King of the Rocket Men (1949)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Fred C. Brannon

Writers:

Royal K. Cole (written by) and
William Lively (written by) ...

Release Date:

8 June 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

And they hit the moon! 12 thrilling chapters about the most fascinating man who ever lived! (original poster)

Plot:

Jeff King in his experimental rocket suit battles the evil Dr. Vulcan.

Plot Keywords:

Experimental | Science | Secret | Suspect | Rescue

Cast

Tristram Coffin	...	Jeff King
Mae Clarke	...	Glenda Thomas
Don Haggerty	...	Tony Dirken
House Peters Jr.	...	Burt Winslow
James Craven	...	Prof. Millard [Chs. 1-7, 10]
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Prof. Bryant
Douglas Evans	...	Chairman [Ch. 12]
Ted Adams	...	Martin Conway [Chs. 1-4]
Stanley Price	...	Gunther Von Strum
Dale Van Sickel	...	Prof. Drake [Ch. 1] / Henchman Gates [Chs. 6-7, 9-11]
Tom Steele	...	Henchman Knox [Chs. 1, 3-4, 7] / Taxi Driver [Chs. 10-11]
David Sharpe	...	Henchman Blears / Cliff / Stark
Eddie Parker	...	Rowan [Ch. 3]
Michael Ferro	...	Henchman Turk [Ch. 8]
Frank O'Connor	...	Warehouse Guard [Chs. 1, 10]

Runtime:

167 min (12 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Trivia:

As in other Republic serials, Republic's top stuntmen, Dale Van Sickel, Tom Steele and David Sharpe, not only did stunts for other actors, they were given multiple roles throughout the serial. The audience were meant to see only one episode per week and therefore not expected to remember the faces of each henchman or extra.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

Up, Up, and AWAY!

This has some of the most convincing flying sequences for its time. The later Superman serial had him "fly" as a cartoon: here, King appears really to fly. I have read that the flying sequences used a lightweight dummy on wires. It looks pretty convincing.

Minor spoiler: There was only one "rocket man": the serial title suggests more. (The hero's name is Jeff King) For that matter, the flight controller is marked, "Slow," "Fast," "Up," and "Down." Not bad, but rough if one had to change direction in flight.

Naturally, the serial uses the standard formula of a colorful villain who's out to steal a secret, whom the hero has to contend with.

Worth viewing, but light entertainment.