Underplayed Gems

Stingray (1964)

Stingray poster
Directed by
Desmond Saunders, David Elliott
Genre
children's television series, action television series, adventure television series, science fiction television series
Country
United Kingdom
Length
1 season, 40 episodes
Rated
G
Rating
6.9 of 10 from 24 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

In the 2060s, an organization called WASP patrols Earth's oceans. Their main submarine is the Stingray, crewed by Captain Troy Tempest, Lieutenant Phones, and a mute woman named Marina. They encounter underwater civilizations and strange phenomena.

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What happens

Stingray is a British children's science fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. Filmed in 1963 using a combination of electronic marionette puppetry and scale model special effects, it was APF's sixth puppet series and the third to be produced under the banner of "Supermarionation". It premiered in October 1964 and ran for 39 half-hour episodes. Set in the 2060s, the series follows the exploits of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP), an organisation responsible for policing the Earth's oceans. The WASP's flagship is Stingray, a combat submarine crewed by Captain Troy Tempest, navigator Lieutenant "Phones" and Marina, a mute young woman from under the sea. Stingray's adventures bring it into contact with various underwater civilisations, some friendly and others hostile, as well as strange natural phenomena. In preparation for the series, APF moved to larger studios that it would continue to occupy for the remainder of the 1960s. Filmed on a budget of £1 million, Stingray was the first British TV series to be made entirely in colour, a move intended to increase its appeal to the lucrative American market. The underwater sequences were filmed "dry" by shooting the sets through thin aquaria, while surface shots were filmed on water tanks incorporating lowered back walls to create artificial horizons. Stingray was the first Supermarionation series whose puppet characters had interchangeable heads showing a range of facial expressions. Stingray was originally broadcast on the ITV network in the United Kingdom and in syndication in North America. The series has drawn a largely positive response from commentators, some of whom have compared its premise to the Cold War. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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