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Thunderbird 6 (1968)

 
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:47 pm    Post subject: Thunderbird 6 (1968) Reply with quote

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Another feature version of the "super marionation" TV series about the International Space Rescue Service. Lady Penelope and the Tray family battle the villianous Black Phantom with their new, untested space craft.

Good fun for kids and grownups. The "Thunderbird" series was created and written by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Ms. Anderson served as both producer and the voice of Lady Penelope. Directed by David Lane.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Fri Sep 02, 2022 3:07 pm; edited 4 times in total
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Here's a slam-bang trailer for this enjoyable Thunderbird feature. I enjoyed this one from a download a few years ago.
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___________________ Thunderbird 6 - trailer


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Oct 17, 2021 2:19 pm; edited 1 time in total
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did anyone else think Lady Penelope was sexy — for a puppet, I mean? Or am I just weird?
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2022 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Well, sort of, but I'd be skittish about having a relationship with her. She'd claim there would be no strings attached . . . but then all woman all say that! Rolling Eyes




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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Pow
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Complete Gerry Anderson by Chris Bentley.

The recent technical advances in the puppet workshops had now made it possible to reduce the size of the puppets' heads to correct human proportions, but the producers were initially uncertain whether the puppets in the new film should retain the proportions of the original television characters or be substituted by the perfectly proportioned style of puppets used in Captain Scarlet. In the end, a compromise of the two styles spawned puppet with heads and hands that were still disproportionate to the bodies, but less so than had been seen in the previous Thunderbirds adventures.

Location filming for the film's extensive flying sequences was based at Booker Airfield near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, providing convenient access to open countryside and sections of the M40 motorway, then still under construction.

However, the location unit ended up in court when a shot involving stunt flying by ace pilot Joan Hughes contravened instructions issued to the unit by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The scene called for a Tiger Moth biplane to fly under a motorway bridge .

A Department of Transport official insisted that the Ministry's regulations only allowed the biplane to pass under the bridge if the wheel's were in contact with the road, a stipulation that made the stunt significantly more difficult for Hughes to accomplish.

After several successful passes under the bridge as instructed, Hughes was approaching the bridge for a final take when a sudden crosswind prevented her from landing the plane and she was forced to fly under the bridge without touching down, or risk losing control of the Tiger Moth.

The Department of Transport prosecuted Hughes and production manager Norman Foster (for aiding and abetting) but both were eventually acquitted.

As the crew was refused permission to film any more scenes on the M40, the visual effects unit built a section of the motorway in miniature to complete the necessary shots using radio-controlled Tiger Moth models.

The film premiered on July 29th, 1968 at the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square.

Like its predecessor, Thunderbirds Are Go, box office-office returns on Thunderbird 6 were disappointing and spelt the end for dreams of a long-running franchise.
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My .2 cents: I'm curious as to why Gerry & Sylvia Anderson decided to have a real pilot in a real plane perform that incredible stunt of flying under the bridge? It was spectacular, but why did they execute it that way?

They eventually had to resort to reconstructing the bridge as a miniature and then utilized radio-controlled model Tiger Moths for the stunt.

So why not do that from the start? It is a puppet film after all and there's no need to introduce real life elements into it. Was it a question of money? Seems as if doing the scene with miniatures wouldn't have been much more expensive than doing it as a live stunt?

A shame that this movie, along with the previous Thunderbirds movie, put a nail in the coffin regarding a film franchise.

Thunderbirds was a huge hit on TV, not sure as to why these lavishly budgeted films were unable to draw in the regular Thunderbirds fans at that time?
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

scotpens wrote:
Did anyone else think Lady Penelope was sexy — for a puppet, I mean? Or am I just weird?

Well, the puppet doesn't do much for me, but the lady in the 2004 live action version (Sophia Myles) would be nice to share a cup of tea and warm bubble bath with. Very Happy

Wow, what a nice mental image that makes!
Mr. Green
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