# Thunderbirds are go! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848 "2005-07-30T04:05:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/21 "2005-08-01T20:31:43Z")
Good heavens - that takes me back! I saw the Rezillos (and indeed the Revillos) on several occasions, the first being (I think) at Leicester University in 1977. I am still deeply in love with Fay Fife. They used to come on stage to the Thunderbirds theme tune. Tre-flipping-mendous! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/22 "2005-08-02T13:44:07Z")
> [@rackensack](#): > > My ten-year-old son is quite taken with the old episodes… Hm… That gives me an idea… 😃 I never know what to get my nephew for Christmas and Birthdays. Maybe I can get him a couple of volumes for Christmas this year. He’s six. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/23 "2005-08-02T16:48:57Z")
**Stingray, Thunderbirds, UFO.** Best TV theme tunes. Ever. (Except for maybe the Rockford files). _Anything can happen in the next half hour!_ (cue bongos\*\*\*\*\*) Stingra–y Stingray Stingra–y Stingray Sting-ray Sting-ray Sting-ray! While I don’t really rank Captain Scarlett up with Thunderbirds, I did give us the [Angels](http://www.spectrum-headquarters.com/symphony.html) ( **Johnny L.A.** You’ve seen them yes?) BTW it’s Brain **s**. Plain ‘Brain’ would b-be w-w-weird. \*\*\*\*\*The bongos seem to be the alarm signal at WASP, I’m not sure why. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/24 "2005-08-02T17:01:29Z")
I haven’t seen _Captain Scarlet_. Really, _Thunderbirds_ is ‘before my time’; but I did catch them in reruns when I was little. I have to say I really like the theme music from _UFO_. Funny thing about the _Space: 1999_ theme: Ever since I first saw it when I was growing up, I’ve thought of the titles as the lyrics. _Aaaaaalso Starrrrring Baaaaary Mooooorse Pro-du-cer Syl-VEEEa Anderson! (bom bom bom-bom, bom-bom!)_ Aside re: _Space: 1999_. When it first aired, I’d heard it was 'betterh than _Star Trek_. I was rather disappointed. But I watched it anyway, and appreciated the ‘realistic’ vehicles they used. One thing that strikes me about _Thunderbirds_ is that so many of the characters have American accents. But there’s some syntax that is definitely British. For example, Americans usually don’t use ‘shift’ as in ‘We can’t shift the rocks!’ and we tend to say ‘losing alititude’ instead of ‘losing height’. And there’s also the occasional British habit of putting a ‘r’ at the end of some words that end in a vowel. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/25 "2005-08-02T17:26:08Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Yes, they did. Chicago, early 60’s. And in Spanish, Chicago, late 90s. Not understanding the dialog didn’t seem limiting. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/26 "2005-08-02T18:12:35Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Hm… That gives me an idea… 😃 > > I never know what to get my nephew for Christmas and Birthdays. Maybe I can get him a couple of volumes for Christmas this year. He’s six. There’s a two-disk DVD set called[_The Best of Thunderbirds_](http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?page=proframe&prod_id=710072) that has six episodes and several special DVD extras. It’s a good starting point (it’s what we got my son first) as it’s cheaper than any of the other collections (~$20, vs. ~$40 for the other collections). ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/27 "2005-08-02T18:25:48Z")
> [@seosamh](#): > > Good heavens - that takes me back! I saw the Rezillos (and indeed the Revillos) on several occasions, the first being (I think) at Leicester University in 1977. I am still deeply in love with Fay Fife. They used to come on stage to the Thunderbirds theme tune. Tre-flipping-mendous! I’m jealous. Would have loved to have seen them. Living in Arkansas, and being, what? 15 years old when \*Can’t Stand the Rezillos \* was released here, I never had the chance. I’d been looking for a copy for a couple of years without success until I walked in to the studio to do my first college radio show, and it was one of the first things I found on the shelves (along with both of the first two Big Star LPs on Ardent). ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/28 "2005-08-02T21:00:25Z")
> [@](#): > > One thing that strikes me about Thunderbirds is that so many of the characters have American accents. But there’s some syntax that is definitely British. For example, Americans usually don’t use ‘shift’ as in ‘We can’t shift the rocks!’ and we tend to say ‘losing alititude’ instead of ‘losing height’. And there’s also the occasional British habit of putting a ‘r’ at the end of some words that end in a vowel. It was deliberate - Gerry Anderson realised that if they didn’t sound American it wouldn’t sell as well to the USA. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/29 "2005-08-02T23:18:23Z")
> [@rackensack](#): > > I’m jealous. Would have loved to have seen them. Living in Arkansas, and being, what? 15 years old when \*Can’t Stand the Rezillos \* was released here, I never had the chance. I’d been looking for a copy for a couple of years without success until I walked in to the studio to do my first college radio show, and it was one of the first things I found on the shelves (along with both of the first two Big Star LPs on Ardent). Is it worse that I saw them as 2nd support to The Ramones at the Rainbow in Finsbury Park on the 31st of December 1978 - when “It’s Alive” was recorded? (the 1st support was the execrable Generation X: why is Billy Idol allowed on the airways? he was a complete tw\*t even then). By the way: today’s episode on BBC2 was “Pit of Peril”, featuring that highly unlikely piece of military equipment the Sidewinder. I haven’t watched it yet but will do so when I have sobered up after this evening’s trip to the Great British Beer Festival (i.e. next Thursday). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/30 "2005-08-03T02:03:14Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > I haven’t seen _Captain Scarlet_. THIS. IS THE VOICE. OF THE MYSTERONS. WE KNOW YOU CAN HEAR US, EARTH MEN. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/31 "2005-08-07T09:12:25Z")
**Life imitates art.** I hope that you don’t mind me bumping (and slightly hijacking) this thread, **Johnny** , but I hadn’t thought about **Thunderbirds** for years until your OP, and today two real-world events have each caused the _Thunderbirds March_ to start up in my cranial playlist. The first, of course, is the [trapped Russian submarine](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050807/ap_on_re_eu/russia_navy_accident), with rescue teams heading from the UK and the US to bring it to the surface before the air ran out for the crew members. Classic _International Rescue_ scenario! I’ve been following the story over the last couple of days, and was very glad to see that it wasn’t a repeat of the [Kursk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kursk_%28submarine%29) – after today’s rescue, all crewmen are apparently doing OK. The second is the announcement of a new US Navy warship, the [Sea Fighter](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050806/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/sea_fighter). Built for rapid deployment, it: > [@](#): > > is mostly empty space and weighs about 1,000 tons — one-tenth as much as the newest destroyer. The empty space allows it to be rapidly reconfigured after cranes hoist aboard 20-foot containers holding gear needed for each job — anti-submarine, mine detection, humanitarian missions. The USN has built a seagoing version of Thunderbird 2! ---
**Author:** ![Sensibility](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Sensibility](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sensibility)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/32 "2005-08-07T09:15:50Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Five… > > Four… > > Three… > > Two… > > One! > > Thunderbirds are go! > > Okay, this is me reverting to childhood… 🙂 > > I’m watching _Thunderbirds_. Just finished Episode 3: City of fire. It involves a 350-storey tower that is brought down by a fire caused by an exploding car in the car park. Eerie. I like the one where the aircraft lands on the rolling platforms - excellent! ---
**Author:** ![Sensibility](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Sensibility](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sensibility)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/33 "2005-08-07T09:18:24Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Sadly, I’m not. ☹ If only an attractive English woman were looking for a Yank husband… > > I don’t think they ever showed _Stingray_ over here. From what I’ve heard, it focuses on characters more than technology. Sounds interesting; I may have to pick it up. Hey, I’ve got _Thunderbords_, _UFO_ and _Space: 1999_ on DVD. May as well add to the Gerry Anderson Collection! Want me to tape it for you honey-bunch…?! 😃 Would it be worth a CAL-Mex??? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sensibility](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Sensibility](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sensibility)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/34 "2005-08-07T09:24:55Z")
Thought the original series was FANTASTIC!!! Thought the film version was a real disappointment! Technology they haave these days - they could have done SO MUCH with it whilst still keeping the originality of the whole thing, but for me at least - original is best - by far! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/35 "2005-08-07T15:41:10Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > The USN has built a seagoing version of Thunderbird 2! You know, it even resembles TB2 a little bit. Not rounded, grey instead of green, but if you squint… > [@Sensibility](#): > > Want me to tape it for you honey-bunch…?! 😃 > Would it be worth a CAL-Mex??? 😃 Heh. I’ve already put _Stingray_ into my amazon cart. 😉 Dinner tonight is probably going to be teriyaki chicken skewers. But now that you mention it, and since I have to go to the market anyway to get the pineapple, onions, bell peppers and mushrooms, I think I’ll see if they have any skirt steak so I can make carne asada later in the week. 🙂 > [@Sensibility](#): > > Thought the original series was FANTASTIC!!! > > Thought the film version was a real disappointment! Yeah, I loved the original series as a child – and I still like it now! I’ve borrowed some DVDs from Pard Jerry that I need to watch, but _Thunderbirds_ is calling me from its shelf… I didn’t see the film. I remember hearing that there would be a film, and ISTR seeing a trailer; but it seemed to drop off the radar very quickly. I did see _Team America: World Police_, though. Hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/36 "2005-08-07T16:08:55Z")
In this thread [I talked about model rockets](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=321150&page=1&pp=50). When I was watching _Thunderbirds_ last week I thought, ‘Hm. Thunderbird 3 might make an interesting model rocket project later.’ Come to think of it, TB1 might make one as well. ---
**Author:** ![Sensibility](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Sensibility](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sensibility)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/37 "2005-08-07T18:30:34Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > You know, it even resembles TB2 a little bit. Not rounded, grey instead of green, but if you squint… > > Heh. I’ve already put _Stingray_ into my amazon cart. 😉 > > Dinner tonight is probably going to be teriyaki chicken skewers. But now that you mention it, and since I have to go to the market anyway to get the pineapple, onions, bell peppers and mushrooms, I think I’ll see if they have any skirt steak so I can make carne asada later in the week. 🙂 > > Yeah, I loved the original series as a child – and I still like it now! I’ve borrowed some DVDs from Pard Jerry that I need to watch, but _Thunderbirds_ is calling me from its shelf… > > I didn’t see the film. I remember hearing that there would be a film, and ISTR seeing a trailer; but it seemed to drop off the radar very quickly. I did see _Team America: World Police_, though. Hilarious! It was Thunderbirds I was meaning as it happens. If the old Thunderbirds are on BBC2 this coming week, I shall definitely be taping it! Absolute classics! Dinner tonight and Carne Asada later in the week eh??? mmm…how long will it take me to get there?..wonder if USN will loan me their version of thunderbirds 2??? 😃 Yeah, film just wasnt up to much at all IMHO. Still havent seen Team America - heard mixed reviews? Some say hilarious, others say a bit crude/vulgar? Perhaps its both???!!! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/38 "2005-08-08T05:09:23Z")
> [@Sensibility](#): > > Still havent seen Team America - heard mixed reviews? Some say hilarious, others say a bit crude/vulgar? Perhaps its both???!!! _Very_ crude and vulgar! But hilarious. 😉 Jerry came over today and we made a huge chunk of deadcow on the barbie. And scampi. I guess I’ll make my teriyaki chicken skewers mañana. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/39 "2005-08-08T11:43:22Z")
**Sensibility** - you’ve probably missed today’s eposide on BBC2 (“The Mighty Atom” - in which The Hood sabotages an atomic-powered desalination plant in Australia) and if you tune in at the appropriate time tomorrow and Wednesday you’ll see nothing but athletics from Helsinki. Your next one is at 11.45 on Thursday the 11th: “Vault of Death” (twat of a Bank of England employee gets locked into a vault with a timelock; Tracy boys attempt rescue from the now-disused nearby Underground tunnel, Parker resurrects his old safe-breaking skills - who, if anyone, will reach him first???). “Team America” is actually quite amusing. The puppets get up to slightly more adult activities than the Tracy boys, Tin Tin & Lady Penelope ever did. And there is a fantastic scene where one gets drunk in a bar and vomits copiously (and I mean copiously) in the alleyway outside. ---
**Author:** ![Sensibility](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Sensibility](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sensibility)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848/40 "2005-08-09T21:12:22Z")
> [@seosamh](#): > > **Sensibility** - you’ve probably missed today’s eposide on BBC2 (“The Mighty Atom” - in which The Hood sabotages an atomic-powered desalination plant in Australia) and if you tune in at the appropriate time tomorrow and Wednesday you’ll see nothing but athletics from Helsinki. > > Your next one is at 11.45 on Thursday the 11th: “Vault of Death” (twat of a Bank of England employee gets locked into a vault with a timelock; Tracy boys attempt rescue from the now-disused nearby Underground tunnel, Parker resurrects his old safe-breaking skills - who, if anyone, will reach him first???). > > “Team America” is actually quite amusing. The puppets get up to slightly more adult activities than the Tracy boys, Tin Tin & Lady Penelope ever did. And there is a fantastic scene where one gets drunk in a bar and vomits copiously (and I mean copiously) in the alleyway outside. Oh NO!! I DID miss it, you’re right! Still, I WONT miss the Thursday one…Vault of Death eh?? Nice one. Just cant decide whether Team America is one for me… me being a ‘nice girl’ and all! _smile_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thunderbirds-are-go/314848.md?page=3)