Details

Release year: 1965

Storyline

In 2065, the Tracy family secretly run International Rescue, whose mission is to save people trapped in extraordinarily dangerous situations using their advanced Thunderbird machines.

Top credits

Cast

Sylvia Anderson — Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, Fireflash Stewardess, Air Terrainean Guide, Air Terrainean Hostess, Bingo Winner, Blanche Carter, Bob Williams, Chip Morrison, Gladys Saltzman, Lady Penelope, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward (featured in Day of Disaster), Lil, Ma Tuttle, Madeline, Make-Up Girl, Maria, Mrs. Files, Mrs. Godolphin, Nicky, Nurse Nimmo, Parola Sands Page, Professor Mitchell, Tannoy, Telephone Operator, Tommy Carter
Peter Dyneley — Jeff Tracy, Commander Norman, 1st Croupier, 1st Reporter, Air Force Lieutenant, Air Force Officer, Casino Owner, Chandler, Crane Chief, Dempsey, Erdman Gang Member, Fire Chief, Hugo, Interceptor One Pilot, International Air Minister, Jeremiah Tuttle, Longman, Lord Silton, Lord Worden, Martian Pete, NTBS Reporter, Officer Jones, Preston, Professor Blakely, Professor Heinz Bodman, Professor Holden, Professor Lungren, Professor Wingrove, Ralph, Sir Jeremy Hodge, World Navy Commander
David Graham — Brains, Gordon Tracy, Parker, Kyrano, Captain Hanson, Captain Hanson (featured in 'Trapped in the Sky'), Frank, Policeman, Waiter, 1st Fashion Buyer, 1st Policeman, 2nd Fashion Buyer, 2nd Policeman - Site Control, 2nd Santa (Leo), Atlantic Captain, BSS Assistant, Barrett, Bletcher, Bob Gray, Bob Gray (featured in End of the Road), Braman, Captain Hanson (featured in Trapped in the Sky), Captain Savidge, Carela, Carl, Cheng, Chuck, Collins, Colonel Benson, Colonel Jameson, Colonel Sweeny, Colonel Tim Casey, Commisioner Garfield, Crash Tenders, Culp, Customs Officer, Dave Clayton, Dave Clayton (featured in Day of Disaster), Doctor, Elevator, Elliott, Engineer, Fireflash 3 Pilot, Fireflash Passenger, Fireflash Pilot, First Officer Clayton, Frank (featured in Day of Disaster), Garner, General Bron, General Petters, Harry Malloy, Hassan Ali, Helijet Pilot, Hitchins, Irish Farmer, Jack, Jim, Jim Lucas, Joe, John Tracy, Kenyon, Lambert, Lieutenant Bob Meddings, Light-Fingered Fred, Loman, MI.5 Agent Tidman, Maguire, Manuel, Moore, Morrison, No. 2, Ocean Pioneer II, Officer, London Airport, Olsen, Party Goer, Patterson, Percy, Plant Tour Guide, Police Patrol, Production Manager, Professor Borender, Race, Reactor Controller Collins, Roach, Ross, Sam Salzman, Sanchos, Scientist 2, Search Control, Sentinel Base Computer, Sergeant, Sergeant Reynolds, Simms, Sir William Frazer (Two One), Skythrust Co-Pilot, Solarnaut Asher, Solarnaut Asher (featured in Sun Probe), Straker, Taylor, The Leader, Tower Control Assistant, Victor Gomez, Warren Grafton, Wilbur Dandridge III, Woman Driver's Husband, Zombite Flight Leader, Zombite Leader
Shane Rimmer — Scott Tracy, Carter, Director of Photography, Johnny, Radar Operator, Reactor Control Assistant, Scanners, TX 204 Co-pilot, Washington

See all 19 credits →

Did you know

• Thunderbirds is very popular with real-world scientists, inventors and engineers, much to creator Gerry Anderson's own surprise. Gerry had an interest in aircraft from his boyhood days as his brother Lionel was a pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. This interest took him to Feltham, England, where the Supersonic Aircraft "Concorde" was being built. A design engineer gave Anderson a tour of the facility. "I was dreading that he would ask me what work I did" recalled Anderson, "because here was state-of-the-art aircraft, supersonic, and here I was, a filmmaker of puppet shows." The engineer did, indeed, ask Anderson what he did for a living, but he remained evasive until he finally offered only that he was in film business and finally later that he was a producer. The engineer persisted. "Finally I mumbled Thunderbirds" says Anderson. The response was electric. "I was told. 'Don't move!' He ran upstairs and all of the designers came down with him. They talked with me for an hour. All of them were fans. They even had a theory that Thunderbird 2 would fly if it were built. Quite amazing. I thought they would all sort of laugh." When the Concorde made its maiden flight to Toulouse, France, to be unveiled, it was greeted by the Band of the Royal Marines striking up Barry Gray's Thunderbirds March.

• International Rescues' radio code "F-A-B", meaning "message received and understood", didn't stand for anything, it was just supposed to sound "hip". In fact, when asked what it stood for, Gerry Anderson once replied, with some bemusement, "Fab," as though it were obvious. Later, due in part to fan-submitted stories, F-A-B came to mean Fully Advised and Briefed, in keeping with P-W-O-R (Proceeding With Orders Received), a similar radio confirmation code in the series Stingray (1964).

• The faces of the Tracy family members were composites of those of famous celebrities of the day: * Jeff Tracy was modeled upon actor Lorne Greene of Bonanza (1959) fame. * Scott Tracy was modeled upon actor Sean Connery, who stared in the early James Bond films. * Alan Tracy was modeled upon actor Robert Reed of The Defenders (1961). * John Tracy was modeled after British pop singer Adam Faith and Hollywood actor Charlton Heston. Whilst Virgil is an older-looking Alan and Gordon a younger version of John.