The Drone
- Studio
- Hanna-Barbera Studios
- Distributor
- Columbia/Screen Gems
Synopsis
A sinister robot is placed in the Phantom Cruiser, and the stolen ship is piloted toward the Black Planet. Space Ghost must do battle with the weapons and defenses of his own vehicle in order to retrieve it.
Characters
Space Ghost, Jan, Jayce
Credits
Directing
- Director
- William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
- Animation Director
- Charles Nichols (as Charles A. Nichols)
Producing
- Producer
- William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
Writing
- Writer
- Lewis Marshall, Paul Sommer, Bill Perez, Walter Black, Bill Hamilton
Animation
Voices
- Voice
- Gary Owens (Space Ghost, narrator), Ginny Tyler (Jan, Tim Matthieson (Jace), Don Messick (Blip)
Music
- Music
- Ted Nichols
Editing
- Editor
- Warner Leighton, Larry Cowan, Milton Krear, Tony Milch, Don Douglas
Crew
- Created By
- Alex Toth
- Production Supervisor
- Howard Hanson
- Camera
- Frank Paiker, Frank Parrish, John Pratt, Roy Wade, Charles Flekal, Bill Kotler, Roger Sims, Dick Blundell
- Layout
- Alex Toth, Homer Jonas, Bob Singer, Walt Clinton, Mo Gollub, Tony Sgroi, Alex Ignatiev, Hi Mankin
- Backgrounds
- F. Montealegre, Ron Dias, Paul Julian, Bob Gentle, Rene Garcia, Art Lozzi
- Sound Direction
- Richard Olson, Bill Getty
Companies and other credits
- A
- HANNA-BARBERA
- PRODUCTION© 1966 Hanna-Barbera Productions
- Inc
Production notes
Space Ghost is one of the most popular superheroes to come out of Saturday morning. Unlike comic book heroes Superman, Batman and Spider-Man, Space Ghost originated on television, embodying animation in the 60's. Legendary animator Alex Toth's use of bright colors, sleek lines and an almost sinister costume gave Space Ghost an undefinable hipness that TV watchers immediately clung to.
The hero's name stemmed from the fact that he was able to make himself invisible through the use of high-tech wizardry. He could also shoot heat rays, cold rays and plain old power blasts from the bands on his wrists.
Tagging along in his ship, the Phantom Cruiser, were Jan and Jayce, a teenage duo who assisted Space Ghost and could become invisible as well. Rounding out the team was monkey sidekick Blip, who had mastered his own invisibility technology enough to lend a hand wherever he was needed.
Gary Owens, a 60's mainstay ever since Laugh-In, was the voice of Space Ghost, while Jayce was voiced by Tim Matheson, who went on to be a succesful movie star in films like Animal House and Fletch.
In 1976, NBC brought back repeats of Space Ghost to accompany new episodes of Frankenstein Jr.. Space Ghost also appeared in new segments of Space Stars in 1981.
In the cartoon industry, Space Ghost is almost single-handedly responsible for the popularity of superhero cartoons in the 60's. The series was drawn so well and the stories were so imaginative that kids were glued to CBS every Saturday morning. This success forced the other networks to develop superhero shows like Superman in order to battle the mighty Space Ghost.
Perhaps the greatest evidence of Space Ghost's popularity came three decades later, when the Cartoon Network reinvented the superhero in a hilarious sendup of nighttime talk shows, Space Ghost Coast To Coast.
The hero's name stemmed from the fact that he was able to make himself invisible through the use of high-tech wizardry. He could also shoot heat rays, cold rays and plain old power blasts from the bands on his wrists.
Tagging along in his ship, the Phantom Cruiser, were Jan and Jayce, a teenage duo who assisted Space Ghost and could become invisible as well. Rounding out the team was monkey sidekick Blip, who had mastered his own invisibility technology enough to lend a hand wherever he was needed.
Gary Owens, a 60's mainstay ever since Laugh-In, was the voice of Space Ghost, while Jayce was voiced by Tim Matheson, who went on to be a succesful movie star in films like Animal House and Fletch.
In 1976, NBC brought back repeats of Space Ghost to accompany new episodes of Frankenstein Jr.. Space Ghost also appeared in new segments of Space Stars in 1981.
In the cartoon industry, Space Ghost is almost single-handedly responsible for the popularity of superhero cartoons in the 60's. The series was drawn so well and the stories were so imaginative that kids were glued to CBS every Saturday morning. This success forced the other networks to develop superhero shows like Superman in order to battle the mighty Space Ghost.
Perhaps the greatest evidence of Space Ghost's popularity came three decades later, when the Cartoon Network reinvented the superhero in a hilarious sendup of nighttime talk shows, Space Ghost Coast To Coast.
Reviews
THE DRONE
One of the better episodes overall. It is unusual that it opened with a narrated introduction.
At first I thought the drone referred to the mysterious flying character who infiltrated the Ghost Planet with a bee-like costume eluding the Ghost Planet's "sonic rays".
This episode provides a good showing of the Phantom Cruiser and its weapons, basically a heat ray, although mostly its aim was limited to rock protrusions.
Space Ghost defeats the drone with laser from his left finger destroying two of its poisonous appendages, then lets Blip box at it, taking on the remaining two. Why did the mysterious hooded fiend not steal the Phantom Cruiser himself and what was his purpose?
Hey Jan and Jace aren't captured this time.
Cool music as always.
One Of The Best
"The Drone" is one of the best Space Ghost episodes made.I grew up on Space ghost,having first seen it in 1966,and I Always enjoyed this particular episode for the action, and the musical selection that accompanied it.Thumbs up to Hanna-Barbera.