"Captain Video and His Video Rangers" (1949) TV series 1949-1955

Directors:

Linton Baldwin
Oliver Barbour

Writers:

John Holbrook Vance (writer) (3 episodes)
Don Aggar (writer)

Seasons:

unknown

Release Date:

27 June 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Adventure | Family

Tagline:

Death-Defying Danger... Awe-Inspiring Thrills Await the Courage and Genius of Captain Video and His Video Rangers!

Plot:

"Guardian of the Safety of the World", private citizen-scientist Captain Video, assisted by his teenage helper The Ranger and an army of Video Rangers...

Plot Keywords:

Space Opera | Planet | Space Hero | Alien | Spacecraft

Cast

Don Hastings	...	The Video Ranger (31 episodes, 1949-1955)
Al Hodge	...	Captain Video (29 episodes, 1950-1955)
Ben Lackland	...	Commissioner of Public Safety Charles Carey (29 episodes, 1950-1955)
Hal Conklin	...	Dr. Pauli (28 episodes, 1949-1954)
Fred Scott	...	Communications Officer Rogers / ... (13 episodes, 1949-1955)
Ed Condit	...	Announcer / ... (13 episodes, 1951-1955)

Also Known As:

Captain Video (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Theatre - 219 West 49th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

DuMont Television Network

Trivia:

Lawrence Menkin, who created the series, thought of it as "a western in outer space" (and applied that simile to the later "Star Trek" (1966) as well).

Quotes:

Command Officer Rogers: Captain Video! Electronic wizard! Master of time and space! Guardian of the safety of the world! Fighting for law and order, Captain Video operates from a mountain retreat with secret agents at all points of the globe. Possessing scientific secrets and scientific weapons, Captain Video asks no quarter and gives none to the forces of evil. Stand by for Captain Video and his Video Rangers!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Science Fiction: A Journey Into the Unknown (1994) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Overture to The Flying Dutchman

The Pioneer!

Who would have thought that a space adventure show could be done with (1) no special effects budget, (2) no prop department, (3) no wardrobe department, (4) sets that generally consisted of blank walls, (5) no space suits or space ships, and (6) a minimum of action? Well, Captain Video for its first year fit these conditions precisely! Yet it became wildly popular. It was more like radio than television, with the active imaginations of the young viewers having to fill in the many blanks. It would have probably continued to be broadcast indefinitely, 30 to 15 min per day, 3 to 5 days per week, if the always underfunded DuMont network had not gone bankrupt in 1955.