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Zombies of the Stratosphere

  • 1952
  • Approved
  • 2h 47m
IMDb RATING
5.0/10
526
YOUR RATING
Leonard Nimoy, Lane Bradford, and Judd Holdren in Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952)
Trailer for Zombies Of The Stratosphere
Play trailer1:56
1 Video
15 Photos
ActionAdventureSci-Fi

The invaders come to Earth to create an H-bomb to blast Earth out of orbit so that Mars can take its place.The invaders come to Earth to create an H-bomb to blast Earth out of orbit so that Mars can take its place.The invaders come to Earth to create an H-bomb to blast Earth out of orbit so that Mars can take its place.

  • Director
    • Fred C. Brannon
  • Writer
    • Ronald Davidson
  • Stars
    • Judd Holdren
    • Aline Towne
    • Wilson Wood
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.0/10
    526
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Fred C. Brannon
    • Writer
      • Ronald Davidson
    • Stars
      • Judd Holdren
      • Aline Towne
      • Wilson Wood
    • 15User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Zombies of the Stratosphere
    Trailer 1:56
    Zombies of the Stratosphere

    Photos15

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    Top cast30

    Edit
    Judd Holdren
    Judd Holdren
    • Larry Martin
    Aline Towne
    Aline Towne
    • Sue Davis
    Wilson Wood
    • Bob Wilson
    Lane Bradford
    Lane Bradford
    • Marex
    Stanley Waxman
    Stanley Waxman
    • Dr. Harding
    John Crawford
    John Crawford
    • Roth
    Craig Kelly
    • Mr. Steele
    Leonard Nimoy
    Leonard Nimoy
    • Narab
    Tom Steele
    Tom Steele
    • Walker [Ch. 3]…
    Dale Van Sickel
    Dale Van Sickel
    • Telegrapher [Chs. 1, 10]
    Roy Engel
    Roy Engel
    • Lawson - Boat Charter Operator [Ch. 3]
    Jack Harden
    • Kerr
    Paul Stader
    • Fisherman [Ch. 7]
    Gayle Kellogg
    • Dick - Rocketship Pilot
    Jack Shea
    • Rocketship Guard [Ch. 2]
    Robert Garabedian
    • Elah - Zombie Pilot
    Frank Alten
    • Second Train Heavy [Ch. 1]
    • (uncredited)
    Roy Barcroft
    Roy Barcroft
    • Central Control Radio Operator [Chs. 1, 11]
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    • Director
      • Fred C. Brannon
    • Writer
      • Ronald Davidson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews15

    5.0526
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    Featured reviews

    6AlsExGal

    originally planned as another Commander Cody offering

    12-chapter science fiction action serial from Republic Pictures and director Fred C. Brannon features a Martian invasion party, including Marex (Lane Bradford) and Narab (Leonard Nimoy), with a plot to detonate H-bombs powerful enough to knock Earth from its orbit, after which Mars will be moved into its place, strengthening the Martian atmosphere and allowing life to flourish there once again. It's up to Larry Martin (Judd Holdren), equipped with his incredible rocket suit, and his compatriots to stop the Martian menace and their earthly criminal henchmen.

    Original planned as another Commando Cody offering, for some unexplained reason Republic changed the lead character's name to Larry Martin at the last moment, despite leaving the supporting cast, not to mention the rocket suit, the same. The filmmakers relied heavily on stock footage, and re-used a lot of action scenes and effects shots from earlier serials and movies. There are a lot of fist fights, plus a killer robot. This particular serial gets mentioned now chiefly for being the first screen performance by Leonard Nimoy. The future Spock was already playing an alien, only this time not one nearly as cool as the Vulcan.
    cshep

    Early Sci-Fi Serial

    When viewing "Zombies of the Stratosphere " out of the context of the 1950's, it can be said that the serial falls short of avg. standards, but that said, if you have a Sat. afternoon to spend with your son, and conditions warrant you from going outside, then get out the popcorn, warm up the VCR, and pop in this adventure!!! While evil Martians(Zombies) plot to knock the Earth out of its orbit, with an Atomic(Hydrogen) bomb, Larry Martin and friends , outwit and out hustle, this dedicated group of Evil Doers, with 11 Chapters of car crashing , boat chasing, robot fighting, cliff hangers, that may amuse the over 35 crowd, and could delight younger viewers, whose Fantasy of Flight, is fulfilled, from those of us that are gravity challenged !!! Even the Female leads fight , and are not intimidated by the Outer Space villains !!! While the plot is so-so , this serial is very nostalgic , of a time when the future held so much promise, and the Universe, that was so close, still held so much mystery !!! Get the COLOR version, much more depth !!! Watch the landings onto the Spaceships, by flying humans, needs a little work !!! Enjoy !!!
    horn-5

    Commando Cody got beat out of a TV episode.

    The story/scenario for "Zombies of the Stratsophere" was originally written to be used as the fourth episode ( of the eventual twelve) of the Republic-produced "Commando Cody- Sky King of the Universe" syndicated television 1951-52 production season series. The studio unit that was doing the television series, under Associate Producer Franklin Adreon, was also doing the serials (for theatre distribution) and after the first three "Commando Cody" TV episodes were completed, then started production on "Zombies of the Stratosphere" prior to finishing the remaining nine Cody-TV episodes. On April 10, 1952, Adreon sent a memo to all Republic Pictures Corporation departments advising that certain character names in production number 133 (internal house number for the upcoming serial) have been changed as follows: Commando Cody becomes Larry Martin; Joan Gilbert becomes Sue Davis; Ted Richards becomes Bob Wilson; Mr. Henderson becomes Mr. Steele and Hank becomes Dick.

    "Zombies" utilized stock footage from various Republic serials, features and one western; all of the 17 flying sequences of the airborn-wired dummy came straight from "King of the Rocket Men.", and the uranium-smuggling airplane sequence was lifted from the Roy Rogers western, "Bells of Coronado," which is why Clifton Young (as Ross)and Henry Rowland (Plane Heavy)show up in this serial. Larry Martin's space ship was recycled from "Radar Men from the Moon", while the Martians flew a new model (created for "Zombies")that featured a transparent bubble-gum turret housing a ray cannon atop the fuselage.

    Republic contract-player Roy Barcroft is not seen in the serial but his voice was heard on the radio (chapters 1 and 11) and as dubs for Ross (chapter 4)and Tarner (chapter 7.) There was a fabricated "Introducing Leonard Nimoy" added to the opening cast-sheet when this film was colorized in the '90's, a bit of revisionism catering to Trekkies. Republic Pictures Corporation itself did not pass out "Introducing" credits to players listed ninth in the cast.

    Filming started on April 4, 1952 and was completed on May 1, 1952. The budget (expected filming cost of the production) was $172,838 and the finished negative cost came in at $176,357, or slightly four thousand dollars over budget. These were the real numbers and, of course, do not fit the revisionist definitions of budget currently employed by some websites.
    7Tony-Kiss-Castillo

    The TITLE SCREAMS....."ZOMBIES" Was Shut Out at the OSCARS!

    One of my all time.... SO BAD IT´S REALLY GOOD FAVORITES! What is there to say about Movies like this one??? On just about every imaginable level... And in about every single production area you can name... This one is truly a STINKER! Everyone has heard of LOW BUDGET.... In this case... It is more like..... NO BUDGET!

    Dozens of untintended laughs guaranteed!!! ..... If...Of course ... You can manage to sit through the ENTIRE 1 Hour and 15 Minutes!!!! ENJOY!!!
    8harper_blue

    Cheeze to Pleeze -- It's a Whiz!

    This one (so to speak) is for lovers of the old Republic Serials, those incredibly silly (by modern standards) episodic films that kept our parents or grandparents coming back to the Saturday matinée week after week. Produced on budgets not much larger than Ed Wood ever had, and on sets sometimes recycled from film to film, they still offered a weekly dose of action and adventure in the days when those terms were not synonymous with earth-splitting explosions, computerized special effects, and "I'll be back." The plots were straightforward; of course, most a/a genre films are simple of plot even today, but there is something about these old cans of cheeze that satisfies more than constant viewings of "Terminatorsaur" and "Predatalienator". The goods guys wear white hats (so to speak) and smell good; the bad guys wear black hats and stink of cigarette smoke; and the simplicity of the 'fex are lovely in themselves. Yeah, things still blow up and burn down, but that is still a function of a/a films, I guess. The logic is, bigger isn't always better, and the serials prove the point.

    In this Saturday-morning peanut-gallery special, the plan is for the aliens to blow up Earth, so that Mars can take its orbital place and get warm. Out to foil them is Larry, a "security agent," armed only with a .45 and a miraculous suit that lets him fly through the air just by twisting knobs (and jumping on a hidden trampoline for the initial takeoff). Can he stop the terrible zombies from completing their dastardly scheme before the train runs off the track, he gets burned in a raging inferno, or the movie runs out of reels? Return to the theater next week for the next exciting chapter...or just keep playing the tape. Get plenty of popcorn, settle in for a Saturday with the kids to introduce them to what film really was like, and keep your eyes open for Leonard Nimoy, sans ears and "Live Long and Prosper", in an early film appearance!

    One of the best-remembered of the serials, as well as one of the last ones (Republic stopped producing them in the mid-Fifties or so; check a specialist film-history Web site). Warmly recommended to all, unless you have no tolerance for cheesy sci-fi. I only hope it comes out on DVD eventually, and with Nimoy to comment on it or do a special feature!

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    Related interests

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
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    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Film debut (as "Narab", a Martian invader) of Leonard Nimoy.
    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a colorized version.
    • Connections
      Edited from Mysterious Doctor Satan (1940)

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    FAQ15

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 16, 1952 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Des Satans Satellit
    • Filming locations
      • Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Republic Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $176,357 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 47m(167 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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