Supermarionation "Thunderbirds", who closely resembled Sylvia Anderson, and Captain Blue in "Captain Scarlet", who looked like Ed Bishop (the similarity was reportedly coincidental). Other characters were based on well-known film actors: Troy Tempest of "Stingray" was based on James Garner, Scott Tracy of "Thunderbirds" on Sean Connery and Captain Scarlet on Cary Grant. "Stingray" also featured the only non-speaking Supermarionation puppet: the water-breathing woman Marina. Occasionally, close-ups of a live actor's hand would be inserted to show actions such as turning keys and pressing buttons. This was affectionately parodied in the 2004 live-action feature film "Thunderbirds", with a brief shot of
Stingray (1964 TV series) friendly and others hostile, or investigation of natural phenomena. Between 1980 and 1981, two compilation films were produced. Each of these comprised re-edited versions of four of the original episodes. The films were produced for the American market and aired in the United States as part of an ITC Entertainment package titled "Super Space Theater"; other Supermarionation series were given similar treatments. On 24 November (Thanksgiving) 1988, the second "Stingray" compilation feature, "Invaders from the Deep", appeared as the first broadcast episode of movie-mocking TV series "Mystery Science Theater 3000" in the US. Marina is unique among Supermarionation characters in