Captain Video: Master Of The Stratosphere (1951)

Starring Judd Holdren, Larry Stewart, George Eldredge, Gene Roth, Don Harvey
Directed by Spencer Bennet & Wallace A. Grissell
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Captain Video and his partner the Video Ranger use their wide array of scientific inventions to battle the schemes of Vultura, alien dictator, and his agent on Earth, the scientist Dr. Tobor.

Based on a popular television series aimed at children, this movie serial is fun and entertaining, with car chases, fist fights, spaceships, and explosions a plenty.  Put out by Columbia Pictures, the special effects are consistent with their other serials of that era, produced by Sam Katzman, meaning most of the spacecraft are animated, and some of that footage is lifted from past productions.  Holdren doesn't project much of a personality as the ultra-serious Captain Video, but Gene Roth is appropriately villainous as Vultura, and George Eldredge gives a good performance as the criminal scientist Dr. Tobor, trying to hide behind a respectable reputation.  Although it seems there is no danger or death trap that Captain Video can't escape with the aid of a device he happens to have, or that assistant Gallagher at his control center can produce, there's some clever cliffhangers in the serial.  It's not one of the great serials, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. 

Commando Cody: Sky Marshal Of The Universe (1953)

Starring Judd Holdren, Aline Towne, Gregory Gaye, Richard Crane, Craig Kelly
Directed by Harry Keller, Franklin Adreon, & Fred C. Brannon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The Earth enlists the masked Commando Cody in defending the Earth against attacks from The Ruler, an alien despot eager to conquer the world.

The last of the "Rocket Man" serials from Republic Pictures, and a bit of a novelty in that there are no cliffhanger chapter endings, it came in the era when Republic was repurposing footage from their past serials for new entries, and it may well have used the most.  Expect to see Republic serial staples like the lumbering robot, the melting mountain, and plenty of previously used explosion and disaster footage, including the tidal wave threatening New York from 1933's Deluge.  Holdren, playing a different character from the Rocket Man he portrayed in Zombies Of The Stratosphere, fares I think much better here than in that serial, seeming to have an improved screen presence, and maybe the mask helps a bit.  Unlike other serials, this one also shuffles its cast fairly early on, with Cody's chief assistant played by William Schallert replaced by Richard Crane after just a few episodes.  Schallert is great, but I love Crane though so no ill feelings about that switch.  How does the serial itself measure up?  I think it's a lot of fun, and benefits from the more universal setting, allowing Cody and his team to rocket off to a variety of planets (even though they all look the same), with technologies both interesting and a little far-fetched at their disposal.  Although most of their effects work is likely taken from past films, the Lydecker Brothers' work still manages to impress, even if we can see the wires on Blu-Ray.

Zombies Of The Stratosphere (1952)

Starring Judd Holdren, Aline Towne, Wilson Wood, Lane Bradford, Stanley Waxman
Directed by Fred C. Brannon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Martians come to Earth in an attempt to use an H-bomb to blow the planet out of its orbit, but are opposed by government agent Larry Martin, who uses his flying suit to thwart their schemes.

The third of the "Rocket Man" movie serials from Republic Pictures, the production is arguably better than the previous year's Radar Men From The Moon, but not by much, with many "cheater" cliffhanger resolutions, and a bland hero in Holdren, who isn't able to project much of a personality in his screen time.  It's still fun though, with well-executed stunts and good special effects by the Lydecker brothers, plus the recycling yet again of the familiar robot from Mysterious Doctor Satan and other past serials for the Martians to employ.  I love that robot.  Of historical note is the presence of Leonard Nimoy in the credits, playing a Martian years before being cast as the alien Mr. Spock on Star Trek.