Space Angel – the animated series of the 60s

December 3 2023

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Space Angel is an animated science fiction television series produced in the United States from mid-1962 to 1964. It used the same Lip Synchro-Vox technique as Clutch Cargo, the first cartoon produced by the same studio, Cambria Productions. The show was created by Dick Darley, who also created the live-action series Space Patrol from 1950 to 1955.

The series told the adventures of three astronauts who worked for the Earth Bureau of Investigation's Interplanetary Space Force aboard the Starduster spacecraft: captain/pilot Scott McCloud, also known as “Space Angel”, electronics/communications expert Crystal Mace and the immensely strong Gunner/Engineer Taurus. The character's name Space Angel was a secret identity and Scott McCloud had an eye patch; when he appears as Space Angel, he lowers the darkened visor on his helmet to hide his identity.

Other than the use of Synchro-Vox, the animation was very limited, but the static panel drawing by the acclaimed Alex Toth was often well done. Storylines were serialized over five episodes lasting 5 minutes each, with the idea that stations could show one episode per day, with the climax occurring on Fridays.

Sometimes cliffhangers were used, such as when McCloud found an abandoned spaceship beyond the light barrier, looked inside and exclaimed "Oh my God!". Other memorable sequences involved the protagonists involved in a best-of-three gladiatorial battle.

There were several episodes involving space combat between the Interplanetary Space Force and various enemies. The main antagonists of the show were the Anthenians, whose home is shown in the episode involving the gladiatorial games.

The Space Angel series has had a significant cultural impact and has seen the production of comics, board games, and has been featured in television programs. A DVD containing nine Space Angel stories was also released in 2008. The Space Angel series was one of the first animated science fiction television series and left a lasting imprint on popular culture.

Title: Space Angel
Genre: Science fiction
Director: Dick Darley, Alex Toth
Production studio: Cambria Productions
Number of episodes: 260
Country: United States
Original language: English
Duration: 30 minutes
TV Network: N/A
Release date: 1962-1964

Space Angel is an animated science fiction television series produced in the United States from 1962 to 1964. The series was created by Dick Darley, who also created the live-action series Space Patrol. The plot follows the adventures of three astronauts working for the Interplanetary Space Force of the Earth Bureau of Investigation aboard the Starduster spacecraft: Captain/Pilot Scott McCloud, also known as “the Space Angel”, the electronics expert/ communications Crystal Mace, and the very powerful technician/armourer Taurus.

The series includes serialized episodes of 5 minutes each and features a limited animation technique, but with static drawings done by Alex Toth. The series consists of 260 episodes, each divided into five parts. There are several antagonists, including the Anthenians and the Evil Queen of Space, Zorra.

The series has also been adapted into other media, such as comics and board games. A DVD containing nine episodes of Space Angel was released in 2008 by VCI Entertainment.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Angel

Source: wikipedia.com

Captain/Pilot Scott McCloud