I rediscovered Commando Cody this week as a result of a rabbit trail I went down. I was watching an episode of American Pickers where they picked a movie poster for Zombies of the Stratosphere featuring Leonard Nemoy. I Googled it and read the article on Wikipedia. I remember seeing Commando Cody at the movies back in the 50s. Commando Cody, played by George Wallace, was the lead character in
Radar Men from the Moon, a 12 part serial by Republic Pictures in 1952. It was followed 1953 by
Zombies of the Stratosphere in which Leonard Nemoy played one of the "zombies". The rocket man suit was used in both serials and also in a made for TV series "
Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe". These movie serials came on the scene at the beginning of the atomic age and before the space age. The technology was awesome. As a kid, I ate this stuff up.
You will notice that the actors always seem to be dressed in suits, ties, and fedoras. The rocket man takes off his suit coat and puts on a leather coat which has the rockets and controls attached. Then he puts on his helmet. Scroll down and take a look at the controls below. So simple, even a caveman could do it. Clayton Moore (best known for playing the Lone Ranger) is the bad guy in Radar Men from the Moon. His voice is unmistakable.
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| Clayton Moore, second from left. |
You can find the 12 episodes of
Radar Men from the Moon on YouTube here:
Radar Men from the Moon (1952) Full
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| Commando Cody with lunar tank |
The following images are from
Zombies of the Stratosphere. Commando Cody is replaced by Larry Martin (played by Judd Holdren). This version has been colorized. The link is to a Youtube version of the movie.
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| back view of the rocket man |
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| awesome controls |
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| rocket man in flight |
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| I wished I could have a suit like this. |
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| Leonard Nemoy's death scene in Episode 12. |
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| This awesome rocket could take off and fly to the moon and back in record time. Amazing. |
