Stingray 1x1 First Time Watching Reaction - Should I Watch This? 

Fun trivia; 'Phones' is voiced by US actor Robert Easton who played a similar character 'Sparks' the radio guy in the movie version of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. In Hollywood, he was a top voice and accent coach known as the 'man of 1000 voices'.

Fun Fact: Atlanta is voiced by Moneypenny herself Lois Maxwell! I believe the puppet head was also actually based on her too! Edit: Apparently today is also her birthday! how about that.

The puppets in all the Anderson shows up until Captain Scarlet were done in caricature form party because the hardware needed to control the eyes and mouth was too large to fit in anything smaller. By the time of Scarlet, they'd managed to shrink it down so that more realistic proportions were possible. There was also a joke version of the end theme that went around when I was younger that started "Marina, aqua Marina, what is that funny smell of fish whenever you're near."

'Anything can happen in the next half hour' is the best line in the titles of any kids show. I started watching the Anderson's shows with the series before this, Fireball XL5. At some point, I look forward to your reaction. Black and white but lots of quirky charm and Venus, the ship's doctor, is the most attractive puppet ever!

Before Stingray, there was Fireball XL5. That was my introduction so Sci-fi and I've never looked back.

As a kid in the sixties I had a plastic toy Stingray sub about 15 inches long. Great for the bath. Except difficult to submerge!

I always loved the design of the models on Gerry Andersons shows. Stingrays design is iconic, same with Thunderbirds. Oh yeah....Aquatraz!

Aquatraz. The problem with the earlier shows like Stingray (1964) was that the equipment in the puppets head to move the eyes and lips was quite bulky so that the heads were quite large, By Captain Scarlett (1967) and beyond they had got smaller equipment so the heads could be more in proportion.

I was 5 year old when Stingray was first shown on TV, my favourite of all the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson programs was Captain Scarlet 1967. "THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS... WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN HEAR US EARTHMEN..."

Ths is my favourite Anderson puppet show. The facial features of the Troy Tempest pupet are based on the actor James Garner

I'm 67 now and watched stingray every week day when I was a little one. Stingray was my favorite of the marionette shows but I liked them all. I still appreciate the work and imagination that went into them. Thank you for reacting to them.

You are in luck! There’s not a bath toy but toy company Corgi has just released a die-cast model of Stingray. Loved your reaction, and your outfit would fit right in in this world but not in Aquatraz.

Oh yes, Aquamarina was based on Brigitte Bardot. Aquatraz. Obviously.

Shame we did not see/hear the 'Alarm Drums' in the start theme, always exciting!

An absolute "YES!' to Stingray! Usually anything Gerry Anderson is going to be a slam dunk - Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds, Stingray, Space: 1999, etc.

Yes please watch all Stingray. Spoiler: it has PUPPETS and EXPLOSIONS!!!!

Aquatraz LOL I've been concentrating on your Blake's 7 stuff, but this was a real blast from the past for me, I really loved the Marina song they used in the end credits! Good to know that there are even more of your reaction videos to make my grey days more enjoyable

Aquatraz made me laugh as well. I don't remember this as well as Thunderbirds, or have the same affection for it. I do find the more primitive puppets distractingly odd. TV show suggestion, if unseen: Clangers.

Aquatraz I was in elementary school in the 90s when they used to show Stingray (and Captain Scarlet) on The Sci-Fi Channel during their "Animation Station" block, and I fell in love with it because of how lighthearted and imaginative the world was. Im so glad that this series is more available to watch on the internet these days, because its such a fun story. I liked Captain Scarlet too, but this one always sat better with me because of the fun characters and sometimes sillyness. Glad that you enjoyed it :)

Is it too embarrassing to admit that Marina was my first TV crush? Not at all. I was young. 🤣 I had a Stingray bath toy but I never went to Aquatraz.

Shows like this were massive in my childhood

A wonderful part of my childhood. I watched the series in a square box black and white TV. I was obsessed with trying to get my hands on the model of the Stingray. It was always beyond my reach, as it was always sold out. I did get two models of the enemy fish submarine! It was propelled with rubber bands. Twist the bands and the tail flaps around. It never worked. The fish would just float on its side with the tail flapping, like a dying fish. But it shot a torpedo out of its mouth! So, still a win! Thank you, Alexa for doing this. AQUATRAZ!!!!!!

A really charming show with some great characters. My personal favourite is the ever-bungling Surface Agent X20 with his many comic disguises, he's adorable. You have to bear in mind that prior to this all the UK had was stuff like "Bill & Ben the Flowerpot Men" and "Muffin the Mule", very gentle and genteel shows whose makers believed puppets were strictly for infants only. Gerry Anderson changed all that by injecting a lot more peril and adventure into his programmes - and it doesn't get much more exciting than starting each episode with "Stand By for Action!!" I wouldn't have thought doing the whole series was really worthy of your time though Alexa, but then you're doing a lot of Captain Scarlet so what do I know. Personally I much prefer the design of these more lively, stylised puppets (very similar to the ones in Thunderbirds) and find Captain Scarlet's more accurate dolls quite creepy, almost like miniature cadavers (sorry). A couple of James Bond connections here - Atlanta is distinctively voiced by long-time Miss Moneypenny actor Lois Maxwell, and the special effects are mainly by Derek Meddings who went on to great success building ever bigger aquatic explosions in that superspy series.

The Captain Scarlet puppets were several years later, so they were able to miniaturise the internal components in the heads and make the appearance and proportions more lifelike. Thunderbirds came between the two.

Loved this show as a kid. Great to see you watch it.

Aquatraz! It was such a joy to see your reactions & your lovely comments to a show I first saw over 50 years ago. I'm so glad it got a big thumb up from you! Will have to see some more or your stuff now 😊

We all loved Marina, one version of her story says that the undersea (censored) Titan put a curse on her and her people; any word they say will cause a random member of their society to die, there is a cutaway drawing of X2 Zero's house online, but speaking as the son of a retired civil engineer, a dwelling in such an exposed area near a cliff risks damage by heavy winds and erosion, plus, one wrong step off that porch and death by gravity is certain.

I suppose it's because I'm English but whenever I saw Trip in Star Trek: Enterprise he always reminded me of Phones from Stingray.

Before Stingray there was Fireball XL5 and the puppets were even more stylized, so Stingray seemed much more realistic in comparison, at the time. Stingray pioneered most of the special effects used in Thunderbirds. Giving the appearance of models and puppets underwater was revolutionary filmmaking and animation techniques. The opening sequence and the phrase "In the next half hour anything can happen" is legendary. Elaborate action scenes of pilots boarding ships, and equipment rising from the Earth would become stock effects in Thunderbirds. It can be argued that Stingray is the prototype that Thunderbirds was built on. It was also notable for treating children intelligently. The love triangle between Atlanta, Marina, and Troy was very mature concept compared to other children's shows. Boy's loved Marina, and it was a large part of the allure of the show that Atlanta wanted Troy, but couldn't have him because he loved Marina, but Troy couldn't have Marina because she was this elusive beauty that belonged to the sea. Stingray was one of the first children's shows that went really big with merchandising. I remember there was a wonderful large sized model of Stingray in the shops that I wanted, but couldn't afford. Stingray is also notable for the song "Aqua Marina" but a great song in the show was pioneered by Fireball XL5. Fireball XL5 has become a cult classic that has inspired modern fan recreations. Check out this modern animation plus the Fireball XL5 theme song gives a great feeling for when you check out the original black and white Fireball XL5, but this is a short modern fan version along with the 60's song: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oxIW-G5z_g0.htmlsi=axa_XCzETbVD0owM

Alexa, I figured you'd get around to checking this one out at some point. Every Anderson's production before UFO, Space: 1999 and their one theatrical film Journey to the Far Side of the Sun(AKA Doppelganger) were done in Supermarionation. Generally all their early shows were geared towards children however most of them are often enjoyed by us adults too. It had been so long since I've seen this. Glad you enjoyed this. Yeah, I love underwater stuff too. And speaking of underwater, I have a recommendation for you, a movie called The Amazing Captain Nemo. It's a 1978 condensed movie version of a three part mini-series produced by Irwin Allen. It's lots of cheesy underwater fun!

Burt Lancaster starred in 'The Fishman of Aquatraz' .

There was another puppet show like this....called 'Supercar'. From around this same time in the 1960s. A few years ago, I was in a to store & saw nice die-cast model, but they wanted around $50.00 for it, otherwise I would have bought it.

Fact corner/Fred Fact/ultra-nerd corner: Stingray was the first British TV show of any kind to be made completely in colour, ie not started in b&w and then moved into colour like a lot of other shows of the '60s. Thought you'd laugh at Aquatraz. I get your slight ambivalence over Stingray; I never completely got into Gerry and Sylvia's shows pre-Thunderbirds even when I was young. Thunderbirds onwards great for me.

The series should be viewed in the following production order: 1.) Stingray (1964). 2.) Plant of Doom (1965). 3.) Sea of Oil (1965). 4.) Hostages of the Deep (1965). 5.) Treasure Down Below (1965). 6.) The Big Gun (1965). 7.) The Golden Sea (1965). 8.) The Ghost Ship (1964). 9.) Count Down (1965). 10.) The Ghost of the Sea (1965). 11.) Emergency Marineville (1964). 12.) Subterranean Sea (1964). 13.) Loch Ness Monster (1964). 14.) The Invaders (1965). 15.) Secret of the Giant Oyster (1965). 16.) Raptures of the Deep (1964). 17.) Stand by for Action (1965). 18.) The Disappearing Ships (1965). 19.) The Man from the Navy (1964). 20.) Marineville Traitor (1965). 21.) Tom Thumb Tempest (1965). 22.) Pink Ice (1965). 23.) The Master Plan (1965). 24.) Star of the East (1965). 25.) An Echo of Danger (1964). 26.) Invisible Enemy (1965). 27.) Deep Heat (1965). 28.) In Search of the Tajmanon (1964). 29.) Titan Goes Pop (1964). 30.) Set Sail for Adventure (1964). 31.) Tune of Danger (1964). 32.) Rescue from the Skies (1965). 33.) The Cool Cave Man (1965). 34.) A Nut for Marineville (1965). 35.) Trapped in the Depths (1965). 36.) Eastern Eclipse (1965). 37.) A Christmas to Remember (1964). 38.) The Lighthouse Dwellers (1965). 39.) Aquanaut of the Year (1965).

All of the miniature work was filmed at an industrial estate in Slough near London. Derrick Meddings was the model supervisor who oversaw the vast majority of Gerry Anderson productions, including Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds, Joe 90, and Stingray. There was a British TV series made for ITV called Terrahawks. Meddings who had worked with Gerry Anderson for most of his life entered into the films business as a special effects supervisor on the first Roger Moore Bond film Live and Let Die. From that point on, Meddings left Gerry Anderson behind to forward with a more lucrative job in the film industry. Terrahawks did partly suffer due to Meddings not participating in the series. When Gerry Anderson asked Meddings for help towards the optical miniature work as a supervisor for Terrahawks, Meddings told Anderson he wasn't interested. So ended a working relationship, and Anderson never spoke to Meddings again. Derrick Meddings supervised miniature work on Superman: The Movie and the film Krull.

Stingray was made a few years before Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, which is why the puppets are comparitively primitive. It's also why Commander Shore is in that motorised buggy - Gerry Anderson couldn't work out a convincing way to have him walking around, so he just decided to put him in a futuristic wheelchair. This is actually one of the first TV series I remember watching, when I was a young sprog back in the ancient times - there was this, Supercar and Fireball XL5. And also Doctor Who, but I think I started watching that a little bit later. So I can probably thank the Andersons for planting the seed of my lifelong interest in science fiction. One of the great regrets of my life is that I didn't grow up to live in a house where ordinary furniture disappears into the floor or walls to be replaced by futuristic gadgets.

Such memories. "Anything can happen in the next half-hour!"

Aquatraz! This was made before, 'Thunderbirds Are Go', and a long time before 'Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons', this is why the later one has more proportionate marionettes. Another great series from Gerry Anderson is 'U.F.O.' it's a live action series, and deals with more adult themes. This was my first time seeing your channel, I was impressed so, I've subscribed.

AQUATRAZ. Also, I'm an old school Gerry Anderson phan ( born in 1963 , so STINGRAY was my first exposure to the Anderverse ), so I'm duct taping my mouth shut for spoilers. PWOR.

I'd forgotten Aquatraz! Stingray's a bit more primitive than Captain Scarlet, but still fun. It was filmed in colour because they had an eye on the US market; in the UK we didn't get colour until 1967, and then only on BBC2. The main channels didn't switch until 1969, more than five years after Stingray's (ahem) launch! In our house we continued to have a black & white TV until 1973, so I didn't know which shows were filmed in colour - I assumed Fireball XL5 was in colour because I had an annual with a colour cover, but that preceded Stingray. Anyway, glad you enjoyed this episode!

Hi Alexa, I`m glad you enjoyed it, I hope you will react to it at some point. There was a bath toy, it was clockwork & my parents got it for me in the `60`s. Unlike the BBC with Dr. Who, Gerry Anderson was very quick to realise the benefits of merchandising. As well as selling toys relating to Series, he also did Ad`s for Ice Cream companies using the puppets. The first of his Series I saw was Supercar, but I only saw the last few episodes of it as it was repeated. Then, I watched repeats of Fireball XL5 from the beginning right through. Each of his subsequent programs I saw as broadcast, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, U.F.O., The Protectors, Space 1999 & later I saw Space Precinct 2040. I enjoyed them all but Fireball XL5, Stingray & Captain Scarlet were my favourite puppet shows, U.F.O. & The Protectors were my favourite live action shows. The latter because it featured Robert Vaughan, Napoleon Solo from one of my favourite Tv shows of the `60`s, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. & Nyree Dawn Porter.

i remember watching this show when i was a kiiiid!!! i remember nothing of it, but i always had the memory of the puppets underwater show. sometimes i would ask my mom if i was making it up or if it existed for real XDD I mostly have the memory of Marina swimming, i guess from watching the credits XD hahahahah AQUATRAZ FOR THE WIN

Awesome reaction of my favorite episode of Stingary!!!!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊

Aquatraz. I'm so glad that you're going to be doing Stingray. It's one of the earliest T.V. shows that I can remember from back in the 1960s. The U.K. was behind America in getting colour television, and we all had to watch it in black and white when it was first screened, which was a little frustrating. The picture quality of these old shows have stood up really well though, and it's lovely to be able revisit my childhood through reaction videos like yours.

I loved this Stingray and Captain Scarlett where much loved in my house as was the original Thunderbirds puppet series. I hope there will be a reaction series to that as Thunderbirds is amazing.

Great show and review. An interesting fact, when the spy genre TV show 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, starring Robert Vaughn & David McCallum) pilot 'Solo' (1964) was created, they had the 'bad guys' called 'WASP'. When the show went to series and they went to re-edit down the pilot to an TV episode, their legal department said you can't use 'WASP' as it's already taken, i.e. it's used in 'Stingray' W.A.S.P. (World Aquanaut Security Patrol). So they had to change the 'bad guys' name to 'T.H.R.U.S.H.' This meant Robert Vaughn ('Napoleon Solo') had to overdub his dialogue whenever he said 'WASP' he had to say 'T.H.R.U.S.H.' So despite the cost and resources put into 'U.N.C.L.E.' (film sets, actors, etc) because of a 'little puppet show' from England they had to change the 'bad guys' organisation name. Ultimately it was for the best.

Ohhh! Stingray, Stingray! I haven't seen this since I was 11 and watching with my best friend Rob back in 1968 Chicago. Aquatraz!

Great episode 😊

6:34 - 6:40 Even though the movie didn't come out until four years after show was aired. I would guess that the *Little Mermaid* got inspiration from Marina with Ariel being made a mute during the spell to make her walk on land.

So many people thought that all these shows like Stingray, Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds and more were american because they used american actors for the voices but all were totally british.

Hi, Alexa. The show was a must watch when I was growing up.

Aquatraz! I'd say this would be a good way to follow the Scarlet series (even though it came before it and Thunderbirds).

Aquatraz!!! -- I have fond memories of watching "Stingray" in the mid-to-late 1960s, when I was very young (maybe 5 years old), on a small Black & White TV -- I think it was shown on a local Baltimore station, on Saturday or Sunday mornings. More than anything else, I remember the opening and closing credit sequences, and Barry Gray's catchy theme music. (This was around the same time that I also began watching "Dark Shadows" on weekday afternoons, with my older sisters.) -- I recently purchased the wonderful Super Deluxe BLU-RAY Boxed Set from England. So much fun to watch and re-visit. I sincerely hope that you will be able to react to the entire series. -- Once more, with feeling: AQUATRAZ!!!

Hi Alexa. I do hope you're able to react to at least a few episodes of Stingray and don't get blocked/stymied too much. I think as I've got older I've come to appreciate more the sense of humour in shows like this in a way that I would've rather looked down on when I was younger. Anyone can create a modicum of exciting action scenes with a few explosions, but something which gives you that warm feeling of something shared and characters you'd like to spend time with (even in this case the baddies) is much harder to achieve than it seems.

There definitely is a bath toy, I've got one! It has a wind up motor that turns the propeller, and it even fires the torpedoes. Mind you, I've had it thirty years, so it might not be available any more.

Ooo I love this show! Its like Thunderbirds but not as long lol. The characters are so much fun.

Please watch. This is absolutely my favourite Gerry Anderson show. It's a lot more fun with the occasional adult humour thrown in. Aquatraz! The puppets are less realistic, but if you are watching puppets, why pretend they are real. I like the goofiness. You are right, Commander Shore is really gung ho. All the time he is "It's an unknown craft! Launch missiles at it!"

Aquatraz. Stingray was made between Fireball XL5 and Thunderbirds so that explains why the puppets are like they are. My personal favourite is Captain Scarlet. Spectrum is green! 😊

New Captain Scarlet is a fantastic idea. Definitely underrated and a bit more adult!

A reaction review of Escape from Aquatraz (1979) starring Clint Eastwind and directed by Don Seagull would be interesting.

11:01 Stingray is a lot of fun, but a lot more child-orientated than the likes of Captain Scarlet, and as it was the series immediately prior to Thunderbirds, the puppetwork is cruder and more stylised. But, in the words of the Aquaphibians, "BLOBALOBBALOBBALOBBA, AQUATRAZ!"

Aquatraz! Stingray is a great programme I remember watching it when it was on telly 10 years later and never knew it was actually 10 years old by then.

Lol I missed the 'Aquatraz' pun when I first watched this myself.

An Aquatraz-tic reaction 👏👍 and looking forward to you watching the full series sometime in the future. All the very best 👍🍻

Haven't seen some of your comments for a while. My fault, not yours. But being 60 years old now, Stingray is probably the most funniest and feel good Anderson puppet series. I laughed out loud a number of times. It was the first colour show made for TV, and of course the heads had to be a bit caricature big, due to the inside technology of the time having to work the puppet mouths. But I actually like the more surreal nature of the puppet heads. It gives it that extra fantasy other dimension look. Captain Scarlet - although I loved as a 60's kid, I now find a bit po-faced and sombre in my 60's. I thought the CGI update though, was rather good. But humour wise in the Anderson catalogue, Stingray nailed it best. Definitely a must watch.

Aquatraz! 😀 When I was a little boy I looked forward to the buildings sinking underground more than I did to Stingray launching.

Anything can happen in the next half hour! Aquatraz. I've never noticed that before. hahaha

I am a fan of many of the Gerry Anderson series and like the Look of Stingray. Pity it would not be a design that that would probably work in the real world.but that does'nt detract from the fun of it. If you continue with the series i would follow it. Thanks fot your interest.

My mum had a crush on Alan Tracy from Thunderbirds

Anything can happen in the next half hour! 😂😂😂 Aquatraz

Stand by for action

Not bad for 60 years old tv show thanks mr Gerry Anderson 👌👍❤

This was done shortly after Stingray came out...The Des O' Connor show...funny stuff...ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6pmJlHxfGSE.htmlsi=zFo5DgdrWkzkbD7T

Yes you should binge the series! It's all mid-century design, but in the future. The Puppets get better each series. Corgi UK have just (Jan 2024) released a small diecast Stingray... Aquatraz!

Aquatraz, there was an animatronic series in the 80's called "Terrahawks".

All I can remember of Stingray are the opening credits and If you choose to watch it I'll certainly be along for the ride Alexa. There are some fishy puns for sure in the episode. Aquatraz indeed!!😂

i had 3 different stingray subs all were used in the bathtub

I would like to recommend you watch the pilot of Space Precinct (1994). I think it would fit your preferences well.

Corgi are going to release a Stingray die cast model shortly

Watched a lot of Stingray as a kid as it was my Dads favourite of the supermarionation tv shows. Aquatraz

A fantastic show but my fave as a kid was Thunderbirds

Yes yes yes at last please ,pretty please review the series you wont be disappointed. Phil.

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons represents the pinnacle of the Super Marionettes. Thunderbirds and Stingray were created way before Scarlet. The enormous heads were due to fitting all the controls for movement of the faces of the puppets 11:02 . So there was I.R. and W.A.S.P. before Spectrum. Aquatraz! 😂

(aquatraz) Marina, Aqua Marina

I thought you might like Stingray, knowing your interest in submarines. Codename: Aquatraz! BTW, I know you say no spoilers, but trust me as an expert on Anderson shows, this is very important. What method would you use to watch the show? It’s just that for some reason, most of the streaming websites have got the episodes in the wrong order. Would you like me to give you the titles for the next 4 or 5 episodes just to help get you on the right path? In answer to some of your comments, this was made before Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet. In fact, we are celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

🙂 Stingray, was made before Thunderbirds. 🙂 Before Stingray, there was Fireball XL5. 🙂 Before Fireball XL5, there was Supercar. 🙂 Before Supercar, there was Four Feather Falls.

I highly recommend another sci-fi cartoon from the 90s, _"ReBoot."_ DEFINITELY worth a look.

"Aquatraz" I'm pretty sure that a new diecast model of Stingray is about to be released by Corgi.

Capital T and that rhymes with sea

With a smaller cast of characters than either Captain Scarlet or Thunderbirds each individual personality gets more room to breathe in this show. Unlike the more mechanical (sorry) Captain Scarlet this show is able to be a bit more playful, often undercutting the fragile ego of Troy Tempest and his bluff boss Commander Shore to good effect. The design is bright and colourful, with lots of glitzy glamour.

It has a continuing story arc.

A lot of the relationships on stingray were on a no strings attached basis

You keep calling these puppets , they are real 😉

AquaTraz AquaTraz AquaTraz

You will love this. Aquamarina!

Anything could happen in the next half hour!

another show from my childhood. i thought you would give this a thumbs up Alexa since you like captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

I'M NOT PUTTING AQUATRAZ IN THE COMMENTS.

Scorchio 😊

First UK programe in colour