wow, with all the chaos of producing half-hour, one hour and fill-in sections, it's a wonder these shows got made at all. But not only did they get made but they were some of the best quality programmes to come out of the 1960s, so good that we are still watching them nearly 60 years later
I do not think there is a living person who can have such knowledge and insight into this specific area of Andersons work than Mr Stephen La Rivière. The process of himself taking on making supermarionation videos, the research and appreciation doing exactly the same as the original team all those decades ago that Gerry Anderson created and managed. Then selling his product to the TV entertainment business’s around the world make Stephen along side possibley Jamie Anderson as someone who truly knows what Gerry went through. I am glad we have creatives like these men and women to go so deep into details and use big movie skills on the small screen. Thank you.
I remember being about 10 years old when I watched Terror in New York City for the first time and absolutely loved watching the Empire State Building crashing down on top of two guys - this scene never gets old, the thrill of watching it all these years later is still very much there 😄
"The Perils of Penelope" and "Terror in New York City" were the third and fourth episodes I watched back in November 1991 when I was 5 years old. It is great watching this behind-the-scenes documentary series. :)
I am watching a complete re-run of the Thunderbirds series on Channel 82 Talking Pictures every Sunday at 12:25; So, I am truly looking forward to this having seen the entire series when it was first screened! 🤟
From the sound of it, the unused score intended for after Scott tells Gordon to "keep going, we've got to find them," seems to have been reused in Thunderbirds 6, the they make their way back from the Whistle Stop Inn to Skyship One, before cutting to the airship lifting off for what would be the last time
Well, I've said it once and I'll say it again... But Gerry Anderson's work has always inspired me to create something that is really amazing as his work!
hehe. one of my earliest memories is of watching Terror as a 3 year old and being absolutely traumatised when thunderbird 2 was shot down. bawled my eyes out. It's my fondest episode as a result of the excellent dramatic tension, I still have my Carlton DVD releases EDIT: to clarify, the DVDs were how I first watched the show. I'm probably much younger than the average commenter here (early 20s). My dad did watch it when it first aired though.
Another excellent edition about two of the best episodes and while certain things are stated as conjecture, they are logical and make sense. It’s great.
2:10 Oh Captain Magenta From Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons. You Too Funny And Hilarious And Outrageous As Groundskepper Willie From The Simpsons. DO'H. Xxxx 🇺🇸
This is easily my favourite series on this website at the moment. I'm learning about so much that I hereto thought was lost forever. (Also, tangential as this is, this video has the honour of being what I was watching when I heard my cousin once removed had been born!)
At the near end of the episode Gordon Rescue Ned Cook and his camera man in Thunderbird 4 before the second building collapse. The weirdest thing is that after the second building collapse the fate of Thunderbird 4 escaping were unclear and the scene moved to the Ned Cook Show with all the Tracy family watching the live show featuring Ned Cook which he did survived in the end.
I imagine all the monorail sequences in Perils of Penelope may have been another example of trying to maximise footage by 'double-banking' with Brink of Disaster. In similar way to all the Sun Probe material, those scene were possibly shot with an eye to filming enough material to use some of it in a different context, or filming both episodes' monorail shots in one long block.
Top stuff! ULTRA NERD MOMENT HERE! So, with the original 60 minuters of Trapped, Perils and Terror completed in that order, that explains a little bit why Thunderbird 1's engine sound is the same in Trapped and Perils, and then suddenly different from Terror onwards, using the blend of its original sound plus the high-pitched engine fequence used in the TX204 target aircraft from Trapped. Did anyone else notice this? I'm sure I can't be the only one!
And also, Thunderbird 4 has a different engine sound in both Terror in New York City and Day of Disaster compared to it's other appearances. In those two episodes, the craft's engines make a deep buzzing sound, whereas in all other appearances, the engines make a high-pitched humming sound.
Hopefully for its 60th Anniversary next year, we would love to see some half-hour episodes along with 50th Anniversary episodes and newly restoration episodes of the show would be included on Thunderbirds: The (Newly) Complete Collection on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc in the UK markets from Spirit Entertainment and ITV Studios and from Century 21 Films team too.
Wow, despite how much of headache it must've been to go back to already completed half hour episodes and extend them to an hour (50 mins without the breaks) while shooting new episodes at the same time, I still admire how these guys pulled out all the stops to achieve all this. Always love watching and reading about all this. Though I would be curious to see how the earlier episodes would've looked in their original half hour formats. Particularly as it's likely they may have reshot some scenes so dialogue is changed to reference newly added scenes.
Yeah I remember watching the orginal Thunderbirds series of "The Perils of Penelope", I know that Doctor Godber was defeated but both the series and the Storybook picture haven't explain or show what has happen to him after Virgil and Gordon rescue Lady Penelope from the runaway Express Train. Plus what about Professor Borender, how did he manage to get away from Godber after Gordon shoot his gun on the floor? Also Is there a little romance between Virgil and Lady Penelope?💖
The fact that the Sun Probe’s umbilical tower and the Empire State’s moving hydraulic structure use the same model, is surely all part of the story of these episodes’ gestation too.
There were SO many little goofs, continuity issues and plot problems pointed out there that I’d never noticed, I guess I must still watch them with the uncritical eyes of a child. But when you see how they were so malleable in the editing room, it’s not surprising.
The way that the Thompson Tower collapses, and the resulting piles of debris, had an horrific real-life analogue on 11/09/01. The similarity is chilling, to say the least. Probably the reason that I generally skip that episode when I have a binge watch. It's just too close.
It will probably be mentioned anyway but for the b/w documentary (that was even available in the VHS days so hardly a rare find), they must have been filming extra sections for City Of Fire when the BTS was made? Scott and Virgil try the cutting material and pass out due to the gas etc. The documentary said it was from 1965 and production spent nearly the whole of that year filming S1 new episodes and extra scenes. Something so simple in the BTS that now makes sense. The clapperboard date of 18th December 1964 must have been a week or two after Lew Grade’s decision to increase them to an hour slot too so this was when they were still making them for 30 minute slots.
You may be able to help me with a Thunderbirds query I've had for years. Why do some early Season 1 episodes such as Day of Disaster, The Uninvited etc have much more visible strings, etc than later Season 1 episodes and Season 2 episodes? Was it a case of learning as they went along? Thanks
Jeff: Scott, take off for New York. Scott: Yes, sir! Jeff: Gordon, launch Thunderbird 4 using emergency procedure and then proceed to the position where the fleet exercises are going on. I'll contact Washington and arrange for them to pick you up and rush you to New York. Gordon: Yes, sir! Virgil: Good luck, Gordon. What can I do, Father? Jeff: Go back to bed.
@@HappyDude1 Because they represented the pinnacle of classy, law abiding, polite society inhabitants of Western Civilization. In my not so humble opinion, of course, based on my discourse with Londoners back in the day…
Is it possible that the whole concept of TB2 being shot down by the Sentinel, and the latter then being called upon to transport TB4 to New York was part of the padding? Could the 30min version have simply had TB2 fly as normal?
4:17 Scott Tracy Homer Simpson VS Ned Cook The Bumblebee Man. Crossover Between Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds The Original Series And The Simpsons The Original Series. DO'H. Xxxx 🇺🇸
@@century21films28 I know it's changed in recent years but back in the 60's-70's from my viewing experience of ITV, show would start say 3 mins past the hour. By 15 minutes past would be 3 mins adverts then show would finish at say 28 mins past. So half hour show would be about 25 minutes at most.
@@century21films28 What they didn't realise was the attention span of a child. Half hour is about right. Kids liked to watch kids TV, have their teatime meal and get outside to play with mates.
Going to be another great insight into this classic series, and a fitting tribute to the incredibly talented David Graham.
Thunderbirds is the best puppet program ever made and nothing will ever change my mind.
I never missed it when a kid.
@@Maccaxxxsame and the 2004 film was my childhood too.
Best episode of this documentary series so far - a fascinating story told with wit and flair.
One of the best episode ! must have taken ages to make. Fantastic !!
wow, with all the chaos of producing half-hour, one hour and fill-in sections, it's a wonder these shows got made at all. But not only did they get made but they were some of the best quality programmes to come out of the 1960s, so good that we are still watching them nearly 60 years later
The infamous scene of a burning Thunderbird 2 crashing is forever imprinted in my memories.
Thought Virgil was dead as a kid. 😢
That was one of the few episodes I didn’t see as a young child. (This was in 2003/04, BTW.)
Yeh and always hunted for this episode because tb4 launched from the island
OMG - *_LOVED_* the humour in this one. Thank-you SO much *_AGAIN_* for all your quality work with these.
I do not think there is a living person who can have such knowledge and insight into this specific area of Andersons work than Mr Stephen La Rivière. The process of himself taking on making supermarionation videos, the research and appreciation doing exactly the same as the original team all those decades ago that Gerry Anderson created and managed. Then selling his product to the TV entertainment business’s around the world make Stephen along side possibley Jamie Anderson as someone who truly knows what Gerry went through.
I am glad we have creatives like these men and women to go so deep into details and use big movie skills on the small screen. Thank you.
What I love about these videos is I learn so much, yet remain so confused 😂
This is absolutely excellent stuff. Well researched and delivered with clarity and more than a touch of humour. Love it, thank you.
I remember being about 10 years old when I watched Terror in New York City for the first time and absolutely loved watching the Empire State Building crashing down on top of two guys - this scene never gets old, the thrill of watching it all these years later is still very much there 😄
"The Perils of Penelope" and "Terror in New York City" were the third and fourth episodes I watched back in November 1991 when I was 5 years old. It is great watching this behind-the-scenes documentary series. :)
Same. I got into it at that same age too.
Always loved the Perils of Penelope.
It was basically a low budget spy thriller. 😊
16:24: what a find. 😊❤
I am watching a complete re-run of the Thunderbirds series on Channel 82 Talking Pictures every Sunday at 12:25; So, I am truly looking forward to this having seen the entire series when it was first screened! 🤟
Born 1999, hardcore fan since 2003! These videos are really fascinating!
This is awesome Gold dust. Thank you and please show us more 😂❤
Absolutely loving these making-of's, always the part of the show that fascinated me the most!
I am really enjoying these insights to the filming of the original series. Well done to everyone involved.
These are truly fantastic. Funny, informative, brilliantly edited. As a second time around thunderbirds fan (90s) I miss it like crazy 🙏🏻
From the sound of it, the unused score intended for after Scott tells Gordon to "keep going, we've got to find them," seems to have been reused in Thunderbirds 6, the they make their way back from the Whistle Stop Inn to Skyship One, before cutting to the airship lifting off for what would be the last time
A great video - great humour, informative and entertaining. Keep up the good work Steve and team!
Loving the back stories, and the humor and editing in all these, really fun!
wow ... what a great find!!! thanx for sharing this!!!
Well, I've said it once and I'll say it again... But Gerry Anderson's work has always inspired me to create something that is really amazing as his work!
very informative documentary on the particular episodes (Des and David Elliott did great job) look forward to more
I feel it's often forgotten that Sylvia Anderson was very ahead of her time when it came to bringing female roles to the forefront of media.
Dee has tried to get her mother the proper recognition for years.
hehe. one of my earliest memories is of watching Terror as a 3 year old and being absolutely traumatised when thunderbird 2 was shot down. bawled my eyes out. It's my fondest episode as a result of the excellent dramatic tension, I still have my Carlton DVD releases
EDIT: to clarify, the DVDs were how I first watched the show. I'm probably much younger than the average commenter here (early 20s). My dad did watch it when it first aired though.
Another excellent edition about two of the best episodes and while certain things are stated as conjecture, they are logical and make sense. It’s great.
The whole concept of Scott going on Holiday in Thunderbird 1 was bonkers!
12:56 is that the prop on the right corner from the Stingray episode The Cool Caveman, with green tape to cover danger radioactivity?
Thanks guys, I have a strong urge to rewatch the blu ray set again after these great shorts recently
Wow! I had never spotted the changing microphone in 'Terror in New York City'! 😅
2:10 Oh Captain Magenta From Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons. You Too Funny And Hilarious And Outrageous As Groundskepper Willie From The Simpsons. DO'H. Xxxx 🇺🇸
This is easily my favourite series on this website at the moment. I'm learning about so much that I hereto thought was lost forever. (Also, tangential as this is, this video has the honour of being what I was watching when I heard my cousin once removed had been born!)
Once again, fantastic job! 👍👍
Very interesting. Really enjoyed this.
Worth watching for the English humour, alone. Great work!
I had a teenage crush on lady Penelope and now at 68 I still fancy her😅😅😅😊!!
Great editing - so funny :)
I’m also surprised to hear (another) unused soundtrack cue from Barry Gray 🤯
At the near end of the episode Gordon Rescue Ned Cook and his camera man in Thunderbird 4 before the second building collapse. The weirdest thing is that after the second building collapse the fate of Thunderbird 4 escaping were unclear and the scene moved to the Ned Cook Show with all the Tracy family watching the live show featuring Ned Cook which he did survived in the end.
Yeah how did Thunderbird 4 escape.
I imagine all the monorail sequences in Perils of Penelope may have been another example of trying to maximise footage by 'double-banking' with Brink of Disaster. In similar way to all the Sun Probe material, those scene were possibly shot with an eye to filming enough material to use some of it in a different context, or filming both episodes' monorail shots in one long block.
Top stuff!
ULTRA NERD MOMENT HERE!
So, with the original 60 minuters of Trapped, Perils and Terror completed in that order, that explains a little bit why Thunderbird 1's engine sound is the same in Trapped and Perils, and then suddenly different from Terror onwards, using the blend of its original sound plus the high-pitched engine fequence used in the TX204 target aircraft from Trapped. Did anyone else notice this? I'm sure I can't be the only one!
I noticed that too. Also, Thunderbird 2's engine had different sound effects in Trapped compared to the rest of the series.
And also, Thunderbird 4 has a different engine sound in both Terror in New York City and Day of Disaster compared to it's other appearances. In those two episodes, the craft's engines make a deep buzzing sound, whereas in all other appearances, the engines make a high-pitched humming sound.
Hopefully for its 60th Anniversary next year, we would love to see some half-hour episodes along with 50th Anniversary episodes and newly restoration episodes of the show would be included on Thunderbirds: The (Newly) Complete Collection on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc in the UK markets from Spirit Entertainment and ITV Studios and from Century 21 Films team too.
Wow, despite how much of headache it must've been to go back to already completed half hour episodes and extend them to an hour (50 mins without the breaks) while shooting new episodes at the same time, I still admire how these guys pulled out all the stops to achieve all this. Always love watching and reading about all this. Though I would be curious to see how the earlier episodes would've looked in their original half hour formats. Particularly as it's likely they may have reshot some scenes so dialogue is changed to reference newly added scenes.
Yeah I remember watching the orginal Thunderbirds series of "The Perils of Penelope", I know that Doctor Godber was defeated but both the series and the Storybook picture haven't explain or show what has happen to him after Virgil and Gordon rescue Lady Penelope from the runaway Express Train. Plus what about Professor Borender, how did he manage to get away from Godber after Gordon shoot his gun on the floor? Also Is there a little romance between Virgil and Lady Penelope?💖
Back when TV really did inform and entertain.
At the moment all Thunderbirds episodes are available on ITV X.
Talking Pictures repeated it too.
The fact that the Sun Probe’s umbilical tower and the Empire State’s moving hydraulic structure use the same model, is surely all part of the story of these episodes’ gestation too.
No. It was just a prop lying around. It had been used for Sun Probe in 1964. Someone just used it again months later when they did Terror.
Good point, fair enough.
@@century21films28 The same scaffolding could also be seen supporting Thunderbird 2 in the hanger when the craft is under repair.
@ Yes, we know.
There were SO many little goofs, continuity issues and plot problems pointed out there that I’d never noticed, I guess I must still watch them with the uncritical eyes of a child.
But when you see how they were so malleable in the editing room, it’s not surprising.
Are the 2 models at 1:20, the 2 models reported at the time as having been stolen from the studio very early on during filming?
The way that the Thompson Tower collapses, and the resulting piles of debris, had an horrific real-life analogue on 11/09/01. The similarity is chilling, to say the least.
Probably the reason that I generally skip that episode when I have a binge watch. It's just too close.
The episode City Of Fire and the one with Prescott in a burning lift were banned after it happened. I remember that well.
@@MediaArchive2-z9fEven though I’d say 30MAN predicted Oklahoma City.
It will probably be mentioned anyway but for the b/w documentary (that was even available in the VHS days so hardly a rare find), they must have been filming extra sections for City Of Fire when the BTS was made? Scott and Virgil try the cutting material and pass out due to the gas etc. The documentary said it was from 1965 and production spent nearly the whole of that year filming S1 new episodes and extra scenes. Something so simple in the BTS that now makes sense. The clapperboard date of 18th December 1964 must have been a week or two after Lew Grade’s decision to increase them to an hour slot too so this was when they were still making them for 30 minute slots.
😊😊😊great
You may be able to help me with a Thunderbirds query I've had for years. Why do some early Season 1 episodes such as Day of Disaster, The Uninvited etc have much more visible strings, etc than later Season 1 episodes and Season 2 episodes? Was it a case of learning as they went along? Thanks
part of me wonders would it have made more sense from a continuity standpoint, to have POLP air before Sun Probe?
Having only ever seen the 1 hour versions, i cant imagine shorter versions. I think that would ruin it
Jeff: Scott, take off for New York.
Scott: Yes, sir!
Jeff: Gordon, launch Thunderbird 4 using emergency procedure and then proceed to the position where the fleet exercises are going on. I'll contact Washington and arrange for them to pick you up and rush you to New York.
Gordon: Yes, sir!
Virgil: Good luck, Gordon. What can I do, Father?
Jeff: Go back to bed.
my favourite line 🙂
a very good film
When's the next episode
Ye gods - talk about bringing order out of chaos! But I guess that was Thunderbirds' mission all along.
Am I correct in my thinking that Lady Penelope, and Venus (Fireball XL-5), are the same puppet?
" Open the door we are british " does that matter ? 😂
Back then it did.
@@historybuff66
Really? Why? 😁
@@HappyDude1 Because they represented the pinnacle of classy, law abiding, polite society inhabitants of Western Civilization. In my not so humble opinion, of course, based on my discourse with Londoners back in the day…
You bet it does.
@@historybuff66
Aaah interesting
So they think they are better then the rest ? 😋 thihi
Is it possible that the whole concept of TB2 being shot down by the Sentinel, and the latter then being called upon to transport TB4 to New York was part of the padding? Could the 30min version have simply had TB2 fly as normal?
Unlikely because you’d have to reshoot the entire back end. The whole point was to not reshoot from scratch.
❤❤❤
4:17 Scott Tracy Homer Simpson VS Ned Cook The Bumblebee Man. Crossover Between Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds The Original Series And The Simpsons The Original Series. DO'H. Xxxx 🇺🇸
As this video fades out as a scene of conflagration plays, there are sirens outside the window of my New York City apartment.
On commercial TV surely hour episode is only about 40 to 45 minutes of production. Do kids have an attention span of an hour.
I know a comedy writer loved ITV only had to write for 20 minutes of show. But 27 minutes for BBC.
@@flybobbie1449 In the UK a television hour is (or was) 50 minutes, or 60 on non-commercial television. 40 minutes is an american hour.
@@century21films28 I know it's changed in recent years but back in the 60's-70's from my viewing experience of ITV, show would start say 3 mins past the hour. By 15 minutes past would be 3 mins adverts then show would finish at say 28 mins past. So half hour show would be about 25 minutes at most.
@@century21films28 What they didn't realise was the attention span of a child. Half hour is about right. Kids liked to watch kids TV, have their teatime meal and get outside to play with mates.
I can remember as a child they being too long. Lose interest.
F-A-B!!
The Grade family have been like a bad dose of thrush for British TV. Really irritating in an intimate place.