When Television Was Great

[Metry_Road]

‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ (1968)

Thursday morning 2:00 am. TCM. An unusual movie at an even more unusual time-slot, as this movie is aimed squarely at kids.

I was a big fan of the original TV series – essential viewing for a six-year-old. Barry Gray’s theme music was fabulous, and still gives me chills when I hear it.

The TV series was shown on some cable channel a few years ago. The episodes were edited down from an hour to thirty minutes, and the opening title sequence was eliminated altogether. They completely fudged it up. A total disaster.

Another great show from my childhood days was ‘Stingray’. From the same production company. Dig that great theme music. Guaranteed to stir the blood of any red-blooded six-year-old.

Thunderbirds Are Go!

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Anything can happen in the next half hour!

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Where are the Avengers when we need them?

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Best wishes
Metairie Road

[MissGoddess]

Sometimes it really is surprising what will turn up on TCM! I never even heard of that series, or "Stingray". But I do love classic TV series. I can watch most of them, just for curiosity's sake. I know many people, like me, wish there was a TRULY "classic television" network that could dust off the more obscure programs and give them a showcase. Thanks for mentioning these!

[stuart.uk]

Here's a list of some Gerry Anderson shows

Four Feather Falls-starring Nicolas Parsons as the voice of a town Marshal with magic guns

Supercar-The adventures of Mike Mercury and his special car, that can go unde water and fly in the sky

Fireball XL5-This is about astronaut Steve Zodiac and his girlfriend Venus(played by Sylvia Andreson) as they fly around space in Fireball XL5

Stingray featured the voice of Lois Maxwell as Atlanta Shore, one of Troy Tempest two love interests. An American actor, who appeared in With A Song In My Heart, plays Phones

Thunderbirds is Anderson's flag waver, a show that catered for adults as well as children. Shane Rimmer (The Spy Who Loved Me and Ghandi) supplied the voice of Scott Tracy, the pilot of Thunderbird One and Sylvia Anderson voiced the sexy spy Lady Penelope. Cliff Richard plays his fictional son in a dream sequence in Thunderbirds Are Go

Captain Scarlett was voiced my an old leading man of Ava Gardner's Francis Matthews. Ed Bishop was his sidekick Captain Blue, in a show where Earth is under threat from Martians The Mysterons

Joe 90, a show about a 9-year-old boy, who when put in his fathers machine can be given the brain of any individual. Because of this he becomes a secret agent.

UFO=Anderson's first show with life people with Ed Bishop as Commander Straker.

The Protectors starred American actor Robert Vaughan as Harry Rule, the boss of a detective agency with Nyreen Dawn Porter as Carolyn and Tony Anhold as Paul as his sidekicks. The series is most famous for its hit song The Avenue And Allyways, as sung by Tony Christie.

Space 1999, is about a station on the moon, that is by accident put into another orbit. It starred husband and wife team Martin Landou and Barbara Bain, along with Barry Morse and Tony Anholt

[stuart.uk]

I recently got digital tv and here's some of the shows

Upstairs Downstairs, it's a wonder it took so long for Pauline Collins to achieve international stardom with Shirley Valentine. Her great talent was obvious even when UD was made in the early 70. Gordon Jackson was also great as butler Hudson, who despite his working class roots was a right wing conserative, which was in complete contrast to his liberal senior civil servant in The Professionals

Quincy

Kojack

The Saint-The later ones, which to be fair in general aren't IMO as good as the early B/W enteries. Some are good though, like the episode Escape Route.

The Professionals-Recently voted by a UK audience as the best cop show. I must admit, I'm surprised the series stands up really well, perhaps because of the current threat of terrorism. I think Gordon Jackson is just imense as CI5 boss George Cowley, not only holding down one of the countries top jobs, but still able to look after himself when it comes to the action scenes. Why Lewis Collins never became a major star is a mystery, as he's great as Bodie. He was interviewed for Bond in the Roger Moore yrs. Martin Shaw, who played Ray Doyle, went on to become one of Britains tv actors. An American trailer said of it, It Makes Starsky And Hutch Look Like A Comic Strip

The Champions-American actor Stuart Damon as one of three agents with special powers.

The Prisoner, starring Patrick MaGoohan as a retired secret agent, kidnapped and taken to small village so he could be persauded to had over information. It's a strange series, but it's a cult classic

The New Avengers=Diana Rigg's Emma Peel may be the best of all the Avenger girls, but Joanna Lumley's Purdy looks fitter than any of the other girls that went before her. Gareth Hunt is surprisingly effective as Mike Gambit, providing the legs for the older John Steed, as played by Patrick McNee. It's funny while McNee looked older, Roger Moore was still convincing as James Bond, even though he was only slightly younger

The Sweeney with John Thaw and Dennis Waterman, in what's an iconic series about the elite Scotland Yard outfit The Flying Squad, The series inspired two feature films

Morse with John Thaw and Kevin Wateley

Minder with Dennis Waterman as a minder and former Alistair Sim sidekick George Cole as a weeler dealer, who needs Waterman to get him out of scrapes he gets himself into. Ray Winston was also a regular member of the cast.

[stuart.uk]

Miss G

Here's two links to my fav Thunderbirds episode. You might not believe it, but it always brings a tear to my eyes

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[jdb1]

Superthunderstingcar - (Peter Cook & Dudley Moore)

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