Catacombs Credits GuideGerry Anderson Productions
Catacombs Credits Guide
Gerry Anderson productions were distinctive: futuristic adventures with amazing technology and plenty of (literally) explosive action. Their exciting plots relied on special effects and pyrotechnics. Most were puppet series for children (hyped with the name "Supermarionation"), but they favoured action and thrills rather than juvenile humour. They were produced by a team of people who produced series continuously from 1956 until 1976, mostly under the umbrella of Lew Grade's ITC organisation.. The company was initially called AP Films, then Century 21 and Group 3, and finally Gerry Anderson Productions. Such was the popularity of the shows that in Britain they were marketed under Gerry Anderson's name ("Gerry Anderson's Space: 1999").
Among the key members were:
Most of these people worked on Space: 1999, but at the end of the first series Gerry and Sylvia Anderson separated, and after the second series the relationship with Lew Grade's ITC collapsed, ending a near continuous production run since 1956.
There are special features on two live action projects which have a lot in common with Space: 1999: the previous series UFO and the film The Day After Tomorrow- Into Infinity, produced between the two series of 1999. Both used many of the cast and crew from 1999.
This list excludes a number of unaired pilots (The Investigator in 1972, Space Police in 1986 and others), but includes the unfilmed projects Rescue 4 and Starcruiser, developed with Fred Freiberger in late 1975 before filming of Space: 1999 Year Two. Later the film 5 Star 5 was in preproduction in 1978 and 1979. It also includes commercials, a notable one being the Jif Alien Attack (1977).
| 1956 | The Adventures Of Twizzle 52 episodes x 15 mins AP Films/Banty Books/Associated Rediffusion The adventures of a boy doll with extending limbs |
| 1957 | Torchy The Battery Boy 26 episodes x 15 mins AP Films/Pelham Films/Associated Rediffusion The adventures of another boy doll |
| 1958-9 | Fall Feather Falls 39 episodes x 15 mins AP Films/Granada TV Sheriff Tex Tucker has four magic feathers The format, scripts and songs were by Barry Gray |
| 1959-1961 | Supercar 26 episodes x 25 mins, 2nd series 13 episodes x 25 mins AP Films/ATV Associated TeleVision/ITC Mike Mercury and his flying car |
| 1960 | Crossroads To Crime 57 minute film AP Films/Anglo Amalgamated A policeman foils a robbery. A live action "B" feature directed by Gerry Anderson. |
| 1961-1962 | Fireball XL5 39 episodes x 25 mins AP Films/ITC Steve Zodiac with his crew, Professor Matic and Space Doctor Venus, patrol space in their ship Fireball XL5 The series was shown on America's NBC network. The title song was a pop hit. Keith Wilson and Brian Johnson joined AP Films for this series. |
| 1962-1964 | Stingray 39 episodes x 25 mins AP Films/ITC Captain Troy Tempest patrols the seas in his submarine, full of undersea races. One of the first series to be made in colour in the UK. |
| 1964-1966 | Thunderbirds 26 episodes x 50 mins, 2nd series 6 episodes x 50 mins AP Films/ITC A family run a secret rescue organisation with their powerful Thunderbird craft. The most popular puppet series, accompanied by huge merchandising. One of the voices was by Shane Rimmer. |
| 1965 | Thunderbirds Are Go! 94 mins film Century 21 /United Artists Spin off film from the hit television series. Directed by David Lane |
| 1966-1967 | Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons 32 episodes x 25 mins Century 21/ITC Captain Scarlet defends the Earth from the Mysterons from Mars More lifelike puppets were introduced. A CGI second series was filmed in 2002-3. |
| 1967-1968 | Thunderbird 6 90 mins film Century 21 /United Artists Second spin off film from the hit television series. Directed by David Lane |
| 1967-1968 | Joe 90 30 episodes x 25 mins Century 21/ITC Schoolboy Joe serves as a special agent for the World Intelligence Network Produced by David Lane |
| 1968-1969 | Doppelganger (US title Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun) 101 min film Century 21/Universal Live action film in which two astronauts travel to the opposite side of the sun and find a duplicate Earth. Screenplay by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson and Donald James. Directed by Robert Parrish |
| 1968-1969 | The Secret Service 13 episodes x 25 mins Century 21/ITC Priest Father Unwin is a secret agent Produced by David Lane |
| 1969-1970 | UFO 26 episodes x 50 mins Century 21/ITC A live action series in which secret organisation SHADO defends Earth from aliens. Directors included David Tomblin and David Lane (both also wrote episodes); and Ray Austin. The main writer was Tony Barwick, with episodes by Terence Feely, Donald James and Dennis Spooner. The first live action series for Anderson was an unexpected hit in the US in 1972, and preparation began for a second series in 1973. These preparations changed into the format for Space: 1999 |
| 1971-1973 | The Protectors 26 episodes x 25 mins , 2nd series 26 episodes x 25 mins Group 3/ITC Three private detectives fight crime (starring Robert Vaughan and Tony Anholt). The second live action series is a straight-forward crime adventure series with no fantasy elements. Directors included Charles Crichton and Ray Austin (whose wife Yasuko Nagazumi was a semi-regular); among the guest stars was Prentis Hancock. Robert Vaughan was quoted in a 1974 Los Angeles Times article "Mission on the Moon in England": "Robert Vaughn, who spent two years in England making the half-hour syndicated adventure series the Protectors, said not long ago that between the morning tea breaks and the lunch breaks and the afternoon tea breaks and the refusal of crews to work overtime, he figured that Martin Landau and Barbara Bain would be five years doing the 26 hour programs for their new British series, Space: 1999." |
| 1973-1976 | Space: 1999 24 episodes x 50 mins; 2nd series 24 episodes x 50 mins Group 3/ITC; 2nd series Gerry Anderson Productions/ITC The Moon is blasted out of orbit and the crew of Moonbase Alpha meets aliens and strange worlds |
| 1975 | The Day After Tomorrow (also known as Into Infinity) 50 minute TV film Gerry Anderson Productions Two familes fly a spaceship at the speed of light. A live action film for NBC children's entertainment. Stars Nick Tate, Brian Blessed and Joanna Dunham; written by Johnny Byrne and directed by Charles Crichton. |
| 1975 | Rescue 4 13 x 30 minute episode series proposal (unfilmed) Gerry Anderson Productions |
| 1975 | Starcruiser 13 x 30 minute episode series proposal (unfilmed) Gerry Anderson Productions |
| 1983-1984 | Terrahawks 26 episodes x 25 mins; 2nd series 13 episodes x 25 mins Anderson Burr/LWT Tiger Ninestein and the Terrahawks defend Earth from evil alien Zelda. A new puppet series, largely written by Tony Barwick |
| 1994-1995 | Space Precinct 24 episodes x 45 mins Gerry Anderson Productions/Mentorn Films/GTV Cops fight crime on amongst the aliens on Demeter City A live action series derived from an unscreened 1986 pilot called Space Police |
| 1998 | Lavender Castle 26 episodes x 10 mins CPI/Gerry Anderson Productions/Cosgrove Hall The starship Paradox tries to find the legendary Lavender Castle. This children's series uses stop motion animation and CGI |
| 2002 | Firestorm 26 episodes x 30 mins Anderson Entertainment A squad of United Nations marines combat alien infiltrators preparing for the invasion of Earth. For Japanese television. Computer generated cel-type animation and CGI are used. Anderson created the series but did not produce it; he removed his name from the episodes. |
| 2003-2005 | The New Captain Scarlet 26 episodes x 30 mins Anderson Entertainment Captain Scarlet returns to fight the Mysterons. CGI sequel to the puppet series filmed 40 years earlier. |