What's Marionette? It is a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer... Inspired from a famous book tale about a life wood puppet dream to be a human named Pinocchio, The dream developed into a live TV entertainment in the 60's presented us the unique technologies brought the dolls come to live... I was not borne in that era but cyberspace media given me the opportunity to watch it magical and wonders over and over again and gratefully admired those inventors who created this marvelous show... In reality it was almost one man territory that contributed us all the exceptional puppet show by the man named Gary Anderson... This article's mostly tribute masterpieces for him...
1. Stingray
Genre: Action,Adventure,Children's Science fiction
Format: Supermarionation serial
Created by: Gerry Anderson,Sylvia Anderson
Written by:Gerry Anderson,Sylvia Anderson,Alan Fennell,Dennis Spooner
Ending theme: "Aqua Marina"
(sung by Gary Miller)
Composer(s): Barry Gray
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Language(s):English
No. of series: 1
No. of episodes: 39 (List of episodes)
Producer(s): Gerry Anderson,Sylvia Anderson
Running time: 25 mins approx. per episode
Production company(s): AP Films
Distributor: ITC Entertainment
Original channel: ATV
Picture format: Film (35 mm)
Audio format: Mono
Original run: 4 October 1964 – 27 June 1965
Stingray is a children's marionette television show, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by AP Films for ATV and ITC Entertainment from 1964–65. Its 39 half-hour episodes were originally screened on ITV in the UK and in syndication in the USA. The scriptwriters included Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, Alan Fennell, and Dennis Spooner. Barry Gray composed the music, and Derek Meddings was the special effects director. Stingray was the first Supermarionation show to be filmed in colour, and also the first in which marionettes had interchangeable heads with different facial expressions. It was also the first British television programme to be filmed entirely in colour (the earlier series The Adventures of Sir Lancelot had been made in colour from halfway through its run). At that time the US stations were gearing up for full-time colour broadcasting, although Independent Television in Britain did not begin colour transmission until November 1969.
Production
Supercar had featured a vehicle that could travel on land, sea and air, and Fireball XL5 had featured a spaceship. The next logical step was a series about a submarine, which presented a number of technical challenges.
Scenes featuring model submarines or marionettes underwater were actually filmed on a dry set, with the camera looking through a narrow water tank containing air bubblers and fish of different sizes to simulate perspective, thereby creating a convincing illusion that the models or puppets were underwater. This was enhanced with lighting effects that gave the impression of shafts of light refracted through the surface of the sea.
Scenes on the ocean's surface were filmed using a large tank filled with water and blue dye. To prevent the edges of the tank from showing it was deliberately overfilled so that the water would constantly spill over the edges and conceal them. These techniques proved so successful that they were also used for underwater scenes in Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Joe 90.
The show's 39 episodes were filmed as three blocks (or series) of thirteen episodes each, as ITC boss Lew Grade was accustomed to ordering further batches of 13 shows each as need demanded, as he had done on the earlier Anderson shows Four Feather Falls, Supercar and Fireball XL5 (all of which also ran to 39 episodes).
Story and characters
Stingray, a highly sophisticated combat submarine built for speed and manoeuvrability, is the flagship of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP), a 21st Century security organisation based at Marineville in the year 2065. She is capable of speeds of up to 600 knots (1,100 km/h) and advanced pressure compensators allow her to submerge to depths of over 36,000 feet (11,000 m), which permits cruising to the bottom of any part of any ocean in the world.
Marineville is located somewhere on the California coast of the United States. In the event of attack, the entire base can descend on hydraulic jacks into underground bunkers. Marineville is 10 miles (16 km) inland, and Stingray is launched from the base's "Pen 3" through a tunnel leading to the Pacific Ocean.
"Action Stations," "Launch Stations," and "Battle Stations" are sounded not by sirens but by a rapid drum-beat, composed and recorded by series composer Barry Gray, played over the Marineville public address system.
The pilot of Stingray is the square-jawed Captain Troy Tempest, the Supermarionation puppet who was modelled on James Garner, accompanied by Dixie navigator Lieutenant George Lee "Phones" Sheridan, nicknamed "Phones" because of his job as Stingray's hydrophone operator. His real name, George Sheridan, is referred to in the show's publicity material, but is never mentioned on-screen. Troy and Phones board Stingray by sitting down in their side-by-side command chairs in the stand-by lounge, which are lowered rapidly into the submarine on long tubular poles called injector tubes. An additional seat and pole is situated just behind theirs, for use by a third crew member, usually Marina, or a passenger. They take their orders from the crusty, "hoverchair"-bound Commander Samuel Shore, whose daughter, Lieutenant Atlanta Shore, is also a WASP operative and is enamoured of Troy. Sub-Lieutenant John Fisher also regularly takes shifts at Marineville Control. The reason Shore is confined to a hoverchair is revealed in the episode The Ghost of the Sea. As a security agent for a deep sea mining platform, he was attacked by a submarine. He managed to ram his attacker in return, and then escape to the surface with scuba gear, but in so doing, he lost the use of his legs. All this took place five years before the time in which Stingray is set.
During the course of the series, Stingray encounters a number of underwater races, both hostile and otherwise. The "aquaphibians," a submarine warrior race, appear frequently, often under the command of King Titan, whose puppet was modelled on Laurence Olivier, and who is the ruler of the underwater city of Titanica.
In the pilot episode, Stingray is attacked by Titan's forces and Troy and Phones are captured. They are rescued by Titan's slave girl Marina (modelled on Brigitte Bardot)[citation needed], a beautiful mute young woman who can breathe underwater. Troy is immediately smitten with Marina, and Atlanta becomes jealous. Meanwhile Titan swears revenge for Marina's betrayal. Marina becomes a regular member of Stingray's crew, and later acquires a seal pup called Oink, who features in a number of episodes.
Many subsequent episodes involve Titan's schemes to destroy Stingray and Marineville. These often fail due to the incompetence of Titan's spy, Surface Agent X-Two-Zero, whose puppet is modelled facially on Claude Rains[citation needed] but whose voice is imitative of Peter Lorre.
Almost all the characters, places and vehicles in the series have names connected, in some fashion, with the sea. Character names of this type include Captain Tempest (as in storm), Commander Shore (as in seashore), Lieutenant Fisher, Atlanta (from Atlantic), Marina (from marine), and the hostile aquaphibians. Place names associated with the sea or water include Marineville and Aquatraz; and vehicle names include the super-sub, Stingray, itself named after a type of marine creature, and Titan's deadly submersibles, which he calls Terror Fish.
"Stingray Class"
According to the Stingray comic strip in the weekly Countdown comic there was more than one Stingray class submarine in the Marineville fleet. They had names like Spearfish, Barracuda, Moray and Thornback and were identified by different numbers on their fins suggesting that the '3' on Stingray's fins did not indicate she was Stingray Mark III after all.
A similar idea was used by author John Theydon in his second Stingray novel, Stingray and the Monster, some years earlier. In the novel, another WASP submarine (unnamed and referred to as Number Thirteen) is hijacked by an old enemy of Commander Shore. Theydon's description of the hijacked boat, both inside and out, is recognisably similar to that of Stingray, with the specific exception that Number Thirteen is stated to not have Stingray's exceptional performance, being limited to around 400 knots rather than the 600 that Stingray is quoted as being able to reach. The implication, never explicitly stated, is that Stingray is an upgraded version of the design. Somewhat later, TV21 mentioned a second "super-sub" entering service with the WASPs—that is, until it is stolen by a Mysteron agent as part of the plot of a Captain Scarlet story.
And much more HERE...
I'm still remembering the part where the Stingray submarine chase by a vicious submersibles fishlike 'Terrorfish' jump into the air from the ocean with background chorus it was like goosebump-ing me every time I watched it... That's truly magnificent moment...
And then the romantic ending part where the hero meet his mermaid lover with synchronizing song that bring to you what shockingly puppets can do...
2. Thunderbirds
Genre: Children's Science fiction,Action,Adventure,Thriller,Disaster
Format: Supermarionation puppetry
Created by: Gerry Anderson,Sylvia Anderson
Written by: Gerry Anderson,Sylvia Anderson, and others...
Thunderbirds is a British science fiction television series first broadcast during 1965 and 1966 which was devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by their company, AP Films, using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation". The series followed the adventures of International Rescue, a secretive organisation created to help those in grave danger using technically advanced equipment and machinery launched from its hidden Tracy Island base. The series focused on the head of the organisation, ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, and his five sons who piloted the "Thunderbird" crafts. Its London agent, Lady Penelope, also makes frequent appearances. The series has benefited from periodic revivals since - as well as subsequently inspiring other television programmes and advertisements, theatrical productions, feature films and substantial merchandise.
Plot:
The Thunderbirds TV series is supposedly set in the 21st century, which at the time of production was still over thirty years away. (The specific time frame remains a contentious topic amongst fans, due to contradictory dates seen on newspapers and calendars in different episodes, ranging from 1964 to 2026.) This intent was carried forward in all of the series' contemporary tie-in merchandise, such as the weekly comic strip in TV Century 21 and the Century 21 Mini-Album "Thunderbird 3", wherein Alan Tracy tells listeners that the year is 2065. 1993 vintage champagne is discussed in "Alias Mr. Hackenbacker". The date was later defined mid-2060s, as in the feature film Thunderbirds Are Go the date is shown to be June 2066, and in Thunderbird 6 it is June 2068. In addition, the Zero X spacecraft from Thunderbirds Are Go subsequently appeared in the opening episode of Anderson's next TV series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, which was set in 2068.
The show depicts the adventures of the Tracy family, which consists of millionaire former astronaut Jeff Tracy (one of the first men to land on the moon) and his five sons: Scott (pilot of Thunderbird 1 and principal rescue co-ordinator), Virgil (pilot of Thunderbird 2), Alan (astronaut in Thunderbird 3), Gordon (aquanaut in Thunderbird 4) and John (principal duty astronaut on the space station Thunderbird 5) – each named after a Mercury astronaut – Scott Carpenter,[2] Virgil Grissom,[3] Alan Shepard,[4] Gordon Cooper[5] and John Glenn,[6] respectively. Together with Jeff's elderly mother called Grandma Tracy, the scientific genius and engineer "Brains", the family's manservant Kyrano and his daughter Tin-Tin, the Tracy family live on a remote, uncharted island.
International Rescue's London agent, international socialite Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, and her Cockney butler/chauffeur Aloysius "Nosey" Parker, are often seen chasing The Hood and other villains in the pink, amphibious Rolls-Royce FAB1, which is equipped with James Bond-style gadgets. (Rolls-Royce actually provided an authentic radiator grille to the production company for closeups of FAB-1, such as when the retractable machine gun was fired.) Lady Penelope's yacht is called FAB-2. Although credited as "London-based Agent", Lady Penelope lives in a mansion in Kent, which is actually a miniature copy of real-life Stourhead House in Wiltshire.
Some of the disasters attended by International Rescue are often the result of accident or misadventure, but on occasion involve deliberate sabotage. A recurring villain, "The Hood" (actually never named in the dialogue, but referred to as such in narration, in the comics, tie-in books and other spin-off media), frequently causes major accidents in order to lure International Rescue's vehicles to the scene and spy on or steal them. Although never credited as such, two characters would have recurring roles in the series, with London Airport controller Commander Norman appearing five times. Fireflash pilot Captain Hanson would appear five times as well, though three of his appearances were part of reused or archive footage.
A family of future organization dwelling in hi-tech island full of sophisticated gadgetry and mobiles of land and air vehicles
vowed to protect and to served the public trust from the very uncommon enemy... A high-class standard of elite's kin guarding the nation whilst still preserving the family values...
It a volunteering tiring active duty but someone or somebodies got to do it in literally household manners...
3. Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Genre: Action,Adventure,Science fiction,Thriller
Format: Supermarionation serial
Created by: Gerry Anderson,Written by Tony Barwick and others...
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Language(s): English
No. of series: 1
No. of episodes: 32 (List of episodes)
Running time: 25 mins approx.
Production company(s): Century 21 Television
Distributor: ITC Entertainment
Original channel: ATV
Picture format: Film (35 mm)
Audio format: Mono
Original run: 29 September 1967[5] – 14 May 1968
Chronology
Related shows: Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
(2005 reboot series)
Plot:
Set in 2068, the series charts the hostilities between Earth and a race of Martians known as the Mysterons. After a misunderstanding results in human astronauts destroying their base, the vengeful Mysterons declare war on Earth,[e 1] initiating a succession of reprisal attacks that are countered by Spectrum, an international security organisation. Spectrum boasts the remarkable abilities of its top agent, Captain Scarlet, who comes to possess the Mysteron healing power of "retro-metabolism". This ability to return to life, even after suffering fatal injuries, essentially makes Scarlet "indestructible".
Captain Scarlet, the eighth of ten puppet series that the Andersons produced during the 1950s and 60s, follows Thunderbirds and precedes Joe 90 and the little-seen The Secret Service. In terms of visual aesthetic, the series represents a departure from the style of Thunderbirds due to its use of non-caricatured marionette puppets of realistic bodily proportions. Re-run a number of times on British television and purchased by the BBC in 1993, the 32-episode series has been the foundation of merchandising campaigns since its first appearance, leading to the release of items such as toy dolls and other associated media, including novels and comic strips in the Anderson-related children's magazine, TV Century 21.
Compared to its antecedents, Captain Scarlet continues to be recognised as much "darker" in tone and less orientated towards child audiences due to increased levels of violence and themes of extraterrestrial malevolence and interplanetary conflict. The transition in puppet design has polarised the opinions of commentators and former production personnel, although the series has been praised for its depiction of a multinational and multiethnic cast of characters against the backdrop of a utopian future Earth. Deciding to revive Captain Scarlet in the late 1990s, Gerry Anderson supervised the production of a computer-animated reboot series, Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, which commenced broadcast in the United Kingdom in 2005. (A lot more HERE)
Nothing much to review as I wasn't borne in that era but YouTube really provided me the knowledges that I need and the excitement so I could watch it all over again... For me it was indeed a mysterious way to presented a children show using toys as storylines base on adult's subject...
4. Joe 90
Genre: Action,Adventure,Children's Science fiction, Spy-fi
Format: Supermarionation puppetry
Created by: Gerry Anderson,Sylvia Anderson
Written by: Tony Barwick and others...
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Language(s): English
No. of series: 1
No. of episodes: 30 (List of episodes)
Joe 90 is a late-1960s British science-fiction television series documenting the exploits of a nine-year-old boy, Joe McClaine, who embarks on a double life as a schoolboy turned spy when his scientist father invents a pioneering machine capable of duplicating and transferring expert knowledge and experience to another human brain. Equipped with the skills of the foremost academic and military minds, Joe enlists in the World Intelligence Network (WIN), becoming its "Most Special Agent", pursuing the ideal of world peace and saving human life. Created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by Century 21 Productions, the 30-episode series followed the earlier Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.
First screened in the UK from September 1968 to April 1969 on the ATV network, Joe 90 was the sixth and final Anderson production to have been made exclusively using the form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation". The final puppet series, The Secret Service used this process only in combination with extensive live-action filming. As in the case of its predecessor, Captain Scarlet, the puppets of Joe 90 are of a more naturally proportioned design as opposed to the more caricatured appearance of the characters from Thunderbirds.
Although not as successful as Century 21's previous puppet efforts, since its inception, Joe 90 has been praised, besides other aspects, for the characterisation of its smaller Supermarionation cast and the accomplishment of its model sets and special effects. Critics read into Joe 90's spy-fi theme and the choice of a child character as the protagonist, suggesting either a "kids play Bond" connection or an enshrinement of children and the powers of their imagination. Points for criticism range from the violence depicted in a number of episodes[6] to the absence of female characters, which is viewed either as the inevitable result of Joe 90's development as a "boy's own adventure" or bordering on sexism.
Plot
Joe 90 is set either in 2012-3 or at another point in the early 21st century,or 1998, according to the official guide for scriptwriters.[6] Nine-year-old British schoolboy Joe McClaine is the adopted son of Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine, a renowned computer expert. On the outside, the McClaines are an ordinary father-and-son pair who live in an antiquated Elizabethan-style cottage overlooking Culver Bay, Dorset, tended by their housekeeper, Mrs Harris. However, residing in a secret underground laboratory is Mac's latest invention, the "BIG RAT" (Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer), a machine capable of recording knowledge and experience from leading experts in various fields and transferring it to another human brain. At the heart of the design is the "Rat Trap", a rotating, spherical cage in which a subject is seated during the transfer of the expert "brain pattern".
Sam Loover, a secret agent for the World Intelligence Network (WIN), persuades Mac, his friend, to dedicate the BIG RAT to WIN's pursuit of world peace by permitting Joe to assume such knowledge and experience and become an operative for the organisation.After the requisite skill is transferred, and provided that Joe is wearing special glasses containing hidden electrodes storing the expertise, he is able to execute such missions as operating fighter aircraft,blasting off into space and performing advanced neurosurgery,all the while appearing to be an innocent schoolboy to the enemies of WIN. Since no one would suspect a child of espionage, Joe quickly becomes WIN's "Most Special Agent".Reporting to the commander-in-chief of WIN's London Headquarters, Shane Weston, he is also provided with a special briefcase, which on superficial inspection appears to be a simple school case but in fact conceals an adapted handgun and transceiver.There is some inconsistency as to why Joe assumes the codename "90". Promotional information states that, in the pilot, Joe joins 89 other WIN agents based in London, becoming the 90th agent.However, in the episode "Project 90", the BIG RAT is referred to as WIN's "File 90" and (according to dialogue from Professor McClaine) Joe's designation originates from this.
In a manner similar to other Gerry Anderson series, Joe 90 features gadgets, rescue operations,secret organisations,and criminal and terrorist threats to the safety of the world. One example of advanced technology demonstrated is the "Jet Air Car", a land, sea and air vehicle invented by Professor McClaine prior to the events of the series. The pun of the "WIN" acronym for the World Intelligence Network is similar to that of WASP, the abbreviated name of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol that appears in Stingray. The Cold War, significant in 1968 due to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia that August has ended in the futuristic universe of Joe 90. Although in the pilot episode Joe is depicted stealing a new Russian fighter plane to expose its revolutionary design to the West, the story is later revealed to be a scenario imagined by Shane Weston to demonstrate the types of espionage in which Joe would likely be involved if Mac agrees to his son becoming a spy.
In the fictional universe of Joe 90, the nations of the world are politically divided into Western and Eastern blocs. A recurring antagonist is the Eastern Alliance, which dominates Asia and appears in the episodes "Attack of the Tiger"and "Mission X-41"."International Concerto", "Business Holiday", "Arctic Adventure" and "The Professional"feature villains who speak with Slavic accents. "Attack of the Tiger" combines the Eastern Alliance threat with the hazards of nuclear technology; in this episode, Joe must prevent an Eastern nuclear device from being launched into Earth orbit.By contrast, an episode that demonstrates the advantages of nuclear technology is "Big Fish", in which Joe struggles to remove a crippled nuclear submarine from the ocean floor when it strays into the territorial waters of a hostile Latin American police state. The series ends with a clip show episode, "The Birthday", in which a number of Joe's missions are recalled as flashbacks on the day that the protagonist reaches the age of ten.
Another adult genres plotlines about a spy-boy using a invented machine to penetrate other minds... It's maybe a complicated series but assure is certainly given us a new looks to explore in those days...
5. Team America: World Police
Directed by: Trey Parker
Produced by: Trey Parker,Matt Stone,Scott Rudin
Written by: Trey Parker,Matt Stone,Pam Brady
Studio: Scott Rudin Productions
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) :
October 14, 2004 (Denver)
October 15, 2004
Running time: 98 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Budget: $32 million
Box office: $50,907,422
Team America: World Police is a 2004 satirical action comedy film written by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam Brady and directed by Parker, all of whom are also known for the popular animated television series South Park. The film is a satire of big-budget action films and their associated clichés and stereotypes, with particular humorous emphasis on the global implications of US politics. The title of the film itself is derived from domestic and international political criticisms that the U.S. frequently and unilaterally tries to "police the world". The film features a cast composed of marionettes. Team America focuses on a fictional team of political paramilitary policemen known as "Team America: World Police", who attempt to save the world from a violent terrorist plot led by Kim Jong-il.
The film was primarily inspired by Thunderbirds, a popular British TV show created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson which also featured an all-marionette cast, though Stone and Parker were not fans of the show. The duo worked on the script with former South Park writer Pam Brady for nearly two years. The film had a troubled time in production, with various problems regarding the marionettes as well as the scheduling extremes of having the film come out in time. In addition, the filmmakers fought with the Motion Picture Association of America, who returned the film over nine times with an NC-17 rating. The film was recut by a few seconds and rated R.
The film was released in the United States on October 15, 2004 and received generally positive reviews. Team America grossed over $51 million worldwide. The film was released on DVD in the United States on May 17, 2005, available in both R-rated and Unrated versions.
Plot
Team America exists to stop terrorists from committing world crimes. With a home base within Mount Rushmore, the team consists of: Lisa, a psychologist; Carson, Lisa's love interest; Sarah, an alleged psychic; Joe, an all-American jock who is in love with Sarah; and Chris, a technological and martial arts expert who harbors a mistrust of actors. The team is led by Spottswoode, a United States government agent. I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. is their highly-advanced supercomputer.
The story opens in Paris, France, where the team interrupts a group of terrorists in action. During the ensuing firefight, the Team destroys the Eiffel Tower (which then collapses onto and destroys the Arc de Triomphe) and the Louvre, "saving" the day but ironically causing more damage than if they had not been present. Carson then proposes to Lisa, but the moment is cut short when a dying terrorist kills Carson. In search of a new member, Spottswoode recruits Gary Johnston, a Broadway actor, who was starring in Lease, and who has college majors in Theater and World Languages. Gary will use his acting talents to infiltrate terrorist organizations. Unbeknownst to the team, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il is supplying international terrorists with weapons of mass destruction, planning a mysterious worldwide attack.
I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. is informed of a terrorist meeting in Cairo, Egypt. Gary manages to successfully infiltrate the terrorist group due to his fluency in their language, which is shown to be a caricature of Arabic that consists mainly of the words "Derka", "Muhammad" and "Jihad". During this time, both Lisa and Sarah become romantically attracted to him. Chris, however, hates Gary, because he is an actor. Gary is sent in undercover, and gains trust of a terrorist lieutenant despite having a poor disguise. The team attempts to capture the terrorists, and although Team America successfully foils the plan, their actions again leave most of the city in ruins. The group is criticized by the Film Actors Guild (F.A.G.), a union of liberal Hollywood actors. The group includes Gary's favorite actor, Alec Baldwin, and his heavy criticism is discouraging to Gary. Meanwhile, the United Nations assign Hans Blix to inspect Kim Jong-il's lair, but Blix is killed by Kim Jong-il's man-eating sharks. As Team America relaxes, Gary expresses his guilt to Lisa, remembering a time where his acting talent caused his brother to be killed by gorillas. As the two consummate their relationship, a group of terrorists blow up the Panama Canal.
The Film Actors Guild blames Team America, believing that they are responsible, as the terrorists claim this is retaliation for Team America's attack in Egypt. Gary, realizing his acting talents have once again resulted in a tumult, abandons the team, causing conflict among the remaining members. Believing the terrorists to be operating within Derkaderkastan, the original members depart, only to be attacked and captured by terrorists and the North Koreans, respectively. Meanwhile, Michael Moore infiltrates the team's base and suicide bombs the area. Kim Jong-il, upset with the terrorists' actions, expresses his frustration and despair by singing "I'm So Ronery". Meanwhile, Gary slips further into alcoholism.
In North Korea, Kim Jong-il plans to host an elaborate peace ceremony, inviting not only the Film Actors Guild, but also the world's political leaders. Alec Baldwin is chosen as the ceremony's host. During the celebration, a series of bombs will be detonated throughout the world, reducing every nation to a Third World country. Gary returns to the Team's headquarters in Mount Rushmore and finds only ruins, although Spottswoode and I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. have survived. After regaining Spottswoode's trust by performing oral sex on him, and undergoing a one-day training course (shown as a montage for comic effect), Gary is sent to North Korea.
Gary manages to free the team. They are confronted by the Film Actors Guild and a violent battle ensues, which involves panthers being released at the team, and leaving most of the Guild brutally slain, with Alec Baldwin remaining alive as the host of the ceremony. Soon after, Chris confesses to Gary that his mistrust of actors is due to the fact that he was raped by the cast of Cats at the age of nineteen. The team then confronts Kim Jong-il. Although initially unsuccessful, Gary convinces the world's leaders to unite when he recites the drifter's emotional speech that he heard in the bar, stunning Alec. Kim Jong-il then kills Alec with an assault rifle, but is defeated by Lisa and impaled on a Pickelhaube. Kim's bombs are disarmed; and he is revealed to be a cockroach from another planet. He flees, departing in a miniature spaceship, but promises to return. When Gary and Lisa begin a relationship, the team reunites, preparing to combat the remainder of the world's terrorists. (Spoof more HERE.)
Maybe they making it too much realism or trying to proved it otherwise but you got to be inspires to make this kind of show
so it wouldn't be debated for worst in the future making...
Using controversial subject and violences could bring disasters or slapsticks jokes that intended to treated audiences as a no-brainer
or maybe... Puppet's just full of string after all...No serious pun....
And then the romantic ending part where the hero meet his mermaid lover with synchronizing song that bring to you what shockingly puppets can do...
2. Thunderbirds
Genre: Children's Science fiction,Action,Adventure,Thriller,Disaster
Format: Supermarionation puppetry
Created by: Gerry Anderson,Sylvia Anderson
Written by: Gerry Anderson,Sylvia Anderson, and others...
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Language(s): English
No. of series: 2
No. of episodes: 32 (64 in 30-minute "cliffhanger" format) (List of episodes)
Running time: 50 mins approx. per episode
Original channel: ITV
Picture format: Film (35 mm)
Audio format: Mono
Original run: 30 September 1965 – 25 December 1966
Chronology:
Followed by: Thunderbirds Are Go (1966 film)
Related shows: Thunderbirds 2086 (1982 remake)
Plot:
The Thunderbirds TV series is supposedly set in the 21st century, which at the time of production was still over thirty years away. (The specific time frame remains a contentious topic amongst fans, due to contradictory dates seen on newspapers and calendars in different episodes, ranging from 1964 to 2026.) This intent was carried forward in all of the series' contemporary tie-in merchandise, such as the weekly comic strip in TV Century 21 and the Century 21 Mini-Album "Thunderbird 3", wherein Alan Tracy tells listeners that the year is 2065. 1993 vintage champagne is discussed in "Alias Mr. Hackenbacker". The date was later defined mid-2060s, as in the feature film Thunderbirds Are Go the date is shown to be June 2066, and in Thunderbird 6 it is June 2068. In addition, the Zero X spacecraft from Thunderbirds Are Go subsequently appeared in the opening episode of Anderson's next TV series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, which was set in 2068.
The show depicts the adventures of the Tracy family, which consists of millionaire former astronaut Jeff Tracy (one of the first men to land on the moon) and his five sons: Scott (pilot of Thunderbird 1 and principal rescue co-ordinator), Virgil (pilot of Thunderbird 2), Alan (astronaut in Thunderbird 3), Gordon (aquanaut in Thunderbird 4) and John (principal duty astronaut on the space station Thunderbird 5) – each named after a Mercury astronaut – Scott Carpenter,[2] Virgil Grissom,[3] Alan Shepard,[4] Gordon Cooper[5] and John Glenn,[6] respectively. Together with Jeff's elderly mother called Grandma Tracy, the scientific genius and engineer "Brains", the family's manservant Kyrano and his daughter Tin-Tin, the Tracy family live on a remote, uncharted island.
International Rescue's London agent, international socialite Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, and her Cockney butler/chauffeur Aloysius "Nosey" Parker, are often seen chasing The Hood and other villains in the pink, amphibious Rolls-Royce FAB1, which is equipped with James Bond-style gadgets. (Rolls-Royce actually provided an authentic radiator grille to the production company for closeups of FAB-1, such as when the retractable machine gun was fired.) Lady Penelope's yacht is called FAB-2. Although credited as "London-based Agent", Lady Penelope lives in a mansion in Kent, which is actually a miniature copy of real-life Stourhead House in Wiltshire.
Some of the disasters attended by International Rescue are often the result of accident or misadventure, but on occasion involve deliberate sabotage. A recurring villain, "The Hood" (actually never named in the dialogue, but referred to as such in narration, in the comics, tie-in books and other spin-off media), frequently causes major accidents in order to lure International Rescue's vehicles to the scene and spy on or steal them. Although never credited as such, two characters would have recurring roles in the series, with London Airport controller Commander Norman appearing five times. Fireflash pilot Captain Hanson would appear five times as well, though three of his appearances were part of reused or archive footage.
Read more... HERE.
A family of future organization dwelling in hi-tech island full of sophisticated gadgetry and mobiles of land and air vehicles
vowed to protect and to served the public trust from the very uncommon enemy... A high-class standard of elite's kin guarding the nation whilst still preserving the family values...
It a volunteering tiring active duty but someone or somebodies got to do it in literally household manners...
3. Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Genre: Action,Adventure,Science fiction,Thriller
Format: Supermarionation serial
Created by: Gerry Anderson,Written by Tony Barwick and others...
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Language(s): English
No. of series: 1
No. of episodes: 32 (List of episodes)
Running time: 25 mins approx.
Production company(s): Century 21 Television
Distributor: ITC Entertainment
Original channel: ATV
Picture format: Film (35 mm)
Audio format: Mono
Original run: 29 September 1967[5] – 14 May 1968
Chronology
Related shows: Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
(2005 reboot series)
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill. First broadcast on ATV Midlands between September 1967 and May 1968, it has since been transmitted in more than 40 other countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.[7] Combined with scale model special effects, characters are presented as marionette puppets in a filming technique that the Andersons dubbed "Supermarionation", a technology that incorporated internal solenoid motors as a means of producing mouth movements synchronised with pre-recorded dialogue.
Plot:
Set in 2068, the series charts the hostilities between Earth and a race of Martians known as the Mysterons. After a misunderstanding results in human astronauts destroying their base, the vengeful Mysterons declare war on Earth,[e 1] initiating a succession of reprisal attacks that are countered by Spectrum, an international security organisation. Spectrum boasts the remarkable abilities of its top agent, Captain Scarlet, who comes to possess the Mysteron healing power of "retro-metabolism". This ability to return to life, even after suffering fatal injuries, essentially makes Scarlet "indestructible".
Captain Scarlet, the eighth of ten puppet series that the Andersons produced during the 1950s and 60s, follows Thunderbirds and precedes Joe 90 and the little-seen The Secret Service. In terms of visual aesthetic, the series represents a departure from the style of Thunderbirds due to its use of non-caricatured marionette puppets of realistic bodily proportions. Re-run a number of times on British television and purchased by the BBC in 1993, the 32-episode series has been the foundation of merchandising campaigns since its first appearance, leading to the release of items such as toy dolls and other associated media, including novels and comic strips in the Anderson-related children's magazine, TV Century 21.
Compared to its antecedents, Captain Scarlet continues to be recognised as much "darker" in tone and less orientated towards child audiences due to increased levels of violence and themes of extraterrestrial malevolence and interplanetary conflict. The transition in puppet design has polarised the opinions of commentators and former production personnel, although the series has been praised for its depiction of a multinational and multiethnic cast of characters against the backdrop of a utopian future Earth. Deciding to revive Captain Scarlet in the late 1990s, Gerry Anderson supervised the production of a computer-animated reboot series, Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, which commenced broadcast in the United Kingdom in 2005. (A lot more HERE)
Nothing much to review as I wasn't borne in that era but YouTube really provided me the knowledges that I need and the excitement so I could watch it all over again... For me it was indeed a mysterious way to presented a children show using toys as storylines base on adult's subject...
4. Joe 90
Genre: Action,Adventure,Children's Science fiction, Spy-fi
Format: Supermarionation puppetry
Created by: Gerry Anderson,Sylvia Anderson
Written by: Tony Barwick and others...
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Language(s): English
No. of series: 1
No. of episodes: 30 (List of episodes)
Running time: 25 mins approx.
Production company(s): Century 21 Television
Distributor: ITC Entertainment
Original channel: ATV
Picture format: Film (35 mm)
Audio format: Mono
Original run: 29 September 1968[4] – 20 April 1969
First screened in the UK from September 1968 to April 1969 on the ATV network, Joe 90 was the sixth and final Anderson production to have been made exclusively using the form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation". The final puppet series, The Secret Service used this process only in combination with extensive live-action filming. As in the case of its predecessor, Captain Scarlet, the puppets of Joe 90 are of a more naturally proportioned design as opposed to the more caricatured appearance of the characters from Thunderbirds.
Although not as successful as Century 21's previous puppet efforts, since its inception, Joe 90 has been praised, besides other aspects, for the characterisation of its smaller Supermarionation cast and the accomplishment of its model sets and special effects. Critics read into Joe 90's spy-fi theme and the choice of a child character as the protagonist, suggesting either a "kids play Bond" connection or an enshrinement of children and the powers of their imagination. Points for criticism range from the violence depicted in a number of episodes[6] to the absence of female characters, which is viewed either as the inevitable result of Joe 90's development as a "boy's own adventure" or bordering on sexism.
Plot
Joe 90 is set either in 2012-3 or at another point in the early 21st century,or 1998, according to the official guide for scriptwriters.[6] Nine-year-old British schoolboy Joe McClaine is the adopted son of Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine, a renowned computer expert. On the outside, the McClaines are an ordinary father-and-son pair who live in an antiquated Elizabethan-style cottage overlooking Culver Bay, Dorset, tended by their housekeeper, Mrs Harris. However, residing in a secret underground laboratory is Mac's latest invention, the "BIG RAT" (Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer), a machine capable of recording knowledge and experience from leading experts in various fields and transferring it to another human brain. At the heart of the design is the "Rat Trap", a rotating, spherical cage in which a subject is seated during the transfer of the expert "brain pattern".
Sam Loover, a secret agent for the World Intelligence Network (WIN), persuades Mac, his friend, to dedicate the BIG RAT to WIN's pursuit of world peace by permitting Joe to assume such knowledge and experience and become an operative for the organisation.After the requisite skill is transferred, and provided that Joe is wearing special glasses containing hidden electrodes storing the expertise, he is able to execute such missions as operating fighter aircraft,blasting off into space and performing advanced neurosurgery,all the while appearing to be an innocent schoolboy to the enemies of WIN. Since no one would suspect a child of espionage, Joe quickly becomes WIN's "Most Special Agent".Reporting to the commander-in-chief of WIN's London Headquarters, Shane Weston, he is also provided with a special briefcase, which on superficial inspection appears to be a simple school case but in fact conceals an adapted handgun and transceiver.There is some inconsistency as to why Joe assumes the codename "90". Promotional information states that, in the pilot, Joe joins 89 other WIN agents based in London, becoming the 90th agent.However, in the episode "Project 90", the BIG RAT is referred to as WIN's "File 90" and (according to dialogue from Professor McClaine) Joe's designation originates from this.
In a manner similar to other Gerry Anderson series, Joe 90 features gadgets, rescue operations,secret organisations,and criminal and terrorist threats to the safety of the world. One example of advanced technology demonstrated is the "Jet Air Car", a land, sea and air vehicle invented by Professor McClaine prior to the events of the series. The pun of the "WIN" acronym for the World Intelligence Network is similar to that of WASP, the abbreviated name of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol that appears in Stingray. The Cold War, significant in 1968 due to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia that August has ended in the futuristic universe of Joe 90. Although in the pilot episode Joe is depicted stealing a new Russian fighter plane to expose its revolutionary design to the West, the story is later revealed to be a scenario imagined by Shane Weston to demonstrate the types of espionage in which Joe would likely be involved if Mac agrees to his son becoming a spy.
In the fictional universe of Joe 90, the nations of the world are politically divided into Western and Eastern blocs. A recurring antagonist is the Eastern Alliance, which dominates Asia and appears in the episodes "Attack of the Tiger"and "Mission X-41"."International Concerto", "Business Holiday", "Arctic Adventure" and "The Professional"feature villains who speak with Slavic accents. "Attack of the Tiger" combines the Eastern Alliance threat with the hazards of nuclear technology; in this episode, Joe must prevent an Eastern nuclear device from being launched into Earth orbit.By contrast, an episode that demonstrates the advantages of nuclear technology is "Big Fish", in which Joe struggles to remove a crippled nuclear submarine from the ocean floor when it strays into the territorial waters of a hostile Latin American police state. The series ends with a clip show episode, "The Birthday", in which a number of Joe's missions are recalled as flashbacks on the day that the protagonist reaches the age of ten.
5. Team America: World Police
Directed by: Trey Parker
Produced by: Trey Parker,Matt Stone,Scott Rudin
Written by: Trey Parker,Matt Stone,Pam Brady
Studio: Scott Rudin Productions
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) :
October 14, 2004 (Denver)
October 15, 2004
Running time: 98 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Budget: $32 million
Box office: $50,907,422
The film was primarily inspired by Thunderbirds, a popular British TV show created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson which also featured an all-marionette cast, though Stone and Parker were not fans of the show. The duo worked on the script with former South Park writer Pam Brady for nearly two years. The film had a troubled time in production, with various problems regarding the marionettes as well as the scheduling extremes of having the film come out in time. In addition, the filmmakers fought with the Motion Picture Association of America, who returned the film over nine times with an NC-17 rating. The film was recut by a few seconds and rated R.
The film was released in the United States on October 15, 2004 and received generally positive reviews. Team America grossed over $51 million worldwide. The film was released on DVD in the United States on May 17, 2005, available in both R-rated and Unrated versions.
Plot
Team America exists to stop terrorists from committing world crimes. With a home base within Mount Rushmore, the team consists of: Lisa, a psychologist; Carson, Lisa's love interest; Sarah, an alleged psychic; Joe, an all-American jock who is in love with Sarah; and Chris, a technological and martial arts expert who harbors a mistrust of actors. The team is led by Spottswoode, a United States government agent. I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. is their highly-advanced supercomputer.
The story opens in Paris, France, where the team interrupts a group of terrorists in action. During the ensuing firefight, the Team destroys the Eiffel Tower (which then collapses onto and destroys the Arc de Triomphe) and the Louvre, "saving" the day but ironically causing more damage than if they had not been present. Carson then proposes to Lisa, but the moment is cut short when a dying terrorist kills Carson. In search of a new member, Spottswoode recruits Gary Johnston, a Broadway actor, who was starring in Lease, and who has college majors in Theater and World Languages. Gary will use his acting talents to infiltrate terrorist organizations. Unbeknownst to the team, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il is supplying international terrorists with weapons of mass destruction, planning a mysterious worldwide attack.
I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. is informed of a terrorist meeting in Cairo, Egypt. Gary manages to successfully infiltrate the terrorist group due to his fluency in their language, which is shown to be a caricature of Arabic that consists mainly of the words "Derka", "Muhammad" and "Jihad". During this time, both Lisa and Sarah become romantically attracted to him. Chris, however, hates Gary, because he is an actor. Gary is sent in undercover, and gains trust of a terrorist lieutenant despite having a poor disguise. The team attempts to capture the terrorists, and although Team America successfully foils the plan, their actions again leave most of the city in ruins. The group is criticized by the Film Actors Guild (F.A.G.), a union of liberal Hollywood actors. The group includes Gary's favorite actor, Alec Baldwin, and his heavy criticism is discouraging to Gary. Meanwhile, the United Nations assign Hans Blix to inspect Kim Jong-il's lair, but Blix is killed by Kim Jong-il's man-eating sharks. As Team America relaxes, Gary expresses his guilt to Lisa, remembering a time where his acting talent caused his brother to be killed by gorillas. As the two consummate their relationship, a group of terrorists blow up the Panama Canal.
The Film Actors Guild blames Team America, believing that they are responsible, as the terrorists claim this is retaliation for Team America's attack in Egypt. Gary, realizing his acting talents have once again resulted in a tumult, abandons the team, causing conflict among the remaining members. Believing the terrorists to be operating within Derkaderkastan, the original members depart, only to be attacked and captured by terrorists and the North Koreans, respectively. Meanwhile, Michael Moore infiltrates the team's base and suicide bombs the area. Kim Jong-il, upset with the terrorists' actions, expresses his frustration and despair by singing "I'm So Ronery". Meanwhile, Gary slips further into alcoholism.
In North Korea, Kim Jong-il plans to host an elaborate peace ceremony, inviting not only the Film Actors Guild, but also the world's political leaders. Alec Baldwin is chosen as the ceremony's host. During the celebration, a series of bombs will be detonated throughout the world, reducing every nation to a Third World country. Gary returns to the Team's headquarters in Mount Rushmore and finds only ruins, although Spottswoode and I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. have survived. After regaining Spottswoode's trust by performing oral sex on him, and undergoing a one-day training course (shown as a montage for comic effect), Gary is sent to North Korea.
Gary manages to free the team. They are confronted by the Film Actors Guild and a violent battle ensues, which involves panthers being released at the team, and leaving most of the Guild brutally slain, with Alec Baldwin remaining alive as the host of the ceremony. Soon after, Chris confesses to Gary that his mistrust of actors is due to the fact that he was raped by the cast of Cats at the age of nineteen. The team then confronts Kim Jong-il. Although initially unsuccessful, Gary convinces the world's leaders to unite when he recites the drifter's emotional speech that he heard in the bar, stunning Alec. Kim Jong-il then kills Alec with an assault rifle, but is defeated by Lisa and impaled on a Pickelhaube. Kim's bombs are disarmed; and he is revealed to be a cockroach from another planet. He flees, departing in a miniature spaceship, but promises to return. When Gary and Lisa begin a relationship, the team reunites, preparing to combat the remainder of the world's terrorists. (Spoof more HERE.)
so it wouldn't be debated for worst in the future making...
Using controversial subject and violences could bring disasters or slapsticks jokes that intended to treated audiences as a no-brainer
or maybe... Puppet's just full of string after all...No serious pun....
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