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"Relax? With three giant alligators knocking the house down?"
— Dr. Orchard

"Attack of the Alligators!" is the twenty-third episode of Thunderbirds season 1, first broadcast on March 10th, 1966.

Plot[]

In South America, a scientist has developed a unique growth substance that could help increase the world's food supplies. But his altruistic design for it goes dangerously awry when a small sample gets into the local water supply...causing three alligators in the nearby river to grow to giant sizes! The scientist and his household barricade themselves inside, whilst the enraged aquatic creatures outside repeatedly attempt to smash their way through...

Storyline[]

Main article: Attack of the Alligators!/Storyline

Transcript[]

Main article: Attack of the Alligators!/Transcript

Cast[]

Regular Characters[]

Guest Characters[]

International Rescue Equipment Used[]

Non-International Rescue Equipment Used[]

Locations[]

Trivia[]

  • Jeff (correctly) addresses Grandma as "Mother" in this episode (although he does refer to her as "Grandma" in some others).
  • This episode is a favourite among fans for its use of real alligators (or rather, real crocodiles). Some members of the production team had the RSPCA called in during filming - although the RSPCA representative ended up giving the crewmembers advice on the voltage that would be needed to make the alligators move! Nevertheless, visual effects director Brian Johncock (Johnson) declined to play any part in the making of this episode, as he thought that the use of electricity to encourage the crocodiles to move when needed was unnecessarily cruel.
    • One of the RSPCA members even became part of the production crew after he stated that Thunderbirds was his favourite television series.
  • The stock footage of the thunder sky was later used for the opening titles of ITC series The Prisoner.
  • Although he didn't write this episode, it's possible that Dennis Spooner may have reused the idea of an enlargement drug being washed down a sink causing animals to grow for Gnaws, one of his episodes for The New Avengers, in which a giant rat was substituted for the giant alligator.
  • This episode was filmed late in 1965.
  • This episode was adapted into two Thunderbirds Are Go! episode - Attack of the Reptiles and Growing Pains.
  • Not only this episode features real-life alligators (see earlier note, above), It also features a pair of real-life rabbits; they're briefly seen in the laboratory.
  • First of two episodes to take place in South America (the other: Path of Destruction).
  • Tin-Tin Kyrano and Grandma Tracy only makes their appearances at the beginning and the end of the episode.
  • The Scuba-Diving gear that Gordon was wearing is the same one that The Hood worn in Desperate Intruder.
  • Brains only make a brief appearance in the middle of the episode.
  • Alan Pattillo who was also the series Script Editor was tied up with the aforementioned job which meant he could not direct his own script.

Goofs[]

  • The camera and its operator can be seen reflecting off the window as Mrs. Files watches Blackmer and Culp arrive at the river house.
  • Jeff suggests that Pod 6 should be used, but if you look closely as Thunderbird 2 releases the pod, you can see that Pod 4 has been selected.
  • When Culp is walking from his boat to the outside lab window, some dialogue from Dr. Orchard describing the theramine process can be heard in the background. In the next scene, the same process is described with the very same dialogue soundtrack.
  • When one of the alligators attacks Blackmer and Culp, the first splashing results in their clothes getting wet. However, on the second splashing, their clothes are dry.
  • When the third giant alligator turns over after being shot at by Gordon, a bit of water can be seen jumping into the air at the very end of the shot, indicating that the shot was played backwards in order to achieve the effect that the crew wanted.

Alternate Versions[]

Thunderbirds (Fox Kids Series)[]

Main article: Attack of the Alligators (Fox Kids Series)

Turbocharged Thunderbirds[]

Main article: Attack of the Alligators! (TCTB)

Foreign Titles[]

Attack of the Alligators (Italian)

Italian 8mm home movie

  • French: L'attaque des alligators
  • German: Angriff der Alligatoren
  • Spanish: El Ataque de los Caimanes
  • Italian: La battaglia degli alligatori (8mm); L'attacco degli alligatori
  • Dutch: De krokodillen vallen aan (TV); Monsterlijke dreiging (VHS); Aanval van de alligators! (VHS, DVD)
  • Portuguese: O Ataque do Jacaré
  • Japanese: 大ワニの襲撃
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