Rocky Jones, Space Ranger

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Secretary Drake briefs Rocky on his next mission in Escape into Space

Rocky Jones, Space Ranger was a syndicated science fiction television serial originally broadcast in 1954. The show lasted for only one season and quickly dropped into obscurity. But because it was recorded on film rather than being broadcast live as were most other TV space operas of the day, it has survived in reasonably good condition. The film format also allowed more elaborate special effects and sets, exterior scenes and much better continuity.

The program was aimed mainly at children, so the plots were simple and always involved good versus evil and Rocky Jones outsmarting or outfighting the bad guys. By today's standards for television science fiction, a genre that flowered beginning with Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, the Rocky Jones serials seem crude and simplistic. But for its time, years before men first journeyed into space, the sets, props, and optical effects were remarkably well done. Indeed, many of the effects that became standard sci-fi fare, such as the view screen and automatically opening doors were seen first on Rocky Jones.

1 Premise
2 Characters and Actors
3 Episodes
4 Sources and External Links
5 See also

[edit] Premise

The show was based on the exploits of clean cut, square jawed Rocky Jones, the best known of the Space Rangers. These were Earth-based space policemen who patrolled the United Worlds of the Solar System in the not-too-distant future. Rocky and his crew would routinely blast-off in the chemically-fueled, upright rocketship, the Orbit Jet XV-2, on missions to moons and planetoids where the odds of success seemed remote yet they would always prevail. Although they might destroy a rocketship full of unseen bad guys, their space pistols were never fired at people, and conflicts were always resolved with fist fights as was typical of family fare at the time. Produced in the early days of the Cold War and at the height of McCarthyism, many adversaries bore a striking resemblence to USSR communists.

Although many strange worlds were visited, the alien characters usually spoke English and always appeared as normal humans, albeit in bizarre costumes and environments. The script-writers did not appear to know the difference between planets, moons, stars and constellations, so that the specific locations Rocky and his sidekicks visited are generally unknown to astronomers.

The first issue (numbered 15) of the Rocky Jones, Space Ranger comic

Half hour episodes were usually grouped into stories that consisted of three 'chapters' that were broadcast on successive weeks. A few of the stories were complete in one episode.

A Rocky Jones, Space Ranger comic book was issued by Charlton in 1954. Issues 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the ongoing title Space Adventures are devoted to Rocky's adventures. Rocky, Winky, Vena, Bobby and Cleolanta appear prominently.

[edit] Characters and Actors

Rocky Jones: Played by veteran movie and television actor Richard Crane (June 6, 1918 – March 9, 1969), Rocky was the quintessential action hero – brave, strong, handsome, highly moral, and always ready to defend his beliefs with action. To the women of the stories he was irresistible – even to arch villainess Cleolanta.

Winky: Rocky's faithful co-pilot and sidekick, Winky was the upbeat comic relief to balance the always serious Rocky. Winky was played by the tragic Scotty Beckett (October 4, 1929 – May 10, 1968), one of the original Our Gang comedy kids. The Winky character was replaced by Biffen Cordoza (James Lydon) after 26 episodes when Beckett was unavailable as he was serving time in jail for carrying a concealed weapon.

Vena Ray: Vena served as Rocky's navigator and translator and was a strong female role model in some episodes. Vena was played by character actress Sally Mansfield (1923 – January 28, 2001) who also appeared on the Andy Griffith Show, the Donna Reed Show, Bachelor Father, and others. Her fresh good looks, short skirt, and cross-your-heart uniform added a feminine balance and sex appeal to the rocket crew.

Bobby: Played by 10 year old Robert Lyden, Bobby got to live the dream of every youngster in the audience as he tagged along on Rocky's adventures. Bobby was the ward of Professor Newton, and no mention was ever made of his parents.

Professor Newton: Played by Maurice Cass (October 12, 1884 – June 8, 1954), Professor Newton could always be counted on to provide the scientific explanation for the fantastic events that unfolded, and although elderly, he would often accompany the spaceship crew on their adventures. He had his own observatory which looked suspiciously like the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. The character of Professor Newton was replaced by Professor Mayberry upon Cass' death in 1954.

Secretary Drake: As the head of the Office of Space Affairs and the Space Rangers, Secretary Drake was a father figure to Rocky and his crew and to him Rocky was like his own son. Secretary Drake was played by Charles Meredith (August 27, 1894 - November 28, 1964)

Cleolanta: Another strong female role, the beautiful but evil Cleolanta, played by Patsy Parsons (born June 9, 1931), was the ruler of Ophiucius and governed her planet wearing a low-cut evening gown and tiara. Cleolanta was usually the force behind the troubles that befell the United Worlds, but secretly had a crush on Rocky. She often berated her henchmen for not measuring up to him. Parsons had a strong southern accent, so her pronunciation of "Roooooocky Joooownes" was memorable.

Pinto Vortando: Pinto was a seedy, unshaven space rogue whose presence usually meant trouble for Rocky. As played by Ted Hecht, he looked somewhat like an outer-space version of Gunsmoke's later character Festus Haggen.

[edit] Episodes

Thirty nine episodes were filmed and shown over the period from April 10, 1954 to January 1, 1955. Thirty six of these were grouped into 12 three-episode stories, and three were complete in one episode. Many of the three-episode stories were edited into feature length films for television and of those some were renamed as shown below.

Two of the edited movies, Manhunt in Space and Crash of the Moons, were lampooned on the cult hit comedy show Mystery Science Theater 3000.

All of the episodes are available on DVD and VHS, and eBay is a good source for obtaining them.

**Episode Broadcast Guide**
Story name	Episodes	First episode	Alternate name
Beyond the Curtain of Space	3	April 10, 1954	Beyond the Moon
Escape Into Space	1	May 1, 1954
The Pirates of Prah	3	May 8, 1954	Manhunt in Space
Silver Needle in the Sky	3	May 29, 1954	Duel in Space
Forbidden Moon	3	June 19, 1954
Crash of Moons	3	July 10, 1954
Kip's Private War	1	July 31, 1954
Blast Off	3	August 7, 1954
Bobby's Comet	3	August 28, 1954	Menace From Outer Space
Rocky's Odyssey	3	September 19,1954	Gypsy Moon
The Cold Sun	3	October 10, 1954
Inferno In Space	3	October 30, 1954	The Magnetic Moon
Vena and the Darnamo	1	November 20, 1954
Out of This World	3	November 27, 1954	Robot of Regalio
The Trial of Rocky Jones	3	December 18, 1954	Renegade Satellite