King of the Rocket Men (1949)

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

Director:

Fred C. Brannon

Writers:

Royal K. Cole, William Lively,

Stars:

Tristram Coffin, Mae Clarke, Don Haggerty

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Henchman Martin [Ch.1] / 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]

Storyline

Prof. Millard pretends to be dead and helps Jeff King ferret out Vulcan, the evil traitor at the science academy. Donning his Rocket Man costume King goes from one hair raising rescue to the next in order to keep the newly invented Decimator out of the clutches of Vulcan and his minions.

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Plot Keywords:

secret | science | suspect | remote control | traitor | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 June 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der König der Raketenmänner

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$165,592 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

167 min 167 min (12 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Titles of Chapters

• 1. Dr. Vulcan. Traitor
• 2. Plunging Death
• 3. Dangerous Evidence
• 4. High Peril
• 5. Fatal Dive
• 6. Mystery of The Rocket Man
• 7. Molten Menace
• 8. Suicide Flight
• 9. Ten Seconds To Live
• 10. The Deadly Fog
• 11. Secret of Dr. Vulcan
• 12. Wave of Disaster [Note: The On Screen number to this is 'Last Chapter' instead of '12']

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Connections

Featured in Special Effects: Anything Can Happen (1996)

User Reviews

The prototype Rocket Man serial, great fun!

It's one of Republic's last great serials, the inspiration for Disney's "The Rocketeer," and just great fun. Really standout special effects, the patented Republic furniture-smashing, body-slamming fights, a goofy plot, and just as much action and movement as you can stand. Any kid that didn't wish to be a "rocket man" sometime in their childhood had no red blood in them. Highly recommended. Star Tris Coffin should be rediscovered.