Classic 50s Movie: “Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe”
May is Classic 50s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from John Nilsson Acosta.
Movie Title: Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe
Year: 1953
Writers: Ronald Davidson and Barry Shipman
Lead Actors: Judd Holdren, Aline Towne, Gregory Gaye, Richard Crane, William Schallert, Gloria Pall
Directors: Harry Keller, Franklin Adreon, and Fred C. Brannon
Plot Summary: As the series opens, it is the near future as seen from the perspective of the early 1950s. Earth is in radio contact with civilizations on planets in our solar system, as well as planets in other, distant solar systems, and Commando Cody has just built the world’s first spaceship. The rest of the world appears unchanged by these galactic developments. (The exterior of Cody’s headquarters building is actually a Republic Pictures office building.)
In each episode The Ruler tries to take over the Earth with a new scheme, each one designed to make maximum use of Republic’s stock footage library of various disasters and previously used action long shots. For the series, a number of new outer space scenes were filmed that had not been seen before in Republic serials, including “space walks” for several exterior spaceship repairs; aerial ray gun duels between “hero” and “enemy” spaceships; and black star fields (rather than daylight and cloud-spotted skies) for backgrounds when Cody’s or the villain’s spaceships were shown outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Cody and his associates use special badges that conceal radios to communicate with one another, prefiguring similar communication badges used more than 30 years later in Star Trek: The Next Generation. There were futuristic props and sets, as well as shots of the intricate model-rocket special effects work of Republic’s Howard and Theodore Lydecker; the spaceships of Cody and The Ruler are the same basic shooting miniature with different attachments and markings added to make them appear different. (Summary from Wikipedia)
Why I Think This is a Classic 50’s Movie: Come with me back to yesteryear! Imagine yourself — you are just nine years old — you reach up to plunk down your 45 cents at the ticket booth in the glorious Dreamland Theater located in downtown Modesto! These are the days of Double Features and Serial one reelers. You’re paying your hard earned allowance to sit through the main feature which is a strange Western, Produced by Republic Pictures, called Johnny Guitar.
What you’re really here to see is something very special. Something so unique and stupendous it has gripped your heart and soul, and engaged your active imagination! You’ve had to wait one whole week to see what happens next!
As the intermission ends and you try to figure out why the dystopian Western Johnny Guitar disturbed you, the theater lights go down, and the light on the screen begins to flicker, it’s coming to life! Taking a big gulp from your 10 cent coke and stuffing a hand full of popcorn into your mouth here it is. Your story. Your adventure. Now, right now, this is all you want!
The title splashes across the screen as a man wearing futuristic flying suit with a bullet shaped helmet runs out of a building and leaps into the air! He’s flying! If only you had a rocket powered back pack! You would be Commander Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe!
Commando Cody: scientific genius, inventor of a Flying Suit, protector of the Earth and the Universe. (Hey, that sounds familiar.)
You’ve been on so many adventures with Commando Cody, had your close calls, trusted your sidekicks, taken advice from your wise old mentor, and had epic battles fighting the henchmen of your evil nemesis The Ruler, but this week you’ll need more. This week is colossal, stupendous. This week it’s “War of the Space Giants”!
Space Giants! This is so freekin cool.
Imagine yourself. You’re just nine years old and your name is George Lucas . . .
Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe was released into theaters just as television was growing in popularity and movie studios, in order to compete with the small screen, decided to make films in widescreen format. The small independent movie studios that cranked out these low budget serials were feeling the pressure. They were converting to the new entertainment medium of television or folding their tents and disappearing from film production altogether.
This spelled the end of the movie serial. In just three short years the last movie serial was released into theaters. Hollywood’s film industry lost it’s ability and it’s desire to tell long form stories. But these 1950’s serials had a profound and lasting impact on a generation that would come of age in Hollywood in the 1970’s and one emerging movie serial would have a budget that would dwarf anything that had ever been spent before.
Flash forward to the 6th annual Comic-Con in July 1976. Lucas has sent a promotional team to San Diego where they’ve rented a table to sell a STAR WARS novel, comic books, and they’ve scheduled a presentation in order to show slides on a portable projection screen of scenes from the upcoming film. Only a handful of Comic-Con attendees turned up to see the presentation. Yet by next May 1977 STAR WARS became a Global Phenomenon. The one key moment in the film that signaled to audiences that serials were coming back was when Darth Vader survived the destructing of the Death Star. Their curiosity was aroused. What will happen to our new Heroes if the Evil Vader survived what would happen next?
Now in 2015 we’ve seen numerous examples of Serialized movies: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, the Bourne films, but the biggest and baldest of them all is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Using multiple storylines and multiple characters in what seemed to be individual stand alone films is really at it’s core a Serial. Don’t believe me? Look at what an Italian fan put together on YouTube.
Low budget, Pop Art, movie serials that can trace their linage all the way back to 1910. Their subject matter covered Crime Stories, Adventures, Comic Strips, and Super Heroes. Now they have returned to Hollywood and they’ve been transformed, super-sized, and juiced-up with modern storytelling techniques, production dollars, and CGI. They’ve usurped what was once considered the High Art of the Studio Film. Modern Serials are now a multi-billion dollar business. Everything else turned into Indy Film.
But why? What’s the appeal of long form story telling? Stay tuned to hear the exciting tale . . . (Hint: The hidden Evil Genius is Socrates!)
My Favorite Moment in the Movie: My favorite moment in the Serial occurs in Episode 9: Solar Sky Raiders. It’s the moment when Cody gives Joan the Pilot’s seat of his space ship. Joan’s not here to be eye candy or a damsel in distress. (Howard Hawks would approve.)
My Favorite Dialogue: Dialogue??? Who needs dialogue when you have over the top action!
Here’s a clip from Episode 4: Nightmare Typhoon. The evil genius is out to conquer Earth and he’s manipulating Earth’s weather causing Global Climate Change to flood and destroy everything until Earth surrenders to his will. Watch as New York City gets destroyed by a massive tidal wave! (The Tidal Wave you see destroying New York City is actually stock footage Republic Pictures recycled from their film Deluge [1933] which depicts a series of natural disasters! Earthquakes destroy California and these set off a Tidal Wave that destroys New York!)
O.K. I do have some dialogue to share. Every good yarn needs a comedic side kick. Here’s Richard Crane portraying Dick Preston. (Falstaff eat your heart out.)
Key Things to Look for When Watching This Movie: Listen to the opening soundtrack. The driving horns and drums become remarkable and memorable. The soundtrack was written by Stanley Wilson who went on to score numerous films and television shows. Wilson also worked with and mentored a young up and coming composer named John Williams.
Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe is also a prequel! It was released after Radar Men from the Moon (1949) whose events take place after the action shown in Commando Cody. They didn’t use the same actors to play Cody in both Serials. To hide the fact the actor in the prequel was different they gave him a mask to wear.
Always add an element of comedy to relieve the audience’s tension. By episode three Cody’s sidekick was replaced and then played for humor.
You don’t have to spend a hundred bajillion dollars to make a Science Fiction Serial. What Republic Pictures spent was about $1.8 million in today’s dollars. Compare that to what Casablanca cost, adjusting for inflation and the Stars salaries, about $25 Million.
Concepts! Commando Cody has so many raw Concepts in it just waiting to be developed and retold in a new form.
Recycled footage from other Republic Pictures films as well as props and costumes. These Serials were very low budget affairs.
Serials do something very special to an audience. Just ask Scheherazade! They engage your active imagination, curiosity, and sense of anticipation. Combine those human qualities with Social Media Conic-Cons, and Entertainment Blogs, then sit back and watch it creates a kinetic dynamic of it’s own. As we’ve seen in more recent times audiences will wait years to see these sagas continue!
Thanks, John! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
Twitter: @BadScreenWrtr.
We already have a set of classic 60s Movies, 70s movies, 80s Movies and 90s Movies. This month, we’re working on 50s movies. And thanks to the GITS community, we’ve got 31 movies in the works!
Those who I put in bold have already sent me their posts. If you haven’t sent yours to me, please do so as soon as you can!!!
12 Angry Men — Ipsita Barik
A Place in the Sun — Zach Jansen
A Star is Born — Melinda Mahaffey
A Touch of Evil — David Joyner
All About Eve — Ricardo Bravo
American in Paris — stefani1601
Bridge on the River Kwai — Tom Peterson
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — uncgym44
Commando Cody: Sky Marshall of the Universe — John Nilsson Acosta
File on Thelma Jordon, The — David Joyner
Harvey — Felicity Flesher
High Noon — Jeff Messerman
Invasion of the Body Snatchers — Rick Dyke
Kiss Me Deadly — John Henderson
Marty — jetwillie69
Night of the Demon — David Hutchison
Night of the Hunter — Mark Twain
On the Beach — Liz Warner
On the Waterfront — Bilbo Poynter
Pickpocket — Zach Jansen
Pick Up on South Street — Vincent Martini
Quiet Man, The — Traci Nell Peterson
Rear Window — Roy Gordon
Rebel Without a Cause — Jack McDonald
Searchers, The — mkm28
Seven Samurai, The — Paul Graunke
Seventh, Seal, The — Megaen Kelly
Singin’ in the Rain — Megaen Kelly
Some Like It Hot — Will King
Stalag 17 — James Schramm
Sunset Blvd. — Lisa Byrd
Tokyo Story — Jeff Messerman
Vertigo — Jason Pates
Thanks to everyone!
For the original post explaining the series, go here.
For all of the 50s movies featured in the series, go here.