"The Cham-Cham" is the 25th episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF). The penultimate episode of Thunderbirds Series One, it was written and directed by Alan Pattillo and first broadcast on 24 March 1966 on ATV Midlands. Set in the 2060s, Thunderbirds follows the exploits of International Rescue, an organisation that uses technologically advanced rescue vehicles to save human life. The main characters are ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, founder of International Rescue, and his five adult sons, who pilot the organisation's main vehicles: the Thunderbird machines. In "The Cham-Cham", USAF transport aircraft are being shot down during radio broadcasts by popular band the Cass Carnaby Five. International Rescue suspects sabotage, and Lady Penelope, Tin-Tin and Parker go to the Swiss Alps to investigate the band's latest tour venue, Paradise Peaks mountain resort. There, they discover that the aircraft attacks are being co-ordinated with the aid of an advanced computer called a "Cham-Cham". Filmed in late 1965, "The Cham-Cham" has a show business theme and was written in the style of classic Hollywood musicals. It features several innovations in APF's use of marionette puppets. One scene features the Penelope character performing a slow dance, which was a challenge to film due to the difficulty in moving Supermarionation puppets convincingly. "The Cham-Cham" is also the first episode of any Supermarionation series to show characters skiing. "Dangerous Game", the focus of the episode's soundtrack, was devised as a Latin rhythm by series composer Barry Gray. Singer Ken Barrie recorded a lyrical version but this is not heard in the finished episode. "The Cham-Cham" has been well received by commentators, drawing particular praise for its production design and soundtrack. Sylvia Anderson considered the plot "far-fetched" but valued the episode for its "charm" and Swiss Alps setting. An audio adaptation of the episode, narrated by David Graham as Parker, was released in March 1967 as the Century 21 mini-LP Lady Penelope.
Plot Three United States Air Force RTL2 transporters, each carrying a shipment of missiles, have been shot down by enemy fighters shortly after take-off from Matthews Field base. On Tracy Island, Alan notes that each attack occurred while popular band the Cass Carnaby Five were performing their hit instrumental "Dangerous Game" on live radio. He and Brains examine a recording of the latest broadcast to determine whether the music contains a hidden code being used to coordinate the attacks. Meanwhile, Jeff assigns Lady Penelope and Tin-Tin to investigate Paradise Peaks, a mountaintop hotel in the Swiss Alps that is currently playing host to Cass Carnaby and his group. The agents go undercover, with Penelope posing as a singer called "Wanda Lamour" and Parker securing a job as a waiter. They learn that Carnaby's manager, the mysterious Mr Olsen, often alters the arrangement of "Dangerous Game" before each new broadcast and that he is expecting to receive a message the following day. Penelope and Tin-tin ski down the mountain to Olsen's chalet and film him operating a strange machine that is decoding musical sounds into text stating the time of the next missile shipment. They deduce that he is issuing orders for the next attack and start back to Paradise Peaks to alert Jeff. Realising that he has been observed, Olsen telephones his associate Banino, a waiter at the hotel, with orders to kill Penelope and Tin-Tin. Banino goes outside with a sniper rifle and prepares to shoot the women before they reach the hotel. However, he is thwarted by Parker, who overheard the phone conversation and grabs the rifle, upsetting Banino's aim. In their struggle, the men lose their balance and tumble down the mountain together, forming a giant snowball in the process. Banino is knocked out but Parker emerges unscathed. On Tracy Island, Brains identifies Olsen's machine as a Cham-Cham, an ultrasonically-sensitive computer that Olsen is using to send coded radio transmissions. Jeff relays this information to Washington, D.C., but the gruff Matthews Field commander, believing it to be a hoax, refuses to postpone the next shipment. The Cass Carnaby Five begin performing Olsen's latest arrangement of "Dangerous Game". The shipment seems doomed until Penelope, in the guise of Wanda Lamour, appears on stage and sings a lyrical version, devised by Brains, containing a new set of coded instructions. Decoding the broadcast, the personnel at the enemy air base unwittingly direct their fighters to overfly Matthews Field. Arriving in Thunderbird 1, Scott alerts the commander and fighters are launched to shoot down the hostiles. Fearing Olsen's retribution, Jeff dispatches Virgil and Alan to Paradise Peaks in Thunderbird 2 to bring Penelope, Tin-Tin and Parker home. As the trio leave the hotel in a cable car, Olsen cuts the lines behind them, causing the car to speed out of control down the mountain. Thunderbird 2's magnetic grabs cannot get a purchase on the car, so Virgil and Alan release a set of guide cables. Climbing onto the roof, Parker hooks the cables with the handle of Penelope's umbrella and attaches them to the car. Virgil and Alan fire Thunderbird 2's retro-rockets, bringing the car to a halt but also throwing Parker off the roof. He uses the umbrella to parachute safely to the ground. Penelope, Tin-Tin, Parker and the Tracys return to Paradise Peaks, where Cass treats them to a private piano recital of "Dangerous Game".
Regular voice cast
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