Space Patrol

Space Patrol really started a long tradition of the love of science fiction and space adventure that continues to this day. As a youth in San Francisco I watched it every chance. From this experience, when I started reading in earnest it was science fiction that I turned to, and haven't turned back since.

One of my most precious possessions from childhood came from a visit of the Space Patrol cast to San Francisco. There is a page in my autograph book that I treasure signed by each of the members of the cast in their screen name. My name is Robbie, and Robbie's signature on the cast page was made with a drawing of a rocket ship that formed my impression of what a true rocket ship should be like.

Space Patrol was so much a part of my life that for Christmas my brothers constructed and gave me a "spaceship control panel" with view screen, lights, and microphone (all this before any modern electronics) and my friends and I played "Space Patrol" adventures. Looking back this show was one of my best childhood memories that influenced a love of reading, sci-fi, and eventually my career in the computer industry, as well as influencing me in what real teamwork was like.

This show was awesome!

If you craved thrills and action with not much science fiction underpinning, and an unabashedly total lack of realism, this was the early 1950s space adventure program for you. Square-jawed, intelligent and courageous Commander Buzz Corry and his comical sidekick Cadet Happy faced certain death in nearly every once-a-week Saturday morning broadcast. Done live, with very impressive sets, and a wide variety of Hollywood character actors as villains, this was almost always worth tuning in to. Almost all the programs survived on 16 mm and 35 mm kinescopes, and are readily available today from video retail sources.

When Kit Cory disappeared on a secret mission to Plannet "X:", his younger brother Buzz took over the fight for right in Space. The Actor who played Kit Corey is my father Franklin Mullen. He is still alive and well in Las Vegas Nevada. He was using the Acting name "Glen Dennings" back then. I guess his agents thought that was better? I wasn't born till 1953 but I remember seeing reruns on TV. Too funny with rockets on wires with sparklers on the back against a painting of space in the background. The show I believe was the actual, first series in the Kiniscope period of Television and the old spools they kept them on were easily corruptible. The show was shot live. My father was in many old westerns and war movies too including Battle Cry and Command Decision. He was a good looking Jeffery Hunter type who my mother had dated too. But Dad won her over. BTW, My mother Rosemary was one of Jeffrey;'s last friends before his death. My father left Hollywood to do Theater at the Pheonix little Theater in Scottsdale Arizona and became a successful pool Contractor. He survived a plane crash where the Cesna wrapped around a Cable on a landing pattern. Later he was a Pioneer in the Stero Industry and moved back to Brentwood Calif. He has always been my hero and still is. As I write this he is 79 years old and I hope he'll be around a good while longer. I tried Acting myself but lost interest. I am currently developing a TV production company in Central America. I wish my dad had grabbed a bunch of the old Ray Guns. They're great collector Items.

And yes -- I actually saw it "live" on TV. Sponsored by Ralston. I vividly remember Commander Corey and Cadet Happy happily plugging "Wheat Chex", "Rice Chex", and "Instant Ralston" when they weren't pursuing or being pursued by the bad guys. How many of us remember the name of the man who heralded "Travel into the future with BUZZ CORY, Commander-in-Chief of the SPAAAAACE PATROL!"? That was Jack Narz, who later went on to fame as the host of the scandal-ridden game show "Dotto"!! The live sets, the music, and the miniatures (quite imaginative for the time) were all done with such care. I would like to thank the other contributors to this thread who remember and love this show as much as I do, especially "IsleManage" (such an interesting story about your father (mother too) -- thanks for sharing), "mmore98" who gave us insight to the conception of the series, and the unfortunate demise of "Tonga" -- my first recollection of, shall we say, a "hottie". How sad. But most of all, I would like to thank the late Ed Kemmer and the late Lyn Osborn for providing me with role models worthy of remembering and looking up to. I love you and I miss you both!!

LITTLEV DID WE know when we tuned in to all of these various images of "futuristic" space shows, that we were rapidly approaching the day when "Outer Space" would mean much more than just a bit of science fiction or fantasy. The year was 1950 and Sputnik (Soviet un-manned satellite), Muttnik (Soviet satellite with bowser inside) and Yuri Gargaran (man) weren't far off.

THOSE Russian SUCCESSES sure shook up the nation and the United States soon followed with Alan Sheppard, John Glenn and the ultimate and eventual Lunar landing in 1969. It is our belief that the great sci-fi in our print and electronic media played a great part in accomplishing what we did in such a short period. (Of course it didn't hurt in having the likes of Dr. Werner von Braun and Willie Ley in our camp from the former Third Reich of Germany).

ONE'S PREFDERENCE IN space shows revolved largely around the central character/hero and his appearance and personality. Hence, we had our choice of CAPTAIN VIDEO (father figure), TOM CORBETT (our brother) and SPACE PATROL's Buzz Corey (middle of the ground). Our fiction/fantasy made us believe as a people and we succeeded.

OUR MEMORY OF this series is that each story was usually contained within its weekly episode. The characters, headed up by Buzz (Ed Kemmerer-a radio veteran actor and Cadet Happy (Lyn Osborn) were better equipped as a well tuned and meshed team. The roles of the two were as well defined as the others; but with two differences. First, their ages were close and secondly, Cadet Happy also provided some much needed comic relief.