Space Patrol (1950 TV series)

Did You Know?

• The show's best known premium was a "Name the Planet" contest wherein the winner was awarded the program's Terra IV spaceship, a giant trailer in the shape of the series' spacecraft.
• Only 117 of the original 129 radio broadcasts survive; 97 are on the Old Time Radio website.
• Actor Ed Kemmer attended many film festivals during the late 90s and early 2000s and discovered a renewed Space Patrol popularity that continued until his death in 2004.

Cast

Ed Kemmer portrayed Commander-in-Chief Edward "Buzz" Corry, the senior officer of the Space Patrol tasked with clearing space lanes and maintaining peace in the galaxy, later expanding to explore outer regions of intergalactic space and time. Lyn Osborn played Cadet Happy Osborn, a Space Academy graduate assigned as cadet and aide to Commander Corry. Ken Mayer played Maj. Robbie Robertson, Security Chief of the Space Patrol and friend of Commander Corry. Nina Bara portrayed Tonga, formerly a villain known as The Lady of Diamonds, who converted from the "dark side" to become Chief Assistant to Major Robertson. Bela Kovacs played Prince Baccarratti and other villains, best remembered as the "black falcon"; he also served as Associate Producer for 16 episodes. Norman Jolley played Agent X, a recurring arch villain, and served as the show's chief writer. Marvin Miller portrayed Mr. Proteus, a popular recurring villain who could assume many disguises. Paul Cavanagh played the Secretary General of the United Planets, the chief executive to whom Commander Corry reported. Glen Denning originally starred as Commander Kit Corry, Buzz's older brother, but was replaced by Ed Kemmer after about 25 episodes. Many actors who later became well known appeared in episodes, including Ray Bolger, Gene Barry, Lee Van Cleef, and William Schallert. Recurring guest cast members included Ben Welden as Johnson (9 episodes), Joel Smith as Android (8 episodes), Tom McKee as Ahyo (7 episodes), and Lawrence Dobkin as Marco (7 episodes).

Production

Space Patrol was the first West Coast morning network program broadcast to the East Coast, using a massive network of cable and electronic interchanges. The program was televised from the original soundstage where the Lon Chaney motion picture Phantom of the Opera had been filmed, known as the "Phantom Stage," one of the largest TV stages in Hollywood. While other televised science fiction programs used smaller sound stages, Space Patrol sets grew larger and larger, with catwalks high above the stage used for many scenes, especially those requiring large castle-like sets. Cast members could be suspended in "space" outside their spacecraft without studio cramping. The creator was William "Mike" Moser, a World War II veteran United States naval aviator, who developed the series idea while flying across the Pacific. He took his idea to KECA-TV, a local Los Angeles ABC station, which bought the concept. Glen Denning was originally cast as Commander-in-Chief Kit Corry but was replaced after about 25 episodes due to problems remembering lines. War hero Ed Kemmer, a graduate of the Pasadena Playhouse, replaced him. Each cast member was initially paid only $8 per episode; by 1952 the show's budget had increased to $25,000 a week, and by 1954 Lyn Osborn's salary alone had increased to around $900 a week.

Broadcast

Space Patrol first hit the airwaves on March 9, 1950, airing as a 15-minute show each weekday on ABC’s Los Angeles station KECA (now KABC-TV). Later that year, on December 30, ABC launched a half-hour Saturday edition that quickly became a huge hit, while the daily short episodes kept running locally. The show reached other cities through kinescope syndication. On April 29, 1953, a 30-minute episode became the first U.S. experimental 3D television broadcast, airing on KECA in Los Angeles. The series also made history as the first live West Coast morning network program sent to the East Coast, requiring a complex chain of cables and relays. The TV show ran without interruption until July 2, 1954, returned on September 4 after a brief hiatus, and finally ended on February 26, 1955. Over its five-year run, it produced 210 half-hour episodes and nearly 900 15-minute ones. Sponsors included Purina/Ralston and Nestles. When a British children’s puppet show with the same name came to the U.S. in the early 1960s, it was renamed Planet Patrol to avoid mix-ups.

In other media

In the early 1950s, at least two records offered prequel stories about Commander Corry and Cadet Happy, featuring the original radio and TV cast. Columbia Gramaphone (Aust) Pty. Ltd put out a 78 rpm record titled "Cadet Happy Joins Commander Corry" as part of a series. On it, Ed Kemmer played Buzz Corry, Lyn Osborn was Cadet Happy, Roy Engel voiced Gaff Carter, Virginia Hewitt played Carol Carlyle, Dick Tufeld narrated, and Norman Jolley provided the Control Tower voice. A comic book tie-in from Ziff-Davis in 1952 lasted only two issues. Norman Saunders and Clarence Doore painted the covers, while Bernard Krigstein illustrated Phil Evans's scripts. In high-grade condition, each issue now sells for around $1,000. Unlike Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, this show never appeared as a newspaper comic strip or inspired a series of juvenile novels. Jean-Noel Bassior wrote a well-received 2005 book, Space Patrol: Missions of Daring in the Name of Early Television, published by McFarland & Company, which sparked fresh interest in the series. A three-issue Space Patrol comic from the early 1990s claimed to be based on the TV show, but its writer and artist admitted they had never actually watched it.