COMMANDO CODY: SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE

 

COMMANDO CODY: SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE
(NBC, July 16-October 8, 1955)
 
Republic Pictures

 

            Commando Cody was a rocket-powered science-fiction action hero appearing in serials produced by Republic Pictures. Cody (George Wallace) was a civilian researcher and inventor from the near future assisted by Joan Gilbert (Aline Towne), Ted Richards (William Bakewell) and Dick Preston (Gayle Kellogg) and often tasked by the government to defend the world from alien invaders. The characters first appeared in Radar Men from the Moon, where Cody discovered the Earth was under attack by Retik, the ruler of the moon (Roy Barcroft). The 12-chapter serial began in theaters on January 9, 1952. It would be re-released in 1957 and on television under the title Retik the Moon Menace in 1966. The serial would often be confused with 1949’s King of the Rocket Men due to its liberal use of that serial’s flying sequences and costumes to save money.

Cody with Joan and Ted.

            Republic’s next Cody project was a television series that would serve as a prequel to Radar Men. Cody (now Judd Holdren) was tasked by the U.S. government to investigate strange climate changes affecting the planet. Joan and Ted (now William Schallert) applied for jobs with Cody as the story began, and together they discovered that the disasters were being caused by space alien forces led by The Ruler (Gregory Gaye) from the planet Venus. However, production on the series was put on hold after the first three episodes to work on a direct sequel, Zombies of the Stratosphere. While the serial still starred Holdren and Towne (Schallert was replaced by Wilson Wood due to availability), it was decided shortly before shooting to completely rename the characters--with Cody now “Larry Martin”--and make the film its own distinct thing. It was also released in 1952 to a cooler reception than its predecessor, and was later edited down and re-released as the 1958 feature film Satan’s Satellites. Notably, Zombies marked one of the earliest film appearances of actor Lenoard Nimoy. Production resumed on the television series, with Schallert having been replaced by Richard Crane (future star of Rocky Jones, Space Ranger) as Dick Preston, and The Ruler gaining a new henchwoman played by Gloria Pall.

The Ruler getting an update from his men.

            Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe ended up having to receive a theatrical release due to contractual issues. It debuted in 1953 and ran as a typical serial. However, a debate has arisen among film fans as to whether Sky Marshall should be classified as a serial or not since it lacked the cliffhanger endings at the end of each episode that defined the genre. Sky Marshal eventually made its way to syndication on July 16, 1955 through Republic’s TV arm, Hollywood Television Service, and aired on NBC stations. Ultimately, this wound up being the final Commando Cody project. The series has seen numerous home media releases, including on Blu-ray for the first time in 2016 by Olive Films.

DENNIS THE MENACE (1959)

 

DENNIS THE MENACE (1959)
(CBS, October 4, 1959-July 7, 1963)

 

Dariell Productions, Screen Gems, Hank Ketcham Enterprises

 

For the history of Dennis the Menace, check out the post here.

            Hank Ketcham was inspired by the antics of his son, Dennis, to create the comic strip Dennis the Menace. The strip followed young Dennis as he inadvertently caused chaos for the adults in his life through his well-meaning intentions. The strip became immensely popular, and it wasn’t long before Hollywood came calling.

Dennis with his parents (front) and the Wilsons (back).

            The first adaptation of the strip was a sitcom for CBS, who were looking to replace Leave it to Beaver after losing it to ABC, produced by Dariell Productions and Screen Gems. Like the strip, Dennis (Jay North) was a well-intentioned mischievous boy whose antics often came at the expense of his long-suffering neighbor, George Wilson (Joseph Kearns). Dennis, at first, was more directly responsible for the trouble he caused, but that was toned down at the network’s request to avoid imitable behavior among younger members of their viewing audience. Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry portrayed Dennis’ parents Henry and Alice, and Sylvia Field played George’s wife, Martha. Missing was the Mitchells’ dog, Ruff, who was replaced by the Wilsons’ dog, Fremont. Other characters included Dennis’ best friend Tommy Anderson (Billy Booth); Margaret Wade (Jeannie Russell, cast at North’s suggestion), who had a crush on Dennis though he found her annoying; Sergeant Harold Mooney (George Cisar), a local policeman that took great pleasuring in ruining Mr. Wilson’s day; Otis Quigley (Willard Waterman), the local grocer; Miss Esther Cathcart (Mary Wickes), a spinster that threw herself at every man she could; and Grandma Mitchell (Kathleen Mulqueen), Henry’s mother who stayed with them briefly while Alice was away taking care of her father (a cover for Henry being on maternity leave). Ron Howard portrayed another of Dennis’ friends, Stewart, for six episodes before he was cast to star in The Andy Griffith Show.

The replacement Wilsons.

            Dennis the Menace began on October 4, 1959 and ran for a total of four seasons. North would also reprise the role for appearances on The Donna Reed Show, The Red Skelton Hour, and in the film Pepe. After the filming of the 100^th episode, Kearns died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. For the remainder of the third season, George was said to be out east settling an estate, and his brother, John (Gale Gordon), was staying in his house as a guest. John, interestingly enough, bore a stronger resemblance in appearance and personality to the Mr. Wilson of the comic strip than George did. For the final season, the original Wilsons were written out as having moved away, with John buying their house with his wife, Eloise (Sara Seegar). At the end of the season, CBS ultimately decided to cancel the show as North, approaching 12-years-old, was getting too old to believably be involved in the antics of the character. The show entered reruns on NBC Saturday mornings later that year before going into syndicated reruns in 1965. In the 1980s, it began to make the rounds on various cable networks including Nickelodeon, TV Land and Antenna TV, and on the streaming service Hulu.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE (1959)

 

THE TWILIGHT ZONE
(CBS, October 2, 1959-June 19, 1964)
 
Cayuga Productions Inc., CBS Productions

 

MAIN CAST:
Rod Serling – Narrator

 

The Twilight Zone was an anthology series created, produced and written by Rod Serling that delivered morality lessons and delved into modern day issues with often fantastical and science-fiction elements to make the messages more palatable to the average viewer. Serling had gained prominence in American television during the 1950s, but dealt with the constant aggravation of his stories being altered on the whims of the networks and their sponsors. He figured that robots, aliens and the supernatural might significantly remove things from reality and give him more leeway to present thought-provoking controversial ideas. In 1957, he wrote the pitch pilot “The Time Element”, depicting a man sent back to 1941 Honolulu who tried to warn everyone about the eminent attack on Pearl Harbor unsuccessfully, but it was ultimately rejected and shelved. Bert Granet rediscovered it a year later and produced it as an episode of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, and its success allowed Serling an opportunity to do his series.

The Twilight Zone debuted on CBS on October 2, 1959, running for 5 seasons. While reviewers praised the series, it initially struggled in the ratings with audiences until close to the end of the first season. Serling wrote or co-wrote 92 of the show’s 156 episodes and served as the narrator, delivering monologues that set up the moment when the story’s characters “entered the Twilight Zone” and the story’s moral at the end. While he appeared in promos for the series, it wouldn’t be until the second season that he would appear on screen to deliver those monologues. Additional writers included Charles Beaumont (until complications from a developing brain disease reduced his involvement), Richard Matheson, George Clayton Johnson, Montgomery Pittman, Earl Hamner Jr., Reginald Rose, Jerry Sohl, John Tomerlin (both of whom ghostwrote for Beaumont), and Richard De Roy. Bernard Hermann composed the series’ theme for the first season, but was replaced from the second season on by Marius Constant’s more-familiar composition. As it was an anthology series, it had no permanent characters and a rotating roster of actors; some well-known at the time, and others just beginning their careers. Several actors would make return appearances in various episodes as other characters, including William Shatner, Burgess Meredith, William Windom, Jack Klugman and Martin Landau, with Robert McCord having appeared in the most.

Difficulties in finding a sponsor for the 4^th season resulted in the show being replaced by Fair Exchange, although it was ultimately renewed as a mid-season replacement for the replacement. To fill that timeslot, CBS demanded the series be expanded to an hour-long format, which didn’t sit well with Serling and the production crew. Serling’s involvement as an executive producer was reduced this season, and his monologues were filmed against a gray background back-to-back during his infrequent trips to Los Angeles. “The” was also dropped from the title. The 5^th season returned to the half-hour format, but was plagued by a number of unpopular decisions by new producer William Froug; such as shelving a script for “The Doll” which was later made an episode of Amazing Stories (and won a Writer’s Guild Award nomination) and alienating Johnson by having De Roy rewrite and dilute his screenplay for what would become “Ninety Years Without Slumbering”. CBS head Jim Aubrey ultimately decided to cancel the series, having disliked it since his instatement during the 2^nd season as it was an expensive series to produce and using the season’s middling ratings as further justification. Serling, severely burnt out by this time, sold CBS his 40% share of the series and left it behind until returning in 1969 with the similar series Night Gallery on NBC.

The Twilight Zone was nominated for 4 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning 2, and continued to be broadcast in syndicated reruns, initially less the episodes “Sounds and Silences”, “Miniature” and “A Short Drink From a Certain Fountain” due to copyright lawsuits, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” which was a French short film whose airing as part of the series as a limited-time agreement, and “The Encounter” due to racial overtones. Notably, the series airs on Syfy regularly in late-night slots and as part of marathons for New Year’s and the 4^th of July, although they’re usually altered to allow for more commercials. Three revivals have been attempted—one in 1985 lasting two seasons, one in 2002 lasting one, and one in 2019 which concluded after two—as well as an infamous film version in 1983 that resulted in the deaths of actor Vic Morrow and two children, and a 1994 made-for-television film comprised of two stories found by Serling’s widow, Carol.

ROD BROWN OF THE ROCKET RANGERS

 

ROD BROWN OF THE ROCKET RANGERS
(CBS, April 18, 1953-May 29, 1954)
 
CBS Television Network

 

MAIN CAST:
Cliff Robertson – Rod Brown
Bruce Hall – Frank Boyd
Jack Weston – Wilbur “Wormsey” Wormser
John Boruff – Commander Swift

  

In the entertainment world, imitation is part of the game. Whenever something proves immensely popular, imitators are sure to follow; keeping it similar enough to be recognizable while also changing enough to avoid being straight plagiarism. Sometimes by the competition, sometimes by the same people who made that popular thing in order to corner the market and steal an audience away from the competition. Unfortunately, for Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers, it stuck a little too close to its inspiration for its own good.

CBS camera check.

CBS wanted to get back into the science fiction game—particularly the space-faring kind that was at the peak of its popularity in 1953. Having been the original home of the still-thriving Tom Corbett, Space Cadet currently airing on the DuMont Network, CBS decided they should create a similar program of their own. They hired one of the original Corbett directors, George Gould, to direct the series. With him came several of Corbett’s writers and the technical know-how for the effects used on that program.

Rod Brown.

Like Corbett, it would focus on a crew of three traveling on adventures through space on their atomic-powered space ship Beta in the mid-22^nd century. Rod Brown (Cliff Robertson) was the captain, with his prickly partner Frank Boyd (Bruce Hall) and the chubby glasses-wearing Wilbur “Wormsey” Wormser (Jack Weston), who served as the comic relief (something Corbett didn’t have). They reported to Omega Base back on Earth; specifically, to Commander Swift (John Boruff), who would deliver their weekly missions via radio transmission. Unlike Corbett, which tried to adhere to the science of the day and keep its episodes grounded in reality, Rod Brown opted for a more fantastical approach with the customary ray guns and alien encounters, along with common space criminals.

Brown, Boyd, "Wormsey" and Swift at Omega Base.

Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers debuted on CBS on April 18, 1953. Each episode opened up with the introduction: “CBS Television presents Rod Brown and the Rocket Rangers. Surging with the power of the atom, gleaming like great silver bullets, the mighty Rocket Rangers spaceships stand by for blast-off. Up, up, rockets blazing with white-hot fury, the man-made meteors ride through the atmosphere, breaking the gravity barrier, pushing up and out, faster and faster and then outer space and high adventure for the Rocket Rangers.” The series was broadcast live from New York City at 11:30 in the morning. Robertson was offered the role by William Dozier, an executive at CBS at the time, and Robertson took it thinking it’d be a quick, easy payday (sources vary on his salary being $150 or $175 a week, almost $2000 when adjusted for inflation as of this writing) while he was also doing a Broadway show. He never counted on it becoming successful, running for over a year and producing 58 episodes (some sources say 59). The series’ theme was composed by Robert Allen.

Operating some futuristic technology.

While there were some differences, there were far more similarities to Tom Corbett for its producers’ liking. They filed a lawsuit against CBS, which didn’t immediately affect the production or the show’s release schedule. After four months of deliberations, the known consequence of the suit was that the kinescope recordings of Rod Brown had to be destroyed. As far as anyone knows, they were and the series was never rebroadcast after its conclusion. Some of the audio recordings from a few episodes do exist, however.

Rod Brown getting his space helmet prop.

While Rod Brown had a sponsor in Jell-O Instant Pudding, very little premiums or merchandise were released for the show compared to the other space programs at the time. One item was a flannel shirt for young boys featuring the show’s logo, and a record of “The Rocket Ranger March” from Columbia Records. Kids could apply to be a member of the Junior Rocket Rangers and receive a membership kit that included a Rocket Ranger squadron charter and a membership card singed by Commander Swift emblazoned with the “Rocket Ranger Code”:

            On my Honor as a Rocket Ranger, I pledge that:

1.      I shall always chart my course according to the Constitution of the United States of America.

2.      I shall never cross orbits with the Rights and Beliefs of others.

3.      I shall blast at full space-speed to protect the Weak and Innocent.

4.      I shall stay out of collision orbit with the laws of my State and Community

5.      I shall cruise in parallel orbit with my Parents and Teachers.

6.      I shall not roar my rockets unwisely, and shall be Courteous at all times.

7.      I shall keep my gyros steady and reactors burning by being Industrious and Thrifty.

8.      I shall keep my scanner tuned to Learning and remain coupled to my Studies.

9.      I shall keep my mind out of free-fall by being mentally alert.

10.  I shall blast the meteors from the paths of other people by being Kind and Considerate.

  

EPISODE GUIDE (incomplete):

“Operation Decoy” (4/18/53) – The Beta crew investigates pirate attacks on shipping lanes.

 

“The Case of the Invisible Saboteurs” (4/25/53) – The Beta crew looks into the disappearance of highly-classified files.

 

“The Planet of Ice” (5/2/53) – The Beta crew must rescue a mail ship forced to land on frigid Jupiter.

 

“Whispers in the Mind” (5/9/53) – A mind-control device gives false information to two Rangers on a navigation project.

 

“The Crater of Peril” (5/16/53) – The Beta crew looks for radioactive material on the dark side of the moon.

 

“The Globe Men of Oma” (5/23/53) – While searching for a missing spaceship, Rod and Frank are captured by the Omans.

 

“The Adventures of the Venusian Sea” (5/30/53) – A giant octopus-like creature terrorizes the sea.

 

“The Little Men of Mercury” (6/6/53) – The Beta crew visits a planet populated by tiny humanoids.

 

“World of the Doomed” (6/13/53) – The Beta crew investigates a smuggling operation on a prison asteroid.

 

“The Strangler Trees of Triton” (6/20/53) – The Beta crew rescues a fellow Ranger from a dangerous forest.

 

“Stranger from Outer Space” (6/27/53) – An alien robot kidnaps Rod.

 

“The Phantom Birds of Beloro” (7/4/53) – Rod and Frank rescue some old prospectors from bird-like preadators.

 

“The Black Cloud of Calistro” (7/11/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Suits of Peril” (7/18/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“Apples of Eden” (7/25/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“Space Bugs” (8/1/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Martian Queen” (8/8/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Fire Deamons of Delmos” (8/15/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Big Hammer” (8/22/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Volcanoes of Venus” (8/29/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Death Ball” (9/5/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Unseen Planet” (9/12/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Madness from Space” (9/19/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Looters of Leeron” (9/26/53) – Rod is captured by a group of smugglers to work in their illegal radioactive mineral mine.

 

“The Octopus of Venus” (10/3/53) – A routine assignment to salvage a wrecked spaceship leads to trouble under the sea.

 

“Colossus of Centauri” (10/10/53) – Rod breaches the end of the solar system and discovers a planet of giants.

 

“The Lights from Luna” (10/17/53) – Rod must protect Earth from the destructor of Solar City.

 

“The Twin Planet” (10/24/53) – Investigating an old theory leads the Beta crew to discover a primitive land that resembles Manhattan Island before Columbus.

 

“The Treasure of Tesoro” (10/31/53) – Rod and Frank are on guard duty for the treasury vaults of Space Fortress Tesoro.

 

“The Robot Robber of Delmos” (11/7/53) – The Beta crew investigates a bank robbery by a humanoid robot.

 

“The Magic Man of Mars” (11/14/53) – A carnival performer leads a secret life as a space pirate.

 

“The Stickman of Neptune” (11/21/53) – A stowaway steals the Beta to head for Neptune to search for a treasure.

 

“Money-Makers of Juno” (11/28/53) – Swift is kidnapped by a ring of interplanetary counterfeiters.

 

“The Deep Sleep” (12/5/53) – Interplanetary bank robbers use oxygen boosters to put everyone to sleep on Ganymede.

 

“The Cyclops of Themis” (12/12/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Electric Men” (12/19/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Copernicus Diamond” (12/26/53) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Stone Men of Venus” (1/2/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“Energy Eaters from Luna” (1/9/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“Operation Dinosaur” (1/23/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“Escape by Magic” (1/30/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Invisible Force” (2/6/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“Return of the Stickmen” (2/13/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Fishman of the Venusian Sea” (2/20/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Strong Man of Mayron” (2/27/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Eel of Iapetus” (3/6/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Strange Men of Leefri” (3/13/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Monkey that Couldn’t Stop Growing” (3/20/54) – The planet Clavo enters the solar system due to its erratic orbit.

 

“The Plan of Planet H” (3/27/54) – The Beta crew discovers Planet H plan to flood and take over the Earth.

 

“Invasion from Dimension X” (4/3/54) – The Beta crew encounters shadowy figures from another dimension.

 

“The Matter-Transfer Machine” (4/10/54) – A gang uses a transporter to smuggle isotopes off of Earth.

 

“Terror in the Space Lighthouse” (4/17/54) – Two inmates plan an escape from an asteroid prison.

 

“Assignment Danger” (4/24/54) – Wormsey encounters trouble on a routine passenger liner trip to Venus and is rescued by what seems to be a kindly elderly woman.

 

“Bird Girl of Venus” (5/1/54) – An archaeological expedition leads to the discovery of a winged humanoid.

 

“The Exploding Man” (5/8/54) – The Beta crew takes on attempts to loot a uranium discovery on Ganymede.

 

“The Metal Eaters” (5/15/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Man who was Radioactive” (5/22/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

 

“The Cobalt Bomb” (5/29/54) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

THE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO SHOW

 

THE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO SHOW
(Syndication, September, 1952-May 1, 1954)

 

T.C.A. Productions, Inc.

 

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were an American comedy duo whose partnership spanned from 1935-57. Their pairing came about on the burlesque circuit when Abbott substituted for Costello’s regular partner after he took ill. At the insistence of other performers and Abbott’s wife, the two became a permanent team with Abbott playing the straight man to Costello’s dimwitted antics. Their work spanned between radio, film and television, making them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and early 1950s and the highest-paid entertainers in the world during WWII. Their routine “Who’s on First?”, which debuted on the radio in 1938 a month after their first broadcast, is considered one of the greatest comedy routines of all time. When changing tastes and overexposure reduced their popularity and their film and television contracts expired, the two went their separate ways; with Costello dying soon after in 1959.

But and Lou getting into antics with Mike the Cop and Sidney the landlord.

After being part of the rotating roster of hosts for The Colgate Comedy Hour, Abbott and Costello were given their own show. It was loosely based on their radio show and even shared the same title: The Abbott and Costello Show. The premise was that Abbott and Costello were unemployed actors sharing a rooming house apartment in Hollywood. A running gag featured Abbott constantly nagging Costello to get a job while he himself remained happily unemployed. Unlike typical sitcoms, the series was more of a showcase for the pair’s burlesque routines in a manner they could control (and own, as Costello owned the show with Abbott on salary) and put little emphasis on plot, character or continuity. If it was funny, it was in the show. Other characters included their landlord, Sidney Fields (himself); their neighbor and sometimes love-interest for Costello, Hillary Brooke (herself); Mike the cop (Gordon Jones), their dimwitted foil and occasional rival for Hillary; Mr. Bacciagalupe (Costello’s brother-in-law Joe Kirk), a stereotypical Italian immigrant that held whatever job the script required; and Stinky (Joe Besser), a 40-year-old little boy in a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit.

Lou outside with Stinky.

The Abbott and Costello Show debuted in the fall of 1952, sold into syndication by MCA Inc. to approximately 40 local stations across the country; meaning it was broadcast on different days at different times in different cities. Despite airing on CBS in New York City and later NBC, the series was never carried by a national network. The only time it received network airplay was when CBS broadcast reruns as part of their Saturday morning schedule for the 1954 season. The original intro featured a montage of scenes from the pair’s early Universal films and was followed by a framing sequence with them on a stage addressing the audience (sometimes with another cast member) at the beginning, middle and end. For the second season, Brooke, Kirk and Besser were dropped, the intro was simplified, the stage segments removed, and a more traditional sitcom format adopted with tighter plots at the insistence of series director and season producer Jean Yarbrough. The series aired in reruns through the 1990s, and again from the 2010s to the present on MeTV and sister network Decades.

YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH / THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW

 

YOU’LL NEVER GET RICH / THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW
(CBS, September 20, 1955-September 11, 1959)
 

The CBS Television Network

 

 

Created by Nat Hiken, the series centered on the adventures of Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko (Phil Silvers), the head of the motor pool of the unremarkable army post of Fort Baxter in the fictional town of Roseville Kansas. Bilko was a schemer who was always involved in some kind of swindle or get-rich-quick scam while trying to do as little actual work as possible. Under him were his right-hand men Captain Rocco Barbella (Harvey Lembeck) and Captain Steve Henshaw (Allan Melvin), as well as CaptaiN Sam Fender (Herbie Faye), Private Duane Doberman (Maurice Gosfield), Private Dino Paparelli (Billy Sands), Private Fielding Zimmerman (Mickey Freeman), Private Gander (Tige Andrews), Private Mullen (Jack Healy), Private Irving Fleishman (Maurice Brenner), Private Stash Kadowski (Karl Lukas), Private Claude Dillingham (Walter Cartier) and Private Sugarman (an African-American defying the segregation still prevalent at the time, played by Terry Carter). In charge of all of them was Bilko’s long-suffering commanding officer, Colonel John T. Hall (Paul Ford). Bilko’s men were fiercely loyal to him, despite the fact they were just as likely to be the target of his schemes as the participants. However, Bilko did have his own code of honor: only he got to fleece his men and would often turn his shady skills against anyone else that tried.

Bilko and his men.

Originally titled You’ll Never Get Rich during its first season, The Phil Silvers Show debuted on CBS on September 20, 1955, with a theme and music by John Strauss. Despite television production beginning to move from New York to California at the time, Hiken insisted on filming the show in New York and like a stage-play: in sequence in front of an audience (which often resulted in a lot of improvisations to cover for flubbed lines; particularly from Ford). When Hiken left the series after the third season, the show moved production to California and adopted an out-of-sequence format that everyone found easier. The setting was also moved to Camp Fremont in California to realistically allow Hollywood guest stars. Actor George Kennedy, who was a veteran, was the show’s technical advisor and got his acting start with a minor role as a military policeman. The series was nominated for several Primetime Emmys, winning a couple.

A face you can trust?

After four seasons and 143 episodes (not counting the original unaired pilot), CBS abruptly decided to end the show. It was too expensive to produce due to the large cast and they wanted to try and recoup some of the cost in rerun sales, which they felt couldn’t be done while a show was still airing. CBS sold the rights to NBC, who saw massive returns when they aired it five days a week. Silvers’ Bilko persona outlined the rest of his career; playing similar characters in various television shows and films. Hanna-Barbera would take inspiration from the character to churn out the titular character from Top Cat (which starred Gosfield) and Hokey Wolf, and even The Flintstones’ Dino had a Bilko-style voice for his debut episode (he just barked for the remainder of his appearances). The series would air in syndicated reruns off and on for the next several decades between network television and cable, sometimes under the titles Sergeant Bilko or Bilko. In 1996, a film adaptation starring Steve Martin was released to theaters by Universal Pictures called Sgt. Bilko. It was a critical and box office flop.

THE LONE RANGER (1949)

THE LONE RANGER (1949)

(ABC, September 15, 1949-June 6, 1957)

 

Apex Film, Wrather Productions (season 4-5)

 

             Created in 1933 for the radio by WXYZ (now WXYT) owner Georg W. Trendle and writer Fran Striker, The Lone Ranger was a masked cowboy vigilante. He began as a Texas Ranger named John Reid (Earle Graser until his death, Brace Beemer for the remainder, and several fill-ins), the sole survivor of an ambush on him and five of his fellow Rangers by a gang led by a man named Bartholomew “Butch” Cavendish (Bill Saunders). He was found and nursed to health by Native American Tonto (John Todd). Reid adopted the guise of the Lone Ranger to bring Cavendish to justice with Tonto and his trusty horse, Silver, by his side, and to continue to protect the west. As the Ranger was never identified as such verbally, those he helped were often left to ponder “Who was that masked man, anyway?” at the end of each episode. The show proved immensely popular, running until 1956 and spawning two Republic serials and books largely written by Striker. In 1949, Trendle brought the series to television with Clayton Moore in the title role and Jay Silverheels as Tonto.

The Lone Ranger, Tonto and Silver.

The Lone Ranger debuted on the fledgling ABC, who bought WXYZ in 1946, on September 15, 1949. Like the radio show, it used the ending of the “William Tell Overture” by Gioachino Rossini as its theme, which has become synonymous with the franchise as a result. 78 episodes were filmed and aired for 78 weeks, then rerun all-over again for another year. It became the first hit for the network, earning an Emmy nomination in 1950. For the next batch of 52 episodes, Moore was fired over a contractual dispute and replaced with John Hart. It was believed that the mask would hide the change and keep the audience invested, but he was disliked in the role and his episodes weren’t aired again until the 1980s. In 1954, Trendle sold the rights to Jack Wrather who produced another 52 episodes after promptly hiring back Moore. For the final season, only 39 episodes were produced, as that had become the industry standard, and Wrather fronted the money to produce them in color despite ABC still broadcasting in black and white. Wrather decided to skip dealing with the network and went on to produce two theatrical films, while ABC kept the show in daytime reruns for years.