h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You again Jimster! I saw an interview with Gerry Anderson where he was talking about the look of the puppets. He told the puppet makers that for Troy Tempest he 'wanted a film-star look, a liitle like James Garner' so they made a James Garner lookalike. Now, is it my imagination or does Captain Scarlet not just look like, but sounds like Cary Grant?

I also read that Colonel White and Captain Grey were supposed to be a bit like Sean Connery-but they both have better hair than Sean!

Posting 1 by the third man
>> I saw an interview with Gerry Anderson where he was talking about the look of the puppets. He told the puppet makers that for Troy Tempest he 'wanted a film-star look, a liitle like James Garner' so they made a James Garner lookalike. Now, is it my imagination or does Captain Scarlet not just look like, but sounds like Cary Grant? <<


No, that's very true. Marina from Stingray was styled after Ursula Andress and Jeff Tracey from Thunderbirds was, some say, styled after John Forsyth (who later starred in Dynasty). Francis Matthews intentionally mimicked Cary Grant, though I think any similarities to the puppet were coincidental as that was the first one they designed and it was before Anderson heard Matthews' imitation.

Posting 2 by Primord
>> I also read that Colonel White and Captain Grey were supposed to be a bit like Sean Connery-but they both have better hair than Sean! <<

Captain Grey might have been based on Connery, but I doubt Colonel White was. After all, at the time, Connery still had a full head of very dark hair (or rather, his James Bond wigs did). I'm sure that one of the "extra" puppets, the ones that pop up as "3rd henchman" or "mechanic" is based on Robert Mitchum.

What's fun is looking out for the Captain Scarlet puppets being reused in Joe 90 and The Secret Service.

that's true about Robert Mitchum-look out for that puppet
in episodes including Fire at Rig 15 and The Trap.

...re: recycling-there's a puppet in The Secret Service that looks very like...ahem-Paul
Metcalfe.

I only have 3 episodes of The Secret Service-I wish the Beeb would put on the rest (there was only 13 made though!)

I can't let a lookalike thread go past without making the inevitable Alan Hansen comparison...

Otto