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Science Fiction · Syndicated (Palladium Radio Productions)

Planet Man

· 76 broadcasts

Planet Man is a quarter-hour juvenile science-fiction serial, transcribed and syndicated to stations by New York's Palladium Radio Productions around 1952-53. It follows Dantro, the Planet Man -- a troubleshooter for the League of Planets, the peace-keeping body of a settled solar system whose capital is Planeria Rex. After Dantro saves Earth's first Moon rocket from disaster, its crew becomes his adopted family: scientist Dr. John Darrow, his daughter Pat, the youngsters Billy and Jane, and the engineer Slats, who ride along for one continuous adventure that runs the length of the series. The story never really stops for breath. Marston, the would-be conqueror of Mars, drives the first long arc; from there the tale rolls on through space pirates, the dust-dwelling Dusters of Venus, an ancient Martian race, a world of Insect People, and finally a planet of rebel robots, ray gun and clear sense of right and wrong always at the ready. Of the 78 episodes produced, 76 survive, and the dramatic cast went unrecorded -- only announcer Phil Tonken, organist Jon Gart, and robot-voice specialist Joseph Boland are known. It is a small, brisk, wholly earnest window into the space-crazy children's radio of the early 1950s.

Collection status: 76 of 76 held (100% complete)
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Episode Spine

undated

date unknown Orbit the Moon Listen (MP3)
Dantro rescues the crew of Earth's first Moon rocket from certain disaster.
date unknown Cosmic Communicator Listen (MP3)
Bound for Planeria Rex, Dantro and the rescued Earth crew must weather a sudden meteor swarm.
date unknown Marston to Attack Earth Listen (MP3)
Marston of Mars takes Dantro and Pat prisoner, and Slats seems to turn traitor.
date unknown Discussing Marston Listen (MP3)
Thrown to the arena beasts, Dantro and Pat break free and flee into the Martian jungle.
date unknown Kidnapping Order Listen (MP3)
Marston seizes Billy and Jane while Dantro and Pat dodge the jungle's mindless men.
date unknown Billy and Jane Need Help Listen (MP3)
A hidden tunnel lets Dantro and Pat slip into Marston's palace to find the children.
date unknown Hoping for a Miracle Listen (MP3)
An ancient spy device turns up as Billy and Jane make off in one of Marston's ships.
date unknown Billy and Jane in Ship Listen (MP3)
Caught between the League fleet and Marston's cruiser, the children's ship needs Dantro fast.
date unknown Three D Dantro Listen (MP3)
A projected image of Dantro guides the children to destroy Marston's pursuing cruiser.
date unknown Marston Dead Listen (MP3)
The chase through the palace tunnels ends with Marston plunging into a chasm.
date unknown On a Scout Ship Listen (MP3)
Billy takes his first lesson at the controls of a League scout ship.
date unknown Preparing to Blast Off Listen (MP3)
Sabotage turns up in pre-flight checks as the crew readies for a goodwill tour to Venus.
date unknown Discussing Venus Listen (MP3)
A broken-down dust buggy strands the crew in a Venusian dust storm.
date unknown Captured by the Dusters Listen (MP3)
The Dusters, dwellers of the Venusian dust desert, take the crew captive.
date unknown Captives on Venus Listen (MP3)
Their captors carry the crew down to the Dusters' hidden underground city.
date unknown Back to the Prison Cell Listen (MP3)
Billy and Jane slip out of their Duster prison cell.
date unknown Dantro Help Us Listen (MP3)
The children find they can reach the Dusters mind to mind.
date unknown Plot to Destroy Venus Listen (MP3)
At gunpoint, Marston's agents reveal a scheme to destroy Venusport.
date unknown Venus Minister Traitor Listen (MP3)
Dantro exposes a traitor hidden inside the Venusian government.
date unknown Encounter with Pirates Listen (MP3)
Space pirates set their sights on the crew as it heads for Mercury.
date unknown Pirates Attack Dantro Listen (MP3)
Pirates Slick and Blackie scheme to seize Dantro's ship.
date unknown Alarm Alerts Pirates Listen (MP3)
Trapped in an asteroid cave, Dantro and Pat lose the ship to the pirates.
date unknown Slick and Blackie Listen (MP3)
The pair escape the cave as the pirates set their sights on a Martian moon.
date unknown An Ancient Space Ship Listen (MP3)
The children retake the ship as a passing prospector rescues Dantro and Pat.
date unknown Searching for Asteroid Listen (MP3)
The children retrace their course while a stubborn prospector stalls Dantro and Pat.
date unknown Trying to Find Dantro Listen (MP3)
Dantro raises a League patrol ship as the children keep hunting the marooned asteroid.
date unknown Searching for Planeteer Listen (MP3)
The League joins Dantro's hunt for the Planeteer while Slick strands the children.
date unknown Planeteer Spotted Listen (MP3)
Dantro finds the Planeteer as the children catch the eye of prospector Rocks.
date unknown Prospector Finds Billy Listen (MP3)
Rocks takes in the children as Dantro tries to steal aboard the Planeteer.
date unknown Surrounded by Mines Listen (MP3)
His boarding foiled, Dantro rings the Planeteer with a cordon of space mines.
date unknown Uranium on Asteroid Listen (MP3)
Grieving the children, Dantro heads home -- unaware Rocks now guards them with a threat.
date unknown Where's the Kids Listen (MP3)
The children turn up safe, and Judge Augustus hands Dantro a strange new case.
date unknown Judges Problem Listen (MP3)
Dantro and Slats trace the League's odd behaviour to Mars -- and perhaps to Marston.
date unknown Strange Goings On Listen (MP3)
Marston turns a hypno-ray on Dantro's mind.
date unknown Dantro Controlled Listen (MP3)
Slats begins to notice something badly wrong with Dantro.
date unknown Slats Is Fed Up Listen (MP3)
Trailing Dantro to Marston's lair, Slats finds him made to work an ancient transporter.
date unknown Slats Tricks Dantro Listen (MP3)
Slats subdues the controlled Dantro and starts the long trip home.
date unknown Marston Has Communicator Listen (MP3)
As medics work to free Dantro's mind, Marston broadcasts his threats system-wide.
date unknown Marstons Spy Ring Listen (MP3)
Marston hurls a moon of Jupiter into the Sun as the League unveils a hyperspace drive.
date unknown Hunt for the Ancients Listen (MP3)
Dantro and Slats set out for Alpha Centauri, chasing the makers of Marston's dread machine.
date unknown Encountering New Race Listen (MP3)
Searching Alpha Centauri for life, Dantro and Slats are watched by unseen beings.
date unknown Sun and Toor Watching Listen (MP3)
A new star system brings a new alien race -- and the unseen watchers follow.
date unknown Beings from Libra Listen (MP3)
A robot envoy from Libra joins the pair as Marston orders killings on Ganymede.
date unknown Sulfur Breather Being Listen (MP3)
Dantro, Slats and Barrel the robot meet Zen, a sulphur-breathing alien.
date unknown Must Obey Zen Listen (MP3)
The travelers are hauled before Klee, ruler of the sulphur-breathers.
date unknown Klee Will Use Dantro Listen (MP3)
Klee presses Dantro to fight his enemies for him.
date unknown Astrodrive Broken Listen (MP3)
The unseen beings free the ship from Klee and carry it to the ancient Martians.
date unknown Slats Suspicious Listen (MP3)
Dantro pleads with Roora of the ancient Mardi to join the fight against Marston.
date unknown Touring Mardee Listen (MP3)
A tour of the Mardi capital gives the pair a jarring taste of its ruling women.
date unknown Council Denies Request Listen (MP3)
The Mardi council hands down its verdict on Dantro's request for help.
date unknown Secret Council Listen (MP3)
In a last gamble, the pair steal into the Mardi council chamber to plead their case.
date unknown Firing Squad Listen (MP3)
A Mardi spy-ray shows Dantro the worst: Marston staging a public execution at home.
date unknown Trying to Save Judge Listen (MP3)
Gaza the scientist grudgingly shields Judge Augustus from the firing squad.
date unknown Gaza Talking to Marston Listen (MP3)
Gaza's dimension-warper snatches Marston straight into her laboratory.
date unknown Dantro Gos to Alpha Listen (MP3)
Marston beaten, Dantro and Slats board the Alpha for the long trip home.
date unknown Barrows Expedition Listen (MP3)
A distress call from Barrel the robot's expedition pulls the pair off course.
date unknown Crash Landing Listen (MP3)
A crash landing leaves Dantro and Barrel amid a graveyard of dead spaceships.
date unknown Space Ship Graveyard Listen (MP3)
Survivors of the wrecks reveal who has been trapping ships on the planet.
date unknown Slats Headed for Death Listen (MP3)
Slats dives the Alpha at the surface as Dantro heads underground after the Insect People.
date unknown Contacting the Mardee Listen (MP3)
Dantro enters the Insect People's city as Slats returns with a Mardi rescue fleet.
date unknown Insect Planet Listen (MP3)
The Mardi fleet is dragged down -- can Dantro reach the magnetic generator in time?
date unknown Destroy the Generator Listen (MP3)
With the generator in hand, Dantro moves to free the Insect People's slaves.
date unknown Dantro Frees Prisoners Listen (MP3)
A ten-minute countdown races the freed slaves to the surface before the planet is destroyed.
date unknown Fighting Insect Men Listen (MP3)
Dantro and the freed slaves battle toward the fleet as the planet's clock runs out.
date unknown New Adventure Begins Listen (MP3)
An engine-room blast leaves Dantro with no memory of who he is.
date unknown A Robot Civilization Listen (MP3)
The blast strands Dantro and Slats on a world ruled entirely by robots.
date unknown Transporter to Orientor Listen (MP3)
A machine called the orientor sets out to strip every thought from their minds.
date unknown Robot 012 Takes Over Listen (MP3)
Robot 012 gives the pair twelve hours to join a galaxy-wide conquest -- or else.
date unknown Who Is Robot T21 Listen (MP3)
A secret note from a rebel robot reaches Slats.
date unknown Will T21 Help Dantro Listen (MP3)
Rebel robot T21 seeks out Dantro as Slats breaks free of the robots.
date unknown Slats Looking for Dantro Listen (MP3)
Hunting for Dantro, Slats stumbles on a possible way off the robot world.
date unknown Days Before Overthrow Listen (MP3)
The robot revolt is nearly set -- but T21 says he and Dantro must join minds to win.
date unknown Dantro and T21 Joined Listen (MP3)
Dantro's mind is fused with T21's as Slats moves to hijack a half-built jetship.
date unknown Can Slats Control Jet Listen (MP3)
Slats seizes a freshly built jetship and takes it up for a test run.
date unknown Death Coming Closer Listen (MP3)
The rebellion erupts, its robot army guided by Dantro's own joined mind.
date unknown End of Adventure Listen (MP3)
The long fight against the robot masters reaches its end.
The Story

Planet Man is a quarter-hour juvenile science-fiction serial, transcribed and syndicated to stations by New York's Palladium Radio Productions around 1952-53. It follows Dantro, the Planet Man -- a troubleshooter for the League of Planets, the peace-keeping body of a settled solar system whose capital is Planeria Rex. After Dantro saves Earth's first Moon rocket from disaster, its crew becomes his adopted family: scientist Dr. John Darrow, his daughter Pat, the youngsters Billy and Jane, and the engineer Slats, who ride along for one continuous adventure that runs the length of the series. The story never really stops for breath. Marston, the would-be conqueror of Mars, drives the first long arc; from there the tale rolls on through space pirates, the dust-dwelling Dusters of Venus, an ancient Martian race, a world of Insect People, and finally a planet of rebel robots, ray gun and clear sense of right and wrong always at the ready. Of the 78 episodes produced, 76 survive, and the dramatic cast went unrecorded -- only announcer Phil Tonken, organist Jon Gart, and robot-voice specialist Joseph Boland are known. It is a small, brisk, wholly earnest window into the space-crazy children's radio of the early 1950s.

Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
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