Space Ghost (segments)
- This article is about to the TV series. For the character, see Space Ghost (character). For other uses, see Space Ghost.
| Space Ghost | |
|---|---|
 On-screen title card. | |
| Created by | Alex Toth |
| Network | CBS NBC |
| Production company | Hanna-Barbera |
| Distributor | Taft Broadcasting |
| Original release | September 10, 1966—September 16, 1967; September 12—November 21, 1981 |
| Starring | Gary Owens Ginny Tyler Tim Matthieson Alexandra Stoddart Steve Spears Don Messick Frank Welker |
| Producer(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera Art Scott |
| Music composed by | Ted Nichols Hoyt Curtin |
| Writer(s) | Walter Black Bill Hamilton |
| Director(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Animation director(s) | Charles A. Nichols |
| Series navigation | |
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Space Ghost is a series of scifi-fantasy/action adventure segments of Space Ghost & Dino Boy, produced by Hanna-Barbera (H-B) for CBS' Saturday morning children's programming. It ran from 1966 to 1967, airing 20 episodes that spanned one season. In 1981, it was revived for a second season with a further 22 episodes as segments of Space Stars on NBC.
A space law enforcement officer with a superhero-like name and uniform called Space Ghost battles supervillains across the galaxy. In his quest to uphold the law, he is joined by cadet fraternal twins, Jan and Jace, and their pet monkey pet, Blip.
In the final few episodes of the original series, Space Ghost had crossovers with several other H-B series, including Moby Dick, Mighty Mightor, The Herculoids, and Shazzan.
The entire original series has been released on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc, and the entire revival has been released on DVD.
Production
Development
The concept of Space Ghost was attributed to the head of children's programming for CBS, Fred Silverman, who pitched the idea following the airing of cartoons such as Tom and Jerry, Heckle and Jeckle, and Tennessee Tuxedo. When research showed that younger viewers tended to phase out animal cartoon characters in favor of other interests, particularly young males, Silverman sought to turn in a new show following the success of Hanna-Barbera's Jonny Quest. Silverman, wanting to make a superhero show for Saturday morning television, turned to artist Alex Toth in developing the show's concepts.[1]
During development, the series' working title was The Space Ghosts, with art by Alex Toth and Tony Sgroi. The pitch involved two pieces of art, the first of which was a maskless man and two blond kids wearing blue and white space uniforms, and then the second piece was them in space suits and purple and white masks. The main character of Space Ghost was later redesigned with Batman as the inspiration, which Toth recalled:
“Freddie Silverman came in banging all kinds of ideas. We had locked down on Space Ghost, but the question of the costume was still up in the air. So there we were on Monday morning in Joe [Barbera]'s office, and in his hands and on the cover is Adam West and the kid, Burt Ward, as Batman and Robin. He throws the magazine down at Joe's desk and says 'That's the look I want. I want the Batman look.' I said, 'Well, he's supposed to be Space Ghost. He should be white; you know.' So finally, Space Ghost wound up with that black cowl over his head.”[1]
Despite the design change, Toth lamented that there were challenges to some of its motifs, including the cape, which he described as "[looking like] ectoplasm", and adding a halo around his cowl to contrast him against the dark space background.[1]
Casting
Actor Gary Owens, known for his baritone voice and as the announcer in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, was picked in an audition by Jospeh Barbera to voice the titular character, which the latter told in an interview was "perfect from the start."[1] For the initial season of the show, Ginny Tyler provided the voice of Jan, while Tim Matheson (who previously did Jonny Quest from the titular series) voiced Jace. Meanwhile, Don Messick did the sounds for pet monkey Blip.
Music
For the first season, the music was composed by Ted Nichols, who was credited as musical director. Then in the second season, it was Hoyt Curtin, with musical supervision from Paul DeKorte.
Episodes
Space Ghost & Dino Boy
| Title | Original air date |
|---|---|
1x01
|
September 10, 1966 |
| 1x02 | September 17, 1966 |
| 1x03 | September 24, 1966 |
| 1x04 | October 1, 1966 |
| 1x05 | October 8, 1966 |
1x06
|
October 15, 1966 |
| 1x07 | October 22, 1966 |
| 1x08 | October 29, 1966 |
| 1x09 | November 5, 1966 |
| 1x10 | November 12, 1966 |
| 1x11 | November 19, 1966 |
| 1x12 | November 26, 1966 |
| 1x13 | December 3, 1966 |
| 1x14 | December 10, 1966 |
| 1x15 | December 17, 1966 |
| 1x16 | December 24, 1966 |
| 1x17 | December 31, 1966 |
| 1x18 | January 7, 1967 |
| 1x19 | September 9, 1967 |
| 1x20 | September 16, 1967 |
Space Stars
| Title | Original air date |
|---|---|
| 2x01 | September 12, 1981 |
| 2x02 | September 19, 1981 |
| 2x03 | September 26, 1981 |
| 2x04 | October 3, 1981 |
| 2x05 | October 10, 1981 |
| 2x06 | October 17, 1981 |
| 2x07 | October 24, 1981 |
| 2x08 | October 31, 1981 |
| 2x09 | November 7, 1981 |
| 2x10 | November 14, 1981 |
| 2x11 | November 21, 1981 |
Cast
- Gary Owens (credited as Gary Owen in season 1) as Space Ghost
- Ginny Tyler (season 1) and Alexandra Stoddart (season 2) as Jan
- Tim Matthieson (season 1) and Steve Spears (season 2) as Jace
- Don Messick (season 1) and Frank Welker (season 2) as Blip
Legacy
Between 1976 to 1977, following poor ratings of the live-action series Land of the Lost, NBC replaced the show with reruns of Space Ghost and Frankenstein Jr. segments, in an half-hour block known as The Space Ghost/Frankenstein Jr. Show.[2]
From 1994 to 2008, Williams Street produced an irreverent spin-off titled Space Ghost Coast to Coast for Cartoon Network (and later Adult Swim), where the titular character had retired and became a goofy talk show host. It also spawned its own spin-offs, Cartoon Planet and The Brak Show.
In 2005, DC Comics reimagined the cartoon in a limited series called Space Ghost, and again in 2016, with Future Quest and Future Quest Presents.
In 2011, "The Bold Beginnings!" episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold had an opening segment called "The Space Safari," in the style of the original series, with Gary Owens reprising the role of Space Ghost for the final time.
In popular culture
- In the Weekend Update sketch in the Saturday Night Live episode "Miranda Richardson/Soul Asylum," Rob Schneider contests the FFC's ruling that cartoons aren't educational because a cartoon such as Space Ghost taught him that ghosts are real.
- In The Fairly OddParents TV movie Channel Chasers, Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda are sent into a parody of Space Ghost called Space Spectre. Space Spectre is nowhere to be seen, aside from his face being used as a logo on the Phantom Cruiser-type spaceship and Timmy, Wanda, and Cosmo's uniforms. Timmy, Wanda, and Cosmo are parodies of Space Ghost's sidekicks, Jace, Jan, and Blip, respectively. Timmy calls his armband a ghost gauntlet.
Merchandise
Home media
Reading material
Toys and games
References
- ^ a b c d Garner, Joe; Ashley, Michael (2018). It's Saturday Morning!: Celebrating the Golden Age of Cartoons 1960s - 1990s, pp.51-54. beck&meyer! books, Quatro Publishing Group USA. ISBN 978-07603-6294-5.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1991). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (1991 edition), page 421. Facts On File, Inc. ISBN 0-8160-2252-6.
