From: djlerda@juno.com
Subject: Re: Space1999: A Matter of Balance
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 04:29:49 EDT

[Re: Pip and Jane Baker]

>For all the faults,I like this one. Doesn't pretend to be anything
>special,amusingly hammy performances and so forth. I don't know that much about
>the writers (not being a Dr Who fan) and I am probably glad they never wrote
>any other SPACE 1999.

They also wrote "Dorzak", another stinker (IMHO).

>of course James Coburns cigarette lighter with 82 weapons incorporated
>in it.

83, if you count lighting a cigar.  Later, triple O 8.



From: "Petter Ogland" (petter.ogland@dnmi4tag.no)
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 11:36:50 +0000
Subject: Re: Space1999: A Matter of Balance

> They also wrote "Dorzak", another stinker (IMHO).

I was under the impression that Chris Penfold was the man behind DORZAK.
From what I've understood he was invited by Freiberger to make a
contribution, and wrote the first draft of what later became DORZAK.  I
had no idea that Pip and Jane Baker also were involved in this one.

Penfold later explained that he was rather unhappy with how DORZAK turned
out.  I thought this had to do with Freiberger rewriting the script, but,
although new to me, it may very well have been that Freiberger towed in
Pip and Jane Baker as a rewriting team.

I must admit, however, that I was a bit surprised by this, to me DORZAK
seem like a very different type of story from A MATTER OF BALANCE.  It has
very much of the typical Penfold misantropic philosophy in it, and very
little of the romantic lush that the Bakers seem to thrive on.

Petter



From: djlerda@juno.com
Subject: Re: Space1999: A Matter of Balance
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 09:58:37 EDT

According to the episode guide lists in the Moonbase Alpha Technical
Notebook and in Gary Gerani's "Fantastic Television", the writers of
"Dorzak" are pip and Jane Baker.  However, in John Muir's "Exploring
Space:1999" and SFX magazine's "The Episode Guide to the Galaxy", the
writer is listed as Christopher Penfold.  Since I don't have a copy of
the episode and I haven't seen it in 20 years, I have no idea who gets
on-screen credit.  Perhaps the Bakers wrote the script and Penfold did a
re-write.   Or the MBTA and "Fantastic Television" are both incorrect.
In any case, who gets on-screen credit and does anyone know if the Bakers
were involved in any way?  See, learn new trivia every month here.  But
don't ask me to testify before a grand jury about who wrote Dorzak or
else I'll have to keep saying "I can't recall."   :-)



From: "Simon Morris" (simes01@global44net.co.uk)
Subject: Space1999: Who Wrote DORZAK?
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 15:34:15 +0100

In answer to the queries posed by David Lerda and Petter Ogland, I'm prerry
sure it was Chris Penfold who wrote DORZAK and that Pip and Jane Baker had no
involvement in it. I think its just a mistake that crept in somewhere and been
perpetuated by other publications who hadn't done their research properly. In
interviews,Penfold talks about the script and not being terribly pleased about
what was done to it once he had completed it and sent it off. He has never
mentioned that it was a rewrite of someone elses script,so I don't think it
was.

Simon



From: Ariana (ariana@ndirect4tag.co.uk)
Subject: Re: Space1999: Who Wrote DORZAK?
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 17:12:12 +0100

The credits list the writer as being Chris Penfold. I watched it just
yesterday and I think it's one of the better episodes of the series. In
fact, I'm watching it again right now, since I had to put it on to see
the writer credit. It's an interesting episode for a number of reasons,
not least the insights into the Psychons. Bunch of nutters, apparently.
It also features lots of Alan and shows that Tony immediately ceases to
think with his brains where Maya is concerned. :) But more on that in few
weeks' time.

E.T.



From: Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi4tag.no)
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 08:05:24 +0000
Subject: Re: Space1999: Who Wrote DORZAK?

Emma wrote:

> The credits list the writer as being Chris Penfold. I watched it just
> yesterday and I think it's one of the better episodes of the series. In
> fact, I'm watching it again right now, since I had to put it on to see
> the writer credit. It's an interesting episode for a number of reasons,
> not least the insights into the Psychons. Bunch of nutters, apparently.

I'm surprised David felt so bad about DORZAK.  I also felt it quite
interesting, but in my case it was more the fascination with Penfold as
a writer than insights into the Psychons that leads my interest.   Even
if the story is silly and Penfold felt very dissatisfied with how
Freiberger had abused it, it still has some of the Penfold feel, I think,
especially which the title character is in a philosophical mood.

Although the Bakers having anything to do with DORZAK is most likely to
be a misunderstanding, credits, at least during Year One, was not always
what they seemed to be it appears.  Johnny Byrne has told us about how
he and Edward di Lorenzo got credited alternatedly as script editon on
the screen no matter if they had had anything to do with the episode or
not.

More interesting however, are episodes like THE GUARDIAN OF PIRI when
there is no writer credited, only Penfold as story consultant.  Johnny
Byrne explained that David Weir (of BLACK SUN) wrote the original script
for this episode, originally called something very different, but the
script was drastically altered until it was filmed.  Who knows the reason
why only Penfold is credited, perhaps Weir felt disgusted with having
his script rewritten?

The episode ALPHA CHILD seems to be a similar case.  From what I've
understood Edward di Lorenzo felt quite annoyed by having his scripts
altered and rewritten, and after six or seven episodes he was fed up and
wanted other more intersting things to do.  Anyway, he apparently left
the script ALPHA CHILD behind which was rewritten by Penfold, who of
course was responsible for feeding the production team with scripts, and
the episode ended up by only being credited to Penfold.  Who knows why?
Perhaps this was a way of keeping the costs down.

On the penultimate episode, DRAGON'S DOMAIN, the writer question seems
even more questionable.  Although the episode is credited Christopher
Penfold, it has very little of the typical Penfold style and qualities
to it.  In fact, to me it resembles Art Wallace much more than Penfold
or Byrne, and, from what I've understood, DRAGON'S DOMAIN is probably
a Penfold rewrite of one of the early scripts, along with MATTER OF
LIFE AND DEATH, WAR GAMES, LAST SUNSET, FULL CIRCLE etc., that was
apparently written by an uncredited American scriptwriter.

Even though DRAGON'S DOMAIN was reworked by Penfold in order to have
it fit into the now more or less well defined SPACE:1999 format, it is
more likely that Johnny Byrne had the final word on it as Penfold had
left Pinewood during SPACE BRAIN and hence was not involved in DRAGON'S
DOMAIN.  If Byrne was in charge of the episode it is even more
incredible how the awful dialogue in this episode, surely the worst in
Year One, could possibly survive.

My guess is that Abe Mandell or somebody else of equal status of the ITC
New York paid Gerry Anderson a visit and dictated the awful taste that
is exposed in DRAGON'S DOMAIN in terms of acting, ill-conceived attampts
at so-called humour, vulgar jackets and the awful Helena Russell voice
over.  DRAGON'S DOMAIN is the point where SPACE:1999 most obviously meets
STAR TREK and anticipating the general awfulness of Year Two. Choke!

Well, perhaps more than commenting on how things went completely astray
with DRAGON'S DOMAIN, that is the acting bit, of course, the encounter with
the dragon and the use of Albinoni is next to excellent, I think, the
question about who wrote DORZAK was actually the thing I wanted to
put focus on.

Even though it may be possible that Pip and Jane Baker may have been
involved in the episode, I believe it to be highly unlikely.  Even
though Freiberger may have felt at home with the Barbara Cartland
sort of trash, wonderful analysis Emma, I find it difficult to believe
that Freiberger actually used them to butcher Penfold's script when
he could satisfy his own sadistical needs by doing this himself. :-)

I'm happy that Simon seem to enjoy the Pip and Jane episode, although
there seem to be not all that many else who do so.  It is even more
interesting when he admits that he doesn't even know why he likes it.
It almost makes me like the episode myself!  Nice to have you around,
Simon!  :-)

Petter