BARBARA AND LILI'S SPACE AGE BEDROOM SET

 I love this Barbara and Lili bedroom Recamara set by Mexico's Lili Ledy.

There's something so 2001 about it. The cool orb chair, the small TV, the phone - all so late Sixties/ Early Seventies space mod!

It sort of reminds me of the cool TV dinner tray in Kubrick's film.

Do you like this Lili Ledy set readers?

Flight Club

The First Moon Flights Club was a Pan Am gimmick to boost its image by offering future flights to the moon!

The marketing linked to the beautiful Pan Am Clipper in Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey.

This is the back of the Membership card courtesy of Wikipedia, where you can read much more.

It all reminds me of the connections between Gerry Anderson's Century 21 and 2001 A Space Odyssey, which we've covered many times on the blog such as Scoop's https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2022/01/2001-meets-century-21.html

It also recalls the hovercraft ride first prize of a Project SWORD campaign, whereby kids could design a new SWORD vehicle, a campaign which never happened I don't think. It was first posted by the Philosophic Toad in 2012 in MC https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2012/05/tuppence-hapenny-to-neverwas-avin-u.html

Have you come across a good transport marketing gimmick?

2001: A TOY ODYSSEY

 Ever since first seeing these three Japanese 2001 Space Odyssey plastic spaceships I've liked them a great deal. They featured on MC in its early days sixteen years ago.

I recently saw them again on a Japanese site and saved the pics.

 2001 was linked to Project SWORD in a few different ways and I've always thought these sleek ships were very SWORDesque.

Do you like them?

U N I V E R S E : the 1960 short film that is said to have inspired Stanley Kubrick

This is new to me and a revelation.

https://aeon.co/videos/prelude-to-the-space-age-the-1960-film-that-inspired-2001-a-space-odyssey

Shown on the Aeon website, this was originally on the National Film Board of Canada's website.

To quote Aeon:

Universe also altered the course of cinema’s evolution: the film’s masterful cinematography and groundbreaking animation inspired Stanley Kubrick when he was researching his own space-traversing masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Kubrick even borrowed the voice of Universe’s narrator, Douglas Rain, for the iconic role of HAL 9000.

What do you think readers?

Landmaster, Ark II, Hot Lines and the Moon Bus

 I really like all these vehicle designs.

Long and sleek. Which is your favourite?

Damnation Alley's Landmaster

How Wheels Hot Lines

Ark II

2001 Moon Bus [Matte Shot]

2001 IN 1967

There's a great article on 2001 Space Odyssey in the Popular Mechanics magazine from April 1967. Have a read.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wNMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA109&dq=%22moon+base%22+popular+mechanics&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJnfviq978AhXbgVwKHSqXB6MQ6AF6BAgMEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false

CHRISTMAS POD

Hey there! Just an update on the Space Pod for my next project...

It's tough work using CGI, but I think it's mostly done now so I can look at printing it out and finishing it in the real world...

Cheers, 

Looey

Oz Base

OPEN THE BARNSLEY POD BAY DOORS, HAL!

 We had a swell time today in Barnsley. We've not been to the South Yorkshire metropole for ages. It was fun.

Things we saw on our stroll round include:

Halloween masks made by ....

..... Lone Star! Really? It says Wetherby! That's Leeds, up the road from Moonbase!

The shop window of one of several sci-fi and fantasy shops, Red Robot is a new comic shop and its window display was great!

 The 1970's Graphic Novel Dracula to the right could be one I had as a kid. It must be one of the earliest graphic novels that.

I like the stormtrooper reading Black Hammer! That's a comic I don't know.

Alas, I was so loaded up with stuff [more on this to come] that I couldn't really go in. Next time Red Robot.

More treasures in the middle, Eerie comic [a later one], carded Universal Monsters [are those the Burger King figures from years ago being recycled?] and EC Comics Vault of Horror collected. The Planet of the Apes jigsaw far right was £40!

Perhaps the most startling thing we saw in Barnsley was what was showing at the town's Parkway cinema.

2001 A Space Odyssey no less!

I had to look twice. Apparently the Parkway is one of the few cinemas around that can show the 70mm film. On tomorrow, Sunday and Tuesday. £9.

Alas, we can't go. Childminding for half-term! 

Besides the above there are loads of great charity shops - and I mean loads - and a really ace second hand toy stall on the market.

I'll photograph our haul and post as soon as.

LIKE PEAS IN A POD

Watching Star Wars A New Hope again with Junior I was struck how similar the R2D2 escape pod was to something else in my mind.

This.

The Aries 1B from 2001.

Turns out they're completely different!

Can you think of any other pod craft like these?

The Stars of Orion

As the Orion spacecraft is now safely on its way to the Moon, I took this photo of its namesake in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey in three different kit versions - Airfix, Aurora and Marusan. 

Have a great flight!

Arto 

Finland

Anyone else got these kits?

2001: L'odysee de L'espace

Hi Woodsy. Here's a large French 2001 Space Odyssey film poster.

It must be about 6ft x4ft!

Will Os

UK

BOTTLE BANK MOONBUS

Since Scoop's ace 2001 Mobius model post I'm seeing Moonbuses everywhere! Here's a blue one near my home aka a recycling skip! Looks like its about to take off!

Have you seen any objects which remind you of Sci-Fi vehicles readers?

2001: A SPACE AUTOGRAPH

Hi Woodsy. Seeing Scoop's 2001 pictures on the blog the other day, I remembered I’ve got these. 

Knowing my fondness for autographs, here’s some from the film: Gary Lockwood, Kier Dulea and Arthur C Clarke himself. 

Open the pod bay doors, Hal!

All the best. 

Will O

UK

A 2001 DINNER DOWN UNDER

Hey Woodsie,

I just went to the BEST dinner party last night! 

My wife has known our long time pal Nick just a bit longer than me. He's a mad 2001:A Space Odyssey fan and for years he's been banging on about how he has a proper set of cutlery and he really must make a space meal for them!

Well, yesterday he finally did it for my Missus's birthday!

The Restaurant review runs like this...

Last night I accompanied my Missus to a dinner party in her honour. 

Although it was held in an unassuming bungalow in Katoomba NSW, in another reality it was Space Station 5 in low Earth orbit over the world of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The culmination of an Artist's dream, decades in the making, we were met at the airlock by Stanley Kubrick himself (or a passable simulacrum) using the body of Nick for the entire evening.

At voice-print Immigration, we had just one line to deliver, but Stanley went for another take before he was satisfied. 

It was a template for the entire evening as our genial but iron willed host led us down his own personal memory lane.

Did you know Stanley really had himself in mind for the role of Napoleon? -No? Neither did David Hemmings!

With carefully curated stainless steel cutlery, we dined at Howard Johnson's Earthlight Room in fine 2001 style...

When it was time to re-enter reality, Stanley plucked a zero gravity pen from it's floating thread and autographed our menu card. 

It was a fitting ending to a piece of performance art that had been promised for many years...

Lewis

OZ

2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY IN OZ

From my old mailbag 2019

*

Hi Woodsie, 

Here are a couple of pics of my scratch-made 1/3 scale diorama, one in daylight and one at night which is a little closer to the actual scene in the movie (although I need to learn more about lighting!).

Cheers, 

Lewis

Oz

RETURN TO INFINITY

Cycling right back to the beginnings of Moonbase here's the glorious 2001 A Space Odyssey toy rocket plane by Diawa of Japan. 

We used to feature this beauty and its two stablemates a lot in the early days.

Have you got one?

CATCHING UP WITH LEWIS: 2001 DIORAMA

Hi Woodsie, Last May I finished my 2001 diorama in time for the 

30th Sydney Miniatures and Dolls' House Fair

which is on.

My 1/3 scale Space Pod is a MAJOR undertaking and I want to concentrate on other things for a change, including 1/3 scale SHADO astronauts and my soft vinyl toys.

Keep on Bloggin' 

Lewis

OZ

CENTURY 21 AND 2001: THE CINEMA COINCIDENCE

2001 being shown coincidentally in a Century 21 cinema in San Jose, California.

The Century 21 hosted the longest-running engagement in the United States of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. 87 weeks from July 23rd 1968

From incinerama.com

2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY, CENTURY 21 AND HATCHETTS NIGHT CLUB

This is a bit of research I did on Moonbase a few years back about Century 21 and 2001. It was fun to do and I was pleased with it so here it is re-posted. 

I am fascinated by the Hatchetts London Night Club and the Project SWORD connection to 2001 A Space Odyssey.

Stanley Kubrick's seminal film had its World Premiere on April 2nd 1968 at the Uptown Thearte, Washington DC in the USA.

On April 4th 1968 it opened at New York's Loews Capitol.

Cinemas put up displays to draw in the crowds like this one in New Jersey.

Ushers dressed in space-age uniforms like these in Seattle.

The film premiered in the UK 50 years ago today on the 10th May 1968 at the Casino Thearte, Old Compton Street, London. It followed in Finland and Holland on 20th September and 3rd October respectively that same year. The film was promoted in LIFE magazine.

The film opened throughout the rest of the UK in mid-May 1968.

It may have also played in other CINERAMA-type cinemas throughout London including those along Piccadilly, although this is supposition on my part. 

At 67 Piccadilly, Hatchetts Playground nightclub opened earlier in the year. With guests like Shirley Bassey and Barbara Windsor it was THE place to be in swinging London. Capturing the futuristic mood of the time, Hatchetts' waitresses wore space-age uniforms too.

The foil-like uniforms were a noticeable feature of the nightclub's opening party.

They were also worn for the launch of 2001 A Space Odyssey. Looking at this photograph I recognise cinema seats in the foreground. Whether this was in Hatchetts itself I haven't been able to find out. The 2001 brochure remains a mystery for me too. Its completely different to the 1968 press kit.

At the same time Century 21 Toys were making links with the movie.

In particular, Project SWORD toys, which were displayed at Hatchetts by three of those silvery playground waitresses. 

Looking through the above photographs, I think the SWORD girls above were these three Hatchetts girls pictured below. I have been unable to find out their names. The middle girl appears in the 2001 A Space Odyssey brochure event photograph above.

I have been unable to find any further references to Project SWORD toys displays in nightclubs, cinemas or toy stores as suggested by the articles above. There was a proposed Project SWORD promotional and bus ticket campaign planned for November 1968 but it is not known if this was linked to the 2001 A Space Odyssey campaign. 

If you would like to look at more photographs of Hatchetts then please go to this huge archive by Jonathan Marks, who's father owned the club. I have written to Jonathan to inform him of the link to Century 21.

Jonathan's page also mentions one other notable event at Hatchetts, the use of the club as a disco setting in the opening titles of the 1960's cult horror flick Scream and Scream Again. Starring Vincent Price, the scene featured pop group Amen Corner. You can see a clip here using Hatchetts' dancefloor:

Fortunately for us Project SWORD toys survived the ravages of time but sadly, Hatchetts Playground didn't. Here is a clip on You Tube of what it looks like now.

If you have any more information about the links between Century 21 Toys, Hatchetts and 2001 A Space Odyssey I would love to hear from you.

_______________________________________________

This article was inspired by some initial internet searches by Bill Wotan Bulloch.

My grateful thanks to these online sources: Jonathan Marks imgur site, Incinerama.com, visual memory.co.uk, quadbod.co.uk, cineramahistory.com, cinemaretro.com, ww1.hdnux.com, You Tube, Voices of East Anglia, Bill Bulloch, imdb, wikipedia.

2001 CHILDREN'S MENU 1968

Check this out!

https://io9.gizmodo.com/he-slips-and-floats-away-lol-i-suppose-that-given-th-504841420

Courtesy of Gizmodo and Dreams of Space.