What is it? Stingray, Complete Series, 50th Anniversary Edition, 39 episodes on five discs from Timeless Media Group
How much? $34.99
When? Now
What is Stingray? A stingray is an aquatic creature that is a cousin of the shark.
But in this case, Stingray is an underwater ship, the pride of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP), and also the name of this 1964-65 TV series.
I've never heard of WASP. Well, it's fictional.
It's 2065 and the nations of the world are at peace -- with each other, at least. Humans have conquered space, so their attention has turned to the mysterious, murky deep.
That has brought its own problems and dangers -- mostly from Titan, king of the Aquaphibians, who is not exactly welcoming to the landlubbers. In fact, he's downright murderous. He uses his spy, Agent X-Two-Zero (who looks and sounds like Peter Lorre), to carry out his plans, which usually go wrong.
WASP is there to protect humanity with the leadership of Commander Sam Shore.
The biggest WASP hero, though, is Troy Tempest, the brave, dedicated captain of the Stingray and the very portrait of a stoic action hero. He's ably assisted by his navigator, George Lee "Phones" Sheridan.
While on missions, they communicate through Atlanta Shore, the commander's daughter and assistant communications officer, who has a big, unrequited crush on Troy.
Then there's Marina, a mute former slave girl who joins the Stingray crew and is the object of Troy's affections.
In between missions, they live in Marineville, a high-tech city on the west coast of the United States.
There are different underwater races out there -- some friendly, some (like their arch nemeses, the Aquaphibians) not. Then there are other oddities, like pink ice coating the world's oceans. (This was the first British series made in color.) But whatever the source, when trouble arises, it's time to "Stand by for action!" It's up to the team to foil Titan's dastardly plots to take over or destroy humanity.
What's it like? Did I mention the whole show is done with puppets? Marionettes, to be exact. The series uses what was called "Supermarionation," a technique employed by creators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, who were also responsible for the series Thunderbirds and Space: 1999.
The puppet angle adds novelty and makes it more interesting from a technical standpoint (you can make a game of spotting the wires), though, of course, those who find marionettes creepy may think it's more horrifying than anything else.
Otherwise, it plays much like other episodic action/adventure series of the 1960s. It's a little campy and silly but also earnest in its action scenes. It takes itself quite seriously for the most part, though it throws in jokes in the non-life-and-death moments and is littered with imitations of famous actors and actresses.
Are there extras? There's a 12-minute interview in which Gerry Anderson discusses creating the Supermarionation technique. Stingray is covered more in depth with a 20-minute featurette containing interviews with various crew members talking about the experience and technical difficulties of making the series. There are also episode commentaries on four episodes and the French end credits sequence (same as the English and American except it's in French).
New this week: Downton Abbey, Season 5.
Next week: The Bob Newhart Show, Season 5; Maude, Season 1; The Wonder Years, Season 2.
Style on 01/25/2015