Thunderbirds Are Go! (1966)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1966
Running Times: 89 mins
Length: 8460 ft
Format: Technicolor     35mm     Techniscope
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Century 21 Cinema Productions
Executive Producer: Gerry Anderson (uncredited)
Producer: Sylvia Anderson
Associate Producer: John Read
Production Coordinator: Brian Burgess

SCRIPT
Script: Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson

DIRECTION
Director: David Lane
Assistant Director: Ken Turner, Harry Ledger

PHOTOGRAPHY
Lighting Cameraman: Paddy Seale
Camera Operator: Alan Perry
Lab: Technicolor

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Len Walter
Assistant Editor: George Randall

MUSIC
Music / Conductor: Barry Gray
Music Performed By: The Band Of H.M. Royal Marines (Thunderbirds Theme)
Conductor: Lt. Col. F. Vivian Dunn (Thunderbirds Theme)
Songs: The Shadows (Shooting Star; Lady Penelope)
Songs Performed By: Cliff Richard and the Shadows (Shooting Star); The Shadows (Lady Penelope)

SOUND
Sound Mixer: Maurice Askew at GHW
Sound Editor: John peverill, Brian T. Hickin
Dialogue Recordist: Ken Scrivener
Lip Sync Operator: Ian Spurrier
Sound System: Westrex

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Costumes: Elizabeth Coleman
Assistant Costumes: Zena Relph
Wigs: Wig Creations of London

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Designer: Mike Trim (uncredited)
Character Operators: Christine Glanville, Mary Turner
Assistant Character Operators: Wanda Webb, Judith Shutt
Character Sculptors: John F. Brown
Assistant Character Sculptors: Terry Curtis, Tim Cooksey, Peter Hayward (uncredited), Mike Richardson (uncredited)

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Director: Derek Meddings
Main Unit Visual Effects: Shaun Whittaker-Cook
2nd Unit Visual Effects: Peter Wragg
Model Building Supervisor: Ray Brown
Models: Peter Aston, Eric Backman, Alan Shubrook, Brian Smithies (all uncredited)
Main Unit Visual Effects Lighting Camera: Harry Oakes
2nd Unit Visual Effects Lighting Camera: Ted Fowler
Main Unit Camera Operators: Ted Cutlack, Richard Conway
2nd Unit Camera Operators: Ron Gallifant, Ron Ashton
Titles: Studio Film Laboratories Ltd

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designers: Keith Wilson, John Lageu
Supervising Art Director: Bob Bell
Art Director: Grenville Nott
Property Makers: Tony Dunsterville, Plugg Shutt
Property Master: Arthur Cripps

MISCELLANEOUS
Assistant To Executive Producer: Norman Foster

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The producers gratefully acknowledge the co-operation of: Space Colonel Harris of the Martian Exploration Center, Cape Johnson; Jim Glenn, President of the New World Aircraft Corporation, Designers and Manufacturers of the Zero X; Commander Casey, Commander in Chief, Glenn Field; without whose help this motion picture would not have been possible.
None of the characters appearing in this photoplay intentionally resemble any persons living or dead... SINCE THEY DO NOT YET EXIST

VOICES
Sylvia Anderson (Lady Penelope)
Ray Barrett (John Tracy / Glen Field)
Peter Dyneley (Jeff Tracy)
David Graham (Gordon Tracy / Brains / Parker)
Shane Rimmer (Scott Tracy)
Jeremy Wilkin (Virgil Tracy)
Matt Zimmerman (Alan Tracy / messenger)
Bob Monkhouse (Brad Newman)
Neil McCallum (Dr Pierce)
Paul Maxwell (Paul Travers)
Alexander Davion (Greg Martin)
Charles Tingwell (Dr Grant / angry young man / PRO man)
Christine Finn (Tin-Tin)
Cliff Richard (Cliff Richard Jr (uncredited))

SUMMARY

Two years after experimental spaceship Zero-X crashes on take-off on its maiden flight, the investigation concludes that the mission was sabotaged. International Rescue are called in to supervise security at the second attempt to launch the rebuilt Zero-X, and seem to succeed when the ship is launched safely. But when they mission reaches Mars, things start to go horribly wrong and the Thunderbirds of International Rescue face their toughest challenge to date.

AVAILABILITY

UK
Theatrical Distributors: United Artists
Video Distributors: Carlton Video

USA
Theatrical Distributors: United Artists
Video Distributors: MGM / UA Home Entertainment Inc
Laserdisc Distributors: MGM / UA Home Entertainment Inc (ML 102878)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Finland
Rating: K-8

Sweden
Rating: 11

UK
Rating: U

TIMELINE

1966
December
12: UK - theatrical premiere, London Pavilion, Piccadilly, London
23: UK – theatrical release

1967
July
17: Denmark – theatrical release

1968
February
24: Sweden – theatrical release

1993
July
14: USA - laserdisc release (MGM / UA Home Entertainment Inc (ML 102878))

2003
January
5: UK - television broadcast (on Five)

POSTER TAGS

Excitement is GO! Adventure is GO! Danger is GO!

See ... their fantastic battle with the sinister 'Rock Snakes' of Mars! - See ... the most exciting air rescue ever performed! - See ... the most advanced space-craft ever created! - Hear Cliff Richard and the Shadows sing "Shooting Star"

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Guardianes del espacio - Spanish title
Thunderbirds et l'odyssée du cosmos - French title
Thunderbirds: i cavalieri dello spazio - Italian title

LINKS

SEQUEL TO
Thunderbirds (1965 - 1966)

SEQUEL
Thunderbird 6 (1968)

SEE ALSO
Thunderbirds (2004)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Cinefantastique vol.36 no.4 (August / September 2004) p.61 (USA)
illustrated DVD review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.34 no.397 (February 1967) p.30 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

BOOKS

The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide by Chris Bentley pp.256-257 (Richmond: Reynolds and Hearn (2003) ISBN: 1 903111 41 2)
credits, article

OTHER SOURCES

British National Film Catalogue vol.5 (1967) p.121
credits

KEYWORDS

the future, mars, puppets, secret organisations, space travel, spaceships, supermarionation

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009