Starring George Wallace, Aline Towne, Roy Barcroft, William Bakewell, Clayton Moore
Directed by Fred C. Brannon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Scientist and government agent Commando Cody discovers a plot by aliens on the moon to invade the Earth, and uses his flying suit to combat them and their agents on Earth.
We have here the second of the "Rocket Man" serials, with a new actor and character in the flying suit, George Wallace as Commando Cody, but plenty of the same thrills (and stock footage) from the previous serial, King Of The Rocket Men. The special effects depicting Cody flying through the air, a dummy on wires as first used in Adventures Of Captain Marvel still look great, enhanced with the sound effects of the character's Rocket pack, and solid take off and landing sequences. Effects men Howard and Theodore Lydecker use a similar effect for Cody's rocket ship, which also looks impressive for the time, although the interior shots of the cockpit are compromised by the use of ordinary desk chairs. Although there's plenty of adventure throughout the serial, much of the cliffhangers and set pieces are ones we've seen before, and some are cribbed from past serial footage, but they're staged well enough and a musical action theme effectively underscores the central conflict in each episode. Unless I'm mistaken from looking at the filming locations on IMDB, it's Vasquez Rocks standing in for the craggy surface of the moon, which probably wouldn't fool too many fans of old westerns, but provides the caves and rough terrain required by the story. As Cody, Wallace is a solid hero, and Barcroft, with his aggressive tone, is tapped once again by the Republic studio to play the villain, in this case, Retik, the leader of the moon. Peter Brocco in alien makeup plays Retik's lieutenant on Earth, Krog, and future Lone Ranger Clayton Moore is welcome as Krog's chief human henchman. I wouldn't call it a great serial, but it's fun and worth revisiting from time to time.
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