1950s "Rocketman" TV Series and Their Fans Cadets, Rangers, and Junior Space Men

by Miller, Cynthia J.; Van Riper, A. Bowdoin

• ISBN13: 9780230377318
• ISBN10: 0230377319
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-09-18
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The heyday of the televised rocketman came before our actual travels in space occurred and was a burgeoning time in TV history. Before astronauts like John Glenn, Alan Shepard, and Neil Armstrong were household names, before the 'one small step' that left America's national footprint on the Moon, and before the wonders of science fiction became the wonders of science fact, battles were fought with Para-Ray guns and Cosmic Vibrators, 'Opticon Scillometers' scanned through walls, heroes in jetpacks soared through the skies, and the universe was full of wonder. The fourteen essays featured here focus on series such as Space Patrol, Tom Corbett, and Captain Z-Ro, exploring their roles in the day-to-day lives of their fans through topics such as mentoring, promotion of the real-world space program, merchandising, gender issues, and ranger clubs - all the while promoting the fledgling medium of television.

Author Biography

Cynthia J. Miller is a cultural anthropologist specializing in visual media at the Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson College. She is also director of communication for the Centre for the Study of Film and History at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, as well as film review editor for the journal Film History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies. She is the editor of Too Bold for the Box Office: The Mockumentary from Big Screen to Small and has guest-edited themed issues of Post Script: Essays in Film and the Humanities and Film History (with A. Bowdoin Van Riper). A. Bowdoin Van Riper is an independent historian who specializes in depictions of science and technology in popular culture. His publications include Science and Popular Culture: A Reference Guide (2002), Imagining Flight: Aviation and the Popular Imagination (2003), and A Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists and Inventors in American Film and Television (2011).

Table of Contents

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