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Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (1953)

 
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 5:56 pm    Post subject: Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (1953) Reply with quote



The poster above is magnificent . . . but it bears no resemblance to the serial! Sad

I'm sure the kids in 1953 were bitterly disappoint by what they got on screen after gazing at that poster outside the theater and then buying tickets to watch what the poster promised they'd see!

And yet, after adjusting their expectations when they saw the first few chapters, I'm sure they managed to have fun with this action packed production.

This is the serial that did the FX of the rocket ship the same way Captain Marvel and King of the Rocket Men did the flying scenes for the heroes. They put a scale model of the rocket on a wire and flew it across the sky to give it realistic appearance.

And this serial also includes the Rocket Man suit worn by a dummy on a wire, just like Captain Marvel accomplished its own flawless flying scenes. Very Happy

The hero has a very cool uniform, with a trim jacket and matching hat, along with a "Lone Ranger" mask which served no useful purpose other than than dazzle the young fan of the serial.

Fans of Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (like me . . . ) will enjoy the presence of Richard Crane in the cast.


____ Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe


__________

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote



COMMANDO CODY : SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE was originally filmed as a twelve-part television series, but union contract issues forced Republic to first exhibit it through regular movie theaters as a 12-part weekly serial.

While the TV episodes build on each other in chronological order, the serial episodes lacked the traditional cliffhanger endings that characterized all previous serials.

The Sky Marshal serial is a prequel to Republic's Radar Men from the Moon theatrical serial. The first episode has characters Joan and Ted, Commando Cody's established sidekicks in Radar Men, applying for their jobs and meeting Cody for the first time.

In many ways this seemed to an updated, "futuristic" version of CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT.



Originally intended to be broadcast on television as a 12-episode weekly series, Sky Marshall was first released theatrically in 1953 as a 12-chapter weekly serial; it was syndicated to television on NBC in 1955.

There was a substantial break between filming the first three and last nine episodes of the TV series, during which time Republic set about filming a Cody serial sequel called Zombies of the Stratosphere, also starring Judd Holdren as Cody, Aline Towne as Joan, and Wilson Wood as Ted. For reasons unknown, however, Republic Pictures revised these principal characters' names; thus "Commando Cody" became "Larry Martin" instead. You don't have to be familiar with the other ROCKETMAN serials to enjoy this one.

The plot of the story feeds right into current fears of climate change and UFOs.

Dangerous weather and climate changes are ravaging the Earth. Masked super-scientist Commando Cody is approached by the U.S. government to investigate.
Among the tools at his disposal are a sonic-powered one-man flying suit with an aerodynamic helmet and a new Cody-designed and built rocketship.



With his colleagues Joan and Ted (later replaced by Dick), he ascertains the disasters are being caused by space-alien forces led by a mysterious "Ruler" of unknown planetary origins, with occasional help from hired, Earth-born criminals.



Warding off various dangers, Cody and his associates are able to methodically close in on the culprits and reveal that The Ruler is from Venus.

In the final episode The Ruler meets his end on Mercury with the help of the Mercurians, although he had "died" once before!.



The third TV episode ends with the apparent death of The Ruler, suggesting that Republic may have reconsidered filming the remaining nine TV episodes and planned to cut the three it had finished into a regular science fiction feature film.



By the time work finally resumed on the Sky Marshal series, Republic had lost actor William Schallert as Cody's male colleague "Ted Richards" (played by William Bakewell in Radar Men). A replacement was found in Richard Crane, a year before his best-remembered role as the title character on the science fiction TV series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger.



The Ruler also gained a female sidekick, played by Gloria Pall, though she had almost no screen dialog or action.



For the serial, a number of new outer space scenes were filmed that had not been seen before in the other Republic serials, including "space walks" for several exterior spaceship repairs; aerial raygun duels between "hero" and "enemy" spaceships; and black star fields (rather than daylight and cloud-spotted skies) for backgrounds when Cody's or the villain's spaceships were shown outside the Earth's atmosphere. The good old "garbage can" robot also gets to show up!





The release of Commando Cody as a weekly theatrical serial, despite being originally filmed as a TV series, has led to controversy among serial purists:

Should it be included in Republic's canon of serials, or should it be considered a separate, stand-alone, limited run science fiction action TV series?



The filmed TV episodes were first titled and numbered as "Chapters" on all theatrical release prints and in Republic's advertising, while the later broadcast TV series, with changes made, lived on in syndication for years, long after the movie serial finished its 12-week run in theaters.

The twelve serial episodes are complete but with the same general plot line as the one running through the TV series: the Ruler is always trying to destroy the Earth.



Although there are no traditional cliffhanger endings, each serial chapter has a partial resolution at its end: Each episode's primary henchman always escapes.

The TV episodes continuity must be shown in their correct order, as they do tell a coherent, progressing plot, rather than being seen in the serial's interchangeable chapters.

All things considered CC:S-Mof theU is a fun watch. If you enjoy the old serials but want to see a resolution of sorts by episodes end THIS is the one to watch!

You have to remember...The very name "COMMANDO CODY" WAS A VERY POWERFUL name to the post-war 50's pre-pubesant kid of the 50's! If you didn't want to be Commando Cody....You really wanted to be Commander Cory of the SPACE PATROL! Commander Cody was a code name for ADVENTURE IN THE NEW AGE OF SPACE!

If you weren't there....I feel sorry for you! It was truly an age undreamed of!

(Some info taken from Wikipedia)




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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.


Last edited by Gord Green on Thu Apr 15, 2021 2:03 am; edited 1 time in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 10:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey! Here's a thought...We should make this the next serial to watch on one of our Synchro-Cinema (copyright pending) Chats! Lots of fun, action and adventure in half hour parcels!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Surprise!

I've already scheduled it, starting Wednesday, April 21st. Trekriffic suggested it a few days ago. That's why I started this thread for it yesterday, April 14th, since we finished The Adventures of Captain Marvel.

Check the thread called UPCOMING MOVIES IN THE ALL SCI-FI CHAT ROOM!. Very Happy

I've got all the movies and serials laid out for us right through Saturday, May 22en — over a month in advance!
Cool
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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