After the pretty limited but successful 'Supercar', Gerry Anderson pushed the boat out a lot further with 'Fireball XL5'. His effects set a whole new standard in puppet animation. Fireball was a comparatively large spaceship that blasted off from earth by means of an elevated trackway. It's an idea that might have been borrowed from the 1950's sci-fi spectacular 'When Worlds Collide'.
The ship itself had a detachable nose-cone with huge panoramic windows like those of the later Millennium Falcon, and typified most spaceships of the vintage. How they withstood atmospheric re-entry wasn't made clear, but they were still in use on the drop-ship in 'Aliens'. The body of the vessel was mostly engine, which was at least partway right.
Mike Mercury was the universal hero, assisted by a doting air-head who was his wife, I think. There was a boy, of course, a pet creature called a lazoon, and a transparent monotone robot that seemed to say nothing but 'approachingearthzatmozphere' in a single word. They all got into a variety of space adventures that often turned even the known science of the day on its head. But what the hell? so did 'Star Wars' 15 years later.
At the time it became very popular, aided by an excellent merchandising campaign. It's own success paved the way for 'Stingray' and the incomparable 'Thunderbirds'.
I haven't seen it for ages and expect that it now appears laughable. But at the time, lots of kids both big and small were glued to the telly for half an hour.
Critics of the apparent sexism should bear in mind that the Andersons were a husband and wife team, and Ms Anderson had a considerable input during each program. So don't go blaming the blokes.
The ship itself had a detachable nose-cone with huge panoramic windows like those of the later Millennium Falcon, and typified most spaceships of the vintage. How they withstood atmospheric re-entry wasn't made clear, but they were still in use on the drop-ship in 'Aliens'. The body of the vessel was mostly engine, which was at least partway right.
Mike Mercury was the universal hero, assisted by a doting air-head who was his wife, I think. There was a boy, of course, a pet creature called a lazoon, and a transparent monotone robot that seemed to say nothing but 'approachingearthzatmozphere' in a single word. They all got into a variety of space adventures that often turned even the known science of the day on its head. But what the hell? so did 'Star Wars' 15 years later.
At the time it became very popular, aided by an excellent merchandising campaign. It's own success paved the way for 'Stingray' and the incomparable 'Thunderbirds'.
I haven't seen it for ages and expect that it now appears laughable. But at the time, lots of kids both big and small were glued to the telly for half an hour.
Critics of the apparent sexism should bear in mind that the Andersons were a husband and wife team, and Ms Anderson had a considerable input during each program. So don't go blaming the blokes.