THUNDERBIRDS UNSEEN: The Making of The Uninvited (Behind the Scenes Documentary)
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- Опубліковано 27 лис 2024
- Engines roar as Thunderbird 1 hurtles towards the sand - will Scott survive the crash? This is the action-packed opening that greets viewers of 'The Uninvited'... but it wasn't always the case. In this behind the scenes look at the memorable Thunderbirds episode's production we uncover the original 25 minute version of the story, this time without the help of much previously unseen footage or behind the scenes stills material.
In this instalment of our Making Of Documentary investigation of the creation of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's classic television series Thunderbirds, we take an in-depth look at Scott's journey to the lost pyramid of Khamandides and his battle with the Zombites. With the help of newly unearthed 35mm film and studio documentation, this series challenges some of the "established" facts of the series' early days and uncover footage unseen for sixty years.
Thunderbirds was a massive success upon its debut in 1965 and this documentary programme investigates contributions made by scriptwriters, directors, special effects technicians, composer Barry Gray, and more. To help us along the way, we will be drawing on not just interviews with the cast and crew, but from surviving material ranging from surviving scripts and musical scores, to original rushes material digitised for the first time in 4k!
Explore this classic Supermarionation show like never before... - Фільми й анімація
Totally Amazing ! Bring back Thunderbirds with puppets.
My parents used to always put thunderbirds on for me when I was younger so despite being a 00's kid I grew up on this it's so much better than what is made now keep up the good work
Ditto. I know every episode inside out.
Us boomers heartily agree! 😁😁
You were a very lucky kid to be able to watch Thunderbirds repeatedly.
It was before my time. "I first saw thunderbirds in +- 1968 at time we were living in helens close blackpool.
I was born in 98 and obsessed with this and similar shows too. Definitely going to be something I show my children.
Definitely a "Stingray" throwback!
The shooting down of Thunderbird One really raises the episode's stakes!
Great episode, the battle between Scott and Lindsey in the pyramid being a personal highlight.
Man, this showcase that shows the Behind The Scenes of "The Uninvited" was really amazing to me! 🤩😉👍
Awesome, to see the life like concern in Scotts face before crashing was superb. Grateful thanks Century 21 Films; for providing me with the behind the scenes experience! Dave.
Love how they were able to expand this episode to its hour long format by having Wilson and Lindsey meet Scott sooner and establish their relationship before their later encounter. Gives it more depth and blends in seamlessly.
Watched this video. Then watched ‘The Uninvited’ itself and spotted all of the things you’ve highlighted about the differences. I also now see things I cannot unsee, like Scott’s eyebrow in his launch sequence! I never considered how much this episode has similarities to the Stingray formula but had noticed the Stingray music. Interesting that the opening attack sequence was to have music - I think the lack of music actually creates tension. Another great instalment. Thanks C21!
Another enjoyable episode, thanks for putting it up. One item that I noticed was your comment about Thunderbird 1’s big rocket burning up everything when it took off, which happened a few times, lol. The burning rod object that you zoomed in on was actually the igniter for the bottom rocket which was fed up into the model from underneath the tabletop, whilst the rear rocket would be fired up, as you know, by electrical current down the support wires. Igniting the model rockets from under the set was an often used technique and you can see these rods, both burning or non-burning, in other episodes and other series.
Also if you haven’t noticed (but probably have) I believe in ‘The Mighty Atom’ there is a shot of TB2 lifting off and it’s rockets set fire to the sides of the pod! Another fun bit of watching practical effects. LOL.
I watched every morning before walking to school, 6th grade 1972 southern California my Dad was a Nasa engineer and I loved every episode and just recently turned my grandkids onto the UA-cam and all I can say is they cant get enough!!! you want to get rich make some toys because kids love it now as much as I did.
I think 'The Uninvited' is another episode that benefited from being expanded. The new opening sequence with Thunderbird 1 being shot down is not only dramatic, but it also helps to more clearly establish the Zombites as being villains. Even though we still can't understand a word they say or what their actual motives are! 😆
Fascinating bit at the end about the unused stock music for certain shots. I think not having music for the opening scene was the right choice, as it all stands very well on its own with simply the dialogue and sound effects.
My favourite episode. Ever!
I’ve always liked Sunprobe in Thunderbirds.I thought 💭 that this was a great 😊 episode,too!😊
And,in Doppelgänger,they had another Sunprobe craft in this movie.🎥 😊
Lovely work chaps, you've taken the small clues and postulated a very plausible idea of what we could have had - bravo!
It's odd how the music cues feel "wrong" somehow even though Barry himself picked them, the one from The Big Gun (or a variant of it) used later for the missile prep sequence certainly adds another touch of Stingray to the episode.
I've often wondered if the original version had standard dialogue for the Zombites, which was redubbed later to make them more mysterious, but that seems highly improbable as you'd imagine Scott and Wilson would have tried talking to them if that had been the case.
Great stuff, looking forward to Sun Probe!
Thanks for this episode. 👍
It was before my time, but love it. ❤️ 💪
Fascinating stuff
Champagne comedy writing highlights from this instalment : 03:19 _"Alan Patillo"_ - 05:51 _"... disposable children..."_ - and the whole killing-off references. Just superb scripting !! 😂😂😂😂
It's funny that the zoom in shot of the zombite insignia when Scott meets them would feel purposeless in the original (if it had been there), apart from trying to be dramatic, but in the final episode it now conveys that Scott recognises it from when they shot him down
Another fascinating insight along with a great script. Well done all.
Considering that there wasn’t any new footage, I loved the discoveries made including the hand helping Scott on the Horizontal Flight Control and how it would’ve sounded had Barry Gray’s incidental music been added. If they had made a TV movie with The Uninvited like they did with Countdown to Disaster (Terror In New York City & Atlantic Inferno), Thunderbirds in Outer Space (Sun Probe & Ricochet) and Thunderbirds to the Rescue (Trapped In The Sky & Operation Crash Dive) I can imagine they would’ve included the music.
@@glenncooney3959 To be fair - the shot of Thunderbird 1 and board had never been seen before this series. So not no new footage :)
Essential Saturday morning viewing!
Even now,I'll watch it if it's on the box
Watched this episode a few days ago, I didn't know a majority of Thunderbirds episodes we're originally 25 minutes long but I'm glad for the 50 minute version of this episode they added in that Zombite Fighter attack scene. While the runtime for these episodes might not be for everyone but I personally think that it adds more flavour to the episodes and this one especially is one of my favourite episodes of the whole series.
great documentary Des Saunders did a great job great details and very informative.
This is definitely one of my favourite TB episodes. And, yeah, it would not have been anywhere near as good in 25 minute format.
Some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Interesting too, thank you!
0:07 An Another Awesome Thunderbirds The Original Series Behind The Scenes Episode. Thanks Century 21 Films Buddy Amigo Dude Mate. XXxxx 🇬🇧 🇦🇺 🇺🇸
You are certainly putting the new found footage to good use . Keep up the Great work!
Thanks 😊
Love these videos, keep 'em coming!
I love these unseen fragments and there are a few unseen TB episodes I’d love to see……the three NEW episodes made by Century21 but unfortunatly that’s not possible….nowhere to be seen unless you get some expensive subscription, nowhere for sale…GREAT !!!😢
I do so love the humour in these, that first bit had me and my mate giggling like loons.
I really hope this series goes on to do Captain Scarlet episode by episode, or Stingray. They're such a good mixture of funny and informative!
Hahahaha, the shade at the Dutch version XD absolutely great.
Oh brilliant 😂 - I just had to say I’m giggling away here on the death of the new characters - well done, you should be on the stage
The whole purpose of youtube summed up. Thanks fellas, gals, what ever.
16:39 ~ 18:23, it's incredible to think that those two pieces of Barry Gray's fantastic music WEREN'T included in the final cut of "The Uninvited". How different things could've being if they had?
Desert of Danger 🐪
I love the unheard Barry Gray-piece, isn’t it used in Day of Disaster (partially?)
I am Dutch and my brother and I specifically remember that weird, dubbed Dutch version of 'Trapped in the sky' as a special episode of Thunderbirds, even though we could not have seen it back in 1965 as that was just before our time. This solves a mystery that we often wondered about in later years.
We remember seeing the series at some point in a rerun here in the 80s, but we also remember that before that, this specific episode was very often seen in reruns here. In the early seventies, it was almost like a recurring Christmas special and it's the only one they ever dubbed, which was something that normally never happened here. So now I finally understand why we know that episode better than any of the other ones, and why we can still quote lines from only that one that are in Dutch. We later thought we made that up.
Actually, a handful were dubbed!
@@century21films28 Really? I don't doubt it, but for some reason 'Trapped in the sky' was the only one they kept showing over and over. Do you know which ones they dubbed? Perhaps it jogs some memories.
Your reference to 'that one episode' felt like such a nice explanation for a mystery that haunted me about Thunderbirds in the Netherlands. Having one they had dubbed and for some reason having the right for or something would have explained a lot.
I live in Holland and it is indeed important that the premiere took place in our country. Many American series were also first shown in the Holland because the Dutch audience was a good indicator of how a series would be received in the rest of the world. That Thunderbirds subsequently became a worldwide hit is (also) thanks to us.... :-)
Love the dry humour!
I did notice in the scene when Tin-Tin was trying to stand up from the chair after she heard about Scott being attack by unidentity aircraft that there's a finger on her waist.
Yeah, I think that scene was edited in the US blu-ray, so you no longer see the thumb. The same is true I believe for the hand helping Scott at the controls of Thunderbird 1, though I'm not 100% certain on that. I also don't recall seeing a knee hanging in space next to Thunderbirds 3 and 5, so I presume that was painted out too.
And a very grubby fingernail it was to!
How dare someone man handle Tin Tin with such dirty fingers!
It's worth mentioning the story was also expanded upon to an extent in the Thunderbirds the comic adaption back in the 90s, if anyone's ever read the comic album, Shockwave
There's a definite Team America vibe to this episode!
I love 'The Uninvited' it was the 1st Thunderbirds Chanel 5 Video my Dad bought me in the 1980s!
But wait, isn't TB1 a rocket capable of 15,000 miles per hour ? How did a bunch of fighter jets manage to shoot him down ?
But okay, we had to have a story.
Also, it amazes me how the Zombite civilization got to be so ancient not building safety protocols and safeguards into their technology, I mean geez, one leaver carelessly flipped destroys everything. Even a windows 3.1 computer would ask, "Are you sure you want to destroy your entire civilization ?"
“Nose up Scott!”. “Thanks Dad, I never thought of that” 🙄. 🤣
if he had kept his nose down that would have got bumped or worse when he crashed
It dawned on me as a teenager that this episode, "The Uninvited", conveniently chooses to ignore that Thunderbird 1 has a top speed of 15,000 (Mach 19.7) and a maximum altitude of 150,000 feet, to have Thunderbird 1 engage in a dogfight it looses with the Zombite fighters, instead of just immediately and easily going to maximum speed and outclimbing and outrunning them.
Derek Medding’s was ahead of his time with special effects!I see a puppet in a plastic bag,and it’s near the movie camera!🎥 😊These were days of really,great,t.v.!😊
I remember being so upset when Scott crashed (I was only 8 at the time). It's hard to imagine the episode having so much impact without that scene
Yes great episode. IR of course should have rescued the Zombites. Shows a bit of that post WW2 attitude to other non westerners perhaps. But as you say I’m looking back with present day morality. Loved the way you pointed out the guest characters’ fate.😢
The uninvited is one of my fave episodes..the 2 guys in the truck crack me up😂..(voices)...Wilson funny...love how they get thunderbird 1 repaired and flown back so quickly 😊..but hey it doesn't matter!...as fanderson anoracks..we don't care class..gazz
Great stuff, your break-downs are at least as entertaining as the show itself, bravo! Unfortunately now I am going to be looking for the continuity issues/miss-placed hands whenever I watch Thunderbirds in the future, spoil-sports!!
Interesting look at how The Uninvited was extended. This episode certainly benefitted from expansion. In it's original form, it basically felt like a leftover story from Fireball XL5 or Stingray, but the added plot of Thunderbird 1 being attacked by the Zombites and being found by Wilson and Lindsay enhanced the story considerably and turned it into a fan favourite. The additional material for The Uninvited was filmed in unison with Desperate Intruder, which makes sense, as both episodes take place in a desert setting. You mention the horizontal flight control label on Scott's pilot seat as a giveaway as to which scenes are original and which are added material, but it's worth noting that the radio equipment behind Jeff's desk also serves as a giveaway. Originally, the radio was unlabelled, but for Desperate Intruder, a sign saying "Auto Transmission Unit" was added to it and this label stuck around for a while afterwards, so when watching the episodes that were originally filmed as half-hours, it's worth keeping an eye on the radio. If the Auto Transmission Unit label is there, then it's additional material.
@@class87fan54 The additional material for The Uninvited was not shot with Desperate Intruder - the music recording session took place four days before the TB1 crash landing was shot.
@@century21films28 Oh. I thought that it was, as the Auto Transmission Unit label looks the same as it did in Desperate Intruder, and during a whip pan in the latter episode, you can see Thunderbird 1 crashed in the sand, but I guess I was wrong.
@@class87fan54 You can see Thunderbird 1 in the sand - but not necessarily crashed. But Desperate was definitely finished before Uninvited.
@@century21films28 I suppose that would explain how Barry Gray was able to reuse some of the score from Desperate Intruder for The Uninvited. I know that the additional material for both Sun Probe and Operation Crash-Dive were filmed in tandem with 30 Minutes after Noon, as there's a fair bit of crossover between the three episodes; Tom Prescott doubles up as a news reporter in Operation Crash-Dive, the laser cutter vehicle can be seen inside Thunderbird 2's pod in Sun Probe and Braman doubles up as the plutonium store robots in 30 Minutes after Noon.
@@class87fan54 Again, wrong. 30 Mins was dubbed in July 65. There are photos of Crash-Dive and Sun Probe filming later than this. Re-use of puppets is no sign they were being filmed together.
In Desperate Intruder, there is a side-sweep between the caravans and Brains being buried in the sand. Slow it down and you can see a blurred image of Thunderbird 1 in the sand. Thunderbird 1 hadn't been launched because IR didn't know what had happened yet. Blooper! The music for DI was recorded four days before (2nd July) before Thunderbird 1's crash was filmed (6th July) as we can see from the clapperboard. Both episodes feature deserts. I guess the editor hoped no-one would spot it?
@@jameslong3509 Hardly hoped. The chances of anyone spotting it pre-DVD was absolutely nil. The shot from Intruder is just a whip pan which happens to feature TB1. In Stingray you get to see puppeteers and the studio…
I lived Coventry, Thunderbirds was broadcast on Friday's at 5.00 pm, that would have been December the 3rd, for this episode, there was an annoying ad break for 10 minuets halfway through of local ads mainly for business in Birmingham, we used to swap over to the BBC to watch Crackerjack, and were usually late swapping back to Thunderbirds.
Great detective work on the different dates and details! Also love the 5:51 'not one but two of his disposable children'
Another great video. Regarding the 'Z' logo, I noticed in the down shot of the base interior at '17:58' there are Z logos on soem of teh structures and these are reviersed like on the characters and the set. So (I think), it is ony the Zombite Fighters athat show the Z the more familoiar alphabetical Z orientation. Base on the extension you outline - which feels right to me - I can imagine the crew going back to dp the additional shots and making the model fighter planes for the 'Z men', and for one reason or another someone saying'we need more of those Z logos to put on these planes and the pilots', and the literal Z logos were made.. and not flopped Zs as were made for the origiala 25 minute scenes.
The planes and the pilots have Z logos and the people inside the pyramid and the base have the backwards Zs.
@@Matteline Inside the pyramid you get both.
Always loved this episode. As a small note to the comment on IR leaving people to die. That would never happen as it was their job to save people. That was their whole remit and reason for existing. Their charm was that they "always found a way" to ensure a rescue. Just my own personal opinion
@@moreheff The pyramid is blown to pieces and they leave cheerily. So they clearly did!
Always thought this felt like an unused Stingray script - wish we had more info so we knew which scenes were reshot and why - thanks for the video!
@@jameswhitaker12 Well this does pretty much cover it - lop the first 20 minutes off and you’ve largely got the 25-minuter.
@@century21films28 Sure looks like it! Will you be covering Martian Invasion - always felt to me like a script with a fair amount of padding
Excellent. I have a question though, for the VHS original channel 5 releases, you can hear the film splices as they go past the optical sound head, unlike later releases that were fully cleaned of soundtrack blemishes. Did the releases use 16mm prints as mastering sources? I note that many episodes have washed out colour and a fair amount of gate weave, plus splices where the original break bumpers would have been. However, no cue marks on the source material.
I love that Barry Gray's notes refer to the "Z-man". In the early 70s, before all the ret-conning and detailed fan analysis, my brother and I always called them the "Z men". The term "Zombites" seemed to come in with the Thunderbirds comic in the 1990s? As the script for this episode is stated as missing, I guess we don't know who came up with "Zombites", or exactly when?
@@explorer806 He calls them Zombites elsewhere in the notes - so it was in the script.
@@century21films28 Ah OK. Not mentioned in the dialogue though (?) so I guess my brother and I coined “Z-men” independently at ages 5 and 7! 😃 If the only written record was in Barry’s own notes, just wonder how “Zombite” survived all that time. I guess it was in earlier comics or annuals or something?
Wait, there is a dutch version of Thunderbirds?! I used to watch Thunderbirds as a kid in the dutch speaking part of Belgium, and that was in English.
Can we still find the dutch speaking version? I would love to show it to my kids!
The reversed insignia might have been a commissioning error in geting stickers/decals printed with someone scanning etc the wrong side ?
I love the way the Zombites look so wonderfully, er, foreign.
"...one or two of his disposable children."
The description of film grading is a bit odd (it sounds more like modern digital grading).
On film it was common to shoot a few frames of standardized colour chart under white light at the beginning of each camera roll (and again before any scenes with unusual coloured lighting) so that the grading (in the USA: "timing") wouldn't be too far off in the rushes (dailies). These charts would also help in correcting for any differences in the film stock or in the mixture of chemicals developing the negative. It was also common to have a strip of grey scale on the slate (the one on the slate in this video has a simplified version with just mid-grey and white).
So the rushes should never have looked very pale even in rushes. When it came to printing the final film, shot-by-shot fine adjustments would be made by changing the intensity of the red, green and blue lights exposing the film to make a visually seamless end result.
The barely-graded rushes would be edited to make a work print, full of splices.
In this video, the uneven and battered look of the print which was sent to ITC for approval suggests that it was a "slash print" - a rough copy of the work print. Slash prints (never intended to be publicly screened) were often made when different people needed copies to work on simultaneously - eg the Sound Editor and the composer. It would make sense to get ITC approval of a slash print rather than wait until the film was finished and any changes required would be harder and more expensive.
It’s only supposed to be a very simple explanation. And the print sent to ITC was definitely a final one - that is consistent across all of the approval prints. If the films look uneven, it’s because they’ve been sat in a garden shed for half a century, are very faded, have vinegar syndrome, and have only had a blanket universal grade (and the approval print here is only reels 3/4 - the rest of this episode is from the rejected Kodak print: and that is severely faded).
6:30 Leaving our guest characters to...
Erm?
*KA-BOOM!*
There She Goes!
*BOOM!*
Erm, hmm?
How did TB1 survive that crash landing ?
Something I still wonder is how did they move the legs of thunderbird 2 ? When it raises to open the pod
The legs were pushed up through from under the set, which also explains why the 'hydraulic' sections dont always move exactly as you'd expect.
Someone should've asked Meddings why he had never noticed an aeroplane before!
I'd always felt this was a very Stingray-ey sort of episode.
Perhaps the most morally-dubious episode of the series: albeit a particularly good one. Clearly, Zombite lives DON'T matter and not a hint of remorse of the lives lost. 😒
I feel the insignia was meant to be indicative of dictatorship powers like that of Germany mid 1920s to mid 1940s such that they were up to no good. maybe the comic strip later adaptation explains better ?
The Zombites shot down Thunderbird 1 and aimed to do the same to Thunderbird 2. They deserve to die! Trapped in the Sky is more morally dubious. Penelope and Parker seem happy to shoot someone off the road (resulting in a classic Meddings-style explosion) just for photographing Thunderbird 1's cockpit. At least the Dukes of Hazzard always checked to see that Roscoe was OK after running him off the road!
Boo hoo
I still want to know why Scott decided to fly over The Sahara. Scott is returning to base from Tokyo and Tracy Island is in the South Pacific.
I've always wondered how Scott gets shot down so easily? Because according to Trapped In The Sky TB1 approaches London Airport at 5,000mph, which we are told by the Flight Commander is impossible. Indeed TB1 can fly at 15,000mph top speed and a Mig Foxbat 25 fighter say max speed is 2,190mph. You would of thought he could of got away without too much trouble?
@@malcolmbuckoke2705 There’s no drama in strict logic.
What does FAB stand for ? please I have to know.
I'm not sure I understand why they didn't just double-up all of the finished episodes and move forward with hour-long episodes after that.
Because they had to keep filming. Getting scripts rewritten took time.
❤❤❤
12:36 They defended themselves against intruders. I.R failed their mission in case of one man who want stoling theirs golds.
Thunderbirds at 30 minutes was really 😒
9:00 John And Alan Tracy From Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds The Original Series Are A Bit Like Batman And Robin From BATMAN FOREVER The Squall To Batman The Movie And Batman Returns And Batman And Robin The Movie. I'M BATMAN. Thanks A Lot Century 21 Films Buddy Amigo Dude Mate. XXxxx 🇬🇧 🇦🇺 🇺🇸
Is this the lost footage found in a shed and finally put out?
If so, then say so, and don’t throw bits here and there, with a voiceover that is ‘shoe, sock, hat. Leg”
Turn it into narrative, not a random selection of shots and words.
First of all it isn’t.
Secondly… what on earth are you on about?
You appear to be complaining about a lack of clarity...using the most baffling post a human being has ever written? *slow clapping*
I've always wondered how Scott gets shot down so easily? Because according to Trapped In The Sky TB1 approaches London Airport at 5,000mph, which we are told by the Flight Commander is impossible. Indeed TB1 can fly at 15,000mph top speed and a Mig Foxbat 25 fighter say max speed is 2,190mph. You would of thought he could of got away without too much trouble?
It’s actually 7,500 mph.
I've always wondered how Scott gets shot down so easily? Because according to Trapped In The Sky TB1 approaches London Airport at 5,000mph, which we are told by the Flight Commander is impossible. Indeed TB1 can fly at 15,000mph top speed and a Mig Foxbat 25 fighter say max speed is 2,190mph. You would of thought he could of got away without too much trouble?