Jeff Tracy

Last updated

Jeff Tracy
Thunderbirds character
Jeff-Tracy.jpg
The original puppet character
First appearance"Trapped in the Sky"
(30 September 1965)
Created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson
Designed byJohn Brown (sculptor) [1]
Portrayed by Bill Paxton (2004 film)
Voiced by Peter Dyneley (original series)
Lee Majors (remake)
Jon Culshaw (audio series) [2]
In-universe information
Occupation
FamilyGrant and Grandma Tracy (parents)
SpouseLucille
Children
Home Tracy Island

Jeff Tracy is a fictional character from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds and the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6 . The character was voiced by Peter Dyneley. Jeff also appears in the live-action film Thunderbirds , played by Bill Paxton.

Contents

Original series biography

According to his backstory "bio", Jeff was born 2 January 2009 [3] the son of a combine harvester driver on a Kansas wheat farm. [4] [5]

Jeff joined the U.S. Air Force, where he achieved the rank of colonel. He later transferred to the Space Agency to become an early lunar astronaut. [6]

He married Lucille, with whom he had five sons: Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan. Each of the boys was named after one of the Project Mercury astronauts: Scott Carpenter, John Glenn, Virgil Grissom, Gordon Cooper and Alan Shepard. [7] [8]

According to a non-canonical 1993 comic strip, Lucille and Jeff's father, Grant Tracy, were both killed in an avalanche. [9] A 2008 novel had Lucille die from a road accident in which her vehicle fell off the side of a cliff. [10]

Jeff founded a civil engineering, construction and aerospace business that made him one of the richest men in the world. He later became a philanthropist and founded and financed International Rescue. As the Tracy family's patriarch, Jeff spends most of his time on Tracy Island, remotely coordinating rescue missions. Jeff, Scott and Virgil are the only Tracys to appear in all 32 episodes of Thunderbirds. [11]

It has been suggested that the Tracy family are based on the Cartwrights from the TV series Bonanza , and that the Jeff Tracy puppet is based on actor Lorne Greene, who played Ben Cartwright. [3]

2004 film

In an interview, Bill Paxton, who played the live-action version of Jeff, described the character as "a kind of teacher, this father figure who has to teach his sons, particularly his youngest son Alan, these basic lessons of ethics and integrity, about doing the right thing." [12]

Remake series

In the 2015 remake, Jeff vanished six years prior to the start of the series, for which The Hood is shown to be responsible. [13] Scott appears to have assumed command of International Rescue in his father's place as he is the oldest of the Tracy brothers, while Grandma Tracy, who has herself changed from the original series, has taken over his role as head of the family.

The origins for International Rescue are also explained gradually throughout the series. Jeff originally was the only member with one ship: the TV-21, an ultra-high speed rocket and a vehicle by Brains' own admission that was faster than any Thunderbird, with his ultimate objective to be the first one to the rescue. However, when he lost the TV-21, he instead created the five Thunderbirds to be there for any emergency.

Jeff finally appears in series 3, initially in recordings in the two-part episode "Signals", which reveals that he was last seen trying to stop The Hood stealing the Zero-X spacecraft. When the Hood's actions nearly caused Zero-X's engine to overload and cause an extinction-level event, Jeff took the ship into space, with the apparent detonation believed to be the ship's engine overloading and exploding. However, at the end of "SOS", Brains discovered that rescued robot Braman was not sending a distress call, but was actually acting as a relay to send the message to Earth, and discovers a coded message within the distress call that could only have come from Jeff. After recovering the escape pod that The Hood made his escape in, Brains realises that the explosion was a shockwave created as a result of the ship's faster-than-light engine working, which propelled Jeff into deep space.

Working with former adversary The Mechanic, Brains is ultimately able to create the Zero-XL, a ship powered by the same engine as the Zero-X and capable of transporting all five Thunderbirds, allowing the Tracy brothers to follow the signal back to its source. At the end of "The Long Reach –Part One", Scott, while trying to make his way back to Thunderbird 1 after investigating the cave that was the source of the signal, almost falls into the reaches of space after two asteroids collide with each other. Scott is caught by a mysterious figure's hand; he looks up and realises that it is his father, Jeff. In "The Long Reach –Part Two", Jeff is reunited with his sons after Scott brings him home. After The Hood is defeated, Jeff returns to Tracy Island.

Lee Majors provided the voice of Jeff in the remake.

Related Research Articles

<i>Thunderbirds</i> (2004 film) 2004 science fiction action-adventure film

Thunderbirds is a 2004 science fiction action-adventure film directed by Jonathan Frakes, written by William Osborne and Michael McCullers, and based on the television series of the same name created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.

<i>Zero-X</i> Fictional spacecraft

Zero-X is a fictional Earth spacecraft that first appeared in two of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Supermarionation productions, the 1966 film Thunderbirds Are Go and the 1967 television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Although publicity material for the various Supermarionation series, and the TV Century 21 comic, made references to connections between the Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet canons, Zero-X is the only official link between the two series.

<i>Thunderbirds Are Go</i> 1966 British film directed by David Lane

Thunderbirds Are Go is a 1966 British science-fiction puppet film based on Thunderbirds, a Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by their company Century 21 Productions. Written by the Andersons and directed by David Lane, Thunderbirds Are Go concerns spacecraft Zero-X and its human mission to Mars. When Zero-X suffers a malfunction during re-entry, it is up to life-saving organisation International Rescue, supported by its technologically-advanced Thunderbird machines, to activate the trapped crew's escape pod before the spacecraft hits the ground.

<i>Thunderbird 6</i> 1968 British science fiction puppet film by David Lane

Thunderbird 6 is a 1968 British science fiction puppet film based on Thunderbirds, a Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by the Andersons and directed by David Lane, it is the sequel to Thunderbirds Are Go (1966).

"Move – and You're Dead" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written and directed by Alan Pattillo, it was first broadcast on 10 February 1966 on ATV Midlands as the 20th episode of Series One. It is the ninth episode in the official running order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Tracy</span> Character from the Thunderbirds franchise

Scott Tracy is a fictional character in Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's 1960s Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds, the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968) and the TV remake Thunderbirds Are Go. He is the pilot of the primary vehicle of the Thunderbird fleet, Thunderbird 1. His specialist training is as a first responder and team leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgil Tracy</span> Fictional character from the Thunderbirds franchise

Virgil Tracy is a fictional character from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Supermarionation television show Thunderbirds, the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are GO and Thunderbird 6 as well as the TV remake Thunderbirds Are Go!. The character also appeared in the live action movie Thunderbirds. Virgil's specialist expertise is in demolition, heavy lifting and logistics.

"Operation Crash-Dive" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. Written by Martin Crump and directed by Desmond Saunders, it was first broadcast on 16 December 1965 on ATV Midlands as the 12th episode of Series One. It is the eighth episode in the official running order.

John Tracy (<i>Thunderbirds</i>) Fictional character from the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson television series Thunderbirds

John Tracy is a fictional character from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds and the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are Go, Thunderbird 6 and the live-action film Thunderbirds. In the original series, the character was voiced by Ray Barrett.

"Desperate Intruder" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Donald Robertson and directed by David Lane, it was first broadcast on 18 November 1965 on ATV Midlands as the eighth episode of Series One. In the official running order, it is the 17th episode.

"Atlantic Inferno" is the 27th episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Alan Fennell and directed by Desmond Saunders, it was first broadcast on 2 October 1966 on ATV London and Anglia Television as the first episode of Series Two. It had its first UK-wide network broadcast on 17 April 1992 on BBC2.

"Security Hazard" is the 26th episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. The final episode of Series One, it was written by Alan Pattillo, directed by Desmond Saunders, and first broadcast on 31 March 1966 on ATV Midlands. It had its first UK‑wide network transmission on 10 April 1992 on BBC2.

"Sun Probe" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. Written by Alan Fennell and directed by David Lane, it was first broadcast on 9 December 1965 on ATV Midlands as the 11th episode of Series One. It is the fourth episode in the official running order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terror in New York City</span> 13th episode of the 1st series of Thunderbirds

"Terror in New York City" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Alan Fennell and directed by David Elliott and David Lane, it was first broadcast on 21 October 1965 on ATV Midlands as the fourth episode of Series One. In the official running order, it is the 13th episode. It had its first UK-wide network broadcast on 22 November 1991 on BBC2.

"Day of Disaster" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Dennis Spooner and directed by David Elliott, it was first broadcast on 4 November 1965 on ATV Midlands as the sixth episode of Series One. In the official running order, it is the 15th episode.

"Edge of Impact" is the 16th episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Donald Robertson and directed by Desmond Saunders, it was first broadcast on 28 October 1965 on ATV Midlands as the fifth episode of Series One. It had its first UK‑wide network broadcast on 29 November 1991 on BBC2.

"Danger at Ocean Deep" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Donald Robertson and directed by Desmond Saunders, it was first broadcast on 3 February 1966 on ATV Midlands as the 19th episode of Series One. In the official running order, it is the 22nd episode.

"Ricochet" is the 31st episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Brian Burgess, it was first broadcast on 6 November 1966 on ATV London and Anglia Television as the fifth episode of Series Two. It had its first UK-wide network transmission on 15 May 1992 on BBC2.

The Thunderbirds machines are a series of fictional vehicles that appear in the mid-1960s film and television series Thunderbirds. The series was developed by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. The series began with the Supermarionation television show Thunderbirds and was followed by the subsequent feature films Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6, which were released between 1965 and 1968. The show featured a large variety of futuristic air, land, and sea vehicles and machines, most of which were designed by special effects director Derek Meddings.

Hood (<i>Thunderbirds</i>) The main villain in the Thunderbirds TV series

The Hood is a fictional criminal and terrorist and the recurring villain of the 1960s puppet television series Thunderbirds and its adaptations. He is the primary antagonist of the International Rescue organisation, founded by Jeff Tracy. In the original series, the character possesses powers of hypnosis and telepathy and uses an array of disguises to carry out his activities undetected. He operates from a temple in the Malaysian jungle.

References

  1. ↑ La Rivière, Stephen (2014) [2009]. Filmed in Supermarionation (2nd ed.). London, UK: Network Distributing. p. 172. ISBN   978-0-992-9766-0-6.
  2. ↑ "Thunderbirds Is Back". bigfinish.com. Big Finish Productions. 11 April 2021. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Thunder Birds Biography" . Retrieved 19 December 2008.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Thunderbirds Legends: The Story of Jeff Tracy. 14 March 2020 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ Thunderbirds Legends: The Tracy Sons & The Disaster. 21 March 2020 – via YouTube.
  6. ↑ "Thunderbirds Annual," p.10, 1966, City Magazines Ltd. and A.P. Films (Merchandising) Ltd.
  7. ↑ "Thunderbirds - The Characters". Fab1.co.nz. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "Mercury Crewed Flights Summary". www.nasa.gov. 17 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 September 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  9. ↑ The Complete Thunderbirds Story Archived 20 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine says Jeff's wife, Lucille, and his father, Grant, both died in an avalanche at their Aspen holiday home. The lack of rescue equipment supposedly inspired Jeff to form International Rescue. However, this narrative has several deviations from canon, e.g. how Jeff Tracy first met Kyrano, Tin-Tin, and The Hood.
  10. ↑ Archived 6 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ "Thunderbirds: The Origins Of International Rescue". Gerry Anderson. 13 March 2019.
  12. ↑ Head, Steve (29 June 2004). "Paxton Discusses Thunderbirds: The Mission of International Rescue". IGN . Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  13. ↑ Thunderbirds Are Go Season 1 Episode 2 "Ring of Fire, Part 2"
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.