by Ken Parker
Welcome to the first of an ongoing
series of articles that will include many of the happenings in the
worlds of Gerry, Sylvia and Jamie Anderson. The mastermind behind
such shows as Supercar, Stingray, Thunderbirds, UFO, Space:1999 and
Captain Scarlet, Gerry Anderson, is gone but certainly not forgotten.
There is a ton of news related to his shows and the ongoing work of
his son, Jamie. So let's start with some news.
Space: 1999 CD release from
Fanderson wins Award – An incredible 3 disc set, released by
Fanderson last fall and featuring the incredible music of Barry Gray,
won an award for best Archival Release for 2014 by Reel Music. https://reelmusic.wordpress.com/
The win was over such composers as
Howard Shore, Tim Phillips and Alan Silvestri. The 3-CD set, A
Fanderson exclusive, includes music by Barry Gray and others from the
1975 TV series, Space: 1999 which was produced by Gerry and Sylvia
Anderson.
The CD set is absolutely beautiful in
both its presentation and sound quality. The music seems to include
all the incidental music from the first season as well as some
rarities and unused pieces. The set is only available through the
Gerry/Sylvia Anderson fan club.
I highly recommend this CD but know
that it is a very expensive investment as you need to be a member of
Fanderson and buy the limited edition set. This set is not the only
soundtrack in their catalog. They have other Anderson related sets
including Supercar, Secret Service, UFO, Stingray and Terrahawks.
They are also working on a huge Thunderbirds 4 disc set for later
this year. All of their soundtracks are of high quality.
Archival Photos From Supercar and
Stingray Found – A pretty cool set of photos taken of a store
display from the 60's is available. The displays were actual puppets
on loan by APF Studios, the company responsible for the early
Supermarionation series.
Lost Worlds of Gerry Anderson DVD –
Anderson Entertainment and Network are releasing a special DVD that
will include some of the rarer Gerry Anderson productions including
Space Police, The Day After Tomorrow and The Investigator. There
will also be a lost Dick Spanner episode, a documentary by A.P. Films
and the first thing Gerry Anderson ever directed, an episode of You've Never Seen This. This is right, many of these have
never been seen.
And that is just the first disc. The
second one includes lots of rushes, trailers and galleries. The set
is to be released at the end of March and will be available in the
UK.
Much of this material was, at one point, available to Fanderson members. The Day After Tomorrow, also called Into Infinity was a pilot created in between the two season of Space: 1999 and featured Nick Tate (Alan Carter in Space: 1999) and Brian Blessed (Space:1999, Flash Gordon) and was about a ship exploring space. It originally aired in America in the 70's as an After School Special. I love this pilot and wished it made it to series.
Space Police is an interesting mixture
of live action, puppets and even stop motion that is more of a
curiosity than a quality production. Still, it set the stage for the
series Space Precinct and is enjoyable.
Dick Spanner is a stop motion series
that is as crazy as it gets. Short episodes made up several stories
with a pun creating robot named Dick Spanner. Very unusual. I have
no idea what the lost episode is about.
The Investigator is the pilot I always
bring up when people criticize me of liking all of Gerry Anderson's
productions. I bring up Investigator and tell them never to seek it
out. It is about two kids shrunk down and fighting crime. The two
kids have a suped up car that could easily be run over or stepped on
and, oh, yea, they are Supermarionation puppets while everyone else
is live action. Very odd and very poor.
I will probably buy this set – more
than likely it is PAL so it won't work in the US unless you have a
region free player – who doesn't?
My biggest concern is I was hoping for
a blu-ray release of at least The Day After Tomorrow and since I have
many of these already, I might hesitate...slightly.
Journey to the Far Side of the Sun
Blu-Ray – speaking of Blu-ray, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's live
action theatrical blockbuster (or at least movie that was in the
theater) will be out on blu-ray in the U.S. On April 7. The movie
is an interesting idea about a second 'mirror' Earth that an
astronaut lands on. The movie has great special effects and pretty
good performances but the plot is a bit far fetched. The movie was
released in 1969 and was called Doppelganger in England. The movie
stars Roy Thinnes (The Invaders).
Zeroids Vs. Cubes Web Series –
a new animated series based on characters (robots to be exact) from
Terrahawks is set for release this year. The series is by Anderson
Entertainment.
Merchandise Updates – some
quick updates. Space: 1999 season 2 will be out on blu-ray in the UK
later this year. No word on a US set. Network released a teaser
disc set which included the two part “Bringers of Wonder” story
as well as its movie version – Destination Moonbase Alpha. I have
to say the print of the episodes is fantastic looking.
Big Finish is releasing a Terrahawks
audio series in April and pre-order of the CD and digital download in
available.
http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/terrahawks-volume-1-1066
http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/terrahawks-volume-1-1066
Thunderbirds Are Go – We will
continue to update you with info on this new series which is slated
to air in the UK this April. I would expect more trailers and photos
soon. For now -
 |
Sylvia Anderson Meets Lady Penelope
– The original voice for Thunderbirds' Lady Penelope, Sylvia
Anderson has been keeping an eye on the new Thunderbirds Are Go
series and is excited that Rosamund Pike is the voice of Penelope in
the new series. Anderson has met with David Graham, who voiced
Parker in both series. Sylvia is currently working on a new TV idea
called The Last Station which was funded by Kickstarter and will
feature a sci-fi series with plenty of music.
Well, that's all for now. I promise
the next one won't be nearly as long but that all depends on the
news. This year is the 50th anniversary of Thunderbirds
and with Sylvia and Jamie both working on projects and the new
Thunderbirds series coming soon as well as rumors of more blu-ray
releases, it certainly looks to be an exciting year!!
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