![]() They found premises in an old mansion by the Thames in Islet Park, Maidenhead, renting a flat as their office and a small ballroom for a studio. Other people from Polytechnic-Pentagon also joined them, including designer Reg Hill, photographer John Read, and Sylvia Thamm (who was later to marry Gerry). In 1955 several of the people from Polytechnic formed Pentagon Films, making commercials for the newly formed ITV network.Ī year later, in 1956, Anderson formed AP Films, with Arthur Provis. Polytechnic Films went bankrupt and so, appropriately, no one did see the series. He worked on one documentary series called You've Never Seen This, about eccentric people, with cameraman Arthur Provis. In 1954 he joined a small company in Maidenhead called Polytechnic Films as a director. Among the films he worked on was the US edit of The Wicked Lady in 1946.Īnderson returned to Gainsborough Pictures in 1949, now as a sound editor at Pinewood Studios. He was most interested in the cutting room, and in 1945, aged 17, he joined Gainsborough Pictures as an assistant editor. In all, 52 episodes were made in black and white, although only the first, Twizzle and Footso, is believed to survive and was included as an additional feature on the boxed set of the entire series of Space Patrol released in 2003.Anderson was born Gerald Abrahams, on April 14 th 1929 in West Hampstead, London.Īfter working in a Regent Street photographers studio, before Anderson became a trainee in the Ministry of Information's Colonial Film unit in 1943. ![]() The series follows his adventures as he uses his abilities to get out of trouble. Denise Bryer did Footso and the other voices. Although a boy, he was voiced by a woman, Nancy Nevinson who also narrated the series. Twizzle - from whom the series gets its name - is a boy doll with the ability to extend (or "twizzle") his legs and arms and wears a pixie like hat and has a cat companion known as "Footso". ![]() The trick of extending Twizzle's arms and legs were based on a system of curtain rings and puppet strings pulled internally inside the puppets arms and legs. Twizzle and all the puppets for the 52 films were made by Joy Laurey, and there were two Twizzle puppets made for filming, one Twizzle puppet for conventional shots and another Twizzle puppet for the stunt shots when Twizzle's arms and legs became longer. The music for the songs were written by Leslie Clair, (pseudonym for Leslie Solley who can be seen on his own Wikipedia page as a Member of Parliament), the music was scored by Barry Gray, art direction came from Reg Hill and special effects (which at the outset amounted largely to scenery painting) were by Derek Meddings, all of whom would become long-time collaborators with Anderson. ![]() In addition to his production duties, Anderson also directed the action whilst photography was directed by Arthur Provis, Anderson's founding partner at AP Films. Sources vary as to who directed the series. The Adventures of Twizzle (or simply Twizzle as it was known in some territories) is the very first television show produced by AP Films and specifically Gerry Anderson, after being approached by author Roberta Leigh (who also co-produced with Anderson) and her colleague Suzanne Warner.
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