Premier Collections:
The Planet Man, Volume 2
Liner notes written by Ivan Shreve, Jr.
Click to listen to an audio sample
"Great blazing meteors!"
When we last looked in on Dantro, the Planet Man - intergalactic troubleshooter
for the League of Planets, the law enforcement body for peace and justice in the
celestial world - he and his faithful sidekick Slats (an Earth engineer who
participated in that planet's first rocket expedition) were in a distant galaxy
on the planet of the Mardee, seeking assistance in their mission to defeat the
unspeakably diabolical Marston - the Martian dictator who has declared himself
ruler of the entire solar system. In this Premier Collection, containing the
final twenty-six episodes of the whiz-bang space serial "The Planet Man," we
find our heroes valiantly trying to defeat their nemesis and encountering new
villains as well: Marston's evil female scientist counterpart Gaza, a race of
insect men, and a planet of robots that have seized control of civilization from
humans.
Produced in about 1950 by Palladium Radio Productions, "The Planet Man" is a
serialized return to classic radio kiddie sci-fi shows like "Flash Gordon" and
"Buck Rogers." The background on "The Planet Man" is sketchy at best, even with
the original discs close at hand. Various sources date its syndicated run around
1952-53, but specific airdate information remains unknown. Palladium transcribed
a total of 78 15-minute episodes for afternoon strip, with 76 episodes extant
today. (The first and fourth installments, likely contained on a single audition
disc, are missing and have never been located.)
The cast of the series also remains shrouded in mystery; only the announcer
(Phil Tonken), organist (Jon Gart) and voice of the robot characters (Joseph
Boland) have been identified. But though there is still much information to be
learned about "The Planet Man," one thing does remain certain: it's timeless
entertainment, offering loads of breezy, golly-jeepers, shoot 'em up fun for
old-time radio fans aged eight to eighty.
So in the words of announcer Tonken, let's "level off" and take a look at the
lineup for Volume 2:
Dantro
and Slats in the Secret Council Chamber (#53)
Mala, male servant to the Mardee, secretly escorts Dantro and Slats to the
Council's chambers so that they may plead their case before the Council.
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A Firing Squad on Planeria Rex? (#54)
Gaza, a Mardee scientist, has been ordered by the Council to aid Dantro and
Slats in their struggle to defeat Marston -- but Slats isn't convinced that Gaza
is on the level. While monitoring activity on Planeria Rex, the three of them
witness a hooded individual about to be brought before a firing squad!
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Gaza Uses a Force Screen to Save the Judge (#55)
The prisoner to be executed is revealed to be Judge Augustus, and our heroes
plead with Gaza to do something to spare the life of their old friend. Gaza
manages to create a force field to protect the Judge, but she engages in a
heated exchange with Dantro and Slats on whether she is doing all she can to
help them defeat Marston.
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Slats Overhears Gaza Talking to Marston (#56)
Roora takes Dantro to see Heru, a Mardee council member, to report on Gaza's
reluctance to help both him and Slats triumph over Marston. In the meantime,
Slats makes his way back to Gaza's laboratory and manages to eavesdrop on a
conversation between her and Marston. In the struggle to keep Gaza from
destroying him with her blaster, Slats comes face to face with the enemy Marston
- in the flesh!
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Transporting Dantro and Slats Back to Alpha (#57)
With the diabolical designs of Marston and Gaza defeated, the Mardee transport
Dantro and Slats back to spaceship Alpha. Our heroes are planning to head back
to Planeria Rex, but are sidetracked by an S.O.S. signal that their robot pal
Barrel says is coming from his people's exploration party.
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Going to the Aid of Barrow's Expedition (#58)
Dantro, Slats and Barrel fervently search for the planet from which the S.O.S.
signal emanates. Slats reluctantly agrees to stay with the Alpha while Dantro
and Barrel investigate what appears to be a desolate planet.
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Crash Landing on a Mystery Planet (#59)
With their space launch losing power and communication with Slats cut off,
Dantro and Barrel crash-land on the barren planet. Dantro manages to signal
Slats with a flare, but his attempts to return to the Mardee for assistance are
hampered when the Alpha is attacked by unknown spaceships.
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A Graveyard of Space Ships (#60)
In exploring the planet, Dantro and Barrel stumble across a "cemetery" of
abandoned spacecraft - and soon become aware that their movements are being
monitored. At the same time, Slats is attempting to return to Mardee for
assistance, but is unable to free the Alpha from the planet's magnetic field.
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Is Slats Headed for Certain Death? (#61)
The individuals who have surrounded Dantro and Barrel are all survivors from the
spaceships in the planet's "cemetery." Sacro, their chosen leader, explains to
the Planet Man and his robot friend that a race of insect men have enslaved many
of their comrades in their underground city - a city consisting of a race of
insect men! Can Slats break free of the planet's magnetic pull through a risky
"power drive" with the Alpha towards the planet?
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Slats Contacts the Mardee for Help (#62)
Dantro and Barrel volunteer to descend into the bowels of the planet in an
effort to free the others from their imprisonment at the hands of the insect
men, but their efforts are soon hampered from an unexpected cave-in. Meanwhile,
Slats has managed to contact their Mardee friend Roora, who is sending a fleet
of ships his way to rescue the Planet Man and Barrel.
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Landing on the Insect Planet to Rescue Dantro (#63)
Barrel rescues Dantro from a pile of rocks and gravel, and the two of them
subdue and capture an insect guard, forcing him to take them to the city. Slats,
Roora and the Mardee fleet defeat the patrol of spaceships protecting the
planet, but they soon succumb to the planet's magnetic field.
http://www.radioarchives.org/scans/22065.jpg
Dantro Planning to Destroy the Generator (#64)
Dantro devises a plan to distract the insect guards protecting the city's
generator, which is responsible for the planet's magnetic field. If the Planet
Man and Barrel are unable to destroy the generator, Slats, Roora and the Mardee
fleet will be captured and enslaved by the insect men.
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Dantro Rushes to the Barracks to Free the Prisoners (#65)
Once the generator is destroyed, all life on the planet will die due to the lack
of oxygen, so Dantro must first free the insect men's prisoners while Barrel
ensures the destruction of the generator. Meanwhile, Slats and Roora agree that
they and the Mardee fleet will have to take positions and "strike the first
blow" once they've landed on the planet.
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Battling the Insect Men to the End (#66)
Dantro has released the slaves from their prison and secures their cooperation
to battle the insect men. Barrel is prepared to set off a charge that will
destroy the generator and the planet, which gives the Planet Man, Slats, Roora
and the others only ten minutes to escape with the Mardee fleet!
http://www.radioarchives.org/scans/22068.jpg
A New Adventure Begins: Who is Dantro? (#67)
Dantro and Slats bid Roora adieu and once again head home towards Planeria Rex.
But an explosion aboard the Alpha puts the ship out of commission, and the
Planet Man suffers a concussion and amnesia as a result.
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Prisoners on a Planet with a Robot Civilization (#68)
Dantro and Slats have been captured by a race of robots who rebelled against
their masters and now control civilization, treating humans like household pets,
as their fellow prisoners Klar and his daughter Mira confirm. Dantro's amnesia
is cured through the assistance of a medical robot named L-77.
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Slats and Dantro Ride the Transporter to Orientor (#69)
Mira informs Dantro and Slats that the robots have obviously spared their lives
because they need them for an unknown - and no doubt evil - purpose. Sure
enough, our heroes soon find themselves summoned to an "orientation room," which
allows them to get a gander at the robot's city as well.
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Robot 012 Proclaims 'The Day of the Robot' (#70)
The Orienter, a robot named O-12, reveals to Dantro and Slats their plan of
conquering the galaxy, and that they will accomplish the task with Dantro and
Slats' formidable knowledge of space. If they refuse to cooperate, this
knowledge will be forcibly extracted from their memory until they are nothing
but mindless idiots.
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Who is Robot T-21? (#71)
In order to gain some time to stop the robots' foul scheme and escape, Dantro
and Slats agree to cooperate with their captors. A "mastermaker robot," ZR-5,
pumps them for information on the spaceship Alpha - and our heroes are also
contacted by a mysterious robot named T-21.
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Will T21 Help Dantro to Defeat the Robots? (#72)
T-21 wants to help Dantro and Slats defeat the other robots, though our heroes
are uncertain as to whether the robot can be trusted. When T-21 arranges for an
"accident" to happen to Dantro so that they may discuss the plan in private,
O-12 retaliates by ordering that Slats be "reconditioned" so that he can learn
of Dantro's whereabouts.
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Slats
is Searching for Dantro (#73)
Mira rescues Slats from a robot patrol sent to hunt him down, and Slats
reluctantly agrees to take Mira into his confidence, telling her of T-12's offer
of assistance. A wary Mira agrees to help Slats locate Dantro, even at the risk
of her father's life.
http://www.radioarchives.org/scans/22075.jpg
A Few Days to Plan the Overthrow (#74)
T-21 reveals to Dantro that time is of the essence in the overthrow of the other
robots, and that the Planet Man must undergo an "operation" in order to link his
brain with that of T-12's. Meanwhile, Slats designs a plan to commandeer one of
the robot jet ships in his continuing search for Dantro.
http://www.radioarchives.org/scans/22076.jpg
Dantro's Brain is Joined to T21 (#75)
The operation is complete, which has transformed the Planet Man into a temporary
robot. Slats and Mira continue their efforts to procure a robot jet ship while
eluding the authorities at every turn.
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Can Slats Keep Control of the Jet? (#76)
Slats' desperate gamble to swipe a jet ship pays off, and he and Mira are soon
at the controls. But unbeknownst to them, the ship they've stolen is part of the
fleet being formed by Dantro and T-12, who have mistaken him for one of the
enemy ships.
http://www.radioarchives.org/scans/22078.jpg
Death Coming Closer and Closer (#77)
Dantro, knowing that Slats can't possibly the "operation" that has temporarily
linked his brain with that of T-12's, arranges for his friend and Mira to be
taken to a place of safety as the battle for control of the robot planet begins.
http://www.radioarchives.org/scans/22079.jpg
The Adventure Comes to a Conclusion (#78)
Time is running out as the battle to destroy the remaining robot masters rages
on - can Dantro defeat them in the face of dangerous death coming closer and
closer?
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