Albert E. Hodge (April 18, 1912 – March 19, 1979) was an American actor best known for playing space adventurer

Captain Video ''Captain Video and His Video Rangers'' is an American science fiction television series that aired on the DuMont Television Network and was the first series of its genre on American television. The series aired between June 27, 1949, and Apri ...

on the

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being ...

from December 15, 1950, to April 1, 1955. He played the

Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media ...

on radio from January 1936 until January 1943.

Biography

Hodge was born in

Ravenna, Ohio Ravenna is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Akron. It was formed from portions of Ravenna Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 11,323 in the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Por ...

. His parents operated a tailoring and dry-cleaning business. Hodge acted and took part in sports at Ravenna High School. Nicknamed "Abie", he was a track star, a drum major and manager of the band, sang bass in the boys glee club and was a cheerleader. Hodge graduated from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

in Oxford, Ohio, in 1934, majoring in drama. After touring as an actor with the Casford Players, he was hired by WXYZ in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. Besides originating the role of

Britt Reid The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell (director), James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in ...

, the Green Hornet, Hodge wrote and delivered daily editorials, announced at football games, wrote advertising copy, worked as a disc jockey, and produced radio dramas and documentaries, including

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

and

Challenge of the Yukon ''Challenge of the Yukon'' is an American radio adventure series that began on Detroit's WXYZ and is an example of a Northern genre story. The series was first heard on January 3, 1939. The title changed from ''Challenge of the Yukon'' to ''Se ...

. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and was bedridden for a year with

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

Captain Video

After his discharge from the Navy, Hodge worked in New York City in a variety of radio and early TV roles. In 1949 he took over the role of Captain Video from

Richard Coogan Richard Charles Potter Coogan (April 4, 1914 – March 12, 2014) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of Captain Video in ''Captain Video and His Video Rangers'' from 1949 to 1950. Career Born in Madison, New Jersey, Coogan worked ...

, who wanted to leave the series to concentrate on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. Hodge played the role on

live television Live television is a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. In a secondary meaning, it may refer to streaming television over the Internet when content or programming is played continuously (not on demand) ...

Monday through Saturday at 7pm ET, and then Monday through Friday at 7pm for the last four seasons. When the DuMont network collapsed in 1955, Hodge continued the role of Captain Video on a children's show, ''

Wonderama ''Wonderama'' is a children's television program that originally appeared on the Metromedia-owned stations from 1955 to 1977. The show was revived from 1980 to 1987, and again in 2016. Hosts *Al Hodge (as Captain Video 1955–1956) *Jon Gnagy ...

'', and as the host of ''Captain Video's Cartoons'' from 1955 to 1957. Those programs were seen only in the New York City area. In 1950, RCA Victor released "Captain Video and the Captives of Saturn", a recording made by Hodge. Hodge felt that working on Captain Video had typecast him, and by the late 1960s and early 1970s he was working in increasingly low-paying jobs, eventually having to work as a security guard. He felt he was too closely identified with the role of Captain Video to gain acting parts. As late as 1978, Hodge told reporters that he was almost always recognized on the street and greeted as "Captain Video".

After Captain Video

He also MC'd "Super Serial" (later the series was retitled:"Serial Theater") weekday evenings on WNTA TV Ch.13 during the 1959 TV season. Hodge's last regular TV stint was hosting "The Space Explorer's Club" weekday evenings on WOR TV Ch.9 in NYC in 1961. Ironically, he hosted his last TV program as himself (information about Hodge hosting "Super Serial"/"Serial Theater" and "The Space Explorer's Club" can be found in "The NYC Kids Shows Round Up" Section of www.tvparty.com). Hodge then moved to California, where he guest-starred on ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'', ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private inves ...

'', ''

The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III as ...

'', ''

Tightrope! ''Tightrope!'' is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 1959 to September 1960, under the alternating sponsorship of the J.B. Williams Company (Aqua Velva, Lectric Shave, etc.), and American Tobacco ( Pall Mall). Produc ...

'', '' Hawaiian Eye'', ''

Coronado 9 ''Coronado 9'' is an American crime drama series starring Rod Cameron that aired in syndication in 1960. Synopsis Set in San Diego, California, the series follows Dan Adams (Cameron), a former United States Navy intelligence officer turned pri ...

'' and other drama or detective series. 1 Albert Hodge 800

Hodge largely dropped from sight after 1975. He lived for four years in the George Washington Hotel in New York City, his room crammed with collectible items from his career as

. He is said to have struggled with alcoholism. His post-television employment included selling real estate and working as a guard at a bank and at

Cartier Cartier may refer to: People * Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player Places * Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australia' ...

Personal life

Little is known of Hodge's private life. He married three times, and it is sometimes erroneously stated he fathered three children. In reality, he fathered a daughter, Diane, during his first marriage to Betty; the boy and girl he was frequently photographed with in the 1950s were John Taft Potter Jr. and Lois Trimble Potter, his step children from his second wife, Doris Ruth Trimble Hodge. Hodge and his third wife, Jane Virginia Hodge, a former showgirl, are buried in the same grave at

Kensico Cemetery Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads that served the city. Initially , it was ...

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

Death

On March 19, 1979, Hodge died of heart failure in the George Washington Hotel in New York City.

Tributes

In the first filmed episode of ''

The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom which originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It fol ...

'' ("TV or Not TV?", October 1, 1955), Ed Norton and

Ralph Kramden ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom which originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It fo ...

watch a fictionalized "Captain Video" episode on their new mutually owned television set (although "Captain Video" had ended its run six months earlier).

References

External links

*
The Green HornetRoaring Rockets - Al Hodge before and after Captain VideoSpace Hero Files: Captain Video''DuMont and the Birth of American Television''
* Glut, Don and Jim Harmon. ''The Great Television Heroes''. New York: Doubleday, 1975. . Chapters 1, 5
Captain Video Fans

"Who Killed Captain Video? How the FCC strangled a TV pioneer"

IMDb profile of ''Captain Video''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodge, Al 1912 births 1979 deaths Male actors from Ohio American male radio actors American male television actors Miami University alumni People from Ravenna, Ohio United States Navy personnel of World War II Burials at Kensico Cemetery 20th-century American male actors