Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (TV series)

Origin

The initial concept for the series followed the scripts by Joseph Greene originally proposed as a comic strip in 1945, and then as a proposed radio serial in 1946, titled "Space Cadets" (with a young hero named Tom Ranger), and 1947, titled "Space Academy". When Greene began work with Rockhill Studios on developing his idea into a television show in 1949, the title Tom Ranger, Space Cadet was floated for a time.
In 1950, Rockhill Studios licensed the "Space Cadet" name from Robert A. Heinlein's 1948 young-adult novel Space Cadet for the series then in development.
The initial installment of the series was edited into the 88 minute long The Mercurian Invasion, which was released in 1998.

Cast

Tom Corbett – Frankie Thomas Jr.
Astro – Al Markim: A Venusian cadet
Roger Manning – Jan Merlin: A smug, egotistical cadet with an inordinately high opinion of his own abilities, although he occasionally proved himself to be nearly as skilled as he imagined himself to be. Roger occasionally made condescending, racist remarks about Astro but gradually came to like and respect the Venusian, although he sometimes maintained his bigoted attitude as a distancing mechanism (October 1950-May 1954).
Captain Steve Strong – Edward Bryce
Dr. Joan Dale – Margaret Garland
Commander Arkwright – Carter Blake
Cadet Alfie Higgins – John Fiedler
Cadet Eric Rattison – Frank Sutton
Cadet T. J. Thistle – Jack Grimes (December 1954-June 1955)
Michael Harvey played Captain Strong for the first six episodes of the CBS series; Pat Ferris played Dr. Dale for two episodes of the DuMont series.

Crew

Technical Advisor – Willy Ley
Writers: Albert Aley, Stu Byrnes, Frankie Thomas Jr., Ray Morse, Jack Weinstock, Willy Gilbert, Alfred Bester & others.
Space Cadet Hats: Major Sportswear supplied tinsulated, aluminized hats with logos.

Distribution

Tom Corbett is one of only six TV series to appear on all four networks of the time, along with The Arthur Murray Party, Down You Go, The Ernie Kovacs Show, Pantomime Quiz, and The Original Amateur Hour:

CBS from October 2 to December 1950
ABC from January 1951 to September 1952
NBC from July to September 1951
DuMont from August 1953 to May 1954
NBC again from December 1954 to June 1955, with the final broadcast on June 25, 1955.
Contemporary merchandise for the series included toys, costumes, lunchboxes, and a newspaper comic strip written by Paul S. Newman and drawn by Ray Bailey.

Radio

On January 1, 1952, one year after the ABC television network began airing the show, a short-lived radio version began on ABC radio. This radio version employed the same actors as the TV show. The series ran twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 5:30 p.m. (the TV show aired on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule). The radio version ran from January 1 to July 3, 1952.