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Captain Video

 Captain Video
type
TVTItem
 Captain Video
label
Captain Video
 Captain Video
page
CaptainVideo
 Captain Video
comment
Live-action TV show (full title Captain Video and His Video Rangers) produced and aired on DuMont from 1949-55. Due to the limitations of technology at the time, Captain Video, like most shows of The '50s, was done live (i.e. what the cameras saw went out to the viewers).The show followed the adventures of Captain Video, an agent of good who was billed at the opening of each show as the "Master of Time and Space" and an "e-lec-tronic wizard" who helped maintain peace on Earth and abroad, aided by the Video Rangers.It was the first science-fiction TV show, something that was perpetually at odds with its strapped production budget. It's still occasionally mentioned by humor writer Dave Barry (see above), who was a huge fan as a kid, and especially loves to bring up the Captain's communicator just being a regular phone, which he attempted to disguise by talking into the listening end like a microphone. In fact, many of the Captain's things were simply whatever was handy. In The Forgotten Network, a book about DuMont, it's mentioned that the uniform Captain Video wears is modified Army surplus, and one of his weapons (a rather fearsome-looking gun) was made from a car muffler.The list of writers for the show is pretty much a who's who of classic sci-fi: Isaac Asimov, James Blish, Arthur C. Clarke, Damon Knight, Robert Sheckley and Jack Vance are among those who wrote for the series.
 Captain Video
fetched
2023-05-13T13:00:15Z
 Captain Video
parsed
2023-05-13T13:00:15Z
 Captain Video
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Captain Video / int_11ec1fd5
type
Off-the-Shelf FX
 Captain Video / int_11ec1fd5
comment
Off-the-Shelf FX: The show was broadcast for most of its existence from a studio in the New York Wanamaker's department store building; the production crew often went downstairs a few minutes before airtime to get materials for the props.
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Captain Video / int_11ec1fd5
 Captain Video / int_27ca4801
type
The Film of the Series
 Captain Video / int_27ca4801
comment
The Film of the Series: More specifically, a serial. Columbia Pictures did a 15-chapter serial called Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere in 1951. Despite a larger budget, it looked as cheap as the TV series. It was the only serial ever based on a TV series.
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Captain Video / int_27ca4801
 Captain Video / int_3517000d
type
Mad Scientist
 Captain Video / int_3517000d
comment
Mad Scientist: Dr. Pauli
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Captain Video / int_3517000d
 Captain Video / int_37499c8
type
OnceAnEpisode
 Captain Video / int_37499c8
comment
Once an Episode: See Stock Footage below
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 Captain Video / int_4856ac40
type
Stock Footage
 Captain Video / int_4856ac40
comment
Stock Footage: Probably the most bizarre part of each episode was the Video Ranger Broadcast, a Show Within a Show in which viewers saw some of Captain Video's agents at work on various parts of Earth. While a necessity (the footage ran for several minutes, allowing the actors to change outfits and/or get to another set, as well as providing cheap padding), it wouldn't have been nearly as bizarre had the footage not always come from cowboy films. This was a leftover from the initial concept of the series, which was to be a western movie slot hosted by Captain Video; by the time the show was retooled into a sci-fi program, DuMont had already paid for the rights to the films and the perpetually cash-strapped network didn't want the money to go to waste, hence the bizarre interludes.
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Captain Video / int_4856ac40
 Captain Video / int_5a93406c
type
Fishbowl Helmet
 Captain Video / int_5a93406c
comment
Fishbowl Helmet: The spacemen's helmets looked like inverted fishbowls. With this show's budget, they probably were.
 Captain Video / int_5a93406c
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Captain Video / int_5a93406c
 Captain Video / int_5ed3ace2
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Batman Can Breathe in Space
 Captain Video / int_5ed3ace2
comment
Batman Can Breathe in Space: Featured some scenes that were, in fact, supposed to be in space ships, in which the characters would wear crash helmets and goggles...since that's apparently all you need to survive in the depths of space if you have some kind of accident.
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 Captain Video / int_7c4f6612
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Comic-Book Adaptation
 Captain Video / int_7c4f6612
comment
Comic-Book Adaptation: Fawcett Comics had a six-issue series in 1951.
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Captain Video / int_7c4f6612
 Captain Video / int_7f84552e
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Tin-Can Robot
 Captain Video / int_7f84552e
comment
Tin-Can Robot: Tobor.
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 Captain Video / int_808b6d16
type
Sdrawkcab Name
 Captain Video / int_808b6d16
comment
Sdrawkcab Name: It featured a robot named Tobor. The stencil on its body was meant to read "ROBOT I" but was accidentally applied backwards, making it look like it read "I TOBOR".
 Captain Video / int_808b6d16
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Captain Video / int_808b6d16
 Captain Video / int_890afd34
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Space Cadet
 Captain Video / int_890afd34
comment
Space Cadet: The Video Ranger
 Captain Video / int_890afd34
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Captain Video / int_890afd34
 Captain Video / int_8a8b2a87
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And Knowing Is Half the Battle
 Captain Video / int_8a8b2a87
comment
And Knowing Is Half the Battle: "Video Ranger messages" would air during the commercial breaks. When those weren't used to hawk Captain Video merchandise, they would be public service announcements on civics and morality. One example called for viewers to fight against racist and religious discrimination, which was rather forward-thinking for an early 1950s TV show.
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Captain Video / int_8a8b2a87
 Captain Video / int_8e0bedfe
type
Kid Sidekick
 Captain Video / int_8e0bedfe
comment
Kid Sidekick: The Video Ranger.
 Captain Video / int_8e0bedfe
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Captain Video / int_8e0bedfe
 Captain Video / int_aaa1fa9
type
Captain Space, Defender of Earth!
 Captain Video / int_aaa1fa9
comment
Captain Space, Defender of Earth!: Captain Video himself.
 Captain Video / int_aaa1fa9
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 Captain Video / int_bbb3a5a0
type
Splash of Color
 Captain Video / int_bbb3a5a0
comment
Splash of Color: In the serial, Captain Video and his Video Ranger often visit the planets of Atoma and Theros. Since the scenes for both were filmed at Bronson Canyon, they were distinguished by color tinting in the original prints: the Atoma scenes were pink and the Theros scenes were green. The rest of the scenes were in black-and-white.
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Captain Video / int_bbb3a5a0
 Captain Video / int_da0eeab5
type
Breakout Character
 Captain Video / int_da0eeab5
comment
Breakout Character: Tobor was a recurring character in the series but grew in popularity as he was the first robot on television and he soon had to own film and unproduced tv series.
 Captain Video / int_da0eeab5
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 Captain Video / int_e431c24c
type
Not Quite Dead
 Captain Video / int_e431c24c
comment
Not Quite Dead: Dr Pauli was killed off four times, only to be brought back each time due to fan demand.
 Captain Video / int_e431c24c
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Captain Video / int_e431c24c
 Captain Video / int_fc0e4e49
type
Styrofoam Rocks
 Captain Video / int_fc0e4e49
comment
Styrofoam Rocks: A struggle between the spunky sidekick and Villain of the Week tipped over one of the 'rocks', leaving its hollow construction facing the camera while the two actors 'subtly' tried to put it back while carrying on their fight.
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Captain Video / int_fc0e4e49
 Captain Video / int_name
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Captain Video

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Captain Video
hasFeature
Captain Space, Defender of Earth! / int_bd4f1e5e
 Captain Video
hasFeature
Captain Superhero / int_bd4f1e5e
 Captain Video
seeAlso
Captain Video
 DuMont
seeAlso
Captain Video
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Film Serial / int_bd4f1e5e
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Fishbowl Helmet / int_bd4f1e5e
 Captain Video
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Raster Vision / int_bd4f1e5e
 Captain Video
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Sdrawkcab Name / int_bd4f1e5e
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hasFeature
Space Cadet / int_bd4f1e5e
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hasFeature
Styrofoam Rocks / int_bd4f1e5e
 Captain Video
hasFeature
The '40s / int_bd4f1e5e