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The Shrinking Gas Of Jupiter
Synopsis:
While delivering supplies to Jupiter, Slim disappears. Dart is nearly forced to abandon him before falling into the same strange misty pit but the Venusian has shrunk to half his size. Exposure to the mist causes Dart to start to shrink too and Husky returns them to Earth in the hope of find a cure. Attempts fail until Gabbler recalls the restorative powers of the Loomi Pebble...
Cast
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Captain Larry Dart
Husky
Slim
Colonel Raeburn
Marla
Professor Haggarty
Cassie
Gabbler
Doctor Brown
Scientist
Joe
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Dick Vosburgh
Ronnie Stevens
Ronnie Stevens
Murray Kash
Ysanne Churchman
Ronnie Stevens
Ysanne Churchman
Libby Morris
Ronnie Stevens
Dick Vosburgh
Ronnie Stevens
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And The Moral Is:
• Small Isn’t Necessarily Beautiful
Raeburnt:
• “I don’t want to be disturbed unless its an emergency.” Now why doesn’t he say that when having a Turkish Bath?
A Venusian Has...:
• The ability to like cute furry aliens, and asks Slim to take photos of the Lumis for her.
“Don’t Call Me Pop!”:
• Haggarty develops a means of making vegetables smaller as he doesn’t like brussel sprouts. It comes in handy for weeds though...
To Coin A Phrase:
• Gabbler: “I was trying to reach the jar of pebbles so I could play with them.” Haggarty: “They’re not for playing... pebbles! Of course, now I remember!”
‘Riding Along In My Monobile... ‘:
• Raeburn’s final drive is, appropiately, to Space Headquarters.
‘I’m An Alien!‘:
• At certain times of the year, the Lumis bury their pebbles deep in the soil.
Ooh, Bitch:
• Haggarty “Everyone’s congratulating me except that obstinate, pig-headed colonel!”.
• Haggarty “Put your tongue behind your teeth and press your lips together.” Gabbler "But then I won't be able to talk!" Haggarty "That's the idea... "
Continuity:
• Brussel sprouts are Raeburn’s favourite vegetable.
• Galasphere 347 is delivering medical supplies to the Jupiter Scientific Headquarters and the crew are due for three weeks leave.
• Raeburn seems to live in a dwelling like Professor Haggarty now.
• Dart and Slim remain shrunk at the Space Hospital for at least three weeks.
• The Lumi Pebble is again used to counteract a shrinking condition.
• Husky’s shrinking bout was ‘a few months ago’.
Plot Device:
• It almost seems like Haggarty may have the solution in his ‘shrinking liquid’ introduced at the very start of the episode but curiously doesn’t.
"You'll have to lock me up in a matchbox!"
Dart, when threatened with a court-martial
Haven’t I Seen... ?:
• The plot of people shrinking after exposure to a strange mist is reminiscent of the film ‘The Incredible Shrinking Man’.
Take A Break:
• Returning to Earth, Husky takes a call from Raeburn wishing to speak to Dart but Husky has to cover for his shrinking Captain. Act One ends with Husky saying "Poor Dart. If only he was too big for his boots."
For Those Of You Just Joining Us... :
• Several references are made to the episode The Shrinking Spaceman to remind us of events.
Astro Viewer Working:
• As with some shots in The New Planet and The Hairy Men Of Mars, Dart and Slim are seen to have white shoes. This was to aid in the scenes where they are superimposed - had the shoes been black they would have not been seen.
• There seems to be a new scientist with Doctor Brown at a very different looking Jupiter Scientific HQ.
Hoorah!:
• The shots of Dart and Slim superimposed alongside other characters are quite effective.
• There are some nice ‘high and low’ points of view to make Dart and Slim look small and the other characters larger.
Boo!:
• Why does it take so long to realise the Lumi Pebble could be used as a cure again?
• Dart and Slim’s size seems very variable in the shots where they are superimposed, and sections of the sets change to make sure there are dark areas for them to appear in.
Computer Central:
• First screened: June 11th 1964 (Associated-Rediffusion London)
• This episode wins the prize for having the longest ever listing in a television magazine for Space Patrol. The Viewer for Tyne Tees Television seems to have copied the entire synopsis from whatever promotional material was supplied - including the ending! (see below)
• Running time: 24 minutes 20 seconds
• BFCC Classified - 11th August 1999. The last episode to receive a classification.
• VHS - Volume 9
• DVD - Complete Series Box Set, Disk 6
Listings
• London, June 11th 1964:
Larry Dart and Slim have an extraordinary experience when they are caught in a swamp on Jupiter.
• Tyne Tees, June 22nd 1964:
While the Space Patrolmen are on Jupiter, Slim, exploring the terrain, disappears. Husky and Dart search for him but are then given orders to return to Earth. Dart disobeys orders and decides to have one final look for his friend and he, too, disappears.
Husky, alone in the Galasphere, is almost deciding to return to Earth when Dart calls him on the transmitter and says he and Slim have fallen into a Jovian bog. Husky reaches them and discovers the bog has uncanny properties. Anything that passes through it diminishes in sizs and Dart and Slim are now only a few inches high.
They return to Earth and discover the hazards of being tiny in a big world. But eventually Professor Haggarty remembers that on Jupiter itself exists a cure for this condition.
What this cure is and how it is obtained results in a further lively adventure on Jupiter and introduces the Lumies, a charming part of Jovian wild life. Success is achieved and Dart and Slim are brought back to normal size.
Brahms & List
• The Sprinkling Gas Of Jupiter: The Listener In TV, Melbourne, Australia.
Ready To Lift ?:
A low end to the series, interesting back on the planet it began on but being a virtual remake of The Shrinking Spaceman. There appears no reason to reuse the storyline other than to use the visual effects more and show the shrinking Dart and Slim in the same shots as other characters. These are quite well done but cannot save the series from a dull and repetitive send off.
 
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