ALL SCI-FI

[Steve Joyce]

Anyone else a fan? For me, it's the best of the 50 TV sci fi shows although at times I want to slap Happy, if you get my drift (and you would if you ever watched it!).

I can't watch too many back to back but they are fun.

The book "Space Patrol: Missions of Daring in the Name of Early Television" by Jean-Noel Bassior has just about everything you'd ever want to know about the show.
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"There is a planet in the Solar System where the people are so stupid they didn't catch on for a million years that there was another half to their planet." - Kilgore Trout.

[Bud Brewster]

I was only five when this show aired, so I didn't get to see it then, and I've never gotten around to sampling it, but the time may have finally come to do exactly that.

YouTube offers at least a dozen episodes, such as the one below. Give it a shot, guys. Might be fun.


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

I read Jean-Noel Bassior's book. The author seemed obsessed with demonstrating how each actor's personal history shaped the portrayal of their character in the series.
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...or not...

WayneO
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[Bud Brewster]

That's perfectly understandable. Hunger will drive men to do strange things, and life is no pick nick in show business. It's dog eat dog. Tinsel Town will chew you up and spit you out.

Yes, sir --- Hollywood will eat you alive.

Hmmm. Suddenly I want a snack.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Brent Gair]

I had an unusual connection to this show...though I have yet to see an episode.

Some years ago, a big fan of the show wanted to build a model of the TERRA V spaceship from SPACE PATROL. He lacked a lathe and I helped him by turniing the fuselage and a few other components. In retrospect, it would have been simpler for me just to build the whole model because the only thing left after I made some parts was the wings. It probably wasn't very efficient for me to turn the parts and then mail them away for final assemlby.

I do have pictures of my work but...old story...they are likely on a back up hard drive (I've been working from a laptop for several months since my desktop PC fried).

The guy who got my parts was very happy and very generous so it all worked out. I don't know if he ever finished the model.

[Bud Brewster]

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There's a ray gun in this picture, but if you're a "leg man" like me, it might take you a while to find it . . .


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

[Brent Gair]

Great drawing!

I've been known to scratchbuild a few rayguns but I stopped doing it because I ran out of fresh ideas.

That gun looks like something I'd like to build.

[Krel]

The gun is a Nu-Age Products, Inc. Smoke Ring Gun. It used matches to produce the smoke for the ring. The matches were printed to look like rockets. They show up pretty often on eBay, although I have only seen it in grey.

I used to watch "Space Patrol" during the 80s on the USA channel. It was part of a part of a late Saturday night program called "Night Flight". I was amazed at some of the live effects they did.

I read an interview with Ed Kemmer where he talked about the show. It was a live show, the effects were done live, and they insisted that the commercials be done live, despite the actor's requests not to. This caused situations where the actors were in fight scenes or thirty feet up on a catwalk, then had to rush to do the commercial. This led to the actors doing the commercial being dirty and out of breath. The end of live commercials by the actors came about, because in a couple of instances, the actors got cuts, and did the commercial, dirty with blood running down their face. The Advertiser was horrified that their product was being pitched by a bleeding actor. They started prerecording the commercials.

David.

[John Thiel]

[Bud Brewster]

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Hi there, kids! Commander Buzz Brewster here with an important announcement for all loyal Space Cadets! Now you and your whole family can enjoy episodes of Space Patrol on our special Electro-Vision system, known to many Earthlings as "YouTube".

So, just sit back and let your home VisaScope play these great adventures with Commander Cory, Cadet Happy, and the hot chicks in the short skirts!

And remember, kids, you can get our official Space Patrol manual — exactly like the one Command Buzz Cory uses every day — just by sending in three box tops from either Ralston Wheat Chex or Rice Chex (along with $25.00) to Amazon.com!


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Get your official Space Patrol manual today!


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

[orzel-w]

(Post relocated to "The Amazing 'Touring Rockets' of the 1950s" thread.)
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WayneO
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[Gord Green]

BEAUTIFUL drawing!

I think you've got them just right! Both were built on their respective trailers and I believe they were integrated into the underside of both.

I have vivid memories of actually going onboard the touring one when I was 5 or 6 years old.

I have a construction sketch of the rocket (A copy of which I sent to Bud.) If I can ever get my scanner working properly I'll post a copy.

[orzel-w]