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The influence of American TV imports on the tastes and viewing habits of
British audiences stretches back to the early days of the medium. It's no
surprise, then, that the first original production from Gerry Anderson's AP Films, Four Feather
Falls, should take its lead from across the Atlantic.
The independent production company's first two children's puppet series - The
Adventures of Twizzle (ITV, 1957-58) and Torchy the Battery Boy (ITV, 1960-61) - had
been commissions. Both shows were hits and confidence was riding high; it was
time to for AP Films to develop its own show. It wasn't immediately clear what
it should be about, but with US Western shows like Gunsmoke and Wagon Train
popular with UK audiences, a cowboy series looked like a safe bet.
There was, unfortunately, one obstacle - a puppet cowboy isn't very
convincing when it comes to being fast on the trigger. Give a swift tug on his
wires and instead of snatching a Colt 45 from its holster your pistol-packing
lawman appears to have a spasm. Fortunately for Tex Tucker, the hero of Four
Feather Falls, this wasn't a problem - he had magic guns that could fire of
their own accord. This simple device not only solved the problem of how our hero
could be fast on the draw, it was also integral to his character, in the process
making a virtue of necessity.
In the first episode of the show, 'How it All Began', the mysterious Indian
chief Kalamakooya gives Tex four magic feathers for finding his lost son,
Makooya. The feathers not only give the kindly sheriff power over his guns, they
also give the power of speech to his horse, Dusty, and his dog, Rocky, both
voiced by future Carry On stalwart Kenneth Connor. Tex Tucker, however, boasted
two voice artists - veteran comic Nicholas Parsons for his dialogue and singer
Michael Holliday for the weekly musical number. David Graham, later to supply
the voice for Parker in Thunderbirds (ITV, 1965-66), was another regular contributor.
Four Feather Falls' 15-minute episodes were too short for complex
storytelling, but the show's weekly pastiche of cowboy plots proved ideally
suited to the creation of mini-adventures. And much to the delight of AP Films,
the show was given a prestigious TV Times front cover to mark its launch. Tex
Tucker's adventures in Kansas rounded up a mighty audience.
Anthony Clark
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'How It Began' (extract) (4:54)
Production stills
