Thunderbirds Are Go!!!

Gerry and Sylvia Anderson had already made a name for themselves with a puppetry process they developed in the 60s called “Supermarionation.” For all of their endeavors, however, including such shows as Supercar, Fireball XL5 and Stingray, it was their next offering, Thunderbirds, that is most fondly remembered.

First airing in 1965, Thunderbirds followed the adventures of the International Rescue Team, led by Jeff Tracy and his five sons – Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John (not coincidentally the names of the first five American astronauts to go into space.) Each battled evil forces from their own spacecraft, each of which was designed by the introverted genius known simply as Brains, alongside his female assistant Tin Tin.

Caring for the Tracy boys were Grandma, as well as the family butler, Kryano, who just so happened to be Tin Tin’s father. He was also half-brother to The Hood, the primary nemesis to the Thunderbirds. With his hypnotic powers, The Hood was continuously plotting to take over the world and the only thing standing in his way were Jeff and his courageous kin. Of course, what adventure series is complete without a stunning female? Grandma might not have quite fit that bill, but Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward certainly did (voiced by Sylvia Anderson). She made her way around in a special six-wheel Rolls Royce and luxury yacht, each adorned with high-tech gadgetry and a custom license plate (Fab 1 and Fab 2, respectively.)

Lady Penelope had some pretty fancy transportation, but they paled in comparison to the spacecrafts operated by the Thunderbirds. Scott piloted Thunderbird 1, a craft capable of achieving 7,000 MPH. Thunderbird Two belonged to Virgil and served as a carrier for the Thunderizer. Alan piloted Thunderbird 3, which was capable of near-space exploration and rescue missions, whereas Gordon took the controls of Thunderbird 4, a submergible vehicle capable of undersea rescue operations. And finally, John monitored the team from Thunderbird 5, an earth-orbiting space station.

Viewers quickly embraced Thunderbirds, and like any popular show, this meant an onslaught of merchandising. Eventually the show’s length was stretched to 50 minutes, and led to two full-length motion pictures, Thunderbirds Are Go in 1966, and Thunderbird 6 two years later. And in 2004, a live-action film, Thunderbirds, was released, starring Bill Paxton, Anthony Edwards and Ben Kingsley.

It is the original 32 episodes of Thunderbirds that are most fondly remembered though. With special effects that beautifully captured the various crafts as they traversed various landscapes and locales, well-written, compelling storylines and, of course, those lovable puppets, it was a one-of-a-kind series. And thanks to the release of the entire series on DVD in 2000, fans can continue to relive their memories for many years to come.