Lost Planet Airmen

This old stinker makes the Flash Gordon movies look sophisticated. It's so terrible I love it, and I wish I could find a tape, but none of the catalogs I've checked list it. The rock band leader who calls himself Commander Cody must have loved it too, because he named his band after it.

"Lost Planet Airmen" was the 1951 theatrical feature derived from Republic's classic 1949 12-chapter serial "King of the Rocket Men," Tristram Coffin, the unlikely hero of Bela Lugosi's "The Corpse Vanishes," making for an even less likely serial hero, although the name Jeff King does allow the title to resonate despite its single Rocket Man. Evil mastermind Doctor Vulcan disguises himself as a trusted member of Science Associates, formulating curious accidents for several cohorts to capture their secrets, with only Dr. Millard (James Craven) surviving to carry on with his creation of an atomic powered suit that can turn an ordinary citizen into a jet propelled flying superhero. Coffin's Jeff King is essentially top security man, occasionally assisted by reporter Glenda Thomas (Mae Clarke), keeping the Rocket Man outfit in a nifty hiding place that no one would ever suspect, the trunk of his car! There are only five brief glimpses of Rocket Man in action, only one during the first half of this hour long compilation, which must be regarded as no patch on its source material. Mae Clarke was Queen of Universal for a short time during the early 30s but her star had fallen precipitously even before the 1940s, and this can safely be described as her last real meaty role, followed by dozens of unbilled bits until her 1970 retirement. Long forgotten today with the full serial easily available, this title now conjures up memories of a nostalgic group of musicians going by the lengthy moniker Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, who scored a huge hit with their 1972 cover of "Hot Rod Lincoln."

The title is a misnomer; the story has almost no scientific value, and the AI in the film is idiotic. Other than that, this film is better than Space Odessey 2001. Beter to have been named Aliens and Cowboys.......wait, that's already been taken. Scientists and PHDs running around with 45s and getting in deadly car chases. Sure, that will happen when governments begin to take care of food shelter and clothing before national defense. Interesting as a historical joke.

Lost Planet Airmen was the first (yes, there was another in 1966 for a television package) feature version of Republic's 1949 12-chapter serial, King of the Rocket Men, one of no less than six (of of a total of 66 serials made by Republic between 1936 and 1956) titles involving "King of the...." The "King" was always the surname of the leading man, not a title, however.

Whoever came up with this great title I have no idea, but it is interesting to note that film has nothing to do with planets, lost or otherwise, and even the inclusion of the word "airmen" is somewhat dubious.

I first saw this movie in 1970 while living in Seattle Washington.

During the Mid 50s and early sixties I watched all the Commando Cody Serials on TV i.e. Radar Men from the moon, Zombies of the Stratosphere, Sky Marshall of the Universe. This movie was the Condensed version of the Republic Serial King of the RocketMen and Provides a unique and shortened version of the original Republic Serial. All in all it is a nice movie and to this very day I can still Remember vividly the control panel on the Rocket Suit, On, Up and Fast. What I liked most about this movie was the fast plot and the never-ending action. As in the original Republic Picture serial version King of the RocketMen, Tris Coffic the lead man wearing the rocket suit goes from one dangerous situation to another as he attempts to stop the sinister Dr. Vulcan from deploying the Sonic Decimator which will destroy the city of New York. Along with Mae Clark the evil Dr. Vulcan is defeated and the Sonic Decimator is destroyed and all the bad guys go to jail and Tristram Coffic and Mae Clark live happily ever after. This is an enjoyable movie for those who grew up watching the Saturday morning matinée at the local theaters.

Michael.