Details

Release year: 1961

Storyline

The adventures of Mike Mercury and the crew at Black Rock Laboratory in the Nevada Desert as they test out Supercar, a vehicle capable of traveling on land, underwater, and in the air.

Top credits

Cast

David Graham — Dr. Horatio Beaker, Mitch the Monkey, Zarin, Bill Gibson, Ben Judd, 1st New York Police Officer, Colonel Humberto Maguava, Diver Johnson, Elevator 1, General Sebastian Maguava, Guard, Herman Gredenski, Ho Meng, Hopkins, Inspector, J. Farleigh Prothero, Jason, Jazz, Joe Anna, Kalmus, King Kool, Lieutenant, Maxie Hoyle, Mitch The Monkey, Mitch's Girlfriend, Monsieur Laval, Morse Operator, Mr. Bell, Mustapha Bey, Newsreader, President Gourmet, Professor Harlow, Professor Terman, Professor Watkins, Raman, Shackleton's Buyer, Sheriff Elmer P. Jackson, South Dakota, Steindorf, Storekeeper Andy, The Big Man, Uncle Angus McCrail, Warrior
Graydon Gould — Mike Mercury, Narrator, 2nd New York Police Officer, Bud, Bud Hamburger, Captain Ross, Colonel Harris, Colonel Lewis, Commander Phil Keefe, Dr. Harvey, Film Narrator, Hudson Field Rescue, Jason Munroe III, Jodie, Joe Hoyle, Minion, Mr. Feng, Newsreader, Patterson Field, Prince Nour'ed Hassan, Radio Announcer, Red James
Sylvia Anderson — Jimmy Gibson, Aunt Heidi, Felicity Farnsworth, Secretary, Zizi, Eileen O'Farrell, Freda, Lotus Blossom, Miss Chevenitch, Princess Caroline, Princess Medina, Receptionist, Shopper, Switchboard Operator
George Murcell — Professor Rudolph Popkiss, Masterspy, Additional Voices, Harper, Alif Bey, Black Morgan, Campbell, Cape Canaveral, Captain, USS Mistral, Jody Mettern, John Fraser, Mr. O'Farrell, Navy 49, Robots, Sentry, Spyros the Bandit

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Did you know

• Although Gerry Anderson had been developing the process on previous TV series for several years, Supercar (1961) is considered the first true Supermarionation TV series. The format would continue (with continuous improvements over the years) until The Secret Service (1969).

• There was nearly a second series (possibly in colour): on the 8th March 1963 'Television Mail' reported that "Associated Television is to spend about £1,000,000 on telefilm production this year. The company is preparing to go ahead with a new series called The Sentimental Agent (1963), another series of The Saint (1962), a further 26 productions of Supercar (1961), probably another series of Fireball XL5 (1962) and a new project from AP Films involving an underwater world." The last project being hinted at is Stingray (1964). A new government bill forced ATV to scale back their production plans, and in May 1963 'Television Mail' reported, "Grade has already had to effect a small measure of economy - namely a second series of Supercar (1961)." And so Mike Mercury and co were consigned to history.

• The format uses puppets in a technique called "Supermarionation" (which is derived from three words "Super", "Marionette" and "Animation"), a name that was first seen in the closing titles of Supercar (1961). The technique would later be used in Fireball XL5 (1962), Stingray (1964), Thunderbirds (1965), Thunderbirds Are Go (1966), Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967), Thunderbird 6 (1968), Joe 90 (1968), The Secret Service (1969), The Investigator (1973) and Thunderbirds (2015).