Customer Reviews

Fireball Xl-5

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Those words at the closing credits bring back so many childhood memories. Written by Barry Gray and sung by Don Spencer, an Olympic hopeful from Down Under (did you know he's also Russell Crowe's Father-In-Law?!!), he'd released the song in the UK as a single in 1962 (called "Fireball"), complete with an extra verse at the end that was edited out (it takes away from the theme for the show). In the early part of 1963, he even performed the song LIVE (in concert) on an LP (One Night Stand on Columbia) which also featured John Leyton, Mike Berry, and Mike Sarne.

Out of all the Gerry Anderson SupermarionatioN puppet epics, this is my favorite. Though the characters my have outgrown this aging 50-year-old, I know I'll still enjoy the nostalgia of it all. I've picked up a couple of second rate videos of the Show in the past, but this should outdo them by far (I just ordered the Set). And to have ALL the episodes in one place!! Who could ask for more...?

What a delight it was when the mailman dropped off this box set today, I dropped work at once to sit down and watch it. It's hard to believe that it has been 40 years since a young boy sat in front of his parents old Zenith to watch this delightful show, my favorite Anderson production after "Supercar".

The first thing I noticed was how the resolution and sharpness of the DVD format revealed exactly how cheesy an affair this show was. Every wire, scratch, scuffmark and dirt spot on the puppets and props shows up in crystal clarity. Before the DVD I never noticed the string that pulled Fireball down the launch rail, and I did not recall that Venus's eyes were just painted on her face. Of course, that only makes the whole thing more endearing in my book.

After the great Stingray box, the extras in the package seem skimpy. There are only two commentary tracks, director Alan Patillo, who speaks very quickly in a Scottish accent, and voice artist David Graham. There is also a not very interesting 17 min. feature on the guy who drew the Fireball comic art for the old TV21 magazine. There are also some production stills on each of the five disks. Also, note that the individual disc sleeves have some confusing discrepancies as far as what episodes are contained on which disc.

Still, it's great to be reunited with this show on something besides a poorly dubbed VHS bootleg. Thanks, A&E Video. Now, come up with Supercar and I can die a happy man.

I am now 50. I watched this show faithfully when I was little. In 1962, I was 8, and never missed it. Like Superman, it was standard for me to be sitting in front of the tube, watching it in black & white.

I totally recommend this series highly. It has everything that anyone could want in what I believe was a true pioneering area of TV.

Love it, Love it!!!

Although I have yet to purchase this DVD set (which I certainly will), I remember the series so well. Even part of the theme song! This was a childhood favorite of mine and I'm so happy that soon I will be seeing it again! By the way, this set sells for $99.95 new through the History Channel store.

Thanks!!!

I bought this set for my husband for our anniversary and he really enjoyed it. He use to watch it on saturday TV. The theme song was his favorite. Actually I really enjoyed the series myself. For the early 60's our space technology was really non-existant. The puppets were actually quite sophisticated and really quite enjoyable. My only fault was the episode titles were not always in the right order,also I wished they had included interviews with Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Other than than that the DVD set to me is highly recommended. My only wish now for christmas is to recieve Sting-Ray the next series that Gerry Anderson did.

It took 41 years, but we finally have them all, and in glorious black & white! I loved these as a 6 year old and appreciate it even more now. Looking back at these, I see their influence on more mainstream shows like Star Trek (Space City's chief engineer was even Scottish...beam me back to '62 Scotty!). The re-mastering is superb, the bonus stuff is great. I wish there had been some sort of guide book in the set with info about the episodes, but all-in-all it's still a great set. A must-have for fans and campy fun for everyone else.

I would have been three or four when this show was on the air. But yet the few episodes I must have seen stuck with me strongly enough that I tried for years to find out what it was. The only thing I remembered was "Fireball." A year or so ago, the Gerry Anderson Thunderbirds set came out on DVD. Based on the cover photos, I thought maybe this was the show I had enjoyed as a small child in South Dakota. When I heard about the Fireball XL5 release it all clicked. End result: I ordered this set and have watched about six episodes. Nostalgia aside, it's really a fun look back at what must have been and exciting space adventure for kids back in 1962. The stories are what grabbed me originally and I must say, they aren't at all bad. You can see a lot of influence on Star Trek in this effort. Is it cheesy? Of course! But in the best way. It's a glimpse into the excitement of the JFK-era space race that must have captured every person's imagination in the early 1960s.

One of my friends said of the cover - "It looks so old!" But the transfers in this box are pretty amazing for a 41-year-old show. The intro to the show ("OK Venus?" "OK, Steve!") are the perfect start to each episode and a chance to boldly go where no puppet (these shows are filmed in "Super Marionation") has gone before. If you're someone who likes clever stories and is willing to put up with Black and White video from 1962, I think you'll have a blast!

Here in the UK it's often surprising (and annoying!) to find British films and TV programmes released first on DVD in the US, but then that's what I suppose multi-region DVD players are for!

I suspect that in the case of Fireball XL5, potential audience numbers come into play here. Black and white programmes are always perceived to be low-tech. nowadays, which is a shame. I also wonder just how many people actually remember the series.

I watched Fireball XL5 here in England as a child. For me, it will always be the best of the Anderson productions, partly I suppose because it brings back many fond childhood memories. I certainly think that the programme was ahead of its time and it's clear that it formed the platform for the likes for Stingray, Thunderbirds et al.

I have a complete VHS set of Fireball XL5, which includes two Fireball XL5/Supercar combinations. I'm eagerly waiting for the DVD release of Fireball XL5, so that I can watch the programmes in the best possible quality and claim back a large chunk of shelf space in my lounge!

Now, if only I could persuade someone to release the 1949 UK film The Blue Lamp on DVD .....

Fireball XL5 was my favorite childhood TV show and I was brokenhearted when NBC replaced it with Underdog! The things
you loved as a kid seem to always stay tucked away inside your
inner child. When I found out that the series was coming out on
DVD I felt the same thrill that I felt each saturday morning 40
years ago. As an adult Fireball XL5 seems kind of silly and the
production is far below Gerry Anderson's later kid's programs
but it's still the best series he did. This DVD boxed set features all 39 episodes in digitally remastered quality. If
you remember this show from when you were a kid buy this set. With the world in the state it's in today this program will bring
back your childhood innocence for a few hours and make you feel
young and happy again. To this day I have a model of Fireball XL5
sitting on my TV. Thanks to A & E for finally releasing this great show!

Hard to belive that a Gerry Anderson puppet series will be released in the United States first instead of the United Kindom! Especially this series that only aired on NBC from 1963 to 1964, and short clips used on Dennis Miller's short lived talk show. Filmed in black and white, this is the point Anderson's supermarionation shows started to steer towards Outer Space themes that would be used a lot in later shows such as Thunderbirds, Captian Scarlet, UFO, Space 1999 ect. Certainly a kids show, it's still amazing to see the effects the production crew managed to pull off, it also serves as proof that with each new puppet series, the sets, effects, puppets, and stories were improving until they finally peaked with Captain Scarlet, Anderson's finest hour. I myself have only seen short clips of this rarely scene series, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this box set, visible wires, kiddie stories and all. I wonder if A&E will do the same thing with Supercar?