Thunderbirds (TV series)

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Thunderbirds
Format	Supermarionation Science Fiction Adventure
Run time	50 minutes
Creator(s)	Gerry Anderson
Starring	Peter Dyneley Shane Rimmer Sylvia Anderson
Country	United Kingdom
Network	ATV
Original run	September 30, 1965 – December 25, 1966
No. of episodes	32 (64 in 30 min. "cliffhanger" format) (List of episodes)
Production Company	AP Films

Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation". The series followed the adventures of International Rescue, an organisation created to help those in grave danger using technically advanced equipment and machinery. The series focused on the head of the organisation, ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, and his five sons who piloted the "Thunderbird" machines. A popular show, the series is still shown today and has inspired a number of subsequent television programmes and films.

Contents 1 Origins 2 Plot 2.1 Uniform 3 Machines 3.1 Thunderbird fleet 3.1.1 Thunderbird 1 3.1.2 Thunderbird 2 3.1.3 Thunderbird 3 3.1.4 Thunderbird 4 3.1.5 Thunderbird 5 3.2 Other vehicles 3.2.1 FAB1 3.2.2 Pod vehicles 3.2.3 Fireflash 4 Production 4.1 Voice cast 4.2 Special effects 4.3 Music 5 Original broadcast 5.1 Episode list 6 Thunderbirds films 6.1 Thunderbirds Are GO 6.2 Thunderbird 6 6.3 Thunderbirds (2004 live action film) 7 Merchandising 7.1 Original novels 8 Thunderbirds today 9 Current broadcast 9.1 Modernising attempts 9.2 A new series? 10 Credits 11 References, parodies and imitations 11.1 References 11.2 Parodies 11.3 Imitations 11.4 Other 11.5 Advertisements 12 Translations 13 References 14 See also 15 External links

[edit] Origins

Thunderbirds was the fifth Supermarionation children's series made by Gerry Anderson's AP Films (later Century 21 Productions). The logo of Supermarionation had previously been seen in the shows Supercar, Fireball XL5, and Stingray. Gerry Anderson came up with the concept for the series after hearing about a German mine disaster in 1963. The heavy equipment needed to rescue the miners was located far away - transportation time was a major hindrance in ensuring the survival of the miners. The "race against time" element is one of the recurring themes in Thunderbirds. The show's title derived from a letter written to his family by Anderson's older brother, while he was serving in the United States during World War II. In the letter, he referred to an American Air Force base called "Thunderbird Field".

Many of the crew came directly from APF's previous production Stingray, but for Thunderbirds the crew was expanded, and was shot at A.P. Films' ever growing studio at Stirling Road, Slough, Buckinghamshire. It was APF's first one-hour series. Thunderbirds had been in production for several months when ITC Entertainment boss Lew Grade was shown the completed pilot episode, "Trapped In The Sky", and he was reportedly so excited with the result that he immediately instructed Anderson and his team to expand all the episodes from 25 minutes to 50 minutes.

Production commenced in 1964 and the show premiered on British television in September 1965 in the ATV Midlands region. Other ITV regions followed, including London on 25 December 1965. Two series were produced, comprising thirty-two episodes in total.

[edit] Plot

Set in the 21st century (the actual year remains a hot topic amongst fans) the show depicts the adventures of the Tracy family, which consists of millionaire former astronaut Jeff Tracy and his five sons: Scott (pilot of Thunderbird 1 and principal rescue co-ordinator), Virgil (pilot of Thunderbird 2), Alan (astronaut in Thunderbird 3), Gordon (aquanaut in Thunderbird 4) and John (principal duty astronaut on the space station Thunderbird 5) - each named after a Mercury astronaut - Scott Carpenter,^[1] Virgil Grissom,^[2] Alan Shepard,^[3] Gordon Cooper^[4] and John Glenn,^[5] respectively. Together with Jeff's elderly mother called Grandma, the scientific genius and engineer "Brains", the family's manservant Kyrano and his daughter Tin-Tin, the Tracy family live on a remote, uncharted Pacific island. They are, in secret, the members of International Rescue, a private and highly-advanced emergency response organisation, which covers the globe and even reaches into space, rescuing people with their futuristic vehicles, the Thunderbirds.

Some of the disasters attended by International Rescue are often the result of accident or misadventure, but on occasion deliberate sabotage. A recurring villain, "The Hood" (actually never named in the series, but given this name in the comics, tie-in books and other spin-off media), frequently causes major accidents in order to lure International Rescue's vehicles to the scene and spy on or steal them. Another complication is that The Hood's half brother, Kyrano, is the Tracy's servant, and because The Hood has some degree of psychic power over Kyrano, The Hood is able to compel him to sabotage Thunderbird 1's security systems. Kyrano's daughter Tin-Tin is romantically linked with Alan Tracy, as well as participating in many IR missions.

International Rescue's London agent, international socialite Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, and her cockney butler/chauffeur Aloysius "Nosey" Parker, are often seen chasing The Hood and other villains in the pink, amphibious Rolls-Royce FAB1, which is equipped with James Bond-style gadgets. (Rolls-Royce actually provided an authentic radiator grille to the production company for closeups of FAB 1, such as when the retractable machine gun was fired) Lady Penelope's yacht was called FAB2. Although credited as "London-based Agent", Lady Penelope lives in a mansion in Kent, which is actually a miniature copy of real life Stourhead House in Wiltshire.

The characters use the radio sign-off "F.A.B." rather than "Roger" or "Over and out". Anderson was often asked what F.A.B. stood for, but stated it in fact simply stood for "fab" (short for "fabulous"), a 1960s catchphrase. During radio broadcasts it also stood for Fully Acknowledged Broadcast.

[edit] Uniform

All the Thunderbird pilots wear a common mid blue uniform consisting of a poloneck tunic, trousers, boots, and a simplified glengarry cap. Each uniform is accented by a bandolier uniquely coloured specific to the wearer and bearing the International Rescue insignia, which carries a sidearm and two pouches, and similarly coloured cuffs to the boots:^[6]

• Jeff - dark gold
• Scott - pale blue
• Virgil - pale yellow
• Alan - white
• Gordon - orange
• John - lilac

On some of the rare occasions, other members of the organisation are depicted in a similar uniform:

• Brains - "retro" brown leather (as seen in Thunderbird 6)
• Jeff (control) - metallic gold (,^[7] and in DVD boxset)
• Tin-Tin sometimes wears a similar blue uniform with a pale blue belt but no bandolier.

[edit] Machines

The television series depicts a number of different craft and machines, designed primarily by special effects director Derek Meddings.

[edit] Thunderbird fleet

The main rescue fleet of International rescue consists of 5 principal craft:

[edit] Thunderbird 1

A sleek, variable geometry (swing wing) hypersonic rocket plane used for fast response, rescue zone reconnaissance, and as a mobile control base. The length of Thunderbird 1 is a matter of debate, with various sources giving values of 24 m, 30 m and 35 m (80, 100 and 115 feet). However, the latter figure is now generally accepted, placing the aircrafts wingspan at 24 m. With a maximum speed of 15,000 mph (Mach 22.6), it can reach anywhere on Earth within an hour's flight if a great circle route can be flown. Thunderbird 1 is hangared beneath the main house on Tracy Island, and launches vertically from a pad camouflaged by the swimming pool which slides aside. The aircraft is primarily piloted by Scott Tracy, with Alan taking his place when he is unavailable (such as in the episode Atlantic Inferno, when Scott, as the eldest Tracy brother, has taken charge while Dad Jeff is on holiday).

Thunderbird 1

[edit] Thunderbird 2

A heavy supersonic carrier lifting body aircraft used for the transport of major rescue equipment and vehicles. Thunderbird 2 is 76 m long, 18 m tall, has a 55 m wingspan, and a maximum speed of 5,000 mph (Mach 7.6). It is hangared in its own large facility, along with a its equipment pods, on the other side of the island. The pods house a variety of specialised rescue equipment, including Thunderbird 4, and are interchangeable depending on the mission. Thunderbird 2 utilises the island's landing strip (complete with folding trees to accommodate its wingspan) to take off and land. Throughout the entire run of the programme, Thunderbird 2 is the only craft seen to receive serious damage ("Terror in New York City"). The aircraft is piloted by Virgil Tracy, normally supported by at least one of Alan, Gordon, Brains, or (on rare occasions) John.

Thunderbird 2

[edit] Thunderbird 3

A reusable, vertically launched SSTO (Single Stage To Orbit) spaceship used for space rescue and maintenance of Thunderbird 5. Thunderbird 3 is 87 m long, with a 7 m wide body, 24 m span (including engines) and a maximum speed of at least 25,000 mph (Earth escape velocity). The spacecraft uses chemical rockets for lift-off and boost, and an ion drive for propulsion while in space. Thunderbird 3 is hangared beneath the "Round House" on Tracy Island, and is primarily piloted by Alan or John Tracy, although Scott often co-pilots. Since John is usually seen in Thunderbird 5, he is rarely seen piloting the spacecraft (only in The Mighty Atom and Danger at Ocean Deep, and never in a rescue situation). In the episode Ricochet, Thunderbird 3 is unusually piloted by Virgil and Brains.

Thunderbird 3

[edit] Thunderbird 4

A small utility submarine for underwater rescue, Thunderbird 4 is carried aboard Thunderbird 2, nearly always in Pod 4, although it can deploy independently from the Thunderbird 2 hangar along the island runway (as seen in Terror in New York City). Thunderbird 4 is 9 m long and 3 m wide, and is fitted with an adjustable searchlight which can be raised or lowered to reveal a variety of rescue instruments, such as cutting lasers and battering rams, which can be extended from the nose section. Thunderbird 4 is piloted by aquanaut, Gordon Tracy.

Thunderbird 4

[edit] Thunderbird 5

An Earth-orbiting space station which monitors all broadcasts around the globe for calls for help and also manages communications within International Rescue. Measuring 122 m long, 90 m wide, and 83 m tall, the systems onboard Thunderbird 5 are almost completely automated, allowing the entire station to be run by a single crew member. Thunderbird 5 is primarily commanded by John Tracy, although he is periodically relieved by Alan (according to the storyline, John and Alan swap roles once a month, one piloting Thunderbird 3 and the other monitoring Thunderbird 5, but such was writer Gerry Anderson's dislike for the character of John, that he was usually exiled to the space station).

Thunderbird 5

[edit] Other vehicles

[edit] FAB1

Main article: FAB1

A six-wheeled Rolls-Royce motor car used by Lady Penelope and her chauffeur, Parker. The car has an aircraft-style canopy and is fitted with many gadgets including a machine-gun located behind the Rolls-Royce grille.

[edit] Pod vehicles

Thunderbird 2 was designed to carry specialised rescue vehicles and equipment to disaster sites in one of six interchangeable pods. Pod 4, which contains the submarine vehicle Thunderbird 4 and other undersea rescue equipment, is designed to be dropped from the hovering Thunderbird 2 directly onto the surface of the water. Through the series, there is one example of the pod being retrieved ("Day of Disaster").

The pod vehicles which would emerge from one of Thunderbird 2's pods each week include:

The Mole

• The Mole — A high-speed, manned tunnelling machine capable of boring through even the hardest rock to rescue individuals trapped below ground. Often placed in Pod 5.
• Firefly — A fire-proof vehicle, fitted with a large blade and armed with a nitroglycerin cannon to extinguish fires. Often placed in Pod 3 or Pod 6.
• Elevator Cars — One manned and three remote-controlled vehicles used to assist aircraft in landings, these can be manoeuvred into place beneath an aircraft to act as replacement landing gear.
• Recovery Vehicles — One manned and one remote-controlled vehicle equipped with magnetic grappling lines to haul large weights.
• DOMO (Demolition and Object Moving Operator) — A restraint vehicle with three suction arms to restrain or lift unstable structures prior to the use of other pod vehicles.
• Excavator — A high-powered rock-crushing machine used to clear rough terrain or unblock caves with trapped people inside.
• Monobrake — A low-slung utility vehicle capable of travelling along monorail tunnels.
• Mobile Crane — A six-wheeled 'cherry picker' vehicle used to lift rescue personnel into tall structures.
• Transmitter Truck — A tracked truck that can send a safety beam to space to save stranded spacecraft like the 'Sun Probe' or Thunderbird 3.
• Fire Truck — An upgraded commercial vehicle, this is used to launch nitroglycerin shells to extinguish fires or pump water or foam onto blazes.
• Fire Tender — Another adapted commercial vehicle, this serves as a back-up to the Firefly and Fire Truck.
• Laser Cutter Vehicle — A small tracked vehicle with a powerful front-mounted laser used to gain quick entry to secure buildings.
• Thunderiser — A small cannon used to fire rescue packages into high structures.
• Neutraliser Tractor — A small tracked vehicle able to use sonic waves to deactivate bombs.
• Jet-Air Transporter — An air-cushioned vehicle which uses jets of air to slow people falling from great heights.
• Booster Mortar — A small tracked vehicle used to fire rescue equipment, such as jet packs, to rescue individuals trapped high above ground.

The Pod Vehicles were stored within the various pods as necessary or in Thunderbird 2's cavernous hangar.

[edit] Fireflash

Some episodes also feature the Fireflash, a hypersonic airliner. It has six atomic motors that enable it to stay in the air for a maximum of six months; however they must be examined frequently, or the passengers will only be able to spend a maximum of three hours in the aircraft before succumbing to radiation sickness. Fireflash's maximum speed is Mach 6 (approximately 4,500 mph or 7,200 km/h), and can fly at heights above 250,000 feet (76 km). A novel feature is that the flight deck is built into the tail fin. Like the A380 she has two decks, but also includes luxury facilities such as a cocktail lounge inside the wings, parts of the leading edges being glazed. Fireflash was built especially for Air Terranean (a.k.a.: Terranean Airways).

[edit] Production

[edit] Voice cast

The voice cast were all experienced character actors and several were already (or became) regular Anderson performers. David Holliday (the original voice of Virgil in Series I) was the only real American cast in any voice role in the series; all the others were British, Australian or Canadian.

Versatile Australian actor Ray Barrett provided the voices of John Tracy and The Hood, as well as many other one-off characters. He had worked for Anderson before, voicing both Commander Shore and Titan in his previous series, Stingray. Thanks to his extensive experience in live radio back in Australia, he was adept at rapid changes from one voice to another and he could also perform both English and American accents convincingly. By the time Thunderbirds began, Barrett was already a minor star on British TV, and since his return to Australia in the Seventies he has become one of the nation's senior film and TV actors. Although Sylvia Anderson or Christine Finn usually took responsibility for female guest characters, Barrett made an exception when he voiced the elderly Duchess of Royston in The Duchess Assignment, to the hilarity of the other cast and crew!

Veteran Canadian actor Shane Rimmer (Scott) went on to appear in — and occasionally write scripts for — many subsequent Anderson productions. Rimmer has an extensive list of prominent TV and movie credits, but he is probably best known for his appearances in several James Bond films, and for his role as Capt. G.A. 'Ace' Owens in Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove. Rimmer has appeared in many action, thriller and science fiction films, including Star Wars: A New Hope, and is often cast in military or political roles.

David Graham, one of Anderson's longest serving voice actors, had previously worked on Four Feather Falls, Supercar, Fireball XL5 and Stingray and was also one of the original voices of the Daleks in Doctor Who in 1963.

Voice cast

• Sylvia Anderson .... Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward / various characters
• Ray Barrett .... John Tracy / The Hood / various characters
• Peter Dyneley .... Jeff Tracy / various characters
• Christine Finn .... Tin-Tin / Grandma / various characters
• David Graham .... Gordon Tracy / Brains / Parker / Kyrano / various characters
• David Holliday .... Virgil Tracy (1965) / various characters
• Shane Rimmer .... Scott Tracy / various characters
• Jeremy Wilkin .... Virgil Tracy (1966) / various characters
• Matt Zimmerman .... Alan Tracy / various characters
• John Tate .... Various Characters
• Charles Tingwell .... Various Characters (1966)
• Paul Maxwell .... Various Characters (1966)

(Paul Maxwell, Charles Tingwell and John Tate were not credited on-screen in either series, though Maxwell and Tingwell received credits in the two movies. Thunderbirds are GO the Movie, in 1966, featured two early voice-only appearances for popular entertainer Bob Monkhouse.)

[edit] Special effects

The programme was notable for the high quality of its miniature special effects, and most sequences still stand up remarkably well forty years after the series premiered. The effects supervisor on all of Anderson's shows from Supercar to UFO was Derek Meddings, who went on to produce special effects for the James Bond and Superman movies (Meddings won a Oscar for the first Superman film).

One of Meddings' most famous and ingenious creations was the so-called "rolling road" and "rolling sky" system. The Thunderbirds storylines called for a large number of scenes showing the Thunderbirds and other aircraft flying through the air, landing or taking off along runways, or motor vehicles travelling along roads. Meddings' team quickly discovered that the old method — pulling or pushing models across a static base or against a static background — produced very unconvincing results. Meddings came up with a novel solution to the problem, which he first used in the premiere episode, "Trapped in the Sky". For the famous crash-landing sequence (which so impressed Lew Grade), the Thunderbirds' remotely operated "elevator cars" had to be shown being manoeuvered into position on the runway beneath the stricken Fireflash aircraft as it came in to land, so that the aircraft could touch down without extending its landing gear, which would have triggered a bomb hidden there by IR's nemesis, The Hood.

Meddings' solution was to construct a belt of canvas, stretched over rollers and driven by an electric motor. The miniature elevator cars were then fixed in position by fine wires on this "rolling road". The Fireflash model was suspended from wires above the elevator cars and it could be lowered onto the runway, creating a smooth and remarkably convincing descent effect. A similar roller system, painted with a sky background was built at right angles to the runway, and both roller motors were synchronised to provide a matching speed for both elements. When the lights and cameras were set up in the right position and the rollers were activated, the rolling road system created a very convincing illusion of movement. It also proved extremely helpful for the lighting and camera crews, since the miniature models did not move and were therefore much easier to light and shoot. The 'rolling sky' system proved equally effective for shots of flying aircraft. The illusion was enhanced by blowing smoke across the miniatures with a fan to simulate passing through cloud, and by joining the canvas belt at an angle to hide what would otherwise have been a visible seam. Unlike modern special effects, the model was still actually in front of the backdrop — at the time, this produced a more convincing (and far cheaper) effect than bluescreen technology. The 'rolling road' system was later used on several James Bond movies.

The team also quickly mastered the art of creating extremely convincing miniature explosions using materials including petroleum and fuller's earth. These were filmed at high speed, and when slowed down to normal speed they produced spectacular results. The team also became expert at creating a convincing illusion for rocket take-offs and landings. After an exhaustive search, they found a British firm that could make special thrustless solid-fuelled rocket canisters in different sizes, which burned for about ten seconds and which could be fitted inside the various miniatures to provide convincing rocket exhaust effects.

The show was justly praised for the exceptional quality of its miniature vehicles and sets. Some of the main Thunderbird vehicles were built by a professional model-making firm, but many others were custom-made by Meddings and his team from commercial radio-controlled motorised vehicle kits. Joining Meddings' team was Michael Trim, who became Medding's assistant to help design the fantastic craft and buildings of Thunderbirds. Meddings and Trim also pioneered the technique of 'customising' models and miniature vehicles by applying pieces taken from commercial model kits, to add convincing surface detail, for example the giant air conditioning silos either side of Thunderbird 1 in the launch bay beneath the swimming pool were actually a 1960's periscope toy manufactured by Merit.

The Thunderbirds miniatures were also 'aged' with paint and dust to create the convincing illusion that they were real, well-used vehicles. These techniques became standard practice in the special effects trade and were used to great effect in the building of the miniature spaceships and other vehicles for the first three Star Wars films.

Many of the effects team including Meddings and Brian Johnson became respected specialists in the film industry. Impressed by their work on the TV series, director Stanley Kubrick poached several of the Anderson effects team to work on his science fiction masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[edit] Music

A crucial element of the show's success was its thrilling music score, composed and conducted by Barry Gray, who provided all the music for the Anderson series up to and including Space: 1999 series one. His instantly recognisable "Thunderbirds March" is one of the best-known of all TV themes and has become a perennial favourite with brass and military bands around the world. Gray's original master recordings for the Anderson series were rediscovered in a storage facility in Chelsea, London in 1993.

Gray composed a theme song with lyrics for the series that was never used. The song, Flying High, which had been intended to feature on the closing titles, was scrapped in favour of the Thunderbirds March just weeks before broadcast. However, the song was used in a slightly modified form in the closing scenes of the episode, "Ricochet".

[edit] Original broadcast

A total of 32 episodes of Thunderbirds were made between 1965 and 1966 (although production began in 1964, as indicated by the show's copyright date) for the British production company ITC Entertainment, and first broadcast on ATV.

Thunderbirds ceased production very suddenly in the Autumn of 1966, six episodes into the second series. This was a decision made by Lew Grade after an unsuccessful trip to the U.S. to sell the programme. According to published reports of the incident, the three major television networks CBS, NBC, and ABC were all bidding on the series, and Grade felt he could play them against each other to gain a higher price. Unfortunately, when one dropped out, the others immediately followed. Although a genuine hit by that time, Grade still felt that the programme was too expensive to continue without the US market. The programme was instead shown in the US in television syndication with reasonable success.

[edit] Episode list

Main article: List of Thunderbirds episodes

[edit] Thunderbirds films

The popularity of the series led to the production of two full length feature films, with financial backing by United Artists.^[8] In 2004, a live action adaptation of the series was released, almost 40 years after the original series aired.

[edit] Thunderbirds Are GO

Main article: Thunderbirds Are GO

[edit] Thunderbird 6

Main article: Thunderbird 6

[edit] Thunderbirds (2004 live action film)

Main article: Thunderbirds (film)

A live action feature film, also called Thunderbirds, and directed by Jonathan Frakes premièred on July 24, 2004. All the Thunderbird craft seen in the live action film were based upon the original designs, but with modern refinements, although a modified Ford Thunderbird was used as FAB1 due to Rolls-Royce's refusal to give permission for the use of their name and grille.

The plot sidelined the main series characters in favour of new teenaged characters who have to rescue the adults from the evil Hood (based on the character from the original series). Coincidentally, both plots of the Supermarionation films Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968) also focused on Alan, the youngest Tracy brother. The 2004 film was poorly received, both by critics and at the box office, with the film opening in 11th place in North America. A North American DVD was released in late 2004.

[edit] Merchandising

Several companies, including Matchbox and Dinky were licensed to produced die-cast metal and plastic toys based on the Thunderbird vehicles. They proved hugely popular and were one of the best selling merchandising lines of the decade. Original Thunderbirds toys are now expensive and highly sought after collectors' items. Many toys were made by Matchbox in the 90s to coincide with a revival of the TV series, including a Tracy Island playset and also the new movie, though they were generally marketed outside the US and in Canada. Toy company Vivid Imaginations produced toys to coincide with the release of the 2004 live action movie in the UK. As of 2007, Japanese companies such as Konami and Takara were still producing new Thunderbirds toys based on the original series vehicles, including a very expensive Thunderbird 2 model with lights and working motorised legs which lift the fuselage, exposing the cargo pod.

[edit] Original novels

A number of novels were published based upon the television series, most during 1966:

• Thunderbirds, John Theydon (pseudonym for John W. Jennison), 1966
• Calling Thunderbirds, Theydon, 1966
• Ring of Fire, Theydon, 1966
• Thunderbirds Are Go, Angus P. Allan, 1966 (film novelization)
• Operation Asteroids, John W. Jennison, 1966
• Lost World, Jennison, 1966

In 1992 Corgi Books published four episode novelizations for children based upon the teleplays "The Uninvited", "Brink of Disaster", "Sun Probe", and "Atlantic Inferno".

The character of Lady Penelope was also featured in her own series of novels:

• A Gallery of Thieves, Kevin McGarry, 1966
• Cool for Danger, McGarry, 1966
• The Albanian Affair, John Theydon, 1967

[edit] Thunderbirds today

The series has become a cult British institution, popular with both children and adults. Part of its appeal is that it is not particularly child centric - indeed it features no children as main characters, and was intended to be prime time entertainment for the whole family. Famously, in 1992, a re-run on the BBC led to a shortage of Tracy Island models in the run-up to Christmas, prompting children's programme Blue Peter to come to the rescue by demonstrating how to build a home-made version.

A 2001 public information film in the UK featured the Thunderbirds characters, showing FAB1 being wheel clamped and towed away because Lady Penelope had not paid the road tax.

While not as gory as the later Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, puppet characters do die and there is massive destruction on a grand scale. In one episode, "City of Fire", the world's tallest skycraper burns and then collapses with a family trapped within the burning ruins, in another, "Terror in New York City", the Empire State Building collapses (followed by an adjacent skycraper) trapping two men in the rubble. Many themes covered in the series are still relevant today; passenger jets are sabotaged ("Trapped in the Sky"), hijacked ("Alias Mr. Hackenbacker") and one sinks to the ocean floor with the flight crew trapped aboard ("Operation Crash-Dive"), and in another episode a nuclear reactor explodes due to sabotage ("The Mighty Atom").

[edit] Current broadcast

Today, the series is frequently repeated on BBC Two in the UK and RTÉ Two in Ireland (when the series was broadcast on BBC Two in 1991–92, this was actually the first nationwide screening, since British television was much more heavily regionalised in the 1960s, and ATV only operated in certain areas). Thunderbirds is also quite popular in Japan, where it was first broadcast in 1966 by NHK. For approximately three years (2000–2003) the satellite channel Boomerang UK broadcast uncut episodes daily, meaning that the complete run of 32 episodes was screened about 34 times. Thunderbirds was also syndicated on the now defunct US cable television network TechTV from August 5, 2002 through June 20, 2004. In Australia, the Channel 9 Network screened the series many times over in the 1970s and 1980s during the Saturday morning timeslot, and on weekdays during school holiday periods. The original (uncut) series was also re-broadcast several times on the Australasian Foxtel cable network in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Australasian Foxtel cable network now plays Thunderbirds on the new Sci-Fi Network on weekdays. Channel 9 still broadcasts Thunderbirds at 6:00am (30 minute episodes over a 2 weekends) on a Saturday, 40 years after the show premiered.

[edit] Modernising attempts

Some versions screened on the Fox Network and in US syndication in the 1990s used re-recorded voices and music, much to the annoyance of long-time fans. Even more widely disliked was Turbocharged Thunderbirds, a revamped version of the show which briefly aired in syndication c.1995, which replaced the original dialogue with "ironic post-modern" jokes, and live action introductions suggesting the events of the series take place on some strange alien "Thunder world" (with the two teenaged "hosts", the so-called "Hack Masters", controlling the action from a studio set resembling the interior of Thunderbird 5 and referring to Jeff Tracy as "Mr. T"!). Gerry Anderson was reportedly furious and the new version of the series quickly disappeared.

In 2000, the series was remastered with Dolby Surround sound for DVD release. Gerry Anderson, who had not received any royalties on the show since signing away the rights in the late 1960s, was employed as a "remastering consultant". A North American DVD release occurred in 2002.

[edit] A new series?

In September 2005, a QuickTime video file titled Thunderbirds IR was released on several P2P networks. It opens with music by Barry Gray and a few clips of the classic Thunderbirds 1 through 4 launching, then shows several scenes from an intended new Thunderbirds series from Carlton Television. The trailer made with a combination of computer-generated imagery and puppetry depicts scenes including internal sets, external settings, and a sleekly-redesigned Thunderbird 1, Scott Tracy, The Hood, and the rescue of a falling lighthousekeeper. Scott Tracy is seen to walk, and perform a backflip.

The trailer stated that a new Thunderbirds series would be coming in 2005 from Carlton Television and displays a phone number. The series was developed by Carlton with David Freedman as executive producer and David Mercer who was heading the Children's Department at Carlton at the time. Greg Johnson and Bob Forward were lead writers and Asylum did all the set builds and puppet work. Tim Field was line producer. Dave Throssel and a small team from The Mill TV Dept did the CG work. Steve Clarke directed the short. Gerry Anderson met the Carlton team in the early days of development and gave his full blessing. However, when Granada and Carlton merged, the series was shelved until further notice.^[9]

[edit] Credits

• Created by: Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson
• Music by: Barry Gray
• Produced by: Gerry Anderson (series one), Reg Hill (series two)
• Associate Producer: John Read (series two)
• Written by: Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson, Alan Fennell, Dennis Spooner, Tony Barwick, Donald Robertson, Martin Crump, Alan Pattillo
• Directed by: Alan Pattillo, David Lane, Desmond Saunders, David Elliott, Brian Burgess
• Art Director: Bob Bell
• Special Effects: Derek Meddings
• Script Editor: Alan Pattillo
• Script Supervisors: Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson
• Chief Puppeteer: Christine Glanville
• Puppet Operators: Judith Shutt, Ernest Shutt, Yvonne Hunter, Plugg Shutt, Wanda Webb
• Director of Photography: John Read
• Camera: Jimmy Elliott, Geoff Meldrum, Julien Lugrin, Alan Perry
• Wardrobe: Elizabeth Coleman
• Sound: John Taylor, Maurice Askew
• Puppetry Supervisor: Mary Turner, Christine Glanville
• Lighting Cameramen: Julien Lugrin, Paddy Seale, John Read
• Dialogue Editor: Roy Lafbery
• Sound Editor: Tony Lenny
• Supervising Editor: Len Walter
• Second Unit Camera: Garry Coxall
• Sculptors: John Brown, John Blundall
• Puppet Properties: Eddie Hunter
• Prop Master: Arthur Cripps
• Assistant Art Director: Grenville Nott
• Assistant Art Director: Keith Wilson
• Supervising Editor: John Peverill
• Sound Editor: Brian Hickin
• Sound System: Westrex
• Second Unit Special Effects Directors: Brian Johncock, Ian Scoones
• Special effects cameraman: Harry Oakes

[edit] References, parodies and imitations

[edit] References

• In 1991, Gerry Anderson himself directed a video set to the song "Calling Elvis" by the British band Dire Straits. Clips of the Thunderbirds vehicles were used in the video, and several Thunderbirds puppets - most notably the Jeff Tracy puppet - were taken out of storage and reused.

• In Nick Park's A Close Shave, an animated film by starring Wallace and Gromit, Wallace's mounting of his motorbike is a parody of how Virgil Tracy gets into Thunderbird 2 and takes off. In Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the eyes in the portraits on the wall flash like those of the Tracy brothers.

• In 2004, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker produced a full length feature film Team America: World Police (2004) which lampooned the original series, as well as mercilessly mocking a wide variety of political and public figures, especially Hollywood actors such as Alec Baldwin, film-maker Michael Moore, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il and Islamist terrorists such as Osama bin Laden (one of the film's songs also heavily criticised the film Pearl Harbor and it's star Ben Affleck). Team America's marionette humour drew heavily for its inspiration on the quirks and foibles of Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation techniques, whilst managing the not insignificant task of paying respect to the original. This depicted the destruction of the Eiffel Tower, The Pyramids, and the Panama Canal, recalling the wanton spirit of destruction from the series, although departed from the 1960s television series in terms of the graphic sex and constant profanity (It was initially rated NC-17). Team America, produced for $30 million, took $50 million at the global box office. It also earned glowing reviews from many critics, as well as favorable comments from Anderson himself.

• A Japanese anime production, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water features a craft that looks much like Thunderbird 2 which takes off from a hidden launching pad on the side of a mountain, to music similar to that of Thunderbirds.

• The TV series Stargate SG-1 200th episode (appropriately titled 200) contained a supermarionation scene similar to Thunderbirds.

• The Planet Express Ship from Futurama and the Olympic Carrier from Battlestar Galactica episode "33" both bear similarities to Thunderbird 2. However it is unclear if these are intentional homages or coincidences.

• The cover of the Honor Harrington novel Field of Dishonor features a craft that resembles Thunderbird 2.

[edit] Parodies

• In 1989, Thunderbirds FAB was a live stage production using two actors with large hats representing Thunderbirds 1 and 2 who walked as if they were puppets.

• An early Thunderbirds send-up was the sketch entitled "Superthunderstingcar", performed by British comedians Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in the mid-1960s for their BBC TV series Not Only... But Also. This sketch was closely imitated by the Australian satirical series The D-Generation in the mid-1980s.

• In the ReBoot episode "Nullzilla", Phong says, "F.A.B." to reveal a secret room that looks nearly identical to the Tracy lounge. When the characters leave the room for their machines, one wall flips, another turns and the sofa descends, just like the lounge in Thunderbirds. Pastiche music in the style of Barry Gray's Thunderbirds music support this parody.

• In 1998, the US cable TV network MTV aired a six-episode puppet series called Super Adventure Team. It featured marionettes, as well as hand puppets with rods. The series was created and produced by Dana Gould, who is now co-executive producer on The Simpsons, and Rob Cohen. Disputes over the budget of the series caused its cancellation by MTV after only six episodes. It has never been released on DVD nor repeated on MTV.

• "Ton Ton Der Birds" was a very scary bit on a Mexican variety show with vaseline smeared on everyone's faces, wires sticking up from them everywhere and an uncanny simulation of puppets by humans.

[edit] Imitations

• Interster (Afrikaans, "Inter-star") was a weekly science-fiction supermarionation-style television show made for children and shown by the SABC in South Africa from the late 1970s.

• In Sonic X, X-Tornado's launch sequence resembles that of the Thunderbirds machines. In addition, E-90 is based on Thunderbird 2. Also, in the same episode, background music similar to the Thunderbirds theme played every now and then (this is only in versions retaining the original BGM). Blue Typhoon's deck has two rows of trees similar to those lining Thunderbird 2's runway. In episode 59, the spaceship piloted by the Chaotix resembles Thunderbird 3.

• The catchphrase from D.I.C.E., GTR, has the same effect as F.A.B. in Thunderbirds.

• Capcom's Megaman franschise includes several references to Thunderbirds. In the SNES game Megaman 7, the second Wily fortress boss, Gamerizer, is a turtle-like robot with heavy similarities to Thunderbird 2, including its signature pods (which send out smaller enemies). Also, in one episode of the anime Megaman NT Warrior, Yai flies a pink private jet that she enters in a similar fashion to Virgil Tracy and Thunderbird 2. Also, her friends enter the craft in a way similar to how Thunderbird 3 was boarded.

[edit] Other

• Thunderbirds 2086, was an anime spin-off series produced by ITC Japan in the early 80s. The series retained many of the core concepts of the original series but updated them to depict more modern vision of the future. International Rescue was now a vast organisation employing thousands of people and 17 Thunderbird vehicles, many of which were strongly reminiscent of their original series counterparts. The series is not considered canonical with the original series due to the non-involvement of Gerry or Silvia Anderson.
• Virgin Trains has sixteen class 57 locomotives named after characters or vehicles from the series due to their main use rescuing broken-down or stranded trains, and the fact that they are constantly ready for use. The use of the name Thunderbird for this type of train was common well before this though.
• In 2000, Twenty65 released a CD album featuring four variations on the Thunderbirds main theme.

[edit] Advertisements

A television advertisement for car insurance featured Lady Penelope calling Brains on a video phone and asking who she should call for instant car insurance. Brains stutters out the company that is the subject of the advert. "Thank you Brains", says Lady Penelope calmly, her car teetering on the edge of a cliff.

A 1992 advert for Kit Kat chocolate bars saw Scott "having a break" on the Thunderbird 1 launchpad while Jeff becomes increasingly irate: "Thunderbirds GO!"[1]

[edit] Translations

• (French) : Les Sentinelles de l’air

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Thunderbirds 2086 — a Japanese anime sequel series which aired in 1982.
• International Rescue Corps, an organisation inspired by the show's premise.

[edit] External links

• "Thunderbirds" (1965) at the Internet Movie Database
• Thunderbirds at BFI Screenonline
• Carlton TV's Thunderbirds Online site
• Thunderbirds are GO (film) at the Internet Movie Database
• Thunderbird 6 (film) at the Internet Movie Database
• Thunderbirds at BBCi

Gerry Anderson
Television
The Adventures of Twizzle | Torchy the Battery Boy | Four Feather Falls | Supercar | Fireball XL5 | Stingray | Thunderbirds | Captain Scarlet | Joe 90 | The Secret Service | UFO | The Protectors | Space: 1999 | Terrahawks | Dick Spanner, P.I. | Space Precinct | Lavender Castle | New Captain Scarlet
Feature Films
Crossroads to Crime | Thunderbirds Are GO | Thunderbird 6 | Doppelgänger
Companies/Techniques
AP Films | Century 21 Productions | Supermarionation
Notable Collaborators
Sylvia Anderson | David Lane | Barry Gray | Reg Hill | Derek Meddings | John Read | Shane Rimmer