Spacemens Luck

 

Where Tom Corbett, Captain Video, CMDR Corry and Other Spacemen Still Live

Jan Merlin actor who played Roger Manning in the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet

Space Travel Hero Role: Cadet Roger Manning of the Solar Guard’s Space Academy in the Television and Radio series “Tom Corbett, Space Cadet” 1950 – 1954. Fifty years after the series ended, he is still making personal appearances as a result of that role.

Space Travel Bio:
In the fall of 1950 he became the idol of millions of children when he won the role as Cadet Roger Manning in the Television series Tom Corbett, Space Cadet as a member of the elite Solar Guard, 400 years in the future. It is this role, especially to classic space travel enthusiasts for which this site is dedicated, and that of Lieutenant Colin Kirby, Confederate officer turned soldier of fortune, in the 1958 Television series “The Rough Riders,” he is most famous for.

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Prolific Classic Space Travel Actor Morris Ankrum

Space Travel Hero Role: Morris Ankrum was a versatile actor who began acting late in life and who specialized in playing roles of senior governement officials. This was especially true in his many roles as a General in charge of dealing with alien invasions, most memorably as Colonel Fielding in the classic 1953 movie Invaders from Mars.

Space Travel Bio: Born Morris Nussbaum in Danville, Illinois, Ankrum’s originally began his career in academics. After graduating from USC with a law degree, he went on to an associate professorship in economics at the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley, he became involved in the drama department and eventually began teaching drama and directing at the Pasadena Playhouse.

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Journey into Space

Space Travel Hero Role:
Andrew Faulds was the actor who played Captain Jet Morgan In the classic BBC radio serial of the 1950′s “Journey Into Space .”

Space Travel Bio:
After graduating from the University of Glasgow, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1948 but first came to a wider public recognition playing Jet Morgan in Charles Chilton’s radio drama Journey Into Space on the BBC Light Programme.

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Actor Richard Crane Played Rocky Jones, Space Ranger

Space Travel Hero Role: Rocky Jones, Space Ranger

Played by Richard Crane, Rocky was the quintessential action hero – brave, strong, handsome, highly moral, and always ready to defend his beliefs with action. To the women of the stories he was irresistible, even to arch villainess Cleolanta, but there were no kisses or other physical displays.

The show was based on the exploits of the clean-cut, square-jawed Rocky Jones, the best known of the Space Rangers. The Space Rangers were Earth-based space policemen who patrolled the United Worlds of the Solar System in the not-too-distant future.

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Buster Crabbe in the 1930s

Space Travel Hero Role:
Buster Crabbe played both Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers in the feature sci-fi serials of the 1930′s and 1940′s.

Space Travel Bio:
Born Clarence “Buster” Linden Crabbe in Oakland, California on February 17, 1908, Buster Crabbe spent his formative years in Hawaii, where he learned to swim. Prior to winning a gold medal in 1932 for the 400-meter freestyle, Crabbe had graduated from college and attempted to break into films with a few bit parts while working as a stunt double. Crabbe landed a contract with Paramount Studios in 1933.

Buster Crabbe won a gold medal in the 400 Meter Swimming Freestyle at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He also won a bronze medal in the 1500 Meter Freestyle at the 19228 Amsterdam Olympics.

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Classic Space Travel Actor Peter Graves

Space Travel Hero Role: 1950′s Actor for Science Fiction and Classic Space Travel Movies.

What They Are Doing Today:
Peter Graves passed away this past week on 14 March 2010 at the age of 83 in Pacific Palisades, California. Peter Graves died of an apparent heart attack. A legendary actor of 1950′s SciFi and classic Space Travel Movies is with us no more.

Space Travel Bio:
Peter (Aurness) Graves born 1926 in Minneapolis, Minnesota was the younger brother of James (Aurness) Arness himself a Classic Space Travel actor as the alien from 1951′s The Thing from Another World, and long time actor of Televisions Marshall Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke. Peter (Aurness) Graves took his grandfather’s name (Graves) to cut down on the confusion between him and his older brother.

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Space Patrol Show Logo

Space Travel Hero Role: Television and Radio series Space Patrol as “Buzz Corry” Commander in Chief of the Space Patrol

What They Are Doing Today: Ed Kimmer passed away on November 09, 2004 age 84 in New York City, New York

Ed Kemmer, who played Commander “Buzz” Corry, Commander in Chief of the Space Patrol, in the popular ABC 1950′s sci-fi television and radio show Space Patrol.

Space Patrol chronicled the adventures of Commander “Buzz” Corry, who fought intergalactic villains of the 30th century while flying around in the Space Patrols Terra V spacecraft with comic sidekick, Cadet Happy, played by Lyn Osborn.

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Tom Corbett Space Cadet Show Logo

Space Travel Hero Role: Television and Radio series “Tom Corbett, Space Cadet” 1950 – 1955. Fifty years after the series ended, he was still making personal appearances as a result of that role.

What They Are Doing Today: Tom passed away on May 11, 2006 at age 85 only a few weeks before he was to appear as a special guest at the 2006 Worldcon in Los Angeles (LA Con IV).

Biography
Frankie Thomas began acting on Broadway in the early 1930′s and soon went to Hollywood, where he appeared in films including Tim Tyler’s Luck (1937 serial), Boys Town (1938), the Dead End Kids at Military School (1939), Flying Cadets (1941) and The Major and the Minor (1942) as well as four Nancy Drew movies.

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Whatever Became Of Your Favorite Classic Space Travel Actor

Have you ever wondered “Whatever Became of…” someone who years ago was famous and you haven’t heard of them in years? Here at Spacemen’s Luck I have wondered “Whatever Became of…” the many personalities who played Classic Space Travel characters that helped form my vision of Space Travel in the 1950′s and 1960′s.

Not being someone who is willing to wait for someone else to do it for me and after a search around the internet I found no single source discussing “Whatever Became of…” those Classic Space Travelers.

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