Early tv within the Nineteen Fifties was a freewheeling frontier of each reside and taped choices principally dominated by comedies, recreation reveals, children applications, and westerns like “I Love Lucy,” “The $64,000 Query,” “Go away it To Beaver,” “The Mickey Mouse Membership,” “The Honeymooners,” and “Gunsmoke.”
However whereas post-war America’s curiosity in outer area and science fiction blossomed as the last decade ran its course seeing the Soviet Union launch Sputnik, the world’s first satellite tv for pc, in 1957 and igniting the House Race, a wealth of science fiction choices had already sprouted up on tv to fulfill stargazers’ curiosity and creativeness about future area journey, intergalactic villains, and unique applied sciences.
As extra reveals aired, households would flock to their residing rooms to eat meals on wobbly aluminum trays to observe their favourite science fiction reveals on flickering 16-inch screens and for half-hour and be transported to a different planet or galaxy, full with cool ray weapons, rocket ships, and bubble helmets.
Within the first of our 10-show salutes to the most effective sci-fi TV collection in every decade, and with out additional ado, right here is our unranked checklist of the best in space-based dwelling leisure from the Nineteen Fifties. Pop up some Jiffy Pop popcorn and let’s start!
10. Captain Video and His Video Rangers
Captain Video! Grasp of time and area! This formidable reside collection starring Richard Coogan was the first-ever science fiction and area journey program to hit the airwaves. Seen on the Dumont Community ranging from June 27, 1949 and operating to April 1, 1955, it spawned a number of imitators that had been quickly to comply with.
This pioneering present was seen nightly besides Sundays, the place Captain Video and his posse of justice fighters within the 12 months 2254 operated from a secret mountaintop base on a futuristic Earth. Utilizing low cost units and inventory western clips from Dumont’s movie library when consideration turned to rangers across the globe it was extremely fashionable, and by 1951 was considered on 24 stations across the U.S. reaching a complete of three.5 million viewers.
9. “House Patrol”
One of many first to repeat “Captain Video” was ABC’s Saturday morning children collection “House Patrol,” which ran from 1950 to 1955 and featured Commander Buzz Corry and his trusty Cadet Comfortable traversing the Thirtieth-century universe aboard the spaceship “Terra,” clashing with villains Mr. Proteus and Prince Baccarratti.
This 30-minute interstellar journey collection starring Ed Kemmer and Lyn Osborn focused on interplanetary crime fighters, showcased higher writing, and even provided a companion radio collection that aired from 1952-1955 for a complete of 129 episodes.
8. “Captain Z-Ro”
Emanating from the KRON TV station in San Francisco, “Captain Z-Ro” aired from 1955 to 1956 and depicted the adventures of Captain Z-Ro and his crusaders and their secret lab the place they employed the superior know-how of a time machine to know the previous for a greater tomorrow.
By finding out human civilization by way of his Time Display screen to find historic anomalies, Z-Ro and his younger sidekick, Jet, hopped of their time machine to return in time to repair errors alongside Roger the Robotic inside their starship, the ZX-99. Its temporal premise was doubtless most influential in future TV reveals and flicks like “Physician Who” and “Quantum Leap.”
7. “Science Fiction Theatre”
This 1955 to 1957 science-fiction anthology collection was hosted by Truman Bradley and delivered imaginative tales centered round actual scientific knowledge of the last decade, relating subjects like human spaceflight, UFOs, time journey, paranormal powers, and a spread of fictional pseudo-scientific concepts.
Many of those episodes expanded upon topics written about in Scientific American journal. It is thought-about to be an early adopter of the format later used for “The Twilight Zone” and “Outer Limits.” “Star Trek’s” DeForest Kelley even appeared in three episodes! Its 78 syndicated chapters stay favorites of sci-fi buffs and followers of early visionary applications.
6. “Flash Gordon”
Starring Steve Holland, Irene Champlin, and Joseph Nash, this serialized present revolved round cosmic hero Flash Gordon and his staff of the Galaxy Bureau of Investigation as they patrolled outer area, encountered alien monsters, fought extraterrestrial rulers and threats to the peace of the universe.
Because of an oversight by Common Studios, tv rights to the Alex Raymond-created caricature character had lapsed, permitting for this TV manufacturing to sneak in beneath the error. Its 39 episodes appeared from 1954 to 1955 on the Dumont Community and by way of syndication.
5. “Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe”
Launching in 1953 and starring the masked, rocket-suited tremendous scientist Commando Cody, this collection solely aired for one season in 1955 and focused local weather change as its material.
With Earth’s climate being altered in harmful methods, the U.S. authorities turns to Cody to uncover the reality behind these risky pure disasters. Mysterious alien forces from Venus led by The Ruler and bent on our planet’s destruction are guilty. All 12 thrilling episodes had been aired in syndication on NBC after a brief theatrical run required by sure union contract legal guidelines.
4. “Tom Corbett, House Cadet”
One other Golden Age traditional that was broadcast on NBC between 1950 and 1955, this energetic area journey starred Academy Cadets Tom Corbett, Roger Manning, and Astro all working to earn the proper to hitch the Photo voltaic Guards within the twenty fourth century.
Aboard their coaching starship, the “Polaris,” this trio of photo voltaic system explorers encountered misery calls, smugglers, villains, and area pirates. It was loosely based mostly on Robert Heinlein’s 1948 novel, “House Cadet” and went on to spawn a collection of comedian books, toys, tie-in books, kids’s data, and newspaper comedian strips.
3. “Tales of Tomorrow”
Science fiction anthology reveals had been fashionable within the Nineteen Fifties and this program was among the finest. It aired on the ABC Community from 1951 to 1953 and predates the later successor, “Science Fiction Theatre.” This hosted collection ran for 85 episodes and delivered adult-themed installments protecting time journey, parallel dimensions, armageddon, horror, and area exploration.
Viewers had been handled to early performances by names like Rod Steiger, James Dean, Leslie Nielsen, Paul Newman, Eva Gabor, and the very first look on TV by “Star Trek’s” James Doohan.
2. “Johnny Jupiter”
This is an fascinating family-friendly diversion that ran on the Dumont Community and ABC from 1953 to 1954. It primarily featured the character of Ernest P. Duckweather, a mild-mannered TV restore store clerk and newbie inventor who creates an interplanetary tv set via which he befriends a gaggle of Jovian puppets named Johnny Jupiter, Main Domo, and Reject the Robotic.
This magic TV display was used within the first season to unravel issues or talk about the numerous odd customs and rituals of Earthlings and people residents inhabiting the planet Jupiter, then later to include comedic conditions that arose with Duckweather’s boss and visitor stars.
1. “Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers”
This spirited collection was broadcast reside over the CBS Community from 1953-1954 and starred future Hollywood icon, Cliff Robertson. The present was set on Earth within the twenty second century and was centered across the adventures of the Rocket Rangers, an interplanetary protection league whose headquarters had been arrange at Omega Base.
Brown prowled the spaceways joined by companions Frank and Wormsey conserving the galaxy protected from those that would trigger it hurt. The ingenious pulp-like episodes showcased area smugglers, alien creatures, and planetary rescue missions in a collection that was far forward of its time when presenting severe scientific subjects.
