Ernest P. Duckweather (Vaughn Taylor) was the hapless janitor at a television station who liked to play with studio equipment. One evening, he accidentally made contact with two beings from outer space – Johnny Jupiter and his associate, B-12 (both of them glove puppets).
Johnny and Ernest communicated via their respective TV screens and a friendship of sorts developed. Johnny was very interested in the human race and its habits, having picked up television shows from Earth. He knew little about life on our planet beyond these shows, however, and he and his fellow Jupiterians were bewildered.
Ernest would attempt to explain why we do the silly things we do – and often had difficulty answering! As a result, Ernest became a celebrity on Jupiterian television.
Johhny Jupiter was made to order for the Dumont network and appealed to the entire family. Its challenging and entertaining format was conceived by Martin Stone, a former executive producer of Howdy Doody, and Jerry Coopersmith.
The show won the praises of viewers and critics alike, although advertising support was minimal and the budgets were small – which is why all the Jupiterians apart from Johnny had the same face.
In September 1953, ABC made some cast changes and a new character – pompous, social-climbing Mr Horatio Frisbee (Cliff Hall) – was introduced as the owner of the Frisbee General Store.
Ernest (now played by Wright King) became a $15-a-week store clerk whose hobby of tinkering with electronic gadgetry brought him face to face with Johnny Jupiter (again via interplanetary television). The series continued to parody the behaviour of Earth’s inhabitants.
Ernest would often ask for advice from Johnny and the Jupiterians – the responses weren’t always very practical, though. Jupiterians, for example, ruled that all love affairs must begin with the “morning test” – a boy and a girl are allowed to breakfast together each morning for five years. If they still want to marry at the end of that time, they’re welcome to.
If Ernest required extraordinary help, Johnny sent Reject the Robot – a pathetic and dishevelled soul built from spare parts – down to Earth.
To accomplish this, Johnny touched a puppet version of Reject and said, “Super Jelly Bean Power”.
Reject was then sent through space and appeared to Ernest – although he was the only one who could see him.
The head robot on Jupiter was the opinionated Major Domo, who liked happy endings, conservative politics and single-breasted steel jackets and disliked intellectuals, highbrow music and books of more than 300 pages.
Other earthly regulars included Frisbee’s daughter, Katherine (Pat Peardon) who loved Ernest but had a hard time believing he was in contact with another planet, rival storeowner Gregory Latham (Florenz Ames), and Mrs Millicent Clandish (Reta Shaw), a wealthy widow.
Ernest P. Duckweather
Vaughn Taylor (1)
Wright King (2) B-12
Gilbert Mack (voice) Johnny Jupiter
Gilbert Mack (voice) Major Domo
Gilbert Mack (voice) Horatio Frisbee
Cliff Hall Katherine Frisbee
Pat Peardon Reject the Robot
Gilbert Mack (voice)
Gene London (robot suit) Mrs Millicent Clandish
Reta Shaw Gregory Latham
Florenz Ames
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Ernest would attempt to explain why we do the silly things we do – and often had difficulty answering! As a result, Ernest became a celebrity on Jupiterian television.
To accomplish this, Johnny touched a puppet version of Reject and said, “Super Jelly Bean Power”.
