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Thunderbirds are gone. R.I.P Gerry Anderson.

forgotmyusernameforgotmyusername
edited December 2012 in General Movies & TV Posts: 2,782
The godfather of sci-fi in the UK has gone to the big cloud base in the sky.

Thunderbirds. Captain Scarlett. Space 1999 and many more.

Even wrote a treatment for James Bond....they made DAF instead of his axed script.


I was brought up on his future visions. My childhood was fantastic thanks to you Gerry. I will miss your genius.

Comments

  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,802
    Another part of my childhood has gone away. This week keeps on going worse and worse. :(
  • DrydenDryden
    Posts: 23
    Gerry helped make my childhood fun! RIP & FAB.
  • JohnBarryFanJohnBarryFan
    Posts: 1,405
    I spent my childhood with the Thunderbirds and Stingray. I can say that Gerry Anderson made my early years more fun.

    Thank you and rest in peace.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,350
    RIP. Another sci-fi great gone.
  • MrcogginsMrcoggins Following in the footsteps of Quentin Quigley.
    Posts: 3,144
    One of the best things about growing up in the 1960s was great tv made for kids sadly the wonderful man that made most of it has left us goodnight sir RIP.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    Oh how I loved Thunderbirds! So creative and fun; a part of my childhood.
    RIP, dear Mr. Anderson.
  • LicenceRevokedLicenceRevoked
    Posts: 204
    This is really sad news. Funnily enough I got a Thunderbirds mug for Christmas. I'm going to drink from it today in tribute. He really shaped alot of childhoods. Look at marvels like TB and Stingray! Joe 90. Shows with that kind of charm, craftsmanship and imagination is hard to find these days and he will be greatly missed. Derek Meddings and the model / vehicle designers for Thunderbirds etc. (who coincidentally worked on GoldenEye) were a great team and I'd like to thank them for all their hard work.
  • brinkeguthriebrinkeguthrie Piz Gloria
    Posts: 1,400
    Huge in the UK, not as much in the USA. But for me growing up, Stingray, Fireball, Supercar, UFO and Space 1999 were IT. RIP Mr. Anderson.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    Never was much of a fan of the series, but it's sad to see the creator pass on today. RIP Mr Anderson. You gave some people something special to their lives, and may you rest in peace. My sympathies to his immediate family at what must be distressing time
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    Captain Scarlett was always a favourite of mine as a child. Got the DVD boxset a few years ago. Might watch a few in his honour this eve.
  • craigrulescraigrules
    Posts: 284
    Such a huge part of my childhood the TV shows and toys Mr Anderson was a genius FAB
  • mdo007mdo007 Katy, Texas
    Posts: 259
    forgotmyusername wrote:
    The godfather of sci-fi in the UK has gone to the big cloud base in the sky.

    Thunderbirds. Captain Scarlett. Space 1999 and many more.

    Even wrote a treatment for James Bond....they made DAF instead of his axed script.


    I was brought up on his future visions. My childhood was fantastic thanks to you Gerry. I will miss your genius.

    Yes heard about this and also it sad to see a visionary person like Gerry Anderson passed away. His work impact not only UK, but both US and Japan.

  • ChevronChevron Northern Ireland
    edited December 2012 Posts: 370
    Very sad news. I remember watching repeats of Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet and Space 1999 on ITV in the 1980s. All wonderful shows. The level of detail in the model work was amazing. A lot of those vehicles, like the Eagle, looked like they could and should exist.

    On a brighter note the BBC news got Brian Blessed on the phone yesterday afternoon to share his memories of Gerry. "Newsreading lady, you're not going to get a word in," I thought. And I was right.
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited December 2012 Posts: 12,837
    RIP. When I was a little kid I used to love Captain Scarlet. Never was much for Thunderbirds though if I remember right.
  • Lord_BrettLord_Brett
    Posts: 14
    I'm one of the editors of Gerry's official fan club magazine, FAB, and would like to thank you all for your kind thoughts on Gerry's passing.

    http://www.fanderson.org.uk/
  • forgotmyusernameforgotmyusername
    Posts: 2,782
    Lord_Brett wrote:
    I'm one of the editors of Gerry's official fan club magazine, FAB, and would like to thank you all for your kind thoughts on Gerry's passing.

    http://www.fanderson.org.uk/


    Sad times indeed. Did you ever meet the great man?

  • Lord_BrettLord_Brett
    edited December 2012 Posts: 14
    Yes, quite often. He was very generous with his time for Fanderson and appreciative of his fans. He described himself as 'a film technician down to my bones', but Gerry really was so much more than that.
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,506
    What a legend of not only my childhood, but countless millions too! RIP Mr Anderson! You will be sadly missed!
  • GunbarrelGunbarrel
    Posts: 32
    One of my favorites was the under appreciated (at least here in the States) UFO. I always felt it had a real Bond feel to it (as did much of Gerry's work), from the cool car Ed Bishop would drive, to Derek Meddings cool model work, to the sexy Moon chicks, right down to the awesome, very Bondian theme song by Barry Gray. What an imagination not constricted by stupid logic. RIP Mr. Anderson.
  • VirageVirage
    Posts: 1,856
    RIP One of the godfathers of modern TV. Proving you can beat Hollywood from Slough. What a great man, and he died with his final dream in hi grasp. :((
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited December 2012 Posts: 12,837
    Didn't they do some big film reboot of Thunderbirds, with real people instead of puppets?

    Wonder what he thought of that.
  • MrcogginsMrcoggins Following in the footsteps of Quentin Quigley.
    Posts: 3,144
    Yes they did I saw it it was dreadful Gerry went nowhere near it .
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    Just googled him and apparently they also did another Captain Scarlet series using CGI, which he was actually involved in.
  • VirageVirage
    Posts: 1,856
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    Just googled him and apparently they also did another Captain Scarlet series using CGI, which he was actually involved in.

    Yeah, and he was working on a CGI thunderbirds before he died.
  • myworldisenoughmyworldisenough
    Posts: 1,143
    RIP to an original and very cleaver talent.
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited December 2012 Posts: 12,837
    Making so many shows must've been hard too.

    Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who made Team America, saw Thunderbirds and thought it would be fun and easy to use puppets for the film. They say now that they'll never do a sequel because making the film using puppets was so hard.
  • Lord_BrettLord_Brett
    Posts: 14
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    Just googled him and apparently they also did another Captain Scarlet series using CGI, which he was actually involved in.

    Well worth tracking down - 2002's New Captain Scarlet was in many ways an improvement on the 1967 original.

    Unlike, say, Gene Roddenberry's credits on the Star Trek movies from Wrath of Khan onwards, Gerry was a very hands-on Producer on this project, which he was very proud of. Unfortunately, the network he made it for, ITV, pissed it away, which was a terrible shame as Gerry had built a new team which was ready to make more CGI productions.
  • bondsumbondsum
    edited December 2012 Posts: 3,333
    I recall watching the CGI Captain Scarlet and thinking it wasn't too bad and quite enjoyable and did what the puppet series couldn't and that was stage better action and cliffhanger moments.

    But what will always live in my memory is my love for Thunderbirds as a kid back in the 60's and getting the entire set of the JR21 toys aswell as the costume. See link to view the toys I once opened on Christmas day...
    http://www.thunderbirdsvintagetoys.co.uk/JR21ThunderbirdsPhoto.htm

    I also recall seeing Thunderbirds are Go at the cinema as a special treat. Thanks, Gerry, for the great memories and making growing up so much fun in the Sixties. RIP
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited December 2012 Posts: 12,837
    I remember watching 80s reruns of Captain Scarlet as a kid. I was obsessed with it when I was little.

    I didn't like Thunderbirds as much though, when I eventually saw that. Couldn't live up to a TV show about a badass, invincible, alien fighting puppet.



    Ah nostalgia.
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