THE HELMETS *twang* OF DEATH!

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Hello folks! This week on my Instagram I have been posting pictures of Classic Who space suits. And whenever I thinking about spacesuits and astronauts I will always consult the excellent blog Say Hello Spaceman This prop hunt entry is very much indebted to Steve of SHS and his excellent research into the helmets used in The Ambassadors of Death. 

MOON ZERO TWO, 1969

The helmets from Ambassadors started life in the Hammer Films science fiction movie Moon Zero Two. Pictured here are James Olsen and Catherine Schell (a very beautiful women, probably)
THE AMBASSADORS OF DEATH, 1970

A year after their big screen debut they are pressed into service for Doctor Who. Unlike many of the other appearances listed here, Who only used the helmet and not the completed suit. It is mainly identifiable by the raised area at the chin.
HERE COME THE DOUBLE DECKERS!, 1970

The same year several of the colourful Moon Zero Two suits appeared in this British/American co-produced kids show. 
SPACE 1999, 1975

Two of the Moon Zero Two suits appear in the episode Mission of the Darians. However if you look closely at the helmets they are different. Only the helmet on the left matches the helmets from Ambassadors. You can tell by the small raised design at the bottom of the visor I mentioned above.
RESTRICTED VIEW, UNKNOWN DATE / MID 1970s

The Say Hello Spaceman blog does a brilliant job of finding obscure appearances of familiar props. This example is from a mid seventies public information film titled ‘Restricted View’. The 70s was the golden era for public information films but this one is not really a classic. It features ‘Martians’ kidnapping motorists at blind spots. Terrifying. 
SMASH ADVERT, UNKNOWN DATE / MID 1970s

This one is very unclear but I’ve included it here as it was part of the Say Hello Spaceman research. Everyone remembers the Smash ads with the cackling Martian puppets. But before those there was one commercial that featured a bunch of Astronauts on a Moonbase. This screen grab is about as clear as I can get it as the only copy of the ad I can find is very poor quality. There seems to be a mix of helmets in the commercial and I don’t think you get a clear look at the Ambassadors version. But the blue helmet at the front of this image might be a match for the one worn by Catherine Schell in Moon Zero Two pictured at the beginning of this post.
SUPERMAN II, 1980

At the start of the film General Zod and Co attack this Russian cosmonaut. You can’t tell from this close up, but the initials CCCP are printed across to top of the helmet. You can see them in the image below however. 
LINDA LUSARDI, UNKNOWN DATE / EARLY 1980s

Linda wears the Superman II helmet for a page 3 photo shoot. 

And that’s it for today. I shall keep looking for this prop as I suspect it was used elsewhere. In the meantime I’d like to thank Steve of Say Hello Spaceman again snd encourage everyone to give it a look. 

Seeya soon.

















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