Department S: The Man From X (1969) Gallery

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

Department S: The Man From X (1969)

Department S was one of those very cool ITC shows from the late 60’s, early 70’s.  It’s a sort of a Spy-fi, cop, adventure series for which the plot hook is this:

     “When a case proves too challenging for the collective minds of Interpol, they turn to the talents of Department S”

Fair enough.  So every episode starts with a seemingly impossibly strange set up for which the boys and girls from the special department have to find a more logical and rational explanation.

In the episode entitled; The Man from X, a courting couple are confronted by a man in a spacesuit who staggers towards them down a London street at night and then dies.

What transpires with the investigation is that.......

No.  That would ruin it.  Go buy the DVD boxset.  The whole series is a lot of fun and everybody should enjoy the iconic performance that is Peter Wyngarde as Jason King.

I would like some better detailed pictures of the spacesuits because my guess is that they most probably turn up somewhere else in some other show.  Even the Mini motor car used by the startled couple who are first confronted by the out-of-place outer-spaceman was more frequently seen being driven about within the episodes of Randall and Hopkirk Deceased so there’s no way the production stretched to original suits and helmets.

Steve