Being fully familiar with Republic's "Rocket Man" trilogy -- "King of the Rocket Men," "Radar Men from the Moon" and "Zombies of the Stratosphere," I ignored the Commando Cody TV series for years only because I mistakenly thought it was just a repackaging of what I already owned and enjoyed on VHS and DVD. Seeing a still from the show on Facebook, though, made me realize that it might be something different -- and it is! Not a cliffhanger, the series proceeds through 12 self-contained episodes and probably would fit best between the first two serials. There's plenty of plot, fewer fistfights than in the serials, and more imaginative use of Cody's rocket, which even travels against the star-studded blackness of space outside of Earth's atmosphere, unlike its lunar voyages in "Radar Men" or rocket dogfights in "Zombies." Yes, there may have been too much reliance on stock disaster footage, but there's also some decent model and miniature work in evidence. To really enjoy the Commando's adventures, just don't sit down expecting modern CGI-quality special effects or sparkling dialogue. Put yourself in a '50s frame of mind and go with it.
10 Reviews
FANTASTIC & FUN...ENDS A LONG RUN OF EPISODIC ENTERTAINMENT AT THE MOVIES
LeonLouisRicci5 August 2021
This 12-Part Show had a Complicated Beginning.
First Filmed as a TV Show, but the Contracts Fine-Print Required a Theatrical Release Before it Could be Shown on Television.
So it was Released to Theatres to Lackluster BO and Fan Indifference.
That was 1953.
Then in 1955 it was Shown On TV to the Delight of Kids and Kid-Like-Adults.
The Character of "Commando Cody" was Used in Multiple Serials with Varying Names, etc.
Although the Flying Suit and Helmet were Identical and have Since Become Iconic.
This 12-Parter did Not Follow the "Cliffhanger" Format with Each Episode Ending with a Joke or Light-Hearted Good-Bye.
This Irritates "Sticklers" and Purists among the "Serial-Chapter Play-Cliffhanger" Cult and most Refuse to Include it in the Ography.
It is a Better than Average Entertainment of its Type. With Good SFX, Impressive Hardware, and Outlandish Costumes.
The Visuals are Striking at Times with a Low-Budget Charm and Imagination that Fits Right In this Sort of Thing.
The "Serial" Format Began in the Silent Era and was Popular for 4 Decades.
But in the 1950's there was a "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" in Pop-Culture, with Rumblings and Changes in Music, Movies, and TV.
In Movie Theatres the Weekly Chapter-Plays were Abandoned, because of the Free-Format and Widely Available Type on the Tube.
But this is a Fitting Finale to the Genre because it Includes Eye-Popping Absurdities and a Ton-of-Fun for Low-Budget Affectionados.
Note: The "Rocket Man" was reincarnated for the little seen, underrated, and under-appreciated Movie "The Rocketeer" (1991).
First Filmed as a TV Show, but the Contracts Fine-Print Required a Theatrical Release Before it Could be Shown on Television.
So it was Released to Theatres to Lackluster BO and Fan Indifference.
That was 1953.
Then in 1955 it was Shown On TV to the Delight of Kids and Kid-Like-Adults.
The Character of "Commando Cody" was Used in Multiple Serials with Varying Names, etc.
Although the Flying Suit and Helmet were Identical and have Since Become Iconic.
This 12-Parter did Not Follow the "Cliffhanger" Format with Each Episode Ending with a Joke or Light-Hearted Good-Bye.
This Irritates "Sticklers" and Purists among the "Serial-Chapter Play-Cliffhanger" Cult and most Refuse to Include it in the Ography.
It is a Better than Average Entertainment of its Type. With Good SFX, Impressive Hardware, and Outlandish Costumes.
The Visuals are Striking at Times with a Low-Budget Charm and Imagination that Fits Right In this Sort of Thing.
The "Serial" Format Began in the Silent Era and was Popular for 4 Decades.
But in the 1950's there was a "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" in Pop-Culture, with Rumblings and Changes in Music, Movies, and TV.
In Movie Theatres the Weekly Chapter-Plays were Abandoned, because of the Free-Format and Widely Available Type on the Tube.
But this is a Fitting Finale to the Genre because it Includes Eye-Popping Absurdities and a Ton-of-Fun for Low-Budget Affectionados.
Note: The "Rocket Man" was reincarnated for the little seen, underrated, and under-appreciated Movie "The Rocketeer" (1991).
Men with silly hats
AlsExGal30 December 2022
In the near future, Earth has some interaction with alien worlds, and so the government has named brilliant scientist Commando Cody (Judd Holdren) as the Sky Marshal of the Universe. He is charged with dealing with interplanetary menaces, particularly the machinations of the Ruler of the Galaxy (Gregory Gaye), who uses powerful alien weaponry to try and conquer the Earth. Cody, along with his two sidekicks, uses a fantastic rocket suit and spaceship to battle the Ruler and his minions
This fourth rocket man serial was originally intended to be a TV series. The first three episodes were filmed (with William Schallert as one of Cody's sidekicks), but then production was put on hold, and Republic filmed the 1952 serial Zombies of the Stratosphere. After that was finished, production resumed on this, with Richard Crane replacing Schallert. After its completion, Republic decided to release it theatrically as a serial instead of a TV series, partially due to pressure from technicians' unions which stated that crews were paid more for theatrical productions. Still, Republic did eventually release this as a syndicated TV series in 1955.
This is both sillier and more creative than the previous rocket man serials. Cody wears a domino mask and a jaunty little cap whenever he's not in his bulky helmet, ostensibly due to security reasons. The villains wear a variety of silly hats, as well. There are rocket flights in space and to other worlds, and the Republic robot shows up yet again. There is still the traditional re-use of footage from previous serials and movies, even back to The Purple Monster Strikes from 1945. Each chapter runs a solid 30 minutes, meaning the entire thing took 6 hours to watch. Since this was intended to be a TV show, the chapters are more like episodes, with self-contained dilemmas that are resolved without any cliffhanger endings. This wasn't the last serial released, as that would be 1956's Blazing the Overland Trail.
This fourth rocket man serial was originally intended to be a TV series. The first three episodes were filmed (with William Schallert as one of Cody's sidekicks), but then production was put on hold, and Republic filmed the 1952 serial Zombies of the Stratosphere. After that was finished, production resumed on this, with Richard Crane replacing Schallert. After its completion, Republic decided to release it theatrically as a serial instead of a TV series, partially due to pressure from technicians' unions which stated that crews were paid more for theatrical productions. Still, Republic did eventually release this as a syndicated TV series in 1955.
This is both sillier and more creative than the previous rocket man serials. Cody wears a domino mask and a jaunty little cap whenever he's not in his bulky helmet, ostensibly due to security reasons. The villains wear a variety of silly hats, as well. There are rocket flights in space and to other worlds, and the Republic robot shows up yet again. There is still the traditional re-use of footage from previous serials and movies, even back to The Purple Monster Strikes from 1945. Each chapter runs a solid 30 minutes, meaning the entire thing took 6 hours to watch. Since this was intended to be a TV show, the chapters are more like episodes, with self-contained dilemmas that are resolved without any cliffhanger endings. This wasn't the last serial released, as that would be 1956's Blazing the Overland Trail.
Pretty exciting back in 1955 or so.
rudge492 December 2005
I have seen Commando Cody panned as crude, stiff, simplistic, etc but in my youth this was pretty exciting. Republic had the best special effects thanks to the Lydecker brothers while actors in B-movies and low budget productions get the raspberry simply for appearing on screen while performers in big budget productions have their failings overlooked. The scenes where Cody and crew pull up to their space ship, get in, then you see the rocket start to move with no obvious cuts-back in 1955, you thought you were seeing the Real Thing. Likewisethe flying sequences (using the same model they originally used for Captain Marvel (1941) here clad in the Rocketman costume also a very well done, well edited, I think they hold up even today. I also recall a scene where Cody in his rocket is pursuing the Bad Guys rocket, the latter had a dorsal turret with ray guns, for those of us growing up in the Afterglow of WWII, that was something familiar and realistic. For the budgets they had, they did a good job, the actors deserve more credit than they have gotten.
Watchable nonsense buttressed by entertaining, albeit recycled, special effects
jamesrupert20144 February 2022
The unlikely named 'Commando Cody' (Judd Holdren) and his trusty rocket-suit face off against verbose despot 'The Ruler' (Gregory Gaye), who wants to add Earth to his corral of enslaved planets. While Commando seems capable of quickly solving any problem on his own, he is assisted by pretty Joan (Aline Towne) who is a reliable sidekick and competent rocket pilot, steady Ted (William Schallert, episodes 1-3), or excitable Dick (4-12), the latter usually providing some strained episode-closing comic relief. Oddly, Cody, who is now a government agent, wears a mask (supposedly to protect his identity but possibly to facilitate a cast change in case the show's star got restive). As this iteration of Cody's adventures was originally intended for television, the stories are not set up as 'cliff-hangers', otherwise it's a typical low-budget Republic series, with lots of fist fights and last minute escapes (just not at the beginning of each episode as per 'cliff-hanger' format). The 12-part tele-play is generally ridiculous but entertaining in a ludicrously imaginative way. The Ruler's plots get increasingly preposterous as the series progresses and include crashing the moon into Earth, using weather control to flood the planet, cooking us by duplicating the sun, freezing or cooking us by altering the axial tilt of the planet, or paralysing us with a mysterious bio-weapon. Needless to say, each threat is promptly divined and averted by Cody (sometimes with help from Joan, Tim or Dick). Negligible effort was made to maintain scientific plausibility: at one point Commando refers to an alien solar-system as being "west" of our solar-system, the Ruler and his minions can be found on Mercury, Venus and Saturn, all of which have hospitable environments, and, although Dick will put on a helmet to exit the spaceship, he doesn't stop to pull on gloves. Most of the special effects shots were harvested from Republic's earlier 'rocket-man' series (starting with 'King of the Rocket Men' (1949)) or from 'The Purple Monster Strikes' (1945) and the impressive scenes of New York City being inundated by tidal waves are from the proto-disaster film 'Deluge' (1933). If you had not seen the earlier serials/films, you'd likely be impressed with the imagination and production quality, otherwise, CCSMotU is a derivative but silly/fun rocket-powered pastiche. Even in 1953, this show must have had a 'throwback' feel, considering the release of 'realistic' sci-fi films like 'Destination Moon' (1951) and TV space-operas like 'Tom Corbett, Space Cadet' (1952).
Commando Cody is a blast!
lotsafun29 August 2005
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!
Shows its Republic Pictures/Matinée Serial Origins
laroche-326 June 2007
"Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe", was a half hour TV series that ran as a replacement series on NBC during the 1955 season. If the series looked familiar...it was! "Commando Cody..." shows its Republic Pictures/matinée serial origins as the title character appeared once under the Cody name and twice under different character names in three different Saturday matinée cliffhanger serials from the late '40's thru the early '50's. Although there were 12 TV episodes (as there were nearly always 12 chapters of a serial), none of them ended in the inevitable cliffhanger ending. All episodes were complete in themselves yet there was a definite continuing story arc week-to-week. The 12 episodes were first shown in theatres in 1953 but by this point in time movie serials were fast becoming extinct due to the growing popularity of network television. Republic Pictures, along with Columbia Pictures, were the last two studios to produce theatrical serials. The "Commando Cody..." series was, along with most of the last of Republic's serial output, very cheaply and quickly produced so as to include tons of stock footage at Republic's disposal from nearly 20 years of serial production. Judd Holdren, who had played the Cody character (under a different name) in the second of the "Rocketman/Commando Cody" theatrical serials, starred as Commando Cody. Aline Towne played his assistant Joan, William Shallert played his assistant Ted for the first half of the series and Richard Crane replaced Shallert as assistant Dick during the second half. The Cody group was battling Gregory Gay as the Ruler who was attempting to destroy the Earth from his base on the Moon. The Ruler was assisted on Earth by Baylor (portrayed by veteran actor Lyle Talbot) and assorted other Earth gangsters looking to "clean up" after Earth's overthrow.
Sci-Fi that seems "hokey" by today's standards but entertaining for its' time in the much simpler '50's.
Sci-Fi that seems "hokey" by today's standards but entertaining for its' time in the much simpler '50's.
Pulling Out All Stops in Republic Assembly Line
redryan6426 February 2005
The Rocket Suit had been used in 3 serials. The Commando Cody Name was used in one of them. Add the Rocket Ship, a (Platonic) female aid, some quasi governmental type staff men, a neat looking headquarters building and a mask, just for good measure and you have this early 1950's Theatrical/Television Series.
To be sure, all possibilities were considered before "COMMANDO CODY" went into production. It was serial-like in its story line and characters, but did not use the standard Cliff Hanger Chapter endings. Instead, all episodes were related, but also complete (sort of) in themselves. Obviously REPUBLIC or its TV Subsidiary or both would screen it. It reportedly did not work out in trial screening in theaters, so Hollywood TELEVISION SERVICE (Republic TV) had it prepared for television syndication.It even did a turn of network showings. Conveniently, each episode was just the proper length for a half-hour of Saturday morning kids' programing! Imagine that!
The business of editing series television into theatrical releases was later successfully used by other companies. Walt Disney was very active in this endeavor with DAVEY CROCKETT KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER and THE SIGN OF ZORRO, both being made up of television episodes edited into features and released theatrically.
To be sure, all possibilities were considered before "COMMANDO CODY" went into production. It was serial-like in its story line and characters, but did not use the standard Cliff Hanger Chapter endings. Instead, all episodes were related, but also complete (sort of) in themselves. Obviously REPUBLIC or its TV Subsidiary or both would screen it. It reportedly did not work out in trial screening in theaters, so Hollywood TELEVISION SERVICE (Republic TV) had it prepared for television syndication.It even did a turn of network showings. Conveniently, each episode was just the proper length for a half-hour of Saturday morning kids' programing! Imagine that!
The business of editing series television into theatrical releases was later successfully used by other companies. Walt Disney was very active in this endeavor with DAVEY CROCKETT KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER and THE SIGN OF ZORRO, both being made up of television episodes edited into features and released theatrically.
A Visual Delight
StuOz4 September 2016
Cody and his spaceship protect the earth from outer space dangers.
This has now been remastered with a wonderfully clear print which makes it ten times better than it was before. Much the same sort of thing as Radar Men from the Moon but with longer episodes and no cliff-hangers at the end of them.
The key to watching this show: don't think about it.
Just look at the wonderful Howard Lydecker flying effects (of Cody and the spaceship), listen to the wonderfully corny closing lines heard at the end of some episodes...and that is it.
There is a pre-Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV series feel to this production. Lydecker also worked on the flying scenes of VTTBOTS's "flying sub" and the endless bang, bang explosions also happened in VTTBOTS season's three and four.
This has now been remastered with a wonderfully clear print which makes it ten times better than it was before. Much the same sort of thing as Radar Men from the Moon but with longer episodes and no cliff-hangers at the end of them.
The key to watching this show: don't think about it.
Just look at the wonderful Howard Lydecker flying effects (of Cody and the spaceship), listen to the wonderfully corny closing lines heard at the end of some episodes...and that is it.
There is a pre-Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV series feel to this production. Lydecker also worked on the flying scenes of VTTBOTS's "flying sub" and the endless bang, bang explosions also happened in VTTBOTS season's three and four.
This was it... the lowest point!
coker-23 April 2000
This was it... the lowest point reached by space adventure TV series in the 1950s. Filmed in 1952 as a 12-part short subject (not formatted as a serial... no cliffhangers), COMMANDO CODY bombed in the theaters, and then was sold as a summer replacement series to TV in 1955. Judd Holdren is stiff and unconvincing as Cody, and is invariably outshown by the reliable Republic stock company of character actors all around him. Each of the 12 episodes is built around stock footage of some mass destruction; as a result, each episode has exactly the same plot: the Ruler tries to destroy earth, and Cody thwarts his plans. It's a space adventure show without space travel or any kind of adventure!
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