- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: BBC Books; First Edition edition (18 April 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0563534818
- ISBN-13: 978-0563534815
- Product Dimensions: 24.3 x 16.3 x 3.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
43,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Film Genres > Animation
- #4 in Books > Children's Books > Characters & Series > Thunderbirds
- #5 in Books > Biography > Film, Television & Music > Television Performers
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
What Made Thunderbirds Go!: The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson (which really should have been entitled The Man Who Made Thunderbirds Go!) is a substantially updated and expanded edition of (the late) Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls' Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography. Like its predecessor it suffers from being solely Anderson's version of events--ex-wife, creative partner and the voice of Lady Penelope, Sylvia Anderson is presented as little more than a scheming harridan--but it does offer a wealth of material about the cult television classics Fireball XL5, Thunderbirds and Space 1999.
Anderson, born of Russian-Polish Jewish stock in Willesden Green, London, began his working life as an editor for the British Colonial Film Board. After a spell in the RAF, he more or less stumbled into puppet-based filmmaking in a bid to keep his ailing production company afloat. The Adventures of Twizzle, a rather twee Toytown affair, and (intriguingly) a Nicholas Parsons' voiced puppet western, Four Feather Falls, brought him to the attention of Lew Grade, the legendary cigar-puffing showbiz impresario. Grade helped Anderson develop Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray and of course Thunderbirds (although the latter Grade initially stymied by botching the American distribution deal). At its peak in the mid-60s Thunderbirds attracted millions of viewers world-wide and a spin-off comic, TV Century 21, grossed a staggering 630,000 copies each week. Follow-ups Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and The Secret Service were (unbelievably) less well received and Anderson practically abandon marionette shows for most of the 1970s. Live action kitsch-wonders The Protectors, UFO and Space 1999 failed to resurrect his fortunes. By the end of the 1970s he was so strapped for cash that he even accepted a commission by Ericsson to write a script about the history of telecommunications. During the 1980s Terrahawks and Dick Spanner helped put him back on the map, while re-runs, books and videos of his earlier work brought him a whole new generation of fans. Marcus Hearn's book provides an extensive, if rather uncritical, account of Anderson's incredible career. --Travis Elborough
Product Description
Gerry Anderson created "Thunderbirds," "Captain Scarlet," "Stingray," and "Fireball XL5." This biography recounts the triumphs and disasters in the life of a man who works incessantly on new ideas and projects--the man who changed children's TV forever.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My Mexican brother-in-law, now in his late 40's, is an Anderson fan. He raves about those days spent watching 'Los Thunderbirds' and 'Espacio Milnovicientos Novientaynueve' - such is the global impact of Incorporated Television, it's charismatic leader Lew Grade, and its golden-boy producer Gerry Anderson.
This is a detailed and fascinating account of Anderson's life, complete with all its ups and downs, triumphs and pitfalls. It is more balanced, and more throrough, than the account by ex-wife, the producer Sylvia Anderson, and he appears to have no lasting rancour towards her (despite her biog, 'My Fab Years', pulling out knives for him in several places).
An engrossing read, this biography fleshes out the picture of the man who entertained generations and whose output (and marketing spinoffs) are still widely available.
This is a detailed and fascinating account of Anderson's life, complete with all its ups and downs, triumphs and pitfalls. It is more balanced, and more throrough, than the account by ex-wife, the producer Sylvia Anderson, and he appears to have no lasting rancour towards her (despite her biog, 'My Fab Years', pulling out knives for him in several places).
An engrossing read, this biography fleshes out the picture of the man who entertained generations and whose output (and marketing spinoffs) are still widely available.
8 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Okay first off I'm a Yank. There, I said it! I live in Hollywood California, I'm in my 30's, and I'm still as crazy about the work of Gerry Anderson as I was after I read this book this afternoon.
I had to cross the pond to Amazon.co.UK to get my needs met. And this book met my needs. Not only did they meet, but they left and went out for a bite. Came home late and ended in a nasty paper cut. So what I'm trying to say is... I'm insane!
Insane for this book! For a time here, I had to go the Museum of Radio and Television in Beverly Hills, a very cold place, to view Gerry Anderson videos. Now, I hear Tech TV, the cable channel for computer geeks, will be showing some of his work unedited. You see here in the States the powers that be cut all the nasty bits out cause they didn't think we could take it. We'll show them... Well, at least I would have if I hadn't had my cable cut off, and more people had Tech TV as an available channel on their systems.
Oh well, at least I have this great book. I feel as though I've been backstage, smelling the plaster, hanging with the Tracy Brothers, peeking into Lady Penelope's undie drawer, and watching The Hood shave his head and back.
I wish the Gerry coulda been more outgoing. I even wish he were my Dad. I would tell him, "Good job, Pops!" and off we'd go and play catch or shoots n' latters or cricket or whatever you people play. All the time I'd be thinking,"How cool is it that when this bloke's playing with puppets in Heaven, I'll be sitting pretty with all his dough and banging birds night and day!"
Need less to say that won't happen and shouldn't, see I'm married to a wonderful gal who let's me tie her up with string and let's me play puppeteer.
I loved this book! Maybe too much. Is it wrong for a, dare I say... Man, to want to live in a Round House like Jeff Tracy and slip the ol' Mole to Tin-Tin Kyrano every night when Alan is in bed with his Teddy? Well, of course not. My love for the show is as safe and pure as my love and respect for this fine book and all the work of Gerry Anderson.
I just wish I knew even more about Gerry's life and world. Oh, and that he could be my Dad!
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