Thunderbird 6 (1968)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

David Lane

Writers:

Gerry Anderson (writer)
Sylvia Anderson (writer)

Release Date:

3 August 1968 (Japan)

Genre:

Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The International Rescue team is faced with one of its toughest challenges yet, as the revolutionary...

Plot Keywords:

Supermarionation | Puppet | Kids And Family | Number In Title

Cast

Peter Dyneley	...	Jeff Tracy (voice)
Sylvia Anderson	...	Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward (voice)
Shane Rimmer	...	Scott Tracy (voice)
Jeremy Wilkin	...	Virgil Tracy / Hogarth (voice)
Matt Zimmerman	...	Alan Tracy / Carter (voice)
David Graham	...	Gordon Tracy / Brains / Aloysius Parker (voice)
Keith Alexander	...	John Tracy / Narrator (voice)
Gary Files	...	The Hood (Black Phantom) / Captain Foster (I) / Lane (voice)
Christine Finn	...	Tin-Tin / Indian Fortune-teller (voice)
John Carson	...	Captain Foster (II) (voice)
Geoffrey Keen	...	James Glenn (voice)

Directed by
David Lane

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gerry Anderson		writer
Sylvia Anderson		writer

Produced by
Sylvia Anderson	....	producer
Gerry Anderson	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Barry Gray

Cinematography by
Harry Oakes

Film Editing by
Len Walter

Art Direction by
Bob Bell

Production Management
Norman Foster	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Anderson	....	assistant director

Art Department
Tony Dunsterville	....	property maker
Peter Holmes	....	property master
John Lageu	....	set designer
Keith Wilson	....	set designer

Sound Department
Brian Hickin	....	sound editor
Peter Pennell	....	sound editor
John Peverill	....	supervising sound editor

Visual Effects by
Peter Ashton	....	model maker
Eric Backman	....	model maker
Ray Brown	....	model maker
Tim Cooksey	....	puppet workshop
Terry Curtis	....	puppet workshop
Sheena McGregor	....	assistant puppeteer
Derek Meddings	....	visual effects director
Linda Rutter	....	assistant puppeteer
Plugg Shutt	....	puppet workshop
Brian Smithies	....	model workshop
Ian Spurrier	....	lip sync
Wanda Webb	....	puppeteer
Ian Wingrove	....	visual effects assistant
Charmaine Wood	....	assistant puppeteer

Camera and Electrical Department
Ted Fowler	....	camera operator: location team
Peter Nash	....	camera operator
Ian Vinson	....	camera focus operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kim Martin	....	costumes

Editorial Department
Len Cleal	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Derek Black	....	location unit operator
Eric Faulkner	....	pilot: models
Tommy Fletcher	....	location unit operator
Joan Hughes	....	pilot: Tiger Moth
Mary Turner	....	puppet coordinator

Production Companies

• Associated Television (Overseas) Limited
• Century 21 Television

Distributors

• Chapel Distribution (2002) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print Techniscope Technicolor re-issue)
• United Artists Corporation (1968) (UK) (theatrical)
• Carlton Video
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• United Artists

Other Companies

• Anvil Films  sound recording

Also Known As:

Thunderbird 6: The Movie (Australia)
Thunderbird Six (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | UK:U | USA:G | West Germany:6

Company:

Associated Television (Overseas) Limited

Trivia:

The International Rescue passengers on Sky Ship One overfly and visit numerous locations previously visited by IR in the TV series - they overfly the Atlantic Ocean ("Thunderbirds: Operation Crash-Dive (#1.12)" (1965) and "Thunderbirds: Atlantic Inferno (#2.1)" (1966)); have breakfast over the now-Empire State Building-less Manhattan ("Thunderbirds: Terror in New York City (#1.4)" (1965)); fly over the Grand Canyon ("Thunderbirds: Brink of Disaster (#1.22)" (1966)); hunt in Africa ("Thunderbirds: Pit of Peril (#1.2)" (1965), complete with a few music cues from the episode); visit Egypt ("Thunderbirds: Desperate Intruder (#1.8)" (1965)) and ("Thunderbirds: The Uninvited (#1.10)" (1965)) and have dinner at a hotel in the Swiss Alps ("Thunderbirds: The Cham-Cham (#1.25)" (1966)).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: It is stated by Scott that the towers that the airship is about to crash into are five miles east of Dover, while showing some very nice pictures of the English countryside. The only problem is that five miles east of Dover is in the English Channel almost a quarter of the way to Calais as the ferry sails. That is unless by 2068 an artificial piece of land has been placed there.

Quotes:

Virgil Tracy: [referring to the Tiger Moth inside the pod] I've got a Tiger in my tank.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Thunderbirds (2004)

Soundtrack:

The Man in his Flying Machine

Seamless Blend of live action and puppetry

With all due repect to the user who somehow remembers the ancient Republic serials doing a better live action/effects mix that this high-tech Sixties extravaganza, you really won't see the join in Medding's seamless recreation of a British motorway (built in one third scale and mixed with real motorway shots for the climactic Tigermoth escape sequence). Indeed, so realistic is this shot that on the DVD commentary Sylvia Anderson (who spends most of her time pointing out the live action shots vs the model shots, like we really need to know) exclaimes "now that's definitely not a model shot!". Sorry Sylv, love, it is and it's quite likely the best you'll ever see (or be hoodwinked by). If you love Thunderbirds, the Andersons or just damn fine effect work, come worship at the alter of Derek Meddings: see Thunderbird Six.