Supercar: The Complete Series (Blu-ray Review)
Director
VariousRelease Date(s)
1961-1962 (January 7, 2026)Studio(s)
AP Films/Associated Television/ITC Entertainment (Imprint Television/Via Vision Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: A
Review
[Editor’s Note: This is a Region-Free Australian Blu-ray import.]
After recently reviewing dozens of episodes of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967-68), Gerry & Sylvia Anderson’s later program in “Supermarionation,” by comparison Supercar (1961-62), looks awfully primitive. Yet, as the saying goes, mighty oaks from little acorns grow: though rudimentary in many respects, it’s genuinely remarkable that the Andersons’ programs evolved so quickly and dramatically from this humble beginning to the technically dazzling Captain Scarlet just five years later, building a Supermarionation empire, with movies and TV shows seen around the world.
Supercar, 39 episodes across two seasons of black-and-white, half-hour episodes budgeted at just GBP 2,000/episode (USD 5,600), may have been produced in the early ’60s, but its visual and storytelling styles are much more like TV programs of the late-1950s. In that sense, stylistically, it’s closer to TV’s The Adventures of Robin Hood than later Anderson programs, though seeds of what would follow are certainly present.
Gerry Anderson’s previous puppet series, Four Feather Falls, a children’s Western series he co-created with musician Barry Gray, was cancelled by Granada Television after one season, prompting Anderson to approach Lew Grade and his ATV network with Supercar, his first sci-fi/fantasy program, this time co-created with Reg Hill, though with Gray still contributing the musical scores.
“Starring” Mike Mercury (voiced by Canadian Graydon Gould), Supercar really revolves around the title vehicle, a craft, piloted by Mercury, capable of supersonic flight, vertical take-offs and landings, and which would ride on a “cushion of air” like a hovercraft, and could travel underwater like a submarine. Supercar is the invention of Professor Rudolph Popkiss (George Murcell in season 1; Cyril Shaps in season 2) and Dr. Horatio Beaker (David Graham), working out of a laboratory in Black Rock, Nevada. In the first episode young Jimmy Gibson (Sylvia Anderson) and his pet monkey, Mitch (David Graham), are rescued at sea following an airplane crash, and adopted into the fold.
The series follows these characters as they test the Supercar, and conduct investigative, exploratory, and rescue missions sending the futuristic (if very ’50s-looking) vehicle all over the globe.
Unlike later Anderson series, Supercar is more a children’s program than appealing to a family-wide demographic, like the later Supermarionation shows, with its simple plots and limited characters, to say nothing of its more limited settings and cruder special effects. It relies more heavily on rear-screen projection for Supercar’s flying scenes, for instance, and the wires operating the marionettes are much more visible than in later Anderson shows. But even Supercar has its ardent admirers, and it’s undeniably charming, imaginative, and even sweet-natured, lacking the cynicism and smugness common even found in so many children’s shows today. The characters are appealing, and from the start Anderson’s team exhibits much cleverness and creativity in the design of the puppet characters, the miniature set design and, to a lesser extent, the special effects.
First released to Blu-ray by the sadly defunct Network in the U.K. in 2021, Australia’s Imprint label has released the series there in an impressively lavish, region-free boxed set, limited to 1,500 copies. The sturdy box contains five Blu-ray discs in two Blu-ray cases, the box also making room for a 48-page hardcover book. Episodes are presented in production, rather than airdate order.
The 1080p video transfers are near-flawless, the black-and-white image exhibiting great detail, strong blacks and excellent contrast. The LPCM 2.0 mono is equally impressive in its own way, and optional English subtitles are provided.
The extra features include a mix of brand-new commentaries and older material from the Network release. They consist of the following:
- Audio Commentary on Rescue by Co-Creator Gerry Anderson
- NEW Audio Commentary on The White Line by ITC Entertained the World Podcast Hosts Jaz Wiseman and Al Samujh
- Audio Commentary on The Runaway Train by Gerry Anderson
- NEW Audio Commentary on The Sky’s the Limit by Jaz Wiseman and Al Samujh
- Additional Footage Including Textless Backgrounds, Commercial Break Footage, and Foreign Language Main Titles
- Bill Mevin’s Supercar Home Movie – Footage from AP Films’ Studio During Production of Supercar
- Image Galleries
While Supercar doesn’t quite have the gee-whiz factor of later Anderson shows, with its much more modest special effects and cartoony puppets, there’s still imagination to spare and the show itself has an innocent charm. Imprint’s boxed set shows equal imagination and care, and is highly recommended.
- Stuart Galbraith IV