It Has Been a Great Week For Pop Culture
- Editor OGN Daily
- Oct 5
- 2 min read
Birthday celebrations for 1960s and 70s hit shows and news of the auction of the 'Mona Lisa of Pop'.
Thunderbirds Are Go!
On Tuesday, 60 years ago, a British science fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, filmed between 1964 and 1966 using a form of electronic marionette puppetry called 'Supermarionation' combined with scale model special effects sequences, was first aired. Two series, totalling 32 fifty-minute episodes, were made. The innovative show covered the heroic exploits of International Rescue, a life-saving organisation with a top secret base on a Pacific Ocean island. International Rescue operated a fleet of technologically advanced rescue vehicles, that could go anywhere. And let's not forget Lady Penelope's famous six-wheel pink Rolls-Royce, with the iconic FAB 1 registration plate, capable of going 300 mph. Relive your memories or discover more about the show with the re-mastered video below. 5,4,3,2,1...
Rocky Horror Turns 50
Originally a 1975 film adaptation of a stage musical (which one of the OGN editors was lucky enough to see), Rocky Horror Picture Show follows a couple - played by Susan Sarandon as Janet and Barry Bostwick as Brad - that stumbles into the mansion of a flamboyant scientist (Tim Curry) when their car breaks down nearby. The movie bombed, earning roughly $6m in today's money. But then, a surprising thing happened: Fans began dressing up and watching it over and over, and the failed glittery musical was reborn - becoming a cult classic, earning around $160m worldwide. Better yet, it's now the longest-running theatrical release in history.
'Mona Lisa of Pop'
Word has reached OGN that the original image for David Bowie’s 1973 Aladdin Sane album could become the most expensive album artwork ever sold when it goes under the hammer at Bonhams on 22 October. The Aladdin Sane cover photo was shot by Brian Duffy, a highly influential photographer who captured London as a cultural capital in the 1960s. The striking image has become known as the 'Mona Lisa of Pop' because it's one of the most recognisable images of all time. Bonhams’ head of popular culture says that when most people think of Bowie it was Duffy’s image that flashed into their mind’s eye. The original artwork is expected to set a new benchmark - beating Led Zeppelin’s debut album artwork, which sold for $325,000 in 2020.
