Rocky Jones, space ranger

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Television series
Original title Rocky Jones, space ranger
Country of production United States
original language English
Year (s) 1954-1956
Production
company		 Roland Reed TV Productions
length 25 minutes
Episodes 39 in 2 seasons
genre Adventure , science fiction
production Guy V. Thayer, junior
music Alexander Laszlo
First broadcast February 23, 1954 (USA)
occupation

Rocky Jones, Space Ranger is an American science fiction - television series that produces and 1952-1955 by Syndication aired. It was the first science fiction series that was not produced in the form of a live broadcast , such as B. Space Patrol , but was shot on 35mm film , which resulted in significantly higher production costs, but also a significantly higher technical, dramaturgical and acting quality could be achieved.

action

The Space Rangers are in the near future , the space police of the United Worlds of the solar system . Rocky, Winky, Vena and the approx. 12 year old Bobby form the crew of the Orbit Jet XV-2, which is later replaced by the Silver Moon XV-3. They are tirelessly on cosmic patrol to protect the democratic values ​​of the United Worlds and overthrow totalitarian regimes. A constant opponent is Cleolanta, the ruler of the planet Ophecius, on which a matriarchal form of rule exists, which is seen as a threat to the social order in the United Worlds . In contrast, the ruler of the planet Herculon, Juliandra, is well disposed towards the United Worlds . However, her twin sister Noviandra always tries to disrupt the relationship between Herculon and the rangers.

Professor Newton (later Professor Mayberry) is the Space Ranger's science officer and owns the Newton Observatory. Astronomical problems and peculiarities are explained to the rangers by Newton. Why Bobby is on board the spaceship remains unclear; likewise what happened to his parents.

Production history

Producer Reed's role models for the series were Space Patrol , Captain Video and His Video Rangers and Tom Corbett, Space Cadet . To improve quality, Rocky Jones was shot on 35mm film . This much more expensive and technically complex process offered the possibility of recording realistic-looking tricks , and unsuccessful scenes could be re-shot, which is automatically omitted in live broadcasts. Settings and sequences could also be assembled as required, while live broadcasts can only be edited using at least two cameras.

During the filming, Scotty Beckett was delinquent and had to retire from the production. His character of Winky was therefore replaced by Biffen Cardosa (played by James Lydon). After completing the first 26 episodes, Professor Newton's actor Maurice Cass died; the character has been replaced by Professor Mayberry (played by Reginald Sheffield).

The pilot film was shot for 25,000 US dollars (at the time the equivalent of 100,000 DM ) between January and April 1952, but never broadcast. However, sequences from it were used for the series. With three exceptions, the 39 episodes are laid out in three parts. Since the series had no advertising sponsors , unlike the competition , the production company ran into financial difficulties while it was being broadcast. While the first 26 episodes were produced with relatively great effort, work on the last episodes came under time pressure. Although the series continued to be popular, production had to cease in October 1954.

Amazingly, the series experienced its far greater distribution on the national market only after the rights were taken over by the "Music Corporation of America" ​​(MCA). Accompanied by an intensive merchandising campaign , which included thermos flasks, breakfast boxes and clothing of all kinds as well as its own series at Charlton comic books, Rocky Jones achieved top ratings in some cities such as Boston and Cleveland . Richard Crane toured the United States in his space ranger uniform for six months in 1954 to market the series items.

Another success for the series was its assembly and re-use as a feature film for the cinema market. Ten of the twelve three-part episodes were edited as feature films and shown in cinemas, unusual for a television production but technically feasible due to their 35 mm recordings.

Lore

Due to the film material that has been preserved, the series has been handed down in good quality and has been completely edited on DVD.

literature

  • Wheeler Winston Dixon: Making the Universe Safe for Democracy: Rocky Jones, Space Ranger , in: Cynthia J. Miller / A. Bowdoin Van Riper (ed.): 1950s "Rocketman" TV Series and their fans. Cadets. Rangers, and Junior Space Men , New York (Palgrave Macmillan) 2012. ISBN 978-0-230-37731-8

Web links