COMMANDO CODY: SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE

 

COMMANDO CODY: SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE
(NBC, July 16-October 8, 1955)
 
Republic Pictures

 

            Commando Cody was a rocket-powered science-fiction action hero appearing in serials produced by Republic Pictures. Cody (George Wallace) was a civilian researcher and inventor from the near future assisted by Joan Gilbert (Aline Towne), Ted Richards (William Bakewell) and Dick Preston (Gayle Kellogg) and often tasked by the government to defend the world from alien invaders. The characters first appeared in Radar Men from the Moon, where Cody discovered the Earth was under attack by Retik, the ruler of the moon (Roy Barcroft). The 12-chapter serial began in theaters on January 9, 1952. It would be re-released in 1957 and on television under the title Retik the Moon Menace in 1966. The serial would often be confused with 1949’s King of the Rocket Men due to its liberal use of that serial’s flying sequences and costumes to save money.

Cody with Joan and Ted.

            Republic’s next Cody project was a television series that would serve as a prequel to Radar Men. Cody (now Judd Holdren) was tasked by the U.S. government to investigate strange climate changes affecting the planet. Joan and Ted (now William Schallert) applied for jobs with Cody as the story began, and together they discovered that the disasters were being caused by space alien forces led by The Ruler (Gregory Gaye) from the planet Venus. However, production on the series was put on hold after the first three episodes to work on a direct sequel, Zombies of the Stratosphere. While the serial still starred Holdren and Towne (Schallert was replaced by Wilson Wood due to availability), it was decided shortly before shooting to completely rename the characters--with Cody now “Larry Martin”--and make the film its own distinct thing. It was also released in 1952 to a cooler reception than its predecessor, and was later edited down and re-released as the 1958 feature film Satan’s Satellites. Notably, Zombies marked one of the earliest film appearances of actor Lenoard Nimoy. Production resumed on the television series, with Schallert having been replaced by Richard Crane (future star of Rocky Jones, Space Ranger) as Dick Preston, and The Ruler gaining a new henchwoman played by Gloria Pall.

The Ruler getting an update from his men.

            Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe ended up having to receive a theatrical release due to contractual issues. It debuted in 1953 and ran as a typical serial. However, a debate has arisen among film fans as to whether Sky Marshall should be classified as a serial or not since it lacked the cliffhanger endings at the end of each episode that defined the genre. Sky Marshal eventually made its way to syndication on July 16, 1955 through Republic’s TV arm, Hollywood Television Service, and aired on NBC stations. Ultimately, this wound up being the final Commando Cody project. The series has seen numerous home media releases, including on Blu-ray for the first time in 2016 by Olive Films.