Kids Sci-Fi

One weekly, nighttime, right at the end of the '50s, was "Men into Space."

Short-lived: "Captain Z-ro" (1955), whose time-travel adventures predated
the Wayback Machine from Mr. Peabody of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" fame.

Saturday mornings wouldn't have been the same without some incarnation
of "Flash Gordon" (Serial versions back to 1936)...or:

"Space Patrol" (1950-1955). A whole book, by the same name, was written
about it (see Jean-Noel Bassior).

I remember Space Patrol, not only from TV, but also from Saturday morning radio. The radio show aired just before or after "Big John and Sparkie."

The radio version had a more prominent part for the character named Carol, so I liked it better ... when the guys wanted to play "Space Patrol," Carol was the only part for me.

Anyone remembering "Big Jon and Sparkie" would probably remember its theme song: "Teddie Bears' Picnic."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxFIGWm9M6w&feature=related

http://www.archive.org/details/Big_Jon_and_Sparkie


Yeah, Carol was probably a bit more popular than Tonga, at least in the TV version. But, then, when we just
listened on the radio how could "we" have known that she was the blonde?

I do indeed remember that theme. And, thank you for the radio episodes! I'll listen to all of them.

I recall a segment of the program that featured music, with Big John and Sparkie directing all of the boys and girls to march around the room, or the chair/table, keeping time. They were even sensitive enough to encourage those who were unable to march, to participate by tapping fingers or doing whatever was possible.

As for Carol being a blonde, I think that I assumed that to be the case because I envisioned my other flying heroine, Gloria Winters ... Sky King's niece, Penny. Ah, the role models.

Wow, what memories. I cannot tell you how many people I have known
who were influenced career-wise by the likes of Sky and Penny...I ran
into many during my flying days, both students and fellow pilots of
both genders. One of my favorite planes to fly was the more modern
version of the Songbird, a Cessna 310.

That gets a bit OT, but it is part and parcel of some of the effect
that TV of the 50's had upon many of us. Beyond the sci-fi there were
also many sci-genre adventure shows...but perhaps that should be
left to a different thread. E.g., "Science Fiction Theatre" (1955-57)

I don't remember this one because I was still a toddler, but I've read about an early 1950s series Rod Brown Of The Rocket Rangers starring some newcomer named Cliff Robertson.

But throughout it all, my motto was "Dignity! Always dignity!".

Johnny Jupiter (circa 1954)

I don't remember much about it except a man, a bulb-nose puppet (Johnny, I think) and a robot.

To God There Is No Zero. I Still Exist.

Wow, Johnny Jupiter. What a find. I never saw it or heard of it. This short clip is all I came up with in a very simple YouTube search.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijZ9X53_uCM

The show had a brief run of about a month on the DuMont Network (most of the DuMont programming was destroyed in the early 1970s) then switched to ABC for a year. March 1953-May 1954 are its dates. Thanks for this. I will look for more Johnny Jupiter.

mf

“I’ve never been anyplace I want to go back to” - BMTHOAG