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THE RICHARD COOGAN YEARS! |
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Creating the role of Captain Video was handsome actor Richard Coogan, who stayed with the program from June 27, 1949 until December 15, 1950. During most of this period he was also appearing nightly on Broadway. Fearful of being typecast in the role, and with a number of attractive offers in hand, he left the program to Al Hodge, who was perfect for the part, and perhaps as a result suffered the fate that Coogan wished to avoid--- Hodge was never able to escape identification with Captain Video in later years, no matter how desperately he tried.
Coogan was dark-haired, square-jawed, strong, tall and athletic; it was a bit hard to accept his stereotypical jock Captain as the greatest scientific genius of the age, but the DuMont prop department outdid its resources to provide Coogan with a fearsome array of gadgets and inventions, and he needed every one to combat the greatest evil scientist of the age, none other than the sinister Dr. Pauli. Here are some rare shots of Coogan and Video Ranger Don Hastings in the first year of the series. |
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The classic 1949-50 CAPTAIN VIDEO shot, with the Captain and the Ranger, attired in the usual goggles, frantically tuning the Remote Telecarrier, which allowed them to spy on any location on earth or in the wider cosmos.
(The football helmets with goggles, so often associated with Captain Video, came about a year later when the Captain ventured into space.) |
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Yet another view of the same activity, with the Telecarrier perhaps giving a view fogged by steam. (Note the helmets have now arrived.) Click on this image to be taken to a new page on CV toys and comics. |
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Captain Video and the Ranger relax at Video Ranger Command Center.
Click on this image for a new page with links to the most detailed "early space toys" page on the internet, and a page on the 1951 CAPTAIN VIDEO comics. |
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A good portrait of Richard Coogan as Captain Video, leader of the Video Rangers, and the earth's greatest scientific genius. |
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In the first year of the series, Captain Video and the Ranger rode the skies of earth in the trusty rocket plane X-9. This is the only known photo of the X-9 cockpit set, made entirely of painted cardboard. Note there are neither goggles nor football helmets, only the headphones and mikes required for continual communication with Video Ranger Headquartes, and Ranger Gallagher, who apparently stood by the equipment 24-7. |
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Prop designer Dick Geismar is the constructor of the famous Atomic Rifle, Captain Video's usual weapon of choice. (The Ranger was left to carry the Cosmic Vibrator... don't ask!) The rifle appears to be constructed partly from a 1949-model cap-firing machine gun. [Click on this photo to see a page on CV costumes.] |
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Another view of this great prop. It was more usual on the 1950s space adventure shows for the characters to use instantly recognizable ray guns right off the toystore shelves. (Click on this photo to go on to an album for the Columbia CAPTAIN VIDEO serial [1951].) |
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Al Hodge (seen here) was so effective in the role that in the later years of the series it was almost forgotten that Captain Video had once looked somewhat younger. (For a short, acccurate biography of Al Hodge, click on this
photo.) |
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