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his series debuted in 1994, launching the fad for retrofitting old cheesy cartoon shows into postmodern vehicles for parody and satire. Using the original 1966 Hanna-Barbera show Space Ghost and Dino Boy as the source for their characters and setting, the creators transformed the jut-jawed, muscle-bound, wristband-armed superhero into a lame-brained and egotistical talk-show host who would interact with celebrities from the real world via a convenient TV monitor. This collection assembles 14 episodes (with commentary by various creative folks involved with the show), along with five extra features.
In "$20.01" Space Ghost fires his evil assistants—Zorak, the praying-mantis bandleader, and Moltar, the hooded director and cameraman—then must contend with the whims of their cybernetic replacement, all while interviewing Penn and Teller. "Lovesick" finds Space Ghost in the dumps due to being jilted by his girlfriend. Needless to say, his interview with Carrot Top is a lackluster affair. The highlight of "Transcript" is Jonathan Richman serenading Zorak with his famous song "Hey There Little Insect." "Boo" finds Space Ghost trying to persuade occult expert Michael Norman to write a Space-Ghost-centered book.
Space Ghost's real name, we learn, is Tad Ghostal. Of course, he has a suave evil twin named Chad, who makes an appearance on "Switcheroo," where he woos guest Elvira. A large assortment of guests—including cartoon villains the Council of Doom—try to stage a surprise party for Space Ghost's birthday on "Surprise." Matt Groening carries the show called "Glen Campbell," and reacts in shock to Space Ghost's suggestion that perhaps putting the Simpsons figures on merchandise might be a good idea.
In the Groening episode, Moltar manages to escape his duties and set off on a cross-country bus trip. Space Ghost runs him to earth in "Jacksonville," while also managing to interview two members of Metallica. While Space Ghost's regular show resembles the Tonight show of the Johnny Carson era more often than not, in the episode titled "Late Show," the format mocks David Letterman with cutting precision, right down to guests Janeane Garofalo and Dave Grohl. "Cookout" is the all-chef show, starring Emeril Lagasse and Martin Yan. Finally, "Woody Allen's Fall Project" is all live action, as an ostensible amateur theater troupe reenacts famous Space Ghost moments.
The extras include the following: Matt Groening's raw footage, showing how off-camera prompts evoke the proper human responses for the monitor sessions. A musical performance by Thurston Moore. An early pilot version of the show, done entirely with cut-and-paste footage from the original cartoon. Some pencil sketches of Space Ghost in action. And a tribute to guitarist Sonny Sharrock, who provided music for the show but died in 1994.
Merv Griffin as cosmic crusader
There are at least three aspects or layers to every Space Ghost episode, a complexity which makes it superior to many of its later, more simplistic offspring. First, there's the actual storyline involving the cartoon characters. As a dynamical trio, the figures of Space Ghost, Zorak and Moltar form a kind of Three Stooges ensemble. Space Ghost is Moe, dictatorial and self-righteous. (Lowe's voice work captures these qualities perfectly.) Zorak is an evil Curly, force of anarchy, yelling "Blast them!" whenever he gets the opportunity. And Moltar is Larry, all naive enthusiasms (mainly for C.H.I.P.S. reruns) and goofups. (Croker handles both these roles with relish.) OK, maybe there's not exactly a one-for-one correspondence between the two trios, but you get the idea. The characters are written to complement each other's foibles quite nicely. Scenes of the three in the network commissary have a real resonance with any set of co-workers the viewers might know from their own lives. And the plots, such as they are—Moltar escaping, the surprise birthday party—are generally well paced and satisfying.
The second level involves the parodic and satiric elements. Here Space Ghost scores some palpable hits on the media and the various cults of celebrity. Space Ghost's alternately smarmy and hostile reception of his guests precede Martin Short's Jiminy Glick by some years. And the various tropes of the whole talk-show genre are deconstructed nicely as well, especially in the "Late Show" episode.
The third level of the show comes with the human guests. The interaction between them and Space Ghost offers either lots of laughs, or awkward stiffness. It's not easy either to predict who will perform best under such strained circumstances. A hipster like Penn actually comes across as boring, while Emeril Lagasse gets more laughs. The whole episode of "Cookout" is perhaps the funniest here, as Space Ghost jerks his power bands up reflexively whenever Martin Yan displays a cleaver. Jonathan Richman gives another standout performance, his naive goofiness overpowering Space Ghost's innate hostility.
As a commentary on cartoon cheesiness, media hype and celebrity egotism, SGCTC proves that even without teenage sidekicks, our hero can lay down "spank rays" with the best of them.
For a vastly different, utterly serious take on this hero, check out the new miniseries starring Space Ghost from DC Comics. But as you read it, just try not to picture our cowled hero seated behind a desk, interviewing some flavor-of-the-month starlet. —Paul
Also in this issue: Constantine and Son of the Mask
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