![]() The opening shows the sun, and then the Galosphere spins into frame with accompanying electronic tune (composed by Leigh). ![]() Roberta Leigh and Arthur Provis' vision of the future Space Patrol is steeped in atmosphere. The oxygen pill would save precious time and money that would be required to change costumes on the puppets.įireball was in some ways a template for all future Anderson series, mystery, suspense, character dynamics, pyrotechnics and lots of action (as Commander Shore announces in the opening of each Stingray episode, "Stand by for action, anything can happen in the next half hour!"). The most obvious inaccuracy? Instead of wearing a space helmet when they were outside of the ship, the characters would swallow an oxygen pill. There were a range of good stories, but there was no effort to be scientifically accurate. Visually, the series was stunning with detailed sets and gleaming rockets throughout the 39 episodes. His music enhanced each episode with incidental music that ranged from Jazz to ethereal space sounds as well as the catchiest theme song of the 60s. The music by Barry Gray was a highlight of the series. The appearance of the two lead puppets was modeled on popular screen stars of the period. Fireball was very stylish and referenced popular culture in many ways. In the early 60s, Anderson would produce Fireball Xl5. Around the same time Roberta Leigh and Arthur Provis would make the pilot for their science fiction series Space Patrol in an old grease stained garage.Īfter the much loved Supercar, Anderson continued to appeal to the ever increasing interest in science fiction with the more ambitious Fireball Xl5. This changed the way puppet shows were filmed from a relatively static delivery to a more dynamic cinematic style.Īfter making Twizzle and Torchy the Battery Boy for Roberta, Anderson went off to create his own puppet series. For Anderson, making children's shows was a means to an end and he would employ all the techniques he would have used had he been able use real actors. ![]() The effects are below par but were photographed by Twizzle and Torchy cinematographer Arthur Provis.In this universe, Roberta's timely offer saved the two men from financial ruin as their ambitions for filmmaking had not gone to plan. Photography was handled by Frank Watts – who later worked with Gerry Anderson shooting Space: 1999 (1975-1977) and later worked on several episodes of Hammer House of Horror (1980) – and that wild score was the work of Johnny Hawksworth. The pilot was directed by John Moxey who had directed the atmospheric horror film The City of the Dead (1960) and who was on the cusp of relocating the States where, as John Lewellyn Moxey, he’d become al prolific television director. Elsewhere familiar faces like George Roubicek, Virginia Wetherell and future BBC newsreader Jan Leeming all turn up among the supporting cast. In retrospect it’s difficult to take Derek Fowlds seriously as a space age adventurer – British audiences now associate him with his roles as Sergeant Oscar Blaketon in gentle crime drama Heartbeat (1992-2010), parliamentary under-secretary Bernard Woolley in Yes Minister (1980-1984) and as the sidekick to Basil Brush between 19. Seeing Martine Beswick Beswick in a silver spacesuit each week would have been most welcome, and David Garfield – credited here as John Garfield – makes for a nicely square-jawed her. The Solarnauts is chock full of familiar faces, sometimes poorly cast. Power and Tempo team up with Kandia (Martine Beswick) to attack Logik’s base and put a stop to his mad schemes. Logik (Alex Scott) launches an attack on the solar system, demanding mining rights to Mars – and if the Solarnauts refuse, he’s kill 50,000 people by unleashing poisonous space-clouds against the planet’s capital city. Taking orders from Tri-S (John Ringham), they take on the forces of the evil green skinned alien Logik (pronounced Low-jik), a sort of Mekon character. The result is decidedly low rent enough for you to understand why it never went to series but just silly enough for you to regret it.Īfter a frenetic opening title sequence with wild jazz them tune, we’re introduced to our heroes, Power (John Garfield) and Tempo (Derek Fowlds), members of the interstellar Solarnauts who defend the Earth from alien invasions. It mixes the explosions of Anderson, the set design of Irwin Allen and the special effects of the 60s Toho and Italian space opera which it most closely resembles. In 1967, Roberta Leigh created this failed television pilot that seems to be emulating the look and feel of the shows created by Leigh’s erstwhile collaborator Gerry Anderson with who she’d worked on The Adventures of Twizzle (1957-1958) and Torchy the Battery Boy (1958-1959).
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