A Quick Look at TV: ROCKY JONES, SPACE RANGER

   There were dozens of space adventure heroes developed for local TV stations across the country. Most of these shows were done live and not many produced outside of LA or New York were Kinescoped. An exception was Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. This series was shot on film and syndicated through much of the country. Those who didn't catch it on television probably saw one of the several feature films edited from the series for kiddie matinees (among them BEYOND THE MOON, MANHUNT IN SPACE, MENACE FROM OUTER SPACE, CRASH OF MOONS, SILVER NEEDLE IN THE SKY, etc). Because of all this, Rocky Jones remained one of the most visible and well-preserved space heroes of the era. Also, Rocky wasn't slapped together by locals at a UHF affiliate. His adventures were professionally produced in Hollywood, with greater production values than most such heroes saw. Richard Crane played Rocky, the square-jawed man of action who tried to keep peace in the universe from his advanced rocket, the Orbit Jet. As a Ranger, Rocky was employed both to police and to observe the space ways. Much of the time we spent with Rocky involved diplomatic missions to alien worlds. Scotty Beckett was Winky, Rocky's co-pilot and right hand man. He was the designated comic relief, but like Space Patrol's Cadet Happy, could always be counted on when things got serious. Sally Mansfield was Rocky's romantic interest, Vena, though she didn't seem to get wooed very often with the call of duty always sounding. The feature films fell into the public domain and some of them can be found on numerous multi-movie sets from companies like Mill Creek. Though edited from TV episodes, the movies seldom come across as such, playing more like actual (if economical) features.