Space Patrol
Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show
In their early days, Commander Kit Corey and his sidekick Cadet "Holy Smokes!" Happy protected their man-made planet Terra as members of the famed Space Patrol. Flying at “the speed of sound” to complete their missions, the spacefaring twosome thrilled audiences with tales of their interstellar heroism.
Space Patrol originally aired on local Los Angeles station KECA in March of 1950 as a daily, fifteen-minute show. It flew to ABC in the fall of that year, and in 1951 became a half-hour show on the weekends.
Under the command of ABC, Commander Corey was renamed “Buzz” and received a new job. Along with Happy (no name change), Corey worked for the United Planets of the Universe. The pair flew the spaceship Terra (confusingly, still the name of their home base) in the 30th century and battled criminals and natural space disasters. Not your typical government job...
The heroes had friends in Space Patrol officer Major Robertson; Carol Karlyle, daughter of UPU’s Secretary General and dependable damsel in distress; and Miss Tonga, a good-looking baddie-cum-goodie who helped out on space patrols.
Space Patrol attempted a 3-D show in 1953, which resulted in disaster as the image was blurred. Aside from that one famous mishap, the show enjoyed years of success, planting spacefaring dreams in the minds of youngsters nationwide.
Release History
9/11/50 - 2/26/55 ABCTV Sub Categories
live-actionsci-fi/fantasy
TV Studio
Roberta LeighTelevision Cast
Announcer Jack NarzCommander 'Buzz' Corey Ed Kemmer
Cadet Happy Lyn Osborn
Major Robertson Ken Mayer
Mr. Karlyle Norman Jolley
Carol Karlyle Virginia Hewitt
Miss Tonga Nina Bara
Prince Baccarratti Bela Kovacs