1970's British TV Series "UFO" - headed for big screen Movie Trilogy Release in 2013

[KiwiElf]

In 1970, Gerry & Sylvia Anderson (famous for their earlier Supermarionation puppet series such as Thunderbirds, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet etc) produced their first live-action series called "UFO".

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This is the first episode, "Identified".

Part 1/4
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Part 2/4
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Part 3/4
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Part 4/4
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Not widely known outside of the UK, it was years ahead of its time and is now in production as a movie Trilogy tentatively set for a 2013 release date.

The official movie website is here:

http://ufo-themovie.com/shado/

... but there's very little on it yet (just Google "New UFO movie" or similar if you'd like to know more ;)).

Whole original series is available on DVD from Amazon).

It's a very "dark" series and was aimed at adult viewers. Great watch.

IMDB Synopsis:

In the year 1980 the Earth is threatened by an alien race who kidnap and kill humans and use them for body parts. A highly secret military organization is set up in the hope of defending the Earth from this alien threat. This organization is named SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization) and operates from a secret location beneath a film studio. They also operate a fleet of submarines and have a base on the moon as well as an early warning satellite that detects inbound UFOs. UFOs can be destroyed in space by Interceptors which are launched from Moonbase. If one gets through it can be attacked in the Earth's atmosphere by a high altitude aircraft launched from one of the submarines. If a UFO also avoids this and manages to land it can be tracked and destroyed by a number of Mobiles (armored vehicles) which are deployed throughout the world.

Written by Kevin Steinhauer <K.Steinhauer@BoM.GOV.AU

For a comprehensive description & history of the original series, Cast/characters, Episode guide etc with related and fan links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_%28TV_series%29

[Ellisa]

I won't be happy until 'Blakes' Seven' returns. There was a rumour last year that it would-- but no sign yet and I'm still waiting!

[Cidersomerset]

I watched several episodes of this a couple of years ago and although dated with stupid costumes, was not as bad as I thought.

The fact that Earths defences was run by an organisation hiding behind, Harlington Straker film premises, sounds familier now..LOL...



I won't be happy until 'Blakes' Seven' returns. There was a rumour last year that it would-- but no sign yet and I'm still waiting!


Another favourite , especialy Servalans ever decreasingly plunging Bust line !!..especially as a teanager ..LOL..

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An earlier thread ...

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?30842-Fringe...Sci-Fi-Disclosure


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Former resistance leader Roj Blake witnesses a massacre and is subsequently framed for a series of fictional crimes by the totalitarian Federation.

[KiwiElf]

I watched several episodes of this a couple of years ago and although dated with stupid costumes, was not as bad as I thought.

LOL The costumes - and the girls with purple wigs - were pretty cool for 1970 though! (Along with the real working props of futuristic cars, the interceptors, subs & other vehicles).

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[Cidersomerset]

Its not as daft as it seems now when you consider glam rock was about at the time ...

http://www.crackedactor.com/images/costume.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YA5UWBtYqsk/SnskiQoDNQI/AAAAAAAAASU/shOnTF7BgNE/s400/ziggy+3

It may have inspired the Dolorean...

http://220.245.130.52/images/delorean_01.jpg

and the shuttle ..LOL..

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/5/24/1243181023489/Space-Shuttle-Atlantis-la-001.jpg

[Rex]

This is awesome news. I used to watch this religiously, and didn't know anyone else who even knew about it! Sure it looks cheezy now but at the time it was really pretty amazing...

[KiwiElf]

This is awesome news. I used to watch this religiously, and didn't know anyone else who even knew about it! Sure it looks cheezy now but at the time it was really pretty amazing...

I'm a BIG fan myself :) Hope it's a good reimagining ;)

If you're interested, a British Film Producer is making a working replica of Straker's iconic car from moulds taken off the original (which is now so delapidated, it's almost a pile of dust). This forum can keep you up-to-date about it. He's building it onto a Jaguar Chassis & running gear.

The cars, and some of UFO's actors appeared in an earlier movie (also made by the Anderson's) called "Doppelganger" (and in other countries, "Journey to the Far Side of the Sun")

http://www.eagletransporter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146975

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We also have an Avalonian member called "Straker" :)

[shadowstalker]

People don't know how truly profound this show really was/is.

The first ep. all but describes the so called plight of the greys.

Not bad for a 1970 show that's suppose to know nothing but to tell made up stories.

SIDE NOTE
Another sci-fi toy that came to pass: Wireless Telephone

P.S. Makes for great comparative research, on so many levels...

Thanks for the blast from the past..KiwiElf :cool:

[Tane Mahuta]

Heeeey!! talk about a blast from the past!!

was my fav program way back when

thanks Elf

TM

[KiwiElf]

Thank you folks - you're most welcome - watch out for more! ;)

Who remembers the old UK weekly "Countdown" Comic which featured UFO as a mainstay? Even the artwork was superb. Printed on broadsheet-sized coated paper, they're worth a fortune as collectors items (check out e-Bay!!!). Unlike the quite bland pulp comics of the time such as Marvel, these were really "illustrated". Hand pencilled, penned, painted and lettered by one (or a few) artists.

Here's a UFO sample strip from a 1971 edition of Countdown, by UK artist, Gerry Haylock.

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[Ellisa]

Thanks for reviving some great memories Elf (and others).

[BMJ]

Thanks Kiwielf,
That's great news I love UFO, Captain Scarlett, Thunderbirds. I have the box sets for the last two.

Best wishes Boris

[KiwiElf]

You're welcome BMJ - likewise. (Have you seen the New Captain Scarlet? (cgi) - is excellent imo ;))

X3JBnRh8OCc

Will post further updates when more becomes known about the UFO movie(s)
Official UFO Movie site is here, but as mentioned earlier, not much on it yet:

http://ufo-themovie.com/shado/

Just to confuse things, there is a separate movie (also called UFO) due out in 2013 - nothing to do with this one. EDIT: 2013-0129 - Have just seen this: it is TERRIBLE IMO - I'd go so far as to say the WORST sci-fi movie I've ever seen (rating 2.8/10 from IMDB

[Anchor]

Oh my what a blast down memory lane.

I have the entire UFO series on DVD and watched it completely again - the transfer was amazing and its still very watchable.

Lt Gay Ellis - the boss chick in the purple wig, played by Gabrielle Drake was my first TV "crush" - LOL

I also used to get the Countdown comic but didn't keep them.

Some other things on the list:

Thunderbirds
Stingray
Marine Boy
Captain Scarlet

:)

[BMJ]

You're welcome BMJ - likewise. (Have you seen the New Captain Scarlet? (cgi) - is excellent imo ;))

X3JBnRh8OCc

Will post further updates when more becomes known about the UFO movie(s)
Official UFO Movie site is here, but as mentioned earlier, not much on it yet:

http://ufo-themovie.com/shado/

Just to confuse things, there is a separate movie (also called UFO) due out in 2013 - nothing to do with this one.

No I wasn't KiwiElf, thanks for bringing it to our attention, I'll have to take a look.

[KiwiElf]

Gerry Anderson, puppetry pioneer and creator of the hit TV show Thunderbirds, has died, aged 83.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv/8121452/Thunderbirds-Gerry-Anderson-dies

Anderson's son Jamie said his father died peacefully in his sleep at a nursing home near Oxfordshire, England, after being diagnosed with mixed dementia two years ago.

His condition had worsened dramatically over the past six months, his son said.

Anderson's television career launched in the 1950s.

Once Thunderbirds aired in the 1960s, "Thunderbirds are go!" became a catchphrase for generations.

It also introduced the use of supermarionation - a puppetry technique using thin wires to control marionettes - and made sci-fi mainstream, according to Jamie Anderson.

"He forever changed the direction of sci-fi entertainment," Jamie told the Associated Press. "Lots of animation and films that have been made in the past 20 or 30 years have been inspired by the work that he did."

He said the TV show was perhaps his father's proudest achievement - along with the cross-generational appeal of his body of work, which also included TV shows Stingray and Space: 1999, among others.

"Most people know some aspect of one of his shows which is not something that many TV producers can say," Jamie said. He noted that his father first broke ground with puppets in Thunderbirds, but was trying new techniques, like advanced computer-generated imagery, into his later years with projects such as 2005's Captain Scarlet, the re-imagining of his 1967 TV animation.

Most recently, Anderson worked as a consultant on a Hollywood remake of his 1969 series UFO.

"He was very much a perfectionist and was never happy with any of the end products although he may have been happy with the responses," Jamie said, describing how his father would involve himself in every aspect of production.

"He wasn't just someone who sat in a chair barking orders, he managed to bring together great teams of great people and between them with a like mindset produced some real gems."

In recent years, Anderson and his son had become active supporters of Britain's Alzheimer's Society.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of society, said Anderson tirelessly attended events to raise awareness and raise money for a cure.

"He was determined, despite his own recent diagnosis, to spend the last year of his life speaking out for others living with dementia to ensure their voices were heard and their lives improved," Hughes said.

Anderson is survived by his wife, Mary, and four children.

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R.I.P. Gerry - and thank you for all the years of fun - take the second star to the right... and straight on till morning - KiwiElf

[Taurean]

Sometimes I have to wonder if series like these are the PTB telling us what's going on in the ' hidden in plain sight ' context or if these episodes actually kicked off conspiracy theories in the first place.

I'm thinking of the alleged organ harvesting that went on after Haiti earthquake.

[KiwiElf]

Thunderbirds remake is go, say ITV and Hobbit studio

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/feb/04/thunderbirds-remake-itv-hobbit

(As the fans of UFO are probably interested, I've added it to this thread - KiwiElf :))

Children's TV series to return in 2015, 50 years after it launched, and will be made with New Zealand special effects team

John Plunkett
guardian.co.uk, Monday 4 February 2013 10.04 GMT

Thunderbirds are back! The children's TV series will return to ITV in 2015, 50 years after Thunderbird 1 first launched from under the swimming pool on Tracy Island and Parker drove Lady Penelope around in a pink Rolls-Royce, number plate FAB1.

The new series, which has the working title Thunderbirds Are Go!, will be made with the New Zealand special effects studio that worked on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Thunderbirds first appeared on ITV in 1965 featuring Gerry Anderson's famous "supermarionation" puppet techniques. Anderson, whose other TV shows included Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and Space 1999, died on 26 December last year, aged 83. (see above post)

The 26-part series will be made in collaboration with the Oscar-winning Weta Workshop, which worked on Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, and will air on the UK on ITV and the CITV channel.

It will feature a "unique mix of CGI animation and live-action model sets", according to the producers, ITV Studios and Wellington-based Pukeko Pictures.

The programme-makers said it would "deliver a whole new level of action-adventure animation for today's audience, whilst also affectionately paying tribute to the legacy of model locations from the classic series".

ITV Studios UK managing director Denise O'Donoghue said: "Thunderbirds is a highly respected brand that continues to hold recognition around the world.

"This cult series is often credited as changing the history of animation and action-adventure, and we look forward to taking the show to another level while retaining the much-loved heritage that has endured over the past 50 years."

Head writer on the new series will be Rob Hoegee, whose credits include Ben 10, Generator Rex, Teen Titans and Slugterra, names with which Thurnderbirds fans who watched the show first time round may not be immediately familiar.

Plans for a revival of the much-loved series were first revealed two years ago when Anderson said the show would be updated using "all the mod cons".

Richard Taylor, co-owner of Pukeko Pictures and Weta Workshop, said: "Thunderbirds was a hugely influential television series in my childhood. Having watched it originally in black and white, it was only years later that I discovered the full and rich world that Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, Derek Meddings, Mike Trimm and their team created.

"It is thrilling therefore to think we have the opportunity to work with ITV on this new series inspired by this most wonderful of British shows. I personally, together with the teams here at Pukeko Pictures and Weta Workshop, look forward to designing and creating an inspirational world that will engage the imagination of a whole new generation as it did for us nearly half a century ago."

ITV Studios retains the worldwide rights to the Thunderbirds brand, and is global distributor of the new series and all its spin-off merchandise.

Thunderbirds was turned into a live action film in 2004 but the Hollywood production was poorly received by fans and critics. Anderson described it as "the biggest load of crap I have ever seen in my life".

Anderson and ITV collaborated on a new CGI version of another of his 1960s "supermarionation" puppet shows, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, broadcast in 2005. Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet was filmed in "hypermarionation" – a combination of CGI and motion capture special effects.

[jackovesk]

Vernacular is one thing & Euphemism another...

S.H.A.D.O

https://www.thecybermartstore.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/S.H.A.D.O._SHADO_49c38495050e3.jpg

Great series with alot of 'Truth & Hidden Secrets' inter-woven into every episode...:yes4:

[KiwiElf]

It was years ahead of its time: alien abductions and organ harvesting - decades before it became a widely known "reality"; advanced technology (aircraft, spaceships, subs etc), underground secret base hiding under a flim studio with military people masquerading as film execs; secret base on the moon - mind control technology, and all with the mainstream and other military largely oblivious to what was really going on. Sound familiar? :)

[KiwiElf]

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Sean is making great progress on the Straker Car Replica - this is the shell taken from the mould in the earlier post. No further news on the movie ... yet! (but we do now have a poster!) KE :)

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[Anchor]

Vernacular is one thing & Euphemism another...

S.H.A.D.O

https://www.thecybermartstore.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/S.H.A.D.O._SHADO_49c38495050e3.jpg

Great series with alot of 'Truth & Hidden Secrets' inter-woven into every episode...:yes4:

I had one of those toys as well - I also had an Interceptor.. I loved that show so much - I always thought the reason they moved it to the late night slot on British TV was because it got so scary, but when I watched the DVD's with "Adult" eyes, I realize it was because of the sleazy sexist humor (which I also like!!!).

Still I enjoyed seeing my childhood TV fantasy woman again :)

Another favorite was this one Space 1999 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072564/), and I had a toy spaceship from that show as well. Awesome stuff. I think they are going to revamp that series (about a base on the moon).

[KiwiElf]

:) Me too. I have Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, Space 1999, New Captain Scarlet (cgi), Space Precinct, and of course UFO on DVD. (I am such a big kid!)

Collected a few of the toys/annuals/collectibles from eBay - the model Mobile Jacko pictured is worth a bomb!

[KiwiElf]

Still not much in the way of updates about the release of the UFO movie although it appears to be going ahead (...albeit a bit later than planned).

For fans of the show, you can now obtain digital hi-res PDFs of all the original COUNTDOWN comics, of which UFO was a mainstay, the earlier stories beautifully illustrated by UK artist, Gerry Haylock (see earlier sample at Post #10).

And if you're fans of that show, you'll probably enjoy the entire collection of iconic TV21 comics, (featuring Burke's Law, Fireball XL5, Supercar, Stingray, The Daleks, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Zero-X etc), TV Action for DR WHO fans, most of the Joe 90 comics, (Featuring STAR TREK and Land of the Giants), most of the spin-off Lady Penelope comics, and the first three complete years of the EAGLE comic (for DAN DARE fans). Plus a whole lot of other collectible classic vintage titles from the UK (LION, VALIANT, TIGER etc).

All can be ordered from the YOOTHA site (below) on CD at a very reasonable price with fast shipping (the real comics in good condition can fetch up to 20+ pounds each on eBay!). There's usually one completely free PDF sample of each title to check the quality. Highly recommended.

http://www.yootha.com

[Sunny-side-up]

KiwiElf great post ;)

Bless the 70's and Gerry & Sylvia Anderson, they and their TV shows content and style where sexy and way, way ahead of the times!
Shame the UFO Contact element was negative though.
Making new film wow...I hope they do it justice, can't Waite ;)

[KiwiElf]

Me too Sunny-side-up - The new remake of the THUNDERBIRDS TV Series by Weta studios is on schedule for a release around early 2015. Some of the first productions stills are available on the net.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10911752/Thunderbirds-Are-Go-First-picture-released-from-ITVs-new-show.html

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[KiwiElf]

Call me a nerd, but I was so inspired by Gerry Anderson's TV shows (UFO in particular - which lead to my interest in the "real thing" - gawd, what a rabbit hole!!!!~), that it had a powerful influence in my "arty" upbringing and future career. When I'm not doing commercial art for clients, I love to do COMICS! Here are some samples that are in "the works" atm that I'm working on - sorry - I guess you could call them teasers: :) This kind of artwork, I find really relaxing! Enjoy!

[Cidersomerset]

Just watched the first five episodes of Extant, it has the feel
of Stephen Spielbergs classic Dark Skies from the 1990's.
The story is different but has the same cops and robbers
feel to it, but I'l see how it develops.....

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Published on 22 May 2014


Halle Berry stars in CBS's new summer thriller, produced by Steven Spielberg,
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