Date: Sat, 27 Apr 1996 13:47:02 -0700
From: Paul Browning (badger@marki.compu4tag.net)
Subject: Re: Welcome to the Space:1999 Mailing List
Well now, I've finally found a group of people who enjoy something I can't
get enough of... Space: 1999!!!
I'll introduce myself. My name is Paul Browning. I'm a resident of
Clarksville, Tennessee. Before internet, nobody down here knew of 1999.
Why? Because it was one of the few states that actually never carried the
series. Can you believe it? But now that I have internet, I got people I
can chat with over 1999.
I was not quite 10 when the series came out. I was living in Ohio when it
premiered. Breakaway blew me away. And instantly I was hooked.
Unfortunately, they kept changing airtimes and had me missing all kinds of
episodes. The same year, I moved to South Dakota and 1999 only aired on a
PBS channel. It too changed airtimes spradically. And again, I missed
seeing several episodes. I'd say total, when the series originally aired, I
saw about 40% of the episodes.
In 1991, I found a man who had the complete set of episodes on VHS. This
man became my GOD. I eventually obtained the entire run. And it was weird
seeing uncut airings of EVERY episode. Some for the first time...
Paul Browning
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 1996 15:23:07 -0700
From: Sfcafeguy@aol4tag.com
Subject: Re: Welcome to the Space:1999 Mailing List
Hi Paul:
Welcome to the list. Noticed your last name. My great grandmother's maiden
name was Browning, and she was related to Robert Browning and Elizabeth
Barret Browning of:
How do I love thee
Let me count the ways
I love thee to the depths, breadths and heights
My soul can reach
fame. Are we related perhaps? (On my father's side of the family I'm
related to Pablo Picasso, whose last name is really Ruiz [Picasso is his
mother's name]) -- of course all this good lineage gets me NOTHING, but it
would be kind of funny to find I'm distantly related to another 1999 fan.
Welcome to the list, and if there's anything you're looking for just ask me
and I'll try to point you in the right direction. How about a GREAT replica
of the stun gun made from an actual prop from the show for $55? I'm planning
to compile a list of sources for newbies one of these days, but if you're
interested I can point you (or anyone else who is interested) in the right
direction right now.
Nice to have you join us,
Robert Ashley Ruiz
Moonbase Alpha Director of Data and Research
San Francisco, California USA
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 1996 15:54:12 -0700
From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu)
Paul Browning (badger@marki.compu.net):
Welcome to Nick Sayer's 1999 mailing list.
> I'll introduce myself. My name is Paul Browning. I'm a resident of
> Clarksville, Tennessee. Before internet, nobody down here knew of 1999.
> Why? Because it was one of the few states that actually never carried the
> series. Can you believe it?
I find it hard to believe. They must have just not watched it. I have been
digging around in library microforms for old articles on 1999, and found an
ITC advertisement in the entertainment trade publication "Variety" which
featured partial clippings from 2 Tennessee newspapers on "Space:1999" when
it debuted in 1975. They were:
"Space:1999 Outdistancing Rivals" by Larry Williams
Memphis Commercial Appeal
"'Space: 1999' Relief for Trek' Fans" by Jay Sharbutt
Nashville Tennessean
Another "Variety" article was about how stations (initially) pre-empted
primetime network shows with 1999, and listed these southern stations
as showing it when it debuted in 1975:
City Pre-empted Network show
WAVE Louisville "Invisible Man"
WOIV Charleston "Montefuscos"
WIS Columbia, SC "Montefuscos"
WMC Memphis "Invisible Man"
WATE Knoxville "Movin' On"
WTCV Chattanooga "Mobile One"
> In 1991, I found a man who had the complete set of episodes on VHS. This
> man became my GOD.
Was his name Magus? Neman? Rowland?
> , , I eventually obtained the entire run. And it was weird
> seeing uncut airings of EVERY episode.
Someone wrote a while back that when he was a kid, the episode "War Games"
was shown with the ending cut, making it look like Koenig ordered everybody
back to Alpha to die, and that was the episode's end!!!! That was the
weirdest thing I ever heard!
Ronald
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 1996 16:00:37 -0700
From: Bill Greer (bgreer@tricon4tag.net)
Subject: Re: Welcome to the Space:1999 Mailing List
Hi Paul,
Welcome to the list. But I beg to differ with you. I'm a resident of
Johnson City, Tennessee. And I watched Space:1999 on a local TV channel
right here in Johnson City when it was originally on in the 70's. Likewise,
I know that at least one station in Knoxville carried it as well. So,
Tennessee DID have AT LEAST two stations which carried the show. Perhaps it
was only East Tennessee which was able to enjoy this great program!
I hope this makes you feel better about your state. And I'm glad to know
there is another Tennessean on the list!
Bill Greer
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 1996 16:13:58 -0700
From: Bill Greer (bgreer@tricon4tag.net)
Subject: 1999 Research
Great research Ronald,
Except that some of us DID watch it! Again, I can't speak for Clarksville.
Although I bet they all watched the Monkees. Didn't they sing a song about
a train going there?
Bill Greer - Proud Tennesseean AND fan of Space:1999
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 1996 17:22:56 -0700
From: "Gina L. Prosch" (glprosch@cs1.presby4tag.edu)
Subject: Childhood Memories
Hi, my name's Richie and this is my first post to the list, though I've
been lurking for a couple weeks. How wonderful to find you!
I've several distinct memories of Space:1999 from childhood as I was ten
when it debuted on a Sioux City Iowa station we received. (I lived on a
farm in Nebraska.) First, I remember that I saw a commercial for the new
"space" show and misunderstood it's air-date. I thought it was going to
be on the ABC affiliate in place of Happy Days. For some time I went
around boasting to all my friends that Happy Days was being cancelled in
favor of a SF show and was properly mortified when the Fonz continued on
and Space was shuffled all around the calendar.
The second memory my wife, Gina, shares, and that is using an upside down
horse-shoe as a laser weapon for 1999 play.
Anyone else create or imagine their own lasers, com-links, etc. when the
show originally aired?
Richie
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 1996 19:17:22 -0700
From: agirton@accs4tag.net (Alan Girton)
Subject: RE: Childhood Memories
I remember using an empty A-1 bottle for a comlink. This was about the =
same time I had a big Eagle, subsequently (and regretfully) destroyed.
To this day, I can't pick up an A-1 bottle without thinking of a S:1999 =
comlink.
Alan
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 1996 21:41:17 -0700
From: Van A Plexico (plexiva@mail.auburn4tag.edu)
Subject: Re: Childhood Memories
Yeah, I actually built a commlock and stun gun out of poster board, and
built a working Eagle landing pad and bay out of a laundry hamper (don't
ask--my grandmother was NOT pleased!!)--the cool thing was that I made
the landing pad so that it rested on a big paper towel tube around a
smaller paper towel tube, so that the landing pad could actually lower
and raise! I loved that.
But I could never properly build an Eagle out
of cardboard, due to the curved nose section. Frustrating! (Ask Robert
R. about how I feel about cheaters who copy the nose cone of a REAL Eagle
model! ;) ) But when I found a little "DINKY" metal Eagle in the store
one day, I was thrilled to discover that it was EXACTLY the right size
for the landing bay! Gee, I'd forgotten all about that...!
This is a fun group. Thanks.
--Van
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 1996 21:55:42 -0700
From: Mark Eidemiller (skylab@e-z4tag.net)
Subject: Handmade Props
OK. I can't remember much of the props I made as a kid, but I do remember
one I made about ten years ago for a Halloween party.
I started with a plain old bulky HP-type hand calculator. I glued on a few
things, and a dial on the front. Simple, but it would suffice. Then I went
to the party dressed as myself. No costume, nothing out of the unusual.
When people would ask me what I was dressed as, I'd give them a puzzled
look, pull out the device, turn the knob, and ask them, "What year is this?"
If they asked me anything, I'd "admit" that I was a time traveler from the
future, observing past cultures.
It was fun, and I saved me the price of a costume.
I also remember getting one of the Space 1999 squirtguns, cutting off some
extraneous part(s), and using it as a stun gun.
There were more, but I don't recall at the moment.
In His Service,
Mark Eidemiller
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 04:54:00 -0700
From: Bill Greer (bgreer@tricon4tag.net)
Subject: More childhood memories
All this talk about homemade props led me to my attic once again. After I
got married and built my own house - 10 years ago, my mom made me remove all
my "junk" - as she called it - from my parent's house. I brought boxes and
boxes of stuff home - without ever really looking inside any of them until now.
I had recollections of constructing my own commlock out of balsa wood and
using it along with one of the 1999 squirt guns. I, along with a couple of
friends, even made our own filmed 1999 adventures. We reconstructed sets,
models, you name it. Believe it or not, I have now recovered most of those
models, the commlock, even the old movies.
Thanks to the discussions on this list, I have rescued many great memories
from the great black hole known as "attic". Now, if I could only get my
wife to let me rebuild Moonbase Alpha in our basement!
Thanks for the memories....
Bill Greer
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 05:44:40 -0700
From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu)
I made a travel tube out of cardboard towel tubes! Both the actual
transporter that people would have ridden inside of, with doors the
same size as those on my Fundimensions Eagle, and another long tube
in which the transporter tube rode on rails.
I also put sand into a big wide cardboard box, and build a little moonbase
in it out of all kinds of junk, like drinking straws for travel tubes.
Before I got my Fundimensions Eagle, I constructed Eagles out of Tinker Toys
and even Lego's!! They were absolute Monstrosities! Brian Johnson would
shudder if he had seen them! They conveyed the shape of the Eagle, but
that was all. A Tinker Toy Eagle looks like a dinosaur skeleton! A Lego
Eagle is essentially an Eagle made out of bricks! (multicolored bricks!)
I seem to remember attempting to make a comlock out of cardboard, but it
got crushed or something, and I never liked it anyway.
> All I remember were a few scenes from the show and Martin Landau and Barbara
> Bain making a few remarks. One line I remember distinctly was that Bain
> said "its going to be a very good year".
Yes I remember them, but I don't have video tapes. Reel-to-reel taping machines
probably existed then (1975-1976), but I doubt any private citizens taped them.
For Year1, Landau and Bain did one for WKEF, Ch.22 out of Dayton, Ohio.
They were dressed in their Gernreich costumes, and stood at opposite ends
of the TV screen, and between/behind them played some of the "This Episode"
montages, beginning with the falling/spinning Eagle, but without the words
"This Episode". While these scenes were playing, Landau & Bain were quickly
explaining what the show was about, and even
said "Dayton" and "Channel 22", and I imagine that
ITC filmed Landau & Bain in lots of other commercials for bigger city stations.
A Year2 commerical I saw featured only scenes from the series, without
star intros. Several scenes were from "Glisters": Koenig shooting
a Rock with 3-4 laser beams at once, and Maya inside a Rock crying for help,
as another Rock was trying to eat her. While you tried to hear the snips
of dialog, Derek Wadsworth's new music was also playing. They threw a lot
at the viewer in 30 seconds.
1999 did pre-empt "Happy Days" and "Welcome Back Kotter" on several stations
initially, until Fonzie and Barbarino's popularity really took off. The
first 1999 episode I ever saw was "Alpha Child" was on Tuesday at 8 pm. on
an ABC station that pre-empted Fonzie and Kotter. After a few weeks (possibly
one week?) they shoved 1999 to midnight Saturday, and we watched Fonzie and
Kotter on Tuesday 8-9 pm.
I will post an article from the entertainment trade publication "Variety"
about the pre-emptions. 1999 debuted on over 150 stations, only 7 of which
were independents. Of the others, something like 70 stations initially
pre-empted network shows for 1999 (Even Happy Days!). Alas, the networks
outlasted 1999, by simply coming up with replacement shows at midseason to
replace their lousy cancelled ones.
Ronald
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 06:49:41 -0700
From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu)
Thanks Bill for confirming that some Tennesseans did see it.
Maybe the Smokey Mountains interfered with the TV signals, and the signal
never went far outside whatever valley each city was in? TV was a lot
less advanced 20 years ago. Shorter transmitter towers, and fewer relays.
Maybe "1999" was on opposite of "Hee Haw", as it was in Cincinnati, and
perhaps most Tennesseeans preferred the familiarity of Junior Samples and
Minnie Pearl to the strangeness of Koenig and Company, as my parents did.
They and alot of other people also preferred "Lawrence Welk" to 1999, which
also was in the same Cincinnati time slot.
Ronald
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 06:57:20 -0700
From: jflmgcnp@capital44net.com (John J Fleming @ COLD NORTH Publishing)
Subject: Re: More childhood memories
>Believe it or not, I have now recovered most of those
>models, the commlock, even the old movies.
So Bill, when are you going to tranfer the old movies to VHS tape and
let us get our hands on them???
Later...
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 08:37:20 -0700
From: Bill Greer (bgreer@tricon4tag.net)
I'd venture to say you're right on that account. I remember that 1999 first
appeared here Mondays at 8:00 instead of ABC's regular programming. But
after the first season aired it was quickly pushed over to Saturdays at 7:00
- or some other time like that. And I remember it being on when my parents
watched Hee Haw and my grandparents watched Lawrence Welk. You know,
different regions of the country aren't really all that different after all.
Bill Greer
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 08:06:35 -0700
From: "Gina L. Prosch" (glprosch@cs1.presby4tag.edu)
Subject: Sitcom Pre-emptions
> 1999 did pre-empt "Happy Days" and "Welcome Back Kotter" on several stations
The little boy in me cheers for this vindication! I can't remember if any
of my classmates watched the show --but for Mark Steukrath who was my
buddy in all endeavors SF or comics related. I don't remember being at
all teased for watching the show either --though I was teased for
watching Star Trek reruns.
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 08:31:31 -0700
From: Bill Greer (bgreer@tricon4tag.net)
Subject: Promos and distribution
Regarding promo spots - Ronald Dudley wrote: [snipped]
This sounds very much like what I remember - except that it was for our
local station here in Tennessee. They must have done them for alot of the
individual stations running the program. Can you imagine how grueling it
must have been to do 150+ different spots!
Sheesh! Then again, that was a price to pay for syndication. When I think
about it, 1999 was way ahead of their time in regard to this method of
distribution. Today many shows are distributed through syndication (such as
ST:TNG, et al. , Hercules, etc. etc. etc.) But they're mostly distributed
via sattelite. In the days of 1999, I'd imagine that reels of film had to
actually be delivered to each station. Anyone know more about these sort of
details?
Bill Greer
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 09:19:43 -0700
From: jflmgcnp@capital44net.com (John J Fleming @ COLD NORTH Publishing)
Subject: Re: More childhood memories
>>>Believe it or not, I have now recovered most of those
>>>models, the commlock, even the old movies.
>>
>> So Bill, when are you going to tranfer the old movies to VHS tape and
>>let us get our hands on them???
>
>These things will NEVER be seen beyond the privacy of my own living room.
>They are really quite embarassing - but pretty creative for a bunch of kids,
>if I do say so myself.
Ahhh Bill. Come'on!! Please!!! I'll show you mine if you show me your's...
When I was a teenager, I too made movies. No S99 stuff. Some
claymation, live action movies, and a few Sci-Fi of both types. These had
some great titles like: Master of Kungfu, Pierre le Frog, Crash landing on
Ice-Planet X, and many more I can't remember. I just remember that something
burn was an important element to them all. All that collector stuff up in
flames. THUD THUD (banging my head against a brick wall).
I think I'm going to try and find these things. They were originally
done on super 8, and then later tranfered to VHS. All silent of course.
Later...
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 11:37:48 -0700
From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu)
> , , , And I remember it being on when my parents
> watched Hee Haw and my grandparents watched Lawrence Welk. You know,
> different regions of the country aren't really all that different after all.
Perhaps its our parents that are all alike.
And there are regions that are very different from the rest of the USA:
Hollywood, Las Vegas, the wild frontier of Alaska, and others.
> , , , , , , When I think
> about it, 1999 was way ahead of their time in regard to this method of
> distribution. Today many shows are distributed through syndication
I agree. 1999 showed Roddenberry how to bypass the meddlesome networks and
retain creative control, which is what he did with TNG in 1987. The Big 3
Networks are crumbling under the competion from cable, syndication, DSS, and
the littler networks like FOX, UPN, and that really weird WB "network".
FOX has actually beaten CBS for 3rd place in the ratings during weeks when FOX
had football and CBS didn't!! In 10-20 years, we won't be able to recognize the
Big 3 American networks. At least 1 will either be dead, on life support from
the government like PBS, or transformed beyond recognition into a cable network.
Any bets on which US commercial network will die first? I'd bet on the
Dan Rather network.
Ronald
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 12:47:17 -0700
From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu)
>These things will NEVER be seen beyond the privacy of my own living room.
>They are really quite embarassing - but pretty creative for a bunch of kids,
>if I do say so myself.
I say:
Send it to ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos". I can't be any worse than
all the scenes of peoples' pants falling down, can it? You might make some $.
At least describe the story! Any Freddy-esque rubber monsters?
John J Fleming also wrote :
> When I was a teenager, I too made movies. No S99 stuff. Some
> claymation, live action movies, and a few Sci-Fi of both types. These had
> some great titles like: Master of Kungfu, Pierre le Frog, Crash landing on
> Ice-Planet X,
Well "Crash Landing on Ice-Planet X" does sound like S99 stuff:
"Death's Other Dominion"! Or was that the Galactica episode with "The Gun
on Ice Planet Zero"?
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 13:59:41 -0700
From: LngbtmPrat@aol4tag.com
Subject: Soon to have!! Space 1999 Promos
Just to let everyone know in about a month I'll be receving a videotape with
the following:
Promos for all the 1st season episodes (direct from 16mm), special intros by
Landau & Bain for Breakaway, rare convention footage of Landau, Bain & Barry
Morse
As soon as I get the tape I'll let everyone know and we an do a swap!!
Cheers,
Corey
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 15:43:24 -0700
From: jflmgcnp@capital44net.com (John J Fleming @ COLD NORTH Publishing)
Subject: Re: Soon to have!! Space 1999 Promos
Uh, Corey, could you please tell us more? How did you get this material??
Where did you get this material?? Please tell us more.
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 06:14:45 -0700
From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu)
They were probably left lying around the 155 US TV stations that showed 1999
in 1975. This sounds similar to how the early lost episodes of Dr. Who have
been rediscovered in vaults in Australia and other places around the world.
I read in Tim Heald's "Making of 1999" book last night that Landau & Bain
gave about 90 interviews to promote the show in 1975! How can people stand
reporters asking the same questions for 90 times? Making 150 commercials
must have been easy compared to that. Eating that formaldehyde snow from
Ultima Thule must have been easier.
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 20:40:20 -0700
From: MY KARMA RAN OVER YOUR DOGMA
Subject: Fans from Ohio
You know, one of Ronald Dudley's transmissions has triggered a long-dormant
memory. He mentioned the Space: 1999 promotional spots with Bain and Landau
that appeared on WKEF channel 22 in Dayton, Ohio prior to the premiere of Year
One... that is the channel I first saw the show on (I was in first grade at the
time. I had become a Trekkie in kindergarten but quickly "switched over" to
Space: 1999 the next year). Ronald, where in S.W. Ohio were you living at that
time? Even across the haze of twenty bygone years, I can still remember those
promo spots, just like I remember my grandparents looking over at me during a
particularly violent episode (where Baxter gets hit in the head with his model
airplanes), asking, "Do your parents really let you watch this?"
Weird! Small world after all!
Is anyone else planning to celebrate the maiden voyage of the Ultra Probeship
"Death's Other Domain" on the Sci-Fi channel this coming weekend? It was slated
for launch in 1996, but I guess Space Commission budget cuts have taken their
toll. I guess Jim Calder will have to miss his rendezvous with destiny.
Bye for now, fellow Alphans! :)
John Boomershine