The Troubled Making of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Space: 1999 (Behind the Scenes)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ก.ค. 2023
- In this documentary, Gerry Anderson (Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet) discusses the production of this live-action successor to his popular Supermarionation series. Following the cancellation of UFO, Sylvia and Gerry Anderson returned to television with both The Protectors and Space: 1999. The latter was a particularly troubled production and proved to be their last as a personal and creative partnership as well as the final project that Lew Grade would commission from them. Featuring stoic leads, high-concept science fiction, and beloved Eagle Transporters desinged by Brian Johnson - the show remains a cult favourite of many to this day.
The complete Stand By For Action documentary is now available to order on DVD from: www.century21films.co.uk
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Century 21 Films Ltd is a multi-faceted production company whose work spans drama to documentary, miniature effects to puppet shows. It was founded by a group of filmmakers who first collaborated on Filmed in Supermarionation, the story of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's hit puppet shows including Thunderbirds, Stingray and Captain Scarlet.
Since then, we have worked for a multitude of high-profile clients including ITV, BBC, Mammoth Productions, British Film Institute and the Halifax working on projects such Thunderbirds, Endeavour, Doctor Who and The Twilight Zone.
In addition to our regular filmmaking services, we specialise in ‘Supermarionation’ - the puppetry filming technique used to make shows like Thunderbirds and have collaborated with ITV repeatedly to provide specialised services. Our work has been featured on The One Show, This Morning, Good Morning Britain, BBC News, ITV News and Mastermind.
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In 1976 , as an 11 year old boy, my entire world view was changed by the experience of first season of Space: 1999 .... the second season broke my heart!
You took the words right out of my mouth, although I was 8 when season one first aired. I'll never forget the anticipation of seeing the premiere of season 2 only to be let down by the changes in characters, set, feel and pacing of the show. It really was heartbreaking, especially after the grandness and eeriness of the first season. That being said, there are a few gem episodes in season 2 that have warmed me up to the series. But season 1 will always be the best of this show.
Couldn't agree more - we moved between broadcasting regions before season 2 was shown & by the time I viewed s2 ( the 1st episode watched was "A Matter of Balance ") I wondered wtf had happened...
In total agreement with you.
I grew up watching this show. I'll never forget it. I don't understand this "US audience" nonsense. I was the USA audience, and I loved the British style of shows. UFO and SPACE 1999 were fantastic.
I cannot imagine what my childhood would have been like without Anderson’s genius. Thankyou sir !
I read many comments, suppositions, elaborations... OK, that's good...
Thinking about Season One, now I only think one thing: THANK YOU!
Thank you to Gerry A., Martin L., Barbara B., Barry M., Nick T., Zienia M., Prentis H., Anton P., guest artists and stars, Brian J., Martin B., Nick A., writers and directors, etc., etc. for making Space:1999.
After almost 50 years we are still here talking about it and loving it.
Space:1999!!!
I always doubted people’s claims about the quality drop between seasons one and two. When I was finally able to see the entire series, thanks to the late Network Distributing, I was actually amazed at how far the series had gone off track. What is really puzzling is Gerry’s willingness to let Fred Freiberger completely dismantle all of the good bits that were there. ITC may have foisted Freiberger’s involvement but making him the producer who called all the shots was all Gerry’s decision (if he is to be believed). There are some bright spots in season two, like The Metamorph from Johnny Byrne, Pip and Jane Baker’s A Matter of Balance, and Terrance Dicks’ The Lambda Factor, but the bad outweighs the good unfortunately. Although lots of people try to dismiss her contributions, was Sylvia Anderson’s function in season one basically that of what is now termed the “showrunner?” Things seem to fall apart in terms of writing once she is gone, not only with this show but subsequent productions as well. I think Gerry is great for coming up with the premise, assembling good crews, but not always running the shows. This is something even Space Precinct producer Tom Gutteridge has said in relation to that series and a possible second season. It would have been lovely if a strong producer like Barry Letts had come into Space: 1999 to strengthen the production and writing side of things.
Gerry was used to working in Britain with little American interference as Lew Grade was the one who had to deal with American networks. That changes when ITC New York basically canceled the otherwise successful U.F.O.
The introduction of Freiberger was a decision dumped on Gerry and possibly a bit of a culture shock to him too. Freiburg made some notoriously poor decisions hence his nickname, however he did have his fans in the industry (William Shatner said that if it hadn't have been for Freiburgers involvement then there would have been no series 3 of Star Trek). Gerry and Sylvia were also going through a nasty messy divorce too so I can't blame them for wanting to take some time out. But I agree with you that there were better choices for producers to hand the show over too but ITC insisted on an American with experience. Freiburger obviously fancied himself as a scriptwriter too but he plainly wasn't a very good one. Gerry actually got on quite well with him as a person but found some of his decisions and choices hard to fathom. I wonder what Landau and Bain thought of him
Americanizing a show was a certain way to destroy it.
Thank Heavens Gerry lived long enough to reminisce about his magnum opus.
Fred Freiburger had the Medusa touch.
He not only killed series he killed entire careers.
Loved the first season as a kid when it first came out!
Looking back, the first season neatly filled the gap that Star Trek left in some of the more thought-provoking stories.
Dragon's Domain was truly a shocker too! How did that get past the censors?
Black Sun was my favourite episode, which funnily enough is a more accurate description of a black hole.
I don’t think that Space 1999 wasn’t the best science fiction serie”s ever made?Star Trek was in an compititive mode.Of course,they were still doing:Star Trek re-runs,back in the late ⏰ 1970”s.And,to “each his own”,as to what kind of science 🧪 fiction that they like!I”m a:”Trekkie”,or:”Trekker”,as they call them.And,Star Trek has been around for a long time!I also,liked:Ufo!(from:the 1969,and 1970 serie”s season).There were better storyline”s in Ufo,too!
@@betsyelee4434I love Star Trek too, apparently as a baby sat on my Dad's knee watched the original UK showing in 1969, don't remember that but remember 3 years later on Dad's knee with the reruns on BBC1...
She would not twist her neck but always moved her shoulders to avoid a diagonal (disfiguring to her) crease to appear….. Martin only liked his left profile so Eagles with him as pilot always flew left to right (making his storyboards easy to complete)😊👍🏻
Always lovely to hear your insights.
Frank Watts, lighting cameraman was brilliant, great lighting in series 1. Great interviews incl Catherine, informative content, the 20 disc booxset is very good.
I am thankful for season one of space 1999 and UFO, which I thoroughly enjoyed as an adolescent and now as a retiree.
Troubled is an overstatement. TV production is challenging but they did very well, on the whole.
Loved the series and looked forward to it every week. Season 1 was great however the story went down in season 2. Always have wondered how season 2 would have turned out if the team had been left alone.
On the plus side, season 2 had Myra.😍
@@roylennie8117 I agree and it was a big plus!!
@@richardcorwin1828 Not arf pop pickers!
@@roylennie8117 Maya! As portrayed by Catherine Schell, she was the best thing that happened in Season 2.
@@filomango69 Sorry, Maya. Her repertoire of shape-shifting was a bit limited tbh, a big cat or a couple of aliens . . but who cares?
As a member of the *_"American audience,"_* I can definitively say Fred Freiburger's changes to the show *DID NOT SATISFY ME...🙄🤦♂️*
Back around 2013, J. Michael Straczinski [JMS] -- creator of the science fiction TV show *BABYLON 5* -- commented online that most television network executives do not *_understand_* science fiction.
With exceptions like Gerry Anderson, Gene Roddenberry, JMS, Joss Wheaton and a few others, in my opinion JMS was absolutely correct. And these folks I mention were/are more 'production' than 'executives'.
3:28 Gerry's ever optimistic hair parting always amuses me.
This was amazing. Thank you.
"Lew" was Lord Grade, head of ITC Entertainment("Space:1999"'s production company). "Abe"was Abe Mandell, who ran ITC's U.S. office.
I'm actually kind of amazed that no one has actually tried to build one -- even just a model of one -- that was capable of actual flight. That would be so cool to see.
This was the best show ever. I loved it!
Fred Freiberger killed my favorite childhood tv series just like what he did with Star Trek. Eventually, they resurrected the franchise but Space:1999 did not. Having Freiberger was a big mistake. At least I have it on dvd to relive the show I loved most back in the 70's. I still love Space:1999.
Dragons Domain still holds up today
THE SECOND SERIES DESTROYED THIS SERIES
THANKS FOOLS
100%
"September 13, 1999. Meta signals increasing. Yes, maybe there."
Great info 😊
I loved this so much that I would watch the boring political discussion programme on Before it, just to make sure I didn't miss a minute of it !!! Very high production values made it a succes and a cast of top class actors.
Read The Making Of SPACE1999 By Tim Heald For In-Depth Details Of The History Of The Show Also.
I have my original bookstore bought edition in 1976 or '77!
Typical, Britain makes a first class sci-fi series, the Americans see it and think "how can we mess this up?" Just like remakes of loads of great British shows.
The moment he said "and I met Fred Freiberger" everything was clear: I am death destroyer of series! Nothing more to tell, turn off the lights no need to see the rest of the video. He was not a writer on the very first Star Trek: on the very last Star Trek season, you mean.
I Loved this series
It would seem bringing in the American worked so well the model builders who worked on Star Wars weren't aware the original design of the Millennium Falcon too closely resembled a craft from "Some scifi show in England..."
I remember a reviewer of Space 1999, way back in 1975, rather cruelly described Barbara's face as being permanently frozen by cocaine.
Well, wooden could easily be applied to her acting skills, to be fair.
@@thisiszaphod Actually the reviewer did go on to say that he couldn't tell any difference between the live actors and Puppets so Gerry needn't have bothered employing any.
More than cruel, but you're right, Barbara did need to show more signs of life
@@ewaf88 - yeah, seen the whole documentary (from where these snippets have been posted) a couple or so times. Some very funny insights to be taken.
That opening credits with Barbara turning around, she looked too much like a wooden puppet!
@@thisiszaphod To be fair. It was how the character of Dr Helena Russel was written. She was remote and aloof. She had far more range in Mission: Impossible.
Like many here as a kid I loved the show. I didn’t really notice anything back then obviously but watching nowadays you can see what they mean.
"ATV" was Associated Television, ITC's parent company.
Should do new 2 hours special of Space 1999 version
My Grandson was born on September 13th, although a few years after 1999.
Did you tell him about the moon Earth once had and what'd happened to it?...😉
Which is why I love season 1 and hardly ever watch season 2 though I have all the Blu-ray Discs.
space:1999 season 1 was a classic Season two was different well a least their was a season two.
THE NAME FREDERICK FREIBERGER IS A DIRTY WORD ! ! !😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
2:20 - What was going on that made Ms. Schell say she knows people want to hear bad things about Barbara Bain?
It's a regular trope whenever two women are placed in a potentially competitive position. Those watching from the sidelines want to build it up as a battle of wills with the two women practically having catfights behind the scenes. To read between the lines of what Catherine said in her interview, there were situations where opportunities for Maya to shine were stymied by Barbara exerting influence behind the scenes. But Catherine wants to make it clear to anyone expecting "juicy gossip" that she's not going to bad-mouth a fellow professional, regardless of how she might feel about her personally.
Barbara was the leading lady of the series. She wasn't going to let Catherine have that same status on the show. Schell playing an alien was good enough for Barbara; she thought Schell would not upstage her in terms of looks. (Schell did anyway as she looked lovely even in her alien make-up and she was a very good actress, too.) Kinda like the bitchy Kate Mulgrew making life difficult for the younger, sexier, prettier and more dynamic actress Jeri Ryan when the latter joined ST Voyager.
Barbara Bain thought she was a star from the mission impossible days she was a diva and the deal I heard when they made Space 1999 which was made for US audiences was both actors would have to be cast otherwise Space 1999 would not be made!😀
But she DID badmouth Barabra - for a few minutes of attention here. Bain, had every right to defend her terf against the needless Maya character. Y1 is the year most of us still appreciate by far, not Y2's Maya series.... @@GusMcGuire
Go away troll Bain and Landau were perfect choices for the leads. To this day Y1 is vastly appreciated more than Y2. @@julianwalls1077
Lew Grade reportedly put what could have been the budget for Season 3 in the big screen movie Raise the Titanic, which promptly sunk in the box office. Bad decision. Poor investment. What a waste.
Lew's Legend of the Lone Ranger unfortunately also bombed at the box office.
First series way better than the second. What a gyp.
Maybe in your opinion. I totally disagree......
@@alancrisp1582 Good grief... not "maybe"... it WAS an opinion karien. The GREAT majority of fans today, prefer Y1. Fact.
@@BillHosko Does your mom know that you are using her device again ?. 👦
DID-U-KNOW? ... In the "Space : 1899" opening credits, they put Barbara Bain on a TURNTABLE! 🤣
She was more wooden than a Welsh dresser! 😂
Cake Woman!
Troll@@jamesgraham814
@@jamesgraham814😢 🤫 That is not very funny or nice. In fact so disrespectful !...
@@alancrisp1582
She looked a bit like a skull wearing a blonde wig, unfortunately...😞
I think S: 1999 had the potential for a third season.
I don't understand why such an exciting tv series cancelled in the US for just 2 years of running.
I prefer season 1 over 2. But that's just me. I prefer slower shows, movies, stories - and I'm American!
Who has taste!!
Cheers
Mr. Freiberger gets a lot of grief because of his work on series 2. However it is worth noting that without him there would have been no series 2. The worst I can fault him for is his choice of stories, but it's also important to remember that those were being controlled and vetted by the front office. He managed to lower the cost of production and keep everything running, and while some of the sets looked a bit tatty the production values remained high. What he really needed was a good story editor.
Also Gerry and Fred had a good working relationship after the series, even coming to the States to pitch a series idea they had jointly developed.
As far as I'm concerned, I wish there had never been a season 2. I hated everything about it and will forever cherish the memories of season 1.
Bravo. To this day, can npt watch much of S2. The stupid music, cramped sets, needless 'humor... turtlenecks... blue and red denim jackets... bah. @@estoril4271
BS. Another America instead of FF would have been found.
So Friedburger ruined Star Trek and Space :1999 ?
🤫 No he did not, a ridiculous thing to say !....
I wouldn't say ruined, but he certainly f*cked them both up a bit in their final seasons...😒
@@alancrisp1582 elderly troll
Fred Frieberger KILLED Space 1999. Series 2 is horrible. To this day I cringe when an episode comes on from that series. They are just difficult to watch.
🤔 That is your opinion, and you are entitled to it. I totally disagree 👎 with what you say !..
@@alancrisp1582 elderly troll alert
@@BillHosko 🤯 As Darth Vader from Star 🌟 Wars would say - The force is weak with this one !.
Have you ever watched Space-1999 on blu-ray? It really shows the fine details of the set being made of wood and all the crude details that make it look like a sci-fi stage set instead of a hi-tech moon base.
FF destroyed the show. I remember as a 10yo how much I loved it when it premiered here in the U.S. Then when the 2nd season came, even at that young age I was like WTF happened? Victor gone, as well as Paul, Kano and others. A downsized command center that could fit into my bedroom, and overall poor writing. His big mistake was trying to makeover the whole show just to try and fit into this stupid, more youthful Americanized version he had in his head when it was already loved the way it was here in the U.S.
100%
I would of preferred a second series of UFO 🤷🏼♂️🇬🇧
Heartily agree.
The go away karien troll. Gessus, you people.
@@billhosko7723 ???
I do wonder how differently season two would have been under a different producer. This series, in my opinion, gets high marks for set design and practical effects (model making in particular), but the writing on both seasons (especially the second one) was hit or miss, with the ratio being about 30/70, respectively, in my opinion. I wish they had brought in some serious sci-fi writers (there were a few that wrote episodes).
"daren't is a contraction you don't often hear anymore.
It's too bad that the reboot of this series - Space:2099 - never made it off the drawing board. It has a lot of potential in the hands of a competent team, but they'd probably have to rethink the way they get ejected from Earth's orbit, like maybe being onboard an asteroid instead of the moon.
Pfft... I know this is from Years ago, but Catherine Schell's bit early on - needless gossip.... Took away from this film very, much.
The only good thing out of season 2 was the Maya character. If only they had kept the S1 style and original cast, and just added her on instead of what S2 became. She would have been such a great counterpoint to Prof Bergman. Kinda like the EMH/SevenOfNine dynamic from ST:VOY.
What gets me is just how well spoken and incredibly English Gerry Anderson is. He obviously didn't want to make many compromises for the US market (beyond the casting of Landau and Bain ) and when Freiburger got involved I think Gerry decided to back out of the show, and perhaps for good reasons.
What's interesting is that Landau and Bain were so Hollywood that they were an awkward fit for an ensemble cast like this show. They clearly made little effort to fit in and I can well imagine the rest of the cast had little to do with them. From what I've heard Landau was less of a diva than Bain but he still tried to meddle in some aspects of production. Having said that, some of the scripts, especially in series 2, were quite poor so I don't particularly blame him for wanting improvements.
Lew Grade always demanded American actors in the lead roles of his live action shows. Didn't you notice Ed Bishop in UFO? Ted Shackelford and Rob Youngblood in Space Precinct? Or even Roy Thinnes in Journey to the Far Side of the Sun?
@@amightysailingman Yes I did and it made perfect sense if you are trying to sell the series to an American network. Gerry liked using certain actors, Ed Bishop being one. But the Landau's were sort of pushed upon him and I think he found Barbara Bain a particular thorn as she was very Hollywood and I don't think Anderson felt comfortable using people like that. I think it was the same thing with Roy Thinnes in that movie he made with him a couple of years previously.
Good grief. @@trevorbrown6654
Ohh go away you passive-aggressive Karien. Bain and Landau were perfect for these roles.
Another nasty elderly troll... they WERE asked, to be on the show. Perfection for their parts... Y1.
I admired Gerry Anderson. In retrospect, I find UFO to be somewhat better than Space 1999 and I wish the studio would have given the show additional seasons. In the states, the timeslots had an adverse effect on the ratings. I was a teen when both shows first aired and felt UFO focused on adult themes, stories and was better acted. Martin and Barbara were excellent together in "Mission Impossible", but were miscast in 1999 or perhaps it was the scripts. The almost endless supply of Eagles, half of Alpha blowing up on every episode, monsters as cheesy as an Irwin Allen production, very predictable scripts that seemed to merely change the names of the antagonists and an always angry Koenig make 1999 a hard watch in syndication. Gerry's comments allow me to better understand what went wrong. UFO holds up to time much better, despite the lower budget special effects. I'd love to see a remake and please, don't let Americans write it!
Good grief. Another passive-aggressive Karien shows. Go complain elsewhere. THIS, video IS about S1999, NOT UFO. Geses.
gettagraip karien... 50 yrs later you are trolling around on a S1999 site... do so on a UFO site... good grief
The Day Fred Freiberger died was one of the best days in the entertainment industry. The guy was a cancer upon the business..
🤫 That is not a very nice thing to say. So disrespectful !.
No, its true@@alancrisp1582 , the guy destroyed Star Trek (TOS) and sank Space:1999.
Zenia Mertin(?), aka Sandra, gave an interview where he was horrid to her years later at a convention. Further, in Y2 1999 he chopped up her character so badly, as he did most, and then sadly Gerry didn't stop him. So, goodbye, even today. to bad rubbish. @@moretoknowshow1887
@@moretoknowshow1887 100%
It wasn't a very good sci-fi show the thing that dragged it down the most was the two lead actors the only airplay over here in Canada was as a Sunday afternoon time slot filler.
here you kariens are 50 years later complaining about something you don't like... desperate for attention.
Who ever gave AF about Canada?...
another karien trolll... 50 years later
I'm a massive fan of Gerry Anderson, but Space 1999 just didn't do it for me...
I watched it at the time. We were desperate. Star Trek was off the air. So was UFO. We really had no choices in terms of sci-fi television. Today, nostalgia helps color those memories. But the fanboys who claim it was a masterpiece are deluded.
so are kariens like you trolling here... @@amightysailingman
@@billhosko7723 What's a "karien?" And only idiots think that people who disagree with them have to be trolls. You have no idea what trolling is.
ten troll around on another story good grief.
@@BillHosko What?
Season 2 was a joke ... unwatchable crap.
I was 20 when this came out. I grew up on Supermarionation, Star Trek, LIS, even Space Patrol and loved all of it.
A faster than light MOON? bugger that Space 1999 was crap on a stick.
Troll... Karien Troll.
another karine trolll... look folks... 50 yrs later too...