COMMANDO CODY: SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE SERIAL(1953)
There seems to be some disagreement on this: is it a
serial, or is it a TV show? My personal take on the
issue is that this was probably suppose to be a
serial, but in fact was made as a short lived TV
show! Like many have said, there's no "cliffhangers"
but there is only one main story here! So, you can
take your pick, but for me, I'm calling it a serial!
As most have said when reviewing this, there is a lot of
stock footage and music used here! The opening scene of
each episode/chapter is from the first of the Rocketman
serial. The characters and actors are the same as in the
previous Rocketman serial, "Zombies Of The Stratosphere"
with the exception of Commando Cody(who was Larry Martin
in the ZOTS! In a turn here, Commando Cody actually wares
a mask and his identity a secret to almost everyone! The
rocket pack is used here and they even use the same office
as in ZOTS!!
An addition to the group is William Schallert as Ted
Richards! He was replaced by Richard Crane after three
episodes as Schallert had other commitments by the time
the fourth episode was produced! Richard played Dick
Preston, in a different role than Schallert!
And now for the story: the group are building a rocket
ship to help protect the Earth from attacks from unknown
assailants! The first episode is about a group trying to
destroy said rocket! The continuing episodes are about
a dude calling himself "The Ruler" trying to find a way
to penitrate a field created by Cody to protect the
Earth from attack!!
Some of the science faux-pas: they land on both Venus and
Murcury!! Venus being a gaseous planet, and Murcury being,
well, HOT!!! And they don't ware any masks or other protective
gear!
There are a few known or semi-known actors in this serial:
Probably the most well known would be William Schallert
(The Patty Duke Show[as Patty's father], The Hardy Boys/
Nancy Drew Mysteries[as Nancy's father], North And South
Book II[General Robert E. Lee] & of course Star Trek: TOS
episode "The Trouble With Tribbles"!!) Then we have Richard
Crane, who played Rocky Jones in the Rocky Jones TV series!
And lastly, we have Denver Pyle, known for his many stints
on westerns, including The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence,
Maverick(1994), Bonanza, Gunsmoke and probably his most
famous role as Uncle Jesse on Dukes Of Hazard!
My rating is because this has 12 episodes, all of them 30
minutes long, with basically the same plot line! A-
From IMDb.com:
I'm a sucker for all of Republic's "Rocketman" adventures.
There were three Rocketman serials before this: King of
the Rocketmen (1949), Radar Men From the Moon (1952),
and Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952). Next came these
12 episodes of Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe
(1953) which are like chapters of a serial only without
cliffhanger endings. It's an entertaining hybrid of a serial
and a TV show. This series uses plenty of stock footage,
but that doesn't bother me one bit. It adds to the fun!
I wasn't alive back in the 50's, but Commando Cody never
fails to provide me with enjoyable escapism in 2005. All
of Republic's Rocketman adventures are a blast! - lotsafun