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"Attack of the Alligators!" is the 23rd episode of ''Thunderbirds'', a British 1960s Supermarionation television series co-created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. One of the final episodes of Series One, it was written by Alan Pattillo and directed by David Lane, and was first broadcast on ATV Midlands on 10 March 1966. In this episode, set in South America, alligators grow to an enormous size after a swamp is contaminated by a newly invented growth chemical. When the animals proceed to attack a house, International Rescue must save the occupants trapped inside. Combining science-fiction and haunted house horror themes, with a plot written to be "nightmarish", the episode was filmed in late 1965. It is remembered for containing footage of actual crocodiles, doubling as re-sized alligators on scale model sets – the first appearance of live animals in an Anderson production.〔 However, the animals' slowness and unpredictability complicated and delayed the filming, which involved the use of electric shocks to induce movement from the crocodiles. Although the AP Films Studios were briefly investigated by the RSPCA, animal abuse allegations were not upheld. A critic and fan favourite, despite the controversy of its production, "Attack of the Alligators" is commonly ranked as one of the best episodes of ''Thunderbirds''.〔〔 Since the filming of this episode and a later instalment, "The Cham-Cham", went over-time and over-budget, the series finale was re-written as a clip show to lower costs and simplify the shooting schedule. Ten years after first airing, "Attack of the Alligators!" provided the inspiration for an episode of ''The New Avengers'', by ex-''Thunderbirds'' scriptwriter Dennis Spooner. ==Plot== A businessman, Blackmer, visits the reclusive Dr Orchard, a scientist who lives in a remote house on the Ambro River in South America. From the local plant ''Sidonicus americanus'', Orchard has developed a food additive called Theramine; if administered to animals, the chemical causes them to grow beyond their original size. Enlargement of animal stock would offer a simple solution to world famine and present other economic advantages. Blackmer's boatman, Culp, eavesdrops on the meeting. After a storm forces Blackmer to stay at the house for the night, Culp resolves to steal the Theramine and sell it to the highest bidder. Waiting until the other occupants fall asleep, he steals the keys to Orchard's laboratory from the housekeeper, Mrs Files. While filling a vial with a quantity of the chemical, Culp accidentally knocks the rest of the supply into a sink, and the Theramine drains into the Ambro River. Shortly after Blackmer and Culp depart the next morning, their boat is attacked by an alligator, now enlarged because of the contamination. Orchard's assistant, Hector McGill, manages to rescue Blackmer, but Culp is believed killed. The house is quickly surrounded by three giant alligators, which throw themselves at the building with Orchard, McGill, Blackmer and Mrs Files trapped inside. On the advice of Mrs Files, McGill contacts International Rescue and John (voiced by Ray Barrett) alerts Tracy Island. Jeff (Peter Dyneley) dispatches ''Thunderbirds 1'' and ''2''. Arriving at the scene, Scott (Shane Rimmer) briefly dispels the reptiles with his hoverjet cannon and accesses the house through the laboratory window. Eventually the laboratory caves in, forcing Scott and the others to move to the lounge. There, the group is confronted by none other than Culp, who survived the alligator attack and holds them at gunpoint. Virgil (David Holliday) arrives in ''Thunderbird 2'' and scatters the alligators with aircraft's vertical landing jets. Alan (Matt Zimmerman) and Gordon (David Graham) subdue two of the animals with heavy-duty tranquiliser guns. When the third returns to the house, Alan exits ''Thunderbird 2'' on a hoverjet to lure the alligator away. He collides with a tree and falls from the hoverjet, but is saved by Gordon, who shoots the oncoming alligator before it can attack Alan. Culp threatens to empty the whole Theramine vial into the Ambro River unless he is granted safe passage upstream. Launching ''Thunderbird 4'', Gordon encounters a fourth, far larger reptile that ravages Blackmer's boat and stops Culp. Virgil disposes of the creature with a missile fired from ''Thunderbird 2''. Although it is feared at first that the vial has been smashed, Gordon retrieves it from the riverbed intact. Later, on Tracy Island, Jeff announces that Theramine will be subject to international security restrictions, and Culp will be going to jail. Tin-Tin (Christine Finn) has been away on a shopping trip and has bought Alan a present for his upcoming birthday – a pygmy alligator. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Attack of the Alligators!」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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