Albert Elmer Hodge

Background

Albert Elmer Hodge was born on April 18, 1912 in Ravenna, Ohio, United States. He was the only child of Albert Elmarian Hodge, a tailor-clothier, and Jessie Jeannette Eldridge.

Education

Hodge graduated from Ravenna High School in 1930 and then attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio; he graduated in 1934 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, having majored in speech.

Career

Hodge acted in many theatrical productions, produced or directed others, and often served as master of ceremonies for university functions. After graduating, Hodge toured for one year with the Casford Players theatrical troupe. He then was an announcer and classical music program copy writer for the Cleveland, Ohio, wired radio experiment, an early version of Muzak.

In late 1935 he was hired at $35 per week as an announcer and copy writer at radio station WXYZ in Detroit. The station's driving force was Detroit businessman George W. Trendle, who, together with free-lance scriptwriter Fran Striker, developed the concept for a Western serial adventure program that debuted on January 30, 1933, as "The Lone Ranger. " Aired thrice weekly, the program soon became a national favorite, and in an attempt to capitalize on its popularity, Trendle and Striker created a modern, urban version of the genre, "The Green Hornet, " which premiered on January 31, 1936.

Hodge was personally selected by Trendle for the lead role of Britt Reid on "The Green Hornet. " He played the character from 1936 to 1943 while continuing to work for the station in other capacities: writing copy, announcing, producing, directing, and doing color commentary for college football games. In the fall of 1937, Hodge was instrumental in forming the Detroit local of the American Federation of Radio Artists and was elected its first president in January 1938.

Hodge served as a lieutenant junior grade in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1945. He briefly returned to WXYZ and then left for New York, where he worked regularly in radio and television dramas and soap operas.

On June 27, 1949, the fledgling Dumont Television Network inaugurated the first televised children's science-fiction adventure serial, "Captain Video and His Video Rangers. " The program featured the exploits of a futuristic superhero and self-proclaimed "Guardian of the Universe, dedicated to the destruction of all forces of evil. " Operating from a secret mountain headquarters and assisted by a faithful young companion (the Video Ranger), a corps of secret agents, and myriad pseudoscientific devices, he waged an ongoing struggle against a variety of earthly and interplanetary villains. Despite meager production budgets, a grueling five-nights-per-week schedule, and the vagaries of live television in its formative era, "Captain Video" became enormously popular and spawned a series of imitators that helped propel its initially earthbound plot lines into space.

When the first Captain Video was replaced, Hodge assumed the role in the winter of 1950. He was perfect for the role and became firmly identified with it, even after the final episode was aired on April 1, 1955. From September 5, 1953, to May 29, 1954, a half-hour variant, "The Secret Files of Captain Video, " aired every other Saturday morning, featuring complete science-fiction adventures and often starring Hodge.

On October 19, 1954, Hodge appeared before a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee investigating links between juvenile delinquency and violence in children's television programming; he defended his program for minimizing violence while emphasizing cooperation, fair play, and good taste. At its height, "Captain Video" was shown on Dumont's flagship New York station, WABD, and more than 150 affiliates. However, the network incurred major financial losses in an unsuccessful effort to compete with CBS, NBC, and ABC, and in 1955 the Dumont Television Network operation was terminated and the program was canceled. For a time, Hodge continued to appear in his Captain Video persona on "Captain Video's Cartoons, " hosting juvenile cartoon and adventure programs until his Dumont contract expired in August 1957.

At the height of his popularity he had made $600 per week playing Captain Video, and even more making personal appearances; he now found it difficult to get television work in New York City, being typecast in his former role. He therefore went to California, where from 1958 to 1960 he made commercials, was a radio disc jockey, and had a few minor television roles. For a time after returning to New York, Hodge had a continuing role on the radio soap opera "Ma Perkins. " His final television work involved hosting a short-lived local New York program, "Space Explorers, " in the fall of 1961.

He held a succession of jobs, including real estate salesman, lecturer, proofreader, clothing salesman, and security guard. In July 1975 he moved into a Manhattan hotel, subsisting mainly on a $312 monthly Social Security check. Hodge's final years were spent forgotten and in declining health from emphysema and chronic bronchitis, compounded by a drinking problem. His body, surrounded by memorabilia and fan letters from his radio and television heyday, was found in his room by the hotel manager and a policeman.

Achievements

• Hodge was a performer noted as one of the most legendary heroes in the annals of early television and radio broadcasting. He portrayed heroic figures who generated wide audience appeal and considerable fan following. As Captain Video, he captured national attention as the first television sciencefiction hero and extolled positive virtues to a viewing audience that avidly followed the new medium and its stars. The program provided an opportunity for hundreds of actors to gain television experience while instilling mass interest in space exploration that would long outlast the show itself.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Captain Video and His Video Rangers

    (Venture into space with rare episodes from the classic sc...)

  • The Green Hornet

Membership

While in Miami, Hodge was a member of the track team, cheerleading squad, boosters' club, glee club, student-faculty council, dramatic honorary society, and Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Personality

Hodge was six feet, two inches tall, and weighted 190 pounds. He had a commanding presence and an authoritative voice.

Connections

On November 30, 1936, Hodge married his first wife, Elizabeth. They had one child and were divorced in 1946. In the late 1940s he married his second wife, Doris. They and her two children lived in Manhasset, New York. Hodge and his second wife were divorced in 1961, and within a year he married Jane Virginia Osborne. In July 1975 he left his wife.

Father:

Albert Elmarian Hodge

Mother:

Jessie Jeannette (Eldridge) hodge

Spouse:

Jane Virginia (Osborne) Hodge

Spouse:

Elizabeth Hodge

Spouse:

Doris Hodge

References

• The great television heroes