A Nut For Marineville is another one of those cases where, on paper at least, we should be set up for a solid gold episode: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson themselves have made an unprecedented return to scripting the show themselves for the first time since the pilot episode; the story is a race against time to defend Marineville from the most formiddable threat it’s ever faced; and a new guest star in the vein of fabulous boffin characters such as Supercar’s Doctor Beaker, or Professor Mattic from Fireball XL5. A return to the ingredients which launched Stingray and Supermarionation’s overarching pedigree for action and memorable characters… surely? Or, despite supervising the scripts for the entire series, have the show’s creators gotten a little rusty on the basics of putting a story like this together?
Monthly Archives: January 2023
Stingray – 33. The Cool Cave Man
Directed by Alan Pattillo Teleplay by Alan Fennell First UK Broadcast – 31st January 1965 The Cool Cave Man – not The Cool Caveman or The Cool Cave Men or The Cool Cavemen but The Cool Cave Man. And certainly not The Fancy Dress Party which was the title on the original script for thisContinue reading “Stingray – 33. The Cool Cave Man”
Stingray – 32. Rescue From The Skies
Troy Tempest thunders down the snowy Alps at 80 mph. At the bottom of the mountain, his beloved super-submarine, Stingray, has inadvertantly caused a major disaster in the middle of an icy lake. The collision with a tourist yacht full of executives from the Swiss flooring industry had come as a result of Phones enjoying a particularly indulgent liquid lunch. Marina had put out a distress call over the radio through a combination of frantic tapping and holding the microphone out the window to pick up the cries of drowning middle managers clutching the latest in luxury vinyl plank technology which wasn’t as waterproof as they had claimed. Troy was approaching the scene fast, navigating the difficult slalom using all his rusty but surprisingly useful WASP winter sports training. But there was one challenge left for Captain Tempest – the unthinkable 200 metre jump from a 30 degree ramp which would launch him clear of the mountain, over the water, and towards his stricken crew… hang on a minute…
Stingray – 31. Tune of Danger
A jazz band and a forest fire… I think it’s fair to say those are not your typical ingredients for a Stingray story. Yet, here we are. There’s a real sense that, at this point in the series’ production, anything is possible. The writers have such a strong grasp on the characters, and the directors and producers are running such a well-oiled machine that no challenge seems beyond the AP Films team. Why not have some fun and push the boat (or submarine) out? We had our pop parody a couple of weeks back with Titan Goes Pop, it’s time to counter that with some jazz. Of course a show about a super submarine needs TWO musical episodes! And, as commented upon in last week’s review, while the flames were hotting up on Tune of Danger’s shooting stage, David Elliott was next door chucking water around to create the epic storm scenes of Set Sail For Adventure. This is going to sound unbearably corny, but never has it been more true to say… anything can happen in the next half hour. There, I’ve said it. If I say it again I give you my full permission to ram a sting missile up my ocean door.
Security Hazard 