This
is a 8 x 10 COLOR photo showing a behind the scenes shot of Wah Chang’s
model of the flying ship Albatross as
seen in the 1961 film Master of the World.
Master of the World is a 1961 color science
fiction film released by American International Pictures starring Vincent Price
and Charles Bronson with screenplay by Richard Matheson. The film is a
combination of two Jules Verne stores, The
Clipper of the Clouds and The Master
of the World. It was a variation of the theme explored in 20,000 Leagues
Under the Seas: a warped but idealistic scientist fighting against war and
injustice. In place of a submarine, the central character, Robur (Vincent
Price), had a flying clipper ship with propellers instead of sails.
The
amazing solar powered flying ship the Albatross,
which is prominently featured in the film, was built by Wah Chang at his firm
Project Unlimited. Chang also built the communicators and tricorders used in the
original Star Trek television series as
well as the Romulan Bird of Prey spacecraft seen in the TOS episode “Balance of
Terror.”
Interestingly enough, Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, discussed with Christopher Knopf, a close friend and fellow writer who was working at MGM, an idea about developing a new series that involved a multiethnic crew on an airship traveling the world during the end of the 19th century. Roddenberry’s idea was based upon on the film Master of the World.
The
Albatross model did not survive. In
order to save money, AIP used the actual filming model when filming the end
scene of the Albatross burning and
crashing.
Feel
free to ask us any questions.