Series synopsis
Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe is an American sci-fi & fantasy television series that premiered on NBC on July 16, 1955. It ended on October 8, 1955. It stars Judd Holdren, Aline Towne, Gregory Gaye and Richard Crane.
Masked scientific government agent is pitted against a rogue army, led by a mystery man known only as "The Ruler", which is attempting to conquer the solar system by first decimating earth's climate through various futuristic devices which Cody must meet with earth's own futuristic technology.
[Intended to be a limited-run television series, Commando Cody: Sky Marshal Of The Universe was first released theatrically in 1953 as a twelve-chapter movie serial; it was not shown on television until ...
Premise
Masked scientific government agent is pitted against a rogue army, led by a mystery man known only as "The Ruler", which is attempting to conquer the solar system by first decimating earth's climate through various futuristic devices which Cody must meet with earth's own futuristic technology.
[Intended to be a limited-run television series, Commando Cody: Sky Marshal Of The Universe was first released theatrically in 1953 as a twelve-chapter movie serial; it was not shown on television until 1955.
The Commando Cody character was first introduced in Republic's earlier movie serial Radar Men from the Moon; however, "Sky Marshal" is actually a prequel, with the first chapter dealing with Cody's origins and the acquisiton of his staff as seen in "Radar Men".]
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Judd Holdren as Commando Cody
- Aline Towne as Joan Gilbert
- Gregory Gaye as The Ruler
- Richard Crane as Dick Preston
- William Schallert as Ted Richards
- Craig Kelly as Commissioner Henderson
- Lyle Talbot as Baylor
- Mauritz Hugo as Mason
Supporting cast
- Gloria Pall as The Moon Girl
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 12 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 12 | July 16, 1955 | October 8, 1955 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Enemies of the Universe From Republic's press release: ""The Ruler, a diabolical scientist who wants to enslave the Solar System, learns of Commando Cody's design for a rocketship that can go anywhere in outer space. He is determined to sabotage Cody's work."" Commando Cody is a top secret scientist who wears a mask for security reasons. He recieves two new assistants, Joan Gilbert and Ted Richards, that help him develop an atomic powered rocketship. The Interplanetary commission has received a warning from a mad scientist known as Ruler. Cody is named the new sky marshal of the universe in order to combat Ruler's threat. Cody explains that reports of flying saucers are actually reports of Ruler's missles attempting to land on Earth. Cody develops an cosmic dust blanket that encricles the globe and that will cause any enemy craft to disintegrate before entering earth atmosphere. Ruler fears Cody's abilities and sends agents to sabotage Cody's rocket and learn the secret of the cosmic dust blanket. Cody drives |
July 16, 1955 |
| 2 |
Atomic Peril From Republic's press release: ""Lenotto is sent to the Earth by the Ruler to help Dr. Varney in destroying Commando Cody. First they try to gain Cody's confidence by introducing him to a new element. When given the opportunity they try to steal Commando Cody's rocketship and in the ensuing scuffle Lenotto is killed with his own gun."" Unable to penetrate the cosmic dust blanket with his warships, the Ruler sends an agent Lenato inside a small missle headed for earth. Lenato carries Thenustrium: a new element developed on Planet X. Lenato tells Dr. Varney that Thenustrium is similar to uranium, but is easier to control. Lenato and Dr. Varney poses as scientists who have discovered the new element. They are able to get into Commander Cody's lab. Cody examines the element and realizes that combining it with uranium will allow him to construct a rocket with more power and range. When Cody leaves, Lenato and Varney kidnap Joan and Ted. They steal Cody's rocket and fly away. Lenato and Varne |
July 23, 1955 |
| 3 |
Cosmic Vengeance From Republic's press release: ""A strange garbled message convinces Commando Cody that the Ruler is trying to contact his agents on Earth. Cody tries to find the Ruler before he can carry out his newest plot."" Commando Cody discovers that the Ruler is on the Planet Venus. Ross and Hardy learn that Commando Cody plans to fly to Venus and they sabotage his rocket ship. However, Cody manages to land the crippled ship on Venus and confronts the Ruler. The Ruler reveals his plans to conquer Earth and other habitable planets. He shows off his weapons of conquest. Cody manages to bury the ""Ruler of Outer Space"" in his operations cavern on Venus. |
July 30, 1955 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | NBC |
|---|---|
| First aired | July 16, 1955 |
| Last aired | October 8, 1955 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Saturday at 11:00:00 |