|
Post by Chris on Feb 10, 2006 22:14:46 GMT
Here's a topic to discuss any of the fantastic programming made over the past 40 years by Gerry Anderson - be it the Supermarionation classics like Stingray and Thunderbirds, the much forgotten Terrahawks, or his latest offering New Captain Scarlet. My all time favourite is Thunderbirds. It's got everything -great stories, fantastic model work (look at how realistic some the TB's are when they take-off or land), and some of Barry Gray's best music. Granted the puppetry can sometimes be a bit shoddy, but that's part of the shows charm. The other thing is the rather limited cast. Am I the only who thinks its overly obvious that Brains and Gordon were done by the same actor? Their voices were far too similar! My favourite episode of the Thunderbirds is "Terror in New York City". I've seen the odd episode of New Captain Scarlet when it was show earlier in the year and was blown away. It's easily one of the best things show on TV in the last year. I reckon it even tops the earlier puppet show (probably a good thing they didn't do Thunderbirds!). The stories seem a lot better, thanks to the use of CGI, and character development is evident. If only Barry Gray was still alive to provide the music, the show would be near-perfect. I am a little upset by the way ITV treated the airing of the show. It was tucked away during Saturday morning kids TV's Ministry of Mayhem, when it deserved prime-time viewing. Much more deserving than the X-Factor, that's for sure. It was pretty difficult to catch the episodes at 10.55 in the morning - an awkward time, for me at least - so in the end, I gave up.
|
|
|
Post by OJ on Feb 10, 2006 22:24:50 GMT
Here's a topic to discuss any of the fantastic programming made over the past 40 years by Gerry Anderson - be it the Supermarionation classics like Stingray and Thunderbirds, the much forgotten Terrahawks, or his latest offering New Captain Scarlet. My all time favourite is Thunderbirds. It's got everything -great stories, fantastic model work (look at how realistic some the TB's are when they take-off or land), and some of Barry Gray's best music. Granted the puppetry can sometimes be a bit shoddy, but that's part of the shows charm. The other thing is the rather limited cast. Am I the only who thinks its overly obvious that Brains and Gordon were done by the same actor? Their voices were far too similar! My favourite episode of the Thunderbirds is "Terror in New York City". I've seen the odd episode of New Captain Scarlet when it was show earlier in the year and was blown away. It's easily one of the best things show on TV in the last year. I reckon it even tops the earlier puppet show (probably a good thing they didn't do Thunderbirds!). The stories seem a lot better, thanks to the use of CGI, and character development is evident. If only Barry Gray was still alive to provide the music, the show would be near-perfect. I am a little upset by the way ITV treated the airing of the show. It was tucked away during Saturday morning kids TV's Ministry of Mayhem, when it deserved prime-time viewing. Much more deserving than the X-Factor, that's for sure. It was pretty difficult to catch the episodes at 10.55 in the morning - an awkward time, for me at least - so in the end, I gave up. I'm a fan of Gerry Anderson's works too. Gerry Anderson wasn't too pleased with ITV when they aired the new captain Scarlet. It could have had the same hype as Dr Who did. I don't think the new show is that bad. Notice that the characters couldn't fight in the puppet series. Thunderbirds episode = Desperate Intruder Fave Stingray episode = Titan goes pop and The Invaders Fave Captain Scarlet episde = Manhunt and Avalanche
|
|
|
Post by Chris on Feb 11, 2006 13:21:33 GMT
Thankfully, they're going to show New Captain Scarlet in it's own timeslot on ITV4, so that should be something to look forward to.
I was never a fan of Stingray. I feel it's a bit dated and creaky, compared to Thunderbirds. I do like the old Captian Scarlet however. My favourite episodes are Winged Assassin, Fire at Rig 15 and Lunarville 7.
|
|
|
Post by Skarloey on Feb 11, 2006 13:29:52 GMT
Thunderbirds is classic! I've got all the episodes and the two feature films on videos. I was a big fan in 2000 when they rereleased it. I have the proper Tracy Island toy and one that my Grandad made (which is better), along with all the vehicles to go with it. Long live Thunderbirds!
|
|
|
Post by OJ on Feb 11, 2006 14:22:49 GMT
Thankfully, they're going to show New Captain Scarlet in it's own timeslot on ITV4, so that should be something to look forward to. I was never a fan of Stingray. I feel it's a bit dated and creaky, compared to Thunderbirds. I do like the old Captian Scarlet however. My favourite episodes are Winged Assassin, Fire at Rig 15 and Lunarville 7. Those are good captain Scarlet episodes. there was a 3 part episode and Lunarville 7 was part of it. I remember in 2001 when BBC was showing re-runs, it was after 9/11 and they wouldn't show Winged Assassin.
|
|
Cranky
Main Line Engine
The docks...
Posts: 1,660
|
Post by Cranky on Feb 11, 2006 19:07:43 GMT
YAY! Thunderbirds! I love this show! I never got to see Captain Scarlet though, but I have seen every episode of Thunderbirds, and the two movies. I loved Thunderbirds are go, the Rock Snakes freaked me out.
|
|
|
Post by Mark Iron on Feb 11, 2006 20:29:15 GMT
Anyone own thunderbirds saving new york? I own it, but haven't watched it for many, many, many years.
Used to be a big thunderbirds fan, even getting a set of all the vechicals from the show. Now their lost.
|
|
|
Post by stuart7 on Feb 12, 2006 16:13:16 GMT
My favourite of Gerry Anderson's shows is (undoubtedly) Thunderbirds. Aside from 'The Uninvited', my top favourite episode is the first one 'Trapped in the Sky'.
I never saw much of the old Captain Scarlet (could someone explain the synopsis please?), but I was quite a buff of 'Stingray'. My fav episode is 'Trapped in the Depths'. I saw a bit of Joe 90, and Fireball XL5.
Stuart
|
|
|
Post by FlyingScotsman on Feb 12, 2006 18:48:54 GMT
The story behind Captain Scarlet was that in 2068, the Earth launches another mission to Mars with the Zero X (as seen in 'Thunderbirds Are Go). This time, it is accompanied by an agent of Spectrum, the new world security organisation, named Captain Black. This mission comes across a city built by the enigmatic (and always unseen) Mysterons. Mistaking their intentions, Captain Black orders the Zero X crew to open fire, destroying the city completely. But then they discover the Mysterons' incredible ability to recreate anything that has been destroyed. Rather than say, "Well, you destroyed our city, but we were able to instantly rebuild it, so no harm done," the Mysterons vow to destroy the Earth. They possess Captain Black, making him their agent on Earth. Just as well they didn't send Captain Pink, otherwise it would have lacked a certain menace.
Long story, but basically the Mysterons recreate Captain Scarlet, but an accident causes them to lose control of Scarlet. As a result, he becomes an indestructible agent fighting for Spectrum. The episodes revolved around the Mysterons' attempts to cause chaos and destruction on Earth, and Scarlet's foiling of their plans. He was assisted by such characters as Captain Blue, Colonel White and the female fighter pilots, the Angels. Of course, there was the usual round of hi-tech vehicles and top-notch special effects. He was also assisted by the fact that the Mysterons announced their intentions at the beginning of every episode.
It was darker and grittier than the usual Anderson fare, and the puppetry was of a higher standard than previous Anderson shows.
I liked it a lot, but one thing that always annoyed me was the fact that they'd conveniently ignore the whole "Mysteron agents are indestructible" thing when it suited them. So in the first episode, it is stated that Mysterons cannot be killed. Then for the next few episodes, Scarlet and Blue would dispatch them with a single gunshot.
|
|
Cranky Conner
Passenger Engine
Who put glue in my shampoo?
Posts: 762
|
Post by Cranky Conner on Feb 12, 2006 21:24:56 GMT
Here are my fave Anderson shows in order:
1. Thunderbirds 2. New Captain Scarlet 3. Old Captain Scarlet 4. Stingray 5. Lavender Castle
Did anyone catch Lavender Castle when it used to air on CiTV? It was about this crew in a spaceship that tried to find Lavender Castle, which was somewhere in the Universe. And if it went out, the entire Universe would go out. I don't think they found it in the end, the show was cancelled (ah well, nothing beats Thunderbirds).
I have Matchbox toys of Thunderbirds 1-4. One time my best friend's little brother took the rubber nose cone off Thunderbird 3. As repayment, his mum bought me a Soundtech Thunderbird 3. The voices sound nothing like they do on the show though. I wish I had a Soundtech Thunderbird Five, Matchbox never produced one and I had to make do with a toy from Pizza Hut (and you couldn't even put Thudnerbird 3 through the side). One time I used a hole in a filing cabinet and added some paper so that the cabinet could be Thunderbird 5 (I even wrote a large number 5 and Thunderbird 5 on the side too) so I could fit Thunderbird 3 up to its grey ring. Unfortunately, the toy got a bit wrecked, some of the metal started to be prised off. Anyhow, one Christmas I got a Thunderbird Two alarm clock (anyone remember that?). The only Captain Scarlet toy I have is of that grey tank they drive backwards (I thiink it's called an SPV or something).
EDIT: Does anyone know there's a debate as to whether Thunderbirds is set in 2025 or 2066. An anual I have states that Thunderbirds is set in 2025. For it revival in 2001 the date became 2066 (to the best of my knowledge). If Thunderbirds is set in 2066, it makes me wonder how Lady Penelope and the others could drink 40+ year old wine in one ep (oh well, it was from 1993...)
|
|
|
Post by OJ on Feb 12, 2006 21:41:42 GMT
I have those matchbox toys too. I also had the Tracy Island that chirtmas when it was difficult to get one. They didn't make one of Thunderbird 5 in the 90's but in 2000 they did make one with sounds. I got it for my birthday that year.
Has anyone noticed that in the Stingray episode "Treasure down below" theres a character called Captain Black? It's not the same one from Captain Scarlet.
|
|
SRapi
Main Line Engine
Pronounced: Ess-Are-Ay-Pie.
Posts: 1,543
|
Post by SRapi on Feb 13, 2006 19:25:43 GMT
I love Thunderbirds, but I've only seen the first 3 episodes, and all 3 movies. But, I found a preview for a Thunderbirds TV show in 2005. Why didn't they make it? Alos, I thought that Captain Scarlet was supposed to be a villain fighting with the Mysterons, not against them?
|
|
|
Post by OJ on Feb 13, 2006 20:12:36 GMT
I love Thunderbirds, but I've only seen the first 3 episodes, and all 3 movies. But, I found a preview for a Thunderbirds TV show in 2005. Why didn't they make it? Alos, I thought that Captain Scarlet was supposed to be a villain fighting with the Mysterons, not against them? He was a mysteron in the first episode. At the end he falls of a car park and Scarlet is not a mysteron and he's indestrucible. In the new Captain Scarlet series he's a mysteron in the first episode as well but I've forgot how the mysteron spell over him was broken.
|
|
Cranky Conner
Passenger Engine
Who put glue in my shampoo?
Posts: 762
|
Post by Cranky Conner on Feb 14, 2006 10:28:10 GMT
I love Thunderbirds, but I've only seen the first 3 episodes, and all 3 movies. But, I found a preview for a Thunderbirds TV show in 2005. Why didn't they make it? Alos, I thought that Captain Scarlet was supposed to be a villain fighting with the Mysterons, not against them? In the new Captain Scarlet series he's a mysteron in the first episode as well but I've forgot how the mysteron spell over him was broken. He makes his way to Engineering in Skybase and attempts to blow it up or something. Capt. Blue intervenes and in the end, Scarlet falls off a ledge and gets zapped with energy when he falls through an energy beam. He is then taken to the infirmary where his wounds miraculously heal. After being tested in a weird spinning machine, Dr. Gold confirms Scarlet is now indestructible.
|
|
|
Post by FlyingScotsman on Feb 14, 2006 19:33:29 GMT
EDIT: Does anyone know there's a debate as to whether Thunderbirds is set in 2025 or 2066. An anual I have states that Thunderbirds is set in 2025. For it revival in 2001 the date became 2066 (to the best of my knowledge). If Thunderbirds is set in 2066, it makes me wonder how Lady Penelope and the others could drink 40+ year old wine in one ep (oh well, it was from 1993...) I always thought it was 2026. I think that with Captain Scarlet, Stingray and Fireball XL5 being set in the 2060s, the spinoff comics, novels etc. decided that Thunderbirds should be set at the same time. Mind you, Zero X appears in both Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, and I think it's unlikely that the same spaceship would be in service for forty years- much less the same crew. Apparently in one episode there's a calendar which states that the year is "05", suggesting it was set last year. And the live action movie seems to be set close to the present day, to confuse things.
|
|
|
Post by stuart7 on Feb 14, 2006 22:42:40 GMT
I always thought 'Thunderbirds' was set in 2065...
Stuart
|
|
Cranky Conner
Passenger Engine
Who put glue in my shampoo?
Posts: 762
|
Post by Cranky Conner on Feb 15, 2006 15:29:53 GMT
EDIT: Does anyone know there's a debate as to whether Thunderbirds is set in 2025 or 2066. An anual I have states that Thunderbirds is set in 2025. For it revival in 2001 the date became 2066 (to the best of my knowledge). If Thunderbirds is set in 2066, it makes me wonder how Lady Penelope and the others could drink 40+ year old wine in one ep (oh well, it was from 1993...) And the live action movie seems to be set close to the present day, to confuse things. First off, the live action movie probably shouldn't be considered "canon" with the rest of Thunderbirds continuity for various reasons: 1) The Thunderbirds (especially Thunderbird 2) all look different and more advanced (except maybe for Thunderbird 4), which is odd since the movie's meant to be a prequel. 2) Lady Penelope doesn't have her Rolls Royce 3) "Trapped in The Sky" (the first episode of Thunderbirds) was the first time International Rescue was called out, in the movie they seem to have been in business for a while 4) Brains has a son in the movie, who isn't mentioned at all in the series. To add to that Kyrano has a wife and Tintin also has the Hood's psychic powers.
|
|
|
Post by Ryan on Feb 15, 2006 20:03:20 GMT
I always presumed Thunderbirds was set in 2065 as well, Stuart. Says so on the DVDs and other merchandise I own.
I'm a big Gerry Anderson fan myself, I love the guy's work and the attention to detail on the puppets, sets and the action that goes on.
Two favourites would have to be Thunderbirds and Terrahawks. Thunderbirds I grew up with, the characters are familiar to me, the situations are exciting, the models are amazing and the whole thing just rocks!
Terrahawks (For the uninitiated) was launched in the 1980s as a Macromation series Gerry Anderson did with Christopher Burr in the 1980s when he was recovering from bankruptcy. Tony Barwick wrote most of the scripts for the series, although you could be mislead by his little game of putting in different writing names for each episode such as Frank Instein or something ludicrous like that, always with the word "stein" at the end.
I liked Terrahawks because it had a lot more dimensions to it than what Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet or Stingray had before it. There were so many subplots going on that it helped sustain interest. That and Windsor Davies as Sergeant Major Zero was bloody hilarious! The double-act with the little French Zeroid No.18 (or Dixie Whit as he was otherwise known to Zero) was particularly brilliant.
A shame they never made another series to tie up loose ends, but that's the way it goes!
|
|
|
Post by OJ on Feb 15, 2006 20:45:56 GMT
Did anyone like Joe 90? I remember some of it. It wasn't as good as Thinderbirds and Captain Scarlet.
|
|
|
Post by stuart7 on Feb 15, 2006 20:54:24 GMT
I saw a bit of Joe 90 on a video I once rented from a library. It was ok, though I didn't see all of it.
Stuart
|
|