Stand By For Action! The Anderson Influence on 365 Infantry
How a TV Legend Inspired a Pack of War-Waging Wolves...
In honor of this piece’s popularity and what would’ve been the great man’s 95th birthday, I am officially breaking it out of the paywall penitentiary. Learn all about the impact of Gerry Anderson on the conception and production of 365 INFANTRY right here. Stay F.A.B. soldiers!
Introduction
Today’s subject is a matter of inspiration, and how that inspiration never stopped influencing a series’ conception. It is a story that begins with a special Englishmen who produced a special breed of program. It is a story that starts with Gerry Anderson.
The West-End-born writer/producer developed a reputation as a stalwart of British science fiction through his work in film and television. His first major triumph came in the form of hit sci-fi puppet series like Supercar, Thunderbirds, and Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons. Proudly “Filmed in Supermarionation” and co-created with his then-wife Sylvia, these series, and many like them, were a stylish and mature blend of sophisticated marionette puppetry, detailed model effects sequences, and an ever-evolving show format centered on sharp heroes facing disaster and dastardly villains with an arsenal of hardware.
When the strings were cut in 1969, Anderson continued to produce thoughtful & provocative science fiction in the form of live-action series UFO and Space: 1999 in the 70s, before going for broke in the 80s and 90s with cult favorites like Terrahawks and Space Precinct.
Anderson’s brand of sci-fi always left an impression thanks to its well-rounded characters, lavish production values, and worlds hinged on the never-ending fight between good and evil. Mature, daring, yet wholesome at their core, the classic Anderson formula was the epitome of pulp storytelling, and it was his insular, real-world-based approach to series development that brought forth a style totally his own.
And it was his work that sparked many aspects of 365 Infantry. In the wise words of Commander Shore from Stingray…
While it would be easier (though not quicker) to do a blow-by-blow analysis of every nod made to Anderson empire, I want to tackle this in two parts: “The Ethos” and “In Practice”
The former will speak more to the shadow cast by the Anderson legacy over the series at large, while the latter will be a look at what part of the series was most influenced by Anderson’s work.
Part I: The Ethos
I’ve told this story about a half-dozen times, so I won’t dwell on it (I’ll link it instead), but last April, ahead of the Substack debut of 365 Infantry, I was blessed with a cancelled class and a dorm all to myself up at school. With that freedom, I fired up the TV, broke out a disc from a boxset, and hunkered down for some light entertainment before lunch.
The show was Thunderbirds, and the the episode was “City of Fire,” the story of a family trapped in a flaming mega-skyscraper, and the only way to reach them is by cutting through the metal walls with an intoxicating welding gas that may cost brothers Scott and Virgil Tracy of International Rescue their lives.
Series writer Alan Fennell outdid himself, penning a teleplay filled with courage, daring, and sincerity that spoke to me in way probably more profound than anyone intended. Done with terrific maturity, and paced like a freight train by series director David Elliott, it not only taught me what to aim for thematically, but I have come to regard it as one of the finest pieces of television ever made.
While doing a series as explicitly adult as 365 has its freedoms, I strive to maintain that kernel of nobility in all the stories told. No matter how grisly the conclusions, no matter how vulgar the scenarios, each of my leading characters are fighting for what’s right, and doing so with that very courage, bravery, and bulldog determination I saw in the Tracy brothers on that fateful April morn.
But the spirit of the Anderson shows wasn’t the only thing drawn on. Nearly every Anderson program hinged on a cracking crew working within a tight-knit (and typically top-secret) organization in the name of aiding the innocent and defeating the latest threat of the week, something universal but certainly distinct in his formula for fine entertainment. Of particular kinship with 365 Infantry is perhaps Anderson’s most infamous program.
From 1967, Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons not only flipped the script on the optimism of Thunderbirds and every Supermarionation series prior, but was explicitly conceived by Anderson as a war story. A war of nerves between humanity, guarded by world security organization Spectrum, and the invisible, nigh-omnipotent Mysterons of Mars, whose powers of retrometabolism grant them the ability to recreate objects and persons whom they now control. The catch? The originals must be destroyed to begin with.
Anderson had not only served in the Royal Air Force during peacetime, but also lost his elder brother Lionel to combat in WWII. Such a familiarity with war was reflected in the series’ notoriously bleak tone, teed off by our titular hero turning into one of these horrible doppelgängers, only to be snapped out of their thrall via freak accident. When he survives, it is revealed to all that Captain Scarlet has become virtually indestructible.
It is the stoic composure and shades of humanity throughout that make the Spectrum organization the ideal model for how I see the 365th in The War, with particular attention paid to the steadfast Colonel White (voiced by Donald Gray) and the way he’s helped shape General Knox as a leader.
While Knox was originally envisioned as a cats-eyed Clint Eastwood-type with a gentle hand thanks to the father-son relationship developed with Gibson, the character has grown into the stoic composure of Spectrum’s silver-haired commander, and Knox’s speech to the Top Brass in “Ride the Black Country” was an explicit channeling of the Colonel’s energy, right down to the declaration of Red Alert.
It is the stalwart command of the superior, backed a special and distinctive array of heroes behind the wheel and in the saddle, that makes the 365th a force to be reckoned with, and that team-formation couldn’t have been fully realized without the many agents of Spectrum and their top-notch leader to help inform its conception.
Part II: In Practice
The part of 365 most influenced by Gerry Anderson was, without a doubt, the creation of in-world audio adventure series Alan Firedale: Desert Delinquent. While the story of a boy and his semi-sentient car righting wrongs wherever they went may have owed more to NBC’s primetime action hit Knight Rider, almost the entirety of the show’s production would draw heavily from the Anderson empire.
And it all started with a voice.
When recording pilot episode “Hell’s Quarter Mile,” I was going out of my gourd trying to find voices for everyone. The devious General Langdon came easy, starting out as a takeoff on the original voice of The Shadow, Frank Readick, before adding a dash of Mark Hamill’s legendary take on The Joker from Batman: The Animated Series. Ancillary characters were either simple voices with no clear inspiration or the odd gag impression. Best example of the latter being “Mayor Statlon” from “Hair-Trigger Towns,” whose voice sprung from a parody of U.S. President Ronald Reagan on satirical puppet show Spitting Image.
But as for leading hound Alan…I was stumped.
I wasn’t a trained actor, so in a fit of inspiration, I started listening to voices of other characters I could at least pull off. And suddenly, upon revisiting a clip from submarine supershow Stingray, was gobsmacked by the voice of Capt. Troy Tempest’s right-hand man, Lt. “Phones” Sheridan, played by actor and dialect coach Robert Easton. In an instant, I tried my hand at it, and what started as a riff on Stingray’s hydrophone operator swiftly became a playful Southern juvenile delinquent, full of humor, heart, and hellbent gusto.
Alan Firedale had finally come to full life.
Another facet of the show developed early on was the musical score. While plenty of vintage electronica can be found in the bluesy main theme and stock cues like “Goldie’s Groove,” one cue in particular stood out from the rest in this early rake of compositions…
“Race to Danger” by Jacob Calta (Alan Firedale: Original Soundtrack Vol. 1)
I wrote “Race to Danger” as my go-to action cue, a riff on the opening notes of the main theme that could be counted on to ratchet the tension up as needed. And while writing it, I had but one special musical moment in mind…
“Fireflash Landing” by Barry Gray (Thunderbirds: Original TV Soundtrack)
The jackhammer percussion of composer Barry Gray could be heard in many a score, but by the time of Thunderbirds, the inveterate collaborator had reached a new apex in an unending string of excellent soundtracks. The action cues penned for the series still remain some of the most exciting in television history, with the orchestration creating a colorful and dynamic environment for the thrills to unfold in. And while I was weary about how much of an orchestral sound to lend the series, the percussion patches I had access to made capturing the white-knuckle energy of Gray’s immortal compositions that much easier.
In another nod to the Andersons’ Stingray, the relationship between arch-villain General Langdon and Alan Firedale reflects the dynamic between the Stingray crew and the ruthless ruler of Titanica, Lord Titan (played by Ray Barrett), albeit with a twist.
In the 1964 series, Titan schemes to destroy Marineville and the Stingray crew, often enlisting Surface Agent X-2-Zero (another of Robert Easton’s roles) to carry out his myriad of dastardly plans. The key is that Titan is usually seen plotting his revenge in advance, thus warning the audience ahead of time and ramping up the suspense when Capt. Tempest and the gang face danger.
In the case of Alan Firedale, the exact inverse occurs, where the agents and phenomena at Langdon’s beck-and-call are always at the forefront, with Langdon revealing himself only when the scheme has failed. The intent is for the General and the shadow of his dystopian city San Ciprés to loom large from afar, while still maintaining a sense of history between the rebellious red wolf and the one-eyed gray.
Conclusion
I can’t imagine there is a world with 365 Infantry without Gerry Anderson. He has not only inspired so much of the universe, but his relentless work-ethic, attention to detail, and commitment to producing quality programs regardless of budget or medium has inspired me as a creative in every facet of my work. Whether its with puppets or people, explosive miniature effects or stirring character work, the Anderson legacy looms large over science fiction, televised entertainment, and the world of Haven and the Wastelands.
Stay F.A.B. Soldiers.
Nice. I should do something similar on the stuff that influenced me...
Man, oh man what a good read! I had no idea who Gerry Anderson was but I'm definitely familiar with his work. Eight year old me remembers the rerun of the film "Thunderbirds are Go" on TV - Imaginative, wholesome, and a fun time. Loved reading this.