Review Space Patrol (UK), Planet Patrol (US) (1963)

McQualude

Member: Rank 3
Space Patrol (known as Planet Patrol in the US), was a wonderful kids program created by Roberta Leigh, a protege of Gerry Anderson, from the early sixties that used marionettes. What really strikes me about this all but forgotten program is how influential it seems to have been on Star Trek. From the first episode you can see how Gene Roddenberry must have been influenced: the aggressive and masculine Martians with their high foreheads and voracious appetites are certainly forerunners of the Klingons while the elfin, unemotional, vegetarian and logical Venusians must have been inspirational in the creation of the Vulcans. The main plot revolves around a close knit trio of friends and their adventures visiting various planets. While obviously Roddenberry had more inspiration than this kid's show, in some ways Star Trek feels like a grown up version of Space Patrol.

It aired from 1963-68. Always loved the robot pacing back and forth. How they "put on the brakes" to keep from ramming into Jupiter. And Colonel Raeburn looks like Larry Tate from Bewitched. The whole series is on Youtube, search for planet patrol.

"With alacrity sir!"

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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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Background

Leigh had previously worked with Gerry Anderson on children's puppet series, and there are some obvious similarities between Space Patrol and Anderson's Fireball XL5, although Space Patrol was made on a lower budget. Arthur Provis, Anderson's former business partner in AP Films was responsible for the cinematography. For many years it was believed that all but a handful of episodes had been destroyed, until a complete cache of 16 mm prints was discovered in the garage at Roberta Leigh's home. Despite their scratched and grainy condition, they were of sufficient historic interest to warrant a commercial release, initially on VHS tapes, and later on DVD. Two episodes have survived from the original 35 mm prints and these were later made available on Blu-ray Disc. (This release is now out of print).


Summary

The series features the vocal talents of Dick Vosburgh, Ronnie Stevens, Libby Morris, Murray Kash and Ysanne Churchman, and comprises 39 half-hour episodes. This series is also known by its US title Planet Patrol to avoid confusion with the 1950s American live-action series of the same name. The marionettes used in the series incorporated some elements of Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation technique - specifically their mouths would move in synch with dialogue.


The series is set in the year 2100, by which time the indigenous and autonomous civilizations on Earth, Mars and Venus have banded together to form the United Galactic Organization (UGO). Space Patrol is the UGO's military wing, and the series follows the actions of this interplanetary force, focusing on the missions of a tiny unit led by the heroic, bearded Captain Larry Dart. The humanoids in his crew consist of the elfin Slim from Venus, and the stocky, ravenously sausage-mad Husky from the Red Planet, Mars. The imperfect Slavic accent variants and six-pointed star chest emblems of these two may have been a sly nod to the Jewish-Russian heritage of the English series creator/writer. These men would regularly use one of two interplanetary space vehicles, the Galisphere 347 and the Galisphere 024.

Providing technical support on Earth is the brilliant and inventive Irishman Professor Aloysius O’Brien O’Rourke Haggarty,[1] called "Pop" by his daughter Cassiopeia, to his perpetual dismay. Haggarty's garrulous pet Martian "parrot" (a Gabblerdictum bird), taught to talk in "The Slaves of Neptune" episode, accompanies the crew on rare occasions. Keeping them all on a tight rein are Colonel Raeburn and his super-efficient Venusian secretary, Marla, both also based on Earth.
 
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