"Fireball XL5" (1962) TV series 1962-1963

Creator:

Gerry Anderson

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

5 October 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Fireball XL5 was part of the fleet of interplanetary rockets protecting Sector 25 of the Solar System...

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Space | Supermarionation | Spacecraft | Puppet

Cast

David Graham	...	Zoonie / ... (39 episodes, 1962-1963)
Sylvia Anderson	...	Venus / ... (39 episodes, 1962-1963)
Paul Maxwell	...	Col. Steve Zodiac / ... (39 episodes, 1962-1963)
John Bluthal	...	Commander Zero / ... (39 episodes, 1962-1963)
Gerry Anderson	...	Robert the Robot (33 episodes, 1962-1963)

Runtime:

30 min (39 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

AP Films (APF)

Trivia:

Some scenes from "Four Feather Falls", Gerry Anderson's first puppet animation series, can be seen on TV screens, mostly when Commander Zero's son, Jonathan, watches on TV.

Goofs:

Continuity: In numerous scenes the characters can be seen surviving in space WITHOUT taking the oxygen pills it is often established they need to survive there.

Quotes:

[about a mad scientist who developed rapidly growing vines to take over the galaxy]
Prof. Matt Matic: He used to be such a nice fellow at Universe University. I guess he took the Ivy League too seriously.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Drawn in Supermarionation (2009) (V)

Soundtrack:

Fireball

It's a shame that so many never saw and will never see it.

First of all, I didn't think that anyone else remembered this show. You guys are getting OLD. Don't believe I ever saw a rerun of the series, I watched em when they ran originally in '62. Yeah, I'm getting old, too. This was the first opportunity for Baby-Boomers to watch any real sci-fi on TV. At least where we lived, these were not shown in the afternoon, but rather on Saturday morning, early, about 7:30 or maybe 8:00, so you couldn't sleep in. I can still see my little brother and me lying on the living room floor in our pajamas, eating cereal as the Saturday morning wonderland unfolded. And didn't everybody who saw the show want a Robby the robot of their own? OK, so the name wasn't original, he was still the best robot ever. This show may seem hokey and stupid with primitive special effects to a Star Wars generation, but it was the only game in town for those of my age. The next opportunity to see a sci-fi series on TV was, I guess, Lost In Space, which DOES look hokey and stupid to me now. maybe you just can't lose the love you had for a program as a small child.

Whatever the reason, I'm delighted to hear that the series is available on DVD, I suspect I'll have to update my Xmas wish list to include it. What an opportunity, indulge my own nostalgia AND drive my family nuts simultaneously!

Update!: I did receive the DVD set with the complete series for Xmas, 2004, and it was all I remembered. Incidentally, It DID drive my family nuts as I spent about a week straight watching the whole series and singing the stupid theme song with the show.