Rickety Rocket

{{Infobox television

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| voices = Al Fann
Bobby F. Ellerbee
Johnny Brown
John Anthony Bailey
Dee Timberlake

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| company = Ruby-Spears Productions

| country = United States

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| language = English

| network = ABC

| first_aired = {{start date|1979|9|22}}

| last_aired = {{end date|1980|1|5}}

| num_series =

| num_episodes = 16

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Rickety Rocket is an animated television series, produced by Ruby-Spears Productions, which ran from 1979 to 1980 as a segment on The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show.{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=624–625}}

Plot

In the far future, four African-American teenagers named Sunstroke (voiced by John Anthony Bailey), Splashdown (voiced by Johnny Brown), Cosmo (voiced by Bobby F. Ellerby), and Venus (voiced by Dee Timberlake) build a makeshift sentient talking rocket (voiced by Al Fann). They run the Far Out Detective Agency and solve mysteries that usually has them fighting suspects operating as master criminals or disguised as monsters. The rocket's signature phrase was "Rickety Rocket, blast off!"

Episodes

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! style="background:#191970; width:20px"| {{abbr|Nº|Number}}

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! style="background:#191970; width:135px"| Original air date

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title = The Case of the Zombie Monster

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|9|22}}

| ShortSummary = The Far-Out Detective Agency is called out to a residential satellite and meet an heiress who has found a riddle to a hidden fortune. It won't be easy when a monster that turns people into zombies is on the loose.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title = The Mysterious Robot Critic Caper

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|9|29}}

| ShortSummary = A series of mystifying thefts of museum collections is committed by a robotic gentleman as his cane has a matter transformer that can shrink the stolen objects and store it in his cane.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title = The Spaceship Caper

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|10|6}}

| ShortSummary = A space pirate called the Cosmic Claw is using his laser-projected "cosmic claws" to hijack space transports that are carrying gold. He also targets the sight of a pageant that Venus is entered into.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = The Golden Crystal Caper

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|10|13}}

| ShortSummary = The Far-Out Detective Agency is assigned to transport a priceless golden crystal from Mars to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, it is targeted by a jewel thief called Lazer-Lips whose lips can emit a laser beam that immobilizes anyone that touches it.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title = The Rickety Robbery

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|10|20}}

| ShortSummary = The Far-Out Detective Agency is tricked into intercepting the delivery of a cosmic crown and handing it to "Officer" Nimbus (who is actually the faceless Mr. Eclipse). When Venus, Splashdown, and Sunstroke are arrested for the theft, Cosmo and Rickety must track down the thief while evading the Hood (who was hired by Mr. Eclipse).

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| Title = The Alien Egg Caper

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|10|27}}

| ShortSummary = An alien egg hatches and makes off with the members of an explorer's club.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| Title = The Super-Duper Race Cage

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|11|3}}

| ShortSummary = Helmet Head steals a top-secret formula for a super fuel.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| Title = The Creepy Creature Caper

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|11|10}}

| ShortSummary = A crippled spaceship loaded with counterfeit money lands in the swamp. When the Far-Out Detective Agency investigates, they encounter the local swamp monster.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| Title = The Mysterious, Serious Circus Caper

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|11|17}}

| ShortSummary = A traveling intergalactic circus is haunted by the ghost of a space warrior.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| Title = The Mad Mummy Mystery

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|11|24}}

| ShortSummary = The Far-Out Detective Agency is kidnapped while transporting an alien mummy to a local university.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| Title = The Count Draculon Caper

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|12|1}}

| ShortSummary = A space vampire named Count Draculon hijacks rocket liners using a Hypno-Beam that turns the passengers and crew members into zombies.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| Title = The Horrible Headless Horseman Caper

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|12|8}}

| ShortSummary = A ghost town holds the evidence that will convict an unknown Vice-President of Pegasus Corporation and the Far-Out Detective Agency is sent to retrieve it while evading the robotic Headless Horseman.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 13

| Title = The Case of the Fearsome Phantom

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|12|15}}

| ShortSummary = A phantom organist threatens revenge against the rock group The Astros for stealing his music.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 14

| Title = The Mysterious Warnings of Doom

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|12|22}}

| ShortSummary = The Far-Out Detective Agency vacations at a gold-mining asteroid turned vacation resort until a giant alien called Zarcon orders the planet to evacuate even when he sends three alien monsters to scare away the inhabitants.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 15

| Title = The Case of the Vicious Voodoo Villain

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|12|29}}

| ShortSummary = A tropical alien resort becomes a nightmare when an alien creature uses a voodoo machine to turn the island's citizens into monsters.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 16

| Title = The Deep Sea Demon Caper

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|1|5}}

| ShortSummary = A valuable cargo of gold lies submerged in the waters off the coast of Greece. When a giant sea monster prevents a salvaging company from recovering it, the Far-Out Detective Agency comes to their aid.

| LineColor = 191970

}}

References