I will endeavor to add more information to this time-line as I get the opportunity to dig out more materials. Contributions to this list are welcome.
Geoffrey Tolle's work with Joseph Greene's son, Paul Greene, has unearthed a lot of information about Mr. Greene's contribution to Tom Corbett. Paul has sent copies of several of his father's files for use in this article. The background graphic for this page comes from these files and is a sketch of the Academy Spaceport. Note that the entry into the Polaris is through one of the tail fins. A similar set can be been seen in several episodes of the first TV broadcast ,"The Mercurian Invasion". Other documents, including a proposed comic strip, will be used as sidebar links to the time line. Thank you Geoffrey for the research and to Paul for your generous help.
As more original source files are found, sidebars and links to other pages will be added to this time line. This research will document the work done by Mr. Greene and others in the development of the character known as Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.
Original documents will be scanned and placed into Adobe Acrobat files (PDF) for archival storage. The adobe files will allow a more detailed study of the reference documents in as close to original condition as is possible in electronic format. The format provides a better resolution for study of the older documents without damaging the documents.
If you have copies of original material and would like to include them as a resource, please contact the Academy.
We hope this will be the beginning of a repository of historical files for fellow fans to refer to in the future. Far to many historical pieces of information have been filed away in libraries never to see the light of day again.
1946 - Radio script idea submitted to Orbit Feature Services Inc titled Space Cadets - 1/16/46.
1947 - Joseph Greene submits a radio script to NBC for a show called “Space Academy”.
1948 - Heinlein publishes Space Cadet.
1948(?) - Joseph Greene submits a radio script to Rockhill Studios for a show called “Space Academy”.
1949 - Joseph Greene begins working with Rockhill to develop the Space Academy/ Space Cadets show.
1949 - Haggling over the name for the television show, Greene shows that both “Space Academy” and “Space Cadet” are reasonably common in the current literature. He also recommends against the even more common “Space Patrol”
1949(?) - Joseph Greene and Stanley Wolfe of Rockhill Studios change the name of the television show to “Tom Ranger, Space Cadet”. See Tom Ranger page
1950 - Rockhill nominates TC, SC for a Peabody Award.
1950 - Rockhill Studios licenses the “Space Cadet” name from Robert Heinlein. Rockhill Studios milks this connection for everything it’s worth in its publicity though there is little actual influence.
1950 - Tom Corbett, Space Cadet first airs on CBS October 2, 1950.
1951 - September 9th 1951 Tom Corbett Space Cadet Newspaper strip begins. Written by Paul S. Newman and illustrated by Ray Bailey - A Steve Caniff ghost artist.
1951 - A trademark for TC, SC is submitted to the Patent and Trademark office.
1951 - The lawsuit Greene vs. Rockhill Radio is settled. Royalties are to paid to Joseph Greene for the television or radio show but not both. Joseph Greene is to receive complete rights to any comic book version of TC, SC. He is to paid royalties to Rockhill Radio for these. The plotlines and characters are to be interchangable between the two parties and neither party is to make drastic changes without the consent of the other party.
195? - After his disappointing dealings with Rockhill Studios Joseph Greene sets out to promote two new space series: Captain Star of the Planet Guards and Space Scouts. Perhaps because of possible confusion with Issac Asimov’s Lucky Starr series he changes the thrust of the series to focus on the Space Scouts. It eventually appears in book form as the “Dig” Allen books.
1952 - Stand by for Mars!, the first in the TC, SC series is published by Grosset and Dunlap. This book is heavily influenced by Heinlein’s Space Cadet. Because the book remains far more readily available than the first episodes of the tv series the confusion remains to this day.
1952 - The Patent and Trademark office approves the TC, SC trademark.
1952 - Tom Corbett, Space Cadet begins its second and third seasons on ABC.
1952 - Tom Corbett, Space Cadet first airs on ABC radio. It continues for six months.
1953 - Betty (Beryl Berney) and Gloria (Marion Brash) become the first female cadets on the show.
1953 - Captain Starr of Space first airs on ABC radio. It continues for about a year. {I have not yet determined if this is, in any way, related to Joseph Greene’s Captain Star of the Planet Guards series.}
1953 - danger in deep space, the second in the TC, SC series is published by Grosset and Dunlap.
1953 - It Came from Outer Space released to theaters.
1953 - On the Trail of the Space Pirates, the third in the TC, SC series is published by Grosset and Dunlap.
1953 - Rockhill’s agent sues Universal Pictures Corporation for using a modified Practi-Cole Products Tom Corbett helmet in It Came from Outer Space. Universal settles for $750.
1953 - Space Pioneers, the fourth in the TC, SC series is published by Grosset and Dunlap.
1953 - Tom Corbett, Space Cadet begins its fourth season on the Dumont Network.
1954 - Revolt on Venus, the fifth in the TC, SC series is published by Grosset and Dunlap.
1954 - Tom Corbett, Space Cadet begins its fifth and final season on NBC.
1954 - Treachery in Outer Space, the sixth in the TC, SC series is published by Grosset and Dunlap.
1955 - Sabotage in Space, the seventh in the TC, SC series is published by Grosset and Dunlap.
1956 - Robot Rocket, the eighth in the TC, SC series is published by Grosset and Dunlap.
1959 - Forgotten Star, the first volume of the “Dig” Allen, Space Explorer series (by Joseph Greene) is published by Golden Press.
1960 - Captives in Space, the second volume of the “Dig” Allen, Space Explorer series series (by Joseph Greene) is published by Golden Press.
1961 - Journey to Jupiter, the third volume of the “Dig” Allen, Space Explorer series (by Joseph Greene) is published by Golden Press.
1961 - Trappers of Venus, the fourth volume of the “Dig” Allen, Space Explorer series (by Joseph Greene) is published by Golden Press.
1962 - Lost City of Uranus, the sixth volume of the “Dig” Allen, Space Explorer series (by Joseph Greene) is published by Golden Press.
1962 - Robots of Saturn, the fifth volume of the “Dig” Allen, Space Explorer series (by Joseph Greene) is published by Golden Press.
1965 - The IRS places a lien on Rockhill Studios for taxes owed between 1961-1965. This totals $135,000.
1966 - Direct Recordings, Inc. begins operations. It purchases the property of Rockhill Studios from the IRS. The IRS retains the rights to royalties generated from the property to repay Rockhill’s deliquent taxes. Ira Levin claims that they bought the rights to TC, SC for $125. It is probably no coincidence that Direct Recordings, Inc. not only operates out of the same offices as Rockhill Studios but uses essentially the same letterhead.
19?? - The scripts and other properties of TC, SC that remain in the Wolfe’s possessions are donated to the University of Southern California.
1978 - Ed Pippin publishes his exciting and useful, Space Opera.
1978 - Joe Sarno begins publishing the Space Academy Newsletter which ends with issue #14.
1980 - Chris Claremont completes a novel based on the TC, SC series for Dell Publishing. The novel was never published.
1984 - Joseph Greene lends his copies of the TC, SC kineoscopes to Wade Williams for safe keeping. Williams, at the time, claims to have 32 of the half-hour shows and ~300 of the fifteen minute shows plus radio shows.
1990 - Eternity Comics begins publishing the Original Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, a five issue collection of the TC, SC newspaper strips.
1996 - The Space Opera Web-Site is begun by Ed Pippin.
1998 - December - Boondock Books re-issued the first 7 TC,SC book series as electronic books. Book 8 (Robot Rocket) was renewed by Wade Williams in 1988.
