1978: AMERICAN CINEMATOGRATHER COVERS CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND

From January 1978: AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER features extensive coverage of the filming and production of Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND.

This is the first issue of the 59th volume.

1978: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND OFFICIAL MAGAZINE (WARREN)

From 1978: Warren's officially licensed CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND MAGAZINE.

The cover blurb says it all: typical of the time (and the publisher), this had black & white interiors printed on newsprint. The contents were the usual mix of pieces directly related to the film and broader pieces about movie aliens. All fairly undemanding stuff.

The cover designer clearly knew what would tickle the fancy of alien obsessed Star Warriors: a close up of an alien from the much discussed climax. 

1978: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND OFFICIAL COLLECTORS EDITION

From 1978: We are NOT alone... THE CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND OFFICIAL COLLECTORS EDITION (British printing).

Continuing yesterday's theme of aliens with no concept of covert or camouflage... Here is the official softback book-cum-magazine for Spielberg's Star Age icon. Today, I guess, we'd call it a bookazine. 

1987: THE COLBYS UFO KIDNAPPING

From 1987: the most insane season ending cliffhanger in the history of US Primetime soaps (forget the Moldavian Massacre): Fallon Carrington Colby is kidnapped by a passing UFO (really!) in the season two finale of THE COLBYS (aka DYNASTY II: THE COLBYS).

There was no season three.

However, the storyline was wrapped up in the eighth season of DYNASTY, the show that spawned this ill-fated spin-off, when Emma Samms rejoined the original series.

The effects work is pretty impressive for a show that everyone involved must have suspected was terminal (why else would you pull a stunt like this?) and, contrary to popular belief, the miniature work isn't recycled from similar disco-equippped alien craft in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (of course), GALACTICA 1980 or THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO.  

Fallon had originally been played by Pamela Sue Martin (THE HARDY BOYS AND NANCY DREW MYSTERIES) but she bailed at the end of Dynasty's fourth season, only for Samms to step into the role (without explanation, naturally) the following season.

Keep watching the end credits for a bevy of Star Age stars drafted in to bolster the spin-offs flagging ratings.    

1978: STARBURST Issue 3

From May 1978: STARBURST issue 3.

This was the last issue to be published solo by Dez Skinn.  In addition to publishing this and the Hammer mag, Dez was also undertaking a spot of consultancy work for Stan Lee re: the future direction of the Annex of Ideas.  That landed him the job of the British Bullpen's boss man... and he made Starburst part of the deal. 

1978: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND UK Ad.

From May 1978: A UK magazine advert for Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. 

Follow the usual link below for a few previous posts. 

1977: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND DIARY

Here's a 'file under: I had no idea' item which I found recently in a secondhand bookshop.

The CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND DIARY, a licensed item written by one of the cast (see the back cover blurb below), must have done the rounds alongside the film... but I've never spotted a copy before.

I must confess that I've not read it yet but it looks a detailed tome.  The paperback format contrasts with today when a publisher would find a way of incorporating a lot less text into a book (or several) that's at least twenty times more expensive.

1979: MARVEL'S WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION HOUSE AD (Marvel UK)

Sticking with June 1979, here's a half-page UK House Ad plugging MARVEL'S WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION, basically STARBURST and a host of one-shots, based on media properties, published by Marvel on both sides of the Atlantic during the SF boom years of the late seventies.  How many do you have?

The BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SUPER SPECIAL received next to no promotion in the UK line, despite copies being imported into the UK.  As I've posted in the past, Marvel promoted the hell out of the CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND one-shot in the UK weeklies but virtually ignored the Galactica, even when the movie edit was released in cinemas in 1979.  Marvel UK didn't even bother with a British outing for the movie/ pilot adaptation, the first British reprints (in STAR HEROES WINTER SPECIAL 1979) picked-up with issues 4 and 5 of the US monthly.  Except for imported copies, the first sight British readers had of the extended three-part adaptation of Saga of a Star World was when Titan Books issued a trade paperback, of the same name, to coincide with the new series.  That's a long time to wait.

The two STAR WARS TREASURY EDITIONS was another US reprint of the six-part, split herein into two equal chunks, adaptation of the movie.  As I've noted in previous posts, they actually crossed the Atlantic in late 1977 giving British readers an early taste of the movie (STAR WARS WEEKLY didn't launch until February 1978).

1978: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND Marvel UK house ad

As a follow-up to our recent CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND Marvel UK house ads, here's another - cheeky - entry from March 1978.

It's from THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL issue 284 (8 March 1978) but probably ran elsewhere as well.

1978: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND SPECIAL

After the success of STAR WARS, Marvel were quick to lock up the rights to any other potential science fiction blockbuster.  They moved fast to grab BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE and... Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND*

These are two Marvel UK produced house ads for the Marvel Super Special from April 1978, both appeared pretty frequently... often in the high-profile back page slot.

Ironically, the one-shot wasn't even a Marvel UK publication, it was a cents-to-pence import of the US edition, widely distributed in the UK.

*Marvel issued a treasury edition of BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY (in association with Western Publishing) and passed on THE BLACK HOLE (four issues from Whitman) and FLASH GORDON (Whitman again).