At series: once upon a time

Thunderbirds is a British science-fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) and distributed by ITC Entertainment. It was produced between 1964 and 1966 using a form of electronic marionette puppetry (dubbed "Supermarionation") combined with scale model special effects sequences. 

Two series were filmed, comprising a total of thirty-two 50-minute episodes; production ceased following the completion of the second series' sixth episode when Lew Grade, the Andersons' financial backer, failed in his efforts to sell the programme to American network television.



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Myrskylinnut (engl. Thunderbirds) oli Gerry Andersonin ja Sylvia Andersonin luoma 1960-luvun televisiosarja, joka käytti supermarionaatioksi kutsuttua nukkeanimaatiotyyliä. Sarjaa tehtiin vuosina 1964–1966 yhteensä 32 jaksoa. Tulevaisuuteen sijoittuva sarja kertoo kansainvälisestä pelastuspartiosta, jolla on käytössään erilaisia lentäviä kulkuneuvoja. Hahmot esiintyivät myös kahdessa pitkässä elokuvassa: Thunderbirds Are Go! (1966) ja Thunderbird 6 (1968). 
Sarjan tunnusmusiikin on säveltänyt Barry Gray.

Suomessa Myrskylintuja on esitetty Yle TV2 -kanavalla keväällä 1966 ja syksyllä 1973[1], myöhemmin Kolmoskanavalla, MTV3:lla ja SubTV:llä. Vuonna 2008 Myrskylintuja esitettiin maksullisella MTV3 Scifi -kanavalla.

Vuonna 2004 Jonathan Frakes ohjasi sarjaan perustuvan Myrskylinnut-elokuvan oikeilla näyttelijöillä. Elokuva ei menestynyt taloudellisesti tai kriitikkojen parissa.

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Thunderbirds TV-series Full story

Set in the mid-2060s, Thunderbirds is a follow-up to the earlier Supermarionation productions Four Feather Falls, Supercar, Fireball XL5 and Stingray. It follows the exploits of International Rescue (IR), a life-saving organisation equipped with technologically-advanced land, sea, air and space rescue craft; these are headed by a fleet of five vehicles named the Thunderbirds and launched from IR's secret base in the Pacific Ocean. The main characters are ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, the founder of IR, and his five adult sons, who pilot the Thunderbird machines.

Thunderbirds began its first run in the United Kingdom on the ITV network in 1965 and has since been broadcast in at least 66 other countries. Periodically repeated, it was adapted for radio in the early 1990s and has influenced many TV programmes and other media. As well as inspiring various merchandising campaigns, the series has been followed by two feature-length film sequels (Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6, released in 1966 and 1968 respectively), a 2004 live-action film adaptation and a mimed stage show tribute. The second of two TV remakes, the computer-animated Thunderbirds Are Go, premiered in 2015, in honour of the original show's 50th anniversary.

Widely considered to be the Andersons' most popular and commercially successful series, Thunderbirds has received particular praise for its effects (directed by Derek Meddings) and musical score (composed by Barry Gray). It is also well remembered for its title sequence, which opens with an often-quoted countdown by actor Peter Dyneley (who voiced the character of Jeff): "5, 4, 3, 2, 1: Thunderbirds Are Go!"
A real-life rescue service, the International Rescue Corps, is named after the organisation featured in the series.