Captain Z-Ro
A scientist and his assistant safeguard history through time travel.
Captain Z-Ro (pronounced "zero") is an American children's television series that originally aired locally on KRON-TV in San Francisco and KTTV in Los Angeles from November 1951 through 1953, later entering national syndication from December 18, 1955, to June 10, 1956. Modeled on the science fiction space operas of the era, such as Captain Video and Space Patrol, the show featured futuristic sets and costumes reminiscent of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. It remained in syndication until 1960.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Children
- Educational
- Creator
- Roy Steffens
- Starring
- Roy Steffens
- Bob Turnbull
- Bruce Haynes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Episodes
- 77 (including 51 live episodes and 26 half-hour filmed episodes)
- Producer
- Kathleen K. Rawlings
- Director
- Dave Butler
Facts from the source article.
Premise
Scientist Captain Z-Ro kept watch over history from a hidden lab, armed with the ZX-99 time machine. This device let him view the past and dispatch his teenage helper, Jet, to fix things. Each week, they spotted a historical moment going wrong—like King John refusing to sign the Magna Carta—and Jet traveled back to set it right. Over time, they saved figures such as Genghis Khan, Marco Polo, Ferdinand Magellan, William the Conqueror, Benedict Arnold, William Tell, Christopher Columbus, Blackbeard, Captain Cook, Leonardo da Vinci, Robin Hood, George Washington, Attila the Hun, Hernando Cortez, and Daniel Boone. The show resembled early Doctor Who episodes, which aired in the UK over ten years later, offering kids dramatic history lessons. The time machine’s inner workings stayed unexplained, and tricky paradoxes like the grandfather problem were ignored. At the end of each episode, after the final commercial, an announcer would say: "Be sure to be standing by when we again transmit you to the remote location on planet Earth where Captain Z-Ro and his associates will conduct another experiment in time and space."
Format and effects
To show time travel, the show used a simple dissolve effect with flashing lights, blinking oscilloscopes, and many levers and knobs. The earliest episodes, from 1951 to 1953, were kinescopes—film shot from a TV screen. The series then took a two-year break. Later, 26 episodes were filmed directly on 16mm film at W.A. Palmer Film for national syndication, airing from December 18, 1955, to June 10, 1956. These were distributed by the Atlas Television Corporation, replacing the earlier 15-minute kinescoped format on local stations with a 30-minute filmed version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Captain Z-Ro?
Captain Z-Ro was created by Roy Steffens.
Who stars in Captain Z-Ro?
Captain Z-Ro stars Roy Steffens, Bob Turnbull and Bruce Haynes.
More in American Children's Science Fiction Television Series
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