King of the Rocket Men (1949)

Cliffhangers were always a challenge to the stamina and creativity of the people involved in their production.  Even during the heydey of the genre, budgets were tight and deadlines constantly looming.  A typical shooting day might involve as many as one hundred set-ups beginning at the crack of dawn and running late into the evening.  Many scenes were done in a single take requiring actors who worked quickly (and cheaply). Some of the most memorable moments captured on film were spontaneously improvised on the set.

Serial crews were known as the scavengers of the studio lot,  ever in search of props,  costumes and stock film footage.  By the late forties,  film editors routinely cut in bits from earlier chapterplays,  everything from car chases to miniature work and stunts.  Actors were often costumed to match scenes from episodes shot years before.

King of the Rocket Men began its twenty-two day shooting schedule on April 6, 1949,  with a budget of around $165,000.  The cast read like a who's who of serial veterans;  Tristam Coffin,  who usually portrayed a heavy,  played Professor Jeffrey King/Rocket Man.  Stanley Price and I. Stanford Jolley were cast as scientists.  Dave Sharpe and "stunting cousins" Tom Steele and Dale Van Sickel handled most of the action sequences.

Using a plot line essentially lifted from Republic's 1946 effort, The Crimson Ghost, the story revolves around a group of researchers known as Science Associates, whose members work on a variety of classified projects involving, among other things, the development of prototype weapons.  One of the scientists, who calls himself Dr. Vulcan, is out to secretly undermine the group by cashing in on the value of their work. He's killing off members one by one and fighting to gain control of the Sonic Decimator, a super-weapon capable of mass destruction.  The surviving scientists appoint Jeff King, resident rocket propulsion expert, to investigate the matter in "a special capacity".

Professor Millard, a member of the group believed to have been killed earlier in a mysteriuos lab explosion, is alive and secretly working with King to unmask Dr. Vulcan.  Millard develops an atomic-powered flying suit and using it, King becomes the Rocket Man.  For twelve chapters, our hero outwits his evil nemesis.  The finale of the serial features a climactic scene where Rocket Man swoops down on Dr. Vulcan's remote island hideout, flies through a window, somersaults to his feet and destroys the Decimator which Vulcan is using to annihilate New York City.  In the end, Vulcan is eliminated by a squadron of bombers which wipe the tiny island off the map.  Snippets from earlier cliffhangers like Spy Smasher, The Crimson Ghost and many others can be seen throughout.  The serial was later re-edited and released under the title Lost Planet Airmen.  Don't ask...

Cast and Credits:

Jeff King/ Rocket Man...	Tristam Coffin
Glenda Thomas...	Mae Clarke
Tony Dirken...	Don Haggerty
Burt Winslow...	House Peters, Jr.
Professor Millard...	James Craven
Professor Bryant...	I. Stanford Jolley
Chairman...	Douglas Evans
Martin Conway...	Ted Adams
Gunther Von Strom...	Stanley Price
Martin...	Dale Van Sickel
Knox...	Dave Sharpe
Rowan...	Edie Parker
Turk...	Michael Ferro
Guard...	Frank O'Connor
Phillip...	Buddy Rosevelt
Associate Producer...	Franklin Adreon
Directed by...	Fred C. Brannon
Written by...	Royal Cole, Sol Shor and William Lively
Unit Manager...	Roy Wade
Cinematography...	Ellis W. Carter
Art Direction...	Fred Ritter
Music...	Stanley Wilson
Film Editor...	Cliff Bell and Sam Starr
Sound...	Earl Crain, Sr.
Set Decoration...	John McCarthy, Jr. and James Redd
Make-up Supervision...	Bob Mark
Special Effects...	Howard and Theodore Lydecker
Optical Effects...	Consolidated Film Industries

Radar Men from the Moon (1952)

King of the Rocket Men proved to be a hit with matinee goers although it was more than two years before the studio dusted off the flying suit for a sequel.  The 50's science fiction cycle was beginning and Republic president Herbert Yates wanted a character that would capitalize on the current craze.  Commando Cody, Sky Marshal of the Universe, was to be featured in a serial originally titled, Planet Men From Mars.  After some revision, Radar Men from the Moon began filming in October of 1951.  The project budget was a meager $173,000.

Actor George Wallace, who originally auditioned as a heavy, was cast as Cody.  Roy Barcroft, who portrayed villains in serials like Manhunt of Mystery Island and The Purple Monster Strikes, played Retik, evil ruler of the Moon.  Clayton Moore, then on hiatus from the Lone Ranger television series due to a contract dispute, played Graber, a malcontent earthling aiding the Moon men in their planned conquest of Earth.  Assisting Cody were secrertary Joan Gilbert, played by Aline Towne and William Bakewell as sidekick Ted Richards.

The story revolves around an impending invasion of Earth by Retik.  The atmosphere on the Moon has become so thin and dry that its inhabitants are able to grow food only in pressurized green houses and must wear space suits to move around the planet's surface.  Retik sends an emissary, Krog (played by Peter Brocco), to Earth in order to soften defenses against the attack.  Krog enlists the services of henchmen Graber and Daly who, using a large, truck-mounted ray cannon, begin blasting key targets.  Commando Cody gets wind of their activities and the game is afoot.

The action alternates between earthly locations and the Moon.  Off-world sequences were shot in the broiling heat of Red Rock Canyon, a rocky, desert area outside Los Angeles.  Aside from the flying suit, the preferred mode of travel here was a ray gun eqipped Moon Tank. According to Wallace, "...they took an old Chevy or something (probably a small training tank as seen in Dick Tracy and later in Zombies of the Stratosphere) and built a plywood silhouette of a tank around it."  The famous Cody rocketship was actually a model about three or four feet long.  It flew on suspended wires in the same manner as the Rocket Man dummy.  For close-ups showing the crew boarding the craft, a facade approximately eight feet high was built.

A large portion of Cody's flying scenes were stock from King of the Rocket Men.  Some footage of Retik's airborne Moon rocket was lifted from The Purple Monster Strikes.  In fact, Barcroft wore the Purple Monster cowl (he'd gained weight since 1945 so the rest of the costume wasn't an option), allowing his character to match up with footage from the earlier serial used in the final chapter of Radar Men. This second serial proved popular and as with King of the Rocket Men, was re-edited and released as a feature in 1966 entitled, Retik, The Moon Menace.

Cast and Credits:

Commando Cody...	George Wallace
Retik...	Roy Barcroft
Joan Gilbert...	Aline Towne
Ted Richards...	William Bakewell
Graber...	Clayton Moore
Krog...	Peter Brocco
Daly...	Bob Stevenson
Mr. Henderson...	Don Walters
Moon Tank Driver...	Dale Van Sickel
Ray Gun Operator...	Tom Steele
Rocket Pilot Hank...	Wilson Wood
Moon Man Robal...	Noel Cravat
Retik Lab Assistant...	Baynes Baron
Retik Cave Henchman...	Paul McGuire
Al's Cafe Counterman...	Ted Thorpe
Associate Producer...	Franklin Adreon
Directed by...	Fred C. Brannon
Written by...	Ronald Davidson
Unit Manager...	Roy Wade
Cinematography...	John MacBurnie
Art Direction...	Fred Ritter
Music...	Stanley Wilson
Film Editor...	Cliff Bell. Sr.
Sound...	Dick Tyler, Sr.
Set Decoration...	John McCarthy, Jr. and James Redd
Make-up Supervision...	Bob Mark
Special Effects...	Howard and Theodore Lydecker
Optical Effects...	Consolidated Film Industries

Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952)

The increasing popularity of low-cost television productions geared toward a juvenille audience prompted Republic to begin filming Commando Cody, Sky Marshal of the Universe. Departing from the traditional "continued next week" serial format, each of the 12 installments was a complete episode, sans cliffhanger endings.  Judd Holdren, who earlier starred as Captain Video in the 1951 Columbia serial, was cast as Cody.  No explanation was ever given as to why George Wallace was not selected to portray the character a second time.  Cody's arch-enemy was The Ruler, played by Gregory Gay.  Aline Towne reprised her role as Cody's secretary.

The Ruler, an evil, power-mad alien, tried everything from killer storms to extinguishing the Sun in order to terrorize Earthers.  Each time, the intrepid Commando Cody foiled his plans.

After completing the first three episodes of the television series, Republic began work on the third and final "flying suit" serial, Zombies of the Stratosphere, in the spring of 1952.  Judd Holdren was cast as lead Larry Martin, the name originally selected for the hero in Radar Men but later rejected.  Aline Towne was back as secretary Sue Davis and Wilson Wood played Martin's associate, Bob.  The part of Martian "brains heavy" Marek went to Lane Bradford who was assisted by a young Leonard Nimoy as Narab.

Again with the alien invasion.  This time, the Martians are planning to detonate a hydrogen bomb which wil cause Earth to spin out of orbit so Mars can take its place.  Once they arrive, Marek and Narab enlist the services of corrupt scientist Dr. Harding (Stanley Waxman) and requisite heavies Shane (Ray Boyle) and Roth (John Crawford).  With each passing chapter, the group makes steady progress on the bomb's construction.  Only the timely intervention of high-flying Larry can prevent the project's completion.

Zombies were equally at home in both outer and inner space.  Their secret laboratory, where components for the h-bomb are being stockpiled and assembled, can only be reached via an undergorund tunnel.  The Martians traverse the watery entrance without the aid of breathing apparatus.  One chapter ending features a helpless Larry Martin trapped by the descending doorway to the secret lab.  Stunt double Dale Van Sickel reportedly came close to drowning during the filming of this sequence.

The serial was full of stock footage from several earlier efforts.  A cameo by the "water heater" robot first seen in Undersea Kingdom and Mysterious Dr. Satan prompted the budget conscious writers to insert an entire sequence of the mechanical monster robbing a bank (chapter seven of Dr. Satan).  As with Radar Men, most of the flying sequences were lifted from King of the Rocket Men.  Zombies was re-edited and released as Satan's Satellites in 1958.

Cast and Credits:

Larry Martin...	Judd Holdren
Sue Davis...	Aline Towne
Bob Wilson...	Wilson Wood
Marek...	Lane Bradford
Dr. Harding...	Stanley Waxman
Shane...	Ray Boyle
Roth...	John Crawford
Mr. Steele...	Craig Kelly
Narab...	Leonard Nimoy
Thug in launch...	Tom Steele
Train Station Agent...	Dale Van Sickel
Boat Charter Operator...	Roy Engel
Rocket Pilot Dick...	Gayle Kellogg
Zombie Pilot Elah...	Robert Garabedian
Kerr...	Jack Harden
Associate Producer...	Franklin Adreon
Directed by...	Fred C. Brannon
Written by...	Ronald Davidson
Unit Manager...	Roy Wade
Cinematography...	John MacBurnie
Art Direction...	Fred Ritter
Music...	Stanley Wilson
Film Editor...	Cliff Bell, Sr.
Sound...	Dick Tyler, Sr., Waldon O. Watson
Set Decoration...	John McCarthy, Jr. and James Redd
Make-up Supervision...	Bob Mark
Special Effects...	Howard and Theodore Lydecker
Optical Effects...	Consolidated Film Industries

Granted, these chapterplays are juvenile and outdated by today's standards, but considering they were tinkered together in a short amount of time on miniscule budgets, they are still entertaining.  Younger fans need look no further than Indiana Jones, Star Wars, The Rocketeer and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to see the influence these old chestnuts had on modern day movie makers.