Having already investigated toys, westerns and space, the time came for the Anderson's to plumb the seven seas with 'Stingray'. Garish and simplistic, it epitomises the in-full-swing 60's in all it's tie-and-dye, maisonette-dwelling, lava lamp, pop-art, Quant and Nutter glory.
'Stingray' has the most thrilling title sequence ever filmed for a TV series - sea defence installations disappear underground, oil rigs crumple, mechanical fish leap from the fume, missiles pitilessly detonate, noisy warplanes raze the sky - with the always first-rate Barry Gray's smashing theme rattling away for it's life, solid excitement is underway.
Hero Troy Tempest of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol - WASPS for short - takes on giant clams, ghost-ships, unruly oil despots and slippery subterraneans, making short work of the lot.
If, like me, you absolutely believe hostile races inhabit the ocean depths, waiting for their chance to attack us and take over, 'Stingray' is right up your stream.
Fun is had identifying which real life folk the 'Stingray' puppets are based on .. Tempest is James Garner; Commander Shaw - Spencer Tracy; Marina - Ursula Andress; evil King Titan - Laurence Olivier, and dastardly Agent Ex-Two-Zero obviously Peter Lorre ..
Of course, both Marina and Shaw's daughter, Atlanta - voiced dreamily by Lois Maxwell - are both enamoured of Tempest, but instead of filling his boots, he's so coy and gallant, he gets neither.
And on the un-pc front, it's a hoot. As peace-keepers of the oceans, the WASPs have an admirable shoot-on-sight policy :
"I'm picking up a craft on the sonar, Troy"
"Prepare sting missiles!"
The Loch Ness episode is BRILLIANTLY offensive, and there's a prison called Aquatraz which makes Guantanamo Bay look like the Holiday Inn.
Our heroes are realistically presented: they smoke, drink and wear trendy clothes while listening to jazz music. Those Andersons were subversive and way ahead of their time.
Inadvertently, probably, but it still counts.
