I would like this: Rocky Jones, Space Ranger Tunic, 1954

Space Ranger Shoulder Patch

This jacket represents one of the only known pieces to have survived from Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, an important early TV program that aired April-July, 1954. The jacket's militaristic design was a huge influence on uniforms in later sci-fi series like Star Trek and Lost In Space.  (images via Hake's)

Rocky Jones, Space Ranger Tunic

Flash Gordon - In the Water World of Mongo, 1937

Artwork by Alex Raymond, Story by Don Moore - Whitman #1407, A Big Little Book, ©1937 King Features Syndicate, Inc.  (via Hake's)

Cover Art: Alex Raymond

Back Cover Art: Alex Raymond

The Sci-Fi Orbs As Imagined By Vargo Statten and René Brantonne

Les Fabricants de Soleil (The Sun Makers) 1952

English author Vargo Statten (aka John Russell Fearn) and French illustrator extraordinaire, René Brantonne teamed up a number of times during the 1950s and early 1960s creating works for the science fiction book series, Anticipation, published by Black River of France. Orbs of one kind or another figured prominently in Brantonne's cover art. Feast your eyes on these dandies from the 1950s.

La Planète Pétrifiée (The Petrified Planet) 1952

Course vers Pluton (Deadline To Pluto) 1953

Infernale Menace (English Edition: The Red Insects) 1953

A Travers les Ages (Across The Ages) 1954

Mystérieux Délai  (English Version: A Time Appointed) 1956

L'Homme Multiple (The Multi-Man) 1957

Stardust The Super Wizard: He's Just That Kinda Guy

Yes, that's Stardust on the left - he's a big guy. On the right is De Structo - the image is a preview of what's to come. Meet De Structo - a man with a plan...

So, the megalomaniac sets off his plot to exterminate everyone who holds any power: congress leaders and cabinet members, publishers of newspapers and magazines, members of the FBI, the Secret Service and military intelligence, big bankers, industrial leaders everywhere, the army and navy officers and the enlisted men as well, city and state police. Basically, De Structo's list is pretty much a who's-who of persons who are quite unpopular with numerous folks today.

Things go pretty much according to plan until Stardust 'bursts out of space,' destroys De Structo's tech with his supersolar disintegrating ray, and restores order with his powerful counter-acting ray.  There's just one more detail to work out...

And now comes the strange...

Stardust is harsh...he's a karma man...

Wait for it...

THE END...

Comic can be found at Comic Books Plus: Big 3 #2, Winter 1941

Were You There During The Great Martian War?

Using World War I archival footage, CGI, and some reenactment footage as well, this shows what a real Martian War would have looked like in 1914. Found at http://vimeo.com/107454954. The footage is from a fake documentary called "The Great Martian War"

H/T Author Fabio Evangelista da Silva Publisher Page

Archive recreation for The Great Martian War documentary by impossible factual for History Canada.
Directed by Christian Johnson, (Plazma). and Steve Maher (impossible factual).
plazmadesign.co.uk
Music: "88" by Working for a Nuclear Free City.
history.co.uk/shows/the-great-martian-war

Read All About It: 'The Man From Planet X'

EXTRA! EXTRA! INVASION FROM SPACE - The Man from Planet X, 1951 (USA) promotional news sheet. (image via wrong side of the art)

Right click & choose view image for larger view.

If you have time for a movie, you can view The Man From Planet X below.


The Man from Planet X by MargaliMorwentari

What Curiosity Can't Show Us About Mars

The cities are underground!


Original Cinecolor theatrical trailer for the 1951 Monogram Pictures' space adventure, FLIGHT TO MARS, starring Cameron Mitchell, Marguerite Chapman and Arthur Franz.

Long Ago And Far Away - The Empire Strikes Back (1950)

A brilliant Premake trailer of The Empire Strikes Back (1950 from whoiseyevan on YouTube:

Let's turn back the clock, shall we? Back to a distant time in an alternate universe far, far away... The 50s! It was a simpler age of 3-D movies, and robots named Robby, Gort, and Tobor. A hidden gem of this period in cinema is a little film called "The Empire Strikes Back", the second chapter in a planned three-part epic science fiction trilogy. While the preceding and succeeding episodes were never actually produced due to budgetary constraints, "Empire" shines as an example of 1950s 3-D space opera. The re-release of this trailer coincides with the 60th anniversary of this amazing film.

The Seemingly Impossible Mission For Space Cadets In 1953

In 1953 Ralston foods began distribution of Space Patrol premium trading cards inspired by the popular 1950's TV and radio outer-space drama - one random card was included in every box of Wheat and Rice Chex. The complete set consists of 40 separate cards - needless to say, the collectors probably had to buy a whole lot of Chex cereals to get them all. But what good space cadet could resist trying? The collection came in three sub-sets - Space Heroes/Stars, Rockets/Jets and Weapons (it really should have been Rockets/Jets and Tech), and Planets. The three sub-sets are shown below - the full color illustrations are way cool. This full set auctioned at Hake's in May 2007 - the final winning bid was $4,437.62. It was the first complete set ever sold in Hake's 40 year history.  (Click on the images to enlarge)

Space Heroes/Stars

Rockets/Jets and 'Weapons'

Planets

Is This Cool Or What...?

It's the 1968 Dr. Evil 'Lab Kit' deluxe boxed set by IDEAL.

In addition to the 11.5" tall poseable figure of Dr. Evil dressed in synthetic fabric jacket/pants, figure is complete w/separate sandals and medallion. Additionally, set includes 'Laser Gun, Reducer, Thought Sensor helmet, Dr. Thorpe Disguise, [and] Dr. Ling Disguise' (which is placed on added head mold, making for nice display), 'Lab Coat, Dessicator' and 'Hypnotic Eye' accessories/costumes.

This way cool Dr. Evil kit is on auction at Hake's for a nice little chunk'a'change - it's a wonderful artifact and it's hoped that whoever wins it will preserve it in good care.

All images via Hake's Americana and Collectables 

Charming Emsh-Bots - GALAXY Mag, 1963

Interior illustration by Ed Emshwiller for Comic Inferno - Galaxy magazine, February 1963

Interior illustration by Ed Emshwiller for Comic Inferno - Galaxy magazine, February 1963

Originally posted by Jeff Love at Ski-Ffy: Click for a couple more Emsh robots, a couple Virgil Finlay illustrations, and the fine Galaxy cover art by Jack Gaughan.

An Advisory From Beyond

Original interior art by Frank R. Paul for the story "Warning to all…",  Science Fiction Plus magazine, 1953

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Raining Rita

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by  Raining Rita

The T. Cohn Captain Video Superior Space Port - A Museum Quality Quasi-Spaceage Toy

A complete 75 piece Captain Video Superior Space Port by T. Cohn, Inc.!

This might seem like advertising, but it's not. It's really just a big Neato!

Captain Video and His Video Rangers was a ground breaking sci-fi space adventure television series that aired between June 1949 and April 1955 on the American DuMont Television Network. The Captain was the first action hero specifically invented for TV and the show was the first regularly scheduled space drama on television. As with all things popular in pop culture, Captain Video was soon popping up in media outside the box. Fawcett Comics published a six issue comic book series in 1951, and Columbia Pictures produced a movie serial, Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere, the same year. Admirers of the show could join the Video Rangers Club and buy stuffs like games, records, rockets, and helmets. Sponsors of the show offered mail-in premiums or free items in cereal boxes like rings, decoders, and small flashlights - all the items had cool special functions. And they are all treasures in today's collectors market.

This Captain Video Secret Seal Ring has a Buy Now price of $249.99 at eBay

This Captain Video Mysto-Coder decoder has a 36% markdown Buy Now price of $95.97 on eBay

The seller claims that this is the highest graded copy - A 9.0 Very Fine/Near Mint Fawcett Comics Feb. 1941 Captain Video issue #1. The Buy Now price is $1,385.00 on eBay.

Now, getting back to the T. Cohn Captain Video Superior Space Port. In her 2012 book, 1950s "Rocketman" TV Series and Their Fans, Cynthia J. Miller wrote this:

The set now up for grabs at eBay is listed at the heavy duty fun shop. It's run by Tom Frey - the author of the highly acclaimed 1994 book, Toy Bop: Kid Classics of the 50's & 60's.

As Toy Bop was coming together, one of its two largest sections became, space toys. In it, I wanted to include the most exciting and dazzling toys I could beg, borrow or buy. The Superior Space Port by T. Cohn was a toy that became a welcomed photo included in the book. Since then the playset has been safely tucked away over 20 years until now...This is a complete 75 piece set in near mint unused condition except for setting up for photos. First Toy Bop, then for this eBay ad.

Helmets, Rangers, Rockets, and Launcher

Robots and Interplanetary Space Men

Atomic Space Cannon

Captain Video Stamped Space Vehicles

Tin Lithographed Ground Level Space Drome

Nine spectacularly lithographed tin walls depicting a futuristic city...

The Mechanical Features: The Rotating Radar Screen and Controls in the Upper Tower, The Wind-Up Space Alarm, The Atomic Cannon, The Space Ship Launcher and Two Burgundy Space Ships, and a Rocket Launcher with Three Rockets

Back in the day, the complete T. Cohn Superior Space Port sold for $5.39. This particular set's Buy Now price is $1,250.00. Tom Frey: This dazzling Superior Space Port is recommended for adult collectors to display rather than any age children to play with. Museum Quality indeed - you can even find one in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on display in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, VA.

So yeah, Neato!

The Burroughs B205 Control Console: A Star Of Film and Television

The iconic Burroughs B205 computer control console.

The B205 was first introduced in 1956 and was considered one of the industry leaders in computer science.

The flashing lights, shiny knobs, and toggle switches on the control console made it ideal for 1960s era sci-fi films and television programs. Most notably in the television series, Lost In Space, beginning in 1965:

The flight controls for the Jupiter 2 - the Burroughs B205 figure prominently on deck.

The B205 was also the favorite control console in Batman, the original television series beginning in 1966.

Robin does something at the Navigational Aid Computer - the B205 looks busy as well.

The B205 was multifunctional in Batman - here it's used as the Voice-Control Batmobile Relay-Circuit

Before the Burroughs B205 debuted in the Lost In Space television series it appeared in the 1959 sci-fi horror/adventure film, The Angry Red Planet.

Here the B205 slumbers aboard the M-1 spaceship surrounded by the crew of the first mission to Mars.

The Burroughs B205 was also used as one of a time machine's main control consoles in the 1964 sci-fi action/romance film, Time Travelers.

Overeager Steve Connors (Philip Carey) prepares for countdown to a time machine test with the B204 at his fingertips.

Burroughs' B205 system was designed specifically to cope with the full range of electronic computing problems in the fields of business industry, science and government.

The Burroughs B205 business office set up.

The B205 employed for use by the United Gas Corporation

The researchers and developers at the U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Corona, CA also utilized the B205 in their work.

So there you have it - the Burroughs B205 command console as film and television star. There were more appearances for this computer icon which also included the just as recognizable B205 tape drive. The Burroughs' design seemed to encapsulate the general vision of the computerized future at the time. While in reality it may have turned out a whole lot different, the B205 inspired generations of creative and curious people to pursue serious careers in computer science.