Zombies of the Stratosphere

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Zombies of the Stratosphere

Directed by	Fred C. Brannon
Produced by	Franklin Adreon
Written by	Ronald Davidson
Starring	Judd Holdren Aline Towne Wilson Wood Lane Bradford Stanley Waxman John Crawford Craig Kelly Ray Boyle Leonard Nimoy
Cinematography	John MacBurnie
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release date(s)	1952
Running time	12 chapters (167 min)
IMDb profile

Zombies of the Stratosphere (Republic Studios, 1952) was intended as the second serial featuring "new hero" Commando Cody and the third 12-chapter serial featuring the rocket-powered flying suit introduced in King of the Rocket Men (1949).

The director was Fred C. Brannon, with screenplay by Ronald Davidson and special effects by the Lydecker brothers. The serial is remembered today mainly because Leonard Nimoy, in his first screen appearance, plays one of the two Martian invaders, Narab. Just as filming began, the name of the hero was changed to Larry Martin, as played by Judd Holdren, who had previously played Captain Video in a 1951 Columbia Pictures chapterplay, but he retains all the same sidekicks, high-tech props and laboratory facilities that Commando Cody had in the previous serial, Radar Men from the Moon. As in Radar Men from the Moon (also 1952), most screen time is expended on fist fights between the heroes and a gang of crooks hired by Narab and his extraterrestrial colleague Marex to steal and stockpile supplies needed for construction of an H-bomb to throw the earth out of orbit so Mars can take its place.

Critics and viewers found the serial to be relatively dull and unimaginative, not as interesting as even the somewhat tedious Radar Men from the Moon. The use of stock footage from earlier serials is not quite as overwhelming as it was in the earlier or later Cody outings, as greater emphasis is placed on fistfights than scenes with the rocket suit. Holdren's performance is often stiff and amateurish, especially when compared to the smooth professionalism of the old Republic pros who surround him on screen.

1 Cast
2 Chapter titles
3 Stunts & Effects
4 Trivia
5 See also
6 References and External Links:

[edit] Cast

Judd Holdren as Larry Martin
Aline Towne as Sue Davis
Wilson Wood as Bob Wilson
Lane Bradford as Marex
Stanley Waxman as Dr Harding
John Crawford as Roth
Craig Kelly as Mr Steele
Ray Boyle as Shane
Leonard Nimoy as Narab

[edit] Chapter titles

The Zombie Vanguard
Battle of the Rockets
Undersea Agents
Contraband Cargo
The Iron Executioner
Murder Mine
Death on the Waterfront
Hostage for Murder
The Human Torpedo
Flying Gas Chamber
Man Vs. Monster
Tomb of the Traitors

[edit] Stunts & Effects

Stunts by:
Dale Van Sickel as Larry Martin (doubling Judd Holdren)
Tom Steele

Effects by the Lydecker brothers

[edit] Trivia

The "Republic Robot," somewhat resembling a walking hot-water heater, and first seen in Undersea Kingdom of 1936 and later and prominently in the Mysterious Doctor Satan of 1940, makes a very welcome appearance.

An addition to the Rocketman outfit, seen first in this serial, is a huge two-way radio about the size of a lunchbox that Larry Martin wears hanging heavily from his belt when dressed in the flying suit. This radio is also seen in some stills of Cody in the flying suit in Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe. As most flying sequences are reused stock footage from earlier Rocketman serials, the radio usually disappears when Cody is in flight.