UNSOLD PILOTS: "Solarnauts" (1967)

Thanks to Boing Boing, I found this resplendent little gem of goofiness.

It's called "Solarnauts," obviously, and it's kind of an example of what Gerry Anderson's shows would have been like if he hadn't been good with puppets, didn't have Shane Rimmer's phone number, and he hadn't had Derek Meddings around to build kickass miniatures for him. Of course this isn't an Anderson show, just a wannabe.

That sounds like I'm slamming the show, but I'm really not. Keep in mind that 1967 was the year Trek was at its peak, and Anderson himself was doing "Captain Scarlet," whereas this kind of of goofy Tom Corbet, Space Cadet-ish crap was already a decade behind the times. It comes out a poor second even to the Irwin Allen stuff from the period ("Time Tunnel," "Lost in Space," and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.") It still has a kind of goofy community theater charm to it, though, and I enjoy the large, albeit somewhat minimalistic sets. Yeah, they're cheap, but the ooze mod 60s design sensibilities, with just a touch of googie. Daddy likes the googie. I mean, dig that hallway in part three!

So there you have it: The BBC didn't pick up the series, for obvious reasons (It's not very good, particularly in comparison to other genre stuff from the same period). I submit it here as a modestly interesting diversion, and a glimpse down a somewhat bland road we might have traveled down, but didn't.

Oh: I do really like the music!