Thunderbird 6
Meanwhile, Brains' efforts to design a proposed sixth Thunderbird collide with fate when Skyship One is damaged and its occupants' only salvation seems to be Alan's old Tiger Moth biplane.Representing International Rescue for the maiden flight – a private round-the-world trip with pre-programmed stops – are Alan Tracy, Tin-Tin, Lady Penelope and Parker.During a stop in the Swiss Alps, Parker discovers the editing equipment, but before the group can act the message is completed and transmitted to Tracy Island via John on Thunderbird 5.They also praise David Graham's contributions, especially his performance as Parker, but note that some of the regular characters from the TV series, including John and Gordon, play only minor roles in the film."[13] A number of one-off puppets with gaping mouths (showing filled-in teeth) were made for the opening sequence in which Brains' proposal to design a mere airship sends the incredulous NWAC executives into howling fits of laughter.[3] The scene set inside the fictional Whistle Stop Inn – a railway-themed Swiss pub where customers are served meals on model trains – required careful planning and coordination.[1][14][18] Joan Hughes, a ferry pilot who had flown Supermarine Spitfires and Avro Lancasters during the Second World War, was hired to fly the plane and serve as Lady Penelope's human stunt double.[14] Scenes featuring live-action shooting include Brains' take-off, Penelope's struggle to control the plane, the gun battle with Foster's henchmen, the near misses with the motorway bridge and the chimney, and the crash-landing in the field.Some time later, the production was informed that a local farmer's prize ram had died and that when the animal had been cut open a large amount of green paint had been found inside.[17] Before this sequence was filmed, the Ministry of Transport and local police had told the crew that for the stunt to be performed legally the plane's wheels had to remain in contact with the ground while it passed under the bridge.[13] Built at Hatfield Aerodrome in 1940, the DH82A Tiger Moth that appears in the film (registration G-ANFM, serial number 83604) served in the RAF before being sold to the Association of British Aero Clubs in 1953.[12] The aerial shots of Alan and Tin-Tin's flight to England aboard the Tiger Moth are accompanied by a rendition of the 19th-century song "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze".[25] Completed in December 1967 and awarded a U certificate by the British Board of Film Censors on 22 January 1968, Thunderbird 6 did not see a commercial release until six months later, when it premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on 29 July.[1][7][18] Commenting on the lengthy gap between certification and release, Chris Bentley suggests that with the failure of the previous film and the cancellation of the TV series, United Artists had lost faith in the Thunderbirds brand and intentionally postponed the sequel.[12][26] A metaphor for Thunderbirds' decline may be found in the fact that in the very first episode, we see a supersonic atomic aircraft hurtling along a runway, and in the final outing for International Rescue, we watch a biplane chugging along a motorway.In a contemporary review for the Daily Mail, critic Barry Norman described Thunderbird 6 as a showcase of "technical excellence" but also pointed out its "class-conscious" side, noting that the manservant Parker is the butt of several jokes over the course of the film."[3] However, he questions the lack of action sequences, suggesting that this was disappointing to younger viewers and makes the film "[feel] like an extended puppet version of holiday magazine programme Wish You Were Here...?"[3] He argues that this "unfamiliar air" to the film is compounded by its voice acting, which he believes sounds more mature than before (a development he attributes to the casting of new actors like Gary Files and Keith Alexander).La Rivière further argues that the use of a vintage biplane as the star vehicle, and Virgil's pun on Esso's slogan "Put a Tiger in Your Tank", would have been appreciated only by an adult audience."[3] Commentator John Marriott also criticises the Tiger Moth, remarking that "the big screen was an unsuitable place for the gentle irony of steam-age technology scoring triumphantly over an array of fantasy machines.[32] Jim Schembri of The Age praises the story and describes the film as having a "snappier pace, with an action climax leaps ahead of anything in the latest Bond epic.
Mozilla ThunderbirdThunderbirdDavid LaneSylvia AndersonThunderbirdsKeith AlexanderJohn CarsonPeter DyneleyGary FilesChristine FinnDavid GrahamGeoffrey KeenShane RimmerJeremy WilkinMatt ZimmermanBarry GrayAssociated TelevisionUnited Artistsscience fictionSupermarionationCentury 21 ProductionsThunderbirds Are GoBrainsThunderbird machinesAlan TracyTin-Tin KyranoLady PenelopeParkerThe HoodTiger MothcaricaturesCaptain Scarlet and the Mysteronsshot on locationMinistry of Transportairshipanti-gravityround-the-worldTin-TinTracy IslandThunderbird craftCasablancaEgyptian pyramidsbugging deviceThunderbirds 1Swiss AlpsThunderbird 5VirgilPod VehiclesGordonlanding gearchain reactionemergency landingDesmond SaundersGraf ZeppelinZero-Xde Havilland Tiger MothVirgil TracyThunderbird 2Principal photographyJeff TracyScott TracyLady Penelope Creighton-WardGordon TracyJohn TracyAnvil Films Recording StudioDenhamRay BarrettJoe 90The Secret ServiceThe TroubleshootersJames MasonSimon ArchercaricaturedPlasticinefilled-in teethStephen La Rivièrecold openDerek MeddingsGreat Sphinx of GizaGrand CanyonBob BellKeith WilsonBarbara CartlandMinistry of Civil AviationGerry Andersonlocation shootJoan HughesSupermarine SpitfiresAvro LancastersSecond World Warstunt doubleWycombe Air ParkBookerLane Endcrosswindaiding and abettingDaily Expressradio-controlled planesHatfield AerodromeAgathaWhite Waltham AirfieldOlympic Studiosopening creditsThe Daring Young Man on the Flying TrapezecircumnavigationSoundtrack albumU certificateBritish Board of Film CensorsOdeon Leicester Squarevery first episodeDaily MailBarry Normanclass-consciousGive or Take a MillionWish You Were Here...?original 1966 offeringJohn PeelBBC Onlinepaddedspecial TV episodeThe Age2004 live-action adaptationRegionsaudio commentarybox setmaking of