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Post by ripper on Dec 27, 2012 10:07:37 GMT
Very sad to hear that Gerry Anderson had passed away. For anyone growing up in the 1960s his shows were part of childhood, and thanks to re-runs and remakes new generations became fans. I liked all of his series, but particularly Captain Scarlet as it could be quite dark at times, especially for a children's series, but my favourite episode of the supermarionation days has to be the first episode of Thunderbirds, "Trapped in the Sky," where the Fireflash airliner lands on those robot elevator cars...a fantastic piece of special effects work and genuinely suspenseful. RIP Gerry and thanks for all those great memories.
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Dec 27, 2012 10:44:24 GMT
Very sad to hear that Gerry Anderson had passed away. For anyone growing up in the 1960s his shows were part of childhood, and thanks to re-runs and remakes new generations became fans. I liked all of his series, but particularly Captain Scarlet as it could be quite dark at times, especially for a children's series, but my favourite episode of the supermarionation days has to be the first episode of Thunderbirds, "Trapped in the Sky," where the Fireflash airliner lands on those robot elevator cars...a fantastic piece of special effects work and genuinely suspenseful. RIP Gerry and thanks for all those great memories. Fireball XL5 is probably the reason I like SF. Amazing dedication to the task. Will be missed. RIP
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Post by valdemar on Dec 29, 2012 10:10:46 GMT
Very sad to hear the news of the death of someone whose work, for me, and I suspect a whole lot of people of my generation [late 40's now], was, along with Doctor Who, the TV shows you never missed. I can remember talking about 'Joe 90' with other kids in the playground in my first year at school. Waiting for Christmas, so that I'd get the Dinky Toys 'UFO' Interceptor and SHADO Mobile . Gerry Anderson's genius was that you liked and believed his characters, and never noticed that they were puppets. You were drawn into his minutely detailed worlds, and, especially in 'Thunderbirds', feared for the safety of even minor characters - the likeable family trapped under the debris of the Thompson Tower, Prescott in the lift in the flooded basement of the Spoke City Federal Building [the threat given to him about how unfortunate it would be if his wife was made a widow on her wedding anniversary is a very adult thing to put in a children's show, and still sends a chill up my spine to this very day]. You knew these people would be saved, but the fear was there. It was great acting - but nobody ever thinks of that; my favourite moment in all of 'Thunderbirds' is in the episode 'Day Of Disaster' - it's the horrified alarm in Brains' voice as he realises that the Allington Suspension Bridge is going to collapse whilst the huge Mars Probe is being driven across it. It's a great and totally convincing performance by David Graham. I loved all Gerry Anderson's work, no matter how odd it was, everything he did was made beautifully, and it always shows. There will never be anyone to take his place ever. His work must be unique in that it never ages, never gets stale, every few years, a new generation, who think they've seen everything, pick up on one of his shows, even older ones like 'Fireball XL5', and embrace them. I defy anyone, however old and jaded, not to feel excitement at the piece of 'Thunderbirds' music that is played over the final recovery of 'Fireflash' at the end of 'Trapped In The Sky'. Or stand and gawp in awe at the opening of the movie 'Thunderbirds Are Go!', as the exquisite 'Zero-X' is assembled for lift-off, without the aid or need of, CGI.
I admit it was impossible for me to hold back a tear at the news of Gerry's death.
Bless You, Gerry, I hope you knew how many people loved you and your work.
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Post by ripper on Dec 29, 2012 17:44:10 GMT
Gerry Anderson's shows are timeless and will still be enjoyed and appreciated in fifty years' time.
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Post by pulphack on Jan 1, 2013 7:20:41 GMT
It's the attention to detail that makes his work last. I'm of that generation too, mr V, and I agee with everything you say. Critics are always making 'wooden' jokes about the puppets and the acting, but you can't influence that many people and touch so many imaginations without having that kind of performance from the voice actors to match the visuals.
I remember reading somewhere - it may even have been his own book - that Mr Anderson saw his work as features using miniatures because he didn't have the budgets for sets and actors. His 'real' film work is good (I still love UFO), but the irony is that in having to work with models he ended up creating something unique that perhaps live action wouldn't have been able to match.
I had the toys, and a Thunderbird hat, wallpaper and a handkerchief (I still have this, bizarrely). I wanted to be Virgil and pilot Thunderbird 2, even though I knew it was only a model (I did think they made life-sized props, though). I tried to build one when I was at school and got no further than a couple of bits of wood nailed together. Didn't matter, the dream was still there.
I like the fact that when he discovered he had Alzeheimers developing he started to work at findraising for research and use his remaining time constructively. It says a lot about him.
A massive influence on our generation, and still an influence on successive ones - not many can claim that.
We'll all miss him.
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Post by glodfinger on Jan 27, 2013 23:58:14 GMT
A little late to add to this, but....It does feel at the moment as though what remains of my childhood is crumbling away like an iceberg in warm water. Anderson's stuff was so much of my childhood imagination, and he stills informs my adult daydreams that it doesn't feel quite real that he's gone. What he did remains, though. When I met the man around a decade ago he turned out to be quite shy and unassuming, although he did have a naughty sense of humour. Discussing an early kids show he'd done called THE ADVENTURE OF TWIZZLE: "Twizzle had the amazing power to extend parts of his body to many times their normal size. Only his arms and legs, though. Poor Twizzle......"
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Jan 28, 2013 9:24:13 GMT
A little late to add to this, but....It does feel at the moment as though what remains of my childhood is crumbling away like an iceberg in warm water. Anderson's stuff was so much of my childhood imagination, and he stills informs my adult daydreams that it doesn't feel quite real that he's gone. What he did remains, though. When I met the man around a decade ago he turned out to be quite shy and unassuming, although he did have a naughty sense of humour. Discussing an early kids show he'd done called THE ADVENTURE OF TWIZZLE: "Twizzle had the amazing power to extend parts of his body to many times their normal size. Only his arms and legs, though. Poor Twizzle......" Brilliant.
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