Earthbound (Space: 1999) - Production Notes

Production Notes

• Christopher Lee had recently completed his role as million-dollar assassin Francisco Scaramanga in the ninth James Bond film The Man With the Golden Gun when he came aboard as the noble alien Captain Zantor. Lee was famous on both sides of the Atlantic for his portrayal of the Frankenstein monster and Count Dracula in his many Hammer Films appearances. In recent years, Lee has played the wizard Saruman in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and the villainous Count Dooku in George Lucas′ Star Wars prequels Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

• Production designer Keith Wilson was responsible for the hair, makeup and costume design for the first series. When creating the Kaldorians, Wilson envisioned the bridges of their noses being built up with appliances to render a flat plane from nose to forehead. Christopher Lee objected to the uncomfortable makeup—especially when its removal also removed a layer of skin from the involved area. This was also the first time Lee, standing six feet four inches tall, was asked to stand on an ‘apple box’ to increase his height: the aliens were envisioned as being at least six-foot-six.

• Responding to complaints from directors and cameramen regarding the difficulty they experienced shooting on the Main Mission set, Wilson made a major modification prior to this episode. Originally, the set was designed with a platform running along three sides, giving the operations area a ‘sunken’ effect. The platform and steps were removed from one side, opposite the computer-bank wall. The four windows there were placed on the studio floor and, being ‘wild’ (i.e. movable), allowed for greater camera access. Wilson also broke up the tight formation of desks, improving the traffic flow through the room.