ALL SCI-FI

[Robert (Butch) Day]

Zombies of the Stratosphere is a 1952 Republic serial that was condensed and released as a movie in 1958 as Satan's Satellites. It is the 3rd of the Rocketman series.



I wonder why they changed the helmet color in the lobby card? (A dress helmet?)


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Common Sense ISN'T Common

[Pye-Rate]

This was also Nimoy's first gig.
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The road to tomorrow runs through yesterday.

[orzel-w]

[Bud Brewster]

[orzel-w]

[Gord Green]

Boy Bud! You're right. This thread could use a make over!
(Comments etc borrowed from many sources including Wikipedia.)



Zombies of the Stratosphere is a 1952 black-and-white Republic Studios serial directed by Fred C. Brannon, with a screenplay by Ronald Davidson, and special effects by Republic's Lydecker brothers.



This was intended to be Republic's second serial featuring "new hero" Commando Cody and the third 12-chapter serial featuring the rocket-powered flying jacket and helmet introduced in King of the Rocket Men (1949). Instead, the hero was renamed "Larry Martin", who must prevent Martian invaders from using a hydrogen bomb to blow Earth out of its orbit, so that the Martians can move a dying Mars into a closer position to the Sun.





As in Radar Men from the Moon (also released in 1952), most of the screen time for each of the dozen chapters is spent on fistfights and car chases between the heroes and a gang of crooks hired by Narab and his extraterrestrial colleague Marex to steal and stockpile the Atomic supplies needed for construction of the H-bomb.



The serial is best remembered as one of the first screen appearances of a young Leonard Nimoy, who plays Narab, one of the three Martian invaders.





In 1958 a feature film version of this serial, retitled Satan's Satellites, was made by editing down the serial's footage to feature film length.





Zombies of the Stratosphere was scripted as a sequel to the successful "Radar Men from the Moon", which introduced an original semi-superhero, Commando Cody, played by George Wallace; and interrupted production on a planned TV program also built around that character, titled "Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe", with Judd Holdren now starring as Cody.
Then, just as filming began on this serial, the name of the hero was changed from Commando Cody to Larry Martin; but he retains all the same sidekicks (also renamed), high-tech props and laboratory facilities that Commando Cody had in the previous serial, Radar Men from the Moon".



The story/scenario for "Zombies of the Stratsophere" was originally written to be used as the fourth episode ( of the eventual twelve) of the Republic-produced "Commando Cody- Sky King of the Universe" syndicated television 1951-52 production season series.

The studio unit that was doing the television series, under Associate Producer Franklin Adreon, was also doing the serials (for theatre distribution) and after the first three "Commando Cody" TV episodes were completed, then started production on "Zombies of the Stratosphere" prior to finishing the remaining nine Cody-TV episodes. On April 10, 1952, Adreon sent a memo to all Republic Pictures Corporation departments advising that certain character names in production number 133 (internal house number for the upcoming serial) have been changed as follows: Commando Cody becomes Larry Martin; Joan Gilbert becomes Sue Davis; Ted Richards becomes Bob Wilson; Mr. Henderson becomes Mr. Steele and Hank becomes Dick.



"Zombies" utilized stock footage from various Republic serials, features and one western; all of the 17 flying sequences of the airborn-wired dummy came straight from "King of the Rocket Men.", and the uranium-smuggling airplane sequence was lifted from the Roy Rogers western, "Bells of Coronado," which is why Clifton Young (as Ross)and Henry Rowland (Plane Heavy)show up in this serial.

Larry Martin's space ship was recycled from "Radar Men from the Moon", while the Martians flew a new model (created for "Zombies")that featured a transparent bubble-gum turret housing a ray cannon atop the fuselage.



An addition to the Rocket Man back-pack and helmet, used for the first time in this serial, is a two-way radio about the size of a lunchbox; Larry Martin wears it hanging heavily from his belt when dressed for flying. This radio is also seen in some stills of Cody in Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe.



As most flying sequences are reused stock footage from earlier Rocket Man serials, the radio usually disappears when Commando Cody is in flight. Martin also uses an ordinary police revolver instead of the ray gun favored by Cody in earlier and later serials.

Zombies of the Stratosphere was budgeted at $172,838, although the final negative cost was $176,357 (a $3,519, or 2%, overspend). It was the cheapest Republic serial of 1952 and was filmed between April 14, and May 1, 1952. At seventeen days, this is tied with King of the Carnival for the shortest filming period of all Republic serials. The serial's production number was 1933.

Zombies of the Stratosphere reuses the "Republic Robot" (somewhat resembling a walking silvery hot-water heater with two ribbed arms that terminate in pincers), along with stock footage of it in action (such as the Bank Robbery by Robot scene from Mysterious Doctor Satan) and black-and-white footage from a Republic full color Roy Rogers film.



The serial is also heavily padded with footage from their King of the Rocket Men (1949), to which this is a pseudo-sequel. Although the Zombies serial has Martians as the villains, they are not the same Martians as shown in the earlier Republic serial The Purple Monster Strikes.

The Robot was first seen in Undersea Kingdom (1936) and prominently featured in Mysterious Doctor Satan (1940).



Still this serial is a lot of fun, action and 50's Sci-Fi adventure!

[Bud Brewster]

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Wow!

I wish I could get a make-over as good as the one you gave this thread.

That's a first rate post, Gord. We're grateful.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

How nervous do you think the guy in the robot suit was, with a guy wearing the Rocket Man helmet swinging a fire ax at him.

David.

[Gord Green]

Couldn't find a can opener!

[alltare]

[Gord Green]

Right ALTARE!

Some of the above pics are from the colorized version.
I have both versions and I find them both enjoyable in their own way.

[Gord Green]

Of course the robot srarted all this axe action.



You can get the rocketsuit if you want one.




Even the rocketship is still around!

[Bud Brewster]

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I have a confession. When pictures are mixed in with the text (the way you're doing in so many of your posts), it lures me right into the discussioln and keeps me focused and engaged.

Thanks for crafting such great comments, Gord! I'm lovin' em!

[Gord Green]

Actually, it's one of the "Ralston Rockets" given away in the 50's to the lucky kid that won the "Name the Planet" contest on SPACE PATROL. But it is a good copy of the Strato-Zombie's ship. More so than Buzz Correy's TERRA 5 from the show.

Rocketship giveaways from the era were common in the 50's. Hmmmm....That may be an interesting subject for a future post.

[Bud Brewster]