Four Feather Falls
British puppet western featuring a sheriff with four magical feathers.
Four Feather Falls was a British children's Western television series and the third puppet show from AP Films (APF), made with Granada Television. The concept came from Barry Gray, who also composed the music. It marked the first use of an early form of APF's Supermarionation puppet technology. The series consisted of thirty-nine 13-minute episodes, produced from April 1959 to April 1960, and originally broadcast on ITV between February and November 1960.
The story takes place in the fictional late 19th-century Kansas town of Four Feather Falls, where the hero, Tex Tucker, serves as sheriff. The title's four feathers are magical gifts from Chief Kalamakooya, given to Tex after he rescued the chief's grandson. One feather lets Tex's guns swivel and fire on their own when he is in danger; two others give his horse, Rocky, and his dog, Dusty, the ability to speak; and the fourth can summon Kalamakooya. Nicholas Parsons voiced Tex Tucker, while Michael Holliday provided his singing voice. The show was repeated intermittently on British TV until 1968 and was released on DVD in 2005.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Children's fantasy western
- Creator
- Gerry Anderson & Barry Gray
- Writer
- Jill Allgood / Mary Cathcart Borer / Martin Woodhouse / Phil Wrestler
- Director
- Gerry Anderson / David Elliott / Alan Pattillo
- Voices
- Kenneth Connor / Nicholas Parsons / Denise Bryer / David Graham
- End Theme
- "Two Gun Tex of Texas", sung by Michael Holliday
- Music
- Barry Gray
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Num Series
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 39
- Producer
- Gerry Anderson
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series is set in the fictitious late 19th-century Western town of Four Feather Falls, Kansas, and features the adventures of its sheriff, Tex Tucker. The four feathers of the title refer to four magical feathers given to Tex by the Indian chief Kalamakooya as a reward for saving his grandson. One of the feathers allowed Tex's guns to swivel and fire without being touched whenever he was in danger, two conferred the power of speech on Tex's horse and dog, and the fourth feather could summon Kalamakooya. Tex's speaking voice was provided by Nicholas Parsons, and his singing voice by Michael Holliday. The voice cast included Kenneth Connor as Dusty the Dog, Rocky the Horse, Pedro the Bandit, Big Chief Kalamakooya, and others; David Graham as Grandpa Twink, Fernando, Big Ben, and Red Scalp; and Denise Bryer as Ma Jones, Little Jake, and Makooya. The series was the first APF series to be fully networked on ITV, and was repeated sporadically on British television until 1968. It was released on DVD in 2005.
Reader's Guide
Four Feather Falls marked a technical milestone for AP Films as the first series to use an early version of Supermarionation, featuring puppets with interchangeable hollow fibreglass heads and sound-activated solenoids for lip-sync. The production moved from a repurposed ballroom in Maidenhead to a converted warehouse on the Slough Trading Estate, quadrupling floor space. The series was developed without the knowledge of APF's employer Roberta Leigh, as Gerry Anderson and Arthur Provis aimed to become independent producers. The pilot episode cost £6,000, and a full series of 39 episodes was commissioned by Granada after Anglo-Amalgamated turned it down. The show's music, composed by Barry Gray, included the song 'Four Feather Falls' sung by Michael Holliday. The series demonstrated APF's ambition to create more realistic puppet animation, leading directly to later Supermarionation productions such as Supercar.
Did You Know?
- The pilot episode, 'How It Began', was produced in April 1959 on a budget of £6,000.
- The puppets' oversized heads were necessary to accommodate sound-activated solenoids for lip movement.
- Michael Holliday was paid £2,000 for his singing work on the pilot episode, a significant part of the pilot's budget.
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