The Cham-Cham
As the beautiful chanteuse Wanda Lamour---Lady Penelope's alter ego at the Paradise Peaks Hotel---she was meant to be a "provocative singer." The only trouble is that Penny can't carry a tune to save her life!
"The Cham Cham" is the equivalent of a "girls' night out" escapade, with Tin-Tin and Lady Penelope getting to put their spying skills to good use...while they are cooing over the house band!
In the "Dangerous Game" sequence at the start of the episode, Scott is seen reading the same map of California that was needed to help aid Alan and Grandma in "Move And You're Dead."
Good thing Alan wasn't around: Tin-Tin is seen sitting on Gordon's bed as they both rock out to the swinging sounds of the Cass Carnaby Five.
Writer Alan Pattillo named Wanda Lamour after the lovely Wanda Brown, one of the puppeteers.
Like many an actress, Tin-Tin was seen crying tears of glycerine during the series.
The code of the International Rescue Organization: Never give up at any cost!
In the shot of Alan and John as they prepare to trade off in Thunderbird 5, it's easy to note who does all of the work as John goes about checking the settings from Alan's stint...and Alan yammers on about Tin-Tin!
Friends In High Places: There's a photograph of the Duchess Of Royston on the wall in Cass Carnaby's dressing room. She must be a big fan of his---she's also seen dancing in the nightclub during the episode
With 10 regular cast members in the International Rescue Organization to keep audiences enthralled every week, it was decided that there was no need for a cute pet character for comic relief as there had been in previous series, such as Mitch the monkey (Supercar) or Zoonie (Fireball XL5).
The rockets at the bottom and the back on Thunderbird 2 were fired electrically via the wires running down through the model.
Curiouser And Curiouser: This is the only time that music blares from the audio speakers behind Jeff's desk. He's usually found viewing the news instead.
Wonky line of the episode: Tin-Tin states, "(It's) some kind of electronic computer"...as opposed to what---an abacas?
Lady Penelope points out that Parker suffers from vertigo, yet he is able to manage quite well high atop the cable car and at the top of the cliff fighting off Benito. Riiiiight...
When John Tracy is at home following his stint on Thunderbird 5, it's unusual to get more than a few words out of him at any given time---but it's not that he's stuck up or impolite. It's just that he's so used to his contemplative life in space that he tends to forget to express himself.
Jeff's contacts in Washington D.C. (apparently including the President, judging from the events in "Terror In New York City") are aware that he heads International Rescue, yet they conveniently forget all about him in the course of the search in "The Impostors"...in which the US government is searching for their base.
No one loves to play practical jokes more than Gordon and Alan Tracy, especially if they can catch their big brothers in one. While Scott and Virgil have grown used to their antics, their father is not as understanding or tolerant of their behavior.
Working at showcasing the Cass Carnaby Five was a perfect forerunner for recreating Cliff Richard And The Shadows in marionette form for "Thunderbirds Are Go."
Brains' was recognized as a child prodigy and raised by a professor at Cambridge University after his parents were killed when a hurricane destroyed their home. How a hurricane got to Michigan is anyone's guess!
Your Tax Dollars At Work...Not: Presumably from the events presented in this episode, foreign aircraft fighters are known to be attacking Air Force jets...without being detected entering US air space by NORAD...?
Wake Up Call: Alan is shocked that the cable is loose and that the cable car is running free...right after his father told him that Olsen was busy cutting the cable.
Each of the Thunderbird ships has an area to store the boys' uniforms, but apparently they also have space for tuxedos---just in case the boys need to rescue femme fatales in swanky hotels and nightclubs.
Is it, or isn't it: Virgil and Lady Penelope get to exchange "come hither" glances as they relax to the music of a heartsick Cass Carnaby, while Alan and Tin-Tin do the same on the balcony.
Lucky for Parker he had his brolly with him as he fell hundreds of feet from the top of the cable car. (And we thought that trick only worked for nannies)!