Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
Encyclopedia
Tom Corbett is the main character
in a series of Tom Corbett — Space Cadet stories that were depicted in television
, radio
, books, comic book
s, comic strip
s, coloring books, punch-out books and View-Master
reels in the 1950s.
The stories followed the adventures of Tom Corbett, Astro, and Roger Manning, cadets at the Space Academy as they train to become members of the elite Solar Guard. The action takes place at the Academy in classrooms and bunkrooms, aboard their training ship the rocket cruiser Polaris, and on alien worlds, both within our solar system and in orbit around nearby stars.
was portrayed a desert, Venus
was a steaming jungle, and the asteroid
belt was a haunt of space pirate
s. Nevertheless, Tom Corbett — Space Cadet was the most scientifically accurate series then on television, partly due to its science advisor, Willy Ley
, and later because Frankie Thomas
took an interest in astronomy.
developed Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, inspired by the Robert A. Heinlein
novel Space Cadet
(1948) but based on his own prior work. Greene had submitted a radio script for "Tom Ranger" and the "Space Cadets" on January 16, 1946, but it remained unperformed when Heinlein's novel was published. Greene then reworked his radio script into a script for a daily newspaper adventure strip, which was never produced.
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, and on NBC again from December 1954 to June 1955, with the final broadcast on June 25, 1955.
See also List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network and List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts.
. Written under the pseudonym Carey Rockwell, with Willy Ley as technical advisor.
In 1953 a slim children's book titled Tom Corbett's Wonder Book of Space (or Tom Corbett: A Trip to the Moon) was written by Marcia Martin and published by Wonder Books.
, drawn in Milton Caniff
style by Ray Bailey, ran Sunday and daily in American newspapers, from September 9, 1951 to September 6, 1953. Paul S. Newman
scripted through February 8, 1953.
beginning in their 4-Color series. The 4-Color series was used to try out new story lines on the public to obtain feedback. If successful the series would be spun off to form its own title. Tom Corbett won his own title after three tryout issues. As the popularity of the television series waned, Dell stopped producing the comic book and the series was then taken up and produced by Prize Comics. There were a small number of Tom Corbett comic books in Manga style published in the 1990s by Eternity Comics
, but these are universally rejected as non-canonical by Tom Corbett fans.
and the first issue was released at the end of September 2009.
packet containing three reels. Its three-dimensional photographs were brilliantly colored but were taken of sculptures of the characters and models of the spacecraft and props. The story was of finding on the moon a miniature pyramid made by unknown aliens, which led to a clue on Mars, and finally to fighting interplanetary crooks in the asteroid belt.
There were also several coloring books; a punch-out book; a costume for kids; a lunch box; a pocketwatch; a Space Academy playset with plastic figures; a set of rubber molds for making plaster-of-Paris figures, furniture and vehicles, made by Marx toys; a Little Golden Book; and a Little Golden Record of the Space Academy song ("From the rocket fields of the academy/ to the far flung stars of outer space,/ we are space cadets training to be/ ready for dangers we may face"). Two other records presented Space Cadet adventures, starring the original TV/radio cast: "Tom Corbett Space Cadet at Space Academy," and "Rescue in Space: Tom Corbett, Space Cadet."
On the back of boxes of Kellogg's Pep Cereal
were cardboard cutouts of a space cadet cap, gauntlets and a ray gun, and the company made a direct tie-in with the product Kellogg's Pep: The Solar Cereal.
The show was the subject of a parody, "Lawrence Fechtenberger, Interstellar Officer Candidate," a serial that made several appearances on programs of Bob and Ray
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in a series of Tom Corbett — Space Cadet stories that were depicted in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, books, comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s, coloring books, punch-out books and View-Master
View-Master
View-Master is a device for viewing seven 3-D images on a paper disk. Although the View-Master is now considered a children's toy, it was originally marketed as a way for viewers to enjoy stereograms of colorful and picturesque tourist attractions.-1939–66: stereoscopic sightseeing:In 1911,...
reels in the 1950s.
The stories followed the adventures of Tom Corbett, Astro, and Roger Manning, cadets at the Space Academy as they train to become members of the elite Solar Guard. The action takes place at the Academy in classrooms and bunkrooms, aboard their training ship the rocket cruiser Polaris, and on alien worlds, both within our solar system and in orbit around nearby stars.
Scientific accuracy
The science of the Tom Corbett universe was highly fictionalized. MarsMars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
was portrayed a desert, Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
was a steaming jungle, and the asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
belt was a haunt of space pirate
Space pirate
Space pirates are a type of stock characters from science fiction. They operate as pirates in outer space and travel by spacecraft; as opposed to the more traditional pirates on the high seas of Earth, who travel by boat...
s. Nevertheless, Tom Corbett — Space Cadet was the most scientifically accurate series then on television, partly due to its science advisor, Willy Ley
Willy Ley
Willy Ley was a German-American science writer and space advocate who helped popularize rocketry and spaceflight in both Germany and the United States. The crater Ley on the far side of the Moon is named in his honor.-Life:...
, and later because Frankie Thomas
Frankie Thomas
Frank Marion Thomas, Jr. was an American actor, author and bridge-strategy expert who played both lead and supporting roles on Broadway, in films, in post-World War II radio, and in early television. He was best known for his starring role in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.-Early years:Thomas was born...
took an interest in astronomy.
Origin
Joseph Lawrence Greene of Grosset & DunlapGrosset & Dunlap
Grosset & Dunlap is a United States book publisher founded in 1898.The company was purchased by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1982 and today is part of the British publishing conglomerate, Pearson PLC through its American subsidiary Penguin Group....
developed Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, inspired by the Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
novel Space Cadet
Space Cadet
Space Cadet is a 1948 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein about Matt Dodson, who joins the Space Patrol to help preserve peace in the Solar System. The story translates the standard military academy story into outer space: a boy from Iowa goes to officer school, sees action and adventure,...
(1948) but based on his own prior work. Greene had submitted a radio script for "Tom Ranger" and the "Space Cadets" on January 16, 1946, but it remained unperformed when Heinlein's novel was published. Greene then reworked his radio script into a script for a daily newspaper adventure strip, which was never produced.
Television
TV is the medium where Tom Corbett first appeared. The stories initially closely followed the scripts written for the unpublished newspaper comic strip Tom Ranger, Space Cadet, by Joseph Greene from 1949. The series aired, in different years, on all four major television networks: on CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from October 2 to December 1950, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from January 1951 to September 1952, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from July to September 1951, DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
from August 1953 to May 1954, and on NBC again from December 1954 to June 1955, with the final broadcast on June 25, 1955.
Cast
- Tom Corbett -- Frankie Thomas, Jr.Frankie ThomasFrank Marion Thomas, Jr. was an American actor, author and bridge-strategy expert who played both lead and supporting roles on Broadway, in films, in post-World War II radio, and in early television. He was best known for his starring role in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.-Early years:Thomas was born...
- Astro -- Al Markim
- Roger Manning -- Jan MerlinJan MerlinJan Merlin is an American character actor, screen writer, and author.- Career :Born and raised in New York USA, during the Second World War he enlisted in the US Navy to serve on three successive ships in the North Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, accumulating ten battle stars before entering Japan's...
- Captain Steve Strong -- Edward Bryce
- Dr. Joan Dale -- Margaret Garland
- Commander Arkwright -- Carter Blake
- Cadet Alfie Higgins -- John FiedlerJohn FiedlerJohn Donald Fiedler was an American voice actor and character actor in stage, film, television and radio. He was slight, balding, and bespectacled, with a distinctive, high-pitched voice and a career lasting more than 55 years.He is best remembered for four roles: as the nervous Juror #2 in 12...
- Cadet Eric Rattison -- Frank SuttonFrank SuttonFrank Spencer Sutton was an American actor best remembered for his role of Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter on the CBS television series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.-Early life:...
- Cadet T. J. Thistle -- Jack GrimesJack Grimes (actor)Jack Grimes was an American voice and radio actor who played Jimmy Olsen in the last three years of The Adventures of Superman radio program, the 1966 Filmation TV series The New Adventures of Superman, and the 1967 anime, Speed Racer.-Biography:Grimes was born in New York City...
- 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
- Technical Advisor -- Willy LeyWilly LeyWilly Ley was a German-American science writer and space advocate who helped popularize rocketry and spaceflight in both Germany and the United States. The crater Ley on the far side of the Moon is named in his honor.-Life:...
- Writers: Albert Aley, Stu Byrnes, Frankie Thomas, Jr., Ray Morse, Jack Weinstock, Willy Gilbert, Alfred BesterAlfred BesterAlfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books...
& others.
See also List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network and List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts.
Books
1952 - 1956 published by Grosset & DunlapGrosset & Dunlap
Grosset & Dunlap is a United States book publisher founded in 1898.The company was purchased by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1982 and today is part of the British publishing conglomerate, Pearson PLC through its American subsidiary Penguin Group....
. Written under the pseudonym Carey Rockwell, with Willy Ley as technical advisor.
- Stand By For Mars (1952)
- Danger in Deep Space (1953)
- On the Trail of the Space Pirates (1953)
- The Space Pioneers (1953)
- The Revolt on Venus (1954)
- Treachery in Outer Space (1954)
- Sabotage in Space (1955)
- The Robot Rocket (1956)
In 1953 a slim children's book titled Tom Corbett's Wonder Book of Space (or Tom Corbett: A Trip to the Moon) was written by Marcia Martin and published by Wonder Books.
Comic strip
The Tom Corbett — Space Cadet comic stripComic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
, drawn in Milton Caniff
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
style by Ray Bailey, ran Sunday and daily in American newspapers, from September 9, 1951 to September 6, 1953. Paul S. Newman
Paul S. Newman
Paul S. Newman was an American writer of comic books, comic strips, and books, whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s...
scripted through February 8, 1953.
Comic books
The original Tom Corbett series was published by Dell ComicsDell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
beginning in their 4-Color series. The 4-Color series was used to try out new story lines on the public to obtain feedback. If successful the series would be spun off to form its own title. Tom Corbett won his own title after three tryout issues. As the popularity of the television series waned, Dell stopped producing the comic book and the series was then taken up and produced by Prize Comics. There were a small number of Tom Corbett comic books in Manga style published in the 1990s by Eternity Comics
Eternity Comics
Eternity Comics was a California-based comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1994, first as an independent publisher, then as an imprint of Malibu Comics. Eternity published creator-owned comics of an offbeat, independent flavor, as well as some licensed properties...
, but these are universally rejected as non-canonical by Tom Corbett fans.
Dell Comics
February 1952 - September-November 1954- Titan Sabotage Dell 4-Color #378
- Space Pirates Dell 4-Color #400
- Colonist of Space Colony Io Dell 4-Color #421
- Lost Race of Asorians Tom Corbett #4
- The Smugglers of the Moon Tom Corbett #5
- Blue Men of Tara Tom Corbett #6
- The Space Traitor Tom Corbett #7
- Spaceship Graveyard Tom Corbett #8
- The World of Deep Waters Tom Corbett #9
- Asteroid Treasure Hunt Tom Corbett #10
- The Forbidden Forest Tom Corbett #11
- Slavers of Space March of Comics #102
Prize Comics
May 1955 - October 1955- Prize TC Vol.2 #1
- The Spaceship of Doom
- Octopus Tree
- The Spaceways of Peril
- Prize TC Vol.2 #2
- The Outlaws of Uranus
- The Invaders
- Wolf Planet
- Prize TC Vol.2 #3
- Dangerous Cargo
- The Drifter
- The Craters of Mercury
Eternity Comics
1990- Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
- Tom Corbett, Space Cadet - Book Two
- The Original Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
Bluewater Productions
A new series has been launched by Bluewater ProductionsBluewater Productions
Bluewater Productions, Inc. is an independent production studio of comic books and graphic novels. Based in Vancouver, Washington, Bluewater publishes biographical comics, adaptations from films and original titles with self-created characters, most notably of publisher Darren G...
and the first issue was released at the end of September 2009.
Radio
The cast for the radio program was the same as for the television series. The show ran from January 1, 1952 - June 26, 1952, initially in 15-minute segments three times a week and then as a half-hour show twice a week. A radio version produced in Australia used local actors.Music
There was also a musical recording in 1951 called "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, Song and March" and other songs ("Tom Corbett Space Cadet At Space Academy," "Rescue In Space" and Tom Corbett Space Cadet Song and March”). These were performed by the Space Cadet Marching Band and released on Golden Sound Records.Other media
There was a Tom Corbett — Space Cadet View-MasterView-Master
View-Master is a device for viewing seven 3-D images on a paper disk. Although the View-Master is now considered a children's toy, it was originally marketed as a way for viewers to enjoy stereograms of colorful and picturesque tourist attractions.-1939–66: stereoscopic sightseeing:In 1911,...
packet containing three reels. Its three-dimensional photographs were brilliantly colored but were taken of sculptures of the characters and models of the spacecraft and props. The story was of finding on the moon a miniature pyramid made by unknown aliens, which led to a clue on Mars, and finally to fighting interplanetary crooks in the asteroid belt.
There were also several coloring books; a punch-out book; a costume for kids; a lunch box; a pocketwatch; a Space Academy playset with plastic figures; a set of rubber molds for making plaster-of-Paris figures, furniture and vehicles, made by Marx toys; a Little Golden Book; and a Little Golden Record of the Space Academy song ("From the rocket fields of the academy/ to the far flung stars of outer space,/ we are space cadets training to be/ ready for dangers we may face"). Two other records presented Space Cadet adventures, starring the original TV/radio cast: "Tom Corbett Space Cadet at Space Academy," and "Rescue in Space: Tom Corbett, Space Cadet."
On the back of boxes of Kellogg's Pep Cereal
Pep Cereal
Pep was a brand of whole-wheat breakfast cereal produced by the Kellogg Company, and introduced in 1923. Pep was a long-running rival to Wheaties, and also the sponsor of Mutual Radio's Superman radio series. One of Pep's advertising slogans was "the Sunshine cereal".Pep became one of the first...
were cardboard cutouts of a space cadet cap, gauntlets and a ray gun, and the company made a direct tie-in with the product Kellogg's Pep: The Solar Cereal.
The show was the subject of a parody, "Lawrence Fechtenberger, Interstellar Officer Candidate," a serial that made several appearances on programs of Bob and Ray
Bob and Ray
Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were an American comedy team whose career spanned five decades. Their format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such as conducting radio or television interviews, with off-the-wall dialogue presented in a generally deadpan style as...
.
External links
- The Solar Guard Website
- Roaring Rockets: Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
- Space Hero Files: Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
- Tom Corbett, Space Cadet ABC Radio Series
- Listen to episodes of the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet radio program
- Frankie Thomas Tribute at The Thunder Child web magazine
- "The Original Space Cadet," by Frank Kuznik, Air and Space, April-May 1995
- Details and Cover Gallery of the Dell Tom Corbet series
- Illustrations from the 1950s book series
- The Solar Guard: The Tom Corbett Page (information about the books)