Rocky Jones, Space Ranger 

Cruising the galaxy in his space ship "The Orbit Jet" Space Ranger, Rocky Jones, Vena Ray, and 10 year-old Bobby defend the Earth and themselves against space-bound evil doers.

Stars:

Richard Crane, Sally Mansfield, Scotty Beckett

Cast

Series cast summary:
Richard Crane	...	Rocky Jones 39 episodes, 1954
Sally Mansfield	...	Vena Ray 39 episodes, 1954
Scotty Beckett	...	Winky 34 episodes, 1954
Robert Lyden	...	Bobby 31 episodes, 1954
Charles Meredith	...	Secretary of Space Drake 23 episodes, 1954
Maurice Cass	...	Prof. Newton / ... 18 episodes, 1954
Patsy Parsons	...	Cleolanta / ... 17 episodes, 1954

Storyline

Cruising the galaxy in his space ship "The Orbit Jet" Space Ranger, Rocky Jones, Vena Ray, and 10 year-old Bobby defend the Earth and themselves against space-bound evil doers.

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Plot Keywords:

space explorer | character name as series title | rocky jones space ranger character | four word series title | 21st century | 

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Genres:

Family | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 February 1954 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Griffith Observatory, 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roland Reed Productions, Space Ranger Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

26 min (per episode - 39 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Secretary of Space Drake: Space rangers and traitors - they don't go together!

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Alternate Versions

Episodes have been edited together to form a number of feature-length "movies" that have been released on video with titles such as: Beyond the Moon; Crash of the Moons; Menace from Outer Space; Gypsy Moon, The; Manhunt in Space; Forbidden Moon; Silver Needle in the Sky.

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Connections

Edited into The Cold Sun (1956)

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Soundtracks

Space Credits
(closing theme)
by Alexander Laszlo

User Reviews

Great Show

Don't listen to the negative reviews. Rocky Jones Space Ranger is a great series. As basic juvenile oriented entertainment, it is terrific fun. There are spaceships, travels to different planets, weird science, and girls in mini-skirts. As a Science Fiction television show, it is pioneering, and arguably one of the most enduring.

There seems to always be a rift between those who want their sci-fi to be "smart" and those who are looking for action and/or special FX. This series was made before the genre was divided. It's an early 50's sci-fi adventure t.v. show aimed primarily at juveniles--take it for what it is. Despite it's "limitations" it sure seems to have a lot of elements that would later be used by Gene Roddenberry on Star Trek.

Rocky Jones Space Ranger portrays a future where interplanetary travel is routine. The show employs an ensemble cast with a family-like camaraderie. Rocky and his crew (Vena, Bobby, Biff, and Professor Newton) are sent out as emissaries of the United Worlds. The UW is portrayed as a peaceful alliance of planets, yet outside threats from rogue elements & planets require a force of Space Rangers. Diplomacy is always the first resort, but Rocky is definitely able to go fist-city with any bad-guy. Also of note is the fact that this series routinely cast women in important roles as both rulers, villains, and sidekicks--fairly unusual for 1954.

Rocky Jones is a truly enjoyable sci-fi adventure t.v. shows for those young at heart. It's well written, filmed (as opposed to shot on video) and the special effects are actually pretty good for something produced in 1954. If you're not a sci-fi snob, you'll definitely enjoy this great, pioneering show.