Pit Of Peril
The catch-phrase "Thunderbirds Are Go" is first heard within the dialog of the series in "Pit Of Peril." It becomes Jeff Tracy's on-screen rallying cry and later became the name of the first Thunderbirds feature film.
The Mole---long a favorite of model collectors---debuts in this episode. The trusty little drilling machine appears in several more episodes, including "The Duchess Assignment" and "Martian Invasion."
Though The Mole has seating for more than one rescue agent, it is often only piloted by Virgil or Scott alone. It also has passenger seating for rescue victims.
Unlike the first episode in which Alan has a deep voice courtesy of either David Graham or Ray Barrett (sources vary on this), he gains his characteristic boyish sound in later episodes thanks to Canadian voice actor Matt Zimmerman. Sylvia Anderson hired him as she completed the recording for "Trapped In The Sky."
"Pit Of Peril" marks Brains' first rescue assignment; he's more often seen working in his lab or helping to direct missions alongside Jeff.
The Mole sequence is run forward and backward---easy to tell by the direction in which the sand is flying!
Episodes of "Thunderbirds" were originally designed to tell the story within half-hour blocks, but when Lew Grade at ATV viewed the first few that were filmed, he ordered them to be extended to hour-long shows---all the better to develop the characters and build on the action. This action also altered the viewing order of some episodes. Later, because of delays due to the production of the film "Thunderbirds Are Go," the writers had to resort to a "clip show" as a catch-up tool. That episode is "Security Hazard."
Alternate versions of the red recovery vehicles seen in this episode return repainted in later shows.
Though International Rescue assists the US Army in the rescue of the Sidewinder and crew, most other military agencies tend to be distrustful of the secretive organization.
As the Sidewinder is actually on its side in the pit, the crew should rightly be piled atop the controls and monitoring equipment lining the sides of the craft---not flat on the floor.
This is the only episode in which no women or children appear, giving the female voice actors Sylvia Anderson and Christine Finn some rare time off from their vocal duties.
"Colonel Sweeney" appeared in the first episode, "Trapped In The Sky" as pilot Captain Hanson; he takes that role again in "Operation: Crashdive."
The sturdy little remote camera from Thunderbird 1 is used again later in "The Edge Of Impact."
Brains, an orphaned genius, joined International Rescue upon Jeff Tracy's invitation. The plans for Tracy Island included a fully equipped laboratory for the resident scientist.
Passengers in Thunderbird 2 join Virgil via a passenger shoot which departs from the main lounge in the terraced Tracy Villa, the main house on the island.
There are three living quarters on Tracy Island: the massive Tracy Villa, the distinctive Round House and the ultramodern Cliff House.
Scott Tracy's handsome good looks were modeled on actor Sean Connery, then starring in the popular James Bond film series.
The baby-faced Alan was modeled on the image of a young Robert Reed from TV's "The Defenders." (He was later the dad, Mike Brady, on "The Brady Bunch").
Since John Tracy has only a few lines in most scripts, voice actor Ray Barrett was kept busy voicing many of the supporting players. He opted to play the character because he liked the look of him.
Along with their color-coded sashes, each of the Tracy brothers has varying degrees of hair color; no two are the same. Colors rage from dark auburn (Scott) to ash blonde (John), with the other three shaded somewhere inbetween. Gordon, however, seems to bounce from medium red to strawberry blonde from head to head!
John Tracy---International Rescue's ears in the sky----has no trouble eavesdropping on US Army transmissions, thanks to unique radio equipment, powerful antennae and a geostationary orbit high above the Earth.
Scott and John are the tallest of the Tracy brothers, but this was achieved by the skills of the clever puppetmakers, as well as the clothing designers who positioned their sashes higher than on the others. Most of the adult male marionettes are exactly the same height. John, of course, has an unfair advantage...what with that boyish upswept quiff!
Following in his father's footsteps, Scott earned his nerves of steel during his service with the US Air Force. He achieved the rank of Captain and was decorated for bravery.
The intrepid Virgil has only been seriously injured on one mission: he was fired upon by the Navy in "Terror In New York City" and crash landed in Thunderbird 2 on the runaway at Tracy Island.
An oven timer doubles as an air control meter in the hull of the Sidewinder, just as egg timers work as knobs on its communications panels.
In addition to his Tracy Island workshop, Brains also has laboratory equipment stored in one of the pods which is then loaded aboard Thunderbird 2. Additionally, he has a workshop aboard Thunderbird 5.
Thunderbird 1, IR's scout ship, almost always arrives at the danger zone first, usually followed shortly by the heavy transport vehicle, Thunderbird 2.
Though Thunderbird 1 appears to be a solo-crew ship, additional seating exists behind a panel; passengers are seen in "Cry Wolf" and "The Uninvited."
The designs for Thunderbird 5 mirror the Round House on Tracy Island through which Thunderbird 3 launches.
One of the most popular toys in history, numerous versions of Thunderbird 2 have been sold in the UK, Japan and throughout Europe and Asia. Some of them even have authentic sounds and feature Virgil's voice commands.