My introduction to Mr. Anderson was "Fireball XL5".
AGerry Anderson "Moonraker" would have been awesome, especially in Supermarionation!
The groundbreaking creator of such "Supermarionation" shows - in which marionettes could be lip-synced to pre-recorded dialogue using internal magnets - as Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Terrornauts and Stingray - as well as the live-action Space: 1999, which always had a special place in my heart - has died. He was battling dementia for two years now, so this isn't completely a shock, but it is a great loss, and I'm only glad his family could spend one last Christmas with him on Earth.
Supermarionation quite honestly freaked me out as a kid, but I've grown to appreciate its charms over the years, especially when Trey Parker and Matt Stone paid tribute in Team America: World Police. I guess it's fair to say that I already miss Gerry Anderson more than Pearl Harbor missed the mark.
Did you know Anderson wrote a rejected treatment for Moonraker? I would have liked to see that version. Not that it would have gone the puppetry route, but I could certainly enjoy a movie-length version of this:
Tags: Thunderbirds
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16 comments
I didn't know he had a hand in Space 1999. My dad introduced me to the show via old vhs tapes as a kid since he knew I'd like it. Thunderbirds show was awesome!
I remember when the DVDs came out me and a buddy of mine spent a whole night just binging on Captain Scarlet. I don't think we got through all of them but I was definitely hooked.
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This sucks...one of my earliest memories is watching old episodes of Thunderbirds with my mom.
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RIP Gerry. Thanks for the original Thunderbirds.
The best thing about 'Space 1999'? That funky theme song!
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Somebody was working on a Space 2099 show that instead of a nuclear accident was experimenting on Space Warp technology and that is what caused the Moon to "jump" from Earth orbit to other places in space (and time?).
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Well...
I guess it's...
*Puts on Sunglasses*
...a Christmas unmiracle.
YEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH
Sorry.
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I grew up on Anderson's stuff, really saddened to hear this news.
During filming of Space 1999, a friend of mine was invited to the set and met him. That friend died this year too - I feel old...
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I fricken loved captain scarlet as a kid. the mysterons or whatever were scary as hell. captain black was badass, and i kind of had the idea that he was scarlet's doppelganger. they had the sub-team of "angels" which made sense since they were the fighter pilots. and they all worked for spectrum. brilliant. and all them puppets could emote better than kristen stewart. <rimshot>
@earthmanny My friends and I used to run home after school to watch Captain Scarlett, it was on every day at 3:30 pm followed by Marine Boy, Space Giants, and Ultraman. They would throw Johnny Socko and his Flying Robot in every once in a while. I used to love channel 48 in Philadelphia till they went off the air in the early 1980's.
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@miketen @earthmanny dude, me too. philly, ch. 48, the whole deal. where'd you go to high school (NE 84)
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@earthmanny live action is overrated - a good story with good voice acting is all you need
