Test Pilot

"Test Pilot" is the fourteenth episode of The Jetsons season one. It aired on December 30, 1962 on ABC. It was written by Harvey Bullock and R.S. Allen, and produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, the creators of the series and the founders of Hanna-Barbera Productions.

After George thinks he doesn't have long to live, he volunteers to test out a prototype jacket that's supposed to be indestructible.

Characters

 * style="background-color:#clear"| George Jetson
 * style="background-color:#clear"| George O'Hanlon
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Jane Jetson
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Penny Singleton
 * style="background-color:#FDB56C" colspan="2"| George's mother
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Elroy Jetson
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Daws Butler
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Judy Jetson
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Janet Waldo
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Astro
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Don Messick
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Mr. Spacely
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Mel Blanc
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Robot secretary
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Professor Lunar
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Daws Butler
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Mr. Cogswell
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Daws Butler
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| Doctor Ken Radius
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Don Messick
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| Announcer
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Don Messick
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| British newscaster
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Don Messick
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| French newscaster
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Mel Blanc
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| Russian newscaster
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| George O'Hanlon
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| Doctor Ken Radius
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Don Messick
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| Announcer
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Don Messick
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| British newscaster
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Don Messick
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| French newscaster
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Mel Blanc
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| Russian newscaster
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| George O'Hanlon
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| French newscaster
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Mel Blanc
 * style="background-color:#d2d2dff"| Russian newscaster
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| George O'Hanlon
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| George O'Hanlon

Organizations

 * Spacely Space Sprockets
 * Cogswell Cogs
 * Daily Orbit
 * BBC
 * TV Francaise

Locations

 * Earth
 * United States
 * Orbit City
 * Sky Pad Apartments
 * Jetson residence
 * Spacely Space Sprockets building
 * Cogswell Cogs building
 * England
 * London
 * BBC TV studio
 * France
 * Paris
 * TV Francaise studio
 * Eiffel Tower
 * Russia

Objects

 * Breakfast pill
 * Spacely Life Jacket
 * Cogswell indestructible jacket
 * Peekaboo Prober
 * Daily Orbit newspaper

Vehicles

 * Flying cars

Aftermath
When The Jetsons originally aired, no title cards were present. They were only added when the series was revived in 1985, and the original episodes were given title cards for consistency when they were all packaged together for The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. Notably, they all include Orbitty, who wasn't in the original series.

Music
The music was composed and conducted by Hoyt Curtin.

Release
Dates are in order of release:


 * United States: December 30, 1962 on ABC

Behind the scenes

 * The first season didn't have title cards when it originally aired. The title card comes from when the series was revived in the 1980's for a second season.
 * Spacely gives his middle initial as "C."
 * The BBC is a real-life TV studio in Britain.
 * George is 40-years-old.

Errors

 * The Fooder-Aca-Cycle that serves real food has been replaced by a dial-up machine that serves pill supplements.
 * Spacely says "Cogswell Cogs," but the sign reads "Cogswell's Cogs."
 * Usually, newspapers are shown through TV screens, not physically printed.
 * Spacely Space Rockets went out of business at the end of the episode, but by the next episode, George and Spacely are already back at work.

Home availability

 * In the United States:
 * May 11, 2004: Warner Home Video releases The Jetsons: The Complete First Season on DVD.
 * May 23, 2017: Warner Home Video releases The Jetsons: The Complete First Season (Hanna-Barbera Diamond Collection edition) on DVD.
 * September 10, 2019: Warner Archive Collection releases The Jetsons: The Complete Original Series on Blu-ray Disc.
 * October 13, 2020: Warner Home Video releases The Jetsons: The Complete Series (Hanna-Barbera Diamond Collection edition) on DVD.
 * June 21, 2022: Warner Home Video releases The Jetsons: The Complete Series on DVD.