Infinity Magazine Issue 13

2018·38 MB·English

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08: THREE-LEGGED TERROR
Chris Hallam takes a look back at The Tripods, an
alien invasion saga with a difference…
15: NO JAMES BONDS IN THIS BUSINESS
Remembering The Sandbaggers, a gritty 70s spy
drama about a cold war dirty tricks department…
20: DIANA, PRINCESS OF THE AMAZONS
The story of Wonder Woman, a DC comics legend,
and the cult TV show inspired by her adventures…
26: A GODDESS IN SATIN TIGHTS
Simon Pritchard shares his reminiscences of watching
Wonder Woman back when he was just a lad!
28: TRAVELLING MAT
Visual Effects Designer Mat Irvine talks to Richard
48 51 Molesworth about his impressive career in cult TV!
42: “WELCOME TO ALTAIR IV GENTLEMEN”
Forbidden Planet is now 62 years old. Richard Holliss
looks back at the making of the screen classic that
introduced us to Robby the Robot…
48: FIGHTS, GAMERA, ACTION!
Jon Abbott concludes his exhaustive survey of the
films starring Japan’s gigantic jet-propelled turtle…
51: LUND OF THE GIANTS
Mark Phillips looks back on the unforgettable life of
56 60 63 Land of the Giants actress Deanna Lund….
56: COCKNEY REBEL
Robert Fairclough investigates Hazell, Thames
Television’s quirky and cool private eye series
60: WHEN THE SPIRIT MOVED HER
Rick Davy catches up with Randall and Hopkirk
(Deceased) actress Annette Andre for a chat about
her life and career…
63: “MAKE WAY FOR THE HOMO SUPERIOR...”
Richard Molesworth recalls The Tomorrow People,
one of the most imaginative and popular
children’s programmes of all time.
HG Editor: Allan Bryce Web Master: [email protected]
SN Design & Production: Kevin Coward Website: www.infinitymagazine.co.uk
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Name of feature
AS CULT MAGAZINES GO, WE
REALLY DO KNOW THE SCORE…

W
elcome to our lucky 13th issue of Infinity, boosted immeasurably by an amazing score coaxed
and we are delighted that our little sci-fi from a chamber ensemble of strings, electronic organ,
and cult TV magazine has been so well piano, celesta, and percussion.
received at a time when the market for all In the sci-fi field Goldsmith’s first feature film
print publications is shrinking quicker than Richard masterpiece was the original Planet of the Apes
Matheson’s Scott Carey. In fact sales have increased by (1968), where he proved well up to the task of creating
over 20% over the last few months and our subscription the illusion of a completely unfamiliar alien culture
list is growing by leaps and bounds. through his soundtrack. Having already created more
When we started the mag my plan was to just cover conventional orchestral scores for the likes of A Patch
TV and movie sci-fi, but that changed when I started of Blue (1965), The Blue Max (1966) and The Sand
getting suggestions from valued writers (and valued Pebbles (1966), Goldsmith chose to write his Planet
readers) for features on favourite cult TV shows of the Apes music in an avant garde style, using
of the non-sci-fi variety too. It certainly helps such innovative techniques as looping drums
give Infinity a unique place in the market. into an echoplex, having the orchestra
This issue, for example, you will find two imitate the grunting sounds of apes,
great articles on The Sandbaggers and having horns blown without mouthpieces,
Hazell that any fans of classic British telly and instructing the woodwind players to
are bound to love. We also pay tribute to finger their keys without using any air. He
Land of the Giants star Deanna Lund (seen also used steel mixing bowls, among other
right with her daughter Michele) and wield objects, to create unique percussive sounds.
the lasso of truth for the definitive article on Jerry obviously got well into the spirit of the film
Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman. because publicity photos show him wearing an ape
I’m delighted as well that we finally got round to mask when conducting the score. Later on of course
covering Forbidden Planet, which is one of my personal Jerry scored other sci-fi favourites such as Logan’s Run
favourites, and a movie that still looks amazing in (1976), Star Trek- The Motion Picture (1979) and Alien
these days of CGI overkill. It’s also notable for its highly (1979). Director Ridley Scott originally wanted Alien
effective electronic music score, one of the earliest of to be scored by Isao Tomita, though he later praised
its kind, though Hollywood had already been using Jerry’s avant-garde approach. Goldsmith was unhappy
electronic instruments such as the theremin in film with the use of a cue from his Freud: The Secret Passion
soundtracks for several years. Bernard Herrmann (1962) score, which was temp-tracked on the sequence
famously employed the theremin on his unearthly where acid blood from the Facehugger burns through
score for The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951). the decks of the Nostromo. He was also none too
As a long-time collector of film music myself I do pleased that his own end credits music was rejected in
intend to include features on that subject in future favour of an excerpt from Howard Hanson’s Symphony
editions of Infinity, and if I get round to doing one No.2 (“Romantic”). Similar shenanigans accompanied
myself then it’s certain to be on my own favourite the Scott/Goldsmith collaboration on Legend (1985),
composer, the late, great Jerry Goldsmith. I first where a Tangerine Dream score replaced the Goldsmith
became a fan after hearing his tuneful themes for one outside Europe. My faithful designer Kev loves
Dr. Kildare and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. as a kid, and Tangerine Dream and I love Jerry, so for the sake of
then noticing that one of my favourite episodes of The detente let’s call that a draw.
Twilight Zone, the virtually wordless ‘The Invaders’, was Allan Bryce.
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Surrey, SM2 7HX IINNFFIINNIITTYY 55
Name of feature
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
The Infinity team bring you news on your favourite TV shows and movie franchises,
including the return of The Twilight Zone and Space Patrol in HD!
that Stranger Things will not be returning for its third season until the
summer of 2019.
“It’s a handcrafted show,” said Holland. “The Duffer Brothers and Shawn
Levy, they understand the stakes are high. They want to deliver something
bigger and better than last year. I think it’s going to be a fantastic season.
It will be worth the wait.”
Holland explained that one of the reasons for the delay was the sheer
scale and ambition of the season, noting that it will require more special
effects work than prior seasons. “It’s a really exciting season, just takes a
little more time.”
CARRIE FISHER WILL BE IN THE NEXT STAR WARS FILM
General Leia will be in Star Wars: Episode IX. JJ Abrams has announced
that he will incorporate unused footage of Carrie Fisher from The Force
Awakens in the final film in the current Star Wars saga. It had been
thought that The Force Awakens would focus on Han Solo and The Last
Jedi on Luke, with the third movie in this trilogy belonging to Leia.
Unfortunately, Fisher passed away in late 2016, after filming The Last Jedi
and it was assumed that this would be the last audiences would see of BACK TO BLACK
her in her most famous role. The head of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, Filming is almost completed on the new Men In Black spin-off starring
originally indicated that Leia would not be in the upcoming film, but after Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. Hemsworth plays a British MIB
director Colin Trevorrow exited, the reigns were handed over to Abrams who operative, Agent H, while Thompson plays a UFO conspiracy theorist
had previously helmed The Force Awakens and he and Chris Terrio rewrote named Molly a.k.a. Em, who will presumably become Agent M by the end
the script to incorporate Leia. of the movie.
In a statement, Abrams stated: “We desperately loved Carrie Fisher. Straight Outta Compton’s F. Gary Gray is directing this extension of the
Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her classic franchise which was previously spearheaded by Barry Sonnenfeld.
eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Rafe Spall and Kumail Nanjiani also star,
support and blessing from her daughter, Billie (Lourd), we have found a way with Emma Thompson reprising her role from Men In Black III, Agent O.
to honour Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen Nanjiani is portraying an alien sidekick character named Pawny, while
footage we shot together in Episode VII.” Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom’s Spall (son of Timothy)is believed to be
Disney and Lucasfilm have announced the main cast for Episode playing the baddie.
IX, which includes original trilogy stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Not much is known about the new movie, but it is not believed to be a
Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), reboot of the previous franchise which starred Tommy Lee Jones and Will
confirming months of speculation that Lando would finally return in this Smith. It seems it is rather an extension, featuring the exploits of other
final Star Wars installment. Also returning are Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam agents in the same organisation, and Emma Thompson’s inclusion seems
Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita to confirm that. Reportedly, this picture will be more global in scale than
Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Kelly Marie Tran the first three which were based in the United States - some filming was
(Rose Tico), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), and Fisher’s daughter, Billie done in London on this one too. This new film appears to be echoing the
Lourd (Lieutenant Connix). first movie somewhat in that Hemsworth’s Agent H is an experienced
Newcomers Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant have been cast but their operative tasked with training new recruit Em.
roles are undisclosed. Not included in the announcement is Keri Russell, The film is is due for a wide release on May 14, 2019.
who was reported to have been cast in this film almost a month ago.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE IS COMING BACK.
STRANGER THINGS NOT HAPPENING YET… When we first heard that CBS were planning on reviving Rod Serling’s
We’re all eagerly looking forward to our next visit to Hawkins, Indiana, but classic TV series we sort of rolled our eyes. But when they also announced
it looks like we’ll all be waiting a bit longer than we’d like. that Jordan Peele (Get Out) was involved, along with Simon Kinberg (X-Men:
Though Stranger Things was Apocalypse) and Marco Ramirez (Netflix’s Defenders) then we thought,
quickly (and unsurprisingly) renewed hmmmm, and rolled our eyes again. Still a bad idea.
in the wake of the second season’s The series will be exclusive to CBS All Access, the network’s stand-alone
success last year, both Netflix and streaming service that saw success thanks to its first big exclusive series,
the show’s producers have been Star Trek: Discovery. Peele, Kinberg and Ramirez will collaborate on the first
keeping quiet about the planned episode, CBS confirmed in a press release.
premiere date for the next season. The Twilight Zone was created by Rod Serling in 1959 and ran on CBS
Indeed, while the third season began until 1964. The series, which used fantasy, science fiction, suspense and
filming at the end of April (making psychological thriller genre elements in each episode, was notable for
a 2018 debut theoretically possible), its use of a macabre twist toward the end and its the moral message the
Netflix programming executive episode was trying to get across. “Too many times this year it’s felt we were
Cindy Holland recently confirmed living in a twilight zone, and I can’t think of a better moment to reintroduce
66 IINNFFIINNIITTYY
Name of feature
Burgess Meredith in the classic
‘Time Enough at Last’ episode
of The Twilight Zone
IT’S ABOUT TIME
October 8th sees the release of two classics of cult TV sci-fi in amazing
it to modern audiences,” Peele said in the release. CBS tried to revive The Blu-ray box sets and we know that you are going to want to add both to
Twilight Zone most recently in 2012 with X-Men: Apocalypse director Bryan your collection!
Singer, but nothing ever came from the attempt. Prior to this new iteration First off, Revelation Films are releasing all 30 episodes of Irwin Allen’s
of the series, The Twilight Zone was revived twice; once in 1985 and again in Time Tunnel, presented in their original broadcast order.
2002. CBS did not announce when the series would debut on the platform. The control of time is potentially the most valuable treasure that man will
ever find. Or so believe the scientists of Project Tic Toc. Located beneath the
2001 IN 4K! Arizona desert, the ten-year project’s focus is the feasibility of time travel.
Following the recent theatrical run of the “unrestored” 70mm print of 2001: A But when the government reconsiders the project, the scientists have only
Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick‘s game-changing sci-fi classic is headed to 24 hours to prove their untested Time Tunnel will actually work. Determined
4K Ultra High Definition Blu-ray for the first time ever. The 2001 4K Blu-ray to save the project, Dr. Tony Newman and Dr. Doug Phillips go through the
arrives on October 30th, 2018. tunnel and quickly find themselves catapulted from one historical event to
If you have yet to jump on board the 4K train, now might be the perfect another, barely escaping with their lives as their colleagues back in Arizona
occasion. The visuals in 2001 are stunning, and the prospect of seeing them race to figure out a way to bring them back home.
in 4K is almost too Produced from HD digital restoration masters created from the original
good to pass up (if you negatives to ensure the best visual experience available, the box set also
can afford it). includes some tasty extras including the original unaired Pilot Episode (HD
Warner Bros. Home version), TV movie cast interviews, Irwin Allen’s Behind-The-Scenes Home
Entertainment will Movies and more.
release the Blu-ray as The same day, our good friends at Network Distributing are releasing a
part of the ongoing puppet favourite from our childhoods. yes folks, welcome to Earth in the
50th anniversary of year 2100 and all 39 episodes of the cult hit, Space Patrol!
the film. For the first Join Galasphere 347 and its intrepid crew on their voyages around the
time since the original solar system: heroic Captain Dart, elfin Slim, sausage-mad Husky, Irish
theatrical release, new genius Professor Haggerty, mad Martian parrot Gabbler and, keeping them
70mm prints were all on a tight rein (and an even tighter budget), Colonel Raeburn and his
created from elements super-efficient secretary, Marla!
made from the original This early marionette series was produced in the United Kingdom in 1962
camera negative. and broadcast beginning in 1963. It was written and produced by Roberta
Filmmaker Christopher Leigh (Sara and Hoppity, Torchy the Battery Boy - she is shown with some of
Nolan worked with the her puppets in the picture below), in association with the Associated British
team at Warner Bros. Corporation. The marionettes used in the series incorporated some elements
during the mastering of Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation technique - specifically their mouths
process. would move in synch with dialogue. The series was thought lost for years
The 4K UHD with HDR presentation was “mastered from the 65mm until a complete cache of 16mm prints was discovered in the garage at
original camera negative. The 4K UHD also includes both a remixed and Roberta Leigh’s home. These were cleaned up and now we can own every
restored 5.1 DTS-HD master audio track, as well as the original 1968 6-track episode remastered in high definition from the original film elements.
theatrical audio mix (formatted for 5.1 DTS-HD master audio).” In layman’s
terms that means it is going to look the canine’s cojones.
It’s also the mutt’s nuts on the extras front too, with a commentary by
stars Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood and tons of docs including 2001: The
Making of a Myth, hosted by James Cameron, with contributions from actor
Keir Dullea, late co-author Sir Arthur C. Clarke and visual effects pioneer
Douglas Trumbull. Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of
2001 looks at the many filmmakers whose own careers were insured by
this cinematic landmark. Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
has filmmakers, writers and Mr. Clarke himself reflecting on the accuracy
of the predictions. 2001: A Space Odyssey - A Look Behind the Future takes
us on a charmingly retro tour of the London set of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
What is Out There? examines the philosophical themes of the film, including
possibilities of extra-terrestrial life, the concept of god and the intersection
of these two possibilities.
Other featurettes including a Channel 4 doc on the film look at the movie’s
conceptual artwork, Kubrick’s early work as a photographer chronicling
1940’s America for LOOK Magazine reflected his natural talent for visual
storytelling. There’s also a 1966 audio interview with Stanley Kubrick and
physicist and writer Jeremy Bernstein.
IINNFFIINNIITTYY 77
THREE-LEGGED TERROR!
A
lien invasion stories are, of
course, nothing new. The
difference was that in The Tripods’
case, the invasion was already over,
and the long defeated planet Earth was
seemingly totally in thrall to new metallic
masters: huge hemispheres supported by
three gigantic legs. Creator John Christopher
later admitted he’d “unconsciously stolen”
the idea of the Tripods’ appearance from the
Martian conquerors of HG Wells’ The War of
the Worlds. He was being modest. There are
definite similarities, but there was rather
more to The Tripods than that.
The first book to feature the metallic
monsters, The White Mountains written by
Christopher (whose real name was Sam Youd)
appeared in 1967. Two more books, The City
of Gold and Lead and The Pool of Fire soon
followed. Then, in the mid-Eighties, the first
two books were made into two BBC TV series.
A final book, a prequel, When The Tripods
Came appeared in 1988. Primarily aimed at a
teenage audience, The Tripods had become a
science fiction franchise in their own right.
THE ENEMY WITHIN
At first it seems as if there is nothing wrong.
Aside from a few ominous references to
“Tripods” and people being “Capped,” the
first few pages of the opening volume (The
White Mountains) suggest the book is set at
some point in England’s past, specifically
Winchester, perhaps in or around 1800. Only
gradually do we learn the truth. Early on, the
young main characters are confused by an
ancient sign: “Danger, 6,600 volts”. It means
nothing to them, but to us, the meaning is
only too clear. This is the future: perhaps a
century or more from now. But it is a future
It has been over fifty years since the Tripods first strode where human development has been pushed
back to pre-industrial levels. The main
boldly onto the British science fiction landscape. Chris characters have never even heard of trains,
cars or electricity. It is as if the industrial
Hallam examines an alien invasion saga with a difference… revolution never happened.
As in Orwell’s 1984, the populace has been
fed a misleading portrait of the pre-invasion
world. “We know it was the Black Age,” says
This image: one character. “There were too many people,
The main cast and not enough food, so that people starved
members l-r:
and fought each other and there were all kind
‘Beanpole’ (Ceri
Seel), and cousins of sicknesses…” It is not simply propaganda
Henry Parker which is blighting the path of human
(Jim Baker) and
Will Parker (John development, however.
Shackley) We do not have to wait long to meet the
source of the problem. The gigantic robotic
Tripods stalk the Earth “Capping” humans in
a special ceremony organised by the already
Capped adults for their young as soon as
they reach adolescence. The Caps are metal
plates fused to the heads of the humans
through which they receive orders from the
Tripod conquerors.
The Capped are not zombies. They still
talk, eat, drink, do jobs, marry, farm and
cook. But their minds are no longer truly
8 INFINITY
TOWERING TRIPTYCHS!
THREE-LEGGED TERROR!
Both of these stories turn out to be
partly true. The Tripods do come from
outer space but the means by which they
took power turns out to have been through
the man-made medium of television. Once
in charge, they ensured humanity reverted
to a pre-industrial level of technological
development, perhaps to protect
themselves from a sophisticated military
assault or at the very least to prevent
nasty rumours being spread about them
on the internet.
Ozymandias also speculates that the
their own. As if this wasn’t chilling enough, Tripods may be just the vehicles for the
we soon learn that as many as one in twenty alien controllers within. We learn more
Cappings fail: the Tripods’ messages are about this in the second novel, The City of
unable to reach the human brain properly, Gold and Lead in which Will and another
leaving the wearers in a state of perpetual boy, Fritz adopt fake Caps and are able to
confused delirium. The result is that a gain access to one of the domed cities in
sizeable swathe of the populace is made which the Tripods’ hideous Masters live.
up of these sad wandering figures known Conditions are appalling for humans.
as “Vagrants”. The gravity levels are set much higher than
It is from one such Vagrant - in fact, a usual to make the Masters feel at home,
man pretending to be one, who goes by the making it almost impossible for humans
name “Ozymandias” - that the book’s hero, to move.
Will Parker comes to realise the truth, only Will also discovers the Masters’ ultimate
days before he is due to be Capped himself. aim is to flood the Earth’s oxygen with
Discouraged by The Stepford Wife-like quality their own poisonous green air, rendering
that befalls his friend Jack after his Capping whim. There are even stories of the Tripods Top l-r: human survival impossible but ensuring
(a process that involves being drawn into letting captured humans run free before This page: the Masters can wander about as they
Captured by
and briefly taken off by a Tripod), Will is hunting them down for sport. The book The Tripods, the please. A spaceship providing the means to
determined to avoid such a fate. He flees and has some similarities to John Wyndham’s original John do this is apparently only a few years away
Christopher
begins a perilous journey, ultimately joined The Chrysalids in which another group of from reaching the Earth.
books, and a
by two colleagues: his cousin Henry and a futuristic children escape their pre-industrial Radio Times In the final book of the trilogy, The Pool
tall, highly intelligent French boy known as homesteads, albeit for very different reasons. cover from when of Fire, the battle to defeat the Tripods thus
the show was
“Beanpole”. They travel to the one region of first broadcast in becomes very urgent indeed.
the planet apparently free of Tripod influence: ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES the UK The trilogy ended. But with the
the white mountains of Switzerland. But who or what exactly are the Tripods and Tripods having conquered the Earth by
Fifty years on, the book remains a where do they come from? harnessing the power of TV, surely it made
compelling read. The Tripods themselves Ozymandias, the man who inspires Will’s sense that in the real world, the Tripods
appear relatively infrequently, ensuring journey, has a couple of ideas. “There are two should try and conquer the world of TV for
maximum impact when they do appear: stories about them,” he begins. “One is that themselves? In 1984 and 1985, this finally
sometimes as a distant but still unnerving they were machines made by men, which happened: The Tripods came to BBC1.
presence lumbering across the horizon or revolted against men and enslaved them… Whether they may genuinely
occasionally looming up and lashing out, The other story is that they do not come from said to have conquered the medium
attacking ships or people apparently on a this world at all, but another.” remains to be seen.
IINNFFIINNIITTYY 9 9
NCHamRIeS oHfA fLeLaAtuMre
Clockwise from this image:
A Tripod stalks the water and the land
(inset of the show’s soundtrack single),
some of the show’s imaginative set
design, comic strip action from Boy’s
Life, the magazine of the Boy Scouts of
America, and models from the show seen
on Blue Peter
It was a busy time for sci-fi cart. What followed was a generally faithful
and fantasy. The US extra-ter- translation of the book from page to screen.
restrial series V had just It’s always easy to mock old British TV sci-fi
been broadcast on ITV that but The Tripods was a big deal at the time
summer and Ghostbusters and had a reasonable budget. A 12-part series
was first shown in UK cinemas based on the second book appeared in the
in December. On the British autumn of 1985.
front, the Fifth Doctor Peter There was a fair amount of publicity. The
Davison had just regenerated series made the cover of the Radio Times
into the Sixth, Colin Baker, and a computer game was produced for the
Children’s ITV had just shown ZX Spectrum. The three young main cast
the terrifying John Wyndham members, John Shackley, Jim Baker and
A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS adaptation, Chocky (also produced by The Ceri Seel appeared on Blue Peter and were
The first series of The Tripods was broadcast Tripods’ Richard Bates) and in November, the interviewed by presenters Simon Groom and
in the popular BBC 1 Saturday afternoon BBC launched its dark Christmas fantasy, The the late Michael Sundin, while Goldie slept on
teatime slot, across 13 weeks between Box of Delights featuring onetime Second the floor in front of them.
September and December 1984. It had been Doctor Who, Patrick Troughton. The following year, Groom alongside Peter
a long struggle: producer Richard Bates had The Tripods opened with a caption stating Duncan and Janet Ellis presented another
been trying to get the series on the box since it was the year 2089AD, followed by the feature, exploring the second series’ special
the early 1970s. appearance of a 19th century style horse and effects. Janet Ellis described The City of Gold
10 INFINITY