Space Opera 1950s

[Al Jackson]

I started watching TV in 1951 when I was 11. I was first struck by some early TV space opera, especially Tom Corbett Space Cadet and Space Patrol.
Tom Corbett Space Cadet did start out with a connection to Heinlein's Young Adult novel Space Cadet but then became only an 'inspiration' I think they only kept one background character name. Heinlein did get a small monetary compensation for use of the 'idea'. Tom Corbett ran on four different networks! ABC, NBC, CBS and DuMont! It had various formats 15 min. five days a week, 15 min. three days a week, 30 min. on Saturday. The final 30 min. shows had better production values. Here is an odd thing, Tom Corbett, Space Patrol, Captain Video, Rocky Jones Space Ranger and the West German Flash Gordon all died in 1955! (Rod Brown Rocket Ranger (who remembers that?!) ran from 53 to 54 ,it was very similar to Tom Combett. Forbidden Planet came out in 1956... and then that was it*! I mean there was Tales of Tomorrow and Twilight Zone (they really were not space opera)... Space Opera , well sophisticated adult space opera, continued on the page in science fiction magazines , TV and movie space got a cold chop in 1956 and it took 10 years for Star Trek to appear in 1966... and that has always passed beyond my understanding.
*(I just can't bring myself to include Commando Cody (from that era) since that was two Republic Serials that were fobbed off later as a TV series. That was Radar Men from the Moon and Zombies of the Stratosphere (gad! what a title!) which used the 'rocket-man' rocket-jacket from King of the Rocket Men** (tho there were no other rocket men!)... in what I consider alternate universe Ray Palmer like pulp stories, they , strictly speaking were not space opera... just goofy stories.)
**Not a Commando Cody serial, but stand alone with the excellent actor Tris Coffin.
My favorite from that era was Space Patrol....

 

[-K2-]

I'll check it out (if it's on youtube)... In any case, that show aired over a decade before I was born, and over forty years before I ever watched TV. So, I have a bit of catching up to do

K2

 

[BAYLOR]

Ive seen some of those . I have some the Rocky Jones episodes, this one could have been better minus the annoying kid.
I own some the Flash Gordon episodes on dvd , It wasn't bad , but you could clearly see the show didn't have much a of a budget.
Captain Video ive never seen and from what ive heard of it , I have desire to see at all. From what ive been told this show had absolutely no Monet for anything even good acting.
Tom Corbett , ive seen a few episodes. I found them enjoyable to watch.
Ive seen Comando Cody and as bad as those , Thye still way better then Undersea Kingdome with Ray( couldn't act his way out a paper bag) Crash Corrigan.

Forbidden Planet was a big budget science fiction film which was very rare and risky for a studio in the era . In the case of Forbidden Planet, It didn't do great box office which is sad because I would liked to seen a sequel or two.

 

[clovis-man]

Ah. Space Patrol! I managed to re-acquire a "Cosmic Smoke Gun" recently.

Re Rocky Jones, John Banner played the part of a friendly planet potentate in a few episodes. He went on to be Sergeant Schultz in Hogan's Heroes.

 

[Foxbat]

I have a load of serial stuff and some Rocky Jones stuff on DVD. One of the Rocky Jones stories has the guy that went on to play Sergeant Shultz in Hogan's Heroes. Glad to see that I'm not the only serial geek here

 

[BAYLOR]

Ah. Space Patrol! I managed to re-acquire a "Cosmic Smoke Gun" recently.

View attachment 53956

Re Rocky Jones, John Banner played the part of a friendly planet potentate in a few episodes. He went on to be Sergeant Schultz in Hogan's Heroes.

Awesome .

 

[psikeyhackr]

Forbidden Planet was a big budget science fiction film which was very rare and risky for a studio in the era . In the case of Forbidden Planet, It didn't do great box office which is sad because I would liked to seen a sequel or two.

The irony of Forbidden Planet was that the introduction said that the Moon landing occurred in the last decade of the next (21st) century. It ended up happening in the last year of the next decade. Today is the 50th anniversary of that launch. No one would have believed it in 1956. I guess it has to be unbelievable to qualify as science fiction. I want a Robbie not a Roomba!

The future ain't what is used to be.

 

[ctg]

I know you worked for the NASA @Al Jackson , how did they see the science fiction and space operas? My understanding is that there are a lot of fans among the people, and the subcontractors, but it has never been clarified of how much you guys look into the fiction and how did it apply in what you guys were doing in the science and engineering fields?

 

[Al Jackson]

I know you worked for the NASA @Al Jackson , how did they see the science fiction and space operas? My understanding is that there are a lot of fans among the people, and the subcontractors, but it has never been clarified of how much you guys look into the fiction and how did it apply in what you guys were doing in the science and engineering fields?

Interesting you should ask one of the authors of a recent book about Apollo 'Chasing the Moon' asked me a question like that.
He knew I had been in science fiction fandom in the 1950 , I mean tru blu SF fandom... I still kindof am those it is very marginal.
When I came to Houston in Jan 1966 , to work in Apollo, I ran into a lot of people who read science fiction, about half the people I worked with were knowable , tho it was mostly Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke (some added Bradbury)…
I didn't meet a single fan! In the SF Fan sense of the word. I did join the Houston Science Fiction Society who were Fans.
I think this is still true , a lot of readers, not many involved in fandom, which is broader these days.
I did find out Buzz Aldrin was well read in SF... no surprise... I know some others were , so never read SF.
By the by since the 50 is near here is a prized memento , a personal message from Buzz, AGS means Abort Guidance System.

Lunar Landing Backup: Apollo’s Abort Guidance System | Centauri Dreams

 

[Al Jackson]

I don't know why that went up twice!

 

[ctg]

I didn't meet a single fan! In the SF Fan sense of the word. I did join the Houston Science Fiction Society who were Fans.

I think this is still true , a lot of readers, not many involved in fandom, which is broader these days.
I did find out Buzz Aldrin was well read in SF... no surprise... I know some others were , so never read SF.

I think it's strange considering that the current generation is well read and for example a lot of theoretical physicists has been into roleplaying games and other geeky activities. When you look starcharts, there's often places named for the great SF writers and their characters, so you know that the astronomers as also SF lovers. And in that respect being a genre author is a great thing, because you will be immortalised into the stars forever, if you get name for yourself.

I think the biggest compliment towards the SFF writers is that they have said: "We could do it without their vision," meaning that it was either the vision, or then the action that was so memorable to them, that they eventually developed it into the reality. Today we can easily claim that we're living in a Science Fiction future.

Thing is, when you look at how many things have been developed from those visions, especially through Roddenberry's Star Trek, you'll have to wonder what our visions will become reality.

 

[Al Jackson]

I think it's strange considering that the current generation is well read and for example a lot of theoretical physicists has been into roleplaying games and other geeky activities. When you look starcharts, there's often places named for the great SF writers and their characters, so you know that the astronomers as also SF lovers. And in that respect being a genre author is a great thing, because you will be immortalised into the stars forever, if you get name for yourself.

I think the biggest compliment towards the SFF writers is that they have said: "We could do it without their vision," meaning that it was either the vision, or then the action that was so memorable to them, that they eventually developed it into the reality. Today we can easily claim that we're living in a Science Fiction future.

Thing is, when you look at how many things have been developed from those visions, especially through Roddenberry's Star Trek, you'll have to wonder what our visions will become reality.

You know I have seen 'science fiction' used a slur, as it's science fiction (meaning it's total crap), Astronomer Royal once said it was Utter Bilge.
Destination Moon was considered solid SF in 1950 , all the physics and engineering physics Heinlein had in that movie was well known.
The first landing on the moon was done differently (with a lot more complexity involved) but the basic physics and engineering physics was the same as in 1950 just done with a whole lot more finesse!

 

[BAYLOR]

You know I have seen 'science fiction' used a slur, as it's science fiction (meaning it's total crap), Astronomer Royal once said it was Utter Bilge.
Destination Moon was considered solid SF in 1950 , all the physics and engineering physics Heinlein had in that movie was well known.
The first landing on the moon was done differently (with a lot more complexity involved) but the basic physics and engineering physics was the same as in 1950 just done with a whole lot more finesse!

View attachment 54558

I've seen this film several times. It's holds up pretty well and it a never gets old.

A Russin Science fiction film that I like as is pretty well done still looks pretty impressive is . Voyage to the End of the Universe 1963