Radar Men From the Moon

Radar Men From the Moon, which screened in 12 parts in 1952, was one of the last Republic serials and catches the format in decline. George Wallace plays Commando Cody, a scientist working on a moon rocket, who must save the Earth from Moon-man Retik (serial legend Roy Barcroft in his “Purple Monster” suit) and his gang of human henchmen (including Clayton Moore during his brief break from The Lone Ranger). The lunar invaders are breaking down Earth's defenses with the help of a ray more powerful than nuclear weapons and only Cody, in a suit he borrowed from fellow Republic serial character Jeff King, (King of the Rocketmen), can stop them (with the help of stuntman Davey Sharpe and Republic's ace effects man Howard Lydecker). The serial format requires a comfortable suspension of disbelief with the harrowing cliffhangers that find Cody trapped in a variety of exploding vehicles, but when the Moon-men have to stage bank robberies to fund their takeover of Earth, the dearth of creativity is evident. Considering the serial's Cold War context, it's fascinating to try (and fail) to make links between the evil lunar invaders and the more realistic Red Menace. Certainly, Retik leads an inept force from his control room in the Moon's Roman-designed capital, but Wallace, as our hero, can't even pull a gun convincingly. The clean, carefully restored print is the DVD's only feature. Still, as a notable slice of early movie history, this is a strong optional purchase. (D. Fienberg)