Bob Morane Week continues with a look at vintage recordings. Henri Vernes' pulp action (and sometimes spy) hero saw great longevity as a franchise in Europe. Created the same year as James Bond, Morane shared 007's popularity, particularly in the juvenile market, as a star of novels, comics, live-action, animation, and toys. With over 200 books published, it's not surprising that some of them were adapted as story albums. Spy Vibers must remember those great Power Records in the United States from the 1970s, and even James Bond's appearance on Kids Stuff Records in the 1980s. Well, young armchair adventurers in France started listening to Bob Morane stories on vinyl in the 1960s.
At least eight records were put out in the original run, jumping from the RCA and Fontana labels to Phillips. A number of old recordings were also reissued with additional stories in the 1990s and 2000s on CD by Big Beat Records. Like many properties, the foundation of the series rested on the continuity of familiar voices. Morane was performed by Jacques Beretti for the first five albums, later being replaced by Claude Titre and Jean Berger. Morane's secret service pal, Bill Ballantine, was voiced by Bill Kearns for the entire series. The tales encompassed most of Morane's area, offering Cold War intrigue and jungle action (no dinosaurs on record?). As you can see in the earliest covers, the record companies relied on original Marabout book designs to promote each release. The series also found cohesion under a cool Jet-Age logo in duotone complete with a modern aircraft soaring above a dynamic sky trail.
Spy Vibers should check their regional Audible websites for available recordings (with audio samples!) for download. Examples can be heard at Amazon UK, Amazon France. The world of Morane was also celebrated by New Wave band Indochine in 1982 with a pop hit, L'Aventurier. Bob Morane series so far: Intro, Comics, Toys. Pilote Magazine. Cover images from Bob Morane BE site here. You can also learn more at Web Bob Morane here. Spy Vibe's Bob Morane series: Intro, Comics, Toys, Pilote Magazine, Records, Screen. Enjoy!
Selected Spy Vibe posts: New Saint Publications, The Saint Complete box set, Gerry Anderson Box Sets, Bond LEGO, Deadlier Than the Male, Spectre Report, Music For Spies, Thai Bond Design, Brian Clemens RIP, Bond vs Modernism, Imitation Game, New Avengers Books, Road to Hong Kong, Inside Gerry Anderson, Ringo Does Goldfinger, Sixties Beat Wear, SPECTRE Announced, Popular Skullture, New Gerry Anderson Sets, New SECRET AGENT set, Art of Modesty, Avengers Blu-ray update, Tokyo Beat 1964, Polaroid Spy, Modesty Monday, Feraud Mod Fashion, Flint Scores!, Bond Danish, Home Movies, New Richard Sala Book, New 007 Comics, Designing Bond Books, Green Hornet Manga, Margaret Nolan Art, No 6 Festival, Barbarella Returns, 007 Audio Books Return, Designer: Gene Winfield, Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Ian Fleming: Wicked Grin, Jane Bond Hong Kong Records, Ryan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Comics Week: Archie, Comics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMAN, Comics Week: Jimmy Olsen, Rare Avengers Scripts, Man From Uncle UK Comics, Mattel X-15, Thunderbirds Comics, Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Shakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers Interview, Avengers Book: Bowler Hats & Kinky Boots, George Lois Design & Mad Men, Richard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Danger Diabolik Soundtrack, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The 10th Victim German Edition, The Saint books return, Trina Robbins Interview, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.
Happy Holidays from Spy Vibe! Curl up by the fire and spin these classic Christmas records featuring Cold War hero, the Six-Million Dollar Man. The Six-Million Dollar Man (Lee Majors/1974-1978) was a hit series about an astronaut, who was re-built with secret technology after a crash and then put to work as an agent. The concept was so popular it spawned The Bionic Woman series (1976-1978). Spy Vibers will remember seeing book-and-record sets based on popular TV shows and comics in the 1970s. They were pressed by Power Records, an offshoot of Peter Pan Records, and offered audio adventures and original comics featuring Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Space 1999, and other properties. Even James Bond was licensed for read-along sets based on Dr No, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Moonraker. Power Records discography here. Power Records Blog. Click image to see record cover art. Audio clips and toys below.
It wouldn't be Christmas without toys and these Bionic characters were favorite gifts among young Spy Vibers for Christmas and birthdays. Fans still reminisce about a doll that allowed you to actually peer through Steve Austin's Bionic eye! Check out the vintage toy commercial below to get the full effect. I love how they presented their product so seriously- appropriate considering the commercial shows kids pretending that the Six-Million Dollar Man has to save New York from an atomic bomb. I've also added a fun video of Lee Majors looking back at the show and the toys.
There were also cool dolls based on the Fembots- robotic baddies that first appeared in a three-part cross-over story (Kill Oscar) with The Bionic Woman. Below you can see the original Austin doll with magnifying-glass eye socket and a 2012 re-issue Fembot (the original was packaged with Bionic Woman graphics). More retro commercials 1, 2, 3, and full Youtube playlist here.
Many Six-Million Dollar Man playlets were released ("Mission Control", "Repair Center", "Mission Vehicle", and others), but the show also spawned some surreal toys- like accessory packs of extra arms and legs for various critical missions... and a Bigfoot doll. Yes, the Six-Million Dollar Man faced Sasquatch in the cross-over episodes Secret of Bigfoot (played by Andre the Giant) and Return of Bigfoot (played by Ted "Lurch" Cassidy) in 1976. The plot had something to do with aliens sending a mechanical monster to steal precious jewels from the US government -way more stealthy than, say, a ninja. Hopefully the government offices were decorated in thick blown shag carpeting. Kenner produced a huge doll that was over a foot tall. The "Bionic" Bigfoot was so marketable, another figure was released with his own car so he and Austin could compete at the drag races (see link #3 above)! I know, that's just how things used to roll back then. Not quite the Aston Martin DB5, but campy Cold War fun nonetheless. See an overview of related toys at the ToysYouHad blog here. Bigfoot doll below from the Gozillavengers blog. Happy Holidays! What were your favorite toys?
Recent Spy Vibe posts: Striped Light Nude, Buckminster Fuller, Dylan at Newport, Jane and Serge, The Goldfinger Variations, Mod Tales Interview, Pete Seeger nominated for Grammy,Kraftwerk returns to US, Beatles BBC on Fresh Air, Steranko S.H.I.E.L.D. Artist Editions, David Tennant's Ian Fleming audio books, Atomic Art, Modern Architecture LP, Julius Shulman, Shane Glines Batman, The Prisoner and Captain Scarlet, Diego Fortunato and Verner Panton, Saturday Morning Cartoons, Assassination Bureau on DVD, new Young Bond series, new Hercule Poirot novel, Early Beatles image archive, Julie Newmar, Erno Goldfinger, Hitchcock tribute.
Recent Ian Fleming posts on Spy Vibe: Ian Fleming Letters, Erno Goldfinger, Ian Fleming Music Series links: Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, Jon Gilbert interview, Double 007 Designs, Bond audio book reissues, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, rare View to a Kill, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address, Spy Vibe's Ian Fleming image archive.
