Thunderbirds (1965 - 1966)

Country of Origin: UK
Date(s) of Broadcast: 1965 - 1966
Number of Seasons: 2
Total Number of Episodes: 32
Average Episode Running Times: 50 mins
Format: Videcolor
Ratio: 1.33:1
Sound: mono

see individual episodes for credits

PLOT SUMMARY

From their secret base hidden beneath a remote island, ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy and his sons comprise International Rescue, a band of adventurers who use state-of-the-art technology to stage daring and hazardous rescues. They are aided by scientist Brains and the aristocratic Lady Penelope and her faithful butler Parker.

Gerry Anderson's most popular, enduring and simply his best puppet show, Thunderbirds re-surfaces every couple of years to entrance another generation. The action is relentless, the effects still rather wonderful and Barry Gray's music is exhilerating. Quite simply wonderful and still rarely equalled let alone bettered.

EPISODES

SEASON ONE
Trapped in the Sky (30 September 1965)
Pit of Peril (7 October 1965)
The Perils of Penelope (14 October 1965)
Terror in New York City (21 October 1965)
Edge of Impact (28 October 1965)
Day of Disaster (4 November 1965)
30 Minutes After Noon (11 November 1965)
Desperate Intruder (18 November 1965)
End of the Road (25 November 1965)
The Uninvited (2 December 1965)
Sun Probe (9 December 1965)
Operation Crash-Dive (16 December 1965)
Vault of Death (23 December 1965)
The Mighty Atom (30 December 1965)
City of Fire (6 January 1966)
The Impostors (13 January 1966)
The Man From MI5 (20 January 1966)
Cry Wolf (27 January 1966)
Danger At Ocean Deep (3 February 1966)
Move - and You're Dead (10 February 1966)
The Duchess Assignment (17 February 1966)
Brink of Disaster (24 February 1966)
Attack of the Alligators! (10 March 1966)
Martian Invasion (17 March 1966)
The Cham-Cham (24 March 1966)
Security Hazard (31 March 1966)

SEASON TWO
Atlantic Inferno (2 October 1966)
Path Of Destruction (9 October 1966)
Alias Mr Hackenbacker (16 October 1966)
Lord Parker's 'oliday (23 October 1966)
Ricochet (6 November 1966)
Give Or Take A Million (25 December 1966)

Canada
Video Distributor: A&E Home Video

Japan
Laserdisc Distributor: Emotion Bell (533 – volume 1 (Trapped in the Sky, Pit of Peril, Sun Probe, The Uninvited, City of Fire, The Mighty Atom, Operation Crash-Dive, End of the Road); 534 – volume 2 (The Perils of Penelope, Terror in New York City, Edge of Impact, Vault of Death, Martian Invasion, Day of Disaster, Attack of the Alligators, Danger at Ocean Deep); 535 – volume 3 (30 Minutes After Noon, Security Hazard, Move and You're Dead, Desperate Intruder, The Imposters, The Dutchess Assignment, Brink of Disaster, Cry Wolf); 536 – volume 4 (The Man from MI 5, Atlantic Inferno, Path of Destruction, The Cham-Cham, Alias Mr Hackenbacker, Lord Parker's 'Oliday, Give or Take a Million, Ricochet)); Bandai (2 volumes)

USA
Television Distributor: TechTV Inc
Video Distributor: A&E Home Video
Laserdisc Distributor: Image Entertainment (ID 6555 IV - Countdown to Disaster compilation); Image Entertainment (ID 6499 IV - Thunderbirds In Outer Space compilation)
DVD Distributor: A&E Home Video (70159 – Set 1; 70162 - Set 2)

UK
Television Distributor: ITV; BBC
DVD Distributor: Carlton International Media Ltd

2001
February
27: USA - DVD Distributor: A&E Home Video (70159 – Set 1; A70162 - Set 2)

Les aventures de Lady Pénélope - French title
International Rescue - working title
Myrskylinnut - Finnish title
Les sentinelles de l'air - French title
Tairnearan Tar As - Gaelic Irish title)
Turbocharged Thunderbirds - US 1994 syndication title

SEQUELS
Thunderbirds Are Go (1966)
Thunderbird Six (1968)

REMAKE
Thunderbirds (2004)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
The 1960's: Music, Memories and Milestones (1988)
Digging to China (1998)
I Love Christmas (2001)
Mr Thunderbirds
Stepfather II (1989)
TV Hell (1992)

SEE ALSO
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
A Close Shave (1995)
Idol Boetai Hummingbird (1993)
Otaku no video (1991)
Team America (2005)
Thunderbirds 2086 (1982)

MAGAZINES

Animato no.40 (Winter / Spring 1999) pp.44-51 (USA)
illustrated article (The Worlds of Gerry Anderson by Richard Holliss)

Broadcast 24 September 1999 p.2 (UK)
note (Programming: BBC Broadcast acquires remastered Thunderbirds)

Broadcast 23 February 2001 pp.2; 5 (UK)
illustrated note (Thunderbirds summer run by Jon Rogers); illustrated note (Scarlet Returns by Penny Hughes)

Cinefantastique vol.35 no.3 (June / July 2003) p.11
illustrated soundtrack review (Thunderbirds Music Is Go!)

Cinefantastique vol.36 no.4 (August / September 2004) pp.48-49 (USA)
illustrated interview with Gerry Anderson (Master of Puppets by Dan Scapperotti)

Cult TV vol.2 no.1 (January 1998) pp.37-40 (UK)
illustrated article (The Cult TV Top 20 Kid's Shows of All Time!)

Cult TV vol.2 no.2 (February 1998) pp.32-36 (UK)
illustrated article (A-Z of Tracy Island by Martin Stephenson)

Cult TV June 1998 pp.19-28; 58-63 (UK)
illustrated article (The 50 Greatest TV Moments of All Time by Rob Fraser, Steve Jarratt, John Kent, Paul Kirkley et al); illustrated article (Auto-Erotica by John Kent)

Film Score Monthly vol.8 no.5 (June 2003) p.43 (USA)
illustrated soundtrack review (Score: Toys From the Attic by Steve Johnson)

Génération Séries no.32 (April / June 2000) pp.50-55 (France)
illustrated article (Thunderbirds: SF et realisme? by Baptiste Marcel)

Music From the Movies no.37 (2003) p.30 (UK)
illustrated soundtrack review (Archival by Andrew Keech)

Playback Special Collectors Edition (1995) p.61 (UK)
illustrated article

Radio Times vol.306 no.3993 (2 September 2000) pp.16-17 (UK)
illustrated article (New shows are go by Brian Viner)

Radio Times vol.306 no.3994 (9 September 2000) p.48 (UK)
illustrated article (Great Scott, it's good to be back by Alison Graham)

Screen International no.988 (16 December 1994) p.6 (UK)
note (Anderson thunders about re-edit by Mike Goodridge)

Sight and Sound vol.11 no.2 (February 2001) p.60
illustrated DVD review (Puppet love by Kim Newman)

Starburst no.102 (February 1987) pp.37-39 (UK)
illustrated interview with Gerry Anderson (Gerry Anderson by Stephen Payne)

Starburst no.267 (November 2000) p. 90 (UK)
illustrated DVD review of Volumes 1 and 2

Starburst no.307 (February 2004)
illustrated article (Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies, Books and TV Series Ever!)

Starburst no.310 (May 2004) p.76 (UK)
illustrated article

Starburst no.311 (June 2004) p.78 (UK)
illustrated article

Starburst Special no.47 (April 2001) pp.62-67 (UK)
illustrated interview with Sylvia Anderson (Unstrung Heroine by Carrie Morgan)

Starburst Special no.62: Lord of the Rings pp.6-14, 16 (UK)
illustrated article

Starlog no.307 (February 2003) pp.82-89
Illustrated interview with Gerry Anderson (Puppetual Motion! by Tom Weaver)

Television Mail 1966 Supplement (UK)
pp.whole issue (5…4…3…2…1… Thunderbirds Are Go!)

Television Today no.5763 (26 September 1991) p.19 (UK)
review (by Keith Pottage)

TV Zone no.120 (November 1999) pp.64-67 (UK)
credits, illustrated article

BOOKS

Supermarionation Classics by Dave Rogers, John Marriot, Chris Drake, Graeme Bassett pp.98-191 (London: Boxtree (1993) ISBN: 1 85283 900 7)
illustrated credits, article, episode guide

KEYWORDS

disasters, the future, islands, scientists, spaceships, technology

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009