Space Cadet
Briefing:

The Space Hero Scrap Book

(Click on a thumbnail to see the picture.)

CAPTAIN VIDEO, FIRST SEASON

	Broadway star Richard Coogan was TV's first Captain Video; he wore military surplus khakis with a strange coiling-snake lapel device. For reasons best known to the director, goggles were worn in just about every headquarters scene where there were knobs to twist. Maybe the Captain's equipment was so ultra-high-powered that it spit vicious sparks. [The football helmets with goggles so often associated with Captain Video were not worn during the first season. They seem to have come along in late 1950, perhaps inspired by the look adopted by Buck and Wilma in ABC TV's live weekly 1950 BUCK ROGERS program.]
	Captain Video explains the secret of one of his incredible inventions to the Video Ranger (Don Hastings, only 15 years old during this first season). This particular invention, the Cosmic Vibrator, may have come in handy in debriefing sessions with Moy Sing (see below).
	Captain Video and the Ranger spend a lot of time sitting in their secret mountain retreat waiting for a distress call from Commissioner of Public Safety Carey (not played by Ben Lackland during this first season), or a call from a Video Ranger posted in some distant city, or even a call from a Video Ranger posted on some distant planet. Unfortunately, if there's trouble on a distant planet, Captain Video and the Ranger will have to rely on public transportation to get there! (The Captain couldn't afford a space ship of his own.) To avoid embarrassment, during the first season, he usually dealt with entirely earthbound foes.
	During the first season, Captain Video spent far more time in the dark, twisty streets of cities of the Orient than he did on distant planets. It's not surprising that the operative most often found working directly under him in late-night sessions was lovely Moy Sing (played by non-oriental Elaine Williams). Also seen in this nice view of the Video Ranger Headquarters is Ranger Gallegher (Alan Hale), whose main job was to tune in on 12 minutes or so of a B-western each day, on the famous Remote Tele-Carrier.

THE SERIAL VIDEO

	In the 1951 Columbia serial, the only movie serial ever to be based on a TV show, Judd Holdren played Captain Video. This time he wore what appears to be an olive drab military surplus uniform with what appears to be a brass molding of novelty-shop doggy doo-doo as lapel device. Here he blasts an evil-doer with a bulky weapon which seems to be sending a back-blast right onto Video's arm. Video Ranger Larry Stewart looks as concerned as you and I would be in the same spot.
	Penetrating the headquarters of the evil tyrant Vultura on the planet Atoma, Video and the Ranger sport the usual football helmets and goggles, plus different ray guns that must have been a real bitch to pull out of the holster!
	The evil Vultura (Gene Roth) summons his forces (all dressed for some reason like Saracen warriors circa 1100 AD). In the background is the small prop spaceship (about 15 feet long) used by all space-going characters in the serial. Nobody looks as if they're going to enjoy whatever's about to transpire. Maybe they're being ordered to chase after the invincible Video, only to be mowed down like Star Wars Stormtroopers!

ACTION FIGURES!

The action figure was undreamed-of in 1960, when the last and least of the 1950s space heroes left the air. But Allan Cohen, of Centerville, Massachusetts, has done something about it. He says, "I'm a teacher and now devote summers to painting. I teach English in high school and for more than 20 years have taught a science fiction course to seniors-- we read Heinlein's SPACE CADET and I show tapes of TOM CORBETT and SPACE PATROL episodes. Teenagers still get hooked on these shows."

Allan himself watched the programs as a child in the 1950s and says, "Space Patrol is my favorite, but I loved 'em all, except that I could not get Captain Video." Over the last 10 years, Allan has done a large painting showing the Space Cadets, the Space Patrollers, the Space Rangers, and their vehicles. He has also produced several versions of 5-inch action figures for SPACE CADET, SPACE PATROL, CAPTAIN VIDEO, SPACE RANGER, various incarnations of FLASH GORDON, and much more. What's more he has had a friend, Peter Curcio, build a Terra V in scale with the Space Patrol action figures, and a control room and back room of Rocky Jones's XV2 Orbit Jet, in scale with the Space Ranger figures.

	Allan's action figures of Astro, Roger (in space fatigues) and Tom Corbett.
	Allan's action figures of Captain Strong and Dr. Dale (although we doubt that slacks would have been permitted at the Space Academy we remember!).
	Allan's action figures of Cadet Happy, Robbie, and Buzz Corry.
	Allan with his full-scale Terra V (mislettered Terra IV by the model-builder). His painting is in the background.
	A closeup of the cockpit of the Terra V-- note the periscope!
	Rocky Jones and Vena Ray of the Space Rangers.
	Frankie Thomas and his action figure.