Lone-Handed 90
Encyclopedia
"Lone-Handed 90" is the 24th episode
of the Supermarionation
television series Joe 90
. It was the 20th episode to be produced. Its original UK
air date was March 9, 1969 on ATV Midlands
. It was written
by Desmond Saunders
and Keith Wilson
and directed
by Ken Turner
.
. Dreaming that he is a sheriff
in the Wild West
, Joe must thwart the notorious WIN Gang as they plot to rob
a gold
consignment.
. Joe has a suggestion, but is angrily shouted down by the three adults and returns to the sitting room to continue watching a Western film. Falling asleep in front of the television, Joe imagines himself receiving a brain transfer inside the BIG RAT...
In Spoke City in old Arizona
, the notorious "WIN Gang" – composed of Shane, Sam and Mac, all in Wild West attire – wrap up a bank robbery
, committing arson
and leaving the teller
trapped inside the building while making a getaway in their victim's car. For their next raid, Shane, the ringleader, has his eye on a gold consignment soon to be shipped from Altuna railroad station. As the trio arrive in the nearest town, Joesville, a Doc rushes to alert the sheriff - who is none other than Joe. Wearing his BIG RAT glasses, Sheriff Joe tracks the WIN Gang to a bar where, following a shootout
, the criminals are arrested.
Joe is called out to the Triple Creek Rodeo, leaving the Doc to man the Sheriff's Office alone. While the old man dozes, Shane, Sam and Mac throw a hooked piece of string through the bars of their cell, picking up the keys that have been left on the desk and breaking out of the jailhouse. Joe returns to find the building in flames and the Doc lying bound, gagged, and half-suffocated on the floor. After rescuing his friend, Joe boards the mail train bound for Altuna, Texas Belle, to protect the gold consignment and watch out for the WIN Gang.
Shane, Sam and Mac are indeed in pursuit of Texas Belle, but Mac, the driver of the stolen car, fears that the vehicle will not reach Altuna in one piece and demands that they cross the border out of Arizona instead. In the time that the gang have wasted arguing, the train has overtaken them. Standing in the cab with the driver, Hank, Joe engages the criminals as they open fire on the train. Eventually, Shane and Sam are thrown clear of the battered car as Mac attempts to navigate the rough mountain road with the supercharger
activated. The vehicle finally grinds to a halt across the track, with the train fast approaching. Mac dives for cover as Texas Belle collides with the car and derails, crashing down the mountainside and killing all onboard...
In the sitting room, Joe is woken by Mac, who informs him that the dispute regarding the BIG RAT has been resolved and that his mission in Arizona will go ahead. Mac is curious to know the details of his son's dream and the three men listen as Joe begins his story.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the Supermarionation
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television series Joe 90
Joe 90
Joe 90 is a late-1960s British science-fiction television series documenting the exploits of a nine-year-old boy, Joe McClaine, who embarks on a double life as a schoolboy turned spy when his scientist father invents a pioneering machine capable of duplicating and transferring expert knowledge and...
. It was the 20th episode to be produced. Its original UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
air date was March 9, 1969 on ATV Midlands
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
. It was written
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
by Desmond Saunders
Desmond Saunders
Desmond Saunders is a British television director and film editor.He has a long association with producer Gerry Anderson, having served as a director for the series Supercar , Stingray , Thunderbirds , Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , Joe 90 and Terrahawks...
and Keith Wilson
Keith Wilson (production designer)
Keith George Wilson was an award-winning production designer who began work at AP Films, working as art assistant on Fireball XL5 and many other Gerry Anderson productions to follow. As a production designer he created all the futuristic sets for Space: 1999 and Star Maidens...
and directed
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
by Ken Turner
Ken Turner (director)
Ken Turner is a British television and film director and screenwriter who has worked extensively on series created by Gerry Anderson....
.
Synopsis
As Mac, Sam and Shane argue over a breakdown on the BIG RAT, Joe falls asleep while watching televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. Dreaming that he is a sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
in the Wild West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, Joe must thwart the notorious WIN Gang as they plot to rob
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
a gold
Gold as an investment
Of all the precious metals, gold is the most popular as an investment. Investors generally buy gold as a hedge or harbor against economic, political, or social fiat currency crises...
consignment.
Plot
At the McClaines' cottage, Professor McClaine, Sam Loover and Shane Weston are having a heated argument concerning a recent breakdown on the BIG RAT, which is urgently required for Joe to complete a mission in ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Joe has a suggestion, but is angrily shouted down by the three adults and returns to the sitting room to continue watching a Western film. Falling asleep in front of the television, Joe imagines himself receiving a brain transfer inside the BIG RAT...
In Spoke City in old Arizona
History of Arizona
The last Native Americans arrived in Arizona between 16,000 BC and 10,000 BC, while the history of Arizona as recorded by Europeans began when Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan, explored the area in 1539. Coronado's expedition entered the area in 1540–1542 during its search for Cíbola...
, the notorious "WIN Gang" – composed of Shane, Sam and Mac, all in Wild West attire – wrap up a bank robbery
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
, committing arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
and leaving the teller
Bank teller
A teller is an employee of a bank who deals directly with most customers. In some places, this employee is known as a cashier. Most teller jobs require cash handling experience and a high school diploma. Most banks provide on the job training....
trapped inside the building while making a getaway in their victim's car. For their next raid, Shane, the ringleader, has his eye on a gold consignment soon to be shipped from Altuna railroad station. As the trio arrive in the nearest town, Joesville, a Doc rushes to alert the sheriff - who is none other than Joe. Wearing his BIG RAT glasses, Sheriff Joe tracks the WIN Gang to a bar where, following a shootout
Shootout
A shootout is a gun battle between armed groups. A shootout often, but not necessarily, pits law enforcement against criminal elements; it could also involve two groups outside of law enforcement, such as rival gangs. A shootout in a military context A shootout is a gun battle between armed groups....
, the criminals are arrested.
Joe is called out to the Triple Creek Rodeo, leaving the Doc to man the Sheriff's Office alone. While the old man dozes, Shane, Sam and Mac throw a hooked piece of string through the bars of their cell, picking up the keys that have been left on the desk and breaking out of the jailhouse. Joe returns to find the building in flames and the Doc lying bound, gagged, and half-suffocated on the floor. After rescuing his friend, Joe boards the mail train bound for Altuna, Texas Belle, to protect the gold consignment and watch out for the WIN Gang.
Shane, Sam and Mac are indeed in pursuit of Texas Belle, but Mac, the driver of the stolen car, fears that the vehicle will not reach Altuna in one piece and demands that they cross the border out of Arizona instead. In the time that the gang have wasted arguing, the train has overtaken them. Standing in the cab with the driver, Hank, Joe engages the criminals as they open fire on the train. Eventually, Shane and Sam are thrown clear of the battered car as Mac attempts to navigate the rough mountain road with the supercharger
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
activated. The vehicle finally grinds to a halt across the track, with the train fast approaching. Mac dives for cover as Texas Belle collides with the car and derails, crashing down the mountainside and killing all onboard...
In the sitting room, Joe is woken by Mac, who informs him that the dispute regarding the BIG RAT has been resolved and that his mission in Arizona will go ahead. Mac is curious to know the details of his son's dream and the three men listen as Joe begins his story.
Regular voice cast
- Joe McClaine — Len JonesLen JonesLen Jones was a British actor and voice actor of the 1960s and 70s.In his youth, Jones featured in television series such as Z-Cars , Adam Adamant Lives! , Dixon of Dock Green , Softly, Softly and The Adventures of Black Beauty...
- Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine — Rupert DaviesRupert DaviesRupert Davies was a British actor. He remains best known for playing the title role in the BBC's 1960s television adaptation of Maigret, based on the Maigret novels written by Georges Simenon....
- Sam Loover — Keith AlexanderKeith Alexander (actor)Keith Alexander is a British actor and voice actor.Alexander's television credits include Softly, Softly , The New Avengers , Minder and The Day of the Triffids...
- Shane Weston — David HealyDavid Healy (actor)David Healy was an American-born actor who starred in many British and American television shows. His credits include voices for the Supermarionation series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90 and The Secret Service, as well as parts in UFO, The Troubleshooters, Randall and Hopkirk , Space...
Guest voice cast
In speaking order:- Bank Teller — Gary FilesGary FilesGary Files was born in Melbourne, Australia and is an Australian-Canadian actor, writer and director who has resided in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He has lived in Australia since 1976.-Early life:...
- Doc — Gary Files
- Barmaid Sylv — Sylvia AndersonSylvia AndersonSylvia Anderson , born 25 March 1937, is a British voice artist and film producer, most notable for collaborations with Gerry Anderson, to whom she was married from 1962 to 1975....
- Barman — Jeremy WilkinJeremy WilkinJeremy Wilkin is a British actor, possibly best known for his contributions to the television productions of Gerry Anderson....
- Slim (voice) — Jeremy Wilkin
- Hank — Gary Files