The Man In The Moon - Charlie Drake (1964)

This is the cover of The Man In The Moon, the 7" 45rpm EP record featuring Charlie Drake, The Michael Sammes Singers and Johnnie Spence And His Orchestra.  This vinyl release featured the hit songs from Robert Nesbitt's Space-Age musical, which ran at the London Palladium from December 23rd 1963 for the Christmas season.  (That's roughly the same time that the British public were catching there first glimpse of Doctor Who's Daleks!)  Now I wasn't around back then but I am just old enough that everything above means something to me and I actually know, broadly speaking, who all of those names are, but then I am developing a latent taste for cheesy old tunes of yesteryear.


Steve         

Behind the Scenes - A 12th Gallery

2001 A Space Odyssey  (1968)

 

Moontrap 1989

 

 The Quatermass Experiment 1953

 

Outer Limits - Moonstone 1964

 

Outer Limits - Moonstone 1964

 

 

Steve

Bleep and Booster (1964)

Bleep and Booster was a children's cartoon series by William Timym originally shown on the BBC's Blue Peter. 313 five minute episodes were released between 1964 and 1977 and a lot of books.

 

 

Steve

Something for the Weekend #17

Martha Hayer in a publicity still for First Men in the Moon (1964)


Steve

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) - Lobby Cards

Steve

Spacemen Magazine #8 (1964)

Steve

Alex Schomburg Gallery 1

(1953)

 

(1953)

 

 

(1954) 

 

(1964)

 

 

(????)

 

(????)

 

(????)

 

(????)

 

 (1954)

Steve

Exploring Space - Ladybird Books (1964)

 

1964                                               Early1970's

 

Ladybird books hold a bit of a special place in the hearts and memories of children growing up in the UK during the 60's 70's.  There's a book on almost every subject, all heavily illustrated with, on the most part, really beautiful rich paintings.  These are by B Knight and are very evocative.

 

 

 

 

Steve

The Outer Limits - Moonstone (1964)

Moonstone an episode from the first season of sci-fi anthology show The Outer Limits.  Featuring those Men into Space helmets

 

 

Steve

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)

Told you we'd be back this way.  Robinson Crusoe on Mars.  We've looked at the man so now it's time to check out his monkey.

And this is her.

Her name is Mona and doesn't she look lovely in her little orange space suit.

There's not much more to add to that except to say that I really don't understand why more sci-fi films don't chuck a pet space monkey into the mix.  They barely hinder the plot and they're an instant crowd pleaser if you ask me.


Steve

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)

You don't really need to ask what this film is about. The plot, in it's entirety, is in the films title.  It really is the original Robinson Crusoe storyline but set on Mars rather than a desert island.  And what's more, if memory serves me well, it really is rather good.

Commander Kit Draper and Colonel Dan McReady are in orbit around Mars when a malfunction forces them to eject with only Draper and his pet monkey surviving the landing. Draper, played by Paul Mantee, then has to learn to survive in this alien world fighting his own thirst, hunger, madness and even hostile alien slavers.

 

I would love to watch this again but until then I'll stoke the memories with these images and let you know that we'll be back this way again to examine some specifics of the film in future posts.

Steve

Something for the Weekend 7

It's been a while since I've done a; Something for the Weekend post but this makes the wait worth while I think.

This is Martha Hyer in a publicity still for the 1964 film version of First Men In the Moon.  A lovely bit of ephemera this and brought to you just a soon as I discovered it.  There are a few other similar pictures out there of the scantily dressed starlet but I can only really justify showing this one on the grounds of the equally sexy spacesuit.

Hey Love, show us your Windak


Steve

Not Really A Spacesuit but... 2

The Earth Dies Screaming, released in1964, uses the spacesuits first seen in the 1963 satire; The Mouse on the Moon.

Here they’re used to dress the killer robots that have been sent to Earth to mop up the last few survivors of an alien plague attack.

I’ve not had the pleasure of this little gem of British cinema as of yet but I will soon and I already know I’m going to like it. 

As a side note it was directed by the late great Terence Fisher who gave us Spaceways in 1953 which has also been covered previously in this very blog.


Steve

First Men in the Moon (1964)

We’ve already looked at this film once before way back in December 2010 when this blog was less than a month old.  Back then we had a quick look at these;

Which, as you should all know by now, are the real world high altitude Windak pressure suits.  Lovely aren’t they.

But what we’re going to look at now though are these;

Though First Men in the Moon starts and ends in the modern day of 1964, the bulk of the film is told in flashback to the 1890’s.

And that’s why Professor Cavor and Bedford’s spacesuits are based upon the deep-sea diving suit of the time even if they do seem to be serviced with oxygen from an anachronistic 1960’s style aqualung.

And also, it seems that the gentlemen of the British Empire were a sturdy bunch too who’s gloveless hands were impervious to the airless cold of the moon.

Oh and while we’re here on the lunar surface, let’s have a quick look at these.

This is what the 60’s astronauts were wearing inside their spaceship before they climbed into their Windaks to go explore the moon.

Rumour has it these are the same suits and helmets that are seen in the Department S episode The Man from X.

What do you think?


Steve