COMMANDO CODY - SKY MARSHAL OF THE UNIVERSE

   US tv series (1955). Republic Studios/Hollywood Television Service for NBC TV. Prod Mel Tucker, Franklyn Adreon, dir Fred Bannon, Harry Keller. Written by Ronald Davidson, Barry Shipman. Weekly. 25 mins per episode. B/w.

   Despite the title, the hero of this short-lived children's tv series was more likely to be found riding in a four-door sedan than travelling around the Universe. A cross between the Lone Ranger and Captain Midnight (his rival crime-fighter on CBS), Cody wore a costume that looked as if its previous owner had been in the German High Command and a mask whose function was unclear. Cody (here played by Judd Holdren) and his sidekick Joan (Aline Towne) had previously appeared in two Republic Studios film serials, Radar Men from the Moon (1952; 12 episodes), in which Cody was played by George Wallace, and Commando Cody (1953; 12 episodes), starring Holdren. Equipped with several secret laboratories, a spaceship and an ordinary revolver, Cody fought conventional gangsters and, occasionally, the Ruler, an evil genius from outer space. Unsurprisingly reminiscent of the absurdities of the movie serials, CC was more entertaining than the slicker CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT.

   JB/PN