JOE 90 IS NEARLY FIFTY

It'll come as no surprise to most Anderson fans, that the end of this month marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first showings of Joe 90 on UK TV, although like many of Gerry Anderson’s series, screenings were staggered across regions.

My television region was, and is Granada, and judging by this December 22ⁿ listings page from the 1968 TV Times Christmas edition the Joe 90 episode’ International Concerto’ was being shown. There’s even a small B&W photo from the series in the corner. If we assume that’s the fourth episode, then the series probably started in my region on the first Sunday of December 1968.

I mention this as I wanted to give a personal slant on enjoying the show and selected merchandise when it first aired. 

I can still remember watching the first episode, and being particularly taken by the quirky design of Prof. McClaine's Jet-Air Car, in actuality designed by Derek Meddings. I did read somewhere that Gerry wasn't too keen on the design but trusted Derek's judgement.

The story of that first episode, like all of Gerry’s series’ was obviously designed to showcase the characters’ and hardware, and features an imaginary tale of Joe 90 stealing a Russian MiG 242 jet fighter, using the brain patterns of a Russian pilot.

Like Joe, I would have been nine years old myself when I first saw it, and quite happily accepted the idea of a step- father experimenting on his adopted son’s brain, and being persuaded by his Uncle Sam in letting him take dangerous risks as a secret agent for the World Intelligence Agency. After all, a couple of years previously, I hadn’t questioned the believability of TV’s Batman fighting crime in grey tights, a cape and a cowl. 

Nowadays, of course people see vintage TV, and can’t resist judging things based on today’s standards, and poor old Joe 90 is an easy target, although the ‘ social services would have had a field day’ quip is wearing a bit thin now if I’m honest. 

Of course, back in 1968, Joe did cause a minor revolution in school playground jargon. Up to that point, nerdy kids who wore glasses were generally described as ‘speccy four eyes’, now they could be referred to simply as’ Joe 90’.

At the time I expected Joe 90  to join the pages of TV21, and sure enough on the back cover of issue 207 (dated  January 4, 2069) was a photo of Joe, minus his glasses, and the blurb, ‘see next week’s TV21’.

Next week arrived and the back cover featured a large photo showing Mac’s laboratory, with Joe emerging from the RatTrap, as Prof. McClaine and Sam Loover look out from the laboratory control room.  There’s a brief description of the scene and ‘see next week’s TV21 for exciting news.’

The exciting news was revealed the next week as a new comic, Joe 90: Top Secret. (dated January 18^th, 1969). 

So, it seemed Joe wasn’t joining TV21, at least not at that time. The front cover showed the opening panels to ‘Collision Disaster’, a Joe 90 comic strip featuring artwork by Frank Bellamy. The story completed inside over three pages, with artwork by Keith Watson.  Sadly, it wasn’t in colour. The colour strips were reserved for ‘Land of The Giants’ and ‘Star Trek’.

The free gift was a simple card Jet Air Car that moved along using an elastic band.

I collected all the Joe 90: Top Secret comics, as well as TV21 at the time, it was a highlight of the week picking them up from my local corner newsagent. I still have my original Coderpass, the free gift that came with the second issue. Wasn't I a cute kid...

When it came to toys, I can remember getting a couple of the Century 21 carded gun sets.  One was the target game set with a spring loaded suction cup gun, a set of flat shaped plastic targets and a whistle silencer you blew into. I did have the gun, silencer and one of the suction cups up to a few years ago, but unfortunately lost them during a house move.

The second set came with glasses, a simpler repeater gun and whistle silencer plus a walkie- talkie water pistol. You filled it with water, pushed down the aerial, and water sprayed from the upper dial.

I did make the mistake of spraying my mum with it, who said if I did it again she’d throw it on the fire. I did and she did – no more walkie-talkie water pistol.

I remember owning the Lone Star Joe 90 Walkie-Talkie radios which didn’t look much like the TV counterpart, and were probably just a generic toy repackaged. They were still nicely detailed though, and occasionally worked when the string was taut.

All gone now,  apart from some of my original Joe 90: Top Secret comics, and I do still have my original Century 21 WIN badge.

I had the annuals and storybooks, which remarkably I still have. I never got the Century 21 Joe 90 dossier, a mailaway offer from Sutherlands spreads at the time, but luckily found it at a local jumble sale some time later. I also managed to hang on to half a dozen sweet cigarette cards, which I loved as a youngster.

I’m sure some of you lot will have similar recollections of watching the series’ first time round. I can’t say Joe 90 is my favourite Anderson series, but it does evoke some very pleasant nostalgic memories.

Next time I’ll look at the Jet Air Car.