FOUR FEATHER FALLS - COMPLETE BASE SET OF 18 CARDS - issued by Unstoppable Cards in 2017 as part of the GERRY ANDERSON COLLECTION.
Four
Feather Falls was the third puppet
TV show produced by Gerry Anderson for Granada Television. It was
based on an idea by Barry Gray, who also wrote the show's music. The
series was the first to use an early version of Anderson's
Supermarionation puppetry. Thirty-nine 13-minute episodes were
produced, broadcast by Granada from February until November 1960. The
setting is the late 19th-century fictional Kansas town of Four
Feather Falls, where the hero of the series, Tex Tucker, is a
sheriff. The four feathers of the title refers to four magical
feathers given to Tex by the Indian chief Kalamakooya as a reward for
saving his grandson: two of the feathers allowed Tex's guns to swivel
and fire without being touched whenever he was in danger, whilst the
other two conferred the power of speech on Tex's horse and dog.
Tex's speaking voice was
provided by Nicholas Parsons, and his singing voice by Michael
Holliday. The series has never been repeated on British television,
but it was released on DVD in 2005.
Production
American Western television
shows such as Wagon Train and Gunsmoke were popular
with British audiences, therefore Gerry Anderson and his business
partner Arthur Provis decided to make a cowboy series, based on an
idea offered to them by Barry Gray. Anderson considered the puppets
with static heads, made by Christine Glanville for his earlier
productions, to be unacceptable because the viewer could not tell
which character was talking unless its puppet moved up or down.
Anderson's aim was to make the puppets look as realistic as possible,
the beginning of the Supermarionation puppetry process, although that
term was not coined until his next series, Supercar.
The puppets' papier-mâché
heads were replaced by interchangeable hollow fibre glass heads with
internal rods that could move the eyes from side to side. The heads
also contained sound-activated solenoids, which allowed the puppets'
lips to move automatically in synchronisation with the dialogue. The
electronics of the day required more space than would be available in
a human-scale head, therefore all the puppets in Four Feather
Falls had oversized heads.
Except for the pilot
episode, which was made in AP Films' studios at Islet Park, the
series was produced in a converted warehouse in the Slough Trading
Estate. The cast assembled to record each script without seeing the
puppets, much like recording a radio series; synchronisation of each
character's speech with the movement of its puppet's mouth was
performed later. The show was filmed in black and white. Its tight
budget precluded the use of sophisticated special effects, and
less-costly alternatives were used. For example, to achieve the
effect of muzzle flashes, small specks of black paint were carefully
applied to the 35 mm negatives so they would appear as white flashes
on the finished prints. The wires used to control the puppets were
eight feet long and made of tungsten, an improvement on the curtain
wire used in the two earlier series, and were only 1/200 of an inch
thick. Being shiny, the wires had to be blackened. The puppets were
made one-third life size with the puppeteers on a bridge eight feet
above the set. The horses moved by being pulled along on a trolley,
which meant the viewer never saw their feet when they were moving.
Continuity for the series
was provided by Sylvia Thamm who married Gerry Anderson.
Plot
The
series is set in the fictitious late 19th-century Western town of
Four Feather Falls, Kansas, and features the adventures of its
sheriff, Tex Tucker. In the first episode, Grandpa Twink relates the
story of how it all began to grandson, Little Jake. Tex is riding up
from the valley and comes across a lost and hungry Indian boy,
Makooya and saves him. Tex is given four magic feathers by the boy's
grandfather, chief Kalamakooya, as a reward for saving his grandson.
Two of the feathers allow his guns to swivel and fire automatically
(often while Tex's hands are raised),[a] and the other two allow his
horse, Rocky, and his dog, Dusty, to speak. As Tex, his horse, and
dog are very thirsty, Kalamakooya also makes a waterfall where there
had been no water before, and so when the town was built it was named
after Tex's feathers and the waterfall.
The characters of the town
are Grandpa Twink, who does little but rest in a chair; his grandson
Little Jake, the only child in town; Ma Jones, who runs the town
store; Doc Haggerty; Slim Jim, the bartender of the Denison saloon;
Marvin Jackson, the bank manager; and Dan Morse, the telegraphist.
Other characters appeared from time to time for only one episode,
often just visiting town. The villains included Pedro, who was
introduced in the first show and Fernando, who first appeared in the
second episode as a sidekick and someone Pedro could blame when
things went wrong, as they always did. Big Ben was another villain
who appeared from time to time, as did Red Scalp, a renegade Indian.
Other villains only appeared in single episodes.
Episodes
No.
|
Title
|
Directed by
|
Written by
|
Original air date
|
Production
code
|
1
|
"How it Began"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Mary Cathcart Borer
|
25 February 1960
|
1
|
Whilst out in the desert Tex Tucker finds
and shelters an Indian boy and is rewarded with four magic
feathers by the boy's grandfather. Two of the feathers make his
dog (Dusty) and horse (Rocky) speak whilst the last two control
Tex's 2 guns. Tex decides to create a town called Four Feather
Falls and the townsfolk make him Sheriff.
|
2
|
"Kidnapped"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Mary Cathcart Borer
|
3 March 1960
|
33
|
Pedro and Fernando take "Doc"
Haggerty and hold him hostage for ransom.
|
3
|
"Pedro Has A Plan"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
10 March 1960
|
4
|
Pedro and Fernando plan to rid themselves of
the sheriff, by switching his hat with the magic feathers for a
normal one.
|
4
|
"Pedro's Pardon"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
17 March 1960
|
8
|
Pedro states that he has "gone
straight" and will become a respectable member of the town
but Tex doesn't believe his story.
|
5
|
"Sheriff For A Day"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
24 March 1960
|
7
|
Tex is called away and lends his magic guns
to Little Jake, who soon finds himself way over his head.
|
6
|
"Indian Attack"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
31 March 1960
|
6
|
Pedro and Fernando fake an Indian attack on
Four Feather Falls.
|
7
|
"A Close Shave"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
7 April 1960
|
5
|
Pedro and Fernando team up with Red Scalp to
plot against Tex.
|
8
|
"Dusty Becomes Deputy"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
14 April 1960
|
13
|
Pedro and Fernando set a fire on the
outskirts of town to lure Tex away. All the while the bandits aim
to rob the bank while Tex and the other townsfolk fight the fire.
|
9
|
"Gun Runners"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
21 April 1960
|
10
|
Tex and Dusty go off in search of a gun
runner selling to renegade Indians, led by Red Scalp.
|
10
|
"Trouble in Yellow Gulch"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
28 April 1960
|
2
|
Pedro and Fernando buy some land where a
road into Four Feather Falls is and hold the townsfolk to ransom
by making them pay to either use the safe route the bandits have
bought or use a more dangerous road.
|
11
|
"Frame-Up"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
5 May 1960
|
3
|
Tex rides off to the city to help out
another Sheriff, unaware he's about to be set up as a horse
thief.
|
12
|
"Gold Diggers"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
12 May 1960
|
30
|
Fernando and Pedro try and get arrested so
they can spend the night in jail. The pair want dig underneath
the jailhouse and on into the bank to rob it.
|
13
|
"Gold Is Where You Find It"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
19 May 1960
|
29
|
Pedro and Fernando try to swindle the
people of Four Feather Falls out of their savings by claiming to
have found gold on their land.
|
14
|
"Trapped"
|
David Elliott
|
Phil Wrestler
|
26 May 1960
|
12
|
Little Jake and Makooya head to the creek
for some fishing. Finding a cave along the way they decide on a
little spelunking. They interrupt Red Scalp at work while he's
manufacturing counterfeit money and he quickly seals them in.
|
15
|
"The Best Laid Plans"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
2 June 1960
|
19
|
A new face arrives in town, with a plan to
rob the bank and quickly teams up with Pedro and Fernando to help
his scheme.
|
16
|
"Escort"
|
David Elliott
|
Phil Wrestler
|
9 June 1960
|
17
|
Pedro and Fernando overhear a message about
a gold shipment heading to Four Feather Falls. So the pair pose
as sheriffs so they can steal all the gold for themselves unaware
that Big Ben also wants to steal the gold too.
|
17
|
"The Toughest Guy in the West"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
16 June 1960
|
9
|
Grandpa Twink is a teller of tales and his
buddies tease him about his supposed heroics. Twink redeems
himself when he captures Indian Jack, a notorious renegade.
|
18
|
"Chance Of A Ghost"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
23 June 1960
|
23
|
Marvin Jackson is trying to sell the Eureka
Silver Mine, but the main buyer, Harman, pays Pedro and Fernando
to pretend to be ghosts to bring the price down.
|
19
|
"Gunplay"
|
David Elliott
|
Phil Wrestler
|
30 June 1960
|
16
|
Two cattle rustlers, Johnny Pasto and The
Nevado Kid, challenge Tucker to fight without his magic guns.
|
20
|
"A Lawman Rides Alone"
|
David Elliott
|
Phil Wrestler
|
7 July 1960
|
14
|
Sheriff Tucker receives a wanted poster for
Blackie and Whitey Strutt who, along with a third man robbed a
Wells Fargo office. Soon the trio arrive in Four Feather Falls.
|
21
|
"Jailbreak"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
14 July 1960
|
11
|
Zack Morrill a bandit wanted for murder,
cattle rustling, horse stealing and train robbery, has a wanted
poster outside the Sheriff's office offering a reward of £500
for the capture of him. Pedro sees the poster and decides to help
Tex capture the criminal in return for the reward money.
|
22
|
"A Little Bit of Luck"
|
David Elliott
|
Phil Wrestler
|
21 July 1960
|
18
|
Tex is away visiting family and the marshal
filling in for him, Ike Burns, is hopelessly ineffective. But the
sheriff's a crook and is not a real lawman and is secretly in
league with Big Ben and another outlaw called Johnny.
|
23
|
"Landgrabbers"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
28 July 1960
|
25
|
The Circle Z Ranch is under siege from Morg
Fenton and Big Ben, but Tex discovers it is outside his area of
jurisdiction and cannot help defend it.
|
24
|
"Once A Lawman"
|
David Elliott
|
Phil Wrestler
|
4 August 1960
|
24
|
With the townspeople unhappy with Tex's
dealing of a spate of robberies by a gang of thieves, Tex turns
in his badge and joins the thieves as a crook.
|
25
|
"Election Day"
|
Gerry Anderson
|
Phil Wrestler
|
11 August 1960
|
21
|
On election day for the role of Sheriff,
Pedro decides to make a bid for the position but when he tries to
cheat the town turns on him.
|
26
|
"Gunfight On Main Street"
|
David Elliott
|
Phil Wrestler
|
18 August 1960
|
22
|
Tex's old friend, Cass Morgan, arrives in
town looking for two men, Tobin and Billy Pinto, who he says
killed his brother during a robbery. He tells Tex to stay out of
it which he does until a telegram arrives telling Tex who the
real killer is.
|
27
|
"A Bad Name"
|
David Elliott
|
Phil Wrestler
|
25 August 1960
|
32
|
Big Ben needs Tex's help after being
falsely accused of stealing cattle.
|
28
|
"Horse Thieves"
|
Alan Pattillo
|
Phil Wrestler
|
1 September 1960
|
38
|
Big Ben tells Pedro and Fernando that a
partner of his is paying good money for horses. He persuades the
banditos to steal all of the horses in Four Feather Falls, which
they do including Tex's own horse Rocky.
|
29
|
"The Ma Jones Story"
|
Alan Pattillo
|
Jill Allgood
|
8 September 1960
|
20
|
Ma Jones falls for a scam by two con men
and is almost swindled out of her shop.
|
30
|
"Bandits Abroad"
|
David Elliott
|
Jill Allgood
|
15 September 1960
|
27
|
Fernando bears a striking resemblance to
another master criminal, called Pancho Gomez, so Pedro comes up
with an idea to get the $200 reward money for capturing him.
|
31
|
"A Cure For Everything"
|
Alan Pattillo
|
Jill Allgood
|
22 September 1960
|
26
|
A medicine man arrives in town claiming to
have a cure for everything and almost puts Doc Haggerty out of
business before it is discovered where the true source of the
medicine comes from.
|
32
|
"Teething Troubles"
|
David Elliott
|
Jill Allgood
|
29 September 1960
|
34
|
Rocky has a toothache, but nothing anyone
says can persuade him to have his tooth removed by Doc Haggerty.
|
33
|
"Buffalo Rocky"
|
Alan Pattillo
|
Jill Allgood
|
6 October 1960
|
15
|
When several horses are stolen, the only
suspects seems to be a buffalo. But it is actually a clever horse
thief covering his tracks by wearing false buffalo hooves.
|
34
|
"Safe As Houses"
|
David Elliott
|
Martin Woodhouse
|
13 October 1960
|
28
|
Missouri Mike arrives in town claiming to
be able to sell things to people they didn't even know they
wanted including selling safes $5 each with a free bottle of
brandy. But the brandy is drugged and Mike is actually a criminal
planning to rob the town blind with a master key to the safes.
|
35
|
"First Train Through"
|
Alan Pattillo
|
Jill Allgood
|
20 October 1960
|
31
|
The railroad finally comes to Four Feather
Falls connecting it to Dallas, however someone keeps sabotaging
the tracks.
|
36
|
"Fancy Shooting"
|
David Elliott
|
Martin Woodhouse
|
27 October 1960
|
35
|
The 'fastest and bestest in the westest'
Gunman, Buck Reevers, arrives in town, worrying Tex that he will
attract other gunmen to the town.
|
37
|
"Happy Birthday"
|
Alan Pattillo
|
Jill Allgood
|
3 November 1960
|
39
|
The townspeople plan a party for Tex's
birthday.
|
38
|
"Ambush"
|
David Elliott
|
Jill Allgood
|
10 November 1960
|
37
|
Red Scalp leads an Indian war party on a
raid to ambush the train from Dallas and steal the $10,000
payroll on board, with the help of the bank messenger William J.
Haddon.
|
39
|
"Ride 'Em Cowboy"
|
Alan Pattillo
|
Jill Allgood
|
17 November 1960
|
36
|
Tex takes part in the rodeo against Silver City's best rider,
Bart Stevens, who decides to cheat by using Pedro and Fernando to
sabotage his opponent.
|
Syndication
The series has not been repeated or rerun in Britain since its
original broadcast. In December 2004 it was announced that the rights
had been acquired by Network Distributing, and it was released on
three Region 2 DVDs in May 2005. It is the only Supermarionation
series not yet released to DVD in North America as of January 2006.
Sylvia Anderson wrote two British children's annuals based on the
show, published by Collins in 1960 and 1961. The first book featured
a short text story based on the pilot episode of the TV series.
Music
The show's music and song lyrics were
composed by Barry Gray. Michael Holliday provided Tex's singing
voice, and Tommy Reilly performed the harmonica pieces. The best
known song to come out of the series was "Four Feather Falls",
sung in some episodes by Michael Holliday in the style of Bing Crosby
and sometimes incorrectly described as the theme song to the series.
The closing theme song was "Two Gun Tex of Texas." Holliday
was paid £2000 for his singing work on the pilot episode, equivalent
to about £38,000[b] as of 2010, a significant part of the show's
£6000 budget. In all, Holliday recorded six songs for the series:
"Four Feather Falls", "The Phantom Rider", "The
Rick-Rick-A-Rackety Train", "Happy Hearts and Friendly
Faces", "My Home Town", and "Two Gun Tex of
Texas".
Cast
-
Nicholas Parsons – Sheriff Tex
Tucker (speaking voice) / Telegraph Operator Dan Morse / Various
-
Michael Holliday – Sheriff Tex
Tucker (singing voice) / Various
-
Kenneth Connor – Dusty the Dog
/ Rocky the Horse / Pedro the Bandit / Big Chief Kalamakooya / Bank
Manager Marvin Jackson / Doc Haggerty / Saloon Owner Slim Jim
Denison / Various
-
David Graham – Grandpa
Ebenezer Twink / Fernando the Bandit / Big Ben the Horse Rustler
Bandit / Red Scalp the Renegade Indian / Various
-
Denise Bryer – Martha 'Ma' Jones / Little Jake / Makooya
the Little Indian Boy / Various
Denise Bryer had worked with Anderson on The Adventures of
Twizzle, and he wanted her to play some of the voices in Four
Feather Falls. Anderson visited Bryer at her home with some
scripts and asked her husband, Nicholas Parsons, to help by reading
some of the other parts, including the sheriff Tex Tucker. Anderson
liked Parsons' interpretation and offered him the job of providing
Tex's speaking voice.