Alpha: 2012 Martin Landau 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").
• Mostly in the order discussed, but a few statements have been moved about a little to go with other similar points.
• The editor's own Opinion(s) is/are presented as a separate section.

Statements

• This actually became a surprise event. He had accepted the invitation, was listed in the con booklet, and was expected to appear on Sunday, but cancelled very shortly before due to publicity needs for his upcoming movie.
Many of the attendees first heard about the cancellation at Registration or Opening Ceremonies. Then suddenly, on Saturday, after the Anton Phillips Q&A panel finished, when the Prentis Hancock Q&A panel was to have taken place, there was an announcement there was to be a surprise guest. It was Martin.
• (The Prentis Hancock Q&A was postponed to Sunday.)
• About halfway through this panel, Martin invited the other guests on stage.
• If I recall correctly, this panel ran longer, which is probably why there are so many Details below.

Details

• Mentioned that he plays a character in the upcoming "Frankenweenie" movie.
• Misses (the late) Barry Morse and Tony Anholt, mentioning the "Law of Diminishing Returns."
• Asked about his favorite episodes, he stated that a few "reverberate": "Black Sun" (character driven, female god, drinking "brandy while waiting for doomsday"); "War Games" ("amazed the sets were still standing"); and (unverified: though not by name, see next paranthetical) "Space Brain" ("Stop the foam!" -- "not a favorite but it still reverberates").
• "In the first year we did more interesting work." There was "something very theatrical about the set," but that Command Center became "much more conventional" [last word uncertain from notes but that was probably the word].
• "We had good directors."
• Alfred Hitchcock wanted Martin "to have a better suit than Cary Grant, which was no easy task." Someone came up to him and asked, "Mr. Grant would like to know who made your suit." Martin said, "Mr. Grant should have this conversation with Mr. Hitchcock." It turns out the person asking the question was Ray Austin, who would later go on to direct episodes of Space: 1999 [note: nine in total].
• Martin already knew of Charles Crichton (by the time of S19?), but was told "You may not know Ray Austin as a director."
• Martin stated something like, "television is made faster" and that he was "never bored. I had a lot of dialogue to learn every night, just getting the lines straight in your head."
• He talked about reacting to spaceships that looked like a "flower" rather than something ferocious, implying or stating these were changed later.
• He talked about a Y2 episode [not specified?] in which there was a pre-emptive strike, that he objected to Fred Freiberger (that it was not what the Commander character would do), and that it was partially changed.
• Asked if he would play the Commander "any differently," Martin stated that "I did not go back that way, beyond the dailies." He did add, however, that there "could have been more humor in the show. It "could have helped in the reviews as well. Those characters needed some humor. Would have given it more reality." He added that it is "tough to do a movie every week."
• His Oscar statue was briefly discussed.
• At this point, he asked the other guests onto the stage. On this day, that was Christopher Penfold, Nick Tate, Prentis Hancock, and Anton Phillips.
• Christopher mentioned that he "learned a lot about script writing" on the series.
• Martin mentioned recalling how hydroponics and birth control were very important [to the Alphans], that his character was "not allowed to procreate," to which Nick replied that his character "tried his damnedest," to which there was a lot of laughter.
• An audience member asked if the realized the lives influenced by this show. Though asked in terms of the series inspiring the younger generation, the guests (or Martin specifically?) were aware that Buzz Aldrin, John Glenn, and Neil Armstrong all watched the show, and that the first was "addicted to the show."
• One of the guests stated "There is a romance about being blown out of orbit." [Apologies for not getting down who said this; I barely got down the quote at all].
• There was mention of how the air conditioning had broken down in the "hottest summer" and how Martin, Nick, and Barbara had to be filming in spacesuits (which were "made out of sleeping bags.")
• Martin brought up how in one episode ["The Last Enemy"], they "came between two warring planets and tried to intervene." He stated this was based on real life. "Science fiction allows discussion... that is less blatant."
• Mention was made of how they "started our own network in a sense" (Space: 1999 was a pioneer in massive first-run syndication).
• Nick mentioned how British actors "did not have as lucrative a contract." Martin replied that "it was not fair."
• Anton mentioned there was "no stigma" about the show, and that a lot of big actors wanted to be on the show. Several names were brought up by the guests (and audience?).
• Martin stated it was the "only show that was shooting on film rather than tape." To this, Nick added it had a "full film crew" which was "unheard of in television."
• The guests were asked about the elements of which they were proudest. Nick replied this was "like asking about your favorite daughter" (intentionally echoing an earlier reply of Martin's) [that I did not get noted in context]. Nick also stated, "We all had fantastic anticipation that it would be a major landmark in our lives."
• Referring to those on the panel with him, Martin stated "these actors were underused."
• Christopher stated, "The person with the most reason to be proud is Gerry Anderson." [Editor's Note: I think this received applause.] "Gerry was so open to the kind of ideas and storylines which made the series so distinctive."
• Nick indicated that Sylvia (Anderson) "got a bum deal not getting the second season" and added that "Gerry did not like actors," but "Sylvia liked the actors."
• Martin said [not sure how literal or paraphrased the following is] that, "With lots of post production special effects, we were often working with things that are not there."
• Martin Landau was considered for (was offered?) the role of Spock on Star Trek, but he "did not want to play a character without emotion." Then, referring to his Mission: Impossible character, he stated he was "much happier to play Rollin Hand than Spock." He indicated the character had an initial name (Martin Hand?) that Martin Landau did not like and was able to argue the producers into a new name (albeit keeping the same length to the first name -- something about more easily making the change typographically?).
• Martin stated that "I love the show [S19]" and added that he was amazed at The Wall of pictures. "I have a commlock... [but] it does not open anything." Asked a question about watching his past work, he answered "Whenever I watch anything I did, I remember the life behind it."
• Nick mentioned that Rod Serling was more "show me, do not tell me."
• Martin stated that his daughter Juliet recently married, and that Susie is writing a script from a novel.
• On Zienia Merton, Martin said "she was always there and delightful; she was wonderful." He talked about how Barry Morse's voice used to be different, more gutteral, from where he grew up; he learned to alter it (well before S19). On Catherine Schell, he said she "was a wonderful girl" but that having a metamorph in the series "was not my thing," and that he missed "having that sounding board" (Barry's character). "The show was being tampered with for the wrong reasons."
• At the end, and speaking more generally of Martin's career and life, an audience member (?) offered that Martin really should write his memoirs. To this there was a lot of applause.

Opinion