Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearances?

[Archaeologist]

My question stands, as per the thread title. Is Spock the first non-human or alien character to make regular appearances on television? Obviously, within teh past few decades, there have been many examples of non-human or alien characters in science fiction, sitcoms, dramas, or even anime (if that's a genre itself). I believe that Spock from Star Trek is a landmark character of this sort of category, and as far as I know, he is the first, correct me if I'm wrong. And also, here's a character that started off minor, quickly becoming a sort of "breakout character," and one of the best examples of such.

 

[JarodRussell]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

I think My Favorite Martian from 1963 - 1966 was first. And there probably were many others before that, too.

 

[Anwar]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

What about the Doctor from Doctor Who?

 

[Deckerd]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

I think Lassie predates all of them.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

Also the Robot from Lost in Space, beginning in 1965.

The question is, how far are we extending the definition of "non-human?" It could encompass any anthropomorphic animal characters from early TV cartoons, such as Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear. So we need a ruling: is the initial question meant to apply only to science-fictional characters?

And also, here's a character that started off minor, quickly becoming a sort of "breakout character," and one of the best examples of such.

Not exactly minor. Nimoy got second billing in the opening credits from the second pilot onward. However, he wasn't expected to eclipse Shatner in popularity the way he did, let alone attract the huge levels of (mostly female) fan interest that he did.

 

[GSchnitzer]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

I think Lassie predates all of them.

And Rin Tin Tin was even earlier.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

Does Howdy Doody qualify as nonhuman?

 

[T'Girl]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

Howdy Doody was sort of an android.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

Do witches count? (Bewitched). Robots? (My Living Doll with Julie Newmar). Then there is Superman.

 

[scotpens]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

What about ghosts? There was Topper (1953-1955) and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1968-1970).

And angels: The Smothers Brothers Show (not the comedy-variety hour, but their earlier black-and-white sitcom that ran for one season in 1965-66), Highway to Heaven (1984-1989), Touched By An Angel (1994-2003), and the aborted Marx Brothers sitcom Deputy Seraph (1959).

And there was I Dream of Jeannie.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

^Well, the question is whether Spock was the first, so anything that doesn't predate 1966 wouldn't address the question. (I'm not counting the pilots because those wouldn't qualify as "regular TV appearances.")

Although I think we've fully established by now that the answer is a definitive "no."

Just to muse over the question, though, I'm not sure I'd count ghosts as nonhumans, because they were formerly human and still have human personas. Essentially it's a human consciousness without a human body, so I'd call that something semihuman rather than nonhuman. As for angels, that depends. Is it the pop mythology where angels are former human beings who died and earned wings in the afterlife, or the more Biblical definition of a subordinate level of supernatural beings? I would imagine most angel-related TV shows would favor the former, but I haven't seen most of them so I couldn't be sure.

 

[kkozoriz1]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

My Mother the Car

 

[Redfern]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

Did either "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet" or "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger", feature a "resident alien"? Both of those series heralded from the 50s.

I'll do a lil' research.

Sincerely,

Bill

Follow-up: I guess I was "mis-remembering" aspects of Tom Corbett. That series featured Astro, a human born on (a habitable) Venus, a child of colonists. But interestingly enough, he's a man with little understanding of humor (due to the culture in which he was raised) and one of the earth born crewmen takes joy in teasing him. Hmm, now is it my imagination, or does that remind me of someone else?

Anyway, it seems Astro was human.

 

[StarryEyed]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

The original Superman goes quite a ways back.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

"The Adventures of Superman" was at a time when folks still weren't too sure that television was gonna stick around, so yeah, I think Superman is the leading candidate for first alien character on television. Of course, that all depends on how you think of Milton Berle...

 

[scotpens]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

My Mother the Car

I think a human reincarnated in some other physical form qualifies as a quasi-ghost.

BTW, My Mother the Car has a somewhat undeserved reputation as the worst sitcom ever shown on American TV. IMHO, there are plenty of other shows that were just as bad, and even a few that were worse.

. . . yeah, I think Superman is the leading candidate for first alien character on television. Of course, that all depends on how you think of Milton Berle...

Uncle Miltie an alien? What could possibly give anyone that idea?

 

[Therin of Andor]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

Does Howdy Doody qualify as nonhuman?

Australia's "Mr Squiggle" dates back to 1959 and was not only a marionette and an alien artist with a pencil for a nose, but he lived on the moon and traveled to Earth in a rocket! His long-running TV show ended in 1999, but he continues to make TV guest appearances (including next Friday night on "Collectors"). I was a guest on the show in 1980, demonstrating how to make "Space Age Kites".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Squiggle

 

[skylark14]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

Mr. Ed, the talking horse. Cleo, the talking basset hound, (Jackie Cooper show, "The People's Choice") - I'm really digging around in my toddler brain for this one.

 

[Hofner]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

If we can include movie series there was Tarzan's sidekick, Cheetah.

Robert

 

[Christopher]

Re: Is Spock the first non-human character to make regular TV appearan

If we extend it to nonsentient animals, that pretty much becomes too broad to be useful, since you'd have to throw in every horse in every Western, every pet dog or cat, etc.

(Well, granted, chimps are basically sentient, but I think the original question had speaking characters in mind.)