Production: GB, 1961
Puppets


The very first “supermarionation” by britush producer Gerry Anderson. Brave producer in need of money, in 1957 Anderson had to produce a children’s puppet show to avoid going bankrupt.
Despite its cheapness (the studio was his sitting-room…), the show (The adventures of Twizzle) had its strenghts: it was filmed in 35
mm., and backings were built by a skilled young techinician named Derek Meddings. Success was good, and gave Anderson the chance to produce other two puppet shows, “Torchy the battery boy” and “Four feather falls”.
Experience achieved with special effects and the meeting with ITC’s boss Lew Grade led to “Supercar”.
Supercar was a futuristic vehicle which could fly and dive under water, designed by prof. Popkiss and his assistant dr. Beaker.
Supecar’s test pilot was corageous Mike Mercury.
The project should have been secret, but when a plane had a crash-dive in the sea, Supercar had to be used to rescue the survivors. Saved by Mike Mercury, Jimmy Gibson and his pet monkey Mitch joined him in his

adventures.
Sworn enemies of our heroes were the evil masterspy and his henchman Zarin, who try by any mean to steal Supercar and its secrets.
Puppets, although looking rather caricatural, were very well made. Their main quality was an electronic device which made puppets mouth move in synchron with voice dubbing, and this mechanism would have been used in all following Anderson’s productions (with contribution of his wife Sylvia, the real art director of all productions until “Space: 1999”), and so called “Supermarionation”.
Very effective, and above any standard, Derek Medding’s special effects, and he will win an Oscar for “Superman”.
 


39 episodes, b/w, 30’

First season

1)  Rescue
2)  Amazonian adventure
3)  Talisman of Sargon
4)  False alarm
5)  What goes up
6)  Keep it cool
7)  Grounded
8)  Jungle hazard
9)  High tension 
10) A little art
11) Ice fall
12) Island incident
13) The tracking of Masterspy
14) Phantom piper
15) Deep seven
16) Pirate plunder
17) Flight of fancy
18) Hostage
19) The sunken temple
20) Trapped in the dephts
21) Crash landing
22) The dragon of Ho Meng
23) The lost city
24) Magic carpet
25) The white line
26) Supercar: take one
 
Second season

27)  The runaway train
28)  Precious cargo
29)  Operation superstork
30)  Hi-jack
31)  Calling Charlie Queen
32)  Space for Mitch
33)  The sky’s the limit
34)  70-B-LO
35)  Atomic witch hunt
36)  Jail break
37)  The day time stood still
38)  Transatlantic cable
39)  King Kool






 



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