My new episode on Cocktail Nation is live! This month I introduce the classic Sci-Fi series from Germany, Raumpatrouille (1966) and play the main theme by Peter Thomas. Raumpatrouille (Space Patrol: The Fantastic Adventures of the Spaceship Orion) made its debut a mere week after Star Trek appeared in the US. The show was set in a future when a unified Earth had evolved into a cohesive government and colonized in space, as well as under the seas, where their main base was located. The Orion was commanded by Major Cliff McLane and his crew, and as it was revealed, defended humanity against The Frogs, an eerie and mysterious alien threat. The series ran only seven episodes due to budget. Interestingly, scripts really struck a fierce tone of rebellion against bureaucracy and authority, which can tell us something about attitudes in societies around the world by 1966. In fact, the heroes of the Orion began the show with a dressing down by their superiors for bucking orders and were then sent out to a limited region of space with an official observer on board to make sure regulations were followed to the letter. Luckily for viewers, much suspense and adventure ensued!
Perhaps the most memorable element of Raumpatroulle was the show's jaw-dropping set designs. Interiors were highly modern in style, arranging geometric shapes in stark, minimal black and white. Imagine an ingenious Gerry Anderson world for a life-sized, tense, space adventure photographed for Ingmar Bergman! The influential 1963 Czech classic, IkarieXB-1, had a similar visual style, which I highly recommend checking out. One of the coolest designs in the series was the Starlight Casino, located in the undersea base (I misspoke in my radio intro; I meant to say 'base' rather than 'ship'). This lounge reminded me a bit of Ken Adam designs for 007, with its metallic surfaces and juxtaposition between angular floorspace and a circular ceiling. In this case, the ceiling was a glass aquarium-view with gigantic tropical fish swinging overhead (In fact, the glass ceiling covered other parts of the base, too, including McLane's own pad). See the infamous modern dance scene below for a closer look. The series also made great use of modern furniture designs by Eames, Saarinen, and others.
Composer Peter Thomas (Jerry Cotton, Edgar Wallace) brought his trademark combination of driving band and avant-garde jazz. He also used a very unusual piece of equipment to create the Orion's computer voice- a vocoder! According to Music in Science Fiction Television, Thomas had access to the vocoder at the studio from an electronics company in Munich called Siemens. Thomas recorded his own voice using the vocoder for the series. The famous countdown (and other computer dialog) appeared in episodes, but only appeared in front of the main title sequence for the soundtrack. Since the vocoder was so rare in those days, I wondered if such a device was also used for the Cybermen and Dalek voices in Doctor Who? I asked Mark Ayres from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, who shed some light on the matter: "No. Ring Modulator for Daleks. False Palate with speaker technique for Cybermen (similar to an Electrolarynx or Talk Box these days). Later Cybermen used a pitch-shifter. I cannot think of any monster voice done using the vocoder. Vocoder was used very rarely in Doctor Who. Peter Howell used it (the EMS Vocoder) on his version of the theme music in 1980, and it was also used for the “Thanks be to Ti” bits in Meglos. Those are the only specific instances I can recall, off the top of my head." Thanks, Mark! Outside the world of experimental music, I believe Thomas was a bit of a pioneer by bringing this cutting-edge sound to Raumpatrouille. Spy Vibers can probably find the episodes on-line, although I believe only a feature-cut made later has English subtitles. There are many subtleties to the plot and interactions between characters, so so try to watch it subtitled if possible. Hopefully we'll see an official release in translation someday. Spy Vibers can hear my brief intro and some music from the show at Cocktail Nation. Enjoy!
When Eero Saarinen's design for the The TWA Flight Center was unveiled in 1962, the building became an international symbol of the Jet Age. The curves of the roofline captured flight itself, and the swooping interiors, dressed in clean white with red accents, embodied modernity and connecting to the world- with time to spare for cocktails. It was the natural extension of the decade of leisure. The center closed in 2001, but the building is now under renovations to become a smart new 1960s-style hotel. Tyler Morse, the CEO of its development, told CNN Travel: "We're restoring Saarinen's Flight Center to its original splendor. At 200,000 square feet, the historic TWA terminal building will be the largest hotel lobby in the world. Right there in Saarinen's iconic space, you'll have eight restaurants and six bars for visitors and hotel guests to enjoy. The new hotel connected to the historic Flight Center will feature 505 guest rooms, 50,000 square feet of event space, a rooftop pool and observation deck, and a museum devoted to the 1960s. We've even acquired a 1956 Lockheed Connie aircraft which will host a one-of-a-kind bar and restaurant- guests will be able to come sit in first-class seats and enjoy a martini!" Sounds fantastic! Renovations are set to complete in 2019. But in the meantime, Spy Vibers can visit a TWA-themed lounge and exhibit on the 86th floor of One World Trade Center. The exhibit includes period furniture (look for Saarinen Tulip chairs!), artwork, artifacts, and uniforms- many of which were donated by former TWA flight attendants. Get the full scoop at CNN. More info at TWA. In other news, check out my episodes of Cocktail Nation radio as I introduce some of the great spy classics and soundtracks: Episode #1 (Danger Man) and Episode #2 (The 10th Victim), Epsiode #3 (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), Episode #4 (Roger Moore/The Saint), andEpisode #5 (The Avengers), Episode #6 (The Prisoner), and Episode #7 (The Ipcress File), Episode #8 (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.). Enjoy!
