Terror In New York City
Contrary to the theatrics of the special effects department, bulk erasing video tape will not cause it to smoke. (Any A-V geek could tell you to that)!
In another view of the normally unseen parts of Tracy Villa, Virgil's room is configured much like Gordon's room, including the shelving around the bed, the concealed television and the room decor.
Strange as it may seem, the crew of the USN Sentinel never attempt to make radio contact with Thunderbird 2 prior to shooting it down.
Thunderbird 5's geostationary orbit allows John to home in on any signal on any given bandwidth (so all you ham radio operators: play nice)!
Lew Grade---then managing director of Associated Television (ATV)---financed the "Thunderbirds" series. His distribution unit, Incorporated Television Company (ITC)---was responsible for changing the series' initial half-hour format to hour-long episodes, unprecedented for what was at the time considered to be a "children's" program.
Scott's Air Force pilot training takes over as he directs his younger brother home after the attack; like his father, he is cool under fire, yet his concern and compassion for Virgil and his safety is always evident in his voice, thanks to voice actor Shane Rimmer.
Sculptor John Brown and puppeteer Wanda Webb fell in love with each other during the making of "Thunderbirds" and, unlike Alan and Tin-Tin, they didn't let International Rescue get in the way of their relationship---they were married during the first season.
The most requested toy for Christmas of 1992 was the Tracy Island playset which had all of the joys of the "real thing": there were spaces for their respective ships under the pool, beneath the Round House and behind the cliff wall, the landing pad tilted just as on the show, and there were four buttons at the back of the island which created realistic sounds from the series.
Sylvia Anderson related that once while shopping in late 1992, a clerk stopped her to ask why it was so difficult to find a Tracy Island playset for her son, as if Sylvia could fix things for her!
Other great collectors' toys from the 1992 revival included a complete set of action figures representing all of the major characters. There were also large-sized recreations of Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 3 in which the pilots could be placed.
The scheme of moving the Empire State Building was inspired by a situation in Japan in which a large department store was actually moved in a similar manner---while its customers continued to shop.
Like Jeff, Scott is a workaholic. He finds he must always be involved in one project or another within International Rescue beyond his function as Thunderbird 1 pilot.
There has been a highly-trained flesh and blood International Rescue Corps in service since the 1980s. These volunteers carry on the work of their marionette mentors, traveling to the scene of emergencies with rescue equipment in tow. They also hold fundraisers to aid in the purchase of much needed machinery for areas in need. Their patron is Richard Branson (the Virgin group), with Gerry Anderson as an honorary member. Their website is: http://www.ps2.com/irc/index.htm
This episode definitely takes place in the time following "The Duchess Assignment" because the Empire State Building appears in the skyline in that episode.
Prior to his wife's death, Jeff Tracy was part of the elite Space Agency Project serving as an astronaut; this is the assignment which led him to be one of the moon's earliest visitors.
Matt Zimmerman's unique tones as he voiced reporter Ned Cook seemed to be exactly what the Andersons wanted, for, in a clear case of "broadcaster-speak," the same voice is heard for nearly every other television reporter in the series, including Eddie Kerr.
There were initially 26 episodes planned for "Thunderbirds," but the series became so popular that a second season of episodes were requested. Unfortunately, because of a problem in selling the series to a major network in the US, the decision was made to cancel it after six new episodes were completed.
Century 21 Productions became aware soon after the premiere of "Thunderbirds" that, like its predecessor "Stingray," many of the show's most ardent fans were...adults!
Most of the marionettes for the series stood about 22 inches high, and each of the major characters had 4 to 5 heads each to allow for the changes in expressions needed in each script.
The Landing Control Room, housed in the Cliff House on Tracy Island, was only used in this episode. Its main purpose seems only for crash situations, as all other launches and landings are handled from either Jeff's desk or the landing strip.
Parts of the score for "Thunderbirds" heard in nearly every episode include the drum-ladden melody which introduces the transition to a scene in Thunderbird 5 and the lilting "Tracy Island" theme.
John and Gordon Tracy look similar because they were created from the same design by Mary Turner (who also designed Lady Penelope). Christine Glanville was responsible for Scott, Alan and Tin-Tin; John Brown sculpted Jeff, The Hood and Virgil (from Christine's design for Alan), and John Blundall designed Parker, Kyrano and Grandma.
While many of the movements of the marionettes were handled from a gantry 12 feet above the stage, some walking, dancing and arm movements were completed by puppetmasters below the stage using rods to create the action required.
Thunderbirds merchandise has amounted to hundreds of millions for ITC, its distributor over the years, with more toys and related items being released every year. Most recently, the entire ITC catalog was acquired by Carlton International with its purchase of the Polygram group.
While serving with the US Air Force, Scott Tracy was decorated for valor and bravery in service to his country.
It's left to the viewer to figure out how the IR clan end up at Ned Cook's show, since their secrecy rule would preclude them from having been sent tickets for the broadcast as a "thank you" gesture! Jeff must have also assumed the world to be safe from disaster, as he emptied the base to allow all the resident IR members to attend the show.