UFO Moonbase: A Tribute

[@royc9357]

I’m 63 years young and I still remember every single moment of that opening sequence. Thank you Gerry Anderson and the UFO crew for making my childhood and adulthood special ❤🚀❤🛸❤🚁❤🛰️❤🚆

[@theironclads]

Derek Meddings & Michael Trim = Legends.

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

True that! British artist and miniature model-maker Mike Trim started out in the model shop, and eventually became special effects director Derek Meddings' assistant in designing the futuristic vehicles, buildings, and look of the Andersons' series. Meddings (1931-1995), later became noted for his work in the 1970s and 1980s James Bond and Superman film series.

[@ActiveJoe]

Loved watching the series back in the day. Cutting edge visuals, music and props made it 'really cool'.

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Agreed! It was one the first color TV transmissions that I ever watched, and the opening theme score was captivating!

[@lagofranco7197]

There are no words, I can only say that this series marked my childhood. Gorgeous!!!!

[@BubbaThaumaturge]

Yes.

[@dennisanderson3895]

This was such a great sci-fi program! Compelling and intelligent storylines, combined with excellent FX especially considering the tech available)!

[@MH5XXXX]

I TOTALLY agree with FRANCO below. This was one of many SCI-FI shows that fed my imagination in my younger days .THANK YOU

[@douglasb5046]

Hear hear

[@RX552VBK]

Great job! I love everything Gerry Anderson related (RIP), and UFO (next to SPACE:1999 first season) is my favorite. I remember vividly watching it in syndication in NYC WOR channel 9 (Saturday afternoons), like around '73 I was seven. Loved the characters and of course the SFX; although I could never figure out why Moonbase female personnel had to wear weird wigs and makeup. LOL. Thanks for memories, Rod!

[@FandersonUfo]

like a video tech manual - very nice thank you - about to watch your SkyDiver vid - 🛸

[@johnbower7452]

It was such a great show it even got mentioned in XCOM

[@mierpaul]

The theme of UFO is what the earthlings used to call, "Groovey."

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

I totally agree! Barry Gray (1908 - 1984), the score’s composer and musician, had a prolific collaboration with Gerry Anderson, the show’s creator, producing some other 1960s memorable musical gems such as the score to the marionette puppetry series ‘Thunderbirds’, in particular the "March of the Thunderbirds" title music.

[@mierpaul]

@@rodduncanproductions7407 did he score space 1999?

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Yes, Gray composed that show’s first series’ opening credits’ dramatic fanfare and also scored five episodes. These were his final compositions for an Anderson production (the second 'Space: 1999' series was scored by jazz musician and composer Derek Wadsworth).

[@robertfrancis7767]

Brilliant and informative video, thanks very much.

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Happy to know that you enjoyed it! The series has great meaning to me, as it brings back fond memories of watching it with my granduncle, on one of the first color TVs in Brazil!

[@A.G.798]

Einfach Fantastische Serie UFO ❤ .

[@DavidCase-ov5uo]

Ayshea Brough wow wow wow.

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

British actress Ayshea Hague, aka Brough (Lieut. Johnson), born on 12 November 1948 (age 76), appeared in 17 episodes, and was also a recording artist, with two albums and 12 singles, including "The Flowers Will Never Die " (1975), a song written for her by Sir Elton John. Thanks for watching!

[@dogwalker666]

So cool

[@STho205]

How did this future not happen in 1980.

[@enriqueortiz7101]

Excelente video

[@mikes5637]

Come on, Netflix. Throw several million dollars into a remake!

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Wouldn’t it be awesome, with today’s visual effects?! Thanks for watching.

[@Thenogomogo-zo3un]

Just dont let lame Disney get their hands on it

[@JZsBFF]

Don't do it! It's impossible anyway to transport the authenticity, the magic and morals of the original series into the modern activist, emancipated environment.

[@raymondhale3093]

Dang, I forgot how the UFO show theme music rocked...that'70s show music sound!

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

British composer Barry Gray’s (1908-1984) music is iconic!

[@raymondhale3093]

Barry Gray, huh...going to look him up - see what else he did...thanks!

[@stu176mmm]

Great wee clip, thanks

[@AlphanPeter]

UFO was good show. UFO MoonBase Alpha was small base. comparing it to Space:1999 MoonBase was a lot bigger

[@STho205]

The model was supposed to be for 1974 UFO series 2 set in 1990. Didn't sell so they salvaged it for a new series catering to CBS in the US.

[@YODAMAN5]

AWESOME.

[@trippsnead7195]

Pretty cool

[@Laceykat66]

I never knew the mobile rocket launchers were unmanned and I am a big fan of the show (I was going to be Gay Ellis when I grew up 🥰) . Thank you for this.

[@boardman49]

UFO. The show that invented purple hair years ahead of its time.

[@niceuneasy]

Classic SciFi needs a reboot

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Definitely agree! Thanks for watching.

[@園田公章]

The music was perfectly original and the image quality was excellent. The presence of the Lunar CARRIER boosted the mood of even more. I was amazed at how well the video was composed.

[@edl617]

Love the hair and Buns

[@francishodge5189]

UFO to me is one of the greatest live action series produced in the UK by the legendary Gerry Anderson Nearly 50 yrs on no one Has the balls to make a live action Sci fi series made in the UK in 2023 Gerry would be turning in hus grave

[@farmerned6]

Wanda Ventham = Benedict Cumberbatch's Mum

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

@@farmerned6 True that! Benedict Cumberbatch was born five years after the last episode was aired. Mother and son would eventually work together in "Sherlock" (TV series). Thanks for watching!

[@simjo59]

What were the purple wigs about?

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Sylvia Anderson, one of the show’s creator and costume designer, wanted to give a futuristic look and, at the same time, save on female cast’s hairstyling costs. The wigs ended up becoming a major reference point for the series, don’t you agree?

[@MrStephenRGilman]

@@rodduncanproductions7407 Huh, I assumed it meant they were aliens.

[@vicsaul5459]

Less static in space ✨, also to inspire Lady Goo Goo

[@MrStephenRGilman]

The commanding officer is a Lieutenant and the first officer is a Colonel?

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Very well observed, but Lieutenant Ellis (Gabrielle Drake) is only Moonbase’s commander while Col. Virginia Lake (Wanda Ventham) is SHADO’s first officer. She’s on Moonbase only temporarily.

[@A.G.798]

​@@rodduncanproductions7407Danke für diese Information. ❤

[@alcoholic2412]

You forgot about Lt. Harrington (Antonia Ellis).

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Well observed… my lapse! Lieutenant Joan Harrington was one of SHADO's earliest recruits, as seen in "Confetti Check A-O.K." (originally aired on July 10, 1971) - she appeared in a total of 13 episodes. Actress Antonia Ellis is still alive today, aged 77.

[@yetti423]

I was 1 year old, i think this could be remade today, have a recollection of having or friend having the toy which was probably made of lead for extra goodness

[@velcroman11]

Could it be that Brakston and Musk got the space ship ideaes from UFO??

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Perhaps ‘Braxton Science & Technology Group’ (since 2020 part of ‘Parsons Corporation’), Elon Musk’s ‘SpaceX’, and UFO’s model designer Derek Meddings (15jan1931 - 10sep1995) were all inspired by “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) and its breakthrough models designed by Frederick Ira Ordway III (04apr1927 - 01jul2014), Harry Lange (07dec1930 - 22may2008), and Anthony Masters (09nov1919 - 12may1990).

[@MrAlwaysBlue]

Who would have thought that by the 1980s we would be launching Moon shuttles from the Home Counties.

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

That is correct: the Space Shuttle program operated from 1981 to 2011. Nonetheless, as of 2024, the two most advanced projects to set up moonbases have been the US-led Artemis program, with its planned ‘Artemis Base Camp’ in the 2030s, and as the China-led ‘International Lunar Research Station’ (ILRS) around 2035.

[@tomroberts9684]

Did Moon dust turn the ladies' hair neon purple? Lucky for us the aliens never hit Earth from the opposite side of Earth from the Moon 😅

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

The neon purple hair was just a costume choice by the series’ creators, to give a more futuristic look and to save on production’s time and costs with female hairstyling. And you’re correct: since the Moon is always facing Earth with the same side and makes a complete orbit once every 27.3 days (29.5 days as seen from Earth), the Moonbase Interceptors would take longer to circle Earth and attack on the opposite side - at least, there was Skydiver’s Sky One interceptor aircraft as a second line of defense to attack UFOs in Earth's atmosphere. Thanks for watching!

[@sangensangen4237]

レイク大佐もコスモルック着てたことあったのな。息子のカンバーバッチの感想を聞いてみたい。

[@chrisst8922]

And when they'd finished filming it all the models, the Interceptors, everything was thrown away. A separate company was employed to clear the studios and almost nothing escaped.

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Sadly, you are correct. The series’ special effects designer Derek Meddings (1931 -1995) and his team were talented artists, and they developed several innovations in the creation of miniature models and landscapes. Unfortunately, as with all the Anderson series of that period, very few original series props and miniatures have survived, such as two of the alien’s UFO flying saucers, a single large-scale Sky One, and one large-scale and one small-scale Moonbase Interceptors [these were given to Dinky Toys (1934 - 1979) for production of die-cast scale models]. Glad that you enjoyed the tribute!

[@chrisst8922]

@@rodduncanproductions7407 Thankyou. That's a better survival rate than I imagined. What happened to the Interceptors, did Dinky keep them safely, where are they now?

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Good question… In 1971, Dinky launched three ‘UFO’ series models: 351 / UFO Interceptor 352 / Ed Straker's Car 353 / S.H.A.D.O. 2 Mobile The Binns Rd. Dinky factory, in Liverpool, UK, was shut down in November 1979. The ‘Dinky’ tradename became part of ‘Matchbox’ International Ltd. (another famous British die-cast models’ brand). American ‘Mattel, Inc.’ finally acquired that company in 1997. I can’t confirm the whereabouts or current conditions of what was left of Dinky’s original physical assets. For additional information on the ‘UFO’ models, visit ‘The Prop Gallery: > “Filmed in miniature - The models of Gerry Anderson's UFO”’.

[@Thenogomogo-zo3un]

Sacrilege !

[@dv270salto7]

:-(

[@knshinn2]

WOT NO LIEUTENANT HARRINGTON???

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

So sorry, my bad! Actress Antonia Ellis, who played the part, is still alive today, aged 77.

[@johnpenley]

I'd party with these lovely ladies..😁

[@brunom3471]

Why do the SHADO employees have pink hair?

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

The show’s creator Gerry Anderson explained years later that the female Moonbase personnel uniformly wore purple wigs, silver catsuits, and extensive eye make-up, because it made them look more futuristic and that it filmed better under the bright lights. Thanks for watching!

[@martinchagnon1119]

It' was so burlesque ! The music was doing all the work. The aliens were crossing the galaxy but were unable to shoot a target like they were all drunk !🤪 The interceptor with a missile heavier than the spacecraft himself. and the moonbase run by sisters using the same hairdresser So ...

[@STho205]

The missile only weighed 1/6th what you imagined. Don't besmirch the wigs... It's a uniform, BABY!

[@martinchagnon1119]

@@STho205 the cops should wear that wig uniform.

[@STho205]

@@martinchagnon1119 at least the hot girl west ender Cops. The beefcake men should be wearing the fishnet shirts like the SkyDiver crews. Oh that Celtic blonde girl on the sub was cute too.

[@STho205]

Thr music was BOSS.

[@malcolmbrewis5582]

I liked and appreciated the uniqueness of the moonbase 'girls' appearance. Perhaps it was my age, but their uniforms certainly raised more than a smile. 😃😊

[@SPIKE-0000]

More real than an Indian Moon Lander footage....

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

From verified sources, on August 23, 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully landed its Chandrayaan-3 module at the lunar south pole, making India the fourth nation to successfully complete a soft landing on the Moon... unfortunately, 'UFO Moonbase' is still fake! :-)

[@anth5189]

I loved this series and still do. Their aim was terrible though. They could miss a barn door standing right in front of it.

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

True that! Their aim makes me wonder if they were perhaps trained at the “Imperial Academies’ Stormtroopers Program" and the age-old question: “Are Stormtrooper’s aim bad or are their blasters just terrible?". 😊

[@georgegard.aka.currymonste1498]

I fancied gay ellis something rotten

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Gabrielle Drake, the actress who played the part, is still alive today, aged 77.

[@STho205]

We all did. She and Wanda Ventham... But Gay looked best in the purple wig. It was a uniform, BABY!

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Fun fact: in real life, actress Wanda Ventham (Col. Virginia Lake) is actor Benedict Cumberbatch’s mother. She is currently 86 years old!

[@marcusanimation100]

@@rodduncanproductions7407 I knew it! UFO is part of the MCU! ;-)

[@DavidCase-ov5uo]

You had ONe missile -and you missed!

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

If they had the “Iron Dome” (the Israeli mobile all-weather air defense system) on Moonbase, the show would be no fun! :-) One missile and a miss was the whole suspense!

[@santorini8423]

That was a real babe station…

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

A visionary show, with women in command positions!

[@DanieleT.820]

What I never understood is why gravity is normal in the moon base. Such high technology as to have control of gravity (which is not even possible today) and then they still use missiles on interceptors?? 🤣

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Totally agree, but that’s how the sci-fi storytelling world works! I pose a similar question for the ‘Harry Potter’ universe: if they are all wizards and witches, why do they have to go shopping for magical supplies at Diagon Alley? Couldn’t they just conjure up whatever was needed? Thanks for watching!

[@spockboy]

A British show with soccer ball moon bases, go figure?

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

LOL!

[@martinchagnon1119]

😂😂😂. And inside the soccer ball severals sisters using the same hairdresser .

[@menguardingtheirownwallets6791]

What's up with the PURPLE hair???? It looks so strange!

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Sylvia Anderson (the show’s creator and costume designer) explained that the wigs provided a futuristic look, and also saved considerable time and expense of having to style Moonbase’s female staff’s hair for each episode.

[@stephenrobertson6025]

@@rodduncanproductions7407 To be honest though it was a distinctive and memorable look, it really didn't make much sense, though the string vests worn by the SkyDiver crew made even less sense! However I read a UFO novelisation many years ago, and the wigs were described as 'anti-static', so maybe that was their in-universe purpose.

[@JZsBFF]

Imagine it as being an element of a society in which conformity is the norm. Does that ring a bell?

[@MM22966]

But...why purple hair? Perhaps it is the military fashion of the time, like powdered wigs in the 18th-century, or the way Greeks wear clown shoes on parade...

[@CORRADOCAMERONI]

🙏🙏🙏🛸👽🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🦋🦅🐉✌️🤗

[@nelsonfuentes9175]

Fire in the vaccum??

[@rodduncanproductions7407]

Fires cannot start in the vacuum of space because there is no oxygen. However, if there’s fuel and an oxidizer, there can be an explosion in space. A rocket engine is a controlled, continuous explosion. On the other hand, a little artistic license to increase the show’s visuals never hurts!

[@stevecam724]

What on earth is with those awful purple wigs?

[@frankthompson6503]

I watched this as a child. People like NASA and Elon musk made this imagination made reality with money 💰 Money makes sense when you invest in something that works. I don't believe man made it to the moon. Nontheless some of things from man's imagination going wild virtual reality made reality with money 💰

[@douglasgreen437]

Prove Man didn't make it to the Moon...Don't you think the Chi-Coms & Ruskies would have had a field day ridiculing them if it was a hoax !

[@thomasvulpius56]

RED ALERT U.F.O. BEARING 428-146 GREEN SOL 8 "Interceptors, immediate launch!"