Captain Z-Ro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Captain Z-Ro |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Science fiction Children Educational |
| Created by | Roy Steffens |
| Written by | Roy Steffens |
| Directed by | Dave Butler |
| Starring | Roy Steffens Bob Turnbull Bruce Haynes |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 77 (including 51 live episodes and 26 half-hour filmed episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Kathleen K. Rawlings |
| Production location(s) | San Francisco |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 15 mins. (1951–1953) 24 mins. (1955–1956) |
| Production company(s) | W.A. Palmer Films Captain Z-Ro Productions |
| Distributor | Atlas Television Corporation |
| Release | |
| Original network | KRON-TV/ KTTV Syndication |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | November 1951 – June 10, 1956 |
Captain Z-Ro (pronounced "zero") was an exciting American children's TV show. It first aired in November 1951. The show was all about science fiction and time travel. It ran locally in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Later, it became popular across the United States. The series aired its last new episode in June 1956. It continued to be shown until 1960. The show was like other space adventure stories of its time. It had cool futuristic designs, similar to Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon.
What Was Captain Z-Ro About?
Captain Z-Ro was a brilliant scientist. He worked in a secret lab. His main goal was to protect mankind and history. He had an amazing time machine called the ZX-99. This machine let him look into the past. It could also send someone back in time.
Each week, Captain Z-Ro and his young helper, Jet, would watch history unfold. They often saw that something was going wrong. For example, King John might not sign the Magna Carta. Then, Captain Z-Ro would send Jet back in time. Jet's job was to fix things. He made sure history happened as it should.
Over the years, Z-Ro and Jet saved many famous people. They helped figures like Genghis Khan and Marco Polo. Other historical heroes included Magellan and William the Conqueror. They also met Benedict Arnold and William Tell. Even Christopher Columbus and Blackbeard got their help. Famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci appeared. And legendary figures like Robin Hood and George Washington were part of their adventures. They even helped Attila the Hun, Hernando Cortez, and Daniel Boone.
The show taught kids about history in a fun way. It was a bit like a history lesson mixed with adventure. The show didn't try to explain how the time machine worked. It just focused on the exciting stories.
At the end of each episode, an announcer would say: "Be sure to be standing by when we again transmit you to the remote location on planet Earth where Captain Z-Ro and his associates will conduct another experiment in time and space."
How They Made the Show
The show used simple but clever special effects. When characters traveled through time, there was a cool visual. It was a simple fade-in or fade-out effect. This was shown with flashing lights and blinking machines. There were also many levers and knobs.
Early episodes of the show were recorded differently. They used a method called kinescope. This meant filming a TV screen directly. These episodes ran from 1951 to 1953. They were 15 minutes long. Later shows were made for national viewing. These were filmed directly onto 16mm film. This happened from 1955 to 1956. These newer episodes were 30 minutes long. The show moved from local stations to being shown all over the country.
There was a two-year break between the two types of episodes. The 51 kinescope episodes ended in 1953. The 26 filmed episodes started airing in December 1955. The final episode aired in June 1956.
