Men Into Space

1 9 5 9 – 1 9 6 0 (USA)
38 x 25 minute episodes

A little-known American space adventure serial featuring brave US Air Force astronaut Colonel Edward McCauley (William Lundigan), who travelled the solar system, landing on other planets, working at the moon base and orbiting Earth in a space station.

One of the first ‘space race‘ serials, it reached American screens less than two years after the first Sputnik was launched.

Sponsored by Lucky Strike and made with the cooperation of the US Defence Department it eschewed Bug-Eyed Monsters in favour of realism (even adopting a documentary look) and the scientifically possible.

Dramas and crises revolved around equipment failure or personal problems rather than alien attacks. As a result, it was so boring that even Buzz Aldrin must have switched channels.

Series actor Corey Allen later went to work calling the shots and became a big-time TV director. Future Police Woman star Angie Dickinson starred as McCauley’s wife in the pilot episode.

Colonel Edward McCauley
William Lundigan
Mary McCauley
Angie Dickinson (1)
Joyce Taylor
Lt Johnny Baker
Corey Allen