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THUNDERBIRDS: SET 1

Anderson would eventually move up to full-size sets and flesh-and-blood actors for his 1970 series UFO, but throughout the 1960s he and his wife Sylvia created a string of exciting and action-packed (not to mention weird and disturbing) science fiction puppet shows. By far the most successful was THUNDERBIRDS, his first series in color, which boasted even more realistic figures and effects in "Supermarionation." A&E, though not likely to show the series on their cable network in between episodes of BIOGRAPHY, has begun to release collections of episodes on DVD in 2-volume sets similar to the way they've handled THE AVENGERS and other programs. Apparently in order of broadcast, so far two sets of two 3-episode volumes have been released, with two more sets due in November. Hopefully, all 32 episodes will eventually appear.

Volume 1 begins with the pilot episode "Trapped in the Sky." In a plot that would bear similarities to the 1968 feature THUNDERBIRD 6, the villainous super-criminal The Hood affixes a bomb to atom-powered airliner Fireflash on its maiden voyage in the year 2000 (later incarnations of the show would move back the calendar a bit). Among the passengers is a young woman named Tin-Tin, daughter of the Tracy family retainer Kyrano. It just so happens that jillionaire engineer/industrialist Jeff Tracy (voiced in commanding tones by THE MANSTER's Peter Dyneley) has devoted his life, fortune and four sons to his own secret organization, International Rescue. IR uses an island full of fantastic jet-propelled vehicles to save lives whenever the launch of a fabulous new vehicle or structure turns into a disaster (which seemed to happen every week).

In "Pit of Peril," it's a special land-clearing machine being tested by the U.S. Army that comes to misadventure, falling through the earth into a buried supply dump that's been burning since World War 2. Scott Tracy arrives in superjet Thunderbird 1 to help, while Virgil uses the huge transport Thunderbird 2 to deploy the Mole, an earth-crawling vehicle.

It's still amazing to watch the special effects (by 007's own Derek Meddings) on these shows, which were always combining the marionettes with fire and explosions. "City of Fire" precedes THE TOWERING INFERNO by a decade, as the brand new colossus Thompson Tower goes up in flames surprisingly quickly. Scott and Virgil use the Mole to rescue some trapped tourists, while having to deal with side effects from a new gas created by IR's engineer Brains to cut through steel doors. Shots of the huge tower crashing down are a bit disturbing to watch these days.

Volume 1 wraps up with a rare clip from a British magazine show that shows Anderson's crew working on STINGRAY, while preparing the upcoming THUNDERBIRDS. Hopefully, A&E will continue to drop in these extras in other volumes.

Sci-fi elements come more into play as Volume 2 continues with "Sun Probe." A mission  by "solarnauts" to capture magma from a solar flare goes awry, and Alan takes off in Thunderbird 3 for the first time to save them - all of which is broadcast back to Earth from impossible angles via "teleradio" cameras. When T3 also gets into trouble, it's up to Brains and his funny-looking robot to figure a way out.

In "The Uninvited," Thunderbird 1 is shot down in the Sahara by a trio of mysterious jets. Scott and a pair of treasure-hunting archeologists end up getting captured by a bunch of weird guys with Z's on their uniforms, and taken to their base under a huge lost pyramid. Features the first appearance by Grandma, who supposedly designed the team's embarrassing uniforms.

Though International Rescue was supposed to be a secret, this aspect of the series became more and more farfetched as the series progressed, serving only to generate plots in which villains like The Hood tried to steal their secrets. In "The Mighty Atom," The Hood decides to blow up an Australian nuclear power plant just to lure IR to the scene. Lady Penelope, IR's jet-setting British agent, returns for the first time since episode one, if only to set up the goofy climax. More comic relief is provided by bickering between Kyrano and Lady P's servant Parker, who compete to see who can be the most obsequious. The submarine Thunderbird 4, piloted by Gordon, sees its first mission here as well.

Though The Hood supposedly operates from a secret base somewhere in Southeast Asia, he has no followers and has to do everything himself, except when he enslaves someone with his "hypno-stare." Sometimes I think he lives in his mom's basement.

This volume also includes a gallery of 16 pictures. A&E has retooled the original soundtracks in 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital, so you can turn up the volume and make your neighbors think they've moved to Tracy Island. The images have been given a polished transfer as well, the colors glistening like they never have before.