Johnny Jupiter
First Series: Dumont;
March 21, 1953 thru June 13, 1953
Second Series: ABC;
September 5, 1953 thru May 29, 1954 (39 Episodes)

    This unique series can be considered a sort of predecessor of ALF. A charming show that started as a local series then went into national syndication for one year (in the 1950's typically 39 episodes). I included detailed story synopsis of three episodes I owned in the 1960's. I had just bought a used 16 mm projector and found a company near work that was disposing of some old television shows. At the time my kids were quite young, and just loved watching these on our big lenticular movie screen.
    As I remember the original episodes with Vaughn Taylor where a little more laid back in story content, while the Wright King episodes were definitely more dynamic. These latter episodes had higher production values as well. Kinescopes of the Vaughn Taylor episodes were run in the Chicago area for a short time, and the information below is gleamed from old Press Releases, and Television magazines.

LISTED Saturday March 21, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. (Episode 1)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets A satirical fantasy giving a view of earthlings as seen thru the eyes of  people from another planet.  The program features only two live actors with hand puppets portraying the Jupiterians or Jovians.  Late one night at a TV studio Earnest Duckweather, the building janitor manages to contact Jupiter, and becomes friends with Johnny Jupiter and his robot B-12.
Note: All first season episodes were written by Jerome Coopersmith.

LISTED Saturday March 28, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m.  (Episode 2).
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets Mr. Duckweather learns about the curious concept that the Jupitarians have about television and how it differs from our own. 

From the Chicago Tribune dated Wednesday April 1, 1953:
TELEVISION NEWS AND VIEWS BY LARRY WOLTERS:
TV FANTASY
  There's a new satirical fantasy on WGN-TV and DuMont Saturday evenings that is worth watching. Titled Johnny Jupiter, this show purports to reflect our world as seen thru the eyes of inhabitants of another planet. Now this could be more Space Cadet stuff, but instead it turns out to be a gentle spoofing of our life and manners. It is filled with humor.
  The show features only two live actors, with hand puppets portraying the Jupiterians whose only knowledge of earth is derived from watching our TV shows. [You can see the possibility for satire here.]
  The leading character in the show is one Ernest P. Duckweather, a janitor in a TV studio, who has ambitions to be a TV engineer.  Tinkering with the dials and gadgets, he brings in two emissaries from Jupiter on the TV screen. They are Johnny, who faintly suggests Kukla, and B-12 [not a vitamin], a guy with a British accent who resembles the traditional Colonel Blimp.
  Duckweather is played by Vaughn Taylor, who did such a good job in last summer's Robert Montgomery repertory company. The show consists mainly of exchanges between Duckweather and Johnny and B-12.
  SAMPLE: Last Saturday the Jupiterians wanted to know about Earth's television. Duckweather explained that the heart of the business was western movies, and he proceeded to show them a sequence or two. The Jupiterians wanted to know why all the gun fighting and Indians. Duckweather had a hard time explaining to the pacifistic Jupiterians why earthlings found it so fascinating to kill off one another.
  While Vaughn Taylor deserves plenty of credit, the success of this fantasy rests primarily on the writing talents of Jerry Coopersmith. He is the Burr Tillstrom of this venture. However, Tillstrom does a lot more for the KFO than Coopersmith for Jupiter. Burr uses no script and he handles the voices and puppets, too.  Carl Harms handles the puppets in the Jupiter show. We hope the present bright pace may be remained.

LISTED Saturday April 4, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. (Episode 3)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets A satirical fantasy giving a view of earthlings as soon through the eyes of the people of another planet. Dr. Duckweather has a rehearsal for his first rehearsal on Jupiterian Television.

LISTED Saturday April 11, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. (Episode 4)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets A satirical fantasy giving a view of earthlings as soon through the eyes of the people of another planet. "The Program That Doesn't Offend.."  Duckweather, now an established TV personality on Jupiter, becomes a newscaster for the Jupiterians.  and/or Having become an immediate star on Jovian TV, Ernest gets a job as a news-reader but finds that special interest groups won't let him report on anything that cast them in a bad light.

LISTED Saturday April 18, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. (Episode 5)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets Mr. Duckweather tries to cheer up a hopeful young actress who has just failed a television audition.  Vaughn Taylor stars as Earnest P. Duckweather. and/or Mr. Duckweather tries to cheer up a despondent actress who has failed to obtain a part on a TV show.

LISTED Saturday April 25, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. (Episode 6)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets    Ernest Duckweather and Johnny compare the merits of Earth's educational system to the one on Jupiter.

NOT LISTED Saturday May 2, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. WGN-TV channel 9
JOHNNY JUPITER                "Homes for Better living"  listed in this time slot. 

LISTED Saturday May 2, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. WABD-TV channel 5 (New York) (Episode 7)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets Mr. Duckweather becomes involved with a notorious card shark and needs Johnny's help to get out of trouble. 

LISTED Saturday May 9, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. WABD-TV channel 5 (New York) Episode 8)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets Spring fever affects Mr. Duckweather and his friends on Jupiter. and/or  Duckweather takes out a mannequin (?). 

LISTED Saturday May 16, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. WABD-TV channel 5 (New York) (Episode 9)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets Mr. Duckweather learns the Jupiterian method of crime detection.

LISTED Saturday May 23, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. WABD-TV channel 5 (New York) Episode 10)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets Mr. Duckweather discovers that Jupiterian movies have passed the stage of seven dimensions, and have returned to one. and/or Earnest learns that on Jupiter they have the capability of making movies in seven dimensions, but that they prefer them flat.

LISTED Saturday May 30, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. WABD-TV channel 5 (New York) (Episode 11)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets Mr. Duckweather, with the aid of the Jupiterians, tries to help a sailor friend win the jackpot in a quiz show.

LISTED Saturday June 6, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. WABD-TV channel 5 (New York) (Episode 12)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets Mr. Duckweather tries to get the Jupiterians on television on earth.

LISTED Saturday June 13, 1953: 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. WABD-TV channel 5 (New York) (Episode 13)
JOHNNY JUPITER--Puppets Mr. Duckweather and the Jupiterians try to help a young actress get a job in television. This is the last telecast of the series. (Repeat?)

Note: Titles listed in Capital letters are the most often referred to titles. Titles in lower case have not been verified at this time.

Episode 1: September 5, 1953
Hello, Jupiter    A young man gets in and out of jams involving interplanetary confusion.

Episode 2: September 13, 1953
TRAIL BLAZERS     Reject, the factory rejected robot from Jupiter, helps in a head scoutmasters contest.

Episode 3: September 19, 1953
Buried Treasure    Duckweather is aided by Reject in his search for buried treasure.

Episode 4: September 26, 1953
Tonic   Duckweather believes that he has discovered a tonic to grow hair.

Episode 5: September 3, 1953
Masquerade Party       Reject the Robot and Mr. Duckweather attend a masquerade party.

Epsiode 6: October 10, 1953
Rejects Confusion   Reject the robot covers himself with confusion.

Episode 7: October 17, 1953
How to Become a Movie Star  Duckweather and his boss almost become movie stars.

Episode 8: October 25, 1953
DUCKWEATHER AND THE PROFESSOR
Opening: "Once upon a time on the far off planet Jupiter lived two strange creatures; strange in looks, but with a wisdom for greater than our own (well you can't expect them to be perfect). Each day they searched the universe for signs of intelligent life, but alas, they found none. Instead they settled for the planet Earth. Now on this planet lived a young inventor by the name of Ernest P. Duckweather. He invented a television set unlike any ever known before. On this set he was able to tune in the planet Jupiter. The trouble is no one believed him, not even when his friends from outer space sent down a visitor to Earth."
    Duckweather is day dreaming about the first rocketship when Katherine remembers their favorite radio show "Feeling Good Without Loot" with Professor Dexter Spiegelmacher is on. Mr. Frisby poo-poo's the professors philosophy, but when Mrs. Clandish relates that tonight's guest speaker for the Clayville Culture Club had to bow out he inadvertently promises to get Professor Spiegelmacher as a way of besting his rival Gregory Latham. Of course Frisby calls on Duckweather to get him out of the jam, and Duckweather in turn calls on Johnny Jupiter. Johnny relates that the Spiegelmacher philosophy is the only one that makes sense to the Jovians. Johnny then helps Duckweather to locate the professor, and helps out again when it becomes apparent that the professor likes loot more than he says. M&M commercials. In one commercial Major Domo states that "They're so good I can't get them out of my memory cylinders."
Cast: Duckweather: Wright King; Katherine Frisby: Patricia Peardon; Horatio Frisby: Cliff Hall; Dexter Spiegelmacher: Ross Martin; Gregory Latham: Florenz Ames; Mrs. Clandish: Beta Shaw.
Philip London: Puppeteer; Gil Mach: Puppet voices; Screenplay by Jerome Coopersmith; Story by Jerome Coopersmith & Sam Rockingham; Script editor: Jerome Coopersmith; Jupiterians designed by Allan Stone; Created & Produced by Martin Stone; Directed by Howard Magwood; Produced by KAGRAN CORP.; Motion Picture produced by Sound Masters, Inc.

Episode 9: October 31, 1953
Amateur Magician     Mr. Frisby enters Duckweather in an amateur magicians contest.

Episode 10: November 7, 1953
HISTORIC REENACTMENT   Duckweather and the Clayville citizens dress up and re-enact an episode from the Revolutionary War.

Episode 11: November 14, 1953
DETECTIVE      Having passed a private investigator correspondence course, Duckweather decides to put his abilities to use by solving a local crime.

Epsiode 12: November 21, 1953
DUELING    Duckweather offends a visiting nobleman and is challenged to a duel with swords.

Episode 13: November 28, 1953
CURE FOR A COLD       Duckweather comes up with a cure for the common cold, but it has one drawback: it only works on Jovians.

Episode 14: December 4, 1953
SURPRISE PARTY
    Katherine Frisby plans a surprise birthday party for her father, while Mr. Frisby tries to deter Duckweather from his inventing aspirations by teaching him the hard sell technique he feels will make Duckweather a complete success. Duckweather calls on his friend Johnny Jupiter to help him, and Johnny invites him to try a positive thinking approach, and sends Reject the Robot down to earth to help keep him focus. Duckweather tries to sell Oscar Latham (Gregory's son), Judge Thorn, Mrs. Clandish, and Mrs. Higgins without success, so Frisby fires him. Johnny then describes a new selling technique by going to the customers soft spot, which Reject is always able to spot. Johnny uses this technique to sell a statuary alarm clock lamp that Frisby has been trying to unload for years to a number of Frisby's regular customers, astounding Frisby who allows Duckweather to keep his $15 a week job, with a slight $5 bonus, which Duckweather uses to buy Mr. Frisby a birthday present.
Cast: Duckweather: Wright King; Katherine Frisby: Patricia Peardon; Horatio Frisby: Cliff Hall; Oscar Latham: Bill McCutcheon; Mrs. Clandish: Reta Shaw; Gregory Latham: Florenz Ames;
Philip London: Puppeteer;  Gil Mach: Puppet voices;  Created and Produced by Martin Stone; Associate Producer: Dan Klugherez; Jupiterians Designed by Alan Stone; Script Editor: Jerome Coopersmith;   Screenplay by: William Kendall Clarke;    Story by: Jerome Coopersmith & Sam Rockingham;    Director by: Howard Magwood;   Produced by: THE KAGRAN CORPORATION;   Production Supervision: Frances C. Wood, Jr.;   Assistant Director: Ted Wondsel;   Directory of Photography: Gerald Hirschfeld;    Recording Engineer: Dave Scott;   Editorial Supervision: Charlie Bellante;   Scenic Designer: Paul Heller;   Motion Pictured produced by: SOUNT MASTERS, Inc.

Epsiode 15: December 12, 1953
Phony Swami   Duckweather and Mr. Frisby expose a phony swami with the help of Reject.

Episode 16: December 20, 1953
SIT DOWN STRIKE    Reject comes face to face with Duckweather's human friends.

Episode 17: December 27, 1953
THE KID   Earnest is asked to look after the mischievous nephew of the woman judging the local cleanliness contest; a contest which Mr. Frisby hopes to win.

Episode 18: January 2, 1954
THE FLOWER STORY   Duckweather accidentally blows up the plants which Mr. Frisby has been raising for the flower show.

Epsiode 19: January 9, 1954
LIBRARY   Reject the Robot returns Mr. Duckweathers library book that's two years overdue.

Episode 20: January 16, 1954
THE HAT    After learning that his wealthy, domineering aunt is planning on paying him a visit, Mr. Frisby sends Duckweather out to buy him a hat to impress her.

Episode 21: January 23, 1954
THE RAISE

Episode 22: January 30, 1954
THE WIDOW

Episode 23: February 6, 1954
THE GENIUS   Reject the Robot finishes Duckweathers correspondence exam, causing Mr. Frisby to think that he's a genius when the results come in.

Episode 24: February 13, 1954
THE LOVE STORY    Mr. Frisby tries to breakup Duckweathers romance with his daughter Katherine.

Epsiode 25: February 20, 1954
THE RIVAL    Duckweather gets competition for Katherine's affections from a rival who's also after his job.

Epsiode 26: February 27, 1954
PYSICAL EDUCATION

Epiosde 27: March 6, 1954
THE BABY CONTEST   Mr. Duckweather is put in the unfortunate position of having to judge the town's baby contest.

Episode 28: March 13, 1954
THE GOLD MACHINE   The Jovians show Mr. Duckweather how to turn base metals into gold.

Epsiode 29: March 20, 1954
JUPITER-FRISBY, INC.     Gold rich Jupiter seems to be on the losing end of a business deal with Frisby's General Store.

Episode 30: March 27, 1954
THE INVISIBLE DOG   Reject the Robot comes to the aid of a little boy whose mother forces him to sell their pet dog.

Episode 31: April 4, 1954
Grass      Mr. Duckweathers dream brings grass to Jupiter.

Episode 32: April 10, 1954
THE GEIGER COUNTER     The reaction of a Geiger counter to Reject the Robot convinces Mr. Frisby that an Army survey team has discovered Uranium under his store.

Episode 33: April 17, 1954
DUCKWEATHER: TV REPAIRMAN
Opening: "This is the story of Ernest P. Duckweather who invented the strangest television set in the world. On this set he could look through endless space, 600 million miles away to the far off planet Jupiter. In a Jupiterian television station he found three friends: Johnny Jupiter, a human (more or less); Major Domo, chief of the robots; and Reject, the factory rejected robot who was able to appear and disappear at will. Soon Duckweather found he could turn to the Jupiterians for help whenever he was in trouble. But alas, no one believed the young inventor, not even when his friends sent Reject the Robot to the planet Earth."
    NOTE:  This looks and feels like it should be one of the first episodes in the series, though our TV magazines indicates it was not broadcast until 33 weeks into the shows season.
    Ernest Duckweather works for Mr. Horatio Frisby as a clerk for $15 a week, and is in love and loved by Katherine Frisby, who in this episode is trying to talk Ernest into opening his own business. Duckweather calls on Johnny Jupiter to help him find the right kind of business, and Johnny hits on the idea of a TV repair shop. So Duckweather hangs up his shingle and his first customer is Worthington Hampshire who owns the newspaper that Duckweathers ad appears in. Johnny sends Reject (who turns from a puppet to a full size robot) to help, and when Mr. Frisby learns of Duckweathers success he cuts himself in for a 51% partnership. Later, however, Johnny reveals that Mrs. Hampshire now has the 2nd most unusual TV set in Clayville, for after 9:00 P.M. he will only be able to get Rejects favorite TV show "The Robot Club". Duckweather and Reject must fix the TV set before that time.
Cast: Duckweather: Wright King; Katherine Frisby: Patricia Peardon; Horation Frisby: Cliff Hall; Worthington Hampshire: Jerome Colamore. Philip London: Puppeteer;  Gilber Mach: Puppet Voices;  Screenplay by William Kendall Clark;     Story by Jerome Coopersmith & Sam Rockingham;   Script editor: Jerome Coopersmith;  Production Assistant: Walter Sachs;   Jupiterians Designed by Alan Stone; Created & Produced by Martin Stone; Directed by Ben Gradus; A KAGRAN PRODUCTION

Episode 34: April 24, 1954
THE PENNY ARCADE    Duckweather has a day off and takes Reject the Robot to the penny arcade where the robot falls in love with a wax dummy.

Episode 35: May 1, 1954
REJECTS BIRTHDAY PARTY    Duckweather arranges a birthday party for his Jovian friend, Reject the Robot, but runs into unexpected complications.

Epsiode 36: May 8, 1954
HOME MOVIES   Mr. Frisby takes up home movies, but Reject the Robot does him one better.

Episode 37: May 15, 1954
THE FIRE   The Frisby General Store almost burns to the ground. The insurance company and Mr. Duckweather have their own plans for rebuilding.

Episode 38: May 22, 1954
REJECTS DEFECT    Duckweather discovers that Reject the Robot's evil twin brother has come to earth.

Episode 39: May 29, 1954
THE BARBERSHOP     Duckweather and his Jovian friends try to keep an old look in the local barbershop.

LAST REVISED: July 11, 2005