"Lost Planet Airmen" was the 1951 theatrical feature derived from Republic's classic 1949 12-chapter serial "King of the Rocket Men," Tristram Coffin, the unlikely hero of Bela Lugosi's "The Corpse Vanishes," making for an even less likely serial hero, although the name Jeff King does allow the title to resonate despite its single Rocket Man. Evil mastermind Doctor Vulcan disguises himself as a trusted member of Science Associates, formulating curious accidents for several cohorts to capture their secrets, with only Dr. Millard (James Craven) surviving to carry on with his creation of an atomic powered suit that can turn an ordinary citizen into a jet propelled flying superhero. Coffin's Jeff King is essentially top security man, occasionally assisted by reporter Glenda Thomas (Mae Clarke), keeping the Rocket Man outfit in a nifty hiding place that no one would ever suspect, the trunk of his car! There are only five brief glimpses of Rocket Man in action, only one during the first half of this hour long compilation, which must be regarded as no patch on its source material. Mae Clarke was Queen of Universal for a short time during the early 30s but her star had fallen precipitously even before the 1940s, and this can safely be described as her last real meaty role, followed by dozens of unbilled bits until her 1970 retirement. Long forgotten today with the full serial easily available, this title now conjures up memories of a nostalgic group of musicians going by the lengthy moniker Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, who scored a huge hit with their 1972 cover of "Hot Rod Lincoln."
7 Reviews
Doesn't live up to the title, but what Republic movie/serial ever did?
lemon_magic13 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Apparently this is the 'abridged' movie edition of a Republic serial titled "King Of The Rocketmen", which is almost as awesome a title as "Lost Planet Airmen". Too bad there are no lost airmen, or lost planets in the screenplay, but I supposed you could argue that at least there is AN "airman" involved - the guy wearing the rocket pack.
Well, compressing 12 episodes into a feature essentially eliminated most of the cliffhanger sequences and turned this into a action packed romp through all the classic Republic clichés. You've got a guy in the Bullethead suit with the three control knobs. You've got fistfights breaking out every 2 or 3 minutes. You've got the same recycled special effects/flying footage (which is still pretty cool). You've got car chases, car crashes, and shoot-outs.You've got evil scientists and amazing technological break throughs used for the most banal goals possible. You've got grade "B" though "Z" actors doing their best to turn in dignified performances while spitting out lines of dialog at machine gun speed. You've got a pretty decent climax that almost justifies all the shenanigans that went on before it.
I have to admit, it was pretty hokey and cheesy, but I liked it for what it was. Not sure I would have liked sitting through 12 episodes of it, though, so this was probably my best bet.
Well, compressing 12 episodes into a feature essentially eliminated most of the cliffhanger sequences and turned this into a action packed romp through all the classic Republic clichés. You've got a guy in the Bullethead suit with the three control knobs. You've got fistfights breaking out every 2 or 3 minutes. You've got the same recycled special effects/flying footage (which is still pretty cool). You've got car chases, car crashes, and shoot-outs.You've got evil scientists and amazing technological break throughs used for the most banal goals possible. You've got grade "B" though "Z" actors doing their best to turn in dignified performances while spitting out lines of dialog at machine gun speed. You've got a pretty decent climax that almost justifies all the shenanigans that went on before it.
I have to admit, it was pretty hokey and cheesy, but I liked it for what it was. Not sure I would have liked sitting through 12 episodes of it, though, so this was probably my best bet.
Historical Curiosity; Not Science Fiction - Lost Planet Airmen
arthur_tafero18 December 2021
The title is a misnomer; the story has almost no scientific value, and the AI in the film is idiotic. Other than that, this film is better than Space Odessey 2001. Beter to have been named Aliens and Cowboys.......wait, that's already been taken. Scientists and PHDs running around with 45s and getting in deadly car chases. Sure, that will happen when governments begin to take care of food shelter and clothing before national defense. Interesting as a historical joke.
What it was...
DeanSpeir28 January 2000
Lost Planet Airmen was the first (yes, there was another in 1966 for a television package) feature version of Republic's 1949 12-chapter serial, King of the Rocket Men, one of no less than six (of of a total of 66 serials made by Republic between 1936 and 1956) titles involving "King of the...." The "King" was always the surname of the leading man, not a title, however.
Whoever came up with this great title I have no idea, but it is interesting to note that film has nothing to do with planets, lost or otherwise, and even the inclusion of the word "airmen" is somewhat dubious.
Whoever came up with this great title I have no idea, but it is interesting to note that film has nothing to do with planets, lost or otherwise, and even the inclusion of the word "airmen" is somewhat dubious.
So bad it's great
Lee-3610 September 1998
This old stinker makes the Flash Gordon movies look sophisticated. It's so terrible I love it, and I wish I could find a tape, but none of the catalogs I've checked list it. The rock band leader who calls himself Commander Cody must have loved it too, because he named his band after it.
A great move from the Republic Pictures era!
michaelcampion20061 June 2006
I first saw this movie in 1970 while living in Seattle Washington.
During the Mid 50s and early sixties I watched all the Commando Cody Serials on TV i.e. Radar Men from the moon, Zombies of the Stratosphere, Sky Marshall of the Universe. This movie was the Condensed version of the Republic Serial King of the RocketMen and Provides a unique and shortened version of the original Republic Serial. All in all it is a nice movie and to this very day I can still Remember vividly the control panel on the Rocket Suit, On, Up and Fast. What I liked most about this movie was the fast plot and the never-ending action. As in the original Republic Picture serial version King of the RocketMen, Tris Coffic the lead man wearing the rocket suit goes from one dangerous situation to another as he attempts to stop the sinister Dr. Vulcan from deploying the Sonic Decimator which will destroy the city of New York. Along with Mae Clark the evil Dr. Vulcan is defeated and the Sonic Decimator is destroyed and all the bad guys go to jail and Tristram Coffic and Mae Clark live happily ever after. This is an enjoyable movie for those who grew up watching the Saturday morning matinée at the local theaters.
Michael.
During the Mid 50s and early sixties I watched all the Commando Cody Serials on TV i.e. Radar Men from the moon, Zombies of the Stratosphere, Sky Marshall of the Universe. This movie was the Condensed version of the Republic Serial King of the RocketMen and Provides a unique and shortened version of the original Republic Serial. All in all it is a nice movie and to this very day I can still Remember vividly the control panel on the Rocket Suit, On, Up and Fast. What I liked most about this movie was the fast plot and the never-ending action. As in the original Republic Picture serial version King of the RocketMen, Tris Coffic the lead man wearing the rocket suit goes from one dangerous situation to another as he attempts to stop the sinister Dr. Vulcan from deploying the Sonic Decimator which will destroy the city of New York. Along with Mae Clark the evil Dr. Vulcan is defeated and the Sonic Decimator is destroyed and all the bad guys go to jail and Tristram Coffic and Mae Clark live happily ever after. This is an enjoyable movie for those who grew up watching the Saturday morning matinée at the local theaters.
Michael.
The Band & the Movie
ruready2getduffed22 December 2006
It's right up there with Plan 9 on the all-time list of 'bad' movies.
Yes this movie did lend its name to the great rock/swing band. I asked Commander Cody about the connection to the movie, noting that it was absolutely so bad it was great. A DJ with us cringed, expecting CC to be shocked that I'd dissed a movie he revered. Cody burst out laughing that the night he saw the movie in some dump hotel his band was so bad that he named it after the equally 'bad' movie then & there. "This was before I had Buffalo Bruce and Andy Stein and Bill Kirchen...we were TERRIBLE!"
And true, there is no lost planet.
Yes this movie did lend its name to the great rock/swing band. I asked Commander Cody about the connection to the movie, noting that it was absolutely so bad it was great. A DJ with us cringed, expecting CC to be shocked that I'd dissed a movie he revered. Cody burst out laughing that the night he saw the movie in some dump hotel his band was so bad that he named it after the equally 'bad' movie then & there. "This was before I had Buffalo Bruce and Andy Stein and Bill Kirchen...we were TERRIBLE!"
And true, there is no lost planet.
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