*Weltraumschiff 1 Startet* from 1937 (was Re: FWD: A possible Von Braun inspiration film?)
Bill Higgins
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G-mbmZbLWU&feature=PlayList&p=7C8C9C3...
You found a 23-minute version of *Weltraumschiff 1 Startet*? Cool!
I've only seen brief clips on Youtube, plus the parts that were
cannibalized for *The Space Explorers* around 1960.
I've written about this film before, eight years ago.
<http://groups.google.com/group/sci.space.history/msg/
39024c380269c89a>
<http://groups.google.com/group/sci.space.history/msg/
e22489237004a1da>
See also <http://beamjockey.livejournal.com/57781.html>
Von Braun's rocketry career was well underway by 1937, so this movie
was not his inspiration. As a teenager, though, he did work briefly
with Hermann Oberth's team attempting to build a rocket for the
premiere of *Die Frau im Mond*.
Time for a rerun (cut-&-paste from Google Groups):
=======================
From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey <higg...@fnal.gov>
Newsgroups: sci.space.history,rec.arts.animation
Subject: Re: Nazi Science Fiction Film and 60's Television Series
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 13:32:04 -0500
Message-ID: <Pine.SGI.
4.31.02072913024...@fsgi01.fnal.gov>
References: <fcedf0d2.02072...@posting.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <fcedf0d2.02072...@posting.google.com>
On 29 Jul 2002, Encyclopedia Astronautica wrote:
> In 1937 the Bavarian Film Studioes began work on 'Weltraumschiff 1
> Startet' (World Spacecraft 1 Launches). The film featured spectacular
> special effects of the rollout of an enormous spacecraft from the
> Zeppelin hangars at Friedrichshafen, followed by its ascent into
> space. It has been referred to as the 'only Nazi science fiction film'
> and was directed by Anton Kutter (who seems also to have made a name
> for himself in designing astronomical telescopes and planetarium
> optics) and starred Carl Wery. I understand footage from this film
> appeared recently on German channel ZDF on a program 'This History of
> the Future' and the film was shown in its entirety at the Zeppelin
> Museum in Friedrichshafen. Ron Miller says footage was also
> incorporated into a later documentary on space exploration.
>
> You can see an image from the film under the '1937' entry at
>
> http://www.bavaria-film.de/unternehmen/historie_detail.asp?jahr=1930
>
> or in Ron Miller's Dream Machines.
>
> Now, when I was a youngster, Captain Satellite (see
> http://www.captainsatellite.com/ ) ran an English-language series
> featuring footage from this film. I don't know how they would stand up
> now, but at the time the images of the rollout, the ascent into space,
> and a tremendous shot of the stars outside the glazed nose of the
> enormous cockpit all made a big impression.
>
> Can anyone identify this series?
I don't have much helpful information, but I do recall seeing the
series.
I watched it on TV as a kid in the Detroit area. My best guess is
that it
was aired on CKLW, Channel 9 in Windsor, which always had the coolest
kids'
programming (they showed *Supercar*, the crudely-animated Marvel
Comics
heroes, Astroboy, Gigantor, and Eighth Man, years before I saw
Japanese
animation anywhere else). As in most cities, CKLW had various live
hosts
who introduced various species of cartoons, showed off drawings that
viewers
sent in, acted out comic skits, and relentlessly flogged Hostess
Twinkies,
Cupcakes, and Sno-Balls.
The "Nazi" series in question mixed cel animation (I'd say about 90%
of the
shots) with model work (about 10%, presumably borrowed from
*Weltraumschiff
1*). We moved to Detroit in October 1962; I would guess that it aired
around 1963 or 1964. The plot, if memory serves, was that Dad was an
astronaut whose rocket had disappeared (on Mars?) and his son and
daughter
took off with a kindly professor in an identical rocket to search for
him.
For reasons forgotten, the story took the kids to every planet in the
solar
system, with comets and asteroids thrown in. It obviously had a
didactic
purpose, to teach us facts about the planets, and I vaguely recall
that it
was associated with some planetarium-- perhaps the Hayden Planetarium?
Even at the time, the story and artwork seemed stodgy and old-
fashioned.
There's no telling how old it was by the time I saw it. But the mix
of 3-D
models with flat animation was unusual and memorable. I remember that
a
Martian sandstorm that trapped the explorers was particularly
frightening.
Sorry I can't give you more specifics. I'd speculate that either the
space-cadet TV boom of the early 1950s or the post-Sputnik demand for
candy-coated science education inspired some thrifty animator to
cannibalize *Weltraumschiff 1* for its fancy model shots and build a
new
story around them.
This is a tough one. I will take the liberty of crossposting this to
rec.arts.animation, where additional expertise may be found.
--
Bill Higgins | "Distintegrating is easy.
Fermilab | It's recombining that's difficult."
Internet: | --Chris Olsen of Fermilab
higg...@fnal.gov | on the teleportation problem
From: Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey <higg...@fnal.gov>
Newsgroups: sci.space.history
Subject: Re: Nazi Science Fiction Film and 60's Television Series
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 13:18:17 -0500
Message-ID: <Pine.SGI.
4.31.02073012433...@fsgi01.fnal.gov>
References: <fcedf0d2.02072...@posting.google.com>
<Pine.SGI.4.31.0207291...@fsgi01.fnal.gov>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SGI.
4.31.02072913024...@fsgi01.fnal.gov>
On Mon, 29 Jul 2002, Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey wrote:
> This is a tough one. I will take the liberty of crossposting this to
> rec.arts.animation, where additional expertise may be found.
Over there, one Milton Knight <miltonkni...@earthlink.net> has come up
with
the right answer: *The Space Explorers* and *New Adventures of the
Space
Explorers*. He offered a pointer to
<http://www.cartoonresearch.com/faqx.html>, Jerry Beck's site where
numerous
obscure cartoon questions are discussed.
To summarize, the two syndicated TV cartoon films are the product of
one
Fred Ladd, who in the Fifties worked for an American company called
Radio
and Television Packagers.
Later Ladd would write and produce some animated features, but he is
best
known for bringing English-dubbed Japanese anime, including Astro Boy
(Tetsuwan Atom), to North American TV in the Sixties.
In the case of *The Space Explorers*, Jerry Beck has this to say:
"According to Fred Ladd, he took a half-hour Eastern Europeon
animated
short film (he couldn't remember the original title), and made a
two-hour movie of it by reruning and reusing the footage, and
padding
it with live action spaceship shots from a German film called
VELTRAN
SHIP and outer space and planet shots from a Europeon feature
called
UNIVERSE.
"Because the Sputnik craze was so hot, they rushed the first hour
of
THE SPACE EXPLORERS to television as soon as it was finished. They
then released the second hour, a few months later, as THE NEW
ADVENTURES OF THE SPACE EXPLORERS. In the 1960s, Ladd cut the film
into 6 minute episodes for syndication!"
Looks to me like VELTRAN SHIP could be an interview-transcription
error for
*Weltraumschiff 1 Startet*.
I still like *Space Angel* better. But it looks like I have Ladd to
thank
for providing many enjoyable science fiction cartoons to the TV
stations of
my childhood.
--
"After you've read through a few hundred volumes | Bill Higgins
you'll find that it's okay as a space opera." | Fermilab
--Christian 'naddy' Weisgerber |
(na...@mips.ruessel.sub.org) | Internet:
on the 1670-book Perry Rhodan series | higg...@fnal.gov
=========================
--
What Fermi did under a stadium Bill Higgins
Da deuteron, ron, ron, da deuteron ron Fermi National
She did with heavy water and palladium Accelerator Laboratory
Da deuteron, ron, ron, da deuteron ron hig...@fnal.gov
--W. Skeffington Higgins, Blog:
"Fusion Girl," 1989 http://beamjockey.livejournal.com
OM
<higg...@gmail.com> wrote:
>You found a 23-minute version of *Weltraumschiff 1 Startet*? Cool
...And I remembered your post from 2002, but at the time I couldn't
remember *who* posted it, and for some reason it didn't turn up in my
personal archive search. But I knew *someone* here wanted this, so
when I found the damn thing not only intact, but in really good
quality even for YouTube, I figured it would be best to post the link.
The real surprise is Pat ignoring this one...
OM
--
]=====================================[
] OMBlog - http://www.io.com/~o_m/omworld [
] Let's face it: Sometimes you *need* [
] an obnoxious opinion in your day! [
]=====================================[
Bill Higgins
> On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:57:38 -0700 (PDT), Bill Higgins
>
> >You found a 23-minute version of *Weltraumschiff 1 Startet*? Cool
>
> ...And I remembered your post from 2002, but at the time I couldn't
> remember *who* posted it, and for some reason it didn't turn up in my
> personal archive search. But I knew *someone* here wanted this, so
> when I found the damn thing not only intact, but in really good
> quality even for YouTube, I figured it would be best to post the link.
Thanks.
One thing I wasn't expecting was the television coverage of the
liftoff, featuring 1938 TV camera, microphone, and announcer.
> The real surprise is Pat ignoring this one...
He'll turn up. I have no doubt of it.
--
Bill Higgins | "...most top computer programmers over the age of
30
Fermi National | have developed an emulation program
Accelerator | that allows us to fake being normal human beings
Laboratory | most of the time. I've gotten mine tuned
| to the point where it only crashes
Internet: | once or twice a week."
hig...@fnal.gov | --Robert J. Woodhead
Pat Flannery
>
> Thanks.
>
> One thing I wasn't expecting was the television coverage of the
> liftoff, featuring 1938 TV camera, microphone, and announcer.
>
>> The real surprise is Pat ignoring this one...
>
> He'll turn up. I have no doubt of it.
Okay, I'm watching it now.
What I've learned:
00:50 - Old Zeppelin hangers still are useful for housing things that
will make big fires.
01:15 - The German elevating camera platforms of 1938 were the wonders
of the world, despite being built in violation of the Versailles treaty.
02:10 - Dornier aircraft had something to do with this film, as all the
aircraft paintings on the wall are Dorniers. After the war Claudius
Dornier would have to explain this during the Nuremberg trials, and
prove to the judges that none of the paintings shown in the film were
done by "prison artists" in concentration camps.
O2:20 - Seen from space, Earth is pure white. Seen from Germany in 1938,
that's exactly the way it would be in the future.
04:40 - Already, the German military is equipped with anti-telegraph
pole rockets to stop the spread of Bolshevik propaganda across Germany's
borders.
04:47 - "With For Explosive!" WTF?
05:00 - Although decadent, the concept of the "Hot Rod" was not unknown
to German youth.
05:15 - No matter what bad can be said about him, at least under Hitler,
the rocket trains finally ran on time.
05:24 - After seeing this, British intelligence realized there was no
future threat to England from aircraft launched from tracks.
05:49 - ...or rockets for that matter.
05:54 - Over 1/3 mile per gallon; mileage may vary in city driving, as
will death toll among pedestrians.
06:03 - Censored by the German Rocket Train Ministry.
O6:07 - "The Accessibility Of The Himmelskorper" WTF?
"Diamond Headed Space Army With Sword Arms"?
06:12 - Nobody could mix a cocktail like Goering.
06:17 - Given that you apparently talk into it, this may be a giant
weirding module.
06:25 - Build space rocket - Jah! Build heated space rocket - Nein!
06:39 - No, of course the door doesn't open sideways...get with the
program here!
07:13 - Perfect design; would look great flying through space, exploding
at Lakehurst, prowling under the North Sea, or advertising Oscar Meyer
wieners.
09:00 - Mountain launch ramp...the inevitable mountain launch ramp.
09:50 - All together now: "I am the very model of a modern mad
scientist...".
13:20 - The Nazi replacement of the hour with the "Octon" led to nothing
but confusion among the German populace, despite saving vital strategic
materials by eliminating one clock hand.
14:40 - Dr. Wanker discovered the telescope was even more fun to look
through when aimed through the opening in the observatory dome.
17:30 - Meanwhile, outside Moscow, the Rebels readied the ion cannon for
firing...
18:40 - It's dive bombing the Moon! This IS a Nazi spaceship!
20:55 - Seconds after this was filmed, the disgruntled workers flooded
the lower levels of Metropolis.
22:25 - No, we aren't going to show how it lands without any landing
gear; get with the program! :-)
Pat
David Spain
> On Mar 15, 1:56 am, OM <o...@sci.space.history> wrote:
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G-mbmZbLWU&feature=PlayList&p=7C8C9C3...
>
> You found a 23-minute version of *Weltraumschiff 1 Startet*? Cool!
> I've only seen brief clips on Youtube, plus the parts that were
> cannibalized for *The Space Explorers* around 1960.
>
Yep, the cartoon version of "The Space Explorers" as seen by yours
truly on local TV in the early/mid 1960s was my introduction to this
German footage as well.
More x-refs that won't likely be news to Bill Higgins (since he's
credited in the first):
http://www.astronautix.com/articles/theorers.htm
So were you ever able to find intact copies of this series?
I noticed this site:
http://www.thespaceexplorers.com/
Is offering it on DVD to subscribers when it is released. Any news
on the release of the DVD?
It'd be a pity if it were lost, even if it did contain an error
about only experiencing zero G for a brief interval when the
Polaris was exactly halfway between the Earth and Moon.
Damn! If only I had had a VTR back in the 60's! :-(
I suggested to a good friend once this crazy idea about
human explorers dealing with the gravitation of Deimos which
we sorta played around with some more... An idea I'm certain
I remember getting from watching this cartoon series as a kid.
As for Anton Kutter's contribution to optics see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Kutter
Someday I'd like to build a Schiefspiegler...
http://seds.org/~spider/scopes/schiefv.html
Dave
Pat Flannery
> Someday I'd like to build a Schiefspiegler...
>
> http://seds.org/~spider/scopes/schiefv.html
Nein, Nein!
Why look at the Moon when you can go there for free?:
http://www.currell.net/models/friede.htm
Pat
jrgha...@gmail.com
please follow the link below. It is a paper i gave at a conference in Berlin 2014.
It's about Weltraumschiff I.
During my research I talked to the son of Anton Kutter. He gave me a lot of documents, the original script p.e.
Right now I am writing an article for the "Zeitschrift für Fantastikforschung" on this highly interesting movie. Will be published in late 2015.
Best, Joerg Hartmann, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ5GaqcFqzI
