Thunderbirds Are Gone

March 16, 2016 12:46 PM

Sylvia Anderson, ex-wife and co-creator-producer with Gerry Anderson of all the "Supermarionation" series (as well as a couple 'full-sized-actor' shows), and best known as the voice of Thunderbirds' Lady Penelope, has passed away at the age of 88.
posted by oneswellfoop (38 comments total)

COSTUMES BY SLYVIA ANDERSON. 

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posted by Artw at 12:55 PM on March 16, 2016 [4 favorites]

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Goddammit, 2016.
posted by Etrigan at 12:55 PM on March 16, 2016

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posted by Gelatin at 12:57 PM on March 16, 2016 [4 favorites]

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posted by Alterscape at 12:57 PM on March 16, 2016

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posted by fairmettle at 12:59 PM on March 16, 2016

'Parker Well Done' - The B side to the Thunderbirds theme single... remembering it being the last track on a Barry Gray compilation tape I had back in the day.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:04 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

F'well, M'lady.

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posted by Smart Dalek at 1:05 PM on March 16, 2016 [3 favorites]

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posted by valkane at 1:12 PM on March 16, 2016

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posted by PippinJack at 1:20 PM on March 16, 2016

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posted by Splunge at 1:22 PM on March 16, 2016

I didn't find this show until I got into puppets a while back, but man, I love how they did the effects (poorly) and how campy the whole this was. Made me wish I'd liked puppetry in my deformative years.
posted by cjorgensen at 1:48 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

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posted by Foosnark at 1:51 PM on March 16, 2016

If you haven't seen it, the UFO series is pretty fun - the set design (Sylvia Anderson) is crazy good.
posted by parki at 1:53 PM on March 16, 2016 [5 favorites]

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posted by Thorzdad at 2:11 PM on March 16, 2016

Here's the intro to my favourite Anderson show - Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons - where a puppet just calmly murders a dude. Won't find that on Nickelodeon these days.
posted by PenDevil at 2:13 PM on March 16, 2016 [2 favorites]

I've made my three-year-old sit through THUNDERBIRDS. It's been great: he loves the big machines, and I love the fabulous costumes and set and props. It looks like the (1950s) future!
posted by alasdair at 2:23 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

After Captain Scarlet and Joe90, the Andersons had to get into shows with human actors... their puppets were getting too far into the 'uncanny valley' (and Circa 1968, the Uncanny Valley was too scary for kids OR grownups)

At my advanced age, I was old enough for the Andersons' first show imported to America, 1961's black-and-white Supercar. Mike Mercury and his friends were puppets who LOOKED like puppets...
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:32 PM on March 16, 2016

She was also the voice of Doctor Venus in Fireball XL-5 (my fave show when I was a little kiddo)

"Okay Venus?"
"Okay Steve!"
posted by AGameOfMoans at 2:51 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

Supercar was a favorite show of mine back in the early '60s. Fireball XL5 as well. I watched a bit of Thunderbirds too, but I was kind of aging out of it by then.
posted by DarkForest at 2:57 PM on March 16, 2016

F.A.B....R.I.P., Lady P!
posted by briank at 3:17 PM on March 16, 2016 [6 favorites]

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posted by philip-random at 3:50 PM on March 16, 2016

We live in a post-Sylvia Anderson world. If we had any sense, a towering statue would straddle the middle reaches of the Thames, Colossus-like, just past Shepperton, on the way to Bray.
posted by specialbrew at 4:25 PM on March 16, 2016 [4 favorites]

She and Gerry Anderson divorced between Seasons 1 and 2 of Space:1999. There was an evident nosedive in the quality of his work after their divorce.
posted by tel3path at 5:10 PM on March 16, 2016 [5 favorites]

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posted by sydnius at 5:35 PM on March 16, 2016

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posted by BungaDunga at 5:53 PM on March 16, 2016

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Here's the intro to Fireball XL-5 (SLYT), which was my very favorite ever.

Here's the song, it has *three* verses! Fireball XL-5 Full Theme Song with Lyrics (SLYT).
posted by jet_silver at 5:57 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

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posted by allthinky at 7:26 PM on March 16, 2016

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posted by mikelieman at 7:37 PM on March 16, 2016

Then new cgi/miniatures series is amazing, btw.
posted by mikelieman at 7:38 PM on March 16, 2016 [1 favorite]

I loved my flying Fireball XL5 model
posted by marvin at 12:00 AM on March 17, 2016 [1 favorite]

Puppets smokin', 'nuff said.
posted by Freedomboy at 12:02 AM on March 17, 2016

"'ome, m'Lady?"
"Home, Parker."

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posted by arzakh at 3:49 AM on March 17, 2016 [1 favorite]

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Stingray represent! (and Space 1999).

Also:
I didn't find this show until I got into puppets a while back,

What?
I feel so old.
posted by Mezentian at 6:45 AM on March 17, 2016

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posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:14 AM on March 17, 2016

Count me among those for whom Soopuh Caaaaah, Fireball XL-5, and Sting Raaaaaay STING Ray* were formative. Took a miss on Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlatti, all the later supermarionation shows, and also Space: Impossible, as I had become involved with various things in real life by this point and watched a lot less teevy.

On the other hand, my father is 91 years old and not a SF fan, but those purple wigs and silver minskirts, silver catsuits, and silver underwear on the Moon made a lasting impression, though he doesn't remember that the show was called UFO or what it was about. So I guess he'd count as a fan of Sylvia Anderson's work, if not any of the actual shows, as such.

Another production you don't hear much about anymore is Doppelganger aka Journey to the far side of the really long movie title, a live-action theatrical film. It was slow even by 1970 standards, so it actually worked better when shown on late night local UHF stations, which is where I first saw it. I somehow failed at the time to make the connection between this film and the teevy puppet shows of my childhood.

Here's the intro to Fireball XL-5 (SLYT), which was my very favorite ever.

Here's the last four minutes*** of my favourite XL-5 ep, Space City Special. After twenty minutes of space opera, the principle cast form a band and play for charity:

Steve Zodiac - vocals
Prof. Matt Matic - exploding cybernetic piano
Dr. Venus - sax
Cmdr. O'Phartt - trumpet
Lt. Lackey - bass
Robert Robot - drums****
N. O. Buddie - stylophone and glockenspiel
Claude Rains - guitar

Here we have six puppet musicians on stage and an audience of puppets grooving to Barry Gray's closing theme, modified to include a piano part. This is in 1963, fifteen years before the Muppet Show did this every week (and four years before Keith Moon detonated a drumkit on the Smothers Brothers).

The closing credits follow, accompanied by a one-off guitar and sax instrumental arrangement of the song. Nice.

Also, don't forget kids, that the Mole Interns from the early days of MST3k were named Gerry and Sylvia in 'honor' of the Andersons.

Thank you, Sylvia, for being part of my childhood.

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* di-di dah dit dah dit

**His principle memory of Star Trek is Vina and/or Marta. I don't think he even knows they were different characters.

*** I've just been informed that Youtube timestamps don't work on any mobile device. Sorry about that. The music starts around 21:30.

****He has a transparent head, so naturally, he plays a Vistalite kit.
posted by Herodios at 10:30 AM on March 17, 2016 [4 favorites]

If you love these old puppets, this place is worth a visit. I seem to recall seeing some Anderson puppets in the collection.
posted by kinnakeet at 11:18 AM on March 18, 2016

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posted by mdoar at 1:34 PM on March 18, 2016

Anything can happen...in the next... half hour.

I actually just watched a M'Lady heavy episode of T Birds the other day. Astounding how slow those shows moved. But I still love the sets and models.
posted by Trochanter at 4:53 PM on March 18, 2016