Stingray (1964 -- 1965) is a children's marionette television show, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by AP Films for ATV and ITC Entertainment. Its 39 half-hour episodes were originally screened on ITV in the UK and syndication in the US. The scriptwriters included Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, Alan Fennell (who went on to write for Thunderbirds), and Dennis Spooner. Barry Gray composed the music, and Derek Meddings was the special effects director.
Troy Tempest .... Don Mason (speaking), Gary Miller (singing)
Phones .... Robert Easton
Commander Shore .... Ray Barrett
Atlanta Shore .... Lois Maxwell
King Titan .... Ray Barrett
Agent X-2-Zero .... Robert Easton
Oink .... David Graham
"Stand by for action! We are about to launch Stingray! Anything can happen in the next half-hour!" These words, accompanied by a montage of action scenes, get each episode off to a rousing start.
Stingray, a highly sophisticated submarine built for speed and manoeuvrability, is the flagship of th
e World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP), a 21st century security organisation based at Marineville in the year 2065, located somewhere near the west coast of the United States. In case of an attack the entire city can be lowered into the ground on hydraulic jacks. Marineville is 20 miles (32 km) inl
and, and Stingray is launched from the base's "Pen 3" through a tunnel leading to the Pacific Ocean. "Action Stations", "Launch Stations" and "Battle Stations" are sounded not by sirens but by recordings of Native American-style drumming (composed and recorded by series composer Barry Gray).
The pi
lot of Stingray is the square-jawed Captain Troy Tempest (modelled on James Garner), accompanied by Dixie navigator "Phones", so called because of his skill at interpreting hydrophone bleeps. (His real name, George Sheridan, is referred to in the show's publicity but never spoken on-screen). Troy an
d Phones board Stingray by sitting in their command chairs which are lowered into the submarine on long poles. They take their orders from the crusty wheelchair-bound Commander Sam Shore, whose daughter Atlanta Shore is also a WASP operative and enamoured of Troy.
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*Gets hit by metal pole and water*
And that's what I looked forward to when I was a kid. Brill Stuff!
I'd like to see The Pilot Episode again, when Marina helped rescue Troy Tempest and Phones from the clutches of the evil Lord Titan and was herself invited to join the WASP team - I only ever saw it once, many, many moons ago now.