Sunday, February 3, 2013

On DVD: Thunderbirds Are Go! (1966)

Today's generation only knows of the late Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds from a seemingly ill-advised live-action movie produced a few years ago. However, the original Thunderbirds had made it to the big screen during their golden years in the 60's.

"Thunderbirds Are Go!" pits the Tracy family against a saboteur who's trying to stop a mission to Mars. However well developed the plot, there is also a distraction in the form of a dream sequence in a space nightclub involving one of the Tracy brothers and Lady Penelope, supposedly on a date, and entertained by the "son" of British pop star Cliff Richard (Richard voices his own "offspring", of course). I can actually see why the more recent incarnation tanked.

Anyway, here's the open to the film, complete with the score by Anderson's faithful music director, Barry Gray:



Watching this film, I recognized the chauffeur, Parker, from series clips that were used in Wax's music video for "Right Between The Eyes", released some 20 years after this film. Andrew Gold & Graham Gouldman must've been fans.

Rating: C.

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