score. The fact is that one of these shows is remembered for its 'physicality'... which seems to bother you to no end.<br /><br />I'm sorry to see this simply because I more or less enjoy each program without feeling the need to compare. While the issues may be obvious when I watch these shows today, it doesn't even occur to me to let them become emotional issues -- not that I'm suggesting that they foul your breakfast the next morning.<br /><br />Your generally superior analyses on this blog doesn't deserve to be corrupted by a sticking point.<br /><br />I will continue to read...<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />Barry<br />www.barrysmight.blogspot.caBarry Smighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02464450751543573690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-58761843475382091492015-04-06T21:34:57.636-04:002015-04-06T21:34:57.636-04:00John your concluding thought: " For me (and t...John your concluding thought: " For me (and this is even putting Star Trek in the mix...) Space:1999 Year One is at the pinnacle of 1960s-1970s space adventure/sci-fi." is exactly how I have felt since I was a boy in the '70s and watched that season first-run. I have waited and wondered if any other science-fiction would ever replace my love for Space:1999, especially Year One. It never has because those first twenty-four episodes are the high-water mark that nothing for me has touched since experiencing it all in '75-'76.<br /><br />SGBSGBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07137406272001346149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-22665411874539414482015-04-06T21:13:44.259-04:002015-04-06T21:13:44.259-04:00John brilliant analysis of this question. The comm...John brilliant analysis of this question. The common denominator of Allen's and Anderson's is truly superior production values. As you stated Allen reflects the '60s television storytelling, unlike the exception Roddenberry's Star Trek which fits more with the '70s adult storytelling. I have always been a fan of Anderson's SPACE:1999, UFO and Allen's LOST IN SPACE.<br /><br />SGB<br />SGBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07137406272001346149noreply@blogger.com