Almost 2 years ago, author and documentary maker  Stephen La Riviere announced that he was working on a book which thoroughly documents the Supermarionation era.

Prior to this, he made the superb “Supercar Full Boost Vertical” video which was a detailed documentary into the making of Supercar. It featured extensive interviews, video clips, photos and major research to thoroughly document the making of supercar.

When I first saw this I recall wishing this was the first in a series of documentaries, as it would wonderful if there was one for each of the Supermarionation shows.

What follows is a detailed review of the book.

Click the "Read More" link or title for the full article...

 

 

In order to produce this book, Stephen La Riviere's work entailed reading through every available book, magazine article, press clipping and interview he could find. In addition to which, he conducted extensive research into associated legal documents, contracts etc. Best of all, he actually SPOKE to many people who were there, in order to verify the facts as he uncovered them. What he has created then, is appropriately a history book on the rise and fall of supermarionation. Comprehensive book on History and development of supermarionation. Told from the studio floor.

This approach has 2 drawbacks.
it takes a LONG TIME to find and read all the material, especially the more obscure newspaper articles and contracts.
as it has been 50 years, many of the people associated with the shows have passed away or the “truth” on some aspects have simply vanished over time.

As a result, it is unlikely another book of this kind on will ever be written.

Structure of the book

The book does not set out to cover every Gerry Anderson production, and doesn’t even cover all the puppet shows (no Terrahawks, for example). The focus of this book is clear, stick to the Supermarionation era and the events leading up to it.

The book is broken down into chapters such that each chapter covers one or more shows. It shows the formation of APF in 1957 and details all puppet productions from “The Adventures of Twizzle” all the way through to “The Secret Service” in 1969. The book is broken down as follows:

 

• Introduction from David Elliott

1. Birth of APF, Twizzle, Torchy
2. Four Feather Falls
3. Supercar
4. Fireball Xl5
5. Stingray
6. Thunderbirds
7. Thunderbirds are Go! + Series 2
8. Captain Scarlet
9. Thunderbird 6
10. Joe 90
11. The Secret Service

Content of the book

The book is written largely as a history of AP Films, and details each progression and improvement the productions and techniques gradually built upon each other. If you are looking for detail on model specifics or major technical details, you need to look to other sources such as the books from Derek Meddings, Mike Trim and Alan Shubrook. The technical aspects have been covered ad nauseum and is rightly not the primary focus of the book, although several puppet and model-related anecdotes are included.

Instead, the narrative is fleshed out with interviews, quotes and research material carefully tied together into a highly readable series of chapters.

Stephen La Riviere conducted several interviews in preparation for the book, so I was a bit surprised not to find the interviews repeated ad nauseum, or at least to some degree. Rather, the research material is carefully combined with the interview material and compiled into the main narrative which makes for a much easier read. Above all, the approach really seems to work and is highly suitable for this type of material.

Information is provided on the producers, the story writing, puppeteers, model makers and more, but each team is given equal time as they all contributed to a whole. Very little information is provided about the work of Barry Gray, with the occasional reference to recording sessions. However, this is hardly surprising given the fact that Barry passed away many years ago.

Most of the shows and therefore chapters, revolve around the genesis for the shows’ concept, getting the OK to shoot it and the various production issues, hirings, departures, dates and other info relating to the day to day work. It covers the “what” of the productions, but the book does not especially set out to cover the “how”, especially in terms of technical problems and solutions. To some degree this is written at a higher level than that, and is more focused on the people rather than the things. This book could have been a very dry read, but the combination of detailed research and copious quotes both contemporary and current add colour and balance to the narrative.

 

While there are some familiar images, there many new photos and other images which are probably seeing publication for the first time. The majority of images are in colour and most of them are of surprisingly high quality. A couple are faded, but considering their age, its good just to see anything. There are a couple of scans of early newspaper ads, scanned images from an unused supercar storyline and even a computer generated image showing the early puppet head mechanics. There are also some model sketches from Derek Meddings and Mike Trim.

 

Whats in the book

Initially, the 208  page book was intended to be available in softcover and hardcover versions. However, as Stephen La Riviere explains it, the cost of producing the hardcover was so high that he had to chose between a hardcover version or having colour images. He chose colour images. He chose wisely, as the book is well illustrated throughout with colour photos, many of which I have never seen before. The vast majority of the photos are behind the scenes shots and most are in colour, which is amazing as colour photos were not cheap in the 60s. The book is printed on high quality, glossy paper which is good as this makes the most of the images. Many of the photos feature rare, behind the scenes shots.

Much of the material is from careful, detailed research through books, magazine, newspaper articles, interviews and contracts. There are many anecdotes throughout the book, which serve to provide additional colour in an already intriguing story. Some may be familiar if you have read any of the published biographies from Gerry, Sylvia, Mike Trim or Derek Meddings, but familiar material is generally minimal as Stephen La Riviere attempts to get to more unfamilar territory and show us the reality behind many of the myths.

There are some minor typos in the book, which may or may not bother you and certainly do not detract in any way from the content itself.

Many accepted “facts” have been carefully researched and in some cases debunked during this process, rewriting some of the mythos around the early years.

 

Conclusion

Does the book meet its stated objectives? Yes.

Prior to this book, every retelling has been from a particular perspective. This new history book provides a balanced history of the productions, along with issues and solutions, with colour commentary from those who were there. Quotes are used carefully and sparingly to back up the text or to provide relevant and often amusing anecdotes.

While some of the material and even anecdotes may be familiar (Thunderbirds “Its not a TV show - its a movie!”  for example), much is new and it all fits very well together. Above all, its well balanced, with quotes from “all sides” of the various groups involved in the productions.

 

 

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This book then is for fans of the Supermarionation shows who want to know more about what went into the productions. If you enjoyed the Full Boost Vertical video, you will love this book.

PROS

• Well illustrated with rare photos, many in colour
• Narrative is well done and continues between chapters
• Its a good, easy read
• A lot of material which has not been seen before
• Quotes used extensively to add detail or otherwise balance narrative
• Much of the content is likely to be new to the reader

CONS

• A very few images are poor quality
• A few minor typos
• Not available in hardcover

 

TV Century 21 book rating: 4.5 out of 5

It is available from Amazon UK and Amazon in USA

However, order it directly from the website www.filmedinsupermarionation.co.uk and you can get it for £25 or £30 for a version signed by Stephen La Riviere and David Elliott! Not just that, but by buying it direct, Stephen La Riviere cuts out the middleman and gets properly rewarded for his work. Who knows, it might even encourage him to write another book...

 

ISBN 1-932563-23-7
Hermes Press in Pennsylvania, USA
$39.99

 

 

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