|
-
News
- Features
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
Gerry Anderson: The Monochrome Years
01/12/2006 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
DVD Region 2: Network 79522315. time: 2600 minutes and extras. Price: £99.99 (UK). Buy Gerry Anderson: The Monochrome Years in the USA - or Buy Gerry Anderson: The Monochrome Years in the UK  check out website: www.networkdvd.co.uk
Despite the high price, this boxset is actually a bargain providing you haven't bought any of them separately to which I can claim was only 'Fireball XL-5' although this set doesn't appear to carry any of the extras of that boxset.
Apart from 'XL-5', the set contains all the episodes from the series of 'Torchy The Battery Boy', 'Four Feather Falls' and 'Supercar', the last two series containing the extras. About the only one missing from the set is 'Twizzle' but I have a suspicion this was more to do with box size as much as anything. Even so, this is a lot of episodes and unlike me, you'll have the opportunity to watch them all at a leisurely pace as they were intended to be when they were first released.
So, let's start at the beginning with 'Torchy The Battery Boy'. Originally made in 1959, this 28 episode * 20 minute series was created by writer/producer Roberta Leigh using Gerry Anderson and Arthur Provis' nascent AP Films company which was looking for work at the time. As Anderson is prone to comment, he was expecting to do live-action and not puppetry but did gather around him the nucleus of his team. If you examine the credits, Reg Hill, Christine Granville, Mary Turner, David Elliott and Barry Gray were there from the start.
The series was not over-complicated. Mr. Bumble-Drop allowed children use the playground in his garden. He gave them kites to keep them from being bored and these kids tied their toys to them. A gust of wind sent the kites away into the sky as well as Bumble-Drop's poodle, Pom-Pom, who tried bringing them down. As he couldn't get the toys back the children no longer came around so he created Torchy (voiced by Olwen Griffiths), a battery toy with a lamp in his helmet.
This lamp had a magical ability to find things and Torchy discovers that the toys and Pom-Pom landed on a planet called Topsy-Turvey Land and had come to life and animals could talk. Bumble-Drop makes Torchy a rocket to he could go up and collect the toys. When he gets there, Torchy discovers that the place is a paradise for toys who refused to come back and he couldn't blame them after the way they were treated.
Unusual for this time, this first story was set over 13 episodes. The remaining episodes were single or occasional pairs in comparison as we follow Torchy's adventures. It's rather interesting that in some episodes that he took a backseat to some of the other characters. I remember an interview with Roberta Leigh who commented that once she had been committed to Torchy, she was pushing out episodes rather quickly and having to adjust them to the limitations of puppet activity.
Having toys come to life at least spared problems of them having to look realistic, which was also carried over to the 'Twizzle' series. Oddly enough, the human children and Bumble-Drop were convincingly different enough to tell the difference.
There was usually a song in each episode with fine voice play from the Kenneth Connor (the same chap from the 'Carry On' films and although his voice is apparent with some characters, its hard to believe the difference he achieved with Bumble-Drop), Jill Raymond and Patricia Somerset. The characters were nicely rounded and it was almost a disappointment when some weren't used in some episodes. I thought Clanker the moneybox appeared in more episodes than he actually did.
I remember watching this series around 1962ish. It wasn't passed around all the ITV channels all at the same time and Torchy was on a compilation programme as I recall. For such an old series, 'Torchy The Battery Boy' holds up remarkably well and once you start watching the stories, the strings showing become incidental. There weren't much in the way of puppet shows on TV at the time other than a couple imported from Europe and was more of a novelty then. Roberta Leigh fleshed out her characters sufficiently to ensure the series was interesting and I'm amazed no one has thought of resurrecting the series again today. The only odd quirk I had was towards the end when I compared the nosecone of Torchy's rocket to a certain one piloted by Steve Zodiac but that's a different story.
Whether you saw 'Torchy The Battery Boy' as a youngster and want to relive your past or show your kids - the under 5's will love it - this is still fun to watch. I can still sing along to the songs. Endearing and charming and never cute and a neat reminder to children to look after their toys. Even Buzz Lightyear looks like a homage to one of the characters from 'Torchy#.
1960 series 'Four Feather Falls' holds a couple distinctions. It was the first of the Anderson shows to be made solely by their company, even if he didn't read the fine print and signed away all the rights to Granada. It probably still has the distinction of having the largest standing set for a puppet series up to date. It's the only TV marionette western in the world as far as I can recall and even then it has a magical element which makes it fall under our remit.
'Two Gun Tex' Tucker saves the life of Makooya, the son of Indian chief Kalamakooya, who rewards him with four magical feathers which enables his dog, Dusty, and his English thoroughbred horse, Rocky, to speak and for his pistols to fire unaided and accurately at anyone who he wishes. The chief also ensures that the local falls is no longer drought-ridden and runs with water again and gets the name of 'Four Feather Falls' and for which the nearby town gains its name and Tucker becomes its singing sheriff (aided by singer Michael Holliday).
The town is atypical and based largely on the type shown in American westerns with its townsfolk, livery, bank, hardware store and such. Not to mention its local bandits in the form of Pedro, Fernando and Big Ben who if not involved in their own nefarious criminal schemes certainly are involved in that of others who are passing through.
Considering how Nicholas Parsons' voice is so distinctive it is really totally unrecognisable speaking for Tex Tucker. All compositions and music were written by Barry Gray who shares credit with Gerry Anderson for creating the series. The other male voices are principally shared between Kenneth Connor and David Graham with Denise Bryer (Parsons' wife and who incidentally provided voices on 'Terrahawks') doing the female roles.
The opening credit sequence has David Graham using his 'Brains' voice without the stutter and Grandpa Ebenezer Twink's voice isn't that far off from Professor Matt Matic's in 'Fireball XL-5' if you have a good ear for these kind of things. I also gave a wry grin at Tucker waiting in the alleyway and being attacked by gunfire as being the forerunner to Captain Scarlet further down the line.
Amongst these 39 * 20 minute episodes are also three audio commentaries by Gerry Anderson. His disdain for his work still very much on show although he does admit that 'Four Feather Falls' is better than he thought it was from memory. Being in black and white did a lot for hiding the strings, especially as they had changed to thinner tungsten steel by then. The marionettes' faces were mostly caricature at this time but already the shift to more rigid materials and using solenoids to make the mouths respond to the voices had stepped them up a gear. This is still very much a kids' show aimed at kids rather than a general audience. As a piece of history it has been well preserved and although might not be of space age of the other shows, its an interesting way to while away your early childhood again. Go get 'em, Tex.
'Supercar' has the distinction of being two seasons and it's with the second that Derek Meddings joins the team. Trying to point out anything significant he might have added, other than explosions, or could be accredited to anyone else, I do wonder who had the idea to put a wire along the horizontal of Supercar's canopy to suggest it was shut.
The series follows the exploits of test pilot Mike Mercury with the experimental namesake vehicle created by Professor Rudolf Popkiss and Doctor Horatio Beaker. From the rescue in the first episode, youngster Jimmy Gibson and his pet monkey (occasionally called a chimpanzee even if he does have a tail) and scene stealer, Mitch who frequently shows more intelligence than them all. Gerry Anderson in one of the commentaries was puzzling over how Supercar had vertical lift when there was no obvious base vents. In the first season, there's four ports on its base which could conceivably be used for such a purpose but these have been removed in a couple episodes of the second season.
An oddity about Supercar is how do they fit everything into the chassis. This is a problematic thing throughout the Anderson shows, occasionally not helped by disproportional sets and changes that had to be made at the last moment. With Supercar, it isn't just the motors but fuel and storage capability. Its also one of the odd vehicles that never had a blueprint ran in TV21 comic so I guess everyone else had problems with it as well. Anderson also makes a comment about some early Derek Meddings special effects of bullets being fired around the laboratory that the Anderfan people couldn't find. Bearing in mind that Gerry has been consistently and admittedly out of sync with his memories, I can't help but wonder if he is referring to is the episode 'The Sky's The Limit' especially as it fulfils most of the requirements except it's the kitchen and not the lab.
Apart from the poached egg eyes, has anyone else noticed the similarity between Doctor Beaker and his voice, David Graham? Speaking of voices, if you're curious about appearances then if you have 'The Champions' DVD boxset then you can see what actor George (the first Masterspy voice) Murcell did in two episodes and Cyril (the second Masterspy voice) Shaps was in the Doctor Who story 'The Tomb Of The Cybermen'. Its always nice to show what these people look like and their acting talents going beyond their vocal abilities. Hell, its nice to see the faces overall.
With this series, the Andersons led team were finding their feet or actually, their hands as there was more human hand inserts than ever before. It was also the only puppet series they did that depended so much on back projection to provide the scenery. 'Supercar' had a lot more interesting villains than just Masterspy and the number of missions involving rescue would one day come to fruition as an overall plan for 'Thunderbirds'. If anything, Supercar was used to propel the characters into the action as much as be used for anything else. Indeed, the interview with first season scriptwriters Martin and Hugh Woodhouse suggests they had problems with what to do with the vehicle itself which might explain why Gerry and Sylvia Anderson took over the writing and added their customary dream stories in the first instance.
It's unusual that there is no acknowledgement for the vocal talents of Gary Miller for singing the opening song. If the name sounds familiar then remember, he went onto sing 'Aqua Marina' for 'Stingray'. The Mike Samms Singers did the vocals for the second season. For those who are good listeners, there are snippets of music that will one day become the end theme of 'UFO' also by Barry Gray. It's interesting to note how far back this was composed.
In some respects, because 'Supercar' was supposed to be modern for its time, some elements can appear to be dated now. Saying that, there is a lot of incidental humour that might have escaped you at the time but catches you now. In one of the latter episodes, Masterspy tells friend Zarrin that he is an artificial copy of a man which I doubt if anyone could refute. Certainly, Mike Mercury has a nifty set of sunglasses which would have been ready merchandise had it been released today.
I covered 'Fireball XL-5' earlier in the year, hence the focus on the other three shows. The only significant difference is if you already have that boxset, not to sell it on as none of the extras included there are here. The most you've got are some colour stills extras in the 'Supercar Extras' DVD covering the series.
Speaking of which, this Extras DVD has a two hour look behind the scenes and interviews with people who were involved in 'Supercar'. Their old studio is now a Pirelli tyre shop, an irony considering that 'Supercar' never had tyres. This is interspersed with various interviews and photos from the time making this a must for the Anderson fans. One can only hope that Network has a similar theme in mind for covering the colour years.
Apart from the watchability of these four series after all these years, these are also an historical record of the past and development of TV puppetry and model special effects from the past. With so much of today's TV children's series playing down to their audience by treating them as people out to watch adventures in when we were young did a lot to how we are today. A note that should be thought of by today's producers where story quality counts.
GF Willmetts
|
|
