Thunderbirds
Is there any modern creator to have imagined so many ideas which have become iconic as did Gerry Anderson who along with his acknowledged collaborators numbers among his works Fireball XL5, Stingray, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, UFO, Space: 1999 and Terrahawks? An enviable and influential legacy which continues to this day, over a decade after his death, perhaps most famous of all is Thunderbirds.
Running to thirty-two episodes across two seasons on its original run with two contemporary feature films and a later reimagining and two followup series, the second of which, Thunderbirds Are Go, superceded the original with seventy-eight episodes across three seasons, albeit with each episode running around twenty-two minutes rather than the fifty of the original adventures.
First broadcast from September 1965 until late the following year and ostensibly set a century later, the Thunderbird vehicles were the brainchild of former astronaut Jeff Tracy, one of the first men on the Moon, designed and built by his good friend “Brains,” and operated by his five sons, Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John, each of them named for NASA astronauts, who along with agents around the world formed the clandestine organisation International Rescue.
Restored in 4K in preparation for an expansive new Blu-ray box set which will present all the original episodes in their correct aspect ratio along with a plethora of new and archive features, and for the first time an “official” release of the Anniversary Episodes created in 2015 using the traditional “Supermarionation” techniques alongside audio adventures from the sixties, as a prelude to celebrate sixty years of Thunderbirds two episodes are receiving cinema release.
Written by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and directed by Alan Patillo, as the first episode produced and broadcast, albeit significantly restructured in post-production when financier Lew Grade asked the entire show be expanded from the planned twenty-five minute format to fill an hour of television time, Trapped in the Sky acts as an introduction to the characters and their organisation as International Rescue launches its first operation.
A bomb placed in the undercarriage of the atomic-powered Mach six passenger plane Fireflash, monitoring global communications in orbit John informs his family of the situation; Jeff aware that family friend Tin-Tin is on board, he sends Scott and Virgil to offer assistance and attempt to avert disaster, not only saving the six hundred people on board but also preventing radioactive contamination of the surrounding area.
Written by Alan Fennell and directed by David Elliott and David Lane, Terror in New York City was the thirteenth episode, showcasing the sheer technical audacity of the concepts for which Thunderbirds became known tied with an awareness of symbolism and heritage, the Empire State Building to be relocated in its entirety in order to preserve it, an operation which has taken twelve years to plan and prepare for which falters within moments of execution when an underground river causes the ground under the tracks to begin to crumble.
The two episodes showcasing Thunderbirds 1 and 2, one fast moving and the other slower but carrying heavy operational equipment, alongside space station Thunderbird 5 and compact submersible Thunderbird 4 for aquatic operations as well as introducing London agent Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and her butler Aloysius Parker, chauffeur of pink six-wheeled Rolls Royce FAB 1, as would be expected of any Anderson production the special effects sequences overseen by Derek Meddings set the standard of the era.
Every detail, set, prop, costume and vehicle design and musical cue by Barry Gray iconic, a major motion picture extravaganza created in miniature on a weekly basis, never treated as throwaway, some children’s show to be enjoyed then dismissed and forgotten, Thunderbirds remains an exercise in the power of insisting on perfection in every aspect, dynamic, action-packed and timeless, a family using their power and wealth to selflessly help others in dire need.
Their expectation no reward other than the knowledge of having done the right thing despite the danger they know they will face, that Thunderbirds is an optimistic dream of its age cannot be denied, presenting a technical near-utopia of clean skies and oceans, joyful escapism ironically dated as much by the presence of cigarettes and the fumes of roaring petrol engines as its wholesome approach to duty and obligation by what is, other than Lady Penelope, a boys’ club, feats of bravery, daring and imagination which have genuinely inspired generations.
The Thunderbirds double bill will receive limited cinema screenings from Saturday 20th September prior to the release of the complete remastered box set later this year
