"Four Feather Falls" has slipped into relative obscurity over the years for a number of reasons - its age (42 as of this minute), its length (only 15 minutes per episode), it's in black and white, and the fact that it pales in comparison with its successor, "Supercar". However, "Four Feather Falls", or for the sake of abbreviation FFF, was a wonderful little program.
It may seem a little dated now, but then, so do other Gerry Anderson classics such as "Thunderbirds" or "Stingray". The program is not something that perhaps a whole bunch of teens or adults will enjoy, but if you have kids (or are kids at heart, as I am), they/you will love this show. It presents a lot of great qualities that would continue to show up and are the reason for "Thunderbirds"'s unimaginable success.
Now for a quick synopsis: the show takes place "way back when" (ie the 1870's or thereabouts) in a town in Kansas called Four Feather Falls. The town is named after the four magical feathers owned by the sheriff, Tex Tucker, who embodies everything a hero should be. Gerry Anderson heros became progressively more realistic but as he was the first, his qualities were the most stereotypically heroic. However, that does not detract from the show overall - it fits the format admirably. Two of the feathers allowed his dog and horse to speak and the other two allowed his guns to fire without him even touching them. Then there were the usual band of townsfolk, Indians, and Mexican bandits. Maybe a little stereotypical, but good-natured and hardly racist.
Enjoy this show for the classic that it is, if you can find it. It's difficult to find but if you are prepared to really search you may find it somewhere. I found it and believe me, I'm over the moon that I did.
