Retro space cowboys

September 24, 2007 11:20 AM

For many kids, the space age made its TV debut years before Sputnik with 1950's TV space serials.
1950 - Space Patrol - The Hidden Treasure of Mars. (Part two)
1954 - Rocky Jones' Space, Space Ranger - Rocky's Odyssey. (Chapters two, three)
1954 - Flash Gordon - Deadline at Noon and Akim the Terrible.

More about:

• Rocky Jones
• Space Patrol
• Flash Gordon
• Science fiction on television in the 1950s

posted by madamjujujive (5 comments total)

(Helpmewithmymemoryfilter) - I remember in either the 80's or 90's there was a programme on Channel 4 that was made to look like a 50's sc-fi serial. Nearly like that Rocky Jones. The actors lip-synched to old songs in the sketch. Ringing any bells ?
posted by Webbster at 12:26 PM on September 24, 2007

Excellent. Rocky Jones, repackaged as Manhunt in Space and Crash of the Moons are among my favorite MST3k episodes of all time.
posted by MadDog Bob at 1:37 PM on September 24, 2007

My dad always tells us this story about how when he was a little kid he clocked this other little kid for denying that he (my dad) was Rocky Jones Space Ranger after he went around telling everybody he was. Violent kid, my dad.

Anyway, it's so cool you posted these. I'm going to e-mail them to him as I'm sure he hasn't seen them since he was 5.
posted by Jess the Mess at 5:59 PM on September 24, 2007

Wonderful, bold images! Nice colors. I loved that first link especially mjjj. Retro sci-fi rocks.

Found this cute 1961 vision of what people thought year 2000 would be like.

I wonder what people are imagining life will be like here in the next 40 years? The retro future of the future.
posted by nickyskye at 6:36 PM on September 24, 2007

Thanks to this post I spent most of today talking to my cats over a warbly radio.

PssshtBEEP Come in Abbey! Psssht Brbrbrbrbbbrlow? PssshtBEEP This is Commander Carson. Did you vector-nine the six-alpha? Over. Psssht Brbrbrbrow meow. PssshtBEEP Roger that, Cadet. Out!
posted by carsonb at 7:12 PM on September 24, 2007 [2 favorites]