Alpha: 2012 Barbara Bain Q&A Panel

Introduction

Warnings

• Quoted items may sometimes be mild paraphrases or compressions.
• Unquoted statements are more heavily paraphrased or compressed, but some phrases may still be as originally spoken. This includes that things that may have been said in abbreviation may have ended up written up in full (e.g. "TV" vs. "television").

Details

• She opened (or soon said) that she has been busy.
• She stated that "images flashed by on everything" when she looked at The Wall of images from the series, tacked onto one wall of the main room at the convention.
• She was asked if she had any concerns about moving to another nation [England] in order to star in Space: 1999. She stated one of her daughters was concerned whether there would be uniforms at school (there were not). The other daughter asked, "Do I have a choice?" The children "discovered the art of letter writing" to keep up with friends in the States.
• Barbara shot a pilot with Steven Spielberg: Savage. It was sold, and was to be on the air. Then Watergate happened, and Savage was dropped.
• September 13th: Breakaway and her birthday. Just a coincidence.
• She "preferred the more clinical doctor" in Y1 "over the more fun-loving" one in Y2.
• Stated there were "a lot of funny moments."
• Regarding "The Full Circle" episode, she recalled that "some of the cavewoman makeup stuck" on the day when her daughter was "bringing home her first boyfriend."
• The pink gown (from "One Moment of Humanity") was never actually completed.
• Gerry Anderson "was very serious" while Sylvia Anderson was more fun.
• Barbara has "never been a long range planner." [Response to some question that I did not get down.]
• About this time, she asked those series guests who were present in the panel's audience to come up to the stage with her. This included at least the following: Nick Tate, Anton Phillips, Christopher Penfold. Uncertain about Prentis Hancock.
• The expanded panel was asked what it was like to work with Barbara. Nick replied, "It was awesome" and that she was a "consummate actress." He also stated that Barbara and Martin were "two people at the head of the show that had dignity and class; both were gracious[?]." Anton stated that he "could not have had better role models coming into a film studio for the first time."
• Christopher Penfold was asked about input from Martin and Barbara. "It was incredibly invaluable to have their insights" that he "could apply to screen writing." He added that it is "not often that you get that level of involvement and commitment."
• Barbara stated that Catherine Schell "was a darling person" and that "Maya was a fun character." Nick added that Catherine was a "very irreverent" person, "more blunt than most people," and could "trade punches" with the guys.
• Barbara was asked, "Did you find out that fans were influenced by the woman doctor in space?" Barbara stated it went back to Mission: Impossible, and that at one point after that, she met a child named Cinnamon.
• "Gun molls, prostitutes, dance hall roles": Barbara "had to play a lot of these" when she first came to Hollywood.
• (Barbara referring to the producer of M:I?) "He also cast a black man in a role where he [the character] had a job." So the series had a woman and a black man with major jobs, Barbara pointed out.
• George Bellak had a lot of say in the role of Helena Russell and the diversity of the cast. Lee Katzin as well.
• Does anyone have the context that led to this quote? "Don't[?] tell me this is not the best flat tire you ever had?"

Notes

• Autographs from Barbara Bain followed, out in the Foyer. Due to the limited time of her visit, this was organized such that one of the con-com took all pictures of attendees with her, to avoid all the back and forth of various people taking pictures. The pictures were emailed not long after the con ended.