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Gerry
Anderson Productions - 1955 to 1966
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1954 Devil Girl From Mars
Sound editor
(as Gerald Anderson)
1955 You've Never Seen This
Polytechnic
Films
No
image available
Directed
by Gerry Anderson
A pilot television
series that featured people doing strange things or with
unusual talents. It was made for possible sale to the Independent
Television Network. Polytechnic films was based at Taplow,
Bucks. and went into liquidation in 1957. The series was
never shown and so the title became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
From Polytechnic, AP Films was born, comprising of five
members of Polytechnic: Gerry Anderson, Arthur Provis, Reg
Hill, John Read and Sylvia Thamm.
1956
Kellogg's Cornflakes
Pentagon Films
Director:
Gerry Anderson (uncredited) Director
of Photography: Arthur Provis (uncredited)
Camera Operator: John Read (uncredited) Art
Director: Reg Hill (uncredited)
One
episode only, which featured the puppet character Noddy to
advertise Kelloggs breakfast cereal.
1957 - Martin
Kane - Private Investigator
Towers
of London / Ziv TV / ABC
39
x b/w 30min episodes Transmitted:
1958 - 59 Produced
by Harry Alan Towers
Some episodes
directed by Gerry Anderson (no other information)
Starring William Gargan and Brian Reece and originally titled
'The New Adventures of Martin Kane'
Martin Kane
(Gargan), a New York private detective, assists Scotland
Yard Superintendent Page (Reece) from his London Base,
in the classic 'cops and robbers' style. Made at the Associated
British Pathe Company studios at Elstree.
1957 - The Adventures of Twizzle
Produced by AP FILMS for
Rediffusion Television
52 x b/w 15min episodes First transmitted: 13th November 1957
Created and written by
Roberta LeighDirected by Gerry AndersonArt Director: Reg Hill
Twizzle
is a lost boy doll who lives in a place called Straytown
with all the other lost or unwanted toys including his friends
Footso, the black cat, Candy Floss, Jack-in-the-box and
Jiffy the broomstick man. They are looked after by the Toy
Inspector. Twizzle has the strange ability to be able to
stretch his arms and legs to incredible lengths.
It
is largely for Gerry Anderson's direction that the series
is remembered, even though he contributed to only the first
26 episodes.
Made
at Islet Park studio on a budget of £450 per episode.
'Video assist' first used in this series, allowing production
crew other
than the cameraman to be able to see the shot in progress,
a technique soon widely adopted by the industry.
1960 - Torchy the Battery Boy
Produced
by AP FILMS for Pelham Productions Limited
26 x b/w 15
min episodesFirst transmitted: 23rd February 1960
Created and
written by Roberta LeighDirected by Gerry Anderson
Torchy,
a clockwork toy with a battery-powered light on his hat,
travels in his space rocket to and from Topsy-Turvy Land,
where all the neglected and mistreated toys live and come
alive to join in his adventures. Other characters included
Mr Bumble-Drop, King Dithers,
Bossy Boots, Pom Pom, Flopsy, Pilliwig, Sparky, Squish and
Pongo.
3-Dimensional
sets were introduced for the first time on this series and
puppets were fitted with moving mouths and eyes.
Roberta Leigh went on to make a second series of Torchy
with Associated British Pathe.
1960 - Four Feather Falls
Produced
by AP FILMS for Granada Television
39 x b/w 15
min episodesFirst transmitted: 26th February 1960
Created
by Barry GrayDirected by Gerry Anderson
Sherrif
Tex Tucker saves the life of Makooya, the son of indian
chief Kalamakooya and is rewarded with four magic feathers
which, among other things, enable his guns to fire by themselves
and allow his dog, Dusty and horse, Rocky to be able to
talk to him. The series villains are Pedro the bandit and
his sidekick Fernando. Other main characters in the storylines
were townspeople Martha Jones, Grandpa Twink and Little
Jake.
Barry
Gray created the concept for Four Feather Falls but he did
not write the first episode, 'How It Began'. This episode
was actually written by Mary Cathcart Borer. The
theme song was sung by Michael Holliday. Voice artists included
Kenneth Connor, Denise Bryer and David Graham. Glass fibre
was used for the puppets' heads for the first time and electronic
lip-synch was first tried. The pilot episode was the last
output of Islet Park studio. Production moved to a warehouse
on the Slough trading estate which became known as the Ipswich
Road studio. Arthur Provis left the partnership amicably
during this period, going on to work with Roberta Leigh
on 'Sarah and Hoppity' and another of her wonderful creations
- Space
Patrol (picture)
1960 - Supercar
An AP FILMS
production in association with ATV for ITC worldwide distribution
39 x b/w 30 min
episodes in two series of 26 and 13First transmitted:
28th January 1961
Conceived
by Gerry Anderson and Reg HillProduced by Gerry Anderson
Based
in a secret laboratory, Black Rock, in Nevada, Supercar is
a prototype vehicle invented by Doctor Beaker and Professor
Popkiss which can travel underwater, through the air and even
into space, piloted by Mike Mercury. Assisted by 10 year old
Jimmy Gibson and Mitch the monkey who they rescue, much of
their time is spent thwarting the villains Masterspy and Zarin
who are trying to steal the secrets of Supercar.
There was a second series of Supercar
- the first 26 episodes constituted season one (broadcast
January to September 1961) while the last 13 comprised season
two (broadcast March to February 1962). The making of Crossroads
To Crime took place between the two seasons. George Murcell
was unavailable to voice Prof Popkiss in the second series,
which is why he was replaced by Cyril Shaps.
Title Theme
Supercar
was one of the first British shows to be sold to America by
ITC, shown there in Autumn 1962.
It was preceded by 'The Adventures Of Robin Hood' which began
on CBS in September 1955, followed by
'The Adventures Of Sir Lancelot' (1955), 'The Buccaneers'
(1956), 'The Count Of Monte Cristo' (1956), 'The Four Just
Men' (1957),
'The New Adventures Of Charlie Chan' (1957), 'The Adventures
Of William Tell' (1957) and 'Danger Man' (1961)
There were a few 'firsts' - the first 30 minute series, Jimmy
Gibson was Sylvia Anderson's first voice part and the opening
titles
showing Supercar flying through the clouds were the first
time back-projection was used. The term 'Supermarionation'
was invented for the promotional literature for the series
to describe the lip-synch procedure used in the puppets.
1960 - Crossroads to Crime
AP FILMS
/ Anglo-Amalgamated
Film - b/w 57
minsPremiere: November 1960
Produced
by Gerry Anderson
A
young policeman, Don Ross, uncovers a plot by a gang of
would-be hijackers operating from a local cafe.
He pretends to be corrupt in order to try and foil their
plans for a £20,000 hijack of nickel alloy ingots.
Made
between the two series of Supercar, this was a 'B' support
movie.
1960 - Blue
Cars Holidays
AP
Films / Century 21 Productions (uncredited)
3 x 1 minute
film sequences
Producer:
Nicholas Parsons (uncredited) Script: Nicholas Parsons,
David Ellis (uncredited)
Director: Gerry Anderson (uncredited) Director of Photography:
John Read (uncredited)
Art Director: Reg Hill (uncredited) Cast: Nicholas Parsons,
Denise Bryer (uncredited)
Commercials
made for Nicholas Parsons' production company on behalf
of Blue Cars Holidays.
Also
made between the two series of Supercar. One of these, 'Martians',
won the Grand Prix prize in the
Commercial Services category at the first British TV Commercial
Awards in 1961, organised by the Television Mail.
A second one, the 'French' one, came third in the same category.
( Nicholas Parsons pictured )
1962 - Fireball XL5
An AP FILMS
production in association with ATV for ITC worldwide distribution
39 x b/w 30
min episodesFirst transmitted: 28th October 1962
Produced
by Gerry Anderson
Set
in 2024, Steve Zodiac is the pilot of Fireball XL5, the
flagship of the fleet of the World Space Patrol,
based in galaxy sector 25. In his crew are the blonde, curiously
un-surnamed space doctor Venus, bespectacled
Professor Matthew Matic,the transparent robot Robert and
alien 'pet' Zoonie the Lazoon.
The
first series to use the concept of a world class organisation
combatting evil and the first British children's television
programme
to be taken up by an American network. Transmitted by NBC
Television in 1962. This was the only show ever to contain
a Gerry Anderson-voiced character, albeit unrecognisable
as Robert the robot!
End
Theme
AP
FILMS were sold to Lew Grade
at ATV in 1962, prior to the production of Stingray and the
studios moved to larger
premises at Stirling Road on the same estate.
May 1963 - Lyons Maid 'Sea Jet'
J.Lyons & Co.
A
number of advertisements starring 'Stingray'
were made to promote the 'Sea-Jet' ice lolly.
Similarly, later, 'Thunderbirds' were used to promote
'Zoom', and 'FAB'.
'Sea Jet' became 'Super Sea Jet' in 1969.
J.Lyons
& Co
1964 - Stingray
An AP FILMS
production in association with ATV for ITC worldwide distribution
39 x colour
30 min episodesFirst transmitted: 4th October 1964
Produced
by Gerry Anderson
Set
in the year 2024, Stingray, an advanced submarine belonging
to W.A.S.P. - the World Aquanaut Security Patrol - is crewed
by pilot Troy Tempest and hydrophones operator Lt. George
'Phones' Sheridan. They are assisted by the underwater-breathing
Marina, rescued from Titanica by Troy in the first episode.
Her father is Aphany, ruler of the undersea kingdom of Pacifica.
In between fighting the terror fish of the evil Titan and
his amphibians and outwitting their agent X20, Troy is caught
in the eternal triangle with the non-speaking Marina and
Atlanta, the daughter of Commander Shore, head of their
Marineville base.
Stingray
was the first series in which episodes were filmed simultaneously
by crews working on two completely separate soundstages
with duplicated sets and puppets. On Fireball XL5 the limited
studio space meant that the two crews shared the facilities
on a single soundstage and moved between the sets on a definite
rota.
No
pilot episode was made for this series as it was directly
ordered by Lord Lew Grade.
This was the first children's series made entirely in
colour ( for the American market ), although 30 episodes
of 'The Adventures of Sir Lancelot' were made in colour
in 1955. First shown on British TV in black and white, the
colour process used was christened ' Videcolor'. Probably
most remembered for the haunting end theme 'Aqua
Marina', a chart hit sung by Gary Miller and written
by Barry
Gray.
'Stingray' was designed by Reg Hill.
1965 - Thunderbirds (series 1 )
AP FILMS
/ ITC
Series 1 - 26
x 50 min episodesFirst transmitted: Thursday
30th September 1965
Producer:
Gerry AndersonAssociate Producer: Reg Hill
Set
in 2024, the Tracy family, operating from their secret Pacific
Ocean island base as International Rescue, save the world
from disasters of various sorts using the inventions of
Hiram 'Brains' Hackenbacker. Dad - Jeff Tracy - ex lunarnaut
- is the boss and the various craft are piloted by his sons
Scott (TB1), Virgil (TB2), Alan (TB3), Gordon (TB4) and
John (TB5), with assistance at various times from their
faithful manservant Kurano and his daughter TinTin. Also
helping is their glamorous British agent, Lady Penelope
Creighton-Ward and her chauffeur Aloysius 'Nosey' Parker
in the fabulous six-wheeled pink Rolls-Royce FAB 1. Amongst
their many problems is the master criminal 'The Hood', who
is constantly trying to discover their secrets.
AP Films had been shooting episodes
simultaneously since Fireball XL5. Without this, a shooting
schedule of two weeks per episode would have taken 18 months
to film Fireball XL5 and another 18 months to film Stingray,
whereas both series were actually completed in half that
time. For the 50 minute-long Thunderbirds episodes the schedule
for each was expanded to four weeks, but with simultaneous
shooting the first season 26 episodes were completed in
just over a year.
Title
theme Midi
version
Thunderbirds
was not a success in America, which is why the show was
cancelled early and a new show commissioned.
It was not shown in the U.S.A. until 1968, after a greater
success by Captain Scarlet.
The Tracy boys are all named after real-life astronauts.
The pilot episode 'Trapped in the sky' was only 25 minutes
long but expanded to 50 minutes on the orders of Lew
Grade.
This helped to improve the storyline and character development.
The 'Roller-road' was first conceived and used during
the series for ground vehicle motion shots. Each episode
of Thunderbirds contained, on average, 100 SFX shots.
This was also the first series not to be screened in a childrens'
TV slot.
1965 - Concorde
Footage
of a model Concorde taking off was produced for British
Airways to use in a documentary.
When the Concorde made its maiden
flight to Toulouse, France, to be unveiled, it was greeted
by the
Band of the Royal Marines striking up Barry Gray's 'Thunderbirds
March'.
No
other information available.
1965 - TV Century
21 Paper and Century 21 Records
The year
also saw the launch of the high quality, glossy TV Century
21 comic on Wednesday 23rd January. Published by City magazines
and Century 21 publishing ( AP Films Merchandising ), it
was conceived by Keith Shackleton and edited by Alan Fennell,
followed a year later by a sister paper, 'Lady Penelope'.
Combined circulation reached a peak of 1.3 million copies
per week.
Also launched, in September, was Century 21 records - Clive
Selwood and Gerry Anderson in partnership with PYE records.
These 33 r.p.m. mini albums - "21 minutes of adventure"
- featured original material, abridged versions of some
of the shows and the wonderful music of Barry Gray. 36 were
produced in all:
1
x Fireball XL5, 3 x Stingray, 5 x Captain Scarlet, 4 x Theme
and Incidental music
19 x Thunderbirds of which 3 were original new stories.
4 others contained licensed properties including Doctor
Who and Topo Gigio
1966 - Thunderbirds Are Go
Century 21
Cinema / United Artists
Film
- 94 minutes
Premiered at The London Pavilion, Leicester Square, Monday
12th December 1966
Executive
Producer: Gerry AndersonProducer: Sylvia Anderson
On
the big screen for the first time, International Rescue
supervise the security arrangements surrounding the launch
of the 'ZERO X' manned Mars mission. Problems arise when
it runs into trouble on the return journey.
Uniquely
features Cliff Richard and the Shadows in puppet form, performing
at the 'Swinging Star' night club which Alan Tracy and Tintin
visit. The puppets were stars at the premiere. This was
the first attempt by a British TV company to get into the
cinema film business.
The film was actually called 'Thunderbirds Are Go' - no
! mark, which can clearly be seen on the E.P.!
1966 - Thunderbirds ( series 2 )
AP FILMS
/ ITC
6
x 50 minute episodesFirst transmitted: October 2nd 1966
Producer:
Reg Hill
Executive
Producer: Gerry AndersonAssociate Producer: John
Read
This
series - set in 2024 - brings us more action, adventure
and bravery from the Tracy boys and their expensive toys.
Even more spectacular special effects and strange mechanical
devices. Thunderbird 3 was apparently based on the Russian
Soyuz craft. You may also note a similarity in the shape
of sections of the Tracy homestead and the design of Thunderbird
5, their orbiting monitor station.
In
1966 Gerry Anderson received television's highest award,
The Silver Medal for Outstanding Artistic Achievement
from the Royal Television Society.
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