"Stingray" (1964) TV series 1964-1965

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

2 January 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Stand by for action!

Plot:

Gerry Anderson's third SF supermarionation saga told the adventures of the WASPs (the World Aquanaut...

Plot Keywords:

Supermarionation | Puppet | U Boat | Submarine | Kids And Family

Cast

Don Mason	...	Captain Troy Tempest / ... (4 episodes, 1964-1965)
Robert Easton	...	Lieutenant George Lee 'Phones' Sheridan / ... (4 episodes, 1964-1965)
Ray Barrett	...	Commander Sam Shore / ... (4 episodes, 1964-1965)
Lois Maxwell	...	Lieutenant Atlanta Shore / ... (4 episodes, 1964-1965)
David Graham	...	Jet Squadron Spearhead Leader / ... (3 episodes, 1964-1965)

Also Known As:

Gerry Anderson's Stingray (Australia)

Runtime:

30 min (39 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G

Company:

AP Films (APF)

Trivia:

This was the first British TV series to be made in color.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: The fishing line was used to pull Stingray out of the water is visible in the opening titles.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Drawn in Supermarionation (2009) (V)

Soundtrack:

Stingray

My favorite of the "Supermarionation" shows

Stingray ran in syndication about the time that I was in the first grade and I never missed an episode. Troy and Phones were my heroes, and I would identify with Marina as she accompanied them on their adventures. Looking back a little over thirty years later I am pleasantly surprised at how well it holds up today. I was very lucky to be able to acquire several of the (out of print) Channel 5 Video releases. I showed them to a younger friend of mine and she was literally blown away by how lifelike the marionettes were.

The voice acting, while always good in Supermarionation, was best in Stingray IMO, from Ray Barrett's gruff Commander Shore to Robert Easton's perfect South Carolina accent for Phones. Lois Maxwell (James Bond's Miss Moneypenney) was absolutely wonderful as Lt. Atlanta Shore. Don Mason as the authoritative voice Captain Troy Tempest rounded out the crew.

As with all of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's productions, super-cool hardware was everywhere. Troy, Phones, and Marina would enter Stingray via "injector tubes", special seats that would drop through the floor and lower them into Stingray via the roof hatch. In an emergency, the entire city would descend below ground into a vast fortified bunker. The villian, Titan, had a fleet of "terrorfish" submarines, and one would often see Stingray "dolphin hopping" with the terrorfish in pursuit (but not for long, as Stingray always got the last laugh). All of this, of course, was underscored by the incomparable music of Barry Gray.

There's plenty more that I could say about this show, but there's just not enough space here for it all. If you get a chance to see it, be sure that you do. You're in for a treat!