Author Topic: Gerry Anderson  (Read 1588 times)

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Offline trapeze

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Gerry Anderson
« on: December 27, 2012, 12:31:14 PM »
Just saw the notice on the sidebar at AoS. I loved the ridiculous marionette tv shows when I was a kid. "UFO" was terrific. "Space:1999" not so much.

A pioneer of miniaturized special effects.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Online IronDioPriest

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Re: Gerry Anderson
« Reply #1 on: December 27, 2012, 12:39:01 PM »
Gosh, I remember UFO. That show hadn't crossed my mind for decades.

Didn't like Space: 1999? I liked it, but then I was a pretty little kid at the time, enamored with all things sci-fi no metter how cheesy, and I thought it was cool that the guy from Mission: Impossible (Landau) was on another show.

Hmmm... Two colon shows for one actor.
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Offline trapeze

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Re: Gerry Anderson
« Reply #2 on: December 27, 2012, 05:35:34 PM »
I was a rather well read teenager at the time of "Space: 1999" and the very premise of the show insulted my intelligence...that nuclear waste could "explode" and with enough force to not only break the moon away from the earth (without simultaneously destroying it) but for it to leave the solar system and somehow travel through the galaxy at better than relativistic speeds so that the crew could somehow visit lots and lots of other planets and somehow have time to do anything besides wave as they went by. Not to mention how expensive it would be to ship nuclear waste to the moon. Not to mention what a lack of tides would do to the Earth. Sorry, but I could never get past that particular bit of nonsense. And after that it was sort of like a rehash of "Lost In Space."

"UFO" on the other hand, was (slightly) more believable as an incredibly hyper paranoid show about alien invaders who are prevented from taking over Earth by a weird looking British guy who (as a cover) ran a movie studio. Plus, the moon chicks were hot with their hair and outfits. The whole concept of a completely secret organization that had a totally secret moon base plus all kinds of other alien hunting/killing equipment was a much more enjoyable diversion for me.

And when I was much younger there was the incredibly ridiculous "Thunderbirds" show with a super secret island base that does battle with a sinister madman. The model work was way ahead of its time and the goofy marionettes were about as state-of-the-art as you could get without going animated...which would not have been the same. It just looked more "real" the way that Anderson did it. I think that's one of the reasons that I enjoyed the hilariously off color and irreverent "Team America-World Police" movie that the "South Park" guys put out...it reminded me of the Anderson puppet shows.


Pretty funny how a teletype was state-of-the-art computer interface, eh?


And, BTW...there seem to be lots and lots of complete episodes of "Space: 1999" available on youtube if you are so inclined.
« Last Edit: December 27, 2012, 05:41:19 PM by trapeze »
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline Alphabet Soup

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Re: Gerry Anderson
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2012, 06:28:22 PM »
"Thunderbirds Are Go!"

Cheesy as heck but, as a kid, I instinctively appreciated how much fun the crew had making it. Lots of improbable plots - lots of explosions - lots of silliness.

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Offline Libertas

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Re: Gerry Anderson
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2012, 10:22:59 AM »
Being a kid, I liked UFO the best. 

It looks so cheesy now, but so were scenes in the original Star Trek, but I liked it.

 ::thumbsup::
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Re: Gerry Anderson
« Reply #5 on: December 28, 2012, 10:30:25 AM »
Hmmm... Two colon shows for one actor.

Yet he ended up with The Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood (1994).

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Re: Gerry Anderson
« Reply #6 on: December 28, 2012, 10:40:13 AM »
When I was a kid and wanted cheesy, I went for Lancelot Link:  Secret Chimp.  I still think that show's a hoot.

The Great Beauty Contest

C'mon, admit it.  That was better than watching that FAG member, MATT DAMON!  Better looking, too.

Matt Damon in Team America

Offline Alphabet Soup

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Re: Gerry Anderson
« Reply #7 on: December 28, 2012, 11:03:04 AM »
I never heard of Lancelot Link and think that Team America is brilliant.

Offline trapeze

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Re: Gerry Anderson
« Reply #8 on: December 28, 2012, 11:24:06 AM »
Anderson had a heck of a sense of humor, too. Imagine the chutzpah of announcing that your show is filmed in "Supermarionation" (and "Videcolor" [sic] whatever that was)
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

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Re: Gerry Anderson
« Reply #9 on: December 28, 2012, 12:00:29 PM »
I never heard of Lancelot Link and think that Team America is brilliant.

I was watching a promo looking for a clip when I was reminded of something I completely forgot:  The show was an hour.  (Ah, the joys of being a kid back then.)  It also had cartoons.  The show was similar in format to The Banana Splits, but I liked the monkeys better.  Lance's Agent 86 was Mata Hairi.  The show was a real goof.  You could never get away with that show today because it was very politically incorrect (as were the old Bugs and most other cartoons).  Today, PETA, et.al., would bitch a fit.  And kids just wouldn't understand the gags.  How many yutes kids today even know who Mata Hari was?  Nixon isn't even a punchline for kids today.

Offline warpmine

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Re: Gerry Anderson
« Reply #10 on: December 30, 2012, 12:05:21 PM »
If I could go back and steal that time back wasted watching all that garbage............oy.
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