Frankie Thomas, star of 1950s' show 'Tom Corbett, Space Cadet,' dies at 85

As a 10-year-old kid at the time,
I owe a lot of my lifelong space nuttiness
to these guys.

The early '60's show, 'Men Into Space',
also rocked.

Over the horizon, space man!!

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Frankie Thomas, star of 1950s' show 'Tom Corbett, Space Cadet,' dies at 85
Wednesday May 17, 2006
LOS ANGELES (AP) Frankie Thomas, who became famous in the 1950s for his
starring role in the TV children's show ``Tom Corbett, Space Cadet,'' has
died. He was 85.

Thomas died Thursday of respiratory failure at Sherman Oaks Hospital, said
his stepdaughter, Julie Alexander.

Thomas began acting on Broadway in the early 1930s and soon ventured west to
Hollywood, where he appeared in films including ``A Dog of Flanders,''
``Boys Town'' and ``The Major and the Minor,'' as well as four Nancy Drew
movies.

In 1950, he beat out actors including Jack Lemmon to win the title role of
Tom Corbett, a Space Academy cadet who was training to become a member of
the elite Solar Guard, 400 years in the future.

``Frankie looked like the all-American boy,'' said Jan Merlin, who played
the wisecracking cadet Roger Manning. ``Everyone in the room knew
immediately this was the guy we were going to get.''

The show aired on CBS, ABC, NBC and the DuMont network and spawned popular
phrases including ``Blast your jets,'' ``Don't fuse your tubes'' and
``Spaceman's luck.''

Thomas quit acting when the series ended in 1955 and, over the years, worked
as a television and radio writer, bridge instructor and author of mystery
novels, including ``Sherlock Holmes and the Masquerade Murders.''

He is survived by his stepdaughter and a stepson, James Aicholtz. At his
request, Thomas was buried Tuesday in his ``Tom Corbett, Space Cadet''
costume.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)