Recently picked up a dvd set of 1978's sci-fi TV blockbuster Battlestar Galactica. This series was one of the better things inspired by the rampant success of Star Wars and elevated the TV space opera into a new visual zone. Alas the show was a bit of bomb in the ratings, costing much more than a regular TV series of the time and not finding an audience large enough to support that expense. The stories and acting remained typical of the era for the most part, though I've always thought getting Lorne Greene to play the paternalistic Adama was inspired. Mostly the show is a gaggle of vintage sci-fi tropes, handsome people and amazing hair, but it also has another distinction. The ads for the show were illustrated by the late great Frank Frazetta. I can remember being stunned at seeing real life Frazetta artwork in my weekly TV Guide. Here are those ads along with the original art that graced them.
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All of those TV Guide ad scans are from my Space: 1970 website. I clipped 'em all back in '78.
ReplyDeleteI gleaned the images from the wilds of the internet. I didn't realize they originated from your site, which is ground zero for smart discussion of Battlestar Galactica. Here's a link for those who are interested:
Deletehttp://space1970.blogspot.com/search/label/Battlestar%20Galactica
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That one of the 5 scrambling female fighter pilots is gorgeous. Would love a framed print of that.
ReplyDeleteFrazetta's ability to render a woman's behind was exquisite.
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Back in my college days, I once told a professor that "Battlestar Galactica" was a modern retelling of the Aeneid -- the Colonials are the Trojans who have been cast out of their home and must endure a perilous voyage to find a new one.
ReplyDeleteI think I almost gave that poor old man a stroke.